THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

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Jim Hatt

THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by Jim Hatt »

THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Unique, Mysterious and Controversial

In the words of the man John Lindley Higham who donated his copy of the Manuscript to the archives at the State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona. (Which is, as far as I know the only surviving original copy of the manuscript).

“In the Fall of 1948, there was very mysteriously delivered to me a manuscript on the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine by George (Brownie) Holmes, son of Richard J. Holmes, who figured quite prominently in the actual story of this famous old mine. George Brownie Holmes the author of this manuscript did not know the man referred to as the Lost Dutchman and of course never saw him as his father and mother were not married until two years before the death of the German. This story by Holmes was written about 1944 as far as I can ascertain or two years before the appearance of my booklet entitled; “The true Story Of Jacob Walzer And His Famous Hidden Gold Mine (The Lost Dutchman).

“A close study of this Holmes story will show you why it was never published and probably never will be. No author or writer on the Lost Dutchman story in Arizona or elsewhere had the slightest knowledge of the genealogy or history of the man they were writing about. To them it was a legend or just a fairy tale like Rip Van Winkle or Robinson Crusoe. They made no effort to obtain a factual background as their stories sold readily as pure fiction. A total of 117 books and novels have been written on the subject and all are different. The result is that the Lost Dutchman Gold Mine story today is a composite of all the lost mine stories in Arizona and elsewhere.

The following is an exact copy of the Holmes manuscript. You will find it interesting reading and probably agree that it is far superior in fiction content to many published stories that you have read on the subject. You cannot blame the author for his attempted exoneration of his father who was actually accused of the disappearance of the gold ore that was under the cot of the dying Jacob Walzer in the front room or parlor of Julia Thomas, a negroess, at Jackson and Mohave Streets in Phoenix on October 25th, 1891".


John Lindley Higham
Lindley Hall
2206 West Jackson Street
Phoenix, 9 Arizona

Submitted to the Arizona Historical Library Nov. 1, 1962
Historical Document Number 437

This manuscript is available in the form of a SMHS Reprint and may be ordered at: http://www.superstitionmountainmuseum.org/ or by calling the Museum at: 480-983-4888

It is also included in the following books:

The curse of the Dutchman's gold... by: Helen Corbin

The Lost Dutchman Mine of Jacob Waltz. Part Two: The Holmes Manuscript. by; Thomas Glover



The photos below are from the A&E Documentary THE LOST DUTCHMAN MINE by: Greystone Communications

Richard J, (Dick) Holmes

Image


George (Brownie) Holmes

Image

The person that took this photo of Brownie, told me that Brownie brought him to this spot and said: "This is where my Father brought me to and said. This is the boulder that Jacob Waltz was sitting on with his rifle in is lap watching his backtrail, and I knew, that he knew, that I was following him"
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Re: The Holmes Manuscript

Post by kris-at-desert »

Great, I look forward to this information!
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Re: THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by roward »

Jim,
As I think I told you, I bought the book on the manuscript about a month ago and have read it cover to cover. One thing I'm curious about-how much of what is in the ms can be or has been otherwise verified by long time Dutch hunters? In other words, if most or all of the statements that can be verified by other sources are accurate, the presumption would have to be that the whole is truthful. Is it a verified fact that only Dick Holmes and a companion were at Waltz's bedside when he died, and no one else? There seem to be several stories to contend with.
Bob Ward
Jim Hatt

Re: THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by Jim Hatt »

Bob,

Dutch Hunters have been searching for the answers to your questions ever since the Holmes Manuscript appeared on the scene. That was in the 1940's. By then it was already too late to do any verification of the story.

All anyone can do (now or back then) is speculate, based on logical assumptions. and physical or circumstantial evidence that still exists today. About the only thing in the manuscript that I accept as FACT, is that Dick Holmes was at Waltz's bedside when he died. This is based on physical evidence that supports Dick's claim to have been there. Dick Holmes did end up with the 48 pounds or rich gold ore that was in a candle box under Waltz's bed when he died! There are still pieces of that ore in private collections today. One piece of it that was made into a matchbox, and has a chain of custody document that takes it all the way back to the Holmes family.

I have held that matchbox in my hand and examined the chain of custody document that the current owner received with it. There is some video of the matchbox in my hand in the opening scenes of the A&E documentary (see photo below) about the Lost Dutchman Mine, that gives you an idea of it's size.

Image

There is not doubt that it is real, and made from a single large chunk of very rich gold ore, and that Dick Holmes supplied the ore to have it made at Goldman's store in Phoenix, Arizona not long after Waltz's death.

There is no way Holmes could have gotten possession of that candle box (which only Julia, Rhiney and Waltz himself knew was there) unless he had been there himself. None of the Long Time Dutch Hunters dispute that Dick Holmes was there, did end up with the gold ore from under Waltz's bed or that the matchbox in the photos above is made from that ore.

What is, and has always been disputed since the day Waltz died, is whether or not Dick Holmes had any right to remove the candle box from under the bed? (We don't want to go there. That's a whole separate issue)

If we accept the story about Holmes being present when Waltz died. The next question is... Did Waltz talk to him, and give him any clues about the location of... or directions to the mine?

There are things that can be found in the mountains, that coincide with things that Waltz was supposed to have told Holmes about, in the way of directions to the mine. That is interesting, but it does not prove anything. The manuscript was written in the early 40's. By that time, the Holmes' (Dick and/or Brownie) had spent over 50 years in the mtns in search of the mine. The valid landmarks described in the manuscript, could have just as easily come from their experiences in the mountains, as they did from anything Waltz said. If that manuscript would have been written in Oct. 1891, right after Waltz died it would be a whole different story.

When we look at the landmarks which are supposed to be around the mine in Sims Ely's book, that he got directly from Julia and Rhiney, and compare them to the landmarks in the Holmes manuscript, they do not match up. They appear to be descriptions of two entirely different mines.

Now... Here's the glitch! If you follow Holmes directions to a certain area of the mountains. Once you are in that area, you can find certain things that Julia described as landmarks, that were supposed to be in the area of the mine. That supports the belief that Holmes DID have a conversation with waltz, and Waltz did give him some directions. Even though he might not have given him a description of the mine before he died.

Now the question is... Was Waltz coherent enough at the time of the conversation, to know who he was talking to, or did he think he was talking to Julia and/or Rhiney? During his time with with Julia and Rhiney, Waltz never attempted to give them directions to the mine. He told them that in the spring, when the weather is good, He would take them to it.

He did talk to them about the area around the mine, and described certain landmarks, (some of which he made little doodle drawings of). He told them the story about going to the mine the first time with some decedents of the Peraltas etc. but not talk much at all about the trail to it. It is highly probable that when he knew he was dying, and he would never be able to take them to the mine himself, he made a desperate last minute attempt to give them directions to it. He was just not coherent enough to know that he was talking to Dick Holmes (and Giddeon Roberts) at the time. (My theory)

Something that supports my theory, and has always bothered me, is that the Holmes manuscript says that, Holmes had once tried to follow Waltz to his mine. Waltz discovered that he was being followed and knew who his pursuer was. The directions in the manuscript.. First Water to Second Water...... etc, etc, etc believed by many (and myself) to eventually end up in the area of Tortilla Flat on the Apache Trail, (which is the same general area where Holmes had followed Waltz to). If Waltz knew he was talking to Holmes on his deathbed. Why didn't his directions to the mine begin with.... "Dick, starting from the place you followed me to near Tortilla Flat......... ? Why start at First Water and wind all the way through the mountains to Tortilla Flat?

The description of the mine and the landmarks around it, that are included in the Holmes manuscript. Could have come from other sources that Holmes believed to be true, and applicable to the Waltz's mine. Whoever wrote the manuscript could have filled in some blanks from stories floating around, and earlier publications about lost mines.

That would explain why Holmes could have had valid directions to the area where the mine was located, but he cold never find the mine itself. He lacked the correct description of the mine and landmarks around it. Julia had a good description of the mine and landmarks around it, but did not have good directions of how to get to the area.


Conclusion...
I have to believe that Waltz did attempt to direct Holmes to the mine, but that he did not know who he was talking to at the time. And that, that is ALL that Holmes got from Waltz before he died, And that, everything else in the Holmes manuscript was a composite of all the lost mine stories that Dick and Brownie collected from the time Waltz died to the time when the manuscript was written.


Now I have forgotten what your original questions were.
Hope I answered them all.

Jim Hatt
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Re: THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by roward »

Jim,
You answered my questions perfectly and your theory makes a lot of sense. Add to the possibility that, as you said, Ely may have left some info out, there is also the fact of the earthquake that took place between the last time Waltz was at the mine and when he died. Do you know if Roberts had the reputation as being an upright and honest individual, such as Bark and ely reportedly were?
Bob
Jim Hatt

Re: THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by Jim Hatt »

Bob, I have no information on Roberts, other than he died shortly after Waltz did. It sure would have been nice to hear his version of what Waltz told Holmes, wouldn't it?

There is one decedent of Giddeon Roberts (Matthew Kraig Roberts) that as far as I know, is still actively searching for the mine. I asked him years ago if there was any kind of transcript from Giddeon's version of the story, and he told me that he died before ever documenting anything about what he had heard at Waltz's deathbed.

That, of course, left Dick Holmes wide open to tell the story any way he wanted to, without fear of being contradicted!

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Re: THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by roward »

You know what? I meant to ask about Holmes, not Roberts. But thanks for the info about Roberts, too.
Jim Hatt

Re: THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by Jim Hatt »

Bob,

I don't know much about Dick Holmes at all. I don't believe there is anyone alive today that does. There aren't even many that knew his son Brownie. The people I have talked to that did know Brownie, have had nothing but high praises for him in every way. Never have I heard a bad word about him from anyone that knew him.

The closest I can come to what someone of Dick Holmes time thought about him is what was "hinted" in Sim's Ely's book. Ely knew Dick Holmes, and never mentioned him by name in his book. He did mention that the candle box of gold ore was "removed" from under Waltz's bed when he died, but refused to name who he suspected had done it.

Now, just because I don't have any info about him, doesn't mean nobody else does. Maybe someone will show up here someday who does have info about him.
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Re: THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by roward »

It seems likely that if Brownie was upstanding and honest, his dad probably was, too. It may have been just a moment of weakness on Dick Holmes part. I think in the Bark Notes, Jim says he was in hard times at the moment, being without a job and with a baby (Brownie) on the way. Maybe Waltz did tell him to take the box, but then why wouldn't he have done the right thing and shared the gold with Thomas? And in Ely's book, he makes it sound as though the box was still under the bed when they went to the funeral, and they discovered it was missing when they returned home. Now, obviously, if it was taken at the time Waltz died, it wouldn't have been under the bed a few days later at his funeral. I wonder if they didn't realize it was gone at the time Waltz died because they didn't look for it until after the funeral? Something doesn't add up, it seems to me.
Bob Ward
Jim Hatt

Re: THE HOLMES MANUSCRIPT

Post by Jim Hatt »

Great post Bob!

An excellent example of the kind of things Dutch Hunters have been wrestling with, when trying to compare what is in Ely's book, to the Holmes manuscript, to The Bark Notes (the version that is in circulation).

If I remember correctly. It was written in another book (possibly Bob Garman's Mystery Gold of the Superstitions.) that Waltz died in the early morning hours, and was buried later the same day, and that Rhiney and another person hauled his coffin to the cemetery on a cart, and were the only ones present when he was buried.

If I find where I read that, I will edit this post and give the exact source later.
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