The Shasta courier., 1867-10-05
SHASTA COURIER.
Astounding Credulity.

The Sedalia Mo Times gives the follow
ing particulars Of huge swindie lately per
petrated near that place:
y. a. Reeves is quiet, well to-do farmer,
hvIng about six miles northwest OF this city,
on the Georgetown road By hard work and
frugal living he sad acquired the farm upon
which be resides, and about $ 900 in money.
y short time ago, however, he was yictIm
ized in an almost incredible manner. to the
extent of ST, ,000-an amount which IL Will
perhaps take half the earnings OF his life
time to repay.
On Thursday, August lst, company of
gipsies, consisting of three men and one
woman, encamped near Mr.. Reeves house
The woman called on Mr. Reeves the same
day, representing to him that she was a
eiairvoyant and fortune teller, and that she
was endowed with secret gift which enabled
her to reveal the past and future OF all things
sublunary. Furthermore, she informed Mr..
X. that she was a spritualist and that the
spirits had communicated to her the astound-
log fact that somewhere on bis Mr.. RS
farm immense quantities of gold and silver
had been hidden by some one at time
- whence the memory Of man runneth not to
the contrary"
The charming woman continued to visit
Mr.. r. s house from day to day, and finally
informed him that the spirits would not
deign to tell where the treasure was deposited
unless she could be temporarily placed in the
possession of six thousand dollars, with which
to perform the necessary incantatlon.-
Strange as it may seem, Mr.. Reeves gave
eredence to this story. The woman com
petey infatuated him, leading him whittier
soever she would. He promised her that be
would obtain the money (S6, ,000), and each
swore the other to eternal secrecy.
Mr.. Reeves had 1865 in his own possession
and he quietly borrowed enough from differ
ent members of his family to make up the
thousand, without limiting the purpose for
which he wanted it. He then came TO
Sedalia and mortgaeed his farm 70 Mr..
Reece Hughes, to the amount of s. 900,
payable in ninety days. at two and half
per cent. month He thereupon returned
home without informing any member Of his
family what his mission had been to Seialia
stealthily met his enchantress and told her
he was ready for the incantation. The
woman took the money, and made roll of
it, wrapped it securely in piece of cotton
cloth, and, as if to make assurance doubIy
sure, she then took long string and tied it
many times around the roll of money. She
returned the next day when the final cere
monies took place which were TO inevitably
extort a revelation from the spirits rs to the
exact locality where the treasure was to be
found. She took Mr. Reeves into a room
where there could be no witness Of the mys
terious con- jurations, had him to stand in the
centre of the floor, and with uplifted hands
repeat the Lords Prayer, while she, in pos
session of the package of money, performed
eyo!utiOns round about him inVSterIuuSly "
chanting during the time. This perform
ance concluded, the woman placed what was
ostensibly the package of money in one of
Mr.. Reeves hands. and charged him at the
peril of destroying the spell, not to let the
package 60 out of thai particular hand. until
be had hidden it in some safe and secret
place, where. Undistnrbed. it was to remain
for the period Of four days, when Mr.. Reeves
was to 60 and get it, and meet his enchan-
tress at q spring near by, when the two in
company would proceed to the place where
the hidden treasure was buried. Mr.. Reeves
obeyed these injunctions strictly, telling no
one of any part of the transactions, hid what
he supposed was his package of six thousand
dollars safely away, and the exact moment
of the four DAYS expiration sought his pack
age and found it; but alas ! instead of con
tanning the six thousand dollars. it only con-
taiued the disconnected fragments of one of
Beadle's Dime Novels Our readers can
imagine Mr.. Feeves' feelings of disappoint-
ment, Indignation, and chagrin at this stage
of the proceedings. He sought his charmer
at the spring, but alas she was nowhere
visible. The gipsies had
"Folded their tents like the Arabs
And silently stole