The Penn's Grove record., 1901-08-02


He and his party had visited the tree
again under cover OF darkness but the
same white clothed figure appeared and
the party disappeared Immediately.
Although he had quite a mania for GER
tain kinds Of reading and for gold field
stories especially, yet the organizer was a
man possessing an invaluable capacity
patience. lie could wait, he was willing
to wait for the reward In this way days
grew into weeks, months, and a year had
passed.
One cold night in January in the year
1891, the organizer and his band again
visited their colorado. 1t was near the
midnight hour. Save for the weird noise
OF the wind as it played through the trees
there was not a sound to be heard. There
We're five in the band. They had brok-
en- ground and had dug nearly as large a
hole as it now stands, when, suddenly
they all stopped and seemed to hold their
breath-the organizer himself had struck
something which caused his spade to ring
and sent a thrill over the entire group,
In a minute, however, they had ell re-
sumed their digging and really believed
that they had been successful. Each man
pictured a future of nothing but pleasure
and ease. But these fond dreams were
to fade into utter oblivion as o as thev
had occurred to their minds. They We're
working at a lively speed. The organizer
gazed up towards the heavens for Il
single moment as if he would offer a
prayer Of gratitude. In a moment-in
that single moment which he looked
his countenance was changed. lie had
not looked before he leaped. In that
second that he gazed upward the struct-
ure OF all his plans were torn asunder
from foundation to finish. As if his eyes
could deceive him he seemed to look Up
again. Indeed it was the same figure
clothed in pure white that he had with
horror seen before which now greeted lis
gaze. With a cry OF alarm, fright, even
agony, he started and ran a few PAGES,
then overcome with fear, he stumbled
and fell. The other four were soon far
away, leaving behind them again their
implements.
The figure in white which the organic
er had seen was seated on one OF. the low
er branches of the tree directly over
were the party were digging. 1t seemed
to repose as easily as if it had not been
the human being which it was. 1t was
none other than my venerable friend the
Colonel, who having kept himself posted
as to the movements and m~aneuverings
OF the organizer and his party, had man
aged to be present on each night that
these mel visited the tree. He now came
down the tree and walked over to where
the organizer lay PROSTATE. Calling him
by name the man opened his eyes, but at
the sight Of the white garments he seem
ed to swoon again. Then throwing his
spirit robes aside, the Colonel called him
again. The organizer squirmed a little,
then opened his eyes. Don't you know
me- said the Colonel, and STOPPING down
he whispered something to the effect that
there were thousands buried beside the
tree and instantly the seemingly half
dead man arose to his feet with a bound.
They walked over to the tree, took the
spades, dug a little deeper, knocked the
top off the mortar box, and with tremb-
ling hands lifted from out OF it a leather
wallet containing upwards OF sixty-iive
thousand dollars in gold. On the wal
let were the initials tx. q. F." and dat
ed 'lS25.' The two men were for a few
moments speechless and in that short
time seemed to live a life time.
As il in a daze and led by some mys-
terious hand, they-the organizer and
the Colonel-wended their way home
ward. "But don't forget he told me,
eve divided the coin that night. We
didn't bother 40 count it; merely divid-
ed it." The reason he gave why the 9TH
err four did not participate in the reward
was that they were traitors-each OF them
for through them, by tips, he gained
information as to the definite movements
OF the rty,-information which he al
ready partly knew. So then he %concoct-
ed the plan OF appearing as a ghost, with
the intention OF reaping all the spoils
himself, (for the real owners ii known
were long ago slumbering in forgotten
g~raves), but when he saw that the organ
izer was over come with fear, and that he
was really true i'll his guess that money
was at the bottom of the tree, he decided
upon sharing with the latter the glitter
ing gold.
He had been frightened by a human
apparition-probably to his financial in
tercSt.