Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01

~, II mad q storage vault Tor so nucn WealCn.
Rather unnaturally, however, this vault was far
distant from the mission itself In view of the
danger Of Indian attacks diagram to it was
sent to headquarters
Where headquarters were the foreigner did
not say Perhaps they were in New Orleans,
perhaps in New Mexico, perhaps in Spain. At
any rate, after the San Saba massacre, head
quarters alone knew where the wealth was
stored and for century and half headquar-
tiers took more pains to conceal than to utilize
the information. Then, somehow, the foreigner
came into possession of it. He went so far as
to let DR.. Kirkpatrick get hurried glimpse at
his chart-but not to copy it, After having
spent several weeks in a vain search for the
wrought-iron spike, he left. No one in Muln
ever heard Of him again.
DR.. Jim soon spread the foreigners story.
Consequently when, one morning during the
following Winter, a resident of the village found
a wrought-iron spike in the ashes he was clean
ing out Of his fireplace he naturally told the
doctor
Dr. Jim at once traced down the man who
had hauled in his neighborS wood. Then he
got the woodhauler to show him where he had
cut up dead live oak tree. It is worth men
tioning that good deal Of random digging had
been going on In that very vicinity. Doctor Jim
now entered into loose oral understanding
with the owner of the land and began opera
tionS. He interested Bob Urbach to the extent
that Bob nearly broke his back and his credit
digging and furnishing grub for a camp OF
cupation that was passion.
great deal Of the exploration was through
matted shinnery and cedar that man could
hardly penetrate without an axe. The FIRST
thing found was fiat limestone rock. perhaps
four feet long, near the stump of the tree from
which the spike had been taken. One side Of
it was covered with q picture, partly etched
and partly painted, of an extraordinary pageant.
The paint seemed to be red and yellow ocfre,
such as Indians commonly used. What the
friN
rock were has been forgotten, but many people
are alive to testify to the train of 10 pack
burros that trailed across the stone as IL TO
enter the mouth of a cave. On each OF three
packs and over the mouth OF the cave was
pictured small yellow half-mOon- sign Of
treasure
DR. KIRKPATRICK was as fond of decipher-
ing codes as Edgar Allan Poe was of invent
ing them; he dawdled with mathematics. The
figures on the stone fitted into memories Of the
foreigners chart. Following DR.. Jims direc-
tions the laborers dug into what seemed to be
the masonry OF an ancient altar.
Here between rocks that had protected them
from becoming in the least furnished, were
found two "raW-beaten" copper plates, roughly
circular in shape, each about IL inches in dl-
ameter and about quarter Of an inch thick.
The plates were covered with crude but clearly
marked engravings.
The first plate showed a trail winding down
hill, crossing q raV1ne ana Lnen GNSSAAS Wy
a hill to the east. Near the crossing, over what
appeared to be q mining shaft, was the half
moon-a sign as magnetic to treasure seekers
as the bright star was to the Magt-
The second plate showed setting sun near
the mouth Of a cave. man standing by this
cave looked across valley toward another man
who approached leading pack burro. Between
the two men three trees formed a triangle.
The waiting man was dressed in long coat OF
antiquated cut that reached below his knees
a coat too long to be Prince Albert and TOO
short to be q cassock. He wore on his neAo
something between q derby and q helmet. he
had q French appearance. Some of the details
were remarkably well finished. series Of bars
along one side Of the plate meant something
to DIR. Kirkpatrick. Taken together, the two
mates seemed to suggest the dual character OF
the San Saba wealth-mineS and stored treasure
DR. Kirkpatrick now located a triangle OF
trees q half mile east Of the place where the
plates were found. At the root OF one OF these
trees. hardly two feet down. Bob Urbach and
his fellow laborers dug up band-hammered
corner box not more than 10 or IL inches long.
The lid Of 1t was etched with the same string
of pack burroS, headed for the mouth OF q
cave that had been found painted on the nat
rock In addition appeared the name Padre
Lopez over the date 1852. Within the box
we're crucifx, set with pearls, and two rosar1es,
one of ivory and the other of exquisitely carved
rosewood.
The intermittent hunting that resulted IN
the finding of these various objects extended
over a period of two or three years As they
were unearthed the public was allowed to look
ut them but only DR.. Kirkpatrick understood
the ciphers. He translated them into orders.
At last when he was ready to open the treas
ure vault q work that would require vast
amount of excavation, he considered it wise to
draw UP q written agreement with the land
owner The landowner, who in the beginning
had been contemptuous Of the whole business.
now demanded . lions share Of the treasure.
His Scotch stubbornneSs aroused and his sense
Of Justice outraged, the doctor refused to agree