Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-21


impressed with my own ignorance.
I'M the BRACES River, near the town Of Cald-
~ well, Is q plantation Of rich bottom land
that has for the last rs or 80 years been
managed by Mr. Fields. Before he took
charge Of the plantation it owned and run
by one williams. Williams had accumulated Q
great deal Of money; he lived during time
when there was money in cotton. He did not
patronize banks. One day he sent all the
Negroes away from the house except one Then
he and this Negro loaded a mule with bag
that their combined strength could hardly lift.
The mule was led some distance into grove
of post oaks and there unloaded. Then the
Negro was sent to a distant field with the mule.
The Negro was human, and therefore curious.
Hence, few days later, at the very earliest
opportunity he had, he stole out into the post
oaks to see what had become Of the bag. He
could not find it, However, he saw that a lot
of logs and dead brush had been burned so as
to cover q considerable space with ashes Not
a great while after this Williams died, leaving
an only daughter, but no will or statement re-
garding his money. The daughter knew that
her father possessed a great deal OF money;
she found about 500 in the house-no more.
Shortly after her fathers death she moved
away Ever since that time diggers have been
at work in the post oaks. They are still dig
ging. There are many post oaks in the
country but Mr.. Fields is willing TO show the
proper parties" a certain grove.
Just about as often as / wonder why some
people spend so much time digging wonder
why some others don't dig more. For some
years have known ]. E. Lutz of Vernon, Tex,
as an old stage driver full of all kinds of lore
about pioneer conditions Now it develops that
he knows more than any one else about the
much-talked-of and mucl1-hunted-for Spanish
mine in Devils Canyon. Devils Canyon is in
the Navajo Mountains of Southwestern Okla
IN he ne I z TlIfz 1riu-
ing stages in the Fort Sill country. In 1886,
while he was at Doan's Crossing Red River,
made famous by the trail that so many Texas
longhorns followed up, he met an old, old
Mexican.
This Mexican told him that he was the son
of the only survivor Of $50 Spaniards killed by
Indians at their mines near Devils Canyon.
Lutz was intereSted-even though a squatter
had not yet arrived to pillow up an acre of
skeletons at the mouth of Devils Canyon and
thus make the tradition famous. The Mexican
said that pack trains used to bring corn into
the Navajo Mountains and go out with gold and
silver. He claimed to know the place where
the corn had been stored.
I'VE found" says Lutz pits 10 feet deep and
six or seven feet across. They were in a cave.
The ground about them was Uttered with pot
terry such as is still used in Mexico. The old
Mexican had a map showing the mines to be
not far of. It was on parchment and sure
enough ancient For some reason, however, the
Mexican did not want to go to the mines just
then He said that he must go Immediately to
Santa Fe. He let me copy the map and left.
I never saw him again; he probably died within
q short time.
IT took my copy and by means of it located,
without a doubt, the mines. suppose am
the only living man who can 60 to them.
saw that to develop these mines more capital
than I had would be required. decided to
wait. In 1900 I entered into verbal contract
with syndicate having headquarters in New
York City, the agreement being that should
have 10 per cent royalty on the output.
Assays had been made showing a run OF SIS
gold to the ton of ore mixed with per cent
of copper. 1t was claimed that the copper
would pay for the milling.
IN YELL, the syndicate sent man by the
w name of Gleason to locate a mill site.
We were out several days, all of them cold and
wet. What sleeping We did was in wet blankets.
The morning after we got back to town Gleason
took down with pneumonia. week later he
died. I wired the syndicate of his death. They
wired me that they were sorry and for me to
send them Immediately drawing showing the
location of the mill site.
This I refused to do and they threatened
to sue me- told them did not like the cold
blooded manner in which they treated the
death of Gleason, and that if they got the
chance I knew they would treat me in the same
manner. Within year they quit writing and
I have heard nothing from them since.
"One of the assays was sent to Washington.
The Congressman from my district at the time
was John H. Stevens. The asSayer went to
Stevens and asked if he knew me. Stevens
replied that he did. Then the assayer told
him that he should get hold of me, for had
sent in the richest placer mine sample he had
ever assayed. Stevens came to me, told ma all
this and wanted to go in with me to work the
mine. He could not raise the necessary money,
however, and so refused to enter into a
partnership. 1 have been in no hurry. I am
still looking for capital to develop the mine"
Occasionally it is refreshing to receive q