Rocky Ford enterprise., 1913-05-02

had obliterated all signs of trail and his knowl
edge of getting back gone with It.
Men will sacrifice love, life, virtue and kindred
things is there is a 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 adjuncts to the continued hunt for treasure
Among the strange stories that are more widely
known is that which has to do with a lost placer
of great riches.
1t finds its origin in the early eighties either
1888 1884, when white man, lone prospec
tor. wandered into the camp Of the Piute Indians
at Piute Bend the Nevada side OF the Colo
RADIO river. The bend only lay few miles above
Fort Mchave. and 1t is there that Jamison. which
is generally given the mans name. gathered
his first inklngs of the storied wealth accumulat-
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 to Fort Mohave splendid
specimens of nuggets and gold dust. This gold
they traded for half third of its actual value
buying the baubles and the gaudy apparel SO dear
to the heart of the red man. 1t also led occa'
sfonally to serious trouble. attempts OF unscrupu-
lous whites to obtain their secrets. sometimes
even by force. usually by some chicanery
Jamison took a course which brought him In
direct and continued contact with all members of
the tribe. He married one Of the squaws, and
after year two of living with the Indians
gained many of their secrets To his brotherin-
law he indebted for the discovery of an i'm
menSely r1ch placer. 10 reacn IL at all seasons
of the year apparently impossible.
I'VE shall wait till the snow falls and covers all
the land" said the red brother to Jamson
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 1t came,
the Indian took his adopted tribesman for long
Journey. to a place of three peaks and place
where water was obtanable. save through
melting the snow. and there they gathered from
beneath the white cloak much gravel and carried
1t back to the camp of the Indians in three days
Feeling assured. then. of the wealth he was
TO gather Jamison wrote an old eastern friend
whose name has been lost. 1t is said to have
been Fields. He told Fields all about the
derful gravel and so excited his desire for riches
that within few months Fields had arrived at
Fort Mohave Jamison 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 coun-
ty. California. There they purchased a span of
good mules with OF the gold that Jamison
had saved from his first trip. and they loaded an
old blackboard with barrel of water and a 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 climbed a mesa" said Fields. telling
of the discovery in after years. "And on top of
this proceeded with our work. which merely con-
sisted In scraping the gravel in heaps and pan
ming II in a tub which Jamison had brought along
for the purpose. The water which had been left
in the barrel was used in the tub. The gravel
was nearly half gold. so rich that It nearly stun
ned us. We became careless in work picking
off only the 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 bugaboo that has menaced
every prospector at time another In the
southwest upon them at nightfall when
they were forced to give to the two mules the wa
ter that had been used for panning. It was less
than enough to auench their thirst. and In half
panic the two miners cached their tub. half full
of dust. and their gold pan In small which
they had discovered In one OF the little canyons
leading off the mesa
Then came their retreat. ignominious as any
that ever befell an army. With all their wealth
they wer forced to run. 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 It
in that summer period. With coming of dawn
they found themselves in sad plight. They
had lost the trail entirely. were in a country new
to them had not drop Of water and scarcely a
handful of food
With breaking light came hope Way off in the
distance they discerned the guidepost that has
led to many 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 tortuous
work, walking instead of trying to ride behind
the worn-out mules they struggled on, their
tongues lolling black from out their mouths their
throats burned to a cnder crispness their eyes
bulging in continued effort and strain.
And reaching the railroad. they could discern,
just short distance to the right few strag.
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 were found by old miner
who happened on to the broad wooden platform
of the only bar in Blake during the noon siesta
of the town. They 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 first thought on coming to was their gold
Had they lost It? Had 1t been stolen? They
directed search for 1t in the wagon, and there 1t
lay in large canvas sack, untouched by the men
who had cared for the mules. When II was
weighed the men found themsa1vau IN posaos,ta,