The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-08-17

boys, we've been little too 'high and
mighty and we'll hev to climb down."
AT last the excitement reached its
climax, and diplomacy was employed to
effect what neither intimidation nor es-
pionsge could secure. Under the pre-
tence of desiring to buy out See Yup's
company, a select committee of the
miners were permitted to examine the
property and its workings. They found
the great bank of stones and gravel,
representing the cast-out debris of the
old claim, occupied by See Yup and
four or five plodding automatic coolies.
At the end of two hours the committee
excitement. They spoke under their
breath, but enough was gathered to
satisfy the curious crowd that See Yup's
pile of tailings was rich beyond their
expectations. The committee had seen
with their own eyes gold taken out of
the sand and gravel to the amount of
800 in the two short hours of their ex-
animation, and the work had been per-
formed in the stupidest, clumsiest, yet
patient Chinese way, What might not
white men do with better appointed
machinery A syndicate was at once
formed. See Yup was offered $4,000
if he would sell out and put tn syndi-
cate in possession of the claim in
twenty-four hours. The Chinaman re-
ceived the offer stolidly. AS he seemed
inclined to hesitate, am grieved to
say that it was intimated TO him that If
he declined he might be subject to en-
barrassing and expensive legal prose-
cutions to prove his property, and that
companies would be formed to "pros-
pect" the ground on either side of his
heap of tailings. See Yup at last con-
sented, with the proviso that the money
should be paid in gold into the hands
of Chinese agent in San Francisco on
the day of the delivery of the claim.
The syndicate made no opposition to
this characteristic precaution OF the
Chinaman. 1t was like them not to
travel with money, and the implied un-
mplimentary suspicion of danger
from the community was overlooked.
See Yup departed the day that the
syndicate took possession. He came to
see me before he went. l congratu-
lated him upon his good fortune. AT
the same time, was embarrassed by
the conviction that he was unfairly
forced into a sale of his property at a
figure far below its real value.
l think differently now.
At the end of the week it was said
that the new company cleared up about
| $500. This was not as much as the
community had expected, but the syn
dictate was apparently satisfied, and the
new machinery was put up. At the
end of the next week the syndicate was
silent as to their returns. One of them
made hurried visit to San Francisco.
1t was said that he was unable to see
either See Yup or the agent to whom
the money was paid. 1t was also no.
ticed that there was no Chinaman re-
naming in the settlement. Then the
fatal secret was out.
The heap of tailings had probably
never yielded the See Yup company
more than 500 week, the ordinary
wages of such company. See Yup
had conceived the brilliant idea of
"booming" it on borrowed capital of
$500 in gold dust, which he had openly
transmitted by express to his confeder-
ate and creditor in San Francisco, who,
in turn, secretly sent it back to See
Yup by Coolie messengers, to be again
openly transmitted to San Francisco.
The package of gold dust was thus
passed backward and forward between
debtor and creditor, to the grave edit
cation of the express company and the
fatal curiosity of the settlement. When
the syndicate had gorged the bait thus
thrown out, See Yup, on the day the
self-invited committee inspected the
claim, promptly "sslted" the tailings by
conscientiously distributing the gold
dust over il so deftly that it appeared
to be it's natural composition and yield
have only to bid farewell to See
Yup and close this "reminiscences of 6
misunderstood man, by adding the
opinion of an eminent jurist in San
Francisco, to whom the facts were sub
mitted: $50 clever was this alleged
fraud that it is extremely doubtful if ar
action would lie against See Yup in the
premises, there being no legal evil
dence of the sailing and none what
ever of his actual allegation that the
gold dust was the ordinary yield of the
tailings, that implication resting en-
tirely with the committee who exam
ined it under false pretence, and subse
quently forced the sale by intimidation