The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-08-22

Gun Hill, Trelawny, Jamaica, and to
be guarded like Capt. Kids, by the
devil in person-hoofs, horns, tail, pitch
fork and ALL
Two other expeditions were working
in Santo Domingo and the Cayman is
lands.
This was a period of special activity
in the treasure hunting line, but such
enterprises are so familiar to the Gre
OleS that they hardly excite comment
tunes Hitting all over the Caribbean
sea, from one reported pirate haunt to
another and digging for buried gold.
When the mania once gets hold of a
man 1t never SENS to leave him until
it has soured his temper and ruined his
life.
Barbados is a favorite resort of the
treasure seekers. Several caches of
doubloons and pieces of eight have
been found there in digging among old
ruins Capt. Kidd once ran his ship
ashore at Barbados when chased by a
cruiser He left a paper describing a
spot in q small wood near Bridgetown,
the island capital, where he said he had
buried an immense treasure.
Whether this was post-mortem Joke
or not it is impossible to say. If it
was 1t succeeded to perfection.
For acres around the spot indi-
Gated says Hesketh Bell, a colonial
official, the soil has been perfectly
honeycombed by the excavations of
treasure seekers. No one knows
whether the booty was secured, as the
finder would in all probability have
been most careful to keep his success
the government and the owner of the
land besides. Even now. when any one
is noticed to become suddenly we'll off
and flush of money, he is at once set
down to have discovered a buried jar
of gold, when, perhaps, the reason of
his affluence may be much more ques-
tionable."
In Haiti. not long ago. hidden treas
ure was brought to light in the pic
turesque town of Gonaives in rather
curious way. A mulatto lived there who
was almost penniless. He inhabited a
desolate ruin which had once been a
fine old planters chateau in the days
when the French owned the islands. and
he eked out a miserable existence by
cultivating a feeble yam patch.
Suddenly the mulatto blossomed out
as man of wealth. He bought a fine
house. a provision store, rum shop
and horses and mules galore. Every
body wondered where he got his money,
but only one man, another Haitian mu-
latto. had sense enough to figure the
matter out.
''See here" said the second mulatto.
I've taken a fancy to that old ruin of
yours Kind of picturesque, isn't it?
I'll give you $500 for it,
The first mulatto jumped at the offer.
AS soon as the deal had been effected
the purchaser had the house carefully
pulled down, brick by brick, and the
foundations dug up. AS the result he
found nine small Unbound chests filled
with trea sure. They contained a great
deal of French gold and silver coin of
the eighteenth century, gold and silver
plate jewelry, church ornaments and
other valua bles. Altogether the nine
chests were valued at over $500. 900.
When the first owner heard of it he
was furious 1t then came out that one
day by accident he had found similar
chest hidden in the wainscoting of the
hall and had realized upon it. 1t never
struck him that there might be more
behind, so he gladly sold the house
fondly imagining that it was an empty
shell from which he had extracted the
kernel He raved like a mailman when
he heard the news. but the other mulat-
to possessed political pull and soon
quieted him by the simple expedlent OF
having him thrown into jail-New York
I Sun.