I found this article today, i dont know if anyone has seen or heard this story before but ill post it anyway and if everyone already knows about it ill delete it.
§10,000,000 BURIED SPECIE BROTJG-T TO LIGHT
-THE STORY OP A DYING- SAILOR.
>; Panama, November 8.-Your readers will remember the story
concerning 810,000,000 In silver burled In Cocos Island, which was 'started in San Francisco ten years ago, and has been probably published in every country* newspaper in tho United States. The tale was that a country doctor in San Francisco was one night called to the bedside of a sick and poverty-stricken sailor. The doctor watched over him carefully, ard made and paid for oil his own prescriptions. In spite of ali his precautions the sailor grew worse, and at last tho doctor told him he must lie. The man was deeply afTocted, and wept bittterly. Death carno over him
slowly but sureb'.
On his dying bcd, with tears In his oyes, ho thanked the doctor for all his kindness, and said that he could and would repay him for alt his trouble. In a fen- short breaths he told bim that In his younger days he had been a pirate. With twenty companions he had shipped at Callao on a Spnnlsh treasure ship, bound to Cadiz. When żve days out they rose and butchered the officers and passengers, after which the course of the vessel was changed duo west. Threo weeks afterwards, during a drunken carousal, the ship ran upon a reef of rocks fringing an island in the Pacific, and before morning eight of tho buccaneers wcro drowned. At the break of day they reached thu shore In boats, and found tho island fertile and pleasant.
After threo days' hsrd work they brought thc kegs of silver dol- lars to tho shore, and buried them. The treasure amounted to over §10,000,000. As water was scarce, and the provisions on the wreck were totally damagod, the twelve pirates took to their boats, and steered for tho coast of South America. Nothing was ever heard from one of tho boats, and ll was probably* swamped in a great storm which occurred shortly utter they left the island. The provisions in tho other soon gave out, and the men gradually became delirious for want of substance. Two jumped overboard and were drowned. Ono of their companions died in the boat, anda fourth was killed by the conirauos, who drank his blood. After drifting under a burning sun for two weeks, tho survivors wore picked up by a passing vessel.
One of thom died on tho following day, and the other lived to tell his story to hundreds of incredulous listeners, and seek In vain for tho moans to return to tho island. He was now about to end his lifo of disappointment in death. At tito conclusion of his story tho dying sailor drew from under his bolster aroll of papers, giving the latitude and longitude nf tito Uland ns near us possible, and handed thom to tito doctor; but before the physician could examino them, the old sailor died, A careful study of tho chart located the Island in tho vicinity of Cccos. Tho doctor embarked ia tho scheme with nil his wealth, rigged out a schooner, and sailed in search of tito Kl Dorado. Ho returned a ruined man, unable to discover tho island. Other expeditions were fitted out,
but none were successful.
In July, 1868, several gontloincn in this city bought a schooner and fitted out an expedition. There wero twenty-six'persons In the party. Thoy left in high spirits, with completo charts, and seemed confident of success. Tho most ot the party were old Californians, and wore used to a lifo of ail venture. Among the
fiarty were ono George Cummins, a man of largo experience, who *
tad accompanied one of the provlous expeditions. They reached the Island after fifty-six days' navigation, thoroughly worn out and disgusted. They spent nineteen days vainly looking for tho hidden riches, nnd then gave up tho hunt as entirely Utopian. Setting sail again for Panama they brought up in La Union, whence Cummins carno up to tills city witli news of .thoir blasted
hopes.
lt was thought that the failure of this expedition would put an end to all attempts to recover tho specie. Tills was not tho caso. Last winter some of tho superstitious and wealth}- citizens of Costa Rica began to agitato tho subject anew. A cctnpauy was organised composed of sonio of thc prominent Government officials. The matter was brought before tho Costa Rican Congress, and. after an Investigation, they authorised the purchase of several shares of the stock on Government account,. A large majority of tho members of the new expedition were soldiers, probably sent to look after the interests of the Government. A priest was sent along to look out for their spiritual welfare. They left Costa Rica in June last. Nothing has boen heard of them until yester- day, when a letter was received from ono of the party by a friend In this city, containing intelligence of thu discovery of the treasure. Tho letter states all of it hos not as yet been obtained, and therefore no estimate of its value can be given. Tho greater part of that which hos already been dug out ls In sliver, the most of lt Spanish dollars.
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