... That tavern may have been owned by Thomas Buford. The old Indian trail crossed near here and ran across the spurs of the Blue Ridge into Botetourt County to Brugh's Mill in Nelson County. The Brugh's Mill is a likely place for TJB and party to have stayed at... George Radar Brugh was Proprietor of the Planter's Hotel in St. Louis, MO and it was with him that Thomas Beale left the letter to be delivered to Robert Morriss in Lynchburg, Va with a ten year waiting period. The envelope had on it "To Be Delivered June, 1832" signed in small handwriting along the bottom edge Thomas J. Beale. George Radar Brugh and his traveling companion were killed at the Blackhorse Tavern on Tinker Creek in Roanoke, Virginia by Ebenezer Nelms, proprietor and a member of the TJB original party in 1817. He was wounded by James Purcell while mining the gold in the New Mexico Territory and returned home to stay in 1819. He later died falling down the stairs of the Blackhorse Tavern. Many believed he was pushed by the ghost of George Radar Brugh.
James Purcell from Bardsville, Kentucky, traveled to the Spanish controlled territory of New Mexico in 1802 on a trapping/hunting expedition with two companions, names unknown. During this time, Purcell discovered gold nuggets in the Platte River and was attacked by native Americans, and fled to the safety of Santa Fe, where the Spanish government arrested him and his two men, and prevented them from leaving the New Mexico territory where they remained until 1824.
Zebulon Pike, detained by the Spanish in 1807, met Purcell, who was under house arrest was working as a carpenter when he told Pike about the Platte River nuggets. Pike wrote about this encounter, and later in his memoirs, Kit Carson recounted the event.
Take notice that Purcell was under Spanish government house arrest until 1824 and could not have wounded Ebenezer Nelms or mined gold with the Thomas J Beale party of the job pamphlet in 1817.
What is the source of this story?
The same can be stated about George Radar Brugh as proprietor of the St Louis Planters Hotel and personal courier of Beale's letter to Morriss. The letters that appear in the BEALE PAPERS pamphlet were sent by US post, but this letter had to be delivered in person to Morriss... and why would he go to Roanoke first instead of going directly to Lynchburg?
It has been established that the PLANTERS HOUSE was built in 1817 in St Louis, by owner/proprietor Evarist Maury, then remodeled in 1837, with Maury still as owner/proprietor.
What and where was Planters Hotel was George Radar Brugh proprietor that his alleged portrait hung?
Then we have Brugh's Mill where Beale and his men may have stayed while constructing the treasure vault.
This all appears to be additional lore heaped upon the tale in the Beale Papers dime novel pamphlet.