Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-08-12
TREASURE TROVE.
The Money That u Murderer HID.

A despatch from Mahanoy city says:
This community has been greatly cxer-
cscd during the past few days over the
fact that five boys, named Clinton &. VIM
ters, Herb Noakes, Henry and Philip Kline
and Herbert Enterhister, found = number
of old coins in Il field adjacent to the bor-
Ough. The coins are mostly English, and
the dates OH some Of them run back 200
years. The report Of their discovery
spread like wi!dfire, and hundreds rushed
to the scene in the hope that \ for
tune had been buried there. One
person proceeded to the spot with pick
and shovel and dug all around the
spot, but without success. The his
tory Of the field is only known to one
person in the place, an old man named
John A. Kleckner. Mr.. Kleckner 5 so
years of age, keen and intelligent. Ills
story is as follows: In the year 1910, when
the country for miles around here was
!, vast wilderness and contained only one
house, i country inn stood ut 4 point
which is now the central part of the town.
4 Jewish person named FOulhOver WIS in
the habit Of going on horseback with his
wares from Reading to Sunbury. On a
particular day he stopped ut the inn i'll
question. A hunter from New Jersey
lE.tiCu J1ailsCy Wis dISO SCOPpIS, IhC
house. When the pcddlcr alighted Bailey
doing this lie heard the jingle of money
and as the bag was heavy he came to the
conclusion that there was considerable gold
and silver in it.
A desire for this money ut once prcyed
upon his mind, and I mur(lerous spirit
seized his heart. He accordingly proceeded
up the mountain, and lay in ambush for the
approach Of the pcddler. When Foulhovcr
was passing where he lay concealed, he
drew his rifle upon him and shot him
through tic heart. The horse he rode,
strange to say, stood perfectly still, and
Bailey approached and riflcd the saddle
bags. Taking all the gold and silver there
from, he carried the bags, with the smaller
coin, to the point where the contents were
recently found by the boys, and deposited
them i'll the earth. Bailey then went to
Rcichstorlon, the proprietor. Seeing his
| hands and clothes besprinkled with blood
he asked him the cause lie replied that
lie had shot deer. He then left the inn
and was not heard of for some time. Per-
sons going along the road found the body
OF the pcGidlcr, and it was inferred by the
roadside \ small mound marks the spot
| to this day, and people from adjoining
places never pass the place without rcfcrr-
ing to the fate the peddlcr met. Bailey
was traced to New Jersey by the authOri-
ties and arrested. lie was taken to Read
ing, lodged in Jail and tried for the crime.
The circumstantial evidence was strongly
against him, and he was found guilty and
! subsequently hanged. Before his death
he made confession in which he stated
where he buried the saddle bags, but the
exact spot never could be found.
This case is spoken of rs the first white
man murdered by another in cold blood in
the district that now comprises Schuylkill
county. The field in which the money was
found had recently been plowed, and the
coins turned to the surface had been
cleaned by the rains, thus leading to their
! discovery. One boy holds over three
hundred of them. All the possessors Of
the coins hold them with tenacity. The
subject at present is the sole topic Of con-
vers:tion, and a thousand different stories
arc aflOat. This is the true one, and can
f,n rp1io1