The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1922-02-03

again.
with our discoveries OF the morning
the plan Of the robbery became per-
fectyy plain. Some giant OF finance
among the spectators had evolved
scheme by which the mine not only
might be shut down during the Inter.
val OF waiting for the railroad to build
over the bench, but at the same time
be made to yield bumper crop OF
profits.
Taking its various steps in their or
4 der, the first move In the game was to
/ sell the mine TO Grandfather Jasper
while it was still going proposition;
I and this was done. But one of the
conditions of the sale (Beasley told US
| this) was that the selling corporation
should continue to operate the mine,
not as lessee. but under contract
by which the operating company
should receive certain percentage Of
the output; an arrangement which
gave the holdup artists ample oppor-
tunity TO prepare for the coup de main.
How these preparations were made,
and the secret of them kept from Leak
ing out, still remained one of the UNI
solved mysteries, though Beasley sug-
gested that probably imported work.
men were employed, and that the work
had been done under jealous super
vision with all the needful precautions
taken against publicity. The tight
wooden box-which would figure as a
part of the shaft lining-had been
built, and into the box the creek had
been diverted by means Of the small
dam and the underground conduit.
With the water admitted, to rise in
the box to the level of its intake in
the creek reservoir, the trap was set
| and was ready to be sprung.
Beyond this point there was a gaps
we were obliged to bridge by conjec-E
| ture, but the differences were all plausi-
BILE enough. Doubtless the plottersIl
had notified my grandfather that hist
mine was flooded and was no longera
workable Doubtless, again, he had
authorized them to buy the needful
pumping machinery and to install it
which they did.
! IN this barefaced imposture the plot
| tiers had conceivably buIIded some
thing upon Grandfather Jasper's adj
vanced age as an insurance against
any .too-searching Investigation; but
beyond this they had carefully dis
armed any suspicion that he might
otherwise have harbored by encourage
ing HMM the actual purchase of the
\ property-t0 take expert advice, and
\ by craftiIy printing him, by under
statements Of the facts, to trust them.
/ Only rumors Of what had occurred
at this visit reached Angels; but Beas-
ley could testify that my grandfather
had come and returned alone, and that
after the pumping demonstration had
been made he had seemed disposed to
pocket his huge loss and to call it a
bad days work.
/ The later Developments were not
hard to figure out. Beasley was able
to tell US that the proposed railroad
branch to run to the new copper prop
critics IN Little Cinnabar guIch was
now a certainty for the very near fu-
ture. Hence the time was fully ripe
Tor the recovery of the Cinnabnr by
the plotters. No doubt they had con-
hdently assumed that repurchase Of
the property-not directly by them
selves, Of course, but by an agent who
would figure as dislnterested third
party-wouid be easy. Beasley said
that there had been some talk of an
undermining drainage tunneY such as
Daddy ana had figured upou-tbis st
the time Of the springing or the flood
trap-and that the cost had neen esti-
mated Mt half million. Unuuestion-
ably the robbers had assumed that on
ola man who had already charged his
venture up to profit and loss wouId
sell for song rather than to ventura
again; and in this they were probably
well within the truth.
! But at the moment when they var.
ready to complete the circle of i'm
posture, death-the death Of Grand
Iather Jasper-had stepped in to com
phcate matters. OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Cousin Percy-had corresponded With
whoever was representing the robber
sSnulcate, and by this means the Mot.
,e's haa learned that they would now
ndre 10 reckon with an heir How
nulierton came to be employed NV
.iiem almost at the instant ef HE 10
turn from South America we did No.
KNOW; but we could easily underStanS
mat with the new complicat Hon yh;nS
nau risen by reason of Grrndf,tho.
1aspers death, it was highly naces.
sa.y lor some entssary Of the syndi-
cate to get on the ground Quickly nra
p pa e., TO foFestall by purchase guile
H tar. N on IN last resort by force, any at,
t tSirps OF ,s the Dudley heirs to pry into
to know. pe'ulitted
IT., Inc pushing of the fight for nossos
sion to the final and pronertv d loses
ing extremity was another mattar +SSt
beasiey was able to explain ''''' 'ii"t
e see, 1t was case O. fish ). ~