The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-08-01
sank into oblivion and was forgotten.
except in history. 80


except in history. 80
Only after the time Of Gebir accurate
descriptions of this mystical stone came
to the surface. At the beginning It
was pretended to consist generally OF q
fireproof powder Of various colors, and
only later 1t assumed the shape Of
precious stone. Especially Raimund
Lulli repeatedly speaks of 1t as Car
bunculous," and according to- Para
celsius it consists Of q ruby-red, trans
parent crystal which is as flexible as
rosin and brittle as glass" Somewhere
later 1t was principally employed In
the form OF powder. and was frsquent-
ly called ''trixture," also elixir" or
'magisterium." It must also be re-
marked that many alchemists made q
distinction between two stones differing
In their exterior appearance, one for
the production Of gold and the other
for silver.
The belief in the transmutation Of one
metal into another no doubt result
ed from the fact that 1t was noticed if
molten copper is mixed with zinc It
attains beautiful yellow color, and in
former years, when people were not
particular about noticing small differ
ences. the obtained brass may have
been mistaken for a kind Of gold.
Perhaps also the circumstances that
many metals themselves contain gold,
or that they used for their fusion ex-
periments sand containing gold. with
out knowledge, gave rise to these IL
lusions. Without noticing these sources
Of error 1t could not be explained how
notoriously excellent and honest al
chemists ofttimes believed that they
had the Philosophers Stone In their
possession.
A remarkable proof that the exist
ence Of the Philosophers Stone and
the transmutation Of metals was act
ually believed il exemplified by ver-
dict rendered in the year 1880 by the
judicial faculty Of Leipzig against the
alchemist OF the Elector August Of Sax
ony, David Beuther. The latter had
promised. under oath to communicate
In the presence Of witnesses the secret
Of how to apply the Philosophers Stone
in order to make gold, but had not
kept his word. The verdict rendered
read: "Beuther shall be questioned
about his processes under torture, shall
for his infidelity be hit with the rod, his
two fingers be cut Off for perjury, and
shall be held in captivity SO that he
may not harm the country by commun-
icating his secrets to other sovereigns,"
This verdict was ~ ad to Beuther in
prison, and in aditton to 1t the Elector
rHrote to him with his own hand:
"Beuther, return to me what belongs 10
me by the grace of God and Justice:
otherwise I have to undertake some-
thing against you of which / would
rather be relieved, and 1 beg Of you,
let it not come to that" Thereupon
Beuther wrote the following words on
the walls of the cell: Barred cats do
not mouse" Yet he was finally per-
suaded to ask the Elector for mercy,
whereupon he was again permitted to
return to his labora tory (gold-house) In
order to continue his experiments. At
ter some time he was found lying sense
less on the ground and died soon after,
as is believed by suicide.
Cases were frequent that adopts were
kept in captivity for fear that they
might injure their own country by be-
traying the art of making gold to 9TH
ers; they were tortured and tormented
in order to extort this valuable secret
from them, and it was at that time rath-
er hazardous to be considered an expert
chemist.
Another verdict of the above-name3
judicial faculty was rendered in the
dispute of the Count of Ertach against
mis- wife. The latter had given protec-
tlon in her castle Of Tankenstoin, in the
Oderwoods, to a fugitive adept, and ne
showed his gratitude by changing all
the slverwarc of the countess into gold.
Her husband, who lived apart from her,
thereupon laid claim to one-half OF the
gold, hut was repulsed by the jur!sts
of Leipzig with the verdict: "As the
silverware before the trInsmutatinn
was the property of the countess. it re-
mains her property after it has been
turned into gOE.'