Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-06-04

| had my city clothes on and l was shaved
clean. They had square shaft 81 feel
deep. We went down it. From the top
down to where they struck the ledge, there
were little stringers of ore. AT 80 feet
down a wedge-shaped vein came in. Where
they first struck it, it was about six inches
wide, but it widened out as they went
down, and where it crossed the bottom of
the shaft. il was three and half feet wide.
1t was true fissure vein. The walls were
smooth and hard country rock. 1t assayed
from SO to $50 ton. On the Whole it
had the appearance of a first-rate ledge.
''Well, what do you think Of iti' said
the old gentleman. ''Do you think this is
the same ore as those specimens | showed
youl I've had an expert here before and
he SAYS it is, and thinks the mine is d big
thing"
''Well," said 1--WE were off to one side
when we had this talk, ''you've given
them 81, 900 since we've been here. That
makes $4,000. Before you give them any
more just get permit for me to put few
shots into the vein."
He asked the men, and they were glad to
do anything to prove the richness of their
clam. So went to work in the bottom.
The men wouldn't help me. The old gem
tleman was too nice and weak; so | had to
work with a single hand-drill. L blew out
some of the side of the vein and some of
the bottom. | found nothing but vein mat
ter The men were mighty happy, and
wanted to know if we were not satisfied.
''Wait till | put in few more shots, said
l. ''Do you want to spoil the mine, said
they "Spoil the mine" said /; ''you
have never seen better work than that. |
guess l know something about mining
So blew out little more of the side and
bottom.
When was ready called the old man
and We consulted" 'Let US get away
from this country, - | said to him. '.DOn't
you pay a cent for the mine; it's salted."
"LoOk here" said he, you're playing
me; you want to get some of your friends
to buy it..
Come down with me-" l said We
went down together. pulled out the loose
ore from the side and bottom, and showed
him the country rock where the vein ought
to be i had struck it about four feet below
the bottom Of the shaft. He thought we
had better leave, too. But | told him to
be careful, and not to let them know what
we had found out ''They are regular
mountain cut-throats. There's another of
them that you haven't seen; he's shut up in
that shed. He's the artist Of the party; he
made the mixture for the vein.
So we pitched the broken ore back into
the holes, hitched up our animals, told the
men to come into Salt Lake for their mon
ey, and started for town. The old gentle
man did not pay $3.50, 600 for that mine.
Well, few days after they came to town
for their pay .'Did you have the ore as
sayedl" they asked me. ''NO," said /;
''but he did, .'HOw did it gol' ''Oh,
it went Just what you told him it would j"
'.We're glad of that" '.LoOk here" |
slid to them, confidentially, IF your game
had succeeded yOumight have been lynched,
'sWhat do YOU mean :" they said. ''What
became of those cement barrels:' asked.
.'Why didn't you pack that cement in
sacksi" ''Some people know good deal,
don't theyl" said they. ''Some people do, y
said |. ''Some DON'T
Shortly afterwards those men disappeared
from Salt Lake.
The old gentleman gave me $4,000, and
begged me never to tell anybody. Some
twelve months after, when | passed the
shaft, found that all the pay ore had been
cleaned out and carried away to some other
unknown locality.