The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-03-07

John Hall The Halls are an old Bald win County, family. For a century the family has owned expansive tracts of lands and the herds of cattle that grazed upon them. Mir. Hall himself Is near four score years of age. His home IS some eighteen miles above Magnolia Springs, near Bennetts.
 Here one night he and his guest, the General Manager and Secretary sat dis cusing the Magnolia Springs country, It's rivers, It's lands and its creeks. T had queer adventure near Mag nolia Springs when I was a child" said Mir. Hall, reYiniscently, 'It must nave been over sixty years ago. was aoout ten or twelve years old at the time. My father had to take a trip down in lower Baldwin to look after some cattle that he had grazing around Magnolia Springs and I went along with him. While We were near Mag nolia Springs was taken sick with fever, but Creole family, you know how hospitable they are, took charge Of me and nursed me back to health.
 My father in the meanwhile con- ttnued his trip, intending as he did to come by for me on his return home.
 After I had gotten up and was able to walk about l came suddenly upon one room house in the yard of the Creole home. The door was open and what saw gave me keen start of surprise and fear. I saw an old man bent and gray, with sparkling black eyes and long matter hair. He came towards me and spoke in a strange language. which to my frightened ears sounded like a biggerish of a mad man.
 T flew to the house for the pro- lection of the Cerole woman.
 Who is that old man? I asked in fear.
 And she told me. He was Span ish sailor and a pirate. He had be- used about the Gulf coast in the days of Lafitte. The party with a store of booty had shipped up Mag nolia River to bury treasure. And having done 1t they marked the place and stole away again.
 Tn few years the band had dis solved. Some had died, some had been killed and others had gone to the far places of the world.
 'The old man had helped bury the treasury and had seen the place mark ed. Of the band he only had made his way back to recover it But he couldn't find the place. Day after day he had sought for the marks and day after day he had been disappointed He had been there when I saw him, full ten years. and his mind was grow ing weak
 Tt was strange, too. that ho could not find the burial place of the treas- ure." continued Mir. Hall, for 1t was quite plainly marked. The creole wo- man knew the marks, for the old Spaniard had often spoken of them and described them?'
 What were the marks?" MT. Brett ling asked
 The treasure was buried in a deep ravine, almost hid by vines and un- derbrush. It's burial place was mark ed by big magnolia tree, and to be certain that they would recognize tho tree the pirates cut into 1t a star. crescent and the letter S."
 The General Manager sat bolt up- right In open-eyed astonishment.
 And that was the story he told his Board of Directors in Chicago. And that was the story he told me as we sat together in the lobby of a Mobile hotel and smoked an after dinner cigar,
 Did you ever tell Mir. Hall whore the tree was located?" I asked.
 No" he replied. slowly as he watched a cloud of blue cigar smoke float upwards to the ceiling.
 Have you ever told anybody where the tree isT' I enquired.
 "No." he said In even. slow tones Nobody at all. You see. l am busy selling lands now. but sometimes, I am going to take a va cation and I am going to spent 1t on River. And when I do am going to feel keen interest in a