The record., 1911-03-30
DuVall'S Discovery
Or
Silver i'm Sand Stone


rejoicing took place.
The next day digging would I've
resumed with more earnestness.
After a while, the natives com
menced trying to extract the silver
from the or. They procured cru
cibleS, small earthen melting pots,
and would try to melt out the silver
But none was successful in getting
out the metal, unless Duvall hap
pened to assist in making the urun. "
This was discOuraging and they
would ask Duvall, oWhy is it we
can not obtain the metal like YOU
do?" lie would answer them, that
if they had good acids like his they
could get metal.
Some procured a mouth blow pipe
from Professor Donaldson who was
teaching school in the old brick col
lege on Cherry street in Greenville.
With this instrument they attempted
to test the richness of the ore. But
with all their blowing they failed to
elbow QUIZ any silver.
On one occasion some Greenville
men, who were interested in the pro-
ject, went out TO the silver hills to
assist in trying to make "run," but
they failed to get metal, altho they
made a thorough search after the
vrun." The next morning, Duvall
hearing of the unsuccessful "run"
went over TO the neighbor's house
where it had been attempted. They
told him that they had failed TO get
metal. They showed Duvall where
they had poured the melted ore on
the ground and had searched for the
silver. Duvall began an examina-
ton and found small shot of metal.
4 number of the others then re in
vestigated and also found some shin
ing shot, and every man then de-
clared that, after all, it was a good
"run." The parties from Greenville
returned in good spirits.
After the news of the usilver dis
covery" had spread into other coun-
ties, quite number of the citizens
of the neighboring counties visited
the Silver Hills. Among these Wis
itors were expert "metal witches"
who clainied tka,, c,..,id l,-,'-..---
Tlcn veins of meta. ....
r witches" would take a forked switcl
or small rod, like those used b.
. "water witches" and "locate" vein
I of silver as easily as Uwatcr witch
S could locate a vein of water.
We recall a man by the name o
t Culbertson who wore trousers tha
did not reach his shoe tops and werr
: called "high water pants" II,
= carried a small greasy bag flleC
with various kinds of ores. II,
used short hickory stick, split a
one end. In order to find a vein o
= any particular metal, he would plac,
a piece of that kind of ore in th,
5 split end of the stick. With hi
loaded "metal rodr he would wall
over the hills and shake it around a
arms length and in every direction
If the ore that existed in the GROUND
! was the same as the ore in his spill
rod, then, he claimed, the attraction
became so great that it jerked hi
arm like a fish.
A man by the name of John Wick
ers, who lived in Sacramento, now
Mclean county, was one ofth grea
water and metal witches" in hi.
day. He was elected to the legis
lature in IS4S, went to California il
IS40 when the gold fever broke ou
there, but returned to Muhlenberl
in the fall of 1851, in time to assis
Duvall in trying to convince tht
people that silver existed in the re-
giOn of Jewell's creek. He claimed
/, that, with his rod, he found an
abundance of silver veins. He tod
the people that one day while sitting
IN his house in Sacramento he 10.
Gated, with his hickory rod, a rich
; gold vein in California, and that he
bad written TO some of his relatives
in that state 70 take possession of i
until be gould get there. He saiC
that an abundance of silver undoubt
edly existed in the Muhlenberg hills
His statements added luster and Wig
} or to the project.
, The various vwater witches be
came expert "silver witches ant
"located" many r'ch veins through
out the neighborhood. There were
several old women who followed