Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-06-28

tfa1 .. - .; :: . . . . :; . y |:
Once. again Judge Henry T.. Cooper
viii brave Che dangers of sea and pes
thence and make a dash for that
Hurled treasure purported to have
been left on the Isle Of Palmyra by
some contemporary of the notorious
Captain Kidd. Once again the good
chip Luka will steer southerly
course to the "s25er island. report
ed to contain the buried loot of blood
thirsty sea rovers whose lives were
spent in cutting threats, scuttlins
ships and burying treasures: tie
island which caused nearinternational
tnewspaler) complications. and over
which there has been expended in
litigation many times the value placed
uD0n the island when Il was sold in
1890 for $3.50
July 2 or 3 is the date set by Judge
Cooper for the second sailing on the
search OF the island for the treasure
which Is reported to have been buried
there and for which the iurist made
n previous. though unsuccessful trip.
While on the island. should the party
reach It safely, Il is the intention of
Judge Cooper to make thorough and
careful survey and endeayer TO trace
the treasure-mine by aid Of chart.
which Is said to be the key that will
unlock the golden door.
= Accompanying Judge Cooper will be
G.. Montague Cooke, curator at the
Bishon Museum: Prof. :. F. c. Rock,
botanist, affiliated with the College
Of Hawaii and the C0vernment Nur-
sery. aud possibly Gerrjt P. Wjlder.
The latter has been invited 70 make
the voyage. but as yet Judge Ccrper
has not received an acceptance. Cap
tein Piltz will sccompnny the seekers
after wealth. vice Captain F. G. Miller.
who nayighted on the previous I'M
successful trip
Has interestine History.
Palmyra island bears a record. in
recent wears. that reads like a page
from the history of the dark ages,
aside from the almost embroglio be-
tween the, United States and Great
Britain that eventually proved to be
newspaper canard-but not until
the navy department had gone to the
expense OF sending a cruiser into the
southern waters to make a complete
Investigation.
Purchased in June. 1879. bv- Judge
Cooper. from Mrs. Elsie M. Wunder-
berg, for the sum of $3.50, the top
price paid for the island, 1t had shown
a steady increase in price during its
several previous transfers-probably
the amount of the buried treasure hav.
ing increased in value with each sale
of Palmyra
The late F.. W. Wundenberg. whose
Cooper. from Mrs. Elsie NJ. Wunden.
purchased Il frumg w. A. Kinney in
1880. the consideration then being
$500. Kinney. however-either a poor
businessman or skeptical of the buried
treasure-lost on his sale. having pur-
chased the island from w. F. Allen of
the Pacific Navigation Company in
1856 for, TIE same price paid by Judge
Cooper The Pacific Navigation Com
pany appears to have made quick
sale and large profit. having made the
purchase from W. L. Wilcox in 1895.
the consideration being zone dollar
and other valuable considerations"
The price paid by Wilcox was $3.50,
he purchasing from Henry Kahaawi
nut. husband of Kalama. the widow of
Johnson Beswiek Wilkinson of New
Zealand. Kalama secured the island
through the will of Wilkinson in 1866,
The island had been claimed as a
Hawaiian possession in 1862 in con
nection with the myriad other islands
that dot the South Seas. However. 1t
appears to have been the personal
property. at different times, of mem
beers of different nations and races,
and while it was rumored early in
1912 that Great Britain was a CON
tender for the treasure graveyard
there was never any fact on which
the runior could be pinned As a
matter of fact Palmyra island and the
Palmyra group are United States ter
ritory.
Spanish Treasure Ship.
The treasure which is reported TO
be buried on the island is said to
have been taken from the Spanish
ship Esperanza, captured by pirates
shortly after leaving Peru in 1916
The legend has it that the vessel
some weeks after her capture by the
pirates, struck on coral reef in the
South Seas and that the pirates built
a small vessel from the wreekage
and decamped with gold and Silver
estimated at from one to several mil
lions. The treasure is said to have
been taken to Palmyra and there
buried. Hence the impending trip OF
the Luka
An additional legend has it that an
other pirate ship. the Santa Rosa,
was fitted out in England and secured
the South Seas in search of the buried.
treasure, some rumors having it that
the Santa Rosa unearthed consider
able amount of the buried coins anc
visited Hawaii, during the reign of
King Kamehameha, the Santa Rosa