Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-01-11
S 1WindIed out of $4,000 with a
Gold Brick

koiICt uuO ooAtO Caio ossO, Glisto oohAO
thieves travelling with circus exhibiting in
Staunton, induced well known and we'll to
do farmer of Augusta county. since dead, to
60 to the bank and draw several thousand
dollars to buy ''sure chance" in sWindling
scheme they had in house on New street, we
have not seen so bad case of confidence" as
was developed in Richmond last week. Some
friends Of the old Augusta farmer Interfere
in time to save him from loss, but the man in
the Richmond case was not so fortunate.
Alfred w. Withers is a wealthy young man
of Gloucester county, Va, whose income runs
up into many thousands year. He is a trav-
elled man having been all over the world,
served in the English army under Wolsley in
the Soudan, and spent much Of his time in the
great cities of Europe and America. He has
a magnifice mt home in Gloucester. At that
home there called on Wednesday of last week
a man calling himself John Williams, and
claiming to be g miner from Arizona. He
claimed thai he had come to Virginia to look
I'D an uncle named Alfred Withers. This
uncle, the westerner went on to say, had
taken him when lad to Arizona, where he
had been reared by relatives. When VII,
liams was grown the uncle returned to the
east and the nephew did not hear from him
any more.
Several months ago. according to the story,
Williams went hunting and came across two
Indians in the woods. One was dead and the
other badly injured. He took up the suffer
ing "redskin" and nuTsed him back to health
When the Indian was entirely well he carried
l.; 10 Ill ocf a
large quantity of the precious metal, Upon
coming to Virginia Williams declares that he
was accompanied by the Indian who was de-
sirous of selling four bars of gold, which he
had retained for himself. These bars were
about foot and half long and weighed APP
proXimately thirty pounds EACH Williams
succeeded in getting Withers interested in
this gold vein and induced HIN to GO to Rich
mond for the purpose of raising funds to de-
velop the vein.
After reaching Richmond the men register
ed at Ford's hotel and drove out in the coup-
try q short way where the alleged Indian was
camping and guarding the bars of precious
metal One Of the "gold' bricks was cut
into and found to be of good quality so far as
appearances went. The shayings were
brought into the city, and as Williams was
simply acting as the agent of the Indian, he
was intrusted to have test made. He went
away and returned shortly, saying to Withers
that three jewellers had pronounced the gold
of fine quality, "A karat, and worth S20,70 an
ounce at the United States minis.
just then, Thomas Ii. Parker, tall, hand
some man, with eye glasses and close trim
med gray whiskers, representing himself to
be an assayer at the u S. mint in Philadel-
phia, happened" to be at Ford's Hotel, and
Withers got him to assay the gold, which he
did, with great show Of instruments and
acids Parker pronounced it all right, and
even proposed to buy it himself, which was
part of the game. Arrangements were
made whereby Withers was to put up $4,000 in
cash upon two of the bars of gold which were
worth, according to Williams statement, the
sum OF S23, 900. WithefS was told he could
keep the gold if he did not hear from the
Indian. Withers paid the $1,000 in bank
notes which he drew from the bank, and the
bricks Of metal were placed in deposit vault
at the Planters National Bank and it was
not until that afternoon when Withers want
ed to borrow 81, 500, and went to have the
gold tested again that he ascertained that his
gold was brass. He reached his hotel in
time to see Parker rush Oft down Capitol
street and disappear
Parker was arrested that night in Peters
burg, having driven there in buggy, in the
act of taking the cars for Lynchburg. He
had shaved eff his beard and was dressed as a
horse drover At his arraignment before the
Police Justice in Richmond, Monday morn
ing, the curious crowd saw not only the pris-
oner, but two additional "gold bricks"
which the detectives had found at the camp"
of the alleged Indian, also wig supposed to
belong to the man who played 8 Indian and
some printed circulars earnestly ADVISING
people suffering by the gold brick swindle to
keep quiet about it as they would only be
laughed at. The gold bricks found at the
camp were in queer shaped boxes and Par
ker was identified by the Adams Express
agent at Richmond as the man to WHOM SINH
lar boxes were delivered. Parker only had
sI72 On his person. The "Arizona miner"
made his escape with the $1,000.
AS Withers was not simple farmer not
expected to know about the devices of the
world, but travelled and unusually bright
man, the ease with which he was taken in by
a fairy story so improbable as to have put
almost any one on his guard, the swindle may
be put down as the most remarkable ever ac-
complished in this State,