The San Francisco call., 1896-06-17
TRUTH OF The TREASURE
Large Amount of Money Really
Buried in Calvary Gene
terry.
Charles Godella Was the Mysterious
Mexican Who Started the
Sensation.

The rumor of the burial of vast amount
of money in Calvary Cemetery has at last
been traced to its original source. The
story goes that one day while Contractor
Broderick was overseeing his men widen
ing the sidewalk of Geary street opposite
Central avenue, and pulling down the
earth of the cemetery, an old Mexican
drove by in cart and told Broderick that
there was vast amount of wealth hidden
in the exact locality where the men were
excavating.
Rumor had it the next day Sunday
that two well-dressed men were seen to
leave that locality laden with heavy
sack VIII ch they carried between them.
AS is usual in a case OF this kind the
amount of money buried took on fabu-
Ious proportions. 1t was quoted by some
to exceed $1500OO, while every one in
Richmond was positive that there was
buried certainly no less than 100000.
Charles Godella is an old man who has
lived out near Calvary Cemetery for years.
about twenty-eight years ago" said
Godella yesterday, AZ was sitting in the
sun in the old Avenue resort when it was
owned by Mike O'Brien. This was then
the halfway house for coaches going out
to the Cliff. l saw a man standing up on
the high ground of the cemetery near the
chapel, which then stood near to Geary
street. The stranger came down and
spoke to me. He had a sandy mustache
and looked like workingman. He asked
me if there was any objection to a man
digging in the cemetery.
81 told him [ thought there was and
that he might be arrested for trying to
steal bodies. He then asked me if there
was any objection to digging in the night.
told him that l thought this would be
still worse, because the superintendent
slept very near the chapel.
''After this he said: My friend, an
old partner of mine, is now in the Broad
way jail. Two years ago he robbed a
bank in San Francisco of $4,000 He
kept $4,000 and buried the rest first in
Laurel Hill Cemetery, and then fearing
that this spot was discovered took up the
money and reburied it in Calvary Gene
terry, seventy-five feet north from the
chapel, near to the headstone that had the
name of 30 Connor" on it.
81 never saw the man again." said Mr..
GodeIla, "but myself thought soon after
that 1 would try my luck there. l dug
around a gravestone that was partially
buried in the sand. AS near as 1 could
make out 'O'Connor' was inscribed on
the stone. felt around in the sand with
q long crowbar and about six feet down
felt solid mass of some length. This, 1
am positive, however, was only an old
wall that had been sanded over by the
wind.
81 gave up the search then, and the
story had been almost forgotten by me
until few weeks ago | saw the men dig
ging IN the same spot. 1 told them if
they found any treasure there to be sure
and give some to me, as l was the only
man that knew about it. am pretty sure
that no man has found anything there,
but at the same time L believe that what
the man told me twenty-eight years ago
was the truth"
Contractor Broderick said something
yesterday that in part corroborates the
story of the peanut vender.
ga day or two ago found about six feet
down from the surface said he, ga small
square box made of stones. This was
about foot square, but the top stones had
been evidently removed and placed back
| loosely. So if this was where the treasure
was first buried some one evidently dug it
up long ago."
Godella said that the money was buried
in an iron box surrounded by stones. The
question remains now-has the treasure
really been unearthed and has Godella
been the lucky man? He denies this ve-
| hemently. He owns considerable valuable
property in Richmond.