The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1879-02-06
TONS OF GOLD.
The ss,OIIs If Twenty Rich Churches Of
Grenada HOpeIessIy Lost.

| Letter in the Les Angeles Express.
NV attention was called to an article
in yesterdays Herald, copied from the
| Herald of New York, concerning a vast
amount of treasure alleged to have been
buried in Nicaragua by the great filibus,
ter chief, VIM. Walker, who was publicly
executed at TIuxillo, in Honduras, in
October, 1859, nearly twenty years ago.
The writer hereof knows something of
that treasure, and personally examined it
ana in lieu of five mule-loads there were
| fve,tons of it. II is well known that the
most horrible chapter in that most hOr-
rible of wars was the burning and pillag
ing of Grenada by General Henningsen,
under Walkers orders, in November,
| 1856 The chuTches-sOme twenty or
more, immensely rich in plate and jewels
were secretly and systematically des-
Peiled, and their great booty was So a'ely
slowed away on a Lake Nicaragua steam
er before the doomed city was given up
to pillage. What became of that inn
mense spoil has been a mysterious secret,
and was so regarded by the flibusters at
the time II was worth millions. To
allay suspicion as to it's 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 mill
tary supplies.
That spoil was buried, and, to my own
personal knowledge, the officers who had
it in charge and commanded the squad
that guarded it now lives in San Bernar>
, dino. He informs me (and we have fre-
quently 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 q room in the house
wherein the booty was so sacredly guard
ed. Walker exa"tAd the most solemn
oath OF secreC ! giving substantial gra-
tuities and Il mtH future rewards to
thu whole party ]. t icy would faithfully
regard the secre + the hidden church
spoil of the burned city. Inside OF
, month the whole party who were in the
secret, save my friend and informant and
two or three of the officers therein en-
gagged, were sent away on feigned expe-
dition were given out as deserters were
pursued by a large party of cavalry, and,
by Walkers order, shot to man when
overhauled by the pursuing party. Soon
81 GREATER, at a desperate battle fought
= at ST. George on the 10th day of Janus
. ary, 1857, the last man of the party who
I assisted in burying the church,spoil,
s save my friend of San BernardinO, was
killed, and in such a way as to confirm
A in the mind of my informant the opinion
that all had been killed by Walkers
d order, and that the general intended to
:; be the only custodian OF the secret of the
Y hidden treasure. Although my inform
u ant was a faithful and trusted officer
f high in Walkers favor, still the prompt
and tragic ending of his comrades anC
" sharers in the dread mystery produced
Mt 50 ch an impression on his mind that bt
III at once deserted. He carried the secre
n. with him and yet has it, and he is tn,
Id only man living who knows where tn
Grenada booty lies hidden, and h
. doesn't know. And why not?
> Well, the spoil was buried in Decem
IL Der In January the enemy by force
=, march possessed themselves OF St. George
! Walker took position at Rivas, thre
~ miles distant, and, within the mex
three months utterly exhausted hi
army in his vain endeavors to reposseS
himself of the insignificant village this
- contained this immense wealth. In th
terrible conflicts that ensued the Tillag
was razed to the ground. This tE
writer hereof knows, because he fougt
through all of those engagements. Wall
er, exhausting his strength at St. Georg
- as before stated, and having fought b
l3o last offensive battle on the 23d Of Marc
r. was besieged at Rivas, and in May fo
-, lowing was forced to capitulate, VI
III expelled the country, and in his secOr
10, endeavor to re enter it was captured
Of a party of British marines on the r
,s Nero in Honduras was turned over
sod the Hondurian authorities was trie
on condemned and shot, as stated at Il
vos beginningof this brief sketch. No 9th
orc member OF his expedition was shot-n
md even the Lion Sam or his cousin Ned
Das because neither of them was theI
oo5 Captain --, our San Bernardino ma
Md on deserting, made his way to Panam
the and, a few years later, induced the own
red. of a schooner to accompany him to S
n Juan del Sur (St. George being TWEEN
and miles inlaud) and try to unearth a
all convey the plate ana jewels to t
the schooner and get away with it.
n a Now, my friend knew well enou
Jan the house in which the interment v
hid made, but, to his surprise and mystif
she ton, a new village, Pbenix-like, /
late. risen from the ashes of the burned s
mar RACED one, and he was completely lost
was to the locality OF the house wherein
,.nd expected to unearth without dificu
land so great a prize. They rented ev
eing house on the street and probed the ea
tilt in every conceivable and inconceiva
she place until the poor captain was led
the disbelieve his own indentity, and
she faith in everything, Finally, he and
erne, companions became objects of suspic
her were arrested, and considered themse
TO a fortunate in escaping with whole hi
uBd. from the country. In discussing
ating question of locality, the writer said
eart- the captain:
was Why, captain, 1 well remembt
r IL