The record-union., 1897-09-13
TREASURE STILL THERE.
GOLD BURIED ON COCOS ISL
AND YEARS AGO.
Weird Story of the Sea Vouched
for by Able Spooks and
Mediums.

In the latter part of the last CEN
tury a brawny Scot, Tom Smith py
name, sailed the seas in the harmless
but not lucrative, calling of fisherman
Later on, from choice or by force, ne
took to a less blameless and even more
perilous mode of living on the stormy
deep. He became one of a pirate crew
on ship where the standard Of good
conduct was 10 turn deaf ear TO con-
science and 10 obey orders without hesl-
tation. Tom did his best to make life
a success under the new conditions; ne
shirked no part Of his duty, and IN
complying with 1t was overtaken py
death The waves sucked him down
with a boatload of treasure which ne
was trying to land at Cocos Island
beautiful and fertile, in latitude . deg,
80 min, less than five hundred miles
southwest Of Panama. The treasure
was a large one; much of it had al
ready been landed and hidden, but the
last boatload was lost with Tom Smith,
who was quickly forgotten.
Many years later in 1857, in San
Francisco, lawyer had peculiar ex-
perience. He was writing an impor-
tant document, when his hand began
TO shake as if palsied; then, with DASH
made a straight line down TO the foot
of the big sheet Of paper. Four pieces
We're thus spoiled, one after another;
the lawyer could not advance his work.
Pen in hand, he sat there, when sud-
denly an irresistible force compelled
him to trace automatically an outline
nj
also the words: Show this to McGreg-
or. the chronometer maker; he will tell
you what it is"
The lawyer did as directed. When
shown the outline McGregor asked:
Where did you get this? 1t is fac
smile of the chart of COcos Island,
which old Captain Champlain used to
show US at Punta Arenas, and which
was stolen at the time Of his death, in
1896 when he was nearly seventy years
old. An expedition has just started TO
look for treasure on that island"
LAWYERS STRANGE VISION.
The lawyer again called on McGreg-
or, and while talking with him he saw
a sailor appear in the doorway; then
he ceased to perceive the parlor and
Il
cred with shrubs and trees. He was
about to tell McGregor what he saw.
but the sailor motioned to him to keep
silence. AT the base of the cliff waves
dashed furiously. with a deafening
noise Among the rocks there was a
cave, wherein on the ground there were
a large heap of silver, a smaller one of
gold, and on one side, against the wall,
silver bars and gold wedges held by
leather thongs We're tied together. On
the other side, placed pellmeu, there
We're church ornaments, including a
large ostensoriun1, studded with prec-
ious stones, the rays of the sun image
being alternately of gold and silver.
The vision quickly faded; then the
sailor spoke in a very distinct voice TO
the lawyer:
7 am Thomas Smith. 1 was mate
on board the brig Tornado, with Cap
tain ChampIain. 1 placed that treasure
in the cave where you have just seen
it, AS I was bringing the last load 10
land the boat capsized in the surf Two
other men went down with me-"
He spoke with strong accent. you
are a Scot" remarked the lawyer. Nc
has nothing to do with what I am tell
ing you" Then the sailor spoke up:
Now tell him what you have seen.
viii come again"
When the treasure was described Nc
G1egor exclaimed: BY Jove, youl
account tallfes exactly with that of old
Champlain With two other persons
spent six months looking for that
treasure. At the beginning of 1885
was at Punta Arenas, Costa Rica
working at my trade when Captain
Champlain and a man named Cooper
arrived with a request from the Ad-
miralty to the commander of any Eng
lish man-of-war which might happer
at Panama or any port along the coast
TO convey them to Cocos Island and
assist them to recover a treasure said
to have been concealed by pirates about
the year 1871. At Panama they
learned that an English man-of-wal
had just gone north and might stop al
Punta Arenas. 1t did so, but left two
days before they arrived. There they
awaited another chance, and meanwhile
took more liquor than was good fol
them. Cooper died of fever and wa:
buried in the sand by the river.
CONFESSION OF PIRATE CHIEF
"Champlain grew confidential ant
told me that when a lad he had SAILED
on a pirate ship and had finally become
its captain. Then he made Cocos Isl
and his resting place and treasur;
house, as did Captain Eaton, of the
Nicholas. who used to store flour there
as also did his friend, Captain Edward
Davis. of the Bachelors Delight. anC
as did the majority of the pirates VIII,
infested that coast a. the end of tht
last century.
In December, 1871, Champlain.
ship was sunk by the Spanish frigat,
Atreviad He and Cooper alone wer,
left alive in order that they might b,
tried. From a Panama prison they
escaped, and after many hardship.
reached Jamaica. Thereafter the TIVE
men remained together. hoping to oh
tain the concealed treasure. They wen
to Liverpool, and finally obtained from
the admiralty the order with which, il
1S3J. they went to Panama. They KEEP
Very quiet about their former life, be
cause the Court Of Admiralty rigorous
y enforced the laws against pirac!