Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-05-02

OF the country as ne nad conceived It, but they all
failed in the relocation of the treasure.
Three rode leisurely out of the Panamint
range of mountains at the edge of that famous
sink of mystery. Death Valley. and across
country toward San Bernardino. their destination.
They were all on good horses, had ample packs,
and ten-gallon water canteens. They rode through
the heat of the day, their horses kicking up the
dust of the desert and leaving behind a contin-
uous hazy vapor which always distinguishes any.
thing of life that moves In the desert wastes.
During the heat of the day they stopped to
camp in the shade Of their horses. which were
watered and fed Soon they started This
time there was not the same certainty. the same
eQuanimity. among them and a quarrel arose as
to the proper direction to take They quarraled
all that afternoon. and finding their water-supply
practically all gone on the following morning.
their words almost resulted in blows. They sepa-
rated.
One of them Frank Goler, struck out alone in
an easterly direction. while the other two went
south
BY noon of the second day Goler had arrived at
series of low hills that lag directly In his path.
He crossed them, and on the farther side discov-
cred canyon into which he plunged without the
least fear and with renewed hope Of salvation.
1t contained abundant vegetation. and what was
more than all the rest, It carried in its deepest
embrace little mountain stream.
Arriving at its banks, Goler, nearly delirious
from lack of water gave his horse its freedom
and dropped to the edge of the stream and began
tapping up the cool. bright water And while he
of an overhanging cottonwood. glinted upon some
thing on the bottom of the stream-somethng
yellow just beyond the touch of his lips
1t was nugget Weighing several ounces. There
were others near It. and Goler, bewildered at his
good fortune pulled forth three of the pieces of
gold and then stopped to think of food. for he
had not taken nourishment fer more than day.
He tucked the nuggets into the bosom of his
shirt, caught his horse mounted. and then pro-
ceeded with all possible speed down the canyon,
taking little time even to make proper survey Of
the location of the treasure Finally. after sew
eral hours of rough riding he out upon a
plain Just ahead Of him he saw what apparent
ly had been the bed of big body of water.
1t was all dried out and lay in a straight east
erly line with Mount San Antonio. Mount
Baldy, as II is more generally known In the south
west. The snow-capped peak gave Goler encour-
agement. and also indicated the proper direction
to the little mining town at the foot of the famous
Arrowhead where the Indians found relief from
many Ills in the waters that purled from several
springs.
1t required another day for him to reach this
place. and when he did he was completely ex-
hausted and his horse fearfully jaded and ready
to collapse.
cred. and then he showed the treasures that he
had collected.
why. there is enough of this stun to load sew
eral wagons where found It, and am going to
bring in a load In less than month" he assured
some of his friends
He at once set out to fit up a wagon with broad.
trimmed wheels. light canvas top and a team Of
sturdy horses.
The day he set out, large gathering watched
him off and several prospectors followed. hoping
to be in on the wealth that he had discovered In
few days they returned. disgusted with the fact
that Goler apparently did not know whittier he
was travelling In a month he came back tired
out and disgruntled because he had been unable
to relocate the same chain OF hills and the hidden
waters Six different times he went in search of
his wealth and always returned with the same
ctr 49,
had spent all of the money he had accumulated
In lifetime and had to give up the quest
1t is generally conceded that the Goler discov-
cry has since been found. His first location was
In 1886. In 1891 an old and odd character Hen
Moss. who made his home in San Bernardno,
started out on of his regular prospecting
trips One Of his buFros wandered away from the
other three. and Moss started to follow the lost
animal with his entire train.
The wandering burro found a canyon and in u
water. and in this wsy led Moss to the discovery
of gold deposit In few hours he panned out
several ounces of dust with his horn spoon and
also found two or three fair-szed nuggets The
discovery went to his head He failed to place
his locating stakes and hurried back to San Ber.
nardino to celebrate his good fortune.
With borrowed capital he fitted up a second
time, and when he left town he might have been
mistaken at a distance for the Pied Piper of
Hamelin. More than half the male Inhabitants
OF San Bernardino were at his back all equipped
for a long journey with pack train or on horse
hoss uieu 10 throw them on his trail, doubled
on them. returned to San Bernardino but all to
no avail
Guess might as well take you along" he
said one day when his patience had been frazzled
to a rag.
This time he proceeded directly to the distant
range in the open desert. And when he neared
the canyon those who were following him realized
the nearness of the end of their Journey Moss
spurred his horse ahead and left his pack train to
care for itself. There were better horses in that
group, and race as he might his hand unsteady
and his saddle not so well filled as others he was
overtaken and passed.
The stampeded prospectors, filled with lust for
gold. had reached their goal, and old Hen Moss
was one of the last to arrive the ground of his
discovery. He staked what proved to be tho