Reading Notes: More Lupin, Goemon, Kidd

The Mysterious Traveller - Lupin is in a train car with the wife of the director of the penitentiary service. Another man busts into the train car, and the woman is anxious and afraid. Her husband told her Lupin was on the train and she is sure it's him. The real Lupin dozes off and the other man attacks, gagging and tying his hands. He takes his wallet and the women's jewels and waits for the train to arrive. When it goes through a tunnel and slows for construction, he leaps from the train. Lupin gets the women to agree to pretend they know each other to convince the police to start looking for the escaped "Lupin" right away. He offers to go with them to help capture him.  After a long chase they split up in the woods, and Lupin catches the man, who turns out to be assassin Pierre Onfrey. he takes back his things and leaves the man incapacitated with the women's things nearby, and leaves. The newspapers say that "Arsene Lupin effected the arrest of Pierre Onfrey", and was responsible for the woman's things being returned.

The Way of The Ninja - Goemon - considered Japan's greatest thief in history. No teacher would admit to him being their student. Many claim he was born in the home of the ninja's, the Iga Province. Used ninja techniques to steal from others. Some think he was a samurai and became a thief after his father's assassination. Liked by commoners, compared to Robin Hood - stole from rich, gave to poor. 16the cen Edo era - huge class differences. Either super rich or a peasant, Goemon wanted to "iron out" the differences.

A respectful history of Ishikawa Goemon XIII - 20th cen, classic anime character - foe-turned-friend and long-time ally of master thief Arsene Lupin the third - 13th generation descendant of the legendary 16th century samurai-turned-bandit of the same name. his personal emotional pull between the nobility and dignity of the samurai and the stealth and banditry skills of the ninja is, I think, what originally drew him to the Lupin gang. Goemon's loyalty to Lupin is so strong that he withstands the most grueling torture rather than give any information on him to rivals.

The legend of the forty seven ronin is connected to Goemon as well.

(Photo from Spookhouse)

Charles Island: Connecticut's Buried Treasure Hunting Grounds -

Captain William Kidd, is known to have stopped along the Connecticut coast in Milford in 1699, shortly before he was captured in Boston, (later he was transported to England and hung for piracy in London). It's well documented that Kidd had a full cargo of booty in his ship when he stopped in Milford and that he buried treasure before leaving Long Island Sound at Gardiners Island. What's not known is if he buried all his treasure at Gardiners Island. Later, Kidd would claim that the treasure found was only part of his stash and that if he was not executed he would lead authorities to the rest and give it to the English Crown.
Connecticut tradition holds that before he sailed out of Milford he buried much of his treasure on Charles Island. Over the years many have tried to locate the treasure but according to local lore Captain Kidd's ghost protects it and the stash is haunted.
The island is often accessible from the main land at low tide via a half mile sandbar
the sandbar is flooded twice a day and the crossing window is usually brief and sometimes does not occur at all, a fact which has left many would be pirate hunters temporarily marooned on the island over the years. Silver Sands Park officials also warn that the sandbar is slippery and dangerous to cross on foot and advise boating to the island instead
The island is designated a Natural Area Preserve for the local bird population of herons and egrets and the Department of Environmental Protection prohibits visitors on the island for much of the summer, so schedule your treasure hunting expedition for the fall or spring.

Note: If I end up visiting my mom in CT for spring break, I am totally going to look for treasure here! 

I think it would be fun for Skull's story to involve either looking for or burying treasure at the beach.