The Emmett index. [volume] (Emmett, Idaho) 1893-1925, 1920-02-12
HUNT LONG FOR
BURIED FORTUNE
Hidden Treasure Has Lured Men
to Toll for Hall Century
on Iowa Farm.
TRAGEDY WOVEN m ROMANCE
Murder Of Man - Years Ago Brings
Strange Characters Into q
court-Mystery Yet
to Be Solved.

Bedford, lathe mystery Of a hid
den treasure, a mystery that has puz-
zled the people Of southwestern Iowa
for half century, has been brought
nearer solution by an investigation
which has shown how a little group
Of picturesque characters of that sec
| ton of ths state toiled for years In
/ quest of riches buried, according to
tradition, on the Klondike farm. The
evil spell the buried treasure has
worked upon those intimately connect
ed with 1t has held to the last. One
by one the fortune hunters are pass
ing from the stage, their dreams end
ing in misery or poverty.
Lying Is miles southwest Of Bed
ford, Ia, Is the Huntsman farm, and
adjoining 1t Is the Anderson home
stead Pitted with holes and SCARED
with many excavations, the farms
prove the arduous toll Of men driven
BY dreams OF gold. First 1t was DR..
G. r. Huntsman and his brother,
Bates, who searched for the treasure.
Now 1t is Bates and his two sons
anu Luclr IAmlueS.
Searching for the Treasure.
Samuel Anderson moved to Iowa In
the early seventies. Soon after he To-
Gated on the farm Anderson received |
a call from the Huntsmans, who told /
him that there was lot of gold buried |
on the place and that they wanted to |
dig for it. Anderson was asked to |
aid In the work. For nearly quarter I
century the three dug. pIowed and ex-
cavated.
One day II years ago the searchers
uncovered three stakes set In a direct
Inc pointing to spring. Anderson,
inspired by the vision of his share of
he fortune, dug on feyerishly- He
irst came onto some white sand that
Re knew was not common to that part
II the country. Anderson then uncov-
,red big rock. under which was
metal box. One of the Huntsmans
old Anderson that he could so, prom
sing him his share of the fortune
Vhen the money was counted He
lever sew the box again nor learned
I Its contents.
Soon after the discovery of the
METAL box the elder Huntsman died
uddenly. Samuel Anderson, weary IA
lg of long waiting for his share Of ;
ne treasure he believed he had uncov-
red, filed suit against Bates Hunts {
ian. asking Guy for his years OF toll
0 peculiar was his story that state .
Metals became interested An inves- {
CATION followed, and other persons
ances of the affair were found One a
these was Maria Collins Porter of t
Mo-, who spent her girlhood I
the vicinity. t
The woman'S story seemed to throw q
ear light on the source Of the treas
e the Huntsmans had sought so Z
ng. The story, too, seemed to link n
e treasure with the hoard found in Fl
e cabin of old DR.. A. NJ Golliday of O
edford, whose body was found in his
bin II years ago. 1t was story of .
murder gang. Of stolen thousands, of | 2
crime committed so far back in time Z
at even the Identity of the victim z
IS a matter Of uncertainty !
Held on Murder Charge z
Following swiftly upon the story Of :
aria Collins Porter came the arrest Z
Bates Huntsman, Sam Scrivner, a !
h farmer, and John and Hank Z
mewood. They were charged with =
= murder of man of unknown iden- Z
y. presumably rich cattle buyer
I'M Missouri, 46 years ago. Even be- =
e the trial began speculation as to
; identity of the murdered man be- :
ne rife Although there We're found z
be many contradictions in the evil :
zee presented by some of the wit 2
sses the case of the state might ~
re proceeded further but for one of
primary technicalities of the law I'll
homicide. The state could not es-
lish the existence of the man al M.
ed to have been killed. The young
orney for the aged defendants only
to move that the case be dis
,Sed to have this action f9kan