The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-01-13
COLORED ARGONAUTS.
Charles Porter Groves Remarkable
Colony of Miners From Kentucky.
Anaconda Standard.

Charles Porter Grove, who styles him.
self the Montana millionaire mine
owner" is the most widely advertised
colored man in the far West. He sprang
into prominence not long ago al Licking
ton, KY, by marrying a wealthy colored
belle OF that city. The wedding was an
exceedingly swell affair, Notwithstanding
the Lexington papers pronounced Grove a
fraud and adventurer. Invitations to tue
wedding were sent to all the heightened
colored people of the town and more than
200 guests assem- bled at the marriage fete.
Indeed, Grove created such a sensation
that press dispatches contained an ex-
tended reference 10 him and his marriage.
kilograms were also sent to The principal
cities in Montana asking if Grove was
known in this State, and if he was what
he claimed to be. No one seemed to know
much about him, excepting that a cOlored
man by the name of Grove had been in
Helena several times during the past tie u
years and claimed to be interested In min
ing matters. Several of the State papers
contained references to the pseudo Mon
taua millionaire, but very few could place
the man.
1t has recently transpired that Charles
Porter Grove is we'll known at Raiders
burg, mining camp eight miles from
TostOn, in jefferson County, and also in
several other mining camps of the State,
but very few knew him by that name. He
was always called and signed himself
Charles POrtergrOye, running his middle
given name and surname together. He
owns two mines, or rather prospects, at
Radersburg, on what the miners of that
camp have christened Coon Ridge.
Some time ago Grove stocked these two
properties for $4,000. 900 and 100000 re-
spectivey. He then went to Kentucky,
like q prinPp and boH
the colOred population OF Lexington bow
ing and scraping at his feet and impor-
tuning him to sell them some of his mining
stock. The scheme worked to perfection.
He could not write out stock certificates
fast enough to supply the demand, and
soon found himself the possessor of more
money than he had ever hoped TO acquire.
The Coon Ridge mines may be all that
he claims for them, but If they should
prove to be worthless there will be fun
around RadeTsburg. Grove arrived at
that camp with his bride and a colony of
Kentucky colored men. The arrival of the
party created considerable excitement in
the camp and no little amount of sport.
The sixteen imported descendants of Ham
were attired in Prince lberts, creased
trousers. silk shirts with frilled bosoms,
silk tiles AID patent-leather shoes, while
each dude sported a gold watch and
slender, gUld-headed cane.
Each one. also. was possessed Of man.
moth Saratoga trunk filled full of fine
clothes. When asked what he intended
doing with the dude colored delegation,
Grove said the gentlemen had been sent
out by the purchasers of his mining stock
to work the mines on Coon Ridge. This
statement was greeted with a hearty burst
of laughter from the miners, and even
Grove himself had all he could do to keen
his face straight.
1t is reasonable to suppose that when
the Montana millionaire mine-owner gets
through bleeding his co.ored Kentucky
admirers they will have paid pretty dearly
for their wildcat mining experiences.