The sun., 1893-04-02
CALIFORNIA EPISODES OF ,4s.
Through Magellan StraIts-Hare and To
toIse Race-The Mysterious Box OF Gold

Through Magellan Stralts-Hnro and Tor
toIse Race-The Mysterious Box OF Gold.
1t was one night last week. and. on board
the Fall River steamer. In the group OF chance
acauaintances smoking and chatting amid
ships. The man with gray hair and fine
wrinkles around his eyes was talking:
1T is matter OF almost forty-four years"
Iaid 4, her course between here and Beaysrtall
lot OF us Fall River men who We're going out
to California to the gold mines. There were
one or two incidents following that start that
"0uE wabbly. cranky old craft worked down
to the Straits Q, MnEesn and then
square bowed brig. an awful slow ssiler. would
spread canvas at daylight and sail all day in
the adverse wind and tide.
some men @ out in a boat: they rowed up into
one OF the inlets. and there came upon n rakish.
queer. looking schoonerht anehor: h They ionnd
looking UP wrecks. She hadn't been in amy
rort in long time. When they had got an
our what f "the the i devil Is the matter: I've seen
hundreds OF sails going along into the Pacific
When they told him OF the discovery Of gold
in California he said nothing and thought a
moment with his forehead all puckared up.
aud then he said: We'll TO California; ws 60.
then and at once made preparations to sail
~ before SHE sailed. Capt. Henry winsow.
Edward Pratt. and myself changed ships. in
3HS sshooHer ne whSse sr we Daia sUS apecs
We lay to waiting t0t favorable time for the
1n G1 ,u 9ns aw,u! WI i9gsy night
going through the heaIlands; we. put the
glasses on her and it was the old brig Robert!
tub W5ad F" bown Down 10 tae Cape Horn nnd
never heard Of again. But at Pernam buco she
turned UP agHln al right. aud the two vessels
Started out together, we, on the schooner,
FromiSSing poo 20 walt in san Francisco
2F the the ma Ne alaPa9' S Hsts ss9 again ES
the voyage. After several weeks we arrived at
the Golden Gate and sailed up the bay OF San
brig. pat the glasses on her. found j, was
again the Rober,-been In port oyr two
ani she never was, m owed from there. but lies
there now. covered by some OF the tine down.
made land Quarter OF a mile from the water
"a ffa,. and went up to tho mines. located
a clain. and went To work After Pratt had
lucky ho Was called away on business loan 10 an
from san Franclsc,, We couldn't get our gold
dust changed. SO I'd took his and. without any
3ht na gong oa. behind SIf Ills eaSn
dug about four feet down into the soil and
buried i, marrying the spot BY a tree that stood
lie came o99eS several weeks after to renew
tIlc Eolii lUul Nb WIS HOlDG out To
dig it up He took his spade and went out
along with him. He began TO dig and very
soon struck the box. took It up and carried It
to his cauin.
That q mt look like my box ho said; 1T
looks a little bigger some way
He nnened the box. and. sure enough, It
wasn't his, for 1t had about three times the
weight OF gold he had buried. We were lust
gotten. or made a IN stake regarding the gold
out he was dead sure anout IL. Then said We
ought to go out and dig around the place. and
HAx -,
eight inches lower. found the box he had
The question was, whose box was the nrst
onei 1t was PUT into the camp supply store
and IL was advertised. but no one ever came to
claim II. No one was missing from our camp.
strange box After four months Id Pratt TOOK
the gold. by right OF declared ownership 1t
is supposed the owner who buried IL had
either been killed By the Indians or m urd cred
by joaquin Marletta's gang. which was the
terror OF mining California at that time"