The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1912-09-05


the exact truth for the several years
that have followed this fad Of col
lecting treasure-trove data. Tho pub
lication of the story or stories about It
may bring to light the men who can
say dCfinitely what is what. However
any man who cares to set out after II
I'm a business-like manner may turn
himself into multi-millionaire be
| tween Christmas and Fourth Of July,
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
with gold estimated in amount from
| 100000 to $25, 100000
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.
II 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
dhu lHfN Hcu never HNth "''''N
| mans face
In the spring Of 1866 some old pros
pectors 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 INK "smelled" the discovery
and a band OF no more than forty
drew into the region, making a won
derful strike. the richest that has ever
been made on America soil according
10 all accounts The strike was made
in what Is now called Deadmen's
Guch. named to suit the story, but
called in the old records Federation,
Desperation and starvation Clutches,
The gold was alluyial washed down
from the northern lodges. now being
worked by the rich Caledonia Qaurtz
Mine Company near Deadwood. The
gravel banks and flats We're inexpres-
sibly rich with it and all summer the
forty men toilcd feverlshly. extracting
as much as they could before the win.
ter should descend upon them, shut
of their fish. game and vegetable food
supply and drive them 70 civilization,
where the knowledge of the vast
wealth OF the Black Hills and the re-
mainder Of the auriferous region would
become public property.
When the ground froze and they
Iould work no longer they cut timber
and made four large blrgcs 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 barges
would not carry Il.
The hostile Indians who had not
| dared attack so large a party in the
/ mining camp with its excellent de
/ fenses and those who we're apparently
on friendly terms with the miners now
took a hand In the game After the
! hardy forty had reached the Missouri
and had negotiated a portion of its
distance they tied up one night, not
long before Christmas, They were at
tackled by a large band OF Indians
who massacTed every living soul, sanh
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 other.
the Ogalala.
How the news ever got to the worlt
cannot say, save as the Indians told
OF II and friends OF the dead mer
traced them into the country from
which they never came out Gradual
ly the story took form and Il set IN,
prospectors Wild They ranged m,
region from the Bad Lands to the Bis
Horn river for twenty-seven years anC
then came the great discovery in tn,
Black Hills.
The gold left behind at the point o
embarkation was finally found Ol,
workings which showed the vas
quantities taken out by the forty pros
pcctors were discovered and for a few
years a torrent OF auuvial gold pouret
out OF the Black Hills Then the who'll
thing settled down TO the stald ant
regular quartz proposition.
The Kansas City Star some year
ago printed q circumstautiaI stor
stating that a young Indian student a
Haskell had told a professor that hi
father was one Of the braves in IN
massacre, knew where the barges wer
sunk and was still living on the rcsel
yation Il may be that the river ha
changed IT'S course and left the barge
under a thin layer Of gravel. easily a,
cessible on dry land. The way to I'm
the treasure is TO trace down the SIC
ries, locate some OF the old Indian
and induce them to locate the spo
, and point II out from memory.
should not be difficult.
IN 1859 there was lost in the Bay q
Islands al the mouth OF the St. Law
renee river the good ship Primros,
with a store Of gold and silver an
jewels aboard her The exact amour
OF her treasure is unknown, but
must be vast
Full OF Wild romance is the stor
OF the Devil Duval's Horde" on th
top OF the Rocks o. Peroe on IN
Gaspe peninsula. orly about twent,
four hours ride by train from Ne,