The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-10-24
THE GOLD AT
GRAFTON
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.


ernoon. He was very quiet spoken
man and registered his name at the
tavern as Robert Meadows. He said
he was interested in ORTHODOXY and
might pick up a few birds as specimens
for the taXidermist.
After three or four days he began to
wander along the highway and across
the fields. He had brought with him
fOwling piece, and with this he took
a few snapshots at robins and blue
birds, and he skinned them himself
and cured the skins
About half mile from Cratic was
farm belonging TO a man named
Sweet. His land ran back from the
highway to Il small creek. and q part
of this land was sand strewn ridge.
1t ended i'll bluff about fifteen feet
high at the creek. Tho stranger was
seen walking along this ridge sew.
eral times, and he spent quite a y tie
of his time along the creek The re-
ports of his gun were often heard, but
he brought in very little game From
this it was concluded that he was a
poor shot.
A man with wise and a file can
take piece of brass and file it to dust
in few hours, and that dust will 50
closely resemble gold dust that an or
binary person will be deceived. If a
spoonful of that dust is poured into
gun 1t can be easily shot into soft sand
stone. That is one way of tsalSing" a
mine. Often real gold dust is used.
The ornithologist was shooting brass.
That ridge of sandstone had been
there for centuries, and no one could
remember back when that old pasture
had been made any use Of except to
provide scanty grass for a flock of
sheep. The present owner was dunn
rounded when the stranger asked him
his price for the land. When the bar.
gain was concluded he was very much
elated. He had received 500 Ia cash
Tor his almost worthless ridge. Mr..
Meadows was probably asked a hun
dred times In the next week Of what
use he could possibly make OF the
land, but his replies were not satisfac-
tory to any one. 1t was two weeks
after the sale and the recording of
the deed VIXEN he came in from his
daily walk one day with a chunk of
the sandstone wrapped in paper in his
hand. That sandstone was a-shine with
specks of gold, and when the stone
was crumbled in the fingers there was
gold III the middle of it. When it was
pounded up into dust with mallet
the most doubtful man in Grafton lost
his last doubts.
There was no call for any one TO
ask Mr. Meadows where he picked up
that stone. Every one knew that it
must have come from the ridge.
Next morning there We're not only
twenty but 200 citizens who went out
to the gold fields. They walked along
the sand strewn ridge from the high
way to the creek, and they waded up
and down the creek. Yes, the gold was
there. 1t was in sight for many feet
up and down the creek.
On getting back to the tavern Mr..
Meadows would have gone to his room
to write some important letters, but
crowd detained him. There were quite
a number of wealthy men in Grafton,
and they saw chance to add to their
wealth. They wanted to know If Mr..
Meadows would form a stock COM
pany and let them subscribe at least
half the capital. If he wouldn't do
that, would be sell claims along the
ridge and the creek? His reply was
that he would think it over.
When the stranger had wrestled with
his thoughts he called in the most
prominent citizens and said:
Gentlemen, / have gone over this
thing hundred times. Some of you
want stock company, and some of
you want TO buy claims | have con-
cluded TO sell claims, and the owners
can do what they like with the ore
taken out. don't know how the gold
runs. | have seen only just what you
blind, and so will L. make no guar
antees."
1t was understood that every sale
should be for cash down, and the deeds
Were to be delivered on the spot.
The reader should be prepared to
hear that when the morrow and the
auction came there were at least 500
people on the spot.
The first choice of claims sold for
$1,000. The second claim was the one
next to it, and it sold for almost as
much as the first. The last two claims
were located in the bed of the creek.
although no gold showed there.
or course the whole thing was a
rank fraud. Every claim buyer was
up at an early hour next morning. and
If he did not WELD pick or crowbar
himself he had hired one or two men
to work for him. In the midst of the
turmoil the stranger settled his bill at
the hotel and disappeared, taking with
him many thousand dollars.
Meadows was never heard of any
more. Two or three days after he had
disappeared some of the "ore" was as.
sayed by one competent to do it, and
he was not long in declaring that the