The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-07-09
WEALTH AWAITS THIS MAN.
ROMANCE OF THE FOUNDING OF
GaLENd, KAN.

| The Mysterious Man who Discovered tn
| Vast Zinc Deposits There and Sold Hi
| Secret for p5-Present Mine Owners vii
| ling to Share Their Fortunes with Him
| GALENA. Kan. July 5.-"Wanted. at Galena
| Kan, ap old man. n college professor. name
| unknown. home unknown. missing twenty
| two years. discoveret OF the richest zinc anG
lead mines in the world. heir to IL vast fer.
| tune" This is the strange want I'D" Of GER
| tain wealthy pioneer mine owners OF the Mis-
| souri, Kansas lend and zinc mining district: II
Is. In brief. the story OF a man. n stranger. who
twenty-five years ago came into southeastern
Kansas and through a profound knowledge OF
geology and mineraloRy OWNED natures HERO
Ryphics in rock and soil ''staked orr the most
fertile lead and zinc field yet discovered. desig-
nated the exact spots where lay hidden vast
vaults OF mineral wealth. revealed his secrets
to one man-and then departed.
During the years that have passed since that
stranger" stood where the; little city. OF. Ga
lena. Kan. has since been built. over $50. 0O0.-
600 worth of lead and zinc ore has been added
to tho worlds mineral wealth as a result OF his
visit to Kansas. lie paved the way where by
many men have become rich. He caused an
uninhabltod country to become thu home OF
thousands of prosperous people. but their
prosperity he never shared-he disappeared
and left no sign"
The story OF this strange. Ia both aurng
and pathetic. and yet 1t is 40 faithful to facts
that the Historical Society OF Kansas has filed
1t among the important records OF the State
Col. W. II. Stone. the oldest pioneer OF Ga.
lena, and one OF tho widest known and most
successful lead and zinc mine operators in the
United States. Is the man to whom the dis
coverer OF Gnena" told his geological secrets.
Col. Stone relates the following strange ptory
OF the discovery OF tho Kansas lead and zinc
nelds-nelds that during the last six months
have become the Mecca OF zinc miners in every
part OF the world:
I'm April. 1877. !. In company with several
marshals and deputy marshals came from st.
Louis to southeastern Kansas III pursuit OF
cattle thieves who Ind for some time been
stealing cattle belonging to the man for whom
I worked at Kansas City. During this trip our
little party camped Tor several days on the very
ground where Galena has since been built
There was then not n single h )use for more
than a mile in any direction from our camp
Joplin. Mo-. seven miles to the east. was the
nearest town. 1t was then thriving little lead
camp. but as vet no zinc had been mined there.
Ono day two outlaws were discovered a.
Joplin. and the citizens OF that place imme-
diately gave them an urgent invitation to quit
camp This invitation was accepted without
ceremony. the outlaws turning their faces
toward the west They passed directly over
the present site OF Galena. and beyond It
short distance they made discovery of sur
face lead ore. Reports Of this discovery soon
became noised about Jorlin and people flocked
to the new find in hundreds. Our camp was
within sight OF the main congregatinG place
OF the men as they. daily came over from the
Missouri camp to prospect
The excite ncnt constantly increased. until
a thousand men. more rather than less. as
semhlsd each day on the slope below our camp.
myself became imbued with the spirit OF
things. and while the marshals were away in
pursuit Of the cattle thieves ] would often join
the thronG Of fortune hunters II was during
my second trip down the slope that I first saw
the man who has figured 80 much in my des-
tiny, rs we'll as in the .destinies Of hundreds
and thousands OF others Interested In the Kan
sas lead and zinc fields.
Our meeting happened in this way: I was
sauntering along among the miners. giving
little heed to anything in particular. and not
ing things only in general. Having Just como
from citv. my clothes were veYy d different from
those OF the men about me. In fact. was the
best dressed man in all the crowd. Ihen
too. ! was not tanned and calloused by out
door exposure. and my appearance was quite
different from that OF the miners. As result
Of this difference. was noticed. PERHAPS. more
than any other man in the crowd.
We'll. among tho men saw one strange.
sad face. Drowned by the sun. and yet intel.
ectua in every lineament-a face full OF kind.
moss and wonderfully sad. 1t was the most at
tractve face that | had ever seen. and dare
say that even the most rnintellectual man In
all that throng Of neople must instinctively
have said. at first sight OF 1t, Here is n WON
deriu character
Il could scarcely look away from the man
that face. He. too. seemed to look much at
me. although doubtless from widely differ
ent reasons from those attracting me toward
him. His hands were hardened. and his
clothes were such as the miners WORE His
hair was dark. and yet streaked with gray |
believed him to have been man who had
seen at least fifty years OF life and Just MS much
OF sorrow.
I'VE did not speak-we simply looked at each
other
'On the dav following was again mineling
with the men-not now as a general observer
with little interest in anythlng-I wac looking
for a face. After weaving in and out among
the men for more than an hour l suddenly
came face to face with the 'stPan ger again. /
ion't know why looked for him: don't know
WHY he spoke to me when we met. but do
know that our meeting brought about the dis
covery OF the richest zinc mines in the world
1t caused to be written one OF the most inter-
esting and important chapters In the history
OF the great West.
I'VE sat down together, as II by common
consent. although neither OF us had said as yet
moro than good morning For a moment
neither spoke. Then he inquired II | was a
detective. ] replied that was not. that
was simply passing through the country on
my way to Indian Territory. / asked him his
name. but ne pretended not to henr me.
asked him where ne lived. and he looked away
and began talking OF the prospects OF finding
ore whore the men were working. was more
than ever Interested to know something OF the
stranger with whom had met. and l made re-
peated attempts to ascertain his name or resi-
dence all with tho same unfruitiul result
When he smoke OF the geological forrna.
ton OF tho place. where the greater mart OF the
work was being done. l realized In q moment
that he was a man Of high culture; His Ian
guaGe was pure and beautiful He seemed.
moreover, 70 be a profound scholar. especially
along the line OF geology. He did not try to
DNWiller with long geological termB. but