The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1910-07-20
BONES AND MUSTY BAGS
m AIR, TIGHT TOMB
Some Of The Coins Were Spanish,
But Most Of Them Bore Stamp
Of United States

Laurel. Del. July 2o-AAsbary Ham.
n,pud, anpoor farmer, living near thp
ltisuut' Hermon Methodist Episcopal
9tlaurrh IN Nicomico county Md, six
teen miles from this town, was bend
ing wearly to HIS pow ten days ago
as A. aug its way through the .knottg
and rocky ground ON his little farm.
The perspIration dripped from his
brow and several times he stoppad
TO ruop his face with his bandanl
handkerchief
Gosh" he said. this farming joo
~ no Joke There amt no money IN
It and It's all-bred hard work. Guess
lil chuck Il up and 70 to the city anu
hunt q lob. could drive wagon
oil right and | might make dollar
once ina spell at that
Then he ''cluckcd" 10 his nag 10
get-cp and started In another slow
and painful fnrrow The share Of his
T.0w banged up against what he
thought was rock, and the plow
handles jerked out OF the farmers
hands. He mutered something and
vent TO look at the rock. By the tim,
fe had looked good and hard he ha.l
seen $4,000.
Instead Of rock, he found. VIII IN
ne kicked away the dirt around the
obstruction, that It was structure Of
well.moy.ised bricks He "geed" his
horse on TO a shade tree and hikei
y 10 his barn tor shovel and a pick-
Ak. The more he dug the more his
curiosity was excited by the strus-l
tare, which he was unearthing.
A few final husky strokes with NJ,
pich and Re had opened UP an air
ueht tomb containing skeleton an
several musty old bags. Hammond
got Che hdgets when he saw the bones,
nut he soon got up nerve enough t.
70 for the two bags. When he rippel
them open he found that they were,
full OF gold and silver coins. Some
Ci the coins were Spanish but most
lore the stamp of tie United States
he latest date stamped on any piece
was 1921 There were so many Of
them that Hammond almost had a fi..i
He forgot about his horse and ploW
and hurried With the money bags IN.
&c his little farm house
A day on 80 later he made trip u
. bank IN Laurel and walked 10
calmly 10 the cashier and handed over
$1,000 The cashier hadn't breath
CROUCH lett to ask him where he go.
the money. A day or two later hel
iafned up again with $1,000. and thea
the cashier shot few questions at
lin He said that he had come b..
the money honestly. and II was no.
hody's business where he got e.
bgosb.
Friends Of the farmer. for hc sud
denly developed more friends tbau h.
eyer realized he bad before, advised
fiio 40 own up aud tell his story, IS
relv rumoss were floating abou'
Then be related that he had dug tiia
nlopey up on his farm. along with
tssiciou IA digging mania stralglis-
Way seized nn the farmers all about
but so fer Hammond Is The only one
tc strike yellow F9s Et e9a
vttdtorsi have bpnu coming by tic
trafnioaa 10 oshavela looh at fhe hoiel
iu fbs ground where Hammond founi
bisa $4,000. Nothing around these
parts has ever before stirred up such
bunch of talk Expert investigators
tarc not arrived at any conclusions
a. 10 the mystery OF The skeleton and
Tie money. and II Is said that there
was no clev in the tomb ss 10 the
idersiiy Of the perHon who WAS buried
there with such a neat round sum Of
coin.
Hammond has changed his mini
about going 10 the city and hunting
IN a job Fsrmin' is good enougb for
him.