supposed killer of adolph ruth

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supposed killer of adolph ruth

Post by count »

hi all. just a question. im well aware that barry storms works are considered unreliable but none the less for that in *thunder gods gold*(an early edition) he accused a local small footed rancher of being the likely killer of ruth.according to the book a furore erupted in apache junction because of this and storm had to take back the accusations.ive never seen any reference to this anywhere else and wondered(regardless of wether accusations were true or not) who exactly he was accusing. thanks all and keep the discussions going -marvelous stuff
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Post by count »

Hello Doug, <br> <br>Barry Storm said the killer was "Mr X", the person (supposedly a rancher) who <br>killed Ruth and stalked Storm, taking several potshots at him on at least one occasion. <br> <br>As to who this "rancher" was, I do not know but I do know that there was no love lost between Storm and rancher Tex Barkley <br>and wouldnt be terribly surprised if Storm meant Tex (though I do not know Tex's shoe size..lol) <br> <br>Barkley thought Storm was a con man and said as much. He also warned Storm away from certain areas of the mountains, threatening him with bodily harm should Tex find him in a certain location. Tex was a man of his word and Storm knew it, <br>I think thats why Storm kept his well publicized searchs to areas that certain <br>LDM hunters thought less likely to produce the mine. <br> <br>As to Tex stalking Storm to get at Storms secrets: this is laughable. Tex Barkley knew what was up with Mr Storm <br>and had his own ( and probably more reliable) information.
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Post by count »

On the murder of Adolph Ruth, Tex Barkley, was not involved with the murder. Peter is right about that. His murder was however planned at Barkleys ranch. Doug if you want to read about the murder, there is a new book which deals with the murder , called Crooked Mountain. It seems to be written as a fictional novel , but there are too many facts in it. Read it and let me know what you think. The book actually names real names as far as who killed Ruth.
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Post by count »

The "planning" of the Ruth murder may well have taken place at the Quarter Circle -U. Whether or not Abe Reid was shouting "I'll cut off his head!!" I do not know but I tend to doubt it. <br> <br>At the time of Ruths death there were many suspects. Tex Barkley was one of them.(though it was later proven he was out of the mountains at the time) The cowboys that took Ruth into the mountains (Keenan and Purnell) were prime suspects, but much has been made of the fact that both of them were driving around Apache Junction with their girlfriends using Ruths car..giving them airtight alibis. <br> <br>There were , of course, other prospectors, adventurers and the like that used the QCU as a base to hunt the LDM. Among these there at the time were <br>Abe Reid, Milton Rose, Brownie Holmes, and Roy Bradford (to name a few). Did all or some of them conspire to kill Ruth and steal his map? At this late date, who can say. <br> <br>Yet the reaction of Tex Barkley when he returned to the QCU was one of genuine worry and concern...as if he knew there was an unsavory character or two lurking about.... <br> <br>I beleive Ruth was killed in a sensitive area and the body then transported to the site where it was found in the Black Top Mesa/Bull Pass area. There is just no possible way in my opinion that Ruth hiked up to that area on his own. <br> <br>The entire Ruth episode is one of the great mysteries of the mountains, one that we will never know the true facts.
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Post by count »

thanks for all your replies.id just like to make a point about the suspects and the fact that some of said suspects were out of the area at the time. as far as im aware nobody can ascertain the date ruth was killed-only the dates when he went into mountains and when body was found which obviously isnt the same thing.so working on that assumption said suspects *alibis*are worthless.one other thing that puzzles me is the letter found on ruth addressed to his wife. is it possible murderer / murderers(if indeed he was murdered) wrote it to provide a date to give the impression that ruth was still alive at that time when maybe he was allready dead? pure assunmption on my part of course.and also why did coroner give cause of death as natural causes? thanks all
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Post by count »

Keenan and Purnell's alibi of joyriding in Ruth's car always was pretty thin. It would not have taken long to shoot Ruth, and I have never seen anywhere how long it actually was until they returned from packing Ruth in. Walt Gassler pretty much said that Barkely told him that he had found Ruth's body up on Peter's Mesa and moved it down to where it was found. Tex's motive for this was reasonable. <br>As for the verdict of "natural causes": lead poisoning, heart failure, etc. - these happen naturally every day. And, it seems like it would be perfectly natural to die if you had a big honking hole blown in your head! <br>Hey, this site is starting to shape up!
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Post by count »

There are many aspects of Ruths murder that simply do not add up. For example...why was he killed? From what I can tell some one showing up at the QCU with a treasure map was not a terribly uncommon thing in those days. <br>Why murder someone for a map(s) that may or may not have been accurate? <br> <br>Ruth arrived at the QCU in May of 1931. <br>He didnt enter the mountains until mid June. This meant that the "conspirators" had an entire month to figure out a way to steal Ruths map without going to the trouble (and risk) of killing him. I am certain that Ruth slept sometime during the time he spent at the QCU (lol) it would make more sense to me that IF there was a conspiracy at the QCU, then it would be easier to steal the map while Ruth slept. <br> <br>I have also heard the Barkley story of Ruths body being found on Peters Mesa and it being moved because Barkley was afraid that folks would over run the area looking for a mine, stampeding the cattle he ran up there in the process. <br>My question is, just how in heck to Ruth make it up to the Mesa? There is just NO way he could have hiked that distance, considering the climb up either Squaw Canyon or up the Charly Ridge Trail to get there. The only way I can see this happening would be if someone packed him up there on an animal. If thats the case then either 1) <br>he took someone into his confidence who helped him get up to that area or 2) he was in effect kidnapped and forced to guide someone to the area he thought the mine was in. <br> <br>Yet Tex Barkley said he was able to trade Ruths trail from his base camp to Peters Mesa by the imprint of his CANE ! <br>This indicates that Ruth hiked up there (without wearing his hiking shoes) and with only a small canteen of water...this simply doesnt make sense (unless he was kidnapped and the kidnapper used his cane..merrily leaving a trail all the way up to Peters Mesa unwittingly). far fetched if you ask me. <br> <br>Heres something else that has always bugged me about the Ruth murder. Why would someone go thru the trouble of killing him and stealing his maps but overlook the topgraphical map he kept <br>note on? It would seem to me that this would be more important to someone looking for information than the other "secret" maps (supposedly the Perfil Mapa, the Locator Map, the Walker-Weedin map and the Johnson Walker map).
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Post by count »

if gasslers story was true about barkeley transporting ruths body to where it was eventually found. wouldnt that suggest that barkeley was the if not the actual murderer at least involved in the conspiracy(if there was one)it would be fortunate indeed if he just came upon ruths body by chance wouldnt it?the reasons given for why barkely moved the body dont seem to be convincing to put it mildly.are we in possession of the same set of facts that were presented to the coroner i wonder? because if so it seems ludicrous that the coroners office came to the verdict they did.
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Post by count »

What Walt Gassler said about Barkley finding Ruths body was that Barkley and a hired hand (Huse Ward?)went up to Ruths camp about a week after Ruth was packed into the mountains. Finding it empty they began a search in the immediate vicinity. Again no luck. <br> <br>Tex then got "serious about tracking". He cut Ruths trail and followed it up to Peters Mesa. He found Ruths body lying on its right side next to a boulder. Tex theorized that Ruth was sitting on the boulder and was shout with the pistol placed agianst the left side of his head. The force of the blast blew him onto the ground and the position he found him in. This seems to rule out the possiblity of Tex finding the body by "chance". He says the trail was quite easy to follow as it had been raining and the cane marks were quite clear in the earth. <br> <br>Barkley and Ward then packed the body down off the Mesa and to the area it was later found. <br> <br>Is this the truth? At this late date I do not know. I do know Walt Gassler thought Tex was telling him the truth and thought the world of Tex. <br> <br>I do not beleive Barkley killed Ruth. As I have said before Barkley had his own secrets , and I would not be terribly surprised if he had a good understanding of the various clues to the location of the LDM and was alot closer to finding the mine area than some folks think.
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Post by count »

The discussion of Ruth is one of the great mysteries of the Dutchman story. It in it self is probaly responsible formaking the legend more renowned. As I said earlier, Tex Barkley ,I feel had nothing to do with his death. He also never packed the body anywhere. Researching further Ruth's body was seen by a Ted Cox being packed from theQuarter circle u ranch to the western end. I believe he was not killed for any map , but more so from keeping the area that several prominent people in the moumtains prefered to live in and to hunt the Dutchman in, i.e. Prospectors and ranchers. Their way of life was threatened by men like Ruth who probaly possessed good information and got too close. People seem to protect what is theirs or where they live voraciosly. Back then the ranchers had all the power of the land. Tex was again not involved in any way. Keenan and Purnell pulled the trigger, and Abe Reid packed the body away from the area . Ruth's camp and letter were fictious to through others off their trail. Ruth's murder also created the legend being on the western side of the mountain. Gassler was interested in Peter's Mesa and he was actually found dead just up the peter's trail. Surely one could see why Gassler would want to believe that Ruth was on top of Peter's, whether Tex told him that or not. It would enforce his belief that he was right. It is also funny that from all I've learned that Tex Barkley lived a somewhat scared existence after Ruth's death. Lot's of food for fodder. This site seems to be attracting some knowledgable people, which will add to the legend.Maybe we can fiqure some things out with a multitude of minds working together.
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Post by count »

Yeah, but what motive would Gassler have for making up the Tex story? That doesn't make sense, it's not the sort of story you would make up about someone you thought highly of. <br>As for figuring things out on this site, I'd be very surprised if anyone came out and gave up their hard-won secret info. But it's plenty of fun. Has everyone found Doug Stewart's web site "Tale of the Lost Dutchman"? It's a bibliography, you can find plenty of books there you probably never heard of.
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Post by count »

Hi Jim, <br> <br>Thats an interesting theory and one that is new to me. I do have a comment <br> though. Ruth did indeed <br>write a letter to his family in long hand from his camp in West Boulder canyon. This letter was found and given to Erwin Ruth, Adolphs son. I assume Erwin knew his fathers handwriting. I cant see how something like this was faked by Reid and co. <br> <br>While I am certain we are all aware that there were killings and disappearances in the mountains during Ruths time (and afterwards), I am loathe to beleive that these were the work of a secret cabal of grizzled LDM hunters that were trying to scare and kill off any and all competition. I think we should understand that there are other "forces" at work in the mountains (some say even to this day)that try to keep interlopers out of certain "sensitive" areas. Did Adolph run afoul of these indigenous forces? <br>Who can say? <br> <br>I agree with your assessment of Gasslers <br>statement pertaining to Tex finding Ruths body. Walt spent a great deal of time up on Peters Mesa and WANTED to beleive the mine was in the area or close by. Did this cloud his judgement? Perhaps. Walt Gassler was a true gentleman and I beleive one of the more important LDM hunters. <br> <br>P
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Post by count »

Hi, <br> <br>Like Jim said, Walt wanted to beleive. <br>BUT I am not dismissing Walts story about Tex out of hand. Quien sabe? <br> <br>I agree with you about folks giving up their "secrets". I will be happy to share what I can, but certain things I dont talk about. And the main reason is not what you would think. For instance, if I said yup , I just KNOW the LDM is on the northwestern side of Bluff Springs Mtn...how many of you would drop everything and go looking up on those cliffs?...not many I'd wager (of course Glen Magill did just that in the 60s). <br> <br>Nonetheless, some areas of the mountains are dangerous to this day and folks who go poking around where they shouldnt might get a surprise or two they could do without. I beleive the LDM is located in an area that is quite <br>"sensitive" and sits on a powderkeg of trouble for the unwary. <br> <br>Doug Stewart has a very good site. Unfortunately, I think I have read every book and manuscript listed on the darn site...lol
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Post by count »

I've read them all too (except one I can't find), 95% are sheer entertainment. But that's my kind of entertainment! <br>I know exactly the area you're talking about. I've been there several times, never had a hint of trouble, but I'm VERY careful and mindful of what I do there. Never seen anyone else there, but that doesn't mean I was alone. <br>Hey, the gila monsters are gone! Thanks, Ron.
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