Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-07-15
hu OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

l'Au WlHNN IN the Wuflus NNlF 70 a vast
fortune. This Is the strange want ad"
Of certain wealthy pioneer mine owners
OF the Missouri Kansas lead and zinc
mining district Il ia in brief. the story
Of man. "a stranger who twenty-five
years ago. came into Southeastern Kan
cas-, ana through q profound knowledge
Of geology and mlncroioRy OWNED ma
lures hleroglyphios la rock and SOIL.
''atakod on the most fertile lead and
sine Held yet discovered. designated the
exact spots whore LAP hidden vast
vaults of mineral wealth. revealed bis
secrets Co one mun-nud then departed.
Durng the years that have passed
sine that stranger stood whore the
little city OF Gulrun. Kan. has since
been built. over $1,000 900 worth of lend
and zinc ore has been added 90 the
worlds mineral wealth as a result of
his visit 60 Kansas. lie paved the way
whereby many men have become rich.
ltO caused an uuinhHhitod country TO
become the home OF Thousands of uruH-
porous people. but their prosperity be-
never ahnrcd-hc disappeared and let
no sign"
The story of this stranger ~ both al
lurlng ana pathetic and yet 10 is 40
faithful 10 facts that the Historical Sp-
clcty of Kansas has filed u away
among the Important records % the
State.
Col. W. y. Stone. who 81 the oldest
rlnneer OF tulruu, ana Who On one ut
widest known and most successful Iced
and zinc mine operators in the United
states, if the man 90 whom the dis
covcrcr Of unlcna" told his geological
secrets.
col Stone relates the following
strange story Of the discovery on the
/. load .HIHNaNH HNHWN
during the lnHt aig months have be-
come the Mecca of zinc minors in every
part % the world;
In April isi1. I. IN company with
several mniahnla aud deputy marahula.
came from ~. Louis 90 Southeastern
knnHna Ia pursuit ~ cattle thieves. Who
had FOR some timc been stealing cattle
belonging 90 the man Tor whom I work.
ed nt kansas City. During this trip
out little party clmped Tor several
days on the very ground whore Ca
lena has since been built There was
then not "a single rouac Tor more than
d mile in any direction from our camp.
! Joplin. Mo- sovcn miles 90 the east.
was the nearest town. II was then "a
| thriving little lead camp. but as yet
no zinc had been mined there.
zone day two outlaws were discover
ID at Joplin. and the citizens Of that
place Immediately gave thcm an urgent
| Invitation 10 quit the camp This In
yltntlun WIS accepted without core
muny the outlaws turning their faces
toward the west. They passed directly
over the present site of Ghionn. and be-
yond % a short distance they made "a
| discovery of surface lead orc Reports
of this discovery soon became nolscd
about Joplin. ana people Hooked TO the
now ind ln hundreds our camp WIS
within sight NJ the main conrrrgnung
| place Of the mon nH they daily came
over from the Missouri camp 10 pros
poet.
"The excitement constantly In
| creased, until "a thousnu. men, more
| rather than less. assembled each day on
the slope below our camp. | myself be-
came lmhucd with the spirit OF things
and while the murHhala were away In
pursuit Of the cattle thieves would Of
ton Join the thrung of fortune hunters
| II was during my second trip down
the slope that first saw the man who
has figured No much In my destiny as
| well aH In tho dcHtiniea OF hundreds
and thousands ~ others Interested in
the Kansas lead and zinc fields.
"Our meeting happened In this way:
| / was hnunteflng along among the min
erH, giving little heed o. anything In
| particular, and noting things only In
general, Well. among the men ! saw
one strange. sad face. Drowned by the
| sun, ana yet intellectual Ia every
liucamOnt-u face fun OF kindness and
! wonderfully sad, could scarcely
looi, away from the mun-thnt face.
| hlH hands were hardened ana his
! clothes were such as the miners wore
| Ills hair WAS dark and yet HtruakDi
/ with gray I believed him 10 have been
man who had seen ut least nfty
years Of life and Just as much Of hor-
"On the day following I was again
| mluHlng with tho mUn-not now as a
general observer with little interest In
nnythIng--t was looking Tor face. AZ
| Ter weaving M ana out among the men
for more than an hour. / suddenly
! came face 90 face with the stranger
again. 1 don't know why / looked at
HIM ! don't know why he spoke 10 mo
! when we met, but I do know that our
| meeting brought about the discovery OF
the richest ainc mines In the world
We Hnt down together, nH " by COM
mon consent although neither OF us
had said ms yet more than good morn
| ing For moment neither spoke.
Then he inquired II | was % detective,
| | replied that I was not. but that
was simply passing through the coun-
Try ON my way to the Indian Territory.
| asked him his name but he pretend
ed not 90 hear me. / asked him where
he lived, nnd he looked away and began
talking uf the prospects, ~ finding ore
wheru the men were working, / was
| more than ever Interested TO know
Homothing on tho stranger with whom
1 had mot. ana ! made repeated at
tempts Co ascertain his name on resi-
dOncc-all with tho Same unfruluul re-
suit
when ho spoke OF the geological
formation OF the place whore the great
or part OF the work was brlus done I
! realized In moment that De, wua "a
man OF hlgh culture. HIS language
| was pure and beautiful. Hp seemed.
moreover. 60 be q profound scholar. vH-
| neclally ulong the line of geology. He
| ana NOT try Co. bowiidpr mc with long
sociological terms, but talked Ho simple
about rtcrythins und yet no lgaruodly
that ! almost iucled that he was look
Ing into the very ground uH he spoke.
As We snt there tnlsing great crowd
| gathered about uI, and We became tho
observed or al observers The atrnug-
go Otur such / have always Oulyd MIN,
| although he proved Co Dee "a most heUr-
nclHl friend Go MOI said that the people
took ua for rich mining promoters. nr
| expressed tho opinion that they were
iigEiug Boo thp wrong place 10 md
mineral lie seemed very positive In
hia Views. DO you know said No. that
this country hl7 % regular geological
formation, and that rocks and mineral
ute iu place here Just ma much ng
th0y arc boz the great camps OF tho
Rocky MOuntHlu19 Even though MIN
cral has been found here only 100 pockets
fhefr 10 one Law governing all the de-
poslts. and things have not occurred
here hl chHuce us most people aup-
pose
1--WE separated after talking Tor per-
] luUa fMu hour ON tho fnIIUVIuu ',Iu a.