The Washington times., 1935-02-28
NOW
2 Sturdy Foes
Haze Lunch
A MIDAS FAILS
BY HELEN EsSARY

lunch at the Metropolitan Club
on Monday with the man whose
pld profit of $134,o00 he had
destroyed.
That isn't all! The man, the
denuded man, was a friend Of
the Attorney Generals. He was
the Frederick B. Campbell,
whose collection of gold bars
was the evidence of the very
important case prosecuted by
the Homer S. Cummings whom
he had known for 80 years.
This is the story. It hangs,
of course, on the Governments
going off the gold standard.
Mr.. Campbell, a lawyer in
New York, collected gold bars.
Twenty-seven of them. He
stored them in the Chase Ma
tional Bank while the value of
gold went up and the value of
the dollar went down.
The pile of treasure had in
1888 a value of $200,574. At
this point we should like to say
how glad we are to know that
gold bullion comes in bars.
We've always confused it with
the favorite Washington soup
-lukewarm with thin slice Of
lemon on top.
Mr.. Campbell's plans for
profit rivaled the Midas touch
in their simplicity. He had
bought the gold as an invest
ment. He was boarding it flag
yantly.
The Department of Justice
order Of August, 1888, required
all persons with gold to divest
themselves thereof" This meant
return it to the Federal Re-
serve Bank.
The Department of Justice
agents, while looking up people
careless about obeying the order,
soon came upon Mr.. Campbell.
They drew up an indictment.
Presented it to Mr.. Cummings
to sign.
Mr.. Cummings learned for
tho first time the name of the
"Case'' he wanted to prosecute.
AS he studied the papers, he
leaned back at his desk and
said:
"DG / read this name right?"
His secretary said:
Frederick B. Campbell, Of
New York, sir"
Said the Attorney General:
''WelI, Well! It's my old
friend, Fred Campbell. This is
too bad!"
It was too bad. But it had to
be done. Mr.. Campbell turned
in his q gold bars. He received
for them exactly what they had
cost him. If he had been paid
by the Federal Reserve Bank &C.
cording to the now devaluated
dollar and the new price Of gold,
which had gone up from $20.67
to $35 an ounce, his 100000
worth of gold now would have
been worth $334,000.
A profit of $134,000 made
without lifting a hand. Or a
bar! The Government lifted
the bars.
AS we said in the beginning,
It's a credit to Mr.. Campbell
and Mr.. Cummings that they
enjoyed their lunch.
Speaking of money we are re.
minded of Mr.. Mellon. And the
story about red roses that
proves Mr.. Melons honesty.
A certain attractive widow
had known Mr.. Mellon for
years. Every time he met her,
however, he had to be reintro-
duced. This was discouaging
to the widow.
One day a box of red roses
was delivered at the widows
door. There was no card. The
butler who received the flowers
reported that:
"The gen'mun said Mr.. Mel.
Jon sent 'em."
The hitherto overlooked wild
ow was charmed. She wrote Mr..
Mellon at once. Thanked him
prettily for the roses. Got a
facial and a manicure and sat
near the telephone.
No call came. But a note
did. Mr.. Mellon said he must
be honest. He had not sent the
flowers. Perhaps if she would
go over her list of friends, she
might remember someone whose
name reSembled his.
The lady was a bit dashed.
Suddenly she remembered Mr..
Miller. The everlasting Tom
Miller who bored her to tears.
Mr.. Miller had sent the roses.
Life is like that-practically
always.
Phyllis has been studying the
newspaper pictures of Paul
Mellon. She says that they look
quite like the wild young man
who drove a big roadster into
her meek coupe on the Balti-
more Boulevard several years
ago. The fender of her car was
badly crumpled.
Bright and early the next
morning the wild young man,
plus the biggest colored Servitor
she ever saw in all her life, was
on her doorstep, eager to buy a
new fender. Phyllis says, now
%hat Shn knoyyS about tho &1nn