The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-08-05
MORE LIGHT ON
M'CUNE TRAGEDY
George L. Hickey Explains How
1t May Have Taken
Place.
NATIVES ARE LIKE
BAND OF COYOTES
Salt Lakers Now in South
America All in Prosper
Gus Condition.

The exclusive story printed In The
Tribune Saturday morning giving. the
details of the reported killing, In Peru,
Of two natives by A. W. McCune, Jr.,
a well. known young Salt Laker, caused
widespread comment throughout the
city,
The young mining promoter has al
ways been known here as man OF iron
nerve, ready at all times to protect has
property and defend his rights with
his life; 60, tho tale Of the tragedy in
faraway South America, while intensely
interesting to McCune's Salt Lake Ac-
quafntnnces, caused no comment,
Light on Situation.
Some light has been thrown on the
situation by George L. Hickey, also
to the United States from Cerro do
Pasco, Peru. He knows McCune well,
and is acquainted with the operations
Of the company with which he is con-
nected. Mr.. Hickey is now In Salt
Lake, having given up his position as
assistant superintendent of the Cerro
de Pasco railroad, on account Of Ill
health and returned to his Zion home.
He states that, short time before
he left Peru, the McCune interests
bought group Of mines about q hun
dred miles distant from their original
holdings and sent A W. MoCune, Jr.,
to take charge Of 1t. There was ma
tive In charge OF the property at the
time and McCune discovered, after q
brief investigation, that he had been
stealing on large scale.
Fired the Peon.
The young mans first official act
was to discharge this native, and that
nranir,ifoSad fba frnuh1e thQf FOIL
lowed.
The native did not take kindly to
the idea of abandoning the rich dig
gings, and he Immediately set about
the organization of riotous bands Of
maloontents with the purpose Of "get-
ing even.'
While not knowing positively just
how the final trouble came about, Hick-
ey declares, from his knowledge Of tho
situation, that the natives must have
undertaken to get possession Of the
property after McCune had assumed
control. and that tho latter opened up
along their works with a siX-shooter,
perhaps killing of couple Of them.
Like Band of Coyotes.
Hickey likens the native South
Americans in this particular district to
a pack Of coyotes, They mako loud
uOlsc hAu u SISdJ uuJll dLlaCkeu
and then scurry to cover. he makes
light Of the report Of the attempted
lynching of McCune, saying that the
gang Of poems which infests the Cerro
de Pasco district wouldn't have nerve
enough to lynch q stuffed effigy of Car
rie Nation. They may have threat-
ened to do nll sorts Of dire things to
the hated Gringos, as the white man is
called, but there isn't chance In
thousand that any serious attempt was
ever made to put any Of them into
actual execution. In Hickey's mind
there is absolutely no question as to
McCune's safety.
Salt Lakers Prosperous.
Speaking of the work Of the Salt
Lake colony in the Cerro de Pasco
district, Hickey said the first blast
furnace to be operated in Peru is Just
being put in and that the prospects
could not be more promising. The ore
being taken out by the Haggin- Nc Cune
interests Is especially rich. The en-
terprise is gigantic one and cannot
fail to bring big fortunes to its pro-
moters.
Among the old employees Of the Ore
gon Short Line in Salt Lake who are
all prospering in the South American
mines are j. L. Hogan, @. @. Wood
ward, Frank Rowland, A P. Quinby,
A. Singer and Roy White.