HIDDEN TREASURE

Dunstan Times, Issue 3463, 31 March 1930, Page 7

HIDDEN TREASURE

TREASURE IN SIBERIA

Somewhere in wildest Siberia a great treasure lies buried. It, has been in its secret hiding place since the clays when Admiral Koltchak’s “White” legions were retreating along the Trans-Siberian railway before the armies of the Bolshevik revolution. It is known that Admiral Koltchak had at his disposal a considerable part of the gold reserve of the old Russia. For a while this was kept at Kazan, but was taken away from there when the Reds advanced on the place. ' With it. it is believed, was also al considerable amount of gold which formed part of the “war chest” of the “Whites” forces, while many wealthy Russians bad confided their priceless jewels to the guardians of this last remnant! of the Imperial Russia’s exchequer. After the capture and execution of Koltchak by the Bolsheviks, the bulk of the jewels were probably reclaimed by their owners. The money, however. amounting to at least 100,000,000 roubles (about £10.000.000) was, it is said, divided into four parts by Koltchak’s friends and relatives who were with him on his disastrous expedition, The bulk was buried “somewhere in Siberia.” No more was beard about the treasure until quite recently, when a group of four persons came to Paris and approached certain financiers with a strange proposal. They declared that they were aware of the spot where onequarter of Koltcbak’s treasure, several millions of pounds jn value, was buried, and it was their desire to sell their shares of it. All treasures found in Russia is. .according to Soviet law, divided equally between the Government and the finders.

One of the greatest of Parisian financiers, among others, have refused to have anything to do with the proposal, the group approached an important Parisian bank, which thought thd matter was worth inquiring into. As a result, a preliminary agreement was concluded between the two parties. The group furnished the bank with certain information, and a commission has tyeen despatched to Moscow to verify this and to open negotiations with the Russian Government. These pourparlers were recently proceeding, in Paris, when a curious complication arose. Holders of old Russian bonds, which are now practically valueless, indicated their intention to request the French Government to proceed to the sequestration ol all sums which may come to France as a result of the finding of Koltchak’s treasure. These should, it is maintained be used on behalf oi French investors who suffered so heavily as a result of the Soviet Government’s refusal ’to recognise the pre-Revolu-tion debts contracted by Russia. There is a belief that the finding of on© part of the treasure would result in the discovery of data enabling the rest to be unearthed,.