The times., 1898-10-24
THE OLD DGOLD-BRICK GAME
The Narrow Escape of Two
Very Gullible Britons.
ARREST OF THE SWINDLER
A Legal Friend Turns a Story OF
Good Fortune Into n Suspicious
Thousand Dollars Was the Sum
Asised-An Adept az The business.

New York, Oct. 23.-DeIective Sergeants
Brown and Frazee went TO the Windsor
Hotel yesterday morning and arrested
swindler variously known as Robert Roe
o. N Norton and Edward A. Martin. But
for the merest chance The man would now
have in his possession $1,000 belonging To
J. Algernon Wood and Reginald Baiss.
two young Englishmen whom he at
tempted TO fleece.
About the middle of July Wood received
a letter addressed 10 his fa,heg. Major
Alexander Wood, 10 Great Winchester
Street. London, +. {. MIR. Wood had died
nine months before and the son opened
the letter. 1t was postmlrked Astoria,
Ore, and told about u god mine in Brit
ish Columbia. which was a Veritable Klon-
dixie in richness. The letter Indicated that
the major had a half interest in this mine,
and requested him to send u representa-
tive to New York and secure $4,000 in
gold the writer had taken from the mine
and take it TO the London mint for sale
The letter was signed Edward A Martin
Mr.. Wood knew that his father had as
sisted friend in a mining venture and he
naturally concluded that the letter was
genuine. He cabled Martin at once, and
after considerable cabling back and
forth, he came over bringing his friend
Reginald Baiss with him
Martin was a good talker. He showed
the young men what he said was gold
taken from the mine. II was bar
about eighteen inches long and three
inches square. Martin suggested that
Wood drill into the bar and get samples
to test. Accordingly, both Wood and
Bais bored a hole nearly through the
supposed golden bar. The filings were
wrapped up in tissue paper. Martin con-
siderately superintended this operation
and handed the young men their sam
pies. The filings were brought TO New
York and assayed. Naturally, the goli,
which had been substituted for the brass
bored out of the brick, proved to he over
eighteen karats fine. On this basis the
bar would be worth s4,6OO. Martin then
asked for G2,000 as his share of the
treasure. Owing to the difficulty in the
way of Woods obtaining this sum, Baiss
telegraphed to his father:
Gable me s2O0J. Algie Will bring gold
on boat"
His request was complied with, and
the next day s2 900 was at Baiss's dis
posal in a New York bank.
Before deciding to Turn over the money
Wood and Baiss chanced to call upon 4
lawyer in a social way and infoi med
him of the good thing they had IL p: os.
pect. The lawyer thought everything
was all right. but to be on the'safe sdt
advised that the young men call on capt
McClusky.
They did so, and McClusAy Instant!
determined that the game was an ole
swindle. He succeeded in decoy ng Mar
tin to the Windsor Hotel, where the ar
rest was made.
Capt. McClusky recognized Martin
as one Norton, a notorious gold bricl
swindler, whom he had arrested for
and who had served term in prison
The two young men could scarcely be
lieve that they had so narrowly escape
being buncoed
Just how Martin discovered the cr
cumstances of Major Wool ; life that en-
abled him TO work his scheme is no
known Norton is in prison.