The Cross Homestead Mystery

Written by Tom Fowler

Lauren Cross-Highsmith sat in the kitchen of her aunt, Marge Cross Benson. Lauren was not only her aunt’s favorite niece, but the two women shared a keen interest in the Cross family history. And Marge would soon share her knowledge of the Cross family and a mystery going back to the first years following the Civil War.

After a few minutes of pleasant small talk, Marge reflected that, “The Cross family homestead is located in the central part of Kansas, a little over 80 miles away. The main house is 140 years old and sits high above modern civilization in the middle of the Flint Hills. Once, the Cross family had been prominent in the area but the community long ago became a distant memory for old-timers and a curiosity for historians. Pioneers failed at farming and moved away because the ground was so rocky that nothing would grow. In most places, you could barely get a spade or plow into the ground. Jack and I only visit the old house sporadically -- three or four times a year at the most. Because of its remote location and status as a historical site, the state of Kansas generously assists with its upkeep.”

Lauren was aware that what everyone these days referred to simply as “The House” was huge and very impressive. Marge continued, “The House contains 21 rooms. Construction was finished in 1870. The homestead included horse stables, a wash and laundry room and another small building that served as a tool shed. A garden was added for Susie Cross in 1876 and an old style round barn for a few head of cattle Wilbur purchased a couple of years after that. Legend has it that Wilbur had several wagon loads of topsoil brought in for Susie’s garden.” Marge stopped and smiled before adding, “But not all was perfect in paradise. Kansas winds blew the topsoil away and Leonard finally moved the wash room to the barn in 1905. The water pipes leading to the water well leaked ever since the house was constructed and the laundry room had experienced recurring flooding.”

Marge paused. “Would you help me solve a mystery concerning the House?”

Lauren answered, “Sure. What mystery?”

Marge smiled. She knew her young niece would relish what she was about to tell her. She began her tale as she added fresh ice to the tea tumblers.

“Family records show that Wilbur and Susie enjoyed a happy and prosperous marriage. A son, Leonard, was born early in 1873 and his brother, Victor, in the fall of 1876. Both sons stayed on the homestead until the end of World War 1, working for their father and tending to his varied business interests. Victor married Edith in 1901.”

Lauren sat facing Marge in rapt attention. Marge continued, “There has been a story in our family for as long as the House has existed that there is hidden fortune somewhere on the property. Now, it was not uncommon for people to bury their money and valuables on family farms and homesteads in the depression days of the 1930s, but legend has it that great-grandfather Wilbur stashed something of value sometime after establishing the Cross House in 1869.”

“A Cross treasure!” Lauren chimed in.

“Wilbur was quite a man. He was a Civil War veteran who served with distinction in the Union Army. After the war, he headed west to work on the railroad. He was with Leland Stanford in Utah when the railroad connecting the country was completed in 1869. It was after that when he came to Kansas and built the family homestead. He made his money by purchasing Kansas farmland cheap and by selling it high.”

“What did he hide?” asked Lauren.

“The story is so old, we’re not certain, but Jack and I spent the night up there a couple of weeks ago. Let me show you what we found in the back of the basement closet. It was so dark that I almost missed it even with a powerful flashlight.”

Marge excused herself from the table long enough to retrieve a large, leather bound volume from the study. It looked to be very old. Placing it in front of her niece, she said, “I didn’t know this existed. Unlike most journals, there are entries from several different family members. There are five references to the hidden treasure, but all of them tell a different story by a different family member. The last entry in the journal, written by Uncle Hollis (son of Victor and Edith) in 1947, promises that only one of the five narrations is completely true.”

“What does the last entry say?”

The legend was changed several times through the years to keep the fortune secret and safe. Choose well, because the wrong selection will cost you time and money.

“Ah, the intrigue,” Lauren gasped.

“I’ve placed post-it notes on the entries you need to read.”

Lauren quickly turned to the first narration:

Entry of Wilbur Cross, dated January 23, 1871: Look for gold buried six feet under the flat tombstone in the back pasture. I stole it from a Union payroll train in Elmira, New York just before the war ended. They’ve been looking for me ever since. It’s why I moved to such an out of the way place.

She quickly moved on to the entry of Wilbur’s wife, Susie. Entry of Susie Cross, dated July 4, 1889: Pa died a couple days ago. Not much of an Independence Day for me. At least I know he died rich. He told me the Federal men are still looking for the gold spike he stole when working on the transcontinental railroad 20 years ago. It was to be the last spike in the track and a symbol of the settlement of the west. Stashing it away was one of the first things he did when the house was completed. It is hidden in a false floor in the upper loft of the round barn.

Next, Lauren read the entries of Leonard and Victor Cross.

Entry of Leonard Cross, dated, June 12, 1919: Life has not been the same since the Great War ended. Victor moved off of the homestead to work a city job. That’s understandable as the world is changing. Before he left, he helped me move to a new hiding place a chest of silver nuggets that Dad accepted as payment for a huge parcel of land shortly before his death. Look in the basement closet. There is a false wall.

Entry of Victor Cross, dated March 3, 1925: It’s been a year since Leonard passed away. He was a leap year baby and died on his birthday. I’m the last of our immediate family as Mom died just before the turn of the century many years ago. She wanted to live to see the 1900s, but that is another story. What I want to say is this: Dad didn’t trust banks. Look for some very valuable stocks and bonds hidden in the wall behind the ice box in the kitchen.

Finally, Lauren read the entry of Edith Cross.

Entry of Edith Cross, dated January 31, 1936: There are a lot of people that don’t trust banks these days, but granddad never did trust them. Perhaps it was because he was a crook himself. So, if whoever finds this will lift the southeast corner floorboards in the old wash room, you will find a big box full of 100 and 500 dollar bills from the 1880s.

Lauren took a few moments to consider everything she had read. Finally, Marge asked, “Well, what do you think?”

Lauren smiled, “I believe I have some good news.”