The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-12-04
HIDDEN rxEASURE.
A Part of the TnWriGfcn History
of ATILan~aS.

From the Little Rock Gazette
EpiT1R GAZETTE: Seeing those arti-
cI.. Of the Rev w. G. Stout in your
excellent paper, on the unwritten history
of Arkansas / am induced TO add my
mite. thinking il would add one link to
tbs history Of Ark n,as, and be Of some
igt-res. to your readers:
some years ago DR.. j. X Riddell i'm
migrated from Louisville, KY, to the
State Of Mississippi, and practiced medi
cine Oh plantation. Some time about
tine wear SjS his wife came to him
and stated that there was an old Indian
.yuaw on the verge Of her departure
from this lie, and wished to see him,
T., get bodily relief. He and his wife
went H. the OLD WON an cabin, and found
her very feeble. He a ked her her age;
.ne said, as near As she could give it, she
wa. about 10 years old. The doctor
and his wife took good care Of the old
woman until she died, which was in a
few days Ga her death-bed she said to
the doctor and wife, Il am ABOUT to quit
tins life, and, to reward you for your
kinIucss, i will leave you large legacy;
/ will now reveal secret to you, which
YOU may use as you please. l am Of an
Indian tribe of Mexico when about sew
euteen years old. | Was with a company
OF Mexicaus, about sixty in number, and
passed with them from Mexico into Ar
kansas and joined a small company of
Sp1nards IN Arkansas, who were at
work in a silver mine not more than a
day, Journey from the Arkansas river.
This Mexican company had a large guam
4 al ~ . 1 Il,
two companies together had a quantity
Of silver bullion. After uniting it was
their intention to make their way to
Old Spain, by building canoes or other
boats to descend the Arkansas river to
New Orleans, thence to Spain"
But receiving intelligence Of some po-
litical or military disturbance in Louisi-
ana, they postponed the journey. There
upon they divided the company forty
remained with the treasure, the other
party returning to Mexico. The compa-
ny remaining IN Arkansas, finding the
Indians IN their neighborhood somewhat
troublesome, they concluded to bury
their silver. They dug a hole in the
earth some eighty feet deep, and excava
ten dirt all around it at the bottom and
put the silver in it-about twelve barrels
IN quantty-filiing the whole with dirt,
within two feet of the top. Llacin0 Aat
rock on il, covering the rock one loot
with earth, and removing all trace OF the
digging by throwing top dirt and leaves
over the spot. Some time after party
Of several hundred Indians surprised
the camp. killing every man, but saving
the woman alive, taking all the spoil and
departing, without finding the treasure.
The woman remained with those Indians
for some time, but succeeded at last in
making her way down the river as far as
the State Of Mississippi, endeavoring to
reach Mexico and her old tribe, but
failed in reaching her destination, re-
mining in the State of Mississippi until
her death.
This Indian woman told DR.. Riddle to
find the buried silver, he would have to
ascend the Arkansas river to the first
rock bluff on the south side of the river,
thence up the river TO the first large
creek on the south side, thence up the
creek to a parcel of ground about seventy
acres in extent, covered with white oak
and hazel the spot of land resembling
an island or fork of creek, about three
miles from the Arkansas river, and with
in sight OF tail round mountain at no
great distance, about north of the deposit
OF silver. The treasure was deposited
about the centre of the described ground.
DIR. Riddeli, after receiving the said
secret, remained in Mississippi some ten
years After losing his wife and becom-
ing insolvent, he thought of seeking the
treasure in Arkansas He made his
way TO Louisville, KY, seeking assistance
% search for the silver; hut not getting
the required assistance in Louisville, he
went to Cincinnati Here he engaged
the aid of two gentlemen, Mr.. Conley !;
the other name has been forgotten.
They, according to the doctors descrip
ton, came to Arkansas in 1866, and
found the parcel of ground, as they
supposed, and probed with round bar
Of iron for the rock covering the silver,
but did not find il and returned to Gin
ciunati In 1868 DR.. Riddell came to
Arkansas himself to try his luck, board-
ing with +. l.. Maynard and myself some
eight weeks, using every effort to find
the hidden silver, but did not find 1t
Being disappointed and heartbroken he
went down in the southern part of the
State and died.
About the year 1858 or 1859 one
Stewart, a Spaniard from Mexico and
Texas, came to Little Maumelle, Il
miles above Little Rock, and remained
some six months, searching for the same
treasure, bat without success, and passed
back into Texas Before he left he told
number of citizens there was an i'm
mense quantity of silver buried on th'
Little Maumelle creek, but never stated
where he got his information. 1t wa
supposed he received his knowledge 0
the deposit from some of the compaB.
which passed back into Mexico befor'
the deposit was made.
The Massingales, old settlers OF Littl
Maumelle, told me and others, thirty
eight years ago, that there were two me-
came TO Little Maumelle some twelv
years before that time looking for 10
of silver which was buried somewhere Oh
toe waters of Little Maumelle.
G. J. ELLIOTT.