St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-11-28
2 e =
THE TRES PIEDRAS LEGEND.
Sought Treasure Told by nm
Old Soarcher. zFS


Considerable excitement was lately
aroused in western Oklahoma, especially
in Beaver county-the mo Mans Land"
of our histories-regarding the workings
of party Of men In that county in the
search for lost treasure, says Guthrie
report to the Galveston News. Okla
homa was in the path of the pioneers who
went to California in ~, and also Of
those who sought for Spanish treasure
in both old and New Mexico, and be-
meath its surface, according to legends
handed down through generations, are
hidden immense treasure stores. Okla
Romans are becoming used to strangers
appearing with blueprints and maps, also
shovels and picks, and delving around
in the belief that they are the fortunate,
ones in solving the hiding places OF
wealth
Under Sheriff McKew, of Beaver coun-
ty, returned lately to Beaver City, the
county seat, from trip through the
western part of the county, where he
had been serving papers for the present
term of court. While crossing the mesa
between the Cimarron and Corrnmpa
rivers, McKew came upon an excavation,
and, being curious to know the cause.
drove toward it for the purpose of in
vestigating. He came upon an aged
1rishman, Michael Ryan, and from him
secured the story of the Tres Piedras,
the cause OF Ryan's excavations.
According to an old Spanish Mexican
legend, handed down for generations
among the Mexicans, a vast quantity OF
gold was buried by Spanish expedition,
which among the Mexicans is known as
the lost treasure Of the Tres Piedras. The
trail OF this expedition was marked by
huge stones resembling gigantic letter
v. Chiseled on the under face Ut the
rock at the point of this V would be
found the symbol 4'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 Cath
Ollie church employed guides and fol-
lowed the trail to within 30 miles of Clay
ton, 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 fluently.
All his life he has been familiar with
many Mexican legends, but, like others,
paid no particular attention to them, and
probably would not now had it not been
for an incident few years ago which
caused him to take up 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
searching several hours he sat down
upon stone to rest, and observed that
the rocks in that vicinity formed an in
distinct v. This fact aroused his curios-
ity, and he began an Investigation, hnd-
ing on the bottom Of the stone at the
point of the v the symbol v deeply
chiseled thereon. As this was point
beyond that abandoned by the priests,
Ryan carefully marked the place, and a
few months afterward returned and took
up the lost trail. Several times during
the next year or two he lost the trail
again, and after giving up for awhile
would return with fresh supplies to re-
new his efforts.
Finally, near Garrett, In Beaver coun-
ty, Ryan came upon mound near the
old Santa Fe trail, where three large
rocks made the symbol On the under
side of one of these appeared the symbol
indistinctly chiseled, and following the
direction indicated within quarter Of
q mile he came upon another triangle,
with the symbol pointing toward the d.
rection from which he came. He
searched the land In that locality for
days, and finally came upon another SYM
Dol, which, with the two former, formed
. triangle with the points about one
quarter of mile distant The on each
rock pointed toward the center of this
triangle, and believing that this indicated
the termination Of his search Ryan COM
menced digging in the center of the tri-
angle, where Under-Sheriff Mckew
found him. In the hole he has excavated,
Ryan claims to have unearthed adobe
bricks, certainly the handiwork of man.
He, as well as others familiar with the
Tres Piedras legend, believes thatHitlin
the triangle lies buried the long lost and
many times searched-for treasure
SHE MADE A MISTAKE.
She Wore the Glasses for Looks
sake, Not to Look
+ Through.