The Penn's Grove record., 1883-11-24

ElkANNA AIAAA
himself about his m~eerschsum, 81 can tell
you Of q neat job my friend Renlock, the
TURK, you know, put up on a London
msrine assurance company through the
sgtncy in San francisco. After he ran
out OF money to buy gold dust IN 1852, he
left San Francisco ahd went to China,
from whence he returned in q few months
oiled with q new project. He proposed TO
start a mint in Shanghai to coin SPANISH
mlled dollars, then at a premium of 20 to
80 cents with Chinese merchants. Previous
to this he had bought a small but effective
coming apparatus, which the police had
discovered and seized IN the chaparral, near
the mission, and about the ownership and
uses Of which there was a good deal OF
mystery that has never been cleared up.
However, Renlock bought the trick, and
stored it in the basement of Wass, Mollitor
j. Co g assay ofice. 1t was with this
portable mint (the dies for which were
made by the same man who made the slug
dies for Kellogg & Humbert) he was gong
to do the coming at Shanghai. MIR. Fisher,
the paying teller Of Page & Bscon's bank,
put altogether about $40, 900 into the
scheme, and the bank itself about half
that amount. Renlock then wen heavily
into the purchase OF silver bullion, and l,
among others, bought and SOLD large guam
titles OF Mexican dollars on his account. 1
sometimes thought, in handling this coin,
thai il had a familiar touch; that 1t had
passed through my hands several times be-
fore; that, In fact, these dollars were beng
bought and sold over and over again. But
[ muzzled my suspicious, held my peace,
andtook the usual liberal percentage formy
services as broker. In the meantime Rem
lock was very busy IN Wass Il Mollltor's
basement, boxing, for the purpose of
Shipment, the purchased bulllon-each
box, as stated, holding $4,000, lie had
purchased a brand new Name bdiIt bark
10 convey his treasure to China. Soon hls
arrangements were completed, and he was
ready to sell. He had bills of lading for
$500, 900, the amount OF bullion on board,
a policy of insurance fully covering this
amount, procured through the agency OF a
responsible London company, and the ship
was also insured for her full value. He
left port with flying colors. The next
news heard of Renlock and his venture
was that the bark had been found by the
United States chip of war vincennes, in a
sinking condition just off the coast, some
where In the China seas. The crew had
all deserted her, and were on shore IN the
vicinity. The popularity OF the position
OF the vessel was that she was down for
ward, while aft the hull was out of water.
After Intellectual attempts to free the hold,
the pumps being choked, to raise, I'M
shacBle or slip the anchor, the Vincennes
men were ordered to deslst, the officer in
charge saying that If he captain OF the
partially foundered bark and his crew were
not interested enough to stand by then
craft, he was not gong to take any extra
trouble. They would, however, convey
the captain and crew to Hong Kong as
shipwrecked mariners and report the case.
So they abandoned the bark to her late.
That same night three Ut the barK's crew
put off from the shore in a small boat to
try and get hold of some of the silver
bullion they supposed to be On board.
They worked as silently and expedl-
tiously as they could, under the cover of
darkness, and soon broke through into the
run and hauled out a couple of the coveted
boxes, the lids of which they pried Oft
with a small crowbar. when lol and be-
bold, IT was not silver bullion and Mexican
dolIarssfhat met their astonished gaze, but
scrap iron, coDpactly Kept IN place by a
dunnage Of small shot. They d d not pur-
sue the search further, but when they
rowed ashore had M of the boxes with.
them, and the scene between themselves,
Renlock and the skipper can better be
imagined thar described. 1t was the pack
ing of these boxes that had engaged Rer-
locks time in Wass 81 Mollltor's basement.
When everybody thought he-was putting
up bullion he was only packing scrap iron
and shot. My suspicious OF handling tbs
Mexican dollars over and over again was
right, you see. The captain was priyy 10
the whole transaction, only before he scut-
tied the bark he did not have sense enough
to put In the ballast required to sink her,
n she was only water-logged. After-a
tremendous row, Renlock paciied the SAIL
ors and bought their silence by promising
to give each a handsome sum on arriving
in Hong Kong. The next day, pretending
to give up the bark for a bad job, they all
took passage on the Vincennes for Hong
Kong, and it was not long before Renlock
negotiated with the house OF Jardine,
Mathieson & Co. an advance OF $3.50, 900
on his Insurance policies. How much he
gave the Captain and crew WAS for some
tine a secret, but 1t leaked out that he had
raid them in drafts on England, which, Of
course, were never honoTed. Meantime,
Fisher, the paying teller OF Page & Bacon's
bank, who advanced $20. 00U TO Renlock,
got a letter to meet him In New York on a
certain day TO receive his money. He had
started Immediately but had not been
gone more than three or four days before
Renlock turned up in San Francisco. The
letter was a ruse to get the paying teller
out OF the way, and Renlock hoped in HE
absence to get the policy cashed and leave
with the proceeds. He was a bold ''ope-
rator," that Turk, If he was a Turk. But
hold as his action was, and quick rs he wa
in movements, he was hardly speedy
enough. The house ID Hong Kong that
had made advances on his policies had by
this time communicated with the London
Office In regard to the same. The insurance
company was startled, and at once dis.
patched al agent to San Francisco to i'll
vestjgate. He visited Maine en- route, and
questioned the builders of the bark Rem
lock had bought. The vessel was de-
scribed as A l. Then the agent hurried
on to San Francisco 70 confront RenlocB;
but as he came into the city that individual,
WHO had somehow got wind of his errsnd,
left it. Where he went nobody knows to
this day. A man could hide himself In
the world much more e~ffectually at that
time, you know, than he can in this rail.
road-telegraph age. Aud | never found
out, either, whether Jardine, Msth ieson &
Co. were made good for $3.50, 600 ad-
vanced."
Rough inanclering in the old times, l
should say.
''Siightly uneven occasionally, " assented
the old pioneer, 'but it had It's charms
1t had its cha-ms."