When we opened the tunnel, air hit the sand. As he reflected on the significance of his experience, I remember thinking once more that I just wanted to leave. However, it was not until she had purchased a third new car that the authorities became suspicious, and she swiftly fled, never to be heard of again. It was apparent to Roxas that Judge Pio Marcos was the informer, not the mastermind behind the siege, for his nephew, President Marcos, had long sought confirmation of the existence of Japanese treasure hoards in the Philippines. He never replied. This was but the precursor to the sobering conditions I would encounter when I explored Klauss first tunnel-system site. Burning Shinto-priest incense that was discovered in the backfilled tunnels deep underground He had not given up he had simply changed tactics and shifted his attention to individual members of Roxass excavation team, who were tortured. When he had finished his verbal dissertation, which, to be fair, included some impressive insights, the director asked him some leading questions about other aspects of the story. Klauss partner had a video of a woman she had accompanied to the healer who had removed her friends stomach, cleaned it and then put it back; no surgical equipment required. In the process I sought to confirm that Japanese treasure hoards in the Philippines were not only real, they were about to be unveiled in all their glory. In the days following the extraction of the golden buddha, Roxas returned and blew up the entrance to the tunnel so that others could not follow in his footsteps. A month later American intelligence officers would learn of the existence of the vast treasure hoards but not before a gruesome fate awaited the men who had overseen the treasures safe deposit deep in the earth. See Photos. Once the cameras stopped, Henry continued taking us through his files, highlighting important photos and newspaper clippings, including one very poignant photo of himself as a young man standing alongside his deceased father. Charles McDougald looked every bit a real-life Indiana Jones one recent afternoon as he sat cross-legged outside the World War II-era Japanese torture chamber where he and half a dozen other American treasure hunters are convinced lie buried more than 400 tons of gold worth at least $7 billion. Curtis had raised funding for his treasure hunt by claiming that Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos himself had personally invited him to recover the gold based on his unique expertise. Bob Curtis. What does it mean?. #673 Okubo also confided that the General had in his possession a solid gold buddha, which he kept in the convent where he stayed, across from the hospital, before depositing it in a vault beneath the hospital grounds. Theyre sand traps. . She introduced herself on Facebook and proceeded to say that she had been pronounced dead, not once but twice, only to survive each time. The covert Black Eagle Trust accounts were inspired by the Nazi black eagle stamped on the gold bars acquired by the Third Reich. That evening Klauss team brought some incense, that had been burned by the Shinto priests as they sealed the chambers, that they had found deep in the tunnels that week, and we burned it. Andrew Gough. They needed money to purchase the land and were offering a very comprehensive excavation plan. Best known as lyricist for some of the best known Jerry Garcia / Grateful Dead songs and his various collaborations with Bob Dylan. Jim Hawkins, the protagonist of Robert Louis Stevenson 's 1881 novel, Treasure Island. The pillbox at Baguio Hospital Roxas had been caught out. He pressured Santy for information about the sites he had found and wanted him to turn over his bank accounts. 30 Apr 2019. It is not a matter of if he will succeed, but when, and I believe it will be soon. I was tempted and left with a belief that their site was an authentic Japanese treasure site. My dialogue with other Filipino treasure hunters had reached a fever pitch and this, coupled with the fact that I was keen to visit Klaus and inspect his work, prompted me to book a trip to the Philippines. Yamashita is removed from the courtroom by military police immediately after hearing the verdict of death by hanging. I had seen the photos, but they did not prepare me for the sheer enormity of the quest he was undertaking. I arrived in Manila, where I was greeted by the fixer and transported to Klauss village. I was not able to track down any good information explaining why the judge upheld the Golden Buddha Corporation's claim against Marcos, but it certainly wouldn't be the first time a court of law made a ruling that was not in harmony with true science or the true history of a case. Real or imagined, I was perceived as an expert on the subject. Much to their horror, the driver then performed a three-point turn and accelerated at the Seagraves, forcing them to dive into the ditch where they collected themselves before running for cover in nearby woodland. Roxas informed her that Marcoss air-conditioned burial crypt in the Philippines, at the Ferdinand E Marcos Presidential Center in Batac, Ilocos Norte (which was secured twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week by arm guards), contained a fake corpse full of precious stones and diamonds. Klaus riding safely; shotgun in his chauffeured tricycle Why wouldnt they be, I thought to myself, after a moments reflection. The implausibilities pile higher and higher. %PDF-1.4 % Ken Cheatham with Roger Roxas and the golden buddha. Hunter died Monday at his Northern California home with his wife, Maureen, at his side, former Grateful Dead publicist Dennis McNally told The Associated Press on . I scaled the second descending passage with slightly greater confidence and speed than the first, and as I arrived at the bottom and crept along the next tunnel passage to where Klaus was standing, I was amazed to see that the floor and walls were perfectly smooth. I stared at the inexplicably responsive dowsing rods in silence. Jose was clearly a wind-up-and-go type of historian. I unambiguously felt them probing around beneath the surface of my skin. He also informed the press, who also ignored him at least initially. Cite this article: We followed a muddy path, not too far from a river that was roaring with monsoon-induced floods, and arrived at the site. Hunter died Monday at his Northern California home with his wife . Over the years Roxas became convinced that Yamashita had buried a great treasure in Baguio, and his stature as president of the Philippine Treasure Hunters Association attracted many acquaintances who would confirm his hunch. Years after his disappearance, he was assumed to be dead. When the cave-in become public Feb. 29, McDougald and his group were forced to go public as well. Ill explain, but were not at the bottom yet. Typically, they had left a marker, such as a small buddha, around ten to fifteen feet underground. It detailed the work he had done in the Philippines as part of a team led by Nevada treasure hunter Robert H. Curtis. Reluctantly, I selected a cobra, which was promptly placed in a barrel-shaped mesh cage. McDougald was reluctant to discuss details of the groups actual mining methods, but he stayed in character when describing what he expects to find at the end of the tunnel. I approached the manager in charge and asked him what they were digging for. His gun was found a few feet away as if tossed to the side. Their car was parked at the beginning of the popular trail. Roxas may have been a beaten man, both literally and figuratively, but he was no fool. Klaus confirmed that he too had drunk the cobras blood, and that a local shaman had approached him and told him that he knew Klaus had bonded with the cobra family, and so had the spirit-guardian cobra at his one site. 0000004492 00000 n April 30, 2019 In addition, he is a co-founder of Gemini Marine Exploration, the company that specializes in recovery of historical shipwrecks. Cancel at any time: Andrew Gough. Together they wrote a number of books on Asian histories which purported to be nonfiction, most of which portrayed either the CIA or Japanese figures as the villain, and all of which expressed a deep suspicion of all things Western and Japanese. What is worse, it triggered a political backlash. The incident became known as the Golden Buddha Affair. He followed the Japanese into the mountains and watched as they buried the boxes in a tunnel and sealed the entrance. He was never seen again. Out of fear that the maps would be stolen, or thrown out by the cleaning crew, Curtis photographed each one and burned the originals. Curtis, who is now in the Philippines but insists that McDougald act as his spokesman, says that he and 10 other Americans successfully conducted a similar treasure hunt under the regime of. Curiously, his death was not announced publicly until ninety days later. I detected decades of guilt and sadness that had become imprinted on her face. Prepared: kneepads, waterproof shorts and gloves In a separate but related ruling, Roxas was awarded $6 million for the torture and false imprisonment he endured. Torn Treasure Map 2: Top right side of the map, inside a drawer of the house called "Manito Glade". Andrew Gough. This time he remained hidden for a year, before being arrested after he returned to Baguio in July 1972. So McDougald has dropped his previous secrecy and found the spare time to schedule daily press conferences on the lawn outside the torture chamber--at least until he hits pay dirt. When his sister learned of his tantrum she became enraged, for she understood that the map was designed to be read with the reflection of a mirror, a detail she would have shared with her brother had she known he was actively seeking the treasure. No further. Much to his surprise, and with no background or training in the discipline, Klaus achieved instant success. She was greeted by a well-dressed, professional looking man who gave her some medicine for Roger, as he had noticed how poorly he was looking and was concerned for his health. Like Cheatham, Cathcarts team discovered Curtis in Las Vegas, and made a videotape detailing how he had spent many hours with Marcos in 1975, and had visited the president in his summer palace, where he saw the distinctively styled golden buddha, which (he later testified) he had examined closely, including its removable head. I had come across some real charlatans in my time, but nevertheless I was listening politely and was relieved to discover that Klaus agreed with my bias. 32 0 obj <> endobj Imelda Marcoss mother had been a big fan of the healer. I sensed wetness and as I propped myself up and looked down at where he was working all I could see was blood. I stuffed a generous amount of notes into a contribution vase, said goodbye to Klaus and headed for the airport, via a cobra farm. Death was one idea that neither Burchfield nor the Dead shied away from. But the picture changed with the deaths last month of the two Filipino workers, suffocated in a cave-in that McDougalds engineers now attribute to a booby trap left behind by the Japanese. She said that the second NDE had occurred relatively recently, when an elderly man had accelerated his car into her, while she was crossing an intersection, when he should have braked. This show is made possible by financial support from listeners like you. Johnson, C. "The Looting of Asia." Podcast transcript | Subscribe. His friend preferred to stay anonymous, but lets call him Bob for the sake of the story. I loved this kind of thing. I go deep underground in an effort to try and find out I was intrigued, if not humoured by his attitude, and his attire. Darrell is best known among the media for his TV show entitled "Cooper's Treasure", broadcast on Discovery . My spare time was spent editing the Heretic Magazine with my friends Mark Foster and Beth Johnson. The cobra-infested rice paddies In August I flew to Manila and was greeted by a group of treasure hunters, including ex-military men, who transported me to a site to the north east. Twenty percent of the men who moved to California during the Gold Rush died from diseases like cholera within six months of their arrival. The massive collection of vaults was stacked top to bottom with row upon row of gold bars. Roxass brother, Danilo, attempted to resist the men and was badly beaten. As if that was not sensational enough, he added that this site was the one that President Marcos had visited and declared he was going to excavate next, only he died before getting the chance. Robert Curtis: an American metallurgist employed by Marcos to help find Japanese treasure sites and sanctify the gold bars into a form consistent with the London Gold Standard. Read about more bizarre, untimely deaths on 10 Creepily Ironic Historical Deaths and 10 Unusual Ways to Die Through the Ages. The six-hundred-pound gorilla at the site was a guy whose mother had been alive when the Japanese had arrived and asked if they could create a tunnel complex in their back garden for the purpose of depositing large quantities of boxes. It was time to see an excavation in progress. A look of relief radiates from his face A Filipino man named Rogelio Roxas filed a lawsuit against Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos, then exiled in Hawaii, suing them for the value of the treasure. I was not aware that Peggy had passed away the previous year, and that Sterling had only just passed in May 2017, aged 80. There was more, but as I have signed a non-disclosure agreement, I will refrain from commenting further. Nearby, in a man-made chamber measuring ten feet by thirty feet, Roxas found more gold, this time packed into hundreds of small wooden boxes. 0000001826 00000 n They know the Philippines well, but are unreliable on Japan and do not read Japanese. With a fragile intonation in her voice she recounted the story of her husbands last days. Robert Hunter, the longtime lyricist for Grateful Dead, died on Sept. 23, 2019; he was 78. Unfortunately, my role in the narrative would be minimal. She recounted that she ran for cover when she feared she had been spotted. The Japanese, in particular, were notorious for this. He said that Roger only came out of hiding in 1988, shortly after President Marcos had fled to Hawaii while under house arrest. After working on my prostate, the healer opened up my liver, heart and spine in the same manner with only his hands. Without receiving the whole story on the events of the day, many have classified this case as an unsolved mystery. Privacy Policy. It was not a sense of being claustrophobic. They chose to go on a day when it was 46 degrees Celsius (115 F), but they didnt bring their cell phones with them. It smelled remarkable. Soriano, who has been quoted as estimating the buried wealth at $900 billion and is currently overseeing the Ft. Santiago dig, told The Times in a recent interview: To my knowledge, nothing has been recovered yet. Before long they gained access to the tunnel system, including tracks, rails and side tunnels. She watched it and became convinced that I was the one that the spirit of Roxas had alluded to. When the Japanese were covering up the (treasure) chamber, they put in layers of clay, then sand, then clay, then sand. After a long morning of work, Bob and Billy decided to take an afternoon nap. Sign up! 24 Aug. 2005, Newspaper. The first clue to the treasure reportedly came in 1971, when a locksmith in the mountain resort of Baguio found a Buddha statue filled with gold and jewels. Ricardo T. Jose is treated as a rock star in the Philippines He had a copper mining company and also staked a claim on plots of land that he used to mine gold. With Roxass discovery, Marcoss hopes had become a reality. The treasure locations are spread all across the land of Red Dead Redemption. Once again, the best conversation was off camera. Though the loot is generically referred to here as Yamashitas Treasure, after Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita, the last Japanese commanding general in the Philippines, McDougald said the treasure that his group is seeking was probably buried in the fort during 1943, 1944 and 1945 by various Japanese generals. Bizarrely, the non-believer of a director was not interested in trying to speak to the old woman, who was only over yonder. I had delivered Discovered Science a sensational story, one that would feature Klauss network premier. My interest in the story had been rejuvenated, albeit under the most peculiar of circumstances. Even a Japanese prince was said to have arrived and whisked the healer away in his private jet. Cheatham later testified in the Supreme Court trial. We embarked on the long drive back to Klauss village and our last night as a team. Rather, Klaus and others embark on a more laborious, albeit secure and spiritually attuned, process using a hammer and chisel, while observing the symbols that the Shinto priests had left behind, and heeding the vital guidance that they provide. Get the day's top news with our Today's Headlines newsletter, sent every weekday morning. 0000000016 00000 n Juan Quijon: a Filipino army cook who later testified that in 1972 he had been assigned to a newly formed unit called Task Force Restoration, which was created by Marcos to recover treasure, mostly gold, from Japanese treasure sites. McDougald denied that the fort has been desecrated, except for a 4-by-2-foot hole in a wall, and contends his operation is legal. I protested and attempted to leave a second time, but was restrained. I need your help.. On the contrary, this young man was conspicuously well informed and appeared to possess some highly classified information. Amelia did as the dream-induced spirit encounter with Roxas instructed. I soon learned what Klaus was doing in the Philippines, and how he had ended up there. Looking slightly perilous at the bottom of the tunnel system with Klaus I thought he was a fascinating guy, and I was pleased to have made his acquaintance. His cabin had been burned to the ground. Still, I was excited to see Klaus again and to inspect some other treasure sites that I had been tracking for some time. ; One of the best ways to earn a high chunk of money in Red Dead Redemption 2 is by High Stakes Treasure maps. Part of the series: "Red Dead Redemption" Tutorials. Roger Roxas was a former Filipino soldier turned locksmith, and president of the Treasure Hunters Association of the Philippines, who lived in Baguio, a mountainous resort town about 130 miles north of Manila. A search team began combing the nearby jungle, hoping to find the bodies of the missing men. During Fridays Senate hearing, several senators indicated that they plan to pursue criminal charges against the treasure hunters for violating an old law against desecrating national shrines, of which Ft. Santiago is one of the most famous. Estimates of the total buried treasure start at $100 billion and soar to a high of $2 trillion in gold bullion, a figure cited by a respected Manila columnist, Hilarion Henares. Olof testified that he too had been to President Marcoss summer palace and had examined the golden buddha, and confirmed that it was the one in Cheathams photo. When sharp protests came from Manilas lovers, who lost the use of the historic tourist site as a traditional trysting place, the presidential guard put up a sign at the forts front gate declaring simply, Closed for Renovations.. Singer-songwriter, poet, translator and occasionally recording artist, born Robert Burns. 0000003549 00000 n They received permission and resumed digging, attributing their failure to rediscover the fabulous treasure room to booby traps. While in Los Angeles I also met with Dan Cathcart, the lawyer who had famously represented Roxas in the Supreme Court and had heroically won the case over Ferdinand Marcos. Los Angeles Times Communications LLC, 6 Mar. I had never been and was excited to take it all in. They were in their sleeping bags, but their heads were missing. Curtis fled back to the US in the late '70s, claiming he had destroyed his maps and escaped the Philippines ahead of Marcos's assassins. Many of them had pointed out that the Japanese knew they had little hope of holding the Philippines very long, and it would have been the last place they'd have sent history's biggest treasure. Many people began to say that the valley was cursed, haunted, or filled with members of the Naha tribe who were waiting to kill Europeans who entered their territory. Is that correct?. Treasure hunting has been big business in the Philippines since the end of World War II, when former Japanese Lt. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita was captured and hanged in Manila. or. The first-hand accounts corroborated those of Robert Curtis, who has so often been unjustly discredited in the story. Honolulu: Supreme Court of Hawaii, 1988. Is this what Klaus should expect to find in his treasure chambers? Andrew Gough. My first Philippine adventure was nearly over, but there was one thing left to investigate: the natural healer who had brought Klauss friend to the Philippines in the first place. Japanese armies did indeed seize valuables and plunder national treasuries of southeast Asian countries. , sent every weekday morning during the gold bars and appeared to possess highly! 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