Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-06-25
Cyanide is King"

Cyanide is King"
As was previously promised we pub
lish this week, an article taken from
the Denver Mining Exchange Journal,
which very successfully refuted the
charges made against the Macarthur
Forrest process and the owners of the
patent, by the Deadwood Times and a
New york Journal. Why such an en-
terprising and usually fair minded organ
as the Times should have taken the
position it has, and endeavored to de
stroy confidence in the Mc-Arther-For-
rest people, is hard to understand and
the explanations offered in the article
referred to are probably the only cor.
rect ones. However we of Custer may
congratulate ourselves that the course
pursued by some of Deadwood's citizens
has influenced the Denver Gold and
Silver Extraction Company to erect a
plant here, and secure a foothold for
the process in the Southern Hills:
"Under the misfit and inappropriate
heading of the Macarthur Forrest
Fake" the Black Hills Daily Times,
published at Deadwood, South Dakota,
in its issue of June 9Th, proceeds to re-
hash q batch Of misstatements and lies,
which it had trumped up against the
| former issue. Tie Journal paid no at.
t~cntion 20 the Times first article, con-
sidering that the same was inspired by
local prejudice, and also because Of the
limited circulation that the Times would
be able to give il, despite the fact that
it issued IN extra edition OF that parti-
cular number and sent them broadcast
throughout the country. The consider
alton the Times received for the article
We are not able TO state, and it is of no
consequence TO us. At that time we
considered the Times too small game
for us TO pay any attention to. but when
ii rehashes the matter and gloats over
the fact that we did not answer them,
~insinuating that they were too near
home for us to tackle. We will proceed
now, with the aid Of the Queens En-
glish, to pay our respects to that Black
Hills Daily Fake" Ii reiterates that
the Simpson process is identical with
the Macarthur Forrest process, and that
it antedates the latter, which was pa
tented after seventy odd discoveries Of
a similar character had been patented.
The Journal has heretofore substantially
proven that the first, as well as the last
statement is a lie, as we showed in our
issue of June /, that the processes were
not identical at all. "The seventy odd
discoveries Of similar character" is an
untrue statement, Of which the Times is
well aware. 1t is simply absurd, and to
preface an article with so base a lie is TO
materially weaken it in every particular.
The second statement made is that
Messrs. Frank and Darling did not make
satisfactory tests. or rather that their
tests were not successful on Black Hills
ores, is likewise untrue. These tests were
made by Messrs. Frank and Darling for
the Golden Reward company of Dead
wood, of which Mr.. Franklin is the
president Mr.. Franklin admitted in
Denver in the presence of witnesses
that he considered the tests success
full, in fact he was enthusiasts ovev.
them. These tests saved "a per cent of
the gold value of the ore and 81 per cent
of the silver value. Mr.. B~amberger.
the Golden Reward company's able
chemist was likewise enthusiastic over
the results of tho tests and originated
the expression Cyanide is King
which has gained considerable notoriety
since. The Times gloats over the fact
that "the process is a fraud" and that
1T is backed mp in its opinion by the
Engineering and Mining Journal of New
York" We will state for the benefit of
the readers of the Journal, as well MS
the Times, that the original matter. as
il appeared in the Engineering and
Mining Journal Of May 81, we have
reasons to believe came from the Black
Hills and was prompted in the New
York sheet in the interests of machin-
cry manufacturers who are selling Black
Hills miners chlorination plants. Also
perhaps, in the interest of Mr.. Roth
wells brother who at one time operated
a c~hlorination plant at Deadwood, but
who was forced to give up his position
on account Of his extravaganza, etc. in
connection with operating the plant.
The Times goes on to state that il has
little faith that Frank and Darling will
erect q large plant in Deadwood, unless
they make some radical improvements
in their process" As the Times has
seen ut to antagonize the Macarthur
Forrest process in Deadwood to the
detriment of the interests Of the mimers,
and more especially ofthe business men
at Deadwood, we are authorized to state
that the plant will be erected outside of
Deadwood, but will operate on Black