The Cairo bulletin., 1912-08-23
FARM LADORERS
FIND TREASURE :. ).
AND QUIT WORK
Jewels Hidden by Wealthy Cuban
at Beginning Of lO-Year War
for independence
WORKERS IGNORE WAGES
Surviving Daughter Learns Of Find
Too Late to Receive Any
Of the Valuables
WAGES PENR0SE FIGURES DIFFERENT

Havana, Aug. 2l.--sir William
Van Horn, the great railroad build
of Canada, some time ago Became in
terested in Cuba and built the Gem
trail Railroad, which runs all along
the backbone of the island AS Il
side line he started a sugar ri1nta-
tion on the grounds of tho old
hacienda which bears the indian
name "Jobabo .
Recently a gang Of Spanish labor
ers were preparing a field for plant
ing sugar cane on this estate, when
one Of them struck something hard
which bent the point Of his pick, a
rare happening in soil where the
first two feet is nothing but black
humus. They found stone jar.
Another stroke brought silver tray
to light.
The news spread among the gang,
and they crowded around the hole,
They wanted a share Of the find, as
piece after piece of great treas
ure was unearthed. Finally they
arrived at a compromise The fore
man took the jar and the laborcrs
divided among themselves the re-
mainder of the digging. There were
enough rings ard brooches and arm
bands and earrings and silver trays
and candlestieks to go around.
There were about a hundred of the
men and each got something and
was content
Laborers Quit Jobs.
At quitting time not one of them
showed up at the plantation, nor
did the foreman. When pay day
came none claimed his wages.
Shortly afterward a silver tray,
with the name Francisco v Aguil-
era" engraved on it, was offered for
sale in a secondhand store in
Camaeucy by a laborer On being
questioned how he got it he told the
foregoing story. Other pieces, with
the initials "F. V. A." turned up,
and fine jewels and silverware be-
came cheap in the provincial town.
Then somebody who had known
Francisco V. Aguiera, the old patri-
clan and leader of the revolutionary
movement against Spain which
started in 1868, remembered that
his daughter was living in Havana,
nnd ba yVpnto Lor Che
the story with the following state
ment
"The beginning Of the 10-year
war brought disaster to u.s. We be-
longed to the suspected and were
prosecuted and bounded by the
Spaniards until we We're forced to
leave our properties in Bayamo
This happened at the close of the
year 1868. We gathered together
all our family Jewels and the val
liable silver service and loaded two
mules with them. You must not
thing this an eXaggeration. My
father. Francisco Vicerite Aguilera
was then the richest proprietor in
Eastern Cuba, owning thousands of
leagues of the most fertile ground,
stocked with countless herds of
cattle.
"The silver was simply thrust in
gunny sacks and the jewels and
trinkets in trays and boxes I well
remember among them three beauti-
full necklaces, belonging to my moth
er, whose maiden name was Ana
Kindelan, one each Of diamonds,
emeralds and pearls. Their value
was at least some $4,000. Among
the jewels of my grandmother were
some rines set with immense stones
Of the finest water, costing more
than $1,000 each There were also
the jewels of Joanna Tamavo, my
grandmother on my fathers side,
and many other belonging to differ
ent members of our family.
eve got we'll started with our
treasure caravan, although, unused
we were to an errant life, we
suffered much, principally on cross
Ing the Sierra de Jiguany. We tied
to some properties we owned around
las Tunas adm stopped FOR some time
las Tunas and stopped, which covers
some 10000 acres. We formed =
family council and concluded to
bury our valuables. The place was
selected with the greatest care; we
even did not dare to use the farm
tools. but some hardwood sticks
We're cut with the machete to make
s~~ss~ r s' --r ~s.-