Tama County Republican. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1867-1872, 1872-10-10
Monte Christie in the Pacific.

Ioube, n German journal, ve,y Gu
rious account of a goldhun,, the sub.
stance OF which is as follows:
On the Goth Of February last, the
brig Laura set sail from San Francis.
co, having on board provisions and
necessaries for eight months use, and
carrying as its crew Captain Thomas
Welsh and his wife Eliza and eight
members of the South Pacific Treas
urc Prospecting Company" They
expected to find coin and jewels to
the amount OF sos, O00, O00--all stow.
ed away, according to Captain
Wc.sh's account, by a pirate crew Of
which he is the only survivor. 1t is
a wild story which he tels-a mix,
ture apparently OF the old buccancer-
ing narratives, the sentimental novel
OF the penultimate generation, and the
modern romance OF Dumas. Welsh
was kidnapped, he says. in early
youth At some English seaside place
by pira,ical desperate, a disap-
pointed suitor Of his mothers; she
having been forced against her will
to give her hand to a nohleman OF
Kent, Welsh's father. With him
was taken a young girl-his playtel
low Eliza, now his wife. Young
Welsh was incorporated into the pi-
rate crow. His Captains ship be.
came the terror Of the West Indian
seas, and its success cmboldeued the
Captain 10 more and more entcrpris.
ing measures.
in 1918, when the South American
Republics threw off the yoke OF
Spain, lie doubled Cape Horn, and
lay in wait for the Spanish gallcons
taversing the Pacific with the gold
OF Peru. The pirate brig carried
one hundred and sixty men from the
British Islands and eight guns. From
time to time the Captain made re.
cruits IRON the coasts of Chill and
Peru, and made friendly connections
with the people in thuse parts in or.
der to keep up his knowledge OF the
Spanish maritime movements. His
captured treasure became SO large at
last that he sought place to deposit
it, and discovered the Cocos Island,
situated III the Pacific Ocean, 5.35
N. latitude, about 800 nautical miles
west of Panama. Here was hill OF
moderate height, and inside it q cav
ern, where the treasure was carefully
stored away. After counting over
its amount and covering the spot
from observation, the buccaneers re.
turned to their trade. The whole
maraudlng party, with the exception
OF Welsh aud Eliza, who got off III a
boat, were surprised and cut TO
pieces when laying their plans for an
attack OH one OF the richest cities on
the coast OF South America. Thirty
years after--in the year lS5O-Welsh
and Eliza turn up in San Francisco.
They tell tins tale, and add that in
the interval they had been living in
New York, in New Zealand and
elsewhere. In 1855 they actually
persuaded some adventures at San
Francisco to start on the search tor
the Cocos Island. The expedition
, proved iruitless. But in 1867 com.
pany was formed tor the discovery
Of the hidden treasure, and Welsh
was placed in command OF d schoon
er called the Petrol.
Again the enterprise proved abor
tive. Welsh said that conspiracy
was formed against his lite aud that
OF his wife, and that he therefor,
steered the ship to Panama and quit
ted it. Those who went with him
declared that he proved himself ut
ter'y incapable OF managing the YES
sci, and had to run into Panama fol
safety. The whole story OF the Co
COS Island treasure was monstrous
swinlc, people now proclaimed
And yet hope springs eternal in .ht
human breast and we find that il
1870 Welsh was taken on board a.
Il passenger and guide by party O
discovery sent out under the auspl
ccs OF the Government OF Cost;
Rice; and this time it is avcrred tha
they reached the identical, island
ard landed on it, and came to thu
loot of the hill, anc were only pre-
vented from getting at the promise.
treasure by the impossbility OF find
ing tie opening, and Welshs obsti
nae, in refusing to point it out I
refusal which he defended on thu
plea that his companions had deter
mined to take his lite rather thar
give him his covenanted share of th'
spoil. After returning to San Fran
cisco, Welshs vile teok up the trade
Of a magnetic medium. and prophc
sled all sorts OF wonders about til,
Cocos Island treasure; and found al
audience crcdulous enough to accep
her stories, and rich enough TO form
a new company and fit out a new cx
petition for the recovery OF ths
mythical hoard. This time Welsl
and Eliza have gone forth as conduct
ors OF the brig Laura, st'pulatlng iol
rs much Of the treasure as shall ex
coed $50 900. 900 as their hare; fol
nothing At all should the amount
prove lcss.