Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1906-10-28

Then a hemorrhage struck him down.
and it was a miracle that, blind and
struggling, he reached Prescott alive.
As soon as he had gained sufficient
strength he set out for his home in
Missouri. AS yet, though eagerly ask
ed and importuned to do so, he had re-
Vealed TO no one the location of his
claim. He reached home to find that
his wife and children had been driven
from their home by the creditor, and
died In his wife's arms. The money
he had brought with him from Arizona
served to recover the home from which
his family had been driven. but the
secret of the lost vein died with him.
No one of the hundreds who have since
attempted to search for il has been
able to find it.
Another queer story of lost mine is
that of the Lost Gunsight said to be
situated in the high Chiricahua noun
! tains in northwestern Cochise county.
Years ago the Apache Indians of
the San Carlos reservation and in
the American Valley, TO the north, told
of a wonderful rich gold mine from
which their ancestors used to get all
/ the gold they wanted which they used
for ornaments. and to barter with the
white people. They said no such
/ other mine had ever been discovered,
and that beyond San Simon a twenty
mile trail began which led high in the
/ mountains to It. But when il came 10
showing the trail to the white man.
the Indians were superstitiOus. At
/ length, however, Josefa. an old Indian
woman. consented TO pilot the gold
/ hunters there They fitted out a little
/ company and all started in the best Of
spirits Josefa told them that eventual
/ ~ they would find a curious cave in
the mountains which had been used
as a fortress when the tribe had been
pursued by other Indians. They came
at length TO an old trail and followed
! it for some distance In places il was
faint and could scarcely be traced. In
/ others IL was deep and well worn by
torrents from the mountains. But all
along, though very ancient the trail
preserved it's identity Finally, how
| ever, the old woman became overcome
as If by fear and she refused to go
any further. They offered her rewards
but these had no effect on her. She
was determined to return. and nothing
| they could say had any influence over
her. The gold hunters pursued
the search. They climbed the noun
teins along the trail. and finally found
the cave 1t was a strange cleft in the
side Of the gorge, which had a peculiar
opening, and, when penetrated showed
various Indian idols and rude earthen-
ware masked by the queer characters
of the Indians. The cave was large
enough to hold a hundred people, and
from its peculiar position. was an m
pregnable fortress. A little further up
the steep mountain they found a huge
oak growing in the trail. From its
size it was deemed a hundred years
old. II had grown up since the early
Indians had first worked the old mine.
Pieces of quartz were found along the
route in which even by the naked eye
gold could be seen. They followed the
trail but it finally became so faint by
reason of the torrents on the
mountains, and the heavy growth of
soap weed and cactus. oak and other
trees. that it lost its identity. At
length, by much effort they found it
again, but again it become lost and this
occurred so often that they were
baffled and finally gave up the hunt.
Numerous other seaches have been
made for the lost mine, but always
fruitless. Some of the samples of ore
secured from the Indians assayed as
high as $4,000 to the ton.
Should Mr.. HiIty become discouraged
in his present search for a blind and
lost vein, he might be inspired to go a
I little furLner beyond the boundaries OF
Harqua Hala district. yet in Yuma
county, and search for d veritable lost
gold mine Traditions and stories have
it that somewhere in the Eagle Tail
range of mountains the famous Pegleg
mine exists. its great wealth of
yellow metal undisturbed since its dis
covery and working more than fifty
years ago. Since this almost mythical
mine was first discovered many parties
have been QUILTED for the especial
purpose of rediscovering the lost bo-
nanza. Like most of the old-time mines
the Pegleg has a romantic story con-
nected with it. Thirty years ago the
house of a business firm in Yuma re
ceived nearly $4,000 worth of gold mug
gets from two prOspectors who had
somewhat mysteriously made their APP
pearance in the town. After purchas-
ing supplies they just as mysteriOusly
disappeared in the direction of Aqua
Caliente. They were trailed however
by three Mexicans who cautiously fol-
lowed them in a nOrtheasterly direction
from Hot Springs but. being apparent
> ~ apprehensive of being followed a ret
rograde movement was made which
brought them face to face with the
Mexicans. A return was therefore
made to Aqua Caliente and prepare
lions ostensibly made for permanent
camp. During the night the two pros
pectOrs quietly pulled up stakes and
eluded the MeXicans. The pursuers
when they found how they had been
beaten. took up the trail again and
( followed it to a point in the mountin.
where the prospectors had separated
rr-r-s