The herald., 1897-11-14
Of Buried Treasure Are
Exposed
NO RICHES IN INDIAN GRAVES
w. K. MOOREHEAD DESTROYS A
POPULAR SUPERSTITION
The Majority of the Tribes Had
Neither Gold Nor Silver-Treas-
ure Locating Fraud

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 1O.-(Special
! Correspondence to The Herald.) For
the benefit of the people of Ohio and of
the rest of the United States who might
be interested, I think it advisable for
me to stamp once and for all as false
hood the statement that the Indian
mounds of Ohio contain buried treasure.
They do not, and what is more, no
archaeologist who has ever explored any
of these mounds can truthfully say that
he has ever discovered anything which
can be called treasure as treasure is re-
garded by the public. The treasure of
the mounds is purely of that value the
standard of which is fixed by the arch
aeologist.
I am aware of the fact that it is a well
grounded popular superstition that the
Indians of old in North America, like
the Incas of Peru, had storehouses or
caves, artificial or otherwise, in which
precious metals were boarded, but look
ing at it all from the basis of common
sense and the knowledge that is open to
all, it is singular how the senseless tra-
ditons relative to buried gold have
gained ground among men. often hear
of the lost silver mine," or the lost
lead mine" at which the Indians OBJ
tanned metal for exchange and for bull
let's. Yet Indians knew nothing about
the reducing of ores and only had faint
idea that metal was dug out of the
ground and the strange fances some
men have.
An old man told me in Adams county
last year that the Ohio lead mine was on
his fathers farm. Then think of this.
In Muskingum county we were told that
the grandfather of one of the best known
citizens saw the Indians shoot silver bull
lets which they obtained from vein of
pure metal somewhere in the Musking-
um hills. A newspaper printed this ana
said "And the state geologist and all
our scientists know not where this val
liable mine is" I only wish it were
true, we would surely locate it.
In old Chillicothe, the largest town of
the Shawnees, the traders distributed
goods to the amount of thousands of dol
lars each year. Here is another place
that is said to have it's buried treasure.
Men have spent much time and money
in a search for the spot, but of course in
vain. A party, of which 1 was a men,
Der, once opened graves there but only
found the usual run of Indian trinkets.
The old sites of Wyandotte, Monsey,
Miami and Delaware towns in Ohio also
have their buried treasure traditions
Did any one ever find treasure? OF
course not.
! One of the most amusing experiences
L ever had has a bearing upon this sub
ject. A few years ago myself and sew
eral others were digging a mound of un-
questioned prehistoric date. The own
er, who had the prehistoric treasure
bee in his bonnet, compelled me to sign
| a paper to the effect that all gold and
silver found was to be his. He was at
the scene of our operations every morn
ing before we began work, sat on the
: edge of the hole we were digging and
intently watched every shovel full OF
earth. In the middle of the mound we
uncovered a skeleton, and lying beside
it were some small copper beads, such
4 as are often found with ancient remains
. The old man contended that the beads
were gold and compelled me to STOP
work. drive to town and have the
jeweler pass an opinion upon them
Even when the jeweler said that they
were copper the old fellow declared that
the jeweler and myself We're in league tC
defraud him.
made up my mind to play little joke
on the old man, so went to Cincinnati
the next day and bought 100 old-fash-
ioned large copper cents. l coated
these with printers "gold dust" (brass
: flings) and secured an old kettle which
1 filled with large lump Of bright vel
low clay and plastered the coins fiat
upon the top. At short distance il
looked like pot of gold. Then
cracked the kettle so that blow of thu
pick would split it open.
We drove out to the mound before
daylight and buried the kettle in one
corner of the excavation. Withdrawing
quietly, we circled around the farm an6
came rafting up the pike at the usua
time. OF course the old man came out
watched our operations and began an.
other talk upon buried treasures. tolG
each workman what to do the moment
the pick struck the pot. When the pot
opened 1 sprang forward and attempted
to seize both pieces. The old man dove
off the bank like frog crying, "Gold
gold!" and yelling for his sons like one
mad. The men threw him down and also
held me. His sons came running ovel
and for a moment we came near having
free fight The old fellow was so ex-
cited that he did not notice that the
coins were colored and as he pocketed
them they left yellow streaks down the
sides Of his coat. One of his sons began
to laugh, and we ran for our wagon
In the excitement we overlooked q
shovel but as the old man and another
, son were throwing stones, we did not
stop but got out Of those woods in 9
hurry. This was the only gold" evel
found in an Ohio work Of prehistoric
character.
There is veritable gold locator OF
wizard" whichever you choose to cal
it, in the Sun Fish hills. We called at his
cabin and found his poor, old wife hare
at work washing the garments which
had accumulated in our camp and which
this man who could tell the hiding
place of millions had taken home the
: previous day. He sat without, in the
shade, smoking and building air castles
"Did youse ever see a mineral rod ?" hi
asked. We told him that we had mo-
and, moreover, such an article was
fake pure and simple.
That's what youse stuck up scien
lists say" he replied. II kin find golt
au1 ci1yar with NV rod aud xyo,,I1 J,a :