The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-10-13
TREASURE IN THIEVES DEN.
"A ROBBERS' GIVE TILT WAS ONCE
A UTBERN4TING PLACE.


In the eastern part of Stone county
on White river, and located inone of the
widest parts of the Ozark mountains
is the fomous Robbers Cave" OF
southwest Missouri which, ever since
the civil war, has attracted the eager
attention of those treasure-hunting ad-
venturers who love the traditions OF
hidden wealth and who would rather
secure one dollar of the lost Spoils of a
bandit gang than to earn ten times as
much by some prosaic process of hon
est toll. There has not been found In
the Ozark country much Of the ancient
Spaniards' legendary silver, and the
whilom subterranean lairs of robber
bands have thus far failed to yield an
adequate reard to the searchers, no per-
sist in exploring them But these tales
of mines that once glittered to the
greedy gaze of early explorers and of
war-won booty never enjoyed by row
ing free lancers refuse to leave the ro-
mantle habitat of southwest Missouri,
regionthat is as full of charm as 1t
Is laden with legend and tradition.
The Robbers Cave" as it has been
called for thirty years, as one of the hi
bernating bear dens, into which the
bold nimrod of the pioneer days We're
wont to crawl in search of the shaggy
beast, and many desperate encounters
took place in it's dark chambers when
the dauntless frontiersmen attacked
the sleeping game with the hunters
knife. The cave has a small outlet
near the base of the mountain, and the
oil
this hen the hole was not guarded.
But 1t was during the war that the
cave acquired most fame. 1t became
the hiding place Of the various guerrilla
bands that made southwest Missouri
their field of operations. The mouth of
the cavern is also so large that small
troop of bandits could find shelter I'M
der the granite roof of this secluded re-
treat, and at that time the country was
wild and but sparsely settled. Toward
the close of the war a band of Confede-
rate guerillas passed southwark near
Springfield, holly pursued by a troop
of Union cavalry. The fugitives had
robbed bank in central Missouri and
were trying to escape with the booty.
The chase had been a long one and the
horses of both parties were almost eX-
hausted. When the pursuing squadron
reached Yoachum Pond about thirty
miles south of Springfield, they were
only few hours behind the guerillas,
but the horses of the Union troopers
could not continue the chase. A COM
pany of mounted militia happened to
be camped at the pond, and these men
took up the trail of the bandits and
followed it down into Bear Creek coun-
try. The guerillas took advantage of
the big bear cave, where they had, it
is said frequently besieged them.
The guerillas, finding that they ere in
trap, attempted to break out and
made a desperate one, and there We're
few survivors in either band when the
smoke of battle cleared away The
guerilla leader fell mortally wounded
and was taken to Springfield along
with several other prisoners. His
mother was summoned by telegraph to
come to him, and almost a week later
she arrived. The wounded man was
fast sinking, and as soon as his mother
reached his bedside he told her he had
some important information to impart
and begged her to write as he dictated.
DR.. Cheneorth, an army surgeon, was
attending the wounded prisoner, and
he heard the conversation between the
dying guerilla and his mother.
The young raider told his mother
about the fight at the cave, said that a
rich treasure in gold and silver was
buried in the cave, and gave her mi |
mute directions how to find the money.
The woman wrote the direction on slips |
torn from the surgeons prescription |
book, there being no other paper at
hand. There were marks on the trees |
at the mouth Of the cave and signs cut |
on the rocks that the prisoner had his |
mother note.
The guerilla died and his mother |
went back home. DR.. Cheneworth kept |
the story of the treasure in his mind, |
and determined to go to the cave and |
search for the money, but sudden |
changes in the fortunes of war took |
him away from Springfield, and he
went east, and finally, about the close |
of the war, settled in Boston. Shortly
afterward the mother of the guerilla
chieftain died and left the story of the
treasure cave and the written direc-
tions to find the buried money as leg
acy to her younger sons
Several years after the stick of the
Confederate rocket struck the earth
behind the hills Of Appomattox one Of
these sons heard of DIR. Cheneworths
in Boston and went to see him.
He showed the doctor the written ac-
count of the hidden wealth, and the ex-
army surgeon remembered the story
we'll and recognized the leaves from
his old prescription book. The two men
agreed to hunt for the treasure and to
share equally the wealth found
When the time agreed upon for the
start to the cave came the doctor could
not be found. The brother of the guer-
lila at once suspected his partner had I
played him false, and he set out alone !
for southwest, Missouri in quest of the [
cave. He went down on Beaver creek !
east of Forsyth, and inquired for the [
ave. He stopped at Alec Kissees, the {
labob Of fancy county and made l
known the object of his visit. Kissee {
knew all the caves in the county and I
old the stranger there was no such
tavern on Beaver creek. The cave t
fought must be the noted Stone county +
,ear den. The treasure hunter was di- 6
'eeted to the Bear creek country '
!ere he found am old settler by Che :
lame of Weatherman, who had in q
ears gone by killed many bears in the +
ave. He knew of the fight of the d
suerillas and militia at the cave, but
rad not heard of the hidden wealth. /
I-l.l1