The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-05
The Trump
Card Mine
by GUY HALLECk

l had worked in the Trump Card
mine, where they were taking out gold
in paying quantities, and had invested
my savings in it. l had subscribed for
my stock when the owners were form
ing the company and they needed mon
ey. Consequently 1 got a good lot of
stock for very little cash. Three hun
dred and fifty dollars was all had,
but it bought me 10000 shares of stock.
The lead" on which the value Of the
mine depended soon died out, and the
mine appeared to be worthless, but the
incorporates knew of paying veins
which ran in our direction and believed
that some of them extended into our
property. So they held on until rich
vein was discovered on adjoining prop
erty, and there was fine chance by
digging down a hundred feet to strike
the extension. But those interested i'll
both mines kept the secret from out
siders, and our managers got on to 1t
only from their neighbOrs trying to
buy us out.
was completely ignorant Of all this.
One morning I was told that the COM
pany had no more work for me, it hav-
ing collapsed, but since the original
owners did not like to see me lose any
thing they would buy my stock at what
had paid for it. l thanked them, but
told them that I saw no reason why l
should not suffer with the rest, and
would put the certificates away and
consider them charged up to profit
and loss. But they insisted on making
me whole, and |. unsuspicious, sold
| them my stock.
For some time after this, so far as
knew, there was nothing doing in the
| Trump Card mine. Occasionally there
was a quotation at from 3 to cents a
share on the mining stock exchange.
One evening while walking by the
property l was surprised to see some
workmen coming out of hole in the
| ground, carrying their dinner pals. !
| asked one of them If they had been
at work, but he was Norwegian and
spoke no English. In fact not man
Of the lot could understand a word
said.
If had simply discovered that work
was being done in the mine l would
not have become suspicious. But that
the owner had thought fit to employ
only those who could not communi-
cate with inquirers seemed singular,
especially since when l was working
for them their men were mostly Amer
leans.
Looking at the sales list of stocks
that evening in the newspaper, l saw
more sales of Trump Card shares than
had noticed for several weeks previ-
Gus, though the price had only advanc-
ed a fraction. wondered if some.
thing was going on. That night l lay
awake thinking,
sent my wife to linger in the neigh
bOrhoOd of the mine and watch She
saw nothing unusual. There was moth
The same night | went to the prop.
erty and sat on stump near by till
2 o'clock in the morning, when a cart
loomed out of the darkness and pass
ed away into the darkness again.
noticed that it was without a creak.
knew enough about mines to believe
that 1t was carrying ore, and the axles
were mutlled.
The next day went down to Den
yer, where | procured an interview
with man who had held a lot OF
Trump Card stock, but had sold it al
a small profit before the mine collaps
ed. told him that l could give him
a pointer on prospective rise in O
certain stock and secured contract
from him that If | named 1t and he
bought and made a profit he was tc
give me 40 per cent of his gains. Then
told him that l believed there was
something up in Trump Card.
He consented to make a small invest
: ment in 1t by way of observing its eff
feet on the market. and, being busy
himself, committed the matter to me
| found that the only stock to be had
were scattered shares held by those
who considered their Investment .
dead loss, and most of these did moi
care to sell at the present low marke,
price. This strengthened the conf
dence of my hacker, and when | pro
L DOSad RI 90 about o,,,n,,,x A.,