American citizen., 1879-03-29
HIDDEN TREASURE.
A Reminiscence of Guerrilla Warfare
S85 900 in Gold and Silver Unearthed.

A Reminiscencs of Guerrilla Warfare
s85, 200 in Gold and Silver Unearthed.
Correspondence Cincinnati Enquirer.I ,
MARRow-BONE, Cumberland Co.,
KY, March S.-During the last week a
sensation of considerable interest came
to the surface. 1t was nothing more or
less than the discovery and recovery of
vast amount of gold, silver, and
precious stones which have been buried
since the beginning of the War in a
small cave on the farm of Robert O..
Willis, one mile south of this town.
The treasure consisted of about $55 200
in gold and silver coin, and about S10,-
900 (present value) of jewelry, such as
diamond rings, pins, earrings, etc. It
appears that Mr.. Willis placed all these
valuables in an old sugar-kettle, which he
buried in the extreme end of the cave,
covering it over with boards, and loose
rock from the side of the cave. His
wife alone he informed in regard to the
precise spot where the treasure had
been secreted. OF course it would have
been very imprudent to have impaired
such an important secret to any other
person or persons.
A few weeks after secreting all this
treasure, Mr.. Willis mysteriously dis
appeared. 1t is supposed he was killed
by guerrillas on the Cumberland River,
whittier he had gone with several head
of cattle to ship to Nashville. He was
never heard of afterward, and his wife
mourned for him up until the day of her
death, which occurred last Saturday,
March l. Although she was we'll aware
that there was a vast fortune buried in
that cave, yet she did not impart her
secret to any person, and, having q
good income from the farm, had no par
ticular need Of any of the money, so she
thought she would let it remain there,
as it was fully as safe as it could be else
where. Grief over the loss of her hus-
band, and having poor health combin-
ed, rendered her somewhat careless and
Indifferent. She lived all alone with an
old negro man and his wife as her serv-
ants and companions. They were old
slaves-belonged to her father---had
nursed her in her infancy, and she was
perfectly content. She had no children
or near relatives, and few days before
death claimed her as his own, she
mparted the secret of the hidden treas
ure to those old servants, also to the
Rev. John D. Hogan, her pastor, and
Messrs. Owsley & Gore, her attorneys,
summoned to execute her last will and
testament. The treasure was found &C
cording to directions, all safe and sound
and in frst-class condition, and it was
opened in her presence. She bequeath-
ed her jewelry and $4,000 to her
old servants, also the old homestead,
3 rich farm of some 200 acres. The
remainder she ordered to be invested in
securities for her husbands benefit,
should he turn up alive in twenty years.
If not, that it be donated to Catholic
charitable institutions that may be great
ly in need of it at that time, in Louis
vile, KY, the interest to be given from
now on yearly to the orphan asylums
there. This vast treasure was taken to
Glasgow, KY, yesterday, and shipped
from there to Louisville, where it will
be deposited for the present with the
Safe Deposit Company. The old
colored servants who are thus abun-
dainty rewarded for their devotion ex-
pressed the wish that their portion of
the treasure be invested for them, as
they did not wish to keep it in the
house, fearing they would be murdered
for it. forgot to mention that Mrs.
Willis bequeathed 81 900 to her home pa
per, the Glasgow (Ky.) Times, which,
she asserts in her will, was a source OF
great comfort to her in her
sorrow, bringing weekly news
from her old home in Barren County,
KY, and thus, for once in the history of
the times, newspaper is kindly remem-
bered in ga last will and testament"