Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-01-02
TREASURE TRovE.
Unearthlns Of a Largo Amount of Buried
Wealth.

| Louisville Courier-Journal, December 2S.
| The gossips of the city were cOnsid-
erably excited yesterday by the re-
/ port that large amount of buried
treasure had been unearthed and Spir-
| tied away in a mysterious manner.
The story readily gained currency, as
it is known TO many here that mum
| Der of parties have searched for hiddan
treasures in the same locality at va
rious times.
AOOut three weeks ago, a Withered,
/ queer-lOOking old man, who said that
he was physician, went to the man
IN charge of the limehouse belonging
TO the Bridge company, situated on
I the south bank OF the canal. about
one hundred feet above the end of the
new bridge, and stated that he wished
TO make some chemical experiments,
and would pay literally for the use of
a certain portion of the house. The
man refused to grant his request, and
he left. A few days after he was no.
tieed surveying in the vicinity, and
carefully noting its bearings. The
next day he asked permission to use a
/ portion of the ground near the canal,
and was told that the bridge company
had no control over it. He then had
| building material brought to the spot
| and a shed five or six feet high and
| about twelve feet square built over a
point which he designated. The
chinks were tightly closed and a
stout lock placed on the door. To the
curious who asked the meaning of
such singular actions, ne told a plau5-
lble story, stating that ne wished to
experiment with dye stuffs, and
succeeded in deceiving them as
to his real object. After the
building was completed he was seen
to enter the shed in company with
the man who had built 1t; a rough
looking man, apparently q labOrer,
carrying picks and shovels. They re-
manned in the shed ali day, only leav-
ing 1t after nightfall, and then return
ing again in short time, and until
late in the night CLEANS Of light We're
detected through the chinks and cram
MES Of the rOughly-cOnstructed hut.
About ten days ago, shortly after
night had set In, the old doctor was
observed TO come out, look carefully
IN every direction, re-enteT the shed,
and then emerge in a few minutes with
his companion, and bearing between
them a burden, the exact shape Of
which could not be determined, but
which appeared To be weighty, place
1t in wagon neaf by, and drive rap
idly away. The next d.ty, nor the
next, the nys ferrous couple were NOT
seen, and Oh Sunday the curiosity OF
( those who had observed their actions
Overcame all other considerations, and
an entrance WIS fogced into the hut.
La one corner OF the nut was a hole
III the edfth i've or SIX feet in dame
Ter, and six or eight feet deep. AT
one side OF the pit was post, the top
OF which came within two feet of the
surface or the earth, and in the upper
end Of which was driven singular
looking brass nail. The post was very
much decayed, and had evidently
7 been In the gFOuad for some time.
/ The vicinity is subject TO overflow in
time OF high water, and the earth on
the post had evidently been deposited
by the floods. The tools used in ex-
cavating We're lying just as they had
been lett.
The discovery at once brought to
memory Of several residents OF the vi
cinity the fact that about fifteen years
ago man who greatly resembled the
little Old man, accompanied by Two
others, spent several weeks in search
ing the locality with diyiniug-rod
and other appliances used in discover
. ing metals aud iii digging. Tney We're
unsucces5HAl, and hDaiiy gave uD ia
disgust. Before they departed, how
ever, one OF the men, while intuxicat-
ed, bOasted that there was Il large
amount of gold and diamonds buried
somewhere in that vicinity, aad that
he would find il if it took lifetime.
be was piled with more liquor, anu
told the eager listeners chat convict,
who had died in prison in az eastern
State, had cOntided to one Uf his COM
/ radeS, who was also a prisoner at the
time, that wealthy and eccentric Gu
ban had been followed from New Or
leans by the convict anu a cOmFade,
and murdered on the old road leading
from ShippingspOrt, where the boats
all landed in those days, to Louisville,
shortly after he left the steamer on
which he came from New Orleans; a
large sum of money in gold, and dia-
mOnds of an enormous value taken
| from his person, and the body stripped
and thrown into the river. Surprised
and alarmed at the enormous booty
| they had secured, they at the dead Of
night buried it, and agreed to leave it
untouched until all risk of detection
/ had passed. As the Cuban was an en-
/ tire stranger, his disappearance excited
no comment until some time att6r-
ward, when all traces Of him had been
/ lost. The drunken man told how one of
/ the murderers was shortly afterWard
killed in q drunken bTawl in
New Orleans, and the other recog-
/ nized as en- old offender, arrested,
/ tried, and sentenced to a long term in
! the penitentiary, and on his death
| bed revealed the secret of his fellow
convict; that when the convict was
released from prison ne had entered
! into an agreement with himself and
| the doctor, who DrOtessed to have an
infallible method of discovering bur
| led metals, but that the search 50 far
had been fruitless. At this point III
the story one Of the treasure-seekers
came in and spoke roughly to him and
/ hurried him from the house, and they
were seen no more. Several attempts
( to discover the treasure were made by
3 AAtNoC " hAAOAAA A4C Af-AErtNNA bAAA' 2NCA y
but always without success, and they
finally concluded that the story was
| but the chimera of a drunken brain,
and that there never was any treasure
/ buried on the banks of the canal,
/ The return of the old doctor, his
mysterious actions, and the evident
accomplishment OF his object, revived
1 the old story, and the discovery Of the
hole in the earth, and the tools which
! had been used in excavaIing, set the
curious wild with excitement, and
/ hundreds visited the spot yesterday.
AS to what was found in the hole, of
course is mere conjecture. but that the
hole was dug In the mysterious
manner described is voucned for as
! strictly true. Such a firm conviction
of the truth of the story has seized the
minds OF two well-knOwn detectives
tiiiieat they have taken the matter in
hand, and will try to probe it to the
bottom. We trust they may succeed.