The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-12-20
CLEVER CROOKS

$500 u d d q 3 nn Ia
fornia mine residing in San Diego,
California, was approached by half
breed, who represented himself as the
friend and partner of several Indians,
who had been mining near the Alamo
He stated that they had found an ex-
ceedingly rich vein of gold bearing
quartz and that from a half ton of it
they had pounded out in hand NOR
tar about eighty. pounds of pure gold
which they had melted into a crude
bar; that the Mexican government
would Motif they knew of the find
permit the Indians to retain the gold,
or hold the location; that the Aborig-
ines had, therefore, brought the gold
brick up with them overland from
Ensenada, and had it at their camp
in the brush near Oceanside; that they
desired to obtain the services of my
friend in marketing the gold bar and
in securing title to the. mine; that as
superintendent of a rich mine he could
dispose of a bar of gold without excit-
ing suspicion, and that his relations
with the Mexican authorities were
such that he would have no difficulty
in locating and holding the mine, and
the half-breed professed that If he
would take hold Of the business they
would give him for the services one
fourth the proceeds Of the bar, and
q one-fourth interest in the mine He
averred that they needed no money,
until the bar should be disposed of.
A A
The story was entirely unlike the
and my friend accepted it as true
and went out to see the Indians. He
found two of them camped in the chap
parral near Oceanside. They were shy
and suspicious and denounced their
companion for bringing a stranger to
the camp. They finally permitted
their victim to take look at the gold
bar, which was wrapped in a grain
sack and hidden under a manzanita
bush. He agreed to come another day
for another interview, when he would
bring the necessary implements for
sampling the bar. He-was requested
to bring at the same time a bottle of
cough medicine, as one of the Indians
was suffering from a severe cold.
When he returned the next day the
noble red men had again suspicious.
When the cough medicine was produc-
ed the sick man expressed some doubts
as to the motives Of the stranger and
ifltimated that it might be poison
with which ne proposed to end their
days so as to secure the gold bar.
To dispel this unjust suspicion the
victim drank about one-third Of the
bottle of medicine, which was unpala-
table in taste and unpleasant in con-
sequences, but who shall shrink at
trouble when wealth will be
the reward of sacrifice? With drill |
and chisel the bar was sampled at
each corner and the bullion Spectator |
departed with the chips. The assay |
er at San Diego reported that they |
were gold and very fine.
The agent of the savages then stated |
that they had concluded under the cir
not to trust their entire |
fortune in the hands of the victim, |
without security: that the bar was
worth over twenty thousand dollars !
and that as evidence of good faith and |
of personal responsibility the victim
must pay over ten thousand dollars
On QSi1VSry OIL the DdI
A A
Will it be believed that this mining !
who was a man OF /
means, experience and ordinary shrewd !
Judgment was about to tumble neck
over heels into the trap. He procured |
ten thousand dollars from the bank,
but at the last moment had the wit to
obtain a lot of green paper cut to the I
dimensions of greenbacks and made
hem up into bank packages, labelled
81 ,O00.'' with twenty-dollar bill on
he top and bottom of each package.
These he wrapped in one package, and
placed in the center of the package
note addressed to the Indian chief,
stating that this course was taken
rom caution and not for the purpose
If defrauding the gold bar owners and
f one of them would come or send in
% his office in San Diego the next day
he would-if the bar was all right
,ay over the balance of $9,6O9-there
,eing $500 of genuine money in the
Thus equipped for business the even
ng train from San Diego carried the
.old bullion buyer to the appointed
,lace of meeting. The dusky miners
md their agent met few hundred
eet from the depot. 1t was too dark
or close examination and the par
wrapped in grain sack was hurr1ediy
transferred and the money package re-
eived only hasty scrutiny. Botn
arties were in too much of hurry
or reasons-to linger long in each oth-
RS company. The two Indians ana
heir companion averred that they
we're in haste to reach their camp
ear Oceanside and would go by the
anne train that had brought the VIC
i'm to Delmar, and the victim was
nxious to return to San Diego by the
outh bound train, which would be due
n a few minutes at Delmar. So they
arted with words of good will on the
art of the Caucasian and grunts from
he red-men, supposed to express aoo-
iginal approval.
AAA
Arrived at San Diego the mining su-
and his assistant lugged
he big gold bar into the hack and hur-
led TO the assayer's shop on the