Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-07-26
BULLET FROM
BANDITS GUN
Victim Well Known Mining
B. A. SE|Tz OF Ell nGRE
Sale of the Famous Sonora
Property for 100000
Pending. Seitz was Fa-
miliar Figure Along Mex
leo and Arizona Border.
B. A. sE|Tz OF Ell T|GRE

The probable sale of the Lucky Tigre
mine to English capitalists for sum
aggregating 100000 may come to late
for the approval or disappreval Of Ben
jamin A. Seitz, one of the heaviest
owners of the famous Sonora gold.
silver and copper producer.
Seitz. who is one of the most pic
esque characters IN the mining history
OF the United States, notably Of Alas
ka. Arizona and Mexico, was struck by
a wild bullet bired by n fleeing diamond
robber at his pursuers in Kansas City
last Thursday night. SeitZ was not eV
en- taking part in the fIrsuit. The rob
Der had turned into a tunnel entrance
leading from one OF the principal
streets of Kansas City to a saloon.
Just as he turned and fired back at
the crowd SeitZ. who has been i'll for
several months and who was out for a
walk. stepped in front OF the tunnel op-
ening The bullet struck him squarely
IN the forehead and lodged in one of
the lobes Of his brain.
SeitZ was picked up still Conscious.
Surgeons later performed an operation
and removed the bullet from the brain.
According to the Kansas City papers
his recovery is expected. although the
wound is of a necessarily dangerous
nature. The rObber, who was one Of
two to snatch a diamond tray from the
Franklin Diamond emporium, was cap
tured The one who held to the tray
=
Ben Seitz is known in Douglas and
throughout COchise and northern SonO-
IA as the man who made the Tigre, bet
ter known as the Lucky Tig-e. The
mine was taken over by Seitz and his
brother and a few Kansas City assO-
ciates about six years ago for price
aggregating about s350.00O. After the
option was secured from d. A. Rich
ardson and other well known mining
men Of southeastern Arizona and SOno-
"a. the sellers repented. and an at
tempt was made To nullify the option
and retake the supposedly rich prop
erty by armed force. Ben Seitz was in
charge at the mine, where a pitched.
battle occurred. The invaders were re-.
pulsed and the matter of title V as TAX
en- to the courts, ending in a complete
victory for the Kansas City crowd.
Seitz was in charge of the property
during the first two or three years af-
ter the change of ownership. Under
his personal direction development
work was carried on which uncovered
vein after vein or native silver and
copper. with an excellent bi-product of
gold, whose richness male the FL Tigre
famous in the mining world from Cape
Horn to the KlOndike. Two years ago
Fl Tigre, according to the annual re-,
port of the company, had something
like twenty millions Of silver in sight.
A huge cyaniding plant has lately been
installed at the mine, and power is now
furnished by the Copper Queen smelter
at Douglas over a transmission line
over seventy miles long.
Since the Seitz brothers and their
associates took over the property il
has yearly paid hundreds Of thousands
of dollars in dividends to its stock
holders. According to the story wired
Douglas from FL Paso. and published
in the FL Paso papers, the English syn
dictate. headed by well known bankers,
had offered eleven dollars 4 share
for ninety per cent of the stock
The present quotable value Of The stock
is six dollars a share, but none has
been on the market.
Twelve years ago Ben Seitz walked
out of the Klondike country dead
broke. He had strenuous experience
in the far northern region, killing n
desperate after a desperate battle
During the recent uprising in Mexico.
Ben Seitz threw all of his influence to
the side Of MaderO. He lent financial
aid to the insurrectOs. on the day
JuareZ surrendered to Madero, SeitZ
was in FL PasO. Immediately after the
surrender Seitz applied for pass from
the colonel in charge of the American
troops. but was referred to the Mexican
consul. The latter told Seitz none but
doctors and nurses would be granted
passports to Juarez. whereupon SeitZ
surrounded three deep by Diaz sympa-
thizers. let out an ear-splitting Viva
Madero" that could haze been heard
for blocks. He took il upon himself
to secure an automobile and make a
dash for the line which he succeeded
in crossing and reaching Madero's
headquarters where he was given
warm reception.
Nearly, if not all, of the laborers ut
the Lucky Tigre mine are MeXicans.
and they simply worship Ben Seitz.
who was always their kind friend and
adviser. Seitz was thoroughly hated
by Mexican renegades and gamblers
who sought to pray upon the poems who
worked in the Lucky Tigre shafts
Seitz believes much in the possibilities
of development in the Mexican char
acter. and thoroughly condemned Diaz
and his system of oppression of the
peon class.