The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-04-30
PIRATE ROMANCE.
BURIED TREASURE WHICH CAN
NOT BE FOUND.
A Batch Of Hunters Digging Along
the South American Coast, Looking
for Thirty-Bight Ale Kegs of Gold
and Diamonds.

the South American Coast, Looking
for Thirty Eight Ale Kegs of Gold
and Diamonds.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
PROVIDENCE, r. l., April 24.-The
schooner Williamine arrived here this noon
with lumber from Apalachicola, Fla. She
had on board Captain c. J. Ward, Mate
Everett, Steward Annett, six seamen and
two cabin boys of the schooner yacht Maria,
which some time ago set out from New
York on mysterious voyage, the purpose
of which was to search for buried treasure
near Belize, Central America. The captain
says he was hired during the early fall to
act as master OF the yacht Maria while she
sailed on cunning and fishing voyage with
party of gentlemen. 1t was said the voy-
age would take several months and the cap
tain was told to hire crew The person
who hired him was a certain John B. Peck,
said to be New York journalist, who in
troduced the captain to a man whom he
called Judge Dawson, of the Pacific slope,
and to Messrs. Horn and Richards.
On October 49, the yacht started from
New York down the coast. 1t put into
Kingston, Jamaica, and there
LITTLE TROUBLE AROSE.
between the members of the party on board.
Dawson said to Peck that he did not believe
Capt. Ward was proper man TO pilot the
vessel where they were going. The captain
was informed of this and now likewise was
Informed what the object of the expedition
was. The 'sportsmen" on board were 60
ing to British Honduras or Belize to try to
ha of in Sb
doubloons, buried there by pirates fifty-twO
years before. A cofferdam in the hold,
which the sailors had not been able to I'M
derstand the necessity for Cd such trip as
they thought they had undertaken, was to
he used in digging for the gold, as it lay
buried on the shore. Maps we're on board
the yacht and complete tables of the sound
ings in the Keys along the shore of British
Honduras The captain and his men, it was
intended, should help in the work, as well
as guide the yacht to the place.
THE STORY NOW BREAKS UP
into three parts One is the history Of the
alleged sum Of money another is the out
come of Davison's opposition to Capt.
Ward. and the third is the affair of the ex-
petition. The spanish doubloons were said
to have been buried on Turneff Key, about
thirty miles east of Belize and one mile off
shore, fifty-two years ago. A pirate YES
sci was one day sighted by British man.
ofwar off the Isle of Pines. The pirate ran
on, closely pursued, and tried to make
Grandbourg, the entrance to the Bay of
Turneff 1t failed to take the clear course,
and struck upon the reef. The English
man had fired on the pirate and killed two
of the pirates crew before the bay was
reached, but the others now got off without
difficulty, and had opportunity to remove
the treasure which was on board.
THE TREASURE
consisted of gold, two cases of diamonds
and other stones, and a quantity of plate
The pirates took every thing ashore they
cared for except the plate. There was a
great deal of this and it was left to delude
and satisfy the English. But the other
treasure, in thirty-eight ale kegs, was
buried in the sand on shore The spot was
a certain distance from an Old ruin at a
deserted Indian village. The treasure was
buried i'll this manner: A hole some dozen
feet deep was dug aud the kegs were
great deal of earth, but enough
was left of the excavation to
make doubleSgrave. In this We're placed
the bodies of the two pirates who had been
killed, and the top of the hole was left look
ing like two graves. Two days afterward
the Englshmen shelled the hiding place of
the pirates and forced them to surreod der.
Two men were wounded during the shelling
of the hiding place. The captured men were
taken to Jamaica and tried. 1t was now
proved to the court that two among the
pirates were not pirates at all. One OF
these was one of the two who had been
wounded. The court allowed them both
to 60 free. but the rest of
THE LOT WERE HANGED
Subsequently the wounded man died. This
left only one man alive who knew of the
hiding of the treasure. He turned up, il is
said, about twenty years ago on steamer
in the Pacific ocean. He died on the
steamer, and before he died he told what
he knew about the secret. From him the
news got into the possession of Judge Davi-
son, and he interested Peck and the rest
The Maria arrived at Belize on Jan. ID, and
until March Is the men worked on the spot
where the treasure was buried. They dug
up human bones, but could not keep the sand
and water out of the hole, and Peck left
for New Orleans to get more machinery.
After Peck left them the crew were to have
sailed from Belize on March 30, but on ac-
count of not receiving sufficient stores they
were delayed until March 81 On April
they started for home, having anchored the
day previous at the city of Mauger, the
vessel leaking. On April 4 they were In
full sight of Cuba at p. m, and at $50 p.
M, when off Gan Antonio lighthouse, saw
bark ashore ON Colorado Reef. On April 5,
with heavy easterly winds and heavy seas,
the yacht rolling heavily, they
FOUND WATER IN THE GALLEY
And coming through the cabin floor. and
gaining on the men who were pumping.
There We're 81 feet of water in the hold at
noon, and the yacht was down by the head.
AT p. m. they sighted a ship and hoisted
signal Of distress, and she hove to ana
waited for them to board her. She proved
to be the ship Arbela, of Windsor, N. S.,
bound from Pensacola to Buenos Ayres, and
there being Low b feet in the yachts hold
the crew were glad OF the chance to board
her, as they could not have kept the Maria
much longer afoat. Soon after leaving her
the yacht foundered in north latitude % 22'.
west longitude 81 As. On Thursday, April
II, they sighted the schooner William me-