Evening star., 1924-01-17
INQUIRY D|SPR0VES
'v|RG|ND STORY
So-caIled Parchment Found
to Be of Manufacture Sub
sequent to 1867.
LEAD" CASKET OF WOOD
Scientists Quoted by Kaufman Un-
known-0ther Discrepancies
Found in Statement.
LEAD" CASKET OF WOOD

with a weak "plop" and a Sickening
hiss of escaping hot air, the strange
story of mysterious 1eaden caskets and
engraved plates. insinuating some con-
nection with the grave Of the long-lost
Virginia Dare, was punctured once and
tor all today in an efficient docking
laboratory by an intelligent-looking
young lady, at the bureau of standards.
An analysis Of a piece of the alleged
parchment supposed to have been dis
covered inclosed in the leaden casket
dug up by Russell Kaufman last week
and which Kaufman said a Scientist
told him bore the date 1876, proved it
TO be nothing more nor less than a bit
of very modern pulp-wood paper, man.
ufactured by a process that was not
discovered unit! after 1867, half a CEN
fury after the document was supposed
TO have been buried and three CEN
turies after the baby Virginia disap-
peared.
The document was to have been
brought back from New York last
night by scientist. whose name was
given as DR.. c. w. Wiley of the New
York University. Two reporters
ioiaA Ire SIdT, accompanied by
Headquarters detective, went to Kauf-
mans home, at 1890 P street northwest,
TO examine It, meet the DR.. Wiley, and
incidentally to quizz the young dis
coverer.
Suspicious Are Aroused.
Their suspicious had already been
strongly aroused by what appeared to
be several discrepancies in Kaufman's
statements After agreeing to accom-
pany reporter for The Star to New
LORI. aork to see DR.. Wiley and the mystic
felephoned that he had received a tele-
grom from the archeologist assert
Ing he would be in Washington the
following day, which was yesterday.
inquiry brought from both the
Western Union and Postal Telegraph
companies statements that no mes
sage had been received in Washing
ton for Kaufman.
Further investigation yesterday
tailed to show the name of DIR.
Wiley" in any scientific catalogues or
journals. where all such persons of
scientists. are invariably listed. In
addition. New York University, ans
wering a Star telegram. declared
& there was no c. ". Wiley on the uni
found to be in the opposite end of the
metropolis described by Kaufman
And in conclusion the Grand Hotel
wired from New York that no person
tered there late last week. Kaufman
having previously stated he stopped
there When ne took his discoveries to
the northern metropolis.
Says Box Was Wood.
Carefully questioned by the detec-
tive and reporters, Kaufman refused
20 show the telegram in question. de-
cIIned to produce Dr.. Wiley or the
!eaden casket, and finally brought
into the room the lady with whom he
goa ards to substan tiate the story Of his
nhdlng the box. She asserted that
she saw the box Kaufman said he had
aug up, and that it was wood, not
lead, as Kaufman had claimed She
said, too, that it was very light in
weight. although more than a foot
long and nearly as wide.
In addition to DIR Wiley" Mr..
kaufman for the first time disclosed
the identity Of three alleged Wash
Lnstonians; who. he said, had urged
him to take his discoveries to New
York and had paid his expenses
there and back. None of the three
names he gave in the city directory
or the telephone book. nor could the
name OF "Dr. c. W. Wiley" be found
In the New York telephone directory.
Giit-edge Parchment.
The parchment" Kaufman did
produce, with gilt edge still re-
naming on one piece The lettering
on it apparently had been written
with pencil and the very appearance
OF the paper seemed to disclaim an
tiquity.
The name Charles Rochelle" was
written at the bottom, this comparing
with the Charles r." engraved on
the Virginia Dare" plate. The plate,
however. bore the date of 1890 and
cording to Kaufman's admission. to
nave been written some time about
1905 or 1910.
\ piece OF the parchment" was
u, euben ,hsait.og og one & of the reporters and
Merritt, assistant physicist in the
PAPER section of the bureau of stand
ards. She cooked" it and then ex-
amlned 1t carefully under powerful
microscope.
It was found to be made of wood
pulp by a soda process Mrs. Merritt
repeated the examination to be sure
of her facts and the same ANALYSIS
. resulted. Then. to prove her as
process with piece of paper torn
from book printed about 1896 II
showed an entirely different texture
and with soda absent.
Story Is Closed.
Mineralogists at the National Mn
scum were given a careful descrip-
ton of the lead plate today. They
declared that had the plate been
buried since 1890 it would have been
corroded to half it's original thick
ness and that any writing on it, un-
less it had been carved deeper than
half of the thickness, would have
been obliterated by the action Of ma
ture.
The earth in this part of the world,
they said. is full of the very chemical
constituents used by manufacturers
to destroy lead for commercial uses.
Thus the closing chapter of the
latest story. affecting Virginia Dare,
the first American born white child,
who disappeared with the Roanoke
colony more than three centuries ago.
was written today In the voluminous
book of scientific jokes