Adolph Ruth's Last Dance

[Joe Ribaudo]

Zentull,

Chances seem pretty good that Ruth found the LDM. Trouble was, no one was watching at the time. Once the killers decided to murder him for his "map", they returned a day or so late and mugged the old man.

They looked at the map, and realized they had no clue where it lead to.
Ruth, knowing he is a dead man, and being a tough old bird, decides to lead them away from the mine.

Once they realize he is not taking them to any mine, they kill him. His body lies where it fell. When Barkley goes looking for him, he tracks the horses with ease, finds the body and suspects that the mine may be near-by.

Barkley decides, no harm...no foul, and moves the body away from the suspected area of the LDM. He was, after all, interested. Not realizing that Ruth had a silver plate in his hip, he seperates the head from the body to make identification of the corpse more difficult, in case it is found.

On the other hand...maybe Ruth was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lot's of unexplained deaths in the Supes.

Joe Ribaudo

[bill711]

Here,s how I see it; Ruth is rode in on horses, The 2 men help him set up his camp and then made ruth take them to the 1st mine area? or the 1st clue if you will call it that! WHY? because Ruth still has his shoes on, his teeth, his boots, his water bottle, and so on is left at his camp? so he wasn,t there long enough to even put them on! He is forced at gun point to take them to the first mine area or the 1st clue. BUT the fly in the oitment is this is just the first leg of the map! The 2nd journy is the extra info that is oral that goes with the map! BUT the killers do not know about this part? they think they are at the mine! But the ldm is in another area and you have to have the oral info to find it! The killers think they are at the mine and kill Ruth. The killers then leave to make their alibias with their girl friends and go on a drunk. Barkley finds Ruth and moves his body, He wants to protect his area of search! ONLY The Ruth,s and friends turn on the heat and flood the sup,s with hunters for the body So then Barkley sees only one way to get rid of them is to find the body for them. I think that there were several people involved in this in one way or the other, some before the murder and some after the murder! I wander if Barkley may have suspected his son may have had a hand in it some way. You had too many drunk,s hanging around the ranch at that time and money was scarce as can be. This is just my take on all that has come to light so far. I think I recall in an artical in a magizine some years back that a man had wrote that he thought that he had the gun that killed Ruth, He said that the gun belonged to Hermann P. and that it had mysteriously disappeared for about 3 or so days just when this happened. The gun disappeared and then reapeared in the same place? I beleive that there was a massive coverup for one reason or another with the death. Just my take on it folks. Bill

[zentull]

What is more confusing is Barkley would give misinformation on the route taken in after saying he found the body on Peters Mesa and had directed Gassler to that area. Gassler went in by Miners Needle if I am correct on his earlier trips. Peralta canyon and first water seem like the long way around for the destination. I doubt Ruth wanted to sight see on his way in, unless there was a specific reason he wanted to enter and camp in a specific area. Ruth may not have had hands on experience in the mountains, but he had info and researched it quite well. Was Ruth guided to that area or didn't realize how much distance he was from where he would want to be. His letter does not imply this.Thats a nice hike every day from his camp to Peters Mesa. Your search time would be restricted. If Ruth set up a camp as his letter states, He was looking at spending time in camp on a permanent basis. If he knew where he was going at Peters Mesa wouldn't he take some gear to have a semi permanent camp. He had to have a map and understood the distances. At his age with a bad leg and on his first trip any way I see it, it seems poor judgement on his part, he was experienced so why such a mess? Was he leading the guides away? Did someone realize that Ruth was on the wrong track or they were being mislead and now got rid of him so there would be no witness to him being held hostage? Why not take the map and notebook? Wouldn't the bullet hole kind of hint at foul play? If it was the two men, why go joy riding in the car and get further implicated? Did Barkley give this info to Gassler for a specific reason? A lot of questions and its hard to agree or disagree with any viewpoint.

I dont believe Barkley would have told Gassler he moved the body if it wasn't so. But why tell him the story? To convince Gassler he was on the right track? What did Barkley have that would prove the mine? It had to be physical and apparent enough that anyone who saw it would know. It wouldn't be just some gold. Rheiny searched that area and Bark who spoke with him concentrated on Bluff Springs. So we know Ruth was supposedly in the area that Barkley suspected and sent Gassler into, which also was Rheineys area and the Roberts concentrated there as well if I remember correctly. Why send everyone to Black Top Mesa or Bluff Springs? If Barkley was interested in the LDM why give such information? I can see something wrong, just dont know what it is.

One problem is we look at this from our own eyes and its hard to put ourselves in Ruths mindset. Its hard to know if he was right or wrong. Each puts the tale on a different course.

[zentull]

Purnell and Keenan show up at the ranch on the 15th. They dropped Ruth at his camp at 10 AM on the 13th and set things up for him. Ruth composed his letter or notes to his family on the 14th at 2 PM it is obvious he is alone at that point. Ruth probably didn't even set out until the morning of the 15th. Then he somehow hoofs it up to Peters Mesa with a quart of water? He was exhausted after a 3 1/2 hour ride, much less a 6-8 mile hike. Barkley says he found Ruths cane prints leaving his camp, again he was alone at that point. Barkley gives a detailed description of what he believes happened, meaning there was some evidence of a murder and how it took place. But why Black Top Mesa? Why not closer to Ruths camp? Also one of the guides had a map according to Magill, Barkley may have had a map or the directions according to Gassler and Ruth still had a map and notebook according to Adams. How many of the maps did Ruth have on him at that time? Perhaps Ruth found some massacre ore and that was the reason for "Veni Vidi Vici". Perhaps that was Barkleys proof for Gassler. I believe Ruths notes were written on a step by step basis similar to Rheineys sketches. Each time he worked out a set he made a note of where he was. He must have felt he was on the right track. Was the 200 feet in reference to a camp that was the next stage of the directions? But the problem is where was he when he made the notes? Did Barkley tell Gassler the story because Ruth was in the wrong area and he believed the LDM was at Peters Mesa and wanted Gassler to think he was on the right track? Brownie Holmes is very sparse on the whole incident in the Holmes manuscript. The 2 days hard ride is like Joe Deerings 6 or 7 miles. Clues to throw you off?