The FBI Files: Dents Run Civil War Gold

[GoDeep]

Dennis has milked his 15 minutes of fame out of this tall tale. The best thing we can do is just forget about it and stop giving him the attention he desperately wants...

Agree to disagree, in fact, by being aided in concealing the truth, interest in his story was growing, not fading. More and more publications were picking up his story and he had carte blanche to steer the narrative.

However, ever since I started the first thread on the facts surrounding the case. (now purged in an attempt to conceal the truth) i've noticed a drop in media coverage. My old thread was showing up near the top of any search for dents run gold, but since it was purged, and it's still an ongoing case, i feel it best to continue to document the truth.

The interesting thing to me about Dents Run, is most all legends are discussed in the past tense, whereas aspects of this legend (and like most all legends, there is little to no truth about the legend itself) are occurring in real time and there is a legitimate chance to set the record straight.

So, no, i will not be discouraged from continuing to post about this ongoing case. If one isn't interested in this thread, it's as simple as not clicking on it and you'll never have to read another word again!

 

[Tom_in_CA]

...., in fact, by being aided in concealing the truth, interest in his story was growing, not fading ....

Go-Deep, here's the error in the above statement ^ ^ It seems to suggest that by ignorning Dennis/FK, that it will allow the story to go un-challenged. And thus : More smoke & more believers, blah blah . So therefore, the best thing we [skeptics] can do, is to spend all our waking hours challenging and rebutting each supposed-salacious point. Otherwise, we're merely contributing to the spread of the nonsense , if we don't rebut them. Right ?

But it doesn't work that way. Because no matter HOW much common sense you throw at the salacious points, and no matter HOW much it logically rebuts the story: That doesn't stop the faithful from merely saying that it's all a part of the grand conspiracy. So for example: No matter how many documents come forth to rebut his claims, he can merely say they were redacted, whitewashed, scrubbed, etc..... In other words : The lack of evidence becomes ALL THE MORE EVIDENCE. So too does the abundance of skeptics simply become ALL THE MORE PROOF OF TREASURE !

So you see that skeptical analysis doesn't "put the matter to rest". It merely becomes the platform for all-the-more conspiracy-theory-psychology to take hold.

And since the human mind loves a treasure story, most folk put skepticism and critical thinking aside. And merely latch on to the treasure part. Because no one wants to be "left out". And gee, the government is "big and bad", therefore there MUST be a treasure .

So I disagree with you that the story needs an army of skeptics to dispel each point. As if that would "put an end to it". IT NEVER WILL PUT AN END TO IT ! It simply dignifies the junk as a something that even needs attention, in the first place.

 

[GoDeep]

Go-Deep, here's the error in the above statement ^ ^ So therefore, the best thing we [skeptics] can do, is to spend all our waking hours challenging and rebutting each supposed-salacious point. ?

And the error with your above post is i'm not a true skeptic, I'm letting the evidence form the narrative. If the evidence should point to gold, i'll be just as on board with that.

Also, my posts are having an effect as i've had literally dozens of people message me the past few months stating they either believed there was merit to Plaintiffs arguments or were on the fence and through examination of the evidence on my past thread, had changed their minds.

At any rate, you said this has been discussed ad nauseum, yet here you are 3 pages later, still posting away on it. So you do you Tom and i'll do me as i'm done with this debate. I'm going to continue posting what i believe is a worthy discussion and no need for you to worry about me "spending all my waking hours", i'm a big boy.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

....I'm letting the evidence form the narrative. If the evidence should point to gold, i'll be just as on board with that...

And do tell : Is there any evidence that points to gold ? Answer : No

.... my posts are having an effect as i've had literally dozens of people message me the past few months stating they either believed there was merit to Plaintiffs arguments or were on the fence and through examination of the evidence on my past thread, had changed their minds......

Bravo ! And let me clarify :

I am certainly NOT against this discussion here. As evidenced by my ample participation in such threads (yeah, yeah, another bee-in-my-bonnet). Sure.

So I should not have come across that it's "wrong to bring up the topic". Yes, it's fascinating how the human psyche works and falls for such stories. I'm certainly fascinated with that. Because ever since I went to Mexico in the early 1990s (at the invitation of some 1st generation immigrants at my company who were utterly certain they knew where treasures in Mexico were), I became intrigued by how people can be taken-in with campfire stories and legends (Oak Island, Dents Run, Yamashita, lost dutchman, etc....).

Thus, sure, by all means I'm glad you bring the subject up. I guess my beef was with the long list of individual "salacious points" you'd listed. As if : If someone can not rebut each one, then somehow that means there's merit to the story ? When in actuality, none of them are "evidence". They are just claims, accusations, and just-so-stories. Not "evidence" . So I guess that's where I got flustered thinking "Oh no, here we go again".

 

[GoDeep]

Further documented incidents of possible false statements by Plaintiff:

This an observation just derived from re-reading the Popular Mechanics article "Treasure Hunters Believed They’d Found $500 Million in Civil War Gold. Then the FBI Swooped In." by David Howard published 3/30/22 Link here: https://archive.ph/4Q420

- In that article, it was reported (that on the first day of the dig) "Finally, around 3 p.m., Archer led them (Dennis, Kem and W Gettler) to where the Paradas had spent countless hours over the years" See Exhibit 14

- In other postings, Dennis contradicted that 3:00PM arrive statement and stated (on the first day of the dig), "1:30pm they let us up the hillside to start digging at our spot" See exhibit 12.

- Yet in other posts, he stated they let them up to the site (on the first day of the dig), "At 2pm they let us on site for 1 1/2 hr" See Exhibit 13

- Yet again they contradict all the above times in Dennis's other posts and W. Gettlers Press Conference as they indicate they were never let on site to observe the dig. See Post 39 for exhibits and links.

- Further, Kem stated in the Atlantic Interview, that they left the dig site at 4:00PM.

- While Dennis stated in his post(s), they left the site at 3:00 PM. Exhibit 12

I bring this up to make a couple of points:

1. Just shortly before my last thread was purged in it's entirety, I posted the site logs and sign in sheets, that accurately document and corroborate each other, and memorialize that they were on site observing the dig for approx. 3 hours. Dennis jumped me saying the sign in logs were wrong, that he didn't remember signing them and then later said someone else signed them.

2. He adamantly claimed that his stated times were the "correct" ones, not the sign in sheets or site logs. This is not a credible statement. The evidence shows we cannot trust their memory.

3. For a group that bills themselves as "Professional Treasure Hunters", it's dumbfounding and grossly negligent to me how they, during what could possibly become the largest land treasure recovery in US History, apparently kept no time logs themselves as is evidenced by their wildly differing time accounts. Nor did they apparently keep any formal written and picture logs of coming and going personnel from the site, nor written and picture logs of coming and going vehicles from the site, nor photos of any of the alleged "armored trucks" at or staged near the site or nearby towns.

Exhibit 12,13,14:

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Very interesting.

And the fact that no LEO/Govt. types rise-to-the-occasion to dispel/explain any of this , will no doubt mean: Fabulous treasure !

 

[FreeBirdTim]

There isn't a metal detector out there that can definitively tell you whether a signal is gold, aluminum or a nickel, but Dennis has a magical one that can tell him he's over nine tons of gold? Come on people, get real.

 

[GoDeep]

There isn't a metal detector out there that can definitively tell you whether a signal is gold, aluminum or a nickel, but Dennis has a magical one that can tell him he's over nine tons of gold? Come on people, get real.

And worse, in reading that Popular mechanics article, he says near Dents Run, he found a new site and their scans show a vast array of 21 underground rooms and tunnels, a "KGC garrison", stocked with gold, rifles, munitions and even cannons! I kid you not. It's like Deja Vu all over again. He just doesn't (want) to learn that scans are merely speculative tools, one needs to dig to confirm and a billion times to one, they turn up nothing, rather than pots of gold. It's as though his treasure hunting career emulates the psychics he consults: nothing but smoke and mirrors.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

There isn't a metal detector out there that can definitively tell you whether a signal is gold, aluminum or a nickel, but Dennis has a magical one that can tell him he's over nine tons of gold? Come on people, get real.

Yet this is the kind of "salacious material" that gets into media. And the average Joe-Blow doesn't know this .... uh .... "minor detail".

I mean, ppuullleeeaaasssee : How many threads has there been on md'ing forums, where we hobbyists all lament "Wouldn't it be nice if a machine were invented that can tell alloyed gold apart from aluminum or other metals ?"

Instead, the best we are left with, is conductivity (in which size plays a part), or shape showing (of which an inch pixel is the smallest we can attain).

But we can NOT tell metals apart. So how in the heck was that allowed to creep into the story as a supposed salacious detail ?

And worse, in reading that Popular mechanics article, he says near Dents Run, he found a new site and their scans show a vast array of 21 underground rooms and tunnels, a "KGC garrison", stocked with gold, rifles, munitions and even cannons! I kid you not. It's like Deja Vu all over again. He just doesn't (want) to learn that scans are merely speculative tools, one needs to dig to confirm and a billion times to one, they turn up nothing, rather than pots of gold. It's as though his treasure hunting career emulates the psychics he consults: nothing but smoke and mirrors.

Correct. So why the heck does anyone care whether or not the FBI and govt. is "dragging their feet". Or "showed up with squinty eyes and big vehicles" ? All the rest of these conspiracy accusations can be laid-to-rest, the moment we look at the bigger picture of why this clown thought anything was there .... IN THE FIRST PLACE !

 

[Tom_in_CA]

Someone who has a membership to ... "that forum" ought to link this, and other FMDF links on this subject, to their forum. I wonder if a mere link (to skepticism) would be allowed to stand un-deleted there ?

 

[ucnegold?]

Finally, a discussion on the subject that is enlightening and evidence based. The Plaintiff and his cronies always say “the key to their case is in the details”. This thread won’t interest everyone but for those who take the time to now actually read the details, will finally see how the cockroaches ran when the lights were turned on over there. GoDeep should be commended for his tenacious and selfless efforts to debunk these “myths” and get the truth out there for all to see.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

.... GoDeep should be commended for his tenacious and selfless efforts to debunk these “myths” and get the truth out there for all to see.

Ditto ^ ^

I know most md'rs could care less about these legends and silly stories (lost dutchman, Oak Island, Pearl ship, etc....). But ever since I fell for hoopala, and spent 3 weeks roaming around in the Sierra Madres Mexico in the early 1990s, I began to ask myself : "Why didn't I see the warning signs before I left ?"

The stories sounded SO rock solid true. Such that a metal detector will make child's play to find more such treasures I was hearing about. Each story that my host was going to take me too, had a stellar lineage. Who could doubt that there wasn't "imminent treasure" waiting for me ?

I learned my lesson to : Apply scrutiny and skepticism. Otherwise, the blindness sets in. Because, let's be honest : Treasure stories and conspiracies are *so* captivating

And on md'ing forums I began to see the same blinders that people wear, when discussing "sure fire treasure stories". They never stop to ask themselves pertinent questions. And you find people getting "shouted down" when going to punch holes in the various legends. Like : "HOW DARE YOU CAST DOUBT ON THIS !" mentality.

 

[GoDeep]

Someone who has a membership to ... "that forum" ought to link this, and other FMDF links on this subject, to their forum. I wonder if a mere link (to skepticism) would be allowed to stand un-deleted there ?

I did link in private message to a few dozen friends over there, but any public forum link would be deleted swiftly, not just because it violates their rules, but it's a member/subject they "protect". If they are interested in Dents Run, they'll find it. This thread is already showing up in search engines when i type in "dents run civil war gold" or "fbi dents run".

 

[GoDeep]

Finally, a discussion on the subject that is enlightening and evidence based. The Plaintiff and his cronies always say “the key to their case is in the details”. This thread won’t interest everyone but for those who take the time to now actually read the details, will finally see how the cockroaches ran when the lights were turned on over there. GoDeep should be commended for his tenacious and selfless efforts to debunk these “myths” and get the truth out there for all to see.

Welcome! I was hoping this thread would bring in some new members to FMDF. I won't make assumptions, but i suspect you are a member from over "there"! PM me if you don't mind sharing, otherwise, if you want to remain anonymous, that's fine too.

Edit: LOL, just noticed your name "ucnegold"! You see any gold?!

 

[ucnegold?]

You know David, while you are on the subject of the Popular Mechanics article, another very significant inaccuracy was revealed. The Plaintiff told the author that the infamous drill bit with the “gold shine” had become stuck in Hole #16 at about five and a half feet down, taking two and a half days to extract it. This 5.5 foot depth is the very same depth that the Plaintiff told the FBI the gold was located when initially interviewed on 1/26/2018.

It's preposterous how the Plaintiff can just continue to move the goalpost to fit his narrative and then say others are “twisting” information.

As you posted above in #45, the Plaintiff admits he was an eyewitness at the excavation site and said they (FBI) dug our hole 12’ x 10’ x 7’ deep and called it quits for the day at 3 PM. Just 3 more feet to go… well another 3 feet would place the gold at 10 feet deep.

So now we are to believe without explanation, the gold has moved from the depth of 5.5 feet to a depth of 10 feet so it would be "just out of reach" or out of sight when he peered into the hole. Can't make this stuff up!

 

[GoDeep]

You know David, while you are on the subject of the Popular Mechanics article, another very significant inaccuracy was revealed. The Plaintiff told the author that the infamous drill bit with the “gold shine” had become stuck in Hole #16 at about five and a half feet down, taking two and a half days to extract it. This 5.5 foot depth is the very same depth that the Plaintiff told the FBI the gold was located when initially interviewed on 1/26/2018.

It's preposterous how the Plaintiff can just continue to move the goalpost to fit his narrative and then say others are “twisting” information.

As you posted above in #45, the Plaintiff admits he was an eyewitness at the excavation site and said they (FBI) dug our hole 12’ x 10’ x 7’ deep and called it quits for the day at 3 PM. Just 3 more feet to go… well another 3 feet would place the gold at 10 feet deep.

So now we are to believe without explanation, the gold has moved from the depth of 5.5 feet to a depth of 10 feet so it would be "just out of reach" or out of sight when he peered into the hole. Can't make this stuff up!

That's a good catch. You are right, they just move the goal posts whenever their original statements are contradicted. Remember the Enviroscan report? For nearly 4 years after the dig it was lauded as the Holy Grail of proof. Then when it was released and indicated gold where no gold was found, it was "they must have made an error in writing it". Lastly, when the colored version came out that showed no gold where HIS personal scans showed gold it was all wrong and his scanned areas aren't actually where he had previously stated they were.

 

[SS_Wonder]

I always thought it funny that when fk claimed that the drill had a gold shine at the end that he never bothered to check to see if it was actually gold.

That’s basically an admittance that even he didn’t believe there was gold present at the site.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

That's a good catch. You are right, they just move the goal posts whenever their original statements are contradicted. ....

Sure. Or perhaps they'll say it was within that depth range, but that the durned FBI must've pocketed the treasure when they turned their back for a minute.

Yes, they will find new inventive ways to explain away blatant rebuttals. Somehow, some way, they will never let it die.

Kind of like if I claim to you that : "There are fairies under my bed" You can look under the bed and tell me : "I don't see any fairies". So I tell you "that's because they run and hide before you look". So you offer to set up a video camera. But I tell you "they're invisible". So you offer to sprinkle flour on the ground in order to capture their footprint impressions. But I tell you : "The fairies hover an inch off the ground, hence they don't leave footprints". And so forth to infinity.

Basically Dennis has put himself in an unfalsifiable position.

 

[Tom_in_CA]

I always thought it funny that when fk claimed that the drill had a gold shine at the end .......

And have you ever asked why this salacious claim sounds familiar ? It's because , like any good treasure legend, they ALL have "tips of the iceberg" phenomenon as part of the lore.

Same thing for Oak Island : A supposed gold link brought up by a drill. And so too do other legends have a single gold coin found, that shows a certain box full of them must be nearby, blah blah blah.

This "tip of iceberg" component is part & parcel that no good ghost story would be without.

 

[SS_Wonder]

Don’t get me started on hoax island.