The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-07-02
RIVALS FOR LAFITTE'S GOLD.
Interest Again Aroused in the Pirates
Supposed Buried Treasure.

| Two pdlllcS dlC Io" oe W
seeking the supposed buried treasure
of the pirate, Lafitte, says the Ne"
York Sun. White Lake is IN the
western part of Vermilion Parlsn'
La. twenty miles north of Vermil1on
Raw. There is a tradition that La
ftte sailed up from the Gulf OF Mex
leo to Vermilion Bay, thence up the
yermilion Bayou into White Lake,
and there buried his treasure. one
tradition is that the treasure amounts
to s7,OOO,OOO in American, Spanish
and English money, gold and silver
and Jewels. Another tradition is that
there IS s91,O0O,O0O in Spanish dou-
blooms. Each prospecting party has
map or chart.
The man who is prospecting for
the s91.OOO,O0O says that he found
the chart in the treasure vault. He
has the chart, but has lost the vault.
This is the story as told by Price
Choate, the treasure hunter.
While he was hunting alllgators
his canoe grounded. In attempting
to shove it free his paddle struck
hard substance, which proved to be
brick. He examined the obstruction
and found a brick vault, six feet in
length, six feet wide and about tlve
feet high. From the vault he took
out a haudful of doubloons and went
home.
Then he set about to get assistance
to build a canal and a large boat,
so that he could bring the gold out
to the mainland. He would let a
friend in on the ground floor, in the
strictest confidence, for $3.50, $500,
or as much as he could get. He con-
tinued this for several months, and
gathered in about $4,000 from his
partners, each of whom believed that
he was the only on.
Finally one partner heard that
there was another, and still another,
and they began to compare notes.
Choate was arrested for obtaining
money under false pretences, plead
ed guilty to six charges, and was SEN
fenced to six years in the peniten-
tiary. BY good conduct he short
ened his term and is now back at
White Lake looking for that buried
treasure.
Capt. J. F. Stratton, cotton buy
er of New Orleans, and NJ. Pearson,
Ia civil engineer Of Houston, Texas,
are the men behind the other search.
They are working with the help of
what they believe is a map drawn by
FELTON, or Fulton, who was Lafitte's
secretary. The map locates the treas
ure in a lake twenty miles from the
entrance to a shell mound. The hol-
ders of the map believe if they can
find the shell mound they will have
easy sailing to the treasure.
The manner in which the Stratton
party became possessed of the mau
under which they are operating is
the usual pirates story of handing
down documents when at deaths
door. FELTON, had organized an eX-
pedition in New York to search for
the treasure, but died at sea. Just
before he died he gave the chart to
his faithful negro servant. The ne
gro drifted to Louisiana, and when
about to die gave the chart to his en-
ployer, Capt. McGee, at Opelousas.
The Stratton party recently en-
ployed a divining rod expert to To-
cate the treasure. The services Of
Prof" Drummitt. of Houston, Tex
as, were secured, as his fame as To-
Gator of minerals had spread abroad.
With Engineer Pearson he visited
SPine Island, where the treasure is
supposed to be. He unlimbered his
divining rod and waited for indica-
tions. Finally 1T moved, pointing
downward.
There it it," exclaimed the ex-
pert. 1T is about six feet
Pearson dug down eight feet and
then sank a steel rod to depth OF
eight feet in the soft soil without
striking the treasure. The expert
explained that there was gold in the
salt water and that his rod was at
tracted by the metal in bulk or in
the minutest particles. =.
Pearson did not wish a further
test, having lost faith in the divining
rod. But he firmly believes that the
buried treasure is on one of the is
lands.