Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-02-07
jim KEENE'S COUP.
THE STORY OF HIS BATTLE WITH
THE BONANZA MEN.
An Expert ON the I,SO0-Foot Level
Drawing = Map from Note Book
pata-Creatin . Panic In
Mining Stocks
New York TimesI

The story of the bogus map, which
created great deal of excitement among
stock spectators in California some fifteen
years ago has never. | think. been told
in detail A man who asserted himself TO
be one Of the principal actors in the trans
action gave me the particulars one windy
night last winter, as we sat in little min
ing cabin on one of tho black slopes of
the Sierra Nevadas wato hing with hungry
eyes our supper of bacon and fiapjacks
cooking on the stove. My friend, whom
/ will call Hill, was Hat on his back at the
time, dead broks. but be talked as airly
and farmiliarly of untold millions as
though the miserable shanty was a place
on Mob hill and the fap;sck he was toss
ing was block of stock just ready to be
hurled upon the market to make or break
the fortunes of the day.
At the time / refer to, Jim" Keene
was just coming prominently into view
among the little coterie Of dashing spec
ulators which. in those days. ruled Cali
fornia street with rod of iron. He was
large holder in the Consolidated Vir-
ginia and alifornia mines on the Com
stock; 50 heavy holder. in fact. that he
was allowed the privilege of having an
ex ert in the mine to look after his in
terests The bonanza crowd, Flood.
O'Brien. ct al. also held large blocks of
stock, which they were trying to unload
upon keene, and in pursuance of this
design were circulating rose colored re
ports of extraordinary indications and
rich strikes, especially on the 1.500-foot
level Keene's expert accordingly turned
all his attention 10 that part of the mine
Now, once In the labyriath of drifts and
leads, which constitute the big Comstock
mines, II Is, of course impossible to OBJ
tain any idea Of their topography without
the aid Of instruments. and these he was
not allowed to have The expert not to
be outdone. had small compass inserted
In his watch locket and a,so provided
himself with pedometer By the aid of
these be could easily obtain data which
would enable him to construct tolera-
bly, correct map of the level and so get at
the true condition of affairs.
But on the second day he was detected
and Mr.. eene was informed that his
man could not enter the mine again The
expert went down to the bay and had q
long talk with eene He 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
bonanzi people, seeing that II was neces-
sary to disarm any suspicious Keene
might have. invited him to make per
sonsl inspection of the mine The drifts
and leads 10 tho big silver mines are gen
orally boarded up at all sides by loosely
fitting planking Through the chinks it
Is easy to see 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
hahs,A ha hoe rla tba,,
shown through. There were millions in
sight everywhere and they kept leading
him backwards and forwards through the
salted leads until he should suppose he
had seen the entire level
Keene went back to San Francisco not
knowing what to think. Naturally. he
suspected the bonanza people. and there
was the evidence of his expert On the
other hand. he knew what he had seen
with his own eyes IN this emergency
the expert telegraphed in cipher to Hill,
who was then in Virginia City. saying
that the bonanza people were about to
~lay down on keene. and asking him IL
he could do anything to preventit Hill
went at once to the foreman Of the mine
and tried to bribe him to tell him the real
condition Of the mine. Failing in this. he
remembered that he knew shift boss on
that naytjcuIar level He knew him tn he
an ;nteI,;gent vonne fallow and that he
hsd taIan varv fnII rotas about tha rssi
oond;,;on If IL min. =, ,ha, yo;r, d
sddresSsd y b;rnss,T 70 him and fnaiiv s,c'
ceeded in obtaining his note book. With
that as guide, Hill drew q map Of the
], 500-foot level, showing all the drifts.
ore deposits, etc-in fact, describing with
minute particularly the mine as it really
c;sco and had an in,ervisu v;th Kaana
A fte, careS,,i,v exsmin;ng The man Eeara
e,nreesad h;rnsaif as ss,;st,aJ ,ba, th,
m ne wss wor,biass In re,nrn for The
.arv;ca ,bsv he'd ann. h;m Eaana ,av
H,Il and ~ nartnsr S,o1 0Oo ,nsre;n az
h;s b,oIar's
Tho s,ock ~. to be ON, mn into sr.,,a-
.haras In q Ton d.rs snd In, Se,arra;nas
40 INV t;rst baI;eY;na that ,hs stocS
wonld advance q no;ns ~ two on tSe
d;v;s;on Thon he ,,lan was 20 ALI ava-,-
N NO short On The Insr;,s 81 the m;ns
ThsS sn,J Ea.na vha, tb.v ,,onosad -
10 He hinntIv sJr;saJ ,bam 10 al
shor. AZ onca and wben ,bev rers;sted
told chem that he ;ntendaJ in that % 90 -
ali 1OO TI00 b;mself 20 -oyar his own in,
te-ests Tbev disrsssrded his advice and
honnh, tn ~, San e. tha;r horros
,hs nsn neatly l;,hngronh.5 was hnms
ont on Csiiforn;s .Ssraa, m;dst he
most % ;n,ansa src;tsment the stocL com
menced ~ fa, The nawsnanera came
ont WITH bro,ds;des on the crininal;tv of