Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-11-24
ASSAY OFFICE
CASHIER A Thief.
ceoroe E. Adams Of Seattle Ac-
cused Of Stealing $4,000
In Gold Dust.
us SOLD IT TO A LOCAL BANK.
-, o,cd II From Miners Pokes,
substituting Black sand to Make
Up the Weight

seattle, Nov. 23--OeorseNho"a'u nv"
tor seven years cashier OF the
,,-t,,A states assay office In this city
~ one of the best known young men
a. seattle, is under arrest accused by
saorat service officials of the THEFT or
,25oOo IN gold dust, TO which ne mad
a..ess IN his official capacity. or TINS
ann, sl2 900 was taken off Adams by
sscre, Service Agent conneN, who mas
,ssn at work on the case for several
weeks.
Mr. Connell claims that Adams has
- a practically complete confession
~ gullt stating that he has distracted
,,,ope than 1000 from miners pokes,
sirrs lime last, and substituted black
sand 70 represent the deficiency IN
weight r,.,
States Commissioner Kiefer this after
noon and held in $4,000 bonds TO APP
near for preliminary examination on
Frrnday next. Adams believes he VIII
he able 10 secure Oondsmeh Wheh ar
raigued In court
Adams made no statement other than
,o demur as to the amount alleged 10
nave been taken. Secret Service Agent
Connell. on the witness stand, testified
mat from the result OF his investiga-
lion and examination of Adams ac-
count he had reason 10 believe that the
shortage would exceed $4,000.
Cornell gave out this statement;
adams method Of operating was TO
substitute black sand, which occurs in
nearly all deposits OF placer gold, for
dust which was turned into the assay
ONCE TO be weighed and melted. The
percentage Of dirt In gold dust varies
from two to eight per cent, depending
on the locality from which 1t comes.
After the gold had been melted the
weight represented by the sand would
he charged TO shrinkage, thus protect
ing Adams from detection. This shrink
age became so large, however, that the
fact was sufficient TO attract the de-
psrtments attention and inquiry re-
sulting from this suspicious circum-
stance led 10 Mr.. Adams arrest to-
day,
when accused him he delivered
over $4,000 In currency which he had
concealed in a belt on his person. He
admitted to me that It was his practise
10 extract the gold dust and sell II 10
a local bank. II was in turn deposited
In the assay office to be reduced to bull
lion. Amounts varying from SEQ to 500
could be easily removed from large
conslgnments OF dust without exciting
immediate suspicion.
Adams took currency in exchange
for the dust and kept II concealed on
his person. He told me that of the sum
which the department knows TO be
missing all had been extracted during
the present year, the greater portion
since June l, and under the circum-
stances we had but a few days left in
which to make the arrest while he was
still a government official"
The only statement Adams would
make tonight was:
81 DO not care to make a detailed
statement OF the charge against me un-
III | have secured and consulted coun-
sell AS cashier OF the assay Office ! ham
died no money. | am confident that
can within two days stralghten the
matter up"
Jacob Furth and NJ. F. Backus, prom
lnent local bankers. tonight qualified
as bondsmen for Mr. Adams, each 1usti-
Tying In the sum OF $4,000.
George r. Adams Is a native OF Mas
sachusetts, from which state he came
TO this city twelve years ago 10 accept
a. position as cashier OF the Msssa-
ohusetts Mutual Life Insurance COM
pany. He served in this company until
July, 1898 at which time he was appoint
cd cashier Of the assay Office by Super
intendent y. a. Wing. Adams drew a
salary Of $500 a year as cashier Of the
assay Office.
on oct. t6, 1904 he married Miss
Emily Clary, daughter NJ Mr.. and Mrs.
Charles Clary. The former was for
many years a United States bank ex-
amlner In this district and the family
Is very prominent I'm social circles In
this city. The wedding was one NJ the
events ~ the social season In 1904 and
was a brilliant affair
CHIEF wILKIE TALKS.
Washington, Nov. 23-Chief wilkie
ut the treasury secret service has been
advised OF the arrest OF George Adams,
the cashier Of the assay afiice in Seattle.
Chief Wllkie says Adams confessed 10
having stolen $4,000 in gold since last
March. Twelve thousand dollars In cur
rency was found on him,
Chief Wi'kie said that although there
had been something wrong at the Seat
tie assay office for nearly year, the SCI
cret service men had been out on the
case only 10 days when Stephen A,
Connell was sent from the san Fran
cisco mint, with two men to assist him.
The Seattle assay office" he said,
is used by the Klondlke miners. Usu-
ally there is loss OF one-fourth Of
per cent through impurities in tho as
say Of gold ore, seldom varying from
that, but during the last few months
the impurities at the Seattle Office had
run TO three-fourths Of l per cent and
even higher. This led to suspicion.
Then ore from the same vein was sent
10 both San Francisco and Seattle, with
the result that the former assay was n
normal and the latter far from
When Connell was sent to Seattle he
found that Adams had access 10 the
vault where the dust WAS deposited,
Conneu provided tests with 1000 ounces
Of gold dust. He had II assayed and
weighed and placed In the vault within