The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-13
The Trump
Card Mine
Bv GUY HALLECK

/ had worked in the Trump CARD
mine, where they were taking out gold
in paying quantities, and had invested
nv savings in it. l had subscribed for
nv stock when the owners were FORM
ing the company and they needed mon
ey. Consequently l got good lot OF
stock for very little cash. Three hun
bred and fifty dollars was all had.
but 1t 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
incorporators 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 In
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 l was told that the com
pany had no more work for me, 1t 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. thanked them. but
told them that l saw no reason why
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 I. unsuspicious. sold
them my stock.
For some time after this, 30 far as
knew. there was nothing doing in the
Trump Card mine. Occasionally there
was . quotation at from to 3 cents q
share on the mining stock exchange.
One evening while walking by the
property was surprised to see some
workmen coming out Of q hole in the
ground. carrying their dinner pals. l
asked one Of them II they had been
ct work. but he was q Norwegian and
spoke no English. In fact not q man
Of the lot could understand q word
said.
II had simply discovered that work
was being done In the mine / would
not have become suspicious. But that
the owner had thought At to employ
only those who could not communi.
cate With inquirers seemed singular.
especially since when I was working
for them their men were mostly Amer
leans.
Looking at the sales list of stocks
that evening In the newspaper, I saw
moro sales Of Trump Card shares than
I had noticed for several weeks previ-
Gus, though the price had only advanc-
cd 4 fraction. wondered II some
thing was going on. That night I lay
awake thinking.
sent my wife to Mnger IL. the neigh.
borhood Of the mine and watch. She
saw nothing unusual. There was moth.
Ing alive In It 20 far a. she could see.
Tho same night I went to the prop
erty and sat on . stump near By TIL
2 o'clock in the morning, when q cart
loomed out Of the darkness and PASS
ed away into the darkness again. l
noticed that Il was without q creak. I
knew enough about mines to believe
that It was carrying orc. ana the axles
were mufned.
The next day I went down to Den.
W. whers I procured an interview
with . man who had held q lot Of
Trump Card stock, but had sold II At
. small peo6t before the mine collaps.
ID told him that I could givs him
. pointer O . prospective riss In q
certain stock and secured Q contrset
ffom him that u I named Il and he
bought and made . proAt hs was to
glvs ne 70 per cent Of his gains. Then
I told hin that believed there was
something up In Trump Card.
He consented to make q small inyest.
ment In 1t By way Of observing its ef.
feet on the market and, being busy
himself. committed the matter to me.
I found that the only stock to be had
were scattered shares held BY those
who considered their investment a
dead loss. and most of these did not
care to sell at the present low market
price. This strengthened the conf.
dence Of my hacker, and when I pro-
posed to go about among the former
stockholders and pick up the stock at
private sale. paying an advance on the
market price for 1t. he assented.
In this way | got what stock did not
belong to the original owners. and
then | began to bid for more on the ex.
cnange. Some stock came out, and nv
packer feared that we were buying
dead horse Rut Il .,.A