CAPTURE OF A GANG OF SPURIOUS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 276, 7 November 1862, Page 5

CAPTURE OF A GANG OF SPURIOUS

GOLD MAN UFACTUREIiS. The police of this district have just succeeded in arresting a gang of spurious gold manufacturer.*, who have evidently been i ur suing their nefarious employment for some time p'ist. Yesterday morning, about eleven oYlock, from information received, Detective Lloyd, senior-Constable Boyle, and Constable Bran, proceeded to Mr Crump's store, on the Mia Mia Flat, where they had been given to understand some men would shortly appear :md offer a parcel of spurious gold for sale. On ihe arrival of the former, Oai.-i was concealed in a clump of trees a few yards from the store, into which Lloyd and Boyle entered, the latter concealing himself in a room leading off from the business part of the store. Shortly afterwards a Chinaman was seen walking towards the building, when Lloyd's horse, which had been lcit outside, attracted his attention, and he retreated. Lloyd then left the store, mounted his horse, and proceeded in the direction of Talbot, observing as he rode what tent the. Chinaman entered. Having lost sight of him, Lloyd leit his horse in charge of a miner, and returned to the store, where he found John, and ascertained that he had already disposed of spurious gpld to the amount of L 2, and was then in the act of receiving Lio 9s 2d for another parcel, which Mr Crump had just bought from him. Lloyd asked him what he was selling, and John said, "Welly good gold, got. in Back Creek, raid belonged to four men." (It appears this delinquent can speak English with tolerable fluency.) As soon as John had received the liH) ih 2d, Lloyd shut the door and arrested hi::-, -<\ying at the time ?hat the gold was bad, to which he replied, "Oh, no; welly good gold," &c. lie was then searched by the police, and in his pockets were found, in addition to the money paid him by Mr Crump, r.wo spurious nuggets, one apparently about half an ounce aad tlu other about I dwt. in weight, as also a parcel of beautiful looking spurious nuggets, "iii all about 4 oz. Taking John with them the police made for the Chinese encampment, which comprises some 400 or so residents, and entered the prisoner's tent, where they found four Chinamen at work manufacturing spurious gold with a crucible and bellows—with, in fact, a similar apparatus to that owned by a gold assayer. Those rascals were at once arrested, and, after being handcuffed, the police searched the t-'iit and found several ounces of spurious gold. \}\ aildiiion to the implements with which it is made, and which we are told are unique in their way. The live prisoners were then plain d in a cart, which started for the police carr.p at Talbot. On the road, however, the whole party had a narrow escape from a serious accident. As the cart was crossing Messrs Stewart and Farnsworth's race, on the rising ground near Talbot Fiat, one of the wheels descended into the race, and upset, smashing the two shafts, and throwing the prisoners and implements to the ground. No other damage was done, however. Returning to the spurious gold, we may i add, as a proof of the system these rascals adopted in manufacturing it, that they had frequently purchased gold at the Alma, and paid L 4 an ounce for it, because its peculiar c >lour was an assistance to them in some way in carrying out their operations: The gang will be brought up at the Police Court on Wednesday next, when we shall no doubt have additional particulars of the affair to give; meantime it may he remarked that the scoundrels have succeeded in passing off a good deal of their spurious stuff on the unsuspecting storekeepers and gold buyers in the district. Great pnuseisdue to the police for the manner ': which they succeeded in effecting this whole■ale capture.— 7\dhot Leader, 21st October.