Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1917-07-05
Virginia. Thursday, 5

thus mentally dwelling upon il through
some Spiritual process the secret would
be impaired to him. The inscription en-
gagged his attention, but he could make
nothing of il. And yet there must have
been an object in putting it there alone,
and especially with the hour and minute
of birth.
One morning Colonel Granville was
sitting, as usual, studying the statue. The
sun spot was crawling slowly over the
wall as it had been travelling year in and
year out tor 100 years. The colonel was
watching il as he had often watched in
before. A third new idea came TO him.
Might not this sun spot have some mean
ng2
There seem to be two kinds OF ideas in
the human brain, those that are original
or parent ideas and those that are off
spring. The present case is an ilustra-
tion. The conception that the sun spot
might have some meaning was in a
measure original, though everything, after
all, is but link in an eternal chain, and
it suggested another idea-viz, Might
not there be connection between the
sun spot and the date OF birth on the
statue?
Colonel Granville sprang from his chair.
He was confident that he had made an
important discovery. What that discov-
cry would lead to was another matter.
He had little expectation that il would
work out his first conceptions which had
come from the letter he had read, but he
hoped il might solve the mystery OF the
statue and the date inscribed upon it. He
was not long in inferring that on the day,
hour and minute recorded on the statue
the sun spot would rest on part OF the
wall which would give some information
or injunction intended by the man who
had erected the statue.
The inscription gave the year, which
could be OF no importance since the sun
traverses the same apparent path annually;
the day, June II the hour, 10 O'Clock,
and the minute, the twenty-fifth. In
other words, if this were the true expla-
nation, on June II, at twenty five minutes
after 10 o'clock, the position OF the sun
spot would mean something. II could
not refer to 10 o'clock at night for an OBJ
vious reason.
II was early in April when Colonel
Granville hit upon this possible explana-
iion. Nearly two months OF waiting
would be necessary before the spot would
reach a position corresponding with the
date. The colonel, too impatient 10 de-
fer investigation for what seemed to him
so long period, was eager to get COM
puter 10 come and calculate where the
spot would be on the given day. But he
knew OF no one at hand who would be
able TO make the calculation. Besides,
he had no desire to suffer the obloquy
such an act would cast upon him, Tor
when he stopped to think he;was forced
to admit that no more chimerical idea
oould enter the brain OF man.
So he was obliged to wait and while
waiting planned an excuse for what he
proposed to do. He determined TO make
hole in the wall where the sun spot
rested on the l7th of June at twenty-five
minutes past 10 in the morning, and he
proposed TO tell the household that ne
was looking for convenient location for
chimney he was thinking OF building
Every day after that the colonel watched
the movement OF the spot with keen in
terest, and at the end Of month he could
calculate pretty nearly where il would
fall on the 18th OF June. However, he
waited till the date came round.
Now, on the 17th OF Junethe sun stands
very high, practically at the highest point
during the year. Consequently the spot
was at the lowest point. In fact, it rested
on the floor. The colonel bored hole
in the flooring, inclining it from the sext-
ant TO the point Of the spots contact, and,
inserting tube, noted place in the Gel
lar where the line OF vision prolonged
would strike. Then one night when the
household was asleep he went into the
cellar with lantern, pick and a spade
and began TO dig.
He had cut through the cement bottom
OF the cellar and dug down exactly ten
feet when he struck masonry. II was not
very well put together, and he soon loos-
ened the upper stones, coming to an open
space. In this was an iron box or safe,
such as was used many years ago. A
blow of the pick knocked off the cover,
and there lay mass OF gold coins. On
the coins lay paper, which Colonel
Granville read.
His idea derived from the letter written
by his ancestor was correct. Here was
a chest containing mixture OF English,
Spanish and other gold pieces, with a
will bequeathlng tne treasure 10 Iouho dn
institution for the amelioration OF the
negro race.
Colonel Granville replaced the earth
over the treasure and left il, TO think out
the problem before him. Such a bequest
coming from the original testator would
be absorbed in legal technlcalities. Be-
sides. Granville would not like the motor
iety attached TO bringing out so many old
coins-coins that he knew came from the
price OF slaves and probably the loot OF
piracy. He resolved TO say nothing about
this strange request, but TO dispose OF It
piecemeal aud erect in his own name the
institution for which il was intended.
This intention he carried out, and many
a negro is now being educated with the
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