Jackson County journal. (Sylva, N.C.) 19??-19??, 1914-06-12


you go to a good lawyer-whise for
purposes OF war and national safety
foreigners are not allowed to hold land
along the line, they are at perfect lib
erty to hold stock in Mexican corpora
tons owning property within the pro-
n1D1ted zone; and-here is where the
graft comes in-they may even hold
title In their own name If they first
obtain express permission from the
chief executive of the republic.
Not having any drag with the chief
executive, and not caring to risk their
title to the whims Of succeeding ad-
ministrations, Hooker and De Lancey,
upon the advice Of mining lawyer in
Gadsden. had organized themselves
into the Eagle Tail Mining company,
under the laws OF the republic OF Mex
leo, with headquarters at Aqua Negra.
1t was their plan to get some Mexican
to locate the mine for them and then.
for consideration, transfer it to the
company.
The one weak spot in this scheme
was the Mexican. BY trusting Aragon,
Horny Kruger had not only lost title
to his mine, but he had been outlawed
from the republic. And now he had
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 great many
temptations placed before that Mexi-
can-either to keep the property for
himself or to hold out for a 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 hard-working. sober and honest
| for Mexican. He was also simple
minded and easy to handle, and was
the particular man who had sent word
that the Eagle Tail had at last been
abandoned. And also he was easy to
pick out, being q little, one-eyed man
and going by the name OF I'll Tuerto."
| So, In pursuance of their policy of
| playing 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 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 hundred dol
lars Mex.
1t was only a 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 specified sum, and then
stake him to the announcement fees
and gain possession of the mine.
| AS this was commonplace in the
| district-no Mexican having capital
enough to work claim and no Ameri-
| can having the right to locate one-it
was very natural and inconspicuous
way of jumping Senior Aragon Tres
Palacios' abandoned claim. II they
discovered the lead Immediately after
ward 1t would pass for case of FOOLS
luck, or at least SO they hoped, and,
riding out little each day and sitting
on the hotel porch with Don Juan the
rest Of the time, they waited until pa
thence seemed no longer a virtue.
Don JUAN" said De Lancey, taking
up the probe at last, Il had Mexican
working for me when we, were over in
the Sierras-one of your real, old
time workers that had never been
spoiled by an education-and he was
always talking about La Fortuna
guess this was the place he meant, but
1t doesn't look like it-according to
him 1t was Mexican town. Maybe
he's around here now-his name was
Mendez."
Jose Maria Mendez7" inquired Don
Juan, who was a living directory Of
the place. "Ricardo7 Pancho? CRUZ"
"Cruz!" cried De Lancey; that was
1T"
HE lives down the river a couple of
miles," said Don Juan; down at Old
! Fortuna"
| "Old Fortuna!" repeated Phil. 81
didn't know there was such place"