Los Angeles herald., 1908-08-19
DYNAMITE PLOT
AND THEFTS OF
GOLD ALLEGED
YELLOW ASTER MINE FORE
MAN IN THE TOLLS
ASSISTANT CAUGHT AND ON BAIL
IN RANDsBURG
Conspiracy to Blow Up Famous Prop-
erty After "High Grading" Is
Charged to Nelson
and Others

George Nelson, foreman of the Yellow
Aster mine, was arrested last night at
u o'clock by Under Sheriff Edward
Dishman and placed in the county jail
on charge of having been implicated
with Fred Yockey in the plot to blow
up that famous mine and water pipe
line with dynamite.
Added to the sensation which the
arrest of Nelson will cause is the alle-
cation that Nelson, Yockey and num-
ber of other men not yet arrested, who
were employed as miners in the Yellow
Aster, were engaged in high grading"
the mine and finding out that the mine
officials had learned of the thefts of
rich ore which were going on had form
ed the dynamite conspiracy for the
purpose of destroying all evidence that
the mine had been stripped of thousands
of dollars worth of valuable ore.
Nelson was arrested on evidence OBJ
tanned by operatives of the Hurst de-
tective agency, which has had the case
in hand for several weeks, but 1t was
not until within the past few days that
his completely with the affair was sus-
pected.
Alleged Plumber Great
According to the statements made by
the officers last night Nelson, Yockey
and eight miners employed In the Yell
low Aster have been for months TAX
ing out ore which runs into the thou
sands of dollars per ton, and after mill
ing the same in small contrivance
made by them for the purpose have
been shipping the gold to the mint in
San Francisco and the assn'- office in
Denver.
From the inception of the dynamite
plot the officers of the mining company
are said to have been aware of the al
legged thefts and to have taken steps to
run down and arrest every man con-
nected with the scheme.
Evidence was first obtained showing
that the men had been high grading.
1t was the discovery of this evidence
it is said which prompted the miners
to attempt to blow up a portion of the
mine with dynamite.
Before the dynamite plot could be
carried out evidence of this was also
obtained and the arrest of the men said
| to be guilty of the conspiracy was
ordered at once.
Yockey First Taken
Fred Yockey, who was employed as
an assistant to Nelson, was the first
| man arrested. The news of his arrest
becoming known, the other men, it is
said, at once left town suddenly.
| At that time Nelson, whose position
with the mine was responsible one,
was suspected of completely in the
matter and he was to a great measure
taken into the confidence of the mine
owners and in this way is said to have
received and communicated to his
partners information which enabled
them to escape arrest.
| A few days ago the detectives found
evidence which they claim duplicates
Nelson in the ''high grading and
dynamite conspiracies, and his arrest
was ordered.
| He left Randsburg, however, before
he could be arrested, and came to Los
Angeles.
Is Finally Located
The detective employed by the mine
searched for him three days before he
was located. He was then pointed out
to Under Sheriff Dishman and the war
rant which had been sworn out for his
arrest served.
Nelson refused to make any other
than a general statement last night.
He denied emphatically that he was
concerned in the so-called dynamite
plot or that he had been guilty direct
ly or indirectly of high grading.
He further added that the arrest of
himself and YoclSey was a conspiracy