The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-06-01
DUG FOR TREASURE.
Eastside Negroes stirred Up by Mid
night Disturbers of Earth,

night Disturbers of Earth
The Eastside was stirred up by another
mystery yesterday and for an hour or
more Coroner Keller and the police en-
deavored to unravel it. The yard of one
of the residents of the Fort was dug up
10 the depth of six or seven feet in
vain effort to find an imaginary murdered
negro.
Yesterday morning a negro told Patrol
man John Farrell a story that made the
officer feel sure that he was hot on the
trail of a band of murderers. The negro
said he had been down to the excursion
boat Wednesday night to see some friends
START on their trip 10 Beaufort to spend
Decoration Day He returned to his home
early Thursday morning, and walked
through Perry street lane. He heard a
noise in the yard of No. I'll. Attracted by
curiosity he went close to the fence and
looked through a crack. The sight that
NET his gaze caused all sorts of thoughts
10 pass through his mind and his hair
fairly stood on end. There were four ne
groes in the yard, and two were digging
for all that they were worth. The other
two were standing together, and the man
behind the fence could not make out what
part they had been playing in the per
Torrance.
He was frightened and one of the men
must have heard his bones knocking to-
gether, or been attracted by some other
noise The digger turned sharply and
threw a handful of dirt in the peppers
ewes Half blinded, the frightened negro
hurriedly left the neighborhood
As soon as the story was told the pa
trolman he went to the place. The house
is occupied by Henry H. Haywood and
his wife. The woman said she knew
nothing of the digging. The yard was in
good condition when she retired Wednes-
day night, but she noticed Thursday
morning that it had been dug up. She
said she had made inquiries, but had been
unable 10 learn who had removed the dirt.
and then replaced it, or what the purpose
had been. Farrell examined the yard and
found by sounding that the place had
been dug up to the depth of some six feet.
The officer reported his discovery to DO
lice headquarters, and the matter was in
turn reported to Coroner Keller The
coroner, Constable Lilienthal, two patrol
men and a representative of the Morning
News went to the yard, and the work of
excavating was begun in a driving rain.
Hundreds of negroes left their homes to
watch the work. They fully expected TO
see a human DOuy COME up with a shovel
full of the soil They were disappointed,
and nothing was found. The entire yard
was dug up as far down as the four men
had gone, but beyond an old pair of scis-
sors, several blades of fresh grass and a
piece of rosin, nothing was found
The murder theory had to be abandon
ed and the officers now believe that the
men were digging for gold. About once
year the negroes on the Eastside get
stirred up on the subject of buried treas
ures and go to digging. They get hold
of sounding rods and have dreams, and it
matters little to them in whose yard they
dig. The police say that a dream prob
ably caused the four men to work with
their shovels Thursday morning. 1t is not
at all likely that they were rewarded in
their efforts.
Some of the negroes believe that sew
eral enemies of the Haywood family must
have been getting in their good work and
that they were the ones who caused the
mischief. These people say that the
ground was probably dug up for the pur-
pose of burying roots under the back steps
of the family. The negroes as a rule be-
lieve firmly that a bone or root from a
hoodoo doctor planted under the steps of
an enemy, will be followed by death or
great affection in the family thus hoo
dooed.