The Coolidge examiner., 1936-02-07
GOLDEN
PHANTOMS
Fascinating
Tales of rd;,,. ws,.oo
Lost Mines @w.xu.
INDIAN GUARDIANS

| - KnOW-Wnefe Cnere is valley
full of gold nuggets. The gold is so
thick that it may be gathered by
bushels. And since no white man
has ever found it for keeps, it must
still lie somewhere out in the old
Ute country, which is so desolate
that no one save the most desperate
would venture into its Businesses.
Mike Gray heard of the valley of
gold from a Frenchman in Califor-
MIA in 1872. He organized a small
party and outfitted for gold-seeking,
but somehow he never managed to
reach his goal. He said that white
woman, held captive by the Utes,
knew its location, but the Indians
feared that she would tell, and at
last killed her to silence her tongue.
There was Mexican woman once
who saw another Indian gold mine,
and she told about it in detail, but
no one could find it. SO the Utes
might as well have let their captive
live, since describing definite loca-
tions among the mountains is no
easy task.
The Mexican woman was a friend
of an old Pima chief. He fell i'll,
and she cured him with her homely
remedies, so 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
Pimas 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 if he told-and GER
tainly that was a 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 vii
lage Here she made herself use
full and agreeable. She made gifts
of some of her trinkets to the most
prominent women. She was always
ready to aid the sick. She became,
practically, a 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 resist
ance. 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 peo-
pie to lead the Mexican woman to
the mine, and she should see it with
her own eyes. He could no longer
escape the vast obligation which he
and his people 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
| ~ Ioe+ ON tho fourth piubt tho opd
of the journey was near. However,
it was after midnight when the
women stopped in a deep canyon,
and by the pale light of the moon
pointed out a large dump and an
arrastra, which showed signs of
great age, nearby. The visitor went
over to the dump and picked up a
few pieces of ore.
Suddenly, as if frightened by
something invisible and terrible, her
guides insisted on their hurrying
away. They travelled all the rest
of the night, and late the next aft
ernoon they reached the Pima vii
lage. 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. Be-
yond that he would not go.
It 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.