Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-05-08

twenty minutes after receiving it he left
the bank, evidently to keep an appoint
ment. He had hardly gone when Jones
came out to me and began to discuss busl-
ness matters. This had never happened
before, and was regarding him with sur
prise and establishment when he observed:
'If we could pick up a silver mine known
by insiders to be worth million dollars,
and get it for about $4,000, it might be
good investment, eh?"
mumbled something in reply, and he
took three or four turns across the room
and disappeared into his private office. At
l o'clock Smith came in. He had forgot
ten his usual dignity of entrance, and he
was so absent minded that he hung up his
coat on the wrong hook He fidgeted and
then observed:
81 have had an offer of mining property
which promises great things Did you ever
hear of the Queen Anne mine of Neyada?"
I replied that | never had, and after sit
ting in deep study for a while he also re-
tired. He had evidently been to see Mrs.
Temple also. Mrs. Temple then was a
woman who had a silver mine to dispose
of. Of all men in the world whom should
have. hesitated to approach were the three
to succeed with them woman would be
the very last. I couldn't make it out. It
seemed to me that the natural order of
things had been reversed.
Before the week was out Jones escorted
Mrs. Temple to the theater, Brown had
taken her out for drive, and there were
well founded rumors that Smith had sent
her a bouquet. 1 then set to work to find
who Mrs. Temple was. No one could give
me any information beyond the fact that
she was the widow of a Nevada mine own
er, and that she had come east for the pur-
pose of disposing of some mining property.
She had charts and maps and diagrams of
lands and mines, and seemed to be well
posted as to the business on hand. 1t was,
however, the general impression that she
was sharper or adventures, with man
behind her somewhere, and it was further
told me that Brown, Smith and Jones, in
diyidually and collectively, were infatu-
ated with her.
always wondered why she did not at
tempt to secure my assistance in her prof.
ect, but she probably either mistrusted
that | suspected her, or she thought she
could work her cards without my assist
ance. While each of the three partners
knew that each of the others had been APP
preached on the same subject-that of
buying the mine-neither of them knew
that the other had been done for by her
fascinating ways. I have the strongest
grounds for stating three separate and dis
tinct beliefs:
First-That Jones expected to marry her.
! Second-That Brown expected to marry
her.
Third-That Smith had become SO in
| fatuated that he would have run away
with her, leaving wife, business and all.
Well, Che proposition to buy her silver
mine came up at the business meeting one
morning. There was nothing in the looks
or words of either party to lead one to mis-
| trust that he had ever met her or talked it
over before 1t would have been proper to
send some expert out to the mine to inves-
tigate and report, but she had given them
the names of parties to write to, and it
was agreed that if reports were favorable
the deal should be closed. I now for the
first time learned of the location of the
mine. had not only been Oh the site and
knew the mine to be worthless, but had
friends there who would attest the fact
| Under directions of the firm I wrote to the
address given by Mrs Temple. Acting on
my own judgment, I also wrote to disin-
terested parties,
| While waiting for answers to these let
ters Brown suddenly asked the other two
members of the firm to congratulate him,
as he had decided to get married. They
had hardly done so when Jones announced
that he had also decided on the same step.
Smith couldn't follow suit, having a wife
already, but he flushed up and looked con-
fused, and seemed about to declare that he
10 ole 70,
stopped short.
Ten days had elapsed, and answers to my
letters were expected every day, when I
was sent to town hundred miles away
on business which detained me two days.
Returning at 10 o'clock on the morning of
the Sd, I caught sight of Mrs. Temple
entering the Second National bank,
where our surplus was on deposit,
and on which checks of over $1,000 were
drawn. 1t struck me that the letters
written in the name of the firm had ar
rived, and the deal had been closed during
my absence. l followed her in, and my
fears were realized. Indeed Jones came in
after her to identify her. 1t was make or
break, and as she presented the check !
said to jones'
'sLet her wait until can run over to our
bank and return. Mr.. Haspeth Ito the
teller), please delay payment until a tri-
fling irregularity can be arranged"
Jones called to me and ran after me, but
1 did not stop or answer. On arriving at
our bank | found three letters addressed
to me from parties in Nevada. took time
to read only four or five lines of each, and
then, calling on Smith and Brown to fol
low, FASTENED to the other bank. We had
lively row, can assure you. The letters
addressed to the bank made the mine out
to be big thing, but those frommy friends
stamped &as fraud. 1t was finally agreed
that the check should be returned until
further investigation could pc made, and
that afternoon the adventures skipped, to
be heard of no more.
l do not know how the partners settled it
among themselves, but l know they had a
private meeting, lasting over two hours,
| Perhaps each one Of them candidiy admit
ted that he had made an ass of himself,
and promised better things in future. All
know is that when the meeting broke up
affairs in the bank of Brown, Smith &
Jones resumed their CID time routine, and
the only alfpsiafl 60 this aftair was made by
Jones, who said, "Mr. Whitbeck, l am in
structed to inform you that your industry
md attention TO bls3ptsa haa .:ot escaped
>ur observation, and your salary for the
ext fiscal year viii be s., 200. New York
IN.