The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-05-17
GHOSTS GUARDING
RICH SILVER Mine
MexicanS Are Convinced That
Muerta is Haunted.
Japanese Lab0rerS Hired and
Abandoned Shaft Yields
Great Returns.

Maria, Tex, May 14.-Tom Borgus
came in from the Chinati mountains
sixty miles southwest of here, the
other day and laid in enough camp
supplies to run him and his men sew
eral weeks. He is trying to reopen
the famous Muerta mine, which is
said to be haunted. The mine is the
terror of the Mexicans of the upper
portion of the Rio Grande border, and
they can not be inducmed to visit the
locality where it is situated, much
less enter its dark and grewsome
shaft.
Borgus is an old mining man. He
has prospected all over the west and
southwest and in many mining dis
tricts of Mexico. He was in Chihua-
hua a few months ago, when the story
of the Muerta mine was told him by
mexican who was down there from
Preside del Norte. BOrgus made up
his mind to take hold of the property.
He came to Maria and had no trou-
BILE in obtaining title to the mine.
He spent some time trying to organ
ize a working force among the Next
cans of this section. Not a man could
be found who was willing TO go with
Borgus to the mine and help him work
it. Finally, Borgus went over into
New Mexico and employed twenty-five
Mexicans to work in the mine. He
said nothing to them about the shaft
and underground working being haunt
ed. He brought these laborers to Mar
ia by train and rushed them out TO
the mine without giving them an OPP
portunity to talk with any of the To-
cal MeXicans.
In less than a week the whole body
of laborers were in Maria again. They
had deserted their work despite the
vehement objections of Borgus. When
questioned as to the cause of their
quitting the job, the MeXicans shrugged
their shoulders and answered.
Spirits"
The leader of the gang of MeXicans
told a thrilling story of the adventure
of the men. He said that the shaft
is about 100 feet deep, and at its bot
tom a drift or tunnel extends to a
chamber of considerable size, from
which, it appears, considerable guam
tity had been removed at some period in
the history of the property. This is evil
dent from the fact that a large pile
of rich silver ore was found at the
far end of the chamber. Soon after
their arrival at the mine Borgus set
the men to work cleaning out the
shaft and strengthening up the decay
ing timbers. Some of the MeXicans
remarked while employed in this work
that they heard strange rumblings
which seem to come from the inte-
rior of the mountain. Borgus laugh
ed away their fears and told them the
noises were only the echoes of the
sounds from their own picks.
When the shaft was cleaned an en-
ploration of the tunnel and chamber
was made. Borgus set the men to
work carrying the ore which was in
the chamber to the surface. Shortly
after they started in on this the skel-
eton of a man was uncovered from the
rubbish. This grewsome sight unnerv-
ed the superstitious MeXicans, and
few minutes later, when an unearthly
sound which seemed 10 come from un-
der their very feet was heard, and
was accompanied by strong gust of
wind that extinguished the lights, ev-
cry man of them dropped their tools
and fled in terror out of the chamber
and up in the ladder in the shaft TO the
open air above. Borgus was at the
surface and he witnessed The exit of
the men with no little dismay. He
could not induce them to return TO
work, and despite his entreaties they
all left the place and came TO Mar
ia.
Shortly after his experience with
this first lot of MeXicans, Borgus went
to Eagle Pass, where he employed a
number of Japanese, who had been
working in coal mines at Las Esper-
ANA, Mexico. He asked each man if
he was superstitious and believed in
ghosts, and all of them replied in the
negative. He took the japanese to
the mine a short time ago. He says
that he did not care to take the risk
of having them frightened away by