The Would-Be Treasure: Gangster Dutch Schultz's entire wealth
Estimated Value: $7 million (1935), $30 million (today)
Possible Location: A safe in the Catskill Mountains near Phoenicia, NY
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- Catskill Mountains The Legend: Old-school gangtser Dutch Schultz was a very successful criminal amassing millions of dollars during Prohibition. However, he made enemies with the government and fellow mobsters like Lucky Luciano. It was his 'colleagues' that eventually did him with a vicious mob hit in 1935.
Fearing confiscation of his wealth either from the government or his colleagues, Schultz supposedly loaded up $5-7 million in a safe and headed upstate out of Manhattan with his bodyguard.
They were spotted in Phoenicia, NY in the Catskills and returned back to his Newark, NJ office where he would be shot soon thereafter.
His bodyguard also died in the mob hit so the only two people who knew the loot's location were dead.
The Clues: High on morphine and hallucinating due to an infection from the rusty bullets his killers used, Dutch Schultz babbled on his death bed for a couple of hours before he went into a coma and died.
Or was it babbling? Some believe he was giving clues to the location of his buried treasure.
The words have been part of the plot of the 'Illuminatus' trilogy and Beat poet William S. Burroughs used the deathbed monologue for a novel simply titled 'The Last Words of Dutch Schultz.'
An annual gathering of Catskill treasure hunters uses the words as an unofficial map along with books like John Conway's 'Dutch Schultz and His Lost Catskills' Treasure.'
Here are some of the key lines from his last words:
... Wonder who owns these woods?. . .he'll never know what's hidden in `em ...
... Lulu [his bodyguard], drive me back to Phoenicia. Don't be a dope Lulu, we better get those Liberty bonds out of the box and cash `em
... John, please, did you buy me the hotel for a million?. . .I'll get you the cash out of the box. . .
there's enough in it to buy four-five more
Other clues to consider are the area road systems in 1935, (hint: you can find a map online), the speed and distance of a 1935 car and with Satan getting multiple mentions in the last words, the area has several landmarks with the word devil in them.
Oh, and the fact they were city boys and would not likely bury it too far from the road, but far away enough from a town.
Estimated Value: $7 million (1935), $30 million (today)
Possible Location: A safe in the Catskill Mountains near Phoenicia, NY
- Catskill Mountains The Legend: Old-school gangtser Dutch Schultz was a very successful criminal amassing millions of dollars during Prohibition. However, he made enemies with the government and fellow mobsters like Lucky Luciano. It was his 'colleagues' that eventually did him with a vicious mob hit in 1935.
Fearing confiscation of his wealth either from the government or his colleagues, Schultz supposedly loaded up $5-7 million in a safe and headed upstate out of Manhattan with his bodyguard.
They were spotted in Phoenicia, NY in the Catskills and returned back to his Newark, NJ office where he would be shot soon thereafter.
His bodyguard also died in the mob hit so the only two people who knew the loot's location were dead.
The Clues: High on morphine and hallucinating due to an infection from the rusty bullets his killers used, Dutch Schultz babbled on his death bed for a couple of hours before he went into a coma and died.
Or was it babbling? Some believe he was giving clues to the location of his buried treasure.
The words have been part of the plot of the 'Illuminatus' trilogy and Beat poet William S. Burroughs used the deathbed monologue for a novel simply titled 'The Last Words of Dutch Schultz.'
An annual gathering of Catskill treasure hunters uses the words as an unofficial map along with books like John Conway's 'Dutch Schultz and His Lost Catskills' Treasure.'
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Here are some of the key lines from his last words:
... Wonder who owns these woods?. . .he'll never know what's hidden in `em ...
... Lulu [his bodyguard], drive me back to Phoenicia. Don't be a dope Lulu, we better get those Liberty bonds out of the box and cash `em
... John, please, did you buy me the hotel for a million?. . .I'll get you the cash out of the box. . .
there's enough in it to buy four-five more
Other clues to consider are the area road systems in 1935, (hint: you can find a map online), the speed and distance of a 1935 car and with Satan getting multiple mentions in the last words, the area has several landmarks with the word devil in them.
Oh, and the fact they were city boys and would not likely bury it too far from the road, but far away enough from a town.
Very Interesting... Id like to take a trip up to Phoenicia with a metal detector.... !!
ReplyDeleteIt would be worth a shot .. But I often wonder if the story wasn't designed to do anything but throw people off the trail ..??
ReplyDeleteI think some sort of treasure may be in the area , but I guess if you don't look you won't find ...
I would center my search off of any old road side Motel/Hotel and check to see if any have been torn down in the area as well ..
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure those city boys would not have went to far off into any wooded area, Rt 28 & RT 214 must of had a few old Motels .. Start There!
my guess is that LuLu took Dutch out to a specific area where no one was and hid it specifically a distance away from the esophus or another creek there in that area away from town to not be seen. What rises my attention is the flooding in that area over the years and how far down they dug the hole to place it how deep into the ground? I believe that the treasure is still out there because they went to drastic measures to hide it and no one has turned in the security bonds of that time. I believe it's somewhere off an old road and LuLu chose that spot because it was easy to access and nobody would know where to look for it if they found out about it existing. Think about it? These guys are gangsters and are smart and probably knew that area before they even dug the hole. Common Sense tells you what?
ReplyDelete@Dan, I believe the story is throwing people off a bit. My husband thinks I'm crazy but hear me out... the hubby's aunt passed away about a month ago and he inherited all kinds of crap. well he got these really cool wooden frames and I took the backing out to change pictures and found a worn handwritten map. I didn't have a clue as to what it was for or even who might have wrote it but I began searching some key wording and places within this map and keep running into sites with dutch's lost loot. I'm looking into getting a copy of a 1935 map online whether it be purchasing or finding for free. I figure hey its worth a try right. As for a connection to how the aunt ended up with this frame I'm still trying to find. It doesn't make since yet but I'm trying.
ReplyDelete@twister99, I have read there has been much flooding there. Something to the likes of an old freezer floating down stream into a reservoir. If per se the metal box made it down stream into the reservoir then this will all be a lost cause. Can I get anymore details from that area as I'm not familiar with it in any way? I also read most people are used to people looking for the loot so I doubt going up there will raise any flags. Although I need to look into laws and such in case something is found. As far as I know I don't think it can be kept but hopefully I'm wrong. I probably won't be able to make it out there until after winter as well because I have priorities and can't just up and leave either.
Alright, guys. I spent the night researching and after using Google satellite the on the other side of the river. If this is an authentic map pertaining to Dutch its under a road near a home that is no longer completely a wooded are. So would anyone be willing to tell me how one would even go about digging up a public road. LOL don't think it's ever gonna happen.
ReplyDeleteIt's not under a road if so they already would have found it..
ReplyDeleteIt's in the basement of the old CATHOLIC church there. There is a false wall. If you beat it open with a sledgehammer it is RIGHT THERE.
ReplyDelete