The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1879-02-07
TONS OF GOLD.
The Spoil of Twenty Rich Churches of
Granada Hopelessly Lost.

The SpOlI Oh Iwenty 1k1Cn ChuTCneS OA
Granada Hopelessly Lost.
GLetter ir Los Angelos EXpress.l
My attention was called to an article
in yesterdays Herald, copied from the
Herald of New York, concerning vast
amount of treasure alleged to have
been buried in Nicaragua, by the great
hlibuster chief, William Walker, who
was publicly executed at Truxillo,
Honduras, in October, 1859, nearly
twenty years ago. The writer hereof
knows something of that treasure, and
personally examined it, and in lieu OF
five mule loads there were five tons of
it. 1t is we'll known that the most
horrible chapter in that most horrible
of wars was the burning and pillaging
of Granada by Gen. Henningsen, under
Walkers orders, in November, 1856.
The churches-some twenty or more,
immensely rich in plate and jewels
were secretely and systematically de-
spoiled, and their great booty was
safely slowed away on Lake Ntcara-
qua steamer before the doomed city
was given up to pillage.
What became of that immense spoil
has been a mysterious secret, and was
so regarded by the filibusters at the
time. 1t was worth millions. To allay
suspicion as to its true disposition,
Walker gave out that it was shipped
to New Orleans to be disposed of on
account of his government, and that
the proceeds thereof would be used in
purchasing military supplies. That
spoil was buried, and, to my own per-
sonal knowledge, the officer who had
it in charge and commanded the squad
that guarded it now lives in San Ber-
$soF~
have frequently discussed the matter)
that, under the immediate supervision
of Walker, he and five other officers
and about twenty men buried that
treasure in the village of st. George,
on lake Nicaragua, under a room in
the house wherein the booty was so
sacredly guarded.
Walker exacted the most solemn
oath of secrecy, giving substantial
gratuities and promising future rewards
to the whole party if they would faith
fully guard the secret of the hidden
church spoil of the burned city. In
side of q month the whole party who
were in the secret, save my friend and
informant and two or three OF the OIL
GERS therein engaged, were sent away
on a feigned. expedition were given
out as deserters; were pursued by
large pdACy "a va ">.AN3 ~ W
order. shot to a man when overhauled
by the pursuing party. Soon there
after, at a desperate battle fought at
st, George on January 16, 1857, the
last man of the party who assisted in
burying the church spoil, save my
| friend of Bernardino, was killed, and
in such way as to confirm in the
mind of my informant the opinion
that all had been killed by Walkers
order, and that the general intended to
be the only custodian of the hidden
treasure. Although my informant
was a faithful and trusted officer, high
in Walkers favor, still the prompt and
tragic ending of his comrades and
sharers in the dread mystery produced
such an impression on his mind that
he at once deserted. He carried the
secret with him and yet has it, and he
is the only man living who knows
where the Granada booty lies hidden,
and he doesn't know. And why not |?
Well, the spoil was buried in December.
In January the enemy, by a forced
! march, possessed themselves IF st.
George. Walker took possession at
Rivas, three miles distant, and, within
the next three months, utterly ex-
| hausted his army in his vain endeaVors
| to repossess himself of the insignificant
village that contained tne lu"euSe
| wealth. In the terrible conflicts that
ensued the village was razed to the
ground. This the writer hereof knows,
because he fought through all of those
engagements. Walker, exhausting his
strength at st. George, as before stated,
and having fought his last offensive
battle on the 23d of March, was be-
sieged at Rivas, and in May following
was forced to capitulate, was expelled
the country, and in his second endeavor
to re-enter it was captured by party
of British marines on the Rio Nero in
Honduras; was turned over to the
| Hondurian authorities, was tried, con-
demned and shot, as stated at the
beginning of this brief sketch. No
other member Of his expedition was
shot-not even the Lion Sam or his
cousin Ned-because neither of them
were there. Capt. -, our San Ber'
} nardino man, on deserting, made his
way to Panama, and, in few years
later, induced the owner of schooner
: to accompany him to San Juan de
Sur (St. George being twenty miles in
! land) and try to unearth and convey