The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1901-11-22
UNOWNED GOLD BARS
Mysterious Find in Oakland That
Was Never Accounted For.
Interesting Account of Former News
paper Man-FOrtune Found by
LabOrers Who Afterwards
Retired,

Francisco and the robbery of over a
quarter of a million of dollars, also
in gold bars, from the SelPy smelt-
ing works near San Francisco, calls
to mind the discovery of large but
unknown quantity of gold in bars in
house which was being demolished
in Oakland, just across the bay from
San Francisco, says correspondent
of the Washington Star.
I was engaged in newspaper work
on the coast, at the time in Oakland,
in fact, and / am conversant with the
particulars from personal knowledge,
though the discovery at the time eX-
cited but little local interest, and so
remarkable was 1t that it was doubt
ed in some quarters. subsequently,,
however, the truth was developed.
The gold bars, to an estimated guam
tity of $25O.000, were actually found,
but to whom they had originally be-
longed or by whom they were stolen,
is still mystery. AS it happened
about ten years ago l cannot recall
the names of the parties with ac-
curacy, though l once knew them,
every effort, of course, being made at
the time to keep the "find' secret.
A two-story frame house on Tenth
street, in Oakland, was owned and
occupied by family, the head of
which at the time in question, and
for a great many years, over 20, L
think, was an employee in the San
Francisco mint. l remember the
house well. The old man died sud
denly and the house was at once
sold by his heirs. The new owner be-
gan tearing it down, intending re-
placing it with a business structure.
In digging away the lower walls an
Italian laborer came upon gold
bar hidden i'll the foundations. lie
covered the bar up with earth and
went on digging, but soon unearthed
so many other secreted bars that his
find was discovered by three other
men employed with him. They at
once entered into secret compact
to collect the bars themselves and
inform no one else, especially the
contractor and the owner, of the
great anu uuSAPSClCu wealth. Ni'iA
which they had so suddenly become
possessed.
''The men were all laborers, two be-
ing Italians, I think. They were sue
cessful in getting the gold away from
the premises unSbserved by others.
The first intima ton that something of
an unusual nature had happened to
bnt tbnxy n11if
work for good and made heavy invest
ments in real estate. Their purchases
excited suspicion, as they all had been
very poor men. To cut short a long
story, however, it was ascertained that
they had in fact found the gold, and
they were, under legal advice, convert
ing it into other property to prevent
the possible owner from laying claim
to his original property.
''In this they were all successful. In
fact, luck appeared to be with them.
No one came forward to claim the hid
den treasure for the very good reason,
undoubtedly, that the only other per-
son on the face of the earth who had
known of its wherea bouts was dead.
One man bought ranch in the central
part of the state for $4,000. The Ital-
ian living in Oakland bought a fine new
house, furnished it luXuriously, pay
ing $1,000 for piano, and bought his
wife an unlimited quantity of diamond
jewelry.
''The old adage, however, that stolen
gold brings to its possessor bad luck
in the end proved true. In less than
five years the ranch owner was bank.
rupt, and the ranch had reverted to its
original owners on foreclosure. The
italian lost all of his property and re,
turned to live in the little cottage in
North Oakland he had vacated for his
fine house. The only thing he pre-.
served to remind him of the days OF
his fleeing wealth was Turkish rug
worth about 800, which he placed on
the floor of the cottage, and would not
sell when all else had gone.
"'The third man dissipated all of his
wealth in fast living and gambling and
died a pauper in a hospital in Seattle
The career of the fourth man / can.
not recall accurately, but l know that
he, too, lost all that he had. The ranch
owner, by the way, died a miserable
death alone in a cabin on the Sacra
mento river and was buried by the
town in the potter's field.
''The gold, of course, did not right
fully belong to the man who secreteC
it in the walls of the house. 1t was
stolen from some one, and if it haG
been taken by the man who had for
merly owned the house his heirs put il
no claim for it for the reason that they
knew it did not rightfully belong t.
him. 1t was considered improbable
that any person other than he had. Sc
creted 1t, however, as he had lived il
the house for many years, had bull
it himself, if my recollection is correct
''Since he had been for so long ar
employe of the mint the general i'm
preston at the time was that he haC
stolen the gold, bar at time, from
the mint vaults, bringing it home wher
he quit work at night. While this ex
PLANTATION was the one generally &C
cepted the singular part of the mys
etry is that if it were true the govern
ment made no effort to run down tn,
thief nor was any such large shortage
of gold bars ever discovered and re
ported at the San Francisco mint mol
has it been reported to this day"
Costly Hotel at Vancouver.
A hotel is TO be built in Vancouver
3. c., that will cost $1,50O,OO0.