The San Francisco call., 1910-02-25
Gold Brick Uncovered

All1 va
Gold Brick Uncovered
Yesterdays investigation showed not
only that the insinuating cryptograms,
which had been viewed with suspicion
for year. hadsbeen suddenly rushed TO
notification with the assistance of
Fickerr and with the approval and
consent" of Calhoun. but that this was
done despite The fact that the prose
cutor had III his possession evidence
which would have shown the spurious
character OF at least some Of the al
legged mysterious messages had he de-
sired 10 prosecute an inquiry-
Little was learned yesterday concern
ing the wide variance between the
statements Of Fickert and Calhoun as
10 whether they had ever discussed the
matter Of the cryptograms or not, but
Francis J. Heney showed by the rec
ords Of the trials Of the graft defend
ants that the alleged topographic
messages had been written after the
events to which they referred had oc-
CURED.
Many Significant Facts
The significance of this fact. together
with the fact that records stolen from
the prosecution were recovered from
the Offices Of the United Railroads, He
ney pointed out as tending to prove at
least. that the prosecution would not be
sending direful messages to itself
The former prosecutor also declared
that II an investigate had ever been
attempted before Calhoun and the dis
trict attorney passed the cryptograms
on 10 the Chronicle for publication un-
der an insinuating guise, Fickert world
have found at his hand documents
which showed palpsble fraud in the
mystic messages.
District Attorney Fickert seemed
perturbed yesterday because of the
light which had been thrown on the
manner Of beginning the alleged grand |
iuhy investigation, but reiterated his
intention TO bring the matter before
the inquisitorisl body and discover if |
possible the author of the cabalistic |
messages which have displayed a ten
dency TO kick backward.
Fickert Is Silent
He added nothing to his statement OF |
the previous day to the effect that he
had no evidence on which 10 ask the |
grand jury to indict any one, nor did 1
he strengthen his assertion that he /
thought ii probable that crime had |
been committed. The district attorney |
made no further comment regarding |
The wisdom Of his course in first pub |
fishing the supposed cryptograms and |
then looking for the evidence which /
would convict the author.
Although the cryptograms had been |
viewed with suspicion by the manage
nent OF the Examiner. in whose pos
session they had been for eight months, |
during which time they bad been thor |
omghlv investigated and discarded, the |
7rst expose of their spurious character |
was made yesterday by Francis ]. |
FFeney. The conclusions pointed out by |
the graft prosecutor were definite and |
we're diametrically opposed to the chain |
If insinuations and differences pub
lishea in the Chronicle with the zap /
nroval and consent" of Calhoun and
Fickert.
Cryptogram Shown False
The first cryptogram of those pub
ushed which in the Chronicle version |
tended TO prove guilty knowledge on
the part of the graft prosecution was
that under date of January 80, 1908, |
which, according to the solution, car
ried the information "Holzberg- bias"
David Holzberg was talesmsn who /
was examined for jury duty in the Cal |
tbo,ta case. and according TO the state
nent Of Calhoun, transmitted to the /
Chronicle by Fickert. had been accept I
able TO the graft prosecution until the
publication of the cryptic personal in