The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1915-12-12

the burned houses, and made the
place appear as it did when the first
Florida legislature convened at Can
torment"
did you know, Billie" said 1,
shat the first legislature of Florida
was held at Cantonment."
mo, didn't know it, nor do I care
where it met. What am at present
interested in, is where the buried
treasure was located"
WELL" said /, "this umbrella
member approached Mr.. Booth with a
similar tale of having, after the war,
ON his homeward journey, stopped,
weary and footsore, besides bold
spring near this place; that after
having quenched his thirst at the
fountain and bathed his swollen feet
in the stream below, he had become
so rejuvenated from it's healing prop
critics that he felt like he had redis-
covered the fountain of old Ponce
de Leon. He graciously asked per-
mission to camp there that night. His
request being granted, he spent the
balance of the afternoon in collecting
pine knots and faggots for camp
fire. After he had made his periodic
visit to McVoy's store for cheese and
crackers, he was discovered later, by
| wood hauler returning with load
| of engine wood, seated near the
spring with a cracker in one hand
4 nj Io4@ - -. ~ %Io
other, alternately munching from the
one and then drinking copious
draughts from the other"
! Here, seeing that Billie was grow
ing impatient to hear the finale, I
winked at Prof. Tate and said:
"Please excuse me gentlemen, while
go and get drink of water, for
feel as thirsty as the umbrella mend
err"
est still, Bro. Tate, and will fetch
it for you."
NO." said i, 81 want it from the
northeast corner and, Billie, you don't
know how to draw it."
After a few moments I returned
and, having wiped my mouth, began
to boast of my well, declaring it to
be more refreshing than any spring
or other well in Florida. fitting
back in my chair / began to teeter,
when Billie's patience could stand it
no longer, and seizing me by the arm
excitealy cried out, "Good God, man!
what has all this to do with the dis
| covaroI froo c11ro 90
Gall right" said I; "where did I
leave off? All, recollect-I left the
peddler at the spring"
"Blast the spring ,and hang the
peddler," said Billie.
NO." said I, "you must not hang
the peddler, for thereby hangs tale.
But let me resume"
"Dorcas is willin'," said Billie, and
with an air of relief he once more
assumed an attitude of attention.
The Treasure Found.
"Next morning about dawn, the ne
gro wood hauler, on returning for an>
other load of engine wood, found the
embers of smouldering fire, some
fifteen or twenty yards above the
spring, and close thereby newly dug
hole about four feet square and of
the same depth, evidently dug the
previous night. At first he thought
\ it gopher pit, but on second thought
he recollected that gophers did not
lburrow in branch. Then he mag
| ined it to be newly dug grave, and
that the person or persons engaged In
this nefarious business had been
frightened away at his approach and
had left it uncovered. Hitching his
team, he hurried back to his employer
and revealed his strange discovery.
/ Like rumors generally, the tale
was distorted until the report de-
clared a newborn infant had been
l