Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-03-13


| York Mai aud Express. He was the member
! of the great firm Of chemists whose certif-
cate as TO the output Of a mine would be
worth a fortune IL favorable. "Sorry 10
offend you, SIR" he continued, "but we as
sumo that every man who comes here is a
knave"
This aroused my curiosity, and improved
the first opportunity 70 ask an expert as
sayer TO explain these msanthropic senti-
ments DR. Ledoux, a famous chemist con-
nected with the firm mentioned above, sat
isfied me that they were well founded. 1--WE
can hardly trust our own Senses" he said.
81 have known sample of ore to yield a
heavy percentage Of gold when its owner
was present at the test and none at all
when he was absent. How can that be'
Well, IN this instance saw nothing wrong,
but recently was conducting an assay in
the presence Of the owner Of the sample
and noticed that he was chewing tobacco
very vigorously and also gong TO the assay
furnace to expectorate into the fire. Watch
ing him narrowly saw him spit into the
crucible, and seizing him by the throat,
forced out Of his mouth the TOBACCO and
along with it quantity OF gold dust, which
he was attempting to get INTO the crucible-
this was TO make his assay run high. 1t
would require very liJtle gold thus added
TO an ounce of ore TO mako difference
Of many hundreds of dollars per ton in the
result.
"The most singular attempt at swindle
which we have ever come across was in
connection with 'GabriePs Sword You
may remember that in the mouth of May,
1888, the papers In Ulster and Sullivan Coun-
ties and the New York daily papers were
widely excited over most remarkable dis
covery back of Kingston, N. Y. A strange
sword had fallen from the skies and had
been discovered in the town Of Rochester,
Ulster County.
"Some time in July following long
haired individual came into our Office stag
gering under the weight Of box seven
feet long with cross piece near one end
about two feet in length. He asked If we
would assay any thing, and on being as
sured that we would, pulled out a screw
driver and carefully unscrewed his box, out
of which he took sword. 1t was curious
weapon nearly seven feet long and so heavy
that could scarcely lift the point from the
ground with one hand by taking hold of the
handle 1t was covered with Hebrew or
Phnnecian characters apparently, and COW
cred with rude figures of men and animals.
This marking was only apparent where the
rust with which most of the weapon was
heavily corroded had been rubbed off.
HThe man said that he was the discoverer
of this strange sword, and was exhibiting
it about the country; that some unbelieYers
had scotfed at his statements that 1t came
from spiritual world, and that he desired
us TO make an assay of it to prove that it
was genuine. He stated further that on
It's appearance and ring when 1t was struck
one would naturally take 1t to be steel, but
that he had been In times past blacksmith,
and was samlliar with metals, and that it
was his opinion that 1t was compound OF
silver and iron, and asked me whether such
an alloy was not uncommon.
" ! told him yes, of course, when he tri-
umphantly added Now, ! want you to as
say this sword and give me certificate
that 1t Is neither iron nor steel but an alloy
containing silver, and | want you to say on
your certificate that such an alloy is not
used in this world for such purposes and
would not have the hardness, fexibility
and other characteristics which this sword
possesses
(" was interested and amused, and agreed
10 make the test. The old mau seemed anX-
ious not to mutilate the weapon, and it was
agreed that we should file off portion from
a place where it was particularly rusted
and assay the fling. was convinced that
IL was nothing but steel, and was most in
tensely surprised when our assayer brought
up large silver button which he had Oh
talued from the filings. The old man was
triumphant, but was at once on my guard,
as scented n swindle. 1t was, of course,
possible to coat the surface with a silver SO
luton which would dry on and produce the
result which we found, and refused to give
him certificate without further test,
Ia paa1flty onnpiaunaI a N mud nj hat
he had rather anticipated such request,
and proposed that he should file the end of
the cross bar, calling my attention to the
fact that one end was about half an inch
longer than the other, and that the cross
bar and sword were undoubtedly forged out
Of the same piece of metal, so that what was
true Of the composition of the bar was true
Of the sword. This l agreed TO, and the
end was filed on. II appeared 10 be
simply q cube Of soft iron or steel, heavily
rusted on five sides, and bright and homo,
geneous where cut by the file Now
said my client, "you tell your man to put
this in the srucible and will abide by the
resut,n in spite Of the appearance Of the
piece Of metal ouF assayar was instructed
to take cold chisel and cut II in two and !
ASSAY the two halves separately To our |
intense establishment he brought the two |
portions upstairs showing us, concealed in |
the middle, u plug of silver surrounded on |
all sides by the steel or iron. The whoa |
thing was at once plain The old man, on |
some one, in mangfacturing the sword had |
bored n hole through one end OF the cross, |
bar and plugged II up with silver SO that |
Il did not show, He had probably invent !
ed the meteoric story We, Of course, de. |
clinod 10 give him certificate OF the su. |
nernatiral origin of the VeOnan which ha /
had undoubtedly made himself, aud he de- !
parted,
,rhe men we most feara the new proc.
ess' characters who profess 10 be able TO |
find gold or tin or other metal In the most |
unlikely rocks by secret means Of their |
own. They come TO US for certificates aud |
always insist on being present when their |
process Is tried. bomeumes they viii salt |
'he sample or put gold ,atG the eructble in |
spite OF the greatest watchfulness