The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-06-03
A. MYSTERIOUS TREASURE.
The Tradition of Untold Wealth Hidden IN
the Indiana Knobs.
Louisville Times.

From the first settlement Of tho Ohio valley
country, stories of buried treasures have been
told In connection with that region. They were
probably handed down to the followers of Gen.
George Rogers Clark by the descendants of the
early French hunters and trappers who first ex-
plored the country under La Sale and the
Jesuits. Almost any person recall the tales
that were current thirty or forty years ago. but
they ars now invariably considered idle legends
In spite or the different variations of sub
stantialy one story. in consequence of its having
never been fixed in a written history. there is
one striking circumstance. The site of the
buried treasure has always been. in some mys-
ferrous way, referred to the Knobs across the
river. There persons living to day, sensible
and successful mon, prominent among the
founders OF the cOmmonwealths of Kentucky
and Indiana who believe the stories in the main
true. No amount of ridicule will shake their be-
lief
One Of these is "Uncle Johnny McCune. a
native of Jessamine county, this State, but for
many years a resident of Charlestown Ind.
where he piled the shoemaker's trade for fully
sixty years. His father owned the land where
General Nelson was afterward buried, and it is
likely that he was remembered in the neighbor-
hood OF Ncholasvill- He is ninety three years
old. Though for several years he has not done
much at his bench, he is as active as many man
of sixty He was never sick a day, and there is
a standing joke to the effect that he will never
die, but finally dry up and blow away. He
five score years. 1t is hardly necessary to state
that he is in full possession of all his faculties,
and loves to spin yarn about old times as we'll
as a sailor. he is also one OF the old-school
gallants especially attentive to the ladies. The
inimitabe manner in which he doffs his old
fashioned tile to the recognition of some fair
friend excites the envy and admiration of all the
young beaux. who despair of initiating his easy
but impressive manner, and declare it one of the
lost arts.
No. 80 49, - L. a.
to Clark county. in 1916. was that about one hun
dred years before, just three years after the
settlement at Vlncennes a party of seven
Frenchmen from that place started out in the
fall for hunting expedition. They usually had
gone across the Wabash into what is now Hi
nois, where they found deer, grouse and other
game in abundance. This time they struck out
eastward. Toward evening on the fifth day
they came within view of an imposiDg range of
hills, OF which none had ever seen or heard be-
fore. They determined to go into camp for the
night in little open space beside small creek
that wound about the foot of the hills, intending
to explore further next day. They saw n bum-
Der of Indians belonging to a branch of the Wy
andctte tribe. and heard their shouts during the
night, but as they were on friendly terms
with them felt no anxiety. Continuing their
journey in the morning they struck the trail
soon reaching one of the villages among the
hills The Indians could speak but little French,
but seized with avidity the opportunity to bar
ter for various small articles. They offered in
return liberal quantities of brilliant-loo
ore, which was at first cast aside in disdain
One of the Frenchmen, however, soon quietly
informed his companions that the despised stuff
was silver in almost pure form. Some of the
metal looked as If it had been put through
rough reducing process, and the discoverer right
ly copjectured that there must be a natural out
cropping of the precious metal somewhere near.
This their entertainers told them was the case,
frankly Offering to conduct the m to the place on
the further side of the hills in view Of beauti-
full winding stream in the valley, which they
named Selle creek.
vein or pocket" was found in which the
nearly pure ore could be gotten with but little
labor. With the help of their new friends they
were soon getting out quantities of ore daily,
filming it as far possible with the rough means
at their command. The Indians soon grew tired
of the drudgery, however, and suspicious of the
strangers The adventurous little band We're
not slow In approaching the danger, since am
was becoming scarce aud they might
be overwhelmed by numbers. They determined
to deposit the treasure secretly in 'cache' by
night, and return TO their friends. Accordingly
they buried the treasure and. to be douhly sure
of finding it again, wrote on scrap of parch-
ment how it could be found. This they sent
ahead by one of their number Jules Breton. in
tending that in case the suspicious of the Indi-
ans should be aroused and their return inter-
cepted. their friends at least should reap the
benefits of their expedition. They were to fol-
low shortly, giving the plausible reason that
they must reach home before winter-time.
But their late friends were not SO easily duped.
Breton after untold hardships and several mar
row escapes from starvation and death. finally
arrived. after fourteen days. at Vincennes His
companions were never heard of more. The In
dams superstitiously hid all traces of the mine,
the value Of which they had learned from the
whites. They probably never found the
cache" for there is not trace of it to the
present time.
When Breton recounted his adventures his
hearers were thrilled with horror and pity for
his hardships. His half-starved, hacgard look,
unkempt hair, torn garments and bruised and
bleeding limbs told their own tale. 1t is no won
der when with kindling glance he told his mar
velous story and drew forth the precious docu-
ment in confederation, that the neighbors tapped
their foreheads significantly and turned sadly
away. His plight was more cruel than that of
Rip Van Wrinkle on his return. His friends out
in the wilderness might be starving or IN
hourly danger q being murdered by the In
dams. The settlers evidently thought all but he
had been murdered, and that the awful scenes
had crazed the poor fellow. At his widest out
breaks and entreaties for them to 90 after his
companions, they only shook their heads the
more sadly. Breton was constantly reminded ut
Viucennes of his lost companions, until he could
endure it no longer He soon went to France.
it was carefully preserved by his family and
handed down from generation to generation.
The Bretons. or Brtons. AS they now smell the
name, afrerward went to England. Not finding
the old document of any service, it was sent over
here by one of the family to Samuel L. Adair sr,
who a particular friend, to see what ne
could make of it. AS if by some strange fatal
ity, he lived in the Immediate neiehborhood
where the occurrence is said to have taken
place lie showedi 1T to Mr. John r. Work the
proprietor of the Tunnel MILL or Fourteen
mile creek, now owned by Mr.. w. NJ Green
Both were convinced of its authenticity. They
doubted the marvellous story of the silver mine,
but Mr.. Adalr could not doubt the genuineness
of the chart. Both firmly believed till their
death that it marked the location of some sort of
buried treasure. They spent large sums of
money trying to find the lost "caehe," but were
never successful The family of Mr.. Adair, all
prominent and well-to-do farmers at the present
time, desired to preserve the mysterious old relic
but when the estate was settled at his death, it
could not be found among his effects It has
never been seen since. The general supposition
is that it was stolen. There are not wanting
those who have actually seen it and describe it,
Dr Isaac w Britton who is a we'll known c;t;