Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1872-09-12
MONTE CHRISTIE IN THEPACIFIc
Queer Story of Remarkable H.
for Gold. h

cisco, contributes to tae Gartenlaubo
German journal, very curious accom-.
of a goid-hunt. the substance of which ~
as follows;
On the Doth of February last the brio
Laura set sail from San Francisco. h,v;nss
on board provisions and accessories foss
eight months use, and carving as H.
crew Captain Themes Welsh and his w;fo
Eliza and eigh! members of the sSontb
Pacific Treasure Prospecting Company
They expected to find coin and Jewels To
the amount of S65000,000 - ali stowad
away, according to Captain Welsh's ac.
only survivor. 1t is wild story that he
tells "a mixture, apparently, of the old
buccanneering 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
PIRATIcAL DESPERATE,
disappointed sutton of his mothers. sto
having been forced against her will to give
her hand to a noblsman of Kent, WeiSh,s
father. With him was taken younc
girl - his playfellow Eliza, now his wife
Young Welsh was incorporated INTO the
pirate crew. His captains ship became
the terror of the West Indian seas, and
its success embodened the captain to
more and more enterprising measure,
In 1918, when the South American Re.
publics threw off the yoke of Spain, he
doubled Cape Horn, and lay in wait for
the Spanish galleons traversing the Pacific
with the gold Of Peru. The pirate trig
carried one hundred and sixty men from
the British Island, and eight guns. From
time to time the captain made recruits
from the coasts of Chiff and Peru, and
made friendly connections with the people
in those parts, IN order to keep up his
knowledge of the Spanish maritime move
ments. His captured treasure became at
last so large that he sought place where
| to deposit it, aud discovered
THE coCos ISLAND,
situated in the Pacific Ocean, 5,35 n. lat
itude, and about 800 nautical miles West
of Panama. Here was u hill of moderate
height, and inside it cavern, where the
treasure was carefully stored away.
After counting over its amount and cover.
ing the spot from observation, the bucca-
neers returned to their trade. The whole
marauding party, with the exception Of
Welsh and Eliza, who got off in boat,
were surprised and cut to pieces when
laying their plans for an attack on one of
the richest cities on the coast OF South
America Thirty years aiter-in the year
lSn Walsh nnl El,ya G.
Francisco. They tell this tale, and add
hat in the interval they have been living
New York, in New Zealand and, else.
where. In 1855 they actually persuaded
some adventurers in San Francisco to start
on the search for the Cocos Island. The
expedition proved frutless. But in 1867
"a company was formed for the discovery
of the hidden treasure, and Welsh was
placed in command of schooner called
the Petrol.
Again the enterprise proved abortive.
Welsh SAID that a conspiracy was formed
against mis- life and that of his wife, and
that he therefore steered the ship to
Panama and Quilted 1t. Those who went
with him declared that he proved himself
utterly incapable Of managing the vessel,
and had to run into Panama for safety.
The whole story of the Cocos Island treas
ure was IA monstrous swindle, people now
proclaimed. And yet hope springs eter-
nal III the human breast" and we find that
in 1870 Welsh was taken on board rs Il
passenger and guide by party of discoy-
cry sent out under the auspices OF the
Government of Costa Rica nd this time
it is averred that they reached
THE IDENTICAL ISLAND,
aud landed on it, and came to the foot of
the hill, and were only prevented from
getting at the promised treasure by the
i.npossIbility of finding the opening, and
Welsh's cbstinacy IN refusing to point 1t
out--a refusal which he defended on the
plea that his companions had determined
to take his life rather than give HIM his
coveuanted share of the spot. After re-
turning to San Francisco, Welsh's wlte
took up the trade of magnetic medium,
and prophesied all sorts of wonders about
the Cocos Island treasure and found an
audience credulous enough &c accept her
stories, and rich enough to form a ne"
company and fit out a new expemu1n Tor
the recovery Of the mythical hoard.
This time Welsh and Eliza have gone
forth as conductors Of the brig Laura,
STIMULATING for as much of the treasure as
shall exceed S30,OOO,00O as their share
for nothing at all should the amount
rr,ya Lass