Ner's “Treasure"

Count Von Luck

Box Dug up in French Oceania

THE sensational Australian news papers were very happy during the month with the story of Count von Luckner’s treasure.

It was reported in this journal some months ago that the Count, while in French Oceania on his yacht the “See Teufel”, had visited Mopiha Island and had searched there for a box of valu able documents and money, which he buried when his raiding ship the “See Adler” was wrecked there in 1917.

Count and Countess von Luckner went on to Samoa in their yacht and then on to Auckland, where they arrived in February.

Later, in March, a New Zealand news paper made the announcement that the Count had found his buried box of treasure, that it was enormously valu able, that he had successfully sent it away to Germany, and that he now was rich for life.

Immediately, the whole pack of “human interest purveyors” were in full cry, and we in Sydney had von Luck ner’s treasure served up to us in all sorts of fancy dress.

Finally, Count von Luckner became fed up with the newspaper publicity and, on March 28, in Auckland, he made a statement to the effect that the story that he had unearthed huge treasure was “all moonshine”. He said that he had succeeded in finding his box, which had been buried for 21 years, and that the alleged valuable treasure consisted of the log-book of the “Sea Adler”, and a certificate signed by the German Em peror, which entitled him to raid ships during the war, a few samples of pearls, and a quantity of gold, worth perhaps £lO. The box certainly had contained a large sum in German pre-war marks —but, of course, these now are worth less.

Count von Luckner added that if the box had contained real treasure it neces sarily would have been sent at once to the German Government, to whom it be longed.