Silver City Enterprise — 1888-1890 (full OCR, Internet Archive) — 1888-04-13
source date: 1888
availability: public-domain

A Hit For Hogan John Hogan, a Cooney Prospector, left here a few days ago for Riverside, California. A paper comes to hand from that city describ- ing the miner and stating that he is the owner of a $20,000 block there which he purchased for $300 in 1876 when working on a ditch there. He has paid taxes and allowed the property to increase in value. In an interview with the lucky investor the following is reported. “I have just returned from the Mogollon mountains in New Mexico. I have been prospect- ing there for quartz mines for some time. I found several mines varying in richness, and made several small sales, but the Indians were bad, Geronimo being very troublesome two years ago. Since leaving Riverside in ’78, I have thoroughly propected through Arizona and New Mexico.” “You speak about Geronimo, was he bad.” “Well, he was never a very good Indian. We had him killed several times out in the territories, but he always managed to turn up at unexpected times and in unexpected places. Once he and fifty of his tribe called on me just at my dinner hour. He came very near taking me — three bullets passed through my clothes. For a few moments I wished I was in Riverside. Geronimo pursued a campaign pe- culiarly his own. If his surprise was intercepted, he never stopped to make a fight, very seldom.

n me just at my dinner hour. He came very near taking me — three bullets passed through my clothes. For a few moments I wished I was in Riverside. Geronimo pursued a campaign pe- culiarly his own. If his surprise was intercepted, he never stopped to make a fight, very seldom. “On the day when I was surprised I was cooking dinner in a rough cabin. It was in the winter season. The door of the cabin stood partially ajar, and I was cooking a piece of bacon and boiling some beans. I heard a shot — the whiz of a bullet. This was followed rapidly by other shots. Geronimo and his people rode past the door and fired as they went. I jumped to the door and hastily closed it. Seiz- ing my rifle I stood the gallant Geronimo off single handed. My partner at the time was killed and his body horribly mutilated within 100 yards of the cabin. I return to Riverside today after an absence of ten years, and find my property which I gave $300 for, now worth $20,000.