Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-04-28
miscellaneous.
CAPTAIN KIDD'S TREASURE.
Great Discovery of Cold and silver
Coin on staten Island.
From the New York sun, April 10,

sunday N the quiet III ie village OF hOss-
vile, Staten Island, by the discovery Of a
large sum of money, hidden many genera
tons ago, when tue village was on the
great line OF travel between Philadelphia
and New York. The drowsy hamlet, Sleep
ing through the warm Sabbath day. awak-
ened from its dreamy state, opened its eyes
with startled and Wild stare, stretched its
limbs, and in moment was hurrying as il
by common impulse to a common destina-
ton which happened to be the new ana
stately residence Of Sheriff Abram
Winants, of the Winants family, who
have lived thereabouts since their an
cestors landed in Manhattan Bay, in the
the times of the good Old Amsterdammers
and other pious men from wately Holland,
Dame Rumor, who gossips with thousand
airy tongues among the dwelers upon the
banks of the stormy Staten Island Sound
that broad sweep of water that separates
the peaceful and easy inhabitants of the
south side from the apple-jack tipplers and
rlay.diggers of Jersey-had finally got
hold Of q large atom OF truth to build one
other stirring structure upon. There was
really jingle OF old coin about the old Wi
nants' mansion, an almost forgotten music
to most OF the eager eyes and open-eared
ga2ers on the heap Of pieces in gold, silver,
and copper that almost filed peck meas
ure upon the kitchen table. But the clink
was no, clear or silvery. The corroding fin
gers Of time had blurred and rusted their
fair sides; and the elements through sue.
sion o. generations had been busily en-
gagged in adding to them layer upon layer
of rust and earth and celebrating dates and
eating away the faces Of royal and imperial
rulers chat cleaned brightly enough hun
dreds of years ago. before America itself
perhaps was discovered These curious
and unique memorials of former times were
well handled and weighed, and learnedly
discussed by the uumismahcans who con-
gregated in Sheriff Winans rooms, and the
Sheriff told the following story to fresh au-
diences hundred times during the day,
until the smoothing and sottening influence
of gentle rye would no longer allay the
hoarseness of his musical voice:
Walking out this morning" said the
Sheriff, "to enjoy the brilliant spring sun
light and soft balmy air, | adreached the
corner of my house, and was contemplating
the luxurious and rapid growth of some
early flowers, when my eye caught the
CLEAN of some metallic substance, as
thought, among the grass. | gave il "a
push with the toe of my boot, when, much
to my surprise. turned over two or three
round bits of metal, which, on being ex-
amined, proved to be copper coins greatly
corroded by rust. One or two of them yet
exhibited fragments of dates and legends.
| pursued my investigation with the
aid of hoe, and was startled in
turning up great numbers of coin of various
sizes and quality. Before had completed
my search had found 562 pieces of gold,
silver and copper, most OF them so rusty as
TO be undecipherable | had evidently
come across hidden deposit of money laid
away years and years ago, beyond the
memory of men now living. One Of the
coins was of silver, about the size OF a quar-
ter OF dollar, but thinner, bearing on one
side the date of 1852 and on the other a
legend | cannot translate. Many of the
copper coins bore the date of l725and there
abouts, and were clearly of English origin,
How they came there, gentlemen is ques-
ton you can explain as readily as l.
know nothing about it,
That is the Sheritf's story. and a Sun re.
porter has seen some q. the COINS He has
them up, and We shall doubtless soon be
able 20 ascertain the nature OF the CONS.
Six of tine unknown nave been sent 70 the
Smithsonian Institution e. Washington 10
obtain the opinion Of experts upon THEN
character They are evidently not Eng
lsh but are doubtless of Sp ajsh on South
American mintape, Altogether they are d
remarkable addition TO opr numismate col
lectons, and amateurs and societies will
doubtless be able TO obtain specimens il
they apply early.
The discover has awakened an extraor
binary and glowing research amsng III,
Rossyillains and there is general reyiva
of ancient stories OF buried treasures, II
which Captain Kidd figures with due prom
inence. All the venerable colored resident,
have forgotten the fifteenth Amendment
and are now indnlgingin dreams, IN which
the ghosts Of bold ire,booters appear, anc
lead the gentle antique maidens to retired
spots, where they point out the places
Of buried spoils taken from stately Spanisl
galleons on the Main There are also many
signs rouchsafed by these gallant
pirates, by which the believing may
find untold welth hastily put away IN the
early days OF tie province. The believers
are many, II ", are to Judge from the re.
ports OF travellers in those parts who have
seen the occasional fash Of lantern, like
the CLEAN OF the will-o'. the-wisp, az night,
on the solemn shores OF the Staten Island
Sound, where the gold seekers are stealth.
lily pushing their researches II Captain
Kids bnried treasures could be .ound, all
Staten Island would snap its fingers nj the
clay.diggers and apple-iack soakers Of Jer-
sey. Sheriff Winants may have at last
found the secret hidiDg-place, and demon.
stated forever the fact that the late Skip.
per kidd did gather together much money
"A- he sled, as be sailed"
thereby aoalng historical verify 70 tradi-
tinnnl stones az the rAst.