Treasure hunt halted as possible prank

SPRINGFIELD, Illinois - An Illinois woman who set out on a treasure hunt for buried gold coins after finding a cryptic note in an antique rocking chair may have been the victim of a prolific prankster who died more than 30 years ago. Patty Henken recently tore up a vacant lot where a typewritten note signed by “Chauncey Wolcott” - found in an old chair she bought at auction - suggested she would find $250 in U.S. gold coins. An Iowa woman who read news accounts of the hunt said she knows Wolcott’s true identity: John “Jay” Slaven, a notorious practical joker and coin collector who often used a typewriter in his pranks.....More