The Huttig news., 1918-03-02

else dug 1t up somewhere. 1t never be- longed to them eny more'n it does to us. Nobody knows the stuff even ex- ists. Why should we go around tellin' about it? Pm fer dividin' it up square between the five O us-no, by heav- ems, I'll count the girl for a full share-the six, and never sayin' nuth. In about 1t when we go ashore. Amt that the best way, matesT "Do you agree to this. MT. Leayord?" I asked suddenly.
 He lifted his eyes to mine in be- wilderment.
 Il don't just know. sir" he stam- mered. Tt doesn't seem exactly the square thing-is 1t, sir?"
 "NO, it's not" answered firmly, and slammed down the cover, locked 1t. and put the key in my pocket "Now look here, men, and you particularly, Jim White-this isn't our gold. I do not know who 1t belongs to, or how these dead men ever came into It's pos ! session. But there Is a curse on the stuff, which has already cost the lives of eight men that we know Of. No | one has touched it but to die. I'll tell you fellows plainly just what I'm going to do. I'm going to sail this schooner straight into St. Johns harbor, with those dead men locked in the cabin, and this chest of gold here unopened ! on the deck. It Is going to be Eng iish courts which will decide the own- ership of this chest and it's contents not Jim White. Are you with me, Lea yord?"
 Aye, aye, sir!' < "
 And you, Olson?"
 "I suppose that's best, sir" reluc- tantly. 'I don't want any trouble"
 q thought not; now fall to, all of you, and shake the reefs out of those topsails. I'll take the wheel, and we'll point the bow toward port"
 The morning of the second day the speeding Rose of Gaspe rounded the northern head, and swept like Il fair. white bird into the beautiful harbor of St. Johns. We tied up at Long Wharf, and within an hour, I had told our story to the port captain, and officers of the marines had taken possession of the vessel. That very afternoon the five of us gave our testimony before the maritime court, and were permit ted to go free. Before leaving the courtroom the judge spoke with me privately.
 "This Is indeed a strange case. Cap tain Hollis" he said, "and, perhaps, the truth will never be learned, yet 1t is evident that you and your crew had nothing to do with the death of these men, or the possession of this chest of money"
 May I ask, judge, if anything has been discovered tending to explain the voyage of the Rose of Casper
 Nothing satisfactory as yet. There were no papers of value found M the ,abin--an excellent chart of the Lab- -ador coast, a memorandum in French so discolored as to be almost unread able, accompanied by a rudely drawn map, and a list of the sehooner's crew"
 What was the name of the cook?
 "He shipped as Gustave Montain of St. Clair. There is no such man known in that village"
 And the leader, GastOn de Lysf"
 eve find trace of him only for few months, MT. Hollis. Where he came from, and whither he went are thus far unknown. Gaston de Lys appeared in Placentia some two months since, ac- companied by one of the men who died with him In the schooner's "abin--the one dark -faced-like an Indian-and sought among the fishermen there for a certain type of boat. They were very particular, stating they wished to leave for a voyage of three months, repre- senting themselves merely as travellers for pleasure who desired to cruise along the Labrador coast At last they leased the Rose of Gaspe. from man of wealth, Richard Martin, who had previously used the schooner as a pri vate yacht. It was refltted and pro- visioned, and the crew arrived from Halifax. None among them was known In Placentia. but the inhabitants say that only two or three among them had the appearance of sailors. They put to sea seven weeks ego. Beyond that we know absolutely nothing"
 "But the chest of coins9 have you no knowledge as to where it came from?'
 No more than mere guess there is no guide. Beyond doubt this Gast0n de Lys learned of its existence some where in Labrador. and planned its recovery. The men with him also knew what it was they sailed to seek. In my judgment this must be treas ure of the old Hudson's Bay company, lost and hidden a hundred years ago, yet we can get no trace of such a dis appearance of coin in the records. We cannot deny it's existence; It Is here now in our custody, but who its right ful owner may be, will probably never De determined"
 "Then what will become of it?''
 He smiled.
 "rhat is rather a fine question of law. I should say that you men who recovered it at sea, have the best claim. although it must be held intact for certain length of time to give