The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-01-14
Beers BURIED TREASURE
Romantic Story Of a Futile Search and
of Ultimate Recovery.
From South Africa.


News was received at Krugersdorp re-
Gently of the discovery in the bushveld
beyond Louis Trichardt' g Drift and the
Spelenken Of the famous buried treas
urewhich was secretly removed from tho
Pretoria mint just before Lord Rob-
erts' forces entered the capital, and
which formed the romantic issue in the
tragedy eliminating in the execution Of
ex-Policeman Swartz. The treasure,
which consists Of bar gold and coin,
approximately, amounts to 6o,ooo
ounces, and is valued at quarter of
million sterling.
The story Of it's burial and recovery
is sensational IN the extreme. It IS q
history Of blood and crime, no less than
six men having lost their lives in the
burial and the subsequent search for
the gold, which has lasted since the dec
laration of peace. OF the original party
which was dispatched to hide the gold.
not single soul is alive today. 1t APP
pears that some tWenty1tou i hours h Pc 6e,
imperial forces, orders were received
at the mint from the late President
Kruger and Mr.. Reitz, the then state
secretary, to remove the greater por.
tion of the gold, which was extracted
from the Robinson, Rose Deep, Ferreira
the bushveld, beyond Petersburg.
It was known by the old Transvasl
| officials that wagon, with four mules
accompanied by six specially selected
burghers, left Pretoria at midnight with
the gold, and vanished into the weld
The ex-Policeman, Swartz, and the man
whom he murdered, and for which he
suffered the last penalty, were among
the party. After burying the gold, four
of the wardens Of the treasure reloined
the commands; but a luekless fate
seemed to have pursued them, and they
! were all killed shortly afterward. For
some time the search appeared to have
| died out, and it was only thru second
or third hand knowledge that Kru-
! GeneraIs Kemp and Celliers, ex-Polics
Lieutenant Van Zyl, W. D. Smith and
! s. J. Kemp, cousin Of the ex-geperal.
found out that there was state treasure
buried in the bushveld.
The party made repeated exploring
trips into the low, country in the bad
season to escape observation, and most
of them were stricken with malarial
fever. Each member took a different
/ direction, with the understanding that
/ if any found the treasure it was to be
split up into equal proportions. Only
| one member, however, found the burial
place, and he was ex-General SELLERS.
The site was between two peculiar trees.
A red flag as sign was stuck up on
/ Unc VI LILO CAOSoS With q S0i vase -
mule in between, one of the ribs of the
mule being imbedded in the ground
where the gold was buried. On return
ing to Petersburg ex-General SELLERS
/ was FRUSTRATED with malarial fever in
the hospital, and while he was lowering
between life and death he divulged
part of the secret to the other members
i Of the syndicate, who, however. after
i repeated searchings, failed to. find tho
spot. Some differences Of opinion fol-
4 lowed, and ultimately the syndicate
broke up, deciding severally to go their
own way.
4 The government authorities, getting
4 wind Of the whole affair, approached an
4 ex-state official residing at Krugers-
dorp, and he supplied them with GER
tain information and plan of the sup
posed site. While the government was
acting on this information, 8. J. Kemp,
cousin of the ex-general, had revived q
systematic search. with the result OF
the discovery