The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-12-16
An Ancient Letter.


The paper is yellow and torn where ii
| has been folded and the ink with which
the letter was written is badly faded. AS
nearly as it can be made out, the letter
runs in this manner:
q" Frisco, June 21-My Dear William:
wagon, had lots of time to think
money, which is buried near the
old BOnnifield house. You know what
am, found out from Black Hawk
over from Illinois. I looked but
never thought until l nearly got out here
About that there map: it weren't where
the lines cross, but in the middle Now
don't you tell anyone, but try this here
plan. (Map foilOws.)
You see we alius made the mistake of
digging at crossing marked a. That other
Indian that Jim knOwed knOWed more
than he let on. There must be near 500
and mebbe more. according to what Black
Hawk fetched that time. Don't you let
none of those Bennington fellows see this
map. Well. Bill. ! wish ] was there for
probably there is more cash there than
we think. We will dig here for a big
spell. L want to write d lot, but the
stage leaves in minute and I got to
quit. Yours. J. W.
"P. S.-Mebbe it amt that house. but
meant?'
The purport of the letter is plain. The
money referred to is undoubtedly part of
that paid to Black Hawks tribe by the
them, either by treaty of 1904 or of 1892 or
some intermediate date. There is an old
story in the neighborhood where the letter
was found of how three Indian braves
were appointed to bury this gold, the
number being chosen so that if one was
killed there would yet be some one left TO
find the location. As the irony OF fate
would have it, however. a tribal war fol-
lowed, and every one of the three in the
secret was killed. so that none of the
tribe could locate the missing treasure.
Map Directions.
The map which was found with the old
letter gives fairly legible directions for
the search. and already dozens are at
work digging in various parts of the
ne1ghborhood in search of the money
Of all the landmarks mentioned on the
map. however, but one tree remains
though pioneers familiar with the neigh
borhood say they we'll remember when
all of those shown were standing The
map shows a line running diagonally 400
feet southeast of the cabin. This line is
crossed by one running due east. A line
running north and south crosses these
two, and the letter SAYS to dig at the
center of the triangle instead of the cross
ing of the east-weSt and north-sOuth lines.
where all previous digging has been done
An even greater amount of gold treas
ure lies buried 80 miles north of where
Mr.. Blint found his $4,000 and where the
I alT1leld residents are digging for the
There is $4,000 sent from St Louis in
1880 TO Fort Mckay to the soldiers under
Colonel Zachary Taylor. which was bur
led until the Indian trouble should hlOvy
over. and which has never been discov
cred. Men and even women have dug
for this money for many years but the
success of the searchers in the southern
part of the state has inspired those in
the northern. and the search is being TAX
en- up again as never before.
Story of the Taylor Fortune.
The story of the Taylor fortune is in /
Jeresting in the extreme.
Ore day in 1880. four bags of gold were
IeCeiVed al Fort Mckay. near where the I
ittle town of North McGregor Ia. now
stands 1t was the largest SHIPMENT ever
sent out from St Louis to any of the /
frontier posts and was to be used To nav /
IF the white soldiers who were valiantIy
preserving order by holding the rebelliGuS /
Indians IN leash. Colonel TAYLOR. when
aFprlsed OF the safe arrival of the money.
-ook every pTecaution to safeguard il nm
81 The Indians had been driven away or
'aciIled, Wnen the men could be paid and I
IloWeo TO return to the white settlement
o spend their hard-earned money.
Ceiling together the command Colonel
fGyiCr chose four of the bravest and most
trustworthy men and. after informing
mem OF the Importance of the mission
-pon which he WAS about TO send them,
ne gave 10 each a bag Of gold with in
itructions to carry the bags TO some safe /
llace, which they should jointly select.
ind there hide the treasure from the In
lians. AT attach being feared at any
moment the four men started a once /
Fhey never returned.
Hardly had The four men left the stock
lde when a well planned attack was
Iade by the Indians. The fighting was
asst and furious and extended over several
lays. When at last the Indians had been {
epUlsed Colonel Taylor lost no time in
selecting a party and sending it out to
escuc the gold hiders- The party Searched
or many hours before they came across
he four men lying dead and entirely