EXTRAS
BURIED TREASURE
CAPTAIN KIDD'S TREASURE
An Expedition Sets out to Unearth the Buried Treasure
The Daily News, August 13, 1897, page 4
An Expedition Sets out to Unearth the Buried Treasure
The Daily News, August 13, 1897, page 4
A correspondent writing from Bell Isle, C.B., says quite an interesting event took place here a few nights ago. A number of young men, resident of the Island, met at a certain place and formed an expedition for the hunting of Capt. Kidd's treasure supposed to be buried on the Island.
On the north side of the Island, there is a landing place. It is about half way across the Island and on each side of it, there are perpendicular cliffs. It was for this place the expeditioners set out. Shortly after arriving, one of the party found a peculiar looking stone on which was marked, "Money her." They surmised that this meant "money here." The countenance of all lit up with unfathomless delight and they nearly went into ecstasies over their luck. This was in the evening and, with picks and shovels, they commenced to dig near the spot where the stone had been found but, alas, no money [was found]. Nor did they even get a glimpse of the [black man] supposed to be on guard. There were nine men in the band and to the odd number they attribute their non-success.
This landing place has been the scene of many similar attempts [to locate treasure], to all of which a romantic story is attached.
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NOTE: While the author of this Captain Kidd story does not name the spot where the treasure was believed to have been buried, from the description given, it seems to have been at Grebe's Nest, which was only accessible by water in 1897 and, therefore, described as "a landing place." In many stories of buried treasure, a crew member is sacrificed and buried with the treasure, the idea being that the dead man's soul will guard the treasure for the pirates. Hence the reference to the man "supposed to be on guard." Many superstitions surrounded stories of buried treasure, one of which is featured here with mention of the "odd number" of treasure hunters having led to their failure to find gold.
Captain William Kidd was born c.1654 in Dundee, Scotland, his father being Captain John Kyd, who was lost at sea. He seems to have started out as a privateer (someone who operated an armed vessel and was authorised by government to take part in war), but eventually became an outright pirate, and was hanged in 1701 in Wapping, England. Stories of his adventures in piracy range from New England to the Caribbean to Madagascar and beyond. In Newfoundland, Captain Kidd is found in the folklore of Red Bay, Labrador, where he is said to have hidden treasure at the bottom of a small body of water known as "The Pond on the Hill." Now we know that some people in 1897 also believed he had visited Bell Island.
On the north side of the Island, there is a landing place. It is about half way across the Island and on each side of it, there are perpendicular cliffs. It was for this place the expeditioners set out. Shortly after arriving, one of the party found a peculiar looking stone on which was marked, "Money her." They surmised that this meant "money here." The countenance of all lit up with unfathomless delight and they nearly went into ecstasies over their luck. This was in the evening and, with picks and shovels, they commenced to dig near the spot where the stone had been found but, alas, no money [was found]. Nor did they even get a glimpse of the [black man] supposed to be on guard. There were nine men in the band and to the odd number they attribute their non-success.
This landing place has been the scene of many similar attempts [to locate treasure], to all of which a romantic story is attached.
**********
NOTE: While the author of this Captain Kidd story does not name the spot where the treasure was believed to have been buried, from the description given, it seems to have been at Grebe's Nest, which was only accessible by water in 1897 and, therefore, described as "a landing place." In many stories of buried treasure, a crew member is sacrificed and buried with the treasure, the idea being that the dead man's soul will guard the treasure for the pirates. Hence the reference to the man "supposed to be on guard." Many superstitions surrounded stories of buried treasure, one of which is featured here with mention of the "odd number" of treasure hunters having led to their failure to find gold.
Captain William Kidd was born c.1654 in Dundee, Scotland, his father being Captain John Kyd, who was lost at sea. He seems to have started out as a privateer (someone who operated an armed vessel and was authorised by government to take part in war), but eventually became an outright pirate, and was hanged in 1701 in Wapping, England. Stories of his adventures in piracy range from New England to the Caribbean to Madagascar and beyond. In Newfoundland, Captain Kidd is found in the folklore of Red Bay, Labrador, where he is said to have hidden treasure at the bottom of a small body of water known as "The Pond on the Hill." Now we know that some people in 1897 also believed he had visited Bell Island.