Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1897-08-31
A COLOSSAL LIAR.
twrIttep for The orrrc.l

WAA CISCO Weekly ET-
y Ia aminsr Is now pub
I'D r. fishing a thrilling
~BSEtySS- romance from the
pen Of Edgar Allen Poe, who appears
TO be one of the stock company OF
fiction writers for that sensational
Journal. This story Is entitled "Ihe
Gold Bug" and the first chapters Ap-
peared in the paper Of the 26h OF
August. In this is given, by two white
men and q negro, on the South Caro-
lima coast, the details OF finding a
buried box Of treasure, which is thus
described by the versatile romancer:
We had unearthed an oblong chest Of
wood, which, from its perfect preservation
and wonderful hardness, had plainly been
subjected to some Undertaking process
perhaps that of the bi- chloride of mercury.
This box was three feet and a half long,
three feet broad, and two and a half feet
deep. 1t was firmly secured by bands OF
wrought iron, riveted, and forming a kind
of open tr~ellis-work over the whole. On
each side OF the chest, near the top, were
three rings of iron-six in abby means
OF which q firm hold could be obtained by
ak persons. Our utmost united endeavors
served only to disturb the Golfer very
slightly In Its bed. We at once saw the
im%possibility of removing so great a
weight. Luckily, the sole fastenings OF
the lid consisted Of two sliding bolts.
These we drew back trembling and pant
ing with anxiety. In an instant, a treas
ure of incalculable value lay cleaning be.
fore us. As the rays Of the lanterns fell
within the pit, there flashed upward a
glow and a glare, from a confused heap OF
gold and Of jewels, that absolutely dazzled
our eyes.
The removal of this treasure to the
place of abode Of the principal actor is
thus described:
We finally lighteped the box, by ro-
moving two-thirds of its contents, when
we were enabled, with some trouble, to
raise 1t from the hole. We then hurriedly
made for home with the chest, reaching
the hut in safety, but after excessive toll,
at 1 O'Clock in the morning. Worn out as
we were, it was not ia human nature to do
more Immediately. We rested until 2, aud
bad supper; starting for the bills imme-
diately afterw8rd, armed with three stout
sacks, which, by good luck, were upon the
premises. A little before 4, we arrived at
the pit, divided the remainder of the booty,
as equally as might be, among us, and
lea wing the holes untitled, again set out for |
the hut, at which, for the second time, we
deposited our golden burdens, just as the
first faint streaks Of the dawn CLEANED
from over the tree-tops, In the east.
OF tie contents, the following Is
told:
The chest had been full to the brim, and
we speot the whole day and the greater
part of the next night in scrutiny of Its
contents. There had been nothing like
order or arrangement. Everything had
assorted all with care, we found ourselves
possessed of even vaster wealth than we
had at first supposed. In coin there was
father more than $3.50, 000-estimating tho
value of the pieces as accurately as we
could by the tables of the period. There
was rot a particle of silver. There
were diamopds-some of them exceedingly !
large and ine--110 in all, and not one OF
them small; eighteen rubies OF remarkable 9
brllliancy- $40 emeralds. all very beauti-
ful, and twenty one sapphirss. with an :
opal. These stores had all been broken !
from their setting and thrown loose in the 9
chest. The settings themselves, which we :
picked out from nTnong the other gold, !
appeared to have been beaten up with y
hammers. as IL to prevent identification I
all this there wasa vast uantlty
of solid gold ornaments-peerly 200 mas
sive finger and ear rings-rich chalns-- {
thirty Of these, IL I remember-eighty-
three very large and heavy cr~ucidxes, i've
gold censers of great value, a prodigious
golden punch bowl ornamented with rich
" chased vine leaves and b~acchanalian
figures, with two sword handles exquisite
ly embossed, and many other smaller
articles which | cannot recollect. The
weight of these valuables exceeded 800
pounds avoirdupois. We estimated the
entire contents Of the chest that night at
ST, SOC, eco; and upon the subsequent dis
posal of the trinkets and Jewels "a few be-
ing retained for our own use) 1t was fonnd
that we had greatly u~ndervalued the
treasure.
Submitted to the search light OF cold
facts, it ia found that these three men
of prodigious strength, removed at two
trips a weight of nearly 5000
pounds, and that only one-third of 1t
was taken the first time, so that their
burden the second trip was in excess o.
600 pounds each. 1t IS evi-
dent that the romancer of the Er-
aminer never stopped to calculate that
In $3.50 900 in gold coin there is
something more than o ton in weight,
that such a chest as described would
not weigh less than 200 pounds, while
he gives the weight Of the other valua.
bles at $50 pounds, or more, making.
as above stated, nearly 5000 pounds.
The glaring inconsistency of such
writing reminds the writer of a some
what noted story teller, who was once
q resident of Pinos Altos, near Silver
City. 10 this Territory, named Pete
Ness.
Ness was fond of boasting of hav-
ing made a fortune in the gold mines
OF California and of telling OF the in
cidents of his return to Arkansas IN
1862. Pete said that be returned by
way of New Orleans, and upon reach
ing that city, in which he had many
acquaintances, he put $4,000 in silver
in his vest pockets to spend with the
BOYS during the evening! He claimed
hat the gold dust, which he had coin
A Who does no,