The reports of the massive treasure would consume his marriage and eventually his life, and mysteries around the treasure persist to this day (via Legends of America). They insisted they were photographed, finger printed, harassed and not al lowed to go near the search area. It was on Nov. 7, we had 11 families on a hunting trip and I was doing the cooking, she said in an interview at her daughter's home in Clovis, N. M. She said her husband, called Doc, had come back, to the camp that night and secretly told her of lowering himself with ropes down a crevice on Victoria Peak into caverns laden with coins, jewelry, guns, swords, letters, 27 human skeletons, and hundreds of metal bars that turned out to be gold. They even brought in their own security guards, he added. Treasure Net Forum We all dream of stumbling onto a map or riddle that will lead us on an adventure to find a treasure of glittering gold and jewels, but most of those tales only exist in bedtime stories and movies. That I had known E.M. Guthrie for about three years prior to this meeting and knew him to be the husband of Letha Guthrie, stepdaughter of Milton Ernest Doc Noss. He also told his wife that there were enough gold and silver coins to load 60 to 80 mules.. His main source of income cut off, and his marriage to Babe already deteriorated, Noss was desperate to sell his remaining gold bars on the black market. Suddenly, a host of people surfaced to lay claims on the legendary gold treasure. Instead, it has a "gross receipts tax." This is a tax levied on the business rather than the consumer, like in most states. The future economic potential will depend upon the discovery of large-volume, medium-grade deposits that can be mined by bulk-mining methods. The deposits generally occur in Late Tertiary- to Holocene-age alluvial fan deposits, bench or terrace gravel deposits, river-bars, and stream deposits or as residual placers formed directly on top of lode deposits typically derived from Proterozoic, Cretaceous, and Tertiary source rocks. Peering into the darkness, Doc saw an old man-made shaft with a thick, wooden pole attached at one side. Ova Noss, her two sons, Harold and Marvin, and her two daughters, Letha and Dorothy, helped Doc in the strenuous task of removing the bars, one at a time, from the depths of the peak. A number of sources also independently named Major General John G. Shinkle, the commander of White Sands Missile Range from June 1960 to July 1962, as knowing about the movement of tons of gold from Victorio Peak. After the death of Doc Noss, Ova and her family continued efforts to regain access to the big treasure room. They believe that sophisticated equipment like devices to take soundings showing whether there are underground caves will help this search succeed where other ventures failed. ", According to the family, Mr. Noss took some gold bars when he found the cavern in 1937, and planned to return for the rest. However, it was a slow process, and in 1955, the White Sands Missile Range unexpectedly expanded their operations to encompass the Hembrillo Basin. But the expedition soon went broke, and the Army declared that it would allow no more searches. MEXICO CITY A new scientific analysis of a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City reveals it was part of the plunder Spanish conquerors tried to carry away . A deal with a man named Charlie Ryan went south, and Noss was gunned down. This was shortly before a much-publicized expedition, entitled Operation Goldfinder, took place at the site in March 1977. The buying entity was a Middle Eastern principal, Shriver said. It would also explain the presence of the Wells Fargo bags, packsaddles, letters, and other artifacts dating to Victorios time. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. A small town was built near the place As Doc continued to explore the side caverns, he found a hoard of treasure, including coins, jewels, saddles, and priceless artifacts, including a gold statue of the Virgin Mary. The. Case In 1958, Leonard V. Fiege, then an Air Force captain stationed at nearby Holloman Air: Force Base, and three other men, contended that while deer hunting they found a cave filled with gold bars. The peak, named after a 19th century Apache war chief, apparently served as a repository for immense quantities of gold mined centuries ago by Spaniards and Indians and smelted into tens of thousands of crudely formed bars. The three men had been on a hunting party when McDonald, who reportedly had imbibed several cans of beer, began talking freely about a huge stash of gold. He was shot to death in 1949, but his first wife, Mrs. Ova Noss, now 77years old, insists she was with him. And a fourth story, pieced together recently by Howard Bryan, a reporter for The Albuquerque Tribune, centers on another Apache war chief named Victorio. Two airmen from nearby Holloman Air Force Base would later say that they had found the gold cavern from another natural opening in the side of the peak. Later, some researchers would conclude that the shaft was the same as the Lost Padre Mine used by Padre LaRue in the late 1700s, then later used again by Chief Victorio to store his stolen goods. That after he had been beaten to death, according to the information I received, his body was put back into his car, the car was doused with kerosene or gasoline, and then set aflame.. The major took the bar and told Porter to check back with him in a few days. . Floyd and his friend Pat were getting ready to look for treasure in an area where Pat found found three old metal bars in a cave on the old Spanish trail in New Mexico. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. The 1.93-kilogram bar was found by a construction worker during excavations for a new building along the Alameda, a picturesque park in the heart of the Mexican capital. At one time, he brought out a crown, which contained 243 diamonds and one pigeon-blood ruby. The gold was supposedly removed from the cave and sent to Fort Knox. A gold bar found in a Mexico City park in 1981 was part of the Aztec treasure looted by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago, a new study says. Noss divorced her, charging desertion. The men believed that Porters friend was in a good position to help arrange an official government expedition to claim the gold. In 1961, he returned to the desert and claims to have found 10 . Ova convinced Doc to return to the big cave and bring one of the heavy bars back up. CNN Almost four decades ago, a gold bar was found on land that used to be Aztec ruins in Mexico. According to the security guard, Johnson and Connally headed a team which brought in sophisticated excavation equipment to remove gold from the peak, the most modern Ive ever seen, he said. He said I'll get F.D.R. Later, the wealth in the cave would be calculated to be worth more than two billion dollars. In the Fall of 1939, Doc wanted to enlarge the passageway into Victorio Peak so that the treasures could be more easily removed. Seventy-nine skeletons were described in an adjacent cavern. In December 1961, General Shinkle shut down the operation and excluded anyone from entering the base who was not directly engaged in the missile research activities. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. According to Atkins son, John, Holmes possessed key materials which were being used to press the Army into allowing Atkins and Holmes access to Victorio Peak. The cast of characters ranges from John W. Dean 3d to Geronimo and the vocabulary is marked by double as a prefixas in doublecross, doubletalk and doubledealing. By completing a chemical analysis and determining the particle morphology of placer gold collected from these districts using an electron microprobe, patterns in the chemical signatures from each location can be used to examine chemical variability (1) within the individual placer gold particles, (2) within the same district and (3) among different districts. Denied entry by the courts until legalities could determine the legal owner of the mine; Doc feared Ryan would back out of the deal. Montgomery, the two went into the mountain to blast out the shaft. And for good reason. Mr. Bryan, The Albuquerque Tribune writer, said he had gone through a chunk of Mr. Johnson's memorabilia recently and found both the censored and uncensored drafts of the report. Possession of gold was against the law at the time, and the men reasoned that the bar would provide evidence to bring about an authorized, legal expedition to remove the vast quantity of gold. Sensing a double-cross by Ryan, Doc dug up the gold that was to be used in the exchange and reburied it in a place where Ryan was unaware. Doc filled his pockets with gold coins, grabbed a couple of jeweled swords, and laboriously returned to Babe waiting anxiously at the surface. Reaching down, he could not budge it, but after digging around the rock, he got his hands under it. A new scientific analysis of a large gold bar found decades ago in downtown Mexico City reveals it was part of the plunder Spanish conquerors tried to carry away as they fled the Aztec capital . Six men who worked with Doc in removing the gold C.D. Did they even exist at all? Ova Noss, Leonard Fiege and others dont listen when they are told to shut up and they pay the price. [7], Theories abound on the origins of the alleged treasure, including that it was pilfered from Mexico during the reign of the Austrian puppet Emperor Maximilian, or through collusion between Pancho Villa and Germany prior to World War I.[8]. After much searching, he finally found a small iron bar to carry back through the narrow passageway. By this time, Babes story had spread across the nation, profiled in several magazines and newspapers. 2003-2008 Church of Scientology International. Letha Guthrie, Ovas eldest daughter from a previous marriage, described the next few years as a very happy time for the Noss family, one of simple, hard work with a bright, limitless future. All told, he reportedly found 27 human skeletons in the caverns of the mountain. Estimates vary on the number of bars removed, ranging up to 350 or so. In the meantime, Mrs. Noss said her spies, illegally visited the peak and found military men excavating it. Shriver also said that he had copies of other presidential messages, several initialed by LBJ, dealing with the clandestine, illegal removal of the gold. History [ edit] Doc Noss The treasure was allegedly found in 1937 by American businessman and gold prospector Milton Ernest "Doc" Noss. When he reached the surface, he told Babe, This is the last one of them babies Im gonna bring out. However, when Babe rolled the bar over, she noticed a yellow gleam where the gravel of the hillside had scratched off centuries of black grime. After telling her what he had seen and shown her the loot, she insisted he go back into the mine for one of the iron bars. About $250,000 was spent, core holes were drilled, seismic tests were taken, and nothing was found. Reached for comment in Cocoa Beach, Florida, General Shinkle adamantly denied any knowledge of the gold and refused to comment at all on the story. A gold bar found in a Mexico City park in 1981 was part of the Aztec treasure looted by Hernan Cortes and the Spanish conquistadors 500 years ago, a new study says. They also were given and passed lie detector tests. There is evidence to indicate that many gold bars were removed from Victorio Peak a short time after Lynn Porter brought the bar to the Fort Bliss provost marshals office. Four. Bill Shriver, an international dealer in precious metals who proved very helpful in the initial stages of this investigation until his death, brought the total still higher. Two years later, he married Violet Lena Boles, which would further complicate ownership of the treasure rights for years to come. In 1828, large placer deposits were found in the Ortiz Mountains in Santa Fe County (Old Placers district, DIS187), which began one of the earliest gold rushes in the western United States. All Rights Reserved. Even though the military refused any of Babes efforts to work her claim, it did not refuse other military personnel from exploring portions of Victorio Peak. Many Noss family members and friends believe that the military exploited Babes claim and that the treasure is now gone. Another source, who asked to remain unidentified, stated that he had personally interviewed several men who had brought a large load of the peaks gold to Johnsons ranch. Babe then began a regular correspondence with the military requesting permission to work her claim, but she was always denied. 'Like Any Other Client'. The peak is riddled with a network of tunnels. In a hunt that began last Thursday, Mr. Delonas's group has been given one year to search for the gold. After some discussion, the men decided that Porter should take the bar to a close friend of his who worked in the provost marshals office in nearby Fort Bliss, Texas. When it began to rain, Doc sought shelter under a rocky overhang near the mountains summit. He was overcome with joy that they might be gold. This was one of Apache Chief Victorios hideouts and was the site of a battle in 1880 between Victorios warriors and the U.S. Army Ninth Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers.. Leon Trabuco's Gold A Mexican businessman buries 16 tons of gold in the New Mexico desert and then dies before telling anyone where it is. However, according to a group of researchers who published their findingsfroma seismic study in the 1990s, there definitely is a sizable cavern underneath Victorio Peak, meaning there may be some truth to the treasure. Noss refused to obey, and Ryan fired again, hitting Noss in the head, killing him instantly. Dozens of people claim a piece of the actionthat is, gold bars and treasure said to be hidden on the missile range, and worth from a few million dollars to $1.5billion. Mr. Bailey later dropped the matter. His warriors raided southern New Mexico and Texasin an all-out war against the U.S. Army and the Texas Rangers. Mr. Bailey claimed that given a helicopter and a half-hour, he could find 292 gold bars. CNN Almost four decades ago, a gold bar was found on land that used to be Aztec ruins in Mexico. As the years passed, Babe Noss held onto her claim at Victorio Peak, occasionally hiring men to help her clear the shaft. The skeletons hands were bound behind its back apparently, the person had been deliberately left there to die. Letha told Freedom that she herself handled 12 to 15 of the bars, and I even put one up and hid it for four days.. While waiting for the rain to subside, he noticed a stone that looked as if it had been worked somehow. Trace element analysis of placer gold can be used as a valuable exploration tool in order to determine the original deposit source and locating lode gold deposits. Near the bottom, he encountered a huge boulder hanging from the ceiling, almost blocking his way. This theory explains the thousands of gold bars, antiquities, and artifacts dating more than 100 years later. During fluvial events, large volumes of sediment containing free gold are transported and deposited in relatively poorly-sorted alluvial and stream deposits. The Army put those fellows in there blind knowing they wouldn't find anything.. Today, the Armys official position on the whereabouts of the gold remains cautious, maintaining that the burden of proof rests with the accusers. I was just a kid, about 13 or 14 years old, he told this writer. Porter and his friends were amused at his story and McDonald, to prove that what he was saying was true, took the two other hunters on a moonlit drive to Victorio Peak. Noss soon deserted Babe, and in November 1945, a divorce was granted. At least one close relative was convinced that Atkins death was not accidental and that it was directly related to his getting too close to the true story of Victorio Peak. Forrest Fenn, a New Mexico art collector, created a treasure hunt in 2010. Mr. Koury asserted that the General first denied the search was on but admitted it later when sworn statements from the spies were produced. They come in a variety of weights, fineness and designs. The Legendary Treasure White Sands Missile Range, https://www.nytimes.com/1973/10/13/archives/the-legendary-treasure-of-the-white-sands-missile-range-gold-bars.html. But while trying to blast his way to the gold in 1939, he accidentally closed the hole. Beyond the Hembrillo Basin is a hundred-mile stretch of desert known as the Jornada del Muerto. Yet, Doc trusted no one, not even his Babe, disappearing into the desert, hiding pieces of the treasure in places that he never revealed. The treasure was allegedly found in 1937 by American businessman and gold prospector Milton Ernest "Doc" Noss. A jury ruled that Mr. Ryan had acted in self-defense. The Lost Padre Gold Mine in New Mexico. But Doc Noss cared little about the historical value of the treasures inside Victorio Peak, mostly ignoring the pouches, packs, and artifacts. A treaty was reached between the tribe and the Federal government in Washington that the Indians could stay upon the land in New Mexico. The next day, March 5, 1949, Ryan arrived in the area, insisting that they discuss the problem of what happened to the gold. Doc later brought one of the eerie things out.2. 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