The Cairo bulletin., 1911-01-26
TheLion sShare
By SADIE OLcoIr
Copyright by American Press Assoc
ciation. 1911

\
overreach some one else. Unhappily
| few OF these cases come ont to the adj
vantage Of the person overreaehed.
Peter Inslee. prospector, discov-
| cred rich vein OF ore In Colorado
and sold half interest to EnochI
| Smithson, who organized a company
for its development. Inslecs share
| was all In the stock of the company.
| he owning few shares less than
! Smithson. thus giving the purchaser
full control In the premises. Inslee
did not get any dividends on his stock,
and'being very poor, with wife and
couple of kids to support, he was
obliged to sell few shares occasionally
| to keep the wolf from the door.
Meanwhile the price Of the stock on
| the exchange was gradually settling.
When the company was organized q
few shares were sold at 90 per cent
| Of their par value. AS Inslee kept
! putting 1t out he got less and less for
/ 1t till he was obliged to part with con
his necessities After awhile he sold
the last Of it for 6 cents on the dollar
About this time, going by the mine,
he saw that high fence had been
| put around 1t. He strolled up to the
I gate and was refused admittance. For
the first time it occurred to him that
Smithson had pretended that the mine
was not paying In order to depress the
stock.
| Inslee went to Potter broker In
I Colorado Springs. and asked him to
| find out what floating stock Of the
company there was on the market.
Potter investigated subrosa and dis
I covered that there was all of Inslee's
. original stock and part Of Smith
| sons, which the latter had given in
payment for mining machinery and
other necessities. Inslee told the
/ broker about the fence recently put
around the property, saying also that
he suspected there was q "nigger" be
hind 1t. Potter agreed that II Inslee
| would at any time find out that the
mine was doing well he would ad-
vance money to buy the stock. he get
ting d slice Of all he bought besides
his commissions. SO they got up q
code Of communication and Inslee
went home
Staining his face so as to pass as q
half breed Indian, Inslec went to the
mine and applied for work. He was
obliged to apply several times before
being employed. When he got In be
hind the fence he found that he was
not allowed 10 go out. Nor was he
or any other man In the mine permit
sed TO communicate with those out
.'tde except by letter, and all letters
were inspected before being sent.
Insee felt assured that the manage
ment were expecting something re-
Inarkable. Then one day 1t was evi.
dent that something remarkable had
occurred. smithson went by, talking
excltedly to a man Inslee knew to be
O capitalist, and Inslee heard Smithson
say, six hundred dollars to the toni
Insee dared not communicate with
Potter direct He could with his wife
though only about family affairs, and
had told her before leaving her to heat
! his letters. The day he heard Smith
sons remark he wrote her, inclosinp
some wages he had received. Mrs.
lnslee heated the paper and brown
| letters came out on It,
"Wire Potter to buy all he can get
Six hundred to the ton"
Mrs. Inslee at once sent the message.
| Potter found that already small or
ders to buy the stock were being exc
cuted. and the price Ind gone up from
G to 7 cents. He had learned who held
the shares and went round buying 1t
at private sale In this way he kept
the price down Till he had bought all
Inslee's original stock and so much Of
Smithson's as was on the market.
Smithson's brokers were now en-.
deavoring to secure the stock at an
advanced price through the exchanges
but found none for sale.
One morning Inslee walked into Pot
ters office and told him that mag
nifcent strike had been made at the
mine. Potter at once began to bid In
open market for the stock. He secured
none, but effected his purpose, which
was 10 give better value to the shares
as quoted
Then Inslee. undisguised, went to
the mine, called for Smithson and de
manded an accounting. Snithson told
him that he had paid him for bis in
terest aud ordered him off the prem
ises Inslee advised him to be ready
TO turn the property over to d new
management one month from that day
on which was to be held the annual
election OF directors.
When that day came around Inslee
| who held his own original half Of the
stock and one-third Of Smithson's, ap
peared at the meeting Of stockholders
\ he and Smithson held 1t all-and vot
cd in new board with himself as
president.
And now. Mr. Smitlison," he said
I'm trouble you to yacate these prem
ises" R
There was nothing for Smlthson to
do but to turn the mine over to its dis
coverers, under the law governing cor
porations. Smithson, who was ambi
tious to have both his own and Inslee':
share, found himself obliged to be con