The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1915-07-15

1868 MURDER MYSTERY
Ia Double Msrder Of AZ Years Ago
BrouQht to Light BY Man Who
Dag for Treasure Chest.
The people of Taylor county and
neighboring counties, as in fact over
the middle west, we're thrown into
state Of great excitement the last OF
last week by the announcement that
the Office of the attorney general mad
taken up the work of unraveling the
mysterious threads connected with
double murder supposed to have been
committed near Siam in Taylor
county In 1868. Investigations were
conducted by G. A. Burnson one OF
the states special agents, G.. A. Rob-
bins, assistant attorney general, ana
w. w. Bulman, of Charlton, the at
torney who started to unwind the
threads of mystery.
For years it has been a matter OF
common knowledge in many OF the
Older households in Taylor county
that a large sum of money was con-
cealed somewhere in that county. A
few of the older residents OF this
vicinity may remember something OF
the incidents of the time. 1t is also
reported now that men have been
digging for the lost treasure for the
past twenty years. Another report
iS that the treasure was uncovered
some twenty years ago. There were
many reports circulated and much
information given out, part by rel
able authority and part the result OF
gossip, but the facts following have
figured heavily in the case.
In 1858, before there were many
railroads and banks, a gang OF
counterfeiters, seven in number,
learned in some manner that a cat
tleman named Smith and his son
were coming from northern Missouri
with an OK team, hauling a chest con-
tanning $9O,O0O.00 with which to
buy cattle. to take to Missouri to
feed. Near Siam, in-Taylor county,
lived Maria Collins, aged twelve
years, who is now Mrs. Maria Porter,
of Quitman, Mo. In September,
1868, about midnight she heard a
racket, went out on the porch and
saw an OK team, wagon and a box in
the wagon, several men, some OF
whom were carrying something which
she thought, in the moonlight, re-
sembled the figure of a person wrap
ped in a sheet or blanket and soon
they dumped the object in an old
we'll. The son was killed also and
buried, close by. The chest of gold
was buried, plat Of the ground
made OF it, but the plat was after
ward burned when the house of one
Of the gang caught fire, and search-,,
ing parties ha We rene atediy & ~ -
FOR the treasure, but have not found
it.
Samuel Anderson, one of the men
who figured in the case, moved on
this rough piece of land where the
$4,000 was alleged to have been
buried, about thirty-five years ago
and very soon>after he had declared
his intentions of making his home
there he was engaged by parties to
dig for lost treasure, said 70 have
been buried near a spring on his farm
.in war times" Anderson dug for
several years, in which time he uncov-
cred the grave where the boy was
buried. Finally one day he states
he came to what appeared to be an
iron bound chest and at this point
the men ordered him to leave the
place stating that they could do the
rest themselves. The men who en-
gagged Anderson had promised him
rich compensation, for his labor and
after twelve years spent In trying to
secure his reward with no success, ne
became disgusted and angry and told
the authorities what he knew OF the
case.
With this evidence the authorities
began work and after locating the
woman mentioned above at Quitman,
Mo-, they secured evidence that
pointed to the guilt of certain men.
Four arrests were made. and the pre-
liminary trial was held Tuesday in
Justices court at Bedford. The
men taken into custody are the
Damewood boys, Henry and John,
the eldest of which is II years old,
Sam Schrivner and Bates Huntsman.
The fifth man in the gang of five
men, is supposed to have been killed
several years ago when he attempted
to kill one of the most important
witnesses against the gang. HlS
name was Jonathan Dark.
After the news of the arrest and
the unwinding of the evidence in the
frontier days murder had been flash
ed across the land, story came
from C. P. Huntsman, OF Fresno,
California, stating that the murder
in '6S was committed by the James
boys gang and that it was under
threats of death that Bates Hunts
man buried the body Of the murder
ed cattleman. c.. p. Huntsman is a
nephew of Bates Huntsman, of Bed
ford, who is one of the men arrested.
He stated also that Bates Huntsman's
father, DR.. G. R. Huntsman, was
forced to bury the gold, but he died
without revealing the secret of its
hiding place. Cole Younger, of Lee
Summit, Mo-, the only survivor Of
the notorious James boys gang, has
issued a statement denying the story