Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-12-04
CAPT. KIDD's TREASURE.
The Story of the Discovery of Capt.
kidd's Hidden Treasure "a Hoax
and a SXyindIe.

The story of the Discovery of Capt.
Kidd's Hidden Treasure a Hoax
and a SVyindIe.
Correspondence of the Cincinnati Commercial
NEW YORK, Nov. 30.-The story of the
finding seven thousand dollars of Capt.
Kidd's treasure in the Hudson, turns out
to have been not only hoax, but a
swindle, by which three gentlemen were
diddled out of two thousand and four hun
bred dollars. The affidavit made by
John Mearns, and signed by his two fell
lows, discloses the following facts.
Briggs is silversmith, and lived on
Eighth avenue, near Sixteth street. He
said he worked in Maiden Lane, but l
can't find any one that knows him by
that name. l believe he lived by hum
5ugging people in this or some other way.
l met him at Spiri'ualist seance in Grand
street, Williamsburg, last winter. We
are all Spiritualists. He came to me last
spring, ard SAID he had dream three
times over the same way, and had seen
and talked with spirits, and they showed
him the place where ships wreck was
lying at the bottom of the river, ntar the
shore, just below an island on
the Hudson River, not quite up to
West Point. ThSy said rusty iron chest,
full Of gold and silver money and jewelry,
was i'll that wreck. All one needed to do
was to Try and get it. Then there was
another place. Up among the rocks on
the mountain side, in cave, were pots
and boxes of diamonds, jewelry, spoons,
bullion, and lots Of precious things. He
went to an old wench who lives in an al
ley near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, near
the Military Park, and we all went there
1t was a nasty place. She had dark
loom, and on a table in it were human
skull and bones. She burned some drugs
and had a mumbling TO herself, and then
told us where to go and dig. Briggs then
proposed that we should al put in and
make up five hundred dollars, and go 10
work, living on that as a general fund
We chartered boat and went and dug.
Twice the police came upon us, thinking
we were river thieves. We worked a good
part of the summer. Briggs would 90
down and see the wench now and then,
as he said, to get directions, and he would
ask for money to pay for the drugs that
she burned in the lamp to make the
charm. We kept on giving him money
l gave 5000, Vredenburg gave him
some 5000, and futile gave him
nearly 5000. After a while we gave up
the other places, and tried to find the
wreck that was full If treasure. We
worked about three weeks dragging the
river. We dare not do anything by day,
for the charm would not work in the
daylight, and besides, if it did, other fel-
lows would find out our secret and get the
prize perhaps. Briggs was in New York
much # tn time. We had a hut and
boarded ourselves, hiding our boat by Gay,
only going over to Garrison, or Peekskill,
for grOc ries. Once we went to Newburg
and read in the paper about the Hudson
river pirates, and knew it was all on our
account, so we kept more careful. FL
nally Briggs said that great piece of
ledge of rock that had fallen from the
above concealed the wreck, so we drilled
into it in four places. First we tried a
small blast, and finally we put in great
big one in the center, with twelve pounds
of coarse powder. Sunday night week
ago, we fired it, at twelve o'clock. 1t was
all split apart Briggs rushed down in
the water to his waist and hollered, 'ENCw
we have got it." and we all took hold and
eulled out the wreck, and it was the iron
chest We broke it open and found
it full of coin. Briggs said it was all
gold dOubloons, and give US some bright
ones, the rest were all black and covered
with mud, as he said, from age. We heard
some one coming, and hurried and put
up all the coin in bags, then Briggs took
the iron chest and sunk it in the river.
7 hat is the last we have seen of him.
When we got to New York we had the
coins examined and found that, except
the few pieces he had put in cur hands,
the whole collection was a lot of copper
American and English pennies mixed with
mud. We believe he has swindled us out
of twenty-fOur hundred dollars, our hard
earned savings. The chest fished up
proves to be condemned iron box, such
as is used by Express Companies. Even
the rust on it seems to be artificial and
was probably made by acids. Undoubted-
ly Briggs planned and executed a most
complete swindle. Some of the drugs
used IN the charm, were found to be cas-.
serbia bark and alcohol, with ohlorate of
potash and nitrate acid. He must have
lowed the rotten old Prov of the wreck
from its muddy bed just below New.
burg, and then sunk the chest and mock
treasure On it just beside the ledge that
was blasted. Previous to bis last appear
ance on the spot he asked for more money,
which was refused, as The diggers were
discourag 4. They were all mechanics,
and declare that if they catch Briggs they
will send him to the work of spirits in 8
jiffy. The probability is that he has
sailed for England, which is his native
place Very few traces of the explosion
are visible where the chest was found.