Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-12-05
FRAUDULENT ANr1ourr,r.
The Business Of ManufactuPi~. A.,
tiques for tho Market.

SCIENTISTS WHO MAKE FLINT Arrow ur.na
THE STORY OF "FLIST JAcK'-FoReEpIND INDIAN
RELICS FROM NORTH CAROLINA "A TALK
WITH AN ANTHRofoLoeIsr.
They were talking OF the elephant n,resv
DR.. Charles Rau, of the Smithsonian Institution
and STAR reporter. The place was a cosv
scientific work room in the great tower
Of the Smithsonian building. Books and
manuscripts, pair Of foils crossed on the vail
an inviting looking pipe or two with long reed
stems and shelves containing dingy relics of
people who dressed In skins and with ruso
weapons hunted beasts of the forests. where
now the most civilized peoples of Europe dwel,
gave to the room most unique appearance
The past and present jostle each other very fa-
miiarly in an anthropologists study
at is not at all proved" said DIR. Ran
"that these pipes are not genuine. saw them
at the time they were sent here, hut wouid
like to see them again. Then 1 was very busy
and did not have time to examine them
man and he pPes would he
this country as in Europe, and OF that tact i
have little doubt. The elephant may have sur.
recent period, and the pipe Is an Old American
invention" The pipes referred to were found
In Indian mounds in Iowa, and are now
tific society at Davenport. Iowa Their
popularity is that they have represen tations of
eiePhints carved upon tnem. Their antiquity
or genuineness as specimens Of aboriginal ar,
having been questioned, heated controversv
has been waged over them. II made by Indians
at ali it is claimed that they must be very an
cient, dating back to the days when the nam.
moth lived on this continent, or very modarr
dating only since the days when Van Ambureh
elephant familiar even to the red son of the
forest.
FRAUDULENT ANTIQUITIES
Leaving the subject of the Elephant pipes"
the reporter asked to what extent the manutac.
ture of fraudulent antiquities was carried on.
at has become a regular business" answered
the doctor. at has assumed the character of
an industry. 1t goes SD far that when a collec.
ton arrives here, and my assistant scrutinize
counterfeit. This remark refers especiailv to
articles made of soft stone, of soapstone or not.
stone, easily worked by the Indians, and from
] am not aware that aay one in this country
has tried to initiate flint articles for the purpose
of sale. though there are amateurs who make
such articles without any intention OF deceiy-
ing any one. heard the other day OF the sale
in Philadelphia OF the collection ofa gentleman
named Mc-lvaine. He was very sktiiiui in MAX
ing arrows. Alter he died the arrows were sold
as genuine. The man who sold them proba bly,
did not know the difference. Would you like
to see some objects made by white men in imI.
tation of the Indians?''
INITIATING INDIAN ARROW MAKERS.
The reporter having expressed his desire to
see the articles referred to, DIR. Rau brought out
several cases Of arrow heads, Of flint, of glass,
and of obsidian all fashioned skilllully so a. to
deceive any careless observer ut least. 1.-THE
Indian arrow maker, continued the doctor
"a he exhibited the articles. "useS a tool made
o. a piece of deer-born attached to a stick.
He Shivers the flint block, hy blows into iram-
ment>, selects u piece OF suitable share and
then begins working at the sides 10y pressing
the horn against the flint.
badly and clumsily made and bear evidences
Oh forgery: In some cases can detect the fraud
at once. Here in this instance ne continued,
showing little box containing four or five
roughly-made arrow heads, II think these ar
rows were made by Flint Jack noted forger
Of antiquities: 1 bought them in New York
tends in ridges over the whole surface. In
these arrows, you see, only the edges are
ehipped. Moreover, flint undergoes changes
flint, You see, is of dull lead color. 1t is proba-
bly, piece of English flint. Mr. w. H. Holmes,
9de the 81 made these said The
some arrow heads OF obsidian. "He makes the
incest have seen, but he admits that he
said, referring to another. "were made by Mr.. F..
II. Cushing and here is the tool with which
he made Them" The tool exhibited was "a
small piece of bone attached to q wooden stick
by means of a wire wound around it. 1t was it
sell a counterfeit OF the rude tool with which
the Indian arrow maker works.
"Do or did the Indians make arrow heads OF
| obsidian and jasper" asked the reporter.
Yes said the anthropologist, land very
nduuSOI1e ones. Inc best arrow heads were
made in Oregon. We have just been engaged in
mounting collection of Obsidian anu Jasper
arrows from Oregon"
CLINT JACKS" ACHIEVEMENTS.
"YOu mentioned Flint Jack'?" said the re
porter inquis,tively.
'FIint Jack succeeded in imposing upOn
people for long time but was found out" said
the doctor. II have among my scraps here
papers that will tell you all about him. And
the doctor hunted through his papers until he
had found the right ones. These showed
that Flint Jack was born in 1915, near Whit
by, in Yorkshire. England, His real name ap-
went, at one time, under the name Of Cockney
Bill, and Is known to fame chiefly through his
exploits under the sobriquet of "Flint Jack. "
Some of his early years he spent as servant or
assistant to a gentleman engaged in geological
pursuits, and he appears to have been known
! in this service he learned the value placed by
collectors upon relics of ancient people, In
1913 he saw a British flint arrowhead, and a
the turning point of his career. From that
time forth he never looked for an.
taTites TO search for them involved
them he found to be easy and certain. So he
| turned out arrow heads, urns, beads, seals and
antiques of any kind which he could reasonably
expect to palm off as genuine He rose above
arrow heads and INDUCED in ancient pottery.
| Once he succeeded in selling a very curious
the urn was shattered and the fragments were
given back to Jack to take away and mend. In
Quc time he brought back the urn made whole
again. The purchaser afterwards found that q
| portion of the broken urn had not been given
to Jack. He was amazed to discover that not
withstanding this Jack had completely re-
stored the urn. Once, 1t is related, he got q
large sum for an ancient breast-plate which he
had fashioned from an old tea-tray which
he had picked up in his travels. Another
exploit was the production OF q Roman
| milestone at q time when such a relic
produced stone from the bottom of some
stream having an odd and antique looking in.
| scription. He used to bury his antiquities and
| bring them to the surface as occasion arose
| Jack, when squarely cOrnered, would admit
| that the article he offered for sale was only q
"dooplicate," and then talk his customer into
| buying it as a copy Of an antique. Latterly he
| proud of his skill. He was publicly introduced
| at q meeting of biologists in London in 1881
and gave an exhibition of his skill in Initiating
| flint objects.
"Here is photograph of Flint Jack" said the
| doctor, when the reporter had looked over the
papers. The photograph which the doctor ex.
hibited represented vely seedy. trampish:
! on a chair, holding hammer in one hand
work in the other. The low-browed face was
| set off with a pair of dark side whiskers, and
| had very cunning expression. 1t was the
| figure, one could easily see, of an old topper,
| Don't you think he had o red nOse?' said DIR.
Rau. II think the picture shows that as well as a
cannot tell. The last thing heard of him was
| that he was in prison for having stolen clock.
His whole life is proof Of the truth Of the old
| saw, that honesty is the best policy" "a,
NORTH CAROLINA FRAUD UNMARRIED.
HThe fOrgers produce only very curious