The San Francisco call., 1898-04-08
WILLIS AUMOCK, the Leader of the Cocos Island
 Treasure Hunters.

and told some weird story of capture and harsh treatment to the captain of the whaler. The officers of the Peru vian warship when they missed their prisoners supposed that tley had att tempted to swim to the other ship and that they had been drowned in the at tempt, and besides the whaler having disappeared they did not know in which direction to search for them.
 After eighteen months spent at sea Captain Keaton managed to get back to Boston with his secret undivulged. The chance of fortune had, however, separated him from Thompson. Keaton guarded his secret with jealous silence, and ten years after his return to Boston he fitted out ship to go and bring back the treasure. The crew was mixed one, and they managed to get wind of the purpose of the voyage and mutinied, so the disappointed keaton was forced to return.
 He was not to be outdone, however, and five years later he associated with him a Captain Rogue, and the two again set sail for Cocos Island. They landed there safely and found thetreas- ure, but such was it's magnitude that they were afraid to take 1t aboard for fear the crew would learn of 1t. Con- seauently they secreted about their per- sons S20, 900 apiece in gold and diamonds and started to return to Boston. When the ship reached Panama Rogue by accident fell overheard in twenty fathoms of water and was drowned, and that part of the ill-gCtten treasure that he had with him was lost.
 Force of circumstances prevented Keaton's ever again making another attempt to recover the treasure, but be- fore he died he informed his son-in-laW, Q with him all of his life and which had only resitei in the most bitter dis appointments to him. Young was never in a position nor had he the means to attempt to search for gold.
 Several years ago Willis Aumock met Young in Mexico and they became friends. This ripened into intimacy, and in a mutual exchange or conn- dences Young told Aumock of the hid den treasure and offered for a sum, to sell to him the secret of the spoS where it was buried Aumock had heard Of the treasure, but had never plLHe any faith in it. Young gave him indis- putable evidence that the treasure was in existence and that it could be found.
 The bargain was consummated pe- tween the two men, and Aumock paid Young a large sum for 1t. He then took Young to Boston with him, and on September 13, 1897. in the city of Pitts burg. Aumock's home. the San Fran cisco Mining Company was organized. The members of the company left Pittsburg September 13 in charge of Aumuck and W. M. Graham. They came to this city and remained here for some time, preparing for the trip. The schooner Vine, under the command of Captain John F. Burns, was chartered for $5500 and freight privileges which amounted to SSS00, and on November IS the entire party set sail
 Mate Thompson, who had been with Captain Keaton when they made their escape from the Peruvian warsh.o, made his way to the Hawaiian Isla 1dS. where he subsequently lost his mind. Ee is sup:icsed to be alive to-1ay y It was from him that Augustus Gessler of Stockton is supposed to have get the secret of the treasure also. ard about ten years ago he set sail for i-o- COS Island in the sloop Haysted. This island belongs to the Government of Costa Rica, and inasmuch as the Peru yjan Government long ago abandoned all claims to the treasure, believing that 1t was lost forever, the former Government claimed 1t.
 Captain Gessler proposed to find the hidden wealth if the Government of Costa Rica would give him two-thirds of it. This it agreed to do, but the captain was unable to find it. He was. however, made Military Governor of the island by the Government in hopes that he might some day unearth the long lost millions. but so far he has been unable to do so. He has, how ever. remained upon the island, and whenever fortune seekers have come to its shores to find the treasure he has invariably specified that they, if suc-