The record-union., 1893-03-08
GOLD IN OZARK HILLS.
Interesting Traditions of Hidden
Treasure.


Missouri Intermittent Efforts Have
Been Made to Find Wealth in a
Huge Cave Where Men Are Now at
Work
The traditions of the lost silver mines
OF Southwest Missouri seem to possess a
charmed life. They cling to the Ozark
Hills with wonderful tenacity. To hun
dreds OF credulous seekers these stories of
hidden wealth have been the most elusive
will-o'-the-wisps, leading the eager fol-
lowers of the "divining-rod" and the
tlme-worn parchment "way-bill' over
many miles of rugged country, only to
vanish at last without disclosing the old
secret where the Spanish cavaliers found
the fabulous treasures of which every
denlzen of this mountainous region has
heard so much from the early settlers.
The first white men who came to this
part OF the State. after the Delaware In
dians We're induced to exchange their
lIne hunting grounds on the slopes of the
Ozarks for a reservation west OF the Mis-
souri, border, heard these tales of the lost
silver mines once worked by the Span
lards, and the rugged hunters from Ten
nessec, Kentucky and the Carolinas list
ened to the romantic legends of the
Castllan knight and his subterraneau
treasures. That these pioneers would
often leaveithe track of the deer to ex-
plore some gulch or cave where the
wealth might be concealed is not re-
garded by the Globe Democrat as incred-
lble. They believed the stories told them
by the old men of the Delaware tribe.
Since the hintlock rifle and the hunting
knife began the conquest of Anglo-SaXon
civilization in the W hite River valley the
search for the precious ore and the pots
OF coin which the SpaniardS buried, "be-
cause they could not carry away all this
wealth. has never been abandoned.
One mile east of Ozark is the Garrison
cave, where six men are working hope
fully in what they consider an old Span
ish mine. They have leased the cave for
long period and expect to test the truth
tuInesS OF the Indian stories and the YER
ity of that silent guide, ''the divining
rod" whose mysterious promptings led
one adventurer fifty miles through the
Ozark Mountains to this spot. Forty
years ago this same cave was explored
IN search of the lost mine supposed to be
near Ozark. James Garrison then owned
the cave. One day an aged stranger
came to the Garrison homestead, situated
on the top of the hill just above the cave,
and asked permission to hunt for the ira
ditional treasure. The old man had a
strange-looking rod in his hand. For
many miles, he said, this inanimate thing
had pointed steadily in one direction.
Following the guidance of the rod he had
Travelled over mountain and valley, day
after day, till the cave was found. Here
the magical guide indicated that the bur
led wealth was located. Beyond the cave
the rod would not lead its possessor.
FOLLOWING THE OWNING ROD"
Garrison made the stranger promise to
share.with him the prize found before
permission was granted to search the
cave. Then the adventurer entered the
cavern. The rod worked" vigorously
in the hands of the old man as he fol-
lowed its leadingS into the depths of the
gloomy subterranean chamber. At last
the mystic staff indicated that the object
sought was beneath the feet of the
searcher. When taken beyond this
point farther into the cave the rod pointed
back toward the entrance. At the mouth
OF the cavern it again inclined inward.
From various points in the cave the rod
was tried, and it invariably manifested
the same tendency toward the first place
indicated as the locality of the treasure.
Having aScertalned, as he supposed,
the hiding-place OF fabulous wealth, the
stranger began to clean out the cave, ex-
pecting soon to expose vast quantities of
precious metal. But before single Span
ish relic was discovered the cave became
q haunt OF hideous terrors. CHASTITY
sounds, which no mortal ear could en-
dure, filed the rocky chamber. The
Workmen fled from these phantom
sounds III horror and refused to re-enter
the haunted cavern. Thus the first search
for the Spanish mine in the Garrison cave
ended.
Long after the disappearance of the old
Gfr 1.fNI flo
members of the Garrison family resumed
the exploration of the cave in quest Of
the treasure, but whenever they began to
dig, the strange, unearthly sounds fright
ened them away. The workmen would
rush out of the cave with their hair
standing up on end when the ghastly
noise was heard, says a man who now
lives at the old Garrison place, near the
precipice penetrated by the cavern
Again and again did brave and hardy
men attempt to excavate the loose rock
and earth in the haunted chamber, only
to be driven out of the cave by the in
visible terrorS whose tendiSh voices the
stoutest heart could not endure. These
awful sounds were described by some of
the workmen as resembling the pound
ing of an empty barrel with a nallet
Others heard metallic noise like the
hammering of iron on an anvil. Some
times the depths of the cavern would re-
vertebrate with sobs and walls too horri-
Bile for description. But whoever once
heard these 1rightful voices OF the phan-
tom denizens of the subterranean dark
ness would never again attempt to wrest
from the cave its supposed wealth. The
lost Spanish treasure had no charm that
could tune the ear of the miner to those
goblin groans and sighs which accom-
panied each stroke Of the pick and shovel
whenever the work in the cave was re-
sumed. But all the while the spell of
mystery made the cavern and its gloomy
surroundings objects of deep interest to
all who knew OF these strange STORIES
Now and then some veteran searcher
after Spanish treasures would come to
the Garrison settlement and listen to the
tales that the older members of the fam
ilv could tell about the cave and its an
cient mine of silver known TO the first
white explorers of the Ozark region.
CLEAR EVIDENCE OF AN OLD MINE.
Five wears ago three of the Garrison
brothers, John, Absalom and Joseph,
who had been away from the country
since the war, returned to the old home
stead and leased the cave for the purpose
of mining. One of the men had been a
miner in California for years, and knew
much about the precious ores. He had
been brought up near the cave and knew
its romantic history from early child
hood. He left the gold fields OF the Pa
cific Coast and came all the way to the old
Missouri homestead TO try once more to
find the silver treasure guarded by the
qhostly tenants of the cave. Three other
men ioined the Garrison brothers in their
enterprise and the work began.
In front of the cave was a vast heap of