Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-12-12
MR.. PR0BERT'S VINDICATION.
WHAT Ne HAS DONE FOR the RICHMOND
n COMPANY.
Comments Of the world" ON His
Late Reply 70 the Committee
Of Investigation.

The London Mining World Of November
23d is at hand, containing q lengthy re-
view Of Mr.. Proberts reply to the Com
mittee Of Investigation. We extract the
following paragraphs, our space only war
ranting the reproduction Of the article in
part:
Mr.. Probert, tho Managing Director of
the Richmond Company's mine in Eureka,
appeared last week at the City Terminus
Hotel, and, to the satisfaction Of o crowded
meeting OF the shareholders, as evidenced
by their unanimous vote, refuted COM
pletely the voluminous charges which had
been made against him in the report Of the
late Committee Of Investigation. We say
unanimous vote" even though three
hands were raised the other way, for IL Mr..
Probert carried with him the entire meet
ing, save the three individuals who had
ievelled the charges against him, the adj
verse votes are unworthy Of notice, and
need not in any way be taken into the
account. For more than five months a
series OF accusations have been resting
upon Mr.. Proberts shoulders. which, il
but the onc-half Of them had been true,
would have been sufficient TO have caused
that gentleman never to set foot upon his
native shores again. He has. however,
returned to meet his accusers face to face,
perhaps" as he modestly suggested, ito
their confusion" These charges we're, in
deed. enough to make him ask himself
whether any Of his friends recognized in
him the original Of the character portrayed
in the Committees report, and whether
they could believe him to be guilty OF the
acts Of omission and commission which
were charged against him by those whose
recklessness in making accusations was
only equalled by their want Of ability
TO sustain them. But whilst he has
been ready to meet his accusers
those accusers have not, themselves,
shown an equal stomach for the fight"
Several persons, who were most vehement
in their attacks upon him, and who we're
eager to deny him the right accorded to
even the vcriest c~riminal-the right Of re-
piy-were conspicuous by their absence,
1t last weeks meeting, m preferred to
exercise that discretion which. possibly,
they may have thought, in their case, the
better part Of valor. To attack an absent
a and then to avoid meeting him face
10 face. when he makes his defense, is con-
duct IS regards which we have . stronger
opinion than we care to express.
out ~ II DtbSStOic tilat BoInt Vi our Ie1u-
ers may be asking. who is Mr.. Probcrt?
OF old. we are told that "there arose q
king that knew not Joseph" aud there has
arisen q body of Richmond shareholders,
who may be in equal ignorance as to Mr..
Probert's past history, at least. Well. Mr..
Probert is a gentleman TO whom the Rich
non Company may almost be said TO owe
it's pr eseut existence. When matters had
approached a very awkward crisis !; When
the winding-up court appeared not far of,
and when the official liquidator was on the
track. Mr.. Probert, by an exercise OF self
denial. only excelled by his business tact,
stepped in between the Company and i'm
pending ruin. and literally saved it from
premature death. Appearing at the Lon
don Office originally In the role Of q dissat-
isied shareholder, Mr.. Elliot the then
Chairman, suggested that Mr.. Probert
should go to Eureka and see matters for
himself. He could hardly have expected
that his suggestion would have been adopt
ed. but yes Mr.. Probert was ready
to go, and he did. Undergoing a sort OF
repatriation from civilized society. he re-
manned on the spot, reformed administra-
tive abuses, improved the machinery,
introduced . miner-like system VI under-
ground exploration. supsrintcnded the
erection OF better furnaces than had hish-
erto been employed. and in a variety Of
other ways. too numerous even to mention,
made the Richmond Mining Company what
II IL ~to-day--the most successful American
speculation that has been placed upon the
English Stock Markets. This was not
done, Of course, without the steady sup
port and cooperation Of the board in Lon
don, Mr.. Elliot especially being always
foremost In advising the adoption Of Mr..
~.i~-kf sxxaa~. Ufl... 49, D..l
mond Company would have been t -day
but for Mr.. Probcrt's ~exertions-and not
once but twice has he saved the property
from ruin caused by bad management we
have q shrcwd suspicion its actual posi-
ton Is best known to those who hold it's
shares, and who, upon the nominal capital
Of o., have received. even within the last
three or four months, the princely dividend
Of ~. q share. These profits have been
made by Mr.. Probcrt. be IL remarked, at a
time when everybody else Is thinking only
Of winding up. And when we have said
all this We have but family sketched the
obligations under which this company is
TO this gentleman, who nevertheless found.
himself at the Cannon Street Hotel last
week, answering charges which one would
think could only have been preferred
against . man utterly unfaitLful to his
trust and intent rather upon his own az
grandisement than the discharge Of his duty
TO . confiding constituency.
Now II is dividends that Mr.. Probert has
been giving them. He Is willing to be
judged by the standard Of results, aud OF
those results he may we'll be proud. OF
course the mine is a good mine, or the re-
suits would not have been possible; still,
even good mines require good handling to
insure dividends. A fortnight ago we haz-
arded the opinion that Mr.. Probert would
be fully reins.ated in the good opinions OF
the shareholders-from which, indeed he
has never been divorced-and that result
haa been brought about. Stir. in the face
Of q report such as the late committee is
sued. apparently so voluminous in detail.
and so correct AS to fact, many minds we're
staggered. but the completeness Of the
reply, both verbally and in writing. has,
we do not hesitate to say, placed Mr.. Pro-
bert higher in the confidence OF the share
holders than ever he stood before. The
vote OF the shareholders last week will be .
significant warning to captousi critics at
home, as we'll a. to INSCRIPTIONS foes
abroad. that damage ~ the company must
be doue in some other way than through
Mr.. Probert. who henceferth will be left at
liberty to prosecute those works Of devel-
opment and improvement which We ven-
ture TO think will produce results equally
as satisfactory as those which have been
already achieved.