The Caldwell watchman. (Columbia, La.) 1885-1946, 1914-07-31
Feeling Cautiously Of tho Walls.

Feeling Cautiously Of tho Walls.
bestowed upon Hooker and De Lancey
the task of finding an honest Mexican,
and keeping him honest until he made
the transfer
While the papers were being made
out there might be a great many
temptations placed before that Next
can-either to keep the property for
himself or to hold out for bigger re.
ward than had been specified. After
his experience with the aristocratic
Don Cipriano Aragon y Tres Palacios,
Kruger was in favor of taking chance
on the lower classes. He had therefore
recommended to them one Cruz Men
dez, a wood vender whom he had
known and befriended, as the man to
play the part.
Cruz Mendez, according to Kruger,
was Woodworking, sober and honest
for a Mexican. He was also simple
minded and easy to handle, and was
the particular man who had sent word
that the Eagle Tail had ct last been
IsapafY ioned. Affu aIS0 he was easy TO
pick out, being little, one-eyed man
and going by the name Of "El Tuerto."
So, in pursuance Of their policy Of
playing a waiting game, Hooker and
De Lancy hung around the hotel for
several days, listening to the gossip
of Don Juan de Dios and watching for
one-eyed men with prospects to sell.
In Sonora he Is a poor and unimag-
NATIVE man indeed who has not at
least one lost mine or "prospecto" to
sell; and prosperous-looking strangers
riding through the country, are often
beckoned aside by half-naked paisanos
eager to show them the gold mines OF
the Spanish padres for a hundred dol
lars Mex.
1t was only. q matter Of time, they
thought, until Cruz Mendez would hunt
them up and try to sell them the Eagle
Tail; and 1t was their intention re-
luctantly to close the bargain with
him. for q specified sum, and then
stake him to the announcement fees
and gain possession Of the mine.
AS this was a commonplace In the
district-no Mexican having capita
enough to work d claim and no Ameri
can having the right to locate one-i
was a very natural and inconspicuou'
way of jumping Senior Aragon Tre'
Palacios' abandoned claim. II the!
discovered the lead Immediately after
ward it would pass for a case OF fool'
luck. or at least so they hoped, and
riding out a little each day and sittinI
on the hotel porch with Don Juan tn
rest of the time, they waited until pa
thence seemed no longer virtue.
Don JUAN" said De Lancey, takin
I'D the probe ut last, Il had Mexica
working for me when we were over i
the Sierras-one Of your real, Oh
time workers that had never bee
, spoifed by an education-and he wa
always talking about La Fortuna
guess this was the place he meant, bt
II doesn't look like it-according
him It was a Mexican town. Mayt
. he's around here now-his name WI
Mendez."
Jose Maria Mendez?" inquired Dc
Juan, who was a living directory
a the Mace. Ricardo? Pancho? Cruz
\ "Cruz!" cried De Lancey; that WI
h it,"
ale lives down the river . couple
y miles," said Don Juan; down at O
Fortuna"
y "Old Fortuna!" repeated Phil.
\. didn't know there was such place
It why, my gracious!" exclaimed D.
q. Juan de Dios, ecandalized by gu
N ignorance. do you mean to say y
q have been here three days and nev
"a heard about Fortuna Vieja? WI
this Isn't Fortuna! This is an Anne
N can mining camp-the old town
or down below.
ty That's where this man Aragon,
ID big Mexican Of the country, has
ID. ranch and store. Spanish! Him?
a. indeed-mitad! He IL half Spanish a
o. half Yaqui Indian. but his wife ID
he pure spaniard-one Of the few IN
I'D country. Her father was from Mad
..t and aha n 4 Villanuoya-A yo1y Be