The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-02-18
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RAFTING n MN

sALTING A NINE.
One evening when '.the crowd" were
holding their usual evening seance around
the stove in Barkeris store, Old Shines
took up the subject Of salted mines, that
~ had been discussing, and related the
following experience from his customary
perch on the end of the counter: ut
was long after the Black Hills had been
settled that young fellow came to Leeds
from the east looking for . good gold
property. He didn't want poor one, no
more than any one else does, although
they were plenty and cheap. He soon
made 1t known that he was an expert
had just graduated from HeidleburR,
Freibur9 and lot more burgs and had
lots Of money to buy mines with, and be-
sides all this be was An assayer, he was,
and that it was no use for anyone to try
and fool him on . mine. Well this was
just the kind of a picnic that western tai
ent was looking for, something that would
polish oxidized brains up in making
brilliant coup. He rented one-story
shack and set up his assay outfit, saying
that when he examined a property he
would take his own samples and do his
own assaying."
"For some time all the tin horns in
camp run after him and trotted him over
hill after hill to look at their worthless
prospects; but it was no ao-none of their
brilliant schemes worked"
"About this time Slippery Jim (as We
called him) and his partners took it into
their heads to do the assessment work on
. big barren ledge they had located and
from which they had never been able to
get color. They worked about week
on it and then began to show some Of the
boys in a confidential way what big pros
poets they we're getting out of their ledge
and why it prospected better than the
Homestake did but they never went near
the young expert from Freiburg. Every
night when they came down from the
mine they would show splendid prospects
in free gold and tell how fine the prop
erty is showing up. In few days all the
boys they had told confdentially about
their mine had spread the news, and
Leeds and Deadwood were pretty we'll
worked up about the new discovery, and
everybody said, Just give the camp time
and it would beat the world for gold
Of course all the talk got to the expert,
and what was more natural than that he
should hunt Jim up and over their drinks
ask him all about the mine? How wide
was the vein9 Twenty feet between we'll
defined walls. How much would it as
say2 Neverhad it assayed; didn't need
to when it prospected in the pan the way
it it did. What would he sell it fort
Didn't care to sell; wanted to develop it
more so it would bring a big price.
Could he 60 and see itl Yes, certainly;
would be glad to have a real mining man
look at it."
"Well, the expert went and looked at
It $50 did 1, and it was really fine show
ing), and he sampled it for assaying.
His first assays went $500 ton in gold,
and Jim meeting him, asked him carless
like, how much it went7 Six dollars
ton be said. Then he went and sampled
# again; this time he got 5000 4 ton and
he told Jim it went nine dollars q ton.
This was kept up for some days, getting
big assays every time and telling Jim it
was only few dollars ton, til at last
he got an assay Of 81 900 ton and then
he was wild. He went up to the mine
and asked Jim how much be would take
for the property. After some parleying
they agreed on sec, 900, cash down, giving
him just time enough to send east to his
father (who was rich old cussl for the
money. He was dead sure he was right
on that mine for he had taken every pre-
caution-sampled it himself, did lis own
assaying, for The was an assayer, he was,
and kept his office locked and admitted
no one while at work. In due time
the drafts came to the bank at Deadwood
while the deed was in escrow in the bank
at Leeds, so they goes to the bank at
Leeds where he gave his check for the
drafts and takes the deed and goes to his
Office. Here he was met by a man who
asked him ifhe had bought that property
'Yes,' he replied. Well says the fellow,
Il give you fair notice that own that
ground and Slippery Jim has sold you
something he don't own At this the *.
pert got scared and got horse and rode
dovn to Deadwood and stopped payment
On his check and then went to consult .
lawyer, who, after hearing all be had to
tell of his purchase, said to him: We
can soon determine if the title is good or
not; but nv impression is that mine has