Finding The Lost Dutchman's Gold E-Book

James Arnold

• Herausgeber: BooxAi
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

It was the 1860's before Jacob Waltz was ever known as the famous Dutchman of "Lost Dutchman's" fame. When the young prospector followed his golden Odyssey toward Arizona, he had no way of knowing that decision would lead to the discovery of more gold in the Superstition Mountains than any single lone miner ever found. Thugs, thieves and outlaws were a constant threat for him. They would follow him into the mountains attempting to locate his gold mine. Jacob would always out-fox them and was able to keep the exact location of the mine safe. On one occasion, two outlaws were successful in finding him on his way from the mine back to the city. They beat him almost to death and stole his gold and left him for dead. The next day the travels of an old west contemporary called "The Colonel" brought him into Jacob's path. The Colonel was able to feed and water Jacob and get him back to health. The two became best friends overnight.

Leseprobe

Tunnel of Gold

Finding The Lost Dutchman's gold

James B. Arnold

Contents

Prologue

1820 Arizona

North Carolina

1. September 1865

2. 1865

3. Petersburg, Virginia

4. Phoenix, Arizona

5. Gold Pains

6. The Library

7. Owen

8. 1891

9. Petersburg, Virginia

10. The Gold Mine Stories

11. Apache Junction Museum

12. Gold Town

13. Peraltas

14. The Protectors

15. Senator McCulloch

16. Weavers Needle

17. Leisurely Mountain Hike

18. Ben

19. Trouble Afoot

20. 1892 Phoenix

21. Old Prospector

22. Pritchard Brothers

23. End of a Mission

24. The Crack

Epilogue

The End

SAMPLE James B. Arnold's Next Book:

November 1511

About the Author

Copyright 2021 © James B. Arnold

All Rights Reserved

ISBN: 978-965-577-930-1

Published by: James B. Arnold

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission of the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered.

Readers of this book should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any information included herein without seeking appropriate legal or other relevant advice related to the particular facts and circumstances at issue from an attorney or other advisor duly and properly licensed in the recipient’s state of residence.

Dedication

This novel is dedicated to my loving wife who has endured many hardships in her few years but stayed by my side anyway.

All my love, Jim

Prologue

Cast of Characters Wildfire - the fastest golden Palomino in Arizona Chester Billings – Cowboy

Jacob Waltz – “Lost Dutchman”

John Hawkins – Entrepreneur - Bryant’s best friend

Joe Bryant – Entrepreneur – Hawkins best friend

“Colonel” Arthur B. DeKay – Joe’s Great-Great-Grandfather Owen – Head of Security and problem solver for Gold Corporation Charles and Edmund – Asst.to Owen

Larry Wilson – Spy for Owen

Dennis Jones – Spy for Owen

Ben Carver – Apache Junction Shop Owner/Guide

Buck Savage – Owns a goldmine map

Debra Sarvis – Librarian

Albert L. West “Al” - Prospector

“Colonel” DeKay – Leader of The Protectors

Parker Reynolds – Muscle/Sight

Axle Andrews – Running/Jumping

Tasha Evans – Seductress/Pressure Point Killer

BJWA “BJ” – Master Bow Hunter/Genius

Lindsey Berry - Kung Fu Master/Silent Killer Blake Smith – Professional Tracker/Fighter/Killer Thomas Cole – Hearing/Vision/Gadget Expert

William Armstrong – Acrobatics Expert/Knife Expert

1820 Arizona

Superstition Mountains

Wildfire was at a full gallop. His head was down almost level with his back and his neck muscles were bulging, looking like they were about to burst. His powerful legs were kicking up a huge cloud of dust that could be seen for miles, moving so fast they were almost invisible. The base of the mountain range was peppered with rocks and small thorny bushes. Mini ravines that had dried up long ago were scattered just far enough apart to cause constant stumbles. Wildfire? He didn’t even notice. He knew his owner wanted him to run, so run he did. It took every bit of strength Chester could muster just to hold on. He turned his head trying to see if they were outrunning their pursuers, but the Apaches were still way too close for comfort. Why were they chasing him so hard? Did they want what was in his saddle bags? He had never seen an Apache up close before, and now he wished he still hadn’t seen one up close. How could they live in these mountains that were practically barren? The mountain terrain was extremely rugged and uneven. There was very little greenery, the land was littered with scrub oak bushes, thorny bushes, rocks of all sizes and shapes. Worse, there were more kinds of varmints, many he could not even remember their names, ready to kill you. This land was not hospitable for normal living. Again, he wondered how the Apaches could survive here. Yet, against all odds they flourished.

CHESTER BILLINGS was a cowboy that wanted to be a prospector. He loved living off the land and roaming the range more than anything in the world.

OK, he loved it but not more than he loved money. Almost nightly, Chester dreamed of finding his gold and becoming a rich man.

The thought of being able to buy land, lots of it, and of building a big house and ranch, and filling it with horses, cows, and a beautiful wife.

At 26 years old, he stood 6 feet 3” tall, skinny by any standards, and wore a scraggly beard most of the time, not because he really liked it, but because he liked shaving less. He was a modest looking fellow. He wasn't handsome but he wasn't ugly either, someone might call him just plain to look at.

His horse was a beautiful golden Palomino that stood about 16 hands. He had only won playing poker once in his life, and he had won the horse. His name was Wildfire because he ran so fast, just like a desert wildfire, and could jump over almost anything.

Today, Chester and Wildfire crept along the side of a mountain finding some shade from a ledge when Chester saw something gleaming brightly right by his boot. He reached down and scraped the dirt from around it and popped it out of the desert soil.

"Holy smokes!" he exclaimed! "I believe we done found us some gold, Wildfire! He bit the nugget, it was soft and gave way to his tooth, just like gold. He pulled open his saddlebag and placed the nugget inside. Then, he began walking around, looking for more and soon found several more pieces laying in a circle, almost as if they had been placed there. Who would be crazy enough to leave gold lying about? As he looked around, he noticed there were more nuggets laying in shape patterns, some formed pictures of people, while others formed objects like the moon and sun.

"I'm in heaven!"

He could not believe his good fortune. With his saddle bags soon stuffed with nuggets, he couldn't fit another piece inside. He decided he'd had enough.

All of a sudden, an Indian’s whooping and hollering filled the air, Chester turned and saw them coming straight for him. He figured he only had about 100 yards before they would catch him. The only thing to do was to jump on Wildfire.

"Go, Wildfire!" he yelled. Chester tucked low and broke out the whip for the first time ever. This situation was going from bad to worse, and called for harsh measures. Wildfire was into a full gallop, running just as hard and fast as he could. The veins in his neck were thick and angry, and he was snorting powerfully. Chester's cowboy hat flew off as he whipped Wildfire twice gaining just a little more speed. Wildfire was in perfect harmony with the desert. He stretched his limbs out, reaching for the desert ground, and giving it everything he had. This horse could run! Just then, Chester felt a bee sting in his back and before he could look down to see what it was, he felt another one. He was riding Wildfire hard, gripping the reins with all his strength. He did not know how much longer Wildfire could continue this pace.

Chester started to feel lightheaded and strange. A gradual weakness began to creep through him. He looked down and was horrified to see two arrowheads sticking out of his chest and blood running down his stomach and pants, and onto the saddle. The blood was everywhere. His last thought was about all he was going to buy with his money. A floating sensation was next and it felt as though felt as though everything was moving was in slow motion. He levitated off Wildfire descending onto the dirt and dust. Lying still for a moment, he saw a bright light beckoning him to move toward it. He felt a great sense of warmth fill him, and begin to lift him into the air. As he looked down, he thought how odd it was to see his own body lying on the ground as Wildfire ran away. At that very moment, Chester realized he was dead.

Wildfire continued to run for about 200 more yards before slowing down, and then stopping. He snorted heavily, kicking the dirt with his front legs. The Apache’s galloped past Chester and caught up with Wildfire. One Apache named Eagle Feather grabbed the reins and pulled Wildfire close beside him. Wildfire walked calmly away with them as if they owned him. They led him past Chester sprawled out in the desert scrub and dirt, graveyard dead. Eagle Feather stopped at Chester’s hat, picked it up and placed it atop his own head. He yelled and hollered and the others quickly joined in. He had bagged two great souvenirs for their Chief! The Apache’s led Wildfire back toward their camp. What great gifts for their Chief! He would be proud to own such a fine horse and a cowboy's hat! No one steals their sacred rocks and lives, and gets away with it.

North Carolina

1799 A.D.

Gold was first discovered in the United States in North Carolina around 1799 according to the record books. A twelve-year-old boy was fishing in a creek on his father’s farm when he noticed something shiny under the water. The shiny object was, in fact, a large gold nugget. Likely the most interesting part of this other than their discovery was that neither the boy nor his father recognized the rock for what it was. They liked the look of the bulky rock and used it as a doorstop for more than two years before a friend recognized the rock as gold. The doorstop golden nugget weighed at seventeen pounds!

Imagine. It's the 1790s and you find a seventeen-pound, solid gold rock. At today’s prices, the chunky rock would be worth around

$500,000. Once their discovery became known, in the weeks to follow, more gold would be found along that same creek, both in the water and on the banks. GOLD had been discovered in America!

Chapter1

September 1865

The “Real Dutchman”

Fact: His name was Jacob Waltz. He was born in Germany about 1810 to a German miner father. Jacob learned his father's trade at a very early age, and soon became a prospector. Having heard many stories about vast deposits of gold in America, he knew he had to travel to America and search for his fortune. He immigrated to America and the first actual record of him being in the United States is an affidavit filed in 1848. Jacob Waltz declared himself to be 38 years old, stating he had been born in Wurttemberg, Germany. Those that knew him started referring to him as “The Dutchman”. This was not unusual as the nickname name for German immigrants was Dutchmen. Jacob had a very pleasing demeanor and personality, an overall likeable person. He made friends easily and was always true to his word.

Jacob told everyone he met he felt like he was going to find the “Mother Lode” soon. Naturally, all prospectors would say the same thing as they hunted for their golden treasure. Jacob traveled in search of gold and after hearing about a gold strike in North Carolina, he quickly made his way there.

Having arrived a little too late, the gold fields had pretty much played out or had no remaining claims. He traveled to Georgia next, where he heard gold also had been discovered. He found enough gold there to barely keep him eating, so he decided to travel out West where there were reports of gold. He left the East coast and traveled to California where he worked the streams alongside other prospectors for a while, becoming friends with several other men on the same search. This time, Jacob found just enough gold to keep him afloat, but he learned prospecting in the water was not for him. He was a mountain man! He packed up his horse and mule, and headed East toward Arizona. After a couple of weeks, the Superstition Mountains loomed in the distance. He had arrived in Arizona where others had found gold but were threatened by Indians who claimed the gold ore was sacred. They would kill anyone who took it.

Jacob cautiously started carrying varying amounts of gold ore to the assayer's office in Phoenix, AZ. Over time, he would bring some

$250,000 in gold ore to market. He did, in fact, find the gold he had been searching for, for so long. Many times, when he was leaving Phoenix headed back to his mine, bandits would follow him, thinking he would make easy pickings. He invariably planned for them, giving them the slip. They never found his mine. Although he did have a bad run-in with two outlaws on one occasion, and Colonel Arthur DeKay saved him.

When among his close friends, he'd tell them,“No miner or prospector would ever search for gold in the area where my mine is located”.

"In fact, I would never have found the gold had it not been for the Apache Indians!"

"I discovered it in a hidden spot, while escaping the Apaches while they were trying to kill me."

“Nobody would think a mine would be located where this one is.”

I was searching for the right type of rocks as I approached an

area covered with small trees, bushes, cactus, thorny vines, and shrubs of all types. The rugged desert floor was covered with only a rare flat and smooth spot, here and there to set your foot on.

Another threat to contend with was that one must look closely for rattlesnakes. They were everywhere!

"I bet I ate an entire rattlesnake population," he would laugh.

The rocky terrain was unbelievably unforgiving as I made my way along. Then, I heard a slight noise, and suddenly, I turned just in time to see eight Apaches, only 100 feet behind me. I let go of my mule (Hans) and dashed toward the rock face, running as fast as the treacherous terrain would allow me. I stumbled. I fell, several times, slicing my hands. My only good fortune was that the Apaches were no better at climbing the rocks than I was. Stumbling up the mountain, I came upon some very tall bushes. Thinking I might hide behind them until I could get my gun out and protect myself, I ducked inside. The Apaches stopped and shot a few arrows at me. Fortunately, they missed. They were yelling at me the entire time but since I don't speak Apache, and they didn't speak English or German, I had no idea what they were saying. Though one thing was clear, by the sound of their voices, I could tell those yells were not friendly. I noticed some other tall bushes near the top of the rocks, and decided I would make my stand there. I darted behind the bushes, and Wow! I nearly fell into a great big, deep and dark hole in the ground behind the bushes. I could not see into the depths very clearly but it appeared to be about 15 to 20 feet deep. The opening was plenty large enough for me to fit inside, but it was just too deep.

There was no way to climb in the hole without getting hurt. I still needed to escape, and fast. I scanned around for another place to disappear, and that's when I saw there was a crack or crevice in the rock behind me. It looked to be too small for me to fit inside, but I tried anyway. I crawled over to the crack and began trying to wedge myself into it. I exhaled letting out all my breath, and pushed. Eureka! I could squeeze into the crack, which just happened to open into the mountain itself!

The Apaches' arrows whizzed by, hitting all around me. There was nothing friendly about them, at all. The more I shoved, the more I kept getting stuck. I had to keep pushing my breath out, shrinking my body, until I was finally able to squeeze through. This part of the mountain was about 20 feet wide. I made it through just about the same time the Apaches arrived at the opening of that crack. Knowing I slipped inside, they also were trying to squeeze through. Only one of them was small enough to make any headway. Realizing he would be upon me, fairly quickly, I pulled out my machete and slapped it inside the crack, far enough, so that he could see it. It would hold him off, and he would back off, several times, but then he continued to come toward me. I continued slapping, the machete ringing against the walls, and then I started yelling at him. He tried to yell back at me but could not get enough breath. This went on for some time, perhaps two hours, before he gave up. I knew he would try again, later, when he thought I had left or had fallen asleep. And he did! Every five minutes, this went on until dark. I would yell and slap the walls with my machete, my eyes and mind, were very tired, but I was very frightened. I worried they would find another way to get to me. I had not even looked around to see where I was. Soon, I realized I was in a box canyon. The walls would echo loudly but the sound stayed close by. Since it was extremely dark, I would have to wait until daylight to explore. Throughout the darkness of night, there I sat slapping the walls and yelling.

Well, it worked. Come sunrise the Apaches were gone. At least, so I thought. Were they still out there? Maybe? But they weren’t making any noise. Had they been there, I could have heard them talking but instead, all was quiet. I had not even turned around to look at the canyon until now.

“Oh My GOD!" I could not believe what I was seeing.

The entire rock canyon walls were 30 feet high and formed a circle. The far wall had an outcropping hiding a large portion of the

canyon. Under the ledge, a small waterfall poured straight out of the rock. I was overcome with thirst and seeing the water, I blindly ran to the waterfall. I tasted the water, it was clear and tasted fine. I drank some of the crystal clear water. After getting my fill, I turned around, squinting to see. The walls were brilliant and shiny, I could not stare at them. I thought it must be some type of reflective rock, somewhat like a mirror. The walls were shining! I inched up to the closest wall, and scraped off some of the reflective material. Gold! By GOD, the entire canyon walls were streaked with gold. Real gold. I dug into the channel of gold with my machete, loosening up a gold rock that fell out. All I could think of was how rich I would be if I could only take this gold to town. I stood back, lost in a stare at the gold veins in the walls. There was more gold here than I ever thought I would see in my lifetime, hell, there was more gold here than everyone I know could see in a lifetime! As I continued to look around, I noticed there were nuggets of gold laying on the ground ranging in size from as tiny as a bug to as large as my hand. As I looked around, there was a small stream of water, running all the way from the waterfall, through the canyon and disappearing somewhere underground. I reached down and scooped up a handful. The water, still crystal clear and cool, had no smell to it at all. I took another sip and it tasted delicious so I filled up my only canteen. The water appeared to be about four feet deep in the center, so I took off all my clothes and waded out into the middle. It was the most refreshing water I had ever been in. As I soaked and looked around the canyon, I wondered if the Apaches were trying to keep me from finding the canyon or the hole next to the bushes. I searched for another way out but the walls were very steep. I spent the entire day walking around picking up nuggets and making piles beside the crack in the wall. I was so giddy I started throwing the nuggets at the crack from a distance like a boy throwing rocks across a pond. The feeling was incredibly overwhelming.

I kept thinking about all the things I would buy such as land, a house, lots of cattle and horses. I would hire men to work the land and have women to prepare food all day. I would dig the deepest well so I could have the best water around. I would build a school, church, and pay off the mortgage of every farmer and rancher. I could not stop dreaming about spending the money. In an instant I had transformed from broke to filthy rich. Finally, I shook it off and got back to reality. I then decided to try to carry out as many nuggets as I could and see if the Apaches were still waiting. It was real slow going back through the crevasse. I kept dropping nuggets so I could have more room to squeeze back through.

As I neared the end of the crack, I looked around carefully to see if the Apaches were hiding in the hole or close by. Seeing no one, I then exited the crack and walked out into the open to see if they had taken my donkey or maybe killed him. I did not see him anywhere around. I started making a pile with the nuggets by the crack. I eased back through the hole many times to bring out as many nuggets as I could carry. After about twenty trips through the crack I decided I had enough for now. I gathered up rocks and sand and covered most of the gold nuggets. I decided to start walking back to Phoenix with my pockets full of nuggets. I had walked about a mile when I heard a donkey Bray. I called out, “Hans! Lo and behold here comes my donkey running to see me. Hans has been with me for several years and I take good care of him. My horse had give out about a month back. I was so happy to see Hans was not hurt. I almost started crying. I gave him a big hug, then some water and fed him. I Said, “Hans where have you been”? I am sure glad you are ok. I really missed you old boy. I mounted Hans and we headed back to the crack in the wall. I wanted to bring a few more nuggets into town. All my equipment was still on Hans so I figured he must have run when they tried to steal him. When we rounded the bend on the way to where the crack was, I saw two Apaches approaching it. Just before they noticed me, I decided to turn around. I then headed back on the road back to Phoenix. When I arrived there the next day, I went straight to the Assay Office and showed him the gold. He was ecstatic.

"Where did you find that? the assayer asked. "Did you file your claim yet?

I answered that I hadn't yet filed it. The assayer cautioned that I needed to file the claim to protect my hidden mine.

"Don't you worry," I assured him, "I will be filing that claim, sir, right away.