The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-10

of the old-timers said they had taken
refuge on the mainland and would be
back again in a few days; but weeks
have elapsed and none have appeared.
The only explanation is that they eth
er persisted on the spot during the ter
rible night or We're blown out to sea
and drowned.
In speaking of the matter the other
day an old fisherman told me of an al
most similar occurrence on the coast OF
Florida. He said there was small is
! land below Cedar Keys that was for
| merly a great resort for buzzards; in
fact it was known among the natives
/ as "Buzzards cay For some reason or
other the big birds made it their rem
I dezyous and the spot was practically
surrendered to them. One night about
! ten years ago, a terrific tropical storm
came sweeping up the coast, and this
little island seemed to be directly in
the path of the cyclone center. At any
rate it was swept clean and the whole
colony of buzzards We're drowned. The
| fisherman told me that scores of them
We're washed up on the mainland, and
not another one was ever seen ON that
Wy L I've lG" 6CICletllpIi oNoipSb ~
instinctively. Perhaps they have a way
of handing down such traditions
Speaking of the destruction wrought
by the storm on the lower end of Gal
weston Island" said another Texan who
had listened to the buzzard story, 'the
frightful wind that night uprooted and
carried away three gigantic oak trees
that have been known for years as
'Lafitte's grove According to tradit-
ion the spot was one of the buccaneers
numerous rendezvous, and I scarcely
need add that he is reputed to have
buried lot of treasures somewhere in
the nelghborhood. The oaks were sup
posed to mark the place, and I am sure
Fit is no exaggeration to say that humid
reds of people have hunted for it at
one time and another. The trees them
selves were largely responsible for keep
ing the legend alive, and now that they
are gone, / dare say it will die out.
IF the true history of treasure-seek-
ing along the Gulf coast could be writ
ten" continued the speaker, sit would
make volume as big as an unabridged
dictionary and as thrilling as a dime
novel. l used to know an old negro
who lived at Corpus Christi, who was
a regular center of infection for the
treasure fever 1t is my private opinion
that the old rascal was half crazy, but
he pretended to have information that
had been handed down to him from his
grandfather as to the burying of
chest full of gold and jewels by pirates,
on the south coast. He never told the
story the same way twice hand run
ming, but when he got hold of a fresh
listener he reeled it off In a wonderfully
circumstantial manner. / heard him
tell it once myself, and, sitting there in
his little cabin in the light of a single |
candle, with the sound of the distant
breakers in my ears, | must confess he |
thrilled me clear down to the soles of |
my feet. If | could have started out |
then and there nothing could have pre- |
vented me from joining an expedition |
to dig up the chest; but when I thought |
1t over by daylight I concluded that the |
Old man was tripple-plated liar. A |
number of others believed his yarn,
however. and at least dozen we'll
equipped parties went out at various
times on the strength of it. One of |
them was backed by a banker. noted
for his hard common-sense.
Il never heard of any of them find
ing anything although they dug up the
surrounding beach until they made 1t
look like a section of barnsard. -
New orleans Times Democrat.