Ophner, after many months of suffering,…
source date: 1891
availability: public-domain

tied onto the horse, and the animal led into camp. Other horses were then secured, and with fresh assistants, Kirker re- turned to the scene of the fight where the man- gled remains of the three brave boys killed early in the morning were secured and brought back to camp. Ophner, after many months of suffering, recovered, but wears a wooden leg in place of the one with which he started out to hunt Ge- ronimo. During the same year Gene Kirker and Chas. Reese were going from Tombstone to the mine in a wagon when they were attack- ed by Indians. Reese was shot through the head but did not die for several minutes. Like his brother. Gene Kirker stayed with his friend until he was dead, then cut a mule out of the team and mounted. While cutting out the mule he was shot twice through the right leg, which was afterwards amputated. Of the ten Americans who originally went into the camp, but two are now alive, the others having been killed by Indians. The mine is now shut down temporarily, but run steadily for over two years. The mill contains 20-stamps, and the ore averages about $40. The great draw-back to mining in that section is the expense of securing supplies, which are mostly packed in on mules. Wood is also quite expensive as it had to be packed in on burros or mules. ( 87 ) Alhambra Via Saddle Rock Canon