Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1892-03-05
NEARLY A MILLION FOR NOTHING.

Luck of a Man Who Located Mine Claims
to Please an Importunate Friend.
J. A. Deneen, of this city, will have
his available assets increased nearly
1000, 900 by the sale Of six mining
claims in Wyoming, which he here
tofore regarded as valueless. They
are located IN the Wood River min
ing district, Fremont county, Wy,
and were taken up by Deneen and
Billy Thompson, an old time pros
pector, in the spring of 1885. About
that time Deneen was superintend-
ent of large cattle ranch in Wyo-
ming, the property of Harry Gel
richs, brother of Herman Oelrichs.
AS Deneen now tells the story, he
located the claims as a mere clark, !"
and never expected to realize any
thing from them.
Deneen says that Billy Thompson
was frequent visitor at his ranch
house, and was continually signing
about the wealth that was hidden be-
meath the surface in the Wood river
mining district, about 300 miles north
of Oelrichs' ranch. Thompson be-
moaned his fate that he had no one
to stake him so that he could strike a
mine.
One day, partly from commisera-
ton for Thompson, Deneen in
formed him that he would not only
grub stake him, but would accom-
pany him on prospecting tour Old
Thompson would not accept The
proposition unless Deneen would
agree to accept one-half the proceeds
of the expedition. They set off to-
gether and were gone for several
months, during which time the twain
located about a dozen promising
claims. The expense of holding
them all was something more than
Deneen had bargained for, so he re-
leased those that gave The least prom
Use and retained six of the claims
Thompson, WITH the eye of an ex-
perienced prospe@tor, declared that
thar was a furtun in them claims. :"
Deneen, however, on several occa-
sions, was on the eve of releasing his
claim to the locations, but he had a
superstitious feeling about letting
them go. On several occasions De
neen has been offered $4,000 for his
mines, but he did not think that was
sufficient inducement for him to
part with them, although he admits
that if the offer had been doubled he
would have gleefully accepted it.
The claims are rich in copper, silver
and gold bearing ore, but, as the dis
trict has not as yet been developed to
any great extent, to properly work
the mines would require the invest
ment of large capital.
Recently, however, W. S. Healthy,
the agent for an English syndicate,
has been investigating the Wood
river district, with the result that he
was greatly impressed by the rich
ness of the claims in which Deneen
is a part owner. He made an offer
of $50, 900 for the property. This lib
eral tender somewhat opened the
eyes of John Corbett, the postmaster
at Lander, the county seat of Ere
mont county, who is acting as De-
mems agent in the matter Corbett
considered that the mines were worth
more, and by his able bartering the
English syndicate, known as the Lon
don Stock and Mining corporation,
has bonded the claims for 81 ,920, 900.
Thirty thousand dollars has been
paid to Corbett to bind the bargain.
As Deneen owns one-half interest
in the claims his share will amount
to nearly $500, 000.-San Francisco
Chronicle