The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-10-20
LOST CABIN TREASURE.
The Cabin Has Been Found. But the
Treasure Is Missing.
From the san Franclsco Examin

in the vicinity of the Lost Cabin" So
many years have elapsed since II was
stolen that if found now it would be con-
sidered as treasure trove and would be
long TO the lucky finder The buried dust
is estimated to be worth at least $4,000
The Lost Cabin was built in the Cas-
I cades thirty-three years ago by four ore
gon pioneers while prospecting. They We're
Louis Paquet Of East Portland; Capt
| Hedges and Col. Caufield of oregon City,
and DR.. McAfee of Salem. What recalled
II 10 mind and induced Paquet TO revisit
the scene of his early pioneer days was
I the published statement that the famous
Lost Cabin had been found. The loca-
l ton was infinitely described, and he recOg-
nized it as the structure that he had help
/ ed to build.
With James Watkins and a MI Apple
/ gard, both of Portland. Paquet started
Tor the mountains. They went to Meha-
ma, on the Santiam river, thence to Elk
I norm, and then struck Gold creek, which
/ IS tributary of the north branch of the
I Sant1am. just before reaching the cabin
5aquet gave his companions an accurate
description OF the structure, how II was
constructed and the tunnel near 1t. The
I CABIN had nearly all rotted down, but the
I tunnel was still there some of the bank
/ at the opening having fallen in.
II was with peculiar sensations that
the oregon pioneer saw the spot he had
not visited in thirty-three years. He
/ said he built the cabin, and the old shack
near by 1t for a sort of blacksmith shop.
| The latter had nearly disappeared, only
/ a mound indicating where IT stood.
/ The story of the Lost Cabin" has been
| current history in Idaho, Washington
ana oregon for years. Its fabulous
| occupant have induced many persons to
] search for it. There are two stories con-
| corning the mysterious stranger who
| years ago inhabited the Lost Cabin
/ and buried in its immediate vicinity
/ gold dust OF great value. one of them
is that some time in the sos miner con-
] az 10
/ which usually carried large quantities of
/ gold dust from Boise City to Owyhee.
/ lie watched his opportunity, when large
amount of treasure would be shipped by
| Wells, Fargo & Co.'S Express. Picket
/ ing his horse in clump of bushes close
| to the road he lay in wait al the mouth
] of a canyon on the road between Boise
/ and Owyhee He held up" the stage,
| seized the United States mail and the
! Wells Fargo strong box, and leaving the
/ driver bound and gagged, made off to
! the mountains. In the box he found over
/ a hundred pounds of gold dust and q
! large sum of greenbacks.
The driver, when found, was half dead
and deliriOus from starvation. From his
! story suspicion was fastened upon the
/ robbers partner, who was, of course,
! innocent of the crime. However, he was
! arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced
/ to eight years in the penitentiary. Mean
| time the guilty man, fearing his own ar
rest, went into the mountains. He found
an unOccupied miners cabin, where he
determined to hide himself. He rarely
y
in the nearest camp.
The story goes that he buried his gold
dust in a hole under the stump of a tree
near his cabin. For several years he pass
/ ed the life of a hermit, until his con-
| science began troubling him because he
/ had permitted an innocent man to suffer
| for his crime. Finally he determined TO
/ go back to Idaho and surrender himself.
Several years older than when he had
/ left, and changed by the rough life he had
/ led, no one knew him when he reached
Boise. There his remorse made him miser-
| able, and when, soon after, he was taken
/ seriously sick and was about to die he
/ wrote a full confession, in which he des-
| cribed the place where the dust was hid
/ den. His partner was pardoned out and
/ disappeared.
The other story of the mysterious treas
/ ure has it that the existence of the Lost
! Cabin and mine was first known by the
! guards of the Washington penitentiary at
| Walla Walla about ten years ago. The
I prisoners had just been transferred from
/ the old penitentiary al Seatco, and the
usual search being MADE on criminal
/ murderer, serving a life sentence, was
found a piece of silver ore. When asked
/ where he obtained it he refused to answer
further than to say he had brother who,
if he desired could give the information
asked for. This brother. he said, lived at
the Cascades. A few years ago the murder
er died and his name is now forgotten.
Up to the last moment he refused to give
any information concerning the mine. He
constantly repeated:
MY brother shall have it; no outsider
For several years it was thought that
the secret had died with him. Yet this
did not deter adventurous prospectors
from hunting for the Lost Cabin" but
the search in every case was Ruthless
Seven years ago there was no prospect
of the Lost Cabin" ever being discovered,
but a few months later an old wanderer,
named Ross, no relative, by the way, Of
Cody's partner, gave chart of the cabin
and the mine and surrounding country
to a resident of Latourelle, who had fur
nished him with a nights lodging and
meal: 1t was said that the murderer in
his last moments had mentioned this
chart The owner of the chart did not
care to go on a ''wild-goose chase" as he
termed it. and give it to a friend. 1t
passed from one to another until it
reached James Ross in 1897. He started
for the mine several times, but his search
In 1889 he went bunting with friends
and in the afternoon the party became
separated Ross sighted an elk and
started in pursuit, but the, ight-limbed
animal led him on a ten-mile chase and
then disappeared down a raVine. He fol-
lowed. dismounted and pushed through
the underbrush In thicket he saw the
cabin and the tools of the murderer. He
carved his name on a log and then re-
Joined his friends,
the cabin again, but failed because pro-
visions gave out. They made a second
trip, this time being well equipped with
food and animals, and after long and diff
ficult journey they came upon the cabin.
On the ground were picks and shovels.
The handles broke when they tried to lift
the tools and the iron was covered with
rust. Lying about were cooking utensils
in the same state, and pieces of silver ore.
There was the tunnel which had been
bored into the side of the mountain and
from which the ore had been extracted.
Cody thinks the mine has been deserted
at least twenty-five years. He believes
the murderer feared discovery and left 1t
about 1868. and took up a claim further
away from the village. Cody bases his
belief upon the fact that the bark of
tree had been cut away and initials carved
upon the wood, but the bark had grown
over and almost obliterated the letters.
WILL BURST a MOUNTAIN.