The Tupelo journal., 1905-11-17

he would say with the greatest
seeming candor, but with an as
sumed gruffness, get down ane
come in. / have nothing for your
horse to eat, but plenty of gooc
water for him to drink, and he
can thrive on that. The stranger
would scan him from head to
foot trying to ascertain what he
meant, but without avail. But
before he left the hotel he would
become better acquainted withthe
peculiarities of mine host, and be
ready to fall in with his ways.
Mr.. Wiygle was one of the finest
woodsmen / ever knew. He is
the only man | ever knew whom
you could not loose in Bigbee bot
tom. You might take him into
the midst Of the bottom any
where, and he could come out the
darkest night ever came. He
was raised in Tennessee, but |
do not know in what county. He
was there with the Indians long
before they left for the Indian
Territory, and associated with
them considerably, and liked
them, and became quite familiar
with them, and especially with
the chief man among them. This
Indian told Mr.. Wiygle that his
tribe had discovered and used a
very fine silver mine there in the
county and that they would show
it to him if he wished it, but on
condition that he suffer them to
blind fold him to carry him in
and to bring him out, to which
he readily agreed. Some distance
from the mouth of the cave, but
how far he was not able to tell,
they putt bandages over his
eyes, and led him into the en-
trance of the silver mine, and
when they had him fully within
the cave, for such he designated
it, they removed the blind folds
and then appeared to his aston
ished vision the most wonderful
chance Of silver that ever mortal
man beheld. Silver in the rough
silver in bars, silver piled and
silver scattered loose, and silver
inclosed in the rock. They show
ed him their manner of disen-
gaging it from the rock and their
way OF shaping it into bars, and
other shapes. He remained in
the cave with the Indians for
several hours, and they again
put the blind folds upon his eyes
and carried him out and quite a
distance from the entrance before
removing them, so that he was
not able to locate the cave. Some
time after this, the Indians were
removed to the Indian Territory
and with them the old man who
was Wiygle's friend. Wiygle
tried to get him to show him the
mine before they were carried
off, but the Indian said if he were
to do so the other Indians would
kill him. Wiygle after searching
for quite a while after the Indians
were removed, and making no
discovery, gave up the search
After waiting some years he con-
cluded to make a visit to his old
friend in the Indian Territory to
see if he could not induce him to
return and show him the silver
mine, and if not, then get such
instructions as would enable him
to find it. Mr.. Wiygle threaded the
painless woods and forests alone
and afoot from Tennessee to the
Indian Territory, Drawing the
danger Of the wild beasts and
wilder men, the floods and un-
known wilds, and finally landed
with the proper tribe and found
his old friend; but no considera-
ton could induce him to return
to his haunts. But he was will
ing, and did give his friend such
instructions as he feltsure would
enable him to find the cave where
the silver was. So armed with the
information Of his old Indian
friend, he footed his way back
over the long lonesome and weary
road to the hills of his Tennessee
home, and began his search for
that which he knew would make
him rich, and which he felt con-
fident of finding. He took none
into his confidence, but tramped
the silent woods for the silver
cave for days and weeks without
avail. One day, after he had
become much discouraged and
even almost despondent,he found,
not that for which he was looking,
but a hog carrying in its mouth
a mans leg with a boot still on.
This led him to think his own
life might be endangered, and
so he pulled up, and left off
looking for the silver mine for
| all time to come, came to Miss
issippi, settled in Monroe county,
and moved from there to Fulton
where he lived and died. He
was a great reader of the Bible.
You might go to the little old
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