The San Francisco call., 1899-06-26
FUTILE SEARCH
FOR BURIED GOLD
COCOs Island Treasure
Not Found.

STOCKTON, June 25.-Captain Gels
sIer, the treasure hunter who has spent
seven years on Cocos Island and who
is back in Stockton with no gold. has
his faith in the story of buried millions
unaltered- Geissler is the man. who
seven years ago, sailed from here in the
rfckity little boat known as the Hay
seed, and succeeded with his small band
of adventurous spirits in reaching the
little island off the Costa Rican coast.
The story of the millions buried on the
island by pirates under Del Pedro Ben
ito, in the year of 1921, was founded on
report generally accepted as being
true, but the value of the inferred Span
ish coin has grown with the passing
years from 100000 to $50, ,O00, 900. So
generally believed is the story that the
Central American Government has re-
served certain rights in case the treas
ure is discovered, and more than one
passing warship has allowed a crew to
land in order to take look at the is
land. Many stories have been related
concerning the island, but Geissler gives
the reasons for the faith within him
upon the following grounds:
During the early years of the present
century Cocos Island was the home of
piratical band, composed mostly Of
Portuguese. After their raids upon
helpless coast settlements Benitos band
would run for the island, and after car
ing for their booty would again put to
sea. Finally on one of the voyages the
pirate ship went against a stronger
vessel and but two of the cut-throats
We're spared. These two men were al
lowed to live in order that they might
direct their captors to the place where
the doubloonS We're buried. They es-
capped, and one of them is believed to
nave been John Keating, who settled in
st. Johns, Newfoundland, few years
later. At any rate Keating seemed to
talk whole lot about the affair and to
know Where the treasure was buried on
the island. He claimed to have secured
this information from one of the two
men who escaped.
keating interested some seafaring
men IN a scheme to recover the gold
and vessel was fitted out in 1874 to
visit the island. The captain of the
vessel went ashore with Heating and
was never seen alive again. Heating
told story of how he and the captain,
after securing all the treasure they
could carry, concluded to not return to
the waiting vessel, but to make their
way to the Costa Rican coast in the
canoe and thus escape the obligation Of
dividing with the crew, or giving ont
/ III.
Later they were to return to the island
ana bring away the money. The Costa
Rlcan Government, however. suspected
him Of having murdered the captain.
The story he told that their canoe had
overturned and the captain drowned
was little too thin. Heating brought
away $4,000 and with this bribed some
officials and managed to get out of the
country This occurred, according to
the story, in 1S46
keating returned to Canada. and died
there, leaving a widow, who is now a
Mrs. Brennan and resides at an ad-
vanced age in British Columbia She
says that when about to die keating
disclosed to her the markings on the
island necessary to a successful hunt
Tor the treasure. She dreaded a sea
voyage and entered into an agreement
kby which Geissler undertook to search
| seven years ago.
A year ago the old lady, being dis
satisfied with Geisslers reports. char
tered vessel and went to the island
Time has effaced many landmarks and
! to this is the unsuccessful search attri-
! buted. A man named Hartford made
the acquaintance of Mrs. Brennan dur
ing her voyage and ON learning her
| story he interested British naval men
| The Imperieuse, under Commodore Pal
User, landed a party last year, which
made a search against the protests of
the first comers. The sailors found
nothing.
Geissler says that all that remains to
be done is to prosecute systematic
search. This may take years He has a
large plantation laid out, with 20 600
coffee and 1000 banana trees already be-
ginning to bear Mrs. Geissler has be-
| come resident of the island and the
two will spend their remaining years
looking after the plantation and search
ing for the buried millions of Del Pedro
Benito.
Cocos Island lies twenty miles off the