The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-05-14
A Gave Full of Gold.
woNDRoUs WEALTH DISCOVERED by A
MoNEY-LoviNG MONK.

Apropos Of the monks, a good story
is told concerning their cupidity. 1t is
n common belief in Mexico that much
treasure is buried hereabouts, which
Montezuma ordered to be hidden at
the time Of the conquest that it might
not fall into the hands of the Spaniards,
writes Mexico correspondent of the
Philadelphia Record. 1t is asserted
that he then put TO death all who as
sisted in the hiding, leaving only him
self and the high priest of the great
war god, Huitziopoctle, possessed of
the secret, which at last died with
them.
About fifty years ago it happened
that poor priest of a poorer church
in the nearby village OF Cauiimilpa
was surprised by receiving frequent
contributions of much value from the
most INDECENT of his parishioners.
Through the confessional he finally ex-
torted information that the valuables
came from cave secently discovered
by the Indian, supposed to be a part
of Montezuma's hidden wealth. Straight
way went the priest to his masters, the
monks, and together they concoted
scheme for possessing themselves of
the coveted store.
The priest pretended to discredit the
story and to believe that the Indian
stole the valuables, refusing to grant
absolution for his sins until he himself
had seen the cave, offering to be led
thereto securely blindfolded, that he
might not remember the route. With
the terrors of purgatory before his eyes
of course the poor Indian consented,
and an early day was appointed for
the expedition.
The crafty friar, who was piousl y
muttering his prayers by the way, man
aged to slip the beads from his rosary
one by one, dropping them all along
the road, intending by their aid to fol-
low the trail at some future time.
Arriving at the cave the bandage
was removed, and the priest beheld
with greedy eyes wonderful collection
of gold, silver and jewels outrivaling
Aladdin's famous storehouse-whether
the hoard of some highwsyman or
smuggler, or really portion of the
dead monarch's riches, none could de-
termine The complaisant monk per-
mitted himself to be again securely
blindfolded and led home by another
route.
Arriving at his own door in great good
humor at his supposed success he grant
ed absoution to his Indian guide, to-
gether with numerous indulgences, and
was about dismissing him when the
simple parishioner, with humble obeis-
ance, handed him u quantity OF beads,
saying:
81 have kept faith with your reve
renee, but you had the misfortune to
break your rosary and to drop the beads
along the way. l have carefully pick
ed them all up and return them to you
You will find that not one is missing"
Notwithstanding numerous traditions
of concealed wealth, but little has actu-
ally been discovered. Buried gold is
occasionally found, however-not in
mounds and mountain caves, but in the
ruins of old houses, where former own
ers had deposited it for safety in some
time of revolution.
Not many years since very poor
old woman rented house as old and
poor as herself for fifty cents a month.
Its inner court was paved with broken
stones, which she was forever sweep
ing with the stub of an old broom.
One day she observed that two or three
stones of this patio were larger and
more carefully put together than the
rest.
Being lineal descendant of Mother
Eve, her curiosity was at once aroused,
and she proceeded to poke away around
the stones and to work away at them
with sticks, until at length she was
able to raise them, when, 10! beneath
them was can full of treasure. There
were more than $4,000 worth of golden
coins, every piece bearing the evil
countenance of King Carlos V stamp
ed plainly upon it-a large fortune, in
deed, for so poor person.
How many more old women have
ever since been digging up their patsii
because of this lucky accident | am un
able to state, but can vouch that 6
nei ghbor of mine in Tlalpam "a suburb
of the City of Mexico), desiring to
know the contents of certain small
hill on his premises, caused it to bt
opened, and found therein quantity
of silver plate, each piece being an an
cient Spanish crest.