Liberty advocate. [volume] (Liberty, Miss.) 1835-1866, 1845-08-23

| SeltleT vi lHo lS'dHu' LlO mas wv 1000
lofcatl!e. 80 goats, besides hogs and Poul'
Try. Liddle's rude cabin, has ''imprOVe-
ments," and indeed himself, are very
much in the Robinson Crusoe style, Tor,
literally, he is "monarch of all ne sur
veys." We found two marIners,4Wm
lSimms and H. zoe, engaged in digging
for the treasure at short distance from
LidJle's cabin. The story told US by
Simms is to the following effect:
| In the year 1880, he was confined IN
the British Hospital al Port Royal, IN the
Island Of. Jamaica for the cure ola wound
received in the battle of Navarino, while
serving in the Dartmouth friga.e. In the
adjoining berth here lay an old sailor,
for whom he performed some acts Of kind
ness, and with whom he became familiar.
The old tar perceving his end 10 be aP'
preaching, informed Simms thathe could
put him in the way oil being wealthy
and comfortable for the rest CT his days,
| If he would follow his instr lotions; aud
then proceeded TO relate that in his youth
he had been pirate in the Gulf OF Mexi.
co; that in the year 1906 his comrades
and himself were attacked on Ship Island
by an English cruiser, who cut 20 pieces
the pirates, giving no quarter. Himself
and another were the only persons who
escaped; the latter put off in pirogue TO-
wards Dauphin Island, and was never
heard Of afterwards. He escaped by bu
rying himself in the sand 10 the neck, and
concealing his head by holding to the
branches Of pine tree in his hands. AZ
ter securing the Island, and sinking the
pirates vessel, the sailors and marines Of
the cruiser manned their boats, reached
their vessel and sailed away. During
the fight the pirates secreted their trea-
sure in we'll, consisting Of four bags of
Spanish doubloons and dollars, and a
quantity Of gold and silver in ingots.
The cruiser being out of sight, the old tar
came forth from his concealment, repair
ed one OF the small boats, and reached
the main land, whence he made his way
to New Orleans; and finally, after serv-
ing on the West India station, in the Kan
CARGO tender, was placed in the Hospital
at Port Royal. "On the South beach OF
Ship Island" said the old tar, "abou; the
middle Of the Island you will find an OLD
pine tree; measure $50 PAGES .othe South
West and you will come TO live oak, on
the West side Of which you will find TWO
pieces of cutlass driven into the tree,
somewhat in the form Of a cross; due
West, eleven PAGES from the cross, you
will discover the treasure at the bottom
Of well, about ten feet from the Surface
Of the sand, between four large posts OF
cottonwood, these posts being enclosed by
a pine fence ten feet square"
Shortly after the delivery Of this mar
rative, the old pirate died, and Smms
committed the recital TO writing. After
a lapse of fifteen years, Simms and his
comrade have now come to Ship Island,
and the discoveries they have made are
indeed singular. They readily found the
old pine tree and the oak, and upon Dig
ging into the sand at the requisite dis
lance, about five feet, they came to pine
fence, ten feet square, some paris of
which are quite decayed and other parts
in excellent preservation. Three feet
below the fence they reached four large
piles of cottonwood and commenced dig
ging; but being then eight or nine feet
from the surface, the water began to flow
in upon them and impede their further
progress; so they have concluded 10 stop
digging until the have constructed a
pump, sixteen or eighteen fee: long, to as
sist them in their operations. Slnms is
sangune Of discovering the treasure at
the distance Of six or eight below the
piles. He says the old pirate could have
mad no inducement TO tell him lie on his
death bed, and that others have dug lnI
various parts Of the island to no urpose,
because they had "no signs to 60 by
We put many questions to Simms rela-
tive to this story, 10 all OF which his an
swers were ready and straight forward.
We asked him why the old pirate did moi
take this treasure, between 1906 and
1880? He said he propounded the same
lnterrogatory 10 the pirate, who replied
that "his spirit was broken by his rever'
SEES; and when he remembered the blood
which that treasure cost, his conscience
would not permit him to touch it." Slmms
gave us graphic and interesting descrP-
ton of the battle Of Narvarino. The
foregoing story was told by Smms while
our party was sitting around the hole
which he had been digging, We saw
the piles Of cotton wood, the pine fence.
the oak aud The pine tree, and know not
what could induce two sailors to work for
weeks on that lonely and desolate island.
beneath scorching SUM unless they are
convinced Of the truth Of the pirates
story. We took occasion, when Liddie
wSs alone with US, to ask him about the