And then it transpired that the mine had been "salted"-- and not in any hackneyed way, either, but in a singularly bold, barefaced and peculiarly original and outrageous fashion.

On one of the lumps of "native" silver was discovered the minted legend, "TED STATES OF," and then it was plainly apparent that the mine had been "salted" with melted half-dollars! The lumps thus obtained had been blackened till they resembled native silver, and were then mixed with the shattered rock in the bottom of the shaft.

It is literally true.

Of course the price of the stock at once fell to nothing, and the tragedian was ruined.

But for this calamity we might have lost McKean Buchanan from the stage..