The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1896-10-28

colt and others for 100000. Now it
is producing quantities of gold, aud
no one knows what it will bring in the
future.
l sat at q dinner in Browns Hotel,
in Denver, the other day, beside
horid.faced, long-beaded man from
Colorado Springs. We soon began to
talk of the mines of Cripple Creek.
The subject of the Isabella Company
came up, and asked him if he knew
anything Us to the Cripple Greek
mines owned by it.
EYES," said he, 'I should sayI do.
Their best mine, your know, is the
Buena Vista. It pays almost oil the
profits of the Isabella Company. Its
veins hes been traced for three thou.
sand feet, and it has already produced
more than S4O0, 900 worth of gold. I
had chance to buy half Of that mine
fer S100, and did not take it. A man
in ny employ discovered it. He was
one OF those fellows who are always
hard up, and one day he came to me
and told me that his family were out
of provisiono, and that he must have
money. he spoke of the Buena Vista
prospect and offered me half interest
in it for 500. I told him that would
give him the provisions, but I did not
want the mine. I said I did not be-
ieve there was any gold in the Cripple
Greek region. The result was that he
went away aud sold the interest to
other parties. Within two week those
parties sold their half interest for $780,
900, and a month later my man got
$4,000 for his share. The Isabella
mining stock st it's present selling
value is worth more than million. 1t
has paid 100000 within a month it
dividends, and I could have gotten
oae.half of it for Sl00. Oh, Lord! it
makes me sick when I think of it!"
The Independence gold mine is said
to be the richest in the world. Ithas,
it is said, from five to seven million
dollars worth OF gold in sight, and Its
owner, who was working at his trade
as carpenter five ytx's ago, would
not now sell it for Sl0,O00,000 cash.
And still the Independence has sew.
eral times been offered for sale and the
offer refused. This was in the first
days of it's history. One of Dave
Moffet's experts told me the other
night how near he came to buying it.
Said he:
'It was several years ego, before the
Cripple Creek region was much devel-
oped that came there from Leadville
to see whet ! could find for Mofat.
Eben Smith was with me, and we
bought the Victor mine for S65, 900,
and have, as you know, made about
q million out of it. Well, one day I
was walking about Stratton's mine,
when I saw miner whom I knew
shovelling out ore and rock. I asked
him whether the mine was worth any
thing. He said that he did not think
that it ives worth much, and that
Stratton would never get anything
out OF it. I wont into the building,
however, and Clipped of a bit OF the
ore and put it in ny pocket. That
night had it asssyed. 1t ran $500 to
tho ton. sounded Stratton and fornl
Iooud get the mine Tor SO, 0OJ cash
at en- option Of $751; I replied
that I could not make n Offer until L
ce,It1 20 through the mine and make
a number OF assays, and that while
the first ore might run good, that
which I got later might not be worth
mining. This was agreed to, and L
was Just about to wire Eben Smith
that we had better buy the mine, when
I got letter from him, saying that
the panic had struck Denver. He said
that everything was fat, and that Moi