The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1904-11-10
WANT BURIED TREASURE
BANDITS BOOTY HIDDEN IN CA
HUGENA PASS.


Misfortune or Death Has Been the
Lot of All Who Have Held or
Searched for the Prize.
A local attorney departed for San
Francisco, says the Los Angeles
Times to further the search for the
alleged buried fortune in the foothills.
II his arrangements come to success
full issue, every foot of the Cahuenga
pass will have thorough inspection
by treasure seekers.
Away back in 1866 Alonzo Otero was
herder on dairy ranch in the neigh
borhood of Livermore Pass, near San
Francisco. One day while Otero was
pasturing his herd in one of the can
one and was himself lazily reclining
under the shade CT thick growing
clump Of low trees, he saw party of
three men ride up and stop at several
points and carefully gaze around, ap-
parently trying to ascertain if they
were observed by any one.
The herdsman had no relish for
meeting these three rough looking
strangers alone, and as they were dis
mounting he concealed himself still
more securely in the thick growth and
watched their proceedings.
Evidently satisfied that they were
unobserved, the men proceeded to a
small grove, and removing some pack
ages from their saddles, dug hole in
the earth and buried the bundles.
Then they made several marks on
nearby trees, and returning built a
fire on the newly upturned earth,
cooked their dinners. ate and remount-
ed their horses and soon disappeared
from the canon.
OterO remained concealed for sew
eral hours, but finally he ventured
over to the recent camp and made a
careful inspection. He drove his herd
and unearthed the packages he had
seen buried.
Report has it that the man found in
the cache one package of American
gold coin and two others containing
watches and fine jewellery, among
them scme good sized diamonds.
Otero scarcely knew whether to an
nounce his great find or not but he
finally buried it again in another sec
ton Of the canon.
Within a few days the people all
about San Francisco were talking
about the daring robbery which had
taken place in one Of the jewelry
stores CT that city. Masked and
armed men had seized about $4,000
worth OF jewelry and about $4,000 in
gold coin A large reward was offered
for their capture.
The herder was so frightened at the
position in which he found himself
that he decided the best thing he
could do was to leave the country, SO
he announced to his employer that he
had decided to return to his old home
in Mexico. He was great favOrite
with his employer and the latter in
sisted that he remain at least several
months longer This Otero consented
to do, and by the time he departed for
the South the incident of the big rob-
When Otero departed from the
dairy ranch his mule carried in it's
pack the treasure from the canon, and
eventually the herder arrived at Los
| Angeles. While camped in the Ca
huenga Pass the man decided it was
safer to cache the treasure again, and
he did so, placing it under fresno
tree. Zone package jewelry 80 feet
due west; the money Is feet north Of
the fresno tree" This is the accurate
description given by those who think
they hold the. key to the secret treas
ure, and which description they claim
to- have had direct from the man who
buried it.
After Otero's arrival in Los Ange-
les he stayed at the hacienda of Jesus
Martinez, whose home was on what is
now Washington street. About the
first thing Otero did in this city was
to attend lively Spanish fandango,
where he overexerted himself, and the
next day he fell i'll of pneumonia. He
remained i'll at the house Of his friend
, Martinez until May, 1867, and in graft
tude to his friend he told him CT the
buried treasure in the Cahuenga Pass
and agreed that as soon as he. was
able the two should go to the pass and
divide the stuff equally between them.
Martinez hesitated about having
anything to do with the money, as he
shared the belief of many that such
fortune was under the baleful inf1u-
ence of the 'evil eye and that death
would rest it's hand upon the holder
of the riches; but desire fer gold final
" overcame his scruples.
The very day following Otero was
taken with a relapse and he died be-
fore priest could reach him to hear
his confession and give him the last
rites of the church.
All that Otero could say to Martinez
in his exhausted condition in describ-
ing the place where the treasure was
buried was: Near where the road
crosses the arroyo on the north side
0f tha mass under a fresno tree and