The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-04-27
wired for the mans detention.

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 once for Los Angeles, where he arr
rived yesterday. He has positively
identified Armstrong.
The Chaffee swindle was the great
est criminal cash deal OF its kind ever
perpetrated 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 Of
fees OF the land company. The stran-
ger bore the appearance and wore the
apparel OF the gruff southwestern gold
miner he pretended to be.
When the stranger and land mag.
nate met the former said he had
made mistake and had come all the
way only to locate the wrong Mr..
Chaffee. Then, in clever asides, he sug-
gested he had information for the real
Chaffee which would be worth thous-
ands of dollars to him. Mr.. 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
Tale OF a Wonderful Mine.
1t is said he insisted upon wor1ning
the secret from the gruff Mr. Arm
strong. The latter finally told the
Chaffees, father and SON, of a wonder
full mine located on the land OF an old
Indian woman in Mexico, who was not
aware the ground she owned contained
fabulous deposits OF gold ore. Arm
strong said he had mined the place un-.
beknown to the Indian woman and ex-
tracted $4,000 worth of raw gold from
the mine by crude methods
This he carried In the form OF two
golden disks like small milstones, In
two small travelling trunks in his room
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 $4,000 was need
ed to buy the land from the Indian
woman and about $4,000 more to de-
velop 1t into the greatest and richest
gold mine IN the WOTlua &c., ga@
He offered to accept the needed $751;
900 from Chaffee, leaving the $4,000
worth Of gold bricks as security.
Armstrong and Chaffee and his son
all came TO Minneapolis. The two pros
pective victims put UP at the ,Vcndome
hotel and Armstrong took less preten-
tious quarters at the Beaufort
The three met the next day. The
Chaffees were allowed to see the two
solid disks of gold In the miners room,
and Armstrong took brace and bit
and bored out a number Of shavings
from each of the pieces OF yellow
metal. These shavings we're placed
In an envelope and the three started
out to find an assayer.
Test u satisfactory.
The test was satisfactory to the
Chances and the father went to the
Security National bank where he
drew out $500. The money was turn
ed over at the Beaufort hotel, the
trunks with the gold" were locked
up, the keys given the Cl1afgees ana
then they were sent to the union depot
to be shipped to Armenia. m. r.
The Chaffees and Armstrong then
took dinner at the Nicollet cafe, short
VI afterward Armstrong excused hira-
self He never came back The
scented something wrong and
drove to the depot. where they got
one Of the trunks. They carried II |
across High street to the Pauly house