The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-03-07


known. missing twenty-five years. dis
c0verer 0f the richest zinc and lead
mines ia the world heir 10 a vast for
tune This il the strange want
"a" 0f certain wealthy pioneer mine
owners 81 the Miseouri-Kansas lead
and zine mining district; il Is, ia
brief, the story of q man, stranger,
who twenty-five years ago came into
southeastern Kansas, aud through a
profound knowledge Of geol~-y and
mineralogy OWNED natures hero
glyphics in rock aud soil, "staked
Od iho most fertile lead and zinc field
yet discovered. designated ihe exact
spOts where lay hidden vast vaults Of
mineral wealth. revealed bis secrets
10 one man-and then departed
Dnnng the years that have passed
since that stranger stood where the
little city Of Galena, Kan, has since
been built. over $50. 600. 900 worth of
lead and zinc ore has been added to
the worlds mineral wealth aa result
81 his visit 10 Kansas He paved the
way whereby many men have become
rich. lie caused an uninhabited coma
try to become the home Of thousands
of prosperous people. but their pros
perity be never shared-he ''disap-
pearcd and left no sign.
The story of this stranger is both
ailnring and pathetic, and yet It is so
faithful to facts that the Historical
Society 81 Kansas has fled It among
the important records Of the State
Colonel w. n. Stone, the oldest
pioneer 81 Galena, and one Of tho
widest known and most successful
LEAD and zinc mine operators in tho
United States. IS the man to whom
the "discoyerer Of Galena" told his
geological secrets.
Colonel Stone relates the following
strange story Of the discovery Of the
Kansas lead aud zinc delda--helds
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 aud deputy marshals
came from st. Louis 70 southeastern
Kansas in pursuit OF cattle thieves
who had for some time been stealing
cattle belong to the nan for whom
worked in Kansas City. During this
trip our little party camped for several
days on the very ground where Galena
has since been built There was then
not a single house for more than q
mile in any direction from our camp.
Joplin. Mo-, seven miles e. the east,
was the nearest town. II was then
thriving little lead camp, but as yet
no zinc had been mined there.
F zone day two outlaws were dis
covered at Joplin, and the citizens Of
that place Immediately gave them an
urgent invitation TO quit camp This
Invitation wns accepted without cere-
mony, the outlaws turning their faces
towald the vest They passed al.
roctl1 over the present site Of Galena,
aud syond it a short distance they
made discovery Of surface lead ore.
Reports Of this discovery soon became
noised aboutJoplin, and people hocked
70 the new aud in hundreds. Our
camp was within sight 81 tho main
congegating place Of the men as they
daily came over from the Missouri
camp 10 prospect.
''rhe excitement constantly in.
creased, until a thousand men, more
rather than less, assembled each day
on the slope below our camp. I my
self became imbued with the spirit Of
things, and while tho marshals were
away in pursuit Of the cattle thieves
would often join the throng Of for
tune hunters. IL was during my second
trip down the slope that I first saw
the man who has figured so much in
my destiny, as we'll as in the destinies
Of hundreds and thousands Of others
interested in the Kansas lead aud zinc
fields.
"Our meeting happened in this
way. was sauntering along among
the miners, giving little heed 10 any
thing in particular, aud noting things
only in general. Having just come
from a city, my clothes we're very diff
ferent from those OF the men about
me. IN fact, was the hest-dressed
man in al the crowd Then, too.
was not tanned and calloused by out
door exposure, and my appearance was
quite dilierontfr0m that of the miners.
As a result Of this difference, I was
noticed, perhaps, more than any other
man in the crowd.
well. among the men I saw one
strange, sad face, Drowned by the
sun, and jet intellectual in every
ineament-a face full Of kindness and
wonderfully sad It was the most
attractive face that I had ever seen,
aud / dare say that even The most un-
intellectual man in al that throng Of
people mast instinctively have said,
ai frst sight Of Il. Here is q wonder
ful character.
II could scarcely look away from
the man-that face. He. too. seemed
70 look much at me. although doubt
less from widely different reasons from
those attracting me toward him. His
hands were hardened, and his clothes
we're such aa the miners were. His
hair was dark, and jet streaked With