The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1888-10-10
FINDING A CHEST OF GOLD.

ElNDlNSz "A oE N"A-h'
Remarkable Story by AN English Miner :
He Finds in u Cave hu ror-Hound Chest
Holding Nearly IL Million of Dollars.
A man named Alexander Stanhopc,
who has returned to Galena (lilinois)
after an absence OF thirty-one years spent
in travel, tells the following story OF how
he found fortune: 81 came to GaleDa
in lS47, having emigrated in that year
from Truro, England, after the death OF
both of my parents and all my near rela-
tives. became miner and began the
exploration of natural draft at the foot
of the precipous bluff now known as
New California. After working indus
t-iously for two weeks, 1suddenly broke
into large cave, the vaulted roof OF
which was decorated with stalsctite and
spar, the latter glistening in the light OF
NV lamp like million diamonds,
"While standing, spellbound, at the
mouth Of the cave, / noticed, short
distance to the right, inside the cavern,
a shelving of rock, jutting out probably
three feet from the wall and about breast
high from the floor, upon the top of
which rested what proved t. be, on ex-
animation, large lron-bound chest OF
osk, the lid of which was secured oy q
curiously shaped paddock of brass. With
the aid of my pick and CAD broke open
the chest, and to my amazement l found
it to be filed to the top with with Span
ish doubloons bearing the date of 1926.
Overioyed at the discovery, I fell to
speculating upon how to remove the
gold, and gave but little thought as to
the phenomenal circumstances of its
being there. On leaving Galena for
New California l had purchased good
sized, strongly-built skiff in which to
transport my tools, provisions and other
mining outfit to that place, which is
accessible all the way by water.
s'Without lengthy forethought 1
decided to transfer the treasure to my
boat, and, as soon as that was accomplish
I'd, to set out for New Orleans, where I
could advantageously dispose of it. l
began, accordingly, with great expedl-
tiousness, lest l should be disturbed by
inquisitive newcomers, to carry the plan
into execution, aud succeeded thst night
in conveying the gold 10 my skiff, where
deposited 1t safely in two strong lockers
! which formed the seats in the forward
and stern ends of the boat. On the
following morning, after efectually
| banking up the mouth of the draft, I
set out upon my voyage, which accom-
plshed in exactly three weeks, with but
| few unpleasant adventures during the
trip. At New Orleans l sold my doub-
looms, receiving in exchange an equiva-
lent in American gold amounting in the
aggregate to S390,0O0. Purchasing
English, French, and German exchange
with my money, 1 took passage for
Liverpool on the first European-bouud
vessel, and after soiourning q while in
my native town of Truro, I determined
on spending the rest of my days in
wandering about the world, thus graft
flying an ambition which had been my
tondess dream from my early boyhood. y
The draft in which Stanhope found the
Spanish treasure was not discovered (the
St. Louis Globe Democrat tells us} until
1876, when two Irish proprietors-one
| of them, Tom Shannon-broke into the
cave, after several years OF frultless search
fo- an "opening, and took out of it q
large fortune in mineral. The chest
which contained the doubloons secured
by Stanhope was found by Shannon,
and occasioned unbounded surprise and
no little speculation as to how it got
there. The mystery has, Of course,
never been solved; but it is believed by
Stanhope that the chest of treasure was
stolen by some of De Soto's soldiers al
the time he discovered and explored the
Mississippi, and was secreted in the cave,
the entrance to which had been blocked
up by the alluvial deposits and changes
of upward of 800 wears.