The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-23
ROMANCE OF l|Ic MINES.
0YsTEnY Or THE NAN VINO DIS
CovERED CHEAT oRs FIELDs.
lie Pesase1 Ost the Great Wealth -
Missouri anA Kansas ana Then
DasaDDeaFeA-Even HIS xaas 10
Net Knswn-CnparaIleI stery.

n ~ ed, at Galena. Kan, an old
I'll q man. a college professor. name
N unknown. home unknown:
NIL missing twenty-five years. dis
coverer OF the richest zinc and
lead mines In the world. heir TO q vast
fortune. This ls the strange want ad"
OF certain wealthy pionee. mine owners Of
the Missourl-kansas lead and zinc mining
district: IL II, in brief. the story OF a man.
a stranger. who twenty-five years ago
came into Southeastern Kansas. and
through profound knowledge Of geology
and msneralogy OWNED natures hero
giyphtcs In rock and soil, ''ssaked or the
most fertile Had and zinc field yet discoy-
cred, designated the exact spots where lay
hidden sas, vaults OF mineral wealth. re-
veaied his secrets 10 one mainland then
departed.
During the years that have passed since
that stranger" stood where the little city
Of Galeaa, Kan. has since been built. ever
t5n,006o worth of lead and zinc orc has
been addict to the worlds mineral wealth
~ q result Of bis visit 20 Kansas He
paved the way whereby many men have
become rich. He caused an uninaabi,ed
country TO become the home of thousands
% prosperous people. but their prosperity
ne never shared--he disappeared and left
no sign"
The story Of this stranger Ia both aiiur-
ing and pathetic. and yet II II 20 faithful
TO facts that the Historical Society OF Kan
sas nss filed Il away among the important
records Of the state.
Col. w n. stone. who In the Oldest pio-
neer OF Gslens. and who In one OF the wild
est known and most successful lead and
zinc mine operators In the United States.
is the man 10 whom the ..disccverer OF
Gaiena" told his geological secrets
Col. Stone Sntates the following strange
story Of the discovery OF the Kansas lead
and zinc fislds--felds that during the last
six months have become the Mecca OF x.nc
miners IN every part Of the world
In April. 1871, !. In company with sew
erai marshals and deputy mArshais. came
from 81 Louis to Southeastern Kansas In
pursuit Of cattle thieves, who had foe some
man for whom I worked nj Kansas City.
During this trip our little party camped
for several days on the very ground where
Ca.ena has since been built. There was
then no. single house for more than
mile In any direction from our camp
Joplin. No, seven miles TO the east. was
the nearest town. II was then thriving
little lead camp. but a. yet no zinc had
been mined there.
''one day fwa outlaws were discovered
at Joplin. and the citizens Of that place i'm
mediately gave them an urgent invitation
20 quit the camp This Invitation was ac-
cepied without ceremony. the outlaws
turning their faces toward the west They
pnsscd directly over the present site %
Galena and beyond II short distance
they made II discovery OF surface lead
ores. Reports of this discovery soon be-
came notsed about Joplin. and people
nocksd To the new And In hundreds. Our
camp was within sight OF the mair cougre-
eating place Of the men as they daily game
over from the Missouri camp TO prospect.
The excitement constantly increased
until a thousand men. more rather than
less. assembled each day on the slope he
low our camp I myself became imbuei
with the spirit of things, and while the
marshais were away In pursuit OF the eat
Ito thieves. ] would often join the throng
or fortune hunters. II was during my Sec
ond trip down the slope that I arst saw
the man who has figured 50 much in my
destiny, as well as IN the destiuies OF
hundreds and thousands OF others inter.
ested in the Kansas lad and zinc fields
"our meeting happened In this way.
was sauntering along among the miners
giving little heed 10 anything in parsicu~
lar. and noting things only In general
Well. among the men | saw one strange
ead face. drowned by the sun. and yet at
teilsetuai In every iineamens~a face full
of Kindness and wonderfully sad could
scarcely look away from the man~-that
face. Hts hands were hardened and his
clothes were such as the miners wore His
hair Was dark and yet str~ake! with gray
believed hnn "a have been man who
had seen a, least nifty years OF life. and
just as much OF sorrow.
ION the day following I was axuIn min
Cling with tn. men~~rof now as gen.
erai observer with little interest in any
. fNs.k sssr -
weaving in and out among the men for
more than an hour. suddenly came face
20 face with the stranger again don't
know why locked for him: don't know
why he spoke to me when Wa met hut I
know that our meeting brought about tho
discovery 90 the richest xine mines in the
wurad
we sat aown together as IL hy com
mon consent. although neither Of us had
ssii az yet mere than woca morning
Fer a moment neither spoke. Then ne In
uuirwt ~ I WAS a detective. l repiirl fhat
] was nes, but that ! was simply passing
through the cooalry on nay way 10 Tho
Indian Territory. I asked him his name
hns he pretended not 20 hear ne I asked
him where he lived. ana be locked away
and hogan taking of the prospects, ~
findsng ore where the rnsu were working
! was mere than ever Interested 10 kntx
fsstHssHtftk ~ tae rfF8GAer WIN NNnn I
had met. ART J made repeated astsnpss
tn ascertain his name or ressasrsce--sail
sstn The sasaae nnfraitful result.
when ne spoke az she geological fary,,s.
tisa 81 the place wasre the greater part
90 ire work wAs hesng done reatsxes4 In
\ moment thar he wss a IRAN ~ high cuf.
sere. TITS language ass pure and esauti-
suf- He seemed moreover. 20 be a pro-
found scholar, ssFessaiiv along che line os
geology. He aia rot try q, h~wglfer me
WITH tong ges30gtesl terms. ts. talkea So
s,urie atsset everything ani yet - learn
essly that almost sAncle,i thai he WAS
boxing sB'e th@ very gTeaTsss as ~ sg2ssr
Az ws sat thern talking great crowd
satssrVd about Us. and wo c<>s,sss the
observed 81 al Observers TIE stranger
tfsr such have aiwavs cats*ss attn. At
though he proves - ~ a sanss heasactat
fffers 10 nsae sats shst tAe recfsse ta,,s
Va fer v}ch Tstasas rscgnatcr< he *,
pressed tie csstasen taas fhev aers sslgss s,gr
IN Tire ws@Arg place 70 fssss3 mineral ne
seemed e.sry positive ls5 Ass Sf4ws IA
yeu know satf ~. TAst taEs coss-srY has
4. regular geological formation ama that
rocks aa4 mineral sFw IN nface Ssrs tsss
ss much az they are IN tie Ernat rarnns
ef the fesesy ascaas&lnss Hvsa ghessxA
mineral has bern fgsssnA Asse syasv " ask