From Staff Reports

While most folks were sound asleep Sunday morning, David Small, Jr. was hot on the trail of treasure, and he only needed the last clue to find what had eluded everyone else – a treasure box with a certificate inside worth $1,000.

Small, of Valley Grande, was the lucky winner of The Selma Times-Journal’s annual “Hunt,” and received the $1,000 prize. Clues were printed each week in the newspaper, leading to the location of the box containing the certificate, which was hidden off of a dirt road in West Dallas County near the intersection of county road 209 and county road 214.

All Small needed was the last clue, which was in the July 4 edition.

“I was standing out in front of [the newspaper] at 3 a.m. waiting for them to put the papers in the box so I could buy one,” Small said. “After I read the clue, I still didn’t know exactly where it was, but I clocked my mileage from the stop sign at Hwy. 214 and stopped right in front of it. I looked on the left side of the road first, and then checked on the right side of the road and found it behind a tree.”

Small, who said the treasure box was covered with spider webs and ants, said he’d followed the clues from the beginning, but it wasn’t until the eighth or ninth clue that he realized directions, sort of a road map, were being given.

“The ‘Dirty Harry’ clue (Dirty Harry points the way, with a tool that gives him much sway) told me it was county road 44 and the valentine clue (…Give your heard all year and not just for one day of candy temptation.) I knew that was a clue for county road 214.”

Clues to the contest were printed in the newspaper and were also placed inside on special placards inside local businesses that sponsored the contest. The “Hunt’s” sponsors were KFC, Moore-Stewart Ford, Crossroads Exxon, Church’s Chicken, Victor Nissan and Jewelry Kingdom.

“This contest is always so much fun and creates such a buzz in the community,” said Times-Journal publisher Dennis Palmer.” You can’t imagine the number of phone calls we receive and people who try to ply us for clues. We even had a list of clues get taken from one of the sponsors.”

Palmer said he’d like to thank al the sponsors who participated and said he’s looking forward to the next Hunt.

“We’re thinking about doubling the treasure next time and also giving away a lot more than cash,” he said. “But I’m not going to say any more, you’re going to have to wait until then to find out the details.”