The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1903-10-07
TIE rHrs P1EnRAs LEGEND.

I1I1Lk<AS AE<ELNDs
Considerable excitement has been
aroused in western Oklahoma, especially
in Beaver County-the mo Mans
Land" Of our Notwithstanding the
workings of a party Of men in that
county in search for lost treasure
Oklahoma was in the path Of the
pioneers who went to California in 40,
and also of those who sought for Span
ish treasure in both old and New Mexico
and beneath its surface, according to
legends handed down through genera
lions, are hidden immense treasures
stores. Oklahomans are becoming used
to strangers appearing with blueprints
and maps, also shovels and picks,
delving around in the belief that they
are the fortunate one in solving the hid
ing places of wealth.
Under-Sheriff McKew of Beaver
county returned the first Of the week to
this city, the county seat, from a trip
through the western part of the county,
where he had been serving for the
present term of court. While crossing
the mess between the Cimarron and
Corrumpa Rivers. McKew came upon
an excavation, and, being curious to
know the cause, drove toward it for the
purpose of investigating. He came
upon an aged Irisfman., Michael Ryan
and from him secured the story of the
Tres Piedras, the cause of Ryan's ex-
cavations.
According to an old Spanish Mexican
legend, handed down for generations
among the Mexicans, vast quantity of
gold was buried by a Spanish expedition
which among the, Mexicans is known as
the lost treasure of the Treas Piedras.
The trail Of this expedition was marked
by huge stones resembling gigantic let
ter V. Chiselled on the under face of
the rock at the point of this V would be
found the symbol "V," and the whole
symbol marked the direction in which
| the next marks Of the trail would be
found. These symbols were from five
to ten miles apart. located in many
places eastward from Santa Fe and Las
Vegas. N. NJ.
| Several years ago priests of = the
Catholic Church employed guides and
| followed the trail to within thirty miles
Of Clayton, N. NJ, where it was lost and
| further search was then abandoned.
Michael Ryan is now an old man. He
has lived in the West all his life, and
as child played with Mexican children,
learning their language, which he
speaks fiuently. All his life he has been
familiar with many Mexican legends,
but like others. paid no particular at
tention to them, and probably would not
/ now had 1t not been for an incident a
few years ago which caused him to take
lup the trail of the Tres Piedras.
| While travelling overland from east
ern New Mexico, Ryan's horses strayed
from camp one night. and he was COM
PEELED to search for them on foot. After
isearching several hours he sat down
upon a stone to rest and observed that
the rocks in that vicinity formed an
Iindistinct letter W, This fact aroused
his curiosity, and he began an investi-
tgation, finding on the bottom of the
stone at the point Of the v the symbol
" deeply chiselled thereon. As this was
a point beyond that abandoned by the
ipriests. Ryan carefully marked the
place. and a few months afterward re-
turned and took up the lost trail.
fSeveral times during the next year or
two he lost the trail again, and after
giving up for while would return with
fresh supplies to renew his efforts.
Finally near. Garrett, in Beaver Coun-
lty, Ryan came upon mound near the
lold Santa Fe trail, where large rocks
made the symbol On the. under side Of
lone OF these appeared the symbol in
distinctly chiselled, roand following the
direction Indicated within q quarter of
a mile he came upon another triangle,
with the symbol pointing toward the
direction from which he came. He
searched the land in that locality for
days. and finally came upon another
symbol, which, with the two former,
formed triangle with the points about
ene-quarter Of mile distant The v on
each rock pointed toward tie centre of
this triangle, and believing that this in
dictated the termination of his search,
Ryan commenced digging in the centre
lof the triangle, where Under-sheriff Nc
Kew found him. In the hole he was ex-
Icayated, Ryan claims to have unearthed
adobe bricks, certainly the handiwork of
man. He, as we'll as others familiar
with Tres Piedras legend, believes that
within the triangle Hes buried the long
lost and many times searched-for treas
ure.-Guthrie Okla. Dispatch Galveston
Nar,s