The evening times., 1897-12-15

Edward 3. Isett, OF Spruce Creek, Hnnt-
ingdoh county, Pa. was In this city yes
terday to rec the Treasury officials con-
of the silrew,ies bunco gold-hrick schemes
ever perpetr2ted to swindle an unsus-
pectine farmer.
Mr.. Isett is tall, gray-haired m Iii,
whose appearance is that of typical
weil-to-1c countryTnan. His face is clean
siiaven, except for q stubby fringe of
gray beard about bis throat. and he wears
spectacIes
Last Monday" he said, "a man came
To my home, and represented himself as
Daniel Webb, OF Fort Yuma, Ari. He
presented letter Of iDtmductiOn from j.
H. Hal, OF Mineral Park. Ariz., who ella i'm
ed to have met me at Jacksonville. Fla,
two years ago. l had visited Jackson
vile at that time, and thought 1t posi-
bie that I had met Mr.. Hall, az 1. OF
course. met good many men there whose
namss do not recollect.
webb claimed to be a relative of
mine, stating that his mother was Elizabeth
Isett, and that he had been born in Cedar
county, Iowa, his father moving still fur
ther West when he was eight years old.
Webb was well posted about my family
and this, of course, gave me confidence in
him.
"He said he was known as big Foot
ed" Dan and that Mexican Indian, Orie
Gonzealles, had come East with him.
orie, he said. knew Of rici, guild miae
pst nxst.,ffico Y.yun a
county, Ariz., thirty miles southeast of
Yuma, OF the south side OF the mountain,
and about three miles from the State line.
l could havea ne-third interest in the mine
for my services. He said that Orie had
two specimens OF goldfrom the mine, which
he had concealed in the woods not far
from Tyrone, and II would 60 with him
could examinet the specimens.
Il went with Webb on the cars to T yr0ne.
There we got a horse and carriage at a
livery stable and drove a mile and q half
toward Paid Eagle Furnace to ciump OF
bushes. Webb got out OF the carriage and
made his way through the bushes. chant
ing sonnet ming An Spanish as signal to the
Indian that ever ything was all right.
Returning. Webb said that the Indian
had seen me through the bushes aud liked
my appeal ance, but he WAS unwilling to
come out of the woods with the gold. /
replied that there was no use showing any
cuwardice in the matter, and after per-
suasion orie appeared with Webb.
They were bearing two gold bricks.
wrapped up in paper and oiicloth, and
.Ound with shawlstraps. The men also
had q pair of balances and a bit To bore
with. I weighed the bricks, and found
that one weighed eiyhty-one pounds, and
the other eiyhty-two pounds. The In
dian said l should Lore out enough gold
To make ring for my equaw. l laid one
brick fiat and bored two holes, one near
either end. At their request turned the
iTick over and tored two more holes, one
t,eing in the center. They wanted NE to
bore still another hole, but it was hard
work and I refused. l scraped these
filings together myself as samples and
kept then..
erie said that his mother wanted S15,-
900 for revealing the location OF the rich
mine. I was willing to pay this sum for
the gold bricks il they proved to be genu-
inc.
Il took the filings to Tyrone to be as
sa yed. and the ASA yer there told me that
the gold was twenty-four karats fine. Webb
CAME back t. my house with me and then
a third man turned up, who said his name
was Wood; that he was Government as
sayer connected with the mint In Philadei-
phia. He made out a certificate as to the
value of the gold.
I'VE separated Thursday with the un-
derstanding that the transaction would
be concluded the following day. 1 figured.
that the two gold bricks were worth
S53,160, and II ] could get them for
81 5000 that was as big n Klondike as
wanted, ard the men could keep their naue
in Arizona.
''Big-footed Dan and his Mexican Indian
did not appear on Friday, however. My
brother William and 1 went to the Sc
cludel place where I had first met the
Indian and his gold bricks, but we could
get no trace of tie men. Then came to
Washington, and al the Treasury Depart
ment was told that no such person as
Wood was connected as an assayer with
the Philadelphia mint
He still has the filings, which are
worth $3.50, and Of which he will proha bly,
make "a ring for his squaw" as a me-
mento OF his peculiar experience. The
plot reveals a new phase OF the old gold
brick swindle, as the schemers evidently
used at least one brick Of genuine gold,
which must have been worth a bout $780,
900.