Lyon County times. [volume] (Silver City, Nev.) 1874-1907, 1889-11-16
TAKEN By siege.

u0 w do u PAOACooiOhoA 5eAAADASAf SAAN S~A~'
the Mutual Dividend Mining company
was one Of the biggest games he ever
played. The offices of this company were
in Pine street, near Broadway, and they
were fitted up as luxuriously as "The
Club" In the latter establishment Col
Mortimer was silent partner. The min
ing company's Offices were furnished in
the heaviest black walnut (that wood was
the fashion them, and the furniture and
partitions were made of the same ma
terial and pattern. The company's mono
gram was carved in the chairs and over
the mantel piece, it was ground in the
glass and worked in the door mat.
There was a whole suite Of Offices
one outside for the clerks, private one
for Col Mortimer, with "President'f
Room" engraved on the nickel door
plate. another for the Secretary" John
Hurlstone and large room, with long
table down the middle hanked by mas
sive chairs, for the Directors. A por-
trait of Col Mortimer hung over the
fireplace. and map of Colorado, show.
ing the situation of the mine. took up q
third of the opposite wall In hand
some velvet lined cabinet screwed to the
wall between the front windows reposed
specimens Of the ore sent east by the
company's engineer. What rich speci-
mems they were, tool The silver fairly
bulged out Of them. One shelf Of this
cabinet was devoted to bricks Of solid
silver. When Col Mortimer got hold OF
q doubtful investor he took him in this
room and showed him the cabinet.
"There's the stuff, my good sir, and
there"-pointing to the map-"is where
it comes from. You see that district
picked out in blue-well, that belongs to
the Mutual Dividend Mining company
l am not going to press you to invest;
by Jove, I'm not sure we want to sell.
With mine throwing out tons Of such
ore every day, it's rank nonsense to sell
the stock. But I'm a bit Of phiian-
thropist myself, and when I'm making
money I want others to make it, too.
don't think, however, I'll offer another
dollars worth Of that stock. We won't
talk mines any longer, but we'll taste
some fine old brandy keep here fol
Just such judges as you. You'll admit
that this is rs good glass OF cognac- Al
you ever tasted. Therei how's that.
And here are some choice cigars. Don',
betray me, they're smuggled. A friend
Of mine, sea captain, brings them to
me from Havana.) Let us sit here be-
fore this genial fire-what is prettier,
now, than a soft coal fire!-and discuss
cognac and cigars. They are much more
interesting subjects than mining shares
don't you think SO"
In this way Col. Mortimer drew the
poor flies into his net. They would dis
cuss the cognac and the cigars, and end
by begging the colonel. for the old friend
ship he bore them, to let them i~It few
thousands into the Mutual dividend
This they always succeeded in getting
him to do, though with great reluctance
/ need not say that tho colonel confined
himself to the cigars rather than to the
brandy. He did not object to drinking out
of business hours, but when he was play
ing for such high stakes he had to keep
his wits about him.
Just how much John Hurlstone knew
of what was going on should not like
to say. He knew Col Mortimer pretty
well, and preferred not to ask too many
questions Mortimer paid him large
salary because he was invaluable to him.
John was well educated. and wrote q
good letter. Mortimer was badly edu
Gated, and it was said could jus. sign his
name and nothing more. Indeed, it was
further said that he only learned to sign
his name by copying it as written out by
John Hurlstone in their army days
Certainly his signature was very much
like Johns writing, and. when signed tc
a letter that John had written, was in
perfect harmony with the rest Of ths
autograph. Not only did Mortimer pay
the company's secretary handsome sal
ary, but he gave him good lump sums Of
money besides, which he said were the
dividends on the shares he held in Johns
name. Mortimer could not have got
along without John in this mining com
pany scheme, and he knew it; and he
paid him well both to keep him in his
service and to prevent his asking ques-
tions.
With all this money at hand you would
have supposed that John would have sent
some home to his mother and sisters. Not
he. Had they asked him at time when
he had a roll of bills in his pocket he would
have handed it out to them, but they
asked for nothing and they got nothing
John was spendthrift, and, like mos1
spendthrifts. he spent his money on him
self If he spent it upon other people il
was In the way Of his own pleasure. He
did send handsome presents to Amy Bay
liss-useless things that represented a lo'
Of money but little taste. A tradesmar
could always sell him an unstable arti
clio by representing it to be something
unique and adding that few men would
have the taste to appreciate its beauties
and pay the price. Tho consequence was
that Amy Bayliss had q collection oi
costly odds and ends that she could only
praise for their costliness and because
"dear John" had taken the trouble tc
sand them to her There were paDer cut,