Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-09
PIRATES HIDDEN GOLD.
-,re Buriad in Graves on the Island
80 reat RIeoatiRe Taken Away
From. the Philadelphia Times.

La
-S miles from the Eastern Cape, or
o. Edwards Island, lies the unln-
'hited island OF Great Meeatlne. Elght
I l,i away aud opposite, at the northeast
"a ont the precipitous coast OF Labra-
Sc as desolate and forbidding in appear
wv is the island itself. At one point,
soro from the mainland, mountain
W. - the height of almost 800 feet. and
IRE a small but sheltered harbor ID
I'D nv the interlOcking Of Little Mecca
and Mutton islands, is Mecatine it.
salf the spot In which, as tradition has
:, ,ba nitrate Manning buried his ill-got-
.n aims more than century ago.
Manning, as the story goes, was 3
soo+chman, and, beginning in small
oOoe' fisherman and farmer. Prosper
W." We! in all his ventures, be became, while
~ a Young man, the owner OF fishing
l,ocL In this vessel he made occa-
,oDeI VOYAGES to the American coast,
aNto5inq and sailing cod and returning
LII them to his own country, where he
,Ij tbpm at @ great profit. AS time went
nbo hougbt larger vessel and became
raJ known as ''warm" man. 1t was,
,,dssJ shrewdly suspected that he was
onjte ready for odd jobs In the smuggling
aev but that circumstance was rather
ro6is credit than otherwise, in the minds
of bis neiglpors.
He married the daughter of a local
,soujra who brought him a pretty penny
ot her own. investing extensively in real
stale nj GreenOck and elsewhere, and
badp fair to end his days in the peaceful
manner most affected by the Scottish
patriarch
TURNING PIRATE.
II seems. however, that on one of his
,oyapes to the westward Manning had
found SPOT on the Labrador coast which
bqrnonized witch his uneXpressed but
dpep desire to be known as the lord of a
nav world. The climate was rigorous
and the soil unfruitful. 1t was near to
tbe fishing grounds, nevertheless, and
money was to be made there. At an early
q day Manning brought his family and the
wives and children OF his sailors to the
B tlace and u settlement was commenced.
1 wear passed and other families came
from the old land. Manning set up fish
& stand. bought and cured fish and shipped
81 them to Europe, alternating his woCk
with tishing,trips in his own vessel. The
settlement grew and prOspered, until one
dy having taken an unusually large
crew on board mis- vessel, Manning sailed
away, leaving his wife with 3-days'-
odmiant, destined TO be the only member
OF bis family who was ever to see or hear
from him again.
Commerce between the Americal colo
mes and the Old World was at that time
carried on via the Straits of Belle Isle, the
route across "the BanksV being unfath-
omed and unknown. Manning had deter
mined to operate against the richly
"a taF col to nd fro.
between the continents, and he bad care
fully selected his base. He settled down
81 IN MecatiDe harbOr-the safe entrance to
which was, however, as he believed,
known to himself alOue-and, sallying
forth as occasion offered, plundered ships
and murdered their crews with true
piJatica abandon. In the winter he al
lowed his vessel to Greece up and spent
long mouths carOusing with his c0mpan-
ions, but when spring opened he WAS al
WAYS ION deck" az many owners and
masters learned to their lasting sorrow.
BURl1NG THE TREASURE.
When the French and Indian war had
teen IN progress about a year 1t happened
that The English Government sent over a
treasure snip which carried the pay of the
troops. Naturally enough, Capt. Manning
caught her After time, hearing moth
ing Of the vessel and thinking that she
mad been wrecked, the government sent
another vessel, which shared the fate of
lhe first. Suspecting now that something
was amss, the mother country fitted out
sJbud ship and arranged that she should
teloloNeG by a tast-saihng frigate. The
dlier would, 1t was calculated, reach the
spoi dt which the other two vessels had
Iast been seen at about the time when the
NIale-allOWing that there was pirate
ll tle ease-wOuld be busily engaged in
ac0ng the former vessel, and his escape
IJom zoe vengeance OF the frigate's guns
would be very problematical.
Up 10 a certain point the plan worked
~ charm. Manning plundered the ship
aad- as usual, started to make all her
company walk the plank. In a moment
Weakness, however, he relented in
@'oi OF an Intelligent negro, who was OF
Ae English crew. and spared his life, in
ending BIN for "A servant.
MaAning returned to Mecatne trans
illto WIN JOY Mt his escape, and, think
lux 10 strengthen his hold upon his mas
W ueAle affections, the negro revealed
we piot Of the wOuld-be captOrs. Man
nihs Knew that he would have no chance
an engagement with the trigate, and
MS one thought was TO escape without
ue loss OF bis wealth. He collected his
81 rs looh ~ uu hbOIt ana placed III IN
I'VE oaSen brandy casks. These he SET
D'e oy side III holes which We're hastily
sus near the beach, and since the earth
nas hut tye feet deep down % The under
plnk ledge, while the casks were four and
nan feet high and would inevitably
ou ue uncovered by wind and wave, he
ae1psd mp each mound into the shape OF a
s"'e anu placed shore stones at the head
and foot
WRECKED ON THE BAHAMAS.
should be promised that Manning,
ee an men Of bis llk, was extremely SUI
i7uuous. Before he filled the graves
'HAtd The negro il he would remain
7 on guard over the treasure in ex-
aNnse Tor large share. Needless 10
,ne negro consented. Manning there
i39 Allieu him and buried him with the
''.e cask, LWlulng his limbs artistically
""uhd u, " h,ch position. To Judge Inv the
i"e4' lhc deceased found To be highly
...rn ''ol Ianle. Having made these nee
h. ms arrangements, Manning returned
Nii,. vessel ana got under weigh. As he
lo.l''pu t ol the eastern entrance 10 the
M lne pursuing irigOte came in at
M. eoteIh entrance. Manning shaped
wb..'''o,tse Tor the Bahamas. Arriving
m. ~, we SWALLOW water would not allow
lsrNitisate 10 follow, the pirate captain
HI ''' vessel ON coral reef She went
be ICES o, and All on board persisted, with
NM, ptlon Of the eyer-fortunate Man.
Wna1a "ao leached the shore in safety and
uo his way 10 Spain.
oiu..r 10 come little nearer 10 the
on H. i'iie, u II needful 10 interweave