The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1891-02-14
HIS BURIED FORTUNE.

In 1865 I went to Hong Kong in
ihe interest of certain English man
ufacturer, says a writer in the New
York Sun, and it was a year and half
later when l one day received
strange visitor and stranger propo-
sition. l was in charge of a large
warehouse, and one of my Chinese
employees brought in the stranger and
exclaimed:
" | told him you would have moth
ing to do with him, but he insisted ON
coming"
The stranger was a half-breed Of
some sort, gaunt, ragged, and evil
IDENTIFY hard up. As soon as we were
alone he introduced himself as Senyo
and stated that he was from the Island
Of Luzon, one of the group composing
the Philippines. He belonged to the
native population, but had Spanish
blood in his veins. He had once been
a man of Importance, but the Span
iards had robbed him of his power,
and afterward feared his influence to
such a degree that he had first been
imprisoned and afterward banished.
He lad been carried on native craft
to Japan, and left there ragged and
penniless, and had been more than a
year reaching Hong Kong. While he
had only few shillings in his pockets
he had neither come to solicit charity
nor place to work. He had
stra ght, square business proposition
to submit. If / approved of it, well
and good if | did not, then he would
be no worse off. When he realized
that Spanish influence was plotting his
downfall, he made such preparations
as he could to meet the inevitable.
He was a very wealthy man, and he
quietly went to work and converted
everything he could into money, gold
dust and jewelry. He had got about
100000 together when the ruling
power pounced upon him, but net
quick enough to get it. He had
cached or buried his fortune, and,
though he was abused and threatened
oy the Spaniards for months, he
wouldn't betray the secret
To get that money by his own indi-
vidual efforts was utterly impossible.
The moment he set foot on Luzon he
would be arrested. He must have a
partner who would furnish a ship and
crew, and he would go along to mark
che spot where the treasure was
buried.
/ looked upon the man with pity
and upon his project with contempt
when he first began talking. When
ne was through l had agreed TO think
it over. There is fascination about
buried treasure or sunken wreck that
will enlist capital to the detriment Of
honest speculation. l was noted as
being a conservative man and the
idea of my going into any such ven
lure would have been regarded by my
| friends as evidence of approaching
mental calamity. went to the
American consul and in a roundabout
way he confirmed a part of Semyo's
story. He had heard of him and
heard of his being deposed and ban
ished, Then l went down TO the
wharves and almost the first man
ran against was the Yankee captain
Of a brig called the John, which was
then having some repairs made. She
had been running in the tea trade NJ
and down the Yellow sea, but now
queeIly enough, the captain informed
me that he thought of taking a ruI
over to the Philippines and try for (
cargo on his own account. The pro
ducts of the islands are ebony, log
wood, gumwood, bamboo, cocoanuta
all sorts of fruits, cotton, tobacco in
digo, coffee, etc., and many trading
vessels are employed in the traffic
dis craft was manned by a mate ant
four sailors, and l found all of then
TO be Americans. When 1 came t.
express my surprise at this he ex
planned;
" You see they are runaWays froH
American war vessels, mate and all
1 have picked them up one at a time
and as none of them has a wife bacI
home they are content to stay wit
me. Pve got a Chinese cook, bu
outside of him l want no truck wit
foreigners"
l outlined my story to Capt
Wheaton, as he introduced himself
he heard me through without inter
ruption, and then quietly said
"Don't sound so very fshy, but
won't tell you what think Of it unit
I hear the heather 60 over it himsel
When Pm looking square at a man
can tell whether he's bambOozling {
speaking the solemn truth"
made an appointment and Semy