Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-23

~ NZA VI the search for the
y &HEzN Y gold and the jewels
7/S/"SW1N the pirate sent
ashore when he felt that his career on
sea was nearly ended has been going on.
Hardly bit of land. from the Virginia
capes 10 the St. Lawrence's mouth that
Kids name has been connected with but
has been gone over. How many eNpedi-
tions Gardeners Island has had is hard TO
saw hut for loo years never a year went
by without at least one party OF treasure
hunters visiting there. Block Island, Mar
ragansett Bay points, the Delaware Bay
country and Chesapeake districts have
been ripped and torn by pick and spade
at various times by men who have be-
lieved they were about to solve the great
secret and in solving it become immensely
rich. Staid Boston and Central Park,
New York, have been torn up in various
places at various times by treasure seek
ers.
Strange how this buried treasure belief
holds sway On an island in Long Island
Sound a few years ago some boys from
the New Haven Y. NJ. c. A. had a sum-
mer camp. One day the lads found an
old weather-stained, badly faded chart,
which. with much difficulty, they deci-
phered. 1t bore the name of William
Kidd and a date way back In the seven
teenth century. BY this chart 1t was
plain that the pirates treasure was Dur
led on the very island upon which the
BOYS were camped. The lines on the chart
were faint. and the writing was queer
indeed. but the boys somehow made out
that by measuring many fathomS from
such a point and so many fathoms from
another and SO many fathoms from st1ll
another point they would find the spot
whereon TO start to dig.
X
Never did boys search for treasure more
earnestly than did those New Haven lads
Perhaps their ideas were centered on pi-
rates and pirates gold just then, for there
had been much talk of pirates ever since
the summer camp had been established
Never was there a boy who was worth
continental who not only had a sneaking
admiration for pirates bold, but longed
TO have a chance at the game himself
Just what boy found that capt kldd
chart on that Y. Nj. c. A. island or what
other youngster uncovered the great chest
in which lot of treasure was discovered
is not important to tins story. Nearly all
of the 100 or more in the summer camp
took part in the digging and the excite
ment was intense. There were pounds
and pounds of metal. Bars OF gold, some
one who had done lot of reading, pro-
nounced them. There were bushes OF
eIittering gems. These III themselves
represented a kings ransom. Some Oh the
Jewels were white, some red, some green,
some blue. The boys had millions in their
grasp.
That night the treasure chest was
guarded as treasure chest never was
guarded before or since. Next day word
reached the mainland of the great dis
covery The newspapers got the story
and the details got abroad. Ihere was
lot made over the great find, but the fact
was that Henry l.. Smith, the Y. NJ e.
A. man in charge of the camp, bought
the Junk and buried the treasure chest,
drew up the chart and put it where some
lad was sure TO find II. and. then to pre-
pare his youthful charges for their work,
introduced the subject of pirates ana
their boards in the evening talk. He be-
lieved in keeping the boys busy while
in the summer camp, and nothing will
keep them buster than treasure hunt,
but he was rather surprised when the
fathers Of some of the boys put in formal
claims for the treasure, this one contend
ing his son had found the chart, this
one that his first born had handled the
spade that disclosed the chest, this one
that his son directed the search and was
the leader of the party Never again will
MIR Smith bury the treasure of Capt.
Kidd. His explanation of the affair never
caught up with the first story. Some
persons still suspect he seized all the
gold and precious stones Tor himself. 1t
is certain that he left the New Haven
territory soon after. But he is not living
on his riches. lie now is with the Y. NJ.
This treasure island story Is only one
of hundreds of the kind. Each year the
crop of stories increases People insist
in believing in Capt. Kids treasure, and
that some day some one will find it,
William Kidd probably has received
more fame from little piracy than any
other sea robber in history. There are
some persons who persist in asserting that
the valiant captain is a much maligned
man, that he never was a pirate at all,
and that he was sent TO the gallows sim
ply TO satisfy public clamor because some
scapegoat was necessary
II Is sure that no pirate ever had more
arlstocratic connections than did Capt
Kidd Tor the King of England was his
partner. So was the leading citizen OF
New York. So was the chancellor of
England. So were the govrnors of New
York and Massachusetts. So were yari-
Gus British no5lemen. Probably politics
played as much part in branding Will
liam Kidd a. a pirate as did such plum
dering as he was guilty of on the sea.
In the latter part of the seventeenth
century there was not more highly re-
spected seafaring man in New York COL
ony than this same Capt. Kidd. His
brig, the Antigua, piled between London,
the West Indies and New York. He was
we'll To do. ne hated pirates and he had
the confidence and esteem of all the
prominent men in New York. No one
thought more highly of him than did
Robert Livingston, founder of the great
Livingston family that has given to
America some brilliant men and women.
=.
There were many good people in New
York at that time who did not look upon
piracy with disfavor In fact New York
did a glorious trade with the freebooters
of the sea. 1t bought their plumber and
IL furnished them with men and stores.
Many ships fitted out in New York proved
upon the commerce of not only Spain and
France, but England. too Long Island
was called Crooked Island, because its
many bays offered refuge to the crooks
of the ocean. But Ii was not altogether
necessary for the pirates even to hide In
the bays of Long Island to refit or to get
rid of their plumber. The Governor OF
New York, in one of his reports to the
home government, declared that at the
time of his writing, there were nine
pirate ships in New York harbor; that