davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24
Real Color of Gold.

FEW persons have ever been en-.
abled to familiarize themselves
with the color of pure gold, for the
reason that gold. for practical pur-
poses. must be alloyed. 1t is a curl.
Gus fact that, while one might nat
urally expect to find pure gold richer
in color than the alloy, such is not
the case. Indeed, pure gold Is con-
siderably paler than the alleged metal,
wherein there Is small proportion
Of copper or copper and silver, a cir.
cumstance that gives it a reddish
tinge. Then. too, all gold Is not alike
when refined. Australian gold, for in
stance, Is distinctly redder than the
metal found in the United States.
Furthermore, placer gold is yellower
than gold taken from quartz, one Of
the mysteries of metallurgy, since the
gold in placers comes from that which
is in quartz.
1t is said that the purest coins ever
struck were the SCHOLAR gold pieces
in common use on the Pacific Coast.
The coinage of these pieces was
stopped by reason Of the great loss
by abrasion and also because 1t was
easy to remove the interior of these
coins and to substitute baser metals.
The California SCHOLAR gold pieces
were octagonal in shape.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

Nuisance trip was to Peitaiho, where
there now is a seaside Summer resort
used mainly by missionaries in North
ern China. 1t is near this point on
the sea that the Great Wall of China
has one terminus. There are the re-
mains at Peitaiho of fortified post
dating from about the first century,
AID. Stone weapons found there in
dictate that far back in the Stone Age
the same place had military value in
resisting invasions from Manchuria.
The plane trips made the natural
strategic value of the mountains ana
rivers appear much more wildly than
other trips on ground had permitted.
In the first of these trips many of the
Chinese peasants thought the air
plane. the first one they ever had
seen, was a flying dragon. The peas
ants could be seen running eXcitedly
away from the course of the plane.
AS there is tradition Of flying
dragons in China, and since dragons
are the royal mascots, SO to speak, sol
Chinese rulers, this assumption by
the peasants is understandable.
X x
THE Far East was not strange
land to Mr.. Bishop. He was born
in Toxic, and spoke japanese before
he did English. After receiving his
education in the United States he
made his first research trip to China
for the University of Pennsylvania. in
1915. Prior to that, however, he had
been on an exploration trip to Central
America for the Peabody Museum of
Harvard University. In 1917 MIR.
Bishop again went to China for the
80 MI hut hiC
scientific activities were interrupted
by the entrance of the United States
into the World War. Mr.. Bishop serv-
ing in the Navy. Some of his naval
work carried him to China before the
war ended.
Joining the Freer Gallery in 1922,
Mr.. Bishop was sent in 1923 on the
trip to China from which he soon will
return after four years of steady work
in the field, broken by brief visit OF
one month to the United States in
1925. He left Picking on April 80 Of
this year. closing the office OF tbs
Freer Gallery in that city and shippiEe;
to washington all his files, records,
field notes and other data. A vast
amount of work will he required to
select and coordinate this material to
make it available for future use.
Miss Daisy Furscott of San Fran
cisco, who has been secretary to MI
Bishop and librarian of the records in
, Picking, is returning as far as Europe
with Mr. Bishop. She will arrive III
Washington probably in September
In the two years she lived lin Picking
Miss Furscott saw the city under sew
eral war lords, and had some expert
ences in being held up at night in the
streets of Picking by soldiers, which
experiences, however. terminated with
out anything worse than scare
Since Chang Tso-lin has been in con
troll OF Picking, for the last year the
city has been peaceful. Now it is
again the objective of the civil war
and the chances of Chang Tso-lin's
| holding it are dubious.
1t was this uncertainty In tbs
Chinese situation which made further
| wofk in the field of research not only
dangerous but probably impossible
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24
ways Wins in War Between Postal Service and Robbery

of books the hunted youths read, and
the songs they sang.
But this was not all. Thousands
of false tips were run down; more
thousands OF miles were covered;
Central America. Mexico. Canada,
Alaska, all furnished clues that
looked promising. but brought Moth
ing, the authorities on both borders
sparing no efforts as they sought
| to lend their aid in avenging the four
Siskiyou murders. Then, Just as
Jefferson was preparing to follow
another trail into the Antipodes.
came the word from the Philippines
that Hugh had been taken. and next
Ray and Roy were brought in.
**
TN the history Of the postal inspec-
ton service. which dates back
actually to the founding of the Gov
eminent, there have been four crime
cycles, and the present is declared the
worst.
First, in the old stage.coach days,
were mounted bandits who swooped
down with sawed.off shotguns and
exacted their tributes.
Then came the days of the James
brothers. Youngers and other noto-
rious train bandits.
Next. the unobtrusive 'petermen"
or safeblowers, whose stock in trade
was a little nitroglycerin. bit of soap
and a few inches Of fuse; a species
that scorned killing.
But now. Miller Is authority for the
statement that the young crook of the
present day Is the most desperate and
| most lawlesS with which the depart.
ment ever had to contend. They're or.
ganized, kill without warning or cause
| and go into banditry on an elaborate
scale with machine guns, and, even as
in the $2,500,000 Roundout, ILL.,, rob-
| bery-the largest in history, where a
solid mail train from st. Paul to Chi.
.cago was attacked-with gas bombs.
| But the postal inspectors have taken
| leaf of this for their own book, too.
Armored mail cars of 'banditproof"
| type are being developed and have
| been shown in tests to be highly Ell
cacious. The glass windows are built
| to resist the stoutest missiles, and in
| the bottom of a car are apertureS
| through which may be thrown mag.
nesium candles, which light up the
| surrounding area for yards, thus de-
priving the bandits of one of their
best allies-darkness. Additional port.
holes" serve for the employment Of
shotguns. The bottoms Of these cars
also are equipped with conical de-
Electors. which rain shot on all be-
meath, thus forestalling any effort by
the bandits to seek protection from
fire under the floors or end trucks.
Armored automobile trucks are find.
ing use and speedy planes are being
| brought into play to rush inspectors
to the scene of crimes.
| And Miller advocates an even stern.
er remedy.
| you've got to give them the
rope,'" he says. and in that he 10
borne out by Postmaster General New,
who in his last annual report advo-
Gated capital punishment for armed
| mail banditry.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

steady drift of Chinese art and
archaeology to Europe and America
for several centuries. The Chinese
modernists want to stop this, just as
Egypt has stopped the flow of early
Nile Valley antiquities to other coun.
feeling in all Asiatic countries. They
have been taught the value of this
| material by the foreigners eagerness
to obtain it.
The army Of the so-called Christian
general. Feng Yu-hsiang, is credited
in Picking with having taken much
valuable art when it was driven out
of the capital by Chang Tso-lin about
year ago. This art commands high
prices from dealers and rich collectors,
and Chinese soldiers in need of cash
for their pay and to buy ammunition
find a great temptation in the art
treasures left in Picking. If Chang
Tso-li1 is driven out it remains to be
seen if his army will help itself to any
of the art.
The way the Asiatics learn of the
value of old art or other ancient
material is illustrated in the expert
ence OF Roy Chapman Andrews. He
found dinosaur eggs in Mongolia, and
the papers in America spoke of
them as being worth $4,000 each.
Naturally, any native who finds
dinosaur eggs, henceforth. will hold
them for the highest bidder. But
it still is true that liberal offer
will attract, by smuggling or other
wise, much art from China, despite
the growing desire among Chinese in
tellectuals to save for their own mu-
seums a representative collection.
Chinese in the future may have to
go to America or Europe to see the
finest Chinese art.
The Freer Gallery was not, how.
ever, engaged in collecting such ma
terial. Mr. Bishops work was solely
to survey the field and to make prac-
ticable effective exploration whenever
China is ready for that. The work
Of the Freer Gallery should serve to
improve cultural relations between
China and the United States. in Mr..
Bishops view.
Tombs of the North Wei dynasty,
founded by Tartars from Mongolia,
and continuing from the fourth to
the sixth century. AID, were among
the most interesting things seen by
Mr. Bishop. These are 200 miles west
Of Picking. in the vicinity Of the site
of the ancient city which Mr.. Bishop
surveyed from an airplane. About
Law years Oiu' one lOlAD 10 eIllIIely
of earth. 1t is 80 feet high and
has a circumference Of nearly half
a mile. In front Of this was a great
altar and impressive temples un-
doubtedly marked the site. There Is
a cairn of stones on top. from which,
according to native tradition, a shaft
leads down to the burial chamber.
The Itinerary chamber is believed to
be in the center, and there is a local
tradition that robbers once tried to
enter the chamber. A dragon, they
say, drove away the decorators Of
the grave. AS the peasants are hos.
tile to any disturbance Of the tomb.
fearing the wrath of spirits, the In.
terror condition is not known. Before
any exploration Of this great mound
or others of the same type will be
possible local sentiment will have to-
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24
lane Used reer Gaerys Archaeological Research in China

change decidedly. 1t might yield ma
terial CT the highest historical i'm.
portance.
A BOUT 80 miles distant from this
n royal burial mound are Buddhist
temples carved out of the living rock.
This also was done during the North
Wei dynasty, which patronized the
temples. Now the fronts of the rock
temples have crumbled down. and
much of the art work is buried in
the dirt and fragments of rock at the
base of the cliff The temples are
known as the Yum Kung temples and
consist of single chambers in which
are figures of Buddha, certain saints
and others.
A Buddha observed is a fifth or
sixth century creation. This statue
probably would be SO feet high if the
debris were cleared from the lower
part of it. Incidents of Buddha's life
are shown in carvings on the walls.
The work was done in the best period
of Buddhist art. North Wei art OBJ
jects are found in many museums
throughout the world.
The full scope of Mr. Bishops work
can only be limited at in a single
a result of his work is that a wider
knowledge of Chinese history, myths
and civilization generally will be de-
veloped in America, so that Ameri-
cans going through museums such
as the Freer Gallery, which makes
Chinese art one of it's specialties, will
see much more than "a pretty vase,
for instance. The vase carries TO
the understanding eye much more
light on China and the particular
period it represents than that of
beauty. This, of course, Is true of
the art of any country.
Stopping off in Egypt on his way
to Washington, Mr.. Bishop met DIR.
George A. Reisner, head of the Har-
vard-Boston Museum expedition. who
has been exploring the ruins in Egypt
for 80 years. DIR. Reisner escorted
Mr.. Bishop over his recent excava-
tions near the pyramids Of Gizeh and
the Sphinx, taking him into several
tombs not yet open to the public, and
later exhibiting beautiful gold embel-
lishments, alabaster vases, jewelry
and furniture found in the tombs,
which will not be on public display
for a year at least.
In Egypt, as in China and most
other places where archaeological
research is going on. the scientists
are handicapped by lack of funds.
This work usually is financed by
wealthy Americans. At times funds
run low and the work necessarily
lags. With wider appreciation Of
the historical importance Of research,
the work could be pressed much
more rapidly, until the few remaining
gaps in Egyptian history probably
~
supplying data about certain kings
and dynasties now largely subject to
conjecture.
While the Egyptian government
jealously guards any discoveries. for
the purpose of keeping them in
Egypt. foreign scientists have con-
siderable latitude in making explora- |
lions under governmental super
vision. DR.. Reisner has a home and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

that prompted the withdrawal of the
Freer Gallery's expedition. Mr. Bish-
op eXpe It's some work to continue, be-
cause he made it point to encourage
research by the Chinese themselves,
and there is a steady, if slow, growth
in appreciation of it's value among
Chinese. The Nationalist attitude
toward research is believed to be en-
lightened, but the Nationalist now
are so absorbed in the military phase
that little can be expected from them
until comparativ peace prevails.
The armies that are sweeping back
and forth over China do not destroy
much archaeological material, because
most of it Is under ground. A dis
tinctive feature of Chinese clviliZa
ton l.; that it never had a stone ar
chtecture and no ruins such as one
may see in Egypt, Greece Rome, AS
syria, etc, exist in China. They used
timber and when this fell it usually
was covered up. where some Of it sur
wives.
Ma Bishop worked mainly north of
the Yangtsze River. The river valleys
possess certain naturally desirable
sites for cities. past and present. 1t
is in the valley Of the Yellow River
that Mr.. Bishop believes has been
found the earliest Chinese scripture.
This was in Shansi and Shensi pro-
vinceS, west and southwest of Picking.
There are animals carved on stone,
and one group of man struggling
with a bear is thought to date back
to the third century Be. 1t was
carved Oh boulder used in a , NIB
The Chinese had no writing in the
prehistoric ages and seldom used it,
except for religious inscriptions. The
priests long were the only Chinese
who could write. Mr. Bishop found
sites dating from the Stone Age, or,
roughly, about 5000 years BIC.
Bronze then began to appear. as
shown by relics uncovered.
THE points of cultural contact be.
~ tween ancient China and the
countries to the west, and even the
Mediterranean countries are discerni-
bic in the two provinces mentioned.
Some pottery found is like that also
! found in Turkestan, Russia, Mesopo-
tamia and the Balkans. of clvlliza-
| ton as far back as 5000 BIC.
| 1t is deducib!e from these discoveries
| that China borrowed much of her
craftsmanship from other nations,
sometimes, of course, improving upon
the ideas that circulated over the con-
tinent of Asia. Trading caused much
of this mutually of craftsmanship, as
, traders from India or some other
country would leave utensils, vessels,
art work and other articles among
thu Chinese to be copied In the in
vention of porcelain China carried
! pottery making to a very high plane.
| w: chariots discovered in central
| China are similar to those found in
| Mediterranean countries. Ideas neces-
:arily were slow in reaching China
from such distant countries, since the
only locomotion was Of n primitive ma
ture The use of iron in CHM, ac-
cordingly, was much later than it's use
| by Western peoples.
| Gustavus Adolphus, Crown Prince
of Sweden who visited Washington
to unvei the Ericsson Monument.
! lates visited China and went out to
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

Bishop. associate curator OF
the Freer Gallery of Art, Will
bring with him the fruits or
four years of archaeological reconnals-
ance in China, data which he OBTAIN
ed by the use of airplanes, long trips
afoot. on horseback and by other
means of transportatio in the north
ern half Of that country.
When China settles down sufflclent-
" for the work to be resumed, the
data will be an invaluable guide for
Mr.. Bishop. or any one else to "hom
thev may be made available for the
actual task of excavating or clearing
I'D ruins which will throw much light
on ancient Chinese civilization. There
is still needed a considerable change
in the attitude Of the masses or the
Chinese toward exploring tombs ana
burial mounds, etc, before really ef-
fective research will be possible, but
a growth in sentiment in favor or op-
tanning historical data by this method
is discernible among the Chinese, &C.
cording to Mr.. Bishop.
The reverence in which Chinese
peasants hold burying grounds ana
old temples is an obstacle to more
kinds of progress there than that OF
archaeological research. Building
railroad is a difficult matter in China,
since the burial mounds dot the fields
unfortunately, and it is next to I'M
nossible to lay a straight line OF track
in any fiat country without disturbing
some graves. From a railroad car
window, for instance, riding from
Tientsin up to Picking. one sees these
burial grounds dotting the fields
under cultivation, and one wonders
how the line was laid without much
opposition. In point Of fact, the rail-
roads of China were resisted o1ten
with great force because Of this rae
tor.
The use of airplanes by archeolo-
eists is strongly favored by Mr..
Bishop. He made two trips of this
kind with gratifying results, the first
being in a Vickers- Vimy eight-passeF-
ger plane. with an American pilot en-
Moved by the Picking government.
From a height of 5000 feet, and then
on lower level, Mr. Bishop was able
IN get comprehensive idea OF the
layout of the site of an ancient city
i'm Northern China 200 miles from
Picking The city was destroyed
about 225 BIC. by the Chinese ruler.
Chin Shih-hung, who built the Great
Wall. Mr.. Bishop previously had been
over the site on horseback. but the
view from the pane ShoWeu tuc cal tAI.
works, mounds. entertainments and
foundations in connected way. II
would have required six weeks 10
make a detailed survey of the site on
foot. ;.
When Kermit Roosevelt was in
China in 1928 he expressed to Mr.
Bishop a favorable opinion of the
value of airplanes in research work
for during the World War Roosevelt
had served as an air officer in Mesopo
ta,nia, where he frequently flew over
the sites of ancient cities and noted
the perfect picture of the sites which
It was possible to get from the air.
MIR. Bishops second airplane recon
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

A SCRAP of paper Is crumpled
~ carelessely in the pencil pocket
N of a pair of overalls-and three
\ youths go to prison for life
for an attempt to rob the mail
car of a Southern Pacific express
train, in which four Of the crew are
trutally slain.
A thumbscrew works loose from the
clutch of an automobile-and former
school athlete, who not so long ago
rejoiced in the pluudits of his asso'
ciates, starts serving so years behind
stone walls, convicted of robbing
mail truck and Staying a deputy
sheriff in a mad dash for freedom.
The railroad station of a Midwest
ern city is the scene of a 81 900, 900
mail robbery; the skilled hand of a
notorious gunman is seen in the crime.
but all efforts to locate him fail. He
makes the mistake, however, of lur-
ing away the wife of another member
of the underworld, and the husband
in the case gives the tip that brings
the philanderer and his accomplices
to stern justice.
An armed band, taking page
from the history of the late war and
using gas bombs in attack, holds up
a mail train on the Chicago, Milwau'
kee & st. Paul Railroad. getting ST.
500, 900. But in the excitement one
of the bandits riddles a companion
with bullets in the belief he is a
trainman. and the wounded man un.
Willingly furnishes a clue that in
creases the population of Leavenworth
Federal Penitentiary by eight.
A Union Pacific train in the Far
West is held up and S245,000 taken.
From somewhere comes the word that
a certain woman may know something
of the case. She is watched closely
and very shortly a gang of nine is
landed, including the woman.
Always the explanation is the same
the postal inspection service of the
United States is funCtioning 100 per
cent; the grimly efficient machine of
$50 men which operates from head
quarters in the Post Office Depart
ment here has quietly and unostenta-
tiously added another chapter to
history replete with brilliant victories
in the never-ending war with those
who prey on society.
X X = *
THE greatest man hunt ever staged
by the Post Office Department
one of the most extensive in criminal
annals-had come to an end. The
three De Autremont brothers-Hugh
Ray and Roy-were behind the gray.
forbidding fortress that is the Oregon
State Prison. there to spend the re-
mainder of their natural lives: cap
tured after a tireless search that had
lasted almost four years and covered
remote parts of the globe; brought to
bay by an intricate net woven by
two men-Charles Riddiford. the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

There was an explosion, and when
others on the train rushed to the
head end they found the mail car in
flames, while out on the right of way
lay the bulletriddled bodies of c. 0.
Johnson. the brakeman; Marvin
Sene. the fireman, and Sid Bates, the
engineer.
1t was evident that an attempt had
been made to hold up the train, and
it was equally evident that whoever
was responsible had been scared
away.
Then Charles Riddiford, the chief
of the Seattle division-one of the 10
in which the service is divided-came
on the scene. For three days he
combed the vicinity looking for some
clue. then finally turned up pair
of dirty overalls. Deep down in the
pencil pocket of these he found
postal receipt from a Roy de Autre-
mont to a Verne de Autremont IA
fourth brother, who had no connec-
ton with the easel 1t was decided
then to see just who the De Autre-
monts were. and a little investigation
disclosed that there were three
brothers, known in the vicinity of
the Siskiyous as loggers and BARRIERS.
One of these, Ray, had served a year
for syndicalism in Monroe, Wash.
Search was organized for the trio, and
the fact was blazoned to the country
that they were wanted.
The Bertillion files at Monroe gave
up picture of Ray. it was easy to
acquire pictures of Roy. who had a
weakness for having himself photo
graphed for women, and a school
journal from Artesia, N. Mex, furnish.
ed a picture of Hugh, who was only
10 years old at the time years
the junior of his brothers.
Then young Tennyson Jefferson
went to work to reconstruct the
characteristics and habits of this
trio. A circular unique in depart
mental annals-written in seven
languages-was the result. For this.
Jefferson passes the credit to his
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

was profoundly interested, and having
just come from Japan and Korea, he
praised the archaeological work of the
japanese in high terms to Mr.. Bishop.
The Japanese have developed sound
technique in saving ruins and relics
far gone in decay or mutilation.
While the Chinese hitherto have
no done any field work of importance
they have made antiquarian studies.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

depending upon data obtained by
tracing down legends, traditions and
studying other history. Two Chinese
who worked with Mr.. Bishop are
carrying on in North China, and the
China for the-Chinese movement may
result in the work being largely under
Chinese supervision in the future, al
though outside technical skill may be
given opportunities to cooperate.
There has been an enormous and
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24

chief, Riddiford, and refers to him.
self as "paperhanger," to describe
his activities in spreading the circu-
lar even across the seas.
Riddiford just laughs and pointing
to his youthful aide. says, There's
the boy who did it,
At any rate, this circular was so
thorough that it even told what sort