Produced by David Widger
By
Charles M. Skinner
Vol. 9.
Kidd's Treasure
Other Buried Wealth
Monsters and Sea-Serpents
Stone-Throwing Devils
Storied Springs
Lovers' Leaps
God on the Mountains
Captain Kidd is the most ubiquitous gentleman in history. If his earningsin the gentle craft of piracy were frugally husbanded, he has possiblyleft some pots of money in holes in the ground between Key West andHalifax. The belief that large deposits of gold were made at Gardiner'sIsland, Dunderberg, Cro' Nest, New York City, Coney Island, Ipswich, themarshes back of Boston, Cape Cod, Nantucket, Isles of Shoals, MoneyIsland, Ocean Beach, the Bahamas, the Florida Keys, and elsewhere hascaused reckless expenditure of actual wealth in recovering doubloons andguineas that disappointed backers of these enterprises are beginning tolook upon—no, not to look upon, but to think about—as visionary. A hopeof getting something for nothing has been the impetus to theseindustries, and interest in the subject is now and then revived byreports of the discovery—usually by a farmer ploughing near theshore—of an iron kettle with a handful of gold and silver coins in it,the same having doubtless been buried for purposes of concealment duringthe wars of 1776 and 1812.
Gardiner's Island, a famous rendezvous for pirates, is the only placeknown to have been used as a bank of deposit, for in 1699 the Earl ofBellomont recovered from it seven hundred and eighty-three ounces ofgold, six hundred and thirty-three ounces of silver, cloth of gold,silks, satins, and jewels. In the old Gardiner mansion, on this island,was formerly preserved a costly shawl given to Mrs. Gardiner by CaptainKidd himself. This illustrious Kidd—or Kydd—was born in New York, beganhis naval career as a chaser of pirates, became a robber himself, wascaptured in Boston, where he was ruffling boldly about the streets, andwas hanged in London in 1701. In sea superstitions the apparition of hisship is sometimes confused with that of the Flying Dutchman.
At Lion's Rock, near Lyme, Connecticut, a part of his treasure is underguard of a demon that springs upon intruders unless they recite Scripturewhile digging for the money.
Charles Island, near Milford, Connecticut, was dug into, one night, by acompany from that town that had learned of Kidd's visit to it—and whatcould Kidd be doing ashore unless he was burying money? The lid of aniron chest had been uncovered when the figure of a headless man camebounding out of the air, and the work was discontinued right then. Thefigure leaped into the pit that had been dug, and blue flames poured outof it. When the diggers returned, their spades and picks were gone andthe ground was smooth.
Monhegan Island, off the Maine coast, contains a cave, opening to thesea, where it was whispered that treasur