The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-29
RESULTS AT GALVESTON.

LFrom New Orleans Times Democrat
zone of the most curious results of
the great Galveston Storm said gen
tleman who has lived for a number of
years in the tempest-swept city, was
the total destruction of the buzzards
From time out of mind the lower end
Of the island has been a favorite haunt
of these birds, and they could be seen
there any day by the hundreds. After
the storm it was generally supposed
that they would flock to the scene of
ruin, and the appearance of the noisome
creatures was looked forward to as an
inevitable finishing touch, on the horrors
OF the great catastrophe. But, much to
our surprise, none was to be seen and
since then I have been all over the ISL
and and find that they have completely
disappeared. good many 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 has appeared. The only expla.-
nation is that they either persisted on
the spot during that terrible night or
were 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 off the coast of
Florida. He said there was a small ISL
and below Cedar Keys that was form
erly 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
devious 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 were drowned. The fisher
man told me that scores of them were
washed up on the mainland, and not
another one was ever seen on the cay.
he
stinctively. 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, 1.-The
frightful wind that night uprooted and
carried away three gigantic oak trees
that have been known for years as
'I.afitte's grove According to tradition
the spot was one of the buccaneers nu-
merous places of rendezvous, and
scarcely need add that he is reputed to
have buried lot of treasure somewhere
in the neighborhood. The oaks were
supposed to mark the place, and am
sure it is no exaggeration to say that
hundreds of people have hunted for it
at one time and another. The trees
themselves were largely responsible for
keeping the legend alive, and now that
they are gone, I dare say it will die out
eff the true history of treasure seek
ing along the gulf coast could be writ
ten" continued the speaker, sit would
make a. volume as big as an unabridged
dictionary and as thrilling as a dime
novel. I used to know an old negro who
lived at Corpus Christi, who was a reg
Ilar center of infection for the treasure
fever It is my private opinion that the
old rascal was half crazy, but he pre-
tended to have information that had
been handed down to him from his
grandfather as to the burying of a chest
full of gold and jewels, by pirates, on the
south coast He never told the story
when he got hold of a fresh listener he
the same way twice hand running, but
reeled it off. in a wonderfully circum-
stantial fashion. I 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, L must confess he
thrilled me clear down to the soles of
my feet. If I 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
it over by daylight concluded that the
old man was a tripIe-plated liar. A
number of others believed his yarn,
however, and at least a, dozen Wei
equipped parties went out at various
times on the strength of 1t. One of
them was backed by a. banker noted for
his hard common sense.
II never heard of any of them finding |
anything although they dug up the sur
rounding beach until they made it look /
like a section of honeycomb.'