The Portland daily press., 1888-09-20
TREASURE HUNTING.
Interesting Narrative of Voyages
by Portland Seamen.
How Mesmerizers Were Employed TO
Locate the Money,
But No One Ever Succeeded in Get
ting Any Of II.
[HoN. WILLIAM COULD


and mechanics. who met daily at different
places, usually at the place of business of
some one of their number. They were an
unorganized club who called themselves
"The Algerines." Amusement and social
enjoyment were the principal objects of
their meetings. Those whom Inow recollect
were John Averill, Charles Baker, Royal
Williams, John Lindsey, Capt Thomas Nc
Lellan, Thomas r. Jones, John Leavitt and
some others. OF these, John Lindsey alone
Is alive, and he is so disabled by bodily in
firmites as to be unable to give desired in
formation. AT this time mesmerism had be-
come a popular study, and some of their
number had become firm believers in the
power Of persons under its influence to dis
cover the place Of hidden treasure. A few
years before, gangs of pirates infested the
West Indies, and several Portland vessels
were robbed by them. Capt. Daniel Head
was hung up by pirates. on board his own
vessel, to make him disclose the place where
the vessels money was hidden but failing
in this, he was lowered to the deck Just in
time to save his life, and for many years he
continued to be an enterprising shipmaster.
in privateering in the war OF 1872; when we
had no navy at the beginning, and there was
reason for encouraging it, Sometimes it
was hard to tell where privateering left off
and piracy began. Some of the priyateers
had suitable flag to fit all situations. The
private armed ship Hyder Ally, of Boston,
which was fitted out in Portland, overhauled
two Chinese junks in the Indian Ocean,
loaded with betel nuts, silks, and other Chi
ma goods. The captain condemned these
goods as British property, although there
was no evidence to sustain him. He confis-
Gated both cargoes, took them on board the
privateer. and gave the junks his ballast in
return. Capt. Kidd started out as master of
a legally armed cruiser. but he was finally
hung for his overt acts.
Stories Of hidden treasure always have a
powerful influence on imaginative minds.
There was mesmerizer who made a num-
Der of the 'Algerines' believe that he had
supernatural powers and knowledge Mr..
Edward Harlow, who kept on the west cor
ner Of Fore and Union streets, and owned
several large sail boats. says he had frequent
calls from these men for boats to 90 to Long
and JewelPs islands to search for treasure.
Finally, their knowledge or Imagination of
buried treasure became enlarged, and three
or four OF them, who were amply able, char.
tered the new topgallantsail schooner Ros
sius, of 156 tons, built and owned by Charles
Jordan and the captain, Jesse K. Pierce, who
went master in the expedition to the West
Indies. He wrote me an account of the voy-
age four years ago. He thought it took place
In 1S41 or 1912. The custom house records
were burned, and 1t cannot be verified. Capt.
Pierce died in Boston year ago. He was
well known shipmaster, and pilot of the
Boston and Portland steamboats,. His state
ments are worthy of all confidence. He
says the persons interested in the expedi-
tion were Thomas X. Jones, Capt. Thomas
Mcclellan and Royal Williams. These were
all reputable merchants of the CITY, II was
generally understood at the time that there
were several others interested in the VOYAGE.
~ Inc S6oJect Vas 70 visit the island of Mona,
strait, so miles across, which separates Hayti
from Porto Ric0. The island is seven miles
long. and three miles broad; but Capt.
Plerce's letter to me describes it as much
the chief seat of the Druids, but chief
rendezvous OF the pirates 1t is a lone ISL
and, 40 miles from any other land, and there
lore, well situated for piratical retreat
Capt Mcclellan had had previous knowl-
edge Of the island, as will hereafter appear.
| shall give Capt. Pierce's narrative nearly
ments.
Capt Pierce, master of the schooner. in his
narrative given In 1884, says he owned one
quarter OF the vessel and had ON board for
mate, VIM. Wilcox, and for crew VIM. Fits
ana charles Smith and a cook. As passen-
gers Capt Thomas Mcclellan, and an other
mesmerlzer that said he could tell us all
ABOUT tne money. He had described the ISL
and correctly and told its situation. We had
II days passage and came to anchor at Mo-
ma Isle before sunset" The next morning
we went on shore through the coral reefs.
There was no harbor but the lee Of the isl
lanu; we were all right so long as the trade
we found four men who came down to catch
fish and turtle, who seemed to be frightened.
went and talked with them as could talk
some Spanish. The rest of the crew went
INTO tne woods with the mesmerizer to find
out where to dig for the supposed treasure
soon went in search of the party and found
them digging. Near sunset, we went ON
board. The next morning we went ON shore
and commenced to dig again. This was the
secoh Secohd day. we found large quantities Of
trees; We lay about a mile from the shore,
so after we had got about three feet down
we went on board. The third day we COM
menced again. At the depth of four feet,
out found it to be a two-inch plank, four
and a half feet long. So we thought we
were indeed near something valuable. At
ter we got the plank out, we dug two feet
Iurther, put found no other sign of treasure.
In the forenoon Of the fourth day we again
went on shore with the mesmerfzer to test
his knowlege. About two o'clock a souall
came up which blew on shore and we were
obliged to hasten on board, get up the an
cnor ana make SAIL to save the vessel. The
hat kAw~
for Portland where we arrived in seven days
passage"
There was pretended pirate that PLAYED
an important part in the second expedition
Of the same party, in the same schooner. 1t
Is not clear how the treasure hunters found
him. l recollect what lion he was sup
posed to be by the townspeople at the time.
CaptainlJ joshua +. Stafford, who went on one
expedition with Captain Watts, wrote me
from the sailors Snug Harbor at Staten
Island, in December 1883, that Captain John
Watts in Portland schooner shipped this
old sailor in Boston. While on the passage
to Portland he told Watts that he knew
Where heaps OF money was buried on the
Island OF Mona, and Watts told Captain
Captain Pierce continues: 'While we
were gone ON the first voyage Royal Will
hams heard about the pirate who was in the
navy. he proceeded to Washington and
had an interview with him, and found out
oOOut tuAo 1uOud lolc. bOlu
Williams that there was a great quantity Of
gold buried on the island. Mr.. Williams
procured his discharge and brought him to
Portland. After our return we questioned
him about the island and what points he
could describe. His statement agreed with
our observation on the island, and we were
compelled to believe that there was truth in
his statement. So the second voyage was
proposed and entered upon. think it was
in 1S4l or g. On the second voyage we had
on board the same crew as on the first yoy-
age, with the addition of Captain
McLellan's son John and the pirate. L
was not fully satisfied with the pirates
story, so / asked him what was there on the
isle, that could know that he had been
there. He said there was a shelving rock
about one quarter of a mile from the beach
that would hold IA men. He said that near
this rock the money was buried, and a Young
man was killed at the time and buried near
to protect 1t. was satisfied from his state
ment that the man had been on the island
before, as on the first voyage / saw the same
cleft rock, and many other things which he
described. The pirate was a Welshman,
We had passage of IS days out The morn
ing after our arrival we went on shore tak
ing the pirate with us. As soon as we land
ed the pirate ran for the woods and the mate
after him, the rest of us following in fine
trail. We soon came to the Shelving rock
and there in the cleft we found the pirate
crying. He told us just where and how the
young man was killed and buried, He then
measured number Of PAGES from the rock
There, he said, Is about the distance. and we
commenced digging. 1t was not far from the
Spot s. Inalcated py the mesmerizer on the