Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1921-07-07
BURY Their GOLD.
Natives Of East India Have No
Use for Banks.
Vast Treasures Hidden and the Secret
confdsd to Those Who Cannot
Dlvulpe Il.

Doctor Vogel. a former superIntend-
ent Of the archaeological survey In In
dia, has been telling US that the pres
ervation Of public monuments in India
is largely dependent on public opinion.
j 1t Is due to the reverence and the
religious spirit Of the people that so
much has escaped destruction. he says.
But this spirit OF reverence Is respOn-
sible for more than the preservation
Of monuments; 1t is responsible for
losses. Great treasures have vanished
through fidelity and other qualities
maintaining the secret Of their hiding
place.
1t Is the habit today Of natives of
India to bury gold. Only the year be-
fore the war 1t was authoritatively
stated that nearly all the gold dug
from the earth In South Africa is, by
fresh digging occupation, deposited
again beneath the soil of India. That
is what we may call piecemeal oper-
alton; bat imagine the operation con-
Quoted upon wholesale scalel
Such things happened during the
troublous days of war and conflict and
raid which preceded British rule. A
wealthy prince or merchant, fearing
armed robbery, would deposit all his
gold and jewels, not In his house or
in bank, for houses and banks could
be pillaged like a bazaar; no, he con-
cealed his riches In the earth, In cav
ems In the hills, among the haunts of
tigers and poisonous snakes.
The practice was to eDtrust the see
ret of the deposit only to the poorest
and l0wliest, and that for various rea-
sons. In the first place, there was the
belief In native fidelity; then there
was the expectation that people so
poor would not covet rich treasure,
and would be suspected If they did
try to dispose Of it; and. finally, there
was the knowledge that people of such
humble caste would not be allowed to
converse with people Of higher caste
to whom the boarded wealth would be
Of worth.
In this way the very outcasts Of the
people became guardians of wealth un-
told, hidden by their fleeing lords, who,
often enough, did not survive the
broils and battles to return and re-
claim their buried property.
The late Sir Maurice Gerard, who
spent many years in India and inves-
tigated the subject, declared that enor-
nous treasures are buried in some Of
the old Indian hill forts. The guard
ians are dead and the secret Is dead
with them.
Sir Maurice himself knew Of places
to which treasure traditions cling. One |
fastness In the GOona district was that |
in which, during the Mahratta warfare
days, the entire population of three
villages, hiding with their possessions
in hill cave, were betrayed to enc
mics by the barking Of dogs.
Refusing to surrender, the refugees
were smoked to death by fires lighted
at the entrance to their retreat. No
native dare enter now for fear of the
demons which are believed to haunt
the place.
Several English dogs were once sent
In to hunt through the enchanted cave.
All disappeared. Several days later
the smallest Of the lot, terrier, came
out starving. The others had per-
lshed, but it Is supposed that this one.
falling down assure, had found its
way to a jackars home and scratched
Ito way out to liberty.