Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-09-27
HIDDEN TREASURE
Man Has Always Been Forced to
Conceal Valuable Possessions.

Boston Antiquarian Discovers Banks
and Banking Systems Of Greeks and
Other Ancients-Finnnce ne
Athens Understood IL.
Ever since man began to collect gold
and Jewels he has been engaged In de-
signing and building strong boxes In
which to keep them safely. Designing
persons are always trying to secure
does not rightfully belong to them and
there never has been a relaxation from
the efforts to keep valuablcs from the
reach Of such %unscruplus persons. The
results Of the thousands of years of such
efforts is the modern safe d ,posit vaults.
The history Of mans effort to retain
possession of the gold and Jewels he had
accumulated Is romantic and fascinating.
from the time when he used to bury them
to tho present day. The State Street
Trust company has issued an attractively
illustrated account of these efforts. which
was gotten up for 1t n copyrighted by
the Walton Advertising & Printing COM
pany Of Boston. BY their courtesy the
iiS a DcCu BIcDdIcus Says EiIIiCA
Murch in the Boston Transcript.
Tha burying treasure was once the or
binary method of concealment is indicated
by such references as appear in the XIIIth
chapter of st. Matthew: The kingdom Of
heaven is like unto treasure hid in a
field; the which when a man haiti found,
he hideth. and for Joy thereof goeth and
selleth all that he hath, and buyeth tina
field" Syria and other Eastern countries
are said to be full of treasure buried be-
fore battles and never dug up. No one
can estimate the worlds buried treasure.
Somewhere the tomb of Alaric the Goth
lies uncovered. "crammed with the richest
spoils of the first sack Of Rome"
Twenty million dollars was buried in one
night somewhere in the castle grounds
when the Papal court was exiled from
Rome in 1867. 1t has never been recov-
cred. The stories Of rulers and rich men
OF various lands reveal the Jealous man.
ner In which they guarded their precious
possessions.
MILLIONS IN A LAKE.
AS soon as America was discovered it
was overrun with Spanish adventures at
tracted by stories of the buried treasure
OF the South American indians The alb
origines of Columbia, the Chibchas, built
mounds in memory Of their lead and filled
them with sacrificial stores Of gold and
jewels. The invaders secured immense
booty from these mounds. and it is said
that one chief rave up treasure worth
SIS. 900, another $50. 900 worth in gold strips
and still another $65. 900 worth of emeralds
and gold. But 1t was the booty from the
sacred lake of Guatavita that the Span
iards most desired. At the great religious
festivals on this lake it is said that Offer
ings of gold. silver and gems were thrown
into the water to appease the serpent re-
puted to dwell at the bottom. The offer
ings were supposed to prevent the serpent,
or devil. from destroying the crops by
means OF hail storms or droughts and to
permit them to escape harm. The not
ables went out to the middle of the lake
on RATS and participated in the ceremony
conducted by the chief priest, Guatavita,
but the multitude had to stand on the
shores and. with their backs to the water,
throw their offerings over their Shout
ders into the water. One priest is said
to have thrown some two tons Of treasure
into the lake, his idea being to escape
torture.
Although various efforts were made by
S%paniards to drain the lake and secure
the gold and gems 1t was not until seven
teen years ago that an English company
secured leased rights from Columbia and
succeeded in draining off the water. II
has been estimated that there are on the
bottom Of the lake 12O. OOO. 900 pounds OF
gold. however correct that may be. Many
thousand dollars worth already a been
recovered.
ODD HIDING PLACES.
Stories are told of other treasures hid
den and never recovered, including the
SIS, 900. 900 national treasure of Peru. then
1t is pointed out that gradually man be-
came aware that better protection must
be afforded. The Egyptians concealed
much in the soft walls and floors Of their
houses. probably to outwit the tax gather
ers. who called not infrequently. The
Egyptians had wooden chests for cloth
ing and family treasures. but they used
them little for keeping gold and jewels,
Important documents on apyru rolls
and rare oils and wines, which in the
absence of coinage, passed current for
money. were kept in sealed Jars. In the
earlier ~dynasties safeguarding valuables
was something which worried the common
people little. II any.
In Egypt the Church and State were
identical, and the crown Jewels and pub
lie revenue. as we'll as the sacri1cial Of
ferings, were kept In the well-built trea-
sure houses within the temples, the only
UulluiHsS III tne country erected WIFI
durable materials. The earliest public
treasury of which there is public record
belonged to Ramese H.. who Is reputed
to have reigned about 1900 B. C. 1t was
a large stone affair and vaulted. The
treasure was kept in clay vases with
covers in the form Of human heads
Among the temples with secret crypts was
the one Of granite. at Edfu.
The pamphlet says that keys recently
found in the ruins at Thebes with straight
shanks five inches long and a bar at RICH,
angles with three teeth prove that the
Egyptians were familiar with certain
principles Of lock-making Until lately sup
posed to be modern ideas. it is evident
that they used tumblers to hold the bolt
fast until moved by the key. Keys were
first designed only to move the bolt an
were not removable. The first mention o.
a key to be taken from a lock occurs
in Judges, iii; 1895; used to fasten tn,
summer parlor Of Eglon. King of Moab.
Treasures Of Greek temples still stand
The Oldest and the one best preserved Il
at the Oracle of Delphi. built in SIS B. C
1t guarded the gifts brought to the shrine
The state treasury of Athens was In tn,
Opisthodomos, a chamber In the back par
of the Parthenon, separated from the res
; Of the temple by heavy bronze doors
Once In four years inventories were takel
) Of the contents of the treasure house
In 49, B.. C. Pericles sand that there wer
: 5000 tons of coined money on the Aero