The Evening dispatch. [volume] (Provo, City, Utah) 1891-1895, 1894-08-07
fNfzH FAKE.

zee duBt-coYered, tramp worn pros
pectors made their advent into this
city. There was pleasant air of mys-
terry and self satisfaction about them
which gave promise of something in
teresting if not profitable in sight.
They came here in the afternoon but it
was not until the next morning when
whispers of marYelous strike began
TO be tGuited about. During the day it
Was asserted that the Enoch Davis
mine in the Glntah mountains had
been discovered and that these three
commonplace appearing proepectors
were the lucky men, Specimens of the
find were sparingly passed about. Soon
assays running as high as 1886 per ton
were shown. People began to be ex-
cited. Groups of Gag ar men met on the
street corners to estimate how long it
would be until they could count their
wealth by the millions. These inno-
cent prospectors needed a few hun
dred only to develop the millions.
Among our enterprising people the
necessary sum was soon made up. a
resort was then made to Salt Lake.
Several gentlemen there and another
from south Utah were attracted to the
scheme. Probably fifteen hundred
dollars was soon raised and all the
machinery of a big mining company
was organized and at work. Expert
miners were sent over to the Uintahs
and the work of taking out the rich
gold ore was begun. Ore was mt to
Provo and Salt Lake for assay. 1t still
returned the figure il gold which it
reached here on the first effort Then
other men and facilities were dis
patched to the region,
Things went on in this way for sew
sral weeks. The pleasant mystery
continued. Ali at once the fatal word
''fake" began to be applied. Then
came the other more fatal word
''ssIted.'' Men began to inquire. At
frat it was extremely difficult to
get expression from any one. This
soon passed away and it was
boldly charged that the whole scheme
was but q bold case of fraud of the
most shameful character What rem
ders the affair so very mysterious is
that th8 Echemers, the innocent pros
pectors themselves, did not get much
more out of the salt" than it had
originally cost them in hard money,
they throw in their labor and hard
ships as good measure. 1t finally de-
veloped that the ore had been treated
20 q BATH of chloride of gold.
The assaYer then recalled the fact
that in every assay showing over
trace of the yellow metal there we're
chlorine gasses discovered and in those
specimens showing only trace the
chlorine could not be detected.
This shows beyond q doubt that
fraud was perpetrated fraud of the
bsldest character.
The perpetrators are all welI-known |
Utah prospectors. The net results are
that about fifteen hundred men from |
first to last went into the Uintahs,
and much valuable time and money |
has been expended, all to no good. |
LYnching has been talked of arrest |
and punishment discussed, but up to
this nothing has been done. Some ad-
eouate punishment should be meeted |
ont to men who, for money, would put
such fraud as this on the people.
That this punishment will yet over
take them, if their final guilt is ever
ascertaiued, we hope and firmly be-
believe. Those gentlemen who have
suffered most should move in the mat
ter at once, before other and similar
schemes are devised and carried out.
TIE DISPATCH would be glad to
know that this Sailing" business was
wholly untrue and that the "Uintah
gold find" is all that it ought to be,
yet it fears the worst.