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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 30, 1912)
Ml Ri i J,4 M M ;wimttmmmMmmmummmttttmmwmttttamttmttmtttt8tt:ttttttn t ,r m m, . TTXT LUM IKbAbUKbb OF AMERICA d Gold and Jewels Si. II Waiting to be Found by Some Modern Adventurer. by. BUFFINGTON PHILLIPS Jwmmnm.mmm:m:mmm.ttmHmmttmmmmmMmmmmmm. i (uopyngni, vy me mutfway jo.) TUO greatest IreoBuro In tho United HtalOB, n vast buiii that awaits Borno oho'b Ilndlng, Ib ono concerning which I have sought ftio oxact truth for tho novel at years that I liavo followed this fad of col Jecllng IreaBurc-trovo data. Tho pub lication of tho fltory or stories about It viity bilng to light tho moil who can tny definitely what Is what. Ilowovor ny iiirii who caros to ot out aftor tt m a IjuBlnoflB-lllto monnor may turn ilmwlf Inlo a inulll-nillllonalro be tween GhrlBlmaM and Fourth of July This much Is certain1 fioinowhoro i (he tippor reachCB of tho Missouri elver llo four largo barges, lost In a 866, landed to their utmost capacity vllh gold cflthnalcd In amount from ROOO.OOO to $25,000,000. JuhI at tho close of tho civil war rome rumors of tho finding of gold In (ho lllnch 11111b of Dalcota and Mon tana drifted Into tho towns on tho bolder of civilization In tho northwest It f,eeinH odd to ttilnlc that fifty years ngo that region waa a frontier, hut More aio liundrcdR of old Indians now 'living on tho lesorvntlons who then were fighting bravon and fifty ycors ugo thoy bad never bcoii p. white rnan'B face. v 1 tin the spring of I860 somo old pros pectors In tho back drift from Califor nia, found gold In ono of tho ti Militaries nf tho Missouri, Bald now to bo tho .ilorh,forl( of tho Choyonno, Why It Is r no more corlaln will aiipear. Others rtf Ih lor Ilk "Binolled" tho discovery rtuid'a band of no moro than forty itrew Into tho region, making a won i dorful Btrlko, tho richest that has over 'lx?en mado on America soil according to all accounts. Tho Btrlko was mado win what Is now called Headmen's r 'Gulch, named to suit tho Btory. but culled In tho old records Federation, ' Dcspciallon and Starvation Quiches. The gold was alluvial, washed down from tho northern ledges, now being worked by tho rich Caledonia Qaurlz VMIno Company near Dcadwood Tho gravel banks and flats wore InoxprcB- Blbly ilch with It and all summer tho forty men toiled feverishly, extracting . as much as they could before tho win ter should descend upon thorn, shut off their llsh, game and vcgotnblo food t nupply and drlvo thorn to civilization, wWro tho knowledge of tho vast wealth of tho Black Hills and tho ro malndor of tho aurlferoiiB region would foocomo public property, When tho ground frozo and thoy could work no longer thoy cut timber nnd mado four largo bargoa of nhallow draft and on them laoded tho gold tn provision boxes, and mulo and dcor skins mado into rawhldo sacks. Even then thoy woro compelled to Icavo omo of It 'behind becauso tho bargoa would not carry It. , Tho hoslilo Indians who had not larcd attack so laigo a party In tho mining camn with Us excellent de fenses and those- who were apparently on friendly tortus with tho minors now took a hand In tho game, After tho hardy foity had i cached tho Missouri ami bad negotiated a portion ot Kb dlBlanco thoy tied up ono night, not long before Christmas. They woro at tacked by a largo band of Indians, who massacrod ovory living soul, sank tho barges and took all their belong ings except tho gold, of which thoy did rot know tho valuo. Somo accounts hold tho Dlackfect icsponslblo, others Alio Ogalala. S low tho news over got to tho world fl cannot say, savo an the Indians told .of it and friends ot tho dead men lrncod them Inlo tho country from . , Yf-'-ch they novor came out. Gradual ly tho Btory took form and It sol tho .prospectors wild. Thoy ranged tho 'A-eglon from tho Had Lands to tho Rig Horn i Ivor for twenty-seven ycais and then camo tho great discovery In tho Dlack Illllo. Tho gold loft behind at tho point ot embarkation was finally found Old vorklngH which showed tho vast quantities taken out by tho forty pros rpoclora woro discovered and for a fow ryonis ft ton out of alluvial gold poured t?ttt ot tho llluck Hills. Thou tho whole tiling settled down to tho utald and i loRuhir quart1 proposition. ' 'i'hu Kansas City Star eonio years ngo pilnlod a circumstantial story Mating that a young Indian student at llnhkell had told a professor that tils Father was ono of tho braves In tho inWncro, know whoro tho barges woro mink nnd was Rtlll living on tho reser vation, tt may bo that tho river has changed Us courso and left tho barges under a thlu layor ot gravel, easily ac ochhIIjIo on dry land. Tho way to find Ihp lioasuro Is to traco down tho sto ' rloa, locato somo of tho old Indians nnd luduco them to locato tho spot and point It out from moniory. It uhould not bo dlfllcult. In 1759 thoro was lost tn tho liny of Inlands, at tho mouth of tho St, Law n-onco ilvor, tho good ship Primrose -with a fitoro of gold and silver and jowola aboard her, Tho exact amount of lior treasuro la unknown, but It jniiBt bo vast. ' l'ul I ot wild romauco Is tho story of the "Dovll Duval's Hordo" on tho ton of tho Rocks ot Porco on tho Gaspo ieiilnnula, only al)out twonty York City. Certain British laws must Ik) ropcalcd boforo It can bo rccovored, howovor. It Is In ono of tho out-of-way places of tho world and very lit Ho is known by tho general public about It. Tho BtiporBtltlous French flflhormen, unchnngod In a hundred and fifty years, still await tho return of tho llerco pilot to claim his own. Tho Rock of Porco, named for tho adjacent (lulling village. Is ono of tho truo natural wonders of our continent. When somo convulsion of nature rent the coast this rock was split from tho nearby mountain and left Htandlng, a grim monurnont to tho caprice of tho gods of Boa and land. Sevoral hun dred foot high, with a comparatively flat top, Ub sides aro beetling and ono ftido Is about two hundred feet higher than tho other. Onco it waa pierced by threo arches through any ono of which a 8mall Bhlp might Boll, but now ono of theso has collapsed, leaving only tho two huge galleries. Captain Duval was a French priva teer who returned only a small por tion of hlH loot from English and oth er ships to tho French authorities, nnd after tho declaration of peaco ho becnmo an out-and-out pirate. Ho piotocted tho French flshormon and was genorous with them. Thoy, In their turn, protected him au tho Eng lish peasant protected Dick Turpln. At last ho was hard pressed by tho English, and having In his sorvlco a Mlcmac Indian who know a secret trail to tho supposedly Inaccesslblo ltock of Porco, ho collected all his caches of troasuro In tho maritime provinces and brought them to Porco. The Indian carried a lino to tho top of tho rock and hauled up a block and fall. Then two prisoners were hauled up, and next Duvnl himself. Boats containing tho groat troasuro chests fitood by below. Tho tradition Is that thoy were a day ana a moonlight night getting It nil up. Then tho Indian was sent down nnd Duval himself was lowered awny. Ills rapier was dripping with lose a treasuro Is to bury It, It scorns. The earth In somo mysterious way spreads a mantle of oblivion which can not be pierced by the memory of man and takes back to her bosom tho treasure that was wrested from hor. Tho other area ls In tho east, bo ginnlg at about Cam (en, N. J., nnd ox tending north to Albany and thenco to Portland, Malno. In that field lived tho rich IloynllBt and Tory families. Tho sudden turning of tho tide found the Tories In possession of a great quantity of gold coin, gold and silver pinto and Jowols, nnd fearing they would lo8o theso. they burled them and thon fled. Comparatively little of it was over exhumed and tho area Is dotted thickly with localities whoro a soarch would bo highly profitable. Of thorn I can montlon a few only. At Sound Boach, Conn , lives Mrs. .lano Louderi, 101 years of ago. Her husband, knowing that on tho homo farm a wealthy Tory family had burled gold, hunted until ho found sevoral pots containing several thousand dol lars each. A neighbor also acquired sudden wealth which ho did not ex plain. Every ono knew there was a great Joint family cacho somewhoro near It was known for many years that on Lord Edmoston's estate near West Edmeston, N Y , his personal repre sentative. Perdlfer Carr, had burled a treasure The property known as the nurdlck Farm, having been bought by Henry F. Burdick in 1850, was tho site In 1904 a tonant named Cheese borough plowed Into n caso of china and glass, breaking half of It before ho realized what tho obstruction was. Dy reason of design and quality tho re mainder, however, was worth a small fortune to doalers In antiques. It was tho Edmeston ware. The law suit that followed for possession mado the caso famous. Where Is tho remainder of tho treasuro? Joel Coryell, sexton at Romulus, N. Y., digging a grave on what was a Tory estato in 177G, found a largo quantity of money In an old pot. Tho grave belonged to Thomas Mann, but Coryell kept tho gold. Walter Butler, the notorious Mo hawk Valley Tory, returned to tho vnl loy at tho end of tho war with a forco of Tories and Indians to dig up tho treasures ho had buried and thoso that had been burled by other wealthy Tories who had told him where to re cover It In their behalf. When ho had finished his work and was returning, the pursuing Colonials under Colonel Mnrinus Willet, overtook tho treasure squad beyond Johnson's Hall on tho bank of tho West Canada In northern Herkimer county Tho treasuro was too heavy for tho four Lours rldo by train from Now blood and whon ho reached tho boat ho stood up, and with a harquebus Bhot nt tho tacklo till it was cut oloan, too high up tho rocks for any ono to reach. "Dovll Duval" sailed away and nover returned. For years tho winds battored and tho sun and ratns rotted tho ropes oi tho wails of tho rock till at last they disappeared. So many lives woro lost in attempts to scalo tho rocks nnd ro- covor the troasuro that a law was passed forbidding any ono to mako tho attempt without tho neceBBary le galized concosBlon from tho governor oT tho province of Quebec. Only tho wild sea-birds, making tholr nosts In tho lop of tho rock, know tho story of tho two prisoners nnd tho chests of treas uro ou the bleak heights. Uut an alr- Bhlp could learn It. Cniloton Inland, In tho St. Lawrence river, was an outfitting placo for Tory raiding partleB and nn arsonnl was os tabllhhed thoro. A pay choat was sent to the post with a largo Bum of money. Tho chest disappeared and its loss was reported to General Haldlmand at Montroat In 1879. Colonel Horr of Capo St. Vlncont, rocclved n visit from a slrargor, who requested tho uso ot a boat and. being granted It, ho rowed to Cailoton Island and returned In a short time with a hoavy Iron chost covorcd with clinging wot clay Col onol Horr, thinking nothing wrong, holpod tho mau row to tho steamboat landing and ho waB novor hoard from again. In a fow days William Majo, ono ot tho owners ot the island, sont a boy Into the plno thicket for stray ing horpoB and thoro tho lad found tho flat-stono-llnod hole whore tho choat hod reatod. Thoro aro two cxtonBlvo aroas of burled treasure In the thickly popu lated parlB ot tho United States. One, tho lesEor, Is on tho general linos of Shorman's march to tho sea. North and south ot It, plantation aftor plan tation, town after town, have tholr stories of treasures ranging from a fow hundreds of dollars to hundreds of thousands which wero burled for fear tho Union army would get them. Many woro novor recovered bccniiBO of tho falluro of tlw ownors to locato tho burial places. Tho Biirost way to floclng party so it was dumped in tho shallows and horses woro rlddon through tho water to mako It muddy. Butler was killed, tho raiders drlvon away and the spoils await prosent-day seokors. While thoro is some doubt as to au thenticity, thero is said to bo a $10. 000,000 cacho of Spanish doublons, burlod by Captain Kldd, on Esopua Island in tho Hudson river, not far from Now York City, while at tho very goto of Now York Is a forgotton troas uro of many hundreds of thousands. This famous treasuro was lost whon tho British frlgato Hesarar, a pay ship sent in for tho British soldiers during tho revolutionary war, wont down In tho East rlvor. It will be eusy to look up the old Admiralty records and get tho full Information that may lead to tho finding of tho treasure. The facts pertaining to Kloppor Smlth'B hordo are as follows: "Dor Kloppor" was a very brutal and much feared knight of tho road on tho west shores of tho Hudson from Nyack to tho Catskllls and ho robbed tho wealthy Dutch In an unmerciful man nor. Ho had no opportunities for spending his Ill-gotten wealth and hoarded It somewhoro. At last ho was captured and boforo his execution at Nowburg confided to a koopor who had been kind to him that ho had sacks ot gold and silver and Jowols burled In a spot on Storm King Mountain, Just north of Comwallon-the-Hudson, somo thlrty-llvo miles north of Now York City. No search has over been mado. In tho hoy-day of Mississippi rlvor steamboat truWc, a groat deal of sun kon treasure accumulated tn tho Ohio, Cumborland, Tennessee, Missouri, Rod and Arkansas rivers. A pay boat on Its way to Grant's army nt Vlcksburg with moro than two million dollars aboard was tired by somo of hor crow who meant to rob hor. Tho paymas ter's mon defended tho money till tho boat sank. Jamos B. Eads, who built tho Eads bridge at St. Louis and tho Eads Jetties at tho mouth of the Mis sissippi, lnvontod an apparatus by ubo of which ho could reach soinh, of tho troasuro-wrocks In shallow water and recovered sovoral million dollars. All of It could be reached with compara tive caso now. Just nbovo Plno Bluff, Arkansas, a steamboat said to havo been tho Cnr lyle J. Harrison, with several hundred thousand dollars In gold to pny for cotton, was sunk in 18G9. None ot It has over been recovered. Thoro is a fascinating story about an old bargo that Is burled In tho Mis souri sand-flnts near Fort Rico, North Dakota. With It Is buried silver worth moro than half a million dollars. At the time when tho unsuccessful pros pectors wero tolling, empty handed, back fiom tho gold fields of California, a Httlo band of men struck a rich find near what is now Virginia City, Mon tana. Tho built a rudo camp and, with tho poor Implements that they had, work ed feverishly for many months until they had taken out all that tholr packs could carry across tho ratios ot uncivilized country they must cross to the navigable rivers of tho uppor Mis souri. Tolling across the mountains, always in danger of massacro, facing starvation and privations, breaking roads in tho frozen flats and blazing trails through tho forests, they finally reached the river near Painted Woods, nnd thero built a rudo barge and load ed It to the water's edgo with the rich silver ore. Traveling by night. In constant fear of Indian outbreaks, they wended1 slow ly down the partly frozen river, know ing thnt soon they would reach tho frontier town and safety. It was In '64 nnd tho few scattered settlements had been deserted. No Indians had been seen for days and, taking cour age, they traveled faster nnd with less caution. When they were near Fort Rice thoy wero attacked by tho In dians and all of the little band woro killed with the exception of ono man, Plcrro Lasello. Ignorant of tho wealth aboard, tho Redskins sunk tho float, and Pierre Lasello escaped to Fort Rice leaving behind him no traco of the expedition; the secret of the hardships and toll and wealth were with tho river and with him. Ho told no one anything about It for somo time not until ho hnd enlisted In tho army and maneu vered so as to get back to be near his treasure. Then ho took an old Quak er, named Richard Pope, Into his con fidence and nt tho urgent request of tho Quaker his Bon was also told the secret. Threo months later the lltlo party, well armed and well provisioned, went quietly to the spot that Laselle remem bered so well, only to find that tho rlvor course had changed and a bar ot 3and had formed over tho bargo. Not dismayed, however, they dug un til they found tho prow of tho old scow nnd on the very eve of success they too wero attacked by tho Indlnns nnd Laselle wa3 killed! Popo and his eon, too badly frightened to work ngaln within tho year, went back with the secret to tho town and while there young Popo died After many years tho old Quaker took another man, named Emerson, and with tho drawings that Lasello and ho had made they went back to tho placo of trovo and found that tho sand bar had grown nnd that the rlvor ran mnny hundreds of feet away from tho spot whero tho fortune lay burlod In glistening sands. Whoro Pope said the old diggings would bo found a young cottonwooa treo was uourisn Ing, They spent weeks digging for many feet around tho placo, but found nothing. Somo mistake had evidently been mado in following out tho former Instructions, but tho brgo was thero, becauso Pope and Lasello found it on their first visit. Popo Is dead, but Emerson is still allvo and has the old drawings, letters and rccordo. Maybo ho can bo Induced to part with It, and maybo not, but somowhoro In tho flats near Fort Rico Ib a snug llttlo fortune awaiting somo finder. Behind the city of St. Augustine, In somo likely spot, another rich trenBuro is located. Whon It was a rich Span ish town, a favorite puttlng-ln port for tho heavily laden Spanish galleons that wore coming through tho Straits of Florida to avoid sailing the waters mado dangerous by Po'ter tho Terrible and Sir Henry Morgan, its wealth at tracted the attention ot tho freo-boot-crs and word of their preparations to attack and loot tho city was carried to tho captain-general. For weeks the city was In a stato of great perturbation and whon somo English Bhlps. probably privateers, ap peared off tho coast, tho public treas uro, tho church treasure and tho valu ables of tho wealthy citizens wero as sembled, removed Inland and hidden. For months tho Btato of suspense con tinued until tho Spanish Admiral Quilt tana nnneared with his fleet. Then tho St. Augustlnlans thought thoy could safely bring back tholr wealth. To their horror tho threo prominent men entrusted with tho secreting of It, either could not find It or pretend ed they could not. Ono fled to Spain before tho anger of his follow-clttzons and his flight cost tho lives of tho oth er two. They wero assassinated as coon ns tho flight became known. Tho archives of tho Spanish admir alty havo full record of tho affair and tho true koy to the troasuro trovo can best bo found by searching tho family pnpers of tho man who fled. Ho nover roturned. but without doubt ho left tho valuablo Information te M heirs. Whero millions await tho flndor in wilder and moro uncertain spots Is far moro Interesting ground than the localities Nhoro thousands llo under tho vory noses of the townspeople, or where tho plow passes ovory yoar over tho burled trovo. AH through tho west aro rich mines which havo been found and lost. ,, t i1 tJ'f u "S ,- 1 1 ?T-t'2E"s-rTrT7Tar I J-vv ctVv?-. r'ft 1 " 1 B'.lliMI W WtK Mnv(ca ,HiOn2lS5asP sXfiwMMkAfiK&U '-hfKSSHBiS? n ? ilKiWV ..i4i' L;rrt"ll IWW Whrr I jatooi".;s ffiejpfo" ;hy' ' Barry Jrtftw Green It chanced that once upon a time remote ; The weary giant, known as Labor, smote His thigh a sounding whack and cried, "I'm hest, But I have toiled enough and now I' rest. I'll let the world wag onward as it may, While I go home and have my holiday. ' So, Labor laid aside his tools and crept Deep in his cavern, where he promptly slept. An hour went by, an hour without a sound, The shops were stilled, no more their wheels went' round. The mills were fastened close with bolt and lock, sr The steamship tdly rubbed against her dock, The engine moveless slept, the anvil stood As silent as a gravestone in a wood. , While Mankind, startled by the awful still, Together whispered, awed, "Is Labor ill?1' - And as the moments passed o'er town and'farm. And all was still, there 'rose a great alarm, Went forth the giant Commerce, loud to shout, Deep into Labor's cavern, " Friend, come out, You're needed by us tieeded in a trice. ' Please come at once! We' 11 pay you any price. You've slebt an hour already all your fill. Come forth at once. The world is standing still.' A And Labor, wakened by the other's cries, Stretched forth his brawny arms and rubbed his eyes, And mused a bit, then with good-natured smile, Said, ''Yes, I'll come, but make it worth my while. One day each year you 11 give me privilege free, One day each year you' J I consecrate to me, While one day I will consecrate to play, And (chuckling, said), we 11 call it Labor Day. EHPHHiK9uiuj(SinHSi-w EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Tho ultimate aim of the labor move ment Is to establish a condition of so ciety, first, that will Insuro to each head of a family equal and ample op- portunlty to secure a livelihood, which will bo sufficient to provide his fam ily with tho samo necessities ' and luxuries of life enjoyed by any other citizen; second, that will enable him to glvo his chldren an education In (whatever direction they may decido jto follow, equal to that received by tho children of every other member of society. To enlarge tho opportunity to se cure employment, tho trade unions pro advocating and establishing a short er workday for Its members. To in suro equal education, tho trade unions jaro endeavoring to securo tho enact ment of compulsory education lawB and child labor laws In overy stato, terrltory and province In America, thus withdrawing tho children from tho factories, mines and workshops. Tho trade unions assort that all ben- flflts accruing from tho Inauguration of labor-saving devices or cheap forms of distribution should be enjoyed equally by all tho people, Instead of being diverted to tho benefit of tho ew. Tho labor movement holds that all peoplo aro entitled to partako equally of tho Joy of living; that a condition that pormlta part of our peoplo to llvo in aflluenco, while another part Is com pelled to work long hours for meager wages, should bo abolished; that a condition that furnishes work to only a fraction of tho peoplo and leaves nnothor fraction without employment, nnd helpless for long periods, should bo eliminated from our civilization. Many claim that efforts along that direction nro nn Iridescent dream and cannot bo realized for years to come. In my opinion It will come. It is now approaching. It will como with tho full awakening of tho consciousness ot jur peoplo; a consciousness which is rap.Idly growing In strength and pow er, and Is now In nbeyanco, awaiting tho psychological momont when tho great vibrating will of all the peoplo haB been crystallized Into an nctlvo and Intelligent forco that will sweop aside all obstacles that resist Its pur poso to meto out Justice to all man kind and establish among all tho peo ples of tho earth tho Brotherhood of Man. A Trophy of Victory. Tho annual holiday of labor Js not a bit of driftwood picked up by acci dent. It Is ono of the trophies of bat tlo and victory- Its messago Is of la bor's rights nnd struggles and tri umphs, not of labor's play spells or of gifts rocolved from any source. OH OF LABOR DAY Tho only demand tho 250,000 shop nion in tho Federation of Federations are making Is for recognition of tho federation as tho only contract mak ing organization In the railroad indus try between tho shopmen and tho com pa&Sss. An Annual Holiday That Is More Than Just a Play Time The first Monday In September brings an annual reminder of tho fact that one of the holldayo which aro now practically nation-wide Is so new and so vital that it is growing visibly and rapidly in prestige and usefulness. Labor day was an experiment so re cently that men still young remember Its beginnings; now it is ono of tho firmly established and much-valued rest and recreation days of tho year. But tho day Ib more than that. It Is a holiday which is not a moro play day. Nor is it only a celebration of somo great evont of the past It looks ahead qulto as much as it looks back ward. It is filled with tho spirit ot advancing, confident, buoyant life. It is even a militant day, with a strong suggestion of willingness and ability to battle for rights denied or prin ciples assailed. It is well for the country that La bor day Is so thoroughly alive. It is a good thing for American peo,lo that such a holiday comes around every fall to remind all classes and condi tions of men and women 6f tho vital and fundamental part which tho labor of tho hands playB and must always play in tho progress of tho world and tho very existence of mankind. It Is too easy to forgot, at times, that ev erything rests on hard physical toll and that without it all of the boasted flowering' of civilization would bo Im possible Labor day is broad enough, In Its name and In tho break which It makes In tho regular grind of trado and in dustry and in all of tho productivo nctivltles of tho country to cover all kinds of work, but It Ib tho especial property of manual labor and moro particularly of manual labor so organ Ized, so awako and bo Btrong that It can speak as a vast body of men trained to act together and work for tho samo endB That Is to say, tho annual holiday of labor Is taken as a right, not as a gift. It Is a demonstration of strength ready for uso, not a day of recreation nnd fun without a sorlous thought. But tho stronger labor becomes tho less danger thero Is of needless and destructive labor wars. With power comes responsibility, and tho moro thero is that has been won tho moro thero Ib, nlso, to hazard In strife. Thf labor organizations which are most thoroughly doveloped and united aro tho ones which got nlong best with employers and nro most reasonable nnd buslnessllko In tho negotiations which thoy carry on. Tho strong and successful do not lightly risk thn fruits of their past triumphs, nnd tho samo qualities that made them suc ceed keop thorn safo and sound. Labor day is filled with such les sons. It is stimulating, thought-corn polling and instructive aa a holiday, and there nro few days In tho yoar which do moro to mako Americans give attention to tho largo problem of their country and tho times. ,