I'm obviously interested in Ol' Kentuck's research into Trammell (or Skates or whatever other names he may have used) since I provided an anecdote re the man back in Post #224. Here's a bit more on that. After the meeting described therein, my now deceased mentor JW and his outlaw loot hunting partner RW made a special trip down to Silver City from Kansas to meet with Ross Cherry. These two guys were very much low profile and serious actors in th activities. I wasn't privy to that discussion, but JW later told me that he and especially RW were taken aback about Ross's depth of knowledge about the MO-KS-OK hunters and hidden loot allegations - things some of which RW (a PI by trade) assumed was proprietary to himself and only a very few others.
I asked JW if the KGC or the BB were discussed and it was his opinion that Ross had no knowledge of the book, which is not surprising to me because I had asked Ross earlier about his books and where his information came from. He chuckled and said he didn't have any th books or had ever wasted time with them. He and his daddy would "talk to the people who knew what they were talking about." Ross was not connected to the internet and his electronic expertise was limited to an old flip phone which he could barely operate. When it came to JJ and his alleged post-death activities and associations, all he ever said to me, and later JW and RW, was that they were Masons.
Interestingly, Ross dowsed some KS maps for JW and RW during their meeting. Later I was informed by JW that Ross could indeed dowse maps. This was something I already knew since he had proven it to me when he gave me a dozen or so targets on a topo map of my choosing and I found 8 or 10 hits on it - manmade things in the middle of nowhere. A lot of the things Ross and I talked about before his untimely passing had nothing to do with the KGC lore, as he had great stuff to share about other things - Map Cave on Lamp Bright Draw, Doc Noss's years in Clovis NM, how he dowsed maps, and others. I was anticipating many future talks with Ross that never happened.
Why this long-winded spiel? Because Ross Cherry mentioned to me, out of the blue, his father's association with a black man named Trammell, and I consider Ross to be a credible witness. I could be wrong of course, but IMO Trammell or a man claiming that identity existed in the 1930s. Here's another thing. We base our yea/nay evidence on hard documentation for the most part. Official things everyone might agree with because, well, it's "official". Genealogy records, filed courthouse documents, census data, et al. These types of things do provide a compelling outline of a named person's life, but so much is accomplished that is private and not recorded. Not nowadays, with smartphones and surveillance cameras tracking our every move, but IMO, prior to WWII all bets are off. I won't go as far as to support Fomenko's claims, and theorists like him (including, interestingly, Sir Isaac Newton) but a lot of accepted history is nothing more than a narrative that can be manipulated.
OK, Kentuck, bring it.
Why Johnny Ringo, does this mean we can't be friends anymore?
I'd wager 50% of tha field of Anthropology involves researching Anecdotal evidence. Oral histories. Native Americans would have no personal history without oral tradition. But oral histories are subjective and can sometimes be misleading. If there were no historical records ta research as well, then we would never have known that tha gold bearing lands traditional Cherokee oral history claims were always their home...were actually taken from the Creeks.
Anecdotal evidence is a wonderful thing, I'm curious though....how would YOU cite yer reference to Mr. Cherry in a Historical Record?
Being basically a "he said/ she said" testimonial, and highly subjective to the individual passing on tha anecdote, would you state it as Fact... or cite it as what it truly is, a statement made by a mentor you personally trust tha judgement of based on yer own prior dealings with them as a map dowser?
Historians frequently include Anecdotal Evidence in their research, but always cite it as such. If corroborating evidence is found in Historical Records, it lends the Anecdotal Evidence more weight. If not, then it remains Anecdotal only, until such time as corroborating evidence may become available at a later date. Failure ta do so amounts ta publishing Supposition as Fact.
You are correct, History is being re-written ever day, as more information is made available. That is never more evident than on todays Internet. Unfortunately, with that spread of information comes a cost ta accuracy. Every day Anecdotal Evidence is being presented to the public at large as FACT. Artificial Facts, with no corroborating evidence in tha Historical Record...or anywhere else for that matter, other than tha authors "Personal Narrative".
Often times, these same authors cite erroneous information they found online, from suspect sources, as corroboration fer their narratives and simply propagate tha misinformation in tha process.
It were my understandin, from tha opening post made by Kace, that this thread was started ta discuss the BB and compare the claims in it to Official Records....
This thread will be discussing the Black Book by Del Schrader and Orvus Lee Houk aka Jesse James lll and comparing the claims and stories in it with Official Records. ....
Anyway, if we can do this thread just on the book with its stories and claims vs. proven records we will All know what's what. .....
....and that is what I have tried to contribute. Every one of us has their own "bedrock personal narrative", as demonstrated here time and again. I applaude Kace fer trying ta stay the course of her original objective, hard as it has been ta do so far (meow). There is a time and place fer Anecdotal Evidence, but I'm of a mind Kace is wantin ta examine any obtainable Official Records and Documentation first. Please correct me if I am mistaken.
Might want ta throw in your Cred's after your name, jest ta make it 'Official' 
