Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1859-08-12

Gold from the Grave.


One OF tie most interesting items Of news
from the lsthmas, BY late arrivals, Is the dis
coyery of gold in large quantities in the un-
cisDt Indian tumnli aud burial place to tie
northward DC Panama, IN tue Province or
State Of Veraguas. The statements as to the
amounts discovered, il is probable, are con-
siderable exaggerated; but Of the fact Of the
discovery there can be no doubt. The Span
Iards drew large amonnfs Of treasure from
siuiiiar graves throughout the lsthnns, from
Costa Isica TO New Granada, and il may be
supposed exhausted pretty nearly the entire
supply from these sources 10 all places easily
accessible; but the region around Chiriqpi
lagoon, where the present discoveries are re-
ported to have been made, as we'll as the dis
trict Of Neraguas generally, was occupied by
warlike aud indontable Iudian tribes, who re-
pulsed the inroads Of the Spaniards aud
hence, probably, these ancient graves esca-
ped the general sacking which the others saf
fered.
The old historian, Herrera, tells US that in
the ancient provinces Of Zenu, little to the
northward of Chagres, of which the people
we're the same with those of Panama and We.
raguas, tue Spaniafds found aabundauce of
graves, some of them so ancient that large and
tall trees were growing over tLem and within
| them was found an immense qusntity Of gold,
besides what the Indians took cut and vhat is
still lost under ground" In Peru. we know.
vast quantities OF gold and silver were taken
from the audcaS or burial places Of the kings
and chleitians. ln some Instances the bodies
of the dead were wrapped, like those of the
old scythian chiefs, in plates Of hammesed
gold. A skeleton thus enyeioped was recently
discovered In making excavations for railway
10 t6at country.
For some time after the Conquest class Of
Spanish adventurers devoted themselves to ex-
casatlng the huocas, and ttae product was So
great as .@ lead lie government of the Gown
% arfrroint special officers to collecting the royal
hfths THUS, as early as 1856, from out OF
These tombs among the ruins of ChInu, near
tue port Of Truxlio, in the north OF Peru, a
single explorer, named Gariia Gutierrez, paid
ne less than S5,575 castellanos of gold ia the
form of royal 9Th, which would give 423, ,775
castellanoea, equal to about S56S 900, as the
amount which he obtained FROM it, But he
did net get all the gold, for in 1892 il was
again excavetod aud Al, 900 Gas selanos paid as
fifths into the royal treasury, So that it seems
that not less than II 900 castellanoos of gold.
equal to $93l, 900 were taken out OF this Auaca
alone.
Withir very few yerrs The inhabitants of
| Truxillo organized company for new explo-
rations of the huacas, but with very limited re-
suits. The old SpauiaIds had pretty effectu
ally sacked the richest, so that ouly an inferior
class remained undistnrbed, aud these were
fonnd TO coutain but little treasure. Still,
considerable quantities of gold have been an :
sunally dug up in New Granada aud Peru, most
of which has found its way TO Englaod-
Several thousand pounds worth are melted
down every year al the British Mint. 1t is
| mostly IN the form Of nude figures of men and
animals, which have been cast in iuoulds of
| sand. In some cases The indusated sand OF
the mstrix is left id the hollow part Of the
figures.
The yellow, or golden fever, is always mark
ed by hyperhole of the most extrayagaut KIDD;
and the statements OF our excited friends OH
the Isthmus must be taken with some grains
of allowance. There are by no ueans '',hous-
ands and millions Of these gold bearing graves
son The Isthmus and throughout Central Amri-
ca" aud it there we're, they would be found TO
have been very effectuaily explored by the
early Spaniards in ali the districts Of country
where the Spanish authority became establish
ed. Gold will oply be found in the tombs
which exist in remote and secluded districts, and
these few hnadred nen will soon exhaust the
supply.