Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1912-09-04
BURLINGTON PHILLIPS


4 BUFFlNGTC
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: sss:::ss.s:s:.
49, s4il' Copyright by
H1VHE greatest treasure in the
4 United States, vast sum that
II awaits some ones finding, is one
5s-l, concerning which | have sought
the exact truth for the several years
thatSI have followed this fad Of col
slecting treasure-trove data. The pub
Z LEGATION Of the story or stories about It
may bring to light the men who can
say definitely what is. what However
h any man who cares to set out after It
In a business-like manner may turn
z himself into multi-millionaire be-
tween Christmas and Fourth OF July. H
This much is certain: somewhere
on the upper reaches Of the Missouri
river lie four large barges, lost IN
1866, laoded to their utmost capacity
Z with gold estimated in amount from
$7..000.00O to S25. 100000. 4
/ Just at the close OF the civil war
some rumors Of the finding Of gold in
the Black Hills Of Dakota and Mon.
tana drifted into the towns on the
border OF civilization In the northwest.
1T seems odd to think that fifty years
ago that region was a frontier. but
there are hundreds OF old Indians now
living on the reservations who then
were fighting braves and fifty years
ago they had never seen white
mans face: 15s 4.
1.-THE spring Of 1866 some old pros
.Epectors In the back drift from Califor,
mia found gold In, one Of the tributaries
of the Missouri, said now to be the,
north fork Of the Cheyenne. Why It is
no more certain will appear, Others
of thier Xix IN smelled" the discovery
q and 4 band. Of L no more than forty
drew into the region. making a won
derful strike, the richest that has ever
been made on America soil according
to all accounts. The strike was made
y IN what Is now called Deadmen's
4 Gulch, named to- suit the story, but
called in the old records Federation.
h Desperation and Starvation Clutches.
The gold was alluvial. washed down
from the northern lodges, now being
worked by the rich Caledonia Qaurtz
Mine Company near Deadwood. The
gravel banks and fats were inexpres-.
lGsibly rich with it and all summer the
forty men toiled feverishly, extracting
3 az much as they could before the win
ter should descend upon them, shut
OF their Ash. game and vegetable food
supply and drive them to civilization.
where the knowledge of. the vast
wealth Of the Black Hills and the re-
mainder 81 the sauriferous region would
become public property. /. IL 81 53i /.
When the ground froze and they
could work no longer they cut timber
and made four large barges Of shallow
draft and on them laoded the gold in
provision boxes, and mule and deer
skins made into rawhide sacks. Even.
then they were compelled to leave.
some Of It behind because the 1barges
would not carry It.. s3,
The hostile ! Indians who had not
Jared attack 50 large q party fl the
mining camp with its excellent de-
lenses and those who were apparently
on friendly terms with the miners now
! took q hand In the game. After the
hardy forty had reached the Missouri
and had negotiated . portion Of it,
distance they tied up one night. not
long before Christmas. They were at
tackled: by< a large band of Indians.
who massacred every living soul, sank
the barges and took all their belong
ings except the gold. of which they did
not know the value. Some accounts
hold the Blackfeet responsible. others
the Ogalala. ;sSI 4,
How the news ever got to the world
i cannot say, save as the Indians told
Of II and friends OF the dead n men
traced them into the country from
which they never came out. Gradual
X the story took form and 1t set the,
prospectors wild They ranged the
region from the Bad Lands to the Big
Horn river for twenty.seven years and
then came the great discovery in the
Black Hills.
Il The gold left behind at the point Of
embarkation was finally found. Old
workings which showed the vast
quantities taken out by the forty pros
pectors were discovered and for a few
years torrent OF alluvial gold poured
out OF the Black Hills. Then the whole
thing settled down to the staid and
regular quartz proposition.
The Kansas City Star some years
ago printed circumstantial story
stating that a young Indian student at
=, s$11 khot }c
father was one Of the braves in the
massacre, knew where the barges were
sunk and was still living on the reser-
walton. It may be that the river has
changed its course and left the barges
under thin layer of gravel. easily &C.
cessible on dry land. The way to find
the treasure Is to trace down the sto-
ries, locate some of the old Indians
and induce them to locate the spot
and point it out from memory. 1t
should not be difficult. n &.
In 1859 there was lost In the Bay Of
Islands. at the mouth OF the, St. Law
renee river. the good ship Primrose.
with a store Of gold and silver and
Jewels aboard her. The exact amount
Of har treasure is unknown. but 1t
must be vast.
Full Of wild romance is the story
OF the Devil Duvals Horde" on the
top Of the Rocks Of Perez on the
Gaspe peninsula, only about twenty
four hours ride by train from New
ADMIRE AND u