Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1897-12-23
|The Cow Greek Treasure.
An Engineers Story of Dream
and Bags of Silver.

,.1bISOu. Topeka d santa lie railway
Esrsas the road crosses Cow creek
a.uipo soutsward into the Arkansa:
I,sr" said western civil engineer
M was visiting New York. He was
- If a little company the other night
mich the conversation had turned
the subject of hidden treasure. The
.reek is OF no great account in low
eater. though when it gets on the ram.
,,ra after a cloudburst or hea. y rains
is apt TO tear things loose. Its prin.
,iugI interest 10 me was in the story OF
he tragedy enacted there many years
,ra and The traditions eXtant among
al Kansas of buried treasure along its
banks.
THE tragedy was the murder of a
vsv Mexico merchant, Jose Chavez. in
he SIMMER of 1887, by a band Of bril-
osrds styIiug themselves Texans. II
mas nerpetrated while New Mexico was
rfB a state of the Mexican republic
and Texas was fighting with Mexico TO
ecpre her independence. Chavez, com
3rc eastward over the Santa Fe trail
with wagon train, bringing sacks Of
z Mexican dollars to exchange for mer-
,bapdise, was surprised by II men at
E Cow creek. who captured his outfit and
E sfterward killed him. They plundered
his wagons OF the silver and rode away
with their booty. From the weight Of
The silver taken it seemed impossible
that they should have carried all of it
far on horseback, and the general be-
/ lief has been that they buried part Of
linear the scene of their crime, intend
Tc to return for 1t at another time
Tradition has always located the hid
den treasure in the valley of Cow creek.
4 Unsurpassed that none of the robbers
q esg cot back 10 recover ii, for as soon
as the news of their crime got abroad
they were closely pursued and most of
them caught and hanged by the United
States authorities.
Some years after the railroad was
built was staying for few days near
q The point where it crosses the creek, en-
4 gagged with my party in doing some sur
4 wying for the company. Among my
assistants was an American of German
descent whom we knew as Fritz-a
F buudering. hit-or-miss, impractical fell
low, who served somewhat as a butt for
,he wit Of the others. He was with us
one evening when the story of the muir
der Of Chavez aud the supposed hiding
4 Of The treasure was told. Some time
that night Fritz got up, dressed him
sell, and left the house. His room
mate, partly waking, heard him NOV
iHg about, but without accosting him
went 10 sleep again. In the course Of
four hours Fritz returned. this time
waking his roommate completely. lie
4 efeHaed hrwildered, saying that he had
Teen tothe place where the buried treas
ure was, but had lost his way coming
back. In The morning he gave such an
account Of his wanderings as left no
doubt in my mind that he had walked
from the house in his sleep. and had not
wakeued until some time after his ar
rival at the point where he had stopped,
and from which he had undertaken to
make his way back home.
AT this place, he said, he found him
sell standing in the bottom land beside
creek. watching some horsemen who
had dismounted and were digging a
mole in the ground. When apparently
they had got the hole deep enough
laey lifted ~ sacks from the ground,
cropped them into the excavation and
Rfled il, stamping the earth down
soAdly with their feet and then laying
Upon the earth the sods they had cut
non the surface in the beginning.
mere were other bags on the ground.
SIMILAR 10 those put in the hole. and
taeh man taking bag upon his saddle
ney remcunted and rode fast toward
The southeast.
lie watched them until they were
oul OF sight, and then went to the place
Where they had worked and stood on
lhe sods that had been taken out and |
replaced. Then suddenly the scene |
elalged about him; he saw houses and
eoFnhelds where he had seen none be-
lofe, aud he realized that while he was
slll standing in the same place, high |
ssFass was growing round him of a DIFF
.erent character from that which had 1
'een there when the men were digging /
This undoubtedly was the time of
is waking, for his next thought was
get home. lie did not know which
'sy To go. but at last, after going miles
o various directions. he located his
earrings and found his way back 10
q house where we were staying. BY
us time be had discovered that the
POT from which he had begun To re-
'ace his steps was several miles down
'feam. on Cow creek.
vi course the boys had their fun
'th him over his sleepwalking and
'eam, l'ut as | am something of be-
ever IN dreams and clairvoyance / |
lousht it worth while the next Sun
y 10 have my team hitched up and
.Ae drive down the creek with Fritz.
= had been laughed at so much over
! exploit that be was rather ashamed
u aud not inclined to talk on the
-Vlect. But al last rs we paSSpl = |