The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1904-05-22

AT G R An QUIYARI
New Interest in the Legend of
the Buried Treasure.
SEARCH IN NEW MEXICO
Story of Capture of Beatriz
by the Ccmanches.

The discovery by a party OF English
/ and German miners in South America of
| the buried treasure of the lncas, which
| had been dismissed from mems minds
| long ago as a myth, has revived interest
! in legends of other vast stores OF gold
and silver hidden by aborigines from
! Spanish invaders and by the padres from
Indian marauders in the strenuous times
of Cortez and his successors.
| George McAlister and Juan Alvarado.
mining engineers, well known in the
| Southwest and Mexico, who spent the
winter in New York arranging a deal in
copper properties located in Sonora, left
| for the west early in May, because they
have reasons satisfactory to themselves
| for believing that the story of the treas
ures OF Gran Quivira is no fable.
| The treasure of the Incas is estimated
| by the discoveries ard by the govern
ment OF Bolivia, which claims all or a
large part of it, to be worth about SIS
0O0,ol0. The wealth which McAllister and
! his partner are seeking in New Mexico
| is Supposed to be a little less than half
of that amount, but 5000 900 is worth dig
ging for, even in these days OF the multi
| millionaire.
Gran Quivira was the dream and lure
OF the Conquistadores. 1t was linked
with the tabled Seven Cities of Cibola,
and it doomed large in the tales told to
the Spaniards by an Indian captive called
The Turk This strange Indian told
| Coronado of a great city. whose people
used gold and silver for the cOmmcDest
purposes whose mobiles took their siesta
under great trees bearing golden bells
that made music as the wind moved the
| branches and whose stores of treasure
were beyond the dreams of avarice.
Unquestionably The Turk was a gor-
geous liar, but Coronado was credulous,
and in the wake of that aboriginal fraud
he travelled many a weary league in
search of the tabled city.
THE PRESENT HAMLET OF GRAN
OUIVIRA.
The legend of the Gran Quivira sur
vived many fruitless expeditions. 1t was
the mirage that led Spanish Adventures
across the deserts for more than CEN
tury and at last the name that had been
as unstable as a will-o' th-wisp. settled
down upon a pueblo in the Manzano
plains, in what is now the northwest cor
ner of Lincoln county. New Mexico. The
Gran Quivira of today is a picturesque
collection of ruins in the midst OF vast
grassy plain There are the crumbling
walls of a convent and church. the re-
mains of abode dwellings, al, the traces
of great canal which brought water
down from the mountains when the
plains supported a large population.
In 1877 an old Spanish soldier. who had
been with De Vargas in New Mexico,
died at Valencia, in Spain.E Before his
death he sent fors padre2an dictated
to him what he declared TO be the true
story of the treasure of Gran Quivira;
not the tabled city of 1.-The Turk but
the abandoned pueblo in the Manzano
plains. The pueblo was the center of a
large farming and mining region, and
was very prosperous. The padres mon
opolized the output of the mines which
were worked by Indian laborers in viz
tual slavery. and accumulated great
stores OF metal in the magnificent church
of stone.
At the outbreak of the Pueblo Indian
instruction of 1850, the Spanish settlers
of all the country round about brought
their valuables into the town and placed
them in the hands of the padres for
safety. The Indians swept the Spaniards
out of the country, destroyed their
churches. and filed up the mines. and
the settlers of Gran QuiviTa were forced
to fec for their lives with the rest OF
their cOuntrymen.
The old soldier told the padre OF Valen-
cia that when the people OF Gran
Quivira determined to abandon the town
they gathered all the treasure belonging
to the church and to individuals amount
ing 10 more than s7,0o0. 000. and buried it
not far from the western end of the
church. In the middle OF a dark night
the whole population marched away to-
ward the valley of the RIo Grande. They
were followed and hara ssed By the IN
dians. and only a few survived the con-
slant attacks. the privsticns. and the
horrors of the crossing y che desert.
called to this day Ell Journa5o de-
Muerto"-tne Journey of Death.
wretched remnant arri led at El PaSo aa1
never returned To the plains Of AIanzdno
The Old soldiers statement was shown
by the priest 10 Don Ignacio Baca Of
Valencia, who was greatly interested IN
the story. and proceeded to verify some
OF the important details by reference 70
official records containing accounts Of
the treasure accumulated by the church
in New Mexico and lost al the time Of
the expulsion of the Spanish hy the
Pueblos Satisfying himself that there
was much truth IN the soldiers nara
tive Don Ignacio organized an expedi-
ton to search for the buried wealth OF
Gran Quivira. and the priest Joined the
party. The treasure hunters were young
men OF good family aad they went out
attired in all the splendor Of the hidalgos.
as if they We're on pleasure jaunt IN
Spain.
TREASURE SEEKERS TURNED col f.
ONISTS.
After I long. adventurous journey TIE
ragged. hazard troop reached what ;ley
believed 10 De the site Of Gran Qu.v.-s
10 find only the ruins Of q city IL desc
late plain. Tor several months they llyed
in the ruins subs!stirg en- What game
they could Kill. dressing in skins Of ante
Iope. ard digging hliudIy for the BARRED
--srIs1-c 7-her- found traces ~ old &C.