The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1893-04-12

arms and head hanging over the DASH
board. A ball had struck him in one eye,
and had taken part of the top OF his head
o.. but the other eye WAS open and glsr-
ing horribly.
The captain stepped out of cover and
advanced To the wagon, while We all fol-
lowed. The four men behind had been
seated facing each other, and had fallen
forward from their seats They were piled
together in the bottom OF the wagon-bed,
a ghastlv, bloody heap. But we were
after gold, not dead bodies, and two OF the
| band, climbing into the wagon, dumped
the unsightly corpses into the road, one
on top of another When the last corpse
was thrown out there lay the gold at the
| bottom-a huge lump in the shape of
sugar-loaf standing nearly foot high, but
so covered with the life-blood of the men
that only few yellow streaks indicated
the metal beneath. With it's red. cone
! shaped mass il resembled q great cory
heart torn from some monster larger than
an elephant. Some OF the band crossed
themselves on seeing II, mutierlng that
blood on god portended bSd luck. Just
| then, while the captain was cursing them
/ for a set of spperstitious fools and dec.ar-
ing that they need not claim their share IL
they we're afraid OF it, the mules, becom-
| ing frantic at the smell of blood, before
any one could spring TO their heads.
/ dashed forward with the wagon over the
brow of the hill. lnstinctivey we raised
our rifles to stop them in their headlong
course; but, an instant later, we saw It
was unnecessary. At the beginning of
the descent the road swerved TO the right
along the steep hillside, the ground slop-
ing off rapidly on the left side for twenty
/ feet 70 the brow of precIpice. In max
ing this turn at full speed the animals
swung the wagon off the edge of the grade
on TO the abrupt slope, and. in less time
/ than IL takes To describes IL, wagon, har-
ness, mules, together with the dead body
OF the driver, were piled in an ineXt.ica-
BILE mass among the powders OF a noun
tain torrent sixty feet below.
"On first leaving the road. the wagon
had upset and dumped the lump OF gold
on to the yielding soil of the slope. Itlay
half imbedded where 1t fell and as we
gathered around il some Of the supersti-
tious ones again started back in horror,
for all that was visible was bloody cross
lying nearly fiat upon the ground. tilted
slightly forward toward US. But the mys-
terry was easily explained. The cross was
merely framework on which the heavy
bullion could be more easily hand Ell
while in transit. 1t was formed OF two
| planks. each two feet in length, spiked to-
gether IN the form OF cross, and as four
OF us put our united strength to two of
the ends we had 10 strain hard 70 turn it
over. for the cone-shsped mass of gold was
still firmly attached to the lower side and
striking the ground when il fell, before
the framework, IL half buried itself. 1t
had been set on its base at the intersec-
ton OF the two planks, and firmly bound
| TO its y ace by thong after thong of green
] hat IL cd
dried. This was a great convenience to
| US and while four OF the mon were dis
patched 10 lead MP the horses AMI secure
the arms and other valuables that were
| now OF no use to the victims on top of the
hill, the remaining four laid hold OF the
four ends OF the framework and, strug-
| Cling up the few yards OF steep slope, set
| il down in tine center of the roadway
Here, when the horses had arrived, We
spread number OF blankets around
an open space about two feet square, and
with pick and shovel that had been
brought along as part Of the captains
! plan, we soon had a hole dug etout two
feet ia depth, into which, using two ratas
wo lowered the treasure. framework and
all. All the earth that we had taken from
the excavation had been carefully placed
on the outspread blankets. and now. after
reHiling and carefully STAN ping the hole
! we carried the remainder of the earth TO
a little distance and scattered IL over the
| bank. Our treasure was safe. for no one
would ever look for it there.
Nov. muchachosn said the captain
our work lie done. For three or four
months we will operate in another part
OF the country, and when it is ali forgot
ten we will come back some dag with ii
wagon and carry away our gold. Wanna
4 q -. he a
| shall ali be rich mem So saying, he
vaulted into his saddle and we followed
his example But before leaving the spot
we rode back and forth at Raiiop up ami
down the road to Obliterste al traces OF
our work.
"A month later, while operating in n
| distant part of The state, we were surprised
one evening while in camp by a large
body Of soldiers. Most OF us we're drunk
with mescal IA we had just returned from
q successful raid. | was badly hurt at the
first fire. and, unperceived, crawled away
among the rocks. where l lay till day
light within hearing Of the soldiers. After
they had gone | managed 10 get back 30
the scene of tie battle, where | found
every one of my late companions lying
dead and naked. The soldiers had robbed
them even of their clothes. L was found
that day by some Indians from a village
near by, and cared for till my wound had
healed.
AT first, in thinking about the treas
ure. which was now all nv own, felt
dazzled with my riches. Then L remsm-
bered the impossibiiiy of moving it and
getting it out OF the country without 9th
ers to help me. Finally. brooding over
the fate that had overta:Sen all who had
in any way been connected with IL except
me. became superstitious. There were
the four Englishmen VINO had guarded il
aud the poor Mexican who had been driv-
ing for them shot down in cold blood
there were NV seven comrades, who had
been part owners in it, massecred by the
soldiers and their bodies robbed. Twelve
men in all, and ! was the thirteenth, for
whom death was surely awaiting when
ever l again gnzed on that blood stained
gold and the CORY cross to which IL was
attached. vowed vow to myself never
TO 20 near it nor divulge the place Of It's
burial. / even feared TO stay in the coun-
try where il was, and working my way to
the Rio Grande l crossed into Texas"
Squirt Blood Out OF Their Eyes.
Independently