Robert Louis Stevenson's Grandson Finds Buried Treasure

1910

SAN FRANCISCO — When little Louis Osborne, the eight-year-old son of Lloyd Osborne, novelist and stepson of Robert Louis Stevenson, armed himself with his midget shovel and went out on a sand hill near his home here to dig a few days ago he had visions of finding treasure. This is not an unusual thing for the lad, for he has not heard his father's illustrious stepfather talked about without getting some spirit of adventure of the author of "Treasure Island" fixed in his mind.

So while Louis dug he hummed "Sixteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest, Yo! Ho! Ho! and a Bottle of Rum."

The lad stopped digging because his shovel had encountered an obstruction. Tested carefully the thing that resisted proved to be metal. Then Louis dug more furiously than ever. In a few moments he unearthed a metal box. And, sure enough, it contained treasure. Opening it hastily, the boy found 2,600 shares of valuable stock, deeds to city property, other valuable papers and several empty ring boxes.

Of course, the boy did not realize the value of the property, but he knew the papers must be worth a great deal or they would not have been placed in such a secure box. So he hastily carried his find to his mother, who turned the property over to the police. The papers belong to Augustus Imbrie, a wealthy man whose house is closed and who is out of the city. The police think robbers ransacked the Imbrie residence and, after taking money and jewelry from the box, buried it.

Mastodon's Jawbone Found Near Beecher, Illinois

1903

Farmers Near Beecher Make an Interesting Discovery

Farmers widening a ditch near Beecher, Ill., a few days ago made a wonderful discovery of the jawbone of a primeval monster, and those who examined it believe it is a portion of a mastodon. It was found at the bottom of Tim creek, one and one-half miles from the town.

While the men were dredging the ditch the steam shovel struck something hard, which the men thought was rock. Investigation showed it to be a portion of a jawbone of an animal of prehistoric times. The specimen weighs twenty pounds, and has three large teeth. Each tooth, is five inches long and six inches wide, and the molars are in an excellent state of preservation. Other bones have been found in the vicinity.

The specimen is now in the possession of Arthur Struve, a banker of Beecher, and he said that the large jawbone will be taken to Professor Starr of the University of Chicago for examination.

"I want to learn just what animal this jawbone belongs to, and I believe that the territory is full of interesting specimens," said Banker Struve.

Some time ago boys playing in Tim creek found the tusk of some huge animal near the same spot where the jawbone was discovered. It is three feet long.