LOST TREASURE USA THE TREASURE HUNTER

PRIZE WINNERS FOR MARCH !: If you receive this newsletter you are registered in ALL prize drawings---held each month. The prizes for March are some great books:
(1)   BURIED TREASURES YOU CAN FIND by Robert Marx---WINNER: #700--- ecastro111@hotmail.com
(2)   DUST IN THE WIND--A GUIDE TO AMERICAN GHOST TOWNS by Gary B. Speck---WINNER: #1400--- kc3488@excite.com
(3)   TREASURE RECOVERY FROM SAND & SEA by Charles Garrett---WINNER: #2100---rbanders@info-link.net
   WINNERS: Please email me your mailing address and I'll ship your prize ASAP ! Three more prizes ( for the May 1st drawing ) will be announced in the next newsletter.

HERE'S A GOOD ONE: I've added this link ( www.dmoz.org/Recreation/Outdoors/metal_detecting/ ) to my personal Favorites list and ALSO to the LINKS page on my website.
   There are 226 links on, or about, metal detecting: chats, forums, directories, help, sales, tutorials, magazines and e-zines, organizations and personal pages.

SUMMER ADS: In an effort to boost awareness (and number of readers!) of this newsletter, and my website, I will be running small ads in June, July, and August in the two leading "treasure" magazines: LOST TREASURE and WESTERN AND EASTERN TREASURES. By increasing readership, I can attract more authors to submit MORE stories---for YOUR reading pleasure. YOU can help by forwarding this newsletter to your metal detecting buddies, forums, chats, newsletters, websites, etc.   THANKS !!

BOOKS FOR SALE: In the next month, or so, I hope to have a "STOREFRONT" on my website to sell lots of books and other treasure-related items. As a "jump-start" for that site, I'd like to sell a few (15) books NOW at some GREAT prices, while I wait for that part of the website to be completed and credit card acceptance software installed, etc. Check out BOOKS on my website at www.LostTreasureUSA.com . I offer FREE shipping and handling, plus discounts for multiple book orders! BEST prices anywhere---let me know if you ever see a better price and I will BEAT it !

MISC. PIRATE STUFF: From the "NO QUARTER GIVEN" pirate website: "Greetings to ya one and all. Pull up a rum keg, and set a spell. This be the NO QUARTER GIVEN website, the source fer all things piratical. NO QUARTER GIVEN is the clearinghouse for those interested in pirates, privateers, and nautical history. We bring you the history, lore, romance, and sheer adventure of being' a pirate or privateer."
www.noquartergiven.net/

Why did divers wear an earring and stone in their left ear ? Back in the days before modern diving equipment came into being, all divers wore one gold earring with a big jewel attached. The purpose of this was that in case a diver was drowned on the bottom, the man who went down and brought the body to the surface got the earring and jewel.
   Most divers didn't want their body left below to be eaten by the fishes, so this custom got started as an incentive for going down and getting the body of dead divers. This was one of those strange customs of the sea of which there were many.
PIRATE CODE OF CONDUCT
   Taken from the book by Dr. E. Lee Spence (Shipwrecks, Pirates, & Privateers, page 44) ---from the August 8, 1723 BOSTON NEWSLETTER:
1. The Captain is to have two full Shares; The Master is to have one share and one half; The Doctor, Mate, Gunner and Boatswain, one share one Quarter.
2. He that shall be found guilty of taking up any unlawful weapon on board the Privateer or any other prize by us taken, so as to strike or abuse one another in any regard, shall suffer what punishment the Captain and Majority of the company shall think fit.
3. He that be found guilty of cowardice in the time of engagement shall suffer what punishment the Captain and Majority of the company shall think fit.
4. If any Gold, jewels, silver, etc. be found on board of any prize or prizes to the value of eight, & the finder does not deliver it to the Quarter Master in the space of 24 hours, shall suffer what punishment the Captain and Majority of the company shall think fit.
5. He that is found guilty of Gaming, or defrauding one another to the value of a Ryal of Plate (12.5 cent), shall suffer what punishment the Captain and Majority of the company shall think fit.
6. He that shall have the Misfortune to lose a limb in the time of engagement shall have the sum of six hundred pieces of eight; and remain aboard as long as he shall think fit.
7. Good Quarters to be given when craved.
8. He that sees a sail first shall have the best pistol or small arm aboard her.
9. He that shall be guilty of drunkenness in time of engagement shall suffer what punishment the Captain and Majority shall think fit.
10. NO SNAPPING OF ARMS IN THE HOLD.

TOM BERRY'S GOLD COFFIN by L. Frank Hudson (1985)
   Tom Berry, or whatever his name really was, had been one of Jean LaFitte's Captains, in command of one of LaFitte's ships. In 1821 the U.S., along with six other nations, decided to eliminate pirates from the sea, once and for all. War was declared on all pirates and with the Navy on the job; pirates were hung on the spot without ever seeing the inside of a court room, because the court would hang them anyway. Naval men took the attitude of why bother bringing them in to be hanged, instead do it on the spot. Get it over with.
   When this happened, most pirates decided to give it up and go into other more healthy lines of work. So, Tom and his crew gathered their ill-gotten gains, which were split up, with him taking the biggest share. So, with a half dozen negro slaves and several trusted crew members, he retired to a sizable plantation up the Mississippi River at Helena, Arkansas where he lived the life of a country gentleman. One thing that went with him was his share of the ill-gotten loot, some millions in gold, which he buried in the basement of his house.
   He bought a large tract of land, along with several hundred negro slaves, which he put to work clearing the land and putting it under cultivation. Having been a stickler for rules aboard ship he became a hard task master for his slaves and became noted for his cruelty. The whipping post was always red with blood. He took great delight in whipping his slaves. He branded all with hot irons, with his seal, to show that they were his property.
   His slaves naturally hated him and cursed the day that they became his property. As soon as slave children became old enough to leave their mothers he sold them, as he was a firm believer in slaves as property, and felt no families should be allowed.
   Before he died, he had his gold melted down and made into a gold coffin and stated in his will that no one would ever get his gold, but he himself, and that his body, upon death, was to be placed in this gold coffin and buried in the specified place and that the coffin was to be covered with wet cement.
   When he died in the 1840s his wishes were carried out to the detail and he was buried in grand style in his golden coffin, which in return had wet cement poured over it to prevent someone from stealing his gold in its last resting place.
   Several treasure hunters have attempted to excavate this coffin for the gold in the past, but each time Tom's ghost appears to run them off. Many people today say that Tom's ghost haunts the nearby large plantation house and runs those away who come to look for his treasure.

SHAMROCK, TEXAS: (From a March 1st email I received): HI, I just read your email newsletter. This is great; I think everyone will enjoy it. I have a story that you have never read in a treasure book. It was told to me years ago, by my dad.
   Belle Starr had a son that was a friend to a man named Dad Caldwell. Dad Caldwell told my dad this story.
   Belle Starr and her gang had robbed a bank somewhere in Kansas. They camped on the Canadian River just north of where the town of Shamrock, Texas is today. There is a large cave on the north side of the Canadian River, large enough to put a wagon and team in. This cave is down river from the bridge. The boy said they put all of the money on a blanket in this cave. Then they went down to an old store, that was down the river a ways, run by a guy they called Polecat Jim, and got a pot to put the money in. Belle Starr sent out a lookout, while she and two others took the cash downriver to the first draw that ran into the Canadian River. The boy said they were not gone over thirty minutes. He also said they had a bunch of pennies that they kept and he did not know why.
   My dad and Dad Caldwell looked for this and so have I. There are a lot of little holes in that limestone area. And some big Rattlesnakes. There is a hole that goes down in the big cave. I have been down in it. It is very small, a person has to crawl. I was young back then and not very smart. I don't think it would be wise to do that again. Anyway, that is what I was told. If you want to use it, that is fine with me. I hope someone can find it. LUTHER BRINES

THE LUE MAP: The first time I saw the LUE map was in a 1972 edition of Karl Von Mueller's TREASURE HUNTER MANUAL #7. It appears in the photo section between pages 110 and 111.
   The LUE treasure ( and I'm assuming there is one ! ) is one of the most intriguing and mysterious of all lost treasure stories, and it may be one of the richest. It's name is coined from the first three words that appear on the map: Lloro, Urraca, Enterrari.
   I've heard rumors that the map appeared in publications BEFORE 1972, but I've spent lots of hours looking and could not find anything. If you know of any earlier publication ( and have a copy ), please contact me.
   I believe I have read all of the theories about the LUE and they seem to all fall in four categories: (1) KVM made it up, either as a joke---or to sell more books, (2) the treasure is of Spanish origin, (3) the treasure is of Nazi German origin, (4) it is KGC. I choose number 4.
I have spent very little time studying the puzzle, but I'm guessing it will be solved in either of three ways ( or a combination of ways ): algebraic, geometric, or geographically.
   I am ALWAYS interested in obtaining copies of any information on this story. Please send me what you have. Here are 4 sites to visit, to get some opinions on the LUE:
http://www.otherplane.com/treas/thmlue.htm
www.maphist.nl/ill/1998417.htm
www.otherplane.com/accounts/th/rabiglue.htm
www.treasuremaster.com/treasure/Lue.html

OAK ISLAND MONEY PIT: Nova Scotia. For about 200 years people have wondered what could be so valuable that someone would go through all of the effort to bury it over 150 feet deep with lots of booby traps.
   The best websites, that I am aware of, that will educate you about Oak Island and it's Money Pit are at:
www.activemind.com/Mysterious/Topics/OakIsland/
www.oakislandtreasure.com/
   In January 1988 an article appeared in "HIDDEN WEALTH" (written by L. Frank Hudson) that "solved" the mystery of Oak Island's Money Pit.
THE OAK ISLAND TREASURE VAULT
   Some years ago I was retained, by a group from Canada, to see what I could find out about the Oak Island treasure location from archives. So, I went where the rest should have started, but didn't. To the French Archives in Paris.
   Had the others, who have been digging in the booby-trapped shaft for more than 200 years, done what I did, they would have gotten into a dry treasure vault instead of a flooded one. There the papers were the engineer's original drawings of the vault, the flood tunnels, the intake, the water bypass---or way in. Plus, the original manuscripts of those who built the vault and hid the treasure. A complete inventory of the treasure in the vault---it was all there. But, over the years no one had taken the time to look for it.
   The right way in, before everything was so messed up, was to go to a large oak tree with a dagger carved in, sticking straight up. Cut the tree down and get the roots out. Then dig down to a large flat heart-shaped stone that the tree had been resting on. Get the stone out. Below it was a stone-lined shaft going straight down. Put a man down by rope. At the bottom was a large elbow. Walk down that tunnel and it would haven taken them straight into the vault. This was called "The Way In”. It was so simple, but those not knowing, tried going in the wrong way and got flooded.
   However, we are ahead of ourselves and we will now discuss the story behind its being built. In the year 1641 a French Count living in Bordoux, France received a letter from his cousin, the King, saying that he had his choice of either quitting the Huguenot religion, and return to the true Church---or else leave France and never return. He had one year to make his decision. So, the Count called a meeting of his fellow Huguenots, all of whom had received the same message. By mutual consent they all started to turn their property and other assets into cash. The Count had a secret room in his castle that was filled with vast amounts of gold and silver, in various forms, that had been acquired by financing pirates in the Mediterranean Sea, to the south. Several others were also involved in the pirate financing venture, and also had treasure vaults of their own. They were only too happy to join the Count in his new venture, since they were all Huguenots and had all received the same ultimatum: return to the Catholic Church or leave the country.
   In October 1641 two heavily-laden ships sailed from the port of Bordoux and headed out to sea, for the New World, where they founded a colony in what is now Haiti. After building the first treasure vault, and putting part of the loot inside, they were soon fighting among themselves and the Count got in his own ship and headed north for what was then called New France, but is now called Nova Scotia. Here they built a fort, on what is now called Oak Island, and a village was established. They started work on the vault.
   A French military engineer accompanied them to the site from France---to plan and then direct construction of the vault. Once the plans were complete, he returned to France on the ship to obtain supplies for the project. When he returned, early the next year, he (in addition to construction material) brought 30 miners from Alsace and Lorraine to build the tunnels and the vault.
   One thing that has always been a mystery to most people was the why of numerous cannons lying around the site. These were part of the fort that was built to guard construction while the vault was being built. The fort was manned by 30 French soldiers, who later returned to France when construction was finished. The miners, when their job was finished, were all killed and their bodies were left in the vault and on the sides of the vault. They were covered over with fill dirt when the hole was finally filled in and the work below covered over.
   The last part to be filled in was the booby-trapped hole. This remained open for some time, after actual construction was over, and it was down this shaft that the loot was lowered in by way of a strong "A"-frame over its top. Large buckets, filled with loot, were lowered in using block and tackle. Negro slaves, brought from the West Indies, were used for this work and when finished, they were shipped back and sold to planters. There was no danger of them talking, as they were from Africa and couldn't speak French as yet. Besides: who would listen to a slave?
   One year after the execution of the King of France in 1789, a ship mysteriously sailed away from the north coast of France with the French Crown Jewels on board. After sailing, it was never to be seen in French waters again. These were taken to Oak Island and put down in the vault through the water bypass. At the time the tree was small and was easy to get off, and then put back, after the jewels were safely hidden. In those days the vault was dry.
   It wasn't until much later that the booby-trapped hole was violated, causing the vault to become flooded.
   After the job was completed, the Count built himself a nice mansion in what is now Halifax, Nova Scotia.   (the end)

THE BEALE TREASURE CODES: "Legend has it that Thomas Beale hid a treasure worth over $20 million in the hills of Bedford, Virginia in 1823. Find it, and the treasure could be yours. At the heart of this legend is a set of three coded letters. Once deciphered, these letters are said to reveal the secret location." From: www.fox.com/mdmystery/104/treasure.htm
   Check out the above site for more details on this treasure, and ALSO check out this one: www.roanokeva.com/stories/beale.html
   This is a good story. Even Mel Fisher, famed ATOCHA treasure-ship finder, visited the area and dug around (with BIG equipment) for a few days!

17 TONS OF GOLD: There is a great story about 17 tons of gold bars being buried in northwestern New Mexico.
   One of my favorite websites carries the complete story. Most published stories put the treasure near Shiprock, NM and claim it is still cached. Personally, I don't think it was ever NEAR Shiprock and I believe it has been recovered. Read the story and see what YOU think: www.treasurehuntersuniversity.com/tons.html

KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (KGC): This is my FAVORITE treasure story!
KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN CIRCLE: A Civil War organization which one hardly hears of any more. However, there is firm evidence that the now-disbanded group of Confederate sympathizers collected and secreted millions of dollars in gold, silver and currency with the avowed objective of continuing the Civil War until the South was victorious.
   The group was active from the Civil war until it was disbanded in 1916. Or was it really disbanded?
   Many authorities claim that there are HUNDREDS of treasure caches left by the KGC---for us to find.
   There is WAY too much info for me to put into this small newsletter, but I can point you in the right direction to learn everything you would want to know about the KGC and the secret organization that hid BILLIONS of dollars in hidden loot---in many states.
   To learn a LOT about the history of the KGC go to: www.GOOGLE.com and type Knights of the Golden Circle in their search window. Then, just go to the websites listed there. The first 20 websites should be enough background info for you.
   In the 1980s Howard Duffy wrote a few great articles for the treasure magazines that were very detailed accounts of the KGC. Those articles are worth reading!
   In the April 22, 1973 issue of the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, a report by Del Schrader under the headline "$100 Billion in Treasure--The Search for Rebel Gold" appeared. $100 Billion Dollars? WOW!
   A few years back a friend of mine, Hillbilly Bob Brewer, posted quite a bit of informational posts on the old Treasure Net forum. I'm glad I printed out everything! I consider Hillbilly to be the world "expert" on the KGC.
   If you have any stories about searching for KGC loot---please email me at: LostTreasureUSA1@AOL.COM
   Amazon Books is taking early orders for Hillbilly Bob Brewer's upcoming book (320 pages) ---out in June. It is published by Simon & Schuster. Cost: $16.10, and MY order is in! “SHADOW OF THE SENTINEL: ONE MAN'S QUEST TO FIND THE HIDDEN TREASURE OF THE CONFEDERACY" ( Click here to order )
   On February 25th someone had a soft cover Advance Reading Copy (ARC) of Brewer's book for sale on EBAY. Arcs are printed in limited numbers and intended for the media and book trade--for reviews. They are not intended for re-sale and the listing was yanked by EBAY---probably after a complaint from the publisher?
   Well, anyway---I had printed off a copy of that EBAY page that day, because it had an interesting introduction to the book---presumably from the book itself: I quote---" This is the story of Bob Brewer's discovery of the mysterious world of the Knights of the Golden Circle and the secret society that guarded its carefully buried treasure across the South and the West.
   For decades, Bob Brewer has researched and explored the legacy of the Knights of the Golden Circle, a Civil War-era underground organization that hid gold coins, and other treasure, in hopes of someday financing a second war of rebellion. Brewer's quest began when he discovered that his great uncle and uncle had been sentinels, men whose mission was to guard the buried treasure from intruders. This closed society of sentinels relied on a system of codes and symbols, drawn largely from Masonic ritual, to identify one another and the secret burial sites.
   SHADOW OF THE SENTINEL describes how Brewer finally cracked the elaborate code to identify treasure sites across the South and West---and eventually to recover caches of gold coins. It illuminates the clandestine history of the KGC and sheds light on the notorious Jesse James, providing fascinating evidence that James' legendary train robberies were in fact performed on behalf of the KGC. Interweaving Brewer's compelling personal story with that of his Arkansas forebears, SHADOW OF THE SENTINEL is a rousing and provocative adventure that transports us into a shadowy world as it reveals a little-known episode in American history."
   Sounds great to me! I can't wait until the book is public, so I can discuss it with any readers that are interested in this story.
:
La PIEDRA BLANCA: Santa Cruz County, Arizona: Highway 19, south of Tucson, crosses into Santa Cruz County and continues south to the International border with Mexico. Both Apache and white cultures tell tales of the lost treasures of La Piedra Blanca. From the Mexican border, proceeding five miles north to the Pete Kitchen Ranch, Highway 19 has a bloody history of ambush, robbery and murder.
   Apache oral history tells of how raids were made on the white man's pack trains, many laden with gold. The old legend claims La Piedra Blanca (the white stone) is either the burial site, or a "marker", which points to the burial site of the white man's gold. Apache history tells of how they made raids on similar travelers dating back two centuries, and states any caches made were done within a short distance of the attack.
   In his book, THE TRAILS OF PETE KITCHEN, by Col. Gil Proctor, he re-tells the Indian legend. Proctor owned the Pete Kitchen Ranch until his death in 1972, and claimed he had located a rock marker, in the shape of an arrow, pointing into the surrounding hills. Proctor stated, it just came to him one day...that the huge rock formation, just fifty feet from his front door, was indeed shaped like an arrow which he'd never considered before, since the stone formation was of "gigantic size." Further research, and an end to this tale, will appear in the October, 2003 issue of LOST TREASURE MAGAZINE. submitted by:   Anthony Belli (The Hangman)   EldoradoHangman@yahoo.com

GOT A STORY TO SHARE?: Just email me your short story & I'll get it published! Thanks!!

NEXT ISSUE: In Issue # 4 (April 15th) I'll have some info on: Montezuma's Treasure, the Peralta Maps & Mines, and the Lost Dutchman Mine!!

IN CONCLUSION: Well, there you have it! The third newsletter comes to an end. If you missed the first two newsletters, they can be found on my website (in the archives), clicking here: NEWSLETTER ------Watch for issue #4 in your email mailbox on April 15th.

DEDICATION: Each issue of this newsletter (and my website!) is dedicated to the BEST treasure that I ever found: my wonderful wife, TARA. Without her support I could not be doing this project. She sacrifices a lot, so that I can enjoy this hobby of mine. I thank her a lot, but maybe you would ALSO like to thank her? Any emails for TARA can be sent to: HOLYTARA2001@AOL.COM:She won't be able to answer them, but I know she would appreciate hearing from some of my readers. THANKS!!

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