Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1907-10-04
ONCE RICH MAN
DYING in POVERTY
ELKAN COIN FOUND EXHAUST
ED IN FRONT OF SWIND-
LER'S HOME.


A victim of swindlers who robbed |
him of his riches, Elkan Cohn, once |
a. we'll known banker and business |
man, is dying friendless and in pow
erty in the county hospital. He was
found recently by the police lying
exhausted on the sidewalk in front
of the home of an Alameda man,
said to be the most vicious of the
sYindlers who got Cohn's fortune.
About five years ago Elkan Cohn
arrived in San Francisco to cast his
lot in the business whirl of that great
city. Cohn had accumulated a for
State during the early fifties, and for
many years conducted one of the
largest stores in Marysville, CAL, and
was prominently connected with
banking circles in that section. Later
he had moved to Nevada, where for
tune still favored him, but thinking
that the city of the, Golden Gate Of
fered greater opportunities for spec
ulation than did the land of the sage
brush, he transferred his wealth to
San Francisco and proceeded to do
business.
His presence soon became known
to the numerous grafters, and in a
short time Coin found himself in
vesting heavily in oil stocks, mining
ventures, San Francisco sand lots,
swamp lands, ETC., until the old man
had parted with over $4,000. His
bank account being exhausted, he
drew on his securities to the amount
of 100000 more. and this, like the
balance, went to the grafters.
The old man never lost faith in his
business ability, and in his wild eff
forts to regain his lost fortune be-
came an easier mark for the grating
fraternity
Among those who waxed fat at the
old mans expense was resident of
Alameda, who in various ways known
to the craft had obtained from him
something like $4,000. Cohn de-
SPARED of ever getting his money out
of the latter. until the CRATER sug-
gested the means:
81 have a gold brick at my house
in Alameda, worth at least 100000"
he said, (which / wish to turn over
to you to square up our account"
The old man seized the opportun-
ity and lost no time in an effort to
get the brick.
Take some strong acid along to
test the brick suggested the CRATER.
which advice Cohn took and provid-
ing himself with vial of nitric acid
proceeded to Alameda, where the
brick was fully examined and tested
with the liquid in the vial, which IL
quid, Cohn subsequently stated, had
been changed and petroleum substi-
tuted. The Alamedan only owed Cohn
$4,000, and as the brick was worth
100000 the former insisted on the
difference being paid to him before
parting with the brick, which differ
ence was finally adjusted through the
Alamedan's ''liberality" in deducting
/ $500 from the price of the brick.
and delivering same to Cohn upon his
paying him $500.
An examination by the mint Off
Gals soon convinced Coin that his
brick was but another of the num-
erous gold bricks handed him prev
ious to this one, and he FASTENED to
have the Alamedan arrested. The
matter was continued from time to
time in the courts, and was finally
dismissed by Superior Judge Cook,
who held that the crime having been
committed in Alameda county, de-
prived the court of San Francisco of
jurisdiction. The matter preyed upon
his mind to such an extent that Cohn
eventually lost his reason, and soon
after could be found wandering about
the streets of San Francisco at all
hours of the night, looking for the
man who swindled him. After the
earthquake he came to Oakland, and
has persistently bounded the gold
brick mans house in Alameda until
worn out and i'll, he fell to the side
walk and was picked up by a police
man in one of the thoroughfares and
taken to the county hospital,' where
he is now suffering from a fatal NAL
ady, without friend on earth, with
no hope but the grave. no last resting
place save a pauper's grave.-Oak-
land Tribune.
TAFT OFF EOT1 MANILA