The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1906-09-11
HIS CLEVER SCHEME
PROOF OF FALsITY OF SAYING
"HoNoR AMONG THIEVES"
Partner in Large Business Duped by
His Associate Into Buying Worth
less Mine-Case of the
Bitter Bit.


Honor among thieves!" Wall
street broker snorted. contemptuous-
ly. "Of course, there isn't any. And I
1t doesn't matter whether one is talk /
ing Of common pickpockets or of .
those sharp fellows that-get their /
money some other way.
Let me tell you an instance | heard
of this afternoon. There are two
men who while they are not partners,
have joint control Of large business. /
One of them got mixed up in mining
company out west somewhere.
He put $4,000 into il before he
found out that it was no good. 1t
nearly made him sick abed when he
knew the truth, but he didn't say
word to his associate.
"On the contrary, he suddenly be-
came absolutely non-communicative
about his mining venture; so much so
that his friend suspected that some
thing was up. Pretty soon Jones,
/ Wen call him, the owner of the min
/ ing stock, began to ask the stenogra-
/ pher to stay after hours so as to die
! tate letters TO the manager of the
mine. These letters he always in
sisted upon mailing himself after they
had been copied in private letter
book which he kept locked in his own
particular safe. s.- re,
Brown. his associate. noticed all
this and tried to ptmp the stenogra
pher, but it did no good. One night
he had to return to his office for some
paper that he had, forgotten, and
glancing around, saw Jones private
letter book lying on the table.
THE temptation was too much fol
him and he took a hurried glance
through it. He saw numberless al
lusions to the discovery Of a bonanza
/ untold millions in sight; got to keel
} 1t quiet until everything was arrange
and all the stock corralled, etc.
, THAT was enough. for Brown. H
never said a word to Jones next da5
: but quietly, very quietly, went to wor
and started to buy all the stock !
Jones' mine that he could get hol
: of. He found that one curb broke
was the only one that seemed TO kno'
anything about it and that the stoc
a was firm at above par.
Little by little he got the stock
t, during the next four weeks. In a
that time he went down to the ofiC
IS at night just "a times and four
Jones letter book carelessly left o.
9, just twice.
Jones letters told the manag.
b that some one was trying to get co
r. troll of the stock, accused him of bf
ID faith and so on. At any rate il co
N frmed Brown in the belief that
was going to make pot of none
A. and he kept on buying mining sto'
In until he had about $4,000 planted.
He was beginning to get feveris
III but didn't dare ask his business
p sociate anything about the proper
for fear of exciting suspicion o
IT morning he got down to the ON
OF late after a bad night of worl
When he opened the door and So
IL good morning to Jones. Jones ia
was wreathed in smiles
What's up? says Brown. You
as clipper as a spring lamb.
CD Matter, answers Jones. with
gurgling laugh. You remember Il
Mixed Ale Consolidated Mining a
- Smelling company that told !
Nv about putting some money into avn
q ago? Well. l thought I was buml
~ good and hard on that deal. and ]
ny as I was about to write FINS: Co
~ by. on the account in my priv
w ledger some sucker comes along {
~ little by little gets hold of all
'nu stock. reluctantly parted with
last share of it. yesterday, and inst
of being out $4,000 ! am ahead
100000 on the deal. More power
fee him, whoever he is! l wish him
with his Mixed Ale
why, isn't the property all rig
"'All right Why, they put a
eco of dynamite in the pay streak aw
red ago and blew all trace of it into k
bile, dom come. About the only use
fee the owner could make of the 81
nm now would be to fall down It
eat break his neck
mid Brown turned pale. He swallo
and hard few times turned on his
< without a word and entered his
tier office and slammed the door. d
know what he said or thought "
ook he was alone, but you can imagl
my