The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-28
A FAMOUS SWINDLBR DEAD
''Big Foot" Gordon Ends His Life
in a California Asylum.
He Had Given Secret Service officials
Much TroubIe-CIever GoId-Brick
Game Worked on II Western Bank
err a Specially OF "Buncoing-V

/ News of the recent DEATH in the State
Asylum at Napa, Cal. OF Big Foot Cor
don has reach5d tie Secret Service Of
fcials here The information was of value
/ to the service only because It guarantees
/ the future inactivity OF an alleged conf
( Geuce man. as Gordon had not come in
/ conflict with the United States laws in
! such a way as to attract the active atten-
/ tim of the Secret Service.
His speciality, it is said, was "buncoing-
! 4 Secret Service operative who was sta
toned on the Pacific Coast during the pc
/ Rod when Gordon was accommodating
! fortune remembers his ventures well
Gordon sprang an old game on the pub
lie he said, but ne laid his plans with
/ great care. and it is due largely to the
pains he took first to hoodwink his vic
tins and then to cover his tracks, that he
escaped punishment for some time His
business was the selling of gold mines
| which did not exist
IN California city. not far from San
| Francisco, there lived a banker whom we
! viii call Morgan. He had accumulated
! considerable wealth. In the middle nine
! ties. however. he became involved in some
( specuIations which resulted disastTousiy
/ and imperiled his fortune To tide him
/ self overEhe crisis he borrowed from the
/ bank, Deglecting to make any memoran-
/ dunn Of the loans While in an agitated
frame of mind an old miner came into his
! bank.
Is this Sam JoF1Eson's banl1?' he ask
I ed of Morgan. Johnson mad been Nor
! gans partner, but died some years before.
! On hearing of this the miner wiped away
/ a tear and expressed his great SORROW.
/ johnson was more than a brother to me-
| he said He picked me up when I was
/ starving. fed me and staked me, and now
that I am in a way to make my fortune /
/ thought ! would come back and repay
him The word fortune caught Morgan
ear at once, and he expIainedete the miner
that he had been Johnson s. partner and
/ best friend and he was delighted to see
him.
'' What have you in that sacIl?' asked
Morgan
Just a little gold I intended 10 de-
post with Johnson, replied the miner
careIessIy tossing it on the counter and
taking out a couple of 10-pound bricks. The
upshot of it ali was that the miner went
home with Morgan as his guest and the
bricks were locked up in the safe,
The next day Morgan had won the
old mans heart SO far that he decided to
deposit his bricks with Morgan. and after
they were assayed the value was credited
TO the old mans account. He remained
about for a day and then quietly disap-
peared. Several weeks later he returned
/ with a 50-pcund brick, which he deposited
to his account, signing as though it was
( a burden to care for money Again he re-
fused TO tell Morgan where he obtained
the gold.
BY the time the miner made a third
trip the banker was desperate. His affairs
were In such state that something had 10
be done So he brought every art Of per
suasiOn to bear upon the old man to Sc
| cure his secret Even then, however, he
would probably not have succeeded If the
miner had not had an attack Of heart fail
ure at Morgans house, and for a while it
looked as though he would carry his Sc
cTet out of the world with him He raj
lied in the morning. however. and told
Morgan he felt he had not much longer to
live and he was satisfied that the only
way in which he could repay Johnson s
kindness was by turning over his mine TO
the latter's old partner. Morgan. He said
he had found an old Indian helpless in a
hut, III with the fever, and had nursed him
back to life They formed a lasting friend
ship and for several years they prospect
ed about the hills, finding next to nothing,
until finally the Indian, having tested his
friend in every way, informed him that ne
could carry away. He was Wep-tO-nah,
the last of his tribe, and had been left to
guard the sacred store; but there was a
remnant of the old stock, he had heard,
far to the southwark, down in Mexico,
and he wanted to rejOin them
At the suggestion Of the miner 1t was
agreed they should take out sufficient gold
to carry them 70 the remaining branch of
the tribe Under these conditions the IN
dian had revealed the mine, and they had
simply to gather up the gold on the sur
face. At this point the IGiner tainted
again. and it was two days before be
could continue the discussion. After more
talk the miner said that he and the In
dian had some other bricks, amounting
roughly to about 100000 worth of gold. in
their cabin, where his partner was guard
ing it This was more than they needed
5 he said, and if the banker, being the late
: partner of Johnson, wanted TO buy the
gold he could have it for $50,090 in bills.
ITO this proposition Morgan cheerfuIIy
agreed, with the careful stipulation the
money should not be paid until the gold
was deposited in the bank To this the
miner had no objection, but he could not
. answer for Wep-to-nah who was so hon
orable himself he did not understand how
anyone else could maintain a suspicion of
unfairness. In about week the old man
, announced he was strong enough to be-
gin the journey into the mountains In
| the meantime the assayer who had been
doing business in the city sold his eStaD-
iishment to dapper young Coliegidn from
the East. The miner disliked him, Ceclar-
ing he would do him al evil turn If ne
had the opportunity. BY some chance
( Morgan informed the young aSSayer Of
his proposed trip and purchase. and the
latter urged him not to think Of such 4
bargain. that it was palpably bunco
game.
{ and set out with the miner for the noun
/ tain hut, taking with him a packhorse
to bring back the gold After blindfod-
( ing Morgan they started forward An
. hour later he found himself in the pres
. ence OF an Indian warrior, straight as a
| dart, but evidently very old Greetings
/ were exchanged and negotiations begun.
I Wep-tO-nah was loath to hear of part
/ ing with their gold and the mine, but lie
appeals of the miner TO his desire TO find
i his distant kindred finally recOnciled him
/ to the transaction, but he did not want
to take any money for it. Wep-to-nah
pulled aside a blanket and displayed
brick after brick of shining god-much
more than $500, 600 worth, as the miner
{ ha-l estimated
THE gold was loaded on the horse and
that evening was deposited in the bank
The miner wished to have the gold sent 20
San Francisco for Hssa yingr but the bank
CT objected. Morgan woke up the assay
/ er and took him to the bank that night
where he made borings in every brick To
Morgans delight, they ali proved to be
of the 'purest gold which the asSayer re-
luctautly admitted. On behalf Of his San
Francisco connection he then offered "a