The Washington weekly post. (Washington, D.C.) 1878-1916, 1899-08-22
GOLD BRICK IN TREASURY
Western Mems Effort to Get S264,
100000 in Union Pacific Bonds.
Oficials Laugh at Suggestion that Any One
Has Proper Title or Claim to Anyof
These Standardization Eff
forts in the Same Line.

The enterprising business men of Quin-
cy, ILL.,, are engaged in the exhilarating
but hazardous business of buying d gold
brick. OF course, it is not known how
much money they are investing il. the
article, but its sellers, or the men engi-
neering the deal, guarantee that it is
worth the tidy sum of s264,00O,009, as told
in The Posts dispatches yesterday. The
gold brick in question is located in the
United States Treasury, and is in the
form of first mortgage bonds on the Union
Pacific, with accrued interest, which has
been compounded, lol these many years,
until ii has reached the sum above men,
toned. All that is needed, so the promot-
ers of the enterprise say, is to get an or
der from a court of Competent jurisdiction
to pay over the money. and then every
body in the concern will lie rich beyond
the dreams of ayarice. Only an if stands
in the way. but it will be more of an OBJ
structiOn than the Chinese wall was to
the hordes of Tartars.
Treasury officials scott at the idea of
the claim being founded on any rational
basis. Most of the older ores have hea I'd
of the matter many times before, and
their faces took on such a broad grin al
the mention of the subject that one would
OF their lives on double pay. IL is an old
story and il has behind it history sa-
voring Of romance, combined with hobby
that is little short OF monomania.
In the days when the Union Pacific was
beng constructed the government put W
81. 900 or .hereabout in bonds. 10 aid IN
the building cf>the line. Charles DGrkey
was then out West. Tie was g0Terno- If
Utah in 1850, and it is said that he was
| bOndsman for one Of the contractors. bat
did not have any other connecticn with the
| enterprise. Treasury officials say he never
put in any claim for the bonds. and that
| nothing was heard of the matter until
after hts death.
The work on the railroad was prosecut-
| ed as rapidly as possible, and as fast as a
section was completed the bonds were
/ handed over to the proper parties. The
utmost care was used 10 see that they
/ were delivered 10 those who were en-
/ titled TO them. Durkey never got any
bonds He was not engaged in the affair
! 10 such an extent that he had any claim
/ to them, and he never made any demand
| for their possession. Durkey is said to
| have died twenty years ago while trav-
/ cling from Utah 10 Washington. Per
| haps he intended 10 make a demand On
/ the government for the remainder OF the
/ bonds but he never made known his
/ purpose 20 the department.
After DuFkeys death a man OF rms
name OF L. c. Blaisdeli. purporting TO he
| a representative OF the dead mans estate
came forward and made formal demand
| for the bends. II was said that they were
concealed in some secret vault OF the
| Treasury Department and the only trou-
BILE was 10 get hold Of them. Blaisdei
has bohbed up about every year or -
since that time. and has sought 10 enlist
capital TO push his claims. Various sec.
tons Of the country have put up money
| TO aid in the prosecution Of the case bat
! upon inquiry al the department. the state
ment Of the officials was enough 10 cause
| them TO drop the matter.
The leading citizens Of Champaign. III,
( IL Is said, were once induced 10 assist
! BIalsdeil, but this case did not get ans
/ farther than the others. Several pronIi.
| nent men enlisted Themselves IN he
| half OF the claimants. Senator Doolitile
/ OF Wisconsin. championed their cause
de went 70 the Treasury Department and