The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-02-13
Golden
hantOInS
FASCINATING TALKS
OF LOST M IN Rs
ewA.u. ~ BAIfha L. WoGeon
INDIAN GUARDIANS

4 know-where there IL Z valley full
of gold nuggets. The gold II 20 thick
that 1t may be gathered BY bushels.
found 1t for keeps, 1t must stu lie
somewhere out In the old Ute country,
which Is 10 desolate that no one save
the most desperate would venture into
Its Businesses.
Mike Gray heard of the valley Of
gold from q Frenchman In California
In 1872. He organized a small party
and outftted for gold-seeking. but
somehow he never managed to reach
his goal. He said that 4 white woman,
held captive by the UteA knew It's To-
cation, but the Indians feared that she
would tell. and at last killed her to
silence her tongue.
There was a Mexican woman once
| who saw another Indian gold mine,
and she told about 1t in detail, but no
| one could find 1t. So the Utes might
as well have let their captive live, since
describing definite locations among the
mountains Is no easy task.
The Mexican woman was a friend OF
an old Pima chief. He fell Ill. and she
cured him with her homely remedies,
80 that his gratitude WAS great
| Now, the Pimas had long been
known to have a gold mine, called
the Taiopa. When they were In need.
they would sell pieces of very rich
high-grade ore, but they would never
divulge Its source The old Pima
chief gave his Mexican friend some
OF this ore, and from time to time he
would present her with more. but all
her entreaties would not bulge his
| determination to keep the secret. He
said that he would be struck dead II
he told-and certainly that was 4
powerful reason for not telling.
At last determined to find out the
location OF the Taiopa. the Mexican
woman packed up her belongings and
went to live In the Pima village. Here
she made herself useful and agreeable.
| She made gifts OF some of her trim
kets to the most prominent women.
She was always ready to aid the sick
She became. practically. member OF
| the tribe. And all the time she tried
to learn the secret Of the hidden mine.
| AT last this method of persuasion
wore down the old chiefs resistance.
He began to talk little about the
mine. 1t had been worked when he
WAS boy. 1t WAS very rich indeed.
No, no, he would not take her there,
for he feared the retribution OF his red
gods.
! But at last he weakened. He would
allow two women Of his people to
lead the Mexican woman to the mine,
and she should see 1t with her own
eyes. He could no longer escape the
vast obligation which he and his peo-
Pile owed her, and this would be his
| repayment.
Joyously, the Mexican woman Set
out with her escort to the mine. For
three nights they climbed mountains
and crossed valleys, and at last on the
fourth night, the end OF the journey
was near However. 1t was after mid
! night when the women stopped In
deep canyon. and by the pale light OF
the moon pointed ont a large dump
and an arrastra, which showed signs
OF great age, nearby. The visitor went
over to the dump and picked up .
| few pieces OF ore. -
| Suddenly, as II frightened BY some
| thing Invisible and terrible. her guides
insisted on their hurrying away. They
travelled all the rest OF the night, and
late the next afternoon they reached
the Pima village. 1t had taken only
one day to return from a four days
journey, which proved that she had
been led by a roundabout route to the
mine.
Further questions on her part met
| with failure. The old chief had done
all he could and more than he should
he made that plain. Beyond that
be would not go.
1t was impossible to retrace that
| journey made In the darkness She
| had seen the mine and she had the ore
to prove It. But that was all. And
though she told her story over and
| over again, no one ever was able to
find the Pima mine.