Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1914-02-27
BURIED TREASURES
Some Strange Tales Of Hidden
Gold and Jewels.
Pfrates' Loot 10 EiusIve, But No. :.
Few Have Dreamed Of 0IooIno
Spanish DoubIoons From The
F- Easth-only Drsama

Gall nearing ~ notners knee stories
Of buried treasures. And what ch,Id
has not dreamed Of digging from tho
damp. dank earth Spanish doubloon,
or golden nuggets: Nor were they in
childish fancy tainted. though hid bv
some swashbuckling pirate who royed
the main with plank ever set for luck.
less seafarers who came his way. tho
Kansas City Star states.
i Down the generations has come the
story Of one who took his talents and
buried them, and there is nothing to
disprove the theory that he then but
conformed to common custom.
A farmer digs q well, the drlN
strikes metal, and a pot of gold Is un-
earthed. In the walls Of a dismantled
house black box Is revealed and It's
shiny treasure makes the finder a rich
man. From New Haven comes the
story Of an Italian laborer, who. dig.
ging the foundation bitches for his
modest home, disinterred enough gold.
en- guineas to clear his place from
debt.
Few towns away from the prairie
country but have their treasure caves,
and veteran river men viii point in
passing to where some vessel treasure
laden went to the locker Of the fresh
water David Jones, Esq.
At New London, Conn. townspeople
still narrate weird tale OF treasure
which disappeared from Spanish
vessel there $50 years ago. In 1853, to
be exact, the galleon stas, Jose J
Elena, gold laden and bound from
Mexico to Spain, was disabled in
southern water and carried north
ward. After weeks of idle drift.
ing, the boat was sighted by relief
ship and towed to port at New Lon
don.
When repairs had been made and
the ship was ready to sail It was
learned that from its hold the bullion
had disappeared.
There was but one conjecture. The
gold had been stolen and buried along
the water front close by. Townspeo-
pie kept close watch, but no one ever
came to reveal the hiding place.
Something more than half cen
fury ago came there a seeress, who
gave directions as to the whereabouts
of the buried riches. Two youths
gave credence to her powers and.
their story goes on, on a murky night
she led them to a cache where stood
a chest marked plainly Jose e.
ena," but that when they tried to lift
it the rusted handles broke away IN
der their grip.
Abandoning the quest for the night
they returned the following day. bat
never again were they able to locate
the mysterious box.
Not far from Buffalo an island IN
the. Niagara river Is said to be the
trove Of a French refugee and fairly
dotted with boxes OF jewels and pots
of gold. Many prospectors have sunk
their picks about the reputed site OF
the exile's cabin. but not one ever has
discovered any treasure, save that
once in 1888, at unusually low water
some coins dated 1897 were found at
the very edge of the island.
It is known that Gardeners island
was once the rendezvous OF bnc-
cancers, and many rumors tell OIL
buried treasure there, long hidden loot
of pirates.
Nor is the rumor Of treasure trove
confined to the Atlantic seaboard or
the east, for from Oregon to Lower
California beach dwelling folk cherish
and retell the stories of their fathers
to the little folks, who dream OF grow
ing up and finding the great stores u
gold along the Pacific coast.
Even along the lower MISSISSIPPI
there is a tale Of 100000 gold buried
near Natchez, and classic OF COLO
RADIO is the legend of Peg Leg Smltn'
whose vast wealth died with him io
all the world is concerned, no QUO
ever having located the cache OF tno
one-legged miner who did his t1ao'nS
with nuggets Of huge size.
Out in the Three Hills regions ene1'
are some who still seek the caene
where Peg Leg boarded up his Weai'u
indeed have persisted IN tn0
search-but no one ever founo .''
rumored gold.
Nearer home there Is the walum.
tale of buried silver teapots stache.
to their brim with family jewels anu
American gold coin and lett III uhs
hastily dug, where owners, 1rlen'e 49,,
fed before the soldiery OF the o''A
war which came foraging. ~.