The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-15

lerin' Teck dropped into Death valley
very suddenly, it is to be presumed he
dropped out in like manner, but no one
seems TO know inst wbat hacan,a Of
him.
Aaron Winters was the real. bona
fide first settler in Death valley and his
name is a household word in the homes
or all the Arabs. He lived 200 miles
out IN the heart of the desert from any
human being-but he found borax and
was made r-ch thereby.
Some wanderer TO Winters home first
told him the~alue Of borax. limited that
the great plain Of white srystais IN
the bed of Death valley might be this
precious stuff. He added that il GER
tain chemicals We're poured over the
crystals and fred the borax-if such
it were-would burn with a green flame
When this whilom guest had gone
Winters made all haste 200 miles
across the dread pit 10 the nearest
town where he could get the necessary
chemicals. These procured, he and his
wife. Rosie. a deiicately beautiful Spans
ish-American. gathered "A pailful of the
shimmerins white chrystals.
Then they came back to their camp
in the Furnace creek canyon. waiting
for the shades of night to fall AT last
the sun went down and by the faint
glow of the stars Winters and his wife
sat down beside their campfire. They
put a saucer of the crystals on a rock
between them, poured the chemicals
over it, added little alcohol. and
then the hardened man of the desert
scratched match TO light the mix
tuTe.
Winters held the match to the mix
ture with trembling hand. It blazed
rich. golden green against the dull pur-
pie of the desert sky. With a wild
shout he sprang TO his feet. 'She burns
green, RosieH We're rich, by -
And thus, was found the first borax in
Death valley, the first boraX deposit of
any great value ever found iii the new
world. They sold their claims for SEQ
900, and Winters went over TO Pahrump
and bought out Charles Bennett, who
had a ranch there. bargaining to pay
the entire $20,0o for the land. Fifteen
thousand WAS paid in cash and the bal
ance covered with fatal mortgage.
There the two settled down to enjoy
life for a time, but the hardships pre-
viously endured had been to much for
the tenderiy nurtured wife and she
died within two or three years Win
tiers then drifted out into the desert
lost his ranch and seemed to take lit
tie or no interest in life. What finally
became OF him no one seems to know,
presumably he died on the desert
where he rad lived as do most of his
kind
Like the feudal barons of old these
Arabs once ruled Death valley. The
country is full of tales of their daring,
full of graves of their victims. most
of whom are supposed TO have died
from heat" There was once a band
which held forth somewhere in the
lava mountains near the south end OF
Death valley. somewhere roundabout
Saratoga Springs These are said 10
have been led by one OF the Lee boys
Their plan of robbery, however, was
only too well known TO those vino
were forced TO pass through the terri
tory over which they claimed rule
When a miner, or q pack train. was
seen approaching the band would fol-
low him or them until a camp was
made for the night. Then, when
darkness had well fallen, they would
ride down on the camp, cut the horses
or burros loose and stampede them
Bright and early the next day the man
or men Of the miners pack train
would get out into the hills looking for
their burros. While they were gone
the white Arabs looted their camp,
killing the Waterman where this was
unavoidable, preferably tying him To
some tree where he could do no harm
until his companions had returned, by
which time the ROBBERS would be well
on their way over into Nevada.
Most of the white Arabs We're
towards. unwilling TO meet one of
their victims in fair fight. even too
much afraid to kill a man in their
power. But whatever their plans, they
made the old road through Death VAL
ley road full OF fearsomeness for
those who had to travel, no matter
how experienced they might be in the
ways of the desert.
There is many a mound along the
trail, now a broad road, which leads
from Daggett over into Nevada, or
from johannesburg into Saratoga
Springs. On some of these mounds
there Is little arrow which marks the
place where some outlaw met his
death at the hands Of an officer of the
law, but for the most part these graves
are unmarked and their owners for
ever lost to all human knowledge.