Montpelier examiner. [volume] (Montpelier, Idaho) 1895-1937, 1913-05-09

edge or getting back was gone with H.
Men will sacrifice love life virtue and kindred
things Ia there IL great opportunity presented
for the accumulation OF sudden wealth. Strange
alliances. stories of murder long legal fights and
bitterest enmity have grown up In the southwest
as adiuncts to the continued hunt for treasure.
Among the strange stories that more widely
known il that which has to do with q lost placer
OF great riches
II finds its origin In the early eighties. either
1883 or 1884 when white man. lone prospec-
tor, wandered into the camp OF the Piute Indians
at Piute Bend on the Nevada side Of the Colo
RADIO river. The bend only lay few miles above
Fort Mohave, and II is there that Jamison. which
Is generally given the mans name, gathered
his first inklings OF the storied wealth Accumulate
ed by several members Of the tribe
They were said TO know of several great gold
deposits in the desert and mountain country con
tiguous to their place OF living. and from these
they frequently brought 10 Fort Mohave splendid
specimens Of nuggets ard gold dust. This gold
they traded for half third OF Its actual value
buying the bauhlas and the gaudy4 apparel go dear
to the heart of the red It also led coca.
sionaly TO serious trouble. attempts Of unscFupu-
lous whites TO obtain their secrets. sometimes
even by force. usually BY some chicanery.
Jamison took course which brought him In
direct and continued contact with all members OF
the tribe He married one OF tie souaws. and
after a year two of living with the Indians
gained many OF their secrets To his brother-in-
law he was indebted for the discovery of i'm.
menSeiy
OF the year apparently impossible,
we shall wait till the falls and covers all
the land" said the red brother to Jamison.
They waited for two years for such time TO
come snow not being usual thing In that portion
OF the country every year And when II came
the Indian took HIS adopted tribesman for a long
journey TO a place Of three peaks and a place
where water obtainabe, through
melting the snow. and there they gathered from
beneath the white cloak much gravel and carried
humly ffnx nR VuIf
Feeling assured. then, Of the wealth he was
to gather. Jamison wrote an old eastern friend
whose has been lost II is said to have
been Fields. He told Fields all about the won
derfui gravel and excited his desire for riches
that within few months Fields had arrived at
Fort Mohave. Jnmison left the Indians with the
excuse that he had to look after particular bust
in California.
Then with Fields he went to Homer a station
the Santa Fe railroad in San Bernardino noun-
ty. California. There they purchased span or
good mules with some OF the gold that JamIs0n
had saved from his first trip, and they loaded an
old blackboard with barrel OF water and few
provisions and started out. driving south into
Homer Wash From all reports they probably
travelled forty miles. that day and night arriving
at the diggings early the next morning
There we climbed mesa" said Fields. telling
of the discovery In after years. "And on top Of
this proceeded with work which merely con.
sisted in scraping the gravel In heaps and nan.
for the purpose The water which had been left
in the barrel used In the tub. The gravel
was nearly half gold. rich that 1t nearly stun.
ned US. We became careless In our work picking
of only the coarse gold and the nuggets. and
dumped the residue of fine gold and dust into the
tub. 1t was far too much work to pan 1t clean. :"
Want Of water. the hugaboo that has menaced
every pf0spectOr at time another In the
southwest came upon them at nightfan when
they were forced TO give TO the two mules the wa
ter that had been used for panning. II was less
than enough TO quench their thirst, and In hasf
panic the two miners cached their tub. half full
of dust. and their gold pan In a small which
they had discovered In one of the little canyons
leading off the mesa
Then came their retreat, AZ ignominious as any
that ever befeIl an army. with all their wealth
they wer forced to run. A panic seemed TO over
take them and they logged their mules through
the desert night, trying to get to Homer before
the break Of day and the heat that came with II
IN that period with coming OF dawn.
they found themselves In sad plight. They
had lost the trail entirely were I'm country new
to them. had not drop Of water and scarcely
handful Of food.
With breaking light came hope. way on in the
distance they dscerned the budapest that has
led to many a salvation In the desert wastes:
telegraph poles strung at regular intervals. To
reach them and the railroad tracks they marked
was their aim. Through three hours Of tortuons
work. walking instead of trying to ride behind
the worn-out mules. they struggled on, their
tongues IoIIing black from out their mouths their
threats burned to d cindey crfspness their eyes
bullying in continued effort and strain
And reaching the railroad they could discern.
just short distance to the right. a few atrag.
Cling buildings little outpost Of civilization
with promise of water II nothing more. And this
they reached eventually. pulling their mules be.
hind them. They found by an old miner
who happened on to the broad wooden platform
OF the only bar in Blake during the noon siesta
of the town They more dead than alive.
and 1t took several hours OF hard work TO bring
them to. For two DAYS they were out Of their
minds.
Their fret thought coming 60 their gold
Had they lost IT. Had it been stolen? They
directed search for II in the wagon. and there it
lay IN a large sack untouched by the men
Who had cared for the mules When II was
Weighed the found themselves in possession
of $4,000 for single DAYS work. The story Of
their nnd made Blake deserted village In few
hours. stampede fef gold was on. For days
and weeks II continued but never anceeRsfuliY
Their trail had been ehIlteFated In The winds tHas
continually sway The sand from dune % dune and
obliterate ceaaeessiv through ages
II was a week beforr IamIaon and Fields could
travel They packed up az the end Or thai time
and In their swayins blackboard they drove to