The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-03-27
GOOD STORIES OF THE PRESENT DA1
whs Took Ola John swsato~'s $500. eco
In Gold From the Caverns

oOOD SIORIES OF THE PRESENT DAT
whs Took Ola job. swsntou.s ssoe, go
In Gold From the Caverns
oppieh. 1925.
In the year 1S60-and some Of you will nc
doubt remember 1.-THE newspapers had many
paragraphs concerning old John Swanton o.
erosion. Ia. He was an old bachelor 10 yenrs
old, living on small farm soven miles from
the town OF Creston. and no had neither kitt
nor Kin In America. In January of the yeal
named no received legacy from England.
nave heard the sum named as low as $4,000
and as high as $500. 900. but have the best oil
reasons for believing that the exact figures
wore 100000. He got his drafts cashcd
in Chicago. and he would take moth.
ing but gold. This money ho shipped
nome In sheet iron boxes and buried In his
| cellar. He was n loquacious old man. and he
| made no secret OF his wealth. On two occa-
sions ho invited friends in and lot them in
| spcct tho contents OF tho boxes. 1t rot into
the papers. and no doubt more than one gang
OF robbers laid plans to get hold OF tho money.
| 10 prevont being despoed and perhaps
| murdered the old man surrounded hmsc II
with ten large and savage dogs. and he armed
tho house with half a dozen guns. After he
got the dogs no one dared enter upon his
premises. and on several occasions travellers
on the highway were attacked Litigation re.
| suited. and the old man became disguised and
| indignant and left tho State. One would
naturally have expected him to 20 East.
| and perhaps to England. whore no could
have fully enjoyed his handsome for
| tune. but what did no do but head
| for tho West He bought span of
horses and n covered wagon. loaded IN his
few household goods. and taking seven OF his
ten dogs along he made his way to Council
Bluffs to Join IN emigrant party. He had his
boxes of gold in the wagon. and people along
his route in Iowa turned out to gazo ut his
outfit as it passed Hero and there he even
permitted strangers to look at the gold. 1t
has always been Il wonder that he wns not
robbed. bat perhaps those who would have
entered into such IL scheme did not credit the
stories ailoat and regarded him as Il boaster
or u lunatc.
Swanton joined ca:av IN bound to Caltor-
nia. l had relatives in the band. md thcre-
fore can state that the party had not been out
two DAYS before every one in it knew Of the
gold. Many Efforts were MAIDS to persuade
the old man to return to civilization. hut he
was as obstinate rs Il mule. He Didn't intend
to go to California. but to stop whenever the
country suited him. There was hardly IL tribe
OF Indians not on the Warmth against the
whites. and there was no spot where Swan
ton would be safe for II day. Arguments proved
useless. however. and he accompanied tho
party for many weeks. When it had reuched
Point about nifty miles from the South Pass.
IN tho Wind River mountains Of Wyoming.
the old man found n spot to suit him and
annou c Il that he would go no further The
party numbered 12G people. OF whom AZ were
men. They had been attacked by Indians no
less than eight times en- route. and had had
three men killed and four wounded. They
were now in Il country occupied and overrun
with hostile red men. and halt was made for
one day in hopes to persuade Swanton to keep
on. He was as thickhcaded and mulish as
ever. and next day was loft to his fate. Per-
haps he should have been forced to so on. but
there was trouble enough from the Indians
without creating more in the party He would
not have gone except as prisoner
The last white man who saw old John Swan
ton alive was the guide of the party whose
nnme was Mccall. He rode back distance of
two miles to recover some article loft behind
and he found the old man turning his horses
out to Craze and looking for site FOR u cabin.
To n last invitation to accompany the party he
waved his hand and shouted eood-by.
1t was in the spring of 1861 when the story
got back to Council Bluffs. The war had then
fairly begun ant'was exciting the country.
and two or three expeditions which were
planned to learn the pI' mans fate were aban-
doned. At no time from 1861 to 1886. could
IA party have reached the spot where he halted.
as the emloldencd Indians had rogained over
200 miles OF lost frontier and We're unusually
vgilant. Meanwhile the story had gone to
England where Swantun had relatives. and in
March. Is ~. Jackson Thomas. actin. for tho
next of kin. arrived at st. Joseph to organize
a party to ii:ht its way to the spot and settle
Ie question Of whether the old man WAS dead
q As | the lf II I
can give YOU the particulars first hand.
q Iilrrr w"r. tnlity-HiA Iii"h IN tne party as it
veteran cuvi!ryn"n OF the war. The leader
was IN "N-tonfcdcralc captain named Wake
pine from the first. Zach man furnished ms
horse. nrms. and ammunii ion. w.ir Thomas
Tine agreement was t" pay "t"n man >. II day
on our RETURN whether successful or no,. Ii
the money was rccnrcs"d. tn"n each or'
was TO have $1,000 rs. Il. Present. 1t w"s
an adventure pron,s NJ; h"t:l excitement and
profit. tut nom -! Us mad the least nope Of
securing the slightest trace If the Old man.
II we got his Gol'!. 1t would he beculi>r he iiai
buried it before the Indians had discovered
him. and some lucky circumstance would di-
rect us IT, the carhc.
ON the trip to and fro W" encountered ut diff
fcfcnt POINTS an aggregate OF h.Jul lndan
warriors. We had II teen il.nts with them.
sutfernGa loss Of toI" men hiicd Ne spent
three day. searching the valley Were oil
that he ha ever been lh"rr could VT turn III.
We should have l"!t the h'peIessness OF far
tntr Sthfcn even ilhu me ln'lianS lc,t us ~
peacefully pursue II. II was the general
opinion. and it wa> shared ,y Thomas. that
the Indians had ca!turrl tho m.ttit and TO.
moved 1t miles away before 'lntToying the use
less wagon ard killing their prisoner II not
that. thea the man had rrmYvc! Of his own
accord. aud IHight he hundreds Of miles away
Werrturn"d "mpy-handrd. were paid on. and
disbnnded. and 1t was GENERALLY considered
that the search was ended.
In the, spring of the following, year. while (!
was Mt Fort Laramie. met an OH hunter and
truppcr named Dunn We got 10 yurnin2. and
he told mo Of linding SON. If the IRON work
Of II wagon in II valley to the east Of South
Pass. Not only that. but there was II ruuo
shunty which hc nr!icvcd some white man
had constructed and occupied. 1t WAS far
into the Indian country that he was puzzled
over his find. and could only conclude that
some omigrant family had lett hr caravan and
fallen victims to the savage, rcd men. he had
not heard the story of old John Swanton. |
When told it 10 him We were agreed thar
these wcro Traces Of him. and that tho !
palr of us should set out on another o.
podtioL. The Indians were still hostile, !
tu, We believed that party OF twn. taking all
due precautions. could accomplish more than |
a larger one. Weon tted for Il hunting cxre |
dition. having II third animal 10 hon" our |
packs. and We were siNty-twa days making the !