[GEN0033]
City to Get Aztec Gold Treasure
   Under Will of Minor C. Keith
       -----------------
  Thie finest single collection of ancient
indian gold in the world, gathered from
the graves of buried kings, was be-
quethed to the American museum of
Natural History of New York in the
will of Minor C. Keith, railroad builder
and founder of the United Fruit Com-
pany.  The will was filed yesterday with
the Surrogate of Suffolk County, at
Riverhead, L. L.
   The disposition of the estate, which is
valued in the millions of dollars, lists
scores of bequests to relatives and
friends, but its most romantic item is
considered that which devises "my col-
lection of ancient gold" to the museum.
Back of that is a story of a civilization
a thousand years old, unearthed to an-
thropology as an artistic and scientific 
by-product of the banana industry.
  All that glitters is not gold, but
bananas, golden in color, have  inid-
rectly brought to New York its finest
gold collection.  Mr Keith, more than 
half a century ago, driving a railroad 
through the fever-laden jungles of
Cost Rica, and searching as he went
for swamps that might be converted
into fertile fruit plantations, stumbled
upon a discovery that has enriched the
archeology of the Western World.
   One night a tropical storm, sweep-
ing over his camp, uprooted a great
tree.  The next day, in examining the
earth that still clung to the upturned
roots, Mr. Keith's eye caught the glitter
of gold.  Upon examination, thirty
pieces of ancient gold handiwork were
found.  The great tree had grown over
the grave of some forgotten chieftan
and its roots had enmeshed the fu-
neral offerings.
  This gave him the clew, and later,
in clearing a plantation at Mercedes,
the remains of a prehistoric city were
found.  Mr. Keith, at his own expense,
explored hundreds of the stone-box
graves of the Indians who lived in what
was literally the golden age of Central
America, a civilization that flourished
and perished hundreds of years before
columbus discovered the so-called "New
World."
  Only a small percentage of the graves
contained gold.  Herbert J. Spinden, in
his authoritative article in "The Ameri-
can Museum Journal," surmises that
these were the tombs of kings and
chieftains.  It is evident that gold
established itself as a precious metal
among all early men of whatever
hemisphere.
    Mr. Keith's collection of gold is now
on exhibition at the museum.  It con-
sists of 7,000 pieces, more than 10,000
grams of pure virgin gold.  It gives an
idea, as no written account could, of
the richness and complexity of that
American civilization of a thousand
years ago.
   There are earrings, delicately de-
signed, representing various apparently
sacred animals, the monkey, the crocodile,
the tapir.  But the 100 per cent
American artists of that early day evi-
dently thought that an animal cling-
ing to the human ear lacked realism.
They accordingly provided tiny gold
____ in which the little aurean ani-
mals swing at ease, very much at home.
  Some of the little figures are
done with the utmost fidelity to form,
Others indicate that the art of caric-
ature was developed as highly as by
present-day artists.  The highly sacred
crocodile appears in a hundred forms,
often blended with some less holy
animal.

   Apparel Costly Then

  Apparel was apparently more costly
and elaborate among these early Cen-
tral Americans than among any known
European people of history.  Golden
Veils[?] of the hawk's bell type, enormous
corsets of thin beaten gold, great
golden butterlies and harpy eagles,
heavy golden and jade beads abound.
  One of the most delicately contrived
specimens in the collection is a huge
spider with egg ball attached.  The
whole is done with the utmost accu-
racy.  Scientists at the museum are
puzzled as to how artisans working
without metal tools could have pro-
duced such subtle masterpieces.  Per-
fect in form, unblemished by the cen-
turies, these little jewels of golden art
designed for the bodies and tombs of
kings rest in the museum cases, lighted
by windows which look out on New
York's skyscrapers.
   Another portion of Mr. Keith's will
which relates to his activities in Cen-
tral America is the clause which allots
20 percent of the revenue of the estat
to the establishment in Cost Rica of
"an educational, charitable or benevo-
lent institution.".  Details of this foun-
dation, which are to be worked out by
Mr. Keith's widow, Mrs. Christina Castro
Keith, and the other trustees, have not
yet been announced.  Mrs. Keith re-
ceives 30  per cent of the residue and
much of Mr. Keith's real property.

   Legacies Are Many

   Among the legacies are the following:
To each of the executors, Henry B.
  Price, Herman E. Willer, Henry H.
  Hanson and John B Pruyn.......... $25,000
To Robert Larson .................. $25,000
To  C. __ Stengel ................. $10,000
To John O'Donnel .................. $10,000
To Arthur McLaughlin ..............  $5,000
To Mrs. Edgar Montalegre .......... $10,000
To Consuelo Yglesias .............. $10,000
To Jennie Yglesias ................ $10,000
To James M. Motley ................ $20,000
To Aurelio Montalegre ............. $10,000
To Edward S. Hyde ................. $10,000
To Jennie Nelson .................. $10,000
To Marco Frenandez ................ $10,000
To Mrs. Florence Inman ............ $10,000
To Jane Ramsey ....................  $5,000
To Anna Brunjes ...................  $5,000
To Martin Whelen ..................  $3,000
To Anna Feuske ....................  $2,000
To Betty[?] P. Keith............... $75,000
To Margherita[?] de la Guardia .... $10,000
  The will also contains many bequests 
to relatives.