Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1900-10-04

time the descendants Of the son became
gradually poorer and little by little
alienated the estate.
4 Valuable old wall.
A few years ago the remnants OF a
once extensive property, including the
ancient wall, now half in ruins and
wholly useless, were offered for sale.
The proprietor OF the adjacent farm.
the lineal descendant of the daughter of
the old Spaniard, bought it eagerly. In
this branch of the family had fingered
the memory of the last words of the
long dead ancestor, which the other
branch had forgotten. and directly the
transfer was made the former owner
was astonished to see the new ~proprie-
tor, with all his poems. busily engaged
in demolishing the apparently useless
structure, long IN eyesore to the neigh
borhood. The tapada was found and
consisted of gold n silver. In coin or
bars, amounting to several times the
value Of the properay.
Hoards have been made not only in
the distant past, but also In recent
years, and are hidden even to-day. The
ignorant Indian, profoundly distrustful
of the banks and similar of
civilization. selects a hole in any con-
venient wall as his strong box, and
sometimes makes his deposit with the
most reckless publicity. An old man.
the wner of some pack mules, was in
the habit of entering the patio of a
house in n of the principal towns,
where he was not known. and about
dusk going to one particular spot, The
owner, happening to notice this. watch
ed him on the next occasion and saw
him take out an adobe from the wall
and put a small parcel behind it. The
adobe vas removed and behind 1t was
found a packet containing the equiv
alent of about $4,000, but partly IN
notes of a bank that long ago had ceas-
ed to exist. The hoard was removed
to the house with the intention OF re-
storing it to the owner upon his next
visit, but that visit was meyer paid.
The old mar was not seen at the spot
again. Whether he was dead or wheth-
er he had indeed sought his hoard and,
finding it gone, had slipped quietly
away without making any complaint OF
the loss of the savings of SO many years
will never now be known.
Old houses when they are pulled down
are eagerly searched for tapadas, and
t., searchers do not always go unre-
wsfded.
Tradition of Tres TortiIIas.
OF all the existing legends which re-
fer to as yet undiscovered treasure
none is more widely spread than that
of the Tres Tortillas. 1t may be Sc
lecIed as one of the most possible of a
large class-at least we have here a
well-defined and unmistakable locality
and no actually combining facts. On the
remotest h~eadwaters of the liver Secure.
a branch of the Mamore, which joins
the MADEIRA, an affiuent OF the Amazon,
lies a broken. mountainous country full
of great gorges, ~precipitous cliffs and
tentiana. Here one descends abruptly
from the regions OF eternal snow to a
tropical forest where sugar cane and
coffee flourish, and we leave the high
and wind swept plains and scramble
down the deep dark gorges to the heat
and damp of the monte, ague of the
most virulent and insistent type turks
in the rain-laden atmosphere, waiting
to attack the stranger who has the
hardihood to penetrate these unknown
valleys. Here. If nature suffers the ex-
istence OF disease. she also provides the
remedy-cascarilla, or Peruvian bark
and the only intruders are the bark
workers and occasional seekers for
treasure. AS the traveller leaves the
high mountain side far off in the east
can be seen three h~at-topped hills, APP
p~arently close together and forming an
unmistakable landmark, and If the
same region is entered by ascending
the river from the eastern side at GER
the west can be seen the same three
mountains, which always appear only q
few hundred yards apart.
These are the famous Tres Tortillas
(three pancakes), and around these
three mountains have accumulated nu
merous TRADITIONS with probably some
foundation of fact, During the Spanish
rule ii is certain that great quantities
of gold were mined and washed upon
this mountain range. Old workings are
frequently discovered, whole towns
built of stone ana adobe, and deserted
churches and cathedrals are buried In
the forest, n from a hundred eyi.
dences 1t is clear these regions have bee
and may again be a source of great
wealth. II is quite possible that in the
nelghborhood o. the Tres Tortillas is q
mine of great value, and according tc
nearly all current stories this mine con.
tains a vast treasure, consisting of gold
! ready for transport and left when the
last miners ned, to return.
OF the various expeditions whicf
have during the last half century en-
deavored to penetrate to this valley q
survivor of only one OF them returned
and stated that ha vita a companion
hau found the mouth OF the mine, ha(
entered the tunnel and there had fount
a great OF gold stored for re-
moval. This man az last possessed
enough faith 10 make another effort {,
reach hts FL Dorado, and is believed Il
have persisted in the attempt among
the mountains. or the other expedi
tons the result has uniformly been fail
ure. Owing TO inadequate resources. L
the great natural difficulties OF thu
country or to sickness and death. up I,
the present Tres Tortillas have KEEP
their secret and stand like three gian'
sentinels. nnapproaehable ard defiant
guarding a treasure which may b.
worth a kings ransom or may be onl,
the fantasy OF a dream.
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MP RRYAN Uas RIGHT