Sunday Washington globe., 1902-03-16
Lahtte's Lost Cache and the
New Hunt For 1t.
GALVESTON THE sPOT
The Young Men Of the Island City
Excited and Looking for the Hidden
Wealth Ofthe Famous Pirate-The
Old Sailors Yarn Implicitly Be
lieved by These Fortune Hunters,
who Feel Certain ofSuccess.

RANoNhA hlONANnA GAGlACA ny stories OF
pirates treasure. said to have been buried
on the island by Jean La6tte, and told TO
them by an old sailor, one Andrew Strauboe,
of Sixteenth street and Avenue A, Calves
ton, employed on the strand there.
Old Andrew has lived in Galveston for
nearly fifty years. AT one time he was iu-
innate with Manuel Lopez, general facto-
tum Of the famous pirate chief, who first
told him of the secret which he has now
disclosed. He is himself firm believer in
the story. II has so taken hold Of the i'm
aginatiOns of his Young friends that they
are preparing to investigate the thing thor
oughlY and already see the fortune in their
possession.
The tale of Jean Laftte and his hidden
treasure constitutes one of the most pictur-
esque incidents in the history of the South
west. In the earlier part of this century
when there was no such thing as a city Of
Galveston, and the Lone Star state was a
barren wilderness there drifted to the
island a crew of sea .rovers, pirates and
smugglers. Here, under the leadership Of
Jean LATTE, they established a piratica
colony, which became the terror Of the
Spanish main.
Jean Laftte was an adventurous French
man Running away from home when a
mere boy and going to sea, he settled in
New Orleans, where he gathered around
him a crowd Of adventurers. drawn FROM
every nationality and rank of society He
soon won uuenviable fame as a bold SNUG.
gler. He was once outlawed by the states.
but at the battle of New Orleans rendered
Old Hickory such signal services that upon
his recommendation President Madison re-
voked the former edict.
II was about this time that I.aitte. on one
of his cruisers, discovered the merits of
Galveston Island for piratical purposes.
Isolated as it was, mere speck of sand,
and with excellent harbor facilities, the IS
land constituted an ideal location, and was
at once taken possession of by him
He erected Notifications and built habita-
tions for his men, while for his own use he
reserved more imposing structure than the
rest, and by a delicate symbolism he called
it the Red House D."
The pirates remainedon Galveston Island
for nearly six years. Every summer they
cruised in the gulf, plundering Spanish
merchantmen, aud even routing the regular
men-of.war sent out against them from Ha-
vana Lahtte held commissions of priva-
teering from the Republics of Mexico and
New Grenada, which gave him the right to
do this; but often his men, in the excite
ment of their vocation, forgot this liruita-
tion and pluudered American vessels as
we'll Then followed angry reinoustrances /
from Uncle Sam, and finally an offer from
La6tte declaring his willingness to deliver
over to American justice any one Of his men
guilty of such an offense.
Under penalty of death he forbade his |
men to molest any one but Spaniards, and a |
fellow named Brown, having violated the /
rule, he was caught, condemned by drum. 1
head court-martial and hanged His BODY 4
was hung up on a fagpole as a warning but \
during the night the wind veered il
around so that the fellows features in /
stead Of facing the gulf, looked back upon /
the colony. This many of the pirates con-
sidered a bad omen
Meanwhile Lafitte continued his depre
dations upon Spain. He was rapidly ac. /
a fortune, when, in the spring 4
of 1921, some of his men having again tres. /
passed on American property, Lieutenant 4
Kearney, United States navy, was dis. /
patched to the island with orders to break 4
up the establishment there. La6tte tried /
to propitiate the American officer.
He met Kearney at the bar OF the harbor 1
and escorted him to the town" with mill 4
,ary houors. But it was of no use The 4
lieutenant obeyed orders, and LATTE was
obliged to leave
And now comes the story of the treasure.
Jean Laftte died in the Indian village of
Sazal in Yucatan, in 1926, a poor man; and /
It Is this fact which has given color to the
old tradition that somewhere he buried his
treasure, consisting of Spanish doubloons,
pieces of eight and jewelry. The theory is
that Laftte, when the excitement Of the
times had subsided, intended to return and /
reclaim his treasure, but that death inter.
Tered. What became of the vast fortune he
accumulated during his ten years war on
Spanish commerce?
Many old Galvestouians believe in the
story of Laftte's hidden treasure Don
Manuel Lopez, the pirate chiefs old friend.
a similar opinion, and spent
years searching for it. At different times
llso small pieces of gold have been found
washed up by the surf, and the question
naturally arises, Where did it come from?
Galveston Island outside the city limits
5 a wild jagged strip of land. It is twenty
seven miles long, with a transverse width Of
hree miles long at the broadest point
Once there was a story to the effect that
Mexican "tamale" man had found the
reasure. Texan happening to be in
Pueblo, strolled into Que of the most sump-
uous gambling dens there. and was much
surprised to 6nd this fellow the owner. His
suspicious were aroused, he questioned the
Deon, who broke down and confessed. But
his story was ne YER verified.
Upon another occasion a wag PLAYED a
cruel hoax upon party of friends enthusi-
'stic on the LATTE subject He procured
IN old dagger dipped it into blood Che
worked in butchers shop, engraved the
initials - L." upon it, and stuck il into
sand hill Then he invited his friends out
on duck-shooting expedition aud found
he dagger
OF course, they at once jumped to the
conclusion that il denoted the location of
he treasure. They forget all about ducks
md, leaving the wag as a guard, returned
% the city to get shovels. During the
light they got to work, and after much
abor unearthed an empty sardine box.
which the joker had placed there during
heir absence.
Now, however, there are many youths in
who believe they have Ia6tte's
raaaure a. faaf fo,-,f.d -.