The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-02-07
A VAST BURIED TREASURE
Over a Half Million Dollars in Gold Dust
Recovered from a Robbers Cache.
History of a Big Fortune Discovered BY Pros
pectOr Robinson in the Bitter Root Mount
aims That Is Written in Blood.

Denver News.
The story has been told in these columns
of the strange adventures of prospector
Robinson. who recently arrived in q Ceur
d'Alene town in Idaho. with his cayuse
loaded down with enough gold dust to start
q bank. He brought out SS6. 900 and re-
ported finding q great quantity of dust
that had been buried by robbers in the
Bitter Root mountains thirty years ago.
With a suitable guard he at once set out
into the wilderness OF the Clearwater coun-
try to bring out the balance of the treasure,
about 1866, 900.
The expedition. after passing through
incredible dangers and hardshlps, has ar
rived safely at Lewiston. Ida, and the
money rests at last in q colossal bank safe.
One of the men who accompanied the ex-
petition, whom we shall call Anderson.
has returned TO the Ceur d'Alenes. and
thus tells of the extraordinary adventures
that befel the party:
When 1 was asked to join the party"
said Anderson, with an air of pardonable
pride. 81 was told that only men of tried
nerve, unQuestionable integrity and IN
fiinching courage should compose the
guard. The wages were large and the
dangers unquesti onably very great. Each
man on the force received $40 a day and
expenses. We had fourteen guards. armed
to the teeth and well mounted. twenty-five
pack mules and five trained packers, the
whole cavalcade being under the charge
of Robinson, the man who found the $780,
600 cache of the robbers. This guard was
necessary, as we anticipated being waylaid
by highwaymen.
Think of it, We proposed to convey
over $500. 600 in ready cash through q vast
wilderness and sparsely-s ettled region, m
thoroughly noised abroad before we started.
The wonder is that we ever escaped with
our lives. to say nothing of protecting the
treasure.
HISTORIC Lo 10 TRAIT.
"As the snow was already too deep to go
into the country by way of Montana and
the st. Regis valley 1.-THE nearest route to
the cachel we were obliged TO take q wide
detour through the State of Washington.
Then passing through the Potlatch country
we forded the north fork of Clearwater at
its junction with the south fork. on the Nez
.perce reservation, and entered upon the
historic Lo Lo trail. which would take us
to our destination.
'Our camp every nigat had the appear
ance of q veritable fortification. Martial
law was the rule of the camp. Seven
guards were on duty while their associates
slept. We were all In q strange state of ex-
element. and as we entered the wild region
back of the reservation, in what Is known
as the Weippe country. and began to meet
on the lonely trails Indians and uncouth.
savage-looking backwoodsmen, i, for one,
began to wish L hadn't come.
well. our trip into the mountains was
uneventful enough, although the snow
proved q terrible obstacle lit was then late
in N~ovember.) We found 1t impossible to
get nearer than within twenty miles of the
cache, SO We made snow shoes and sleds.
and. leaving two men to guard the animals.
we set off for the cache. Snow was falling
copiously. Our camp was far MP in the
range. and had It not been for the abund-
ant supply of grain we had brought with
us our animals would certainly have per-
ished of starvation. The necessity for
haste in occurring the cash., and getting out
of the mountains before the snow rendered
travelling impossible, added not a little to
our excitement and agitation.
without o. suspiofvnr OF Impending Ca
lamlty, except on the part of our leader
he believed that we were being followed
our party set forth. Before we had gone
twenty miles a party of twenty masked
men swooped dOwn upon our camp. killed
the two guards, took possession of the
premises. and there laid In wait for our re-
turn.
5000 POUNDS OF GOLD DUST.
Meanwhile We proceeded mp the mount
ain to the robbers cache. We were sup
piled with long Norwegian snow-shoes and
drew a hand sled with broad runners, upon
which we proposed to load 5000 pounds of
gold-dust. In due time we reached the
cache. and so thoroughly had Robinson
marked the spot that,he had no diff Guilty in
finding it. With shovel we cleared away
SIX feet of snow. made an excavation. and,
behold. the pile of moldy buckskin sacks,
filled with the precious dust. lay before US.
"Ah. gentlemen, who can explain the in
t~oxicating. maddening influence of goldf
How strangely and potently 1t transforms
the frail human heart. Since my return
from this terrible expedition i have had a
tender feeling for the old pirates of by gone
days. They were mad mon and practically
irresponsible. AS we looked upon that CO.
iossal fortune in that lonely mountain glen,
with the thick storm sweeping around US,
and no one to take note of our exploits, no
ears to hear the death-cry of victims sud-
denly smitten. only the tall, senseless for
est trees TO behold a possible deed of hor-
ror and injustice, each man glared horribly
at his ~neighbor. Once, when one of my as
sociates, q close friend of mine, too,
made some uncertain motion; my
blood ffOss; actually thought
butcher us all in order to seize the treasure.
The nightmare history of the stuff rose be-
fore our fancies wildly. How easily then
we appreciated the motives of the two sol
Q1cTe VINO, III tDc OIO ID less uayS OF 1907,
slaughtered their associates near that very
spot In order to seize this same heap of
useless gold. How leniently we judged
them. The horror of that tragedy in some
way seemed lessened: we were all under
the same spell that led those mon to stain
their souls with crime. For q few moments
we all looked with horrible apprehension
upon the action of our companions. half ex-
pecting that murder and treason would be
done. But soon our senses returned; we
emembered the perlls of our situation. and
q wholesome and loyal determination to do
our duty wiped out the hideous suspicious
OF our minds.
transferring the pretty yellow stuff to
stout canvas sacks. We loaded the three
thousand pounds on our sled and lost no
time In leaving the accursed spot through
O thick storm of snow.
And now the cunning generalship of our
leader became apparent. Always on the
alert, he seemed now incapable of taking
rest or sleep. We We're within a few miles
of the camp when Robinson halted the pro-
cessiOn and called q council of wal.
!. II CUNNING P~RosPECToR.
"'Gentlemen.' said Robinson. if we
have been followed 1t is more than likely
that the enemy has captursd the camp
and Is lying in wait for US. l rave pre-
pared for this contin gency. Ihave marked
out q route which Will leave the camp a
few miles TO the right. Now, we will fol-
low this route. 90 into hiding in a certain
ave that l know of. then send a man back
to camp to see If all is well. If it is we will
then proceed hDmeward with all speed. If
it Is not right, but all wrong, We can hold
the fort in the cave, for have laid in q