GhostMiner

I know I posted this in season one but thought i'd post them again. These are photos of the actual camp and first digsite the journal is based on as well as pictures of Jed, Jacob, John, & Will. Also a picture of gold we removed from the digsite.

June 4 1937 I went to Reno and purchased some heavy weapons. I bought two BAR’s as well as four Thompsons. I also purchased 45 auto’s for each man to wear at all times. The crew also all have their own rifles. We are now well armed. During the evening before dark we all practiced with the new weapons. I hope we never need to use them but history here has proven this is unlikely. It was nearly dark before we ate supper and we had a few drinks and turned in to get a good night’s sleep. I took first watch and took one of the BAR’s as well as my new 45 auto. Along about midnight I was ready to wake Hudson for his shift when I noticed some rustling just north of camp on the mountain. I had high ground and a good view with a three quarter moon and a clear night. I scanned all directions from my watchpost and there was no other movement. It could have been a mule deer or bear and there was no way to tell. I debated with myself as to waking camp but decided to wait a while. After about fifteen minutes I headed down towards camp to wake Hudson. As I got near there was the crack of a rifle shot followed by several more. It seemed to come from the north. I opened up with the BAR and sprayed the area I thought the shooting came from. By now the crew had woke up and were crawling out of their tents and getting behind the cover of stacked logs we had placed for just this scenario. John had the other BAR and I heard it barking. It was only a few seconds and the Thompsons were also firing. Then everything was quiet. We waited about ten minutes and John said he was going to loop around and head up north where the gunfire had come from. He said he would fire three rounds with his 45 if everything was clear and five if he needed help. TO BE CONTINUED .................

I would say that the crew itself is hell bent on mining gold and they have it to mine in spades. Gold Fever.

June 3 1937 Yesterday John and I did a patrol of the grounds surrounding the camp to make sure no one was watching our area. It was clear and the crew set about hiding the cache of treasure. Then we had supper as twilight crept in. I stoked up a good fire and we all sat around it drinking whisky and talking about all that had happened to us. It felt like the old days except Jed was not with us. After a few cups we decided to make a new plan. We were a crew on our own once again. We would need to take turns on guard duty. We decided to have one well armed man on high ground overlooking camp at all times. We would divide the shifts. John would run the tom during the day and the rest of us would take our turns on watch and digging. I told the crew I would travel to Reno and purchase some heavy weapons. We needed to be well armed and have superior fire power if we were attacked. John took the first shift of night watch with his rifle and Will and Hudson got some sleep. I sat by the fire for another hour drinking Bushmills and rolling smokes. I felt restless and couldn’t sleep. I still kept thinking back to the visit by the Shaman. Sometimes I felt like I had little time left. TO BE CONTINUED ................

Will the 1937 mining season end before it even gets going?

June 2 1937 The chest contained a fortune in gold and silver coins. We couldn’t make out anything on the faded drawings. They were a complete mystery. We brought the truck over near the tunnel entrance and unloaded the coins into our buckets and placed them on the truck with the original chest and put the drawings in the cab. Then we drove back to camp where we had a big discussion on what to do next. Sarge wanted to remove his take from the area. So did Ben. The rest of us were not sure about that. We remembered what had happened to Jed when he took the treasure away to hide it. I told the crew they were free to do as they wished. Sarge and Ben told us they had made their fortune and were leaving the crew. They had money and treasure and were going to head back home and work their farms. The rest of the crew wanted to keep mining. We would need to hide the money and treasure somewhere and soon. Later on in the day Sarge and Ben loaded up Sarge’s truck and headed out. We all shook hands and had a drink of whisky with them before they left. Sarge advised us to get out of this area before our luck ran out. I have to admit that I am giving it some thought. TO BE CONTINUED ................

Many thanks for reading the story. I think Jed got careless. He drank way too much whisky.

June 1 1937 This chest was about five feet in length by three feet in width and about three feet in depth. It was made of a dark hardwood and there were three locks securing the slightly rounded lid. The weight was such that John and I were unable to budge it. It took John several attempts to break the locks and he ended up shooting them off which damaged the trunk somewhat. When we lifted the old lid there was a rotted yellow and red cloth near the top. We carefully lifted off the cloth and there were some very old drawings on some kind of parchment that we were not able to completely make out. The chest smelled musty and was slightly damp. Beneath the parchment was a row of what looked to be fittings for swords. We removed them and there was a well fitted piece of hardwood protecting the lower contents. John and I carefully lifted it out and set it on the surface. Sarge was watching the drift opening as well as watching us. The entire bottom half of the chest was packed full of loose silver and gold coins. Some were blank while others had strange markings. What appeared to be a crescent was found struck into some of them. Others were blank. The quantity was massive. We stood over the chest too stunned to say a word. Finally I told Sarge to come over and have a quick look see. He let out a soft whistle in amazement. We would need to unload the contents and get everything to a safe place. The problem was that there are few safe places out here. TO BE CONTINUED ....................

May 31 1937 I headed over to the dig site before dawn. I took some beans and coffee with me for Sarge and John. When I got there they said it had remained quiet throughout the night. They had taken turns on watch and both got a little bit of sleep. All three of us were really tired. I told them Ben was sleeping and hopefully would be ok. Will and Hudson kept an eye on him and camp. John and I went to work digging while Sarge stood in the tunnel entrance with the BAR at the ready. We dug straight down and were in a hurry to see if there was anything down there. After a couple of hours we were down over ten feet and had worked up a good sweat even though the morning air was chilly. By now the pick and shovel were like a part of my own body and I had the calluses to show for all the digging I had done. It was no big deal to me anymore and there wasn’t a pound of fat on my body. Along about noon we were ready to take a break when John swung down with the pick and we both heard a thump. We looked at each other and smiled. I called over to Sarge. I told him we had just hit something that sounded like wood. Could we possibly be so lucky and find even more treasure? And if we did what would it be? That’s what I was thinking as we carefully excavated around the side of a huge chest. We weren’t finished yet. TO BE CONTINUED .................

May 30 1937 Part Seven Ben was saying he would come down towards us. When he did we could see that he was in rough shape. He said he had been struck on the head with something and dragged up the hill a ways. He had passed out and never saw who had done it. We helped him into my truck and I took him back to camp. Sarge and John stayed at the tunnel to guard it. When I got Ben back we got him a chair and told him to take it easy. I handed him the Thompson and he was mighty glad to see I had recovered it. Ben was thinking the same as everyone else, that the foreign buyer group must be trying to get their money back and is watching us. It just never seems to end out here. Sarge and John stayed at the tunnel all night and I stayed at camp. We had two places we needed to guard. Everyone is tired. I kept watch for a while until Will took over and everything stayed quiet. I heard no warning shots from the other site. Tomorrow morning I’ll get back to the site and continue digging. TO BE CONTINUED ....................

May 30 1937 Part Six Sarge gave the signal to hold off on any shooting while he edged around the side of the opening and shined his flashlight inside. He shook his head and said there was nobody in there. There was a lantern left lit towards the back wall. It appeared that someone had been inspecting our work. John said it had to be the foreign buyer group. Sarge said they probably came to rob and kill us but saw that we might be onto more treasure. Somehow they must have captured Ben in all that fog. He probably never saw them or heard them sneaking up on him. John said that they must be close by so we looked around for clues. We saw a few fresh footprints that looked like they led up the mountain to the north. We followed them but made sure to keep under as much cover as we could. We cut out the lanterns and moved in the dark heading north. There was a quarter moon which cast a small amount of light. The footprints had vanished and we just kept heading up the mountain hoping to find them. We stopped and just listened for a minute. John said quietly that he heard something moving just up ahead. We moved forward trying to make sure we weren’t walking into a trap. As we moved higher up the mountain there was more noise. It was a rustling sound but we couldn’t quite make out where it was coming from. Then, without warning, there was a holler. There was no mistaking the voice. It was Ben. TO BE CONTINUED ................

May 30 1937 Part Five On the way out to the drift mine we speculated as to what might have happened to Ben. Sarge said maybe the foreign buyers had decided to get revenge and they could be laying for us. John agreed. I didn’t say anything but was thinking this might be something on the supernatural end of things. The Shaman had warned us. Where did that fog come from so quickly and then disappear just as fast? We had disturbed the dead in our quest for treasure. We had fought and killed for gold but only to protect ourselves and our goods. Were we now just like the gangsters we had fought since last year? I couldn’t make myself believe that we were like them. We had worked hard for everything we had achieved. We didn’t steal. Yes we had killed but not without being provoked. We were put in situations where we had no choice. My fear was that it was becoming easier. When we pulled up to the site we saw the glow of a lantern inside the tunnel. John and I had taken our lanterns with us. Who or what was in there and what were they doing? Sarge hollered out from just around the outside of the opening but out of direct line of gunfire if there were hooligans. He said if there was anyone in there to come out. He said there were heavily armed men outside and if no one came out we would open fire. There was only silence in response. I repeated Sarge’s order and said they had ten seconds to come out with hands in the air or we would spray the tunnel with bullets. Still no response. I looked at John and Sarge to wait for their signal. TO BE CONTINUED .............

I thought it might be nice for readers to know the process I use to write. It's called "seat of the pants" LOL.

Just a note on how the journal gets written : Some readers may think that I have a complete series or season written and I post a little of it every day or so. That is not the case. When I feel like writing I sit down and write on Google Docs so it is saved. When I write I really have no idea what I will write until I write it. Nothing is pre planned or outlined. It is like I am reading the story just like the readers are except I get to read it first. The story just comes as it will without much thought process from my part. I liken it to a guitar player who is in a jam session. He doesn't know where it is going but just lets his mind and fingers do the talking. Sometimes he paints himself into a musical corner and has to work his way out. Exactly how I feel with this story sometimes. This is what makes it so much fun for me to write it. I have no clue what will happen or how this will end. Thanks to all you readers out there and hang in there with me as this journal continues to unfold. Cheers, GM.

May 30 1937 Part Four We were nearly a mile from camp and couldn’t see ten feet in any direction. It was stone quiet. John said the best thing to do was to go back inside the tunnel and wait out the weather. He said standing out here in the open unable to see what was out there in the mist was a bad idea. So we went back inside taking the Thompson with us. The skeleton was over against the wall of the drift and I tried not to think about it. We were both really worried about Ben but helpless to do anything. We kept our rifles pointed towards the opening and the lanterns shined a faint glow but we still couldn’t see much of anything. Finally, after about an hour, the mist began to fade away and we could see the opening again. We ventured out cautiously. It was still quiet, not a sound. We both called out for Ben but there was no answer. We decided to go back to camp and organize a search party. Ben could be anywhere in these mountains but we had a feeling he wouldn’t be too far from the drift. When we got back to camp everyone was waiting to see if we found treasure. We told the crew what had happened and they were all stunned. They said the weather had been crystal clear at camp the entire time we were gone. Sarge grabbed his BAR and said let’s go. We left Will and Hudson at camp and Sarge, John, and I got in my truck and headed for the dig site. We were determined to find Ben. TO BE CONTINUED .................

May 30 1937 Part Three We started digging and John was saying we were sure to find more treasure. There was only one way to find out. After about half an hour we took a short break and suddenly Ben hollered into the tunnel for us to come out. When we came out Ben was all upset and pointing his Thompson up above us towards the mountain. He said there was something moving up there and he wasn’t sure what it was. John and I always carried our rifles out here so we had them at the ready. We shined flashlights around that area but saw nothing. Ben said he was sure that something or someone was up there. Ben said the tunnel and skeleton inside gave him the creeps. I told him that I felt the same way. John just laughed and told us to take a swig of whisky and calm our nerves. I told Ben to keep a good watch and we were going back in to dig. When we got back inside and started digging again the fog seemed to be coming into the tunnel from outside. It was like a really thick mist and I couldn’t see hardly anything. I tried setting the lantern closer but it didn’t seem to help. Even John was getting a little skittish. I hollered out to Ben to make sure things were ok but there was no answer. John and I eased out of there and didn’t see Ben. He should have been right at the entrance. John called out his name but got no answer. Then we saw it. His Thompson was lying on the ground. Ben would never leave that gun laying like there like that. Something must have happened to him. Something bad. John and I clutched our rifles and stood back to back trying to see through the thick fog. I had a real bad feeling come over me and remembered what the Indian Shaman had told us. TO BE CONTINUED .................

Remember, dead men tell no tales. Who's next?

May 30 1937 Part Two The crew sat in silence as I spoke. I reminded them of how this treasure hunt began. It had started when we were exploring and working the old eastern drift mine area. We had dug into the mountain and timbered. Then we found the first skeleton and map. I told the crew that every time we had dug up a skeleton we had found treasure just below. John let out a big laugh and exclaimed loudly that we may not be done with the treasure hunt. I looked at him and just said “exactly.” I said we needed to get a digging crew out there in the morning and go back to our freshly excavated tunnel. We had left the skeleton in its resting place. We needed to move it out and dig to see if there was treasure. To my surprise, the crew wanted to start right there and then. It was nearly midnight and we were all half drunk but we decided to go out there. I took John and Ben in my truck. The rest of the crew stayed at camp on watch for hooligans. Ben would act as a guard while John and I dug. We took a couple of bottles of Bushmills with us to keep us warm on the cold night. When we pulled up to the dig site I shined the truck’s headlamps into the open drift. It was a bit foggy and the air was still. Ben stayed outside the tunnel with his Thompson while John and I took in our picks and shovels as well as two lanterns and a bottle of whiskey. We got back in there a ways and there was the skeleton laying there. It was creepy as all hell and we both took a swig of booze. My skin was crawling as we picked up the bones and moved them out of the way. Then we went to work. TO BE CONTINUED ...............

May 30 1937 Part One When we got back to camp we showed the money to Will and Hudson. I think they nearly passed out. Then we all set about moving the small, temporary camp back down south to our main camp where the tom was. By the time we got everything back to somewhat normal it was time for supper. Actually it was past supper time. So I made up bacon and beans and a quick batch of hot water corn bread. By the time we ate it was past dark and we stoked a nice fire and broke out the whisky and Lucky’s. We ate good and drank better. We had hidden the money but good and we would divide up what we had kept for ourselves of the treasure and the money tomorrow. We celebrated our good fortune. We drank to Jed. We drank to our bravery. We drank to the treasure. We drank to the briefcases full of money. And on and on it went until it hit me. I told the crew we had forgotten something. Everyone just looked at me with a puzzled look on their faces. I told them there was still one more thing left to do. John looked at me and asked me what the hell I was talking about. So I began telling the crew what we needed to do in the morning. TO BE CONTINUED ................

Interesting.

Now the question becomes will this group of jewelry & gold buyers be content to just laeave with the treasure or will they try to get their money back first. Jacob & crew may have a few surprises coming as well. Stay tuned.

May 29 1937 Part Ten James was mumbling his words which was a direct result of John’s punch to the jaw. He said they had the other half of the stash in the trunk of the car in case there was any trouble. I told him he didn’t know what trouble was if the money wasn’t there and he and John went out to get it. James brought in two more brief cases which contained the money. John and Sarge stayed with the group while I drove the Cadillac back to camp. We loaded the jewelry and some of the gold bars in the trunk and back seat and we put the rest on the bed of my truck and covered it with a tarp. We left Hudson and Will at camp while I drove the truck and Ben drove the Cadillac to a side road going up into the mountains a mile outside of town. We took a little turnoff which went into the woods behind some large boulders and parked the Cadillac. Then we unloaded the rest of the gold from the truck into the Cadillac. We stuffed the interior with gold bars. The Cadillac was overloaded and the suspension squatted down under all the weight. We had also kept a nice supply of the gold bars at camp for the crew to divide up. We left the car locked up and Ben and I drove back to camp and put the rest of the bound gold buyer group onto the bed of the truck and covered them with a tarp. We drove back to the Cadillac and unloaded the men and made sure they were well tied. Then we drove back to the hotel and gave the keys for the Cadillac to Collins. I told them it had been a pleasure doing business with them and hopefully there were no hard feelings. I gave them directions to where the treasure was and told them that if they tried to cause any problems we would kill them all. With that John, Sarge, John, and I drove the truck back to camp with four briefcases full of money. We were all set for life. TO BE CONTINUED ...............

May 29 1937 Part Nine The guy with the briefcases entered first followed by the other three men. The last one in seemed like he was in charge. He spoke with a British accent. They were all dressed in suits and looked out of place in this territory. When he saw Sarge with the BAR pointing in their direction he was taken aback and asked what was all this about. I told John to frisk them and he removed their guns which were hidden in shoulder holsters. The leader said his name was James and asked again what was going on. I told him not to worry and we were just very cautious in doing business with people we didn’t know, especially when it involved priceless treasure. Collins spoke up and told them we meant business. James looked quite surprised and asked me if I knew who I was dealing with. I just shook my head no. He said he was one of the wealthiest precious metals and jewelry brokers in Europe. He claimed to have bought large amounts of jewelry for the royals of England and Scotland as well as several other European countries. John told him he didn’t give a damn who he had bought jewelry for but he damn sure better have the total amount of money in cash in those briefcases or there’d be hell to pay. James told John to calm down and that the deal would proceed as expected. He said there was no need for violence and he was a man of his word. I looked at the other three guys he had with him and they were thugs for sure. One of them looked like a well worn prize fighter and the other two just plain gangsters. I knew them when I saw them and unfortunately I had seen way too many out here in this hell hole of a town. They were just a different class from another country. John told him to open up the briefcases and count out the money. James gave him a look like he was far superior to him and said it was difficult dealing with the underclass. Without saying a word John walked over to him and delivered a right hand square on the chin. James went down and laid on the floor groaning. I told him he’d better keep his mouth shut if he knew what was good for him. I could tell that the other three wanted to kill us if they had the chance. Sarge noticed it as well and said if anyone tried anything he would beat them with the but end of his BAR. They just sneered at him. I told them firmly to open the cases and do it now. Reluctantly they did and we saw the money. I removed the stacks of bills and told Sarge and John to have a look at it and make sure it’s real. After going through it and counting it we realized it was short of the total amount by one half. I looked down at James who was still on the floor and told him he had better start talking and fast. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

May 29 1937 Part Eight I wrote down what he was to tell the buyers. After a bit of back and forth they were convinced of a change in plans and agreed to meet with us in town. The meeting was to be at 6:00 PM tonight. We left the hotel taking the currier with us and headed back to camp. When we got back we informed everyone on what was going to take place. Ben and John tied up Roger, Collins, the currier, and the buyers so we wouldn’t have any trouble with them. They were left under the guard of Hudson and Will in a remote area away from camp. Our plan was to take Collins and the currier back to town and wait for the foreign buyers. We headed back to the hotel late in the afternoon taking Sarge with us as well. We used the Cadillac and Packard. We all went up to the hotel room and waited. We were armed with revolvers and Sarge had his BAR as well. There was no conversation and the time ticked by slowly. I was watching the street from the window when I saw a black Ford sedan pull into a parking spot in front of the hotel near our cars. Four guys got out. One of them was carrying two briefcases. They entered the hotel and I heard them coming up the stairs. There was the same knock pattern on the door and I told the currier to let them in and not to try any funny business. Sarge was sitting in the corner with the BAR pointed at the entrance. TO BE CONTINUED ................

May 29 1037 Part Seven We took Collins into town and parked outside of a run down hotel. We went in and took the stairs to the second floor. Collins gave three knocks, paused, gave two knocks, paused, and gave four knocks. The door opened and the currier stood there looking at us with surprise on his face. Collins told him that we were the treasure people and some things had changed. The currier started to pull a revolver out of his coat but John smacked him in the face and he went down. John stepped on his hand with his boot and the guy let loose of the gun. I picked it up and dumped out the shells. Then I put it in my belt. John helped him to his feet and as he did so socked him in the gut. The guy let out a groan as all the wind went out of him but John held him up to keep him from going down. He was gasping for air and I told him to play it straight or he’d get worse. I took a look around the rundown room. Sure enough there was a short wave radio on a corner table with a kitchen chair pulled up close to it. When the currier finally got his breath he looked at Collins and said the foreign buyers weren’t going to like this. Collins started to reply but I told him to clam up and we’d do the talking. I told him he was going to contact the guys out in the desert and tell them they needed to come to town. I said that I would tell him what to say and if there was any funny business I’d tell John to beat him to death. He was starting to shake pretty bad but he turned on the shortwave set. TO BE CONTINUED .............