Southern telegraph., 1836-09-27


the materials Of many a wild romance.
Among them, Mr.. Irving has immortalized
the freebooter But the tradition Of his
wealth has furnished the lower aud ignorant
part of the community, who never read no
vels, and banker after nothing but pclf, with
a stimulus much more potent upon their Gu
pidity than the perusal Of any legend, how
ever tragic or monstrOns, could give Of plea
sure to the warmcst enthusiast. The New
Bedford Gazette mentions a man who, a
few years since, actually dug into the mud
at New London, at the cost of $500, with
The certainty Of striking on chest Of dOub
looms, We think il reflection on the mo-
rails and education Of the community that
such a superstition should continue to reign,
and that too in New England, considered the
most enlightened and civilized portion Of
our country. The age Of divlnatiOn, of as
treags end q sasY St YRssEhera RsEhS g %G had mad hoped
snrily less informed backwood.settlers such
things might be, and we know; so far as re-
CARDS the discovery Of hidden springs Of
water, by means Of witch-hazcl boughs, this
art, prolessed by cer;ain negroes, still exists,
aud is practiscd and believed in Kentucky,
and in that vicinity. There may be scion-
tiic causes to explain this last, but the gold
hunting mania is a mere hallucination of
the mind-an intoxication Of the reasoning
faculties, caused by an unhallowed and in
ordinate passion for Iucrc."
The legendary absrrditics which, on the
sea coast, attach themselves to the name Of
Kidd, are transferred, in the interior, to
other neurological pcsonages, equally fam
tastic. On the coasts, these Sublerranean
mints are always attributed TO the fercest
and greediest pirate ever known to modest
their shores. In New York, Captain Kidd; /;
on the Virginia and Carolina coasts, Blue
Beard; in the West Indies, the dreadful
Morgan, are the several proprietors of all
the buried wealth. Among the Uplands, it
is to French and Spanish miners of the ear
ler times OF this country, thai the hoard and
its guardianship are given. The story,
however, is always, in its main features, the
same. The secret treasury is always DE-
| Tended by the watch and by the magic of
pOr erful and subtle spirits, from whom no
Thing except the highest skill in the same
formidable arts, can win the slightest glimpse
at their charge. Bat If some lucky adept;
like Dousterswiyel in the Aniquary, detects
the existence of the hoard, and attempts to
obtain possession Of i, he Is sure to encUln-
ter, on the par! of its dcvi!ish propagators,
a thousand Grish;fll tricks of diabolsm, to
deter him from his search, or to bctray him
into some violation Of rules magical, that
dissolves, in "a twinkling, the spells by
which he works, and leaves him not only
sadly nonplused, bat well mauled or ducked,
and bomircd into tho bargain.
In the mountains of Virginia, we are per-
sonally acQuam.ed with the actors (the hu.
| man ones ut leasG in IL tale Of this sort. An
exceedingly honest, sensible and pous old
negro miller, named Ambrose, was the chiel
dupo in this case, and our historian Of tho
whole affair, which he and tho whole neigh.
borhood certainly believed most religiou5ly
An old hunter and woodsman of that re.
gion, held in tho highest replte as mana.
ger Of the diyining rod, and for his skill IN
treasure-6nding, in taking the spell Of a
rifle," and the like, had ascertaincd the ex
istonce, in one Of the deep hoIlows OF the
mountains there, Of a huge chest Of gold
But to possess oneself Of one Of these strone
boxes Of the devil, is not one of those fea
ther bed or air-cushion affrirs, on which I
man loves to fling himself down without I
friend at his side. Oar eonjurer, therefore
communicated his mystery to a chosen littl,
band of his stoutest associates in the bear
hunt or at tie shooting-match, and, viii
their assistance, the adventure was set about
In all these enterprises, the dreadfalhes
of the attempt itself i, always assisted b
the necessity Of making it at some blacI
hour of the nigh:--the only seas IN propi
tious to such undertakings. Our worthless
profound darkness, and silence enforce
by the certainty Of breaking the spell,n
a single word shoald be uttered, made thei
way 10 the precise point, in very gloom
mountain dell, to which the main operate
guided them. There, at hole which wa
visible enough but few years ago, On
which stands an objectionable witness {
Ilhe whole transaction, they made poor ol
Ambrose (whom they brought with ther
for the purPose) begin to dig, having frs
with mugicOl rites and ceremonies, dnl
surrounded the spot with circle larg
enough to contain the party. In:o this eli
clio nothing evil could obtain entrance to il
terrupt them, while, as before mentioned
due silence was observed. The old negr
struck his mattock into the earth, and blu
flashes of light burst up, and enyoloped tn
whole party. AT the signal Of the waite
witch, hIweycr, Ambrose, though sore di
: mayed, struck on; and thousand snake
hissed and ratified undor and about him. B,
: on he went, redoubling bis strokes. Pr,
sently cla,nor of ten thousand infcrnl
thrOats burst forth, shaking the very moul
lg tain around them. and an innunerable a
ar ray of iendish shapes filed the whole +
gion, except the small space which afForde
m them protection Ambrpen. very stror