Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1900-09-01
GOLD IN HIS CELLAR.
Man Digs for Worms and
Finds q old-Cotns OF Ancient Date.

lie Claire, Sept. 1.-Capt Zach g..
5Suiter, of this place, one of the best.
known Mississippi river men, who Was
on the Verne Swain for a number of
years, and who is we'll known here,
While digging for fish worms in his cel-
lar Thursday found an iron pot con-
tanning between 5000 and 5000 in gold
coin, besides TWO silver coins, the latest.
date on the silver being 1878. Some of
the gold WAS coined as late as 1850. Who
buried the treasure is a mystery that
will perhaps never be solved. About the
time the coin Was buried, according to
the date. 1850 lie Claire was one ct the
toughest river toms along the Misais-
sippi, and it is thought some person in
trouble buried the money and never re-
turned for it.
( The Davenport Leader says of the
above discovery:
Not an able bodied male citizen of
the sister city Of LIE Claire can be seen
on her busy streets today. The passen
gers on the ID. r. I. & n. w. trains
bring reports Of a deserted village to the
5northward. There is no one on the
levees to catch the rope and snub UP the
Verne TO the bank, while the reception
committee which daily welcomes the
City of Winona is today composed of
citizens feminine. Even the whoop of
the ca.liope. which is ordinarily enough
TO bring tears to the eyes of everybody
within forty miles. did not call to the
surface one of the burrowing burshers
of LIE Claire today.
This condition of affairs has been
brought about by the discovery of gold
~, Y-iv
is in active rivalry With Nome and the
lllondike 70. emigration. In these gold
fields the gold Is found in the rough and
a certain amount of effort is needed to
get 1t into shape for commercial and
boarding purposes. In the LIE Claire
field the gold is found in iron pots, al
ready minted, milled and dated.
Yesterday Capt. Zach Suffer was
moved to go sit on the river bank and
while away a few hours coaxing chan
mel cat and homeless carp out Of the
river and into the Suffer skillet. He
retired to hisz cellar with grub hoe to
dig some bait. He had stricken but a
few ticks in the loan of the cellar floor
when his implement struck hard. Angle
worms with bony covering being un-
known in LIE Claire he investigated.
Two licks With the hoe uncovered the
south side of an iron pot. His excayat-
ing efforts and perapiration were imme-
5diately redoubled. The pot was lifted,
examined ard the neighbors called in to
help wonder and admire. No wonder
The pot Was sure enough the traditional
pot of gold at the end of the rainbow
which lie Claire children have hunted
for generations.
Washed and cleaned the treasure
trove resolved itself into twelve gold
pieces. double eagles, and two silver
pieces, half dollars. put in for lagniappe.
The news spread. Inside of an hour
every cellar iioor in lie Claire was being
dug over and searched. Where there
liz one there may be more. II all the
miners strike find there will indeed be
a flock of pots-golden pots. While the
digging progresses there are surmisss
az to who put away the treasure. 1t is
not known that Capt. Kidd ever pene-
trated SO far inland. The buccaneers of
Io!den time would hardly seek out the
quiet town Of LeClaire to establish a
private treasury. =,
AT all events when the datee on the
sinners Of Capt. suffers dnd, became