The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-11-18
THE STORY OF A SWINDLE.
Alleged Origin of the Bogus Gold Bricks Which
Wolf Sold to the Madison Bank.

Leadville tCo) Democrat.
'The fools are not all dead yet" said Asa
Pierce, in conversation with Democrat report
er. in the Tabor Hotel billiard-room yesterday.
''What particular fool have you reference tor
suggested the scribe.
''Well, the story is too good to keep, but too
tough to tell"
After great deal of urging, on the part of
the reporter, Mr. Pierce, who has lived in Lead
vile, off and on, for the last five years, unbos
omed himself to the reporter, who by dint Of a
great deal of questioning, elected the following
account of one of the most unique swndles that
the Democrat has ever had to record:
You see" said Pierce, ''me and my partner,
Ed Nelson, opened up good prospect hole in
Arizona got patent for it, and went to New
have lost confidence in mining schemes, and
when we left that city, on the 1st of November,
we didn't have enough money to get any farther
than Louisville, Ky. While we were in Louis
vile we tried to think up a scheme to make q
raise to get back to Tucson. After Ed and
/ had talked together for about two days over
the thing, Ed says to me, hear a fellow named
U. S. Wolf in North Madison, Ind, has just
come by good deal of money. I was raised
with this fellow Wolf, and if he is the sucker
he used to be we could easily
hit on some scheme to get some
Of his wealth. We talked the
thing over, hour after hour, until Ed says to me:
Il think the gold-brick scheme will fetch him.
So we went TO the foundry and had two brass
bricks cast. each one having hole in the middle
about big enough to set candle in, and about a
half-inch deep. After the bricks were cast we
pawned all the plumber we had to get them gold
plated and get these candle holes filled up with
fine gold. This cost about 5000, and we did not
have much stuff afterward, can tell you. Soon
as we had the bricks fixed we took them across
the river in a grip sack to New Albany, Ind.
just outside this city some hills called The
Knobs We took the bricks to one Of these
hills, buried them about three feet deep, and put
big stone there to mark the spot My partner
had posted me, so went to North Madison. Ind,
that night, taking the name of Dan Brown.
II gave it out that was looking for man
named Henry Wolf and, naturally enough,
was directed to U. S. Wolf, who owns and keeps
the toll gate ear that place. Mr.. Wolf said he
did not know Henry Wolf, and told him that
knew he had sister near Columbus who could
give me his address. l left, telling Wolf that
going to Columbus in search of Henry
VOLTS sister. | then went back to Louisville
and told Ed what l had done, and then we
agreed to fix Ed up as an Indian. 1 was on
good terms with the chambermaid at the Alex
ander Hotel, and got her to give me fine feath-
er-duster. We cut the ostrich feathers from the
handle and burned it up in the CRATE. Ed then
tied red handkerchief around his head and
stained his face with nut-gall. He had on a
buckskin hunting suit we brought with from
Arizona, and when we stuck the ostrich feathers
around his head, under the handkerchief and he
said, Big Ingun eat much wigwam,' he looked
natural enough to fool Ourays ghost. Two days
after that / went back to North Madison and
stopped at the Western Hotel. | went out to
see Wolf again. and informed him that Henry
Wolf had gone south, taken the malarai fever
and died. l then told him how Henry, myself
and an old Indian discovered mine in Arizona,
which was full of gold nuggets, but we lacked
the money necessary to carry on the work. |
then tells him my Indian partner and me had
come to Indiana with two valuable
samples of the gold, expecting to find
to work the mine u. S. Wolf commenced to
get interested, and said if it was agreeable to
and my Indian partner, he would take Renry's
place, raise the money and commence business
at once. He made the condition, however, that
he should have the samples tested, to prove that
they were pure gold. The next morning me and
the bloke took the train for New Albany and
landed there about noon. We took dinner at the
hotel and hired buggy to 60 to the Knobs.
Wolf paying all the expenses.
"After driving about two miles from New AL
bany, we came to lone spot where big In Jun
was sitting on stone smoking clay pipe. The
Injun's name was 'Dovetail,' and 1 spoke to
him altogether in the Comanche language
He soon rolled the stone away, and commenced
TO dig up the dirt with his hunting knife, and
presently he turns up two bright, shining gold
bricks. Wolf takes an augur and bores hole in
the center of one of them. He bores until he
strikes something hard and breaks off the point
of his augur We then left DOvetal to mind
the bricks, and then took the gold shavings to
Madison, where Wolf had them analysed by
Brooks & Dold, who melted them down to but
ton, and said it was eghteen-karat gold. Wolf
then took the button to d. N. Reid, of the
Branch Bank, who got down his testing chemi-
calls and apparatus, and went to work scientifi
caly. All of the clerks looked on anxiously,
and were made happy when Reid told them the
sample gold was twenty-five karat fine
''Wolf then explains to the cashier that there
were two bricks of that gold, and told the sizes
of them, and the cashier tells Wolf that the two
are worth not less than 800 000 Reid said that
they were worth $25 ,000 Wolf told the cashier
that these two bricks could be bought for S., 000
I then agreed with Wolf to let him in as a
partner in the two bricks and the Arizona mine.
The bank agreed to advance Sc. 900 to Wolf, 3d.
900 to pay for the bricks, 81 600 to pay his ex-
penses to Arizona. The cashier of the bank says
to Wolf: There is no doubt but that these
lonely place near New Albany with
this money these two fellows will kill you and
take the money and bricks and skip out But
Wolf, he didn't care, and gave the bank two
notes. for S. 900 and one for 81. 900, and went
with me to New Albany Ind. where got Dove
tail to give him up the bricks AS soon as we
gave him the bricks he counted out the 5000
into my hands, and me and the Indian went
back to Louisville. When l got to the hotel
wrote Wolf letter telling him, You gave s., 600
for four dollars worth of brass and two dollars
worth of gold All you have to do is to keep
mum and play the trick off on some other sucker
like yourself When got to Denver, Ed gets
a letter from friend in North Madison, Ind,
which said Mr.. Reid tested the bricks in regu-
lar scientific manner and pronounced them to be
gold twenty karats fine. He says the bank gave
Wolf certificate of deposit for 500. 900 for the
bricks. | came to Leadville to look after an
interest had in q mine here, but going back
to Arizona In a few days. and have money enough
to work my claim all winter"
Madison Courier, 18th.
The case of the bank against y. S Wolf is