This story appears in the book “Ghosts of the Carolinas” by Nancy Roberts, but it’s not the first time I’ve heard of the alleged missing treasure.
Reportedly, during the Civil War, a Union soldier in the Battle of Morris Island named Yokum was dispatched to relocate people living on Morris Island to Port Royal. When Yokum spoke to an older black woman who had lived on the island, she told the young Union soldier that pirates had buried six treasure chests somewhere on Morris Island.
Supposedly, the pirate captain had stabbed one of his men and covered the buried chests of gold with his lifeless body before covering them, and even told Yokum that the treasure was still there. Still, no one would dare go near the trees because the pirate’s ghost kept watch over the hidden treasure.
Yokum couldn’t resist what the older lady had told him, so late that night, he and another, Lt. Hatcher, left camp in search of the treasure. The wind began to kick up, and a howl like a hurricane was fast approaching. Lightning lit the sky as they made their way. Lighting flashed again, and the pair saw the figure of the ghostly pirate, instantly dropping their shovels and fleeing the scene.
Some 50 years later, Yokum allegedly retold the story at a veteran’s reunion.
Written By: John G. Clark Jr.
