Jasper County Democrat, Volume 3, Number 31, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 November 1900 — The Gold Brick Swindle. [ARTICLE]

The Gold Brick Swindle.

"The gold brick swindle,” said a business man quoted in the New Orleans Tinies-Democrat, “is one of the most plausible propositions ever advanced and has landed some of , the cleverest business men tn the country. A number of years ago It used to be a common thing for banks In the west to buy gold bricks—l mean real ones—and frequently there were the best of reasons for keeping the transaction quiet. “It often happened that the owner of some partly developed mine would make an unexpwted strike and wish to buy the adjacent property. Naturally lie would want to bold back the news of his discovery until lie secured tlie land and If be had any bullion to dispose of would make the sale as quietly as possible. The banks became accustomed to deals of that kind and were consequently pretty easy prey for the gold brick swindler who turned up with n precisely similar .rt“I don’t (relieve 1 exaggerate when 1 say that fully one-third of all the banking bouses In the western mineral belt were at some time victimized by thia game.”