Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-10-19
GOLD HOARD FOUND.
A TALE OF BURIED TREASURE THAT IS
EXCITING OHIO.

LASliuI VsssOs
Law Suit Reveals Romance---A Sea Captain
Secures Wealth Buried on N Island
Many Years Ago. and Son Of His
Former Shipmate Claims Halt
A tale of buried treasure that would
cause Captain Wayne Reid or Robert
Louis Stevenson to blush was made
public when young man named How
ard #. Summers filed petition In the
County Court at Jackson, Ohio, In
which he seeks to recover from Cap
tain Charles A. Henderson the sum OF
S6,66O, which, he alleges, is half OF
buried treasure which Henderson Sc
cured from an island in the South At
lantic. The story unfolded in the peti-
ton reads like tale from the Arabian
Nights. Henderson admits that the
story is true, but requires that sum-
mers prove his claim upon the treasure.
In 1860 William III. Summers was
captain of clipper-built brig called
the Lark, and for some years he had
been following the profession of a
smuggler with uniform success. At
that time he met Henderson, then a
young man, at Baltimore, and offered
him the position Of first mate on the
Lark. Henderson, who was born at
Jackson, Ohio, and who had run away
to sea while boy, accepted the offer,
although he did not know at the time
that the Lark was a smuggler. He
soon found this out, however, but con-
tinued in the position of first mate.
When the war broke out Summers
turned his brig into a privatcersman,
and, 1t is said, was not as careful as
he might have been to observe the laws
of the high seas. He met with great
success, at any rate, and at the end
of three years was ready to retire. BY
that time he had amassed nearly $175.
600 in gold and notes, which he kept in
strong chest in his cabin. No one
knew of the existence of this chest ex-
cept himself.
In 1864 the Lark left Rio Janerio
homeward bound, and her captain had
determined as soon as he reached home
to sell the brig and lead less perilous
life. But off the coast Of South Ameri-
ca the ship ran into terrible hurri-
cane and for over a week was driven
rapidly to the south and west. During
all that time it was impossible to take
an observation to determine the ships
position, but on the tenth day the sky
cleared and it was found that she ship
was near the Tristan d'Acunha group
Of islands in the South Atlantic. Land
was in sight to the northward, and to-
ward this the Lark was turned, for the
ships supply of water was almost ex-
hausted.
Half an hour later the lookout re-
ported man-of-war headed straight
for the Lark. Now the captain of the
Lark had many reasons for not desir-
ing to meet a man-of-war of any ma
ton, and all sail was crowded on. But
it was soon evident that the Lark was
no match for her pursuer, and Captain
Summers decided to run her in toward
the island, as the only chance Of cscap-
ing. This was done, and as she round
ed the island they ran into a land
locked cove. Before anything further
could be done the man-of-war hove to
outside and dropped her boats into the
water for the purpose Of continuing the
pursuit. The crew of the Lark did not
wait for them, however, but tumbled
into the long boat and rowed madly for
the shore. The boats of the man-of-
war at once gave chase.
Captain Summers and his first mate
were left alone on the brig and the
former determined to make an effort to
save the money which was in the chest
below So he told Henderson briefly
of the existence of the treasure and
offered him half of it If he would help
him convey it to place of safety.
Henderson jumped at the offer. They
quickly lowered small boat over the
side of the brig away from the man.
of-war. In this they placed the chest,
and then rowed quietly ashore, with
out being discovered by the man-of-
wars crew, who were intent Oh the
pursuit of the long boat. AS soon as
they reached the shore they pulled
their boat up into the underbrush,
seized the chest between them and
made off into the woods; nor did they
stop until they had placed several
miles between themselves and the cove
They concealed the ches. and them
selves remained in hiding until the
next day, when they ventured to creep
down TO the cove.
There was no sign of the man-of- war,
but the Lark had been scuttled and
sunk i'm the cove and the long boat in
which the crew had landed was smash
ed to pieces. Their own small boat had
not been discovered and was intact. An
exploration of the island showed them
that none Of the crew of the Lark had
been left upon it and hence they con-
cluded that they had all been taken
prisoners. The island was a small one
and was uninhabited. Summers and
Henderson concluded that the best
thin for them to do was to try to reach
one of the larger islands of the group
In their boat. They were unwilling,
however, to risk the chest in the small
boat, for fear some accident might hap
pen II, and so determined to leave 1t be-
hind. They had found natural cove
in the course of their wdnderings about
the island and in this they buried the
chest, marking the place with pile of
stones. Then they rugged n small sail