AN EXTRAORDINARY WILL.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 2665, 10 August 1889, Page 6 (Supplement)

AN EXTRAORDINARY WILL.

SEARCH TOR HMIDKM TKKASURK AT QUKI'.IOU. Can'ADIAN papers to li:in«l state that at in lII'-' s;;burl> of tit .lolin, the population lias been grontly excited uwiiu' to tin; discovery of a mysterious wili by Mr Tnulel, a contractor for a bonne in Madeline-street, Tμ: will, which is ;i ii'jlurri-jiph one, ami wnUen in oia I'Vuuc!", on dirty parchment, strongly imprcgnatcil with "sonic chemical substance, anil bearing marks of gru.it antiquity, was found buried four feet liutlie surface in a hermetically sealed bottle, enclosed in a heavy tin box, which in turn was covered with another tin something in the form of a boll or coalcxuttlfi badly eaten through by rust. The contents of the mysterious document were easily deciphered. They purport to have been written by ' Francois Gutuetin de St Malo,' and bear date 17th. May, IT.'H, the opening paragraph in Latin seeming to indicate that the writer died during thy terrible small-pox epidemic which dacimated the population of New France in that year, owyiiiß o(F also M. de la Chassnqui*, Governor of Montreal. Tho will reads us follows :- " Unhappy America, before 21 hour* I .shall n.4 longer be of this world. God is witness of what I write. This is my will to you if you deserve it, for God knows hi.M own. At four feet from this spot, going in a straight line towards thfi west, then bending .seven feet towards the i«oiilh, and at seven feet from the surface of the soil, between two large stones, you will find a copper box containing 100 lb of gold and 300 lb weight of silver. Are ynu rich ? Do charity with it for the repose of my eoul. Are you poor ? Use it honestly and pray for me. Before God who is my only witness, if you employ this treasure iu libertinism I wish you evil aud death. Pray to God for all the unhappy French who died to-day. Dililient search has been mado in one direel ion for the treas-uro si jruurd boing placed ou tho .around to prevent _ any attempt to anticipate the contractor in its discovery. In prosecuting tho search a quantity of human bones was dug up and a cavity was disclosed with something at tho bottom emitting a metallic sound, but it was found that the bed of rock had been reached. It is now thought the treasure is buried in tho adjoining ground owned by a man uamed I'Venette, who, however! had refused to allow the cintraetor to continue the search there, and has rofused 3000 dollars for his property which is not worth 800 dollars. A law suit is threatened. The Mayor, tho Recorder, and prominent citizens havo visited tho ground.