HUNT FOR PIRATE GOLD.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 2319, 23 August 1921, Page 4

HUNT FOR PIRATE GOLD.

SOUTH SEA EXPEDITION

ONLY NATIVE BONES FOUND.

Another quest for the £20,000,000 Peruvian treasure buried in the mystic south seas by ancient, pirates has failed, adding another chapter to the long story of fruitless searches for the cache of gold doubloons. Only a few cannibal bones hidden beneath a native altar rewarded the expedition in its search for heavy sea chests of treasure. Captain James T. Houghton, surgeon to the expedition, has L>ld the story of the hunt. ~ The hunt for the buried gpld centered on the island of Tubai, a reef ring fifteen miles across, and also tho most northern one of the Society group. Acting on a lead obtained from an aged sea captain who had sailed the south seas during the most romantic days, a Captain Brown, the three weeks digging and blasting on the island. Only after every possible hiding place had been searched did the treasure seekers decide to giie up the quest and return to New York, to confere again with the aged mariner. ... The party left New York on December lltli in the yacht Genesee. She reached New York on the return trip in June. Before starting on the hunt, the promoters, including Captain Arthur L. Crowley of Boston, Captain James Munn of Texas, Captain Leonard Miller, and Captain Edward Kendall of Babylon, L. 1., bought the sailing yacht for £15,000, equipped her for several months’ cruise, and, posing as an expedition for making moving pictures, obtained from Captain Brown directions where to find the supposed treasure.

Captain Houghton said: “Brown s tale that he knew where the gold was hidden was carefully investigated before the expedition was organised. Brown said he had learned of the treasure when he was a cabin boy sailing the South Pacific. He sailed under ' a sailor who really knew where the treasure was originally hidden on the islands of Cocos. Then one day Brown said his captain went to Cocos and. removed most of the gold to Tubai. Then the captain turned pirate, and, capturing three other vessels, added them to the cache. All of his statements were carefully verified before the promoters started out to sell 200,000 dollars worth of stock. In London it was learned that ships had disappeared under the conditions as described by the old sailor.

The old sailor also said that hi> captain had taken 500,000 dollars of the treasure to Australia and deposited it in a bank there. It "a:-, also learned that several hidden expeditions in search of the Peruvian treasure supposed to have been hid<h,h in Cocos had failed, the leaders expressing belief the gold had been removed. This cheeked with Captain Brown’s statements. Thereupon the Brown Exploration Company was organised, and to finance that company the South Pacific Film Company was formed. The slock was sold, one-half of the proceeds to be divided among the stockholders, and the other half to go to Captain Brown. On February 27th the party sailed from Tahiti for Tubai, and, pretending that the object of the expedition was for making a motion picture « drama, the search for the treasure began.

The twenty members of the crew were not in the secret. Then when the native altar where Captain Brown said the treasure was buried, was found, there was great excitement among those in the know. But. after digging down to water, no sea chests were found. Several other altars were dug up, but nothing was found but the bones of natives.

Some of the promoters still be iieve there is something in Captaii Brown’s tale, and are preparing t< make another search for the hand red million dollars or more in doub loons and Australian gold dust.