Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-06-12
a MIDNIGHT EXPEDITION.
How Treasure Hunters Found a Box and
Then Lost 1t.

Then Lost 1t.
| To the west of the village were two
hills, which were known to US boys as
| the big hill and the little hill. The big
| hill was the furthest off, and it was the
rendezvous of all the village boys in the
| winter time for coasting. We used to
| slide down that big hill on our sleighs
| and frlghten horses and get thrown OF
| into the ditch ourselves and have a good
/ time generally. To the right hand side
| of the road as you come from the village,
j and a few hundred feet from the high
| way, about halfway down the hill, there
was an excavation and lot of earth
/ thrown up as if somebody had started
/ a mine on the side of the hill. 1t is the
! story of this excavation that | now have
/ to tell, and the remarkable thing about
/ the matter is, that the men who were
/ engaged in it were leading citizens of
| the town and men who had the reputa-
| ton of being reasonably sensible per-
/ sons. AS these gentlemen are still
/ living and are model citizens, and as one
of them has held high official position
| in the county, shall mention no names.
/ One of the men had a singular dream,
and the curious thing about the dream
was that he dreamt it three nights in
succession and each time dreamt exactly
the same dream. He took two friends
into his confidence, told them the
dream, and they discussed the matter
and agreed that there was something in
it. Accordingly the three of them put
up certain sum of money and the
dreamer came to Detroit to consult
soothsayer He related his dream. after
paying his fee. and the dream was that
there had been hidden on the big hill a
remarkable treasure. The witch of
Detroit told the dreamer that he was
perfectly correct in his surmiSe that a
great treasure was hidden on the side of
that hill. She gave him q large rubber
ball, which She said he was to roll down
the HILL beginning at the road and NOV
ing about ten feet inland every time
until this rubber ball stopped for three
times in succession in one particular
spot, and at that spot they were then to
begin digging. They were to take no
one with them except the original three
who were in the secret and they We're
to dig only between the hours OF twelve
o'clock at night and one o'clock in the
morning. This gave them one straight
hour of digging at midnight.
Another proviso was that from the
hour of twelve to the hour of one not
word was TO be spoken by either of the
three. The dreamer came back to the
village and at twelve o'clock the three
of them took the rubber ball and started
to locate the treasure. The ball rolled
down the hill for quite distance from
the road, but at last without any appar-
ent cause, stopped halfway down.
They took it to the top again and rolled
it and it stopped again at the same spot.
This was done the third time and the
ball again stopped halfway down. A
stake was driven there and the digging
began. They made quite an excavation
the first night, but nothing came of il.
They second night at twelve the three
were at their rendezvous again and be-
gan their digging, and that night moth
ing happened. The affair seemed to run
by threes, and each one felt that the
third night was going to tell the tale.
At about half an hour after midnight,
when the three were industriously dig
cling, the principal man of the crowd
drove his spade down and struck the top
Of a box. AS he tore the lid open the
three saw, by the light of their lanterns,
a glittering array of jewels and gold.
The man who first struck the treasure
cried: My God, boys, we have got it,
The three agreed afterward in stating
that the moment that this exclamation
had been made the box disappeared, and
there was a wild rafting of chains and
a general smell of sulphur, with, | be-
lieve, local accompaniment Of thunder
and lightning. Anyhow, the three were
so frightened that they left their nipple
ments on the spot and rushed away to
the village at tho top of their speed.
They dug again for some nights after
ward in the hope of finding some trace
of the treasure. but nothing ever came
of it, and the last time ] passed the spot,
some years ago, the excavation was still
therp.-DctrOit Free Press.