The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-12-13
TIE SANS SpIBIIU NINE.

4 have lust nccn feotinE strange
,,,rv Of the List Cabin Nine IN an Old
seeming sun which found In pigeon
tol, o. ms ,lcsk, said prominent Wall
,.-.,t banker yesterday afternoon. "Sit
down q few moments and will tell You
snofl.cr strange story Of a lost mine, he
c--,inned. "and one that was rather
c,tig 10 mo That truth d stranger than
erln is a wise old saying. There l.
g.. littlo romance which enters into the
tis Of O. professional Wan street man.
Asar.ia. be is ever ready TO grasp after
e. almighty dollar, and 7 confess that /
e-. no Ncoption 20 this rule, and many
tmrs during my life have I invested
money ia wildcat enterprises looking
more ior q possibility than a probability
These enterprises 10 which allude co.
ter.l into in my younger DAYS. l thought
dat had settled down into a c0nscrva-
two business man; but l found, about
nine months ago, that my disposition 20
become he richest man IN tho world had
coi the better OF my good judgment, and
liz strange. weird story which ] am
ahoat 90 relate VIII explain Itself.
For number Of years | have had
srr1kirg acquaintance with n Brooklyn
s-aoci telchcr ! lost sight Of him ioI
about tvo years, when / was surprised
q, see him walk into my Office q yC0r
o-n lie asked me IL | know where he
could rent an Office. and told me that on
account of I'll health he was con PEELED
10 give up school teaching. / have five
rooms here. and as I need but four, ]
t1ll him that he could have the b1ck
room 90 nominal rent. lie seemed de.
lighted with the proposition, and moved
81 the next day. lie put ont O single,
Money - Loan, but l noticed that he
had no customers.
Two or three weeks after his occu.
nancy Of the office noticed that he be-
came less cratic in his business hours
lie BEGAN to arrive 90 Q o'clock IN the
morning and would remain until 4 in the
afternoon locked tn the Office shortly
after he developed this regularity III his
business hours / met man in the han
whose unusual appearance attracted my
attention lie was tail, attenuatcd 20 o
marked decree, Of sali0w complexion,
smooth face. twinkimg. ferret liko ewes
and hair Of shining blaC6nosa which hung
down upon his shoulders Re was al.
fired In a suit Of rusty black. The coat
was an old fashioned frock cut and but
toned tightly 70 his throat He wore q
bread hrimmcd SLOUGH hat. Ii his hand
be carried the father of all umbrellas, &
great big gingham affair that would keep
the rain of four people. and looked as
though it might haze belonged 70 one OF
our revolutionary 6 andiQtbeI5.
i became interested and stopped 70
see what his destination was. He moved
along with q quick though sh2mbiing
step and tapped lightly upon my school
teacher neighbor'5 door 1t was opened
and no disappeared within. / heard the
bolt click as the door was locked from
the inside, and I turned into my office
with q peculiar feeling thar | would Ike
70 know who this strange person was.
Il saw him come every day, usually
about the same time IN the day" con
tnued the banker, "and he would re-
main closeted with the school teacher
for several hours. AT last he dlsap-
pearcd and my curiosity got the better
Of me. ! made up my mind to ask the
school teacher who his friend was, par.
ticulaTly as / noticed that he had changed
his shinglo TO read, Mining Engineer:
Il learned from the school teacher
that his friend was a splritualstic me-
dunn. and then he startled mo with tho
assertion that he had located the sans
Spiritu Mine You must know that this
nine Is the richest mine tn the world;
was worked before COTtcz entered Mex
leo, but for over O hundred years 1t has
peer lost. The school teachers assertion
rather staggered me, but / laughed in
credulously.
You needn't laugh said he, 1 have
found il and ! have man locating u
within 2 stones throw. Two years ago
l went % Mexico on q vacation am
somewhat Of a physician and happened
10 save the life of an old negro woman
who was formerly q hCusokoeper lOr g
padre, This padre was the only person
alive who knew the location Of the mine,
and when he died he ci7uiged the secret
20 the negress, who, In turn, uFuIseN u
20 me-
"This. of course. was interesting after
the fashion Of dime novels, and did not
take much stock in lis story until ! saw
that ne was really IN earnest. lie u.
locked his desk and took two rolls OF
tracing paper out. One Of them ne
Showed me and said: This is my orig
final map The mine lies 400 miles from
the Gulf of Mexico, and Vera cruz Is the
eeaport 70 IT, The other Ioll contains q
man drawn BIZ tho claiIvOyant whom
YOU INQUIRED about. He has never seen
nv man. vet he has drawn almost fac
siiuile Of +. with tho exception OF rev
minor details. ! am not Spirituallst.
but met this man and he Dragged o.
his wonderful powers, and gave him p
II he SUCCESSFULLY accomplished his ob-
iacr. He does rot know what lie mas
drawn, and am the only rerson IN lhe
world who can put ms hand on the ions
lost Sans Spiriu Nine.
j confess that the fellow made an I'M
nression on me-" continued the banker
after lightinga cigar and gazing thought
fully ri the smoke rings for moment.
II then esked HIM for further details,
but he would give me none. further than
that the old negress was dead. asked
hin, what II would cost 10 work the mine,
and how he was fixed lie repliod'
81 have never seen The mine, but from
eoroe ,neuuscripts have Of the padfe
I s~doa thar there arc untold millions IN
eiyht OF courss II Will tako some
money 70 1t out an expedition, bef :
think the output Of months Work VIZ
nav for all the mills necessary. Ny IDEA
Is to secretly charter schooner, proVls.
lon il for say one to fhIee months, pu'
aboard the necessary tools TO Work Inc
mine on the qniet until ] get enough Out
10 ACQUIRE the mine lawfully, but an
without funds, unfortunately. =.
"Well. 1 bit lie q shark. heavens
how the blood rushed through nay heart
knew the school teacher 10 be repn-
table man. 10 fhowed mo the pane
mannsoripts, written in Snanish. o.
which tho school teacher was master,
re read Il 10 me, and It sounded IKE 3, az
Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp story Inc
ursbot OF the matter was thai ! agree
then and there 20 interest myself IN form
inc stock company. The next gay
brought four OF my Wall street meme
into he school lcachcrs oiiice ana h'
Laid his subject before them. They on
as quickly as did and ! subscribed ~
600 and the others $4,000 each, W.
chartered a schooner, pIOYisionel Ael