Williams news., 1914-09-17
Feeling Cautiously et tho Walls.

~ ~s.zass!GR s.zas:
 Feeling Cautiously ef the 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 Mexi- 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 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 "El Tuerto." !"
 So. in pursuance of their policy of playing 8 waiting game, Hooker and De Lanoy hung around the hotel for several days, listening to the gossip of Don Juan de Dtos and watching for oneeyed men with prospects to sell.
 In Sonora he is poor and unimag- inative 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.
 It was only 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 Senor Aragon y Tres Palacios' abandoned claim. If they discovered the lead immediately after ward it would pass for a case of fools luck, or at least so they hoped, and, F I- on the hotel porch with Don Juan the rest of the time, they waited until pa tience seemed no longer virtue.
 ''Don Juan." said De Lancey, taking up the probe at last, "I 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 it doesn't look like tt-according to him 1t was a Mexican town. Maybe he's apound here now-his name was Mends9."
 Jose Maria Mendez?" inquired Don Juan, who was living directory of the place. Ricardo? Pancho? Cruz"
 "Cruz!" cried De Lancey; that was it!"
 "He lives down the river a couple of miles," said Don Juan; down at Old Fortuna"
 "Old Fortunal" repeated Phil 'I didn't know there was such a place."
 why, my gracious!" exclaimed Don Juan de Dios, scandalized by such ignorance. Do you mean to say you have been here three days and never heard about Fortuna Vieja? Why, this isn't Fortunal This is an Ameri- can mining camp-the old town is down below.
 That's where this man Aragon, the big Mexican of the country, has his ranch and store. Spanish?- Himf No, indeed-mitadi He is half Spanish and half Yaqui Indian. but his wife is a pure Spaniard- of the few in the country. Her father was from Madrid and she is . Villsnueva-A yery bean-