Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-11
NEARING SOLUTION.
An Old Mystery Fsns Been Partially
Cleared Up.
From the Honolulu Star.9 . So


From the Honolulu Star G as5s=
-. . September lB, 80.
Some Of our readers will recollect that
about two years ago, at the height of the
Klondike gold craze in Alaska, vessel
carrying several millions Yesterday
John Macy died at the Sisters Hospital,
where he had been for the past month.
He used money freely, had the best apart
ment, apecial physician and nurse and
all the advantages that money could pur-
chase; but all the care and medical skill
could but prolong his life few days at
most. for although but forty-six years old,
he was doomed several years ago. Con-
sumption had marked him for its victim.
He came here four months ago from
Australia, thinking a change might be
beneficial. He made but few friends, lead
ing a life of seclusion, in fact, until he
went to the hospital.
A few hours before the last he called for
a Catholic priest, received the last rites Of
his church, and handed Father Connors
paper. saying it was the history Of por-
ton of his life that he thought the public
would be interested in, and that he felt his
duty to have published after his death.
This Capt. Relden met in Los Angeles about
three weeks before we started. ., He
told me enough of his scheme to prove to
me that he was desperate man. Yet
did not think he would take life, unless
close pressed and in defense of his liberty
He was candid with me, said his name was
inent man in New York, who was advance
ing the money for the expedition, and who
knew its nature, and was to share in its
profits. 80 was hard up and had been
without q job for several months, and before
this, although skilled engineer, times
were SO hard that had been firing boiler
in printing house, at starvation wages.
/ was desperate and ready for anything.
1 left my little boy and girl with an aunt
of their mothers. My wife had died three
years before; - taking that desperate
chance to try and insure making enough to
educate my children, knowing full well that
my time was limited, the doctors having
warned me that few months might finish
me unless had the greatest care and lived
in q favorable climate. After pulling
away from the steamer, and leaving all but
one of our men on board Of her, the cap
tain sent me to my berth. was thorough
ly broken up and tired; the excitement had
been too much: He gave me lot of whis-
ky, put the other man at the engine and
stayed by the wheel himself, and all as
cool as If nothing extraordinary had oc-
Cured.
Transferring the Booty.
awoke late>in the afternoon, and found
"Jim," our crew, q taking the gold dust
and nuggets out of the sacks that had been
loosely thrown on deck, some aft and some
forward. and ramming into sections Of lead
pipe that he was cutting up. was told to
see to the engine, and after oiling 1t and
lcdNiuS everything SnlpSuApc TIE cuSlAc
room-we were going along at about fif-
teen miles an hour. with fair breeze abaft
the captain put me to work with Jim.
We cut the four-inch ,lead, pipe into pieces
about twenty inches long, battered down
one end and filed with gold, then battered
down the other end. I'VE had in all eighty
such cylinders, and they looked much like
pig lead. and weighed about one hundred
and TWENTY-FIVE pounds each.
We ran down. along the strait to
few miles above Texado Island. some sixty
miles north Of Vancouvery B. C.. The cap
tain locked us bothn In the engine room
after putting out all lights about the boat
except that by the steam gauge. We could
not make out exactlyw we were. Cap
tain gave US bells tt slow down. ! made
out that we were turning In and out a good
tom on the rocks. The captain evidently
krew his bearings petfectly, for we never
got signal to back ups ahead" ETC..
but only that to STOP" He let us out,
and l could see that we were In q deeply
tIdented cove. with land opposite about
three miles or. We had four fathoms of
water and tied up to natural dock, huge
shelving rock about deck high. Some lam
terms were lighted. and all three went to
With that and digging hole In the dirt
between the rocks, about three feet by five
and three feet deep, 1t was nearly light
when We were ordered to eat what cold
stun we could find. After that. In full day
light. we completed our burial of the gold.
covering Il with loose rock and dirt The
captain climbed to point at come height,
lot Of provisions. build 4 IRE and have
regular camp dinner. He worked
on chart in the pilot house. TO-
WARDS evening we pulled away, Jim and /