The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-15
INDIAN TREASURE.
Traditions Among the Indians as to
the Burial of Money.

knS Oh OAOhbYs
Tampa, Fla, July 13.-In a recent issue
of the MORNING News I find the follow
lowing
AN unknown Indian woman has APP
peared on Sand Mountain, near Island
Creek, Ala, and has bought in a quiet
way options on all the lands she can get
in certain locality on the mountain
range. She now claims there is untold
wealth in the hill sides she has bought,
communicated to her by her people, who
once occupied that section, but who now
live in Indian Territory"
Possibly this may be regarded as the
breaking of the ice, and If il be so, flood
of such actions may follow.
Traditions are abundant in the noun
tains of rich mines having been scaled up
by the Indians to hide them from the
white man, and among the Indians tales
are told of treasures left behind, safely
hidden, but maps, trees, rocks and trails
make all available when necessity de-
mands or safety permits.
This action of the sduaw may be only a
feeler: a trial trip in which the woman is
only the agent of her chief.
The method OF proceeding indicates
probably one of three conditions either
there is some doubt of the exact locality,
or there is a number of mines or caches
or simultaneous operation in different To-
calities will be carried on to blind the
central point of interest.
There have beer numerous instances OF
Indians returning to their old homes, find
ing something with which they loaded
their ponies and hurrying away.
In rare instances friendly white men
were told by Indians where they might
find something valuable. In still.
more rare instances an Indian compass
was presented to a tried white friend by
an Indian chief. In this Indian com pass
lies the secret of the trails and mines that
the white man has failed to find give a
well instructed Indian chief an Indian
map showing the location of any particu-
lar spot, of Indian Importance and an In
dian compass, and he will find the place
his compass and map find a section
corner.
Every place of Importance. to the In
dian is well marked and connected by
trails with centers from which radiate
trails that join public or national trails,
these trails traverse the entire national
territory,
Indian maps are sometimes cut into the
bark Of trees, or, under the bark on the
body of the tree, the bark covering the
maps; other information often accom-
panies the map. l have seen several such
maps near Tampa, and have known sew
eral white men who each owned an Indian
compass, by the use of which they ex-
pected to become suddenly rich but an
Indian compass, without a map and in
structions, is no more useful than ma
riner's compass without chart or sailing
directions.
The Indian woman probably has all, or
will be furnished with all, that is neces-
sary to find the mines, and the details Of
the process. if seen by the whites, may
not only be interesting but probably as
tonishing, as the Indian compass has no
the scientific authorities of the present
age.
When the Indians were taken to their
reservation in the west they expected to
return after a time, being told that q
prophet would come and drive the white
men into the sea. Tradition says they
left much Of value at their old homes hid
in the earth, and ! am told that they, at
regular periods, send back men TO in
spect. renew and otherwise care for their
marks and signs; and further that the
remnant of Seminoles which remain in
Florida were chosen for that purpose, 10
be near at hand to care for the marks,
which are important guides to caches Of
the valuables they could not (some say
dared not expose TOY carry away with
them
| have certainly found Indian marks
that had been freshened, and young trees
planted TO replace dead ones and carry
ing their marks; what they lead 10 may
be Of value in the estimation of an Indian,
but not to a white man.
Tales of treasure hidden in Tampa Bay
by pirates are so plentiful that every year
has its parties Of searchers, sometimes
secretly, sometimes openly, following di-
rection obtained from some dying sailor,
or from some old paper too precious TO be
exhibited. Reported res lts always have
the same tenor as the last one-"boodle
gone"
Persons versed in Indian lore say this
The pirates put the treasure there, the
indians took it up and placed it in under
ground chambers, Of which many were
known TO them, then they sealed up the
entrances, planting trees over them, and
that is the reason why certain trees are
replanted and the marks kept up so care
fully.
From the recently dug holes that have
seen there must be several Indian com
passes in use by Industrious diggers.
Who has a map and Instructions A COM
bination Of the two might produce valu-
able results. 10 VoYLE.
mr. TufTa II smith "a vycI1.knoyyn r,hvafefan