The San Francisco call., 1910-11-17
TREASURE SEARCH
PROVED BOO7LESS
Party Found Millionaire's Cache
Had Been Rifled Before
They Reached 1t

OAKLAND. Nov. IA thrilling
narrative of a search for buried treas
ure in Cuba, supposed to amount TO
s2,ooo,0oo in gold and Jewelry, and the
disappointment Of the searchers, was re-
lated today in Judge Harris court in
the trial of the suit brought by Mrs.
Bridget Langtry to recover her share
Of the fortune from Alice NJ. Smith. A.
j. Ingler, ]. H. Yeungand A. Ottinger.
The defendants financed an expedition
to Cuba. went there themselves, found
fagstone marked with a cross, ac-
cording to maps they had of the loca-
tion of the buried treasure, but some
one else had beaten them to IT, and
the fortune was gone when they pulled
up the fiagstone.
The treasure was buried by the late
Henry Kerr, banker of Santiago.
Cuba, who founded the first gas plant
there and was the promoter and hacker
of many of that city's great enter
prises. When the revolution broke out
he turned everything he could into
money or jewelry, took all his cash out
of the banks and buried 1t. He was
afraid to trust the banks because of
the practice then in vogue on the part
of both parties of looting bank vaults.
Kerr made maps showing where he had
buried 1T and gave the maps to his
wife Ann before he died, which was
soon after. He died in this country,
however. and his widow remarked. TAX
ing for her second husband a man
named O'Grady. 1t was her intention
to get him to dig up the treasure, but
O'Grady died before plans could be
executed.
SECRET DID NOT DIE
-
her secret did not die with her. Before
her death she had confded it to Mrs
Langtry and to Mrs. Smith, and because
of the fact that she had told two
women of 1t instead of one was due
today's lawsuit. Mrs. Langtry believed
she should have the management OF
any expedition to Cuba, and she de-
clared that Mrs. O'Grady had told her
she could have the maps. But when
she came back from Mrs. OGradys
funeral she found, that Mrs. Smith had
already possessed herself OF them.
Mrs. Smith got Ottinger, Ingler and
Young to finance the expedition to
Cuba, and the three men went to San
tiago themselves with part of the infor-
nation and the maps. Mrs Smith did
not trust them with all, but agreed
to go to Cuba if they found indications
of the truth OF the story. The men
found everything described In the map
to exist. and they cabled to Mrs. Smith,
who sailed for Cuba.
FIND TREASURE GONE
The money and valuables had been
buried under a fiagstone in a Santiago
hotel. The maps gave minute direc-
tions and described the flagstone, which
bore a cross. The flagstone was found
and the four treasure seekers seriously
discussed buying the hotel for $4,000
In order to have the right to dig under
1t and to work undisturbed. But they
decided not to risk this much money
Instead they rented the room in which
the fagstone was, and also adjoining
rooms, and went to work. They pulled
up the f1agstone and began to dig,
piling up the earth in the room as they
removed it. Mrs Smith. who was not
of trusting nature, watched them dig
from window in which she sat. She
said today in court that she did not
want to take any chances Of the men
digging up the treasure and leaving
her out when they came to divide.
The men found hole. as the map
described. They followed 1t, as had
been directed, digging with feverish
haste as they found indication after
indication that they were on the right
track. But suddenly they struck a
tunnel, which put an end to all their
hopes. The tunnel led under street
and into a house. Some one else had
learned of Kerr's secret hiding place
and had looted 1t.
The treasure seekers returned to
Oakland, announcing that they had
made enough to pay expenses, but no
more. In fact, they found nothing,
they testified today, but were ashamed
to confess their failure to their friends.
Mrs. Langtry was not convinced, and
brought suit on the theory that they
had found great treasure and were
keeping 1t for themselves. She had no
proof of this to offer, however, and
Judgment went against her today after
the treasure hunters had told the story
of their disappointment.