Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-03-20
QUEST FOR COCOS
ISLAND GOLD FAILS
Some of the Argonauts Will Try
Again-Pirates Treasure,
However, Seems Secure.


Panama, March 19--T'he latest expedi-
ton in search OF the pirates treasure on
Cocos island has returned to Panama
confessing its failure. a few thousand dol
lars more in money and a year Of several
lives have been poured into the quest,
and the treasure rests as secure from the
hands of modern argonauts as It has
been for nearly century.
About two years ago an expedition or
| ganized by two English women, whose OBJ
ject in searching for the treasure was 10
| devote it to a charity In which they are
| Interested in London, spent six weeks on
| Cocos, and came away owning that their
| plans had gone wrong. But the confes-
sion was only for public consumption. AT
heart they believed that they were about
TO unearth the pirates gold when their
food supplies and funds gave out. They
returned to England and there succeeded
| In convincing some hard headed English
business men that the treasure was with
! in reach As result a new expedition was
organized
At the head of the new syndicate was
| +. G. Evelyn Mills. himself heavy in.
weston In the scheme. A potion steamer
was fitted UP especially for the search
| Provision bins and excavation tools were
provided and best Of ALL amldships there
were built several large steel boxes with
combination locks on the doors I'm which
the treasure was TO he stored The shit
lies in the harhor at the Pacific entrance
Of the Panama canal to-day. for sale at a
bargain.
CALLS HIMSELF A FOOL
Mr.. Mills recounted hl4 adventure at the
University club in Panama recently. be.
rating himself as fool for engaging in
such an enterprise. Yet when he ha,
finished there was not a man OF the dozer
at table with him but would gladly have
enlisted his resources and strength Ir
"nother trial at tho pirates treasure
Fortunately ther are all poor and ooult
not raise the money among them 10 I'm,
the treasure ship.
I'hc expedition left ENGLAND about 81,
months ago made the Strait OF Nu..llar
and then sailed direct for Cocos island
which lies at the mouth of the ,;t1r O,
Panama, about 80 miles distant from N,
city At this time of the Year the sur
runs high a Cocos, and it wts mnossibl,
to land in the ships boats SO with nuct
toll raft was launched. and bv thl
means the tools and provisions were pl
ashore. The work extended over tive
months
There are two well known clues to tn,
'oc"s treasure. The first is that to thu
loot taken from Lima in ISIS by an Eng
l,sh sailor named THOMPSON, and tn
second that to the treasure stolen from
Vera CRUZ in 1922 by the Spanish pirate
Bonito Bonito GAttle-Ben-the Good
LOOTED MORE THAN 100000
| II was during the civil strife thu
followed the war for liberation fror
Spain in 1927 that Little Zen and his Gu,
threats surprised the treasure house a
Vera cruz on DAY I'm broad davlish
and made away with pack mules loadc
with gold and silver They crossed tn
whole "f McNico and took to their shi,
which was waiting for them in n GOV
on the Pacific. Tho valge Of their boot
IS variouslv estimated at from min
million 10 twenty million dollars. The
q were not pursued ami yet the fir.
y though appears to have heen to hid
=. the loot. They made straleh, FOR III
well known watering island OF Coco
4 and thor" IN cave in tie s.de Of one
- the steep cliffs tnat rise blac' and stee
= above the water they hid their treasure
II "'S' WY heh-tl'-'t'od ma the trea
y IRE. and why he did not return to Z,
, IT, history fails to state \ feW veal
It ''''' nv WIS captured IN 'he N'st II
I'tS an" hahEeu' one OF ms crew a
-"S 'S"'i'''i hepl tHe record OF magnet
"'" 'ilNS anu i'huihdFkS thdt lhdlca'
: Were 'ie treasure was hluoeh' ana thl
H'''e" u"Nn '''oush 'hree generation
y - ''' ''''' ~ ''o'''" cave