The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, June 8, 1902, Page 11

THE SUNDAY CALL. WHA THE SECRET OF THE SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS IN THE HEART OF THE APACHE COUNTRY IS DISCOVERED AT LAST. r Pea lare mine b ng with n from the ric At la ious The ¢ t only e now se; ment mi gu spectors es by the raide of their opera- 1 bring Indians from de cret no more st ed by the ve been made to hat the mine; his claim pain: in in glittering 2 dazzled wit offered in finding a stories dealing fter many tchman” are of the romanti da efforts that have near Weavers found a surface which is with mining s of the brought to the n who but a mine from e Apache ter able to enlist covery e has just been Moun- s east of Phoenix, the famous as beer the ugE their disappointment er for Apaches ed from the white st of the in dollars evidences “Lo d vast e rded thelr who treas- d and e down the who the posits to the red scorn of their riking “Lost locate in that region, r who ts the colors the h the mine Dutchman” is be- with ims that have been lo- trials most c cir- and been e to time to find it agan. located on the south side Needle. A in in RN Cerman about thirty Mexican who had worked the vears ago met a mine in the cld when Arizona was a part of s His operations were ir ttacks made on his employ and he abandoned the enterprise, g home with him rich gold ore. This Mexican was a man of means, and not ing to undergo the risk of a second attempt gave the mine friend. Having obtained from his Mexican ac- to his German SEARCHING FOR “LOST DUTCHMAM qralntance a map of the country and a fully detailed deseription of the property, the German went to Tucson and enlisted the ald of a fellow countryman of his in arching for the lost mine. Following written directions they proceeded to south side of the Superstition Moun- and entering the first long draw east of the west end of the mountain they ceeded in finding the trail designated n the map. This led them across the mountain and down a long ridge past the tain, o AFPACHEDS Salwl ANBUSHING qfi * PROSPECTORY fl : Weavers Needle, into a deep canyon, thence up a side canyon, where the mine was situated. The undergrowth was so dense that the¥ were concealed from view until they haq;&ched their desti- nation. i PR As they drew meak. thay Heard “sounds that seemed to indicaté that the mine still being worked. Upon approa autiously they saw three men whom ‘Without stop- ping to investigate they opened fire and kilied all three. A closer examination showed them that they had acted too Festily and had killed workmen of their Mexican friend, who were still endeavor- ing to work the mine. Being considerably frightened and fearing the consequences cf their rash deed they hastily gathered up the ore that was already taken out and proceeded to beat a precipitate treat. Retribution was at hand, however, and the Apach whom they had feared, having been attracted to the spot by the firing, made a furious attack upon them. During the course of a desperate running fight the men became separated, one turning off through the mountains to- ward the Pima villages and the other making his way to the settlement that has since become the city of Phoenix. Tach supposed the other to have been Killed, and it is not known that they ever met after their narrow escape. Living with the Pimas at that time was the late John D. Walker. One of the fugitives staggered into his camp nearly exhausted by the chase. In spite of all efforts on the part of Walker to resusci- tate the man he took fever and died. Be- fore his death, however, he gave Walker instructions as to how to reach the mine and turned over to him the ore he had brought away from the scene of the trag- ing they took to be Indians. re- THE START N THE— LAST " LOST DUTCHMAN " EXPEDITION The map and written descriptions of the location of the property had been carried off by the other German, who had come to the settlement on the north side of the Salt River. Being too busy at that time to investigate the story, Walker al- lowed the matter to rest for several years, and it was not until 1881 that he ook occasion to make the matter public. He has never had time to investigate the supposed location of the mine, as he was sirce then fully occupied in looking after the affairs of the Vekol mine. In 1895 it came to light that the second fugitive had been living in Mesa, Ariz., with a Mexican woman and that he made occasicnal excursions into the Supersti- tion Mountains, bringing back with him large gold nuggets. Two years later, when he was at the point of death, h2 made an attempt to reveal his secret, but died before he could tell the story. He gasped the name of ‘“Weaver,” by which he probably intended to convey that old John Weaver, the hermit of the Supersti- tion Mountains, knew the secret of the Lost Dutchman. If Weaver knew he died with the scret in his breast Few ven- tured to visit the old recluse who, in the heart of the Apache country, retired in a cave, the opening of which was festooned by the scalps of Mesevelero's braves. ‘Weaver, disappointed in love in St. Louis, spent thirty years in a lonely canyon in the mountains caring little for worldly matters and less for gold. He picked off many an Apache who endeavored to in- vade the sanctity of his cave until the Indians avoided him in the terror of their superstitions. Importunities of his friends to induce him to mingle with the world were as unavailing as their at- tempts to learn from him the locations of gold ledges with which he was undoubt- edly familiar. “Bear” Weaver he was sometimes called, because his only recre- ation was in hunting bears, and because he made a vow ten years before his death that he should never again comb his hair or beard as penitence for having missed a fine shot at a bear. His matted locks and beard testified how well he ad- hered to the vow. A shoemaker living in Phoenix has been encouraged by the rediscovery of the Lost Dutchman to make one more search for a rich ledge somewhere near that property. His name is Charles Rodig. He discov- ered the ledge many years ago, but after his first visit he has been unable to find it again. At intervals he still persists in the ch, having made five trips in all, and shortly he will go again. Rodig’s experiences date back to 1876, when he and his comrade were on the frontier facing pioneer privations and dodging behind big rocks to keep from be- ing killed by the Indlans. With Jack Reed and Pete Martinelli he set out for vie m nor James Y. Smit ewsp an experience A single paper, an old paper at th o relate. msy barrier. re lives in the quiet pan who had just such TIT MEANS e been so near death that one per was your only that sheet at, is town a re- experience—a man who knows but the most deadly peri him was far from the probably cool gri ife. rom the right bravery as well. of none other Roy story and fiction. 1 Gordon teer Caval erves his charadcters ed in bold by es his company presented bearing this inscripti s to see, while enjoying all the ect health, the cold specter death pointing an fcy finger his heart. an is Dr. C. H. Gordon, and his reads like the most thrilling ‘ written. He has known brave the dangers of the 1 that boom in an apparent haven of thank his t and For stock He than MacGregor, €0 1 went to ptain of Company E, Third With commis- Gov- 1. In recognition of him gnificent sword, gold and sil- on: CAPT. TO CHAS. H. GORDON, i From the members of Co. E, 34 R, L Cavalr a , for his superior merits an officer and a soldier. — T0 HAVE BUT A FOLD OF PAPER STAND BETWEEN Serving through the remainder of the Civil War, he found himself in New Or- leans early in 1866. “There,” old doctor, I the bluff, good-natured ran General Fran- across cesco de Bordon, an old college chum of mine, when we were at Christ College, England, fift pair of dev n years before, as merry a as you ever saw. Bordon was a Mexican, in spite of the French sound to his name. in s He had lost one arm a charge at Chapultepec Battery. At this time he was chief of artillery on the staff of Benito Jaurez, president of the Liberal party of Mex: Jaurez was up in the mountains of Chihuahua, keeping out of the way of Maximilian. To be short, Bordon offered me a commission as major in the Mexi- can army. I was young, full of the spirit of adventure and consi bly reckless, 50 I jumped at the offer and was ready to start forthwith and help Jaurez dodge around among the rocks and mountains of Chihuahua. “Without any adventures landed at Boca del against Bragg's the party Rio Grande and we speedily joined Jaurez up in the moun- tains. I had a great expcrience with the Mexicans for a year and a greater lot of freebooters than some of the officers turned out to be, haven’'t been created yet. Benito Jaurez, though, was as fine a man as I have ever met. Finally he had a scheme to clean out the French. Let- ters of marque would do tne business, he thought, and he wanted them delivered to Matias Romero, Mexican Minister to ‘Washington. I learned later than some of them provided for 1.cting out privateers in the harbor of San Francisco to prey on the French commerce, so you see how near California came to being mixed up in the row. By that time I had had enough of occasional bushwacking, fleas that made life a burden night and day and the un- certainties of a tortilla and coffee and, cigarette diet, so I volunteered to carry the papers to Romero. Yes, I rezlized the risk I ran, but I knew I wouldn't die till my time came, so what was the use to worry? “I reached Matamoras without much difficulty, and while I was walting there for the boneshaker of a stage to come along and carry me down to Bagdad, I met the man who kicked himself out of Mexico. He was a tall Vermonter—but ‘that's another story,’ you know. He cleaned those Mexicans out of their last shekel in a high kicking contest, and joined me on the trip to Bagdad, at the mouth of the Rio Grande. The custom houses were all under French control, and the officials made a pretty thorough search of your baggage, besides search- ing your person for gold, as there was an 18 per cent export duty on it. We—the tall, slab-sided Vermonter and I—went up to the custom-house bold as beggars, though I felt pretty queer about those let- ters of marque in my valise. The French- man examined our clothing. Then he wanted to have a look at my valise. “ “What have you in it? he asked. “ ‘Oh, nothing much. Only a few traps,” I said, as carelessly as possible, though my heart had suddenly begun to thump away at my ribs like a hammer, ‘‘Give me the key, said the French- man. I did, wishing then I had never seen Mexico, and réalizing for the first time what a terrible mess I was about to stir up, when it was no quarrel of mine. I had half expected the fellow would merely- poke the few carelessly wrapped packages about with his finger, and pass me on. He wasn't that sort, though. This thing was growing mighty serious ail of a sudden. “I had rolled those infernal letters of marque up in an old newspaper and dropped them into the bottom of the va- lise, The package didn’t look suspicious, and I counted on its being unmolested owing to its very conspicuousness and dirty appearance. Who would ever think I had anything contraband in such a bundle? Nobody, of course, but that evil- thinking, suspicious Frenchman. “The first thing he laid hands on was that package! “Gad! I can see him yet. He held it in his left hand and began to slowly un- wrap it. I stood there, unable to move, watching him as a condemned man wotches the Judge about to pronounce the death sentence. I tried to keep cool, but my heart was chug, chugging behind 1ay ribs so devilish loud that I was afraid he’d hear it and ask me what it was. Think? Well, I thought pretty fast, and principally what a fool I was. Why hadn’t I let one of those Mexicans under- take the undesirable job, I wondered. Better one of those interested patriots should be stood up and shot than I, an American citizen, suffer martyrdom. I was selfish just at that time. “The big, sabered Frenchman gave the package one more turn, and I knew what another twist would mean—a firing squad at ten paces and a shallow hole in the ground. “I could have taken great pleasure in dropping him in his tracks if I could have escaped. He stopped suddenly and looked up at me strangely as I made a sign with my hand. He was not a Mason and I said good-by to myself, believing he’d reached those letters at last. Had he given me one good look he'd have known from the expression of my face that something was very much wrong with the valise. I was in a cold perspiration and was al- s YOU AND DEATH ready wondering how long I had to live, but for the life of me I couldn't take my eyes off that fellow’s hands. for all I realized what it means for a man to hold your life in the hollow of his hand. “All this happened in a few seconds, but the seconds seemed days and months to me. “He made another turn at the wrap- ping paper. ‘This ends it I said to my- self, At that very second Colonel Jones, commanding the American forces across the river, opened the door and walked into the room. He was in full uniform. The Frenchman turned to greet him, but I was there first. It was the only chance left. I stepped up and said ih his ear, ‘Stop him, for God’s sake! Don’t let him gc through that package.” The situation ‘was desperate, and as I spoke I made the Masonic sign of distress. Jones answered, and I felt like yelling in delight. He grabbed me in his arms, true Mexican fachion, called me his brother and raised such a racket that you'd have thought I was President of the United States. The Frenchman stood amazed. Jones rushed me up to him and introduced me in such a pretentious manner that the custom house official bowed low, quickly dropped the package containing those letters of marque back into the valise, locked it and handed me the Key with another bow, saying he was very sorry he had given me any trouble. “I forgave him on the spot and the four of us went out and sat down to the best dinner that I could buy in that miserable town. 3 “Meanwhile the valise lay with its pre- cious contents in a corner of the cusiom house, carelessly mixed up with a lot of Once and i“ the hills on a prospecting tour. They went into the Four Peaks at a time when the Apaches and Government troops were struggling for supremacy, and honors were not better than even. Prospecting was dangerous and most of the frontier characters hovered under military pro- tection at Fort McDowell. Several de- tachments of troops were In the Four Peaks region, some at guard at points of vantage and others scouring the country for Indian signs. The prospectors reached a pol about twenty-eight miles from Fort McDowell. Here, skirting the foothills of the Four Peaks, they discovered placer ground and began operations. The second d the gravel banks revealed a myriad of colors and the prospectors were elated over the promise of enough gold to make nabobs of them all. That afternoon, with their single pan, they took out several hundred dollars of gold dust to add to the value of three large nuggets discovered. At sundown they were appalled by phenomenon which the gold diggers garded as an evil omen. The Four Peaks seemed to be drawing® toward them. ‘Whether it was a mirage or eccentricity of nature they could not determine té their own satisfaction. The sound of cannon suddenly played on their appre- hensive ears and they fled from the plac- ers. It was a series of signal shots from some of the troops in the mountains above them, and shortly afterward the rever- berating peal of the big cannon at Fort McDowell was a warning that Indians ap- proached and whites who valued their lives should move. At that time Victoria was the fighting chief of the Apaches. He had sent an army of 1600 braves up the Salt River and a band of 400 was planning to join it to move on the regulars while the forces were weak. The three gold' diggers lost no time in making their way to Tucson, where they sold their gold dust. The party went to Combstone, where they bound themselves that no one of them should return to the placers without the companionship of the remaining two. They planned to return when the Indians should'become less dan- gerous. Martinelli eventually horsethieves because he had ‘“vigilantes” with information a was hanged by furnished against B Brazos Santiago, the American island station, with' Colonel Jones, the colonel turned to me and asked: other ‘passed’ baggae. “Later in the day, as the Vermonter and I were crossing the Rio Grande to ‘ ‘Major, what made you make that sign? What was it you had in your va- lise that you didn’t want that fellow to (o YIB them. In several years Reed disappeared, leaving Rodig in sole possession of the knowledge of the remarkable placers. ries of misfortunes has in his efforts to relocate the placers. Three years ago he and & companion were almost drowned while attempting to cross the Salt River in their search. At another time he was pitched from a horse and returned to nix with fractured bones, and there till another instance in which he ambushed by Indians on his journey and forced to flee for his life. He says the character of the country has changed wonderfully since the early and many of the landmarks have ppeared. Where there. was once & swampy .flat ‘to-day ' the ground is dry and barren. At other places where he remembers traveling over an open coun- try there is now a heavy growth of trees and shrubbery. A man named Burke Tcokey came to Phoenix recently with papers alding in the solution of a lost mine mystery as re- markable as any related. He was a mem= ber of a party which prospected in the early days in the Sierra Anchos, a neighboring range ‘of the Superstitions. The prospectors were driven from rich placer diggingsi by the Indians. Four were killed and¥the single survivor, after having received ‘mady injuries, including the loss of a hand amd two broken ribs, alped and left for dead by the sav- age He came to life, however, succeeded in escaping on a burro, car- 1ying with him enough’gold to defray the expenses of a fifteen years' treatment in a New Mexico hospital. He brought let- ters from the hospital vouching for a part of his tale at lea and interested sev- eral local capitalists, who equipped a party to follow his guidance back into the mountains. This visitor claims to be Burke Tookey. His condition is now pre- cario nd it is doubtful if he will live to see the fulfilment of his dream. LLOYD DAMRON. . mee? ‘Ch, nothing in particular.” “ *Yes, there was. You had something you were afraid of." *““Well,” I said, ‘there’s the valise and Lere’s the key. See for yourself.” “He did, and when he found and un- vwrapped that package he actually turned psle. “‘Good God, major!" he said, ‘if they'd found this, they’d have taken you out and shot you inside of ten minutes.” “I knew that well enough. As for the tall Easterner, he was so frightened when he saw what I was carrying that he near- ly fell out of the boat. He would have teen shot with me as an accomplice. “I didn’t go on to Washington, however, but mailed those letters, all in one large packet, to Romero from New Orleans, thankful to see the last of them and still more thankful for my life.”