The Van Buren press., 1901-09-28
FOUND A FORTUNE IN GOLD.
riched by Discovery of Owner.
less Gold Bars.

of gold bars from the mint in San
Francisco and the robbery of over a
quarter of a million of dollars, also
in gold bars, from the Selby smelt.
ing works near San Francisco, calls
to mind the discovery of large but
unknown quantity of gold in bars in
q house which was being demolished
in Oakland just across the bay from
San Francisco, says a correspondent
of the Washington Star.
/ 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 It that it was doubt
ed in some quarters. Subsequently,
however, the truth was developed.
The gold bars, to an estimated guam
tity of $25O,OO0, 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 / 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 Sind" a secret.
A two-story frame house on Tenth
street, in Oakland, was owned and
occupied by a family, the head of
which at the time in question, and
for great many years, over 90,
think, was an employe in the San
Francisco mint. ! 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 business structure.
In digging away the lower walls an
Italian laborer came upon gold
bar hidden in the foundations He
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 and unexpected wealth with
which they had so suddenly become
possessed.
"The men were all laborers, two be-
| l.. 4 ,bt,E nhau Ell
cessful in getting the gold away from
| the premises unobserved by others.
| The first intmation that something Of
an unusual nature had happened to
these four men was that they quit
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 long
story, however, IL 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 whereabouts was dead,
One man bought ranch in the central
part Of the state for $4,000. The ltal.
ian living in Oakland bought fine new
house, furnished 1t luxuriously, pay.
Ing 81 900 for piano, and bought his
wife an unlimited quantity OF diamond
jewclry,
"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 It's
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 neetlng wealth was n Turkish rug
worth about $500, which he placed on
the floor OF the cottage, and would not
sell when all else had gone.
"rhe third man dissipated all OF his
wealth in fast living and gambling and
died pauper in hospital in Seattle,
The career OF the fourth man | can
not recall accurately, but know that
he, too, lost all that he had The ranch
owner, by the way, died miserable
death alone In cabin on the Sacra-
mcnto river and was buried by the
town in the potter's field.
"rhe gold, OF course, did not right.
fully belong to the man who secreted
II In the walls OF the house. IL was
stolen from some one, and II 10 had
been taken by the man who had for.
merly owned the house his heirs put In
no claim for II for the reason that they
knew II did not rlghtfully belong TO
him. II was considered improbable
that any person other than he had SO.
crctcd II, however, as he had lived In
the house for many years, had built
II himself II my recollection is correct,
"Since he had been for so long an
employe OF the mint the general i'm.
preston at the time was that he had
stolen the gold, bar at q time, from
the mint vaults, bringing II home when
he quit work at night. While this cx.
PLANTATION was the one generally nc.
ccp'ed the singular part Of the mys-
e'ry Is that II II were true the govern.
ment made no effort TO run down tho
thief nor was any such large shortage
OF gold bars ever discovered and re.
ported at the San Francisco mint nor
has II been reported TO this day"
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| Vawv HAnN nnmsu.