The Topeka state journal., 1909-03-18
ON The NORTH SIDE
Mystery Which Puzzles Resi-
dents of Topeka Avenue.
Strange People Dig in Vacant
Lot in Dead of Night.
PEOPLE ARE PUZZLED
Believe Diggers Were in Search
of Buried Treasure.
Nothing Is Found in the Exca-
vatiOns Made.

About L o'clock this morning, in the
midst of a hard wind storm. w. H
Spangler and son, Earl, of 935 topeka
avenue, saw two persons, apparently a
man and a woman, digging in a vacant
lot at the southeast corner of Gordon
street and Topeka avenue. The Spang-
lers were on their way home from a
dance in South Topeka When they
reached the house the boy notified Mrs.
Spangler. The family watched the peo-
pie at their work for about a half an
hour. Then the diggers left The po-
lice were notified this morning They
found place about five and a hals
feet long and about two and a half feet
wide from which the earth seemed to
have been removed and replaced. 1t
is believed they were hunting buried
treasure.
The police say that this lot was the
scene OF another similar mysterious oc-
currence some years ago. but the
digging a the time failed to reveal any
thing buried. However, the Spanglers
are of the opinion that there is some
thing buried beneath the earth which
has not yet been found.
went downstairs to get the baby
a drink said Mrs. Spangler this morn
ing. L happened to look at the clock.
1t was five minutes past I a. m 1 had
no sooner returned to bed when Mr..
Spangler and Earl returned home from
a dance in South Topeka. Earl came
running up the stairs exclaming: o,
mama, get up and dress as quick as
you can and come down stairs. Some
people are digging in a vacant lot across
the street. I got up and came down
stairs. With Mr.. Spangler and the boy
watched them from the parlor win
dow. The electric light at the corner of
Gordon street and Topeka avenue made
enough light so that we could see them,
but could not tell whether they were
white or colored. However, 1 think that
they were white. One of them seemed
to be dressed like woman. This per
son seemed either to be digging in a
hole up to her waist or sitting on the
ground in a kneeling position. The man
or woman was apparently dressed in
dark clothes with something like a veil
over the head. The other wore a mans
clothes and a cap, as near as could
tell. He kept looking around as if
watching, while the other kept at work.
We watched them for about an half
hour. When 1 said that 1 was going to
notify the neighbors, one of the people,
who appeared to be a woman, must have
crawled away as 1 did not see her after
that. However, the man walked over to
the fence at the northeast edge of the
lot and 1 think he disappeared behind
it. I decided to wait Until morning
before notifying any one and returned
to bed. About $3.50 o'clock I got up and
told the Hanleys at 1925 Topeka ave-
nue., about the affair. They notified the
police.
TT seems to us that those people were
burying something in the hole or they
would not have been working there at
that. time. A hard wind was blowing
and no one would have been digging
just for fun"
= No one in the vicinity but the Spang-
lers seemed to have learned anything
of the matter until this morning
Foundations are being dug for the
piers which will support the iron gate |
at the Evelyn street entrance of Gar
field park. 1t is expected that the en- |
tire gate will be placed in position |
within ten days If fair weather pre-
walls. The piers will be of concrete |
and brick. Cold weather will hinder
the concrete work.
The dirt which is to be shoveled un-
der the Santa Fe tracks between the
railroad bridge across the Kansas