The herald., 1896-08-14
WORKED AN X RAY FAKE
The Clever Scheme of Smooth Young
Man
An Ingenious Fraud Which Put Numerous
Sheke,s In the Pockets of
the promoter

cred the peculiar ray of light Cor, rather,
properly speaking. ray of darkness)
which is capable of permeating all ma
terial solids, he little dreamed of the
uses to which his discovery would be
| adapted within a few short months.
| Science, always slow to recognize in
| novations, first scorned and then ap-
| plauded the greatest discovery of the
century. Our own and only Edison, with
the wisdom born of natural ability and
experience, has reduced these rays to an
absolute and practical science; yet it
remained for Los Angeles to demon
strate, through its gullible public and
plausible Snowman, that the algebraic
title of new and almost unknown sci
ence extended for beyond the confines
of mathematics and has proven beyond
doubt the assertion that "a sucker
is born every minute"
Some days since there arrived in this
city young man of faultless dress and
modest demeanor, who located for one
week only" at the one-story building
No. 3381a South Spring street.
Soon the building took on the appear
ance of the mystery contained therein
and the frosted windows were covered
with glaring red and blue signs an
nouncing that the wonderful X-rayo-
graph" was on exhibition within for one
| week only, for the small sum of ten cents.
| Within, enclosed by a railing of gas
pipe is a space some eight feet square
containing the aforesaid plausible young
man and a mysterious instrument
mounted upon small table.
The glib young man has a formulated
story to narrate to each victim Of how
IA n
ids, wood, metals and stone, and upon
payment of ten cents for demonstra-
tion the mysteries are unfolded.
Fortunately, or perhaps for the show
man unfortunately, one of his visitors
was DR.. Granville MacGowan. DR.. Mac
GoWan is himself an electrician of no
mean ability and well posted on the
Roentgen ray experiments, and with his
cool, self-reliant philosophy, well cal
culated to destroy any illusions which
such a representative might evolve.
DR.. MacGowan being dissatisfied with
his own Investigations, sent for and en-
ployed an electrical expert whose abili-
ties are unquestioned to investigate the
matter
AS an employe of DR.. MacGowan the
electrician entered the place and within
the iron rallied enclosure found the To-
QuaciouS young gentleman and an ap-
paratus which may be briefly described
as follows:
Upo ma small table rested finely fin
ished box some three and q half feet
long by eighteen iEches wide and some
six inches thick. The cover of the box
is secured by lock and hinge. Upon
the box is placed two tubes some six
teen inches in length and about two and
one-quarter inches in diameter, sepa-
rated endwise by an air space of some
four or five inches.
These tubes are provided at each end
with lenses, and the gullible CD appli
cant was informed that If he looked into
one tube the print of newspaper held
at the extreme end of the farther tube
would be legible, although wood, metal
or the hand be placed between the tubes.
In reply to an inquiry as to whether
the x rays were the source of power,
the young man assured the electrician
that they We're, and as evidence called
his attention to the massive electro
magnetic coil on the box, and to the elec :
trio light placed on the screen behind the
tubes, which was made to burn dimly
when the operator pressed button.
The victims dime was duly deposited,
and in response thereto the young man
turned a switch Che forgot and turned
it first on. then Off, pressed button
and carefully scrutinized the miniature
electric light a second, then invited the
spectator to peep through the tube at
tant end, meantime holding plate of
lead between the two plates.
The print was readily readable under
any test of obstruction. The expert
however, had noted that while the news
paper was held some three and one-half
feet distant that the print seen in th,,
tube was only few inches away also
that the electrical part was constructed
for show only. without regard to insula- :
ton, and could not possibly contribute to
the effect.
At the conclusion of the seance the
operator was informed of his clients
identity, and thereupon stated that il
was a fraud.
He said that he was not in Los Angeles
for his health that Saturday netted him
$17.5n, and Tuesday night $11.
That's nothing, though" he exclaim-
| ed. II made $43 in one day in Galveston
Tex. and have got whole lot of suck
ers to catch at Santa Monica" He ex-
planned in detail the system which is
| simply the well-known angle-mirror
system by which the print is reflected
| through tubes, tube supports and base
! and the inner lenses of the apparatus
are simply blind openings through which
no light or vision penetrates. Los An
| geles has already expended many dol
| lars in support of this fake but The Her
| aid is hereby enabled to warn it's readers
| against further imposition.
| All prices of Wallpaper greatly reduced
| A. A. Eckstrom, 324 South Spring street.
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