Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1907-08-22
ARREST THREATENED
IF HE DID NOT TELL
Held a Prisoner All Night In Hotel
Room and Forced to Return
Home Without Confer
ring With Officials of
Company.

Denver, Colo, August 22.-Sensa-
tional charges against a government
inspector to the effect that he dis
torted statements in an alleged con-
fession made to him, and that he
held a man not under arrest as a
prisoner in a hotel all night, were
part of the testimony in the famous
Lost Spanish Bullion mine case yes
terday in the federal court.
George Du Bois, the aged prospec-
tor who claimed to have been one of
the discoverers of the Lost Bullion,
and his son, Lee, the latter once su-
perintendent of the property, took
the stand and denied in great part the
confessions attributed to them by pos
tai inspectors. and which resulted in
the fraud charged against the owners
of the mines.
Du Bois, the elder, claimed that
his confession was made under du-
ress. the inspectors, he alleged,
threatening immediate arrest unless
he made it. The son explained his
confessions differently
He said he did make statements
to Inspector McComic, when being
examined. "But," he said, "the in
spectors asked a little question, then
The answers were not read to the
witness, so that he did not know
whether his words were being cor
rectly recorded" Du Bois disputed a
large part of the contents of the two
statements said to have been made
by him in Februar-y. Nr-- 2 $3.50
Progress Letter Read.
Toward the close of the examina-
tion Du Bois denied that he ever re-
ceived a suggestion or letter from any
of the other defendants asking him
as superintendent to write strong let
ters each week such as would hclr
in selling stock. Judge Lewis here
ipf ha f,.fY
duction of one letter in which c. /.
Blackburn, a stock broker, tdlG D'i
Bois that his progress" letter, snow
ing results of assays ard the dump
found was very satisfactory Black
burn asked for progress letter
each week, saying they helped in get
ting out literature and selling stock
Denied Statement.
Young Du Bois admitted receiving
this letter, but declared the pro
gress'' letters sent out by him were
based on fact. He sa:l he took the
word Of an assayer named Chase
sent by the company 10 make assays
and founded the reports on them. Du
Bois devoted considerable of his tes-
timony to denial of his alleged state
ment to McCom,c, in which it Is
claimed he said that the returns from
the Lost Bullion were exaggerated fol
the purpose OF selling stock.
Finding the Mine.
Du Bois says that a friend told the
tradition of the mine to him. Others
repeated the story, and finally, DU
Bois says, the Indian appeared who
knew most about the tradition. This
Indian assisted in the search, an6
one day George Du Bois, father OF
the witness. ran across the monu-
ment, situated near the workings
Soon after the exploration of the un-
derground workings was commenced
and the Lost Bullion Mines company
was organized.
Locked I'm Hotel Room.
George Du Bois, who found the
abandoned mine, occupied the witness
stand all yesterday morning. His
story dealt with the methods of the
postal inspectors in forcing a con-
fession by threatening arrest. He
says he was held a prisoner over
night in the Shirley hotel by Nc
Comic. who locked him in. There
was a telephone in the room, but the
old prospector says he was too fright.
ened to use ii TO call up his friends.
The next day, he says, he was re-
leased, after he had promised to &c
back to Silver City without comforting
with the Lost Bullion owners or an!
of their attorneys.