GhostMiner

Fiat currency backed only by the the issuer's word & promise. Before 1971 The U.S. Dollar was backed by gold. Nixon took us off that standard in order to issue the beginning of massive debt which is now beyond belief. It will never be paid. As the attempt to raise rates continues in order to conatin inflation the system will begin to collapse as it always does & the Fed will be forced to cut rates to zero once again and the dolar will continue to buy less and less evry year. A very bad scenario is beginning to set up for the coming years.

May 25 1937 Part Three I looked closely and estimated each chest to be about five feet in length. The width was around three feet and we dug around the sides to determine the depth. After about an hour we determined the depth to be about two feet on one and close to three feet on the other. I told John I was going to round up everyone and to wait for us before he opened them. It took nearly another half hour to get everyone gathered around the trench. No one could believe their eyes. John and I attempted to lift the smaller of the two but it was real heavy and we were afraid the bottom would fall out so John knocked the lock off with a hammer and chisel. The lid creaked as we pried it open. I couldn’t quite make out the contents so I shined the lantern close to the top of the chest. There appeared to be some kind of red and yellow fabric covering the contents. It was old and slightly rotted but John said it was an old flag of some sort. We carefully lifted it out of the chest and there was a second cloth just like the first. We removed that one and our eyes fell upon the contents. Some of the crew started to laugh and some just gasped. John spoke slowly and said this couldn’t possibly be happening to a little rag tag crew like us. I just smiled and started to lift out some of the treasure. TO BE CONTINUED ..................

On Saturday, September 24, I will be posting the real info on how I came to write the journal on Jed Stevens & crew. I will divulge the true story behind the journal. It will tell you what the journal was based on including what Jed really got in the way of gold and how he got it. It will contain information from the actual government report that started this entire journey including how he died and where he is buried. There will be lots of info in this entry for all to read. I am doing this because I feel I owe it to all the faithful readers who have stuck with me on this incredible ride as the journal approaches 200,000 views. This will put to rest some of the speculation but I also must warn you that it opens the door to more mystery. The quest for gold & treasure continues. To the readers here, I thank you.

May 25 1937 Part Two We continued down another five feet without finding treasure or clues. It was mid afternoon now and we decided to take a break and have some lunch. Our camp here was set up just forty feet from the rock so we could keep an eye on the spot. I took some lunch over to Will and Hudson and Sarge and Ben as well. We all felt like we were sitting on something big here. John and I eventually got back to digging and worked up a good head of steam. We had only dug for about twenty minutes when we hit another stone. This one was double marked with two crosses and two X’s in circles. We set the stone on the ground just outside the trench and kept working. Three feet further down was once again the gruesome sight of human remains. Six skeletons. At this point we slowed the work and began to carefully excavate the bones. We worked at this for two hours and took another break. We had removed everything we could find. After a short break we started to dig down again. We dug until the light began to fade and set up some lanterns for light. Then we heard the familiar sound of the thud of a shovel against dense wood. It was nearly dark now and we tried to widen out the trench a bit to completely uncover the lid. The chest seemed to be much larger than the previous chests we had found. Then John said to have a close look. I held a lantern close to the lid. When I did I could see there was a second lid next to the first. Two treasure chests. John and I were standing on top of the lids. Most likely we were standing on top of a massive fortune of untold wealth. TO BE CONTINUED ....................

That show always puts me to sleep lol.

May 25 1937 Part One Last night got really cold. I kept hearing branches breaking all around the outside of camp. I got up a few times and shined a light into the trees but saw nothing. We had breakfast and John and I went to work. He took the west side of the rock and I took the east side. The plan was for each of us to dig a trench around the rock and join them making a closed loop. We would go down fifteen feet if need be and then widen the trench from there. We were hoping to find something by the second or third day but there were no guarantees in treasure hunting. Now Will and Hudson were acting as guards along with Sarge and Ben. They watched all directions just outside of camp so we could dig without constantly watching our backs. John and I also had our rifles close by. The morning was cold with a north wind and it felt good to be digging. About three feet down I hit a flat stone and bent over to lift it out of the trench. I brushed away the dirt and saw a Spanish cross carved into it. I showed John. He got excited and said we are on top of it. So we both started digging on my side of the rock. About three feet further down we hit another flat stone and it also had a cross carved into the face. The two of us were now digging as fast as we could. About two feet further down was yet again another flat stone. This one had a cross as well as an X inside a circle carved into the face. John said he thought we were getting close. TO BE CONTINUED .....................

May 24 1937 Yesterday John and I dug to a depth of nearly thirteen feet. It was a large trench with nothing to show. We decided to stop all work at this site. We had amassed a great fortune in treasure but had paid a heavy price. The crew was beaten up and stressed out but no one had quit. Before we left the treasure site I made a speech to the crew. I told them how proud I was of every one of them and we now had riches beyond our wildest dreams. Once again I told them that anyone who wanted to leave could do so and there would be no hard feelings. Again no one wanted to quit the crew. We were a tough bunch of men and were willing to do what few men are, and that is to die for what we believe in. That put us a step above all the scoundrels and rif raf we had dealt with out here. Will and Hudson were coming along good and mending up. I left them to guard camp with Ben. John, Sarge, and I went up the mountain on the hunt for the treasure X. By late afternoon we had found it. It was very obvious because of the map and the way the big rocks were sitting. The problem would be finding the exact location of a buried treasure. The X was marked between the large rocks and the base of the mountain to the west. There was about 100 feet of ground between the rocks and mountain. There were no further clues. John let out a curse and said we might be digging up here for a month of Sundays and we didn’t even know for sure if there was anything in the ground. The new site was about a half mile higher up the mountain and very remote. I suggested to John and Sarge that we kind of walk the ground carefully to see if there might be any clues. After about 15 minutes Sarge hollered for us to come over to his location and have a look. There was a good sized stone about five feet high and by itself. On the west side was a faint X that was nearly worn away. I told Sarge he had a good eye and he had found the location. Now we just needed to move camp up here and start digging. John and I just looked at each other knowing this might be something even more historic than the previous site. We set about moving camp and by the time we were done it was nearly dark. I cooked up some beans and bacon and we broke out a bottle of whisky and some Lucky’s to ward off the cold night air. It was real quiet. Almost too quiet. TO BE CONTINUED ..................

May 23 1937 This morning the camp is uneasy to say the least. Last night John and I saw some kind of figure in what appeared to be armor appear just at the edge of camp. Then it was gone. As I got up to find Sarge we heard a scream. It had come from Ben’s post. John and I headed over there with rifles in hand. Ben was on his knees. He said he had been slashed by someone with a sword. His Thompson was lying by his side. We immediately got him to his feet and brought him to camp. We made sure to get his Thompson as well. By then Sarge was in camp. He was stunned. Ben was bleeding and had been cut across the upper right arm. Lucky for him it was a cold night and he had a coat on. The wound was not too deep and we dressed it with a bandage. Hudson asked me what in the hell was happening to us. I couldn’t give him a good answer. Will said it was the curse. He remembered that the Indian Shaman had warned us we were walking dead men. He began to shake. Sarge and John told everyone to calm down. They said there was no such thing as a curse. Ben was shaken but told us he was ready to resume guard duty. John and I had one more day of digging to do at the rocks. I was willing to die for the treasure. I wasn’t sure about the rest of the crew. I knew that if Jed was here he’d tell everyone that nobody runs him off his claim. And they might die trying. If only my brother was here with us now. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

May 22 1937 Yesterday John and I dug the last side of the rocks. We got a good long trench started and ended our day at a depth of about six feet. We found nothing. We decided that we would spend one more day there and try to get down to ten feet or maybe a bit deeper. Then we will try to find the next X on the map. After supper we all sat around discussing our fortunes. Sarge said he was going to start up a big cattle ranch. Ben was going to retire and move to Mexico. Will and Hudson said they were building new houses and planned to start some new businesses where they lived. They asked me what I was going to do with my new found wealth. I told them I was going to continue on as a gold miner next year. I asked them if they would be returning to mine for gold with me. They were a bit vague with their answers and I figured this might be our last season together as a crew. This made me wish we had never made this discovery because our team was family to me. It was all Jed and I had last year and I didn’t want to lose them. John told me he was expanding his farm and hiring some help and would probably stick with me for a few more years if I kept going. That made me feel a lot better. Once again Hudson and Will turned in early while Sarge and Ben took night watch. We hadn’t heard any more gunfire up on the mountain lately. It was getting cold and all the stars were out. I stoked the fire some and brought out a bottle and John and I filled our cups. Then it happened. There was a sudden cold blast of wind that came through camp and chilled us to the bone. What I saw next I couldn’t believe. Then what happened next made me rethink even staying here another day. TO BE CONTINUED .................

About 20 years after my grandfather passed away years ago my father retired. I asked him if he would be interested in searching for the lost gold shipment. He said no, he wasn't interested. I asked him why. He told me that this was just an old yarn my grandfather had been telling certain people in the family for years. He said that as a young boy he had remembered a night when the family was together and my great grandfather was talking about the missing gold shipment. He said he couldn't remember much about the conversation but told me that he seemed to be serious. However, no one in the family believed it other than my grandfather. My father said that treasure hunting was a big waste of time that could be used for something more productive. He told me that every man is given a finite amount of time to live on this earth and that he should not waste it chasing rainbows. That was his opinion and I suppose he was entitled to it. My father passed away years ago and we never discussed the gold shipment again. Now I have a 3 year old grandson that I will eventually pass down this story to. That is, if I haven't found it by the time he is old enough to understand it. I am hopeful that someday the two of us could spend some time together searching for this treasure. That would actually be the real treasure.

May 21 1937 Last night we sat around the fire at our temporary camp and talked over the day’s findings. The contents of the old chest were quite shocking. When we opened the lid we were staring at four human skulls that were partially mummified. There was still some skin on them as well as hair. We couldn’t make out enough of the features to guess the origin. The skulls had been placed on top of more treasure. Gold bars and something new, 100 gold coins which were all blank. The gold had a slight reddish tint to it as well. Then at the very bottom of the chest was a gold plate with a stamping. It was a crude H C. Immediately John shouted out Cortez. Hernan Cortez had raided Mexico and stolen vast amounts of gold. John said it is rumored that some was taken to America and buried by slaves. Then the slaves were executed. John said the Aztec gold had a red tint because it wasn’t pure and contained copper. He also told us that from what he had read on the subject the treasures were cursed. Those that discovered it were doomed to die. I took a long drink of whiskey as he continued to speak. John said that he didn’t believe in curses and wasn’t one hundred percent sure this was Cortez loot but it made sense to the rest of us. Sarge said that if anyone tried to get his take he would cut them down curse or no curse. Hudson and Will told us they were beginning to feel better and wanted to help act as guards along with Ben and Sarge until they could work again. I agreed to let them see if they were able. So with four guards in place John and I went back to digging. I figured one or two more days here before we went on the next search for buried treasure indicated by the map. Now we all figured we were on to something even bigger than any of us had imagined. I feel like I am selling my soul for treasure. TO BE CONTINUED ...................

May 20 1937 I woke up early while everyone was still sleeping. Sarge had come into camp for a fresh cup of coffee and I joined him. I asked him what his thoughts were on our situation. He told me that he and Ben were not afraid to stay and fight for gold and treasure. He said they actually enjoyed it at times. Sarge told me he and his BAR had killed many men during the Great War and death was no stranger to him or Ben who had also done his share of fighting in the Army. Sarge said that he wanted to stay to the end and find every last bit of buried treasure and get all the gold from our mine as well. When John got up and moving we had a good breakfast and headed for the rocks to start digging. This was a routine I was very used to doing. Did, dig, dig. There was no end to it. At a depth of around nine feet we once again hit the unthinkable. This time there were three skeletons. It gave John and I the creeps but we lifted them out of their resting place and gently laid the bones just outside the trench. Then we dug deeper. Sure enough, about three feet further down we hit a wooden box. It was about four feet by two feet and maybe two feet in depth. I busted off the lock and we pried the lid open. John and I looked at each other in horror. TO BE CONTINUED ................

One last thing I should mention - this person claims to be in possession of an actual piece of the gold shipment. He refuses to tell me how he got it. He is willing to show it to me at some point. I guess this is to convince me that he holds the last piece of the puzzle needed for me to solve the mystery.

This is a rather humorous standoff between me and this person claiming to have solid info on a general location. It seems he needs me as much or more than I need him. He tells me I probably have inside information passed down by my grandfather that he needs to complete the puzzle. I have not given out any good information to anyone on any of this and would be hesitant to do so. At this point in time the two of us are in what I would call an uneasy standoff - neither party willing to give up info to the other but wanting info from the other if some trusting relationship or business partnership could be established. Oh well, if there is such a treasure, it isn't going anywhere.

I have recieved some new and mysterious information concerning this gold shipment and where it may be hidden. It seems my grandfather knew what he was talking about and the scope for a possible search may have been narrowed. The person who contacted me is willing to share more info but wants to be a part of the search crew if we form one. He also wants a large cut. I am wary of his offer though. This is an interesting time for me as I am preparing to leave society as I know it next year. I am selling my home and bought a 5th wheel to live out of. My goal is to not only search for treasure but also work my company's unleased areas where I believe large amounts of gold still remain to be dug. I have good reason to believe there is still several million dollars of gold yet to be found at Jed's dig site.

May 19 1937 Yesterday John and I dug until nearly dark. We found nothing deeper at the last treasure location and moved to the next untouched area near the rocks. By the time we stopped we were a good seven feet deep and had a trench twice as long. We were dog tired and ready for our supper. We had hoover stew and crackers and it never tasted better as we stoked the campfire. I broke out a bottle of Bushmills and some cold Lucky’s and we all sat around the fire. It was a cold and clear night and every star in the sky was visible. Once again our peace and quiet was disturbed by gunfire far up on the mountain. It lasted on and off for over an hour. We couldn’t figure out who these hooligans were or what they were up to. John suggested that they may be what was left of the gang we had just dealt with. He said they were probably conducting night raids on various miners and prospectors up on the higher and remote locations of the mountain. All I could think was those poor prospectors who were probably being robbed and killed. There was little or no law out here and it was up to every man to take care of himself or pay the consequences. I wanted to kill every last one of those thugs. After the gunfire had stopped it was close to midnight. Will and Hudson were asleep in their tents and Sarge and Ben were on guard duty as usual. John and I had a few more drinks and talked about everything that had happened so far this year. John said he hated this place but there was something that wouldn’t allow him to leave. The mountain had a hold on him. I agreed. Most sane men would have taken their treasure and gotten the hell out of here yet none of us was willing to leave. I secretly hoped we weren’t making a big mistake. TO BE CONTINUED ...........................

May 18 1937 The old wooden chest was half filled with small gold bars and gold and silver jewelry. There were no markings. My hands were trembling as I lifted one of the bars out and into the sunlight. We started taking everything out and counted the bars as we placed them on the surface. It took us some time and we counted out 200 bars. The jewelry added up to 90 pieces, some with multiple jewels and gold and silver pieces. At the bottom of the box there was an old map and drawing. The drawing showed several men being stuck with swords by men in some kind of armor. John and I just looked at each other dumbstruck. The map seemed to give more directions to another hiding place to the north of the rocks. There were several markers along the way to an X in a circle. There was no indication of distance. The treasure spot was indicated to be along the creek near large rocks once again. There were five rocks drawn in a rough line on the west side of the creek near the bottom of the mountain. We immediately called a meeting of the entire crew including Sarge and Ben. We needed to protect our treasure and make a plan to continue the hunt. I told everyone that any man who wanted to leave would be given a share of the gold and there would be no questions asked. Not one man wanted to leave even though we were all in danger. We decided to stay the course here at the rocks until we felt everything possible had been dug. John and I would handle the digging while Will and Hudson continued to heal. We would trust our lives to Sarge and Ben. I told them they were equal partners in the treasure as well. Sarge laughed and said he was about to ask me about that. We covered the treasure with a blanket and went back to work. TO BE CONTINUED ......................

May 17 1937 John and I did more digging yesterday but turned up nothing which actually was a relief to me. We still want to know what is left of this treasure though and will continue to dig. Last night none of us got much sleep. There was yelling and gunfire way up on the mountain. Then it would move to another location. I have no idea who they were but they shot off guns until nearly daybreak. I fixed up breakfast and John and I went back to digging for treasure. We had gotten down pretty deep on the north side with nothing more found so we moved counterclockwise to the west side of the rocks and got up a head of steam. The sooner we finished up here the better is the way we all were looking at it. Down about nine feet we hit wood. This had a real heavy sound to it and we carefully scraped the dirt off the top. It was another chest but this one was larger than the others. When we had the top cleared off it was about four feet in length and about three feet in width. We slowly worked the dirt away from the sides and it appeared to be three feet or so in depth. When we tried to lift it out of the hole we couldn’t do it. It was too heavy and the wood was slightly rotted. John shot off the lock and we slowly opened the lid. When we saw the contents John let out a curse and a whoop. I just stood there shaking. I could not believe my eyes. I asked myself what the hell were we discovering here. Could this really be happening to us? TO BE CONTINUED .....................

May 16 1937 What I have to say here this day continues to haunt me. Yesterday we dug up a skeleton and under the skeleton was more treasure. This time a small box about 18 inches in length and filled with jewels. To know the value I would need to have them looked at by an expert but they were of gold, silver, and gemstones. Most likely they are of great value. We sat around camp at breakfast and tried to understand what was happening here. We had only come to mine for gold but now were sitting on buried treasure that seems to have no end. We also have a gold mine at the eastern drift that shows us huge potential. I am sure we are still being watched and expect to be attacked again at some point. Sometimes I feel like a walking dead man. Will and Hudson are somewhat better and to tell the truth I would like to send them home when they are fit to travel. I haven’t talked with them about this but I fear for their safety. I am wondering if John will stick this out as well. He has never flinched and neither has any of the crew. I am thinking that if we stay we may not get out alive. TO BE CONTINUED ................

May 15 1937 Last night John and I drank whisky until 2:00 in the morning. Hudson and Will got a restful sleep and this morning broke clear and cold. I stoked the morning cooking fire and made hash and eggs for the crew. We washed it down with coffee and whisky and talked about what we were going to do. It was clear to me that Will and Hidson needed time to heal and we needed to keep a close watch on their wounds. John wanted to get back to digging for buried treasure and I felt up to working some as well. So with Sarge and Ben on guard duty John and I went back to digging around the rocks. We were not far from Hudson and Will so we could go over and check on them frequently. We were getting deeper down on the northern side of the rocks and I let out a curse as a cold chill washed over my body. There was another skeleton lying in the freshly dug gravel. John and I carefully dug it out and set the bones on the surface. I started to think about what the shaman had told us. I took a long swig from the whisky bottle I kept close but it didn’t help me shake the cold wind that descended over us. Suddenly the clear sky turned dark and an ice cold rain poured down. John just gave me a look like what the hell is happening here. TO BE CONTINUED .....................

May 14 1937 We had no further problems with the gang yesterday but had a very strange visitor to our camp. He had come up the creek alone towards dusk and was very lucky he wasn’t shot. None of us were in any mood for visitors or strangers near our mine. I had just cracked open a bottle of whiskey and was trying to calm what was left of my nerves. He was a Mountain Maidu shaman and looked to be as old as time itself. He told the crew he knew of us from the stories being told in town and also out in the mountains. He said we were big medicine but wanted to warn us of something. I told him to have a seat in camp. He looked around and said we had been in a fight and had killed some bad men. He knew this from a vision he had seen last night. He told us we were brave men and had become a powerful force in the spirit's eyes. But the reason he came to talk to us was what he had been told by the spirits. They had shown him much blood and death around us both in the past and yet to come. We were now as a lightning strike in a storm. But our time would come to die. The spirits would call us back soon. He said there was the smell of death all around us and we were doomed men. There was not much anyone could do to change this according to this Indian. We sat and listened to what he said. I didn’t know what to say except to tell him that we will take care of each other. As he got up to leave he turned to me and smiled. He said we were a band of brave warriors ready for eternity. Then he walked off into the night. We all had a drink of whisky from my bottle and I stoked the night fire. TO BE CONTINUED ...................