THti ALLIANCti H KHALI), FRIDAY, AUGUST 19, 1921.
THE GOLD PRTK V. t.MK
CONCKIVKD AT SIDNKY
(Continued from Pa 4)
t the orijfin of th Ramc.
This Ran taitH with an output
nf thiity brick. Tli first mnn tfiey
triwl thr winIIp hi sa n hanker of
llastinR, NVhra ka, nml hp was m
victim for $S,0M. ''wy saw they had
nn rasy camp. Voc I:i?jrN and Jimmy
Fern were the wKwen, Tby ranged
f;.r and wide and li po.e.l of tv rnty
rijrht more brick' nt prices ianK:n
from f 10,000 to Mj.000.
The bricks vrre of the standard
$30,000 size. About ?UH worth of roM
whs used in the m.ikinjr. This was
fW-.l iiilo tile buck at diferent places,
tiMinlly at the four eivls and in or
rear the center. When the brick was
Mihmitted for c animation by u pros
tctive buyer he was told to take a
Simple for e.?Kiy by any compe tent
jfwi'ler. The tr. n- .etinrt was always
carried on in socieey. A banker or
kirk ca.-hier was ti. ujM.v selected as
u vii tin. Ho wa-i a4.ed if he had a
pimlet or a cold rhi-H handy. Hankers
lo not usually have these implement
in ;;,c-.'r i..".kv.-. The seller happened
.. . . . t i it i - I
to have a chisel wiin mm. ne Miceci m
n(T n small niece nf (lie iiol.1 i; 1 Cave . H
it to the vieti i t base t-ted. Or he
liced off pie es Ciotn all fiur Co; ners.
Of course tlv lot jioved it t le
ffU, and the victim boJi'hl.
Secrc : Siro-m ( ard.
The secrecy nj un''irn was one .f
the strong carl- in i.'.e Kame. The
victim was pi. ked w '.lh caie. He
must be a man who wo il nut scruple
to p. It j i. other's crime. 1 he sol Vr
must Kive him a plausible rea-'in f'-r
tiisno.iinir of a '.0,000 eolil brick for
fne-third or mie-half its value. He
told the victi ii the hi :ck was part ol
1'ie loot of a train or :-tane robbery
that had b 'n brouiiht to him for
disposal. As the ir.iine unfolded ils
j ossihilities the crool.s selected dates
following some bitj train or expre.'-s
robbery for d'po.-in of their bogus
.-idd bricks, cplaining that lliey were
t ..rl of ': loot of the robbery. Thit;
f articular Rai.;: is suspected of having
inspired and even participated in sev-
ral robberies in order to create a
t '.-'i ''ct for tl.eir peculiar commodity,
lie that as it may, t!.-y d-po-ed f
t enty-nine of tin ir fir.-1 output i'
thirty bricks am nu men crookei'
JiS themselves, t'.tllied, however, in
the broadcloth of t -::ev tahilil v and
o'dinir hiirh heail- in iJii-'r rejective
communities. Th thiit'cth biitk,
after an eventful history, row orna
ments the front of the T,bin buiM:nn
Sidney, surrounilcd by the pk-hian
but honest clay lrjcli; of that lU:
structui .
These thirty bricks were made to
rder in Denver. A I .a rimer street
Manufacturing jeweler undertook the
job of turning them out, and he was
an expert in his business. He ob
tained brass filings fiom an iron foun
dry then situated at Twelfth and Lar
imer streets. With the brass he mixed
a certain proportion of glass, divided
1hc mass into bricks, melted the mix
ture, and when it was brought to the
right degree of heat he infused the
fcohl at the designated spots. The
amount of glass in the mixture was
n matter of the nicest calculation. It
leave the brick a ring which only an
Jissayer ossessed of a delicate sense
of hearing could detect as false.
For his services this wonderful
manufacturing jeweler was paid $100
a brick, and the many order that
rame to him from the Sidney gang
Jnd their successors in after years
laid the foundation of a fortune which
hn grandchildren are now enjoying.
Thirtieth Itrick a Jonah
The thirtieth brick proved to lie a
Jonah to the Doc Uaggs pirates. Twice
its sale was frustrated by the annoy
ing caution of prospective buyers who
insisted on selecting a sample from
ppots in which it happened there wa
no golden plug. The gamblers dubbed
it the "Hoodoo Brick" and withdrew
it from the market. It was 'deposited
in' the Capitol saloon, which became
their headquarters nfter Harberson's
.saloon was closed, and in the course
of time its existence passed from their
memory. They separated and wand
ered their separate ways. Johnny
Barnes went to Dead wood and was
caught in a crooked card deal by
Wild Bill. He was a vicious, vin
dictive man and swore revenge. To
gether with some desperadoes of hia
type he hired Jack McCall to murder
Wild Bill. Later he had a street duel
-with Charley Storms, without serious
result to either.
Observe how fate works out its'
plans. Storms and Barnes met
northern Mexico in the course of their
gambling pilgrimages. Storms killed!
Barnes and that ended the career of
the man who was primarily responsi
ble for the death of Wild Bill Hickok.
Meanwhile the hoodoo brick reposed
peacefully in the cellar of the Capitol
palwon at Sidney.
In J8S" a Nebraska farmer, p'owing
a new field, uncovered what he be
lieved was a gold brick. With visions
of wealth dancing before his eyes, he
rted it to the nearest town, Fre
mont, and submitted it for sale to his
banker. The banker cut off a corner
of it and took it to the town jeweler
to le tested. The sample was gold
f that there was no doubt.
Scott Davis, the man who operated
the treasure coach line between Sid
ney and Deadwood, heard of the find
ami went to Fremont. He declared
the brick was bogus. The banker de
clared it was genuine. Davis chiseled
off all the gold that covered the end
of the brick and revealed the brass
beneath.
"The hoodoo brick," many said. It
wasn't the hoodoo brick, but it was
time for its reappearance. A fire in
the Capitol saloon brought it to light,
The news reached Gus Patterson, su
crintendent of the American Hxoress
company at Omaha, that a gold brick
had been found in the Capitol saloon
and he rushed to Sidney on a special
train. He thought it was one of the
gold bricks lost in the great express
robbery in 1882. He sent it to New
York to be assayed, and there its true
composition was revealed. Sadly, it
was shipped back to Sidney, and, when
the Tobin building was erected, found
a last lodging place there, a reminder
of the days when the town waj wild
ml woolly.
Take Advantage
of this sale. Re
duced prices will
not last forever.
TRY
HARPER'S FIRST
WE have secur
ed extra clerks to
give' you servicx.
come early and get
the best selection.
Weekly Bargain Saturday Sensation
In the Men's Dept. and All Over the Store
Day
Saturday
Only
HUNDREDS
OF DARGAIN
SPECIALS
FROM ALL
I) E P A R TMENTS
The Greatest Bargain Event Ever
Kov re.'il monoy-ssiving on (loperUaMo quality nuMchandve in just the things you need for your person and home this
sale stands without precedent. We don't attempt to single out any one or two items and show you the savings of a few pen
nies. Hut we tell you' to shop throughout this entire store in every department and then count your savings in DOLLARS.
Kvery price ticket brings yu a message of choicest merchandise greatly underpriees. Heed their tale. Attend this sale.
88c Price Tickets Everywhere Tell the Story of Rare Economies
PANTERS
Overall Sale.
88c
White's overalls for Panters
and Paper Hangers. .
Wooltouch
COTTON PLAIDS
Regular $1.25 values. See
these wonderful values, spe
cial sale
- 88c yard
SILK GLOVES
88c
$1.18 values. Wonderful
values for Saturday only.
MEN'S CAPS
All sizes
88c
These are $2.00 and $3.00
value'.
We Sell for
CASH
We Sell for
LESS
SEE WHAT 88c WILL BUY
Little Tot's Gingham
" WASH DRESES
are worth $3.00. Size 3 to
7 Special
88c
Bungalow Aprons
In light and dark pat
terns, $3 values, special
88c
Canvas Slippers and
Shoes
Odd sizes, regular $3.00
value, special sale
88c
LADIES' HOSIERY
White pure Silk and fibre
88c
Regular $1.98 values.
TWO SKIRTS FOR
$1.88
Men's $2.50 Shirts for a
Sweeting Clearance, $1.88
Children's HOSE
Eiffel brand, 65c values
2 pairs for
88c
Regular $1.30 value, 2
pairs, 88c
Coy's WASH SUITS
88c
These are wonderful val
ues. Regular $3, $ I values.
Men's
UNION SUITS
$1.25 values.
88c
See these wonderful val-
Odd sizes. Special Saturday. ues. Saturday only 88c.
Red and White
TABLE DAMASK
88c
The best quality.
Green and Pink
88c
Regular $3.18 values.
Special Saturday, 88c.
Blue and Pink
Children's Sweaters
88c
$2.50 and $3 values.
Boy's BLOUSES
All sizes in light and dark
patterns
88c
n , 91.50 and $1.25 values
Regular Doc, $1.25 and the best quality. Saturday
Ladies' Lisle
UNION SUITS
Regular $1.25 values, spe
cial sale
88c
HAIR RIBBON
Regular 65c, 75c yard
quality, 3 yards for
3 yards for 88c
Special for Saturday.
Formfit
BRASSIERES
88c
In Pink and White, these
are $1.50 values. Saturday
Special, 88c
Boy's
KHAKI PANTS
88c
tmta:uaaana3ttaaananamtnattuat
special, 88c.
We Sell for
CASH
We Sell for
LESS
