Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-12-13

BuRYING THE CHEST OF GOLD.
ter of the clipper built brig the Lark.
At that time she was Il smnggler. but
during the war she turned privntccrsman
and was so successful that her captain
and crew grew rich.
The captain was especially fortunate
and succeeded in amassing a fortune OF
$4,000. says the Philadelphia Times,
all of which he kept in gold and notes in
heavy chest in his cabin. In 1864 the
bark ran into terrific hurricane and
was blown away into the south Atlantic,
nenr the Tristan d'Acupha islands. where
she was sighted by II man-of-war and
wns run ashore and scutfled by her crew.
All OF the crew We're taken prisoners,
with the exception of Captain Summers
and his first mntc. Charles A. Henderson,
who succeeded in getting the chest with
the fortune in IL ashore and concening ii.
After living the lives OF Robinson CRU
soes there for some time they finally
managed 10 escape, hut could not take
their treasure with them, On the yOy-
age home Captain Summers caught the
smallpox and died, leaving Henderson
the snlc possessor OF the secret. Hen
derson finally reached home, hut was
unable to secure the money necessary TO
fit ont vessel TO 20 nf,cr the treasure.
For 33 years he labored TO enrn money.
eating his heart out with the knowledge
OF the great fortune that lay beyond his
grasp, After many failures II wns not
until last year that he finally started
from Now Orleans In the Rover. lIc
reached the island In April without mis-
hap and secured the money, amounting
TO Si73,320. lie got home safely aud
since that time has been living quietly,
enjoying his fortune
II was not until few dnys ngo that
nny one aspired 10 dispute his ownership
OF the money. Then a man about 10
years OF nge, who gave his name M How
ard Il. Summers, reached Jackson aud
after n short Investigation and n confer
ence with Captain Henderson filed the
suit noted above. lie asks for the snm
of ssG,000, OF one-half the amount So
cured by Henderson. He claims that
Captain Summers had wife and son ut
Baltimore, thnt the wife hns since died
aud that he IN the son.
His father sailed away on what wns
20 bo his last trip In 1868, and his family
never heard anything more from him. It
was known that the bark had been
caught IN n violent gale. and II was sup
posed that she had foundered Mrs
Summers knew that her husband was
p'ht'NH'u VI VI lHTNN lortlHt, nut SUP
posed TINT II had gone down with him
She died IN ignorance OF his fate, aud 1t
was only recently TINT his son learned
of what had become Of the money, and
he took steps to recover his share Of II.
The islnnd where the trcnsurc was so
long secrCted and but recently uncarth-
td " situated about hnlf way between
the coasts Of Africa aud South America.
In latitude Us deg. II min. south, lungi-
tude Ol deg. " min. east, and has been
chTstencd Summers island. Here was
enacted several years before the rebellion
one OF the most exciting dramas of the
high seas
While yet mere boy Captain Hcnder-
son ran away from home and shipped be-
fore the mast. In 1888 he had Just re-
turned n the United States after cruise
10 the West Indies and in Philadelphia
fell in with Captain Summers. lie snId
he was shipping crew In his clipper
built brig the Lnrk, engaged in the fruit
and spice trade with the West Indies aud
South America, and offered Henderson n
position MS mate Henderson accepted
the offer
Just about the time the civil war was
opening the Lark started homcward
from South American port and rnn into
violent hurricane. which blew her ous
OF her course eastward and southward
for over week. During this time there
had been no opportunity Of taking an oh
seryation, and Captain Summers had no
definite idea OF his whereabouts. On the
ninth day the weather cleared and an
observation showed that the vessel was
far out in the Atlantic. only about 80
miles south Of the Tristan d'Acunha
group. That same afternoon the lookout