The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-08-18
TREASURE IN THE PACIFIC.
HARTFORD SAYS HE HAS FOUND
THE BURIED MILLIONS.

WHOM NufN VNt w
rsrt ar Ren.on-He keeps iris secret. ana
win rake n vessel 10 BrinE Rack His Find.
VICTORIA, B. c., Aug. 1G.-Another failure
and perbnps tho beginning of success-was
.dded TO the history Of Cocos, the treasure isle
~ the Pacific, whom the schooner Aurora landed
h.re Yesterday. On board were the crew that set
o,t from here six months ago. all but two, and
A., extra passenger who claims to know moro
about the buried treasure than any other living
man knows. II what he says Is true, the next
.xn,ditIon that goes out will come back with
Tho treasure, provided that tho two men Of the
Anrora's crew who were left on the island do
not find II first.
For soyenty years and moro there have been
,.les OF treasure on Cocos Island. Runor has
nned upon rumor and legend has been added to
legend until to-day no man may pick tho fact
rom the fiction. Back in 1921. 30 the story
oocs refugees OF the war Of emancipation when
The south and Central American colonies fought
AGAINST Spain. carried their riches. gold and
,,lver. four hundred miles over the Pacific
ocean. from Costa Rica to the wild,
mountain.rimmed isle of Cocos. whore
,hoy buried It, million upon million.
Lner peace had come they sailed after
,hs treasure. Some were driven aside by
s,orms. Some lost their way and put back, glad
To escape with life, and some drove upon the
rocky coast. and when their ships beat to pieces
we're thrown upon the shores. So the moro ad.
venturous Of that generation failed or porished
IN ouest Of tho treasure, and the record Of the
,,ches buried somewhere within the thirty miles
NJ coast limo was handed down and spread
abroad, and charts. real or false. Of the treas
urc's location were scattered over two conti-
nents.
As the years went on expeditions were fitted
-. v.l,.l Go,,A - tha I'D
v~enturers returned to tell their stories OF hard
ship. Others were not again heard of olive. and
their successors. landing on that shore, found
orouped skeletons. grim relics Of the failures
that had gone before. But the treasure. II
treasure there is, remained buried. A Spanish
chart, passing from hand to hand through un
numbered and unnoted changes, came into pos
session Of Mrs. Mary Brennan of Nova Scotia
She studied the chart with zeal, and tho end Of
her study was that she set forth for the Western
coast. convinced that II she ever got to Cocos
abe could find the riches.
Business men OF Victoria, upon her representa-
tions, organized an expedition, and six months
ago the schooner Aurora sailed for Cocos, with
Mrs. Brennan, Capt. Fred Hackett and q crew Of
eight men aboard. Storms beat them about, and
even after they sighted the island 1t was days and
DAYS before they could land. At last the Aurora
wal AnCn0tcQ, anu q b"dll OOht I'm hEp w
nan in the bow put in to shore. She was the
first 10 set foot upon tho beach, but hardly had
the PROV grated when there ran out from the
woods u great ape-like creature that threw
itself face down upon the ground and cried out
pIteously with o human voice. Guns were
raised and pointed, but Capt. Hackett ordered
his men not to shoot and hailed the apparition.
who are you and how came you heref I"
Charles Hartford" said the creature in a
strained voice, half lifting its head. "ForG Gods
sake take me away"
How did you get here T. shouted half q dozen
Of the men at once. but tha man did not answer.
Coming forward timidly. he felt tho hands
and clothes of tho men. then threw himself
prone again, and was shaken by . spasm OF
sobbing. Slowly speech returned to him. as a
long-forgotten habit, and he told Thorn brokenly
terrible story.
him there in September last to hunt for the
treasure, with the understanding that it was to
return In three months for him. II no found
the treasure the Government was to take q GER
tain percentage, and he was to have the rest.
They had given him tools and provisions. but
they had not come back, and after the three
months. which no cut day by day in a tree that
served ss his calendar. he rave way to despair
and lost his count Of time. He was all but
naked, and his skin was brown and calloused
from exposure.
"Many's the time" he said. that I've seen
men land here in the moonlight and walk on the
shore as you did. but when I went down and
prayed them on my knees to take me away. or
just to speak TO me. they smiled and ran away
over tho waves. But I've found the treasure.
It's oil mine. I found it."
The expedition people thought him mad. but
when he had been fed and had slept he talked
nationally enough. always sticking to his story
Of finding the treasure, however.
my chart was the right cac," be said. 81
found the gold and marked 1t. bars and bars OF
1t, enough to make a hundred men rich. But
nobody else could find 1t. Then came the wait.
ing for the boat to come back. 1t never came.
lived on shell fish and wild berries and birds
that I killed with stones; years and years and
years. What is the datef'
Somebody told him the month and day.
What year = he asked. and they told him
1897.
Its a lie," he cried. Its moro than 81.
Icame In '96. and I've been here. how many
years I don't know. Never a human being
came. only those that walked around in the
moonlight and went away when tried to speak
with them. But I found the gold"
For weeks and months the expedition sought
the cache. following the chart that Mrs. Bren.
nan had. but without result. Charles Hartford
went along. Offering no suggestion. but laugh
ing quietly 10 himself. After this had been
going on until hope had about died out he spoke
up one evening as the party sat about the fire.
you folks have treated me right. TIL
treasures mine. / found 1t and the Turalbs
never came back for me. There's enough treas
ure for all Of us. but you'll never find 1t, because
your chart is wrong and you can't find my
marks that I've marked it by. I'll make a bar.
gain with YOU. Will you stand by 1t .
"Speak 1t out" said Capt. Hackett. "and
we'll decide"
"Thls way. then. You sign a paper. all Of
Jon. saying that IL I show you l take half and
you divide the other half. So help you. God"
Voices were raised In discussion, and while
the argument was In progress Hartford. witt
had forgotten how to handle q pencil. dictated
the agreement TO one Of the men. 1t was as fol
lows:
Il. Charles Hartford. have an agreement with
and permission FROM the Costa Rican Govern
ment to search for hidden treasure on Coco
Island. ! was landed by said Government oil
Sept. % II thinkl, 1896, and that Government