Sunday Washington globe., 1902-04-20

Buried treasures--how many stories are
there Of lost caches, concealed wealth and
obseured hiding richness in these Rocky
Mountain states An old one. a tale that
has a mystery still unsolved, was related
by Cavalier" in the Benton Record of
March, 1875 Here it is, taken from the hles
Of the old newspaper.
Once upon time there was a chief Of
the Piegan Indians known to the whites as
Little Dog. He was a great brave, and
1though at peace with the employees of the
American Fur Company, was accustomed
to lead his warriors on far distant fOrays
into the country of the many Indian enc
mics Of the Blackfeet and sometimes
against parties of white traders, trappers
and hunters, or travellers not connected
with the trading post Of Fort Benton. In
one of these hostile excursions, probably
about the year 1876 after penetrating the
territory of several hostile tribes he found
himself with his band well down on the
waters Of Snake River, on the trail to
Oregon by way of Fort Hall Tales had
come to him in his own land of the nu-
merous trains of palefaced emigrants who,
far to the southwark, were necessarily
vending their way across the continent to
the Pacific Coast and he had undertaken
this long and hazardous journey expressly
to measure weapons with these famed way
farers, who possessed such a store of goods
and SO many wagons and cattle
Disposing Of his warriors in a situation
favorable for attack Lutte Dog awaited
with impstience the coming of train. AT
last, far over the prairie, the white tops of
the wagons are seen creeping slowly for
ward On they come. The cattle Jog lazily,
the drivers straggle listlessly. rousing up
now and then to discharge a volley of yells
at the easygoing beasts, and to cut the air
with their huge whips. The monstrous
boxes move nearer on their slowly turning
wheels, and at last the caravan, all uncon-
scious Of the lurking foe, is in the midst of
the am Duscade. A rattle of musketry, a
terrific yell from the upspringing savages,
a rush by the painted host, and Little Dog
is vietorious-not a man is left to tell the
tale Of the butchery.
Doubtless in the general sack of the
wagons which followed much was found
that delighted the hearts of the merciless
victors. Tradition, however, is silent on
this point, and deigns to preserve the rec
objection Of but one small box, found by
! Little Dog, bestowed with extraordinary
care in one of the wagons. The box was
/ found to be we'll filed with what Little Dog
/ pronounced to be brass buttons without
eyes. Brass buttons complete would have
/ been regarded as a very desirable acqui-
sition by Little Dog and his savage follow
| ers, They often bought them at the fort on
the Missouri, and paid good prices for
them, too, but without eyes what could
they do with them2 They we're very heavy
and how should they carry them TO the viii
lagos, since they could not be strung on
sinew like the ordinary button? Alasl
handsome and glittering as they were, they
must be left behind. But, though deciding
thus Little Dog would not have them
thrown away as entirely valueless and
they were consequently cached with much
care in the rocks overlooking Snake River
at a point where rocky promontory its
into the valley close to the foamng waters
Perhaps in after years Little Dogs
! thoughts sometimes reverted to Ghe hidden
buttons, but he did not esteem them of suf-
icient value to warrant the hazards aud
fatigues of returning for them, and so there
! they remained for twenty years without ex
citing any particular interest. But at last
| population flowed by the thousand into
Montana, and gold coin, unknown to the fur
trade at its remote points, began to circulate
in the territory. Little Dog saw the gold,
saw how the white man priced it, how a
| small piece would buy pound upon pound
| of sugar, coffee or tobacco and wonder grew
within him at the discovery that a brass
button without eyes possessed such mighty
| power. Then he remembered his box Of
| such buttons, buried far away on the banks
| of the Snake River and bewailed his folly.
| Oh, that he had that box nowl How wealthy
-
maintain what treasures he could buyl Il
would lift him to a height of grandeur such
as he had never before dreamed Of He
could think of nothing else but those mar
velous buttons, could do nothing but lament
the faulty that had induced him to let such
treasure slip through his fingers.
He told the story at Fort Benton, and
pronounced various gold coins exhibited to
him to be exactly like the brass buttons,
and, like Captain Kidd's hidden treasure,
it caused many man to burn with eager
desire to possess himself Of the buried
wealth Little Dog believed that he could
still fnd the locality, and often was he en-
treated TO lead the way thither. At last the
urgent solicitation of Mr.. d DawsOn-then
the American Fur Companys agent at Fort
Bentou-backed by a promise Of a large
reward induced him to engage to do So
although his medicine man had ever been
adverse to the enterprise He started, but
conscieuce-stricken at his sin, halted after
proceeding short distance, and could never
be persuaded to renew the attempt
Little Dog is now dead, and still the brass
buttons repose in concealment upon the
banks of Snake River, whose waters rush
with boisterous laughter to the sea, bearing
their story of a hidden treasure, to swell
the mighty list already in the records Of
the water spirits who keep the tally Of
mans unwilling contributions to the Golfers
Of the deep.