Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1899-10-05
A clever fraud exposed. The Her.
aid tracks the scheme from
start to Finish.
MADE OF PORTLAND CEMENT
The Clever Fakir makes the mistake ~
using local confederate and material

SteWatt's place. l. n. EaVTe"' 'e'o">
arrival from Colorado, and Bob Cochran,
n sixteen wear old son Of NJ. j. Cochran
had gone up the river fishing, and Tie
feet of the body we've seen projecting on!
of the bank by young Cochran, who ca''e"
to his companion. Barrett cleared the
earth away sufficiently TO see what it was
that had been found, and sent TO town
for shovel and a wagon to haul 1t IN.
The find was taken to the Del Monte
hotel and placed in the former dining
room, which was vacant. Barrett was
careful not to allow the public to see tie
pet,iiaction, but permitted the profession
al and newspaper men to examine it. The
figure was apparently that OF an under
sized man, about five feet five inches IN
height ard laid perfectly straight as
though prepared for burial, with the right
arm and hand lying straight down on the
body and leg, while the left arm was
crossed over the chest. hole in the
head gave the appearance o! bullet
WOullu. 1Hc tONu CIV i"'' i"''o '
over the matter, and many and wise were
the conjectures made as to its probable
age, nativity, cause OF petrifaction, etc.
The number OF experts on petrilaction
the city was found to contain was some
thing surprising, and learned discussions
OF the subject could he heard on all
sides.
Before the figure had been in town an
hour an otler OF $1,000 had been refused
for it, and in the afternoon Barrett had it
removed to the Lowry building and placed
it on exhibition, charging % cents adj
mission, and drew quite large number.
Some doubling Thonlases, rs tolts genu-
ineness, were staggered when Jay &.
Weathcrwax discovered its teeth while
scratching the lip, this. to many, was
convincing proof, and the finders appeared
to have struck little Klondke. Some
OF the professional men who examined it
suspicioned it was fake from the stait,
the formation being that OF sandstone or
Portland cement, still large number
persisted it was genuine and continued to
wonder who it was and how it got there.
In the evening II couple OF intoxicated
men got into q Tow at the place OF exhi.
bition with Barrett, and in the melee
one OF the legs of the figure vas broken
above the ankle. This closed the exhi.
biton for the night. and Barrett's refusal
to let the broken pats he seen increased
the suspicion that the whole thing had
been plant and fake. The fact that
| Barrett was a stranger, was noted, and it
did not require much effort to trace his
actions during the three weeks he had
been in town.
On Saturday it was learned that Bar
rett had purchased barrel Of plaster
paris and half barrel of cement OF Car.
men & Lewis. This rendered the sus-
picion almost II certainty, and upon this
clue the HERALD reporter went to work
to ferret out the details OF the fake, in
which he was entirely successful.
Knowing that the barrel OF plaster paris
must necessarily have been hauled to
the scene OF operations, the first thing to
do was to locate the expressman that
hauled it. This done, and the place
where the figure was made examined,
the rest was comparatively easy. Briefly
told, the scheme was this:
About four weeks ago Isaac N. Barrett,
former deputy sheriff and United States
marshal at Beuna Vista, Colorado, ar
rived in Aberdeen. lie gave it out that
he was timber cruiser and looked around
in the outskirts .: the city for vacant
shanty, saying he wanted to bach for Il
few weeks. After few days he called
pom Mrs. NJ. j, Cochran, with whose
husband he had been acquainted in Colo.
RADIO. Telling her he was to remain here
q few weeks, he eng aged room'Nnd board
ert, he unfolded to the boy his scheme IL
make some money by manufacturing a
fake form OF u petrilied man for ,e pur.
pose Of selling or exhibiting it.
BY promising the boy halt OF the pro.
ceeds he Induced him to act as model fol
the cast and otherwise aid him in the en-.
terprise. Securing deserted cabin on
the hill ,ae just north OF the Wilson mill
in East aberdeen, the plaster and cement
was taken there and the hey rosed IL
model f,r the nl''iid, and in short time
the figure was completed ready for plant
Ing. Last Thursday night young Cochran
hired the Pacific hotel baggage wagon
saying he wanted To take lady to Ho
quam. When the boy was told yester.
day that 1t was known that he did not &C
to IIoauiam, he owned up that the RIG
was obtained to haul the figure to the
place Barrett had decided to plant it, and
where they both found the petriiaction
the next day.
Barrett. is an artist in his line, and had
hisoutside work been as fine az that done