The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-09-03


Yellowstone Park" and the colonel adj
yanced the necessary amount. In tim,
the prospectors returned 50 of Tho
loan, and gave the colonel one OF the
claims for the balance. but more fol
his kindness to them. for they reckonet
IL 4 bully good prospect. Because they
considered 1t the best claim in the
camp they called it lie ioi. Subse
quently the colonel sold this king
that had cost him $3.50 for $4,000.
The new Corners of lie Roi stocked
the claim and for the following tive
or three years when man owed q
debt that he was unwilling to pay he
paid ii in LIE Roi stock If he felt
like backing doubtful horse he put III
handful of mining stock to punish
the winner. There is in the history OF
this interesting mine a story Of man
swapping lot of lie Roi stock for a
burro The former owner of the don
key took the stock and the man it
came from into court declaring tnat
the paper was worthless and that he mad
been buneoed. As late as 1894 man
who ran restaurant offered 4OOO0
shares of lie Roi stock for four barrels
of Canadian whisky. but the whisky
man would not trade that way.
In the meantime, however. men We're
working in the mine and now they be-
gan to Ship ore. 1t was worth 81
a ton and the stock became valuable
Scattered over the northwest We're
SOC. 900 shares that were worth aouo,-
900. Nearly all the men who had put
money into the enterprise We're an
KEGS mining men from Spokane, Just
over the border These men began now
Al. ola haf
could be found and in a little while
eight-te4lths of the shares Were held
by men living south of the line. AT
Narthport. in Washington. they built
one of the finest Smelters in the north
west. hauled their ore over there and
smplted it. The ore was rich in gold
and copper. They put In a 300-horse
power hoiSting engine and 40-drill air
composer. the largest in Canada. TAX
ing all the money for these Improve
menfs out IF the mine. The thing was
4 success. and news Of it ran down TO
Chicago. A party of men with money
started Tor the new gold fields. but
as they were buying tickets three men
rushed in and took tickers Tor Seattle.
These were mining men, and those who
had bought only to British Columbia
casiaed ia. asked for transportation TO
the coast and followed the crowd 10 the
klondike.
In that way lie Roi for the moment
was forgotten.
The lieutenant governor OF the north
west territories, who had been a Journ-
alist and had 4 nose for news, heard
of the new camp All the while men
were rushing 10 the klondike for it Is
the nature Of man TO 60 from home for
a thing that he might secure under his
own vine.
The governor visited the new camp.
A man named Ross Thompson had
staked out a town at the foot of lie
Roi dump and called it Rossiand The
governor put men to work, quietly.
in the mine and then went back to his
plank palace at Regina, capital of the
northwest territories-to 4 capital that
looked for the world like Kansas
frontier town that had just ceased to
be the county seat. Here for months
he waited. watching the Imperial limit
ed cross the prairie, receiving delega-
tons of half-breeds and an occasional
report from one of the common miners
in LIE Roi If a capitalist came seek
ing a soft place to invest the governor
pointed to the west-bound limited and
whispered in the strangers ear. To all
letters of inquiry coming from Ottawa
or England, letters from men who
wanted to be told where to dig for gold
he answered. sKlondike.y
By and by the governor went to Ross
land again. The mine of which he
owned not a single share Of stock, was
still producing When he left Rossland
~ l4o .Iv5
fine value and extent of the ore body.
BY this time nearly all the lie Roi
shares were held by Spokane people.
The governor, having arranged with a
wealthy English syndicate, was in a po-
sition to- buy the mine, but the owners
did not seem anxious to sell. Eventual
Nv. however, when he was able to offer
toem an average Of 81 80 for shares that
had cost the holders but from 10 to &c
cents a share about half of them were
willing to sell; the balance We're not
Now the governor cared nothing for this
.shalance. so long as he could secure {
maiority-a controlling interest IN the
mine-for the English would have it IL
no other way. A few thousand scatter
ing shares he had already picked III
and now. from the faction who were
willing to sell he secured an option OF
$4,000 shares. which, together with th'
odd shares already secured, would pu
his friends in control of the property.
As news of theyproposed sale got out
the gorge that was yawning between
the two factions grew wider.
Finally, when the day arrived for th'
transfer TO be made, the faction op
posed to the sale prepared to MAKE
trouble for those who were selling, Y
prevent the moving of the seal of tn
company to Canada, in short to stol
the sale. They did not 90 with guns T.
the secretary and keeper Of the sea
and say "Bide where you be-" bu
they went into court and swore on
warrants for the arrest OF the secre
tary and those Of the directors wh'
favored the sale, charging them witt
conspiracy.
III was midnight in Spokane.
black locomotive, hitchcd to a darl
day coach. stood III front Of the Grea
Northern station, The dim light of thu
gauge-Iamp showed two nodding figure
IN the cab. Out on the platform /.
man walled np and down, keeping al
eye Oh the engine, that was to COS
him cool thousand for u huDdred-mil