The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-10-16
Mining Sharpers.

Ing mining oHni pcIS df6 separated
into well-defned classes, much as conf
dence operators are in the East. Stand
ing at the head of the profession are
tall, slender, gray-haired men. They
are well dressed Their manners are
very agreeable. Their talk is exceed
ingly entertaining. The smiles they
wear when they see a well-dressed East
ern man-and the fact that one is from
the East can not be hidden from Rocky
Mountain mining shark, for his sharp
eyes pierce all disguises-are calculated
to inspire confidence in the breast of
stranger. They stalk their game stealth
lily. A brace of these old, wary mining
sharks having noticed that the stranger
takes an interest in the display of min
eral shown at the Exposition, mostly
carefully selected specimens-tons of ore
yielding pounds Of specimens-follow
him to his hotel and learn bis name,
where he is from and if he has money.
If they can not procure regular in
troduction-an easy matter in the West
they approach him when he is hang
ing lovingly over case of choice speci-
mems in the Exposition building. APP
parently unconscious of his nearness,
they talk of the 'clean up at the
Golden Fountain, or of the enormous
output of the Silver Moon. They draw
nearer to their victim, who has listened
attentively to their conversation as they
carelessly stroll from case to case. Sud
denly, with well -affected interest, one
of them taps a case containing pocket
specimens, selected from the choice ore
from all the mines of an entire district,
and says: "Ah! hero is ore from the
Extension of the Golden Fountain.
Bob's mine, you know. | saw the shaft
last week. A three-feet crevice; all pay
Then pretending to look attentively at
the ore displayed, and ore that would
yield thousands of dollars per ton, he
says, regretfully. pityingly: Poor Bob
he is too careless, too honest. He should
have sent selected ore, not sent the run
of the mine But he is too sick to take
much interest in anything. Pneumonia
followed by mountain fever, you know
The doctor says he must go East, as hi
lungs are too weak to stand the lighl
air of the mountains. He will have tC
sell the mine, and mines are dull al
present" Then follows an earn
est announcement of mining ex
perts and of the sharpers who have
brought the Rocky Mountain mine!
into disrepute in the East, These
two men walk slowly down the hall
They have played their part, anC
| played it well. The Eastern maj
imagines he has overheard a genuine
conversation between two miners
When the sharpers have disappeared
among the people who swarm the Elk
| position building, he eagerly examine.
the ore that is exhibited as from thu
Extension of the Golden Fountain
The ore is shot through and through
with nuggets" ''flakes,' ant
''colors," as a plum pudding will
raisins and currants, The brace o
mining sharks disappear, to be seen NJ
more by their victim. 1t is seldom on
of these expert swindlers accost ten
derfoot, They are careful not tt
brighten him, He is turned over t.
/ about the most agreeable man he ha
ever met. This third man is regularl,
introduced. He SHES Mt mines AM
mining as skittish colt does at up
turned stumps that lie by the roadside
He is stuffed full of tales OF financla
disaster that has overtaken men VIII,
have bought mines. These sad storie
are generally true. But he also has
stock of tales about the successful
miner, generally lies, and these ar
bright and joyial stories. He earnestl
advises the tenderfoot to leave mine
severely alone; but, then, if reall
good mine can be bought at low figure
it is a Legitimate business. The upsho
is that, if the Eastern man has an
leaning toward mining, he is soon tn
owner of the Extension of the Golde
Fountain. He has paid thousands G
dollars for worthless mine. 1t is al
most impossible for stranger unac
quainted with mining to protect himsel
if he buys a mine. There are few,
very few-really honest mining experts
The purchaser of the Golden Fountain
does not know these men. Even if h
did know them it must be remembere
that the opinions of mining experts a
to the value of an undeyeloped min
are worthless. No man can see into tn
ground. An honest expert woul
truthfully report to his employer wha
he saw. He would examine the min
. and estimate its value Any intelligen
] miner could do this as well as an eN
pert. The probabilities are that til
Eastern man will fail to secure tn
services of an honest expert. He VII
paw one of the dishonest experts,
fraud, who pretends to know thing
that are unknowable. several hundre
dollars to tell him the truth about tn
mine The swindlers who are sellin
the mine cheerfully agree to pay tn
same expert. providing the sale
made, as many thousand dollars to lie
If the sale is effected the purchas
money is divided into the agreed upo
shares and pocketed by the confidenc
men. These swihdlers. are well-edu
Gated, and are familiar with minin
phrases and methods They live well
They are bright and chatty. A ma
who has the least inclination to inves
+ in mines is doomed to meet with
money loss if he fall in with these ger
tlemanly thieves. His only safety is i
instant flight from the land of minera
" where the air is charged with til
neutrality-suspicious. dust of PR
cious ores. -FraRE Wilkinson, IN N.