The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-02-21
JERRY'S FORTUNE.
HE FOUND 1T IN a TERRIBLE GALE
OFF CAPE HATTERAS.

tusJ-OsiO anu seven rounds OF
Gold Buried on tho Const OF NIaine-Aftar
Pcrilous Adventures Jcrry Is Rich.
1t requires q diplomatic uso Of language
and vast power of persuasion to induce
old jerry Haven of Sullivan Ferry to dis
close how ho went to California In 1850,
failed to earn money, borrowed cash to
tako himself homo, and then made for
tuno when within two days. journey of
New York. This is not becauso Jorry loyos
money overmuch-for he spent nearly oil
he made before he steadiod down-but for
tho botter reason that ho fears the original
owners of his wealth may yot tarry this
side OF tho grave and como down cast to
claim thoir own. Therefore Jorry is wary
when approached on the subject, and lia-
bio to flush and fly away long before any
truth seoker gots within range
The old man is short, stout and florid.
His breath goes and comes in little gusts,
like tanning mill TINT has lost overy
other cog, and when excited his heart hut-
tors inside his ribs like wild bird in q
oage; but in spite OF these physical defects
and In spite of the II years that he hns seon
born and buried, he works ovory day in
the winter for 210 q week and collects tho
ront on II summer cottages which no has
put up since 1886. Residents who know
him, and havo known him for decades,
say no is worth 5000 which sum Is
probably 90 por cont larger than his actual
assets and nearly 100 per cont creator than
tho valuation Jorry can DO induced to
place on his roal estate when assossors arc
around. Rich Or poor, 10 rovcr ceases to
lament tho waste of tho fortune he made
coming homo fron Pa0ana, and never
diyulgos how much property Ito owns to-
day, lest no should DO brought to account
for tho audaciouS speculation that first
made him rich.
Though Jerry WAS not ono OF the 1910
"Argonauts, F." no wont to tho Pacific coast
early in 1850, taking NIL tho money he hal
in tho world with him. FirsG ho vcnS into
tho mines expecting to got in week all
tho gold no could lug homo and failing IN
this ho washed sand i'll tho San Joaquin
valley until his money was all gone, whom
no tried to hiro out so he might mt least
earn his grub. With flour selling at $500
barrel and sugar SO n pound no could
find nobody willing TO board him for what
ho could do, SO, borrowing enough money
from an acquaintance to pay his fare homo
no started back for tho isthmus, with
poor opinion of California and q worse
opinion Of himself. Except that two or
three failures like himself tried to rob
him and wcro mado sud when they learned
he had nothing worth stealing, tho homo
ward trip was as dull as minority pnrty's
caucus, until tho steamer tlrifted into n
hurricane off Cape Hatteras Jerry, who
has been to sea considerably since then
and has also acted as moderator in moot
ing Of two warning church factions-to
say nothing of having once boon chosen
stakeholder in sprinting match-Jerry
Ua c I'M to, .1,,,l
cato windstorm ho ever passed through
Tho first thing tho sea did was to smash
every boat on the steamer, and then it bo-
gan to pound upon tho matches and COM
panionway like the alarm at tho inner gate
In Good Tomplars' lodge BY this time
tho returning gold hunters were thinking
about tho vanity Of riches in general and
tho great weight of coin in particular, and
began to unbuoklo and throw away their
wealth laden belts. While other passon uers
were dividing their time between profani-
ty and prayer Jerry was rocklcssly collect
ing tho treasures OF this Garth which his
companions hurled at his feet, carrying
them all to the engineer, who CHANGED to
DO friend of his, and was willing to li-
vido tho not earnings of the venture. For
30 hours tho sen danced to tho fldling of
tho winds, and tho passengers repaired
thoir morals as bost they could, and then
tho sun camo out just rs they wore off tho
Jersey coast, allowing tho weary steamer
to roach Now York in safety.
Though nearly all tho passengers wero
studying tho chart of the hereafter, there
wero still q fow who did not neglect the
present, and among them were two or
three who had seen Jerry collecting tho
belts, and who camo to him when danger
had passed. demanding thor wealth. The
old man says that what he told tho COM
plainants was not q lie, but no admits
that it had n similar effect, and in spite of
this assurance that ho did not have thoir
gold they treated him so rudoly and
watched him SO closely that he was fain to
send to tire New York police for official
escort through that city, a service thoy
rendered for pay. In n littlo hotel down by
Bowling Groen jerry and the engineer di-
yldod their gains, and found that each ono
had just 182 pounds of gold. On the boat
en- route for Boston Jerry was assalod by
claimants for his wealth, so no had to pay
heavily for protection. From Boston lie
sailed for tho Penobscot riyor on q coastor
thinking 1t safer than to go by steamboat,
and on arriving opposite Bucksport he
was set ashore to find two mon whiting at
tho hotol to kidnap him. But he lodged
them oil by hiring every horse and vigor-
Gus man In the village for an escort and
thus protected won't on to Sullivan, where
he buried lot pounds of gold in clump
of bushes bnck from tho shore. For five
years he did not dare to look ut his treas
ure. Finally he dug it up littlo at n
time and put all no had into vossol prop
orty, which was paying we'll at tho time.
After tho war the shipping business de-
olined so that ho could not mako his prop
crty pay running expenses, and tho panic
OF S73 loft him with but small fortune
II no had bought Bar Harbor real estate
no would have boon u millionaire now. AS
It was, no purchased shore property in