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Isebilvete.lea.
Since I came to New Maximo, einte3 r?Ar, Ago, Th've
storie5 of the welt n of the fenooe, 044, lost Adams Digging lanes
have hInrd at least a doziku diffevent stories sod each succeeding
'story made the nine richer bOth. ,se
intsre3te A$ is .eften 'toe vay rtt iost nit
dopends'on who4oe listen tos 4600er the 3114*
It always seemed strange to me:the% nee171
"wear that he knout more boiitt a labolehe1r
other ad' -PtreePeetato (4440reda.
vsaltie -tied r mantic
of this tr71, It ill
!et .4 ridher or not.
oldfttiner
lost nine thmn
r irospectors
who have searched for the nine end en offort to tell saxething
w4i3gsela aagit, its riches by manyfOld what others hive estimated
it at. In reality, none 4' them know or have the slightest idea as
to the value of the lbst nines boom* it hal never been founds
The corrent story and the 000 thit,seeme to be toe most v
oue t44 -,t r read in thtt PeiFelittreltra foo y,rs ago. It stated
that u bunch of memo
tha nine that:was latex
to California,
t4. a. -Et
liagdalems anti. o34 Vert
One of the aa natbsed, geld
asd Adansfs Oho pUrpoAedly fid
ed an expedition
was Vag4alena. They
somewhere betweeri
on a little stream.
stra ad 'excitedly revealed
disoov the restAciamoi—afto knew a little y..ore bout mining
thun his c1n;insionas docid0d'thbt the gal' vx shod thu btr,Fitaws
on A rich outcrop:4n( above the cAnp "faking his artners man
00 moo 40: Davidson with 14ta us ifft eamp and traveled dr the
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oanyou about a ila to try to discover the *mother lode".
A little while after they 1110 disaollaared around a bene in the
creek, the expedition su- attacked by ApAches, end es they oeuTht the
encvmpment totally unprepareM, the Tndints erbspered every mar in
camp.
Aeem z:Anki 771on hsr.ri the firing, mnd 54sneic; np, its Li.so,
took to the cover of the baehet* on the nerby hillside. After hiding
for several hours, the two man eahtiouely made their way over the hill
anti bLw tk t the Apache had tft, cure in the Wier that they had
killed alj the mon of tho a. edition, and 1), ell the ules and
horees with 1,hea.
Atter buryihe lila. the datid, Adams knd D4vidsou knooked a fe7:
pieties of gold.wboring ore off en outerooping of luarta that they
believed to be the Mmother .ode". They thea loArported made their way
to wort in Rsfael, Whe)N,
eeid they u.:41ii.! for 1:cck
dad rind the gold and were refused by the officer in charge.
They then made their way allot and After perilous hardships
and Kreat doal of uttering, came into the litio tsmn
in AiLit :'011 now
tagt 1h4wal
of the ore to several of the ntive, and then Ifter Wrrowin4 fome
m,;hey on the strength of th ricn43r; o: the ere, bought horee and
vent to PIMA, Arizona, tere :ids= ;led friaad2 Ihos he tho'4,:ht hi
enough el:eley p4r4 autilt an ex;editiOn tzl ratun -13,10
*here he 444 foun Vae gold.
The expedition was orginized„ sad traveled from Pina to Alm
and thenne to the immediate loe&lity where Adams vr,s suprossd •t' have
faunki the gold. Pat through some !I's:Fes of nature cr los7.
tien, they could net find the geld, cr ever. the Tlce ';-here the men
bad been massacred firrhaps it wcis because Adams an Davidson both
nOteriOUell poor in remembering directions. Many expedition4
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Ave been organizad Ance than, but to this day, the Adams ngs
rom,,imi 143 mush a 4yst..7;ry e.,.; then Adamr firut told of it.
Now I am otn, to tall a story that is almost eompletely at
variemce with the story printed by the 71 7aso Rerald• It in a first.
bana s'tory tram the 11 of Bo LOUia pioneer, cld—ttme :)rospactort
OaLOcy ati Tor the Lotter purt of hi:; v.antocd, rcntier pepce
offic u oirsGual friand (if Wvrrrd t6ms. Fob i u big nrn,
well L;vfef ix. foot and weighing in the vicinity of two.hundrod pounds.
Ea *4kys has t jcvL1 gracting ad tiznr.ero P414 tlu- the rAp ef Ireland
pri-oat d i1,14 Q1101 ii fac. nit, ril4Y. vr.0 bcr2, tat: llen the
es
noz.. s of roi.4'y :1%(*Ls, lsigtret, e, 411 (7!eorre, Ccurty. liv in
aagd4lones Rs has been over nearly o7cry section of the sauthvtern
oornar of *h Ftat of New Mexico, ,and knows itr, rugged tarrttn at
well vl bettwr tia.0 njother man. no rehncvatoC f77.-: his
pf foor ond truthfulra!i
7hLt is 4IT I bolieve n7:unt
of the 41,..As t r f ti otherf:. T h V. hi
fler tis story in iii orn “ortls:
uture I knvved old Idet. IwIrtil hit heron hP 5eft VagJalena,
iu Ift4r ho c“ae bucic. ro.-4vr
1,ggar old lipr. "qltLy hetd toll
a Ito vhful the truth fit bnt WA:; UAA tO 11tggin, and
3tt4iL1U1 t,L7i tri.ith. Ho j0.1 d1110.11/ Ilan too. I 1,.nowed him
to st4ly drunk six zonths clat of th y4i9 (sii,lbe this 1tsn ey:2g.
iter.,tiu14, but 4i7a; M y ti- thine
manj than gr) otA 3:o,e0) 41et throvl P. litg 144c ro-t of tho yw!_r.
It 4;43 in the 0130" J.t or tx1.71x.t, lan4 -11en :(1:-,ns and r,bont
**IN cothar vit.= ..:4.7;41.1.44ei, UN -.1414111
.tivn;-tita the
nOrthwtstOra pt of the Btlte to trap 11)1 *r. ""ho:r st-Irtad e-rly
and ihtandad to gat thair cu. act ur before cold Yeether came. They
Moped an a little stream not far from old Port San Parma, *doh is
Paso 4
mow Port Wingate and has boom moved a tow silos from this old sit. of
Pert aan Rafael.
Now dcatt knew this for oartain, bat t believe from avanta
shish mill tor to explain lateruthat just About dark, a earavan'
from California stopped and three *amp with Adams part,. Thisy had
stoppad at Tort Wingate two. days before and had told the ,:ommanding
officer that they were tranaporting betwasn sixty and eighty thousand
dollars in plaoar gold from California to a7ma hf the Ilastern states.
I know that they were mover soon after the tiles Adams party lets wiped
oat by the radians. so believe that they camped with Adams arty
and act tha.ame fats.
X know from Adams ,personal *harlots?, that he 'VAS not -:bove
ambushing „such a caravan* I did not know Davidson, but as ho wus
Adaas.sidakiek. I bairn he throved in yonk Adams and the two of
tem wad* .plams to hijack the California outfit and stall their gold.
In anatmpaant liks that, in those days, usually got 49 in hour
or two "safer* diqlighto in order to wska an any start. It is 5,11d
that AA!** and Davidson made an excuse to go and gathar some wood,
as 710od had boon scars* the evening bear* and they had not been Olio
to obtain suffialant Fupply. I believe that Adams and Davidson
absented themsalvas from oE,.mp, 30 they could g down eountry 4 tow
salsa 'wad fin4 4 suitable plaoa for waylaying the California outfit.
they wer* gone, and it must have bean just U3 100d daylight
can*, bessuae tht i3 the Ma= tiA3 linen Indian3 usually Ittick,
a 144 bunah of Apaehaa attacked the (map. !o coaleta must have bean
thereurprisa. that the *Mit* men equld not 117.-ve had a very gool chance
to brab their gum and defend theasalve‘. Evcry man in that clamp was
killed, scalped amd their bodies mutilated, and all their provisions,
horses and salsa stolen by the Apaehes.
Adams a nd DIMA111011-rftwood to osay, they swat have eons.
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gratulated themselves on the luck that bkd caused them to thsent
themselves from cam. RelginT arourk mons the 0%ms
must have found the gold the California outfit had been -arrying.
As proof of this, I later Sa4t handful of this gold. that Adams had
savo wham he buried the rest Irld it was a 4uality entirely foreign
to that part of New Mexico and identical with soma I had seen from
California Diggings. Ths vet:, about tha size of 9 piahiitd,
ui• to as big as a ;Into buang, tLni7.1I knew that noboiy aver fourl that
)rine. of gold in the parts of litra Mexico I have prospected over.
After buryiug the golc. in what they c(msidered a safe 1.Acal,
th(; t4o I4sde their w,,ey al(, t4) Fort an Rafar31, hors
thh4 t104- reported thi tf the ithoritisd in ,-..;harga
and petitioned aid from the clmmanding officer t: go ,,f“*. rime hal
them relocate a mine they had found axe to vie T4 the rerains of the
Inaan atta.Jck,
du not boltevethis.bt pz.rts tce.u.Ls any ys:-Ir;. lro I
halTerod to be in NL115 :1G:1;4trtaroh 189C, rhora Adama4 'Ihv had
been drinkixtg priltty htvy, re1tc. a story of hor he tr,cg, gme to
Pert 6an Rafael, (re certhin day (tc nlentimed the efset .citail which
can not ncw remember) in 1.1K7mt, 1.8e4, tbe andtng
Of f Joel for aid to return to giv' fl(cent butr to the ni:r.f.;!
party i cf:er n.lss zdsd rotection ;.t.:1.1e they tried to
relocate a rich gold olaim
i:-43 h‘ap.e.:11‘.:e. to rt4y cfficel in the rilocla
who had lteic:! intaat17 to .ctami; t,ory, This rim apt:An
Santorn, .,71.10 as cnoidorod c;,rir14:er. 1Waever, he e_if.3. not
al ei t(: be tiw.: this Articular t;';.s ane h9 7Anerd Ads:
t4Zir, vince the latter .i.:art of your apeech cniwerm r, t-nd it
4 at damaging to W.racter, I MDW take it upon myself to refute
your statements and sail you a oomtemptible, dammed liar,
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happened tabs sommanding officer of Tort San Rafael at the
time of shish yea are talmlngs t ronall the day of *blob you speak
very clearly and to ay knowledge you never set foot in thnt rert in
your life. It could never be said truthfully that Cap Sanborn ever
refused aid to ybody 'titan n weeks marigh of my post. Who needed it,"
Moots a damn liar's!' bellowed Adams. 'Yoh better fr,t than words
eai;is or no an you. are agoint to tangle right here ant now* Btgodi
I doalt like army officers any4ay, so I niglit it Jell wipe u tht
floor .with one of tom right now.* oaying whioh4 he stated.ffIr Sanborn.
Ca; Sanborn ran behind the lunoh counter and grabboe a big
butcher knife and juivo4 ovir tho counter. Xlar4s r7in out tha front
door and =born chased k4 m for a lowAs of blo6Xs Shquting 'tat
Adama was the dirtiest liar that ever lived. He ocould not witch
Adams, and returned to the saloon, Where ho again told evorybodr in
hearing distance that Adams had not ever bo4a to Port 3an
From tbor abcve ia,lident I ire/ the cJneusion that Adsml and
Davidson nayer -4ent ta Tort Rnfall at alls but pasaed insid-
erabls distance to the south in an effort to avoid it. They limped
into the little toms <41 Reserve, sore -footed anl holf-starved.
It vas in Reserve th,l,t Wwas $1Ted a oouple of nieces of ore
in quartz ftrm that 5LS exceedingly rich, and ptAtod thytt it WA3 from
tie nixie ha Ir.4 foand before the Imilans had maaeaered hi -part/.
Me made no mention of the California ex;editiosts
it ea.) the same ziaml: )3 Ad3ma hAl sh4-14n
reo3lled that Adams had A/lowed ma one of ths samkles 1Wore he left
Mhz al -tat in 1664. Re had tole. me then that he had given an indila
mow: 44:Laker for the $amploa And had prodnised htm more if ho vould
shod him Where he get the anTles. If Adams story he told in Reserve
about these samples had bean true, there would indeed have been a
edistaatial slain to hishstir foohd a visit sins. This is Where all
soft 'Mufti's sprsa fran aid these sseplos rose the Tidiest! have
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ever seam Saw life, and must have eone from one of the richest
nines cyst heard of* Hat to my knowledge, no ore of similar lunlitY
has ever beet folind and the Indian Who um's thl sawles to Adtts
must be long tine.. dead and the place he found the samples will
probehlx never be found.
Adams didn't dare show ,Joiy of the gold t thxt time ha had
stolen and burial. Therefore he and Davidson separated, Adams going
to Asa. Arizona to obtain money and sa-091143 from frienls to outfit
an expodition to later come back and salvage the gold. Davidson went
ea a swo.;oued visit to Am soma relatives in Louisiana,'
Adalas was sucov;ful in biz attemi.A to an expedition,
au; he sent tor Davidsouviva retarned. from Leuisiam tad thtJ ex],edi.
tio" at blit is Alma, a little town lust south of Reserve. They
could mat find any gold. and Adams later made several solitary trips
search of it, but never had any lucks
aever41 expeditions IltN4 teen organized and sent forth ti an
effort to finn the Ad.= Diggingc, but all hays !Let -with Welt,
It was in la8 that I decided to see if I couldn't find the
Wiwi' of the men who were massacred in Adsrs psrty" Adams had told
no that they had tamped about fifteen mile, north of three pel‹
that rQse up from the plain and were t donalAlorable MAO:Anae from any
other =lantana* I got to thinking md th4 only three peaks I knew
of between Gallu4; and Mugdalena„ were the Tres Montosas, whieh are
only abou,t fitten iiJw. .zie.:A of Yazdkaent. Figuring Obout flf"een
or twenty mill north n thereg I rent to rorth ruha. A fev mllee
north or Worth Lakes T found the boedae of fivo men, all bliri(?.! in
onti. Lole, I 0°41,1 find no cilw tc any gld from qnyttLing in th
vicinity, *0 I dams back to town and reported thc ftneing f the
bodies. /t ia my belief that the bodies found were the remains
of pariGet Adams expeditioasv bet of *ears. Ilman't prove this. nut
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there 1_ one thing I do know. Thst t that .21 old fellow know,
found lbout twenty ttou ru iAi uried ::'A)ut five faile north
of North lake, m-7: oily .ii few .111e5 fram the piio I discovered.
bediee6 This mama nz.me is Ilst Yaria JarmilIc, and this "that
he told ma. But when I eked him if the twenty thouivmd wss in gold
dust, he would not tell me,
hat's tiv, .7v7 a lot -If thas wrich-nizeTf 2torlaq
startadom iiid cld 7ob. *Ttv- thAt thi derinition of a
miner is a damn liar with hole in the ground. And a pro tar
it 9 daan liar withotzt anything but a dang good imagination, 'nu
er,11 t to most Ilm, r.nd d'Ar. near aver'ne am tQi1TAI
about scre ri:h pr rect they struck. ftt they're aicays b7oka and
beggin, a. grubstake If their mines wss. half 95 ridh as their
iinagiuttions, they could take n handpick, and K 3014 pan and m 1
more money in month thvn most br.n.k presidents could by lrerin, out
a 11,11f a dot un fountains penil. It's true that sometime roactor
do ez hit it rich, but, when he does, he generslly don't tslk and brag
on it, bnt gets busy rod fzets am» e!;.pital interestei cnd stlrts
workinl it. Tht's my story tht
4‘
_ITin5t. Tt 11 nf
the i'ichest mita.," in the 7,r,rld in the mln.:1 of cdr,ng d old lic,r like
irhoed Ed ildana to be, and in the wine bure2h cr old, Irsam-
ccazy prospectors who Ant got no more :,,,ense than to believe in it."