Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-03-26
midas HoARDED WEALTH
Millions of Gold Bricked Up in Secret
Vaults.
The HfndOos, Even Among the Rich
est, Are Frugal, and What They
Save They Hide.

W. Forbes Mitchell In Springfield Republican.
During the first decade of my residence
in India I was for some years associated
with wealthy banker named Lalla Nut
ira Pershaud, the Lahore agent of the
great banking house known as 1.-THE Seths
of Muttra,' and from him / learned a great
deal about the system of boarding prac-
ticed in all ages by the wealthy classes of
India. He died at Brindabun about 1867.
1t may be explained that the title "Lalla,"
used by native bankers has no exact equiv
alent in English. 1t might with equal pro-
priety be translated master, professor OF
banker.
Both in ancient and modern times, one Of
the stock objections of European nations
against trade with India has been that
that country absorbs large amount of the
precious metals, which she never disgorges.
1t has naturally been asked what becomes
of these treasures. for We do not find in
India that abundance of either gold or sill
yer which might naturally be expected;
and the reply has always been that they
are withdrawn from circulation as curren-
cy by being boarded For ages it has been
a prevalent opinion in all eastern countries
that there is a vast amount of treasure
hidden in the eartn, which, unless found by
accident, is entirely lost to man.
When UP country last year l heard that
Chowringhec Lau, manager to Lalla Nut
ira Pershaud, already mentioned, was i'll
GWaliol Oh some temporary business, and
called on him, as an old friend, at place
IN the LuShkar where he was residing
Among other subjects. We discussed the ac-
tlon OF the government in closing the minis,
and l asked his opinion about the possibili
ty of gold standard for India, and men,
toned the fact that certain members of the
currency association considered that $4,000,
La
provide India with gold currency. The
Lalla laughed the idea TO Scorn, and as
sured me that 50,OoO,OO0 would not suffice
to replace the silver boards of even one
state You know he said, how anxious
the late Mahardjah Scinda was to get
back the fortress of Gwalior, but very few
Know the real cause prompting him. That
was concealed hoard of sixty crores Co.,
WO,OOO sterling) Of rupees in certain vaults
Within the fortress, over which British SEN
tinels had been walking for about thirty
years. never suspecting the wealth con-
cealed below their feet. Long before the
Brltlsh government gave back the fortress,
every one who knew the entrance into the
concealed hoard was dead except one man
who was extremely Old and although In
good health, he might have died any day.
IL That had happened, the treasure might
have been lost to the owner forever and to
the world for ages, because there was only
one entrance to the hoard, which was most
cunnlngly concealed, and, except that en-
trance, every other part was surrounded by
solid rock.
so the maharajah was in such a fix that
ne must either get back his fortress or di-
Vulge the secret to the government and
run the risk of losing the treasure forever
Wnen the fortress was given back to the
nlanardJah, and before the British troops
had lett GWalior territory, masons were
Drought from BenareS, sworn to secrecy in
the temple of the Holy Cow, before leaving:
ana when they reached the Gwalior rail-
fNrrf iy,tN r-ss.
Dllndfolded, and driven to the place where
they had to work. There they were kepr
till they had opened out the entrance into
me secret vault; and, when the concealed
hoaru mad been verified and the hole built
up again, they were once more blindfoIded
put into carriages and taken back to the
railway station and rebooked for Benares
under proper escort
Chowringhee Lall went on to fell mo +b.t
ior generations before the rise of the Rrit.
isn power, his ancestors had held the most
Oh treasurer in the GWalior state and that
after the British had annexed territories
had retired from the post of treasurer os
dWailor with fortune of 20 crores of
rupees C2OOOO,OOO sterling). BY great good
I n' all this money was quietly got into
- fi.isn .erTitorS. ne declared; and Is crores
OF 1t are at this day bricked I'D in a secret
vault under Hindu temple dedicated to
the goddess Of wealth in the holy civ of
brlndabun. Now" said the Lalla, 'if the
.reasurer could accumulate so much, what
were tne accumulations of the state likely
10 De! Inc treasures of Gwalior form bu.
q very small amount compared with the
total or the known concealed wealth If
lhdia. All the silver would be brought out
ana replaced by gold directly the British
government decreed a gold currency for
1noia. hoi
Five hundred millions Of gold would ha
ABSORBED and concealed before a gold cur
rency had been twelve months in circuIa.
rxyho
IN the country for years. have no idea Of
the hoarding propensities of even well-to-
40 natives. without counting the more
wealthy bankers and traders. For exam
pie my WIFE, said the Lalla has more
IMAM three lakhs of rupees hidden for fear
OF my dylng before her, because l am much
oider than she Is and we have no son nlive
TO inherit my property. And I know moth
Concealed money 40
On TINS l asked how natives managed to
accumulate so much wealth, and the LalIa
replied: Natives don't spend like euro
Deans rake the house of any well-to-do
hatlFe merchant with an income Of saw a
Thousand rupees per month; at the verv
OUTSIDE, % to 100 rupees would purcha SO
the whole of the furniture in 1t. Beyond a
rev purdahs (curtains) and beds, furniture
IN the European sense does not exist. Even
the very wealthy. although they NAV have
d carriage and horses, possess neither
DOCKS nor pictures, nor any exnensIve
works OF art; and. when a feast is given to-
their friends. a piece of a plantsin 1aa .
serves each guest for a dish, where Euro
peans spend hundreds of rupees in dinner
and breakfast services Of fragile but most
expensive china and glassware. All this
the native saves and boards Tbe uyao1th-
conceal their accumulations of gold and
silver In secret vaults. except the orna-
ments, which are reserved for and worn
py their women" I had to admit the force
of all this reasoning 10