The Russellville Democrat., 1893-11-09
| THRILLING ADVENTURE
{ Occurred h Eastern Afkansas and
 Thsrsby Haags Slory.
The Rfsaing of John A- sEBrreii's Treasars
 as Told hy Jsmes K. Turner.
popLAa GnoTE Anx Nov. l

POPLAR 6novE. Azx-. Nov. IL. fspeeiaE. -Tha story Of Capt Rot. srt Kidd. tke great sea pirate. has furnished romance for the TO- mantle ever since 15B0, and nokwithstAnd- Sng pags on page has been written about the truisisss search for his treasure, inter est in the search continues and ta this ezy thers is a hope that the Dzrisd yalaAbies may be found.
 Lnatte, the Bzsstorsan chief. while sailing in the Caribbean sea sbout tss year l500 made 2 history also, which, clothed ir romance and fiction, cnapgsd The feel ing Of se0rn and dislike for s thief and murderer to that of respect and admira- ton.
 But although Of a much later date than that ot Latte and Capt. Kidd, the history of John + MurrelI is far mora interesting, for while the Action Of those two characters are f0nnded on fact, the history of MuFrsll is fact itsssf. Stripped of all Esst3o,, seTsTsd from all romance the faet remains that John 4. Murrell. the great land pirate. was one of the most designing. sehsming, bold and fearless outlaws of this day and time. The old saying that he feared neither Sod, man nor devil could be appropriately applied to hin.
 Another fact making the history of Mur- reli doubly interesting to those Of Eastern Arkansas is because here-in what is now Phillips, Lee and Monroe counties. was the stamping ground, or rendezvous of the great narauder.
 The very name of Murrell was dreaded and woaad cause a shuddeF as quick az the fear of an epidemic of the worst character. But there were th0se who etasr from fear of the tyrant, or hope of gar ing with him in the distribution of she spoiIs, "stc0d in with him. for in ri-affy every neighborh0od could be found q 'fMarrell man Not that the pubic at large knew anything of it, but Marrell and ali of his men did, and member of the gang, although perhaps never in the com nsunity before, could recognize friend ss soon as be saw his dwelling. for g single pine tree in the front yard vas guarantee that he who resided there was in gym pathy with Murrell, and that implicit con fidence could be placed in them that is, he and his household.
 It was necessary for Murrell to select conhdant in each nsighborhood that he could be kept informed as to all the move msnts of the neighborhood, and also have a stopping place when travelling through the country, for it should be remembered that his deprsdations covered a consider able territory.
 They had more than one place of rendez- vous. One in the hills back Of Helena; one near Indian Bay. and the other in Lee county, and which to this day is known as Council Bend or the Maranaerss Paradise. These Accumulations of wealth must have been enormous One Of the first things the writer can remember when boy, was that MarreIl had a "bushel Of money hid in the hills, buried back of Helena; and still another old story that it was buried somewhere near Carnega Bluff on Big Greek in Phillips county.
 Near this bluff is an old field of a few acres, and in 1850 there was a log cabin standing near the edge of fl. By whom built, and when, is now nor known. About the year 1860 two men came to this neighborhood ard enquired where the houss stood, one or two of the old settlers pointed out the place and hinted their desire to know wla was their mission, but the men were very reticent on the subject. The men were seen to walk about with sharp iron rod, which they would drive in the ground, presumably to strike some hard substance.
 The war coming on the f'Mur- rell treasure died out until about 1870, wben it broke ont afresh, caused by two old men coming in the community of Carnega Bluff and re- newing their search. These two old, gray haired men, after fruitless search of sew eral weeks, made confident If an old gen tleman living near, and told him that they were distant relatives of the famous John 4. Murrell, and that they had memos randa of the locality where the treasure was buried, but that they could not get starting point. They finally told this old man of the neighborhoed that the treasure was buried in the ground in a large pot and covered with another pot bottom upwards. These men had driven the rod in the ground all around the bluff and had dug with spades, but 80 far as learned never found any valuables. This search was continued once year until about 1885, when the hunt was absndoned-at least the strange ly acting old gray bearded men never re- newed their visits to the locality of Carnega Bluff
 In passing through the counties above named there can be seen to this day dotted over the country, here and there single pine tree sometimes it stands in an open field, sometimes near some farm house, but wherever it may be found, it was planted as means of recognition and as token of protection within the walls of the cabin that once stood near by.
 On account of being an evergreen pines are rather numerous in Eastern Arkansas as a yard tree, but you will always see more than one in a yard where you find the "Murrell lone pine" and it stands solitary and alone from all other trees. Murrell and his band are gone and all his lawlesaness, theft and murder nearly forgotten, save when passing along through the country the eyes catch a glimpse of one of those lone pines.
 What tale it could tell, if permitted to talk What bloody tragedies have been planned within the shadows of it's branches The low, sad, solemn noise of the winds blowing through the leaves of those pine trees can still be heard, as if bemoaning the death of the unfortunate traveller who had fallen into the clutches of the land pirate and his aiders, or the vail of the lost spirit of Nurrell himself coming back from the other world as warning to his other brethren.
 The most of their deliberations and plans were matured during the darkest hours of midnight within the walls and under the roof of one of "their men, yet who was living as quiet, law abiding man and citizen in the neighborhood. Little did settlers in this community think, when talking to him as their neighbor, and displaying their fine horses or alluding to some sale of property they had made, whereby they had come into possession of money that this neighbor { D would report it all to the next meeting of Murrells men. We stated that in this locality the excitement of MurrelPs treasure "died out about 1885. It was at it's height in 1883. We also stated that while the sto- rieg of Kidd and Laftte were clothed in romance that the Murrell story was fact This is nearly true, but not quite. There is a little romance connected with it..
 Bettie Jones was twenty years of