Most Famous one Hinges About Austin Cave.
Published in the Austin American Statesman On July 19th, 1936. Documented by Jeanine Plumer
Many are the tales of buried treasures in Texas, but probably the most famous around Austin is the one about ”27 jack loads of gold bullion” hidden in a cave near where Dagger Holler runs into the Colorado.
This holler is located about 15 miles northwest of Austin and is the legend goes, this large sum of gold was buried by a party of 12 Mexican Americans, all of whom were killed, saved one, Benito Mature, who continued on to Mexico.
After the Civil War, a peculiar old Mexican made his appearance in Austin, he claimed to be 108 years old and said he was Benito Mature. His purpose for being here he explained was to find the 75 jack loads of gold which he had helped bury many years before. He entered the Colorado Hills and prospected around for about six weeks, and because the hills had settled some and the country looked so different, he was unable to locate the treasure. Disappointed, the aged man returned to Mexico.
Later, a Mr Hamlin purchased a section of land in that particular country and though he received very good offers to sell, he refused to do so. Then one day he rode up to a Mr Jarber and offered to give him the land in return for a wagon and a pair of black mules. Everyone thought this was queer, and when he later purchased a very desirable piece of land somewhere else, was told by those who knew that he had dug a number of holes in the land he had given away, and in one of them he had found 8 jack loads of gold bullion and not looking further had deserted the place.
Others recall that the old Mexican had said that eight jack loads had been buried on top of 75 jack loads of bullion, but none knew just where the eight jack loads had been buried.
