The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1913-05-02

Men VIII sacrlnce love. life, virtue and klndred
things Is there Is 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
adJuncts to the continued hunt for treasure
Among the strange stories that are more widely
known is that which has to do with lost placer
OF great riches.
IL finds It's 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 IT is there that Jamson, which
is generally given as the mans name. gathered
his first inklings 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 10 Fort Mohave splendid
specimens OF nuggets and gold dust This gold
they traded for a half or third OF it's actual value,
buying the baubes and the gaudy apparel so dear
to the heart OF the red man. 1t also led occa-
sionally TO serious trouble attempts OF unscrupu-
lous whites to obtain their secrets, sometimes
even by force, usually by chicanery.
Jamison took course which brought him In
direct and continued contact with all members OF
the tribe. He married of the squaws, and
after a year two OF living with the Indians
gained many OF their secrets. To his brother-in.
law he indebted for the discovery OF I'M
III
OF the year was apparently impossible
"We shall wait till the snow falls and covers all
the land" said the red brother TO Jamison.
They waited for two years for such time to
come, not being a 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 place OF three peaks and a place
whore no water obtainable, through
melting the snow. and there they gathered from
beneath the white cloak much gravel and carried
IL back to the camp OF the Indians in three DAYS
Feeling assured then, of the wealth he
TO gather, Jamison wrote old eastern friend
whose has been lost II is said TO have
been Fields. He told Fields all about the
derful gravel and excited his desire for riches
that within a few months Fields had arrived at
Fort Mohave. Jamson left the Indians with the
excuse that he had to look after particular bust
ness I'm California.
Then with Fields he went TO Homer, station
the Santa re railroad in San Bernardino coun-
~, California. There they purchased span of
good mules with some OF the gold that Jamson
had saved from his first trip, and they loaded m
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 climbed mesa" said Fields. telling
OF the discovery I'm after years. And on top of
this proceeded with our work which merely con
sisted in scraping the gravel in heaps and pan.
ming IL In tub which Jamison had brought along
for the purpose The water which had been left
I'm the barrel used In the tub. The gravel
nearly half gold so rich that It nearly stun
ned us. We became careless In our work picking
off only the coarse gold and the nuggets, and
dumped the residue of fine gold and dust into the
tub II far too much work 10 pan II clean"
Want OF water. the bugaboo that has menaced
every prospector at one time or another in the
southwest, came upon them at nightfall when
they 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 half
panic the two miners cached their tub half full
of dust and their gold pan in a small cave which
they had discovered In OF the little canyons
leading of the mesa.
Then came their retreat "a 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 II
in that summer period With coming OF dawn
they found themselves In a sad plight They
had lost the trail entirely. were in n country new
10 them. had not drop OF water and scarcely
handful OF food
With breaking light came hope. Way of in the
distance they discerned the gudepost 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 or 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 cinder crspness their eyes
buging I'm 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 an old miner
who happened TO the broad wooden platform
OF the only bar In Blake during the siesta
OF the town. They more dead than alive,
and II took several hours OF hard work to bring
them TO. For two days they were out OF their
minds
Their first thought on coming 10 their gold
Had they lost Il? Had Il been stolen7 They
directed search for Il I'm the wagon. and there II
lay In n large canvas sack. untouched by the men
who had cared for the mules. When II was
weighed the men found themselves in possession
OF $4,000 for siugie days work. The story OF
their find made Blake deserted village in few
hours. stampede for gold was on. For days
md he "a hut f,t1t