Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1912-05-02

---'| ships sunk in shallow waters.
Little Of It has ever been recovered; the average
man prefers to work for few dollars week
But the history OF the hundreds OF treasures. some
If them we'll known and rich in narrative some OF
them but vaguely chrouc!ed, is something OF absorb
ing interest to the with the true spirit OF al
venture in hts blood
More gold and silver was produced from the new
Nv discovered Western Hemisphere by the early
Spanish and Portuguese adventures than the world
bad ever known in its history. The Spanish Main
reeked with It. The Indians from Mexico to Peru.
had so much that they had no use for it. Shipload
after shipload to England, Spain and Portugal
Pirates and privateers raded the ports and the gal
icons Governors often cached the treasures OF a
city to save them from the raiders; bishops and
priests hid the wonderful solid gold affairs, ratings,
vessels and forth, to keep them safe. Often the
governor was slain captured, perhaps removed.
and in many cases the cerics suffered similar taies
Hundreds Of millions have been recovered but the
remaining unbound are so vast as to be stag
gering.
1t IS Of those unrecovered or only partially
cred that write, giving all the facts that have been
able 70 find, hoping to start the seekers on TO the
quests. Some OF it seems easily recoverable that
could go and almost lay ones hands on 1t; more
OF il would require patient effort digging. draining
diving searching still other portions will be found
only by the purest chance the clues are too vague
There is astounding store OF gold the history
of which is clear and definite, and the obstacles
to recovery slight, that will state its claims first
On the Cuudinauiarca plateau in the Republic OF
Colombia is a little pond a quarter OF mile across
In the Of this pond superstitious Indians
dumped gold in fiber bags in such quantities that
the bottom lie hundreds Of millions, perhaps
several billion dollars worth. One chief dropped
I'm $500 pounds in day the life of a
sick daughter, and the votive process went on I'm.
interrupedly for hundreds of years. 1t is easy to
see how stupendous the treasure must be and how
difficult 10 estimate accurately.
The bulk Of the definite information concerning
the lake comes from the journal OF Fray Pedro
Simon. Jesuit missionary who dweIt among the
ChIbcha Indians near the lake for many years and
witnessed the incident cited.
At the time OF the conquest the lake was called
Guatavita "Caretaker OF Life" The Indians be-
iieved that in the lakes and springs dwelt the sub
deities and all the tribes in northern South Amer
lea believed that in this wonderful little pool,
with its clear cold springs and beautiful shores.
dwet the deity, who had power TO save and heal.
Gold was to be found everywhere. Its sole use
was for decoration and religious superstitious
offerings.
Even today they still! hide the secrets OF the
deposits appearing in the towns with little Leaf
baskets the bottoms Of which covered with
gold. which they TO buy all the print-coths,
arms, food and Daubles that make up their sim
pie needs; then they 90 away 10 their huts in the
mountains. When the Spaniards first came the
Indians laughed to find the white men so eager
for what they deemed OF little value. But
when they the white killing and tortur-
ing their brothers. wives and children they grew
silent and ever since have hidden all their kuowl
edge OF gold among themselves An Indian who
leads the way 10 Indian mine signs his own
deathwarrant.
Fray Pedro simol's account of the lake says
that II was OF chain; that II so small
that two fiber ropes could be stretched across il,
marking II into quarters They crossed in the
exact center. Rats Loored on-shore and
the indians coming from altar laden with gold
would heap IL these RATS IL fiber and skin
bags, the ropes guide the rats TO the cen
ter and then throw in the gold, old and sacred
Of the tribe or family reciting iayocatious 10
the spirit OF the lake
What have related has been common property
among men interested in treasure-seeking. and
parts OF the facts have been printed both in Amer
lea and England, but this is the first time all
the known facts have been given. There is today
on the plateau lake called Guatavita, but il does
not answer Fray Pedro Simon's description.
On the 18th Of April 1913, there sail from
what IS now Colon the Spanish galIeon Santa
Marta. commanded by masteT-at-arms called FL
Tjgre de Joasco, and bearing vice governor Her
Daado ArOjas Aencon with a considerable com
pany Of wounded and feyer-broken Spanish sol
iiors a scattering OF priests and business
travellers
She headed for Cadiz and Vigo. Her cargo
almost entirely gold to the value Of about
S25,000000
It was not supposed that any one aboard was
aware that there anything extraordinarily
valuable aboard, except the master Governor
Arolas, and priests Of the ships company.
some one organized mutiny among the
Ing soldiers and sailors and, while the ship
heavily armed 20 defend herself against pirates
or pTiyateers, she was very easily taken by
her some time during the first week
out
Two boauoads Of prisoners were abandoned
the sandy shore OF the PALISADES on the harbor
Of Kingston Jamaica. but Fl Tigre de Joasco and
Governor Arojas were not among tsem, and
somewhere in the chiDks OF history their fate has
slipped through and been lost.
The murooned people were very quickly picked