Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-02-02
The suit commenced some


the Aston family, in the New York SUI
perior court, attracted considerable at
tent1on at the time, both from the
prominence Of the parties to the litiga-
ton and the large amount claimed by
Mr.. Olmsted, something over $4,000
oOo. AS the case has not yet come to
nearing, owing to the delays in the
proceedings at law, the matter has, in
p measure, passed from notice, scarce
~ anything connected with it having
appeared in the public prints since the
commencement Of the action.
Through the courtesy Of Mr.. Ohm
sted, | spent several days, during the
Summer Of 1895, as a guest at his sum
ner residence on Deer Isle, which lies
IN Penobscot Bay, off the mouth of the
Penobscot river. on the coast of
Maine; and having heard quite in de-
Sail the history of the cause of action,
which seemed to me most forcible
illustration of the maxim that truth is
stranger than fiction, take pleasure
IN giving the story as told me by Mr..
Olmsted and the members of his fam
fly.
An ancestor, seven generations
back, of Mr.. Olmsted, whose name was
Cotton Mather Olmsted, was an In
dian trader, and spent part of each
year, from 1896 to 1905, in what is now
the state of Maine. His treatment Of
the Indians was always fair and honor
able, whereby he won their confidence
and esteem. Winnepesaukee, then
the head sachem of the Penobscot
tribe, was at one time severely wound
ed by bear, and Mr.. Olmsted having
cared for him, dressed his woundsand
aided greatly in his recovery, the chief
as q token of gratitude, presented to
him the Deer Isle before named, a
portion of which has ever since re-
scendants, and is now the property
Law Olmsted. The original deed of
gift, written on piece of birchbark,
and bearing date January "a, 1899, is
still in the possession of Mr.. Olmsted,
and after the independence of the Uni
ted States was acknowledged, the va
didity OF the transfer was recognized
and affirmed, and a formal patent is
sued by the secretary of the treasury
during the second term of President
Washington's administration.
Upon the rocky shore near the resi-
dence of Mr.. Olmsted, and at the ex-
IRENE south end of the island, Is a
cave, the opening Of which is upon the
sea, The cave is about ten feet wide
and high, Of irregular shape, and ex-
tends back into the rock formation
some twenty-five feet. 1t has evident
ly been excavated by the ceaseless ac-
ton of the waves upon portion of
the rock somewhat softer than It's sur
roundings. At high tide the entire
cave is under water, but at low tide 1t
can be entered dry-shod, being entire
~ above the sea-level. The bottom
of the cave is covered with coarse
sand, five or six inches Deep below
which is a compact bed of hard blue
clay At low tide the cave is often
visited by the family of Mr.. Olmsted
and the other residents of the island.
In 1892, Mr.. Olmsted observed upon
the rock at the inner end of the cave
some marks or indentations something
in the form Of a rude cross, which
seemed to him possibly Of artificial or.
igin. If so, 1t was Of ancient date, as
Its edges were not well defined-were
rounded and worn, as by the action of
the waves and ice. Still, it appeared
more regular in form than the, other
markings upon the walls Of the cave,
and Mr.. Olmsted one day suggested to
his family, when in the cave, that as
stories of Captain Kidd's buried treas.
ures had sometimes located such treas
ures upon the Maine coast, they should
dig at the place below the cross for
such hidden wealth. Purely as mat
ter of sport, the excavation was com
menced; the sand was cleared away,
and, to their surprise. rectangular
hole In the clay was discovered, about
fifteen by thirty inches on
the surface and about fifteen
inches deep. This was filled
with sand, and, upon the sand being
carefully removed, there was plainly
to be seen upon the bottom of the hole
the marks of a row of boltheads some
three or four inches apart, and extend
Ing around the bottom about one inch
from its edge The appearance was
precisely as If an iron box heavily bolt
ed at its joints had been buried in the
compact clay Ior a period long enough
to have left a perfect impress of itself
in the clay and after its removal, the
excavation having been filled with
sand, the impression had been per
fectly preserved. After perfect fac
smile of the bottom of the hole had
been taken in plaster of Paris, the ex-
cayation was again filled with sand.
The clay was SO hard that the taking
of the cast did not in the least mar it's
surface. The bottom of the hole and
such portions Of the sides as had not
been marred by the removal of the
box were heavily coated with iron-rust,
SO that everything indicated the for.
mer presence of an iron box which had
remained buried in the clay long
enough at least to become thoroughly
rusted on its surface and firmly i'm
bedded in the clap matrix. AS there
were various legends relative to the
presence of Captain Kidd upon the
Maine coast, the discovery of the ex-
cayation was sufficient to awaken Gag
err interest in the question of the iron
box and the person who had carried it
away.
A bout tho war 4 Q01 !, Eronob rono