The log cabin Democrat., 1921-07-14
SEARCH PINAKI ISLAND FOR LOOT LONG BURIED Romancers OutdOne by Fact Narrative of Peruvian Loot Strangely
 Found in South Seas.
(By the Associated Press)


 Papeete, Tahiti, July14.-Romance is not yet dead. Tales of buccaneer- ing, murder on the high seas, buried gold on lonely, inhabited islands and charts and cryptograms of hidden treasure-trove are not all inventions of imaginative minds or legends of a day which is long past.
 Such tale is the story of the treas ure of the island of Pinaki, whose hiding place, after a patient search of over seven years has at last been discovered. And now schooner from Tahiti has been dispatched to bring away the gold.
 A half century ago, four sailors, deserters from a eoastwise vessel, joined revolutionists in Peru and learned of a vast treasure of jewels. plate and ignots, 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. Secretely the sailors searched for the treasure, found it concealed in a church building and moved it to an- other hiding place on the coast. Going to Panama, the seafarers at night boarded a small schooner, mur- 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 TO clearance papers and probably could not enter a European port safely, they decided to hide the gold on some un- inhabited island and then get it later in vessel they would charter at Syd- 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 uninhab- ited 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 schooner were doing, was killed and his tribal brothers, who crossed later, found only his empty canoe and strange marking on the trees.
 Sailing on to Australia, the four scuttled their vessell when 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 it's mysterious sinking. There were no police, however, in that section and as the four men looked desperate, they were permitted to strike out overland for Sydney, unnoested.
 Years later, in about 1914, MT Howe was accosted on Sydney street by an aged beggar. When Howe gave the man few shlllings he was sur prised to hear the beggar ask his name and address. Some time later Howe received an urgent summons to go to Sydney hospital. There he found the beggar, who told of how he and three others had buried their treasure, had sailed on to Australia and had set out overland for Sydney. On their way blacks attacked them and killed two of the sailors. The beg gar and his surviving companion, Brown, tried for years to get ship to go for the treasure, but never ob- tained enough money. Brown finally disappeared and he, Killgrain, had fallen into misfortune and new his end was near. Therefore he gave Howe the map of the island, begged him to believe the story and to search for the treasure. The following day the beggar died.
 Since then Howe has been searching for the treasure and lately announced that he had found it in a shallow la goon on Pinaki. Lately he chartered a schooner at Papeete to go to lift the gold, after making a contract with the Colonial government as to his rights in the matter It is said the treasure is worth several million dol jars.