, 1891-06-13
THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE"
From the Daily Telegraph, May 49,

as q merchant, fifty-SiX years Of age, Of
Dover-stTeCt, Piccadilly, was brought up
on remand yesterday morning, before Mr..
Hannay at MarlbOrOugh-StrGet Police-court,
to answer the charge Of having attempted
to obtain the sum Of 100000 from Edwin
William S%treeter, a jeweller, carrying on
business i'll New Bond-street, by means Of
a trick.
Mr.. Horace Avory, barrister, and Mr..
Pollard prosecuted for the Treasury Mr..
Bernard Abrahams, solicitor, defended;
and M. T%urton, barrster, watched the case
on behalf Of Count Kearney.
During the hearing of the case the centre
of the solicitors table was occupied by the
furnace and bellows and other fittings, and
a bag and parcel containing the bottles
of chemicals and the CrucibIes which Pinter
is said to have used in making his expert
ments. The subject of the evidence given
by Mr.. Streeter when Pinter was before
the magistrate on the previous Tuesday is
that on April 20 Count Kearney, a gentle
man whom he had never before heard of,
wrote him a letter, and two days later
called upon him. A conversation which
they had at that interview led TO their
going to StOrey's Hotel, Dover-street, and
witnessing an experiment performed by
Pinter in Il bedroom. Explaining that lie
AtNA OLSNONHICA a DuOSkulICC "IlCu WOllu
increase threefold any quantity of gold
with which it was fused, Pinter took a
sovereign from a bottle which contained,
he said, an acid of composition only known
to himself, III which the coin had been
soaking eighteen days, and placed it with
some tux and a certain proportion OF Il
black powder in q crucible. Having been
subjected to the heat Of the furnace for
about an hour, the CruciOlo was removed
aud examined. At the bottom was found
anugget Of gold Of q weight equal to that
OF three soVereignS, and, us two indepen-
dent assays subsequently made by MeSsrs.
Johnson and Matthey showed, of q quality
between 81 and % carat. Pinter then pro-
posed that Mr.. StreGter should take a house
Tor him to live in, where he might erect
aSufiClent number of tanks and u furnace
to treat large quantities OF gold. He sug-
gested that Mr.. Streeter should supply
10000 sOyereignS for him to Turn, by means
of his secret process, into gold worth Gl00,
900, but cautioned him that, while he alone
would have the control Of it, the fumes OF
the acid were so strong that it would b0
dangerous to his life for him to venture
near the tanks, Without giving pinter
any reason to suppose that he doubted
his power to carry out such q project,
Mr.. Stre6ter arranged for an experiment
to be performed on a larger scale at his
W works in Tysoe-street, ClerkenweIl,
and then had an interview with Detective-
inspectors FrOeSt and Swanson, of Scot
land-yard. On the appointed day Count
Kearney, Pinter, Mr.. Streeter, and one of
his assistants met at the factory in u room
where the two detective officers had pre-.
vlouSly concealed themselves. All being
ready, Plnter took twenty S0vereignS from
a vessel containing his acid, put them into
a crucible, added n quantity of his mystic
rlouS powder, and placed the cruCibIe on
a furnace i'll the centre of the room. When
it was considered that the fusion was COM
plete Pinter removed the crucible, and
those present closed round to see the re-
result. While this was going on the detec-
tive officers emerged quietly from their
hiding-placeS, and, at the moment Pinter
was peering into the glowing crucible,
made their presence known and arrested
him. The crucible, which from its weight
was estimated By Mr.. Streeter to contain
about ESQ worth of gold, was taken possess
sion of by the officers. Mr.. Streeter's belief
was that Pinter's PHILOSOPHERS Stone"
was oxide of gold.
Mr.. TurtOn informing the magistrate Of
the reason of his presence there, mentioned
that Count Kearney had communicated
with the Treasury authorities and laid all
his knowledge of the circumstances OF the
case ut their disposal.