Category: News Print

Historic newsprint articles offer fascinating glimpses into the past, capturing moments that shaped societies and documenting the evolution of public opinion. These articles often reflect the language, biases, and cultural norms of their time, providing modern readers with valuable insights into how historical events were perceived and reported. For example, early 20th-century articles might cover topics like the industrial revolution, suffrage movements, or the World Wars with a sense of immediacy and urgency, using vivid language to convey the significance of these events. The style of writing, often more formal and detailed than contemporary journalism, is a window into the societal priorities and concerns of that era.

The layout and presentation of these historic articles also tell a story. Newspapers from the 19th and early 20th centuries were often densely packed with text, featuring long columns and minimal imagery, as photography was still a developing technology. Headlines were bold and to the point, designed to grab attention in a crowded newsstand. Advertisements interspersed between the articles reveal much about the economic and social context, from the products people used to the services that were in demand. Overall, historic newsprint articles are not just reports of events but also artifacts of the time, preserving the essence of the era in which they were written.

The Coolidge Examiner – The Search for Ruth Still Futile

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Lost Dutchman Mine searcher Adolph Ruth
Lost Dutchman Mine searcher Adolph Ruth

The Coolidge Examiner of July 17, 1931 headlines the “Search for Ruth Still Futile” as he is lost looking for the Lost Dutchman Goldmine.

Adolph Ruth was a seasoned treasure hunter whose pursuit of the legendary Lost Dutchman Mine led to his mysterious disappearance in the Superstition Mountains in 1931. Ruth, a 66-year-old man from Washington, D.C., was drawn to the mine after receiving a set of maps allegedly showing its location. Despite warnings about the dangers of the rugged terrain and the mine’s deadly reputation, Ruth ventured into the Superstitions alone in June 1931. When he failed to return, a massive search ensued, involving local authorities, volunteers, and even aircraft. Ruth’s remains were discovered six months later, deep within the Superstitions, with his skull showing signs of a gunshot wound, sparking rumors of foul play.

The search for Adolph Ruth and the circumstances of his death only added to the mystique of the Lost Dutchman Mine, fueling speculation that the mine was cursed or guarded by violent forces. His disappearance and the discovery of his skull intensified public interest in the mine, drawing even more treasure hunters to the perilous mountains. Despite exhaustive investigations, the exact details of Ruth’s fate remain shrouded in mystery, and the Lost Dutchman Mine continues to elude those who seek it, keeping its secrets hidden within the treacherous landscape of the Superstition Mountains.

The desperate Search for Ruth Still Futile as reported by the Coolidge Examiner, July 17, 1931
The desperate search for Adolph Rush as reported by the Coolidge Examiner, July 17, 1931

THE SEARCH EOR RUTH STILL FUTILE

Airplane Combs Recesses Of Superstition To No Avail

Hope of finding Adolph Ruth, 66-y’ear old prospector lost in the Superstition mountain range for a month waned Wednesday after a combination air search and the efforts of men on foot and on horses failed to reveal new trace of the missing man.

For two hours Wednesday morning an air plane piloted by Charley Goldtrap and carrying E. D. Newcomer, Arizona Republic – Phoenix Gazette staff photographer, soared over the treacherous pinnacles and deep canyons of the Superstition range, making pictures and keeping a sharp lookout for any sign of Ruth. The air search was sponsored by the Phoenix Gazette.

Searchers hold three theories in regard to the possible fate of Ruth: that he met death in a fall into one of the canyons; that he met with foul play, and his body was disposed of; that he suffered loss of memory and wandered out of the mountains and probably still is wandering.

Ruth, it is believed, might have been slain for maps he possessed. The airplane trip over the mountains Wednesday was accompanied by numerous dangers. Several times wind conditions endangered the plane’s flight, and the two men reported several row escapes.

Dr. Erwin E Ruth, son of the missing prospector, is convinced that his father never will be found alive, but he said he is determined to continue the search in the hope of finding his father’s body.—Arizona Republic. No man could have gone more -surely to his death than Ruth, the aged man whose life was lost in a search for the Lost Dutchman mine, He has been described as the “aged prospector, ” He was not a prospector at all but an aged man whose life had been spent in a clerical position in Washington. He had been curiously obsessed by a purpose te find the mine for which prospectors and others had been hunting nearly a half century ago. He had studied official maps. He had learned what he could find from a study of the character of the country.

He knew nothing of prospecting and nothing at first hand of the perils of the desert which he invaded at a time of the year when actual prospectors were getting ready to retire for the summer. There could be but one end for such an adventure into one of the most forbidding sections of Arizona.

The Coolidge Examiner Articles About Disappearance of Adolph Ruth

The desperate search for Adolph Rush as reported by the Coolidge Examiner, July 17, 1931

The Coolidge Examiner – The Search for Ruth Still Futile

Lost Dutchman Mine searcher Adolph Ruth The Coolidge Examiner of July 17, 1931 headlines the "Search for Ruth Still Futile" as he is lost looking…
Buried on page 2, The Coolige Examiner states on August 7th, 1931 that the Search for Ruth is suspended.

The Coolidge Examiner – Search for Ruth Suspended

Lost Dutchman Mine searcher Adolph Ruth The Coolidge Examiner of August 7, 1931 announces the Search for Rush Suspended due to heat in the Superstition…
The Coolidge Examine annoucing the presumed death of Adolph Ruth in December 1931

The Coolidge Examiner – Search for Adolph Ruth in the Superstition Mountains

The Search for Adolph Ruth in the Superstition Mountains ends it tragedy as reported by the Coolidge Examiner on December 18, 1931. After months of…
Coolidge Examiner Article published November 11,1932 reports that Adolph Ruth is the nineth person lost looking for the Logs Dutchman Mine.

The Coolidge Examiner – Lookout Station on Superstition Mountain

Lost Dutchman Mine searcher Adolph Ruth Adolph Ruth was a nove treasure hunter whose pursuit of the legendary Lost Dutchman Mine led to his mysterious…

References

The Kansas City Journal, Sunday February 17, 1895

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The Kansas City Journal, Sunday February 17, 1895 outlines the initial legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.
The Kansas City Journal, Sunday February 17, 1895 outlines the initial legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.

The Kansas City Journal, Sunday February 17, 1895 outlines the initial legend of the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine of Jacob Waltz. This version of the origin story has Jacob Waltz purchasing the mine from the Peralta Family. Allegedly, he concealed the mine for fears of retaliation after he killed six Mexican miners on his initial journey to the mine.

A LOST EL DORADO.

A MINE IN THE SUPERSTITION MOUNTAINS OF COLORADO

The Half-told Tale of an Old Miser Afraid to Return to the Source of His Mysteriously Gotten Wealth

That there exists an undiscovered gold mine of fabulous wealth near a point In the Superstition mountains not more than fifty miles from Phoenix: has long been an article faith among a number of mining men In a position to rift the mass of accumulated during the put (unity jean. The fact and individual statements, although emanating from widely diverse sources and furnished by persons who could hao had no possible communication with one another, all agree In n remarkable in inner as to the description of the mine, and, what Is still more convincing, are unanimous In Indicating in particular quarter of the mountains In question as the place of Its location.

Years ago Indians boasted to the early settlers – notably to the discoverers of the celebrated Antelope diggings – of the wonderful wealth of this deposit, and even pointed out vaguely the direction In which It lay Plmas, Marlcopas, Apaches- all claim a knowledge of it, though nothing can even tempt one of them to disclose Its exact whereabouts. Mexicans- even Mexicans of mean equipped with elaborate maps of the mysterious region, had more than once made journeys from Sonora in the hope of enriching themselves at this storied Ophlr. They even name fortunate countrymen of theirs who in former years, running the gauntlet of Gringo and Apache, have surreptitiously worked the mine for a few weeks at a time and returned to the land of Mannna with gold laden burros. Lacking citizenship to enable them to claim the mine, they meretly helped themselves hurriedly to what they could get and departed, after covering all traces of their work.

The district designated Is not extensive. It lies within an Imaginary circle whoso diameter Is not more than five miles and whose center Is marked by the Weaver’s Needle, a prominent and fantastic pinnacle of volcanic tufa that rises to a height of 2,500 feet among a confusion of lesser peaks and mountainous mases of basaltic rock Ono can reach Its base only after struggling through a network of bowlder choked canyons and well nigh Impregnable thickets. In Its weird loneliness it scorns an Index finger marking the location of some hidden my story. Owing to Its resemblance, from one point of view, to a pointed sombrero, says a Phoenix correspondent of the San Francisco Chronicle, the Mexicans and Indians call It Sombrero butte, or rather El Sombrero, and It Is the landmark around which cluster all the tales of treasure referred to, whether Indian, Mexican or frontiersman. Americans have given It the name of Weaver’s Needle, in memory of old Paullne Weaver, the well known trapper and pioneer of the Southwest.

In regard to the mine, It cannot be doubted, in the face of the conclusive evidence adduced, that It really has an existence; though in view of the numerous and unavailing efforts to discover It, made during a period of years. It seems more than likely that It has been forever hidden by some landslide or cloudburst, or perhaps by the earthquake that gave thl3 range a severe shaking up In 1887.

During the past year all the old stories have been revived and a new impetus has been given to the search, which has been
conducted spasmodically ever since the settlement of the territory, by reason of the deathbed disclosures of an old Ger-mi- n, who, In his last hours, confided to the woman nursing him how he and a partner worked that very mine In 18933,
until the latter was killed by Apaches.

Jacob Waltz, for thus he signed his name, though he was better known as ‘ Old Dutch Yoccub” to the few with whom he came In contact, had taken a fancy to the woman, who had, in fact, taken care of him during the last few 5 years of his helpless life, and had given her gold nuggets on several occasions. He had been a resident of the territory for thirty years and had lived for twenty
years of this time on a little ranch near Phoenix, where ho had a small ‘vineyard and orchard He was morose, miserly and uncommunicative, avoiding contact with men, and was always suspected of having a burled treasure, for he was known to have sold gold nuggets at different times, though he never went out In the mountains. It was only when he was convinced that he had to let go of life that he endeavored to inform the woman his only friend how to go to the mine, and also. It appears, to divulge the hiding place of his burled treasure. But he had cultivated the habit of reluctance and secretiveness too long, and death overtook him, even while he was struggling to make himself Intelligible.

Of course, his beneficiary lost no time after the funeral in turning over with the shovel every foot of the old man’s little piece of property which, by the way, he left to her by will but there are those who have shrewd suspicions that the treasure was found by another. The only gold found on the place was a few particles remaining in the seams of four buckskin sacks unearthed from the bottom of “Old Yoccup’s” trunk. His directions, too, in regard to finding the mine were at fault, or else (which Is probable, his hearer being a woman and relying entirely on her memory ) she got them mixed. She made several trips to the supposed locality, taking with her experienced prospectors, but all to no purpose, finally the made the story public, and since then scores of prospectors have scoured the “suspected district” In vain.

Hero Is a short outline of “Old Yoccup’s” story as told by himself and repeated by his only hearer: At the beginning of the civil war, being at that time in Arizona, he went over Into Sonora to avoid military duty, and there made the acquaintance of the Peralta family, with whom he became quite Intimate. Speaking of Arizona, they told him that they owned a largo grant in that country, which, however, being nothing but a desert, was valueless, except for a rich gold mine from which they had drawn “poll wealth. They had worked It in the forties, sending up a band of trusty peons, who always returned, in a few months’ time, their burrows loaded with the precious yellow metal, which was obtained without mill or machinery of any kind. All that was needed was a hammer to break It out of the quartz. ,

Believing that they had lost the title to their grant, as a result of the Mexican war, the Peralta’s sold to “Old Yoccup” for a trifle the Information necessary to enable him to And the mine, and their description of Its glittering wealth was sufficient to start him at or back to Arizona. At Tucson he picked up a partner in the shape of another German, also named Jacob, and together they set out for the Superstition mountains, which, even at that early day, enjoyed the uncanny reputation indicated by their name. Arriving at the Initial point mentioned in Peralta’s Instructions “the first gorge on the south side, from the west end of the range” they found, as he had told them, a monumented trail which led them “northward over a lofty ridge; thence downward past Sombrero butte Into a long canyon running north, and finally to a tributary canyon very “deep and rocky, and densely wooded with a continuous thicket of scrub oak.”

Here the woman Is at fault, She has forgotten whether the canyon enters from the east or west. Proceeding up this canyon with difficulty, they were startled by a repeated knocking a short distance ahead, as of some ono breaking rock, and with rifles ready for instant use they advanced with caution. Presently, on the steep slope about 100 feet above them they spled two Indians busy breaking rock. This was evidently the much desired mine; and If so, it was no time, for trifling. They did not propose to be balked of a fortune now almost In their hands by a naked Indlan or two. Each picked his man, and, taking careful aim, they dropped the interlopers in their tracks. The smoke had hardly cleared away when they were horrified see two more Indians, who appeared to come out of the earth. They began to fear that they had got Into a hornet’s nest, but they were In It for It now, and without more ado they dispatched these two by the same road as the others. Then two more jumped up and began running up the hill, endeavoring to hide themselves in the brush. By good luck they dropped these also, and as no more of them appeared after they remained concealed a reasonable time the Germans climbed up the dump of the shaft for such they found It to be congratulating themselves that the golden treasure was theirs at last.

On examination of the bodies of the supposed Indians their exultation changed to horror. The men were Mexican- naked, it Is true, but that Is the way the Mexican miners prefer to work underground They had murdered six men In cold blood! The unfortunates were doubtless some of the Peralta peons, who had been working the mine on their own account, They probably
had friends, who, on their failure to return, would come In search of them, and the matter would end In the arrest and conviction of the two Germans.

At any rale, this Is what “Old Yoccup” and his partner thought, and on that account they feared it would not be safe to
claim the mine and work it openly. They planned, therefore, to get what gold they could in week or two of work, and then, after covering the mine, leave the country to return at some future time.

Their first care was to go back along the trail and throw down all the monuments that had made It so easy for them to reach
the spot. The bodies they threw Into the shaft, for they had found a rich cropping of the auriferous quartz lower down the bank where there was more gold than quartz.

The shaft, It appears is about sevens-five feet deep, and made in Mexican style, with flaring wall, rendering ladders unnecessary. After two weeks of work “Old Yoccob” had to make a trip to Florence for supplies. It was a three days’ journey. On his return he found his partner lying dead killed by Apaches. After that he was afraid to stay there alone, but before leaving the spot he
dragged his partner’s body Into the tunnel they had made, which he then walled up and covered over. The shaft, he
thought, was not likely to be discovered, as It was high above the gulch and pretty well concealed by the brush.

There arc those that believe that “Old Yoccup” murdered his partner after they had worked together covering up the
mine, as they had planned. However this may be, certain it Is that the old man never profiled by his gold. His superstitious fears always prevented him from returning to the spot. No doubt he believed it to be haunted, and it was so, for him. For the remainder of his life he was a morbid, fearful and broken-down old man, afraid to look his fellow man in the eye, and not even daring to enjoy his wealth. It was believed by his neighbors that he saw ghosts, and persons passing his cabin frequently heard his voice in tones of fear and supplication as though he were addressing some menacing presence. He never told the woman who cared for him toward the last gold he had brought away from the mine, but whether it was $10,000, or $50,OOO, as some suppose, the amount must be still nearly Intact, as he was never known to spend any money. He gave her at one time $5,000 to raise a mortgage, and at other times nuggets amounting in all to about $15,000. But that there Is more of it somewhere is proved by the
fact that he was In the act of telling her where to find It when death overtook him.

It Is a curious fact that the Indians describe just such a mine, with a tunnel and shaft. In that same vicinity, with Sombrero butte ni a landmark; and they also say that the tunnel has been walled up and covered over. This Is also the description of It given by the Mexicans, who have come In search of It at different times. The great clue from which all the search Is now being made Is a rock cabin In a cave, which, according to “Old Yoccup’- story, lay directly across the canyon from the mine, and not more than 200 feet from It. It was here that the two Germans lived while they worked the mine.

It Is a coincidence that the writer succeeded In finding a rock cabin in a cave, very near the region referred to; but It
was the work of the cliff dwellers, and, besides, there was no mine on the opposite side of the canyon.

References

The Tombstone Epitaph – March 27, 1882

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Frank Stilwell
Frank Stilwell

On March 27, 1882, The newspaper the Tombstone Epitaph announced the murder of Frank Stilwell in Tucson Arizona.

Frank Stilwell was an outlaw and a member of the Cochise County Cowboys, a group of rustlers and bandits who operated in southern Arizona during the late 19th century. Stilwell’s life took a fatal turn after he was implicated in the murder of Morgan Earp, the younger brother of lawman Wyatt Earp. On March 18, 1882, Morgan Earp was ambushed and killed in Tombstone, Arizona, while playing billiards. Wyatt Earp, seeking revenge for his brother’s murder, believed that Stilwell was one of the men responsible. Stilwell was known for his criminal activities, including cattle rustling, robbery, and involvement in various violent conflicts, which made him a prime target for Earp’s vendetta.

Just two days after Morgan’s death, Wyatt Earp and his posse tracked Stilwell to the train station in Tucson, Arizona, on March 20, 1882. Stilwell had been trying to flee, likely aware that Earp was on his trail. Earp and his men confronted Stilwell at the train station, and in a swift and brutal act of retribution, they shot and killed him. Stilwell’s body was found riddled with bullets, with some reports suggesting as many as five or six gunshots were fired into him at close range. This killing marked the beginning of Wyatt Earp’s infamous “Vendetta Ride,” a bloody campaign of vengeance against those he believed responsible for the death of his brother, further cementing Earp’s legend in the American West.

The following is a copy of the article from The Tombstone Epitaph, March 27, 1882 announcing the killing of Frank Stillwell.

The Tombstone Epitaph, Marth 27, 1882 headlined with the murder of Frank Stillwell by Wyatt Earp et all
The Tombstone Epitaph, Marth 27, 1882 headlined with the murder of Frank Stillwell by Wyatt Earp et all

ANOTHER ASSASSINATION.

Frank Stilwell Pound Dead this Morning,

Being Another Chanter In the Earp-Clanton Tragedy.

Special Dispatch to the Epitaph.

Tucson, March 21. This morning at daylight the track-man at the Southern Pacific railroad depot found the body of Frank Stilwell about one hundred yards north of Porter’s hotel, at the side, of the track, riddled with bullets.

The circumstances of the case, so far as learned, are as follows: Stilwell arrived here Sunday to appear before the grand jury on a charge of stage robbery near Bisbee last November. He was under bonds for his appearance. Last night when the west bound passenger train arrived, it brought the REMAINS OF MORGAN EARP, who had been killed Saturday night at Tombstone, and his three brothers, accompanied by Sherman McMasters, Doc Holliday and a man known as Johnson, all heavily armed with shotguns and revolvers. A few moments before the train started, Stilwell and lke Clanton (brother to W.M.-Clanton, who was killed in Tombstone by the Earps) went to the depot to meet a man by name of McDowell was to have come in witness before the grand jury. On their arrival at the depot they saw the Earp party walking on the platform. Stilwell advised Clanton to leave at once, saying they wanted to kill him. Clanton left a few moments later.

Stilwell was Seen WALKING DOWN THE TRACK in the direction where his body was found. Four of the armed men who were on the platform soon followed. One was described as a slender, light complexioned man wearing a white hat. Just as the train, was leaving, six shots wore heard in the locality of the assassination, but attracted no particular attention, and nothing was known of the tragedy until this morning whop the body was discovered. Six shots went into his body four rifle balls and two loads of buckshot.

Both legs were shot through and A CHARGE OP BUCKSHOT to his left thigh, and a charge through his breast, which must have been delivered close, as the coat was powder burnt, and six buckshot holes within a radius of three inches. Stilwell had a pistol on his person which was not discharged. He evidently was taken unawares, as he was desperate in a, fight and a quick shot. His watch was taken, in the hurry of which a part of the chain was left. There is much excitement here concerning the assassination, and many speculations are rife.

Some say that he was DECOYED TO THE SPOT where he fell as ho possessed strong evidence against certain stage robbers. Others think he was trying to get away from the Earp party and was overtaken, while it is thought by some that he went down the track to shoot one or more of the Earp party as the train was moving out, two of them being on board. The killing is thought to have been done by four of the party who accompanied the Earps here, as the four men who followed the deceased down the track WERE NOT SEEN AGAIN. This morning at one o’clock as the east bound freight train approached Papago, nine miles east of here, it was flagged and four armed men got on the train. They are strongly suspected.

The deceased was 27 years of age; was a native of Texas; is a brother to the famous scout Jack Stilwell. He has been in Arizona four years; was a teamster at Signal for some time and lately has been keeping a livery stable at Charleston and Bisbee, and was an ex deputy sheriff of Cochise county. Yesterday, Ike Clanton received several dispatches from Tombstone, warning him to look out that a party were coming down to put him out of the way, which put him on his GUARD. The authorities here are determined to get to the bottom of this matter, and if the parties are apprehended there will be no sham examination, but a trial on merits, and the guilty parties, whoever they may be, will suffer the penalty of the law.

References

Los Angeles Daily Herald – December 30, 1882

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On December 30, 1881 the Los Angles Daily Herald broke the news of the Assassination attempt on Marshall Virgil Earp
On December 30, 1881 the Los Angles Daily Herald broke the news of the Assassination attempt on Marshall Virgil Earp

The Los Angles Daily Herald reported on the assassination attempt on Virgil Earp, a key figure in the law enforcement of the Old West, occurred on December 28, 1881, in Tombstone, Arizona Territory. This event was part of the larger conflict known as the Earp-Cowboy feud, which culminated in the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Background

Virgil Earp 1843 -1905
Virgil Earp 1843 -1905

Virgil Earp, along with his brothers Wyatt and Morgan, was heavily involved in law enforcement in Tombstone. The town, at the time, was a hotbed of tension between the Earps and the Cowboys, a loosely organized group of outlaws and rustlers. The Gunfight at the O.K. Corral on October 26, 1881, where Virgil played a leading role as Tombstone’s town marshal, escalated these tensions. In this shootout, three Cowboys—Tom McLaury, Frank McLaury, and Billy Clanton—were killed, while Virgil and his brothers emerged relatively unscathed. This event intensified the animosity between the Earps and their enemies.

The following is the newspaper account printed in the Los Angeles Daily Herald on December 30, 1882

Lawlessness at Tombstone Condition of Marshal Earp

Tombstone, Dec. 29th. The condition of United States Deputy Virgil Earp is Critical. The surgeons this afternoon took out the fractured bone in the arm above the elbow. The shot that penetrated the back above the left hip, passed through the body and lodged near the point of the hip, above the groin. The Doctor says that there are four chances in five that he will die. The local authorities are doing nothing to capture the assassins as far as it known. A telegram has been sent to the United States Marshall Dake, at Prescott, of the state of affairs here. Judge Spicer, Marshall Williams, Wyatt Earp, Rickabough and others are in momentary danger of assassination.

This morning a crank named Reilly started down Allen Street with a Winchester rifle in his hands, which caused great excitement. The officers arrested him without damage. The same man tried to jump down the Fiora Morrison shaft a week ago, but was prevented by men in the mine. His condition is said to be the effect of hard drink.

References

The Saturday Review, November 17, 1894

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A Mythical Mine Headline in The Saturday Review, November 17, 1894
A Mythical Mine Headline in The Saturday Review, November 17, 1894

J.C. Bicknell’s newspaper articles on the Lost Dutchman Mine, published in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, played a significant role in popularizing the legend of the elusive gold mine hidden in the Superstition Mountains of Arizona. Bicknell, an editor and writer with a flair for storytelling, often blended facts with folklore in his accounts, creating a captivating narrative that drew readers into the mystery of the mine.

His articles typically described the treacherous terrain of the Superstition Mountains, the dangers faced by treasure hunters, and the various claims made by those who sought the mine. Bicknell’s writing often emphasized the drama and intrigue surrounding the mine’s supposed discovery by Jacob Waltz, the “Dutchman” for whom the mine is named, and the subsequent disappearances and deaths of those who tried to locate it after his death.

Bicknell’s stories were filled with colorful characters, dramatic encounters, and mysterious clues, contributing to the enduring allure of the Lost Dutchman Mine legend. His work not only kept the legend alive but also inspired countless adventurers and treasure hunters to search for the fabled gold, ensuring that the tale of the Lost Dutchman Mine would become a permanent fixture in American folklore.

The following article by P. C Bicknell is posted the The Saturday Review, November 17, 1894.

Mythical Mine

Story of a Lost Claim in the Superstition Mountains

‘DUTCH JACOB’S” SECRET

Phoenix People Now Hunting for the Treasure With Prospects of Success.

Saturday Reviews.

Fifty-six miles a little south of east of Phoenix, or 6ome eighteen miles from Goldfield, in the Superstition mountains, is a mythical mine that may some day prove a reality. More than thirty years ago, or in the early sixties, so the story goes, two German prospectors came to Arizona, and in the secluded spot a above mentioned they found six Mexican working a rich gold mine They were mining by the crude Spanish method, but the ore was to rich and the gold so plentiful that the Dutch prospectoss were determined to get possession of the claim. They did so by the speediest method, by killing the Mexican, dead men tell no tales,

As civilization drifted into this valley Dutch Jacob and his partner, both with plenty of gold, became familiar to the people. Later the partner disappeared, and it is generally supposed he left by the same route as did the half dozen Mexicans a few years before.

Finally the now aged Ditch Jacob moved to the vicinity of Phoenix, but he made frequent trips the Superstition mountains, going alone, and each time he brought back bountiful riches. Finally old Jacob, along in the seventies lived the life of a recluse, and was seen in Phoenix but once in a year or two. Ha a ways turned up at election time and his only mission on earth seemed to be to vote the Republican ticker; during the remainder of the time few knew he was on earth. He made his last trip to the mine in ’84. This time he brought $500 of gold in two small sacks.

He was now approaching the age of four score, and he became quite feeble. During his declining years a sympathetic Ruth ministered to the tottering Jacob, and in 90 he quit this earth. To this woman, who is now a well known married woman of Phoenix, he left his little property here. He also divulged the secret of the mine, which she tells as follows:

In a gulch in the Superstition Mountains, the location of which is described by certain landmarks, there is a two room house in the mouth of a cave, on the wide of the slope near the gulch. Just across the gulch, about 20o yards, opposite this house in the cave, is a tunnel, well covered up and concealed n the bushes. Here is the mine, the richest in the world, according to Dutch Jacob. Some distance above the tunnel on the a shaft of incline that is not so steep but one can climb down. This too, Is covered carefully, The shaft goes right down in the midst of the rich gold ledge, where it can be picked off in big flakes of almost pure gold.

After Dutch Jacob had been buried the woman took a miner with her and spent an entire summer hunting for the mine, but she was unable to find even the ruins of the house. She tried again next year, but failed, owning perhaps to changes wrought by the heavy rains that annually fall in that section.

Many had hunted for the mine even twenty years ago, and since the death of Dutch Jacob, J. E. Bark, P. C. Bicknell the journalistic prospector, and many others have made frequent trips in that locality.

A few weeks ago Mr. Bicknell accidentally stumbled onto the stone house with two rooms in the mouth of a cave. He felt as though he now had the secret but the grubstake was about played out and he returned to Phoenix. As an evidence he brought a hand-made shovel pounded out of an iron rod. This crude implement looked as though it had been used in the work of reducing ore, as it is yet covered with slag and some signs of silver. An old drill rag was also picked up in the cabin.

Bicknell has again gone, and the last week Frank Luke and Frank Kirkland armed with the full story of the mythical mine started for the Superstitions. They reached Goldfield, which is some eighteen miles from the spot, but the rough country makes the distance twenty-six miles. Here they chartered a horse and a mule and started out in search of the bidden fortune. The day was hot and the in mule lazy, so that after going thirteen miles, or half way, Kirkland weakened. His legs grew tired kicking the mule, and they feared as he grew slower they would not be able to return. Frank would not chance walking, so a council was held and they returned to Goldfield, and next day returned to Phoenix, having gone to within thirteen miles of the place and been absent four days.

The secret of the mice is still unsolved and it may remain so for years, or even forever, but one thing is certain, of all the bidden mines of Arizona there is a present the best evidence that the one operated by Dutch Jacob did exist and that it is an unusually rich claim. The old man in his dying hour made the location so plain to the woman that she never doubted him. If Bicknell does not now solve the problem the precaution taken by Dutch Jacob will ba the only reason.

References