Joe, you can trust I have done just that. No matter which version you read you will only find the Californians are real people. If the Mexicans ever did exist and the gold was indeed buried out in 4 corners, then there is a much easier explanation of how the Californians may have came by it.
All,
I read an account today that someone kindly sent me, its funny I had read the text before but never seen it in its original form. In that text a pilot gets mentioned "Red Mosher" of course that was the complete wrong spelling of the name and was meant to be O.M "Red" Mosier, Mosier was the pilot that Ed Foster believed had flown the gold to the 4 corners area. He gave that name in a TV show (unsolved mysteries)
However if anyone wanted a pilot that met all the criteria set out in the stories then Captain Harold Johnson would make a far better candidate. And no William C Elliott ever took part for sure.
Red Mosier is a very unlikely pilot and a little investigation will show why. Harold Johnson on the other hand would make a perfect pilot for the 1933 story.
Johnson had his own aircraft parts shop at Van Nuys airport California in 1933, he also owned a ford tri motor and a bi plane. He was also a stunt pilot and barnstormer.
Now lets just look at a possibility, Van Nuys was also the home of famed soldier of fortune and treasure hunter Holmdahl. Had Holmdahl have located a large treasure in Mexico and needed it transported to the States, who might he have contracted to do that ? Elliott ? Mosier ? Johnson ?
Would that not give us a link between Holmdahl, a pilot and a 1930s plot ?
Now my 1950s site is close to the Mexican border and far away from the 4 corners area of New Mexico. (could this be the original deposit site) I know another pilot played a part at that site in the 50s Walter F "Bud" Fountain and he owned and flew a Stearman with a 450 hp engine, he was also a stunt pilot and crop duster.
Is it possible all these details have been confused ?
If a man named Leon Trabuco ever did fly gold out to the 4 corners area of New Mexico in 1933 then it is unlikely connected to the 1950s story.
The only other wild theory could be that Johnson flew that gold for "Trabuco" in 1933 and after learning of "Trabucos" death involved Holmdahl in a scheme to recover it from where he had flown it, who in turn involved Hougen and co. But Johnson denied any part in the 4 corners story. (I do not think that happened though)
At the moment I am swayed toward the theory that Shurmacher invented the Mexican names, and that the reason a Mexican owner was mentioned in the 1952 hearings was merely as a smoke screen in the hopes that saying the gold belonged to a Mexican who had collected it prior to the gold hoarding laws would prevent penalty's from the sale.
Once again we have 2 pilots who "may" have taken part, and where are they from ? the same place as everyone else California.
Again all this could be rubbished if Trabuco ever shows up
Gary
but I dont think anyone is selling anything here. Except maybe a dream, but there is no monetary fee for that 
