The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1912-09-06

| steamboat said to have been the Car.
| lyle J. Harrison, with several hundred
thousand dollars in gold to pay for
cotton, was sunk in 1869. None OF IT
has ever been recovered.
Inere is a fascinating story about
an old barge that is buried in the Mis-.
souri, sand-ftats near Fort Rice. North
Dakota. With It is buried silver worth
more than half million dollars At
the time when the unsuccessful pros
pectors We're toiling. empty handed.
back from the gold fields of California
little band of men struck a rich find
near what Is now Virginia City. Mon
| tana.
The built rude camp and, with the
poor implements that they had. work.
ed feverishly for many months until
they had taken out all that their
packs could carry across the miles of
unciYilized country they must Cross to
the naVigable rivers of the upper Mis-.
souri,. Toiling across the mountains,
always in danger of massacre, facing
starvation and priFations, breaking
roads in the frozen fats and blazing
trails through the forests, they finally
reached the river near Painted Woods,
and there built rude barge and load
ed 1t to the waters edge with the rich
silver ore.
Travelling by night, in constant fear
OF Indian outbreaks, they wendell slow.
ly down the partly frozen river, know
ing that soon they would reach the
frontier town and safety. 1t was in
"a and the few scattered settlements
had been deserted. No Indians had
been seen for days and. taking cour-
age, they travelled faster and with less
caution. When they were near Fort
Rice they were attacked by the In
dams and all of the little band were
killed with the exception of one man,
Pierre LaseIIe.
Ignorant of the wealth aboard, the
Redskins sunk the float, and Pierre
Laselie escaped to Fort Rice leaving
behind him no trace of the expedition;
the secret Of the hardships and toll
and wealth were with the river and
about 1t for some time-not until he
had enlisted in the army and maneu-
yered SO as to get back to be near his
treasure. Then he took an old Quak-
er, named Richard Pope. into his con-
fidence and at the urgent request Of
the Quaker his son was also told the
secret.
Three months later the little party.
well armed and well provisioned. went
quietly to the spot that Lase1le remem-
bered so we'll, only to find that the
river course had changed and a bar
Of sand had formed over the barge
Not dismayed. however, they dug I'M
til they found the PROV of the old
scow and on the very eve Of success
they too were attacked by the Indians
and Laselle was killed. Pope and his
son, too badly frightened to work !
again within the year. went back with |
the secret to the town and while there |
young Pope died.
After many years the old Quaker /
took another man. named Emerson. /
and with the drawings that Laselle !
and he had made they went back to !
the place of troVe and found that the !
sand. bar had grown and that the river |
ran many hundreds Of feet away from |
the spot where the fortune lay buried /
in glistening sands. Where Pope said /
the old diggings would be found a .
young cottonwood tree was flourish /
ing. They spent weeks digging for |
many feet around the place. but found |
Some mistake had evidently |
been made in following out the former
instructions. but the barge was there,
because Pope and Laselle found it on /
their first visit. Pope is dead. but
Emerson is still alive and has the old /
drawings, letters and records. Maybe
he can be induced to part with it, and
maybe not, but somewhere in the fats
near Fort Rice is snug little fortune
awaiting some finder.
Behind the city Of st. Augustine. IN
some likely spot, another rich treasure
is located. When it was a rich Span-
Ish town a favorite putting-in port for
the heavily laden Spanish galleons
that were coming through the Straits
Of Florida to avoid sailing the waters
made dangerous by Peter the Terrible
and Sir Henry Morgan. its wealth at
tracted the attention of the free-boot-
srs and word of their preparations to
attack and loot the city was carried
to the captain-general.
For weeks the city was in a state of
great perturbation and when some
English ships, probably privateers, ap-
oeared on the coast, the public treas
Ire. the church treasure and the Talu.
ibles of the wealthy citizens were as
'embled. removed inland and hidden.
For months the state of suspense con.
inued until the Spanish Admiral Quin-
ana appeared with his fleet. Then
he St. Augustinians thought they
.ould safely bring back their wealth /
70 their horror the three prominent
men entrusted with the secreting of
t, either could not find it or pretend