Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1896-01-08
THE MISSING WEALTH
A GOOD STORY OF CURED TREAS
uRe AT NEW LONDON.
vain Search For tho Gold That Disappear
ed From the Spanish Gsiieon-Futiic III.
forts Of the Descendants of witch strick.
land, whose Charm Failed.


land, Whose Charm Failed.
The late John X, Bolles Of this city
used to relate very good story of Witch
craft, digging for buried treasure, aud tho
robbery Of Spanish galleon, all Of which
occurred inside the limits of New London
within $50 ycnrs. The last two features
OF tho story are facts In history.
As late as July H. 1927, two men from
Vermont, said to be descendants OF an ante
Revolutionary witch named Strickland,
dug by the side OF what IL now Law
renco's wharf for buried gold by the ad-
Vice OF some OF their iorefathors who dug
there before them In the seventeen hun
dreds. The diggcrs were hunting for tho
treasure OF the spanish galleon ST. Jo-
seph and st. Helena which was plundered
ut her mornings while lying thore for re-
pairs and shelter In 1884. None Of tho
diggers was successful The first party
were grandsous Of tho Strickland woman
who as witch was expelled long before
from both the Connecticut and Massachu-
sotts colonies,
The state OF Vermont, however, will.
ingly harbored all gray. lean sisters OF
tho airy broomstick race, and this no.
counts for Witch Strlckland's settling
there.
This witch was said 20 have possessed
nngio pebble. us clear as crystal, into
which she could look and see treasure
buried under land or water II was
through this happy medium that she
CHANGED upon the missing treasure of the
st. Joseph and ST. Helena.
This gulleon, which loft So much bullion
about New London, was the occasion Of u
local event which was not only discredita
bic to the Connecticut colony, but showed
.hat our old time solons were not above re-
pronch. a lively political disturbance re-
suited
Tho st. Joseph and st. Helena, while
putting in here In distress In 1853, run
upon a reef Of rocks outside tho hRrhor.
Before she could bc noa;od 1t became nee.
ossary to unloHd her, Then she was re-
pairod here, Her freight was put In charge
of Joseph Hill nt that time collector Of
the port, The supercargo of the galleon
was Don Joseph Miguel dc St Juan His
vessel was bound from Havana to Cadi2,
and her cargo consisted in part OF gold
bnrs and coin,
That he might proceed with his cargo
early Ia the spring Don Miguel chartered
smaller vessel Of 200 tons, which was
ready to sail the following April But
WIN llN AlAI hAllbA'h ~ lthN " ms NhlEhi
other parts Of 1t wcte wlthholden from
him or lost, and he was unable to recover
thcm. Tho don could obtain no relief,
and finally, In the following October, ne
potitlOned the general assembly upon the
matter.
In his petition he said that much OF his
cargo had been embc4zlod and he prayed
that he might roland that portion of his
cargo which remained and secure 1t at
their expense. The general assembly, inter
much debate, decided that they did not
know what the don's losses We're, and
neither could they prevent them. They
declared tho don's requests wero too ,un-
reasonable to be granted but las protec.
ton was due foreigner cast among us, ,"
the government was directed to grant all
due relioi to the don, according TO the laws
of trade, nature uld nations. The govern.
or was also empowered to direct fun
search aftor the missing portion of the yes
soils cargo
Collector llill was hotly censured How
such u quantity of treasure could be stolen
without his knowledge aud no search made
for so long IL time was held to bo unac.
couutubu. Nothing was ever found, and
the colony was not put to any great cS-
pensc for this shameful proceeding, which
led up to the war of the Revolution,
After this war tho pioneer Ncrmonters,
two in number grandsons of Granny
| strickland, appeared. They were sent here
through the old lady's written instruc.
tions, It. soums that years before, after
prolonged observation through the pro-
Ciuus pebble she possessed, she distinctly
viewed, deeply buried In the ground, many
boxes Of shining dollars packed edgewisc
She also Ospicd bullion ns we'll Tho To-
cality, which was all about the mporngs
of tho Spanish gallcOns, was pointed out
20 an inch. Not long after she died
New Lond0ucrs the story goes, laughed
at the efforts VI the RAW boncd Ncrmunters
to recover the buried treasure. Thp ira
dition says the delivers worked only at
night, In accordance with the witch's in
structiouS and that finally they uncovered
the lids of number Of iron boxes just
under the surface OF the river No sooner
We're these revealed than 1t was said troop
of snarling black dogs and flock of green
eyed geese iniorposed themselves, barking,
| kissing and yelling So furlously as to hold
In check and finally to drive thcm away.
They went buck to Marin Strickland's
home to request her presence in the spirit
at New London, with her witch hazel
| wand, to hold in check tho vicious water
| sprites, which wore so vehement in pro.
tecting this buried treasure. But IL was
In vain. Although the witch came to
earth at their invocation, she refused to
come to Connecticut to help them ont, 1t
| was said, because she believed the game
laws expellinB witches still existed here
Us when she WAS in the flesh.
So the money diggers were compelled to
give over tholr quest. Their descendants
who came many decades later were no
more successful They worked by the side
of the wharf in tho hours of daylight, from
plan left by their ancestors They used
oyster tongs, clam rakos and grapnels, and
although no ugly dogs and kissing geese
hinderod their movements thoy were I'M
able TO find anything OF value. New Lon.
don Comm Day.