Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1921-05-04
FINDS CLEW TO
AGED TREASURE
IN CALIFORNIA
Prospector's Discovery of
Parchment Written in
1853, Gives Location

OAKLAND, Cal, April 4-Wil1 three
sheets Of timeworn parchment, almost
iIlegible and written In Spanish of the
fifteenth century, be the means of dis
covering a fabulous treasure amounting
to perhaps millions of dollars in gold
and silver in the desert mountains OF
Imperial County, close to the Mexican
border?
John Meyeroff, prospector and discov-
erer Of the eenturies-old documents, be-
lieyes they will and has organized a
party to search for the treasure.
The manuscript consists of three torn
and mutilated pages written or lettered
on both sides in the Spanish language.
Not only the date but curious variations
in the Spanish spelling Of the words point
to the antiquity of the papers.
RECITEs sPANIARDS
ADVENTURE OF 1853
They tell how the party of Spaniards
set forth from Spain in 1858 and trav-
eled through North America, finally en-
countering a party of Frenchmen who
had been shipwrecked and who were
without supplies, The two parties Joined
forces and travelled more, finally discover
ing great mine, where so much gold
was found that all of the horses, mules
anu O4tu VIII Lutui were taQCA WIN ~
and the explorers themselves started to
make the return journey on foot.
At the mine, the papers tell. one of the
party died With him was buried pa.
pers giving his identity and laying claim
to the mine for his heirs In accordance
with the old Spanish law. The doeu-
ments which Meyeroff has discovered not
only tell where the treasure was later
buried. but give directions for reaching
the old mine where the dlscOverer was
buried
The party was returning to the out
posts of civilization, which then had not
reached beyond New Orleans or Mexico
City when 1t was surrounded by 1000
Indians, who kept them from obtaining
food until they all died of starvation.
ALL HOPE OF
ESCAPE ABANDONED.
One by one the party ate the horses
and mules, hoping for a chance to escape
from the awful fate, it is reeited in the
papers. Seeing that salvation was to be
hoped for in vain, they took the treasure
and buried IT In the lonely wilds Of thu
Imperial County mountains and set down
the record Of where the treasure was bur
led
Meyeroff in q most unusual manner. He
had been prospecting In the hill desert
Of that section for months, travelling
alone, when he noticed a large balanced
rock For mere amusement he tried to
push this rock over, but his efforts were
unavailing. He tried several more times
and when be was finally successful. there.
under the rock and wrapped III an old
hide was the well preserved record Of $50
years ago telling of the Inflated party
and its lost treasure.
Having made his discovery some
eight months ago, the prospector re-
tired to Potholes to make a study OF
the documents. He knew nothing OF
the Spanish language, but with the aid
OF an old worn Spanish dictionary and
by adroilty questioning Mexicans in
the little old desert town he learned OF
the language to piece out the story or
the exploring party.
He took his documents to the Uni
versity >of California that a permanent