Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1914-07-30

and shipped it; and then some of them
crooked Mexican officials tried to beat
me out of my title and l blowed up the
whole works with dynamite!
Yes, sir, clean as a whistle! had
my powder stored away in the drift,
and the minute l found out l was
euchred l laid a fuse to it and brought
the whole mountain down. That was
ten years ago, and old Aragon and
the agente mineral have had the land
located ever since.
Il bet they've spent five thousand
pesos trying to find that lead, but be-
Ing nothing but a bunch of ignorant
M~exicans, Of course they " found
nothing. Then Francisco Madero
comes in and fires the agente mineral
off his job and old Aragon let's the land
revert for taxes. I've got a Mexican
that keeps me posted, and ever since
he sent me word that the title had
lapsed I've been crazy to relocate that
claim.
We'll, now, that don't look so bad,
does it?" he asked, beaming paternally
at Bud. There amt a man In town
that wouldn't have jumped at the
chance, If l was where I could talk
about it, but that's just what l couldn't
do. I had to find some stranger that
wouldn't sense what mine l was talk
ing about and then git him to &c in on
it blind.
Nov here's the way I'm fixed,
boys" he exclaimed, brushing his I'M
kempt beard and smiling craftily.
When l dynamited the Eagle Tail it
was mine by rights, but Cipriano Ara.
gon-he's the big Mexican down at old
Fortuna-and Morales, the mineral
agent, had buncoed me out of the title.
so, according to law, l bowed UP
their mine, and If I ever showed up
down there l reckon they'd throw me
into Jail. And If at any time they find
out that you're working for me, why,
we're ditched-that's all! They'll put
you out of business. So, after we've
made our agreement and I've told you
what to do, l don't want to hear q
word out of you'll don't want you to
come near me, nor even write me a
letter-iust go ahead the best you can
until you win out OF go broke.
"It amt a hard proposition" he
continued, IF you keep your mouth
shut h,,E 10 tbo1y f,,uobIa ft'IJ ha a Aobf
to a finish. I'm not saying this for
you, Hooker, because l know you're
safe; I'm. saying it for your pardner
here. You talk too much, Mr.. De Ian
cey," he chided, eying him with sud-
den severity. I'm afraid Of vel"
"All right broke in Hooker good
naturally, II reckon we understand.
Now go ahead and tell us where this
mine is and who there is down there
to look out for"
THE man to look out for" an
swered Kruger with venom, "is Cipri-
ano Aragon. He's the man that bilked
me out of the mine once, and he'll do
it again if he can. When / went down
there--it was ten years and more ago
i wasn't on to those Spanish ways of
his, and he was 30 dog-goned polite
and friendly l thought l could trust
him anywhere.
"He own a big ranch and mescal
still, runs cattle, works a few placers,
sends out pack-trains, and has every
Mexican and Indian in the country in
debt to him through his store, so if he
happens to want any rough work done
there's always somebody to do it.
"Well, just to show you how he did
me, l got to nosing round those old
Spanish workings east of Fortuna and
finally I run across the ledge that I'm
telling you about, not far from an
abandoned shaft. But the Mexican
mining laws are different from OURS
and an American has lots Of trouble
anyway, so / made a trade with old
Aragon that he should locate the claim
for me under a power Of attorney,
Didn't know him then like I do now
The papers had to be sent to Mocte
yuma and Hermosillo, and to the City
Of Mexico and back, and while l was
waiting around l dug in on this lead
and opened up the prettiest vein Of
quartz you ever saw in your life
Here's a sample Of 1t, and It's SURE
rich"
He handed De Lancey the familiar
piece Of quartz and proceeded with hii
story.
THAT ore looked 80 good to me thai
I couldn't wait-I shipped 1t before !
got my title. And right there / mad.
my mistake. When Aragon saw tht
gold in that rock he. Just quietly re
corded the concession in his own nant
and told me to go to blazes. That's
the greaser Of It'll So I blew the Who'll,
miAe up and hit for the border. That's
the Dutch Of 1t, l reckon" be adde,
grimly. Anyway. my old man wal
Dutch"
He paused, wmiling over the mem
ory Of his misplaced creduIity, ans
Hooker and De Lancey Joined IN
hearty laugh. From the town ban
that he had first seemed this shabiy
little man had changed In their eye
until now he was a border Croesus
tthe mere recital of whose adventure
coniured up In their minds viaicns d
gold and hidden treasure.