Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1890-03-07
PUBLISHED DAILY AND TRI-wEEKLY AT THE
Gazette Building, 31O and Sl2 Prince st.
Bullion in a Creek.

A dispatch from Paris. Texas, sags: 1.-The
publication OF the s.ary of tbs discovery OF
TIE old Spanish for5 on Req Iivs: hes deve!-
oped still moro iu:eres ing tradition than
has hitherto BEEN published. 1t is moss
interesting chapter Of the early history OF
this section. TIE narrator of the tale is
Col. Mort Raysdaie. OF thi, city, who is now
IS years old, AID who cane to this country
With his parents more than seventy years
ago. lie says that in 1915 party OF forty
met left Alexandria, La, with s. caravan OF
mules loaded with goods, and went 10 the
pswly discovered gold field ct Santa Fe, n.
NJ These goods we're s)ld at fabulous
prices, and the party started back to Loni-
siana with eleven mules loaded with gold in
the latter part of the summer of 1916. They
! y ere coming down the north side of the Red
river, ss what was known IS the Santa Re
trail followed that stream. Near Lake West,
ebont forty miles northwest OF here, they
were attacked by Comanches. BeiDg cut
pmbered, they threw bullion into creek
and crossed to this side O. the river. They
| camped at the mouth OF Red Branch,
| twenty three miles northeast OF here, where
they ware again attacked, and all killed ex-
ceDt three mon, orc OF whom was MeXl-
can Oo their way 10 Aexandria one OF
the men disc from hardship and exposure.
The other reached the hone Of his uncle,
on the Rspides river, but died in short
| inc. The Mexican is supposed TO have
made his way back to Mexico. Before his
death the young man gave his nncle the par
tculara of the battle e0d diagram covering
ths place where the gold bad been thrown
into the creek. Years af.eFward toe uncle
went up the river and hunted fer the place,
but was un ble to fad it. He Told the story
to Colonel Raysdae and gave him the dia-
gram. The place where the battle was
fougbs vas found. Large numbers of hu
man bones were there, and at various times
gun barrels have heen picked up Oh the
spot. All of them, except one had the muz
zlo battered and had otherwise been broken
by the Indians. None Of them we're loaded,
which coufirms tie young mans story hat
thev neld the Indians at bay until their am.
muniton was exhausted. Oo the opposite
eide CT The river, few miles a@ay, two
more gun barrels of the eans kind were
found in the same condition. Juss before
the war Mexican gentleman came TO Paris
who said hs was q nephew OF tue survivor
of the massacre. He employed Mexican
named Pedro. who lived here, to go with
him to the territory to look, it was supposed,
for the lost bullion. In few dsys Pedro
came back with the Mexican's horse and
pistol. Il was then eeid that there was 10
doubt but that Pedro murdered his country
man, but there was DO proof Of il. The
pistol vas worn during his service in the
Confederate arwy by Captain Milton Webb,
| of this city. Az various times different peo-
| D have looked for the treasure n desul-
tory way, but no pr0tracted o? systematic
search has ever been made. The early set
tiers, who were so familiar with the story Of
tho lost treasure, wsre too busily engaged
ia the struggle for existence to devote any
time 10 locking for something that there
was nothing definite about. There is o
doubt about tho party of Louisiana traders
being lost, bus who they were is not known,
for NO one here remembers any OF their
nsmea"