Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-09-30

The --latest from Captain Kidd.
That ancient and redoubtabe mariner, Cap
tain Kidd, spent most of his time, if tradition
can be believed, when at sea, in robbing and
numbering other seafaring men who were I'M
lucky enough to come in his way, and on shore
in burying his ill-gotten wealth, with which lie
is reputed to have enriched the barren shores OF
the United States from New Jersey to Massa-
chusetts. There have been great many people
who thought they had learned by supernatural
or other means the place of the old pirates
deposits, and we have heard of much
money and labor spent in the search for
them, but never of any one enriched by the
discovery Of these treasures. If Captain
Kidd was really so much addicted to burying
gold coin and jewels as has been supposed, he
did it very thoroughly. The tradition of his
crimes, his wealth, and his disposal of it, is one
of the most common and most persistently cher
ished Of all the popular superstitions of the
country, and there is hardly dozen miles of
coast within the limits named, but has its story
Of buried treasures, and one or more systematic
searches for them. 1t had not been generally
coast to the north of New England, much less
that he concealed any of his booty there, but
perhaps he destroyed his log book when he was
captured, and so the fact that he made trips in
that direction, escaped notice.
That he did so, however, is now much better
authenticated than any of the stories told and
believed so long of his doings on the coasts of
New Jersey and Connecticut, for the body of
one of his mariners and chest of coins has lately
been exhumed on the shore of Prince Edwards
Island, in the Gulf Of St Lawrence, by the de
scendant ofa man who oecnpied the land nearly
one hundred years ago for no other reason
than that he believed some of the pirates plum
der was buried there. The discovery was made
while ploughing and revealed the remains
of a man enclosed in a case made of "birch
bark and coal tar" The deceased mariners
clothes were well preserved and of an antique
style, including jack boots, buff breeches, red
cap, leather belt garnished with daggers and
pistols, and other such familiar articles of pirat-
ical equipment He bad kept with him also a
small iron box containing a few silver coins of
the reign Of Queen Anne 1t is well known 10
all who have studied piratical literature that the
pirate Of the PERIOD when he had accumulated
quantity of gold and Jewels, used
to 90 TO some unfrequented spot, aud there,
with one assistant, dig a capacious hole
for the reception and conceaiment of his
booty. Having done this, it was his ami
able custom to shoot or otherwise dispatch the
sharer Of his labors, and inter him with the
strong box SO that he might not be tempted 10
diyulge the secret, aud possibly his ghost might
guard it from intrusion. The cleverly embalmed
mariner Of Prince Edwards island is of course
the gentleman who assisted Captain Kidd in
conceang his spoils there, and the unavoidable
inference is that The treasure itself is somewber,
close at hand, since the iron box, containing
only few shillings, by no means comes up t,
the popular idea Of piratcal deposit.
What makes the belief 10 the existence O
buried wealth thereabout still stronger is a fam
lily tradition that Vincent Wedge, the grand
father Of the man who has made the recent dis
coyery after the battle of Quebec, in which h
fought on the French side and supported in hi
arms the dying Montcalm, helped to nurse al
English sailor, who died a few days after q
wounds received in that battle. This English
man had served under Captain Kidd, and toll
how that notorious rover, as he sailed, used t
frequent the Gulf Of St. Lawrence in the sum
mer months, and had once buried treasure a
Fifteen Point, on Prince Edwards Island tw,
hundred yards from the extremity of the point
and twenty yards from the shore, but wbetbc
to the north or the south was not remembered
The story made SO much impression on the bearo
that some years after he bought the land ,vhor
the buried wealth was supposed to lie. and ,yber
his grandson, alter nearly hundred years bo
got so close upon its track. Mr.. Wedee
neighbors are as sure as he is that the pirate
treasure is slill in the earth, and may be iour
by diligeDt search, and they are giving hi
much trouble and yexation Of spirit by trc
passing upon his grounds and surrepdtious
turning up the earth in the night time.
newspaper published on the island where the
incidents have occurred, youches for this stor
which IL thinks is stranger than fiction.
There are four married theological students
nn ala 49,