The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1907-11-21
STRANGERS SEEK
BURIED TREASURE
or SLAIN HERMIT
Mysterious Persons Are Nightly
Digging Around Farm in
Search for Wealth.

Clark, s. D., Nov. 19.-The mysterious
murder of Francis Marion Brown, at
his home in the western part of Cod
ington county, a short distance east OF
Clark, in which he had lived for a
period of twenty-four years, has been
followed by one of the strangest treas
ure hunts OF record.
Brown was wealthy. and those fami-
lar With his affairs are confident that
when he died he had from
$4,000 to 100000 in cash. He
had not the slightest confidence
in banks. and as only u few hun
dred dollars have been found on deposit
in n bank. it is fully believed that tens
of thousands Of ollar ave been
buried on his farm.
1t is in the hope of finding this hid
den wealth that certain mysterious par
ties are nightly digging around the
Brown farm. Neighboring farmers tell
of mysterious figures fitting about at
night, and enough is known to make it
certain that a systematic search is be-
ing made for the hidden gold.
Brown vas a bachelor and from the
time in taking up his residence on the
farm until he was murdered. he lived
alone. He was somewhat eccentric, but
jovfal and pleasant.
Feared an Attack.
For years before his tragic death he
aware that he was in danger of
being waylaid and robbed, but he vas
no coward, and to those friends who
cautioned him to be careful, he said:
Il know [ am being watched. but
they viii not get me. l will get them
But he never stated by whom he
thought he was being watched. Had he
done so, the authorities might have less
difficulty in running down his murder
ers.
1t is known that Brown was accus-'
to carry W pocketbooks and
these were not found by the
authorities. 1t is not thought
more than a few hundred dollars
in the pocketbooks, and that the re-
Of his great wealth, outside
the few hundred dollars in the bank.
was buried OH his farm. 1t is not be-
lleVed the men who murdered him sue
ceeded in finding this hidden wealth. as
their search necessarily would be a hur-
lied one.
Treasure Is Buried.
Because of this belief there appears
little doubt that Browns cache of
gold yet remains on his farm, and the
persons who are reported
to haunt the farm nightly evidently
nave StfonS nope OF finding the honey
The dead hermit was born in st.
Louis county, Missouri, in September,
1858, and moved with his parents to Nc
Pherson county, Kansas, when in his
teens. Nearly a quarter Of a century
ago he came to what now is South Da-
and located on the farm where
ne was murdered. He had always been
4 money-maker, having acquired the
when a mere boy. He used to
let as banker and collector for his play
discounting INC collecting small
accounts, and loaning money to his
on an interest basis.
When he arrived in Dakota he had
900 In cash. From the time of his ar
'lVal until his death he had never Wis
ted or been visited by any of his rela-
The old hermit is survived by
;ix brothers n sisters, as follows:
Brown, Woodward, Okla; Os-
ar Brown, Canton, Kas.: Bentley
brown, H%ennessy, Okla; Belle Powell.
1askey. Okla; Mary Switzer, McPher-
ion, kas.; Martha WEIGH, Haskell,
kla
The murdered man left personal prop
erty valued at many thousand of dol
afs. Ihls consisted of 100 acres of land.
l.S00 bushels of grain, five head
u horses, three head Of cat
le, about siNty-five head of 20O-pound
logs, and other farm and personal