The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1936-01-16
Col
PhanfOInS
FASCINATING TALES
OF LOST MIN rs
ew.Nu. ~ EdifhA L. Watson
CATHEDRAL LOOT

near the old road house and stage
station on the Butterfelds Central
Overland route, treasure is hidden.
The old stage route dates back many
years. but the treasure dates back still
farther, to the days when Old Mexico
and New Mexico were one.
Don Gonzales was q Mexican. He
came north to live, and he built an
adobe house near what Is now Blue
water. Here he settled down. raised
sheep, and made friends with the In
dians.
Just before the Don came up Into
that country, there had been trouble
In the south. One Of the great cathe-
drals had ueen looted, and bandits
were abroad. The story travelled a
little more slowly than the Don did,
but 1t reached his neighborhood after
while, and 1t, TOO, settled down. 1t
was said that Don Gonzales bad the
loot from the church. No one saw 1t,
but rumor persisted that 1t was some
where around that adobe ranchhouse.
The Don finally died. and those who
lived nearby would doubtless have In
svestIgated, but Apaches swept down
and across the land and everyone was
too busy with the invading hordes
to hunt for treasure.
1t was In 1898 that certain rancher
came Into the country to live, and he
rode over to the old Gonzales place
one day. He went into the adobe
house out of curiosity, for there Is al
ways something attractive about an
old ruin OF the sort, and began look
Ing about him. The fireplace was
choked with debris, and rags hung
down from the chimney.
Why he pulled at the rags, the
rancher probably could not have told.
Why does one aimlessly pull at such
things7 He was no doubt prepared
for slide Of dusty debris but certain
~ he did not expect what he found
an oil painting rolled up and hidden In
the apparently solid WALL
The rancher's appreciation OF art
was not great. The painting was a
curiosity to him, and nothing more.
Accordingly he sold It to an indian
trader for few dollars, and the
trader, not much better Informed,
passed 1t on to an El Paso dealer
for few dollars more.
The I'll paso man, however. knew
that he had valuable picture In his
hands. He sent 1t to New York, where
1t was found to be a masterpiece OF
religious painting, product OF the
golden ago of Spanish nrt. and 1t
finally was sold to wealthy man for
his private collection, bringing a price
OF $4,000.
Rumor again flew to Bluewater.
Treasure hunters, convinced anew that
the church treasure was concealed In
or near the old adobe ranch house,
Travelled from near and far to search
for 1t.
But the painting was all that has
ever been found. and the lost loot D.
the Mexican cathedral still stays hid
den beyond the sight OF man.
There is other hidden treasure of
the same sort In Arizona. Once In a
while some fortunate person accl
dentaly finds some OF 1t, to prove that
It really exists. For instance:
Joe Walsey cowboy. was riding
after stray cattle on the Box X ranch
In Graham county, Arizona In 1907
He happened to notice q dead tree
propped up by four large rocks, with
a shovel handle protruding from the
trunk of the tree.
Walsey dug below this monument,
and found an iron chest containing old
Spanish coins, worth $4,000, and gold
vessels whose value could not be esti-
mated on account of their exquisite
workmanship.
1t Is. thought that The chest must
have been hidden by Mexican padres
during some one OF the many uprslngs
which have troubled the Southwest. or
else that II represents loot from some
Mexican church. brought north and
buried by the robbers, who may have
been killed before they could return
for It.