Maximillians Millions

Hi Everyone At TH.Com

This is my first post and i wanted it to be something for everyone.

The famous Maximillions Millions story is one that has had me intrigued for a number of months, ive begun research
on it and will let you all know if i make any progress. For those who do not know this one, enjoy...

Somewhere around Castle Gap, hidden high in the King Mountains north of El Paso, Texas is a king's ransom in gold, silver and jewels. Actually, it is an emperor's ransom: Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.

Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph, born in July 6,1832, was the archduke of Austria when, during the America Civil War, Napoleon III placed him on the Mexican throne. The reason for this unusual international situation was that France was having grand ideas about regaining some of the land that it had previously lost in the New World. Placing the archduke in a position of power, on April 9, 1864, in Mexico was only a first step in the plan. But Maximilian had plans of his very own.

Maximilian and his wife the Princess Carlota (or Charlotte) of Belgium, whom he had married in 1857, was all ready in possession of a wealth beyond belief. To Mexico with them they brought the entirety of their wealth as well as their visions of vast grandeur, visions that would increase their already fabulous wealth.

This new ruler was seen by the Mexican peasants as an oppressive foreign ruler. He was despised and almost from the moment he arrived in Mexico plots began to overthrow him. In time, Maximilian realized the dangerous situation he was now in and knew that he and his wife must very soon find a more healthy land to dwell in. But before the royal pair could make a hasty move elsewhere they needed to see that their wealth was removed to a safe location out of Mexico.

This moving of some five million dollars in gold and jewelry through rural Mexico was not going to be an easy undertaking. Far from easy, it surely would be considerably dangerous. But Maximilian had a plan.

Maximilian had four aides, he believed could be trusted, pack all of his wealth into 45 flour barrels, then sprinkle a layer of flour on top. When all was ready and secure, these four aids, with fifteen faithful peons, set an overland course northward.

What Maximillian did not know was that his four aides had hired a group of Ex-Confederate soldiers that would help them through the rough mountanious terrain, which as agreed, upon arrival at the mountains the Ex-Confederate soldiers were waiting for them to guide them through.

A few days of traveling passed. Then one night one of the guards could no longer contain his curiosity. He had to know why a caravan of simple flour needed so much armed protection. Stealthily, as the rest of the camp slumbered, this lone guard broke into one of the flour barrels.

Maximilian's secret had been discovered and his trusted men did not live to see the next sun rise.

These ex-Confederate soldiers turned bandits knew they would never get all of their newfound riches safely past other bandits that lurked in the area. So, after stuffing their saddlebags with all that they could they buried the rest.

It is uncertain just how many of these soldiers there were or how they each died. It is believed that some of them were soon killed by other bandits. But none of them lived long enough to return to the hidden riches and claim them.



Thats the basic story. There is more, apparently one of the soldiers died in the prescence of a doctor to whom he told the location of the buried treasure. The doctor then searched for it but turned up nothing.

Many hunters have looked for the treasure, turning up wreckages of wagons, unknown whether they were the same wagons that carried the loot but no one has ever found anything.

If anyone would be interested in researching this case with me, just drop me a pm.


Thanks





Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,8842.msg55426.html#msg55426

Fun story to be sure

You would think with as many of these gold hordes that were lost in the old west from robberies and such they would be easier to find   
Was the ex-confederate brigand group known? You would think there might be a massacre report somewhere with that many people involved, mass graves or something

How many river crossing locations were there in the late 1800s? I bet not so many.

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,8842.msg55564.html#msg55564

Hello All

The first thing one should do is find the earliest recorded detail of the treasure story.

Generally the earlier reports are more accurate than later versions with names dates and places. But even then you still need to cross reference all the details, to weed out the truth from the fiction.

Hardluck. 

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,8842.msg55593.html#msg55593

Hello Dragunx5

Here is a newspaper story from Olgen standard newspaper of 16 December 1934

TREASURE HUNT IS PLANNED FOR MEXICAN GOLD

Texan To Seek Caravan Of E m p e r o r Maximilian

By W. WINSTON COPELAND

(United Press Staff Correspondent)

FORT WORTH. Tex.? (UP) ?A
quest for the legendary treasure of
Maximilian. Ill-fated 19th Century
Emperor of Mexico, will be made on
the wind-swept alkali plains of West
Texas this fall.
As legend has It. the Austrian
prince, who had been placed on the
Mexican throne by Napoleon III of
France In his quest for an empire,
made plans to flee from Mexico
when It became certain his feeble
throne was tottering.
The emperor loaded a caravan of
five wagons with his personal belongings,
gold bars, and Jewels of the
royal family. The goal of the caravan
was a. gulf port, where the
treasures were to be shipped to
Europe. Maximilian was to follow.
Before Maximilian could flee he
was executed. The caravan, already
on its way under Maximilian's retainers,
continued Its journey, bent
on delivering the treasure to Empress
Carlotta, who had fled to
Europe.
The caravan slipped across the Rio
Grande into Texas. It disappeared
somewhere In the interior.
Several years later, John Calvert,
a surveyor posting a boundary line
for a rancher, found the remnants
covered by sand. Level with the top
of the sand he saw a chest.
In the chest was bar after bar
of gold. Fearful to trust his finding;,'
in a bank, he left it hidden In
the sand, going to It as he needed
more gold.
That is the story he told Herbert
Scheel, an automobile salesman, just
before he died, according to Scheel.
Calvert gave Scheel a map to the
location and a general description
of the spot, Scheel said.
Tills year, Scheel will try to locate
the treasure.

As you can see this version is different from the version you found. It is interesting to note that this story came from the mid 1930's an era of deep depression and treasure stories were becoming very popular.

I hope some one can find an earlier story about Maximilian Jewel's etc..?

I will keep looking through my files 

Regards Hardluck 

Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,8842.msg55602.html#msg55602

Hello Dragonx5

Congratulations you have found a very good map. If the story above is true and I was to make a calculated guess on where I first think to search.

Then perhaps the mention of sand is the clue to the approximate area. If this surveyors story is true he would of perhaps being surveying west of the boundary marker 2632?, which is west of Castle Gap.

You can see from your maps some of the rivers are little more than dry creek beds. Perhaps this area is of sand? However More detailed ground Photographs and perhaps goggle Earth can give you an Idea of terrain in this approximated area. And maybe perhaps this is a place to start researching?

After a lot of serious planning of course.

Another thing you really need to confirm the names of the people from the story. And you still have much much more researching to go.

I have some other information to show you. But its late....

Hardluck. 



Linkback:

You are not allowed to view links.
Please Register or Login

http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,8842.msg55616.html#msg55616