The Jersey City news., 1901-07-06
A Mine FOR A FEE
How a Newark Lawyer
Secured a Big Interest
for Legal Work.
EXCITEMENT IN MONTANA
Copper Was Found By Two
Men in Strengthened
Circumstances.


the largest ever paid.
The story is an interesting one and Will
bear publication. Mr.. Connolly was, un-
til January ! last. prosecuting attorney OF
Silver Bow County, Montana, OF which
Butte is the county seat. He was nomi-
mated for judge by both the Repubhcan
and independent Democratic parties
which latter party was formed as re-
buke to Senator w. A. Clarks methoas.
The largest and most important mining
litigation in the United States is tried IN
the District Courts of Silver Bow Couh-
ty. The fight turned upon the election OF
the judges. f. Augustus Heinze, min
ing magnate, was fighting the Amaiga-
mated Copper Company. Ee desired the
election of one set of candidates anu
formed an alliance with Senator W. a.
Clark, who was interested in the election
of favorable legislative ticket. The fight
was a most intense one and enormous
sums OF money were bet on the result of
the election of the judges, both in Butte
and in Boston, where the holdings of cop
per stocks are largely centered. Mr.. Con-
molly was defeated by close vote. al
though up to midnight of the night of
election the bets were posted in the pool
rooms of Butte at ten to three in his IA
vor. A plank in the Clark-Heinze plat
form, declaring for eight hours for the
miners, proved popular card, and was
mainly instrumental in Mr.. Connolly's de-
feat.
Mr.. Connolly then resumed the practice
OF civil law. He had not been out or
public office more than sixty days when
one of the richest discoveries of copper
ore ever made in Butte was made about
a mile from the city, in what is known as
the East Mountain, about mile from the
great Anaconda hill, which produces more
than half the copper supply of the world.
The discovery was made by two men
who were in straitened circumstances,
Robert o. Merriman and Louis Mason.
They located the claim-a quartz one-over
a placer claim which had been located in
the valleys and foothills. The gold comes
down in a fine powder from the constant
lattrition of the quartz rocks in the noun
tains, and is found in a pure state and
washed out of the gravel by means of
pans and machinery. 1t is the policy of
the Government to give quartz claims
preference over placer, for the reason that
| the quartz claims lie in solid bodies and
go to great depth, and the Government
| considers that the more wealth. that is
| taken out of the ground the better and
! weather. and more prosperous is the coun-
| try The laws of the United States pro-
vide that where a placer claim is located
and patented, the owner of the patent has
| a right to all ores within limits of his
l cho
prove to be quartz vein within the limits
| of his ground which was known to him
| atthe time he made his application to the
Government for his patent. or which was
/ known to others and might have become
| known to the placer owner had he exer-
| cised reasonable diligence in seeking 1t
J out.
1 Mason and Merriman knew of the sup
| posed discovery of copper quartz up IN
| the foothills on what is known as the
| Butte and Boston placer claim. One OIL
| them-Mason-had sunk holes there In
| 1890. Merrlman took notion one day this
| spring to go down in one of these holes,
| twenty-five feet deep. He was so I'M
pressed with the appearance of the rock
/ tn the hole that he went to the nearest
| point, got some giant powder. and set II
| off on the north side of the hole. He blew
out six feet of earth that netted him at
the smelter, after paying all expenses $lSo
4 cash. He discovered, besides, the finesr
vein of copper ore that has ever been un-
i covered so near the surface in Butte.
| Mason and Merriman then went down the
hill farther and started tunnel along the
vein. Sixty feet of this tunnel, after they
| struck the vein, netted them Sl,20o. Then
the placer owners got out an injunction
] Mason and Merriman had not the money
to fight lawsuits, which are expensive In
| the West, but a Butte capitalist readily
put up IS, 900 to pay law expenses for q
small interest IN the property, and MT
| Connolly was retained, and Tor his SER
i vices received. in addition to cash re-
| tainer. a deed to one-eighth Of the quartz
! claim.
| After a hearing on the injunction order
lasting ten days, both sides were enjoinec
from working the property until the de-
| termination of the suit This was VIC
ltory for Mr. Connolly's clients, and Mason
4 and Merriman were soon overwhelmed
| with offers for their interest in the law
suit. Franklin Farrell. of Ansonia, Conn.
a wealthy copper capitalist, formerly
president of the Parrot Copper dinins
Company of Butte, which has been alb
sorbed by the Amalgamated Copper Com
rany. offered them $780, 900 cash. which
! was refused. Mr.. Connolly's share OF this
would be SIS. .000 He has since refused $50
900 cash for his interest, and Franklin Fal
! rel has paid one million dollars for thu
claim adjoining the Butte and Bostor
nIacer on the west, and $5000Oo for th'
cain adjoining on the north.
Had Mr.. Connolly accepted the offer o
sso,oOO he would have received for hi
tsn days, work one of the largest fee
ever paid a lawer in the United States.
Negotiations are now pending betwee1
| All the parties to the suit under MIR. con
| nolly's guidance. for compromise am
| settiemerlt by which arrangement TN
a,Iartx title will be allowed to prevail ans
| the property will be worked Jointly py al
parties. ;.o~.a,,+ .,
, | I,ntfe over the new discoveries OF copper
anS representatives of the large coppe
interests are buying up claims at Iaouiou
Mr' Connolly has also secured interest
N some of these properties just ADJOINING
One Of the most remarkable thing
,hn,lt the new discovery Is that prospec
Hnies had been sunk for fifteen years az
around this great copper vein ana az az
| though the vein already meas ures moI 2,
: than thirty feet In width. none OF IN
| ror Mcrriman's blast Of powder II Woul
~ = .-.,c 7, II, .sfi undiscovered for years