They would say, for instance, that in such and such a
place, in such a hill, or a certain man's farm, there were deposited
kegs, barrels, and hogsheads of coined silver and gold, bars of gold,
golden images, brass kettles filled with gold and silver, gold
candlesticks, swords, &c., &c. They would also say, that nearly all the
hills in this part of New York were thrown by human hands, and in them
were large caves, which Joseph, jun., could see, by placing a stone of
singular appearance in his hat, in such a manner as to exclude all
light; at which time they pretended he could see all things within and
under the earth; that he could spy within the above-mentioned caves
large gold bars and silver plates; that he could also discover the
spirits in whose charge these treasures were, clothed in ancient
dresses. At certain times, these treasures could be obtained very
easily; at others, the obtaining of them was difficult. The facility of
approaching them depended in a great measure on the state of the moon.
New moon and Good Friday, I believe, were regarded as the most
favourable times for obtaining these treasures. These tales, of course,
I regarded as visionary. However, being prompted by curiosity, I at
length accepted their invitation to join them in their nocturnal
excursions.
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