A GOLD DUST SWINDLE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2136, 16 May 1889, Page 3

A GOLD DUST SWINDLE.

TUe Vienna correspondent of the "Standard" statue that an Ingenious gold dust fraud has been added to the reoant eleotrio Bugar and goldmlnlng swindles, and many persons m Austria, and probably m other countries, have fallen vlotlms to it. It seems that it Is forbidden by artiole 612 of the Russian Criminal Code to bny or sell gold whether In nuggets or dust, slnoe the Russian Government It sol f procures It from the Siberian mines and sella it dlreot to tbe gold workers. It is forbidden to export gold from Russia exoept under a speolal license. This law has been made the basis of a swindle carried ont by a number of persons m a seaport of Northern Russia, who wrote to well to-do people m other countries offoriug what they oalled an excellent bargain. Their oustomers could forward oertaln somsonreoelpt of qu amities of gold dusk, wbioh the agents of the company would deliver at specified frontier , stations and smuggle over the border as passengers' luggage. Tbe prioe ohsrged wonld be half the market value ef the gold. Those who would not travel themselves to the frontier stations might send their servants or confidential agents, and the process oould be repeated as often as tbey liked* It Is surprising to learn that even Vienna aristocrats Ml Into tbe trap. One nobleman consented to enter Into transactions to the amount of 50,000 roubles. Be was first shown a small quantity of gold duit, whlob, after being melted, was deolared by an expert to be pure gold. He then received a large quantity at the frontier m return for 16,000 roubles. The consignment proved to be brass dost- He wrote protesting and threatening exposure, and reoelved m answer a number of letters to the effect that as Russian law forbade the trefflc m geld he could not take proceedings In Russia. His correspondents even quoted a decision of a Russian oonrt oi law, and Invited their dupe to reooup himself by entering Into their business as a partner and Inducing other people to buy Russian gold dust.