Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-07-25
KEENEs C0UP.
His GREAT Battle Win ths BOnAn-
"a Msn
Ths Pat Played - Bozss a&g-fns
6lstasy "a ne AH.lr Ns~ Gota
k1E lbs EIFsE Tia1-s ~ Al
a. Details.

- ltll1os
Ihs story of shs bosus nap. ~aieh eTs-
ayed a great fsL Il excitement zzaoog
mining stock spscalAtsrs Ia California
ssass nftssn ears ago, has never, ! thfnk,
been 5old detail A a4an 80 asserted
hll.4ssif t. os 3as II the principal act.sTs
ia lls transaction gave ne ths particulars
Que windy alznG last wiGteF, as ~e sas Ia
a It5ls mn M cabin "a 9as "a tie oieak
slopes II ths Sierra Nevada, ~afcninz
with Rsngry eyas oar suPpef of bac0n aud
n4pJaeks cooking ID the stove. Ay ffieHd
whom I ~tl c4il dlll ~as lat 0a his back
8G Ihs tine. dead broke, out he talked a.
airiy ani f8miiiariy 0f untold millions as
though "a . miseraote shanty vas palace
ga NDb Hiu AMI the h4pJaek be ~as toss
ing Was a block OF stock Just ready - bs
hurled upon the market - make or break
the fortunes Il the day.
AT the time l refer u, Jim" Kseas vas
just coming prominently into view among
the httls coteris OF dAshing speculatOs.
which Ia those days ruled California
street With rod Of iron he was - large
holder Ia the Consoli ssed Virginia and
California mines on the CoInstOck, 80
heavy a holder, Ia fact. that be was al
loved the privilege OF having an expert
Ia the mine 70 look after his interest The
bonanza crowd, Flood. O'Brisn, ct al, also
hald large blocks u stock, which they
~ere trying % unload upon Keene,
I and In pursuance OF this design
were circulating rose-colored reports
I OF extraordinary Indications and rich
strikes, especially on the dtteen- hundred
I foot level Kesns's expert accordingly
a = a.. -, an Of
/ mine. Now, once In the labyrinth OF
/ drifts and leads, which constitute the big
1 Comstock mines, 10 is, OF course, lmpos-
sibls g. obtain any idea Of their topo-
1 graphy without the said OF instruments,
/ and these DO was not allowed 10 have
/ The expert, not % be outdone, had a small
/ compass inserted In his watch lockst and
/ also provided himself with pedometer.
/ BY the all or these he could easily obtain
data which would enable him 70 construct
a tolerably correct map OF the level, and
so get at the true condition OF affairs.
But on the second day he was detected
and Mr.. Keeue was informed that his man
could not enter the mine again. The ex-
! pert went down % the 'bay" and had a
long talk with Keene tie told him that,
as far as he could Judge, the mine was
! worthless, but, OF course, could not sup
port his assertions with proofs. The
bonanza people. seeing that il was neces-
sary u disarm any suspicious Keene
| might have, invited him 10 make a per-
sOuai inspection of the mine. The drifts
and leads 10 the big silver mines are gem
orally boarded up at all sides by loosely
dtting planking Through the chinks IL
Is easy 70 sea whether the drift is running
through pay dirt or through country of
barren rock. The bonanza crowd salted
three or four OF the drifts by putting ore
behind the boards and Keene was then
shown through. There were millions in
sight everywhere and they kept lead ing
him backward and forward through the
salted leads until ne should suppose he
had seen the entire level.
Keene went tack 20 San Francisco not
knowing what % think Naturally, he
suspected the bonanza people, and there
was the evidence Of his expert. On the
other hand, he knew what bee had seen
with bis own eyes. Ia this emergency the
expert tslegraphed in cipher 10 Hill, who
vas then in Virginia City. saying that the
bonanza people were about 20 "lay down"
on Ksene, and asking him II he could do
! anything 70 prevent 10. Hill went at once
! % the foreman Of the mine and tried TO
bribe him % telt him the real condition of
the mine Failing in this, be remembered
that be knew a shift boss on that particu-
ar level He knew him TO be an intelli-
gent young fellow. and that he had taken
very fun notes about the real condition OF
the mine at that point he addressed him :
self 20 him and finally succeeded in OBJ
I tanning his note book. With that as a
guide. Hill drew map OF the ], go foot
level. showing all the drifts, ore deposits.
etc.-in fact, describing with minute par
ticularity the mine IL really was The
two men went 20 San Francisco and had
an interview with Keene. After carefully
examining the map, keene expre ssed him.
self "a tisfied that the mine was worth
less. In return fer the service they had
done M, Keen gave Hill and his part
ner Si0o. .0OO mar gin at his brokers'.
The stock Vas 70 be cut mp into smaller
shares ia a few days. and Hill determi ed
70 buy first. believing that the stocl
would advance point or tVro on the di-
, vision. Then his plan vas - sell every
/ thing short on the merits of the mine
They told Kssne what they proposed q
10 Hs buntly advised them % sell shor'
! at once. and when they persisted told
I / thera that be intended in th at case 20 sci
ahunired thousand him self 90 cover hi
p own interests They disregarded his ad
vice and bought. The next day, 20 thsh
+ horror, the map, neatly autographed. "a.
? hung out on California street Amids
: The most intense excitement the ssocl
7 commenced 20 fall The newspaper
p came ous with broadsides on The crimi
7 -alitv ~ Hbels for speculative purposes.
and the BONANZA people ofered a heavl
sun Tor the apprehension of the author o
n she bogus map as is vas called
b. But it was ~ no use The facts wer
+ there. aud the stock fell IN few hour
7. It went down ten. tvensy the'
% th.r-v points Fortunes wer
: male ami other fortunes s~ep
swav in tw nkiing. while nil on
~ d,lIars -hsRx@i banda Hill snd hi
p PARTNER lost ~ course. with the rest q
: the unf1rtunste- who were on the wron
= sde ~ ths market. Eeene. Who had Ia
p,sed srst ~ ia own stock. sold every
ching snort clearing y The coup sewers
< millions ~hiie she broanss crowd iost he