The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-07-11
THE cow CREEK TREASURE.
AN ENGINEERS STORY OF A DREAM
AND BAGS OF SILVER.

-ious DOings of Two MissOurians.
From the New York Sun.
.,NIidwav between the stations at Lyons
and Ellinwood. on the Atchison, Topeka
and Santa Fe railway, in Kansas, the
road crosses Cow creek, flowing southwark
into the Arkansas river" said western
civil engineer who was visiting New York.
He was one of a little company the other
NIGHT in which the conversation had turn
ed to the subject of hidden treasure. The
creek is of no great account in low water,
though when it gets on the rampage aft
or a cloudburst or heavy rains it is apt
10 tear things loose. Its principal inter-
est to me was in the story of the tragedy
enacted there many years ago, and the
traditions extant among old Kansans Of
buried treasures along its banks
."Tbe tragedy was the murder of New
Mexico merchant, Jose Chavez, in the
summer of 1887 by a band of brigands styl-
ing themselves Texans. 1t was perpetrat-
ed while New Mexico was still state of
the Mexican republic and Texas was fight
ing with Mexico to secure her independ-
ence. Chavez, coming eastward over the
ing sacks of Mexican dollars to exchange
for merchandise, was surprised by eleven
men at Cow creek, who captured his out
fit and afterward killed him. They plum
dered his wagon 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 belief has
been that they buried part of it near the
scene Of their crime, intending to return
for it at another time. Ii addition has al
ways located the hidden treasure in the
valley of Cow creek. 1t is supposed that
none of the robbers ever got back to re-
cover it, for as soon as the news of their
crime got abroad they were closely pur-
sued and most of them caught and hanged
by the United States authorities.
Some years after the railroad was built
l was staying for a few days near the
point wherd it crosses the creek, engaged
with my party in doing some surveying
for the company. Among my assistants
was an American of German descent,
whom we knew as Fritz-a laundering,
hit-or-miss, impractical fellow, who serv-
ed somewhat as butt for the wit of the
others. He was with US one evening when
the story of the murder of Chavez and
the supposed hiding of the treasure was
told Some time that night Fritz got up,
dressed himself and left the house. His
roommate, partly waking, heard him NOV
ing about, but without accosting him went
TO sleep again. In the course of four
hours Fritz returned, this time waking
MS roommate completely. He seemed be-
"hdered, saying that he had been to the
place where the buried treasure was, but
had lost his way coming back In the
morning ne gave such an account of his
WahueHngs as left no doubt in my mind
mat ne had walked from the house in his
sleep and had not Weakened until some
tme after his arrival at the point where
ne had stopped, and from which he had
Undertaken to make his way back home
At TINS place, he said, he found him
sen standing at the bottom land beside
creek, watching some horsemen who
ulshounted and were digging a hole
"a lhe ground. When apparently thew
Aad got the hole deep enough thew lifted
I've SACKS from the ground, dropped
1lelu INTO the excavation and refIed it.
f.auipiAs the earth down soldly with their
~ ana then laying upon the earth the
- 80 lney had cut from the surface in the
sAlhihg. There were other bags on the
All Anu similar to those put in the hole
az eaeh man taking a bag upon his sad
the southeast -'ue last eo"@Fu
=. ne watched them until they were ont
~ slsht and then went to the place where
4 tho, rNg worked and stood on the sods
IT, To- mad been taken out and replaced.
him. eNIuehly the scene changed about
~ saw houses and cornhelds where
Aau seen none before, and he reaIizsd
S. "HNe ne was still standing in the
Li,. pace nigh grass was growing round
v,Li.sV inherent character from that
d. '-'Jn mad been there when the men were
wis Inns undoubtedly was the time Of his
taN'Hs' Tor his next thought was 10 COT
nome. He did not know which v,av ~ az
Sir-at last, after going miles IN various
fopn5 ~ ne located his bearings and
W. us way back to the house where
"ele staying. BY this time he had
bsa leu that the spot from which he
er,i ogsuh TO retrace his steps was sew.
"of '' a uown stream, on Cow creek.
~ "a course the boys had their f,,n ,vith
, '.l over his sleep-walking ana a.,
dr. as am something of a believer In
v,ortto ana clairvoyance, 1 Thought n
te,rs' ME the next Sunday to have nv
~ Htched up and take a drive down
lau,teIi9 Eek with Fritz. He had been
he 5gss az so much over his exploit tbat
cllne6 ~ @ener ashamed Of 1t and not in
as ~ W tdlK on the subject But az last
Az passed farm house on the nrair,s
tj. ,1s valley, he exclaimed
Of ,t1'e the place where 1 came I'm ont
cod ereek bottom. Down there is the
tbe io1se mat / passed. and bevond n
,i"a'e where I saw the men dipSins,, -
slD,.o't can turn of the trail ami dr,,,.
provid,a where lin Western Kansas
wsv mere are no wire fences IN me
down turned the horses round drove
Frty oy the sod house, and directed II,
as NJ "ent as near the place OF his dream
OWL, .ould. We had to stop short ~ a.
20 me- " patch OF high grass ana weoss
drirs ''.A ana tangled that we could ~,
cite5 Tough. Fritz, now growing ovs
I'D n Jumped out OF the wagon. ara ,ro,.s-
Tor I've, way through the grass b1ntine
hIe IN ming that evidently was ciea'r H.,
tesnap" once he almost trod on a raj.
iosr ~ whose buzzing I could ni,i,,l,,
his gea ,oih the wagon, but Fritz Kent M
are ,, we round IT, he called AZ last .ttoro
the tr.slo footprints where / stood 49,
east ,bes ate' Here pointing 10 the so9tS
When uieie's the hin the men roSo o,,aa
u bsa passed out OF sight
into ,s quo slipped spade ana ,t,,....
INK sws, ' s.o Of the wagon before stsrt.
ready rom the house ana / vyss ~,
rIebi a., u.'ng now excited mvsois a. ~, ai.
zine a. o. the wagon ana ~ ~ ai',e
notice ~ and myself that We aia 80