Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-18

Lost Gunsleht Mine
Another queer story Of a lost mine is
that of the Lost Gunslght, said to be
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 it came to
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 little
company and all started in the best of
spirits. Josefa told them that eventual
ly 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 it was
faint and could scarcely be traced In
others it was deep and we'll worn by
torrents from the Mountains. But all
along, though very ancient, the trail
porserved it's identity Finally, how
ever the old woman becc me 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 mountains
along the trail, and finally found
the cave. It 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 hundred people, and
from its peculiar position, was an i'm
pregnable fortress. A little further up
the steep mountain they found a huge
oak growing in the trail From it's
size 1t was deemed a hundred years
old. 1t 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 1t finally became so faint by
reason of the great torrents on the
mountains, and the heavy growth of
soapwood and cactus, oak and other
trees that it lost it's identity. At
length, by much effort, they found it
again, but again it became lost and this
occurred so often that they were baf-
fled and finally gave up the hunt
Numerous other searches 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.
Famous PegIeg Mine
Should Mr.. Hitty become discouraged
in his present search for blind and
lost vein, he might be inspired to go a
little further beyond the boundaries of
Harqua Hala district, yet in Yuma
county, and search for a veritable lost
gold mine. Traditions and stories have
1t that somewhere in the Eagle Tail
range of mountt.ins the famous Pegleg
mine exists, it's 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 outfitted 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 business firm in Yuma re-
ceived nearly $4,000 worth of gold mug
gets from two prospectors who had
somewhat mysteriously mad their ap-
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
ly apprehensive of being followed, ret
rograde movement was made which
brought them face to face with the
MeXicans. A return was therefore
made to Aqua Caliente and prepara-
tions ostensibly made for a 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 mountains
where the prospectors had separated,
each taking a different direction. The
MeXicans became disgusted and re-
turned to Yuma. Nothing further was
heard of the prospectors or their rich
find until early in 1882 During the eX-
citement resulting from the discovery
of the Golden Eagle and Bondage min
ing claims a Mexican outfitted for a
trip, as he stated, to a point in the
Eagle Tail range of mountains, about
thirty miles southeasterly from Harris
burg. The story he told was to the
effect that when about IL years of age
he had ran away from home and while
roaming around met two men with a
pack train of three burrows in camp.
He Joined forces with them and acted
as cook when permanent camp was
made. Each morning the men went
further into the mountains returning
in the evening with something in bak-
ing powder cans. The boys curiosity
was aroused and one day he opened
one of the cans that had been carefully
laid away and found it to contain large
and small nuggets of shining gold. The
day following he trailed the two men
and found them about a mile from
camp and they We're busily engaged in
taking out gold.
The boy however, somehow had
aroused suspicion, for not only were
the cans of gold deposited where he
never found them again, but the kind
ness with which he had been previous
ly treated gave place to harshness. This
developed into positive cruelty, and so
one morning the Mexican boy packed
his blankets and, covering his tracks
as he went, after three days and two
nights, he arrived footsore and weary
OIL