Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-12-14
MisffItautHns.
DeSOTO'S TREASURE. :.
Am Awfully Tough Yarn.

The Memphis Avalanche has are
markable naorative, from which we
make the following extracts: si h.,
From time to time, for period long
exceeding the memory of man, the le.
gend has been current, and found ma
ny intelligent believers, too, that De
Soto, the famed discoverer of The Fa-
ther OF Waters, first saw the Mississip-
pi from the famous bluffs about two
and half miles below this city.
There has also been vague, visionary
story that only the vuigarIy eredulous
have accepted, to the effect that the
Spanish Cabalaro, or some Of his fol-
lowers, had buried somewhere along
the East bank or the. Mississippi, an
enormous treasure, consisting princi-
pally of few precious stones Of almost
untold value. -. --------ze -
So much for the legend, and now for
the fact. A descendant Of one Of De-
Soto's followers, Senor Jose Munoz,
had, by the merest accident, found in q
blind closet, the existence of which
was only brought to light by the tear
ing down of a part of an old mansion
with the view of rebuilding IL i'm mo-
derR form, a paper which set forth in
substance that at a point near this
city was deposited in the earth q he'll
met, containing diamond, a sapphire
and ruby of immense value, together
with an order of nighthood and sum
of money that this treasury was the
property of Jesus MunOz, who had
been the scientific adviser of De Soto
but who had fallen under Suspicion of
practising witchcraft, had Anticipated
his doom by suicide, first confiding to
Mother Earth, with certain incanta-
tions, the wealth that would suffice to
ransom a prince when princes were
worth ransOming. tI 10 .zeiIde.
Upon the strength of this inforrna-
ton party ofleading citizens was at
once organized TO investigate the mat.
ter. 1t was about ten o'clock when
the adventures landed from their
skifs on Presidents Island Placing
his theodolite exactly in front of the
venerable tree - which might well,
from its appearance, have sheltered De-
Soto and his band Captain B. - -
proceeded to lay out his first angle in-
dicated by the parchment scroll. To
the surprise of every one the "dist,
ance'' brought the party to a lonely
oBOb I'LL bhO ClOAO VI eA1C AlfCA1 nAClO III
a gulch, worn by the mad freaks of the
wavesin times gone, where the remains
ola boat of fashion that no workman
has designed ON the North American
continent for more than two hundred
ye8rs, although the same description
of vessels still navigate the coasts of
South America, and are still built by
the descendants of the same Spanish
people who first brought to the knowl--
edge of the world our Mississippi. The
boat has been constructed from single
log, and is about forty-six feetin length
of keel. The wood had almost been
transformed into coal by some strange
atmospheric cause, and the truth Of
what we say can be verified by piece
of this antique bark which was brou't
from the spot by our reporter, and is
now on exhibition at this Office From
the ruined stern protruded an iron
which had once secured the rudder,
upon which was still visible the mi
tials t'F. & I.' Whether or not this is
the remains OF, one of DeSoto's g. boats it
is impossible to tell with certainty, but
Professor Dillington was decidedly of
the opinion that the wood of which it
was composed had been exposed to
the action of the elements for more
than two centuries. ,3 .e'.s. - s.ss
The inference was Irresistible. In
the course of ten minutes the workmen
had excavated a pit about three feet in
diameter and two in depth. 40 -
Just al midnight by Captain Be
time the spade of McGowan struck
some metallic substance-it proved to
be an old helmet, the upper part of
which was corroded and eaten away
with the rust efoyears. Fashioned as
it had been to resist the stroke of lance
sword and battle ak, it yielded to the |
first blow of the modern and homely 4
spade. It was cleft in twain, and as
the light from the lamps flashed down |
upon its oxydized surface, from the in
terror was flashed back three wondro's |
rays of radiance, e,-Diamond pure Sap |
phire blue, and ruby red, all beautiful |
and dazzling, while gazing downward
the awestricken tamperers with what !
man uses or examines into at his peril /
saw three gems of fabulous size and
lustre, lying upon faded and decayed
order of nobility, and within the rot
ten headgear of knight who laid his
lance in rest for the last time before any |
city on the North American continent |
had existence. ..-,7 ann III