The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-07-13
BONES BUT NO BOOTY.
III Success in Searching for Pirates
Gold.
What a Portland Ashman Told a
Reporter.

The Philadelphia Times has great yarn
from Portland correspondent about a
search for the pirate Manning's gold. This
same Manning was first fisherman, then
smuggler, and lastly a pirate. He was
Scotchman, and in an engagement in which
he captured a treasure ship, he saved the life
of negro. The negro, filled with gratitude,
told Manning that the ship was decoy, and
that twas sent by the government, having
a frigate as convoy, which would soon be up
on him. Thereupon Manning took all his
treasure, placed it in five brandy casks and
took them ashore at Mecatine harbOr, 300
miles from the eastern cape of Prince Ed
wards Island, and buried them near the
beach, and since the earth was but five feet
deep down to the underlying ledge, while
the casks were four and half feet high and
would inevitably soon be uncovered by wind
and wave, he heaped up each mound into the
shape of grave and placed shore stones at
the head and foot. AS the negro said he
would stand guard over the treasure, Man
ming killed him and buried him by the mid
die eask. Soon after Manning's vessel was
chased and wrecked on coral reef, and
Mr.. S. Eben Rickett, of Portland, now
comes into the story. Mr.. Rickett, accord
ing to the Times, is an ash-man. The only
Rickett in the directory is EbeneZer, without
the S, a truckman at Libby's Corner. Forty
years ago, when Rickett, aged twelve years,
lived with his widowed mother in eastern
Maine, he made fishing voyage to Labra-
dor with a Captain McNichol of Calais. To
avoid gale the vessel put into Mecatine
Harbor, and during the stay at that place the
nNfo nd how acbAt
graves which they supposed to be genuine.
On the return the vessel went into Hall
fax There at store which the captain,
always accompanied by the boy, visited,
they met an old, white-haired man, who sat
apart and manifested no interest in the con-
versation until the captain CHANGED to men
tion that his vessel had come from Labrador.
Then the old man grew strangely excited.
He followed the visitors out of the store and,
safely away from it. asked the captain if he
knew Mecatine harbOr.
"Yes," said the captain; Il laid there for
three days not long ago."
"Are you going to Labrador again %
81 expect to go next year," the captain an
swered, unless the owners should sell the
vessel. If they do that | shan't CO."
sIf you will take me when you co." the old
man promised, you'll never have to 60 a
fishing again. | know where there's money
enough up there for you and me and fifty
more"
lCSSCu W CApldlll but Olu l1du
agreed to do so if his secret was kept. The
captain engaged to keep it and take him to
the treasure trOve. Then the old man said
that he was the son of the pirate Manning
the infant who was three days old when his
father left home for the last time. At the
age of sixteen young Manning enlisted in the
English navy. His vessel going at one time
into Spanish port, he met there an old man
who asked his birthplace and name. The
boy gave the information and the old man,
With many inlunctions to secrecy, confded
that he was his father, gave him a chart of
Mecatine (Which Rickett says he saw and
urged him to save money enough to go there
and get the treasure. Filled with glorious an
ticipatlOns the boy proceeded to celebrate"
by getting drunk and this performance he
repeated so often as his vessel made port ;
comforting himself in sober moments with
the reflection that the treasure was there and
he could get it at any time.
Youthful debauchery bore its fruits, how
ever, In his case, and after lifetime spent
In roaming about the world he had drifted
back to Halifax, no nearer to the accomplish
ment of his purpose than he had been at the
outset.
Captain McNichol, reused by this narra-
tive to earnest action, vowed that he would
go to Mecatine. The owners did sell his yes
sel but the following year he sold his house,
mortgaged his shop, borrowed $500 and
bought another craft. Arrived at Halifax,
en- route, he found Manning sick unto death
and unable to accompany him. Then,
though the old man warned him that he
would certainly sail to his own destruction if
he attempted to seek the treasure without
the aid of its lawful owner, the bold captain
set out again. On the way his cabin boy
heard it plotted among the crew to secure the
treasure and then kill the captain, but this
did not move him; he was ready to take
even greater risks. Off Mecatine Island the
captain said, his lower limbs became para
ilyzed, so that he had to drag himself along
by his hands. He still kept on his course.
When he was near enough to the harbor so
that he could look on the graves he heard
voice cry in his ear: Death death, death !"
He had just room to "wear ship" He did
so, came away and never went near the spot
again.
All these facts were known to Mr.. Rickett,
he says, but in the tolls of busy life they
had passed from an active remembrance He
served hon0rably in a Maine regiment dur
ing the civil war. AT the close of the war he
returned again to Maine. Seven years ago he
ayers, the negro whom Manning buried with
his treasure came to him in dream and told
him that the treasure was for him (Rickett
Once year for the three years following the
dream was repeated, and finally Rickett be-
came impressed by it and organized an expe-
ditlon to the frozen North. A prominent
politician of Portland made one of the party,
which was composed almost without excep-
ton OF those whom the world calls solid
men, They left in june 1885, chartered a
st. John wood boat at Surry, N. S., cover
ed half the distance and were then obliged to
put back to Charlottetown ON account of the
seaslckness of the prominent politician.
Starting out again after they had landed him
they found on reaching the Mecatine that the
place was full of French Canadian seal
hunters, in presence of whom they, unarmed
men, could do nothing. Rickett says that he
watched his opportunity and opened the
middle grave. He found the negros bones
and uncovered two feet in depth of a eask,
but said nothing of his discovery to his COM
panions for fear that they would attempt to
remove the find and serious trouble with
the seal hunters would ensue. So the party
returned with nothing to show for their
labOrs.
Last spring sickness in his family kept
Grand Chief Treasure-Hunter Rckett at
home. This year his seductive story enlisted
the ardent sympathies of dozen Portland
ers-all men who stand high in business, pro-
fessional or social circles, and who have
money, and wouldn't object to more and as
soon as the ice was out of the Gulf of st.
Lawrence the expedition set sail. They
reached Mecatine in safety, but only to find
that the graves had been opened and the al
legged treasure removed. All the surround
ings tailed with the descriptions which had
been given them and the explorers firmly be-
lieyed that there has been something there -
They found in the cavity bones and a skull,
which professional man who was of the
party pronounced to be those of negro. Ev-
erything else had disappeared. The natives
who lived nearest to the place said that last
Spring Boston vessel came there and re-
manned for several days, and that since her
departure four other parties had visited the
spot, one coming from Philadelphia and the
Portland expedition being the last. Thus
the matter stands, and the Portlanders CON
fdently assert that the pirate Manning s
treasure went to enrich parties unknown,
who sailed from Boston.