160 MINING. 



innocent public by mining sharpers, and the way wealth 

 is obtained by such operations. 



The hero in question had spent many years in search 

 of fortune by mining and prospecting in an honest 

 manner, and failed of success. He saw others passing 

 him in the race for wealth by using their wits and doing 

 others, so he got discouraged with regular mining ways 

 and formed a plan to obtain his desires in ways that were 

 dark. He picked out a section of country suitable for 

 his purpose, and commenced sinking a regular mining 

 shaft. In a short time his mysterious actions attracted the 

 attention of experienced miners, who found out what he 

 was doing and visited the scene of his work, and thought 

 he must have gone daft, as there were no signs of any 

 mineral where the old man was sinking the shaft ; but 

 the work went on with a couple of miners devoted to his 

 interests, who got their wages and asked no questions. 

 In course of time a deep shaft was sunk, water was struck, 

 a cross cut driven and, behold, signs of mineral began to 

 appear in the broken rock hoisted from the shaft, and one 

 day work was suspended in the shaft. The water accum- 

 ulated in it so that nothing could be seen of the lower part 

 or cross cut. The old man gave up just when every indi- 

 cation, judging from the waste material lying about the 

 shaft mouth, gave hopeful signs of a rich vein of mineral. 

 The old man disappeared from his old haunts. Shortly 

 after this an honest looking, but ignorant old miner, was 

 seen in New York City with specimens of ore which he 

 wished to find out the value of, as he knew a place where 

 he had been prospecting, where a large vein of such ore 

 wfis to be found. Of course the ore was so rich there 

 was soon a lively interest taken in the old man and he 

 was well treated in order to obtain his sercet, but the old 

 man would neither give it away nor sell it, but wanted it 

 all for himself if it was worth anything, but at last was 

 prevailed upon to sell part of his claim to a mining com- 



