The morning call., 1893-07-09
THE GOLD TRAP.
NJ. Samson's Device for
Swindling Capitalists.
AN EXPEDITION THAT FAILED
The Story of a Wonderful Journey
Into the Wilds of British
Columbia.
AN EXPEDITION THAT FAILED
Correspondence of THE MORNING CALL.

VICTORIA. B. c.. July Elm the strange
history of gold mining in this province
there has not been written more remark
able chapter than that concerning Sam
sons wonderful gold trap. which has been
concluded this week, the finale being Sam
sons arrest and subsequent detention as
insane. not criminal.
M. Jules Samson is Frenchman by
birth, a chemist by profession. an inventor
by choice and resident Of British Column
bia by happy chance which took him on
a hunting expedition into the Cariboo
Mountains few years ago. While there
he was shown-as all visitors are-the
abandoned placer claims where, not many
years ago. hundreds of hardy men stood
waistdeep in water. grading gold. NJ.
Samson looked and listened and marveled,
and Immediately set his inventive brain TO
work upon an invention which was to lit
orally revolutionze river mining and Incl
dentally make the inventor and those to
whom he might confide the great secret
multi-miliionaires.
In March last he gold trap" was COM
pleted, and though none were permitted to
see the great Invention, it was given out
that It had been tested and proved prac-
teal success. attracting the particles Of
gold to it when placed in the stream as
surely and in much the same manner as
TIE magnet compels the attendance Of
particles of steel. ''All you will have to
do" said NJ. Samson, will be to place the
gold trap ia bend of the stream, where
il will catch the current, and let it do its
own mining. Return for it in few
months and your gold will be there ready
and waiting for you"
The Inventor and invention disappeared
for time and it was said that Nj. Samson
had gone up to the Nation River. an al
most inaccessible stream in the heart of
the mountains. to place one of his ma
chimes 10 position. A few weeks later NJ
Samson left for the East Ito interest
capital"
SO bright picture of prospective profits
did the inventor paint and so well did his
models perform that H. A. Fissiault Of
Ottawa, man prominent in Dominion
public life, and NJ. A. n. Laperrer. who
for five years was chief Of the mete0rOlO2i-
eel station at Digs Island, Alaska, fell in
love with the scheme at once aud agreed
to furnish The necessary capital Two
hundred and fifty thousand dollars were
asked for on the start, this sum to be spent
in eQuipplng an expedition to the Nation
River, where Nj. Sampson said his traps
were already at work, aud in locating
traps in neighboring streams. Later on
the company was to pe formed to embark
in larger operations with practically I'M
limited powers and capital.
Nj. Laperrerri, having considerable ex-
perience of mines, decided to make the
trip to the Nation himself. Slgnor j. A.
Fissiault was sent as his fathers repre-
sentative. and on May 2 the expedition
left the forks Of the Quesnelle in command
OF Samson himself, aud taking with them
a trap" capable Of handling sixty tons of
dirt per day.
The party numbered about 40 persons
and went provisioDed for long stay.
There were fifteen white men, Mrs. Sam
son and her maid, and twenty Indians.
Horses and cattle were To follow by the
Fort George and Stuarts Lake trails, but
MI. Samson Insisted on MS six pet cats
and his four does accompanying the river
party. Some idea can be formed of the
contemplated journey when we note that
the distance is not less than 100 miles and
that the boats had 20 be towed up the river
banks by the Indians against a current
running at least ten miles an hour.
There were at least six canyons to pass
two on the Fraser and four on the Ma
tion-and the boats had to be emptied
each time and the freight packed by
the men over rugged mountains The
boats were only 10 go as far as G'scomb
Portage. and there the party were to build
canoes ard descend the Crooked River 10
McLe0ds Lake, whence they were to
descend the Parsbip to the mouth OF tile
Nation. thirty miles from where the trap
WAS supposed to have been located.
Having seen the company depart. British
Colum Dians waited with anxiety news of
the result of the expedition. the press
generally voicing the expression of the
Mining Journal: IF Mr. Samson's in
venlion Is success miners Will be able to
take the gold from the bottom of the deep
est rivers. British Columbians wish the
party every success In their undertaking,
for its success means much to this province
of gold"
Nothing was heard from Samson or his
colleagues until June 90, when messengers
arrived at Quesnelle with a request that
police be sent to Fort George, where Sam
son was held very rebellious prisoner
Their story is told below:
NJ. Samson had led NJ. Fissiault andsM.
Laperr:erri TO believe that his gold trap
but when we got to Fort George the Cath.
Ollie priest told them he had never seen Nj.
Samson there before. and he could no,
have got up the Nation without aid, as
| Sam son. too. showed an utter ignorance OF
| river mining, but having sunk their money
| in the venture the Eastern men said they
would see 1t to the end. Crossing the
ulUuuLdiuS OdliSUu COUpellcu LucU u
carry his cats and dogs and at the same
time exhibited the GREATEST brutality to
| ali. After many mad pranks on his parl
the party reached Summit Lake. and there
Samson took one of has men into his conf
dence.
He told him that all the ammunition
except his private supply had been doc
tered" and rendered useless, and ordered
him in the night tn get the boats eady fol
dash down the river. that the intention
was to abandon Fissisult and Laperrierr
In the wilderness. where they could hunt
for gold Till the bears made food Of them
The man saw that Samson was mad and
| told Fissiault. who arranged plan to cap.
ture him. The men made pretense OF
asking for their wages, and at sigma
from NJ. FissiauIt sprang upon Samson
and disarmed and bound him. Then the
expedition returned to Fort George. where
he was imprisoned in the Hudson Bay
COmpany's storehouse while messenger;
went for the police. Samson was charged
with fraud. with conspiracy and with
threatening 10 kill A medical examins-
ton shows him 20 be insane, however. and
instead Of going TO Jail he will be sent to
an Eastern asylum.
The Lads Life r1ay Be Saved.