The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-09-13
HUNTING FOR PIRATE
GOLD is POPULAR
IN THE WEST INDIES
Many Expeditions Are Organ.
lied to Seek Buried Treasures
Some Searehers Success
full Especially In Haytf Sto-
ries of Lucky. Finds. -.

The. New York Worlds will-o,-t the
wisp, pirate gold. has still. many fol,
lowers. Expeditions are continually
being fitted out at ports along the Atss
lantic seaboard to search the palm
covered islands and coral BAYS Of the
West Indies for the boards of old Span
1sh gold and pirate booty which are
supposed to be hidden there
Not long ago private yacht was
secretly fitted out in New York for a
West lndian3 treasure hunt. Other ex-
peditioH8 have started recently from
Phiiadelnhia. Boston, Newport News,
New Orleans and other ports
Nor iSA thf hunt confined to Ameri-
cans. AzgeaE does not pass without ex-
petitions leaving London, Glasgow,
Liverpool or other British ports, while
the West Indies themselves, living in
an atmosphere of treasure stories. ara
naturally the keenest of all the hunters
of phantom gold
Sometimes these expeditions never
return. Thel ship is reported missing.
and another is added to the long roll
OF ocean tragedies of which the public
hears little or nothing. Years after
wards a few bleached bones on a re-
mote islet, or a derelict floating in the
track of7shipping, tells tale of ship
wreck, mutiny or death by those dis
eases most dreaded by seafaring men
yellow fever and beri-beri.
Some months ago no fewer than five
treasure hunting expeditions were re-
ported at Kingston, Jamaica. The Earl
of Crawford and Badcarres had
brought his yacht into the habor on a
west Indian cruise, and it was said
tnat ne was combining business with
pleasure and meant to search for a.
pirate treasure reported to be buried
on the tiny island Of Anegada, In the
Virgin group. Apparently he has had
no luck.
The second expedition was headed
by an Englishnan, who hoped to find
the secret hoard left by Kink Christie
phe of Hayti. The third was a small
aIalr, got up by jamaican planter,
VINO aimed at locating the treasure of
that buccaneer king, Sir Henry Nor
gan. This Is said to be buried in a.
cave In Gun Hill. Trelawny, Jamaica,
and to be guarded, like Capt. Kidd's.
Dy the devil in person-hoofs, horns.
tail, pitchfork and all.
Two other expeditions were working
In Santo Domingo and the Cayman ISL
ands.
This was period of special activity
In the treasure-hunting line, but such
enterprises are so familiar to the Gre
oles that they hardly excite comment.
Some men waste their lives and for
tunes fitting all over the Caribbean
sea, FROM one reported pirate haunt to
anothers and digging for buried gold.
When the mania once gets hold of a
man 1t never seems to leave him until
it has sbured his temper and ruined
his life. -
Barbados is 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 a
small wood near Bridgetown, the ISL
and capital, where he said he had bur-
led an immense treasure.
Whether this was a post-mortem
joke, or 9gnot it is impossible to say.
If it was, it, succeeded to perfection.
For acres around the spot indicat-
led" says Hesketh Bell, colonial Of
fcial "the soil has been perfectly
honeycombed by the excavations Of