I brought up in an earlier post , My Fathers Training in the Intelligence community .
This is an example of how he applied some of that training in his personal life experiences .
Claude , his close friend , confidant in treasure exploration , and a really positive personality ,
Had been introduced to Oren Swearingen through a Mutual Friend of Both his and my Dad .
Through Claude , Oren was introduced to the Infamous Harvey Snow ( My Dad )
Claude had brought his Pest and deposited him on Dad's front Porch .
Oren exuded great obsessive passion for Treasure , and that to Harvey was noted immediately .
Harvey entertained Oren with a few of the tales , and Oren requested a location for the
Infamous 1300 steps cavern .
Simple enough solution was to point him to Hradscrabble as he related to the Author Chandler , and Hope
he went away satisfied and leave Harvey in peace .
Some family matters were weighing on Harvey , He just buried his murdered Daughter ,
Had just received word of His Grandmother being burned to death in her home , and it was being investigated as
a Homicide , and ,,,
He had just reconnected with me after years of separation .
Harvey had no idea to what extant Oren was obsessed with this story of the Cavern , But it would
be but a short while , when he'd get the full force of this mans obsession laid back on his front porch .
Oren had persuaded a Young Man who was married to a sweet wife , they had two small children ,
to pilot an Ultra Lite Craft into the Mountains , to seek the Caverns entrance .
This is a Fools Folly of a sort that no man with two small children should unwisely attempt to endeavor .
Sad that decision of Oren's and this young man , but life happens , and as life happens , it runs to it's
final form ,,, death .
At times , Death happens to people when the Family needs them the most .
as the small children did , as his wife did .
After this tragedy occurred , Oren with Flames of hate upon his breath , returned to Harvey's Home
with the sad news , Livid at Harvey for the accident .
EDIT in some text here : at Orens Rage , Harvey simply turned his chin toward him and said
" Go see Claude for the location "
Harvey called Claude to tip him off that he was sending his pest back to him
and do something with the pest to get him off Dad's back for certain .
Unrealistic redirection of guilt ?
In whatever guise you wish to perceive it , do so , as I perceive it , yeah , exactly that .
Confronted with the Maniacal behavioral display of this obsessed treasure seeker , Harvey see's the need
to expell the man from his life forever .
86'd ?
Yeah well , Human Nature,,, you know ?
You can always rely upon a human to do human things in a very human way .
Some cases with some Human's , is denial of guilt through extension to others , so that a feeling of shared guilt
comes to them to comfort .
I was there with Dad ( Harvey ) just after the event , as he spoke of it , he related his intention
to send this Oren character , off his front porch , and back onto The front Porch
of the Man who deposited this pest on his .
I flipped a $20 Bill onto the side table next to the phone
" I'll foot the bill for the call , call Claude now , and cure this situation , you're agitated and
it's bothersome to me , so I'll pay the call , go ahead , give Claude a call "
Harvey called Claude , as I sat , I thought : " Ewwww this is just bound to be a goody "
and it was .
A study , to witness the working of a mind so blessed with deductive reasoning ,,, gawd what an experience .
The ruse
Claude asked : " what ? he's coming to see me ? why ?
Harvey : You dropped your Ca Ca on my front Porch , I'm sending it back to you , figure something ,
and make sure he doesn't return here again Claude .
( Later I would read through the letters Claude sent to Dad addressing this situation , funny is , Claude and Dad
referred to Oren as " The Toothpick " for he was a dentist " )
This is what was settled upon
Claude would Travel down from his Home in Soper Ok , he would take Oren to a cave well known by him
and Harvey as well ,,,
He would convince Oren That this Cave was the 1300 step cave , and that Dad had no idea where it was ,
to bother Dad Further would be ,,,, well , now it wouldn't be .
Per the statements made in this Forum by Claude's Son ( Gilariverkid ) you can read about the event
and the description he gives of the interior of the cave that Claude and he showed Oren ,
Clear enough ?
a small dificulty with a Pest ( Oren ) had been catapulted right into a Catastrophe , where a cure for that , must be applied .
This is Intel , this is what it is , it manufactures fake evidence
it displays theatrics
it is in love with it's machinations of inducing a false meme in the minds of people .
Follow the description Claude's Son gives on the cave that they took Oren to .
NO Steps
none , yet they convince Oren those have been backfilled , and are there .
He bites it and chews with delight the bait .
Per Gollums above post as he quotes : The Cowboy said : " Carved Steps "
heh heh
Note Harveys description : Sloping steps , nothing man made , these caverns are all natural .
Notes on the cavern and how dad first heard of it .
It was NOT Hiles , I suppose that is the Cowboy referred to when CARVED steps are recounted .
Harvey at the Library , came across a news paper article on Micro-phish ( Spelling on fish ? )
a story about a teen boy lost in a carvern for a few days , a description of the steps , some of the artifacts
seen by the teen , matched what Dad would later find in the cavern he visited .
Not everything Harvey saw in there , was mentioned in the article of the Teen's statements .
Roll forward a decade now
The Bates Brothers grew up just east of the San Andreas , the ranch covers some of the Lower foot hills .
Their Dad , in a fit , took all the savings out of the house and up into a Canyon
returning without it .
On his death bed , The boys asked where the money was hidden ,, The Old Boy replied : Wher only a crazy man would
hide it , and only a crazy man would look for it "
Note : This because The Old Man's wife and these two boys wanted to commit him for lunacy , and that triggered
him to take the money and hide it from them , for he believed they wanted to do this to him , so they could take the
money )
Good Idea I say ,,, heh heh .
To Dad , the Boys came , again , pest seeking help from " THE MAN " Ha !
The area fit for the Teen's Cavern , Harvey took on the task to investigate the area , and the Cavern the Bates
Boys had said that they believed is where the old turd had hid the money .
In the raconteur of the event , it was said Ranchers from the east side asked dad to locate
a cave , that a cowboy claimed he saw doc bring fully loaded pack mules down from , on Hardscrabble .
Ergo , the Cowboy that shot at the lion .
Well , that is another part of the tale where obfuscation comes into being
The Bates lived EAST not West of the range , but , why tell it and have them pestered , right ?
so set them in an area that they are NOT from .
This Folks , is Harvey Snow's 1300 step cave
it is up Bates Canyon
when you get to : Bat Ranch Spring ( formally known as Bates Ranch Spring )
Stand upslope south of the spring , look due north up the opposite ridge
You will note a Dike running up that ridge .
You may see the formation that the entrance is hidden by , but not the entrance .
You may question if the Old Turds Money was located by Harvey .
Not to my Knowledge .
Judy can act as your guide.
