Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-14
SALTING A MINE.


Chow l missed my fortune?" said
Tim Buckley, with a good natured
chuckle. "Lordy! Pm afraid you'll
go back on me if / tell you, for it was
a durn mean trick and no mistake but
don't know Us you'll blame me when
I tell you the facts. lie was rich, and
/, like many poor prospector, what's
worked and worked and never gifts
any ahead, seed my title clear to a
cool forty thousand, and just took the
bull by the horns and said 'gee-upP"
Tim gave another chuckle as nc
thought over the past. and finally
commenced:
"Me and my partner had been pros
pectin' on the head waters of the Ar
kansas and just made up our minds
we'd strike it or bust Every body
else around us was gettin' rich hand
over fist, and thar was no particular
reason why we shouldn't, we thought.
Leadville was just rising into motor
iety and every inch G. ground for
miles around had been staked out in
claims, so that when Bill and nc
Bill was my partner-fnally came to
the conclusion that we'd go to mimi,
too, thar was no room for us anywhere
except to do the next best thing and
strike the Arkansas. We dug an in
cline into hill, and at the END of the
first week we'd run hole eleven feet
deep. The indications were just tip
top, and when we packed our Burner
on Saturday afternoon, our pockets
filled with specimens that beat any
thing the Robert E. Lee ever turned
out all hollow for looks we was just
about the two happiest mOrtals that
ever went to an assay shop.
Dwell, the assay panned out eleven
ounces, which was sort of damper
on our feelin's, of course, but conclud-
in that by next Saturday we'd run it
I'D to fifty or hundred, we went
back to our claim and pitched in again
for all twas out. Next Saturday we
went back to town to have another
assay made, and it was 'leven ounces
again.
eve felt mad when the assayer told
us made up our minds he was no
good OH earth at his trade, and Sun
day we pegged back to our claim, de-
tcrmincd to go to man what under
stood his business next time we want
ed an assay made.
1--WE did try another the fOllOwin
Saturday, but it was no use. 1t was
'leVen ounces just the same.
eve kept workin' like good fellows
two weeks more, and had got the hole
all of sixty feet into the hill, when
we left for town'and just let tue
prospect hole go to thunder.
eleven ounces was no showing at
all, and ruther than work another
week with never any better indica-
tons developing, We just made up our
minds to starVe to death, for III the
end it was all the same anyhow.
GAS usual, stopped i'll at the hotel
Sunday afternoon, and while lookln
over the papers i'll the readln room
heard two men talkin' together back
of me about mines, and as how one o
them would like to git, hold OF an ILL
terest in good payin' lode for some
eastern capitalists.
~ don't know what gave me the
idea, but it came all of suddln like;
and tixin' the mans face Oh my mimi
passed out of the room and took Il
walk up Fryer hill to think the mat
ter over.
"What had concluded to do was
this: Salt the mine, take that fellow
up to it and sell it to him, make or
break.
81 made bee line for the Little
Chief mine and filled my pockets with
ore, taking all | could lug off. The
ore looked for all the world like the
ore in our mine, and on arriving there
at once set to work sticking pieces
into crevices and patchiR up tie walls
OF the tunnel until the hole looked
for all the world like the best payin'
lead in the State. Then returned.
Next morning l returned early to
the hotel and introduced myself to
Mr.. Bitters. Told him had struck
it rich and would sell out for S60, 900.
I finally induced him to visit the
mTnc.
lie set to work spreadin' news
paper on the ground AMI began to
pick where l told him. He folded it
carefully up, and we rode back to
town, where we had an assay male. 1t
gave 200 ounces, which set him wild
with delight.
"From that moment you never seed
fellow stick so close to another, rs
Bitters did to me. He was afrail I'd
sell the mine to somebody else before
he could get chance to buy it, and
he began to watch every step [ took.
Nothing would do but had to 90 to
his room with him and drink and eat
the best there was in the hotel. Then
he began to make propositions, offer
ing me $40, 600.
81 told him / couldn't think of TAX
ing less than 100000, half o that to
Bill and $4,000 to go to me; but he
urged so hard that finally | said I'll
see Bill and find out what he thought
about it.
$50 Bill was called, and, being
posted, he thought as how perhaps
we'd better take it, if it was q cash
transaction.
eyes, said /, if it's q cash sale L
guessed, too, we'd take it.
"'Bitters said of course it was cash.
"The next day came, and rs walk
ed into the hotel seed Bitters stand
ing thar, waiting for me.
GAS l was about to 90 over where
he sat one fellow spoke up out OF tho