Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1901-08-31
OWNERLESS GOLD BARS.


Worth n Quarter Of a Million Dol
lars, and the Mystery Never
Cleared UP.
"The recent theft of $4,000 worth of
gold bars from the mint in San Fran
cisco and the robbery Of over a quar-
ter Of million Of dollars, also in gold
bars, from the Selby smelling works
near San Francisco, calls to mind the
discovery Of a large, but unknown
quantity of gold in bars in a house
which was being demolished in Oak
land, just across the bay from San
Francisco" said Washington CORES
pondent.
II was engaged in newspaper work
on the coast at the time. in Oakland.
In fact, and I am conversant with the
particulars from personal knowledge,
though the discovery at the time ex-
cited but little local interest, and so re-
markable was it that it was doubted In
some quarters. Subsequently. how
ever, the truth was developed. The
gold bars, to an estimated quantity of
| S250,000 were actually found; but to
whom they had originally belonged, or
by whom they were stolen, Is still a
mystery. AS it happened about ten
years ago, I cannot recall the names of
the parties with accuracy, though
once knew them, every effort, Of course,
being made at the time to keep the
| find a secret.
"a two-story frame house on Tenth
street in Oakland, was owned and occu-
pied by family, the head Of which at
the time in question, and for great
many years, over 20, I think, was an
employee in the San Francisco mint. ]
remember the house well. The old man
died suddenly and the house was at
once sold by his heirs. The new own
er began tearing 1t down, intending
replacing it with business structure.
In digging away the lower walls, an
Italian laborer came; upon gold bar
hidden in the foundations. He cover
ed 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 employ
ed with him. They at once entered into
secret compact to collect the bars
themselves and inform no one else, es-
pecially the contractor and the owner,
Of the great and unexpected wealth
with which they had so suddenly be-
come possessed.
THE men were all laborers, two being
italians, I think. They were success
full in getting the gold away from the
premises unobserved by others. The
first intimation that something Of an
unusual nature had happened to these
four men was that they quit work fer
good and made heavy investments In
real estate. Their purchases excited
suspicion, as they all had been very
poor men. To cut short long story.
however, it was ascertained that they
had in fact found the gold, and they
were, under legal advice, converting 1T
into other property to prevent the pos
sible 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 whereabouts was dead.
One man bought ranch in the central
part of the state for $4,000. The Ital-
ian living in Oakland bought fine
house, furnished it luxuriously, paying
81, 900 for a piano, and bought his wife
an unlimited quantity of diamond jew
elry.
1.-THE old adage, however, that stolen
gold brings to it's possessors bad luck, In
the end proved true. In less than five
years the ranch owner was bankrupt,
and the ranch had reverted to its origi-
nal owners on foreclosure. The italian
lost all of his property, and returned
to live in the little cottage in North
Oakland he had vacated for his fine
house. The only thing he preserved
to remind him of the days of his fleet
ing wealth, was Turkish rug worth
about s1,500, which he placed on the
floor of the cottage, and would not sell
when all else had gone.
1.-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,
1 cannot recall accurately; but I know
that he. too, lost all that he had. The
ranch owner, by the way, died miser-
able death alone in a cabin on the
Sacramento river, and was buried by
the owner in the potter's field.
"The gold, of course, did not right
fully belong to the man who secreted 1T
in the walls of the house. 1t was stolen
from some one, and if it had been taken
by the man who had formerly owned
the house, his heirs put in no claim for
it for the reason that they knew it did
not rightfully belong to him. 1t was
considered improbable that it belong
ed to any person other than he who had
secreted it, however, as he had lived in
the house for many years, had built
it himself. if my recollection is correct.
Since he had been for so long an en-