The Jasper weekly courier., 1921-08-19
FINDS PERUVIAN
COLD ON ISLAND
Man Who Befriended Beggar Is
Rewarded With Key to
Buried Treasure.
ROMANCE is NOT YET DEAD
Locates After Search of More Than
Seven Years Gold Hidden Half Gen.
tury Ago-Church Despoiled
by Four Sailors.

Papeete, T. hiti.-ROmance is not
yet dead. Tales of buccaneering, muir
der on the high seas, buried gold ON
lonely, uninhabited islands and charts
and cryptOgrams of hidden treasure
trove are not all inventions of imag-
NATIVE minds or legends of a day
which is long past.
Such a tale is that of the treasure
of the island Of Pinaki, whose hiding
place, after a patient search of more
than seven years, has at last been
discovered. And now a schooner from
Tahiti has been dispatched TO bring
away the gold.
Sailors DespoI the Peruvian Church.
A half century ago four sailors. de-
serterS from cOastwise vessel
joined revolutionists in Peru and
learned of a vast treasure Of jewels
plate and ingots, the property of the
church, which had been hidden in Peru
TO prevent it from falling into the
hands of one of the warning factions.
Secretly, the sailors searched for the
treasure, found it concealed in a
church and moved it to another hiding
place on the coast.
Going to Panama, the seafarerS, at
night, boarded a small schooner, muir
dered the crew and, after putting the
treasure aboard, set sail across the
Pacific, intending to make some Eu
ropean port later TO dispose of their
wealth. Recalling that they had no
clearance papers and probably could
not enter European port safely, they
inhabited island and then get 1T later
in a vessel they would charter at sgd
ney, n S. w, for trading purposes.
Across their path lay the island of
Pinaki, in the PaumOtu archipelago of
the south seas, and at this uninhabited
spot they stopped and hid their loot.
One native, who observed them from
a neighbOring island and rOwed across
TO see what the men from the strange
schOOnerS were doing, was killed and
his tribal brothers, who crossed later,
found only his empty canoe and
strange markings on the trees.
Sailing on TO Australia, the four
scuttled their vessel a few miles from
shore and, rowing to land, told of
storm at sea which opened the seams
of their ship Not all believed them,
for some residents had seen the ship
approaching and had witnessed its
mysterious sinking There were no
police, however, in that section, and
as the four looked desperate, they
were permitted to strike out overland
for Sydney unmolested.
Besgar Divuloes Hiding Place.
In 1914, years, later, Mr.. Howe
was accOsted on a Sydney street by an
aged beggar. Howe gave the man a
few shillings and was surprised to
hear the man ask his name and ad
dress. Some time later Howe re-
ceived an urgent summons TO sgd
ney hospital There he found the beg
gar, who told of how he and three
others had buried their treasure, mad
sailed on TO Australia and had Sc out
overland for Sydney. Blacks had at
tackled them and killed two Of the
sailors. The beggar and his surviving
companion, Brown, tried for years to
get a ship to go for the treasure, but
never obtained money enough. Brown
finally disappeared. and he, Killrain,
had fallen into misfortune and knew
his end was near. He gave Howe
map Of the island, begged him to be-
lieve the story and to search for the
treasure. The following day the beg
gar died.
Since then Howe has been search
ing for the treasure, and lately an
nounced that he had found it in
shallow lagoon on Pinaki. Lately he
chartered a schooner at Papeete TO
go TO lift the gold after making
contract with the colonial government
as to his rights In the matter. 1t is
said the treasure is worth several mil
lion dollars.