The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1914-05-14

out from spain the crew mao uutsnreu ana
murdered every officer and man who OPP
posed them. They defeated their own
ends by this very act FOR there was none
left competent TO navigate a ship at sea.
They We're blown hither and thithcr for
two months untn. sick and dying OF sour
Wy. starvation and thirst they had been
wrecked on n small islet
The galleon was washed high upon the
beach. where she went To pieces but not
before tho survivors. who numbered but
ten souls. had rescued one OF the great
chests OF treasure.
This they buried we'll uron the island
and for three years they lived there I'm
constant hope Of being rescued.
one by one they sickcn,d and died until
only one man was loft No writer OF the
hotter.
The men had bull, BOSE from the
trcckage OF the rnucon. but having no
dva whore the island vus located. they
la not dared 10 pat Geo scl
When all wero dead except iimsclf how
ever. the awful loneliness SO weighed upon
the mind of the sole survivor that he
could endure it no lonser. and. choosing
To risk death upon the open sea rather
than madness on the lonely isle. he set
sail in his little bo1t after nearly a year
of solitude.
Fortunately he sailed due north and
Within week was in ae track of the
/ West Indies oEd $ 'l tld 'as picked up
by one of these vessels homcward bound.
The story le told was merely one oc
shipwreck in which all but few had per-
ished. the balance. except himself. dying
after they reached the island. do did not
mention the mutiuy or the chest OF buried
treasure.
The master of the merchantmen as
sured him that from the position at which
they picked him UP and the prevailing
winds FOR the past week he could have
been on 40 other island than one of the
Cape Verde group, which lie Off the west
coast OF Africa in about 16 degrees or II
degrees north latitude
His letter described the island infinitely.
rs Well as TIC !oc1;:on of the treasure
and was accompanied by the crudcst. fun
nicst little old map YOU ever saw, with
trees and rocks al ulr.scd by scrawly
KS to show the exact spot where the
treasure had been buried
When papa explained the real nature
OF the expedition my heart sank. for
know so We'll how visionary and imprac-
teal the poor dear has always been that
l feared that he had again been duped,
especially when he told me that he had
paid thousand dollars for tho letter and
map
To add to my distress / learned that he
had borrowed $4,000 more from Robert
Canler and had given his notes for the
, amount.
Mr.. Canlcr had asked for no security.
| and YOU know. doarie. what that will
mean for me IL papa cannot meet them
| Oh. how detcst that mani
! We all tried to look on the bright side
| or things. but Mr. Philander and Mr.
| Ciayton-he Joined US I'm London just for
| the adVonture-both felt as skcptical as l.
| 70 make a LONG story short. we found
! tho island and the t.easUgc-a sreat iron
, bound oak chest wrapped IN many layers
| or oiled sailcloth and as strong and firm
as when 1t had been buried nearly 200
! years ago.
II was simply filled with cold coin and
! was $50 hcgvy that Tour men ben, beneath
, It's weight
The horrid thins seems to bring nothing
| but murder and misfortune to those who
| have TO do with it, for three days after
! We sailed frGm this ra0c Ncvdc islands our
I 'on,iH.ei neX5 week