The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1912-09-26

YOUNG NARCELI4Es Death RR
CALLS WASHING AWAY OF
FATHERS RURIED
TREASURE

found with bulletshole sthrOughshim1
on the prairie, on the Cheyenne River
reservation, died the last male men,
Der Of one of South Dakota's earliest
and most interesting families. Pierre
Narcefle, the grandfather, came to
this country In 1925, q boy OF Is, IN
THE employ Of asfur trading company
which maintained q pest near the
mouth of Chappelle creek. His son.
Narcisse, Joe's father, was q big cat
tleman, with5his home onith6. head
waters Of Cherry creek. and ranging
his stock oyer the Cheyenne river
reservation. He was killed In a run
1 away last winter:
Young PierresNarcelle first reached
this country in July 1925, in cGsn-
pany with some New York men, who
established the store, as noted, near
Chappelles creek, and made q mint
Of money, probably netting ~$26 1000
annually through their fair dealings
with the Dakotas. who brought their
pelts in from hundreds Of miles
around. Pierre was paid $1,000 q
year and board and being thrifty, in
stead of sending his money back to
the states, invested It In ponies,
which were allowed to range with
those of the Indians, and articles
which the fur company did not wish
to handle: and with the increase grad
ually became well-to-do. married Z
squaw and settled down.
Pierress own narrative al record
ed in 1900 IL as follows: ''My money
In those. days was always in gold,
and as there were NO banks within
hundreds Of miles, there was nothing
to do but bank IN the ground. In half
a, dozen, places around, my house be-
tween, the years 1850 and 1860fIsfre-
,quueentiy had from $4,000 to 100000
buried. These banks, known only to
the members OF my family, and no
other persons, were good and rate
enough until the spring of 1861,
when three Of them broke and l lost
$4,000 in gold and silver"
Around BUR house on C~happelle
creek wal q beautiful park of Ave
acres, filled with hugh cottonwoods,
many OF them directly IN the creek
bank, and deep down beneath their
roots i placed my gold and silver
wrapped In buckskin. All these trees
were marked and in the house I kept
q plat showing the location Of each
bank and the amount OF money II
contained. The winter OF s1860-61 was
very severe, with snow at least three
feet deep on the level. With warm
weather the snow went on rapidly
with every prospect OF high water
The little bottom about the house
had never overlooked, so We all fell
ssecl,re. The house stood fully fort,
feet above high water, and the place
where the money wa buried wa
nearly as high, 30 we felt secure. Da,
after day the water rose, until sud
denly checked by q cold snap.
zone day some Indians came down
the river and told 'us there swGs I
great ice gorge at Farm island. below
BAD river, and that the water Wal
backed up for miles. That might =
broke and the water came down
In the morning it had 0verfiowed GU
park, to within q few feet of thu
door. All day it continued to ris'
and at night was on the floor Of thu
house. We moved out and took III
dur abode IN the barn. on still haghe'
ground.
I'm the morning we up brigh
and early to view a great change
The house was still there, but tn
bank where the money was burie'
was gone with nothing to mark tn
location but a muddy expanse o
water. All the trees had been wash
q out and floated down the river
After the water subsidized, the boy
and myself hunted for the none,
but not n cent could've ind"
ENi n stf4fi