334 CALIFORNIA DESERT TRAILS 



capital city of the Territory. Some one has recently 

 written about these defunct mining towns, which he 

 calls the ghost cities of the West. La Paz is not even 

 a ghost, merely a legend. 



The top of the monument had been knocked off 

 and a hole broken in the side. I was told later that 

 it marked the grave of the wife of an Italian citizen, 

 saloon-keeper, merchant, and man of wealth of old 

 La Paz. He had lavished diamonds on his lady In 

 her lifetime, and rumor said that the jewels had 

 been burled with her. Some ghoul felt that he must 

 put that to the proof, and did so with crowbar or 

 dynamite. Whether they discovered diamonds, or 

 only proved that rumor had lied once more, I could 

 not learn. 



East of the town there is a spot once known as 

 Friar's or Fryer's Gulch, from which, It is said, mil- 

 lions were taken out. Fifteen feet square was allowed 

 to each man, and fights to the death no doubt took 

 place over these narrow boundaries. Ghosts there 

 well might be about the old cemetery of La Paz, if 

 ghosts could find it, which is more than I could 

 do. 



I climbed the bluff to see if from higher ground 

 any Indication of the former town could be traced. 

 The wider outlook did but emphasize the vacancy 

 and desolation, to which the ruined grave gave a 

 touch of the definitely uncanny. Opposite, across the 

 silent river, rose the brick-hued Maria Mountains, 

 with range behind range in paling distance beyond. 

 In all directions it was the same: everything spoke 

 of the dreary or savage, and over all was an eternal 



