Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1910-07-02

monarch But the day of reckoning
came When it was found that he
could only make small nuggets of
gold. and those with great difficulty,
King Louis had him thrown into the
bastile, although still having the hope
that the ex-monk had actually discov-
cred the a1chemic process.
When it was finally found that Du-
bois was an impostor, that he had not
actually made any gold, but had
slipped the nuggets into the crucible
under cover of his mysterious opera
tions. he was promptly ordered put to
death and was executed on the gal
lows, June 25, 1857.
Doctor Price was an alchemist who
lived in the reign of King George III.
of England. He conducted an expert
ment before the very eyes of the Eng
lish sovereign and apparently pro-
duced real gold. But when King
George appointed a royal commission
to investigate he killed himself rather
than face that body.
The prodigality of the Romans ex-
cited the desire for gold. and led them
to pursue the art which promised it
instantly and abundantly. Caligula
made experiments with a view to OBJ
tanning gold from orpiment. Diocletian,
on the other hand, when he became
emperor, ordered that all books on
alchemy-and there were great num-
bers of them at that time-be burned.
A Fable of Alchemy.
Raymond Lu1ly, or Lullius, was one
of the best known alchemists in the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. A
story of him is that he changed
mass of $4,000 pounds of quicksilver
into pure gold for King Edward l.
while upon visit to London. Venice
prohibited the study of alchemy in
1883
In the seventeenth century there
lived one Spartagorosus who asserted
that he had discovered a method for
changing base metals into the precious
ones. He seemed to have ideas SIM
liar to those of some of the fnanciers
of our present time. 1t is related that
Spartagorosus industriously spread
abroad the news of his discovery"
among the ignorant and credulous
mobiles, and eventually succeeded in
selling it to them for lump sum,
having previously arranged to leave
the country Immediately thereafter by
way of fishing smack. His plan sue
ceeded admirably, and the deception
netted him an amount equivalent to
about el0,O0O.
1t nearly cost him his life, however,
for his fishing smack became be-
Gained, and came close to capture by
boats of the pursuing and indignant
MOBILES The latter had lost no time in
trying to manufacture gold, and when
the experiment failed set hastily out
in pursuit of the faker
Thus the story of the lure of al
chemy goes through many crimsoned
page of history-ancient or modern.
Gold, which early in the history of
the world became priced above all
other metals. has had a fascination
which has led men to do and dare all
to obtain it, and alchemy still has its
disciples.
Professor PeIIew's Ideas.
Prof. Charles E. Pellew of Columbia
university in talking on Doctor Lange's
supposed discovery, said:
There have been several quite re-
cent instances of persons who honest
1y believed that they bad found the
way to change iful, or lead into gold
or silver. About twenty years ago
there was a considerable agitation in
France which led to the formation of
published a journal and conducted
examinations into the books
left by the old alchemists. There are
a number of persons who live right
here in New York who still believe in
alchemy. / meet them from time to
time
In the old days there were many
who really believed in their
art, and there were many more who |
used it to deceive. There is a story |
that illustrates this.
"A certain a1chemist of the sixteenth |
century named Botticher showed his |
power In the presence of Augustus the |
Strong, king of Saxony, and he or |
dered Botticher to make him some |
more gold. The latter protested that |
this would be placing an unfair |
strain upon him, and thereupon the |
king promptly clapped him into prison.
Botticher protested that he needed
other metals and ingredients to work
with and they were supplied. Among |
other things he had some white clay.
The "Birth of Porcelain"
Now at that time the art of china
making was unknown in Europe. But
with this white clay that had been
furnished him Botticher made the first
pieces of porcelain ever seen in Sax
,ny and sent them as a propitiary Of
ering to Augustus. I am not in a po-
,ition to make you gold at present. he
old the monarch, but I can turn out
some china for you And that was
low the manufacture of porcelain was
,egun-
after radium," Professor Pellew
concluded, nothing seems too won
ierful Therefore one can afford to