Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-12-05
BITTEN BIsMARCKERs.
They Strike New Eldorado--visions of
Wealth Mountain High--It Only Costs
Them $500 to Find Out That They Were
Duped by Close Genius.

Duped by Close Genius.
To the Editor of the Globe.
BISMARCK, d. T., Dec. g. l87S.-Bismarckers
are just recovering from fearful disappoint-
ment. Last Thursday afternoon one Of the
men employed by Dorsey & Co., mail contract
ors and proprietors of the stage line from this
city to Fort Keogh, on the Yellowstone river,
arrived in town and exhibited, at the store of
]. W. Watson & Brother, several large and
extremely rich specimens of silver ore.
MI. Watson, being familiar with ores, from a
long residence in California and Nevada, i'm
mediately saW that they were very rich silver
specimens, and, upon asking where he found
them. said, five days ride west of Bismarck.
Mr. Watson and Mr.. Seims, of the Northwestern
Stage and Transportation company, corralled
the possessor of the ores, and entered into a
contract with him to go to the locality, and if
here was mine there, to pay him large
amount of money and put up forty stamp mill,
and give him one third interest. So convinced
was Mr.. Seims of the truth IF the statements of
this party in regard to his having found the
ore, that he wrote to 81. G. Wait, of st. Cloud
Minnesota, partner of his in other invest
ments in the Black Hills and requested him to
come on. One other fact that led Mr.. Seims to
place implicit credence in this party's state
ments. was that he hea worked for Mr.. Seims,
nesota.
There was no question in regard to the rich
ness OF the silver ore, and Mr.. SEEMS, careful
man that he is, was convinced that he had a
bigger thing than he had when he was mail
contractor between Bismarck and Fargo, and
cleared $50 per day for three successive winters
carrying the mail.
The matter got out somewhat on Friday. and
our sheriff, Alex. Mckenzie, ex-Mayor Mclean,
Councilman elect Robert Macnider of the
territorial legislature, and some two three
others thought there was something mysterious
gong on in the eastern part of the town, and a
sklrmlsher was detailed to go out and reportwhat
ne could lind out. He soon returned and stated
that watson and Selmes hao corralled man
who had discovered a valuable silver mine
some fifty miles west of Bismarck. They We're
convinced, and the skirmisher was again de-
tailed to go out and get the party who had
discovered the mine. He was fortunate and
soon returned with Che individual who ex-
hlblted the ore, and stated that where he got
them there was enough in sight for an en-
peror's ransom. They were convinced and ne
go'lat1"ns were at once entered into with him,
ana tor valuable onsideration-SS 00-he
agreed to start Saturday night with them and
show them the mine. TIE Blue Nose Mining
company was Immediately organized and his
honor, the ex-mayor, was made president. He
stated on taking the chair that it must be a
close corporations; that it was a big thing; that
old trappers and traders had seen rich silver
ores IN the possession of the Indians for years;
that the Indians claimed they found it west Of
the missouri river. 1t also confirmed Father
DE Smet's statements, that they must go right
out, secure all the claims they could, lay out
city, etc.
MIR. Bally, of OWyee, Idaho, stated that he
had seen ores from the Allison Rancho mine and
Mariposa mines in California, and from the
C =. odes at Virginia City and White
Pine, Nevada, and that he had nsver seen anv
ores to equal these in richness It was deter
mined to raise the amount the mine discov-
erer demanded forthwith and purchase sup
plies and start the next night quietly from the
city for the new colorado.
The meeting ad journed, the hour being late,
each feeling the exhileration natural to persons
In ordinary circumstances upon suddenly be-
coming millionaires, and wendell their wav
homewards, but cot to sleep, OH no! They
We're possessed of a mighty secret; they were
rich. Yes, richer than the Count of Monte
Christie when he become possessed of the
wealth described to him by his fellow prisoner,
the Able faria, and they dared not tell their
sleeping calmly by their sides. The ex-mayor
thought how they would start bank
i!ke the Nevada bonanza kings. Raymond's
little bank would be nowhere They would
have silver enough to enable Sherman to re-
sumo, even if the New York bankers did 90
oacK on MIN. de would be mayor of the
town, and would town-site it as successfully as
he had town-sited Bismarck. That silver had
made Jones and Sharon of Nevada United
States Senator's that Dakota would soon be adj
mitted a State, and he would go to tho Senate
and give full scope to his oratorical powers, for
he was natural orator, Pat Kelly told him So
after he made his speech before the st. Paul
chamber of commerce on the Black Hills The
next day, six months provisions, tents, rifles
reyolvers, ETC.. were procured, and at 10 o'clock
Saturday night, the party loaded their supplies
into two wagons, and sc cretly left town. Arriv-
ing at the point opposite Fort Lincoln, while
waiting for the ferryboat, the mine-discoverer
IN the darkness, quietly slipped away. The party
anxlously waited three hours for him to reap
pear, and then the truth dawned on them that
they had been sold $500 worth clean cash; and
gone was all their bright anticipations; their
hopes Of being Bonanza kings vanished like
Pygmallon's statue into thin air.
The feelings of the party can be imagined as
they returned to Bismarck, and the next day
(Sunday) none Of them could be seen. The
shrewd operator " ho SO neatly made the most
prominent business of the city his dupes
mas not been seen since he gave them the slip
His name is said to be Close, and true to his
name, he now keeps close, and avoids Bismarck
VERITAs.