Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1899-08-31

W college "iI:s In proiessor' Hsu %a"' nsme e
unknown, homo un-
h923n, missing twenty-five years, dis !
clytfcr OF The ricl est zine. md lead
aae4 in the world, heir to a vast for.
ina. This IS the strange "want
49, q certain wealthy pioneer rhine
owners Of the Missouri Kansas, lead
aai Inc mining district; it is, in
alel tie siory Of q man, stranger.
Wiz twenty two years ago came into
':iAeasCern Kansas. aud through a
pI'o,nl knowledge OF geology and
alnet>'o.y OWNED natures hero
l.f'b.os IN rock and soil, 'sstaked
ai IL" most fertile lead and zinc field
y discovered, designated the exact
pota where lay hidden vast vaults of
mnrAi wealth, revealed his secrets
to"lc nan-and then departed
During tho years that have passed
'-'n"a that stranger" stood where the
little city Of Galcna, Kan, has since
beca ballt, over $50, 900, 000 worth of
IeuI onI zllc ore has been added to
tae worlds mineral wealth as a result
~ 49, - 80 W lIC DINcu the
7 whereby many men have become
.ish. lie caused an uninhabited coun-
- to become the home Of thousands
-af prosperous people, but their pros
n"tlty he never shared-he "disap-
petrrl and left no si9n."
Iae story Of this stranger is both
ei,lJlng and pathetic, and yet it is so
faithful to facts that the Historical
y clety OF Kansas has filed it among
t4o important records of the State
Colonel ". H. Stone, the oldest
pioneer OF Galena, aud one of the
vid"sS known and most successful
lea and zinc miIe operators in tho
nted States. is the man to whom
.a2 'discoycrer of Galena" told his
Geological secrets
Colonel Stone relates the following
@sfange story Ct Tho discovery Of the
t.@nsas lead and ziac felds-aclds
tAat during The last six months have
heconc tho Mecca of zinc miners in
every part OF the woyid:
IN April, 1877, j, in company with
aarorAi maysha's and deputy marshals
same from st. Louis to southeastern
'NAnsas N pursuit of cattle thieves
WA) had for aomc time been stealing
cattle belong to the man for whom I
worked III Kansas City. During this
rip our little party campel for several
d4y5 on tho Very ground where Galena
ha since been built. There was then
'tat Il single house for more than q
EsiIc IN auy direction from our camp.
Joplin, Mo, seven miles t. the east, =,
&sa the nearest town. 1t was then q
'hlyius little lead camp, but rs yet
10 @,nc had been mined there
One day two outlaws were dis
covered at Joplin, and the citizens Of
that place immediately gave them an
argent invitation to quit camp This
layita;ioA WAS accepted without ce-e-
JA ~, the oauaws turning their faces
toward the west. They passed di-
lertIy over the present site Of Galena,
g. beyond it short distance they
A.a Is 4 discovery of surface lead ore.
nort, Of tins discovery soon became
,a t&AoutJoplin, and people hocked ID
~ tn now tind in hundreds. Our
r."p wac within sight of the main
'als1esaiing place OF the men as they
G3.,y came over from the Missouri
camp 10 prospect.
"Ihc excitement constantly IN
e. a-ej. until thousand men. more
IS lar than less. assembled each day
8 ne slope below our camp. I my
re-. became i1.bcea with the spirit of
tsngs, and while the marshas were
,ay II pars,i.t Of the cattle thieves |
would often Join the throng of for
itne hunters. 1t was during my second
iilt down the slope that | first saw
t}c man who has figured so much in
ny destiny. as well as in the destinies
=. hundreds and thousands of others
interested IN the Kansas lead and zinc
Ae.is
Our meeting happened in this
way. | was saunterlnG along among
'Ie miners, giving little heed to any
iaFag IN particular, and noting things
onlv in general Having just come
rom city, my clothes were very diff
!crent from those of the men about
me. In fact, l was the best-dress led
Eaan in all the crowd Then, too.
vas not tanned and calloused by out
door exposure, and my appearance wa:
cutie different from that of the miners
As a result of this difference, / wa:
noticed, perhaps, more than any Other
man in the crowd.
We'll, among the men l saw on'
strange, sal face, Drowned by th'
sun, and yet intellectual in every
llneament- face full Of kindness ant
wonderfully sad. 1t was the mos
attractive face that | had ever seen
and | dare say that even the most un
intellectual man in all that throng O
people must instinctively have said