Truth. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1901-1908, 1906-04-21

on mining ground and lost more
money. He was next heard of in the
state of Washington. He spent two
years there prospecting. Fourteen
years ago he came to Nevada. He was
directed to an old district, fifty-five
miles southeast of Bullfrog, where his
brother was prospecting. They opened
up two mining properties and worked
there several years without success.
Then he moved into the Panamint
country, in Inyo county, California.
Here he had some success. He erected
a mill and opened up great mine in
the o.. b. Joyful group. In 1898 he
sold out and drifted into the borax
fields, not far from Death Valley,
where he again took to prospecting.
Last September a year ago, when the
| first news of a strike of rich gold-bear-
| ing rock percolated into Death Valley,
he hired livery team and came into
the Bullfrog mining district. Mont
gomery had heard of the BullfroG
country before from Indians, and he
brought an Indian with him to help
him prospect the ground. This Indian
is the now famous Indian Johnnie. 1t
was Indian Johnnie who located the
Shoshone claim and the Indian John
ME claim of the now famous Shoshone
Consolidated Mines company, selling
at a market valuation of $20,000,000,
and in which Montgomery has sold his
interest for nearly $5,000,000.
Catch him four dollars what you
think?" was the way Indian Johnnie
broke the news to Montgomery that
he had discovered a great gold mine.
well, that is not very good, but you
did your BEST" replied Montgomery.
81 go catch them look over coun-
try, but did not find them; guess l go
home" was Indian Johnnie's re-
joinder.
Montgomery gave him $50, saying:
You come back, and l will give you
more money"
That was the end of Indian Johnnie
for more than nine months, and until
the famous grub stake" suit, in which
IMontgomery's interests were contested
in Tonopah few months ago and in
which, when Indian Johnnie was sum-
moned as a witness, his whereabouts
were unknown. The lone Indian knew
nothing of the development of world
beating gold mine on the ground he
had located.
montgomery nad partner named
Edwards, who was interested with him
in his Bullfrog ventures. He set Ed
wards to work prospecting the ground
on which Indian Johnnie had found the
four-dollar values. The best assay
Edwards ever reported was one of Sill
per ton; then Edwards took some SAM
pies and went to Tonopah. Edwards
left power of attorney with Mont
gomery to act for him if purchaser
came along. An old desert prospector
named James came to Montgomery at
this juncture and told him that he
could show him some very rich ore on
the ground for a consideration, and
an agreement was patched up whereby
"Bill' James was given a tenth inter-
est in the entire Montgomery Shoshone
property if he would show Montgom-
cry where he could get an assay as
high as $4S to the ton. James took
Montgomery to the spot, and instead
of getting an assay of $4S he got one
of 5000 per ton. Then Montgomery
went to Goldfield and telephoned to
: his partner, Edwards. Montgomery
says that Edwards then told him that
he had found values of $500. Mont
gomery eXpostulated and declared that
he might have sold the property while
Edwards was away (having his power