The Cocos Island Treasure.

Cromwell Argus, Volume I, Issue 19, 23 March 1870, Page 7

The Cocos Island Treasure.

AN IMMENSE DEPOSIT OP SILVER FOUND AT LAST. — 10,000,000 DDLS, OP BURIED SPECIE BROUGHT TO LIGHT. [Now York Sun.] U Our Panama correspondent writes as follows :—Your readers will remember the story concerning $10,000,000 in silver buried on Cocos Island, which'was started in San Francisco ten years ago, and has been probably published in every country newspaper published in the United States. The tale was that a doctor in Sail Francisco was one night called to the bedside of a sick and poverty-stricken sailor. { The doctor watched over him carefully, and made and paid for all his own prescriptions. In spite of all his precautions the sailor grew worse, and at last the doctor told him lie must die. The man was deeply affected, and wept bitterly. Death came over him slowly but surely. On his dying bed, with tears in his eyes, he thanked the doctor for all his kindness, and said that ho could and would repay him for all his trouble. In a few short breaths he told him that in his younger days he had been a pirate. With twenty companions he had shipped at Callao on a Spanish treasure-ship, bound to Cadiz. When five days out they rose and butchered the officers and passengers, after which the course of the vessel was changed due west. Three 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 the buccaneers were drowned. At the break of day the remainder reached the shore in boats, and found the island fertile and pleasant. After throe days’ hard work they succeeded in bringing the kegs of silver to the shore, where they buried them. The treasure amounted to over $10,000,000. As water was scarce, and the provisions on the wreck were totally damaged, the twelve pirates took to their boats, and steered for the coast of South America. Nothing was ever heard of one of the boats, and it was probably swamped in a great storm which occurred three days after they had left the island. The provisions in the other boat soon gave out, and the men gradually became delirious for want of sustenance. Two jumped overboard, and were drowned. One of their companions died in the boat, and a fourth was killed by his comrades, who drank his blood. After drifting under a burning sun for two weeks, the survivors were picked up by a passing vessel. One of them died on the following day, and the other lived to tell his story to many incredulous listeners, and to seek in vain for the means to return to the island. He was now about to end a life of disappointment in death. At the couclui ion of his story, the dying sailor drew from under bis bolster a roll of papers, giving the latitude and longitude of the island as near as possible, and handed them to the doctor ; hut, before the physician could examine them, the old sailor died. The mutiny occurred during the Peruvian revolution against Spain, and the sailor died in San Francisco some thirteen years ago. A careful study of the chart located the island in the vicinity of Cocos. The doctor embarked in the scheme with all his wealth, rigged out a schooner, and sailed from San Francisco in search of the treasure. He returned a ruined man, unable to discover the island. Other expeditions were fitted out, but none were successful. In July, 1868, several gentlemen in this city bought a schooner and fitted out an expedition. There were 26 persons in the party. They left in high spirits, with complete charts, and seemed confident of success. The most of the party were old Californians, and were used to a life of adventure. Among the party was One George Cummins, a man of large experience, who had accompanied one of the previous expeditions. They reached the island after fifty-six days navigation, thoroughly worn-out and disgusted. They spent nineteen days there, vainly looking for the hidden riches, and then gave up the hunt as entirely Utopian. Setting sail for Panama, they finally brought up in La Union, whence Cummins came up to this city with news of their blasted hopes. It was thought that the failure of this expedition would put an end to all atternps to recover the specie. This was not the case. Last winter some of the superstitious and wealthy citizens of Costa Rica began, to agitate the subject anew. A company was organised ; composed ol some of the prominent Government officials. The matter was brought before the Costa Rican Congress, and, after an in vestigation, they authorised the purchase of several shares of the stock on Govern meat account. A large majority of the members of the new expedition were sol diers, probably sent to look after the in terests of the Government. A priest wai sent to look out for their spiritual welfare They left Costa Rica in June last. No thing has been heard of them until yester day, when a letter was received from on of tho party by a friend in this city, con tabling intelligence of the discovery of th treasure. The letter states that all th i treasure has not as yet been obtained, an . therefore no estimate of its value can b ; given. Tho greater part of that whic has already been dug out is iu silver, th moat of it Spanish dollars.