Gooner
Full Member
Heard a story when i was 10 yrs. old, heard it a few more times since, saw a ref. in Okla. sect. of Th. Terry's T. Atlas Of Un. St. Story went: around 1910 or so two unknown bandits robbed a store in Bartlesville. Okla. at & 7 a.m. as store was openning. Fled on horseback. Took pocket watch display, contents of safe(approx. $300 in silver coin), ammo., some canned food and a few other items. Soon posse formed of area businessmen. Pursuit came to a shootout on sand creek crossing, a rider's fiord, now within Osage Hills State Park. Bandits were eating lunch and caught off guard.
Took to horseback, fled downstream and up draw. Cornered where the horses couldn't negotiate, they dismounted, grabbed loot and climbed to next level. The bughole tunnel looked good so they made a stand-off. Late evening about dark a member of posse returned from McClintock homestead with a bundle of dynamite and a length of rope. With the help of a spotter below, he snuck around and climbed above, positioning himself above the small "cave". Told to surrender or be blasted, the two men answered with gunfire. He lit the fuse, swung the bundle into the hole and ran. According to my sources, The paper in B'ville told the story and ended it with something like "due to the late hour, the effects of the dynamite, the squeamish nature of the posse, and since it was only $300. no effort was made to recover the money. I have been here several times pilfering and have tried to find landowner to get permission. Sideline story is this was a Spanish mine, the ore being lead with a decent cut of silver. Before this time, homesteaders in the area got lead for bullets here. Spanish left it unsealed. About 150 ft. away is an elaborately marked "el grande death trap". High noon mark centered above mouth of cave is a reversed lower case letter y and to the right is a "plug stone". some twenty odd feet in it is bridged off with dust and rock. Dig a few minutes and come out. 10 minutes later you still can't see in there for the dust hanging in the air. Jacky Ray and I made about 12 ft. in 2006 and even he was feeling around where it opened back up with a six foot long branch. Bandanas were better than no dust masks at all. Those guys, their guns, the loot, all still there if I am in right place. God bless Jacky Ray and God rest his soul. He died at age 48.
We were in same grade and were both in Boy Scouts and worked together a few times. We worked on three treasure stories and studied prospecting. I've been working another story slowly with two other partners but I miss my buddy Jack. Last yr. tunnel was open about 30 ft. Year before, 2008, I crawled into entrance to meet with a momma coyote and her three pups. I think the flash of my lighter held her at bay, all I really had that day was a beaver stick I'd picked up at creek crossing over 1/4 mile away. I called her some terrible names and I bet Jack in Heaven had a good laugh.
Whatever it takes. -bill-
p.s., never read story 'cause I've never seen it in print anywhere to this extent. Did homework and found the hole in 1989. It isn't all that easy to find. I've been told the landowner has changed so I need to reseek permission. That happens.
Took to horseback, fled downstream and up draw. Cornered where the horses couldn't negotiate, they dismounted, grabbed loot and climbed to next level. The bughole tunnel looked good so they made a stand-off. Late evening about dark a member of posse returned from McClintock homestead with a bundle of dynamite and a length of rope. With the help of a spotter below, he snuck around and climbed above, positioning himself above the small "cave". Told to surrender or be blasted, the two men answered with gunfire. He lit the fuse, swung the bundle into the hole and ran. According to my sources, The paper in B'ville told the story and ended it with something like "due to the late hour, the effects of the dynamite, the squeamish nature of the posse, and since it was only $300. no effort was made to recover the money. I have been here several times pilfering and have tried to find landowner to get permission. Sideline story is this was a Spanish mine, the ore being lead with a decent cut of silver. Before this time, homesteaders in the area got lead for bullets here. Spanish left it unsealed. About 150 ft. away is an elaborately marked "el grande death trap". High noon mark centered above mouth of cave is a reversed lower case letter y and to the right is a "plug stone". some twenty odd feet in it is bridged off with dust and rock. Dig a few minutes and come out. 10 minutes later you still can't see in there for the dust hanging in the air. Jacky Ray and I made about 12 ft. in 2006 and even he was feeling around where it opened back up with a six foot long branch. Bandanas were better than no dust masks at all. Those guys, their guns, the loot, all still there if I am in right place. God bless Jacky Ray and God rest his soul. He died at age 48.
We were in same grade and were both in Boy Scouts and worked together a few times. We worked on three treasure stories and studied prospecting. I've been working another story slowly with two other partners but I miss my buddy Jack. Last yr. tunnel was open about 30 ft. Year before, 2008, I crawled into entrance to meet with a momma coyote and her three pups. I think the flash of my lighter held her at bay, all I really had that day was a beaver stick I'd picked up at creek crossing over 1/4 mile away. I called her some terrible names and I bet Jack in Heaven had a good laugh.
Whatever it takes. -bill-
p.s., never read story 'cause I've never seen it in print anywhere to this extent. Did homework and found the hole in 1989. It isn't all that easy to find. I've been told the landowner has changed so I need to reseek permission. That happens.
