Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-11-12
BLACK HAWKS LOST COIN
searoh for Indian Riches Buried in the
Half-Erssd Tracts
RECENT DISCOVERY MADE BY AN lowAN
Soldiers Pay Hidden by order OF
General zachary TayIor-MOney
sent TO Iowa MysteriousIy
Disappears in Transit.

Disappears i'm Transit.
What has become Of the thousands upon /
thousands Of dollars, in gold eagles and
double eagles. sent from st. Louis seventy |
Ave and 100 years ago to pay the Sac and
Fox Indians for the lands which they had
ceded to the United States millions upon
millions OF acres, and to pay the United
States troops under command Of Colonel
Zachary Taylor. subsequently president Of
the United States, at Fort Mckay during
the famous Black Hawk war?
The belief that this golden treasure lies
buried In various parts of the state Of Iowa
has led hundreds Of persons to dig indus
triousiy for more than half a century. The
discovery within the last fortnight Of $4,000
in gold in one part Of the state and map
giving the whereabouts of 5000 of Black
Hawks fortune in another, has set hun
dreds all over the state to searching the
records and digging the ground. After a
lapse Of century the fortune, for the first
time now seems about to be discovered.
That gold by the thousands of dollars
sggregating far more than 100000, was
sent from st. Louis to the northern In
dams, both before and after the Black
Hawk war Of 1882 is undesirable
In 1904, as a result Of the treaty nego-
tiated in st. Louis by William Henry FIar-
rison with FIVE Sac and Fox chiefs, an an
nuity Of $1,000 was granted to the tribe,
and was paid for more than quarter Of
century
In 1880 no less than $4,000 was sent from
st. Louis to Colonel Zachary Taylor at
| Fort Mckay, Ia, to pay the regular SOL
diers whose presence was necessary in the
! territory Of Iowa because OF Black Hawk
and his anticipated outbreak. That for
tune in gold was buried by Zachary Tey-
ior's command, and the men who knew
Of it's whereabouts were killed by the In
diens.
In 1882. following the Black Hawk war.
a treaty was made with Keokuk and other
Sac and Fox chiefs by winfield Scott and
Governor Reynolds Of Illinois, by which
the Indians were given a lump sum OF
$4,000 and an annuity Of $4,000 for thirty
years. Aside from buying whisky and
rifles, the Indians had no way to spend
the money.
Instances of Money Missing.
A dozen other instances might be cited
OF money sent into Iowa territory to pay
Ted men and white that has mysteriously
disappeared. Just within the last few days
have the first traces been found of it.
! Iowa has gold mines which the plough Of
fortune to the lucky man.
Such lucky man is Frank Blint, far
4 mer residing near Denmark, in the famous
half-breed tract Of Iowa, just across the
Des Moines river, which separates the
northeastern corner of Missouri from the
southeastern corner of Iowa. The half
breed tract was once the home of Indians
as wealthy as the ossges of today. The
land had been set aside for them by the
dren of two races-white man and Indian.
The half-breeds inherited wealth from their
Indian forbears who had shared in the
distribution Of the 1904 and 1882 treaty
money. They inherited wealth from their
white forbears, who came to Iowa with
Julien Dubuque back in 1888 and obtained
i the right to work the famous lead mines
near the present city of Dubuque: OF the
} white forbears who went out from Auguste
Chouteau buying furs Of the adventurous
; coureurs du bois who carried on the COM
> nierce of the territory and took buxom In
, dian bellies to we'd
, Frank Blint owns farm in the heart
r Of what half a century or more ago wa,
, the famous half breed tract Deciding to
e deepen a cistern which had been on the
4 premises for many years he went industri.
I ously to work with pick and shovel HARDLY
D had he turned up dozen shovelfuls Of the
long undisturbed earth when his shove
rang on metal. A few minutes work dis.
closed an old iron pot Digging 1t loose
and bringing It up to the light Blint wa:
dazzled by the golden stream which poured
forth, Exactly $4,000 in gold eagles and
double eagles was the fortune he had un.
earthed 1t could have come from M
other source than some family of wealthy
half breeds, unable to spend their generou.
patrlmony.
The same week IN which this portion Of
the vast treasure was discovered clues were
found to another portion undoubtedly
buried not nifty miles away near where
Black Hawk and his companions spent
their last days after the disastrous close
Of the rebellion and their Journey dowr
the Mississippi to Jefferson barracks and
then, In charge OF Jefferson Davis. aoros,
to Washington and New York.
Tearing down the old Bonnifeld lor
cabin, near Fairfield. one OF the oldes
buildings in the oldest part of the state
the workers found an inkhorn and quill
case, resembling much in appearance q
razor case. and a musty old pocketbool
which contained newspaper clippinl
bearing the date June Is, 1923, and a letter
The last two were 20 faded that magnify
ing glass was necessary to read them anc
even then parts of the letter were beyont
deciphering
An Ancient Letter.
The paper Is yellow and torn where /
has been folded and the ink with which
the letter was written is badly faded. Al
nearly as 1t can be made out the lette
runs in this manner:
FRISCO, June Any Dear William
wagon, had lots OF time TO thin
money, which Is buried near III
old Bonniheld house You know what
am found out from Black Hawk 81
over from Illinois. / looked brl
never thought until I nearly got out here
About that there map; il weren't wher
the lines cross, but in the middle Now
don't you tell anyone, but try this her
plan. CMap follows.
You see we allus made the mistake q
digging at crossing marked A. That othe
Indian that Jim knowed knowed more tina
he let on. There must be near So 900 an
mebhe more, according 10 what Blac
Hawk fetched that time. Don't you II
none OF those Burlington fellows see hi
map. Wen, Bill, / wish I was there, ID
probably there Is more cash there than "
think. We will dig here for big spel
want 10 write lot but the stage leave
In minute and got to quit. Yours, J. "
p. S.-Mebbe Il amt that house, but wins
other big house could he have meant?
The purport OF the letter is plain. Tt
money referred to Is undoubtedly part {
that Maid 10 Blaek TavLts trfha by -