Grayson County TXGenWeb

Dallas Morning News
9 May 1887

SHERMAN SHAVINGS
Sherman, Tex. May 8 - The Collinsville News in its last issue had an account of a hidden treasure supposed to have been buried there by Mexicans several years ago, and upon this statement in the paper a party will explore for it, it is said.

Ft. Worth Gazette
May 13, 1887

HIDDEN GOLD : a Tradition That a Large Amount of Mexican Coin is Buried in the Neighborhood of Collinsville
A Strange Story Which Would Seem to Verify the Tradition - Many Believe in It

Collinsville Times ~ There has been a tradition, handed down to us by the oldest inhabitants, that a large amount of Mexican gold coin was buried some where not very remote from this place. The tradition runs as follows:
Juan Ferandes was captain of one of the most celebrated bands of brigades that ever infested Mexico - a country so famed for such celebrities. This gold robber, it is said, respected no one, not even those of his own calling. He would hang around the cities of the Aztecs and whenever opportunity served, would dash inside their walls, robbing the inhabitants of their glittering wealth which had been hoarded up for centuries, and even enter their churches and strip them of their sacred and valuable ornaments, after which he would make his exit, as suddenly as his entrance, and with the swiftness of the wind his band would flee to to the fastnesses of the mountains.
There is an old Mexican tradition that describes the regal home of this bandit lord. The description given eclipses the very dream of an oriental prince, or the fabled palaces of Persian dynasties. There was a cave that reached deep into the bowels of the mountains. Here, the tradition says, was the more than kingly home of these daring brigands. There were two rooms. One very capacious, the other small. The former was occupied by Juan's fifty men, the latter by Juan himself. The grandeur of this regal home is almost beyond the power of description, yea beyond human conception! Though no sun could penetrate the deep gloom of the cavern, in the larger room a thousand candles, set in sticks of pure gold, shed their flaming luster, lighting it up with a brillance of a noon-day sun. The room was beautiful with costlier furniture than ever decked the apartments of a Babalonian monarch, or ornamented the rich parlors of a Parisian palace. Here was stored more plundered wealth than e'er dazzled the eyes of an Italian brigand, or French bandit. The room of Juan was built with walls of pure silver gilded with sparkling gold, lighted with flashing diamonds, and set with furniture grander still. Here, from this kingly home and in this secluded spot Juan would send out his spies on richly caparisoned steeds to watch the return, from the rich gold fields of Mexico, the miner and relieve him of his load of precious ore; or to hang upon the trail of other brigands and await a favorable opportunity when he would descend like a thunder bolt with the band and relieve them of their stolen wealth. But Juan Ferandes and his dauntless men were not allowed to always continue thus. His plans were finally given away by one of his band, who turned traitor. The Aztecs completely routed Juan, but he excaped from Mexico with the larger portion of the spoils he had been years in congregating together. There was, of course, some useless plunder that Juan and his men did not take with them in their unceremonious flight from Mexico, but all the gold and valuables were packed up and tied on pack-mules and the noted brigands started north over a trackless belt of country with their ill-gotten gain.
After reaching that part of the world now known as Grayson and Cooke counties, Texas, where the beautiful green foliage of the Cross Timbers with its extravangantly magnificent landscapes in every conceivable direction meeting the eye, Juan could not pass on. This country was at that time unoccupied, only by the savage Indians whom Ferandes looked upon in the haughiest disdain. The unconquered bandits, it is claimed, planted their colony on what might be called a small mountain, which is located two miles south of Burns, Cooke County, Texas; a distance of ten miles west of Collinsville. It was here they stored away their gold among the rock-clad hills in the remote past. The tradition states that Juan had his men to hollow out a place ten feet square and about a hundred feet deep; then on the side of this well, or hollow, they dug into a hard rock about fifteen or twenty feet, where to-day it is alleged their gold and valuables lie.The amount is estimated from $1,000,000 to $4,000,000.
These brigands lived in already described country for a long space of time, and wallowed in luxury. They got much booty in repeated raids upon the Indians, whom Juan gloried in persecuting. Thus they caused a deep seated revenge to bloom and grow in the red man's breast, who was not slow in reaping its sweets. In an unguarded moment the Indians surrounded Captain Ferandes camp, and at the loss of of 400 men the Indians killed all of Ferandes men, but one who was left for dead. The Indians did not find the well that contained the chest of gold, but they took all the horses and other goods that belonged to the Mexicans.

THE STORY VERIFIED
Last year, there appeared in the city of Gainesville, an old blind and crippled Mexican whose mission no one could guess. His strange demeanor excited some comment at the time, and mention of him was made in the daily papers of that city. He was taken sick and became delirious and frequently spoke very excitedly about something in his own tongue. An Indian, who understood the Mexican language was sent for and he, from the sick man's ragged and broken conversation, succeeded in getting enough to not only confirm the tradition we have given, but also the location of the buried treasure, which was known to him by certain marks on trees, etc. When this old Mexican came to himself again you may be sure that he was freely plied with questions by the more than excited listeners. When he realized what he had done, he evaded everything and, as soon as able to travel, he mysteriously disappeared. As to who he was that will, perhaps, never be solved. Some, from his broken and hysteric sentences, judged him to be the veritable bandit, whom the Indians had left for dead. Others from dates uttered by him believed it impossible for him to be the bandit, but his son. However, this may be it is a certain fact that gold in immense quantity is there.
Acting on what was said in the delirious moments of this old man, a secret party was organized and succeeded in finding where the money was buried, and made an immense excavation, even reaching the hard rock in which the coin was secreted, but some unexplanable cause were frightened off. Another company of our townsment are being organized and the propose to force the rock to give up its hoarded treasure. It is evident that this will be done, if they work long enough.