The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-11

that he was wide of the truth as far as his
length OF stay was concerned. Little by
little his story came out. The Costa Rican
government had sent him to the Island by
the gunboat Turalba IN September, 1896,
UNDER contract to search fof the treasure,
and divide it with the government should
his search be successful The Turalba wcs
to return in three months. Those threN
months the voluntary maroon tailed on a
small sapling. The gunboat did not return,
and at the end of the fifth month he gave
up hope His fate was the more bitter in
that he had located the treasure after three
weeks work. the map having been some
what indefinite. This story the newcomers
refused to believe, and fox nearly two
months they explored that island with pick
and shovel. while Hartford smiled. Finally
he dictated the following agreement;
1, Charles Hartford. have an agreement
with and permission from the Costa Rican
government to search for hidden treasure
on Cocos island. | was landed by said gov
eminent on Sept. % Il think, 1876, and that
government agreed to come back for me
inside OF three months. ] have not heard
from said government. and being in a starv-
ing condition and with no means to obtain
food and no way TO get off the island and
having located the large treasure / make
this agreement with the captain and crew
of the schooner Aurora of Victoria, b. G.,
to let them take half of the treasure, or
whatever nature, whether gold. silver or
precious stones, for their side of the agree
ment, and to land me. Charles Hartford.
at some convenient port in the United
ure. The information we came to the island
for proving no good, we have hunted. dug
and bored, and were about TO return home
when said offer was made and accepted.
But the offer was not accepted Mrs.
Brennan, Captain Hackett and two men or
the crew held out against it, and finally
these two men agreed to stay and search
while the ship returned for q supply OF
dynamite, with which they intended to
facilitate the work. Hartford returned in
the Aurora, which landed at Vancouver. B.
c., on Aug. IA last. He left there to organ
ize another expedition.
In Wall street there was no little inter-
est in the news, as many Wall-street men
remember an expedition which was organ
lied here about fifteen years ago to get
the treasure A company was formed and
several men of wealth went into the
scheme, the organizers of which were as
reckless and irresponsible a crowd of treas
ure seekers as ever mistook fancy for fact.
Perhaps it was for this reason that the
plan collapsed and the excursion was given
up before much OF the money had ben
spent. That is why, If the treasure has really
been found, there will be some regrets in
this vicinity. And if that If is substan-
ttated 1t will be the first case where treas
ure island has ever given up its gold ex-
cept in the pages of fiction, and Long ISL
and may be expected to turn out en- masse
immediately upon a cerification, and con-
duct an investigation into the record of the
late Captain Kidd with many picks and
ShovelS that the whole island will look like
a plowed field from Brooklyn to Montauk
Point