The times., 1899-10-01

mate. They did considerable prospecting
and found traces of lead and quicksilver,
but no gold or treasure
Two or three hundred sailors from the
Imperieuse were sent ashore with picks
and spades, and dug trenches in parallel
lines six feet apart and ten feet deep at
the place indicated by chart which Hart
ford brought with him, but they found
nothing. He showed them also tunnel
or cavern in the rocks, which they blew
up with dynamite without a sign of the
$50, coo of silver plate and jewels and
gold. It rained torrents all the time, and
digging was not only difficult, but danger
Gus, as there were several landslides.
Hartford was left at San Jose de Guate-
mala where he endeavored to persuade
the captain of the United States steamer
Alert to go down and continue the work,
but the Imperieuse returned to Vancouver
with nothing but story.
Hartford's experience has been remark
able. One of the most business-like at
tempts TO find the buried treasure was
made by Mrs. Brennan the widow OF
ship chandler in Nova Scotia, who heard
the tale and obtained a chart from sail
or. She went across the Continent to Vic
tora interested several business men OF
that city in the project, and in March,
1897 sailed for Cocos in the schooner Au-
roTa, under command CT Capt. Frederick
Hackett. When they landed in Chatham
Bay, on the northeasterly point of the ISL
and, they were amazed by meeting crea-
ture who seemed only lalf human. He
was dressed like Robinson Crusoe in the
skins of beasts his hair and beard were
long and tangled and his eyes were wild.
At first he could not speak, but after they
had given him some whisky and allowed
his wandering faculties to adjust them
selves he told his story.
obtained concession from the Costa Ri
can Government which gave him the ex-
elusive right to search for the buried
treasure, with the understanding that he
should pay over half of all he found. He
brought frcm Punta Arenas a gang Of men
in the little gunboat Turalba and began
excavations, guided by a chart which mad
been obtained from descendant Of enc of
the original committee that made the
cache After working several weeks with
out result the men became discoatented.
The captain of the gunboat advised that
they should be allowed te go, and prom
ised TO return with a new gang as soon as
he could make the voyage. Hartford de-
termined to remain, because he believed
be had found the right location and feared
TO lose it again. But the Turalba never
returned, and he had been alone upon the
island he could not say how long For
the first few months he kept tally of the
passing days by making nctehes on a sap
ling. but finally gave it up and had al
most abandoned himself to despair when
the Aurora arrived.
Mrs Brennan and Captain Hackett were
deeply interested in this relation, of
course, and after a few days of confer
ence obtained this proposition from the
solitary islander:
Il, Charles Hartford, have an agree
ment with and permission from the Costa
Rican Government to search for hidden
treasure on Cocos Island. / was landed
by said government on September p,
1896 q think, and that government
agreed TO come back for me inside Of three
months. | have not heard from said gov
errment since, and being in a starving
condition and with no means to obtain
food and no way TO get off the island and
having located the large treasure, / make
this agreement with the captain ard crew
of the schooner Aurora of Victoria. B.
c., to let them take half OF the treasure
of whatever nature, whether gold, silver,
or precious stones, for their side CT the
agreement, and to land me, Charles
Hartford. at some convenient port in the
United States with the other half of said
treasure"
This document bears the following in
dorsement in the sailorlike hand of Cap
tain Hackett:
The information we came to the islan1
for proving no good. We have hunted, dug,
and bored, and were about to return home
when said offer was made and accepted"
Mrs Brennan and Captain Hackett soon
made up their minds that the treasure
was beyond their reach, and induced
Hartford TO return with them to Victoria,