El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-03-27

feat, and crowds quickly gathered in
the city streets to watch him. The
clerks in the treasury and other de-
partmentS rushed TO witness the SPEC
tacle, and the dOins OF congrtss were
suspended while representative and
senators emerged upon the west terrace
OF the capitol to observe the perfor-
mances- Many people hired taxis TO
bring them nearer to the scene. while
others, gazing upon the human
spider" through field glasses plainly
saw him pulling himself up with a rope.
Purely a DeIusion.
The truth was, however that Law
mad not undertaken to perform any
such astonishing feat He was not even
IN Washington AZ the time Nobody was
attempting 10 climb the monument. The
whole affair was purely a delusion, with
no basis except the Imagination Of the
Witnesses and large damp spot on one
slae OF me huge obellsk, remaining az
yer a recent rain storm, which sug-
gested 10 the eyes Of foolish observers
a likeness to the figure of a man.
Made His Hoax Pay.
It is probable that no hoax in all his
Tory was ever successfully maintained
Tor so great length Of time at the
expense OF the public as that Of the
celebrated Keely motor. Countless peo-
PIE believed IN it, and a great number
OF persons put money into it This they
ulo on iaIth purely, relying upon the
statements Of the inventor" Keelv.
who claimed that he had discovered a
-etheric force" Power By this means
was TO be rendered so cheap as TO
revolutionize the mechanical arts. For
more than % years Kelly made
handsome living out Of his alleges
discovery always promising the ere
dulous investors that rich results were
on the point Of Undertaking.. Only af-
ter his death was it ascertained that
the machine he exhibited. which was
supposed to be actuated by "etherfc
force" was in reality run by q small
engine concealed in the cellar Of the
adjoining house.
"GOId From Sea Water
The ingenious Jernegan. however.
may be said to have surpassed even
heely as a hoaxer OF the public for
profit In a couple OF years he got
nearly $L000,o00 out Of his dupes
through the exhibition Of q method bv
which, as he claimeU he could separate
gold from sea water. That sea water
does contain minute traces Of gold in
solution is well known. but il remained
t0r Jernegan, who was a clergyman. Of
Mlddletown, Conn. to discover means
whereby the precious metal could be
obtained from the ocean n chunks. His
experimental plant was located at Iu-
bee lMe-,) and there a number Of en-
terprising capitalists. gathered to-
gether for the purpose, enjoyed the op-
portunity OF seeing the thing actually
done.
They spent a whole night at the end
OF pier, from which Jernegan had
lowered a small box containing mer-
curry. When the box was hauled I'd in
the morning, the mercury was found
10 be combined with a considerable
quantity Of undeniable gold. The gold
was supposed to have been extracted
from the sea by q electric current
helped by certain chemicals which
were Jernegan's secret As assaver
declared the metal worth $3.50; but
only a small box and a small battery
were used To get gold in large
quantities. all that was necessary was
to build big batteries and big boxes.
Inventor DfsappearE
The Electric Marine salts company
was thereupon formed, with 10,OOO, 900 |