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=1 Fabled Treasure / t. xf»v on Cocos Island. / \ $ % 3m< * '%» ' v** JBK\\ |2BHHHm| \ gW; f j EWSr ; ' -HBHI ■fir \|O , mESS! y s Ftf BWWrIiT|w»IIIO. R* J ahtalß Q J ZMgWw^^EffaWfej^ SO '^3bHm8w HMHb w . » V* J Au^^s > A\\ The vh ■ ' JHr F// Jffwa 11 ‘ Adven- % BKB • J// fIL W F FFI W 7 f»rnne ' Jl^P & ’ W AFtA< and Unique Wlm* Jfc v V- * Quest of - jk ASM . 1 Two Rival M_L_l r Expeditions, Each Headed by Determined Ladies, for the Famous $30,000,000 ot Hidden Hold and Jewels » TXLOOD may again be shed over ' the buried treasure of Cocos ' Island. h To recover the thirty million dollars' worth of gold buried there nearly a hundred years ago by pirates, thousands of men have already paid the penalty with their lives. Now two more expeditions are being fitted out to pursue the danger;.u.- quest, and both of them are headed by women! The search for the Cocos treasure is hazardous enough in itself, as so many have found out to their cost, j but an additional element of danger is Involved in this latest double y quest because of the intense rivalry of the two women. ( “If thees Ingleesh woman get in my way, there will be too much of trouble, that's all!” declares Mlle. Matilde Durand, of Marseilles, France, the organizer of one of the expeditions. “I started first, I spent a lot of time and money and trouble in this '{. f COCOS ISLAND 1 1 1 orcakfatr 7 U r ' , ~ 1 jy Canara pit 1 *** ) ■ HaCtnng Plat* \ Dense frees a na ) J J Undergrowth ( HtytesC fiah 3CO < Pea/, \ ,3-80// I A I X • / o xxir Silvcr otPosrr f X / X TR€ASUQ€ 1 CAV£ Qampier Meats NauTiC At Map Snowing the Location of the Cocos Island Treasure. thing, and I certainly shall notallow this Frenchwoman to come between me and the fruits of my labor!" in sists Miss Genevive Davies, the beautiful English girl who heads the rival expedition, and there is something about her manner which bodes ill for her fair rival. Both women are plentifully sup plied with cash amd each claims to have the only authentic map in existence which definitely points out \ the location of the sunken treasure. ; :_.„ C^ ; 322Z2Sr.-^J^^ > 43-/ :^^ -^^"TrTc^ 4 If both larti;•> .•••> island together, which is not at all improbable it will be quite be yond the power of the women, even if so disposed, to hold their -Afßlw Hue: /s/and ZN ••mtlimn caJlra j., ..- . ’ WM \ ( I followers in check, and a battle to the death for the thirty millions of buried loot is almost inevitable. Cocos Island lies in latitude 5 de grees 33 minutes N., 86 degrees 59 minutes W. It is a deserted, rocky island about three hundred miles from the coast of Costa Rica. The treasure w r hich lies buried there was derived from two sources. In 1820, w’hen Peru was being tor* asunder by a revolution, the trem bling citizens, realizing how feeble was the protection afforded by their banks and the altars of their cnurches, intrusted it to the captain of an English vessel. This man weighec anchor and sailed for Cc- In, the Pirates’ Graveyard on Cocos Island. cos Island, wiiere he buried the treasure, amounting to twelve mil lion dollars. The balance of the treasure was buried on the island by no less a character than the notorious pirate Benito Bonito, who with a loyal crew of cutthroats did an immense amount of damage in the Western Atlantic from New York to Rio Janeiro in 1816-1817. Bonito then doubled Cape Horn and ravaged the Pacific shore of America as far as Mexico, sacking the churches and other repositories of plate, jewels and specie until his loot amounted to nearly twenty mil lion dollars in value. Tn searching for a spot to bury this treasure, he came upon Cocos Island. There he buried his share of it in a cave, while his officers and crew chose other hiding places. The following year the pirate and bis crew were captured by a British corvette, and slain. From that time to this as many as a dozen notable expeditions have been organized to recover this pirate loot, but for one reason or another every one failed. The latest expeditions to be or ganized to recover the sunken treas ure are perhaps more ambitious than any ever before undertaken. Miss Davies has chartered a large steamer, which is now completing its outfit at Plymouth. The only other woman on board the vessel will be her friend, Mrs. Barry Till. Besides the crew, there will be a number of mining experts, geolo gists and other scientific men. In preparing for this adventure, Miss Davies has constantly kept in 1 mind the possibility of hostilities with her French rival. For this reason she has had her vessel practically converted into a pro tected cruiser. Her twill and decks have been sheathed with steel a quarter of an inch thick and she has had mounted four six-pounders. In addition to this a large supply of small arms and ammunition has been provided, and every member of the crew has been picked with due regard to his fighting calibre. “I am going after this treasure and intend to get it at any cost.” declared Miss Davies. “If this Frenchwoman happens to get to the island while I am there, there may be trouble, and I am prepared for it. “1 have what I believe Is an au thentic map of the island with cer tain marks indicating the hiding place of the treasure.. This French woman’s idea. I suppose, is to take advantage of the information T have, and beat me out in quest for the treasure. I shall consider myself justified in resisting by force any attempt of that kind.” Mlle. Durand, on the other hand, declares that she has information of her own and is in no wise depend ent upon Miss Davies’ expedition. “Indeed,” she declared, “I am straining every nerve now’ to get to the island before this English woman, and if my plans turn out right I will be on my way back with the treasure safely stowed be fore this Miss Davies 'ppars upon the scene. “My vessel is now being equipped at Marseilles. I will be the only woman on board, but my crew con sists of friends who are eager to follow’ me in this great adventure and to share in the spoil we ex pect to bring home. “I have full information regarding this pirate treasure. It comes direct from the son of a man who as a lad served under Bonito the pirate. This man, now seventy-five years cld, obtained from his father a diagram w’hich clearly marks the cave in w’hich Bonito buried most of his ill-gotten treasure, besides numerous other spots where members of the pirate crew buried their individual shares. “I am not looking for trouble with this English woman . No, no. But if when I have located the treasure she should arrive at the island and attempt to Interfere with my work, 1 will not be answerable for the consequences. She will bring it upon herself. I will not be respon sible. “Altogether there is thirty million dollars' worth of it, I understand. If I succeed in locating only a portion of this vast sum, my investment will prove profitable, but it is the ad venture itself which impels me prin cipally. The fact that this English woman is going to try to beat me out makes the quest all the more interesting. We shall see who wins!” On < Torrid I I I'X IA Q\ Island 11. Ju— === B J ■■ M Wu \ lijh iC _ P| —. a mV— —■ ■ 1 —T-— ?;T A \ ¥[A —ui 1 ■ - • ; Ho O :dt\ 'iVu MK. 1W —: = —— -= r - v\v< ? L 'vl «» V iVx. Ln = 1 I *-W i~ ’ )I / / ;■ IB Mme. Matilde Durand, the Dashing /iarseil] a ise Who Heads the Second Treasure Expedition lb Jr- j ) WWIrewWB \\\ -V\ x 7 a, ”\\ \l\