The Dickinson press., 1911-04-29
GOLD BRICK swIApLER
OF cHAFFEE CAUGHT

VI VBuNf &c VaU0UD
Minneapolis, April 27.-The H. F.
Chaffee SIS, 900 swindle, in which the
North Dakota land baron of that name
was leeced in the time honored gold
brick scheme. is to be cleared up. One
man, the much wanted and notorious
John Armstrong, alias O. u. Caddesan,
alias John Moore, is under arrest in Los
Angeles, Cal. He has been identified
by Albert Chaffee az one Of the men who
swindled his father in the Beaufort
hotel in Minneapolis in. October, 1909.
Detective James Howard of the Mime
'apolis department went west last night
with warrants and requisition for the
prisoner.
Chaffee was duped into passing over
to the swindlers twenty-five crisp new
81. 600 bills on the security of two gilded
disks of brass, on the representation
that the money would gain for him an
interest in the fabulous mine from
which the precious metal was extracted.
file arrived in Minneapolis yesterday
from Armenia, N. D., where he holds
the highest position in the Armenia &
Sharon Land Co.. one of the largest
corporations of its kind in the west. He
signed the warrants for the arrest of
Armstrong and also the petition to
Governor Eberhart for extradition papers.
Armstrong was arrested several weeks
ago on a charge of attempting to
swindle Mrs. Ida H. Kendall of Toledo,
OHIO, out ..of '$12, 600 in a gold brick
scheme, almost identical with the one
in which the Chaffee father and son
were duped. Immediately after his
arrest he secured his release on bail. but
later was returned to a cell, as a Ber-
tillon picture of the man had reached
Minneapolis and Chief MeaIy had wired
for the mans detention.
Young Chaffee. who has been en-
ployed in newspaper work in St. Paul,
was notified and acting under instruc-
tions from his father in Armenia, LEFT
at nee for Los Angeles, where he
arrived yesterday. He has positively
identified Armstrong.
The Chaffee swindle was the greatest
criminal cash deal of its kind ever per-
petrated in Minneapolis and is probably
the largest gold brick trick that ever
was pulled off," In police annals
the case is unique.
A man by the name of Armstrong
dropped off a train at Armenia, N. D..
and sought out Mr.. Chaffee in the offices
of the land company. The stranger bore
the appearance and wore the apparel of
the gruff southwestern gold miner he
pretended. to be.
When the stranger and land maenate
met the former said he had made, a mis-
take sandahad come all the way only to
locate the wrong Mr.. Chaffee. Then.
in clever asides. he suggested he had
information for the real Chaffee which
would be worth thousands Of dollars to
him. Nh. Chaffee of Armenia regretted
he was not the person. but offered to
help the miner in any way he could
and assist him with capital.
It is said he insisted upon worming
the secret from the sruff Mr.. Armstrong.
The latter finally told the Chaffees,
father and son, of a wonderful mine
located on the land of an old Indian
woman in Mexico, who was not aware
the ground she owned contained fabu-
lous deposits of gold ore. Armstrong
said be had mined the place unbeknown
to the Indian woman and extracted
$40, 600, worth Of raw gold from the mine
by crude methods.
This he carried in the form of two
golden disks like small m%illstones. in
two small travelling trunks in his room
at the Beaufort hotel in Minneapolis.
He had intended the bringing of them
north. to turn over to the Mr.. ,Chaffee he
had sought, who had saved his life. He
said about SIS, 900 was needed to buy
the land from the Indian woman and
about $40, 600 more to- develop it into
the greatest and richest gold mine in
the world.
~ RY--- 49, - ~ - ana.