The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-03-21
A FLORIDA GOLD BUG TALE.
Alleged Discovery of a Chart Des-
cribing the Location Of a
Treasure.

Somewhere about the year 1910 a
piratical craft, which had been cruising
along the Spanish main, having met
with considerable success among the
Spanish merchantmen, and obtaining
some rich hauls OF specie, was running
up along the lower Florida coast when
she was caught in sudden gale just
below Hillsboro inlet and wrecked
on a coral island, says the Fernsn-
dina (Fla.) Mirror. Nearly all the
crew got ashore-safely, and before the
ship broke up they succeeded in
getting out eighteen OF the twenty casks
of the gold they had captured. The
casks being too heavy to carry easily,
the captain ordered mis- men to make
bags out OF the sails, and in these the
gold was carried to spot in the centre
of the island and there buried, the cap
tain making a rough chart of the loca-
tlon, after which all hands went TO the
lower end of the island and camped.
The same night they were discovered
by the Indians and all were killed ex-
cepting one person-the steward u
young fellow, who happened to be I.
little apart from the others when tie
raid was made and thus escaped tbs
fate of his companions. But even he
was discovered the next day and was
kept in captivity for several Yeehs,
when he escaped, and, wandering along
the coast, finally arrived in st. Angus
tine. The steward OF all saiIing-craft
at that time also acted as the captdia's
clerk and kept all OF the ships papers,
etc., and he, among other papers, sept
the chart which the captain had made
of the hiding place OF that gold. He
continued to reside in St. Augustine,
and for a. long time intended TO take
some good opportunity to go and take
up the treasure, but circumstances
prevented-the Indians were trouble
some, the Spanish settlement was in
turmoil, and the chart became lnislaid
or lost, and then came the war of the
COnfederacy. In the meanwhile the
steward was getting to be an old man,
and having accumulated considerable
wealth, he gaveup all idea of going after
this treasure till a few months ago,
while he was showing some old docu-
ments which hehad concerning some
portion OF St. Augustine. he unroIled
the lost chart from inside another an
cient parchment, but he is now
about 90 years old, with no near rela-
IlFSS W DCHenL Dy JIlS money, ana MINI
self not needing it, he calls on an old
friend who had once done him great
favor and tells him, as the sole survivor
of that affair, all the particulars, and
gives him the chart and promises to go
with him on an expedition 10 find it if
his health will admit.
The friend has rugged up a small
sloop, and with provisions and several
companions. is now on his way to the
location. The old man was too feeble
to go with them. but the chart is SO
clear in its description and the informa-
ton given by the old man and cor
roborative evidence of location has been
found by one OF the party who, at
various times, found gold coin on the
beach at the precise locality of the
wreck presumably from the several
casks that the pirates failed to remove
from the ship, gives the assurance that
their trip will be successful one. The
amount estimated by the steward is
near million of Spanish dollars, and the
principal party, the man who befriended
the old steward, and who has his chart
and information, is well-known and
popular citizen of ErenandIna, the =
fore we wish him ali success.