The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1906-11-10
TREASURE IN FLORIDA
GREET WEALTH REPORTED BUR-
..O NEAR ST. MARKS.
Five Million Dollars Received by Spain
fer State Said to Be Hidden
There-Seseral Expeditions
i Have Sought Gold.

Pensacola, Fla.-Hon. H. Clay Craw-
ford. secretary of state, is one OF the
most interesting men in Florida Con
nacted with the Office he holds all his
life. he is veritable encyclopedia Of
Interesting information. and his latest
Dry is one which should attract the
a. ,enturesome. This is in regard to
bu led treasure off St Marks, Fla,
AM he tells it as given below
1T was near St Marks that the
Spanish sunboat carrying the $4,000
900 that was paid Spain in 1921 for
Florida was disabled, and it was there
that the money was buried. History
relates that this amount was paid in
gold from the mint at New Orleans
and was loaded on Spanish gunboat.
The boat became disabled near st.
Marks. In the fear of pirates, who in
Tested the coast, the captain. with sew
eral of the crew landed and buried
the gold, and then returned to the
gunboat. They drifted about for days
and We're finally picked up by vessel
bound for Peru. During that voyage
a scourge broke out on the ship and
tire officers and many of the men died.
Those who survived We're landed in
Peru eventually, penniless.
MANY years afterward an old man
named Bell landed at St. Marks. He
was an old man. feeble and i'll. and
was kindly cared for by man named
Smith. He fingered several months
and then died When he was about to
die he told Smith the story OF his life.
He said he was one Of the crew of the
ill-fated gunboat that carried the gold
from New Orleans He told of the
boat being disabled and of the crew
being carried to Peru He said he had
spent his life trying to get back to st.
Marks, and he gave Smith a chart by
which the spot could be located. This
was the last year OF the war, more
than 40 years after Florida had been
annexed TO the union. After Bells
death Smith set out in a small sail
boat with two negroes to look for the
spot. He made a careful search and
inspection of the coast. and found, as
he believed. the exact spot. The chart
described three trees which grew at
certain spot In one of them an iron
spike had been driven. Smith found
what he believed We're the trees re
ferred to in the chart and on one of
them he noticed knot. Into this he
cut and found and iron spike Me
measured off the distance named in
the chart and began to dig. Being an
ol6 man and equipped with only hoe
anu spade he did not make great
deal of progress. He returned home.
having decided to get better equip
ment. Shortly afterward the war
closed, slaves were freed and he was
left without money necessary to con-
time the search. Living in the hope
that he could find it, and believing
firmly that it was buried near the tree
with the spike in it, Smith also died.
Some years after the advent OF
Bel another sailor appeared. He also
was an old man and of very secretive
habits. He fitted out boat, bought
picks, etc. and disappeared. At inter-
walls he would return for supplies.
When his funds were exhausted he
taught school. boarding his earnings
like a mser, and spending them for
trips in the summer. Finally, ex-
hausted from labor and the hardships
he had endured, he sickened and died.
From his papers it was found that his
name was Ballon, and that he was the
survivor of the crew of the Spanish
gunboat that sailed from New Or
leans with the $1,000 900 for Spain.
Since that day many have sought
Il millions that are hidden in the
marshes at St Marks. That they lie
A. ~, no -tn
from those who lived there in those
DAYS car doubt. Various expeditions
have been secretly fitted out to search