Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-12-14
CAPTAIN KIDD's TREASURES.
Working with Splrits---A Grand Dis
eOvery---QuarreI over the sPoils.
TFro m tn. New York Times.l

Hn1 dcc'iuHt bI ghHldHCc hlHVH- .tH0
Hudson HighIan Is. but las sca'c"ly been
surpassed If in.leei ,qn,led, siI'ce the
avs Of CAPT Kidd aud his freetmoter
er"w. Jerry Laniyan. the tiller man,
tells tie following story:
=" Ii WINS about ! | O'Clock, on Sunday
night; We were with tow of ten other
boats going very sloSly; We were ia tho
/ boat; about five miles below West Point;
we kept close to the west shore ani bad
passed the Up A albany boat; it Was very
dark, aud Could SEQ nothing but the
boats aud the shore lights. and the dark
mountains above on both aides. All at
once there was M awful fitsh. Ike light
rning. aud il seemed as if some one hal
bIaSten up the whole mountain. for the
rocks aud sticks How IN the air. aud Some
came allsOver the boat. looked ashore.
aud saw a bontirs light mp. Just then
three or four men seemed lifting up s"ins-
This heavy; AMI they seemed grabbing
at :hings. Then they began TO swear,
and nj last got TO fighting. took three
of the hnlrls aud ruwed up near there.
They were still fighting. We hollered
at them. They stopped. aui again bs,
gan to g,nb W things from The ground.
We went up closer, and then went ashore.
Lordy. what 20! There was n big
piece Of the rock in the sile of the noun
tain blown out. and n hoe male down
To the water The big rocks were thrown
all out, and in the place where these fell
Ioss were fighting wa. an oil rusty iron
box with gold pieces in The fellows
ha been grabbing them out. They had
their hats and pockets full-just like these
Showing seven Spanish doublpons =
They SAID they had been digging for
Captain Kids treasures under the direc.
ton Of the spirits. One Of the fellows
faee was aIl bloody, aud his eyes werc
BACKED He got in our boat and pulled
back TO the tow. He came TO New York
with US. and Ct off as soon ~ NO landed.
The other folio. got in their oSn h'at
"a yacht. They threw the iron chest
in the river. .l-s..s.
Several pilcts on the river at the time
also say that they saw the fash and heard
the noise.
Yesterday afternoon, James Vrsden-
burg Harry TuItle. David II. Brigg'.
and John Mearns appeared before Cor.
Madison Baker, as referee, aud made -
lengthy and almost incredible statement.
According TO their story, last spring
Briggs. who is an enthusiastic spi i,ualist,
had dream, which revealed 10 him q
great rusty iron chest, submerged under
the waters. close by tho rocky mountain
lodges of The Hndson Highlands. He
put away the vision, but il came again
even more distinct. He then went 10
cIairvoyant, who directed him to the spot
where Capt.in Kids iron treasure chests
were buried. Ho temporarily suspended
his trnde-tbat of siIyersrnith-anI
enlisted three companions, before named.
who toget her Chartered yacht, and went
upon the expedition. The clairvoyant
furnished particular instructions, which
they closely adhered 10. AT first they
Landed at Crow Nest. md took Possession
of M abandoned dwelling. The spirits
under whom they proceeded only allowed
them 10 work AT night. In September
they commenced. While digging bv
charts in perfect silence, they were sur.
prised. captured, and m"rtally scared by
some UnItrd States detectives, who took
them for fugitive counterfeiie,s, engaged
in bury mo plates. At another lime n
patty of adventurous young men. who
saw The i.ghts on the niountain side ani
/ ould not account for them, CANA Over
| from Cpld Springs to investigate, think
ing lhey mi.lh find tie river bantlitii
that had been operating at wholesale
through tue various towns The diggers
suddenly rxiInguI.hed their light, and
.ent a shower of ,toDes which went crash
! ing through the wools below. filling the
air with brinsiona fumes. The alven-
tureus could not take suci, recepiinn. but
stumbled and lenped down the mountain
to their boats AID pulled homeward for
dear life fully believing that Crow Nest
was besot by "lcgons of devils" Tho
spirits then ordered a change It base. So
thew moved down below Suakshols
Creek, picturesque locA!lty, marvellous
for lis &, cIusiun, aud very prolific Of
snakes Again they dug aud blasted
Twice hey were visited by detectives,
who supposed them to be river thieves,
aud they set all the country ajar with
superstitions wonder at the lighls on the
uuiubnbiteJ mountain sides. Finally.
after many attempts, the successful blnst
was made with ten poandes of powder
on Sunday night. The explosion was
awful. Ii seemed rs though the entire
mountain had been split ia twO. A great
ledge at the waters edge VAS riven aud
a inonstruus bon der overturned. I'm
derneath this was portion OF a dscayed
vessel. They pulled it oul aud discover.
ed a huge rus:y iron chest. II VAS the
work of moment TO dash in the cover
with sledge hammer. and disclose piles
Of coin smeare4 with mud. Frantic with
excitement. they scrambled over tina
spois. aud finally came 10 blows, wheu
the spectators. Jerry Lanigan, and bis
boats cre~, caa,s upon the scene and in
terposed. Ii see.as that they actually
secured about seven lhousard dollars,
in ancient Spanish tioabioons and SOW
ereigns bssi'ies some jewelry ali Of which
was greatly discolored l.y the water, rus'.s
etc. An amieabIe arrangement for tho