The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-01-20
MISSED BEING A MILLIONAIRE.
Pcnnsylvanla Nan Who Lives to Regret
Lost Goldcn Opportunity.

"A EonhoyivaIln Rdan Who Lives to Regret
| Lost Goldcn Opportunity.
General John A. Wiley, Of Franklin,
Pa, says the Nows of that place, rises
up now and then in the middle of the
/ night and kicks himself when he thinks
how near he once came to being mill
! fonairc. 1t was through no fault of his
| own that his plans miscarricd, but NIL
on account of u trusted party falling to
carry out instructions. 1t happened
about ten years ngo, on u trip with q
friend through the Southwest, when
the mining fever was Mt it's height.
They were ut Tucson, A. r.. where
prospectors were us thick us Democrats
in Texas, and had talked to some of
them who had tho best thing in tho
world" for sale. Finally . man put in
all appearance who said he was positive
that he had u big thing; that he had
two claims, sixty miles from there, in
which was rich deposit of copper that
would assay sevcnty-five dollars In sill
yer to the ton; that there was a hog
backed mountain on tho claims which
he had tapped in straight line in four
different places and struck copper each
time.
The mans talk Ind the true ring, but,
without money. lie had fine gold
watch and this he put up to guarantee
the expenses Of the two days journey
by wagon in case the property was not
what he claimed. They paid his
expenses at the hotol and the next
morning startod on the trip. Ar
irving there they found every thing to
be ms he had represented and arranged
to buy the two claims outright for the
sum Of SS,000 the General agreeing to
take quarter interest for himself.
They had travelling with them young
man in whom they had confidence, and
to him they intrustcd the details of tho
arrangement, rs they wished to proceed
home and had found means Of returning
to Tucson ut once. So the agreement
was drawn up, and the young man and
the prospcctor were to go to mbstone,
eighty miles in an opposite direction,
where the money had been deposited
subject to the young mans check, with
positive instructions for him to pay the
money and close the deal.
The General and his companion ar-
rived home, but three weeks having
passed by and the letter they longcd for
not having come, they tclcgraphed their
agent to ascertain the cause of his de-
lay in forwarding the papers. He mn
swered that he had sent letter. When
it came they learned from its contents
that he had not settled the matter, hav-
ing come to the conclusion that it was
best, in his judgment, not to purchase
the claims. And this, too, from a man
who had received positive instructions
to close the deal
Well, shortly nftcrward IN agent of
Flood and Maclscy came along, gave the
poor prospector cool 500, 900 and the
retention of a one-cighth interest for his
claims, ind entered into nm agreement
with the millionaire to work the minc
on a certain percentage. The company
was stocked for 9l2, coo, 600. So you SEQ
the Generals Onc-fourth interest would
have stood him s3,Ooo,oOo The Copper
Queen is still great mine, while it is
said that the ngcnt who took the con-
tract of working the same has pulled
out as high as 100000 in one month for
his percentage