Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-03

.SNtStH~E Concho's death, had
DAS not DR.. Guild
~[iI fought nobly in
support Of the law
and his own convictions A majority Of the
Jury objected to there being any inquest at
all. A sincere juryman thought it hard that
whene rer O GreaSer pegged out in a sneakin'
kind % way, American citizens should be
taken from their business to find out what
allied him. "S'pose he was killed" said an
other, thar amt no time this thirty year he
weren't, so to speak, just sufferin' for 1t, ez
his nat'ral right ez q Mexican" The jury at
last compromised by bringing in a verdict OF
homicide against certain parties o
Yet it was understood tacitly that these I'M
known parties were severally Wlles n re-
dro; Manuel, Miguel and RoScommon prov
ing all unuistakable alibi. Wiles and Pedro
had fed to Lower California, and Manuel,
Miguel and Roscommon deemed it advisable,
in the then excited state Of the public mind, to
withholdthe forged application and claim from
the courts and the public comment. Sothat for
a Year after the murder of Concho and tho
flight of his aSsaSsins Tho blue Mass Min
ing Company remained in undiSturbed and
actual possession of the mine, and reigned in
their stead.
But the spirit of the murdered Concho
would not down any moro than that of the
murdered Banquo, and SO wrought, no doubt,
in a quiet, Concho-like way, sore trouble with
the "Bluo Mass Company" For n great capt.
talist and master of avarice came down
to the mine and found it fair, and taking one
Of the company aside, offered to lend his
name and n certain amount Of coin for a con-
trolling interest, accompanying the generous
offer with a suggestion that if it were not
acceded to he would be compelled to buy up
various Mexican mines and flood the market
with quicksilver to the great detriment Of the
"Blue Mass Company, which thoughtful suS-
geStion, offered by a man frequently alluded
to as one Of "California's great mining
princes and as one who had "done much to
develop the resources of the state" was not
to be lightly considered; and so, after a eau
tious non-consultation with the company, and
a commcndable secrecy, the stakeholder sold
out. Whcrcat it was speedily spread abroad
that the Great Capitalist had taken hold of
"Blue Mass" and the stock went up, n tho
other stockholders rejoiced-until the Great
CAPITALIST foundit waS necessary to put up
EXPENSIVE mills, to employ a high salaried
superintendent-in fact, to develop the mine
by spending of its earnings, so that the stock
Quoted at liz was finally saddled with an as
sessmcnt of $50 per share. Another assess
mcnt of $50 to enable the superintendent to
proceed to Russia and Spain and examine in
to tho workings Of the quicksilver mines
there, and also a general commission to the
gifted AMI scientific Pillagcman to examine
into the various component parts OF quick
silver, and report If it could not be manufac-
tured from ordinary sandstone by steam or
electricity, speedily brought the other stock
holders to their senses. 1t was at this time
the good fellow Tom" the serious-mindcd
"Dick" and the speculative but fortunate
Harry" brokers of the Great Capitalist,
found it convenient to buy up, for the Great
Capitalist aforesaid, the various other shares
at great sacrifice.
Ifear that l have EGrol nay readers in thus
giving tho tiresome details of that ingenious
American pastime whichmy countrymen dis
miss il their epigrammatic way as the "freez-
ing-out process" And lest any reader should
question the ethics Of the proceeding, / beg
him to remember that one gentleman accom-
plished in this art was always q sincere and
direct opponent Of tho late Mr.. John Oak.
hurst, gambler.
But for once the Great Master of Avarice
had not taken into sufficient account the av-
arice Of others, and was suddenly and virtu-
ously shocked to learn that an application for
a patent for certain lands, known as the "Red-
Rock Rancho" was about to DO offered be-
fore the United States land commission.
This claim covered his mining property. But
the information came quietly and secretly, as
all Of tho Great Masters information was OBJ
tained, and he took the opportunity to sell out
his clouded title and his proprietorship to
tho only remaining member OF the original
GBlue Mass company" o young fellow Of pith,
before many.tongued rumor had voiced the
news far and wide. The blow was O heavy
one to the party left in possession. Saddled
by the enormous debts and expenses of the
Great Capitalist, with a credit further injured
by the detection of this lucky magnate, who
was admired for his skill In anticipating q
loss, and whose REIMBURSEMENT of any project
meant ruin to 1t, the single handed, impover-
Shed poSSeSsor Of tho mine, whose title was
contested and whose reputation was yet to be
made-poor Biggs, first secretary and only
remaining officer of the Blue Mass COM
pany," looked ruefully over his books and
his last transfer, and sighed. But I have be-
fore intimated that he was built of good stuff
and that he believed in his work-which was
well-and In himself, which was better; and
so, having faith even as a grain Of mustard
seed, / doubt not that he would have been
able to remove that mountain Of quicksilver
beyond the overlapping of fraudulent grants.
And, again, Notwithstanding disposed of
these several scampS-raiSed up to him a
friend. But that friend Is of sufficient i'm
p~ortance to this yeracious history to deserve
a~paragraph to himself,
The Pylades OF this Orestes was known of
ordinary mortals Us Royal Thatcher. His
~genealogy, birth and education are, l take it,
Of little account to this chronicle, which is
only concerned with his friendship for Biggs
II ~. -N-,I4 I.-.z
ayear or two previously; they had shared
each others purses, hunks, cabins, provisions,
and often friends, with that perfect freedom
from obligation which belonged to the pioneer
life. The varying tide Of fortune had Just
then stranded Thatcher on a desert sand hill