Hi there buckaroos, this is Ken Minnards of the Diamond Cave.
Hey Tarzan, come on over here and say hello to the folks.
Ha ha ha, is that a boy? Well folks, I've got a story for you about hidden gold.
You know, nature sometimes leaves horses out in the open, and even then we stumble over them
without ever seeing anything. Other times she hides them pretty well. Seems like the hidden ones are
those we care the most to go after. Guess it's just human nature. Anyway, I'll have more to tell
you about it after Buck here tells you a word or two about the personal records of mine,
and my swell Diamond Cave shirts, or cave shirts for short. Be back with you in a moment or two.
Just want to get the facts straight. Thank you Ken. From the tack room of Ken Minnards Diamond Cave
Ranch, we're bringing you stories of adventures, stories of circus life, fascinating transcribed
tales of the old west where cowboys still follow the cattle trails, stories of rodeos and parades,
colorful legends of the red man, hidden gold, and buried treasure. The exciting tales from the
Diamond Cave are told by Hollywood's champion of western stars, internationally famous Ken Minnards.
Now when you meet a champion like Ken, you just know he's full of adventure stories, real life
stories too. For did you know that Ken Minnards holds the world's championship for trick riding,
and Ken's hunted for gold himself, stunt ridden in the circus, made scores of movies in Hollywood,
and he rides ropes and shoots in many rodeos every year. So naturally his stories are just
loaded with thrills. And kids, you can have two of these stories for your very own to hear any
time you want. I'm talking about Ken's exciting Diamond Cave album of phonograph records, and
listen, these stories are made especially for you. Ken begins the stories with a personal message for
you, and he'll call you by name like, hello Mike, hello Pat, or whatever your name is. Ken will speak
to you alone on your set of Ken Minnard records. Now can you tie that partner? No siree, and you
can't beat the value either. Listen to this, you'll get a beautiful full color record album with a
thrilling picture of Ken and Tarzan right on the front, and inside are two complete wild west
stories that start out with Ken talking personally to you. The two big eight inch unbreakable pure
vinylite records are standard 78 rpm speed for the regular familiar kind of phonograph or record
player, and they have pictures of Ken and Tarzan right on them too. Remember these records are made
of pure vinylite, the finest most expensive material that money can buy, and this album is so
easy to get. All you do is send your name and address to records in care of this station,
and enclose a dollar bill. Just one, that's all. Just one dollar bill for ages of fun and enjoyment.
Now don't forget you can't buy these records in any store because Ken makes them just for you.
Remember Ken calls you by name right on the record. Now don't wait to get your personalized record
album, so right now, or have your mom or dad write for you. Two records in care of this station.
Enclose a dollar bill and your name and address, and be sure your name is included so Ken will
have your name right on the record. Send it to records in care of this station. Now let's listen
to the exciting story Ken has for us today. Old Oranimo, that hard-fighting chief of the
Apaches, always used to say that the richest gold mines in the western world were in the
Guadalupe. These mountains strangle on between New Mexico and Texas for about 200 miles.
Old Guadalupe Peak, some 9,500 feet more or less, is the highest point in Texas, just below the New
Mexico line. Now Texas is my home state. I was born down there in Mission, so I'm powerfully
interested in anything connected with it. Now Torres and I have spent a lot of time fooling around
the Guadalupe. I've always been mighty interested in that area because of one Ben Sablatt. Now Ben
Sablatt, old Ben they used to call him because he's famous in them parts, and rightly so, Ben came from
Missouri and started prospecting. But if any gold was found, it wasn't by old Ben. Folks warned him
about prospecting in the Guadalupe and told him he couldn't stand much of a chance for the Apaches,
especially these old timers that are still carrying lead and air, scars in their carcasses.
Well one day old Ben made a strike and came into the Odessa with a load of gold nuggets so pure a
jeweler could have hammered them out, just the way they were. Old Ben boasted he'd found the
richest mine in the world and was going to buy the whole state of California with the state of Texas
thrown in for a backyard. Of course you can't blame a man for boasting a little under the circumstances,
but making a backyard out of Texas was going a bit too far. Of course everybody was after Ben to tell
him where he'd made the strike that would make him right angry. He'd start cussing and spitting and
shouting. People hereabouts always thought I was kind of local-like, he'd say. My only real friends
have been the plains of the Pecos, the peaks of the Guadalupe. If you want gold, go out and find it
yourself like I did. Then he'd spit again for punctuation. He banked a lot of hard money at
Midland and when that was gone he'd just go off to get some more. Oh this was just a little bit too
tempting for the bankers and after a while they tried to buy in on a deal without success. They
decided to put someone on old Ben's trail. Jim Finnington was the one they picked and when old
Ben pulled out of town in a hack hauled by a couple of old honoree burrows, Jim was hot on his trail
following his tracks to the Pecos and then up the river for about 30 or 40 miles. There the trail
just petered out which was kind of strange for a hack and a couple of burrows generally leave a
trail even a dude could follow. Well the answer was that foxy old Ben had backtracked to the
Pecos and had been gone for four days before Jim ever caught up with him. Ben hadn't had time even
to get into the foothills of the Guadalupe. Still he came back with his usual supply of gold. Now
buckaroos you remember I said old Ben was pretty well set about keeping things himself but he
began to mellow might in his old age to the extent of telling Mike Wilson, an old crony of his, where
the mine was. Mike hightailed it there with a big sack and came back with so much gold that he went
on a spree that lasted six weeks. I want you to listen to this and then I'll tell you the tough
predicament old Mike Wilson found himself in. Say kids you enjoying my story? Let me just wove for
a minute here and catch my thoughts while I tell you about this little old k-shirt of mine that I
wear every day. Have you heard about my k-shirts? Well in case you haven't it's kind of like a t-shirt
but made especially for me in cotton about the color of desert sand and right smack in front is
a big diamond k-branch from my ranch in flaming red. Tarzan and I are on the k-shirts too saying
howdy. Well I kind of like the colors and the way it fits and everything and I thought you might like
one too. Kids I know asked me to get them something like it and so I did. They're made buckaroo sizes
of course and sizes two, four, six, eight, ten, and twelve. If you figure you'd like to have a k-shirt
for yourself like I wear when I'm practicing stunt riding and tricks around the ranch, well you can
have one. Let me know your name and address and size and on account of the foal that makes it ain't
a millionaire, he said would you slip in one dollar bill and he'll make the shirt special for you.
Sounds kind of simple like so if you want a real western k-shirt like mine send your name, address,
size, and a one dollar bill to k-shirt and care of this station. Well it made me pay a lot more than
that for the ones I wear so it sounds like a mighty big value to me. So if I were you I'd stand right
away but now I'm quick Gavin and get on with the story. Well buckaroos you remember I was telling
you about Mike Wilson finding the mine and going on a spree. Well then the money was gone and Mike
started back to the mine. He'd forgotten where it was. He looked everywhere and he couldn't find it
at all. And old Ben was himself again and wouldn't tell him the second time. Mike Wilson kept looking
and remembering all the fun he'd had on that spree and itching for another one. Years later they found
old Mike Wilson dead within sight of the Wadalupies still trying to find that treasure. The next
fellow to get a lead on the location of the mine was a fellow named Frenchy. Seems he'd trailed a
couple of Mexicans he'd had a hunch about and followed them to a chasm. While he watched being
careful to keep out of sight he saw them drop a ladder down and begin packing out loads of
something or other. When they'd gone Frenchy went over in the chasm and sure enough down on the side
about 50 or 60 feet was a cave. He could still see some of the ore around his mouth. Frenchy had the
tough luck not to have a rope long enough to get down there but he did pick up some of the ore the
Mexicans had dropped and high-tailed it back into town for a grub stake. This time he got enough rope
to hog-tie all the steers in the state of Texas. Well most of them anyhow and he started out for
the mine but he was never seen or heard from again. I suppose the seeker of the mine might have died
with old Ben if he hadn't mellowed again. You know old age sort of knocks off the hardness so one time
a bunch of hunters was camping out far from the water loopies when old Ben broke in on the group.
The guy the fellow the name of Stuart, Stu they called him, was an old crony of Ben's. Ben told
him he was getting on. This was his last trip to the mine. He said Stu could come along with him if
he wanted to. Well this sort of puts Stu in a in a Stu. There were Indians all around he didn't feel
he could leave his party especially because his young son had come along. Anyway Stu followed him
as far as he could and then kept his spyglass on old Ben until he lost him. A couple of days later
old Ben was back with another load of gold nuggets all big ones. Why bother with the small ones he
said. Next Stuart heard of him he was dead but just before he died Ross, old Ben's son, tried to get
his father to tell him where the mine was but old Ben shook his head and guessed it's too late
and he was gone. Now you might think the story ended here but it seems Ross remembered his daddy
taking him to the mine when Ross was just a young poke about nine or so. He remembered his father
taking him to the start of Chasm. The mine was down in a crevice reached only by rope ladder that old
Ben pulled up after him after getting the gold. Ross remembered playing around the top while his
father was working down below. If Ross's description of how to get to the place is worth anything to
you buckaroos of course you have to remember even Ross hasn't found it himself. Here it is.
We went west in the Pecos to the Rustler Hill Springs. The mine must be within six miles of the
spring. Well that's my story so it does seem mighty funny that old Ben never broke down and told his
folks where the mine was. Maybe that's why they buried him where they did and not inside of the
water loop is where he always wanted to be. Ken that was really a very interesting story and I
could listen to that one again and again. And speaking of stories kids wouldn't you like to
be able to hear some of Ken's favorite stories whenever you wanted? Well you can with Ken Maynard's
exciting Diamond K album of Wild West Records. Why you can play them again and again for yourself
and for your friends. They make wonderful presents if you want to get one for somebody else just
send the name of that person to Ken in care of records in care of this station and you'll get
the records for the friend too. Now these are terrific stories about Ken and Tarzan and the
exciting west. Stories really packed full of excitement and best of all these Ken Maynard
records are personalized made just for you and you alone with a message from Ken. Why when you
put the needle down on the first record the very first thing you'll hear is hello Andy this is Ken
Maynard with a story just for you. Why Ken will say hello to you and call you by name no matter
what your name is and he'll tell you two of his favorite stories. Stories you've never heard before
you'll get two records in the album two complete stories. Now the records are made of the finest
and most expensive material that money can buy they're unbreakable and you can play them over
and over again as often as you want. Their regular 78 rpm speed just like those used on record players
for years. All you do to get your album with the two big eight inch records and your personalized
message is to send your name and address and a dollar bill to records in care of this radio
station. Say do it now Buccarooze the sooner you write the sooner you'll get your album.
Now here's Ken to tell you about his next story. I hope you like that story about old Ben. He
always wanted to be buried with inside of the Whatalupi and no wonder but he didn't get his wish.
I guess these folks were kind of angry about his not telling them where the mine was. Well I guess
it's about time to be mowing along until next time we meet when I'll tell you the Coanga Pass story.
Got anything you want to add Tarzan? Well that goes for me too. So this is Ken Maynard and Tarzan
at the Diamond K Ranch saying so long. You've been listening to Tales from the Diamond K,
stories of adventure told by Ken Maynard, internationally famous cowboy, stunt writer
and Hollywood's champion of western stars. Tales from the Diamond K was produced and transcribed
in Hollywood.