Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-11-06

The British flagship Imperieuse re-
turned today from Cocos island. In the
Pacific ocean. about 500 miles west Of
Panama. announces adispatch Wednes-
day. from Victoria, B. c., to the New
York Sun. 1t went to that island for
the purpose of searching for the treas
ure, supposed to be worth about $780,
600, 900, which has long been reported to
have been buried there in the early part
of this century. and the hiding place of
which, q man named Hartford declares,
he discovered about two years ago.
The officers Of the flagship say that
Harford's stories are no dream, and
that the treasure actually exists. Their
belief in the story il shown by the fact
that they have left guard of mar
ines on the island under the command
Of a lieutenant, and one of the smaller
vessels of the squadron will return i'm
mediately to the island. One story
afioat here tonight is that the Imperie-
use has on board about $15,000.000 in
gold and jewelry. and that the vessel
which is about to start for Cocos island
will bring back the balance of the
treasure, which consists Of silver. Har-
ris and Hartford have returned to this
port on the Imperieuse.
This treasure was taken to CocOs IS
land from the Pacific coast Of South
America during the troublous days OF
the revolutionary wars in the second
decade of this century, when the SPAN
ish colonies won their independence
from the mother country. Many OF the
wealthy persons in the towns, knowing
that they would be stripped OF all their
possessions if the Spanish soldiers
came among them, placed most OF their
gold. silver and jewelry in the hands of
agents, who transported the entire
property to the uninhabited Cocos Is
land. where it was buried. Only one
or two maps showing the place of con-
cealment of the treasure were prepared.
Many of the persons to whom the
treasure belonged were killed or died
during the wars, including the agents
who buried it on the lonely Cocos rock,
and it has never been recovered.
Some years ago chart purporting to
show where the treasure was hidden
came into the possession of a woman in
Maine, and the result was that she got
some money together. hired a schooner
on the Pacific coast. and with small
party went to the island about a year
ago. One of the men in her party was
Harris who is referred to above as hav-
ing just arrived here on the Imperieuse.
When they reached the island they
found Hartford there all alone and near
ly dead of his privations. He, too, had
gone there to search for the treasure,
having induced vessel to land him on
the desolate coast, nearly year ear
lier. His supplies had become eX-
hausted, and he would soon have died
If succor had not reached him.
He told the party that he had found
the treasure; that it's enormous value
fully justified the reports concerning it;
that the map they had was entirely
misleading; that he alone possessed
the clue that had enabled him to find
the wealth, and that the party might
ransack the island till they became
gray and they would never find the
treasure without his assistance. a. 3
The party did not believe that Har-
ford could keep monopoly Of the Sec
ret, and so they made careful search
of the island while he complacently fed
at their board, looked on, and said
HolHiiIS. I iAoAy eAC p"Ae1 oe@'S w ~iAN
search and tried to come to terms with
Hartford. He wanted a good deal more
than half of the treasure for his share
Nobody was willing to give him nearly
as much as he demanded, and after
days Of talk they were as far from an
agreement as when they started. Sc
the party sailed back to Victoria, tax.
ing Hartford with them. He at once
set about securing the services Of YES
sci to take him back to Cocos Island
but finally started on the flagship I'm.
perieuse to look after his own interests
while Harris was the representative Of
the interests Of the party of treasure
seekers from Maine.