The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-10-31
AMATEUR DETECTIVES.
How They Neatly Caught . SWindler-
DeIaIIa Of the Acheme.

ST. LOUIS, October @.-Mr. Edwin liar
rison, President of the St Louis Smelling
and Refining Company, has received the
particulars OF IN attempt to swindle the
company at Leadville. The company has a
branch there which is known as the Har.
rison Reduction Works, and u Mr.. Jope
has been caught attempting to sell a
great amount Of salted ore to the
Superintendent Of these works.
The officers were shrewd enough to
detect Jope's fraud, and that gentleman
now languishes behind the bars OF the
Leadville jail, On Tuesday, the 18th inst,
Henry JOpe made his appearance at the
leadville branch Of the st. Louis Smelling
and refining Works, and submitting mill
runs OF large quantity Of ore that he said
WIS on the dump OF the "FrenChman"
mine, tried to negotiate the sale OF it. Mr..
Frame FOhr, the Superintendent OF the
works, was the one to whom Jope applied
for the disposal oil his mineral, and the
Superintendent proceeded at once to Mr..
G. K. Loker, told him that he had been
making deal for high grade ore from the
"Frenchman" mine and that it ran 25l
ounces in silver. Mr. LOker was some
what skeptiCal regarding the quality
Of the ore, ami cautioned Mr.. Fohr,
telling him 10 be careful about what
he did in the matter. The fact that
the fellow had represented that his mineral
carried 25l ounces Of silver was calculated
to arouse little suspicion, and Mr.. Loker
thought that he had called the turn on the
fellows efforts He said that he was con.
tidcnt that there was no such ore in the
"FrenChman," and he decided to make u
personal investigation OF the matter At
this juncture MIR Fohr took grab speci.
men Of the ore from the dump, and it ran
only fifteen ounces. He repeated this,
and digging down some six feet or more,
he procured another sample. The returns
from this showed only nine ounces in sill.
YER The suspicion that fraud was being
perpetrated had now been strength.
ened, and the intended victims be-
gan to adjust the springs Of their trap and
to file the teeth so that they would hold
the game securely. 1t was d long and te.
diOus policy, but they had determined to
expose the swindle, and they set to work
like experienced detectives. The first de.
tail was TO secure an assay, and going to
the sample room they hantled bottle ot
the mineral to Jope for him to procure an
assay upon, retained one for themselves
for the same purpose, and set one aside.
This last bottle Is designated as the umpire
bottle, and it Is appealed to for q decision
as to the quality Of the mineral when there
is controversy or any great difference be.
tween the two assays.
On the following day Jope returned to the
works and submitted his certificate oil
assay to the proprietors. II represented
235 ounces Of silver and twelve per cent Of
lead, while the assay made by the smelter
gave returns to the amount OF 21l ounces
in silver and twenty.four per cent In lead.
This was material difference, and was nd.
ditional evidence OF the fact that the min.
eral had been salted. The fellow accepted
u proposition for re.RsSay without any
hesitation, and his willing acceptance shook
the suspicious that he was fraud.
On the following day he obtained anoth.
er assay, and this one Corresponded with
the number that had been obtained BY the
smelter. The works proceeded at once to
make this re.assay, and as they went
through the process, and progressed from
shovel to roller, and back again TO shovel,
they found the returns varying For in.
stance, after guartering the first shovel they
found eight ounces, and combining with
the process they found twenty.iour ounces
in the tenth shovel.
This satisfied them that they were the
selected victims Of fraud. Through the
partitions Of the building,holes were made
which enabled those on the alert 20 over.
look whatever might occur in the assay
room. a closet was constructed, in which
Mr.. Loker was concealed, and he, too,
could see what was going on.
Saturday afternoon Jope made his APP
pearance in the assay department, hold
ing in his hand neerschaum pipe, the
bowl Of which was arranged, and Jope's
mineral that was being assayed lay upon
the board. Mr.. Platte, who was apparently
the only one In the room, turned his back
30 as to give the fellow chance to spring
the trap that was to hold him. Jope ad.
yanCed and deposited his Ghlorides In the
pan that contained his mineral, and started
to retreat, when signal from Mr.. Loker
brought the entire corps OF amateur detec.
tives down upon the rascal. Jope was
placed in the hands Of Deputy Sheriff Nil.
Ter and Constable Macdonald, and was
taken to Justice McDonnell's, where bond
In the sum Of $4,000 was exaCted Of him.
Had the fraud been Consummated the
works would have been beaten out Of So.