The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-07-02
The Gold. Brick Game Revised
and Brought Strictly
Up to Date.
FRUSTRATED BY ACCIDENT.
Tuscarora Too Keen For Arizona
in the "Lost Mine"
Speculation.

genlOuS attempt TO Work the gOld-Drlck
swindle was foiled few days ago by the
absence of one link in the chain. The con-
spiracy from beginning to end was ar
ranged with SURPRISING care and inteili-
gence. AT the very moment of its con-
summation it broke down, and its failure
was almost the result of an unforeseen
accident.
Aleck Primo is a French Canadian, and
has been for years a successful miner in
Tuscarora. He is a man well to do, good
miner and possessed of more than ordinary
shrewdness. Some days ago Mr.. Primo
was approached in Tuscarora by mild,
honest-looking individual, who wore the
appearance of a prospector, one who had
spent his best years out of doors.
SIS your name Primo?" asked the
stranger.
'Yes; that's my name" said Mr.. Primo.
A look of blank disappointment came
over the face of the stranger. II have
made big mistake" he said. II came up
here all the way from Tucson to look up
my old pard, Primo, and now l see you
are not the man."
The discontinue of the man was so
genuine that Mr.. Primo pitied him and
asked him to his house. But he refused to
be comforted. He had left his Arizona
partner in Tucson while he looked up
Primo and he had failed after all. There
was nothing for him to do but to return at
once.
That evening he disclosed the object in
seeing his ancient &C -npanion. He had
got the secret of mine called "the Lost
Mine, in the mountains in Arizona, and
he wanted Primo-the Primo he expected
to fnd-to help him out in securing it.
An old Mexican woman who used to get
occasional nuggets of gold from it and who
had kept the secret of its locality for years
| locked up in her breast, believing that she
was going to die, had told it to her son.
He was sick, too, and Dick Williams, his
Arizona pard and himself had at last
wormed it out of him. The Mexican was
| then in Sacramento, and he had promised
| to join him there as soon as he had seen
| Primo. But Dick would be sad man
when he heard of his mistake.
| Mr.. Primo quite unsuspectingly offered
| the Arizona man the hospitality of his
home, and became that evening interested
in the story of the lost mine. The Mexi-
can had gold brick from that mine-at
least the Arizona man believed it to be
gold, but it was not assayed. The greaser
was hard up, and he felt sure that he
would sell this treasure for much less than
its actual value. He (Tom) would buy it
from him, but if Mr.. Primo, who somehow
reminded him of his old chum, would
take it and stand in with them on the big
mine. why the offer was open to him.
At this Primo got bit suspicious, but
when Tom showed him a clipping from an
Arizona paper which told about the lost
mine and also stated that Tom was about
to journey to Tuscarora to hunt up his old
pard Primo, he began to think that this
was straight business after all. Still he
resolved to proceed with his eyes open.
He consented to go with Tom to Sacra-
mento and see the Mexican.
| During those interviews the Arizona
| man showed that he had plenty of ready
money, and when, the next morning, he
| drew out his wallet to buy his ticket
Primo perceived that it was well flied
with gold.
Arrived at Sacramento, Tom took Primo
to lonely spot on the banks of the Ameri-
can River, where they were to meet the
Mexican. After lot of mysterious signal
| ing dirty. sick-looking Californian came
out of the brush with bundle under his
arm. He held whispered conference
with Tom, who came back with the brick
| and told Primo that the Mexican would
trust him with it to have it assayed.
On their return to the city Tom proposed
| that they see a ieweler and get his opinion
on the brick, which certainly had the ap-
| pearance of being solid gold. He went
into the first shop he came to. and re-
| turned, stating that the jeweler could not
assay it, but he had told him that there
was United States assayer stopping at
one of the hotels.
And here occurred one of the most in
| genious stages of the conspiracy. When
| they entered the hotel the clerk replied
| to Toms inquiries about the assayer and
| pointed out quiet, well dressed man who
| was looking outSthe window. He. said the
clerk, had come there a few DAYS ago and
| told them that he was a United States
assayer from Philadelphia, travelling in
California for his health. He cheerfully
offered to assay the brick for them and
borrowed brace and bit. He bored into
| it and pronounced it gold.
This assured Primo that there was no
deception in the business. The turning up
of the assayer, who was an accomplish,
| and who made the hotel clerk an uncon-
scious one, convinced him that the Ari-
| iona miners tale was true. and that he
was just what he represented himself. So
he consented to go to San Francisco with
| him, buy the brick, and let the Mexican
take them to the Lost Mine. He was
| saved by one bit of caution. When they
| got to this City, Primo proposed before
| paying the money to have another assay
| made. The Arizonian did not think 1T
| necessary. He had returned the brick to
| the Mexican, who was ready to hand it
| back as soon as he got the money, which
| was about $780,. But Primo insisted, and
his companion saw there was no help for
! it. "All right" he said; "Tll go and find
| the Mexican"
| He put on his hat and departed and that
| was the last Mr.. Primo saw of him or the
Mexican. He had failed at the last mo-
ment. The San Francisco assay would
| have spoiled the whole business and Primo
congratulated himself on his escape.
| The notice in the Arizona papers, the
stalking out of the assayer and the Mexi-
| can and the dramatic art with which the
entire plot was conceived and executed to
! in the history of the gold-brick swindles
which has no parallel.