The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-03-12


He walked to the basement entrance
where he first came into the building, ant
entered bis carriage to be driven in the
procession to the White House.
A Ghost Story.
RATH, N. Y, February l6.-Surveys
of large tract of land in the town oI
Jasper, in this County, are being made
for party Of con6ding capitalists from
Buffalo and Albany, who intend to pur
chase the tract on the strength Of an old
legend. which locates silver mine and
treasure cave" on the property. The
legend has been prominent in the folk
lore of the Cnhocton Valley ever since
the first white people settled there
People formerly bad unalloyed faith 10
rhe legend, but during late years the
story has served only to amuse strangers,
and the advent of persons into the val
ley who treat the story seriously and in.
tend to renew the long abandoned search
for the Legendary treasure, has greatly
surprised the neighbors of the property.
During the French and Indian war, so
runs the legend. two Quaker brothers by
The name of Dickinson entered the
Cobocton Valley to trade with the In.
dians. They gained the confidence of
the natives to such an extent that the
latter revealed to the traders the exist
ence of a silver mine somewhere along
Bennett Greek, a. the stream is now
called. The brnlhers had in their ser.
vice an old man who had come with them
from Philadelphia. The Qnakers worked
the silver mine, the ore Of which was
very pure, and hid the treasure in cave
known only to themselves until such
time as they could have it conveyed to
Philadelphia. Near the close of the wat
i stranger appeared one day at the cabin
of the Quaker brothers, which was in the
most delse part of the forest. He said
he was deserter from the French army,
and begged for shelter and food. These
we're gladly given him. The first night
he was in the cabin he overheard the
Quakefs talking about their treasure.
l7ney evidently supposed their guest was
asleep. From their conversation he
CLEANED that it was secre,ed somewhere
in the vicinity. He also learned that
they intended to start their servant tor
Philadelphia the next day, and had
given him message to another brother
there, which would inform him as to the
place where the treasure was hidden, in
case anything should happen to the
who were working the mine.
rhe diabolical thought entered the mind
of the stranger to murder the Quakers
in the morning, pursue and overtake the
murder him, and secure pos
session of the paper which revealed the
storing place of the reputed wealth.
After the servant had started on bis
journey the next morning, the stranger
one of the brothers who was
drinking at Il spring near the house, and
stabbed him to death. He then returned
to the cabin aud killed the other brother.
The Frenchman next hurried in the di.
rection taken by the servant, and over
taking him succeeded in numbering him,
and getting possession of the message.
One glance at the paper showed him
that his bloody work had been in vain,
tor the instructions were written in
cipher. Uuable to discover key to the
mystic writing, the murderer returned to
France, taking the cipher with him.
For many years he studied it in vain,
haunted perpelually by The memory OF
nix truitle.s crime. He became insane
and died in. an asylum raving about the
murder, the cipher aud the treasure.
In 1910 Gregory Harding settled with
bis family in the town of Jasper. He
. new the legend, and, unlike Others, he
placed no faith in it. A few months af
Ter he settled in the valley he d,eamed
that he saw cave not far from his
clearing. The opening of the cave was
by a large fat rock, upon which
sat q copper kettle. In the cave was
stored enormous wealth in silver, but it
was guarded by two ghostiy senlinels.
Harding thought nothing Of his noctur
nai vision until the arrival of his twin.
brother in the clearing. This brother
had dream exactly like that of the
other brother, aud when the latter was
told the story he WAS so impressed with
the circumstance that he resolved to in
vestieate the matter. The Two brothers
searched for the cave. They found the
locality Just as they had seen it in their
dreams, and discovered the copper kettle
aud the fat rock, but, remembering and
fearing the spectre guardians that
watched the treasure within, they did
not attempt to remove The covering.
Tie next day Gregory Harding was
killed by tree he was telling, and his
brother was thrown from his hQIse aud
killed. The secret of the caves locality
died with them.
Iu 1880 the Rev. Anson P. Greene. 9
Methodist preacher who knew the legend
aud believed that there was strong basis
of fact for it, came to The Cohocton
Valley from Genesee, accompanied by a
woman who professed to have wonder.
ful glass, by looking int" which she could
see the secret cave where the treasure of
the murdered Quaker was hidden. This
woman and Duminie Greene searches
along Bennett Greek for the spot where
the cave was to he fund. They finally
reached place which the woman said,
while gazing into her glass, was the APP
pr0ach 10 the cave. AS she was reading
what further WAS being revealed in the
glass she WAS stricken blind, and the
search vas necessary abandoned. Greene
and the woman remained that night at
the house of the Rev. Jedediah Stephens,
in the peighborhood, They related what
had occurred. Stepheus's son Sllas was
curious to see the marvellous glass and
he was allowed to look into it. He said
he could see plainly the cave and its SUR
ruundings and could 60 straight to the
spot. No one else could discover any.
thing in the glass. The next day Silas
and his brother Nathan went
out to find the cave. AS they heared the
spot sias gradually grew blind, but he
continued to describe the way to the cave
J II olt-,p