Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1899-07-07
TRICKED BY A JOKER
THE STORY OF THE HOAX OF THE
RUNE FIGURED STONE.


How q Clever but .Flippant swede
With a Chisel and a Knowledge Of
Runtc Characters Started n Story
That Has Travelled the World.
This is the story Of a bold hoax which
caused much anguish to one learned man.
who was falsely represented us falling u
victim to the joker, and which aroused to
a high pitch Of expectation the hopes of
historians in this and other countries
only to cruelty dash them to the ground.
The hoax began with the placing, in the
neighborhood Of Kcnsington, Douglas
county. Mimi, Of a stone on which were
chiseled certain mysterious characters
that no one in that vicinity could deci-
pher.
Who cut the mysterious characters in
the stone and placed it where it could be
found has not been discovered and prob.
ably never will be. for the practical joker
stirred up such n hornets nest that il he
is as clever as his jest indicates he will
continue to enjoy the situation in silence.
Practical jokers have been lynched be.
fore now. The man who found the stone
has also dropped out Of sight for the
good Of his health. The story therefore
begins with the reception by Professor
o. ]. Breda, University of Minnesota, of
a copy Of the hieroglyphics that were
carved on the stone. The discovery"
was laid before the learned professor
with the eager request that he carefully
examine the characters and, il possible.
decipher them.
Professor Breda recognized at once the
mystic writing known as "Runic," and
would fain have reported that the Kens.
ington people had in their possession the
first Rune stone" ever discovered in
America. To be in a position to make
such a report would have made both his
" name and that Of the town near
which b stone was found famous
throughout the world. for the characters,
If genuine, could not have been cut less
than many centuries ago, and the fact Of
men possessed of a knowledge Of Runic
writing having been in Minnesota ut this
period might have changed the record Of
early American history.
Translated by Professor Breda, the in
scription ran. with certain undcciphcr-
able words omitted: !.
Swedes and - Norsemen on a jour.
ney Of discovery from Vinland west -
we camped - one days journey north
from this stone. We fshed one day. After
we came home we found - man red
with blood and dead. A. V. Nj. save
from - have - men at the ocean to
look after our ships - days journey
from this island. Year -"
All very pretty and deeply interesting.
The only damper thrown on the discov-
cry was Professor Breda's emphatic dec
laration that the whole thing was a
fraud, perpetrated by SOM Swede with
a knowledge of Runic characters. The
people of Kensington poutcd over the
learned professors decision. they want.
ed the u II stone to make them all IA
NOUS. They had glorious visions Of min
CLING with the residents of rival towns
and grandiloquently announcing to these
envious neighbors that they lived in the
city where the famous Runic stone was
found. If Professor Breda was so OBJ
fuse us to fail to see that the Runic stone
was genuine, they would go to another
learned professor and insist upon his see.
ing it in the light that pleased them
most. So the Kensington delegation
turned their backs on Professor Breda
and communicated with Professor G.. o.
Curme Of the Northwestern university,
Evanston. Ills. Professor Curme was in
clined to think that the find was a genu-
inc rune stone, and he eve deciphered
the date Of its inscription as 1862, max.
ing it out to be a very venerable relic.
BY this time the learned men Of the old
world got wind of the discovery, and the
cable brought eager requests for details.
Nothing loath, the Kensington people
flashed back the fullest particulars at the
current rates for submarine lightning
messages. Then must the joker have
chortled with glee, for the archaeologists
of the old world swallowed the stone
with avidity and eagerly waited for
more, hoping that the investigations that
KenSington citizens were then making in
the mud of the nr%ighboring marshes
would bring forth further discoveries.
Soon came the disquieting news that
Professor Curme. after more careful in
vestigation, had given out Il statement
that the inscription had all the marks
of a fake" Following Immediately OH
this statement came a cablegram from
Professors G. Storm and O. Rygh of
Christiania, Sweden, declaring that the
so called rune stone was a "grand fraud.
perpctrated by u Swede with u chisel and
a slight knowledge of Runic characters
and Of English" Professor Breda had
reason to gloat over this vindication of
himself, and he would have gloated &C
cordingly, but for the fact that the fake
had enmeshed him in it's sweeping whirl.
In telling the story Professor Breda said
to the writer:
AFTER my views that the stone was q
fake had been confirmed by others to
whom it was submitted. l found to my
great surprise that some liar in Chicago
had telegraphed to England and Norway
that l had pronounced the thing genuine.
l was compelled to write to papers in
Norway to correct this entirely erroneous
report. l do not know whether l was re-