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Thank you to the new subscribers to "The Digger." Each month I try to bring new and fresh ideas and articles that pertain to the hobby of metal detecting. But each month is a work in progress and a challenge to keep "The Digger" ongoing. As I often mentioned, I try to avoid redundancy but do at times post stories or articles that were previously in past issues of "The Digger." I do this so that new subscribers get a chance to read them.

Of course, I always welcome emails, comments, and any ideas that you would like to see in "The Digger."

Thanks again for subscribing.

Frank

They are back from a brief, much-needed vacation, Clem Digger and Clyde Loop

The Metal Detect'en Ventures of Clem and Clyde

Ma Browns Stash, Part 1

By Clem Digger

Me and Clyde was gone fir a bit. That's why last month I hadn't wrote noth'in more bout Ma Brown's stash me and old Clyde was search'in fir. We decided to break away and go travel'in across America in Clyde's DATE pickup, Calamity. But that trip weren't much of a success anyhow. I'll write bout that next month. But fir now, I'm gonna bring you up to snuff on how me an Ole Clyde did at Ma Browns.

I'm gonna recap here first by copying what I wrote bout Ma Browns stash in Aprils Digger. That'a way new scribers can ketchup with the story. So here it is.

"I was read'en a ole newspaper article from 1889 about Milly Brown liv'en alone in the country and hav'en no family members. Milly had three kids but one day they died of food poisoning. Word was that Milly kilt them by accident when she cooked a meal of squirrel stew that weren't cooked enough. Milly didn't eat that day cause she was feel'en under the weather. Some folks say Milly kilt her kids on purpose. That's cause Milly's husband Phineas woke up dead in their bed one morning. Word was Finny died cause he couldn't breathe. But people said maybe he was kilt by Milly with Finny's pillow cause they was always fight'en with each one. Anyway, Milly Brown was called Ma Brown.

Ma Brown was eighty-nine. Her and Finny owned a small feed and grocery store for years. They sold the store when they both got old. Ma and Finny were tight as a ducks arse when it came to their money. And word was they never used a bank. The clothes the family wore were thread bare and their house was fall'en apart cause it needed repairs. Ma Brown and Phineas were as cheap as dirt. So when Ma Brown met her moritician people talked about her money being hidden at her place. So after reading that ole newspaper article that's when me an Clyde began look'en for Ma Browns stash if there were one.

Ma Browns house fell'ed down years past. So after me and ole Clyde found where it used to be we asked the farmer that owned the property if me and Clyde could metal detect it. Now the area was thick woods. We didn't tell him we was look'en for a treasure though. So off we went.

Ole Clyde yelt out immediately that he thought he found Ma Browns buried loot. He was scream’en and yell’en out, “COME HERE CLEM. TIS A GOOD DAY TO BE ALIVE. GLORY HALLELUIA."

Clyde was on his knees digg'en a hole but couldn't hear me cause ole Clyde's almost deaf and he was wear'en his headphones. I was shout'en to him, "CLYDE WHAT'YA GOT. HEY CLYDE, CLYDE." But ole Clyde kept on digg'en without look'en up. Every so often Clyde would check the hole with his detector and then go back to digg'en. That hole he was make'en was deep and big around. But ole Clyde just kept yell'en and digg'en.

I yelled to Clyde, "CLYDE YOU SURE YOU AIN'T DIGG'EN A BIG PIECE OF IRON? THAT'A MIGHTY BIG HOLE." Clyde finally stood up and through his metal detector on the ground. He stared at that hole he dug and said a whole bunch of curse words that I won't write here.

"What'ya got Clyde? I asked. But I already knew what ole Clyde had dug up. It were a big peace of iron. Clydes gotta nose for iron. He's dug more iron than anybody I know. And he brings all the iron home. Clydes got so much iron he can start a scrap yard.

"What's this?" Clyde said. He was hold'en up a square piece of rusted iron, about an inch thick.

"Look's to me like a top to a steel box." I told 'em. "I'm gonna keep it. It'll clean up nicely with some boric acid." Clyde said.

"It’s a piece of junk,” I told’em. “And know’en you, you’ll never clean it.”

“Never mind,”Clyde told me. Then he walked the piece of rusted junk toward Calamity and through it in the bed.

Anyways, me and ole Clyde got back to detect’en Ma Brown’s property. There was just a cellar hole and it was loaded with trash. Looked like people was dump’en their junk in there for years. But me and Clyde was search’en the back of the cellar hope’en to find Ma Brown’s stash, if there was one.

Next month I’ll tell you what happened to ole Clyde and me at Ma Brown’s place. For now, I’m gonna cook up some dinner of grouse and taters.

So this is Clem Digger sign’en of for now.”

Ma Brown’s Stash, Part 2

“Clyde, what’a ya yell’en bout?

I was in the back of the cellar hole where Ma Brown’s house once stood, about twenty yards from ole Clyde. I dug a few square nails, a large cent, and some iron stuff I didn’t know what they were. I figered Ma Brown’s stash was gonna be in the back of her house. That’s when I hear Clyde screamen a storm. So I run over to where I’d seen him last. But I didin’t find him there. And the woods we was in were pretty thick.

“Hey Clyde,” I yelled, “where you be?”

“Up here,” ole Clyde yells back. So I look up, and there be Clyde up in a tree.

“What’ya do’in in that tree?” I yells up to him.

“Did you hear it?” Clyde yells down to me.

“Hear what?” I yells up to him.

“BIGFOOT,” Clyde yells down to me.

“Come on down from there,” I say’s to Clyde. “There ain’t know bigfoot nowheres.”

“I heard’em Clem. He made a sound, woot, woot.”

“Clyde, I’m stand’in here and no bigfoot has got me. Come on down befir you fall and break your neck.”

Finally ole Clyde come down from that tree and sat down on the ground. He was sweat’in someth’in fierce and he looked scart.

“You okay Clyde?” I asked.

“I think so. But my heart still pump’in pretty hard.”

“Well, you sit there fir a bit. I’m gonna search for that stash.” I told’em.

That’s when Clyde stood up and followed behind to where I was headed.

“It’s better we stay together,” Clyde say’s as he walked beside me.

I weren’t bout to argue with him bout bigfoot though. Once ole Clyde gets someth’in in his head, he don’t change a mind for noth’in.

I told Clyde to go search around a big ole maple tree. I pointed to it and told him it could be a marker for Ma Brown’s stash. I started detect’in near the well. It was covered with lots of dead tree branches. So I cleared away those first. But it weren’t long when I hear Clyde yell’in, “I SEEN IT CLEM. I SEEN IT.” And Clyde’s run’in toward where Calamity were parked off’in bout a hundrid feet yonder. He was so scart he left his detector on the ground near that big ole maple tree.

I went to Calamity to see how Clyde was do’in. He was sitt’in inside of her with the windows up and her doors locked.

“Let me in,” I say’s to Clyde. “There ain’t no bigfoot here.” I told him.

Clyde rolled down the passenger window and said, “I ain’t com’in back here Clem.”

No matter what I say’s to Clyde, he weren’t gonna change his mind. So we left Ma Brown’s stash behind, if it were there. I had to drive Calamity cause ole Clyde was shak’in too much.

When we got back to Clyde’s house we decided to have some of Clyde’s moonshine. Ole Clyde needed a swig from the jug anyways. So there we sat, on his front porch, drink’in hooch and smok’in our corn cob pipes and talk’in bout our next detect’in venture. So fir now, this is Clem Digger sign’in off.

How To Find Treasure?

It’s a question posed by many. And with that question, others follow.

“How do I find treasure,” “where do I begin to look?” “What areas can I search without breaking any laws?” “What are the laws that govern treasures found?” I’ll answer each question based on experience.

Where do you begin to look for a treasure? First, you need a roadmap of sorts. It would help if you had a path to follow that would lead you to that treasure. Successful treasure hunters know where they will search because they have “researched” their treasure story.

Don’t expect to go off haphazardly digging here and there, or tearing into homes with hammers and saws, hoping to locate a treasure because you read about it online or elsewhere. Finding treasures doesn’t work that way. That’s because most of those stories are full of holes. They’ve been told or written about so many times that the story has changed. Sometimes an exaggeration of information is made, or a piece of information is left out of the story. It may be on purpose or not.

Nevertheless, that piece of information could be a crucial part of that treasure hunting puzzle. So how do you research a treasure story? You begin by searching for more details.

Locating a treasure is a search for answers. But the answers will not come until you proceed with the physical search. And you should not begin the physical search until you have all the information gathered from your research. If you have a story about a buried treasure, try and verify that information. How do you do that? You do that by perhaps going to that area and visiting a library and searching books and or newspaper files to see if there is any information regarding that story. Most libraries have old newspaper articles on microfilm. Next, look through old magazines about lost treasures. I have listed many of the magazines that have stories about lost or buried treasures in past newsletters. If you find information regarding the story, note any reference listed as a footnote or a bibliography. Next, locate that information and read the material the author referred to in their references. You are doing this to verify the information the author wrote about and maybe gather some info the author failed to mention.

Try visiting the historical societies of the area you want to search in. They often have the information you need that the libraries don’t have.

This time-consuming research part of the roadmap stops many amateur treasure hunters dead in their tracks. That’s because research takes lot’s of work.

You could visit the National Archives. Visit their offices, or search online at their website. However, not all of the information you may need can be found online at their site. That’s when a visit to one of their offices is recommended. I’ve been to the archives doing research. It’s a great experience but also can be very daunting. So much information is stored away that you can become overwhelmed in a search. I’ve had to go back to the archives numerous times to gather all the needed information.

Once you have collected all the information, you can begin your physical search for the treasure.

By now, you should have a good idea of where to begin looking. But first, be sure to get permission from the property owners. You don’t want to start searching without obtaining the okay to do so. If you are on State or Federal Lands, be careful of the state laws. Digging for any item one hundred years or older on state, federal, or BLM lands means you’re breaking the law.

You may be reluctant to talk to a property owner about a possible treasure being on their property. However, a good way to approach a property owner is to mention that you are willing to share any finds and will respect their property. In that case, many property owners will welcome the idea, especially if they had no idea a treasure may be on their property. This approach has worked for me and others. Be professional and courteous. Those traits go a long way with property owners.

If you’re lucky enough to find a treasure, the next thing you may have to do is to deal with the “treasure trove” law.

This concern would not be appropriate if the property owner has agreed to and signed an “agreement.” I never use the word contract with a property owner. It makes them nervous. Using the word “agreement” is less intimidating. I am not an attorney, and the following is not legal advice. But what follows is what I have used, and it works.

Suppose an agreement is signed by the property owner and you stating that any and all treasures or finds are agreed upon as such, (you fill in the blanks as to how you will divide the treasure) and the treasure located will not pertain to any state or treasure trove laws. In that case, you are bypassing such laws as agreed upon by you and the property owner. Now you save yourself the hassle of attorneys fees, dealing with the state, city, or town beauracrats, and sometimes waiting years for the treasure to be released.

Here is a brief message regarding treasure trove laws in the U.S. You can view more information at my website.

In the United States, two laws deal with a treasure trove, the common law and civil law.

Civil law states that any treasure found on someone's personal property becomes the finder's property. However, if a treasure is located on someone else's property, then the treasure is divided 50/50 between the finder and the property owner. Three types of property fall under the treasure trove rules.

Abandoned Property

Abandoned property is property the owner discards or voluntarily gives up possession. This type of property is given to the first person that finds it.

Lost Property

Lost property is property that an owner involuntarily loses due to carelessness. In addition, the owner has no knowledge of where the lost property is. In the case of lost property, the finder receives title to the property, unless the true owner is located and comes forward.

Mislaid Property

Mislaid property is when a property owner intentionally sets aside property and then later forgets where it is, or completely forgets about it.

Many states agree that the treasure trove rule is for the finder to receive any treasure found.

Sign an agreement with the property owner as to the split of treasures, have a notary sign it, and you don’t have to worry about any “treasure trove” laws.

And in addition, when it comes to locating a treasure, you don’t want to publicize it beyond the property owner. So it’s best to be silent and play stupid.

Revisiting Karl von Mueller

Karl von Mueller was a treasure hunter extraordinaire. Mueller, who’s real name was, Dean Miller, wrote extensively about his treasure hunting/metal detecting exploits. Many of today's pro treasure hunters attributed their success to Karl von Mueller. He was born in 1915 and passed away in 1990.

In this months, “The Digger”I thought I would copy an article von Mueller wrote titled, “Treasure Everywhere.” I thought it would be a good follow-up article to my article this month, “How To Find Treasure.”

“Treasure Everywhere – by Karl von Mueller

Lots of people simply refuse to believe that any treasure could be hidden in or near their home towns. Then, when you nstart to question them about some old relcuses that lived there or ask about some mysterious crimes that happoened there, they suddenlt begin to get things in focus and often offer a seriers of clues of their own. There is treasure lost, buried, or hidden in every county and parish of these United States and some of it found every day. There has been an increasing amount of treasure found during the past few years as more treasure enthusiasts have begun to use morfe scientific methods in their efforts to locate it. It is entirely unlikely that there is a single hamlet, town, or city that does not have several treasure caches that are there for the taking. Even the areas in and around the completely deserted and abandoned ghost towns are productive of treasures in one form or another. You don’t need to be a genius or a scientist to successfully engage in treasure hunting. All it takes is common sense, the ability to abide by some sensible and logical procedures, and a capability to reason and think for yourself. In all probability, there is a treasure cache within easy walking distance of where you live or work. If you will invetigste some of the past events and people of your town, you will probably be surprised at some of the treasure leads you can turn up. Finally, this treasure hunting is like a disease; once it bites you, or when you make your first successful strike, there will be no turning back and no getting rid of the infection or affliction. There is no vaccine to control the disease, nor will there ever be. It can make you a wealthy person and, above all, it will most certainly improve your mental and physical health.”

A Piece From The Past

Credit

Thomas P. Terry, Treasure Atlas

Duck Dynasty' Brothers Dust Off Their Metal Detectors

Larry Crawford Reveals Treasures Uncovered by Metal Detecting

Indiana Who? Meet Four-Year-Old Angus Treasure Hunter Harley-Rose

Newlywed Couple Gets Their Wedding Ring Back From Lego Man

Roman Penis Pendant Found in Britain Declared a “National Treasure”

“A Roman “penis pendant,” or more accurately a phallic amulet, found in England 18 months ago, has been declared a national treasure. Described as a first-of-its-kind find, it was discovered by metal detectorist Wendy Thompson on December 31st, 2020 while searching a farm in Higham, near Gravesend and Strood, in Kent, reports The Sun UK . It is believed to date back to between 43 AD and 410 AD, when Britain was occupied by the Romans.” Penis Pendant Treasure Found

Death Be To Traitors

And for my subscribers to “The Digger,” I am offering this book at a reduced price of just $4.95. This price is a discount of 50% off the price at my website at $9.95.

The book is a digital eBook in PDF format and contains 265 pages. So it can be read on most devices. There are no soft cover or hard book copies available.

Here is a brief description of “Death Be To Traitors.”

Legends of buried treasure are in every state. However, there is not much written about the possible treasures that funded the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In addition, like President John F. Kennedy's assassination, questions about who the killer was had never been answered.

John Wilkes Booth was named the murderer of President Lincoln. Yet, questions arise about why he killed him. Did he act alone, and, if not, who also was involved with the murder.

At that time, a known secret society was the KGC, the Knights of the Golden Circle. The Knights of the Golden circle were a secret society started by George Bickley. Bickley was from Cincinnati. He was a master at lying and set out to convince others that his secret society, with the help of the southern border states, could conquer Mexico, Central America, and Cuba.

This circle of countries would represent the "golden circle" of the KGC, thus the Knights of the Golden Circle. Included within the circle were individuals from northern states who sympathized with the south and their belief in slavery. The KGC wanted to use those northern influences and extend slavery into the "golden circle" countries and the southern states, thus enhancing slavery in the southern states.

Bickley gained the support of some Southerners. In 1860 members of the Knights of the Golden Circle were paying dues. They intended to use the money to purchase arms to support their efforts. High-ranking officials from the states of Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois also supported the confederacy's idea of perpetuating slavery. The sympathizer states ran secret cells or castles where they held meetings. When the civil war broke out, the KGC cached millions of dollars of currency, gold, and silver to fight a secret war against the northern army. They intended to help the south win the war and keep slavery in existence. Unfortunately for the KGC, President Abraham Lincoln and his efforts to end slavery were a thorn in the side of the KGC's plans to preserve slavery. Stories circulated that some KGC members were unhappy with Abe Lincon's ideas regarding freeing enslaved people, which led to the idea of assassinating him. More stories came to light after John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln. The narratives expressed that the KGC approached Booth to commit the crime.

The KGC had the means to pay Booth for the crime. Besides the dues they collected from its members, the secret organization was also a criminal sect. They stole millions of dollars of cash, gold, and silver from banks, civil war payroll trains, and stagecoaches to help finance their illegal activities and then hid their caches in various states. The legends of buried treasures regarding the KGC ring true. KGC treasures were uncovered in states across America. And there are still millions of dollars yet to be found. Regrettably, greedy government officials, agencies, and ruthless criminals have been stealing KGC treasures for profit. As a result, treasure hunters searching for these treasures are threatened. However, undeterred by the threats from powerful individuals, treasure hunters continue to search for KGC caches.

Much of history is subjective. Many stories about buried treasures are myths. But one thing is for sure; many truths about these treasures lie in silence. The facts hide between the words not spoken; until one day, that veil of secrecy is torn away, and the truth is exposed.

Two treasure hunters peel away the layers of myths surrounding the assassination of President Lincoln and the involvement of the KGC in that treasonous act by questioning the myths and researching for answers. “Death Be To Traitors” is the result.

I have dedicated this book to those brave men and women in the hobby of metal detecting who research, locate and share their historical finds with the public, academia, and government officials, even as those people criticize them.

For more information and to purchase “Death Be To Traitors”, click the following link.

special-subscriber-price.html

We Want Your Stories and Pictures

Many have posted pictures and brief stories of their finds at my website. It’s easy to do. You basically create your own webpage with a picture or pictures, and a brief story of how you found the items. Once your page is posted, others will be able to view your page, and make comments. You will also have your own url link to the webpage you built. Use that link to post to Facebook, Twitter, or Pintrest and share with others.

So show your “stuff.” We want to see the goodies! Stories About Your Finds

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