Swamp Gold

[Bigcypresshunter]

I have a video I would like you to see BDD. TreasureTracker.wmv - YouTube

 

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[Bigdogdad]

Okay, I watched the video. Looks real interesting. Never heard of them but I have not done much research on LRL's. Do you believe it works? I have a new old man dowser that dowses in almost the same way. The LRL I know of is much more complex and has been tested to 18 miles. All hard to believe to some people but relatively simple compared to smart phones. Just think what is out there that you may never know about.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Well this video was from around 2005 and yes I kinda fell for it myself at first. I think the genius inventor's name was Mike Brown and his partner posted here at TN. He said it was not for sale. The thread became extremely popular with many pages of replys. Of course we all thought it was very interesting. I invited him to the Treasure Coast. I offered to take him around to all the known shipwreck locations. And then I started asking questions and researching LRLs. More later...

 

[Jon Phillips]

A canoe load of extremely rare blackpowder repeating rifles packed in grease are in the bottom of the Caloosahatchee River somewhere. This is not a legend but a well documented event. Harneys canoe sank when attacked by Indians during the Seminole War and the rifles were never retreived. I would love to find those.

Did you guys look for that by any chance?

Treasure lore based loosely on an actual event. The carbines were issued and being carried by the 2nd Dragoons...not packed in crates on a canoe. They were attacked while sleeping in camp at the site of a new trading post, not on the water. I don't mean to hi-jack your thread, but this legend gets spread all the time, and the facts of the incident are much different than the treasure books and indexes say.

Here is another, recent, thread on the subject....

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/florida/295597-30-them-were-lost-caloosahatchee.html

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Treasure lore based loosely on an actual event. The carbines were issued and being carried by the 2nd Dragoons...not packed in crates on a canoe. They were attacked while sleeping in camp at the site of a new trading post, not on the water. I don't mean to hi-jack your thread, but this legend gets spread all the time, and the facts of the incident are much different than the treasure books and indexes say.

Here is another, recent, thread on the subject....

http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/florida/295597-30-them-were-lost-caloosahatchee.html

Your comments are welcome. I figured the packed in grease part was no true but I thought the canoe part was.

 

[ECS]

Bill Henry:Freelance writer for 60's-70's treasure magazines

Bill Henry's "CONFEDERATE GOLD IN FLORIDA" appeared in the March,1970 issue of "TREASURE WORLD",page 55. It the same basic legend story,with the wagon of $500,000 gold,Capt Riley chased into the Everglades by Union troops, buried gold,etc.
One difference:There was a firefight,and ALL Confederates were killed.
Of course,no dates,no other names but Riley,no real location,in the 180 word article.
This version can be found : Lost Treasure Online - Official Website of Lost Treasure Magazine | The Treasure Hunter's Guide to Adventure & Fortune
Henry also had different variations of this story in other treasure mags of that time.He also wrote for old west and gambling magazines.
Bill Henry is still alive,and still writing articles-It would be great to get a contact number ,and ask him his source for the Confederate swamp gold story.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Bill Henry's "CONFEDERATE GOLD IN FLORIDA" appeared in the March,1970 issue of "TREASURE WORLD",page 55. It the same basic legend story,with the wagon of $500,000 gold,Capt Riley chased into the Everglades by Union troops, buried gold,etc.
One difference:There was a firefight,and ALL Confederates were killed.
Of course,no dates,no other names but Riley,no real location,in the 180 word article.
This version can be found : Lost Treasure Online - Official Website of Lost Treasure Magazine | The Treasure Hunter's Guide to Adventure & Fortune
Henry also had different variations of this story in other treasure mags of that time.He also wrote for old west and gambling magazines.
Bill Henry is still alive,and still writing articles-It would be great to get a contact number ,and ask him his source for the Confederate swamp gold story.

I cant remember if I contacted Bill Henry but I may have. Lost Treasure sent me that complete article free of charge.

Jeffrey Kramer (Jeff K) posted the story in 1964 and he participated in this thread. Jeff cant remember where he got the story but my guess is both Kramer and Henry got it from the 1949 news articles.



Here is another embellished version. They "fought like demons"

Half-Ton of Gold Lost
in the Everglades
FLORIDA EVERGLADES - A half-ton shipment of gold, reported to have been worth $500,000 at the time, became lost in the Florida Everglades by a detachment of Confederate soldiers.
Following the war, attempts were made to locate the gold but all such efforts failed.
I don’t have a lot of details on this story so local research should help better pinpoint the vicinity where this treasure cache was made.
According to the story, a detachment of Confederate soldiers under the command of a Captain Riley were transporting this shipment of gold bullion, which was to be delivered to Confederate agents in Cuba.
But prior to delivering the shipment, the Confederate detachment was spotted by a Union patrol and soon after the rebel forces realized that a large force of Union cavalry was bearing down on them.
With few options available to him, Capt. Riley ordered his men to fall back into the infamous Everglades.
To keep the gold out of Union hands, Riley ordered a few of his men to bury the shipment while the rest prepared to make a stand.
As Union troopers approached the rebel line, Capt. Riley ordered his men to “Fire!”
Although the Confederates fought like demons, they soon fell to the superior force.
None survived and the whereabouts of the cache of gold became lost; its location today is still a mystery

 

[ECS]

I cant remember if I contacted Bill Henry but I may have. Lost Treasure sent me that complete article free of charge.

Jeffrey Kramer (Jeff K) posted the story in 1964 and he participated in this thread. Jeff cant remember where he got the story but my guess is both Kramer and Henry got it from the 1949 news articles.

...and thats the rub! All versions go back to the 1949 story.
No Union accounts of this encounter.No real dates...just "during the Civil War",or" towards the end of the war"...and no mention before 1949 can be found.
Reckon thats why it is a "legend".

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

"...and no mention before 1949 can be found.

I dont know this because only a couple weeks ago Bramblefind found the newsclippiings. Maybe we just dont know where to look?

Maybe its in a Civil War era newspaper?
http://www.historicpages.com/texts/cwarcat01.htm

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Okay, I watched the video. Looks real interesting. Never heard of them but I have not done much research on LRL's. Do you believe it works? I have a new old man dowser that dowses in almost the same way. The LRL I know of is much more complex and has been tested to 18 miles. All hard to believe to some people but relatively simple compared to smart phones. Just think what is out there that you may never know about.

Yes it looked real interesting. They travelled all around the country. They even found gold veins out west. I originally believed it, like everybody else, until I started thinking. An invention like this would put metal detectors completely out of business. There would be no need for an antiquated MD that could only signall 1 foot deep on a silver dollar.

Well its a good thing you never heard of them and dont recognize him. He admitted a year later that the machine doesnt work and never did. Geo Global went completely out of business. You wont find this video online but I saved it and posted it on utube.

 

[Bigdogdad]

This is not the guy I dealt with. As far as whether the one on the video worked think about this. What if you found a way to make a car run on something other than gas. You would either be bought out or disappear or both. If they bought you out you might have to sign something saying it didn't work. Maybe the LRL worked so well they decided not to sell it anymore. I have heard similar stories in the past about other things. Of course they could have been scammers, there is lots of that going on.

 

[Loke]

Nah, think about it for a moment.
He claims to send out a signal, then boosts it and then claims the 'signal line' is still there afterwards!! If that was the case - he would have to excite the electrons (in the gold/silver) sufficiently that they continued to transmit long afterwards - and to boot, he can discriminate between gold and silver!! Me thinks its more a case of wishful thinking ...

Just my 2c-worth ...

 

[ECS]

Could the April 7,1864 LITTLE BATTLE OF BOWLEGS CREEK be the source of the legend?

In a letter,dated April 13,1864,Capt Henry A Crane,US Comp "A" 2nd Calvary,Fort Meyers, wrote-
"The detachment sent to Fort Meade in my last had a fight with the Rebs & drove them from the place Thursday last,destroying all their stores complete,& killing a leading Guerilla (Jim) Lanier & rounded out several others with horses & without any loss whatever".
The backstory:
CSA COMMISSARY Capt James McKay Sr was in charge of all supplies and shipments in South Florida,and he was stationed at Fort Meade.Incidently,his son,CSA Capt James McKay,was in command of the Battalion at Fort Meade. They worked with CSA Cow Calvary Capt Albert Hendry and cattleman Jacob Summerlin,in smuggling cattle on small draft boats to a harbour at Punta Rassa,to be loaded onto blockade runner schooners. While the CSA paid $3.00 per head,Cuba paid $30.00 a head in gold Spanish and Cuban doubloons.Capt John Riley Bless McIntosh was one of many of the blockade runners that they employed(He was NEVER caught).
Capt Crane put out a bounty on all the cattlemen,Cow Calvary,and the supplies at Fort Meade,the center of the smuggling activity.With the aid of Confederate deserter,James D green,a local who Crane commissoned as Lt in the US ARMY,the Union went on a rampage in the Peace River Valley.
Feb 22,1864,the attacked,looted,and burned the homesteads of Willoughby Tillis,Thomas Underhill,and many others.
Jacob Summerlin's homestead was never raided,but it was known that he amassed a large fortune in US,Spanish,and Cuban gold coins,which he buried in tin meat cans,hid in the walls of his house,and even put them in old socks.
The April,1864 attack on Fort Meade and the skirmish at Bowlegs Creek was an attempt to end the cattle smuggling trade and to capture the gold coins.No gold was ever recovered.
It is possible the swamp gold legend stems from the Confederates who where "rounded out".
Summerlin,was pardoned by US Pres Andrew Johnson,used his money to buy more property,including a hotel in Orlando,Florida.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

This is not the guy I dealt with. As far as whether the one on the video worked think about this. What if you found a way to make a car run on something other than gas. You would either be bought out or disappear or both. If they bought you out you might have to sign something saying it didn't work. Maybe the LRL worked so well they decided not to sell it anymore. I have heard similar stories in the past about other things. Of course they could have been scammers, there is lots of that going on.

There were 2 men involved. The inventor and his partner. His partner posted the video here at TN but I dont know if the thread is still here. There was much debate and investigation. Members such as Karl from GeoTech became involved. Karl helped uncover the scam but they still both denied it.

About a year later the inventors partner came online and admitted the invention does not work. I believe he was scammed himself by the inventor who appears in the video. I think his name is Mike Brown. IMO LRLs do not work and yes I have done a lot of research. That doesnt mean however that Ovid did not discover gold.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Nah, think about it for a moment.
He claims to send out a signal, then boosts it and then claims the 'signal line' is still there afterwards!! If that was the case - he would have to excite the electrons (in the gold/silver) sufficiently that they continued to transmit long afterwards - and to boot, he can discriminate between gold and silver!! Me thinks its more a case of wishful thinking ...

Just my 2c-worth ...

I am not an electronic genius but the man posted here, after travelling all around the country, that the machine did not work.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

In a letter,dated April 13,1864,Capt Henry A Crane,US Comp "A" 2nd Calvary,Fort Meyers, wrote-
"The detachment sent to Fort Meade in my last had a fight with the Rebs & drove them from the place Thursday last,destroying all their stores complete,& killing a leading Guerilla (Jim) Lanier & rounded out several others with horses & without any loss whatever".
The backstory:
CSA COMMISSARY Capt James McKay Sr was in charge of all supplies and shipments in South Florida,and he was stationed at Fort Meade.Incidently,his son,CSA Capt James McKay,was in command of the Battalion at Fort Meade. They worked with CSA Cow Calvary Capt Albert Hendry and cattleman Jacob Summerlin,in smuggling cattle on small draft boats to a harbour at Punta Rassa,to be loaded onto blockade runner schooners. While the CSA paid $3.00 per head,Cuba paid $30.00 a head in gold Spanish and Cuban doubloons.Capt John Riley Bless McIntosh was one of many of the blockade runners that they employed(He was NEVER caught).
Capt Crane put out a bounty on all the cattlemen,Cow Calvary,and the supplies at Fort Meade,the center of the smuggling activity.With the aid of Confederate deserter,James D green,a local who Crane commissoned as Lt in the US ARMY,the Union went on a rampage in the Peace River Valley.
Feb 22,1864,the attacked,looted,and burned the homesteads of Willoughby Tillis,Thomas Underhill,and many others.
Jacob Summerlin's homestead was never raided,but it was known that he amassed a large fortune in US,Spanish,and Cuban gold coins,which he buried in tin meat cans,hid in the walls of his house,and even put them in old socks.
The April,1864 attack on Fort Meade and the skirmish at Bowlegs Creek was an attempt to end the cattle smuggling trade and to capture the gold coins.No gold was ever recovered.
It is possible the swamp gold legend stems from the Confederates who where "rounded out".
Summerlin,was pardoned by US Pres Andrew Johnson,used his money to buy more property,including a hotel in Orlando,Florida.

I like it.
Its well known to me that the cattlemen accumulated much wealth in gold especially after the war from Cuba but thats another story. But yes I always thought this legend had a cattle connection. I was convinced Capt John Riley Bless McIntosh was our man and now we have for the first time made a connection between Capt Riley and the cattle gold. Great work ECS keep searching. Posting the links or reference would be cool.

Where was Summerlins homestead?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

There is a great blog called the Treasure Beaches Report The Treasure Beaches Report From Florida's Treasure Coast. Metal Detecting For You.

I sincerely hope the author doesnt consider me stealing by referring to his thread but it has importance to our research. Scroll down to Tuesday, June 19, 2012

6/19/12 Report - Tips on Research & More The Treasure Beaches Report From Florida's Treasure Coast. Metal Detecting For You.: 6/19/12 Report - Tips on Research & More

I asked James to give me some tips on how he conducts research that leads to nice old finds...

One of the things he said is that although the internet and computer makes finding certain facts quite easy, the overwhelming majority of historical information...maps, narratives, and photographs still exist only in hardcopy form.

One of my favorite sources of research material in this regard is best obtained from small local museums or historical societies. Many of these little (or not so little) organizations have some very specific resources available to you, you cannot find anywhere else; self-published books on the local area, old maps on display, people who can tell you, through family history, of certain things or places not found in a book.

You notice he said "historical societies"

A respected member "Southern Digger" posted here and hardly anyone noticed beside Jeffro. The man started one or two of the major historical societies here in South Florida and I am hoping to reach out to him for more help.

 

[ECS]

I like it.
Its well known to me that the cattlemen accumulated much wealth in gold especially after the war from Cuba but thats another story. But yes I always thought this legend had a cattle connection. I was convinced Capt John Riley Bless McIntosh was our man and now we have for the first time made a connection between Capt Riley and the cattle gold. Great work ECS keep searching. Posting the links or reference would be cool.

Where was Summerlins homestead?

Jacob "Jake" Summerlin bought the 160 acre Blount homestead in Bartow-Today it is the site of Bartow High School.
This is the house where he stashed his gold in the walls and buried it in his yard.
Also,he owned 1000 acres in Punta Rassa,including the wharf,warehouses,and cattle pens.It is claimed that he also buried some of his gold here in tin meat cans.
In 1875,Summerlin purchased 200 acres around Lake Eola in Orland,built a hotel,and also loaned the City of Orlando $10,000 to build its first courthouse.
The McKay family of Fort Meade aided CSA Sec of the Treasury Judah Benjamin on his flight to Cuba,arranging for a schooner to carry him there.
Are you seeing the connections between all these people?
...and how it could have evolved into the Confederate gold in the Everglades legend?

 

[maipenrai]

Hey, I hate to disturb your posting, but is it possible to decide whether this is a thread on LRL, or treasure in Fla? It gets a bit confusing when the post keep jumping around back and fourth. Both are interesting, but not at the same time.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Hey, I hate to disturb your posting, but is it possible to decide whether this is a thread on LRL, or treasure in Fla? It gets a bit confusing when the post keep jumping around back and fourth. Both are interesting, but not at the same time.

Its a thread about the Confederate gold legend in Florida but it sometimes jumps to other Florida legends. Hopefully there will no longer be a need to discuss LRLs which of course do not work. I just posted the video to show an example of typical LRL scam. Dowsing has also been discussed and may have some merit, but electronic LRLs do not work.