The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-09-27
WILL SEEK LOST
PIRATE TREASURE
Capt. James Brown Fits Out
Expedition
TO RECOVER S60,OO0,OOO
He Helped to Bury 1t in South Sea Is
land Fifty-seven Years Aeo-ls
Only Survivor of
Crew.
TO RECOVER S60,00O,0O(

In one OF the CocoS Islands or the
South Sea group lies between 100000, 900
and S1oo.ooo,ooo worth of buried treasure,
according to aged Capt James Brown of
| Providence. r. l. Captain Brown has al
ready taken away about a million of the
treasure, and for reasons best known to
himself has been slow in going after the
remainder.
Now, however being old and needy, he
i has incorporated company under the
laws of Massachusetts and will take
a chance at evil consequences from
bringing to light the dark deeds con-
neeted with the treasure.
In the first. place, there are eight or
nine skeletons the captain is not sure
which, lying in the treasure cave about
the treasure. These skeletons are one of
the Incidents of murder, treachery, pi-
racy and violence which attended the col
lection and burial of such vast wealth.
The treasure is in ingots bullion,
doubloons jewels, and remnants of the
/ days when Cortez roamed through the
sacred temples of the sun and despoiled
the golden gods and godesses of pearls
] of priceless value, diamonds that served
dS eye III lllS luOlS, GiuSIdluSt IuDleS
as big as hen eggs, rare and quaint speci-
mems of jewelry that adorned the pre-
decessors of the Montezumas, are all
buried under 16 feet of coral.
I The scene of this vast depository of
riches is an island in the famous South
Seas, upward of 1900 miles from Austria
/ liza, and the treasure was transported
there from one of the Cocos Islands. Only
| one man now living knows it's location,
/ he lie a head M axnpditiou
! which will soon be fitted out under a
| Massachusetts charter to resurrect the
| treasure.
1T is there, just where we buried it."
said Captain Brown the other day. and
/ his eyes lighted up while his frame
| Strengthened visibly 81 helped to bury
| 1t with these hands, and I am the only
man now alive who knows where it is.
ut was In the year 1867 he continued,
! that I shipped on board a vessel in
! New York as second mate for the West
Indies Arriving at Kingston, Jamaica,
/ became acquainted with a Capt Henry
Smith of the schooner Sea Foam, 400 tons
register, who was there fitting out for
pearl fishing, and l Joined his vessel as
chief mate.
After being at sea for some time, the
captain told me what the real business
consisted Of which was that we were to
go to Cocos Island after treasure which
had been buried there by his father.
Captured Loot Worth $50 100000.
"Then he told me about his father,
Captain Smith of the schooner Black
Witch, of Salem, Mass He was on the
coasts of Peru and Mexico while the
Spaniards were fighting the Peruvians
In 1920, and came in contact with their
loot-laden vessels, from which he took
all of their treasure, amounting to about
$4,000, 600, and consisting of silver, silver
! daII col har h11 gold nd
jewelry from the churches, also diamonds
and other precious stones, all of which
were taken to Cocos Island and buried.
j Before the elder Captain Smith died
he impaired the secret to his son, with
whom 1 was then connected.
I'VE arrived at Cocos Island and found
! the treasure, and moved 1t to another Is
land in the South Seas. where we again
1 buried it.
Here all of the crew died except the
captain. the steward and myself. They
were poisoned by the captain. We had
a fine ships 1ongboat, which was fitted
| out, as the schooner had gone on a reef
and broken up, and on board her we put
100000 and started for Australia
'I knew, and the steward knew, that
Smith had poisoned the crew, but we
tried to appear as IL we had no suspi-
! cions | wondered If he would kill us,
j too, but from his talk had hopes he had
4 done murder enough TOT the llfHe DeilB.
"One night Captain Smith said he cal
culated the treasure in the boat was
! worth a million and offered to divide 1t
/ with us. His plan was to separate 1t into
four equal portions, and have each take
one The fourth share, he said, we
ought to use in fitting up ship to go
after the treasure left behind. He had
planned all the details so carefully that
we believed he meant 1t.
Tn he axpaditi0n there were to
be only three men in the crew. These
men were to be discharged at some for
eign port, and three others taken in their
places The substitutes were to be as
ignorant and friendless as we could find.
Such fellows these could be muir
dered without being missed, Captain
Smith assured JUS cheerfully. We were
to throw them overheard about 100 miles
from land our return.
1.-THE cook and I agreed to everything
glad enough at the prospect Of getting
| ashore alive.
THAT night I awoke and realized that
some one had stolen my pistol. I glanced
about the bot without making any
sound and saw Smith at the helm, with
the tiller under his arm, removing the
powder from my weapon. The cook was
| asleep and | made no sound while Smith
carefully returned my weapon to my belt
where 1t belonged.
/ Shot Him through the 7eart
Next morning while Smith was asleep
/ I reloaded the pistol and warned the
cook. Nothing happened for several
days, until we were less than 500 miles
from land. Then, without warning, he
shot the cook in the back and pitched
him overheard from the bow.
pulling his other pistol and a knife,
he walked slowly toward me in the
stern. There a murderous grin on
his face as I drew my pistol. He even
laughed and asked me why l didn't
shoot-then he rushed at me.
IT shot him through the heart and he
died with an expression of amazement
and fury. 1t was up to me to navigate
the boat all alone, and I did it, arriving
20 days later at Cochin Bay, Australia.
'I am sure that / am the only living
man who knows where the treasure was
buried About all of this million dollars
was finally dug up and invested by me
in sheep raising, and I lost about all of
it. / also spent some time in the Balla-
! rat diggings, and after getting the bal
| ance of the treasure I had buried at
Cochin Bay I went to England, married,
and came to this country, where | lost
my nest egg in filbustering ventures
against the Spaniards, deeming 1T a good
| use to put the money to in helping to
/ free Cuba from Spanish misrule.
/ 1.-The part of the treasure. probably 80
| per cent of it, which we buried on the
| South Sea island, was put where it would
probably stay for eternity. The island
| is of q coral formation, surrounded by
1 xxrit1, fh,.oa