Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-07-07
BOX OF OLD HERMIT FOUND
Books, Coins, Pistols and Letters I'm
earthsd at Corey, Mich.
BURIED IN RUSTY IRON CHEST
Relics OF Hssil<ia Thomas, who ne
Iieved He HAD Power 60 Turn
stones to Cold Are RE-
covered.

COREY Mich, July GA romance Of the
days when much OF Michigan was a will
derness was brought to, light today when
boys OF the South Bend. Ind, Y. M. c. A.
summer camp. while digging a hole for q
flag staff, brought up a rusty iron Blk
containing pistols, books and several docu-
ments.
The lock could not be opened so the bot
tom of the chest was broken. First the
discoveries found two rusty pistols of an
ancient pattern, resting in d bed OF flax.
Then followed a motley collection. includ-
ing plain gold ring, apparently the we'd
ding pledge of some pioneer bride; a
silver cased watch OF Swiss manufacture;
a small dagger and a rust stained hunting
knife; leather bound books dating from
1857 to 1919, among them a Bible, Chill
dren of the Abbey and Book of Pas
sion."
There were several school books and a
number OF pennies bearing dates from lTs1
to 1854, samples of silver, lead and copper
ores, arrow heads and a collection of
pebbles. Deeds dating back as far as
1873 related to property at Plymouth, Conn.
Text of Queer Letter.
A letter found in the chest read in part
as follows:
This chest is the. property Of HesilIia
Thomas, formerly OF New England, later
of the Michigan wilderness, a spiritualist
of God, believing my spirit still roams
over the lakes in the full moon seasons,
guarding all my valuable deposited pos
sessions, for they are many and varied
God gave me many wonderful secrets, but
because of the great sin He took them
all away but one-the least OF them-the
turning Of sable stones into gold.
II have buried this secret by the body
OF old Duckwing in the big swamp. God
rest my soul. God has filled the earth
with gold. Devils do not believe it, but
has He not promised seek and findT The
blue heron is wise and the night owl, but
man is an ass. for he waIketh not in the
ways OF the Most High"
A little Of, the story of the peculiar old
hermit, Thomas, is known here. George
Knevels; who lives In a, portion Of a
house built by Thomas, says that as a
boy he recollects finding carefully Sc
GREETED collections Of pebbles in the house,
1t is said that Thomas wife deserted him
and that his queerness became noticeable
about the same time. He roamed the
woods "conversing' with trees and ami
mails and believed he could transmute GER
tain stones into gold. After selling his
home here Thomas poyed to an island in
the lake, to which in one part OF his letter,
he refers to- as the abode of the seven
devils
|, Hunt for other Chests.
According to another letter found in the
box, there is another chest buried on the
island. A map gives instructions or d.
rections for finding a third chest, the key
to which is said TO be hidden in tree.
The whole neighborhood lie excited over a
search, Immediately begun, for the re-
naming chests. ~,
Other parts of the letter in which
Thomas revealed his secrets read:
1.-THE island lie doomed forever as 1t IL
the abiding place Of the seven devils.
Beware; fish die. birds drop as they pass
and man disappears in the cavernous
depths of ithea cave"
Another excerpt Of the letter possibly
refers to his recent spouse:
'sThe lucky stones arrived from the evi
one The knife is that which drunk hi
| life's blood and Is cursed forever. Tit
books were her possession from the olde
| days before the great shadow fell. TIT
man may. claim his papers; Duckwinl