The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-02-08
Buried Treasure.


enced since the chimney Of the Metho
dist church had burned out sever
years previously Mr.. Norris was al
old bachelor He was a crank and I
miser. Il was sure that he had plenty
TO live on, and yet he lived alone and
In squalor. He lent money where AM
one would pay him 10 per cent inter
est, and he was the owner OF severa
pieces OF real estate. Among then
was an old cider mill. IL was in the
rear end OF this that the old man had
his residence In the fall be ground
apples and made cider for all who
would buy, and this was his only
work
II had been talked over a hundred
times by the villagers that Norris had
his money buried where robbers could
not get II and that In case he died sud.
denly his heirs, II any came forward.
would have great trouble in finding II.
This was real cause OF worry 20
many citizens. Some OF them even
went so far as TO advise the old man
to tell them the exact spot so as to
save time In digging. when be re-
fused to do so 1t was taken as another
evidence OF his meanness. On the
morning that his death became known
the village Of Colvllle was as excited
as IL a circus had come to town. Now
the disputed point as TO how much he
was worth and how much money he
bad buried would be known 10 all.
There were some who would have
gone hunting for that money right
away had not the justice OF the peace
stepped in and taken charge.
Men came from distance Of fifty
miles TO help IN that search At one
time the searchers numbered nearly a
thousand. and so many strangers had
to be lodged and fed that Colville took
on boom. The first thing was 10
search the old mill Men fought each
other as they crowded into It.. Then
the half mere OF sterile soil around II
must be explored, then the marsh and
the piece OF woods back of IT, Most OF
the searchers gave up after day or
two. but some continued on for forts
night. AT the end, however, nothing
had been found.
Five years passed, and then came
the next brain storm. A tin peddier
drove into the village TO remain over
Sunday. On Sunday afternoon be wan.
dered down 10 the old mill to have a
look at the ruins. A high wind on Sat
urday night had brought roof and
frame to the earth In "mousing"
around bis eye was caught by the fiut-
ter Of piece Of paper, and an hour
later the village was seething. The
peddler was no hog. He had found a
good thing, but was ready to divyy
with the public If be got $4,000 out
Of II the villagers might share the rest.
That piece Of paper was the key to the
Did miser's buried treasure. 1t must
have been concealed In hollow beam
all the time The writing on it ran as
follows.
"Oct. nth. 1855. B one B Of G today
! p W of the b 0 r."
The town didn't think much of that
peddler when he entered 1t. He was
ooked upon as just common tin ped
Her who took paper, rags, sheepskins.
I'D iron, beeswax, butter and eggs and
such things in exchange for his tin
pans and dippers. Before Sunday bad
passed, however. men were taking off
heir hats to him and wondering when
he would be governor Of the state. He I
vas the only one that could make any
sense of the paper, and he didn't give |
t away until after he had been invited I
o dinner by the justice. Then he read
/ OF as:
Buried one barrel of cash today |
even PAGES west Of the big oak tree"
Ii was evening when the puzzle was /
olved. Lanterns were Iii and bon
Tres built and the seven PAGES paced /
III. They struck at spot where
here had been no digging, and the
ustice appointed ten men to guard
he place for the night. In the morn
ng the ruins would be searched for
more papers. There must be others.
When a nliser begins to bury barrels
{ cash he does not stop at one. He
,oes right ahead and buries Ave or
tx In order to make the search after
lis death interesting.
Hasty breakfasts or none at all were
aten next morning, and then the
ulns were searched Not an inch of
cam or board escaped scrutiny twice
YER Nothing further was found ex-
opt an old tobacco box, and that was
mpty. A groan Of despair followed
be conclusion of the search. The
aiserahle old man had buried only
ne barrel Of cash, after all, and the
In peddier was TO have $4,000 out Of
hat. -Four meH began TO dig at seven
aces due west of the big oak tree.
he ground had settled down as hard
s asphalt, but had 1t been cast iron
hey would have stuck TO the job.
here were 800 people in a circle
bout them when the shout of dis
overy went up One Of the picks had
.ruck the barrel. There was a great
lsb, and 1t was a quarter of an hour
efore 1t could be cleared of dirt and
fled out. Then there were more
beers and more PUSHES The barrel
as up ended at last, and as the head
as knocked In the price of real es-
tie In Colyille scared to the clouds.
ext moment It fell with thud like
lat of brick house coming down. !
he % of c. was barrel of cider in
cad of a barrel OF cash The old
an had buried it as an experiment
see what the taste would be years