Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-11-28

toles and half pistoles. Their an
cicnt character is well attested by
the fact that they are all clipped
down to a uniform weight, and as
consequence their symmetry is
somewhat marred, and the inscrip-
tons on them difficult to read. On
some Of them can be deciphcred The
letters Hispan and Arc, the infer
encc being safe one that the lc
gend complete would be sCarolus
IIispaniorum Rex'-Charles, King
of Spain. This would fix the Date
of the coins at period not later
than 1856.
The story of the discovered treas
ure, as subsequently drawn from
the man, who still persisted, how
ever, in concealing names and To-
calities, is that it was found but q
few leagues from ST. Johns, near
navigable waters, but on Il spot not
reached from the sea without diff
Guilty and danger. The men who
possess the secret had from boy
hood heard of secret treasure hav-
ing been buried intllis locality but
spent little time in digging for the
gold, which they thought was Only
mythical. The tradition had been
handed down from father to son
that in olden times an English pi-
rate, having plundcred and burned
n Spanish galleon, was chased up
the Bay Of Fundy, and buried money
on the spot where the coins in
question were found. The finder
and his associates, Of whom there
are several, tell Of marks on large
rocks now on the shore which were
decirhered, and pointed to the fact
that treasure was buried in the Vi
cinity.. Old excavations in bank
which had been partly washed away
were quite numerous, and so old
that they would escape the obser-
vation Of any one but a person Of
quick perceptions in such matters.
Further from the shore, and near
the edge of a fir and spruce thicket,
on the side of rock which is some
ten feet high, is the following, cut
with chisel, but nearly oblitera-
ted:
81 oIEI INE; EANDwA
HA SEC AND YE DE-
The above was interpreted as fol-
| lows:
| LABOR Is VAINE; YE GRAVE AND
WATERS HAVE TAKEN YE Sc
CRETE AND YE GOLDE'
Not long ago the son of the man
and woman who offered the coins
for sale was out cunning, and as he
passed along the shore he observed
that the high clay bank in which
the excavations had been made had
caved away considerably. His SUR
prise and joy may, perhaps, be i'm
agined, when he discovered piece
Of broken pottery, and scattered
near it a quantity of coin. He did
not know whether they were gold
or silver at the time, but his father
and two neighbors soon decided on
their quality The vessel which
had contained the gold had evil
IDENTIFY lain mouth downward. y
piece of copper had been fitted to
the bottom, inside, and Oh Il piece
Of vellum, enclosed in wrapper of
the same material, and placed be-
tween the copper and the bottom,
was the following, written quite
evenly:
'Ye men Of ye goode shippe Roy
al Harrie tookc ye Spaniard Ferdi-
hande in ye maine sea near to HIS
panolia with much treasure. She
had an anker Of silver, which we
buried in yc banke twelve pixies
length due northe, and Il golden
headc like to y names, buried for
tie pixies lengthes to the northe.
Thys treasure is puttc here bye
JOHNNIE Morganne, ye captainc of
of sgd Harris, ye Spanyards being
in yc Baic.'
The writing and vellum were in a
remarkable state of preservation,
presenting the appearance. Of not
being more than twenty years old.
The parties to whom the secret
Of the place is known intend to make
y thorough search for the remain
der of the treasure, the greater por-
ton of which is doubtless not yet
unearthed. They will keep their
secret until their search is either
crowned with failure or success,
when that which they now with
hold will be disclosed to the pub