Douglas daily dispatch., 1926-07-10

EC1O U1lC dOCO4AACAO4A "
Douglas officers Friday.
Evidence of recent occupancy was
found despite the positive statements
of those knowing of the location of
the shack that it had not been occu-
pied for at least five months.
The Douglas Dispatch learned Of the
Ishack's location through Enrique Ro-
nero, Douglas mechanic, who previous
ly lived in the vicinity OF Aqua Prieta
and who is familiar with the country
south and east of Aqua Prieta.
A. party including Romero, Douglas
police officer and a reporter from The
Douglas Dispatch visited the shack
Friday and found it to be exactly as
previously described by Romero.
The shack is located about 16 miles
southeast of Aqua Prieta, at a point
about 12 miles from Niggerhead noun
tain and about five miles from Cabul-
Iona station on the Nacozari railroad
Thee place is called the La Pluma
ranch, but it is in reality not ranch
at all and is traditionally known as
the stopping place of a once we'll
known bandit called by the people la
Puma"
OF adobe and timber construction, the
shack is about 80 feet long by 10 feet
wide, with a room about by 10-feet
square partially partitioned off at one
end. The roof is, constructed of branches
of ocatilla tule grass and mud. The
floor is of hard packed earth, but two
wide planks were found in a position
which indicated that they might have
been used to sleep upon. w
The inside of the shack was devoid
Of the sort of rubbish usually found in
such deserted dwellings. The only ar
ticles found inside were several frag-
ments of San Francisco Examiner of
May 12, 1925, the recently removed tin
! lid of a coffee can, part of a label
from a sardine can and part of the
cardboard container ofqan ointment Jar.
A canvas Of the newsdealers in Doug
las revealed that the San Francisco
Examiner is not carried in Douglas.
The date of the San Francisco paper
found in the shack was Just six days
prior to the evangelists disappearance
on the coast.
Along one of the timberst supporting
the roof of the shack were found q
! nuInDGE OI IdCAS1 ASW III OPROe'A -~-AS1p
around which could be seen small frag-
ments of heavy canvas. 1t appeared as
if the. canvas curtain had been hung
and then subsequently, pulled down.
Romero, as interpreter, questioned.
throughout the day of investigation a
large number of Mexicans including a
vaquero, who rides the Gallardo range.
This man stated, as did the others, that
the house had not been occupied since
a Mexican family vacated it several
months ago.. He said he SAW the in
terror of, the place many times up to
the departure of the family and that
at no time did he see a canvas curtain
hanging in the large room, He further
stated that the place was only passed
periodically by range riders and that
one might remain there unobserved for
weeks.
A spring of apparently good water Is
situated within 100 yards of the shack.
When Romero first entered the
shack he found, on close inspection.
some loose earth in one corner which
had been put back in place and tramp
ed down. Suspicious, Romero scooped
out a good sized hole before he struck
solid ground, but found nothing. How
ever. before Romero removed the earth
he noted fresh footprints and rubber
heel marks. Tie vaqnero who was
questioned regarding the shack stated
that excavations In many shacks
Throughout the Aqua Prieta area had
recently been made by treasure seek
ers.
Friday afternoonl q trip from the
Gallardo ranch, near Niggerhead noun
tain, along the Cenizas mountains was
made and great many Mexican who
FREQUENT the district were questioned
They mentioned the La Pluma shack
and several others, only one of which
proved to be deserted.
A feature of the days search for the
shack in which the evangelist claim
to have been held captive came to light
when a Mexican, whose name is being
withheld, was located, who had an in
teresting story to tell regarding the
finding of a woman's footprints be-
tween the Gallardo ranch and Aqua
lPrieta.
On a morning, the date of which this
man was later able to fix as June "a
the day after Mrs McPherson's reap
pearance in Aqua Prieta, he claims to
have been looking for tracks of some
strayed cattle when he found the foot
prints of woman freshly imprinted
in the road to Aqua Prieta. He says
i he turned back and followed the tracks
frrrf n