Posted on 10/08/2023 6:05:10 AM PDT by george76
PENFIELD, Pa. — In the heart of Pennsylvania elk country, Eric McCarthy and his client, Don Reichel, got up before sunrise to scour the forest floor for so-called “brown gold” — a rack of freshly shed antlers to add to Reichel’s collection back home.
One hill over, a team of FBI agents was also hunting for gold. The metallic yellow kind.
The FBI’s highly unusual search for buried Civil War-era treasure more than five years ago set in motion a dispute over what, if anything, the agency unearthed and an ongoing legal battle over key records. There’s so much intrigue that even a federal judge felt compelled to note in a ruling last week: “The FBI may have found the gold — or maybe not.”
Now, two witnesses have come forward to share .. what they heard and saw in the woods that late-winter morning, raising questions about the FBI’s timeline and adding plot twists to a saga that blends elements of legend, fact and science – and a heavy dose of government secrecy.
....
McCarthy, a 45-year-old elk guide, had never met treasure hunter Dennis Parada. But he watched from afar as Parada took the FBI to court and told his story in the media. McCarthy recently decided to share his own story because he thought Parada, who spent years looking for the gold before approaching the FBI with his findings, has been treated unfairly.
“I just felt like I needed to say what I saw, you know?” McCarthy explained. “I have no ties to anybody here. It’s just I felt like they were wronged.”
....
“It’s a part of our history that’s hidden away,” Parada said, “and I think it’s time that should be told.”
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
Well, that’s very nice. What’s it from?
Mad Men
Thanks for the reply. I show I still need to see.
Regardless of whether the story is true or not, if any gold hoard is actually found, doesn’t it belong to the government anyway?
The stolen gold is still stolen after a 150 years and still belongs to whoever it was stolen from, or their estate.
And in the 1930’s, Roosevelt’s ‘decree’ that US citizens were no longer allowed to own gold and all such bulk raw gold was to be turned in to the government.................
As sixth of seven children, my dad told us many times that all he ever got was a wing
This would have been coins. So collectables.
Roosevelt thought about it and the Numismatist asked how deep he wanted his grave. He decided that collectable coins and jewelry were not to be turned over.
Why would the FBI take time away from demonizing and harassing Trump Supporters just to look for gold?
It would still be gubmint property, yes, y’know, if this story were true. It ain’t. The estimated value of this fictional hoard has risen from some much lower figure to $55 million today, and I suspect it’ll be $1 billion in another twenty years.
With inflation as large as it is that is quite the possibility...................
Or maybe he just lost interest in flying it and it's sitting in the basement gathering dust like mine is...LOL!
That’s the point, if there actually was a treasure to be found, and someone finds it, the government will just confiscate it and say thanks for finding OUR gold.
So it is pointless to even look for a treasure like that and publicize it.
Just remember the old pirate saying: Dead men tell no tales.................
That’s possible too. I thought about getting a drone at one time, but figured I wouldn’t really get much long-term use out of it as a toy, and I certainly didn’t have any practical use for it, so I didn’t buy one.
BTW, it wasn’t a ‘decree’, and there weren’t gangs of gov’t ruffians prying open safe deposit boxes to seize everyone’s gold jewelry and family fortunes.
For my own part, I wish my grandfather hadn’t been poor as dirt and law-abiding, and had buried some of those gold eagles he had in the house because he didn’t trust banks, instead of turning them in for paper notes.
When I was growing up, silver dollars were still circulating. People who had grown up before the Social Security system was established tended to have their retirement plans in a shoe box or under the mattress, and had to spend one once in a while.
https://www.federalreservehistory.org/essays/roosevelts-gold-program
sidebar, Specie Circular 1836:
https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Specie_Circular
Smart decision.
What's really pointless is, following these hunters of imaginary treasure. History Channel tried starting another show like Oak Island, but set in Lake Michigan, a search for a supposed Civil War era gold ship. Trust me, 1860s Michigan wasn't awash in doubloons.
Whatever happened with that?
Was it ‘Fake News’?.....................
The name History Channel is only half right. ;^)
No music on MTV.
No science on the Science Channel.
No history on the History Channel......................
As I get older, I find it easier not to buy toys. Still not completely immune. After nearly a year and a half we’re still using our pool table almost every day, at least for a game or two. I’m back to as good as I ever was, which is to say mediocre. But it’s fun.
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