The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1912-06-08


-6&SJ8HM gton that In stony was
vast hoard Of gold, jewels,
plate and forth, hidden by
some barbaric lord in the wild
days that lost to history. No one knew of
any stony cave, but of the peasants opined
that certain old quarry that had been abandoned
for hundreds Of years might possibly be the spot.
Since the pair Of them were idling, why not 20
look at 1t?
On arrival at the quarry they soon found a
recess blocked with earth and stone, and pulling
this away with their hands, came upon ancient
3ronbound casks by the dozen piled within Some
OF these had rotted open and showed the treasure
running out
Great Britain and the continent are thickly
dotted with localities in which treasures are re-
ported to lie treasures offering an equal or bet
ter chance Of recovery
Foremost and by all odds the greatest treasure
story of the world is the famous Rouvier quest,
which has often stirred all France and remains to-
day the prime mystery of all history. I hope,
however, to add strong hint that may be of aid
In the next Juror Of search.
Louis the Pious was an abstemfous and I'm.
Drofgate and had absolute control of the
golfers OF France in one Of her richest periods
lie mad SO much money that he did not know
what to do with 1t other than lavish it on church
es and sacred works. His greatest gift was the
set of gigantic statues of the Twelve Apostles
placed In Sainte Chapelle. To avoid public con-
~ gilded, but the private archives of the church
show ahnndantly, that~they were. of solid gold
Even a conservative estimate OF their value
makes staggering figure.
Generation after generation passed away and
still the great golden saints stood in Sainte
Chapelle, classed among the art wonders of the
world Then came dark days for royalty in
france Rebellious mobs were sacking other
churches and the high dignitaries called some
noted royalist gentlemen into council. It was de-
IN ~
done with complete secrecy. The rising wave
rolled higher and nobility and clergy were wiped
out or dispersed. The guillotine or exile claimed
them. When quiet came again twelve gilded
wooden figures were placed In Sante Chapelle
and there they stand today There was no an
nouncement Of the loss of the huge bulk of gold:
there could be no announcement, considering the
previous deception.
At last, some forty years ago, imperial re-
corder, nosing around in the Tower of London
cataloging rummage there, came across small
casket hidden away in corner among lot Of
stuff captured by the Duke of Wellington after
Waterloo and brought by his commssaries to
England.
The easket secured by twelve seals and
one Of these the imperial recorder recognized as
that OF the Marquis de Rouvier then at the
French embassy to the court of ST. James. The
young marquis said that the other seals were
those of great families in France prior to the
revolution but that many had been wiped out in
the Reign Of Terror. Securing, permission he
took the casket and its custodians to France as
sembled the heads of any of the families with a
living representative and the seals were broken.
Within was found the true history Of the golden
saints figures written out in detail, signed by the
archbishops and by the twelve royalist noblemen
The document stated that twelve statues had
been inferred by workmen who were ignorant of
their character in spot in France where the
lines Of latitude and longitude cross"
The British government transferred the casket
to the Louvre and the whole affair was put on an
official basis. The young marquis and his friends
Of the other families joined in an association
sworn to return the golden figures and fulfill the
obligations of their grandfathers and great grand
fathers. The young marquis and two Of his
friends journeyed to the district near Neuilly and
by the aid of scientific instruments located the
crossing of the lines of latitude and longitude in
great open field. To their surprise they dscov-
cred that the field belonged to an estate that was
one OF the former properties of the Marquises de
Rouvler. peasant was blowing in the field and
the searching party noticed that he and his preds
oessors had left in the center an oval spot now
grown up with trees and brush. As there was no
pile of stones there, no marsh, the young MARQUIS
said to him:
why do you leave that spot of fine ground un-
cultivated"
Because. sir, my father and grandfather both
babe me never to plow over or disturb that spot
as long held this land and to so instruct my
sons or those who should come after me, because
in that soil there is great holiness" 49,
The joy Of the searching party can be imagined.
There was no question in their minds but that
they had found the chosen hding-place with very
little effort Arrangements were at once made
with the proper authorities to begin excavation,
and force or picked men and guards was assem-
bled. To the terror of the peasants the trees
and underground were cut away and the first lay
er Of soil removed. When the excavation had
reached the depth of three feet the experts with
the party announced that they were working in
soil which had never been disturbed since it was
deposited by nature, but the Marquis de Rouyier
insisted that the excavation continue
It was sent down to depth of twenty feet and
broadened in all directions for large area. But
wherever spade was struck even the unframed