St. Landry democrat., 1879-03-08
TONS OF GOLE>.
Thn Sp0l.s IT Twenty Mich Churches of
Grenada Moncless9y Eos!.

Th" $p0iss 1T Twenty Rfch Churches OF
Grenada Aanclesssy Los:.
Letter in the Lcs Angeles Express.
NV attention was called to an article
in Yesterdays Herald, copied from the
Herald of New York, concerning q vast
slnount of treasure alleged to have been
buried in Nicaragua by the great fiIihus
ter chief, VIM. Walker, who was publicly
executed ct Truxillo, 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 mulc-!oads there were
fgesstons of it, II is well known that the
most horrible chapter in that most nor
rible Of wars was the burning and riIlag
ing of Grenada by General Henningsen,
under Walkers orders, in November,
1856. The churche3-s0me tWe,ty Or
more, immensely rich in plate and jewels
were secretly and systematically des-
peiled, and their great booty was safely
slowed away on Lake Nics:agua steam
er before the doomed city WAS given up
to pillage. What became OF that inl~
mense spoil has been mysterious secret,
and was so regarded by the ftibuster5 at
the time. 1t was worth millions. TO
al!ay Suspicion as to its true disposition,
Walker gave out that it was shipped to
New Orleans to be disposed Of on accoun
of bis government, and that the proceeds
Thereof would ba used in purchasing mill
tary supplies.
That spoil wss buried, and, to my own
personal knowledge, the officers who had
1t If charge and commanded the squad
that guarded it now lives in San Bernar>
dino. He informs me Gard We have fse
qnently 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 en- Lake
Nicaragua, under room III the house
wherein the booty was so sacredIy guard
ed. Walker exacted the most solemn
oath of secrecy, 81 ing substantial gra-
tuities and prom futu re rewards to
the whole party they would faithfully
regard the secre the hidden church
spoil of the burned city. Inside OF g
month the whole party who were in the
secret, save my friend and in:oEmant and
two or three of the officers therein en-
gagged, " ere sent away on a feigned ezpe-
dition; were given out SIS desarters were
pursued by large party Of cavalry, and
by Walkers order, shot to = man when
oyerhauled by the pursuing party, Soon
tt GREATER, at desperate battle fought
at St. George on the 10Th <'ay Ct Janus
airy, 1857, the last man Of the party who
assisted in burying the church spoil,
save my friend of San Bernardino, was
killed, and in such 8 way IS 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 secret Of the
hidden treasure. Although my inform
ant was 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 n1ind 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
Grenada booty lies hidden, and he
doesn't know. And why not?
Well, the spoil was buried in Deem
Der In January the enemy by forced
march possessed themselves OF St. George,
Walker took position at Rivas, three
miles distant, and, within the next
thr2e months utterly exhausted Lis
army in his vain endeavors to repossess
himself of the magnificent village that
contained this immense wealth. In the
terrible conflicts that ensued the rillsge
was RACED to the ground. This the
writer hereof knows, because he fought
through all of those engagements. Walk
er, exhausting his strength at St. George.
as before stated, and having fought his
last offensive battle on the % Of March,
was besieged at Rivas, and in May fol
lowing was forced to capitulate, was
expelled the country, and in his second
endeavor to re enter it was captured by
a party of British marines en- the Rio
Nero in Honduras; was turned over to
the Hondurian authorities: was tried,
condemned and shot, as stated at the
beginning of this brief sketch. No other
member OF his expedition wss shot-not
even the Lion Sam or his cousin Ned
because neither Of them Was there.
Captain , our San Bernardino man,
on deserving, made his way to Panama,
and, few years later, induced the owner
of schooner to accompany him to San
Juan del Sur (St. George being twenty
miles inland) and try to unesrth and
convey the plate and jewels to the
schooner and get away with it.
Now, my friend knew veil enough
the house in which the interment was