Sierra County advocate. [volume] (Kingston, N.M.) 1884-1960, 1886-10-02
HIDDEN VALUABLES.
The Curious Places in Which
Wealth is Concealed.
Treasure Stored Away In Old Stockings,
Brick Ovens and Wagon Tops-The Pc
culiar Ways of the Covetous
and Cranky"

I'ye had good deal of experience
in hunting for money that folks have
concealed, " said a gentleman visiting
at Park street in Lewiston the other
day, "and just as lief tell you what |
know about it as not"
Fifty years ago folks, especially
the elderly people, took the utmost
pains to hide money. Old stockings,
brick ovens, old wagon tops, china
teapots, the tops of bedsteads, hair
cloth furniture used always to come in
for big share of investigation after
the dear departed had turned up his
toes and had been laid away. From
that moment, as YOU well know, the
hunt began, and folks rummaged the
house and pulled open the feather beds
in search of the silver sinners, the
beautiful yellow boys or the crisp bank
notes shat it WIS supposed the lament
!, ed deceased had left behind. | sup
pose that this instinct of concealing
wealth and of searching for it was bred
out of well founded suspicion of the
safety OF the old-time savings banks,
and they were rascally things, rs
we'll know. Of course the hiding in
stinct was transmitted from father to
son. and in my way of reasoning the
war of the rebellion had more to do
with stopping this foolish plan of hoard
ing money than any other one thing.
1t opened up more old stocking legs
and old colonial gold than a hundred
years of peace would have done, and
yet don't doubt, from my own expert
cnce, that there are countless stores of
gold buried in places in Massachusetts,
and Maine to-day.
81 could count up any quantity of
families who believe that O. secret
hoard, left by mysterious deceased
ancestor, exists somewhere for them.
! believe that Captain Kidd treasure
is awaiting the coming of somebody
keen enough to discoyerit, don't youP"
And here the gentleman in the arm
chair winked mysteriously, laughed at
his own conceit, and continued:
"A funny scheme, in which l once
came pretty near being interested. was
a stock company formed in Pennsylva-
mia, where | was then living. 1t was
designed to make specially of hunt
ing up concealed treasures. | did
some work for them and q partner and
] were pretty successful there and in
New York State"
How do you go to work."
well, it is hard to say. You have
TO be guided by circumstances. Strange
mental freaks exist in some families.
You perhaps know people who are
built the wrong way. used to know
Lewiston family of misers, extremely
narrow and stingy, and yet would take
no care of the hay in the field or the
cattle in the STALL. We had to sort of
learn human nature. Get first at the
habits of the man whose wealth you
are seeking to find, It's the best clew
you have.
II once was called by the friends of
an insane man to look after his money.
He had hidden it while supposedly
in his right mind, and when
the symptoms of his insanity came
the money could not be found,
and he could not beinduced to divulge.
The family began to<sufler for want of
funds, aud they tried to starve him
into telling, but that only seemed to
please him. When | was called /
-avas puzzled He wouldn't talk on
the subject, but the moment it
was mentioned at once flew into
a passion. laid in wait for him, and
didn't discover him doing any thing
that would lead to elew. | finally
rugged a plan, and one day | showed
him suddenly a roll of paper with a
bill around it so that it looked like a
wad of money, remarking as ! did so:
We stumbled on your hidden pile the
other day
he gave one quick glance.
lit was directly into the corner of
the room near the floor. He then
shouted. 'You licn and laughed glee-
fully at me. ! had him guarded that
night. and while he was asleep we
pulled aside the carpet and discovered
9 panel in the wall aud tn It his wealth
was sure ihat we would find Ii IN tho
room, Ter +! knew that ha would 10, ke