The Somerset reporter., 1888-02-15
SELECTED.
THE TREASURE OF ROCKY
MOUNT.

People always said there were treasures
buried at Rockymount. How this story
originated we can only conjecture. Per
haps the character of the place itself gave
rise to the tale connected with it 1t was
a high rocky promontory, and had as a
distinguishing feature a hole in the ground
which people called by courtesy cave.
Somewhere at the bottom of this cave a
treasure was supposed to repose.
The generally accepted belief among
those who held any faith at all In the
story, was that the ubiquitous Captain
Kidd had selected Rockymount as of
the numerous hiding places for part of
his enormous i'll gotten treasure; but
there was not sufiicitnt proof to Offset the
feeling of disbelief that was of late
springing up that the famous pirate real
ly did honor the place as 1t was reported
he had The story seems to be part OF
the legacy that the present received from
the past, and its real foundation was sim
ply legendary. Each succeeding genera
ton had told it to the next one, with as
many additions or admissions as seemed
necessary to cause it to make proper i'm
preston, SO that at the time of which we
write goodwin fact enormous
amount of treasure Spanish dollars, and
booty captured from Spanish galleons) lay
buried within easy reach of anyone who
wished to exert himself sufficiently to dig
for 1t.
There was belief current that the
landlord of the only hotel in the place,
the Treasure House," knew little more
about the hidden treasure than any one
else, since the place where it was suppos-
ed to exist lay within the confines of the
land on which he paid taxes, and he was
the one who had the most faith in the
story, and the only one of all who had
searched who could produce visible proof
that treasure existed where rumor said it
did. He, so people said, had dug assidu-
ly, and as a reward of his faith and a
spur to further endeavor, he unearthed a
handful of old copper coins which was
regarded with generation by his less for
tunate neighbors. But the novelty of the
sight of them wore off when he continu-
ed to discover similar coin year after year
Many of his neighbors held the opinion
that the same old coins had been doing
duty all this time, and that they originally
came from the landlords till rather than
from the reputed treasure cave, More
over, to this belief the fact lent weight
covered Just at the beginning of summer
when the summer boarders were coming
in and also at such times a note would
invariably appear in the city papers an
nouncing the fact that treasure had been
discovered-or, more strictly, rediscover-
ed-at Rockymouut. The result was that
large number of people would come to
the scene and spend the summer expect
ing to 60 away enriched. Then did the
landlord rub his hands in gee in the pros
pect of an enlargement of his bank ac-
count. The sign in front of the hotel,
"Summer Boarders taken in seemed to
be capable of more than one construction
but, of course the people who came flock
ing to this FL Dorado did rot suspect it;
but certain class in town who envied
the hotel keeper his good fortune in poss-
essing a mine of such fine paying quail
ties, at first used to throw out hints re-
gardDg the real truth. These were soon
silenced, however for the whisky kept at
the Treasure House" was of exceeding
lv fine quality--so said those whose opin-
ion could he relied upon-or else the land
lord possessed exceedingly fine persuasive
qualities, for these whisperiugs never
reached the ears of those for whom they
they were intended.
Those people who were of credulous
turn were wont to believe the part that
the notorious Kidd played in the story.
having an imaginative mind used to
take pleasure in picturing to themselves
the circumstances attending the inhuma-
ton of the treasure. 1t must surely have
been stormy night, as black as ink,
when boat containing the treasure, Kidd
and couple of sailors put off from p-
rate ship, lying in the harbor, and as it
proceeded toward the shore, Kidd, seat
I'd in the stern searched with an eagle
eve lin the darkness) for place to bury
his booty, where the kings officers who
used to trouble him so much would never
ind it At last a lonely spot upon the
side has been selected, and land
ng the men toll up the steep incline with
.he treasure and bury 1t deep within the
bowels of the earth. Just as they were
lowering the chest to its resting place
Hash of lightning illumines the scene an
shows the outline of the great picture
The chest drops into the hole, and there
il remains until someone with plenty of
shall come to dig it up, and
IS we have said, they did come, but AS
vet no one has succeeded in getting more
than his labor for his pains. Still this
did not prevent others from attempting
task that promised such little hope of re-
ward. Year after year they came and
with the same purpose, and year after
year they went away in the same manner,
enriched only in the knowledge Of the
fact that truth and rumor travel on con-
stantly diverging roads.
At the time at which we write, news
paper paragraph such as we have referr-
ed to to caught the eye of Johnny Lang
don as he was about to start on his an
nual vacation, and having no particular
point in view he determined to go to
Rockymount, not so much with the inten-
sion Of enrolling himself in the army of
treasure seekers as of seeing place of
which he had heard aud read.
places with which there is legend
he said to his friend Tom
Brant, as the two met at the club room.
"have always had charm for me. don't
care how Incredible the story may appear
to others, 1t seems to me there must be
grain of truth In 1t, for you know the
most impossible legend must have sprung
from little kernel of Truth
"Mu have been very small kernel"
Tom. eliminate the fabu
lous portion, and the truth where's it
Some Of our favorite fabrics are built
upon very fiimsy foundations aud are kept
In existence only by the propensity that
mankind has for exaggeration."
"Still," continued Langdon, "they are
as showing the peculiarities
Of man In the various stages of his exis-