The Coolidge examiner., 1935-08-16
GOLDEN
PHANTOMS
fascinating
Tales of fam. watson
Lost Mines e-xr
NAVAJO GOLD

XETESTEBN newspapers during
w the spring Of 1915 carried o
story which dates back 60 1886. In
that distant year. is said, the
Spanish explorers of the West dis
covered a placer In the Navajo
country Il was lost. in the manner
og so many old spanish mines
James OEourke. a western con
gresham. beard the story and was
Inspired by IL 10 gather together
a small party 20 20 down into ths
navajo country TO search for ths
lost placer mine
The party succeeded beyond their
hopes. In 2 canyon somewhere IN
that strange region they came
across pile of stones which
marked the location az some 90
pounds of silver matte aud also q
number 81 fine nuggets
The Navajo. however. had an
idea that these white men were
irespassers on their land. Any
gold or silver that lay within the
reservation belonged 20 them So
F Il was only natural that n band
F ~ these Indians should rout out
the lntrudcrs. chase them up a box
canyon from which they could not
escape.
Prospcciors who happeaed 10 come
that way annlly rescued the party.
which returned home much the
worse for wear. The only treasure
they had to show Tor this chase o.
the golden phantom was the hand.
fui of gold nuggets, which they had
taken on sight.
( Perhaps that lost Spanish mine
F., Is the same as rsch-la-ki. q word
which is a combination ~ Navajo
and Spanish and means white
money"
This mine ls also IN the Navajo
country. somewhere near The IA
nous -Four Corners where Colorado.
Utah. Arizona and New Mexico
meet. The navajo had sold silver
specimens from Pech-la N FOR
many years. and more than one
prospecior had tried 10 end the
source of their wealth. bot a series
of lost lives marks The search.
+ This. too. may have been the
mine found long ago By Merrlck
and Mitchell They were young
prospectors IN the Navajo country
who came upon a rude forge or far.
mace and some nuggets of gold
While they were searching for the
ledge from which the ore had come
Indians discovered them and both
were killed.
In isS2 an old progpector. Charles
T. Johnson. retraced their route
aud In doing 50 became separated
from the rest of the party While
climbing about over the rotten l0g4
be lost bis balance. feii down =
steep incline aud brought up In n
mine. which apparently had caved
lu NJ this place. A vein ~ white
quartz containing much gold met
his eyes. and be was certnln that
az last he bad found the los, mine.
His friends. who were searching
FOR him In the forest. heard his
shouts and helped him on, OF the
place. But for some reason Il Is
not recorded that he or they ever
went back 10 the shaft.
Another echo from the Navajo
country was beard when n priest
appeared In Prescott. Arlz.. many
years ago. searching for cache of
gold. He had been told about this
hidden treasure. he said. by a man
who had died In Denver hospital.
This man and two others had
taken $4,000 In gold out of a placer
mine on the Navajo reservation.
and they had fed with their wealth
when the tribesmen discovered
their presence. In getting away from
the region 10 avoid as much con
tact as possible with the Navajo
and their neighbors, the fugltlves
had travelled south through west
ern New Mexico. crossed the Mo-
goIlon mountains. followed the ella
river 10 the Verde. and ai last had
reached Prescott In this devious
manner. on the way two OF the
men died. one OF malaria. the other
from wounds given him by the In
dians. so that the man who told the
story was the sole survivor. He.
afraid that retributlon would over
take him. also buried the gold under
a boulder near a spring. AT the
foot OF a mountain past which a
stream flowed into a small valley.
The place he described as near
Prescott.
He never dared TO return to his
cache: evidently his fear Of the
Indians was based on frst-hand
knowledge But on his dying bed
he begged the priest TO 90 and re-
cover the gold for the use OF the
hospital.
In case a placer mine. n ledge,
a shaft, and gold and silver to-