In the 1860’s the Hill family had migrated to the Ozark National Forest area in search of a legendary hidden Spanish treasures tucked away in the banks of the Mulberry River near Cass.
Just a few miles north of Ozark in rough and rugged terrain, the evidence must have been compelling to invest the type of money the Louisiana Mining Company pledged, not to mention enticing a man to take his family to live in such an isolated and uninhabited landscape.
The treasure is rumored to be worth millions in gold, silver, and jewels... a treasure stashed in the hillside for safe-keeping by Spanish explorers that were never capable of coming back and retrieving it, for whatever reason.
The Spanish were known to have explored and wintered in the the Cass, Mulberry, and Ozark area and many stories of hidden treasures still circulate. It has been said that even DeSoto traveled up the Mulberry River during his exploration into the region.
The Hill brothers were led by Dr. Tobb Hill and he believed, with all his heart, the treasure was there for the finding. The brothers were said to be hard-working and strongly motivated by the dream of finding the treasure but others soon heard of the rumor and appear in the area with totally different motivations.
The mines are located off Hwy 23 and the Hills spent years hand digging and excavating, Spanish petroglyphs and the mine entrances are still there today.
The Hill family had children and were doing their best to farm and support their young families. R.W. and Mary were no different and had to farm to feed themselves.
R W was the dynamite man for the mine and he worked daylight until dark as did the other men, In order for the women to maintain a farm they often hired farm helpers and bringing in unknown men to entrust with your family and livelihood turned out to be a fatal mistake for R.W and Mary Hill.
Two farm helpers, Bill Chinouth and Joe Forbush, decided there was an easier way to make money than farming for the Hill family and they concocted an evil and ill-prepared plan.
The two men decidedn to kidnap little Deny Hill, the small daughter of R.W and Mary and while everyone is searching for the lost child, their intent was to rob the unattended homes in the community.
Sometime in mid-1870, the two outlaws took the little girl to the Mulberry River where they tied her up and attached rocks to her so she could not get up and run.
They placed next to the Mulberry River with and returned to the Hills' homestead. The women had already discovered the little girl was missing and had summoned the men from the mine to rush back to help search for little Deny.
The two robbed the homes and stashed what they could find nearby but decided if they didn't join the search party it would make people suspicious of them. Everything to this point indicated the two men didn’t have a well laid-out plan and were now in panic mode for fear of being caught
During the ensuing serach, little Deny's lifeless body was discovered just below the surface of the water, on her back, still bound, and weighted down with rocks.
Her beautiful blue eyes were open and looking up through the water at her distraught family.
The two outlaws must have been a little shocked the small child had slipped down into the Mulberry River and, with being bound plus weighted down, she couldn't pull herself back up out of the water.
The kidnappers panicked and ran, but it didn't take long for the small community of men to catch up with them and take them back.
This is where part of the story becomes a little unclear but there are a few details that are carved in stone... figuratively and literally.
Some accounts recalled the men were taken straight to the “Hanging Tree” just west of the Redding Community along the road and strung up and hung on the spot.
Other accounts state the sheriff took them in but feared for their safety. During transport they tried to escape and the sheriff had to shoot both of them.
Since the sheriff and R.W. Hill had become good friends, either story could be correct.
Little Deny Hill was laid to rest in the Hill Family Cemetery in the Redding area and the names of the monsters who murdered her are etched in her headstone for the world to remember.
One stone -- with a sweet and innocent child's name etched on one side and the names of two evil creatures etched on the other.
And more than 155 years later, a sweet, blue-eyed baby girl rest in forever peace in the Ozark National Forest.
