The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-10-11
BURIED TREASURE.
A story That Ees Caused a Great Deal
OF Digging With Poor Results.
From the 81. Louis Republic.
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OF Digging With Poor Results.
From the 81. Louis Republic.
Away back yonder in the days Of romance
and adventure. when the rivers, forests and
prairies watered and fed the pioneers, there
came to Ste. Genevieve a man named
Welt. He was a Freedman by birth
and education. He inherited a good name
and acquired a classical education in France.
When he attained his majority there he
learned TO love politics and his enthusiasm
In that direction caused him to be exiled by
the king or his beloved land. So he sailed
to America. He landed In New Orleans
| and made his way up the Mississippi and
cast his lot with the people of Ste. Gene
We've de had acquired some knowledge OF
medicine and began its practice among the
citizens OF that historic French village.
lime wore on and he married the belle OF
Ste. GeneVieve. Soon after that he moved
to 81. Louis and settled out where Hazel
Hill, one Of the prettiest of the many
suburbs OF st. Louis, is now located. He
practlced frugality and in little while had
! acquired large tract Of land in that neigh
| oorhood. He built hun a comfortable home
and lived there for many years, trading
with the Indians. practlciug his profession
ana selling Drugs and medicines to his neigh
bors. Days grew into weeks and weeks into
| $500 NA0 W. A-SuiS " o3SSAo- IOp-
erty became valuable and soon the French
man found himself rich m lands. One day
ne sold his entire possessions, with the
exception OF an acre or SO of realty,
upon which his modest home was
| located. He received in payment over
100000 In gold. There were no banks In
those days, and his mind was in a state Of
perturbation as to how to care for his big
| Gag of gold. The next day be decided that
| he would bury it. He took shovel and
! the bag and went over the hill. 1t was a
| hot day, and when he returned to the
house he complained Of being unwell. he
drank a big glass of cool spring water, and
IN an hour was dead. He died with the
| secret Of the hidden treasure sealed within
| his cold and unresponsive lips. His family
hunted in vain for the money, but their
efforts met with no reward.
year or so afterward the widow sold
the homestead and moved away. She has
| never been heard from to this day
Such is the legend that is attached to the
pretty home and garden of E. Il. Benoist,
who now lives near the same spot where
! unfortunate DIR. Welt lived and died.
About ten years ago the story of the bur-
led wealth was revived and soon the terri
tory surrounding Hazel Hill was invaded
by an army of mon with pick and shovel.
Every inch of ground was dug into. The
gulches and mountains around Creede, Col.
were never 30 faithfully inspected as the
grassy fields to the north, east, west and
south Of she old Welt homestead. But
| nothing was found and the story was soon
sileuced.
About year ago when the Midland Elec-
trio railway, which skirts the property,
was completed, the tale of the hidden gold
reached the ears of the employees of that
company. So numerous were the pros
pectors among the railroad boys that 1t be-
came almost necessary for Mr.. Benoist to
guard his fields and gardens with a shot.
gun to keep them from tearing up his gar
den. But with all Of his vigilance it was
impossible TO keep them all away. A
few months ago man named
Allois, bookkeeper In the city, heard
the story. Later on he heard that
man living in Arkansas possessed
"divining rod" which had been successf ul
IN discovering mines and other subterranean
treasures Allois at once entered into COM
municatlon with the Arkansas man and be-
came possessor of said divining rod at
cost of $l,000 Then Mr.. Alos quit his
position and took up his camp near the
Benoist estate. He walked over valley aud
vale, hill and hollow, touching every foot of
land in that territory. The divining rod
failed TO do its duty. and after a months
labor Mr.. Allois gave up the hunt In disgust
and went to Chicago.
some weeks ago MT. boDOlSp lOst nne
bull from bis Jersey herd. A huge grave
was dug and the bull was buried. A few
days ago man named Mack dis
covered the grave. His mind ran back to
the story of the old gold. That night he
borrowed shovel and went to work. All
night long he tugged and toiled. When
the gray down began to break the next
morning Mack was still at work. An hour
later he reached the bottom, but instead Of
gold there lay the bones of Mr.. Benoist's
dead bull.
On last Saturday week as Mr.. Benoist
was riding over his farm he discovered three
Irishmen making hole in the ground big
enough to bury whole herd of bulls. A
threat of arrest and prosecution for trespass-
ing drove them away. but that night they
returned and dug away until daylight drove
them off.
But the buried gold has not yet been
found.