having séances, with only one or two other Masons. Schrepfer returned to Leipzig, but kept on visiting Dresden regularly. The big swindle Schrepfer gathered more support from clergy and nobility and by spring 1774 he was in touch with minister Friedrich von Wurmb who became the shill in Schrepfer's biggest scam. Schrepfer convinced Wurmb that he had access to a sealed treasure of securities deposited in Frankfurt am Main, which included a French Royal patent and would ensure Saxony millions of income and would help it recover from a crisis. Speculators gave Schrepfer large advances, amounting to circa one million euro in today's money. On September 15, 1774 Wurmb had the packages of treasure opened in Leipzig in attendance of lawyer Johann Heinrich Hoffmann, merchant François DuBosc and son. Schrepfer was not present; he apparently had urgent business to do near the Prussian border. The packages contained nothing of worth: mainly worthless paper, tin capsules and boxes filled with sand and stones, underwear and socks. They apparently didn't dare to take Schrepfer to court as too much was at stake; even Karl von Sachsen had been more or less directly involved with the dubious speculation and the secret Rosicrucian network that some of them belonged to could become exposed. Death According to several witnesses Schrepfer had a cheerful dinner with friends on the evening October 7, 1774 that lasted until 1:00 AM and involved much punch. Schrepfer and five of his associates - including lawyer Hoffmann and Karl von Sachsen's chamberlains Hans Rudolph von Bischoffswerder and Christian Friedrich von Hopfgarten - agreed to have a stroll to the Rosenthal forest on the edge of town at 5:00 in the morning, when it was still very dark. After he woke at 4:00 Schrepfer wrote several farewell letters of which a few transcripts are kept at the Leipzig city archives. The letter to DuBosc says (as translated from German): "My beloved friend. You and W. have made it happen that I'm now in the other life! The ones that I call shall follow me, hear my friend I will pray to God for you: but I advice you by your life, don't leave Bisschofswerter and help him. Before the coming new year's fair a strange hand will pay for me. May God make your ending as peaceful as mine! God will be the judge between us. I'm your friend until death. Two