Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-10-28
MEDIUMS AND MINING.
The Queer Venture of a Party of
Theosophists in Colorado.
SUCCESS AFTER DIFFICULTIES.
Washington Lobbyists Will Be Active the
Coming Winter.
1T is NOT A DIsHONoRABLE CALLING
lcoRRrspoNpENcr OF THE p1srArcH.I

had gone into mining enterprise in Colo
RADIO under rather unique conditions. : The
scheme was organized in St. Louis, which
has been the center of activity in mining
stocks since the St Louis owners of thu
famous Granite Mountain Mine in Montans
became millionaires through the develop
ment of their property. St. Louis has a gfea
deal of money invested in mining property il
Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado
and other States and Territories Of tht
West.
Some time ago man named Stiles, who
had at one time been the head of de
tective agency in st. Louis. and who was 6
devout believer in the occult. discovered 6
''child medium" of wonderful power. The
peculiar faculty of this child enabled her tc
see through limitless space and endless sub.
stance and to tell what was hidden In the
ground. Her specialty--for even "child
mediums" have specialties-was the discov.
cry or investigation of mines. She could
place piece of virgin ore to her forehead,
it was claimed. and. closing her eyes, tell
whence it came and what were its surround
ings.
Stiles, to utilize the child mediums gift,
had her experiment with ore from some mines
that were offered for sale in St. Louis. By
means Of her occult power she told him the
character of several mines, among others
the "Florence c." which was situated in
the Ouray district, in Colorado. With the
Florence C ore at her forehead, she said
that if they would enter the side of the hill
on which it was situated, they would pro-
ceed a certain distance when they would
come to granite "horse" or wall OF granite
of certain thickness. Penetrating that
wall they would come to ore.
STRONG IN THE FAITH.
Stiles enlisted with him the believers in
the occult in st. Louis, and they organized
a company and raised enough money to
prosecute work on the mine. Gradually
the story of the mine spread and other
theosophists became interested until many
hundreds of them in different parts of the
country owned stock in the enterprise.
Work was prosecuted with vigor. The
mine was situated on the side of Ouray
Mountain, near the town of Ouray. A tun-
mel was started and carried forward into
the side of the mountain.
When the workmen had proceeded about
as far as the 'child medium" had indi-
Gated, they came to the "horse, just as she
had said they would. They pushed their
q
wall. The labor was great and the amount
of money expended daily very large, but
the stockholders were full of hope. Some
of them sold their interests in business and
put the money into stock. The work went
on rapidly. The workmen approached the
limit which the "child medium" had named
as the. extent of thickness of the granite
wall. Expectation ran high. One morning
a telegram came to the Office of the company
from the mine.
1t was from Stiles, who had gone out to
the scene of operations and taken a pick in
his own hands to help along the work. The
telegram said that the wall had been pierced
and the ore body reached. There was great
excitement among the stockholders and the
osophy was at a premium. But another
telegram came and shattered many of their
fond hopes The ore was there, but it was
not of sufficient richness to pay for mining
it. The stockholders were discouraged, but
not altogether, and the work of development
proceeded in the hope that the character of
the ore would improve.
ANOTHER SCHEME.
The ore body did not improve materially,
but the prospects of the company did. Just
above the Florence G was another mine-a
paying property. 1t was called the Neo-
desha. Stiles noticed that the Neodesha
was dumping its tunnel waste down the
hill and that there was no other place to
dump it than on the Florence G property.
He served notice on the proprietora of the
Neodesha that they would not be allowed to
dump on his property any longer. They
endeavored 10 effect a compromise, but
without avail. Would Styles buy their
mine then? He would. Would he give
S20 900 for it in consideration of the fact
that it was paying. property? He would
not He would pay SIC, 900 for it.
There was nothing to do but to sell it to
him for that amount. So the theosophists
thus far paid the $4,000 for which the
Florence c was bonded and has also paid
in part for itself There are 40 men work
ing in ii. The stock OF the company is
pooled under an agreement not to sell for a
certain length of time. Theosophy is at
premium in st. Louis. But the identity of
the child medium who came SO near doing
so wonderful thing has not been disclosed
10 this day. Stiles is the only man who
knows who she is and he is jealously guard
ing his secret from his friends and even his
,o-partners in the mining company.
RILEY'S EARLY TRAINING.
every few people know that the first train
ng that James Whitcomb Riley had in |
grinding out poetry was gained on a news
paper on which he worked for the muniicent |
salary of S12 a week." said Colonel Perry |
). Heath, the well-known correspondent, |
ew days ago. 81 was sticking type on
he same paper and 1 used to know Riley |
7ery well. Writing poetry came as natur-
lily to him as natural vocation ever came to |
man. He could not resist the temptation to |
lrop into verse. The paper on which he |
worked was the Anderson Democrat, pub
ished at Anderson, Ind. 1t was in 1877
hat I first knew him. l was then setting
ype on a Muncie paper and would fire.
luently go to Anderson to see Riley.
worked in Anderson for Todisman,
he proprietor of the Democrat.
"Riley had written some verse on two other
title Indiana papers, and had given such
violence of ability that Todismau offered
lin an advance of salary to work for the
Democrat. Drawing the princely salary of
12 week, he was the envy OF every other
ocal writer in that section of Indiana. His
vet work was a column of verse, all his own,
which had special place every week in the
Democrat.
"Old Todisman got good bit of money
very week for that column of advertising,
nd Riley, who divided $23, 900 with Bill
we in the lecture field last season, got S12.
'oetry came as natural to Jim Riley as eat
ng. He could not resist the temptation to
ersify. He would be walking along the
treet in the most innocent way, when his
ye would light on gate with nine bars.
led stop and look at it, and muse min
tie, and then off he'd go into verse-nine
erses, nine lines TO the verse. 1t seemed as
asy to him as talking"
LOBBYING PROSPECTS.
The business of lobbying promises to pick
p little during the coming winter if the
,hemes now under consideration for grant,
1g steamship subsidies get before Congress.
obbying has not been a very profitable
.o1a ainro tho aVpoeura Of fha Star Da,&o |