The copper era and Morenci leader., 1916-11-24
SNAKE CAUSE IF
 WINNING WEALTH

Whether it was Hassayampa water or ''Switzer's fatal dope" that affect ed the hero of the following story it is hard toNdetermine; but as Wicken- burg is the scene of the incident and the human subject of the yarn is a denizen of the City of the Angels" where the famous "Hassayampa Club" peddles out the flower of stock-yard fragrance to it's patrons, some degree of doubt may be attached to the story; but any story is probable, coming from a Los Angeles pilgrim who by chance may have imbibed of the pc lucid waters of the stream of tra- ditional truth" Hence
 Naught could Hertz's delusion cure,
 He drank from Hassayampa-
 We give the story as appears in the Denver Mining Record:
 Arizona is a dry state in more ways than one. Where bars once flourish ed, the paltry soda fountain now looms into view, seeming with it's marble trappings, to be the tomb of John Barleycorn. In the mining camps the husky miner no longer exchanges profane pleasantly while imbibing red eye, but instead swaps Sunday school yarns over his girlish ice cream sodas.
 
 last spot on earth from which a snake story might be expected; yet there lately appeared a reptilian tail" from that section which somehow inspires thoughts of mixed drinks and halluci- nations. (The author never visited Chase Creek, in Clifton.
 The story comes from Wickenburg, Arizona, and the hero is a Los An al Ia arose one morning and although he has not made sworn affidavit to that effect, he had not drank even one bibulous bracer when he started out for a stroll, little suspecting the ad- venture that was to befall him. The sun was shining brightly, and the birds sang their merrieSt roundelayS, and all nature seemed pulsing with harmony. MT. Hertz had stopped to pluck dainty posey, when a sudden vibrant whirring of rattles made him jump fifty or sixty feet, more or less; and it was well he jumped, for a huge snake made a lunge at him and miss ed him only by a trifling margin.
 Our hero thought discretion the bet ter part of valor and started to remove himself from the scene as expeditions ly as possible, giving an impromptu exhibition of a jack-rabbit in action. The snake did not propose to be balk- ed thus easily of it's prey. It started after him inNa manner that denoted highly developed powers of locomo- tion The Los Angeles man increased his stride, mumbling batter mosters as he ran.
 Suddenly he found himself on the brink of prospect hole, and would have pitched into it if he had not, with rare presence of mind, spread his legs far apart, dug his heels into the earth, and secured a sudden brace that kept him out of the pit. The snake, con- ing on at terrific speed, could not stop, but plunged into the hole, there by having it's brains dashed out, or in any event being killed by the plunge, according to this non-alcoholic story.
 MT. Hertz secured the corpus delicti of his late evil pursuer, and gathered few samples of rock from the pros pector's hole as a slight memento Of his experience. Later he had his pie ture and that of the snake taken to- gether, thus proving that there was tangible snake mixed up with the episode. The rocks that Hertz had taken and could produce were proof to the incredulous of the existence of the prospector's hole. Just out of curiosity, Hertz had his samples test ed, and the assays revealed the pres ence of from to per cent of vana- dium, which is used in hardening steel, and is an extremely valuable product.
 Mr. Hretz therefore bought an in- terest in the Arizona property, and started development work. He found plenty of high class ore and his mine soon attracted the attention of some Denver capitalists, who have made him an offer of s1O0,000 cash for the