The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-01-14
GALVESTON ECHOES.
Disappearance Of the Buzxards and
"Lnntte's Grove"


"Lnhtte'a Grove"
zone of the most curious results Of the
great Galveston storm said gentleman
who has lived for q number of years IA
ihe tempeatswcpt city. "was the total
destruction Of the buzzards. From time
out az mind the lower end Of the island
has been favorie 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
10 the scene Of ruin. and The appearance
81 the noissome creatures was looked for
ward % as the inevitable finishing touch
on the horrors Of the great catastrophe.
But. much 70 our surprise, none were 70
be seen. and since then / have been all
over the island and find thai they have
completely disappeared A good many OF
the old-timers said they had taken refuge
On the mainland and would be back
AGAIN Ia a few days. bur weeks have
elapsed and none have appeared The
only explanation Is that they either per-
ished on the spot during that terrible
night or were blown out 10 sea and
drowned In speaking of the matter the
other Gay an old fisherman told me Of
tH NAAANMk HAAAAtsAA WhN AfNtAAE NA AAE AAt&0A
az Florida He said there was q small
island below Cedar Keys that was for
meiiy a great resort for buzzards. ia fact
Il was known among the natives as Bug
yards cay For some reason or other the
big birds made Il their rendezvous and the
spot was practically surrendered 70 them.
One night. about ten years ago. a terrific
tropical storm came sweeping up the
coast and this little island seemed 70 be
directly Ia the path OF the cyclone cen-
ter At any rate Il was swept clean and
3 The whole colony of buzzards were
drowned. The fisherman told me that
scores of them were washed Up on the
mainland. and not another one was ever
seen on the cay. The new generation
/ avoided Il instinouvely. Perhaps they
f have a way of handing down such tradi-
TONS
Speaking Of the destruction wrought
+ by the storm on the lower end of Calves
ton island" said another Texan who had
7 listened 70 the buzzard story. "the fright.
fui wind that night uprooted and carried
away three gigantic oak trees that have
been known Tor years as 'Lahtte's grove.
Z According 10 tradition. the spot was one
81 tho buccaneers numerous places of
rendezvous and ! scarcely need add that
he s. rcputed 10 have buried lot ot
treasure somewhere IN the ueighbJrhood.
The oaks we're supposed to mark the
place. and am sure e Is no exagEeratioa
90 say that hundreds of people have
hunted FOR it at one time and another.
The trees themselves were Largely re-
sponsibis fer keeping the legend alive
and row that they are gone, I dare say
4 viii die out II the true history 0i
treasure seeking along the gulf coast
could be- written" continued the speaker
"lt would make volume as big as an
unabridged dictionary and as thrilling a.
dime novel ] used to know an ola
negro who lived At Corpus Christi and
who was a regular center of infection foi
tne treasure fever II IS my private apin
ion that the old rascal was half crazy
but he pretended to have Information thai
had been handed down % him from hi
grandfather az Is the burying of a ches
fun e gold and Jewels. ny pirates. oY
the south coast He never told the stor,
the same way twice hard running. bu
when be got hold of a fresh listener h
reeied q On in 4 wonderfully clrcum
stanfial fashion I heard him tell II ono.
myself. and. sitting there in his llitls
cabin in the light Of a single candle. witt
ire sound 81 the distant breakers Ia ms
cars. 7 must confess he thrilled me cleal
down to the soles of my feet II / conis
have started out then and there nothing
could have prevented me from Joining AZ
expedition 10 dig Up The chest. but wher