The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-12-10
A PIRATES BURIED TREASURE.
Reported Discovery of a Portion of the
Money Hidden by La1itte.


Little Rock Special.
The southern portion of Jefferson county is
greatly excited over the reported discovery of
some part of the treasure of the famous pirate
LATTE 1t has long been a legend that an i'm
mense treasure had been buried by the robber
chief at some point below Pine Bluff, along the
Arkansas river. Forty or fifty years ago the be-
lief was held as certainty and it has passed
into tradition, losing little if anything, through
the lapse of time The facts rs given by several
of the oldest settlers of jefferson county are as
follows:
Prior to the battle of New Orleans, LATTE,
believing that the expedition planned by the
British was mainly against himself and the
island of Barataria, decided to remove the i'm
mense treasure up the Mississippi river to some
point which would secure it against capture
in the event that New Orleans fell into
the hands of the British. With this in
view, he selected a spot on the Arkansas
river, in the southern part of Jefferson county,
and the immense horde of wealth of the pirate,
consisting of gold bullion, silver coin and valua
BILE jewels, was buried, having been first placed
in iron chests and securely sealed by means of
iron bands To accomplish the work of removal
and concealment required the united efforts of
the entire following of Lafitte, each of whom
was sworn to inviolable secrecy. The battle of
New Orleans occurred Jan. g. 1872 and for
weeks preceding LATTE and his men were work
ing to remove the treasure to the chosen hiding
place.
In 1885 man aged sixty years appeared in
Bogy township JEFFERSON county, ana acknOWi-
edged that he member of Lafitte's band.
He gave to Colonel Ben Richardson full de-
seription of the ascent of the Mississippi and Ar
kansas rivers in ships and boats containing the
treasure, and its subsequent burial in some
portion of the township. Search was made,
but the lapse Of time had so changed
the surface Of the country that the man
could not identify the exact locality where it had
been placed. He died five months after his ar
rival, at the residence Of Dr. w. Kimbrough
Up to the hour of his death he asserted the
truth of his statements. He believed that the
treasure had been hidden at some point along
the banks of Kings bayou, and estimated its
value to reach two or three millions of dollars.
Since his death the search has been carried on
secretly, yet with desperate zeal. In 1867 a
party of three encamped the McCrary
farm, near the bayou named. They had wagon
and two horses, and remained in their tent as
much as possible, holding communication with
no one. Suddenly they disappeared, and after
their departure it was found they had excavated
several holes in the vicinity four feet square
and six feet deep Later two men, strangers,
appeared on the Wright plantation, above Pine
Bluff, and made various excavations. presum-
ably in the hope of finding the treas
Major Wright compelled the to
deSist. la 1882 parties of men dug holes
upon the plantations of Colonel Hensley and Jo
siah Nichols; but found nothing, it is believed.
The work was done secretly and after niehtfall.
In October last the Pine Bluff & Swan Lake rail
road, running from the town to the lake, was
constructed and it has just leaked out that in
constructing the road portion of the long con
cealed treasure was found. 1t is claimed that
three convicts, while excavating for the railway
on the banks of Kings bayou, unearthed large
iron safe, which, upon being opened, was found
to contain Spanish doubloons and other old-time
coin. The box was hauled away in a wagon, and
the convicts were to say nothing about the ex
traordinary find" All the parties engaged In
the transaction have preserved a strict secrecy,
and only within week past has runner concern
ing it spread abroad. The consequence is wide
spread excitement, which is not lessened by the
suppostion that other iron chests, as richly
filed are stin concealed IN the immediate local
ity.