The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-07-16
The Maine Expedition of Twenty
Years Ago.

1
appeared an advertisement which, under the
head of 'The Buried Treasures of Captain
Kidd" states that ''if any of the party who
visited the northern shore of Long Island,
New York, twenty odd years ago, from the
State of Maine, in search of buried treasure,
or any one having any knowledge whatever
| OF the aforesaid party will communicate with
the undersigned they will learn something
which may prove highly remunerative to
them" Mr.. Winfred A. Kidd, whose name
is signed to the advertisement is descend
ant of the famous captain whose buried
| treasure has been the cause of so much fruit
less search. Mr.. Kidd is a young man of
good address, a tool maker by trade His
home is at Northport, town of about three
thousand inhabitants, on the northern shore
of Long Island, between Crane Neck and
Eaton Neck points, the northernmost capes
on the island. Here many of the descend
ants of the redoubtable Captain Kidd have
lived for the best part of century, evincing
none of the fierce traits of their ancestors and
earning their living by engaging in various
mechanical pursuits. Another branch of the
family have settled in Pittsburg and many
more have changed their name to Kidder.
Mr. Kidd was seen by PRESS reporter
| yesterday, and told the following story of the
burial place of Captain Kidds treasure
| chest.
| In 1899 the northern part of Long Island
was sparcely settled, but among the few
| people were many families whose male men,
| bers had laid up wealth gained by buccaneer-
| ing expeditions to the West Indies. One of
| the most noted of this class was the Skid
more family, old Skidmore being one of the
| most successful of the colonial pirates He
lived at the same time with Kidd, but, unlike
that gentleman, died natural death after
living to green old age, to enjoy his ill
| gotten gains and recount to his children his
halrbreath escapes; and many they were too
At one time he lay for days among the frs
In the deep Hole" as it was called, while
| The soldiers ransacked his house and build
| ings near by.
| When at the commencement of the eigh-
| teenth century Kidd came north in
the sloop he built after his vessel was
burnt, sen of this same Skidmore lived
near where now stands the town of North
port. short distance away on the shore
| was point jutting into the waters of the
| sound, the extremity of which became an
island at high tide. This piece of ground, of
only few square rods in extent, was par
TALLY covered with oak trees, and from this
fact was known as Oak Island.
Kidd, after coming north. sailed along
the coast of the sound, and one night
dropped anchor off Oak Island A boat from
the sloop put ashore, and going to the farm
OF Skidmore took one of his cows Skidmore
objected, but the pirates were firm and babe
him come on board the sloop with them.
There Skidmore was taken to the cabin, in
which were number of iron bound and cam
vas covered chests. One of them was OPEN
ed, disclosing to view great pile of pieces of
glittering gold. Skidmore was ordered to
take in payment for his COW what he consid-
cred right. Fearful of the pirates, he re-
strained desire to take his hatful of the
coins and contented himself with some five
times the value of the animal He was then
put ashore unmolested.
All that night and part of the next day
Captain Kidd and his men lay in the sloop
off Oak Island. Then they weighed anchor
and departed never to return. The story of
the visit became an heirloom in the Skid
more family, who are wealthy people living
in the vicinity today. Captain Kidd was
executed and his family were left in ignor-
ance of the whereabouts of the gold filed
chests.
Time passed away, until about so years
ago an old man and his wife came to the
northern shore of the island and built
house about four miles from Oak Island.
The old man was the grandson of Captain
Kidd. He had lived and married in the in
terror of the island, and had never visited
the vicinity of Northport until he came there
to live. But shortly after the couple had
taken up their new residence the woman,
who was considerably younger than her hus-
band, had strange dream. She dreamt of
small island, lying but short distance
from the shore and partly covered with oak
trees. On the shoreward end of the island
grew large tree, and directly south Of this
tree, in the bend of the main land, was pro-
jecting rock standing alone. The woman, in
her dream, became aware of large chests
buried beneath the tree. The chests were
heavy and bound with iron, besides being
covered with canvas. Three nights in sue
ceSsion the same spot arose in the woman's
mind, until it became as familiar to her as
though she had known it all her life
She told her husband, and both being
thoroughly imbued with the prevailing be-
lief in dreams and visions, they started out
in search of the island. After an hours
walk down the coast, they reached the
island, the woman at once recognizing the
spot she had seen in her dream. The grand
son of the redoubtable Captain Kidd began
to dig in the spot indicated by his wife as
fbo ti,,o, ,1oo Of +lo
had reached depth of some four feet when
his spade struck upon something hard.
Eagerly he scraped away the dirt disclos-
ing to view the end of heavy box, covered
with what appeared to be canvas, but which
crumbled to ashes when the man touched it.
1t was then growing dark and the wind
was rising. The pirates grandson evidently
lacked the spirit of his fierce ancestor, and
at the critical moment his courage failed
him. Seized with dread of the box which
he now imagined to be the coffin OF, some
sailor, he hastily reflled the hole and refused
to dig any more. But his wife told the story
of her dream to her children, and after the
death of the old man search was recon-
menced for what his children firmly believed
then-and what they and their children firm
y DOhOhS w OlAio bLt. SpOb where law
the chests of Captain Kidd filed with
Spanish gold and silver. They were met
by battling obstacle, however, at the very
start. The timber had been cut from what
was once Oak Island, and the sand blow
ing in had covered the spot and it had be-
come part of newly formed beach, They
found the large rock, however, and began
digging. The old woman was still alive, and
on one of their expeditions they unearthed
from the drifted sand the stump of the tree
of which she had dreamed, and under which
she had sat when her husband struck the
chest, but they found no gold. They pro-
cured the assistance of clairvoyants, but
met with no better success. In all they dug |
nine large holes on the island. The woman |
who had dreamed of the treasure lived to be |
102 years old, and then passed away. About |
thirty years ago, however, Richard Kidd dis |
covered on the shore three Spanish silver
dollars, dated in 1852. The story of the |
dream was kept secret in the family and /
was known to few of the neighbors.
Some twenty years ago strange schooner |
dropped anchor off the site of what had been |
Oak Island at ahout tho nIana whora