Smyrna times., 1895-07-03
Unearthlng a Subterranean Vault.


Unearthlng a Subterranean Vault.
SUPPOSED TO BE ONE HUNDRED AND
FIFTY YEARS OLD.
In the old lot, once the yard of the
historic Quaker westinghouse, but
now owned by Frank Bailey, of this
town, there has been unearthed a huge
stone slab which marks some unwrit-
ten history connected with the early
settlement of this town.
The story leading up to these uncov-
cred slabs is one of historic as we'll as
curious interest, One hundred years
ago the Quakers were the leading de
nomination of this village, then known
as Duck Creek Cross Roads, and in
this little meeting house on the east
side OF the village crowds of worship
ers used to come from the country
around and fill its benches from pulpit
to door. When Methodism and other
denominations gained footho'd in
this community the Quaker denOmina-
ton began to wane aud in few years
went out of existence. The meeting
when opened, was used for select
school known as Smyrna English Clas-
steal Academy. In 1866 Rev +. NJ
| Chatham was the principal He was
succeeded by DR.. J. f. Clawson, now
of Philadelphia, who bought the
property and ran it until the build
ing was destroyed by fire in 1876
So much for a brief history of the
! old Quaker westinghouse. From the
famous revival of 1929, when so many
of the employees of Benson & Cats
carriage works, then the leading in
dUstry of this town, went out into the
ministry, there was young man
named James Woolls who left for the
| West to be a preacher He had
been an apprentice with DR.. John A.
Roche, Of New York, and Joseph
Reynolds, Esq, of this town. He re-
maned West for many years and not
long before the meeting house burned
down he was haunted by mysterious
dream that in the old westinghouse
yard there was subterranean vault
containing pot of gold, This idea
was so impressed on his mind as to
make him uneasy, so he came East in
search of his treasure. In the shades
of this old Westinghouse many can re-
member seeing him with his lantern
and men haunting the region of his
dream. Nothing was done, however,
and relating his dream to few of his
friends he left for the West and has
not been heard of since
a short time after the building
burned down, the bricks of the founda.
tiOn were bought by w. A. FAIRIES *
Bro, of this town, w. a. FAIRIES had
charge of the moving Of these bricks
and while working in this old lot, he
remembered hearing the story and to
satisfy his own curiosity put his men
to work digging in the supposed spot
where Rev. WoOlls thought the vault
and treasure to be- They dug down
about six feet when they came to a
solid stone base and would have gone
} down one side had he not received
orders from the owner of the property
to cease digging. This confirmed in
E his mind that there must be something
in his dream, for there, sure enough,
was the Gaping stone of the vault.
, Nothing more Wss donO until last
week, when Frank Bailey, who had
often heard cf the incident, decided to
E unearth this mysterious stone if for no
+ other reason than what the value OF
f the stone would bring him.
He had considerable trouble in find.
? ing the exact spot as to where this
J stone could be, for in the years that
9 have elapsed, the lot has been used as
| a pasture field and so worn that even
the traces of the foundation of this old
p Westinghouse could hardly be distin-
guished. BY the aid of Mr. FAIRIES the
' place was finally found and the men
nut to work. First they came to the
I stone, about six feet below the surface
a This thev uncovered and found to be
r one of the largest eyer seen in this
s Part Of tho State, 1t weighed fully
= one and a-halt tons, measuring six
= feet long, four feet wide and nine
r inches thick. Digging down on one
a side the earth caved in, leaving a hole
b large enough for a boy to craw
: through. The excavation was wild
j. ened and through this boy was sem
: to investigate the regions of this So
h called vault. There was nothing
s there but moulding signs of decay. ThC
s huge stone seemed to be resting on {
Il HOilNA Udot. 4NOluilB was lOuuu luSlue
S this cavern but an old clay smoking
pipe, which was the only relic besides
d dead wood and bricks covered will
: mortar, TO show that the place haC
v ever been used. With renewed effor
@ the men set to work and soon tn,
It huge stone was lifted from it's soliC
t. foundation and dragged to one side O
d the lot. deeper and deeper the picl
n and spade made their way, now anC
d then unearthing smaller stone slab
= which stood on their edge around tn,
vault, apparently forming the sides
t The dirt fairly crumbled and peele,
r. from the sides, easily marking tn,
d width of the vault. A little over 81:
d feet below the capping stone the,
il came to another huge stone which wa
sr probably the floor of this vault. Thi
l. has not yet been uncovered, as tn
z, men have since been stopped by rail
n and will not continue the work unit
n the ground becomes dry enough t.
o. proceed. The much coveted pot @
le gold has not been found.
This discovery is one of a mysteri
N Gus coincidence which even puzzle
n our oldest inhabitants. No one eve
III heard of such a place only through
a the vision of Rev, WoOlls, Dream
ie are so imaginary that one rarely put
4, confidence in their meaning; yet tn
n, vault was there, pictured just as tn
n dreamer related it. Joseph Reynold.
who probably can remember back fui
ID ther than any other citizen, has al
'r indistinot recollection of seeing th
lrr Quakers meet there and afterward
ID knew the ground well, but as far q
or anything connected with this vault h
has never heard word except throug
I'd Woolls' dream. The question natu,
le ally arises, "How old is this vault an,
Ig what was it used forY" Some think i
y. was used to store money away: other
" think 1t might have been the grave Z
OF some rich colonial family, but on
thing is evident and that is, it must b
re from a hundred to hundred and gift
ie years old. There may be any amour
- OF conjecture as to what it was use
y Tor, but no one will ever know, as
VIII remain an unwritten history of