What would you do if you found a an old note saying that a lead chest with gold coins inside was hidden at a location -complete with the address? Patty Henken had just that happen to her. Following is a teaser from an interesting AP article in the October 1, 2009 edition of The Hawkeye.
ST. LOUIS – Patty Henken always thought she found great value in the rickety rocking chair when she plunked down $200 for it at an auction, figuring she could restore the century-old relic to its former charm.
Doing that turned out to rock her world, sending her on a treasure hunt straight out of a mystery novel.
Five months after hauling the chair home last November, Henken spent hours in May prying the seat off it in her garage in Mount Sterling, Ill. A small envelope fluttered from it as she tossed the seat aside — “Finders Keepers” typewritten on it. Inside, a key was taped to a note.
“This DEXTER key (number sign) 50644T will unlock a lead chest,” the note began, before spelling out a location in Springfield, Ill. — 1028 N. Fifth St. — where a chest containing more than $250 in U.S. gold coins supposedly was buried 12 feet below ground.
Read the full AP article by Jim Suhr in the October 1, 2009 edition of The Hawkeye.
