Mohave County miner., 1914-05-23
Hidden Gold in Old Camp.

and has something to bear out its authenticity, says the Blythe Herald.
 Last week three strangers, two of them Portuguese and one Spaniard, came into Blythe in an automobile. They remained here for a day and the next morning after arriving in Blythe they crossed he river at Ehrenberg ferry.
 Since that time however, there comes report that these three men went from here direct to the old town of La Paz. ten miles northeast on the opposite side of the Colorado river and after search there in the runs of an old adobe building, succeeded in un- covering and carrying away gold to the amount of so nething like 6o,000S
 That the party went to La Paz and did considerable excavation there in- side the ruins of certain old adobe buildings, is d certainty, but the fact of their finding any treasures is not fully verified, But we are told by certain individuals that the trio did clam to have unearthed the sun above named.
 What gives credence to the report is the fact that where these men did the excavating was in the ruins of an old building that in the early and balmy days of La Paz, was the prin- cipal store and saloon of the place. This place was owned and conducted by one Francisco Rabana, a Porte guese.
 Rabana, in addition to conducting general store and saloon, was the principal buyer of gold dust in La Paz, gold dust being the common me. dium of exchange in the camp in those days.
 Rabana was also the discoverer and owner of the famous Goodman mine. which was producing gold in large quantities.
 One day while at the Goodman mine. Kabana received serious injuries from winch he never recovered and in a few days, died.
 Rabana had no family, his wife hav- ing died previously. nor any very in- tlmate friends. It was generally known that he had much gold dust stored about the place, as that was the only way he had to keep it, there being DO banks and transportation was slow. People had seen this gold in Sabana procession, which he kept in sacks. dishes, cans, etc.
 However when Rabana died the only thing found on his person or about the premises was deposit check In a foreign bank for small amount of money. No cash or gold dust of any considerable amount could be found
 The fact that no gold could be found ous efforts on the part of many to search for this supposedly lost treas urs.
 Like all things of this nature, the l0Ner UeCdne courageous, ana men have spent months, some have spent years, looking and digging for Ra- bana's gold which, so far as known was never found.
 Alter the government had declared La Paz to be located on an Indian re- servatiOn and the inhabitants were forced to move off, many man re. turned and dug in the old town look ing for lost treasure, and in this way the earth about the old Rabana house has been turned over many times.
 About two years ago flood came down from the nearby mountains and Overhowed the old La Paz townsits
 The mud houses affected by the water, crumbled and fell, leaving naught but mass of crushed adobes to mark the walls of the houses which were at one time the habitations of three thousand people who made up the population of tlourishing mining camp.
 The very last building to go down from the effects of this flood was a large adobe structure which at one time served as tho first court house and jail of Yuma county, Arizona. La Paz being it's first county seat.
 Since the flood has played havoc