Gilpin observer., 1908-03-05
High-Grade Robbery.

News from Silverton. Colorado, says
the Daily Mining Record, states that
the oficials and the superintendent OF
one OF the San Juan mines, as well as
the sheriff and two deputies Of the
county, had received threatening let.
ters healed by the proverbial skull and
cross-boaes, warning them of speedy
and certain death IL they did not cease
their vigilance against the high-grad-
ers. The immediate effect OF the let
ter was the discharge of sixty-five Aus
trian, Montenegran and Italian miners
employed at the Gold King mine, and
an agitation has been started against
the employment OF all miners Of foreign
extraction. The arrests thus far OF
those who have been accused of pilfer-
ing high-grade ore aggregated thirty
four foreign miners and preliminary
hearing of eight of this number re-
suited in the plea of guilty on the part
of five of them. The charge was petty
larceny. One man was dismissed and
two others were held over until the
next term of the District Court. The
other twenty-six had their hearing the
day following.
The identity of the writer's Of the
anonymous letters has not been deter
mined, but evidence pointed to the fact
that those who penned the missives
were friends of the high-graders still
in the employ of the company. These
letters have been turned over to the
postoffice authorities and there is small
question that important arrests will be
made
While it cannot be said that the ma
tives of America are free from the high
grading habit, there is reason to be-
lieve that the instinct of murder is not
so strong in the American heart as 1t
is in the hearts Of those who have
never hal equal chances in the lands
of their birth. 1t is easy to under
stand how men working in high-grade
ore will be sorely tempted as those
who are handling actual money.
The change-room has been one of the
methods of suppressing this kind of
larceny, put even the change room can
not entirely eliminate thefts. In the
larger mines there are so many ave-
nues OF entrance through the old work
ings that absolute vigilance is impos-
sible. 1t would seem, however, that
1t is time for the authorities to strike
at the very tap-root of the high-grad-
ing, which would bring them face to
face with that class of assayers who
operate what is known in criminal lore
as fences" The fence is merely a
place where the stolen goods can be
disposed Of Ore that has gross value
,f hal q
thieves s. n pound, or even less. 1t is
but a few weeks since Telluride, Colo
rado. was shaken to its foundations
by exposures made showing that promi-
nent business men We're engaging in
Illicit traffic in ore. To distinguish be-
tween the different high-grade cargoes,
so as to tell from what mines they
come. is almost impossible. but every
assayer or jeweler who purchased high
grade ore knows that the chances are
at least ten to one that 1t is stolen
property. The only possible supervis-
ion of this class of criminal trade Is
in the arrest, conviction and sentence
of those who are interested in the
thefts. The only reason that the min
ers do not steal all there is is that they
do not have the opportunity. Every
camp that produces ore of sufficient
value to tempt the miners is brought
face to face with high-grading.
There is form Of high-grading how
ever. that has thus far not been con-
sidered in its criminal light. This is
the habit of visitors to the mines help
ing themselves to souvenirs of rich
specimens. Managers of large mines
that have been in operation for few
years declare that the specimen traf-
fic has robbed them of all the way
from $2.5O0 to 100000 worth of ore.
The only guard against this kind of
thievery Is absolute refusal on the
part OF the management to let visitors
into the mine. The same people who
consider the stealing of small speci-
mems an innocent matter would not
dare exercise the same liberty when
ever they VISIT bank.