The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1911-01-31
HUNTING FOR
BURIED TREASURE

Discovery of time -yellowed note
in a rust-eaten tin can, hidden among
rocks in the mountains near Rock
Springs, Wyoming, furnishes key to
the past which lifts the veil of mys-
terry from the sensational holdup and
robbery of Union Pacific passenger No.
!, March 20, 1880, and solves the secret
of the identity of the highwaymen,
their tragic fate in the mountain fast
nesses and the finding, ten years after
the holdup, of two unidentified skele-
tons on the spot where the bandits took
their own lives to escape the iron hand
of the law, says the Herald Republican.
The story revealed by the yellowed
piece of paper, bearing its blurred
for easy wealth of two noted train
robbers in the declining years of life,
flight into the wilds of Wyoming
mountains and a double suicide to es-
cape the slow death of starvation on
one hand and imprisonment on the
other.
The note, bold def to the law and
its minions, and written while one of
the holdups was loading the weapon
with which he was to end his misspent
career, gives directions as to where the
booty was hidden and bears the sig
natures of Missouri Pete' and "Wy-
oming jack both of whom, according
to their confession in the note, served
years in a New York penitentiray.
The records of the two men are
known to the Pinkertons and other
officers and much interest was evil
denced in the discovery of the note by
local representatives of the Pinker-
tons.
Sheepherder Finds Note.
A shepherd in the employ of CO.
vey & Blaney of Salt Lake discovered
the note. 1t is written on an old Union
Pacific bill of lading. Edwin Blaney
of No. Vernon avenue, member of the
firm of Covey 4 Blaney, sheepmen, re-
eeived the note yesterday. He says
that the sheepherder who discovered
the note is absolutely reliable and can
be depended upon for honesty.
The note discovered in the old bak-
ing powder can is yellow with age, but
is clearly written and is as follows:
"June 80, 1880.
"We, the undersigned, have held up
the Union Pacific train No. l, Mis-.
souri, Pete and myself, and have fled
to this place with our 'vpov' and So
600 and will hold out as long as our
grub lasts. viii be out of water soon,
and by hell we will put a bullet in our
old meat houses before we will be TAX
en- by any damned U. s. gard or Red
Four
"Our money is hid-thirty west and
turn due north, turn your right and
3 IL nd siX a
you have our fortune.
"My pal is fifty years old and ! am
sixty-two. Our good times are over
and we are almost taken. Pete is load
ing his gun to start his work and
mine as soon as this note finished.
Anyone following directions will be it.
We have no friends. We have served
eighteen years in the New York prison.
MISSOURI PETE.
WYOMING JACK"
According to reliable information OBJ
tainend by the shepherds of Covey &
Blaney the skeletons of two men, then
believed to have been prospectors, to-
gether with revolvers, were found in
the little natural fort near Rock
Springs during the early nineties. They
were buried and little attention was
given them at the time. 1t was held
that they had been prospectors possibly
overcome by some disease, or killed in
n dual. which were not infrequent be-
tween prospectors during the early
eighties.
Efforts made by the sheepherders of
the firm of Covey e. Blaney to locate
the treasure according to the direc-
tions are said to have been unsuccess-
full. 1t is thought that the note die
tates directions in accordance with
some prearranged understanding be-
tween Missouri Pete and Wyoming
Jack and confederates, who failed to
find the note, not hearing anything
about the tragic end of their pals.