Charlevoix county herald., 1920-11-05


schooIboy and to the schoolboys OF
Boston In particular.
For the two centuries or more that
have elapsed since Kidd swung at the
gibbet I'm Execution Dock, England.
expeditions have been continuously
gotten up with the purpose OF finding
his buried booty. All that has been
recovered to date has been about
10000. most of which was found at
one end of Gardeners island. The nu-
merous search parties. according to
some estimates. have spent a total OF
about S7OOOOO In the effort.
To Pay e6 Per Cent Year.
Along with the popular quests for
gold N The raw" or In hidden caches.
there have also been scores Of clever
schemes for enriching people through
uinr,elous new" discoveries and
through manipulation. Massachusetts
has had It's full share Of such ven
ures ~ rhe last half century. and
Boston has been the center of the ac-
tfvities Of not few.
More than forty years ago, for in
stance. there was the notorious
Ladies' Deposit" conducted by Mrs.
Sarah e. Howe at 2 East BrOokline
street. Mrs. Howe had q sensational
career In giving people something for
nothing"
The Ladies' Deposit" was an insti-
tuition based upon her statement that
she was the agent Of a legacy amount
Ing to more than 81 100000, which was
left by a Quaker who wanted to be a
benefactOr Of "widows and single
women only"
With this money she was supposed
TO establish foundation In Boston
which paid such women, whose in
comes were inadequate to permit them
to live In comfort 96 per cent year
Oh deposits made at the Ladies De-
posit." Mrs. Howe was no parsimOni-
Gus person. She paid interest three
months in advance
Three Years In Jail.
Mrs. Howe Is described as being
short, fat, ugly looking and indie
scribably vulgar" She couldn't write
dramatically and this was one Of the
causes of her downfall In Boston, for
her lack Of culture aroused the sus-
picion OF the authorities at last and
they began an investigation which
landed her In jail.
Then II came out In the court trial
that Mrs. Howe's Quaker" was day
dream and despite the fact that during
10 IAn 10 90 ndf ngt
when the run started, she paid out
between $4,000 and 100000 in one
day, the Investigators found that her
insolvency amounted to 100000, with
the "bank" and some cheap furniture
profusely covered with gilt as assets.
Mrs. Howe insisted to the last that
she was merely salaried agent, re-
ceiving 500 a year for her work from
the Quaker organization" but that
did not keep her from serving three
years in Jail. Boston was In an up
roar during the whole proceeding and
hundreds of fascinated hOpefuls
thronged the institution during the
week before the crash.
Received Secret In a Vision.
Then there was the masterpiece Of
all strokes Of the imagination, the
Rev. p. f. Jernegan's scheme for get
ting gold out of sea water. AS "get
rich quick" scheme this Is yet unsur.
passed-both from the romantic aspect
of the undertaking and In the sheer
audacity with which II was worked
out.
Mr.. Jernegan was q former Baptist
minister, graduate of Brown uni
versity and Of the Newton Theological
seminary. After a few years in the
ministry his health broke down and he
went south to recover. 1t was on the
way back that "the heavenly vision"
came to p. F. Jernegan, and the
"Electrolytic Marine Salts company"
took shape In his brain.
The heavenly vision," according to
the claim Of Jernegan showed him a
marvellous way Of getting something
for nothing"-of getting gold from the
water in the ocean by a secret process.
He formed company. He opened
offices In this city at SO State street
and 235 Washington street. The MA
rine Salts company" became a slogan
of amazement and wonder Mr.. Jerne-
gan showed to the doubling Thomases
he met several thin metal plates upon
which there had been crystallized
small deposits of gold.
He suggested the wonderful secret
in his possession and spoke vaguely
of the fabulous fortune that awaited
him. Financiers, men and women of
wealth. poor and prosperous-folks
thronged his offices to buy shares Of
his stock.
There was. he affirmed, about four
cents worth Of gold In every ton Of
sea water. Now, just think of II,
four cents worth In every ton! And
the Atlantic. Pacific, Indian, Arctic
all the oceans in the world were to pay
tribute to his scheme, to make their
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