The evening times., 1899-04-12
TREASURE CACHES OF
A GUERRILLA CAPTAIN
Quantrell's Gold Buried in a
Missouri Mound.
Booty Obtained by His Raiders
Divided and Secreted.
ties Constantly Delving for
Its Discovery.

Lawrence, Kan, April Fit is prob
able that large part of the treasure
taken by Quantrell and his raiders from
this city in September. 1868, now lies bur-
| led in a mound on the left bank OF Upton
Creek. a branch of the Mar.as des Cygnss
/ River. in Bates county, Mo.
| The mound is probably $50 fest high
| from crest to base and the top is pla-
! teau six to eight acres In extent.
a member of Quantrelfs band informed
| the correspondent of the "Kansas City
World that the morning the Lawrence
expedition disbanded Quantrsll and his
most trusted leaders-Shepard, Tod, Up
haze and Anderson-went to the mound
after the spell was divided and gave Or
ders that no man should follow them ON
pain of death.
AS soon as the division Of spoils was
made and the separation effected. most OF
the members of the gang hid their shire.
These small squads were overhauled from
time to time by Union forces sent out to
capture Quantrell. These squads when
oyerhauled on such occasions, claimed to
be residents Of the section and were out
looking for stray cattle, or hunting
Quantrell, or made any other plausible
excuse that suggested itself. Most of these
were turned loose at once. as nothing
could be found indicating their guilt Az
ter the excitement cooled down the sv-
erai caches were visited ani the piunde r
recovered in safety. Some, Of course, was
not recovered. Several years after the
war farmer in chopping down a tire. in
the river bottom near Hog Island uncov-
cred over 5000 in Mexican silver and two
watches.
Quantrell and his lieutenants for their
share OF the booty took over $50 900 in gold
coin and bullion, crossed the river Just at
sunrise, and took the trail south. Their
horses were jaded and ready to drop The
men were just beginning TO feel the reac-
tionary effects of their exciting and terri
bic deeds. Tired nature was beginning TO
assert itself. and so, after going five miles
on Upton Creek, sometimes enormously
called Burnett's Greek. the mound was
reached, and the leaders went into camp
Where they went or what they did for
the next few days is not known positively
but the probability is, borne out by cir
cumstances, that before leaving they made
what they expected TO be but a temporary
disposition Of their treasure. Had they
been captured with all this money known
to have been taken from Lawrence, in their
saddlebags. that would have given their
captors prima facie evidence of their guilt
and they would have been either shot or
hanged There are reasons for believing
that the treasure wss buried there that
day.
In the summer OF 1866 Col s. E. Cope
hauled some sand rock from the top of
this mound for building purposes. One of
these was the key of the hiding place of
the buried treasure. He did not notice
anything peculiar about the rock at the
time. but later he observed some letters on
it. The rock in question is now a part of
a storm cave. is 14A2S inches in size, and
about six inches thick. and the lettering.
evidently done with bowie knife or a
bayonet by someone who was skilled in
stone carving. is as follows:
8. T. L. A.
C 5.
The large initials stand for Shepard. Ted.
Uphaze. and Anderson. the four men.
In 1863 three men from Texas camped
ON Upton Creek close by. and stayed for
a week. Every day one Of them would go
into the little hamlet OF New Home, which
adjoins the place, and the curiosity of the
people, Colonel Cope among the rest, was
aroused. Up to this time he had never
been able to satisfy himself as to the
meaning of the lettering of that stone.
Intuitively he connected the strangers and
the stone, and one afternoon he took oc-
casion TO call at the camp and request the
men to accompany him to inspect it. The
men examined il with some interest and
asked few desultory questions relative
to its discovery. He accommodated them
as best he could and the matter appar
emily dropped as subject that had been
thoroughly discussed. and a day or two
later the men disappeared. After they had
gone it was learned that they had been
searching the mound. Digging had been
going on in many places. but evidently
with no success. Colonel Cope and few
others carefully uncovered each of the
holes and closely examined the dirt. but
no indications of treasure were found.
Again in 1872 another wagon camped in
the recess of the Union Creek bluffs 1t
contained four men, one of whom seemed
to be the leader of the party that visited
the place three years before. This man
came to Colonel Cope one evening and re-
quested the favor OF a private interview
The men went down the road a short dis
tance when the stranger offered Colonel
Cope $500 if he would tell the exact spot
where the stone came from. This, the
colonel explained. was impossible, as he
had gathered the rocks from two or three
acres of ground, and had selected those as
seemed to best suit his purpose for build
ing the wall Next day. however, he Wis
tied the spot with the man and related all
the circumstances as near as he could The
man then produced a chart, which he said
had BEEN given him by an uncle in Texas,
with the instruction to go TO the spot and
bring away some valuable papers and
money which the uncle was alleged to have
placed there for safety in the early days
Of the war. The man himself was identi-
fed a day or two later as a former men,
Der of Quantrell's band, whereupon he un-
left the country.
Every few months party will appear at
he place. and after making nightly excur-
sions to the mound and digging over much
of the ground viii go away again. So far
as known nothing has. ever been found in