The Washington herald., 1909-01-20

Nueva Corona. Isle Of Pines, Jan. IL
Have you. in fancy. roamed- the Spanish
Main with Honest John Silver and his
pirate band? Would you ike 10 go to
Treasure Island? Would you Ike to
feel the spell OF the near presence Of
buried goId-real pieces OF eight? Would
you Ike 20 breathe the atmosphere of
romance that attaches TO a sunny, tropi-
cal island which was for centuries a penal
colony for patriot politicians. a trading
post for the dealers in black ivory2'
Would you ike 10 rub elbows with the
seventeenth century,
II you would Ike these things. then up
anchor and set sail for the Isle OF Pines
AL that romance is still there, but when
you have arrived you viii find that the
Isle Of Pines IS Just as American and
Just as home-hke, so far as its people
ere concerned, as any prosperous settle
nent in Usage County. kans. The title
OF sovereignty over the Isle Of Pines Is
in dispute. While the f1ag OF Cuba flies
over the public buildings, the stars and
Stripes decorate the rOOf-tree of the
owners Of more than p per cent Of all
the ptDPerIy OF the island. II IS the
sOuthernulOst all-AmerCan agricultural
community, but its hustle and prosperity
in TO way detracts from its historic in
terest
Pirates and buried treasure appeal
strongly tc the average mind What boy
has not flown the Jolly Roger from an
imaginary masthead. while securing The
backyard for possible Spanish galleons,
laden with the golden wealth or the
Peruvian Incas9 What boy has not
planned expeditions in search OF Capt,
Kidd's bank balance The good ship
Cristobal Colon, which carries passen-
gers from the Cuban port Of BatabanO
10 the Isle Of Pines. Is by no means
Tow. rakiSh craft but IL makes up
for It's spick-and-span Whiteness by hav-
ing a captain who is nearly Ike an ideal
pirate IN appearance as even Robert LOUIS
Stevenson could have wished
The pirates who made the Isle OF Pines
their port Of call and bank Of deposit did
not belong 10 the ancient tribe Of the
days OF Sir Henry Morgan They were Of
2 later vintage. Of the day OF Jean la
ftte- The ships they robbed were the
Panama and Mexico transports bound fer
Europe through the Straits OF YUcstan.
The treasure they buried was IN good
gold coin, although there Is a whole out
TT OF gold-and silver altar ornaments stil
buried on this Island, awaiting return 10
some Old Mexican cathedral
Smile al these stories to-day as you
VIII, you viii not smile at them when
yOu get 10 NUeva Corona For You can
smell the gold then. and when sam
Pearcv tells you about the south coast
treasure cache, and when everybody tells
you about the mysterious iron chest and
the one golden coin found on the beacl
only two years ago. and when everybody
points out the alcaIde who went over the
Marble Mountain q poor man and came
back next morning laden with gold
when you hear all these things and you
are right there on the spot IN the heart
Of Treasure Island, in the Spanish Main
YOU VIII not smile YOUu get a pick and
try 10 slip OF from town at night 70 dig
8Tr. Johnson, Of Pennsylvania, was the
last real treasure finder He came here
20 Nueva Corona about thirty years ago.
when this island was a penal colony and
this town the prison headquarters lie
stayed here for q long time and by and
By he gained the confidence Of an old
prisoner The prisoner was then more
than fourscore, and he had been kept
here since he was twenty. He was the
last surviving pirate Of the Spanish Main
Just ike Billy Bones. he had a map He
wouldn't let the Spanish jaHers have il
they had been too cruel But he gave II
10 Ar Johnson Of Pennsylvania 8Ir.
Johnson bided his time and made his
plans with care-a Ilttle schooner. a few
negroes. q silent sailing on dark night
from Nueva Corona The expedition
found its way around 10 the wild and
uninhabited south coast. which stiI is
wild and uuinhabited- The map was as
good and true as if the name OF Flint
had been signed there.
There were two whole barrels Of gold.
One was so heavy that IL almost swamped
the boat and no attempt vas made TO
ind the other or the cache Of altar YES
sels. Mr. johnson, Of Pennsylvania, went
away. There are stories Of queer and ex-
citing adventures with the Spanish au-
thorities, but he made his escape 20 ia
maica and went back 10 Pennsylvania {
with his gold
Very mysterious was Nr. Johnson. OF I
Pennsylvania He never told anybody /
how he came by his riches. and ne I
guarded that little map even as Billy
Bones. except that Mr.. johnson. Of Penn /
sylyania would never. never sing a song
about fifteen men on dead mans i
chest" nor would he yO-ho for a bottle
OF rum Mr. Johnson. Of Pennsylvania. i
was not that kind OF a man
By and by the war with Spain came
along The Isle Of Pines became Aueri- /
can territory, so Mr.. Mckinley and John
Hay thought Then Mr.. Roosevelt and 4
Elihu Root changed the executive Amer
lean mind and said the Isle OF Pines was
Cuban territory The PIatt amendment
had declared that the question Of the
title was to be kept open for future ad-
JustmenL That adjustment was ateulhted I
by the negotiation OF "A treaty giving
Cuba quit-claim deed to the island in
consideration Of sundry sites for naval
stations and such on the Island Of Cuba
For several years the Senate OF thu
United States has refused 70 confirm
tnat treaty. and II likewise has neglected
10 reject il. There was an American rev
olution on the Isle Of Pines and great ex-
but the status was not changed
nor the issue settled. The American set
tiers had come. however and there was
Yankee prosperity on Treasure Island
when. two years ago, Mr.. johnson. Of
Pennsylvania. returned
An old man he was now. but stil rich
The luTe Of buried treasure had brought
him and his aged wife from their retire
ment- They wanted more gold. But Mr..
Of Pennsylvania, was cautious.
be could no longer run a schooner him
self, 50 he did cOufide in one man and
the TWO went 10 the wild and uninhabited
south coast in a steam launch. But the
map WAS no longer trUe-the action Of
wind and tide had changed the shore
line. the landmarks had fallen a prey
70 tine, and the cache could not be
found.