Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-07-20
HONEST MEN SEEK PIRATE GOLD
The Story of Buried Treasure and Murder Is Only the
Latest in Long Series of Yarns About the Cacheing
of Ill-gotten Wealth and the Search for It,
By GEORGE w. DOUGLAS

devoted themselves to more profitable pur-
suits. There is Charles H. Sykes, the car
toonst, for example, who was brought up
in Alabama along with the tradition that
two pals full of gold coin were buried some
where on the lot on which his father built
his house. And when the excavation for the
house was made coins were found in the
earth. But Mr.. Sykes never dug for the
gold and he never found anything in the
ground but lead bullets which he unearthed
when he was hunting for fishing worms
for bait
If Captain Kidd had hidden his loot in
every place where 1t has been sought, he
must have found pirating about as profitable
as organizing a modern trust, for there is
hardly a harbor on the North Atlantic coast
which has not its tradition of Kidd landing
with heavy chests that he carried inland and
left in some secret place, No one ever saw
him carry the chests back to his ship So, of
course they must still be where he put them.
When the Americans took control of the
Canal Zone stories of the great loot hidden
by the buccaneers were printed and there
was flood of adventurers to the Caribbean
eager to get rich quick by finding that for
which others before them had sought in
vain. Sir John Morgan Is supposed to have
made Cocos Island glitter with the gold that
he concealed there and its CLINT has drawn
men for generations, and will continue to
lure them to the tropic isle, where mos
quitoes are more plentiful than money
either ancient or modern.
South America is supposed to be full OF
gold, not buried by pirates, but hidden by
the natives from the Spanish conquerors or
thrown into the lakes as offerings to strange
gods. Some enthusiastic speculators have
proposed draining the lakes, but no reports
of great treasure disclosed in their depths
have yet reached this hemisphere.
The Trusted Servant Couldn't Find It
There Is one fairly we'll authenticated
story of hidden gold in Chilli, but no one has
found the treasure, unless 1t was carried
away by the man who concealed it. Don
Rafael Gavino de Berrios a rich landowner,
who lived at the time of the revolt against
Spain early in the last century, was engaged
in some large operations which required
ready money. He put $4,000 in gold tied
up in bags in charge OF a trusted servant.
to be delivered to the man from whom land
was to be purchased; but the deal fell
through. He started back home with the
money. An insurrection broke out while he
was on the way and Senior de Berries sent
his servant on ahead with the gold because
he thought no one would rob the man. while
he would be in danger from bandits. The
servant hid the gold, or said he hid it. in
the DEVILS Canyon, about mile from Taona.
When It was safe to go back for the treas
ure the servant could not find It, and II he
told the truth about the matter In the flrst
place and no one has discovered the bags in
the meantime II is there now awaiting who
ever is fortunate enough to dig 1t up
Sir John Morgan, the traditions of whose
wealth have led many 90 explore Cocos
Island on the coast of Panama. made many
stops at the Isle Of Pines, Just south of Cuba.
and his predecessors and successors in the
gentle art OF robbery on the high seas used
the island as a rendezvous. so that in the
Imagination OF the seekers after gold II has
come to be known as the safety deposit vault
OF the United Pirating Trust Society Many
emorts have been made to get the eomblna-
ton OF the lock- but no one has vet onensd
the door into any wel-stored chamber Rn,
the hunting continues.