The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-02-23
Treasure Worth $4,000 600 Hid
den by Missionaries.
LOCATED NEAR MEXICAN line
Padres, Forced to Flee From Apache
Indian Raiders, Hid Gold in Mine
and Then Sealed lt-ExpIorers
Have Been Searching for Treasure
for Last 18 Years-Excavators Find
Mine Barricaded With Heavy Cedar
and Mahogany Timbers.

Five Missouri brothers are search
ing for the mythical pot of gold at the
end of the rainbow, albeit they enter
tain hopes Of finding a treasure esti-
mated to be $4,000, 600.
The treasure was said to have been
hidden in an old mine more than 200
years ago by Spanish missionaries,
who were forced to flee for their lives
before bands of Apache Indian raiders.
The location Of the mine, according
to the tale, lies about fifteen miles
south of the Mexican border and up
in the mountains. The padres buried
their treasure, it is said, and then
sealed the mine.
Only one of the five brothers is on
the actual scene where the excavation
is being conducted. He is Frank P.
Magee, a mining engineer Of Ell Paso,
Tex. He. together with his assistant,
Antonio Mendoza, has presented such
evidence OF success that Magee's
brothers and several Ell Paso business
men are pushing the exploration zeal
ously. Mendoza has been searching
the buried treasure for the last
18 years.
Find Mine Barricaded.
Frank Magee declared in a recent
letter written to his brothers, John,
A. and Vance Magee, all of Macon,
NO., that as far as the excavation had
proceeded they had found the mine
oarricaded with heavy cedar and ma
timbers. Tom Magee of Mober-
y, another brother, is also interested
n the search for gold.
'There is authentic history that the
re from this mine was so valuable
hat 1t was carried by pack mules and
trains to Mexico City, a distance
# 1900 miles, for smelling" wrote
fagee. "I'm banking more on that
han I am on finding the millions
tored away by the old padres to keep
t from falling into the Indians hands.
10 far as our Investigations have
progressed the stories of the hidden
reasure have been borne out, and
enor Mendoza, a capable mining man,
!, confident that it is here
Eighteen years ago Melton Ordaz,
postmaster at chihuahua City, gave
IendOza the document describing the
where Magee is nov conduct
lg his operations, with the under
that he was to be a partner
the enterprise. 1t was Ordaz who
the story of the mine being
,aled on the approach Of hostile
'ibes of Indians.
People Agitated.
The mine is known as La Nina
eria, and it includes three shafts.
main shaft is through a assure
the rock. Signs of ancient drills
be seen on all sides. In the
are numerous well-preserved
dders made from mahogany and
,dar. Presumably the miners of old
i times used these ladders to take
cir ore to the surface.
Magee has written that the people
ong the border are considerably
over their explorations and
at several newspapers have sent
riters to see how near they are get
lg to the treasure. He said that they
We worked in nearly 600 feet in
e of the shafts and that the cedar
ID mahogany timbering continues all
e way.
One theory that is given much Gre
nee by several mining engineers
S it that the old mine was a rich
and that a great deal of gold |
llion had accumulated and was {
shipment to the smelters at !
City when news of the raid |
Apaches came, and hurried meas
as were taken to keep the treasure
t of the hands of the Indians, who
d evidently heard of the contemplate I
shipment and had made plans to
re it.