The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-02-08
VISIONS OF BIG
MONEY FADE OUT
Party Who Left Here for
Mine in Missouri
Quit Job
DECLARE CONDITIONS
NOT VAS REPRESENTED
Two Arrive in BrattIebono, Leaving Ofh-
ers Stranded Without Money to Pay
Even Board Bill - Money Sent Them
by Telegraph Last Night

ers Stranded Without Money to Pay
Even Board Bill = Money Sent Them
by Telegraph Last Night.
After a brief coal mining experience
in AIillbrook, Mo-, under the alluring
representation that they could make $2J
a day easily and more if they wanted to
work harder. six Windham county men
who left Brattleboro the latter part of
January have quit the job sadder and
wiser and two have returned home, leav-
ing the others stranded in Millbrook un-
til money can be gotten to them so that
they, too, can fix their eyes on the green
hills of Vermont.
The two who have Just returned are
/ Jacob Johnson, proprietor of store on
South Main street. Brattleboro. and Carl
II. Wiley of South Londonderry Mr.
| Wiley was the only one who had money
enough on hand to bring him home, but
Mr.. Johnson succeeded in borrowing
funds to pay for his h6mcward trip on
his promise to repay as soon as he
reached Brattleboro.
/ Things were not as represented. Mr..
johnson told member of The Reformer
staff, except that there was plenty of
coal. Mr.. Johnson is 4 veteran coal
miner and knows what is needed in the
way of equipment to operate a coal mine
successfully. and lie says be knew from
the minute be set eyes on the AIillbroOk
mine that he and his companions bought
gold bricks when they paid about 5000
apiece to cover their transportation from
BrattlebOrO TO MillbroOk months board
IN advance and some preliminary ex-
penseS. ~ I7aaT
The men whom Mr.. johnson and Mr.
Wiley left In Millbrook when they started
home are the formers son-iu-law, James
Johnson of Brattleboro. Caryl George
also of this town, and George Gale and
Harold Gale Of West Townshend who
have been living here. Mr.. Wiley's broth
er. Frank Wiley of Kansas City Mo-.
also IS IN the party. Ben AIehuron of
South Londonderry, a West River rail-
road man, intended to cast his lot with
the miners little later and had made
an advance payment of $50, but since the
return of Mr.. johnson and Mr.. Wiley
\ he has decided not to add coal mining
/ to his experiences for the present
I According to Mr.. Wiley and Mr. John
son, Mr.. WiIey's brother became ac-
quainted with DR.. G. =. PrOpp of Kan
/ sas City. who interested him in an at
tempt to get men to operate the Mill
brock Mining Co.'S coal mine. Frank
! WHEY at that time was attending an
( automobile school in Kansas City He
knew nothing about the mine, but took
IN. Propp's word and they came to
BrattlebOro after some men because Mr..
/ Wilry's brother lived in this county.
! The opportunity TO earn big money
was advertised and a number of men
met DR. Propp ut the Brooks House.
. "Dr. PrOpp told us that he owned or
/ controlled the mine and that it had been
operated successfully from commercial
standpoint" Mr.. Wiley told The Re
former representative. and that it was
ff9lly puuInnpI and Nrp epufI sgf
least 50 a day from the start, on n
basis of practically 81 a ton for mining.
lie said there was an ample market for
the coal and that he would guarantee to
take away all the coal we could mine.
! 1T looked reasonable TO me- said Mr..
i johnson, 'as / am an old miner and l
know that Il man can mine - tons a day
easy"
The men said that Jacob johnson,
James johnson. Harold Gale and George
Gale paid DIR, Propp $500 each 10 cover
railroad fares, Il months beard in adj
vance and some incldentals that CaryI
! George paid him S1T0. promising to pay
$50 for board after he had made sure
that he wanted To stay on the job and
THAT Carl Wiley paid him $3.50, as his
than that Of the others. Ben Mehuron
paid $50 for a months board and was
TO pay the balance when he reached
IAIillbrook.
Ilf. IFUDD anu the seven men atttDleft
for the mine jobs started for Millbrook
the last week in January. DIR. PrOpp
stopped off at Kansas City. but the 9th
erS went directly to Millbrook arriving
/ there Wednesday. Jan. p. Or. Propp
o. arrived in Alillbrook the following day
We told DIR. Propp the mine could
not be operated successfully with the
= equipment at hand" declared Mr.. John
/ son. "and he promised to put III the
needed equipment at once. lie stayed
there a few hours and then went away.
and we haven't seen him since. He prom
: sed to return the following Monday. jan
: so but didn't show UP and we were un-
p able to locate him.
: We filed the coal shute, the only one
! at the mine. which had a capacity of Is
to 20 tons, and then stopped because no
body took the coal away and there was
nothing else for us to do"
Mr.. Johnson and Mr.. Wiley asserted
that fhe man where they were to board
told them that DR. Propp advanced $50
on board account which was used UP
VERY quickly. Then the boarding mistress
? began clamoring for money with which
! 10 buy provisions to feed the hungry
months but none was forthcoming rs
the men were without means. The food
supply became exhausted and the men
were obliged To seek sustenance else
! where and after hanging around a few
! days they decided that old Vermont was
: good enough for them.
d Mr. johnson said today that money.
! was sent BY telegraph last night to the
stranded miners in Millbrook.