The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1922-01-25
JUDGE SAYS NO
USE LOOKING FOR
WABAS|S' GOLD
AYERS THAT JIMMY McFADDEN
AND NANCY STOCKING GOT 1T
WHILE HUNTING SKUNK

about "Wabasis golo" and two ar
ticles have recently been sent to and
published in this paper.
Judge" Lapham, formerly editor
of this paper for many years, says
he is satisfied the mysterious buried
treasure has been found long ago and
in communication he tells about it
as follows:
was interested in the article on
Chief Wabasis, published last week
by Jud King, on his life, death and
buried treasure. 1t is supposed that
the gold was never found, the sup
position is wrong, however, as will
be learned in the following romance
Of jimmy McFadden and Nancy
Stocking which began and eliminated
in one Of the old time spelling schools
and debating clubs which fiourished
in those days.
The last chapter which / wrote
many years ago after careful and
laborious research follows:
And it came to pass, number of
years after the Hardscrabble Debat-
ing Club and Spelling School society
fonrished and had its day in the re-
gion of the country all around Bel
ding and Kiddville, that Jimmy Nc
Fadden and Nancy Stocking were
married and settled down on a farm
which bordered upon Wabasis lake
in Oakfeld. Jimmy, it will be re-
membered took Nancy home from the
spelling school on the night it was
held in Orleans and while they were
riding along talking over the fun
they had at the dance hall in Cooks
Corners and the debate they had on
"Limberger cheese and leeky butter"
also of the event in Smyrna, which
happened at the table when the log
runners persisted in passing them
the dutch cheese" he popped the
question" and asked her to marry
him. Nancy accepted but said she
would not be ready for the wedding
day until after her school term in
the Cooley district was closed. Mr..
McFadden said he would wait.
Howbeit, Bedding began to grow
and expand, Kh'dville lumbermen
and dealers moved to town and set
up in business leaving only men,
DRY and the railroad at the former
busy mart of trade and manufactur-
err. A horse car was imported from
Chicago and placed in operation on
the IA abroad track to Kiddville sta.
ton and the event was hailed as one
of the "seven wonders of the world,
people from miles around would
walk in on foot and pay ten cents
for ride on the car, which was call
ed the "Hayburner" until this day.
"Old john, the horse, was the mo-
tive power and in the eight years
the car was run only fn thrse d,fy Of
conductors and collected the fare,
were installed in that important
position-Will;am Evarts, F. f.
Ranney and E. +. Fales-at the
princely sum of seventeen dollars a
month, rides free; board, clothes and
washing at home. Many of Bel
ding's old citizens and tra.' esmen
made their advent into the city for
the first time on the old horse car and
continue unto this day with money in
their pockets accumulated since their
arrival Howbeit, the old car was
snetracked by steam cars long ago.
1t appeared for the last time on the
street in the Bryan campaign as an
exponent of the "16 to 1" theory and
now is used as a Toulouse and corn
crib on the Baxter Strong farm.
And it came to pass, that Jimmy
McFadden and Nancy Stocking rode
into town one day on the car from
Kiddville. They had been visiting
his people and old Hardscrabble club
friends in Orleans. They both
agreed that they might as well be
married one time as another and
called on the Rev. Elder Ackley who
married them that night in the
Franklin House. Jasper Hopkins, of
Cooks Corners, and Sarah Jane
Whitaker, a cousin of the bride
from the White Swan ne:ghborhood,
where Nancy also lived, were the
witnesses and acted as best man and
bridesmaid. Nancy was crossed in
her bridal costume while the groom
wore the conventional coat, vest and
trousers of the latest pattern. After
weeks visit with friends in Cooks
Corners and the Cooley neighborhood
they went to housekeeping on their
farm.
Howbeit, years before they moved
there Indians were numerous in that
section and tribe with old Wabas's
its chief camped on the borders of
the lake, hunted and fished and made
frequent trips on a well-beaten trail
to Ada, where they sold their furs
and recelVed pay TOT DelnR inulans
from the government. Some of the
tribe got mad at old Wabasis and
threatened to kill him, whereupon he
sneaked out Of camp one night and
took all the money with him, sup
posed to be thousands of dollars in
silver and gold. He threw the sack
and big iron kettle into his canoe
and padded across the lake, dug a
hole at the foot of an old stump and
buried the treasure together with
his "wampun belt" inscribed in In
dian characters, "Old Wab" saying
as he did so, "Huh, no Indian ever
get money; white man find it some
day.. Two weeks later some of the
young bucks of the tribe got thirsty
and ugly. They hit old Wabasis in
the pit of the stomach with a flint
arrowhead, which penetrated his dia-
phram and struck him over the head
on the spot while he was on the trail
to Ada, near were Whites bridge
now crosses Flat river, and ever az
ter that tragic event people from all
| over the country and in remote re-