Ballinger recounted the story to Roxas, who he often visited on his trips to the Philippines, adding that the entrance to the tunnel had been in the vicinity of a concrete pillbox, the name given to a small, partly underground concrete fort used as an outpost. It stopped moving at all. They rapidly constructed complex tunnel systems that led to vaults constructed deep underground. You climb down and back up each of these sites twice a day? I asked in disbelief. 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. Literally, out from the shadows, another treasure hunter emerged and interrupted, asking, Did I hear you say that you have found leaves in the tunnel? This time I was prepared. What convinced you to take this seemingly ludicrous case? I enquired. What is that, I asked. Oihara was there too. 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. They decided it would be fun to go on a road trip to look for the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine. Robert Curtis had paid a very high price for becoming involved in gold recoveries with Ferdinand Marcos, but he was stubborn, and he still had the only copies of the full set of Japanese treasure maps to have surfaced since the war. Frustratingly, he was unable to recapture what she had so convincingly and spontaneously said previously, leading the director to believe we had made it all up. The facts behind the urban legend that billions in Japanese gold lie buried in the Philippines. I, on the other hand, was experiencing a fair bit of disappointment. The director was oblivious. In addition to Okubo, Roxas gained valuable insight from Albert Fuchigami, whose father had been a Japanese officer in the Second World War. How could he not get discouraged? Roxass wife was particularly keen to speak. She gave the pills to her husband, who took them and swiftly died. Absolutely not, the healer said. Roxas escaped from his hotel and testified in front of the Senate once more, before ultimately being arrested for not appearing at the court hearing for his alleged illegal arms possession. She introduced herself on Facebook and proceeded to say that she had been pronounced dead, not once but twice, only to survive each time. Fair enough. I stuffed a generous amount of notes into a contribution vase, said goodbye to Klaus and headed for the airport, via a cobra farm. Andrew Gough. Of course it does, I added. About us | Our programming | Become a supporter | Privacy. Robert Hunter, who died on Sept. 23 at age 78, matched words to Jerry Garcia's melodies and served as the public conscience for the Grateful Dead, whom he joined as a non-performing member in 1969. For Roxas, it was a puzzle piece he had long sought. The Japanese Massacre of Nanjing, the then capital of China, 1937. Marcos had them tortured until they gave up the location of the treasure, whereupon he took it all, thus becoming fabulously wealthy. Real or imagined? It began The Great Soul Trial of 1967. His honour had spurred him to forsake the money and safety he so desperately needed. After the McLeods had been gone for two years, people began to believe that the brothers had actually struck it rich and decided to start a new life somewhere else.[1]. I thought he was a fascinating guy, and I was pleased to have made his acquaintance. After they began damaging historical landmarks, public and political pressure kicked them out of the country yet again. Japan's imperial war efforts were incredibly expensive and Japan had little wealth of its own. His friend preferred to stay anonymous, but lets call him Bob for the sake of the story. In hindsight, Roxas had been aware of the implications of this clandestine relationship, but had had no choice in the matter. 0000008710 00000 n Yes, thats correct, Klaus replied pensively. I felt it was my duty to expose this sort of fraud, like I had the whole faked tomb of Mary Magdalene saga in Rennes-le-Chteau a few years earlier, and so we visited him the next morning. The video that Klaus took on my iPhone confirmed it. Andrew Gough. Torn Treasure Map 2: Top right side of the map, inside a drawer of the house called "Manito Glade". Today, only $1.4 million has been paid out to the Roxas estate. Andrew Gough. 0000010608 00000 n If they had happened, and I had known about them, I would have punished the wrongdoers severely. The sheer brutality of the working conditions is what struck me the most; the small, incremental gains that each day brought; hand and chisel, hauling rubble from the reclaimed tunnel backfill back up to the top. But how? It read, I understand you met with my brother, Henry, in Baguio. Hunter died Monday at his Northern California home . I examined it closely. The cobra settles down in its mesh cage In fact, in Klauss humble village there was a new cemetery under construction when I visited the first time that would make Forest Lawn blush with envy. Is it the healer, the region, or something else that made the place so naturally powerful? Claiming a treasure hunter bounty . I arrived late, dined with Klaus, and the following morning he and his trusted colleague picked me up in the quintessential Philippine vehicle of choice, a motorised tricycle. There is every indication that this cave-in was caused by a booby trap, McDougald said, reporting the results of an investigation by his teams geologist and resident mining engineers. Find your friends on Facebook. It had been April fools day, indeed. 0000001139 00000 n His team went and searched and dug but never found anything. The disease spread quickly. New York: Verso, 2003. Roxas testified, returned to hiding, was discovered by Marcoss men and tortured. As a result, experienced treasure hunters do not use explosives or, for that matter, motorised devices. ; There are a total of 4 of these High Stakes Treasure maps hunt, but you only receive a reward from the final treasure map worth $1500. The year was 1944, and the Japanese had spent the previous fifty years pillaging the East of their national treasures; twelve Asian countries in all. The point being, Klaus was now very close. Despite the fact the Klaus always lights incense and states his intentions before descending, they have experienced the same sensation I have plus the even more disturbing impression that someone was tapping them on their shoulder. We are not at the bottom yet? Once again, the best conversation was off camera. As I prepped for my studio interview, I found myself captivated by Roxass quest. The Naha tribe were the indigenous people who lived in the Northwest Territories of Canada. See Photos. We exchanged emails, became friends, and made plans to meet at his home outside Carcassonne, France. Andrew Gough. The plan was that I was to be the quester and Klaus was to be the person who convinces me the whole thing is real. It came in 1988, right after Curtis and McDougald's headlines renewed the public's interest in the treasure. The three men went out hiking, but there is no evidence that they ever made it out of the mountains. Was that true, or simply a misdirection to conceal the fact that her husband may have embezzled billions from the Philippine people? Many Japanese soldiers and engineers involved in the project were also sealed inside the tunnels in order to keep them from revealing the location. They received permission and resumed digging, attributing their failure to rediscover the fabulous treasure room to booby traps. Whats more, during 1974 and 1975 he excavated the tunnel behind the hospital in Baguio and personally witnessed gold bars falling from wooden crates as they were removed from the site. As my interest in the mystery deepened, I reengaged with Sterling Seagrave, the almost singular voice of truth on the subject. Before hiking the final mile to the site, I was introduced to the caretaker of the land. 0000003549 00000 n Maybe in two or three weeks well have some news., According to reliable intelligence sources in the government, the Ft. Santiago dig holds out the greatest promise for hitting pay dirt, and in an official press release March 1, Soriano announced that he expects the group to uncover enough bullion to help pay off the countrys foreign debt in approximately 10 to 15 days.. I watched a rough cut of the episode and was relieved that Burgess had salvaged it with his skillful editing, and that the tone was objective. As we stood around discussing the stone and the bent tree, I noticed an elderly woman walking through the rice paddies and suggested we approach her and ask if she remembered the Japanese coming to the area. I was amazed. Neither of us now trusted the other. Patrick is a great guy, an avid treasure hunter, and was to interview Henry Roxas for the show. As it turns out, Klaus had also been in contact with Sterling Seagrave. Kidd originally left $500,000 behind. The enormity of the tragedy is underscored by the fact that the Roxas family have yet to be paid their settlement. Can it? One year later, after an extensive search-and-rescue effort, all three bodies were finally recovered. 0000001826 00000 n The Cultural Committee is investigating whether the search should continue. The massive and disproportionately large cemetery under construction in Klauss humble village 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. Roxas was shown a search warrant with Pios signature that mentioned something about illegal possession of firearms. Everybody was shattered by that point, but none more than me. Are the Philippines the wealthiest nation on earth? I could not believe my eyes. How to Claim a Treasure Hunter Bounty Alive in "Red Dead Redemption". 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