Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1908-06-30
TRICKS IN SELLING MINES.
RomanceS Are Sometimes Better
Than Mere Facts.


pointment crossed his face. He half
arose from his chair and reached for
his hat. He hestitated a moment as II
debating some momentous step. Then
he dropped back into his seat and
leaned forward confidentially, as
though he had decided to impart some
weighty secret.
Suppose 1 should tell you" he be-
gan, that l know where the long
sought treasure of the Aztec kings is
buried, that within an hour after
reaching the city of Mexico I could go
to the place where 1t lies, the vast
store of gold and jewels that Guate-
motzin hid when the little band of
conquistadores, Cortez's conquering
Spaniards, appeared before his capital
How do 1 know this? Listen!" The
promoters voice sank to tense whis-
per. Can any one hear? Don't let
us be interrupted. I have never told
this to a soul before. May lock the
door?
Suppose tell you how mozo, one
who had served me faithfully for
many years, had left my employ at
the mines and had gone to the city of
Mexico, there to take service with one
Of the old Spanish families who live in
street a little back Of the great ca
thedral which, as you know, was built
on the site of the ancient temple
where they used to sacrifice thous-
ands of human captives each year?
You can see the huge sacrificial stone
I'm the National Museum there today.
This family went to the TERRA Cal
iente, to their hacienda there, in the
winter months, when there Is no rain
but the air is chill in the city. Before
they left the master told this Indian
servant to take up the stones in the
patio, the interior court around which
the house is built-the residence has
been in the same family for two CEN
turies and a half-and to clear out
the ancient drain that had become
half choked and unserviceable, also
to relay all the paving stones fiat and
level
"The soil is soft there. There are
no cellars to the houses, for the city Is
built on an ancient lake bed and al
most anywhere you strike water ten
feet down.
"In due time the family departed,
to oh nf~drn nf q
other servants in the empty house
These Mexican poems, by the way, are
slow, but faithful and sure. Without
undue haste the work began and pro-
ceeded.
sometimes Juan worked alone dig
ging in the damp soil; at other times
some of the other men helped him,
carrying out the dirt or lifting the
heavy blocks of stone that paved the
COURTYARD. Juan one night had a
dream that if he should dig in a GER
tain spot in the patio he would find
vast treasure.
"The next day was the Fiesta Of All
Souls-a great religious holiday when
every one goes to the Dolores ceme-
terry, decorate the graves Of his dead
and gets stupid with pulque. Juan
made some excuse, pleaded illness,
suppose; the rest of the servants
went away and left him alone in the
great house.
1.-THE moment they were gone and
the outer door fast bolted, Juan COM
menced to dig, with a feverish haste
such as he had never shown before,
in the spot indicated by his dream. He
was standing in a pit as long and as
narrow as a grave when a chance
thrust Of his shovel into the black,
reeking soil touched a stone.
Now there are no stones in the city
of Mexico except what have been
brought there from the quarries,
miles away, so Juan knew that what
he had encountered was either an an
cient idol of the AZtecs or else the
forerunner of what he sought. He
stopped to take drink Of pulque, and
went back to work. With infinite la
Dor he uncovered what appeared to be
a great square stone, and finally, L
don't know how, succeeded in lifting
It from the place it had rested in for
nearly three centuries.
1.-TWO weeks later-I was in the
mountains of Durango, at Topia, at
the time-I received a letter from
Juan. 1t was written by one Of those
public letter writer's, who sit in the
plaza before the cathedral, for Juan,
like nearly every one of his class, can
not read or write.
1.-The letter urged me to come to
Mexico at once and to see him imm =
diately on my arrival, that he was In
great trouble, that he had news of
personal interest to impart. In short
I gathered from the letter, aided by
my intimate knowledge Of Juans
character, that there really was some
thing urgent He had saved my life
once. and as I had intended going TO
Mexico soon 1 decided to hasten my
trip and start Immediately.
ITS a weeks journey by mule,
horse and rail from the mines to the
capital. On my arrival sent for Juan,
and he came to my room at the Itur-
bide, where he was we'll known as my
former moZo.
What would you say if I told you
that he recounted to me how he had
dreamed and dug and lifted the stone,
how he had found a mass Of coarse
gold, washed from placer workings by
the Aztecs no one knows where and no
one knows when; how he had found
also, curious images of gold, figures OF
the gods and of the sun and rain; how
he brought from a fold in his blouse
tied in a very dirty handkerchief a
double handful Of coarse gold mixed
with huge rubies, like cherries in a
handful of wheat?
Did he tell any one else of 1t? No
he would not do that. He had an idea
of the value of the gold, but not of the
rubies. What next? This is only sup
posing you know, a kind Of hypothet-
ical question.
Suppose I should tell you how
4 .