Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-05-07


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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 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 more widely
known is that which has to do with lost placer
of great riches.
It finds its origin In the early eighties, either
1883 or 1884, when white man, lone prospec-
tor, wandered into the camp OF the 1Piute Indians
at Piute Bend on the Nevada side Of the Colo
RADIO river. The bend only lay few miles above
Fort Mohave. and 1t is there that Jamison. 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 to Fort Mohave splendid
specimens Of nuggets and gold dust. This gold
they traded for half third of It's actual value.
buying the baubes and the gaudy apparel 80 dear
to the heart OF the red man. 1t also led occa-s
sionally to serious trouble, attempts of unscrupu-
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 the squaws and
after a year or two Of living with the Indians
gained many of their secrets. To his brother-in-
law he was indebted for the discovery Of an Inn
mensely rich placer To reach 1t at all seasons
Of the year was apparently impossible
1 ''We shall walt till the snow falls and covers all
the land" said the red brother to Jamison
n They waited for two years for such time to
come snow not being a usual thing In that portion
Of the country every year; And when 1t came.
Z the Indian took his adopted tribesman for long
Journey. to a place Of three peaks and a place
where no water was obtainabe, 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
S Feeling assured. then, of the wealth he was
Ito gather Jamison wrote an old eastern friend
whose name has been lost. It is said to have
been Fields. He told Fields all about the won.
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 busi
ness in California.
81 Then with Fields he went to Homer, station
on the Santa Fe railroad in San Bernardino coun-
ty, California There they purchased span OF
good mules with some OF the gold that Jamison
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 diggfngs early the next morning.
There we climbed 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 It in q tub which Jamson 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 our work, picking
on only the coarse gold and the nuggets. and
dumped the residue of nne gold and dust into the
tub. 1t was far too much work to pan it clean"
L Want of water. the bugaboo that has menaced
every proprietor at one time or another in the
southwest, came upon them at nightfaI 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 quench their thirst. and in halt
Of dust, and their gold pan in small cave which
they had discovered In one Of the little canyons
leading on the mesa. ,.&$ s#s
Then came their retreat, as ignominious as any.
that ever befe1l an army. With all their wealth
they wer forced t9 run. A panic seemed to over
the desert night, tying to get to Homer before
the break Of dayland the heat that came with It
IN that summegt period. With coming Of dawn
they found themselves in sad plight. They
had lost the trail entirely. were inta country
to them, had mot drop Of water and scarcely .
handful Of food q 555s
With breaking light came hope. Way on In the
distance they discerned the guidepost 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 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
threats burned to cinder crispness, their eyes
bullying In continued effort and strain.
Z And reaching the railroad, they could discern,
just a short distance to the right. few strag-
Cling buildings some 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 town. They were 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. ygae
Their first thought on coming to was their gold.
Had they lost It? Had 1T been stolep? They
directed search for 1t in the wagon and there 1t
lay in a large canvas sack, untouched by the men
who had cared for the mules. When It was
weighed, the men found themselves in possession
Of $4,000 for q single days work. The story Of
their ind made Blake deserted village in few
hours. A stampede for gold was on. For days
and weeks it continued, but never successfully
Their trail had been obliterated in the winds that
continually sway the sand from dune to dune and
obliterate ceaseessly through ages.
It was week before Jamison and Fields could
travel. They packed up at the end OF that time
and in their swaying blackboard they. drove to
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
one He now concludes 60 acorns The robin OF