✅ SOLVED I Found a Treasure Map but is this Gypsy Graves Handwriting?

[Bigcypresshunter]

Hello everyone. I was at my storage warehouse when I noticed a pile of books sticking out the top of the dumpster. It appears they cleaned out someones storage warehouse that didn't pay. This happens all the time. Being a person that likes to read and sell junk on eBay, I took a pile of books home. They were all about Archaeology. Inside one of the books entitled "the People Who Discovered Colombus, The Prehistory of the Bahamas" I discovered a hand written treasure map describing a cave "70 feet deep and has more stuff of value than we have any idea of!"

My first clue to the origin of these Archaeology books comes from an inscription written inside a book "Donated to the Graves Museum of Archaeology and Natural History."



The Graves Museum closed its doors in 2004. A bankruptcy judge later approved the museum's plan to donate its collections to Broward College and Florida State University and dissolve its governing board. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-graves-museum-brow100-20150607-story.html

Inside the Bahamas book was a 4 page hand written letter describing the search of a cave with some hand written maps! I still havent read it all but it describes in detail a trip from Miami to San Salvador, Bahamas in search of something old and valuable. My question to the group. Inside the book is the name of the famous archaeologist Gypsy C. Graves. Is this her signature or her handwriting? Does this mean she owned this book? Could she be the person that wrote the treasure maps? That would certainly add credibility. I hope this works because Im on a very weak WIFI hotspot and Im out of data..

 

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[Bigcypresshunter]

She describes a shaft with tunnels running off the sides on the map. It appears they were unable to descend into the shaft and were ordered to fill it back in.

 

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[DCMatt]

The 'unreadable' word(s) are 'showed up'.

D. Patterson + partner showed up and wanted to video site. Mrs. Black said NO.

 

[Blak bart]

I was told a vertical shaft with 5 tunnels radiating from the vertical shaft like a hand. The vertical part I was told was a natural sink hole with the tunnels being worked by man. There are caves all over the island and many are sinkholes that open up under the ground some are very large. I always wondered if the sink hole may have been filled for farming in the past. Or at least the original sinkhole. It's a common practice on the island called pot hole farming and all farms are worked like this on the island....the whole island is swiss cheese. The number 35 feet has always been thrown around and it would not surprise me if the sinkhole it self was 35 feet deep and then opened up from there with tunneling.

 

[Blak bart]

Well I finally got through for a bit and talked to my friend. Hes gonna talk to Emory black and let him know about the papers. He's Mrs. blacks son and is running the show for the blacks at this point when it comes to the treasure. Also got the invite to stay for free at my friends house and ambergris hunt. I'll be over this summer with my free flight vouchers I got this year. I'll bring 500$ by beer and food and leave when its gone. Someone got a 53 pound chunk of ambergris on cat island this year so it's worth it to hit the remote beaches on the east side of San sal, they have been good in the past. I'll talk with Emory at the same time and see if he is interested in getting that info back in family hands.....its definatly a piece of history in this unfolding story. I'm almost sure he would be interested. I'll know more about his interest in a couple days more than likely. Hopefully I'll get up on the hill with him this summer. I'm confirming another name from Patterson's group you did not mention. I'll see if he was part of this group. This other partner supposedly found a cache at one point on the island elsewhere and was involved in the archeology on the island conducted by the field school there.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Sounds like you have the life. I just got back from 8 months in the swamp and now Im back in town and need an eye operation and im gonna try and sell some stuff from my warehouse. Mrs. Black was present so she probably knows all this stuff. But maybe it wasnt made public. Its too bad the rest of the dumpster probably went to the dump. I just took all the Egyptian Archaeology books to Goodwill.

 

[Blak bart]

I remember a video from you with a black bear in it......8 months in the Everglades....wow !! Well I'm definitely interested in those papers if and when you want to part with them. Congrats on the solve and find !! Didnt mean to hog your thread.....I got really excited for a minute there. Lol. Sadly I was told mrs black passed.

 

[KANACKI]

Hello First of all Thank you all for such an interesting thread.

If I was to speculate the source of this alleged treasure? I suspect it was a much later treasure not connected to Watling, pirates or even rum runners of 1920's Prohibition era.

Sir Harry Oakes was a multimillionaire, the richest man in the Bahamas. He had made his fortune with gold mines he'd discovered in Canada and was seeking to protect it by living in a tax haven. He was something of a local philanthropist but his main concern was always his money and how he could keep it intact and un taxed. In fact obsessive.



With the gold act in United states and fear the commonwealth would seize his gold reserves to pay of the war effort. Its not inconceivable he hid much of his wealth including gold ingots Bahamas. In fear of the out come of WW2?

On the morning of 8 July 1943 his body was discovered in his bed. Sir Harry had died from blows to the head made with some sort of spiked club. Then his body was covered in petrol, the down from a pillow tipped over it and the bed was set on fire. But, even though the body was badly scorched, the fire didn't take. All the evidence was there. The local CID made an urgent call reporting the murder to the governor of the Bahamas.

Who just happened to be the former king of England, Edward VIII, now His Royal Highness the Duke of Windsor.

Here is picture of the crime scene below.



His son below believed his father had Caches on properties all over the Bahamas? Gold bars smuggled out from his mining operations from Canada. After Probate much of his estimated fortune was never fully accounted for.



The murder of Sir harry Oakes was mystery in itself. But it might explain the source of the alleged gold?

Perhaps are more detailed search of land owners of the site. Not beyond realms of impossibility the land was purchased under another name to mask Sir harry Oakes identity on once owning the property.Or any evidence of family or business connection to previous ;land owners?

Kanacki

 

[Blak bart]

Anything is possible.....I've always been snooping on the trail of the Jones "ingots". Some swear this is a true story but loose lips sink ships. One thing that lead me to believe that it was colonial era treasure is that Jones and another were covered in red dust after they got the gold. I thought red ocher a valuable trade item at the time, especially since other non precious trade goods were also stashed in another nearby cave.

 

[Blak bart]

Never new that oaks was a gold guy.......had read the story of the murder though. Pretty cool kanacki.

 

[KANACKI]

Hello Bart

The red dust may of been arsenic Trioxide? As it was commonly manufactured back then into Red Ochre. Commonly used to poison rats in the Commonwealth countries. But was discontinued being accessible to public after a spate of poisoned spouses in the 1940's It only takes 200 mg to get poisoned.

In some countries it was still available to pest controllers to about 2010. Who used it for termite dusting. It is tainted pink to red ochre because normally the power is glassy white and more finer than talcum powder. Tainted pink to ochre so it could not be mixed into sugar to be used to poison people.

Now if any one put their bare hands onto gold bars coated with Arsenic Trioxide dust it would be on their skin. In which sweaty hands through the pores can absorb the poison through there skin. Also inhaling the dust can be fatal, either orally or through the skin eye you eyes can absorb the dust.

Persons whose clothing or skin is contaminated with arsenic trioxide can secondarily contaminate rescuers by direct contact or through release of inhalable dust. Arsenic trioxide is an odorless, tasteless, white or transparent nonflammable solid.

Arsenic trioxide is readily absorbed if inhaled or ingested, but only slowly absorbed through the skin. Toxicity usually results from ingestion.

The first symptoms of acute arsenic poisoning by ingestion are digestive problems: vomiting, abdominal pains, diarrhea often accompanied by bleeding. Sub-lethal doses can lead to convulsions, cardiovascular problems, inflammation of the liver and kidneys and abnormalities in the coagulation of the blood.

These are followed by the appearance of characteristic white lines (Mees' lines) on the nails and by hair loss. Lower doses lead to liver and kidney problems and to changes in the pigmentation of the skin. Even dilute solutions of arsenic trioxide are dangerous on contact with the eyes.

Very very nasty stuff.

What an evil way guard ones gold is it not?

Now if sir Harry Oakes hired hands later died at home after placing the gold into the cave? And family members of the hired hands found out about the poison they was exposed to?

Perhaps that is a very good reason why Sir Harry was found viciously beaten to death with a base ball bat with nails?

That said this is speculation regardless.

Here is documentary of the Harry Oakes Murder. Bungled police investigation. Inferences of mafia involvement in rum smuggling.



The mystery remains the fate of Harry Oakes fortune? Is there a link between the missing fortune of Harry Oakes and fortune hill?

He certainly had the gold his mine mine a forty foot wide gold seam for miles. His mine eventually mined 288 tons of gold. In 1920's he was earning 60 thousand dollars a day. Here is more on his mine.



If there is a big treasure of gold bars in fortune hill? I suspect it was Harrys.? After all his mine produced over its life 8.5 million ounces.

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Hello All

The following newspaper World's News (Sydney, NSW : 1901 - 1955), Saturday 29 April 1944, page 7

GOLD HUNT REVIVES OAKES MURDER MYSTERY

From Our San Francisco Correspondent

Besides on unsolved crime there is another mystery surrounding the recent murder of millionaire Sir Harry Oakes at his beautiful Bahamas estate. It concerns -the whereabouts of a mysterious hoard of gold that he is alleged to have buried to evade the British death duties.

THE story is being freely told in the Bahamas of how Alfred deMarigny, lately acquitted of the murder of his father-in-law, embarked on a search for the buried treasure with his beautiful and loyal wife, the former Nancy Oakes, soon after he left Nassau by request of the local administration.



The objective, was a hoard of gold,some say as much as £700,000 worth, which Sir Harry was supposed to have cached before his sudden death by violence in his Nassau mansion.

The place was the allegedly the island of Eieutheria, in the Bahamas, where 17th
century pirates played hide-and-seek.

Sir Harry, as his intimates were aware, was haunted by a notion that his fortune-sometimes . reckoned at 140.000,000-was about to be snatched away by taxes. His fear might have been justified. But whether it was,the story goes, it is believed he hid much of it on Eleutheria.

(Or was it actually on Watlings island hidden in a cave?)

His daughter and sun in law was virtually broke so his fortune did not end up with them. So where did the millions of dollars in gold end up?

Kanacki

 

[Reanm8er]

The best danged treasure story I've ever read! Thanks all!

 

[KANACKI]

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954)

SIR HARRY OAKES'S WILL

NEW YORK, Oct. 6 (A.A.P.).-The will of Sir Harry Oakes has been filed in the Bahamian Court. Sir Harry left £3,500,000, of which a third goes to Lady Oakes and the remainder is equally divided between the five children, including Nancy. This money is to be held in trust until each child reaches the age of 30 years.

Nancy de Marigny evinced no surprise that she had received an equal share, and said that it was stupid of
people to say that sh had been disinherited. Count de Marigny, husband of Nancy, was arrested and charged with
murder following Sir Harry Oakes's death. It was stated in evidence that Sir Harry had been opposed to the
match and had threatened to disinherit his daughter unless she left her husband.

You can see the article below.



You can see another newspaper The Mercury (Hobart, Tas. : 1860 - 1954) Mon 27 Mar article with conflicting valuation of Harry Oakes Estate.

Sir Harry Oakes' Estate

THE NEW YORK. Sun. (AAP).-The "New York Times" Nassau correspondent states that the final valuation of the ' late Sir Harry Oakes' personal estate is £2,992.000 sterling.



So you can see the discrepancy?

No one exact the true value of what Harry Had because he was hiding so much of it from being prying eyes.

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

Another interesting fact another newspaper came out with another figure.

The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954) Mon 27 Mar 1944 posted Sir Harry Oakes net worth was ....

SIR HARRY OAKES'S ESTATE NEW YORK, March 26 (A.A.P,).

The Nassau correspondent of the "NewYork Times" says that the final valuation of Sir Harry Oakes's personal
estate was £A3,740,000. Sir Harry was murdered in his home in the Bahamas last year. His son in-law was charged with the crime but was acquitted.



So now we have three figures?

Kanacki

 

[KANACKI]

But was this a far cry in reputed worth of Sir Harry Oakes?

The Following Newspaper Narandera Argus and Riverina Advertiser (NSW : 1893 - 1953) Tue 13 Jul 1943 claims Sir Harry Oakes Reputedly worth £60,000,000?

MURDER OF SIR HARRY OAKES SON-IN-LAW CHARGED Count Alfred De Marigny was charged on Sunday at Nassau (Bahamas), with the murder of his father-in-law, the multi-millionaire, Sir Harry Oakes.

Sir Harry Oakes, who had made a huge fortune from gold mining, was found dead in his bed early on Thursday morning. The body was partly burned, and four severe head wounds had been inflicted by a bludgeon found on the bed. Police said that the bed had apparently been set on fire, but the fire had been extinguished by an electric fan before the bed was destroyed.

Sir Harry Oakes married Eunice Myrtlee McIntyre, of Drummoyne, Sydney, in 1923. There are five children
of the marriage— Nancy 18, Shirley 14, and three sons, aged 16, 12 and 10. Sir Harry and Lady Oakes visited
Australia in 1939.

At the time of her husband's death, Lady Oakes was staying at Bar Harbour (Maine), with the children. The inquest which was opened privately adjourned after the taking of formal evidence. U.S. detectives from Miami are assisting the local police.

Reputedly worth £60,000,000, Sir Harry, who was the only British baronet of American birth, made his fortune with the fabulously rich Lake Shore mine, Ontario. He was created a baronet four years ago. College educated in Maine, his birthplace, Sir Harry as a young man roamed the world in search of riches before he found them at Lake Shore 30 years ago. Although he had been living in retirement for some years, Sir Harry was seldom idle. He possessed a dynamic restlessness that led him into all sorts of undertakings which he believed necessary for the betterment of
society.

At his own expense he built an airport in the Bahamas, and then subsidised an air mail service to the
United States. Several years ago he gave £90,000 for a new wing for St. George's Hospital, London, and this year he presented two Spitfires to the nation.

Besides his palatial Nasau estate, on which he lived most of his time, Sir Harry maintained a London house in 'Millionaires' Row,' Kensington Palace Gardens. His country home was Tottingworth Park, Surrey. Last year his 18-year-old daughter, Nancy,caused a stir by her clandestine marriage to Count Alfred de Marigny, 17
years her senior. The couple had met at Nassau and when he heard of the proposed match Sir Harry raised
strong objections.



It appears not outside the family at least no one really knew how much Sir Harry Oakes was actually worth?

What you might find interesting as philanthropist he sponsored a caving group who explored for caves through out the Bahamas. One such discovery they found in long island named it after their benefactor Sir Harry Oakes.

Had this caving group discovered a secret cave on fortune hill in which they was paid to keep secret about?

Kanacki

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Gold, treasure maps, the Graves Museum, murder, mystery.... How do I get involved in this stuff? I have been in the swamp for 8 months. All I wanted was to rest and read some books I found in a dumpster lol. Thanks for the interesting discussion.

These are books I still have from the defunct museum Im sorting them out and taking a few more of them to Goodwill.

I maybe should make a copy of the archaeologist's notes for safe keeping.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Had this caving group discovered a secret cave on fortune hill in which they was paid to keep secret about?

Kanacki

Have you found any connection with Oakes and the Waitling group that may have done some digging in 2006, or my group that did those 3 days of digging in 2007? That would be an interesting angle to pursue.

 

[releventchair]

Bright red soil may be from Africa. (!)

Page 76. (4 of 8 in the link).
http://www.geraceresearchcentre.com/pdfs/5thGeology/75_Foos_5thGeology.pdf

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

In the late 90s a group called "watling treasure Corp"came to the site with GPR. The results confirmed a natural cavity that had been modified by man with 5 separate chambers. They tried to make a deal with the Bahamas to dig but negotiations collapsed when they offered 10 percent to the bahamians. I went to a meeting of islanders, government officals, and the watling group. It got downright hostile and the watling group was told to leave and never come back.....

I believe this was were Mr. Rolle tried to dig with the backhoe on 10/18/07 when it broke down. She talks about the shaft with tunnels off to the sides. There is a hand written diagram of this and a diagram of what they planned to remove the following day with heavier equipment. That following day never happened because digging was stopped and they were asked to fill the holes back in. So the shaft is buried but the tunnels remain underground.

 

[diggummup]

I believe this was were Mr. Rolle tried to dig with the backhoe on 10/18/07 when it broke down. She talks about the shaft with tunnels off to the sides. There is a hand written diagram of this and a diagram of what they planned to remove the following day with heavier equipment. That following day never happened because digging was stopped and they were asked to fill the holes back in. So the shaft is buried but the tunnels remain underground.

Nothing really to offer. Just glad to see you posting again. The old Graves Archaeological Museum is right down at the end of my street actually. Also, did you know Big Dog Dad passed away? Sorry to be off topic but I couldn't pm you today and the last time I tried your mailbox was full.