The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1886-10-07
MINING FRAUDS.
Some Of the Ingenious Schemes They
Work to Advantage in New Mexico.

Work to Advantage in New Mexico.
Talking about frauds said Miner
j. w. Fleming. OF Silver City. New
Mexico, in the course of Il conversation
concerning Coy. Ihompkins. 81
chihuahua who cut such swath in
this city recently, I'VE have i peculiar
kind Of fraud down in our part Of the
world. whom have never seen lie
scribed in print, though he is well
enough known in most mining districts.
He is a species Of the gcnieel fraud. and
is a dead-heat. He arrives unexpected
IL in Il mining town, and SAYS he is
from the east. Generally this part 81
his story is correct. for he almost always
has WAYS about him which he could not
acquire in the untanled west. lie 10
handsomely dressed. sports wha. seems
to be tine jewelry. and talks with an
easy air of familiarity with large figures
in money. which 1T once imparts the
impression that he is wealthy. He stops
at the best hotel. and complains in
gentlenGnly way of the lack of high
toned improvements which are found in
eastern hotels. But he never makes
himself offensive. and he soon attracts
attention by his good manners and
modest display Of riches. Pretty soon
he lets it be known that he has come
with the intention Of buying mine,
and Of course people who have mines to
sell solicit his attention to their prop
eriy. He is Very frank. and wishes
them to understand ut the very outset
that he is very hard to please. and he
may not buy in this neIohborhood at
all. though he confesses that lie is well
disposed toward the place from his OBJ
servations. This does not abate the
eagerness of the mine-owners in the
least. One of them hires Il carriage
and takes Mr.. Fraud out into the coun-
try To look ut his property. 1t does not
suit. and they drive back. Others get
hold of him. wine him and dine him.
and show him every attention. They
will not allow him TO pay cent for
anything he buys-and he is always
eNtrava@ant and runs big bills. The
new parties show him their mines. At
first he seems immensely pleased with
them. and thinks he will buy. But he
decides 10 investigate little further.
The owners continue paving his bills.
Meantime somebody else gets hold Of
him and shows E.m another mine. Both
parties then vie with each other in
shoMerin- attentions upon him, and he
lives on the fat Of the land at not one
cents cost to himself He doesn't make
up his mind, and thus he goes on.
Every mn. agent in the neignborhood
gets hold Of him. one after another. He
is smart enough to know when he has
gone all around. and then he leaves be-
tween two DAYS. lie has been living
like lord for Il month or more and it
hasn't cost him anything.
Another fraud peculiar to mining
Districts continued Mr.. Fleming. ..is
Il fellow who makes himself ollicious
and introduces buyers. lie is kind
of confidence man. with great knowi-
edg. of I'LL parts OF the country. For
instance. II gentleman from Boston ar
rives by some means the confidence
man has learned OF his coming. and has
used his secret means 10 find out all
abort The gentleman surroundings
and friends III Boston. When he arrives
at the hotel Mr. Sharper expresses great
surprise at seeing him. and convinces
him, BY the use Of the information h.
has. that he formerly knew him in Bos-
ton. lie forms an acquaintance in this
Way. which is very pleasant TO the slran-
ger. who finds his new surroundings
desoatc. lie is glad 10 find even dis
tant friend there. He gives Sharper his
confidence, and tells him he wants to
buy i mine. Sharper appears very dis
interested. but will show him mine
which he thinks is Il good one. He in
Produces the buyer to an agent. aud
they 90 out to examine the property. On
the way he lets the agent know in pri-
waite that if he does not come down " It'll
$1,000 he will keep the Boston gentle
man from buying. 1t is evident that
the Boston man will be influenced en-
tirely by Sharper, and the agent comes
down with the thousand. Then lac adj
vises the buyer to take thu mine. and
the bargain is made. know man
who made $1,000 in this way in few
weeks. had a mine to sell myself.
He brought 4 party to me. and wanted
thousand from me. | iidn't like him
and refused. After that could not sell
the property to those gentlemen. though
II they had known anything Of mines
they could have seen 1T once that it was
fine investment. The next week /
sold it to another party, and it paid
100000 within thirty days. The first
party heard Of this. and came TO me for
another NINE. WAS mad nj them for
their former conduct, and then they told
me that they had great confidence in
the fellow who wanted a bride from me.
afterward found mine for the party,
aud thay Sl,nual fbansalrns ynr,- hon.