I have decided to try something different on the Lost Dutchman Mine Documents page and add a case study of my own. It includes, by necessity, a certain amount of speculation on my part. I have tried to provide all of the documents or references to the documents from which I derived the study. The case study resides near the bottom of the page.
Sadly, any conclusions are my own, although I hope each of you will arrive at your own destination with a better understanding of the story, albeit different from mine.
The case involves the P. C. Bicknell clues to the location of the Lost Dutchman Mine and the note found on Adolph Ruth when his body was discovered in the Superstitions.
The study may prove tedious for some but there is an image included that most will enjoy it they are seeing it for the first time. This being the purported note that Adolph carried into the Superstition Mountains and that was discovered among his belongings when his body was found.
I would welcome any thoughts or additional information that anyone would care to share.
Is this the actual note?
If not, has the actual note survived?
If so, would the original still reside with the Barkley family?
Etc.
Garry
Adolph Ruth’s Directions to the Lost Dutchman Mine
Great write up Garry!! I think the writing in the document looks different than in the note, personally. They look a little similar, but different too. Also, what is this topo map? Who has it?
Also, this is the blood stained note I believe. I have my reservations about whether it was on Ruth's body or not because it has his name on the bottom (Ruth Map Backwards). You can see how the blood has covered over some of the wording, making it hard to read. I think this is the document Bark spoke of. I enhanced it a bit so it would be easier to read. Lots of questions:
Also, this is the blood stained note I believe. I have my reservations about whether it was on Ruth's body or not because it has his name on the bottom (Ruth Map Backwards). You can see how the blood has covered over some of the wording, making it hard to read. I think this is the document Bark spoke of. I enhanced it a bit so it would be easier to read. Lots of questions:
Randy Wright
Hobbiest LDM seeker
Mesa, AZ
"I don't care if it has electric windows. I don't care if the door gaps are straight, but when the driver steps on the gas I want him to piss his pants."
Enzo Ferrari
Hobbiest LDM seeker
Mesa, AZ
"I don't care if it has electric windows. I don't care if the door gaps are straight, but when the driver steps on the gas I want him to piss his pants."
Enzo Ferrari
just as soon as all gets quiet.......
Obviously each notes handwriting is by two different people. I think it is logical to assume that copies were made of what was legible by those who recovered the body. Nothing very unusual about that. In fact there are few Dutch Hunters who wouldn't have. there were 2 deputies from different counties on the scene, any collusion would have extended beyond that and I doubt any conspiracy. What do you do when you find the remains of someone you've been searching for? You thoroughly search the body. Now you have a topo with directions and a good indication of where he was going......Remember there were 2 deputies performing their duties. If they didn't go then, they were going back later.
As with all stories, the timelines get muddy and events stand on one another, rather than remain properly seperated.
Never mentioned at this point is the December search was called because Jeff Adams became very Ill and they went out again after he recovered. Not really important, but always neglected.
It also raises the issue of Bicknells column and the variations of it. Was Ruth adding in his own thoughts or are these taken from yet another source?
The Bicknell article could have come by way of another Dutch Hunter who sent Ruth information before....Sims Ely. Can't say its a fact, but a good possibility.
Here is where the whole thing rubs me wrong....you find the body and map, you then go looking for the cave and mine. Then you release the note to the family and Adams writes a letter about the whole incident and Tex tells Bark about what happened?
No, you agree to split things evenly, hide the note and map and never mention them and search for the mine a couple of months later.....
Of course Keenan and Purnell really had the map and so did Brownie and Bill Barkley.......How come everyone took a different map?
Obviously each notes handwriting is by two different people. I think it is logical to assume that copies were made of what was legible by those who recovered the body. Nothing very unusual about that. In fact there are few Dutch Hunters who wouldn't have. there were 2 deputies from different counties on the scene, any collusion would have extended beyond that and I doubt any conspiracy. What do you do when you find the remains of someone you've been searching for? You thoroughly search the body. Now you have a topo with directions and a good indication of where he was going......Remember there were 2 deputies performing their duties. If they didn't go then, they were going back later.
As with all stories, the timelines get muddy and events stand on one another, rather than remain properly seperated.
Never mentioned at this point is the December search was called because Jeff Adams became very Ill and they went out again after he recovered. Not really important, but always neglected.
It also raises the issue of Bicknells column and the variations of it. Was Ruth adding in his own thoughts or are these taken from yet another source?
The Bicknell article could have come by way of another Dutch Hunter who sent Ruth information before....Sims Ely. Can't say its a fact, but a good possibility.
Here is where the whole thing rubs me wrong....you find the body and map, you then go looking for the cave and mine. Then you release the note to the family and Adams writes a letter about the whole incident and Tex tells Bark about what happened?
No, you agree to split things evenly, hide the note and map and never mention them and search for the mine a couple of months later.....
Of course Keenan and Purnell really had the map and so did Brownie and Bill Barkley.......How come everyone took a different map?
"Be Careful of What You Do Before A Lie Becomes The Truth"
Randy,
I know you have posted this note previously but I could not find it. Sorry. Can you repeat the pedigree? Did it supposedly have an Erwin Ruth and Crazy Jake history?
It clearly doesn’t contain the words of the Bicknell article and unless Bark and Ely are making things up, it isn’t the note that Bark speaks of having made a photostatic copy. The Bark Notes and Ely's book both repeat the Bicknell Clues, plus the Veni Vidi, Vici.
I have never researched Crazy Jake and know nothing more than what I have read on the forum. Gene Reynolds seems to have been one person who actually did some research on the Erwin Ruth and Crazy Jake connection. Perhaps he can revisit some of his findings.
Garry
I know you have posted this note previously but I could not find it. Sorry. Can you repeat the pedigree? Did it supposedly have an Erwin Ruth and Crazy Jake history?
It clearly doesn’t contain the words of the Bicknell article and unless Bark and Ely are making things up, it isn’t the note that Bark speaks of having made a photostatic copy. The Bark Notes and Ely's book both repeat the Bicknell Clues, plus the Veni Vidi, Vici.
I have never researched Crazy Jake and know nothing more than what I have read on the forum. Gene Reynolds seems to have been one person who actually did some research on the Erwin Ruth and Crazy Jake connection. Perhaps he can revisit some of his findings.
Garry
Considering Adolph Ruth went in search of Pegleg's gold source in California, it's not that hard of a stretch for me to believe that Ruth came across that article at one time or another in his information gathering, or as you mentioned, perhaps it came from Ely or another gold mine hunter acquaintence.It also raises the issue of Bicknells column and the variations of it. Was Ruth adding in his own thoughts or are these taken from yet another source?
The Bicknell article could have come by way of another Dutch Hunter who sent Ruth information before....Sims Ely. Can't say its a fact, but a good possibility.
I like bouncing those "common sense" ideas around as well Wayne, and I tend to agree that there's something fishy here. The sheriff's depts. haven't been painted in the best of lights in these stories, and considering it was the day and age where $ were hard to come by, I would have expected them to do something more in line with your second idea than what they claim they did.Here is where the whole thing rubs me wrong....you find the body and map, you then go looking for the cave and mine. Then you release the note to the family and Adams writes a letter about the whole incident and Tex tells Bark about what happened?
No, you agree to split things evenly, hide the note and map and never mention them and search for the mine a couple of months later.....
Was anyone ever able to say for certainty what kind of rainfall there was between when Ruth disappeared and when his skeletal remains were found? I've always been suspect that a paper note could have gone through any serious rainfall without being damaged to the point where it's unreadable. I understand that it was supposedly tucked into a part of his checkbook, but even at that I'm not sure I'm convinced that the ink or pencil lead wouldn't have bled and/or smeared pretty badly if there was any significant rain.
As you said - so many questions! And so few true answers.
Elsewhere it was mentioned McFadden questioned Holmes and Barkley. It would seem one of the first moves before searching would to check anyone who might have seen Ruth or been in the vicinity of his camp. Of course Brownie may have been at First Water and told McFadden to check with Barkley at the QCU. There was also a need to notify them of the search posse coming in that would need feed and water. While Ruth was missing there was nothing to indicate foul play initially it seems, other than speculation concerning his whereabouts.
John Chunnings death certificate has place of death listed as Tortilla Flat in Pinal county. It appears it originally stated Chuning died in Mesa in Maricopa county and was changed. So much for the accuracy of such things.
I would think the topo map is more important and what gave them a good indication of where Ruth was searching.
John Chunnings death certificate has place of death listed as Tortilla Flat in Pinal county. It appears it originally stated Chuning died in Mesa in Maricopa county and was changed. So much for the accuracy of such things.
I would think the topo map is more important and what gave them a good indication of where Ruth was searching.
"Be Careful of What You Do Before A Lie Becomes The Truth"
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Joe Ribaudo
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Assumptions.......
You are all assuming that the deputies were in the first search to reach the remains. Considering the suspected truth, it seems much more likely they were nudged away from Ruth's body......until it was moved to Black Top Mesa. The fact that the skull had to roll uphill in a number of places before reaching it's final resting place shows the clumsy arraigning of the evidence.
While Brownie and Bill Barkley may have burned the original Ruth map, it's hard to believe copies were not made of everything. Now the question for me is: Does the bloodstained note match the writing of Adolph Ruth........or one of the people mentioned above? If so, who's blood is on the note? You can add Purnell and Keenan into the mix........but if that's Ruth's blood, and not his writing, you are approaching the truth in this case.
Who wrote that note?
Joe Ribaudo
While Brownie and Bill Barkley may have burned the original Ruth map, it's hard to believe copies were not made of everything. Now the question for me is: Does the bloodstained note match the writing of Adolph Ruth........or one of the people mentioned above? If so, who's blood is on the note? You can add Purnell and Keenan into the mix........but if that's Ruth's blood, and not his writing, you are approaching the truth in this case.
Who wrote that note?
Joe Ribaudo
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Joe Ribaudo
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Pictures......
Randy,
I have never been able to figure out how to put pictures in the body of a post here. Could you explain the process?
Thanks,
Joe
I have never been able to figure out how to put pictures in the body of a post here. Could you explain the process?
Thanks,
Joe
Joe,
You are assuming we all believe the body was moved?
Still nobody answers my questions and you would think they would be relevant. Everyone will tell you Ruth was camped and came up missing from Willow springs. Why? There is no proof that any of us can attest to than the accepted storyline. What was Ruth carrying? Did each item have a purpose?
I have heard that the only map Ruth had was a topo and that is the reason you will not see that map. We have a nice assortment of Spanish mining maps to select from, but that old boring topo, which is not very important?
Funny little things that get left out like Brownie stating they had searched the skull area before very thoroughly and it wasn't there before? Tex seems convinced Ruth was murdered after the county rules it accidental?
You are assuming we all believe the body was moved?
Still nobody answers my questions and you would think they would be relevant. Everyone will tell you Ruth was camped and came up missing from Willow springs. Why? There is no proof that any of us can attest to than the accepted storyline. What was Ruth carrying? Did each item have a purpose?
I have heard that the only map Ruth had was a topo and that is the reason you will not see that map. We have a nice assortment of Spanish mining maps to select from, but that old boring topo, which is not very important?
Funny little things that get left out like Brownie stating they had searched the skull area before very thoroughly and it wasn't there before? Tex seems convinced Ruth was murdered after the county rules it accidental?
"Be Careful of What You Do Before A Lie Becomes The Truth"
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Joe Ribaudo
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Wayne,
Not sure the following is what I was trying to say:
"You are assuming we all believe the body was moved?"
You are all assuming that the deputies were in the first search to reach the remains. (This was my only assumption.)
This was the rest of my statement, which assumes, IMHO, very little.:
Considering the suspected truth, it seems much more likely they were nudged away from Ruth's body......until it was moved to Black Top Mesa. The fact that the skull had to roll uphill in a number of places before reaching it's final resting place shows the clumsy arraigning of the evidence.
Personally, I am quite certain the body was moved.
Take care,
Joe
Not sure the following is what I was trying to say:
"You are assuming we all believe the body was moved?"
You are all assuming that the deputies were in the first search to reach the remains. (This was my only assumption.)
This was the rest of my statement, which assumes, IMHO, very little.:
Considering the suspected truth, it seems much more likely they were nudged away from Ruth's body......until it was moved to Black Top Mesa. The fact that the skull had to roll uphill in a number of places before reaching it's final resting place shows the clumsy arraigning of the evidence.
Personally, I am quite certain the body was moved.
Take care,
Joe
But Joe like everything else, it is based on an assumption that differs from the story passed down......
Dr Hrdlicka says it is a gunshot wound. The county says no. The county couldn't have been that unfamiliar with gunshot wounds to the head, it seemed to happen now and again. Yet everyone cries foul " He was murdered and it is a cover up". At this point 1/2 of Arizona is connected to the case if you believe everyones combined analysis.
Why would you leave the topo map, the directions and other things? Why say one thing and then do something to incriminate yourself?
The following is directed to everyone with a theory:
You have Ruth killed on Peters Mesa and moved, You have Ruth killed in West Boulder canyon and moved, you have the guy all over the place, but can't even show any evidence he was at Willow Springs to begin with or Peters Mesa or anywhere else......The only place you can prove his physical body was at beyond the 15th is Black Top Mesa.
The only evidence posted and shared that is documented follows the conspiracy theories. Even if they are not conclusive. Where are the Sheriffs reports? Where is the medical examiners reports? The info closest to home concerning the case seems to be missing.
So I get back to the note..........Jeff Adams writes about it, it has been rehashed in every book and now we see a copy that differs from the bicknell article. I was hoping that the next thing would be various pieces of handwriting to deduce who did copy the note. Chances are it means little, but if it was someone outside a handful of possibilities, then you would have a mystery of how that person acquired it.
Dr Hrdlicka says it is a gunshot wound. The county says no. The county couldn't have been that unfamiliar with gunshot wounds to the head, it seemed to happen now and again. Yet everyone cries foul " He was murdered and it is a cover up". At this point 1/2 of Arizona is connected to the case if you believe everyones combined analysis.
Why would you leave the topo map, the directions and other things? Why say one thing and then do something to incriminate yourself?
The following is directed to everyone with a theory:
You have Ruth killed on Peters Mesa and moved, You have Ruth killed in West Boulder canyon and moved, you have the guy all over the place, but can't even show any evidence he was at Willow Springs to begin with or Peters Mesa or anywhere else......The only place you can prove his physical body was at beyond the 15th is Black Top Mesa.
The only evidence posted and shared that is documented follows the conspiracy theories. Even if they are not conclusive. Where are the Sheriffs reports? Where is the medical examiners reports? The info closest to home concerning the case seems to be missing.
So I get back to the note..........Jeff Adams writes about it, it has been rehashed in every book and now we see a copy that differs from the bicknell article. I was hoping that the next thing would be various pieces of handwriting to deduce who did copy the note. Chances are it means little, but if it was someone outside a handful of possibilities, then you would have a mystery of how that person acquired it.
"Be Careful of What You Do Before A Lie Becomes The Truth"
I have no knowledge of handwriting analysis, but I can certainly put together clips of a bunch of handwriting side by side and post it here for discussion.
It might be an interesting little side project if anyone thinks it might have some value.
I'll try to get together a compilation of what factual documents I have and start putting together some comparison slides of letters, punctuation, etc... and see if it leads anywhere.
I have the documents here of course, and I also have one note of Adolph Ruth's that I can use. If anyone has any other handwritten documents you want to scan and send to me, feel free. I could care less what the subject matter is - I just want to try comparing words/letters/punctuation marks, etc...
I'll leave it to you all to decide person's handwriting would be interesting to compare.
If you don't have my e-mail address and want to send me something, PM me here and I'll give it to you.
Might be interesting to see where this leads.
It might be an interesting little side project if anyone thinks it might have some value.
I'll try to get together a compilation of what factual documents I have and start putting together some comparison slides of letters, punctuation, etc... and see if it leads anywhere.
I have the documents here of course, and I also have one note of Adolph Ruth's that I can use. If anyone has any other handwritten documents you want to scan and send to me, feel free. I could care less what the subject matter is - I just want to try comparing words/letters/punctuation marks, etc...
I'll leave it to you all to decide person's handwriting would be interesting to compare.
If you don't have my e-mail address and want to send me something, PM me here and I'll give it to you.
Might be interesting to see where this leads.
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Joe Ribaudo
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Earlier Today......
Paul,
Earlier today, I had a bit of free time and compared some of the letters in the the documents we have. I compared them with each other, and with some of the letters in Erwin's signature.
If I knew how to place a picture in this post, still waiting for Randy, I would post the results. I cropped down to individual letters and compared them side by side. The results are interesting.
Let's see what you come up with.
Take care,
Joe
Earlier today, I had a bit of free time and compared some of the letters in the the documents we have. I compared them with each other, and with some of the letters in Erwin's signature.
If I knew how to place a picture in this post, still waiting for Randy, I would post the results. I cropped down to individual letters and compared them side by side. The results are interesting.
Let's see what you come up with.
Take care,
Joe
Re: Earlier Today......
That's exactly what I was going to do - and I think I still will do it. Wouldn't it be interesting to include handwriting from a few other folks around that time period?Joe Ribaudo wrote:Paul,
Earlier today, I had a bit of free time and compared some of the letters in the the documents we have. I compared them with each other, and with some of the letters in Erwin's signature.
If I knew how to place a picture in this post, still waiting for Randy, I would post the results. I cropped down to individual letters and compared them side by side. The results are interesting.
Let's see what you come up with.
Take care,
Joe
When I post the results (and you might want to think about doing the same thing), post them in an unbiased fashion - in other words, post them with NO names associated and in different orders. Only you would have the "key" available to decipher whose letters are whose.
The Blood Stained Note
The note Randy posted has its own background and implications and I believe it should be evaluated within its own framework as to what it really represents. For me it’s a “long” stretch to even begin to tie it to Adolph Ruth or Jim Bark.
I do have it on good authority that this note was actually created by Crazy Jake about 1968 and what we see is chicken blood. Copies were included in his prospectus to encourage people to give him money for removing gold from the Superstitions.
Oh, someone wants a reference for my story about this note!!!
I didn’t believe it was necessary. I didn’t realize anyone was providing references on it. I thought everyone was just accepting what anyone offered? Sorry about that!
Randy,
Thanks for your private response and before anyone takes me to task, I AM KIDDING AFTER THE FIRST PARAGRAPH!!
Paul,
I hope you don't have an example of Crazy Jake's handwriting or I might be proved wrong.
Garry
I do have it on good authority that this note was actually created by Crazy Jake about 1968 and what we see is chicken blood. Copies were included in his prospectus to encourage people to give him money for removing gold from the Superstitions.
Oh, someone wants a reference for my story about this note!!!
I didn’t believe it was necessary. I didn’t realize anyone was providing references on it. I thought everyone was just accepting what anyone offered? Sorry about that!
Randy,
Thanks for your private response and before anyone takes me to task, I AM KIDDING AFTER THE FIRST PARAGRAPH!!
Paul,
I hope you don't have an example of Crazy Jake's handwriting or I might be proved wrong.
Garry
Chicken blood.........that was good. I think Randy has some of the lineage on that note. I like....actually love the idea of comparing the Ruth stuff and look forward to the results. Research is about evidence and field work, too often both are overlooked and ignored. While we probably will never know everything, it would be nice to have the best understanding of all things on hand.
Chicken blood.....
Chicken blood.....
"Be Careful of What You Do Before A Lie Becomes The Truth"
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Joe Ribaudo
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It's A Bet......
Randy,
You have a bet. After comparing the documents I have, with the lettering on the note........I am betting on Erwin Ruth.
That, by the way, is a popular rumor that has been floating around for many years.
Take care,
Joe
You have a bet. After comparing the documents I have, with the lettering on the note........I am betting on Erwin Ruth.
That, by the way, is a popular rumor that has been floating around for many years.
Take care,
Joe
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Joe Ribaudo
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Natural Suspicion......
Wayne,
I am naturally suspicious of all evidence and artifacts. It makes no real difference how it comes to light, I just like to question it all. In testing.... Everything, it's amazing what you can learn that has nothing to do with where you started.
That has gotten me into trouble a number of times, but I am too old to change my habits. My friends learn to tolerate my peculiarities, or leave the building. Once you accept the other guy, with all his warts, the bond becomes very hard to break.
In this case, because I knew of the rumors, it was only natural to compared the individual, in common, letters. Don't think you have to be an expert to find some amazing similarities.
It's just an unqualified opinion, which makes it no better than any other amateur detectives. I assume Randy has some of Jake's handwriting for comparison.
Take care,
Joe
I am naturally suspicious of all evidence and artifacts. It makes no real difference how it comes to light, I just like to question it all. In testing.... Everything, it's amazing what you can learn that has nothing to do with where you started.
That has gotten me into trouble a number of times, but I am too old to change my habits. My friends learn to tolerate my peculiarities, or leave the building. Once you accept the other guy, with all his warts, the bond becomes very hard to break.
In this case, because I knew of the rumors, it was only natural to compared the individual, in common, letters. Don't think you have to be an expert to find some amazing similarities.
It's just an unqualified opinion, which makes it no better than any other amateur detectives. I assume Randy has some of Jake's handwriting for comparison.
Take care,
Joe
I tried to post some jpgs of some handwriting examples I have, in the member archives, but I kept getting an error. Something about being unable to create thunbnails and to see the FAQ in the Gallery. I couldn’t find the FAQ and finally gave up. It was probably as simple as the files being too large.
I finally just posted them on the LDM Documents page. (Near the bottom)
One is the letter written by Adolph Ruth in 1920, Another is a 6 page letter written by Erwin Ruth in 1908 and finally a note that repeats the Bicknell directions to the mine that is attributed to Jim Bark. The Bark note is hard to read and you will have to zoom in to see it in detail. You may have a zoom tool in the lower righthand corner of the web page?
I did get carried away by posting all six pages of Erwin Ruth’s handwriting and the 1908 date is a long ways from our time period but that is all I had.
It sounds like Joe was trying to post some later examples for Erwin but he has so far been unsuccessful?
Since we are apparently all amateurs at handwriting analysis, I will offer this observation. It’s relatively easy to show two examples are written by a different hand if there is a large contrast. Trying to prove that two example were written by the same hand becomes VERY subjective and very difficult. Sometimes the answer can come by cherry picking and reaching whatever result you would like. Effective, but not exactly very compelling for anyone else.
Hopefully some additional examples can be added and these examples can also be used in evaluating future documents.
All of the examples I posted came from the Gregory Davis\Superstition Mountain Historical Society Collection.
Randy, Paul, etc.
Please feel free to use these jpgs, any way you see fit to create a more user friendly and accessible database.
Have fun,
Garry
I finally just posted them on the LDM Documents page. (Near the bottom)
One is the letter written by Adolph Ruth in 1920, Another is a 6 page letter written by Erwin Ruth in 1908 and finally a note that repeats the Bicknell directions to the mine that is attributed to Jim Bark. The Bark note is hard to read and you will have to zoom in to see it in detail. You may have a zoom tool in the lower righthand corner of the web page?
I did get carried away by posting all six pages of Erwin Ruth’s handwriting and the 1908 date is a long ways from our time period but that is all I had.
It sounds like Joe was trying to post some later examples for Erwin but he has so far been unsuccessful?
Since we are apparently all amateurs at handwriting analysis, I will offer this observation. It’s relatively easy to show two examples are written by a different hand if there is a large contrast. Trying to prove that two example were written by the same hand becomes VERY subjective and very difficult. Sometimes the answer can come by cherry picking and reaching whatever result you would like. Effective, but not exactly very compelling for anyone else.
Hopefully some additional examples can be added and these examples can also be used in evaluating future documents.
All of the examples I posted came from the Gregory Davis\Superstition Mountain Historical Society Collection.
Randy, Paul, etc.
Please feel free to use these jpgs, any way you see fit to create a more user friendly and accessible database.
Have fun,
Garry
Thanks Garry, I'll take a look at them this weekend and see what I can come up with to post.
I agree with you wholeheartedly that whatever handwriting analysis I try to do is going to be extremely subjective. You're exactly correct that I could easily pick and choose the characters I want to compare based no what result I want to see.
I'm going to try very hard to avoid that by just choosing what I think will be some distinctive letters from ONE note and then just going to the next and picking all the same letters for comparison. It's going to be a bit tedious to do and it's thoroughly unscientific, but it might be fun to see what if anything we can glean out of it.
I'd love to get ahold of some other handwriting too from people like Jake, Brownie, Tex, Bill, Jeff Adams, etc...
I agree with you wholeheartedly that whatever handwriting analysis I try to do is going to be extremely subjective. You're exactly correct that I could easily pick and choose the characters I want to compare based no what result I want to see.
I'm going to try very hard to avoid that by just choosing what I think will be some distinctive letters from ONE note and then just going to the next and picking all the same letters for comparison. It's going to be a bit tedious to do and it's thoroughly unscientific, but it might be fun to see what if anything we can glean out of it.
I'd love to get ahold of some other handwriting too from people like Jake, Brownie, Tex, Bill, Jeff Adams, etc...
Muddy Water
The content of the note that I posted, purportedly containing the handwriting of Jim Bark, is interesting in itself. It would have fit very nicely in the case study but I was undecided about exactly what it represented. It is probably as simple as something Wayne suggested. That being that treasure hunters often make copies of their clues and maps for convenience. Bark may have been doing exactly that.
Given the date, February 7, 1933 and the words in the note, there are some things that can be probably be drawn from it. The date places the note shortly after Bark’s trip to Arizona and visit with Tex Barkley. This was sometime after the discovery of Adolph Ruth’s body. The words in the note are exactly the same as those contained in what we now call The Bark Notes and in Sims Ely’s book, The Lost Dutchman Mine.
It would seem reasonable to assume that Bark was copying this note from the photostatic copy of the note removed from Adolph Ruth’s body. We have previously speculated that the photostatic copy was taken from the actual note in possession of Tex Barkley. The note contains all of the Bicknell clues and the Veni, Vidi Vici notation.
While the above may sound reasonable it does not mean that it is true!! There are several thoughts and questions that come to mind.
Returning to the original note that was in the case study that was allegedly removed from the body of Adolph. I have convinced myself that this note is not the writing of Adolph Ruth and is most likely something that someone copied. It is from the Barkley family papers and they appear to have had access to the original Adolph Ruth note, so, why all the missing words?
The purported Bark Note is also from the Barkley family papers. How did this note get in the Barkley Papers?
Another seemingly conflicting story comes from Northcutt Ely (Sims Ely’s son) in a speech he made to the Fortnightly Club of Redlands in 1988. The timeframe for the meeting with Erwin Ruth is not clear but it was sometime after the discovery of the body of Adolph Ruth. Northcutt served in the Hoover Administration (1928-1932) had a law practice in Washington D. C. until 1981 when he moved to Redlands, California.
The following is an excerpt of part of that speech.
It frequently seems that research muddies the water and no resolution is apparent. For our case, at least, some of the answers probably lie with Tom Kollenborn and Gregory Davis. The problem being that they would have to have the “patience of Job” to sift thru the detail required to satisfy most people.
I would be ecstatic to finally see the note from Ruth's body or the photostatic copy from the files of Northcutt Ely! Does anyone know what became of Northcutt's papers?
Garry
Given the date, February 7, 1933 and the words in the note, there are some things that can be probably be drawn from it. The date places the note shortly after Bark’s trip to Arizona and visit with Tex Barkley. This was sometime after the discovery of Adolph Ruth’s body. The words in the note are exactly the same as those contained in what we now call The Bark Notes and in Sims Ely’s book, The Lost Dutchman Mine.
It would seem reasonable to assume that Bark was copying this note from the photostatic copy of the note removed from Adolph Ruth’s body. We have previously speculated that the photostatic copy was taken from the actual note in possession of Tex Barkley. The note contains all of the Bicknell clues and the Veni, Vidi Vici notation.
While the above may sound reasonable it does not mean that it is true!! There are several thoughts and questions that come to mind.
Returning to the original note that was in the case study that was allegedly removed from the body of Adolph. I have convinced myself that this note is not the writing of Adolph Ruth and is most likely something that someone copied. It is from the Barkley family papers and they appear to have had access to the original Adolph Ruth note, so, why all the missing words?
The purported Bark Note is also from the Barkley family papers. How did this note get in the Barkley Papers?
Another seemingly conflicting story comes from Northcutt Ely (Sims Ely’s son) in a speech he made to the Fortnightly Club of Redlands in 1988. The timeframe for the meeting with Erwin Ruth is not clear but it was sometime after the discovery of the body of Adolph Ruth. Northcutt served in the Hoover Administration (1928-1932) had a law practice in Washington D. C. until 1981 when he moved to Redlands, California.
The following is an excerpt of part of that speech.
In this case, the original note was returned to the Ruth family and it was Northcutt who obtained the photostatic copy with the blood stain. He in turn sent it to his father Sims and in this scenario, Bark would have obtained it thru Sims and the Barkley family thru Bark?My father, who no longer lived in Phoenix, asked me to get hold of Erwin Ruth, who lived in Washington, as I did, and report what he could tell me.
Erwin Ruth came to see me, bringing with him the effects found on his father’s body. He told me the following story.
Some years earlier, the younger Ruth, while in government service as a veterinarian on the Mexican border, had come into possession of an old Spanish map and documents describing a mine in the Superstition Mountains which had been owned by a Mexican family named Peralta. He had given these to his father, who had an interest in old documents. The elder Ruth become obsessed with the notion that he could find the mine. Soon after he retired, he arranged, over the family's strong objection, to go to Arizona.
Ruth had taken with him a metal box in which he kept the old Spanish map and various other documents, which described how to reach the mine. This box had been found in Ruth's camp. The map was missing. On the body itself, however, had been found a memorandum book, which Erwin Ruth showed me. It bore, in his father's handwriting, in ink, directions which covered the last short distance to the mine. It read as follows:
"It lies within an imaginary circle whose diameter is not more than five miles, and whose center is marked by the Weaver Needle, about 2,500 feet high, among a confusion of lesser peaks and mountainous masses of basaltic rock.
"The first gorge on the South side from the West end of the range -- they found a monumented trail which led them northward over a lofty ridge, thence downward past Sombrero Butte, into a long canyon running north, and finally to a tributary canyon very deep and rocky and densely wooded with a continuous thicket of scrub oak...
The description was broken off at this point, but lower down on the page, well spaced and standing by themselves, were the enigmatic words "veni, vidi, vici" and then, written in pencil below this, was the notation About 200 feet across from the cave ".
The notebook was bloodstained. I was allowed to make a photostatic copy and send it on to my father.
It frequently seems that research muddies the water and no resolution is apparent. For our case, at least, some of the answers probably lie with Tom Kollenborn and Gregory Davis. The problem being that they would have to have the “patience of Job” to sift thru the detail required to satisfy most people.
I would be ecstatic to finally see the note from Ruth's body or the photostatic copy from the files of Northcutt Ely! Does anyone know what became of Northcutt's papers?
Garry
So how did Peck get ahold of a copy? You think Erwin showed him the original also? His is obviously not the original, but has the same content copied from the original. Also, at the bottom of the Peck copy is the writing "Ruth's map backwards", Where is the map? Which map is it? Maybe the real map is one we've never seen. Maybe all the maps floating about are fake. Also, where is a picture of Ruth's camp? I would love to know if Erwin ever mentioned where his fathers camp was. Maybe Northcutt said something about it?
Randy Wright
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