The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1906-10-20

TRACTS DRAMA or A MEXICAN
GOLD MINE. THE LOCATION
or WHICH IS KNOWN
TO BUT ONE MAN.
(By silas E. snyder.)

NORFOLK, Va, Oct. 20.-"Lost
mine stories are not new to Mexico,
and the Southwest" said Charles s.
Gllpin, manager of the Union Station
Cigar Co., of St. Louis. at the Lorraine
the other night.
Ihaye one in hand myself Just now,
but think It VIII soon be a found
mine II my present plans work out,
for this is no legend am telling you,
but the story of a real. for sure, gold
mine. Boss Shepherd, the famous
Washington character. knew Of this
mine and upon that fact I base my
hope Of some day finding it"
Then Mr.. Gllpin told the following
interesting story of gold and tragedy.
Late in the ntnetles a negro named
Warren went to st. Louis from
Springfield, Mo-, where he had lived
since 1875, and succeeded in getting
a Job to work about the home Of a
well known county official. He was
faithful and industrious and soon
gained the confidence OF his employer.
Warren worked steadily at his duties
for five years when he fell III Of
small pox and was given up to die.
When told that he could not recover
Warren requested that his employer
lie asked to come to see him as he
had a story he could tell to no one
else and did not want to carry it to
the grave with him.
The employer came and Warren
told his story. About the year 1881
Warren beat his way to New Orleans
and shipped upon steamer engaged
In the Mexican coast trade. He tired
iot the life before the ship reached
jTampico and when it touched at that
point he left and for several months
earned good living working about
the docks. Then he heard of the
great strikes of rich ore around Bato'
pilas, away over in the mountains OF
Chihuahua, and having saved up a
little bunch of money, he set out for
the gold fields and in due time arriv-
ed at Batopilas, which phase is close
ly Identified with the fortunes Of Boss
Shepherd.
Here Warren was approached by
two Mexicans who asked II he wanted
work. Two days journey away they
had mine and needed another man
10 help them. They offered good wag-
es and other inducements and Warren
being satisfied of their reliability ar
cepted the job and a week later founG
himself at their camp in the Sierra
Nadres. The Mexicans had log hut
in seQuestered nook that might be
reached only by following a trail so
precarlous that they called it FL
Canine Diablo (The Devils Road.
A climb of thSee hundred feet above
the camp brought Warren to their
mines. 1t was in gorge so deep AMI
dark that the men were forced to use
candles at their work and 1t could be
reached only by means of windlass
10 which was attached a bull hiie rope
and bucket. The men worked in pairs
at cutting ore. one OF the Mexicans'
Being ALWAYS at the wlndlass. Down
IN the gorge where the mike vas To-
Gated q stream tumbleG along, coming
from high up in the snow Iields and
falling over a precipice a hundred
yards below the mine, and, as this
stream cut the lode, 1t was certain
that far below there must have been
rich placer deposits But the charac.
ter of the country was so rough that
exploration was almost impossible and
The Mexicans contented themselves
with breaking QUIT he rich free gold
Of the vein. Warren was astonished
at the richness Of the mine ANA in
describing it he said that the rock
was literally "networked' with the
vein of gold. They worked in the
most primitive manner, but the returns
were great. and the Mexicans soon
had thousands OF dollars worth Of dust
concealed about their shanty.
After a while the rainy season came
on and work down in the gorge was
dangerous as the current arose with
out warming and swept everything
before it, and during these hours of
idlcnCss the two Mexicans gamb!ed
for the gold dust.
Every three weeks the negro was
sent to BatOpilas for supplies and It
was during this rainy season that he
made a trip that proved eventful in
his life. He arrived safely at Batopil.
as, but was detained there nearly two
weeks by unprecedented rains that
made the trails unsafe for travel.
When at last Warren arrived at the
camp he found the hut burned and no
trace of his employers. He hurried
up the trail TO the gorge and there
found the windlass and hosting ap,
paraus intact He called, but res
ceived no answer, and after making a
search of the vicinity decided
4, dnsrnnh On the rnnn and exnlnrn