The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-01-01

westesf Story Tellsrs That Assayers Hay'
Ca Deal with-Two Big Liars.

We8t04E Story Telh0rB Tnot AsseyerS nave
Ca Deal with-Two Big Liars.
.sSome big liars come to an assayer's
,fiice once in q while" downtown
assayer said incidentally in talk about
mining property, "but l think the two
biggest liars have ever seen came into
my Office last summer, not together,
thank goodness. for if they had l would
nave kicked them ont for supposing
that l might be an eternal fool. In
stead, listened to each, and then gave
him piece of my mind. The first was
about forty-five years of age. sharp
featured, long-haired. and with the APP
pearance of Western miner. He care
lessly unwrapped newspaper from a
lump OF silver ore, and asked in bust
ness-like way to have it assayed. !
picked up the lump and said of-hand:
There's no need of having that as
sayed. It's seventy-five per cent. silver
at first glance And it was l. was
about as rich specimen as, la seen
IN some time. 1t was worth 1T least
$4,000 ton.
".But l want it assayei,' he said.
! I've got drift of ore like that six feet
wide, and want to sell it. don't
want to lie about it. and l want to
| know just what it is worth
That's my business, and. of coarse.
l knocked off piece of the lump
charged him more than would any
body else, because knew he intended
to swiudle somebody. | ground the
piece of ore into dust, and put in boz
tie. Then l took little and assayed
it. 1t turned out Just what / thought
t would. As usual made rec rd OF
the assay, and waited for the MN to
| return.
tAbout four days after the assay four
or five respectable old gentlemen came
| into the Office together, and one of them
unwraPped piece of ore and said:
will you please assay this for uso We
are thinking of buying silver mine,
| and this is some of the ore. What do
you think it is WORTH
Il looked mt it closely and discovered
that 1T was from the lump my Western
man had brought in.
".Excuse me, but / have assayed this
ore within five days. l said.
"'Y-e-e-s,' the spokesman of the
party said. hcsitatinsly. We under
stand that it hA, been assayed, but we
thought it would he safer to have it
assayed for us particularly. How much
did you make IL out to be wOrth?'
Twelve or fifteen thousand dollars
tom / said, not wishing to be too
particular at first. III see.'
while Twas looking over my record
/ book i noticed the gentlemen looking
knowingly at one another.
alt was S1S,OOO, remarked, turn
ing toward them. 1t didn't startle them
a bit.
That's pretty rich, isn't it?'
Decidedly so. Where's the mine?'
l asked.
In Colorado. We have a drift
there SIX feet vide
Colorado exclaimed. That ore
never has seen Colorado That's from
some Mexican mine
Il knew what l was talking about
when / said that, because can pick out
Colorado ore from two thousand speci-
mems. l can pick out ore from the
Comstock lode anywhere you put it.
After getting few more particulars
about the man who wanted to sell the
mice, l said Gentlemen, l don't
want to have you taken in by anybody,
and especially by one of those West
erii mining sharps. Instead of taking
my word for this assay, go to somebody
else, and I've no doubt you'll find many
who will be as honest with you as in
tend to be, and have Your ore assayed.
Take some of this dust with you and see
if it be like. your ore.
""But we can bay this mine for only
$50, 0O0,' the first speaker said.
""H you can find mine where the
ore is all like that said, III find
men who will give you S50,000,000 for
it. That isn't Il true specimen, and,
besides, it isn't from Colorado. It's a
rich find from some, old mine in Mex
ico.'
They looked rather glum and went
out l really pitied them. The next
day the Western man came in to see
me. Igaye it to'him hot. Look here,
l said. we have just about enough of
such fellows as you around here. When
you come on here to sell mine, don't
try to palm off Mexican ore for Colo
RADIO ore. Take my advice. and don
show that lump to any miner, because
he'll know it in minute. Now SIX p
~ have never seen the old gen.
tlemen since. | guess they found
somebody who. told them the truth as l
did
The other chap was short, dumpy
fellow. He wanted to have everything
very secret. lie had a piece of ore that
l knew was Meyican. and it was long
time before I could get anything out of
him. At length he said: Pm COM
mercial traveller and while l was in
Mexico this summer l struck an old
trail over the mountains that, thought,
would take me by short cut to where
l wanted to 60. / took it, but it was
the toughest ground ever struck.
About noon was almost overcome, and
l dropped Off my mule near q shady
place to catch a nap and rest. Mymule,
that was wandering about, awoke me
after awhile by nearly stepping on me.
In pulling my blanket off that served
is pillow. 1 noticed that the rock
sparkled. 1t struck me all at once that
it was silver. AID l looked around to
see if there were any other rocks Ike
that. Idon't know whether you'll: be.
lieve it, but short distance oil the trail