Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-11-09
Specimen Thieves.

Most mining companies whose ledges
contain what is known rs "specimeI
ore" sustain heavy losses through the
tricks OF dishonest employees. Numer.
Gus cases are reported i'll Nevada, where
miners working for 50 day and sup
porting large families, have accumula,
ted wealth with such remarkable rapid.
t. that in very few years they have
been enabled to retire from the field of
active labor, and live on the fat of the
land, and this when it was positively
known that they had not been dealing
IN stocks. The tricks of the trade -
are numerous. and in view of recent
happenings it may not be amiss to de-
| scribe some that are connected with the
history of geld mining i'll that locality.
One trustea employe Of Il we'll known
company tia, frequently developed
pockets il Tie course OF lis operations
had practice OF lighting his tobacco
pipe every time he was coming of shift,
and enjoying smoke rs he rode Ia the
surface and walked hOmeward. The
pipe had bowl that held almost hand
full of tobacco, but despite this extrava-
gance the man, lii addition Ia having a
snug bank account, lived in good style,
dressed his family nicely and gave his
children quite an expensive education.
How he could do 50 much on % a day
was mystery for several years. Final
ly, one morning, a. he stepped into the
dry-room after ascending to the surface,
the bowl OF his pipe separated from the
stem and fell to the floor. The Super
intendent of the mine happened 80 lie
there, and it rolled To his feet. He
courteously stopped to recover it for the
owner As he did SO he observed that
it Was very heavy, and turned it over IN
his hand with curiosity The miner saw
the motion, and got nervous. The
Superintendent noticed the peculiar ac
ton OF the miner, and a nay OF suspicion
tllN llcl iAt
walkea out of the room with the pipe,
leaving the miner iii a greatly excited
condition. When he got to his office he
made an examination. In the bowl he
found rich specimen covered by thin
layer of tobacco. The smoker never
worked III that mine again.
\ miner, who had always enjoyed u
spotless reputation for being upright
and industrious, went tn Grass Valley
physician some wears ago to be treated
Tor what the patient claimed was ''blind
piles. An examination showed that the
patients only chance for recovery was
to submit to surgical operation.
The operation WAS performed and
ragged chunk of gold was found i'll the
anus The man died, thus paving the
penalty of his dishonesty.
Another instance was where a miner,
who was regarded rs eccentric because
hc let his hair grow nearly to his shoul
dcr~, used shoemaher'> WAX to fasten
specimens close TO the roots Of his hir-
suite covering, and he i supposed 10
h.,yc Carried on the rohberies for some
wears before being detected.
Another WAS the object of frequent
tests because OF the size of his nose in
the vicinity of its bridge. The nostrils
were contracted at ihe outlet. and Cx-
banded ~ they went upwards. 1t was
not until some one finally detected him
in smuggling nuggets out Of the mine
bv putting them i'll his nostrils that the
advantage of such nose Was fully ap-
preciate, 10y his fellow-workmen.
\ dentist i'll Nevada recently had a
call from miner who was Suffering with
the tOothache. While examining the
offending ivory, which WAS Il hollow one,
he pried out small piece of quartz,
heavily charged with gold. He accepted
it rs pay for his work and considered
himself well remuneratcd Ii is proba-
bly, unnecessary to add that the quartz
was not put there 10y dentist.
There are other lodges daily resorted
to by specimen thieves. The cases We
have referred to are those OF quartz
miners.