Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1906-07-25
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.


street broker snorted, contemptuous.
ly. "Of course, there isn't any. And
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 a mining
company out west somewhere.
HE put $4,000 into it 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 a
word to his associate.
"On the contrary, he suddenly be.
came absolutely communicative
about his mining venture; so much so
that his friend suspected that some.
thing was up. Pretty soon Jones,
We'll 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,
Brown, his associate, noticed all
this and tried to pump 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 for
him and he took a hurried glance
through it. He saw numberless al.
lusions to the discovery of bonanza,
untold millions in sight; got to keep
it quiet until everything was arranged
and all the stock corralled, etc:
THAT was enough for Brown. He
never said a word to Jones next day,
but quietly, very quietly, went to work
and started to buy all the stock in
Jones mine that he could get hold
of. He found that one curb broker
was the only one that seemed to know
anything about it and that the stock
was firm at above par.
Little by little he got the stock in
during the next four weeks. In all
that time he went down ito the Office
at night just "a times and found
Jones letter book carelessly left out
just twice. .,....
Jones letters told the manager
that some one was trying to get con-
troll of the stock, accused him of bad
faith and so on. At any rate it con.
firmed Brown in the belief that he
was going to make a pot of money,
and he kept on buying mining stock
until he had about $4,000 planted.
He was beginning to get feverish,
but didn't dare ask his business as
sociate anything about the property
for fear of exciting suspicion. One
morning he got down to the Office
late after a bad night of worry.
When he opened the door and said
good morning to Jones, Jones face
was wreathed in smiles.
whats up?' says Brown. You're
as clipper as spring lamb
Matter answers Jones, with
gurgling laugh. You remember that
Mixed Ale Consolidated Mining and
Smelling company that | told you
about putting some money into awhile
ago? Well l thought was bumped
good and hard on that deal, and just
as l was about to write FINS: Good
by on the account in my private
ledger some sucker comes along and
little by little gets hold of all my
stock. reluctantly parted with the
last share of it yesterday, and instead
of being out $4,000 am ahead just
$4,000 on the deal. More power to
him, whoever he is! wish him JOY
with his Mixed Ale
why, isn't the property all right?
"'All right! Why, they put shot
Of dynamite in the pay streak awhile
ago and blew all trace of it into king
dom come. About the only use that
the owner could make of the shaft
now would be to fall down it and
break his neck
Brown turned pale. He swallowed
hard few times, turned on his heel
without word and entered his own
office and slammed the door. | don't
know what he said or thought when
he was alone, but you can imagine"