Democratic messenger., 1902-09-27
HID GOLD IN THE GARDEN.
A "Reminiscences of the British
Invasion of Maryland.

y
Eighty years ago. after the British had
been repulsed at Baltimore, they pill
aged Maryland towns in quest of sup
plies for the army, which was dispatch
ed to the Bermudas after leaving the
inhospitable shores of the Chesapeake
In almost every town and hamlet in the
country bordering both shores of the
bay there are legends of visits by the
red coats in sufficient numbers to over,
awe the defenseless residents. There
are also legends of rified barns, meat.
houses and hencoops, while merchan-
disc. wherever found, was taken to the
nearest landing place and thence con.
veyed to the anchored ship.
One of these maraudlng expeditions
was dispatched up the Susquehanna
river in quest of flour. Mr.. John Stump,
who had a mill on Deer Creek, this
county, heard of the approach of the
red coats. He well knew that gold was
far more welcome to them than flour,
and as his accumulation of gold had
spread far and wide. he suspected that
the British would hear of his wealth
and would attempt to secure possession
of it. To forestall the attempt he buried
his gold late at night in his garden. He
performed the task alone, and never in
formed his family of the act.
The British visited his mill and appro-
priated all of his flour. They had heard
of his gold, and searched in vain for it.
They departed greatly disappointed that
they had not found the treasure of
which they had been informed. Mr..
Stump did not dig up the buried gold.
He feared another visit by the maraud.
ers. He also feared an attack by thieves.
From day to day he postponed until the
morrow the task of recovering the
money. But the tomorrow never came
He was taken suddenly ill and died
without having revealed TO his family
the location of the buried treasure. He
had taken the precaution to draw dia
gram which was concealed in book:
After Mr.. Stump's death his family
was greatly surprised TO find that the
belief that he had accumulated gold was
unfounded, since none was to be found,
nor was there any trace of it. The will
contained no mention of it.
AS the years rolled up John Stump's
gold became only myth. The family
moved away. though still retaining pos.
session of the homestead. Tenants were
engaged to till the land Among these
was a man named Wilson, whose son
was more fond of delving in the musty
books and records in the garret of the
old brick mansion than he was delving
into land with plow or hoe. In one
old time stained book he found the dia
gram which II years before Mr.. Stump
had placed there. He had heard of the
tradition of the buried treasure, and i'll
the slip of paper he believed he had
found the solution of the mystery which
confronted Mr.. Stumps heirs when he
died.
Young Wilson went TO work indus.
triously to work out the puzzle. He un.
carthed the foundation of the barn,
which stood when John Stump was a
miller, but which had long disappeared.
From the corners of the brick dwelling
to the opposite corners of the barn. as it
had stood he traced two lines and at the
intersection of these lines. where the
word gold" was marked, he dug a
hole. At the depth of several feet he
found the buried treasure.
Next day young Wilson went to Gin
cinnati. The amount he recovered has
never been definitely known, but it has
been estimated at $4,000.
Mr.. John Stump, who hid the treasure,
was a relative of Col Herman Stump
and of the Archer family of this county
He has many descendants in Hartford
county.-Balto. American.