Enormous Cave of the Aztecs Fact or Fiction REVISITED

 Originally Posted December of 2022

Rumors and the writings of those who sell books have conjured stories for treasure books for a long time, one such version of a story which is to follow, seems to have an agenda of convincing the reader of a fallacy story of Moctezuma instructing his people to haul hordes of silver and gold back to their ancient homeland… and it just didn’t happen. However the truth of what happened to me is even more exciting and compelling than the embellishments… Was there a caravan in the time of Moctezuma II which brought hoards of silver and gold back to the home of their ancestors? No... Was there in the time of Moctezuma I in which a great wealth was brought to their ancient homeland intended as a gift to those whom they left behind? Yes. However in all probability it never made it to its intended destination. As it would seem according to the Aztec record many priests were entrusted with the shipment, when they returned with their made up story claiming to have delivered it, 9 of the priests did not return, when Moctezuma I asked what happened to them they claimed that the God required their soul in exchange for turning them into animals in order to transport them more quickly to their ancient home. Moctezuma I did not question it. What happened to them 9 priest and why wasn’t any of the others talking? I think you can figure it out. 

Another incident took place at the time the Spaniards invaded Mexico, when the Aztec saw the Spanish priests burning their history and records of their linage, something that was most important to them, they gathered their remaining records and sent them north to their ancient depositories. There was one other item that may have been returned to their ancient home, it may have occurred in its own separate time, or possibly accompanied the previous mentioned incidents, this item was more important to them than any other substance they had, and is of ancient origin, the War Box, or their God, Huitzilopochitli. What was so important about this God of theirs that four men  with two poles carried it before themselves when ever they went to war and each time found themselves victorious.

 SEE Seeking the Ark of the Covenant Part Three

The War Box

Rabbit Tail

The following sent to me by a friend is a copy of the actual text article about the adventures of Jake Johnsons which was publish in 1903, years before the embellished (Abridged) version written for a treasure magazine was published.

 

Jake Johnson with a well-earned reputation as an experienced prospector, but not so much of a miner as he preferred to roam the hills rather than work underground, in a way he was a pocket hunter and with his two burros with pick shovel gold pan and a few primitive mining tools a sack of flour and a couple of slabs of side bacon would start for the hills and would be gone for months to return eventually with a buckskin sack well filled with placer gold or with a few fine gold nuggets wherewith to purchase a new grubstake for a new start which generally occurred as soon as he had been on a spree for a few days which left him penniless before he took to the mountains again.

On one of these trips, while in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, near the Utah-Arizona line, he had the misfortune to fall from a precipitous cliff into a box canyon, which in this region are numerous. The fall resulted in a broken leg, and for a day after the accident he was unable to stir. The next morning, with slow movement and painful exertion, he was able to crawl a hundred yards to the bank of a little stream which wound its way to its confluence with the main river. Here he was able to quench his feverish thirst, but, being without provision of any kind, he was almost on the verge of starvation when he was found by an old Indian, who, with his squaw, was wandering around in this mighty wilderness, subsisting on rabbits and other game, and upon fish from the river. His wickiup was near at hand, and with great difficulty Jake was helped by the Indian to his humble abode. Here he was carefully nursed by the Indian and his squaw, and, within a month was able to hobble around on improvised crutches, and was soon able to resume his prospecting; his burros, in the meanwhile having been found by the kindly Indian and brought, with considerable difficulty, to the little stretch of grass-grown land bordering on the stream, and the sky-towering cliff near which Rabbit Tail, for this was the Indians name, had his temporary lodge.

Rabbit Tail in his younger years

During his convalescence Jake won his way to the heart of Rabbit Tail and his squaw, and many were the weird tales told by the old redman of exciting adventure, of privations endured, of hunts, battles, victories and defeats, and once, when in a more communicative mood, he told of finding nuggets of gold, and hinted of the existence of an old mine, on the dump of which great trees grew, and in the ancient and abandoned workings of which there were still left standing great bodies of ore in which native gold sparkled in the glare of a pitch-pine torch. 

Jake, upon hearing this, was all excitement, and begged the Indian for more information concerning this old treasure vault, but without avail, as the wily savage became as mum as an oyster upon seeing the interest the white man had taken in his narrative.

It happened shortly after this, that Jake was able to rescue Rabbit Tails squaw from the attack of a mountain lion, which so softened the Indian that he told him that if he would meet him at that place within a year that he would show him the old mine, but that he could take no more of the gold than he could carry away with him and that he would be led blindfolded to and from the old bonanza, which, he said, was located in an almost inaccessible spot ,near the brink of a yawning precipice, and above which were towering cliffs which rose perpendicular until their summits were lost in the blue of the sky.

Jake then started on his way to civilization, but, before leaving the canyon, had the good fortune to find a rich placer deposit in one of its tributaries, from which he took about $1500 in the yellow metal. Marking well the spot, he pulled out for Dandy Crossing, and finally reached Marysvale, from which point, after putting his burros into pasture, he came to Salt Lake City on the train. Soon after he left for his old Missouri home, where he soon had his cousin, Mike Smith, in a fever heat over his placer find and the story told by the Indian of the existence of the old gold mine. After a week or so of rest, Jake could stand the monotony of civilization no longer, and started for the west again, but not before he had drawn a crude map of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and indicated the spot where Mike was to meet him within the next six months, when they would both work the placer, and meet with the old Indian, provided the redskin was true to his Word. 

This was what brought Mike Smith to Salt Lake City within the next three months, and this was why he informed all who questioned him that he was a prospector. Having been enjoined to silence and secrecy by Johnson, he avoided all intercourse, as much as possible, with everyone, and one day, with a modest outfit, he left for Marysvale, where he purchased two burros and started on his lonely and solitary trip for the Colorado River. It was then that his real troubles began. Unacquainted with the ways west and totally without experience, he was often without water, and many times he lost his way. At last, however, ragged and worn, haggard and thin, he reached the Colorado, and after many days, reached the little camp prepared by Johnson, where he was heartily welcomed by this grim old prospector, who enjoyed life in the wilds, alone with nature, more than he did in the busy haunts of men. 

For the first few days after the arrival of Mike, the two worked the placer, and with most satisfactory results. In the evenings, before rolling up in their blankets for the night, they would smoke their pipes and wonder if Rabbit Tail would keep his tryst and show them the gold-laden caverns which had evidently been discovered and worked soon after the subjugation of the Montezumas. While thus engaged, one evening, the Indian stood before them, coming as silently as the rising of the morning sun. He was welcomed, but was surprised that Johnson had brought a companion with him, and seemed disinclined to fulfill his engagements. After much discussion, however, and taking a liking to Mike, he expressed his willingness to make him one of the party, and warned the two white-men to be ready to start at early dawn. 

Almost before it was light enough to see their way, the three were up and afoot. The way was difficult. Sometimes thick brush hindered their progress. Occasionally a blank wall confronted them, and it was necessary to climb upon each other’s shoulders to overcome these obstacles; and creeping, climbing, clinging, to roots and bushes growing in the crevices of the rocks, they at last reached a point where they were blindfolded by the Indian. From here they traveled in single file, clinging to a rope held by their guide. For an hour or more they followed, skinning their shins against rocks and boulders, and sometimes falling to their knees because of inequalities in the ground. After what seemed an age, and when tired and exhausted almost beyond belief, the bandages were removed and they stood in almost midnight darkness. At a word from Rabbit Tail a light was struck and a torch lighted. Upon looking around, the two prospectors and fortune-seekers found that they were in an enormous cavern, the sides of which gave no trace of mineral. At their feet, however, were masses of rock, which, upon examination, were found to be rich in native gold, but their source was not apparent. Elated, and yet disappointed, Mike and Jake turned to the Indian, who motioned them to a small drift in the cavern that they had not noticed before.

Following the redskin, they got down on their hands and knees and crawled for a hundred feet or more through a small passage, coming at last to a narrow shelf of shale which bordered a chasm about five feet in width. This must have been very deep, for when rocks were dropped down it the sound coming from the bottom seemed but an echo. The Indian lightly leaped the gulf and Mike and Jake followed, but not without apprehension, and found themselves, breathing hard and trembling, on the other side, with but a narrow shelf for a foothold. Almost creeping along a torturous path, hardly able to keep their balance at times, they at length arrived at the entrance to a wide passage, which seemed to cut the chasm at almost right angles. Penetrating this for several yards and then climbing up an incline upraise for twenty or thirty feet, they were ushered into a great chamber. The sight that met their gaze in this chamber rendered the two prospectors speechless. Under the glare of the torches bottom, sides and top were resplendent with bright, glittering gold. 

 

In front was a great body of honey-combed quartz, in which were nuggets of the pure metal as large as walnuts. These were bound to the quartz by wire gold. The roof of the stope presented a perfect fretwork of wire and native gold, which seemed to be woven into festoons. On the sides the gold occurred in hard, white quartz such as beautiful jewelry is made from. On the floor great chunks of the gold-bearing ore were laying around and, among them were to be seen mining tools of ancient make, while, in one corner, could dimly be discerned the skeleton of a man, evidently that of a white miner. 

Recovering from their astonishment, Smith and Johnson fell into each other’s arms, but the Indian stood silent and solid. A few minutes later he said, Come, we go out. Then it was that the white men came to their senses. They plead with Rabbit Tail for an hour, for half an hour in which to explore, to investigate this place of more than Monte Cristo wealth. But Rabbit Tail was obdurate and would not yield, and obeying his commands, they filled their pockets with the biggest nuggets, the finest specimens of wire gold, and the richest pieces of gold-filled quartz that they could find. Retracing their steps, but with greater difficulty than when they entered the treasure vault of the ancients, for they were heavily loaded with gold, they at last reached the cavern where their eyes had first been uncovered. Here the bandages were replaced by the Indian, and, led by him as before, they set out on their journey to their camp, which they reached just as the sun was setting in the west. 

Tired and worn, they devoured the food that had been left from their morning repast, and were soon in deep slumber. It was long after daylight before they awoke, and when their eyes were fairly opened they discovered that during the night their Indian friend had left as quietly and as suddenly as he had arrived. For two or three days Jake and Mike rested, gloating over their store of gold. Then they spent several days in an effort to rediscover the wonderful mine. Time after time they climbed to the spot where Rabbit Tail had put on the blindfolds, but from there on all was a blank, and no trace was left of their previous passage. At last they left for Utah’s metropolis, packing their gold on their burros. Arriving at Salt Lake, they sold their wealth of gold, and for several days the papers were full of accounts of the small lot of fabulously rich rock that had been put through the sampling works, but no one ever found from whence it came, although Smith and Johnson were shadowed day and night until they left for their Missouri home. 

Ever since then, year after year, two prospectors, with four burros, have been seen haunting the beautiful yet desolate regions of the Grand Canyon. Smith comes to the city once in a while, and to all inquiries he says, I am only a prospector. And yet he does not know the difference between lime and quartzite, slate and shale, nor is he posted on country rock; but, if he would tell the truth, he does know something about honey-combed and white quartz. Best of all, down on Shell Creek, in old Missouri, he has one of the finest arms in Caldwell County, which he purchased with a portion of the wealth gained by him in the old mine in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado which was found and lost under the guidance of Rabbit Tail the redskin.

(The Salt Lake Mining Review in 1903)

 

There is an abridged version on the internet but would be better described as the “Embellished Version” or exaggerated, it also has an inserted paragraph designed to sell stories… SEE Following paragraph inserted into the original story...

According to Indian tradition, an expedition of well-organized and warlike men had come from the south escorting a long line of slaves, dragging boxlike containers shrouded by skins. The party went directly to the Grand Canyon and descended down from the south rim. The treasure was placed in a cavern that evidently had been chosen earlier. The slaves were killed on the spot, while half of the men remained as a guard and the others returned to the south. It was probably planned by the Aztecs that they would recover the cargo once the Spaniards had been driven into the sea, however, months and years went by without word for the garrison at the cavern. Eventually, they intermarried with the local Paiutes and told them tales about a great Indian empire in the south with their emperor, who would return in the future with an army to bring prosperity to the Paiute tribe. Until then, the treasure must be guarded from discovery by anyone. It was a responsibility that meant annihilation for the Paiutes should they permit the hidden cache to be stolen.

To Date, I have not been able to verify the validity of the above paragraph added to the treasure book tales, it is likely an embellishment to attract sales. The following description is included in the embellished version as well.

The glare from the four torches suddenly magnified several times the magnitude of golden idols, shields, and other objects reflecting the light in the eerie flickering flashes. Neither of the men had time to inspect the cave at length, as the Paiutes continually urged them to take what they could carry and retrace their steps to the surface. It was clear that they were at the base of the Grand Canyon, since an opening could be seen in the distance that led onto a sand beach. However, the men were never sure whether they had come down through the cave from the rim of the canyon or whether they had been led at some point along the sheer walls when they had entered the cave. 

The part about an opening could be seen in the distance that led onto a sand beach was no doubt added to tie the story to the embellish James White story. The original publication of the James White story, made no mention of a cave with untold riches. Do your research people, it isn’t worth it chasing after fallacy. 

Sylvestor Prado

However… the following story which has never been published but in which I have written about in parts from time to time… has been verified in many ways and will be given again in a small part, but I assure you it is original information as received and experienced several years ago. 

The original document  and story written on an old cloth came from a Mexican man by the name of Reuben Morales who came from a small town named El Dorado on the inland side of the Gulf of California. It is believed he may still be alive and living in Texas and I am still trying to locate him however it is like trying to find a John Smith in the whole of America

The old cloth document

Sometime in the 1970’s if I recall, Reuben came north in search of his ancestors mine, cave and cache with the old document and verbal information handed down to him from his presumed possible grandfather Jose Pedro Salazar. Sylvestre Prado who was the author of the hand written document and which is the topic here in, may also be an ancestor to Rueben. It is believed Prado’s initials have been found in the suspect area.

 

It is believed that Jose Pedro Salazar was occupying the area in question in the early 1800’s to mid 1800’s, he was according to the document  “an Indian” and it is believed he catered to the Spanish while they mined in the area or he spied upon them when they were there. Reuben spent near 10 years searching for his ancestor’s cache. 

Not many years ago we had an encounter with one of the earliest original well-known name land owner in the area, and after he decided we were not worthy of being shot we talked for some time and the situation became friendly, we asked him how his family came by the property, and he told us that when they first entered the land (around 1850’s) with intent to homestead they encountered an old Mexican Indian who was the owner or possessor of the land, we can only surmise this was by a Spanish land grant, or that by right of being there for so long he simply considered it as his territory. He told us that they became friends and eventually he carved out a substantial piece of land and gave it to them. Was this Perdo Salazar? 

After Reuben had exhausted his efforts to find what his ancestor left behind, he contacted a known treasure hunter in the area and asked if he could help him, upon an agreement he shared a copy of the document and showed him a map and shared the verbal information needed to find the right location. This treasure hunter eventually in years to come became a friend of mine, and after sitting on his files for quite a number of years and having only made a few trips in an effort to find any evidence of truth, he decided to pass the information to me. At the time I was spending a lot of time in the general area documenting what I now call, the Aztec Navigation Glyphs, which by the way, have nothing to do with finding water as supposed by others.

 

One of near 200 known glyphs

You can read more about these at Aztec Navigation Glyphs

 

The old cloth document was in pretty bad shape when it was copied but the writing was discernable but very difficult to read due to its condition and old Spanish words not common today, great effort was taken to first transcribe the document of which I owe a great deal to my friend Adam, after which much effort was put into getting a correct translation which can be very difficult due to the old Spanish and there is still a few words we just cannot make out, someone experienced in not only Spanish but old Spanish may be able to recognize the words

 

A small piece of the old cloth document

 

The following is some of the excerpts of the more interesting things found within the document and will clearly show why I have spent near 18 [21 now] years working on this project. Our first trip down to the area resulted in discovery of several things mentioned in the document and today, we feel we have found the location of the Indian Salazar’s cave, or mine, the entrance of which has been filled, yet the slide rock from it abounds in ½ inch chisel marks. 

….Enter said (Salazar’s smaller) cave and on the east side (floor) in the lower part of  which is two large flat stones marked (with a 1 and 2) and below them you will find some oak planks cultivated to the rafter with pins of the same wood and some cowhides.  These pieces are covering a chest which stores a large quantity of pieces of bars of silver.  Further to the bottom is a cross with wide edges.  Under it is the cover of the same material that contains gold & silver and a small black ebony box.

The one who finds said small box will be happy, because inside of it, are the directions/map to the treasures of the Indian Pedro Jose Salazar who for a long time was the owner of these mountains.

These papers are written in a language that I do not recognize.  They are written with mules blood.  Whomever it is that comes to have this cloth in his hands will come to find out that if he breaks said box that it contains jewels of gold and silver and paper made from a berry tree where it is explained where the place is found where the great treasure of said tribe exists an enormous cave that holds the highest amounts ever known to man…

 

Another piece of the old cloth document

 

The previous is directly from the source. I have been involved in this project has gone on for near 18 [now 21] years. It would appear that Salazar and possibly Prado, knew the location of the enormous cave that the old Piute Indian, Rabbit Tale, the Redskin knew of. 

RECENT UPDATES:

Many years ago, I and my wife took a trip to Southern Utah and Arizona with our friends Bonnie and Steve. I recall Steve telling me as we drove between Kanab and Fredonia, We had been talking about the map rock that was found by Jacob Hamblin in 1852, Steve pointed at one of the hills off the side of the road and said, a Navajo told me that on top of one of these hills is a flat stone and when you turn it over it has a map carved on it. This is very near where Jacob Hamblin in 1852 found a black slate stone with a map carved on it.

 

Sketch of the Jacob Hamblin Black Slate Map

 

But what does this have to do with the story at hand? I suspect the same Navajo which Steve had talked to was the same in which I met just a few years later and he told me that there was a map with many petroglyphs not far from Kanab, he told me he would take me there.  I doubt this map has anything to do with the Salazar document but maybe it hold clues, My friends Glen and JoDee spent about 4 hours with me documenting the site meticulously, the objective was to recreate the image in black and white. 11 years later I finally finished the project, some of you may see implications.

 

 

The area of the subject of this article is in the lower left of the largest rock, if you see it you will also see the 3 lakes site north of Kanab and even Johnson’s canyon not to mention the location of the famed underground BUDDHIST/HINDU city of the Grand Canyon [NOT EGYPTIAN] Why does this matter? 

Now for the shocker…. In September of 2022 friend of mine called me one day to get instruction on how to find a certain petroglyph panel, having given him instruction and sending him on his way, I went about my day… later he called me and was pretty excited and said you are not going to believe what I just found… well he sent me a picture of which first glance nearly removed me from my sitting position to the floor. He said while hiking the pertinent location, he noticed a large flat rock very much out of place, because it was not native to any rock formations in the area…

With permission to share the photo this is what he had found face down in sand and gravel.

 

Confused and excited at the same time, I thought, “What the hell? This is the same map as was found on the Jacob Hamblin slate stone found 170 years prior and in the same general area. My friend was in doubt because of the condition of the writing, I reminded him that it has been face down in sand and gravel for near 220 years, I had no problem with its condition. I do wish however we could find the corner piece broken off.

Reading the text provided another near encounter with the floor… Although I have not had it translated by someone other than me, not only does it provide us a clue in the subject story as to what it is and why it exists, It was written by Antonio Raul PRADO! And it is concerning Pedro Jose Salzar! How could this be I thought? The date on the stone is from 1804, 96 years prior to the cloth document and it was found about 50 miles away from the subject site! Why was it here? 

The stone map reads loosely as :

(His) Majesty Carlos Antonio Diego this ____missing____ Order Filming (?) Pedro Jose Salzar Guadalupe (of the) Zuni by the even leaders of the Yubicaris (tribe) hidden ___missing___ -llados (decreed?) by the king under death penalty November 14, 1804 sealed this day by Antonio Raul Prado

 

The original text on the stone map…. 

Majestad Carlos Antonio Diego este  <missing word[s]>  diezmo ordenido filmente llevado pedro jose Salazar Gudalupe de zuni por la hasta lidedas de las Yubicaris escondidos   <missing word[s]>    [dego?]-llados por el rey bajo pena de muerte 14 Novimbre 1804 este dia selado Antonio Raul Prado

 

I would really like someone who is very good with Spanish to look at the original text… perhaps through common sense and reasoning we can discover the words missing from the stone…

I am also looking fior someone who can explain to me how sur names in Mexico are established from ancestors because it makes no sense to me.

Perhaps a little bit of light was shed in doing a bit a research on the name Carlos Antonio Diego or better known as King Charles IV found on the map rock... 

It would seem not only was King Charles trying to undermine the power of the Church and the aristocracy, he was attempting to steal the land away from all the nobles who invested in the new world. 

From WIKI the Great

“As the situation with immediate revenue became more fraught, the crown in 1804 imposed measures in its overseas empire forcing the church to call in immediately the mortgages it had extended on a long-term by the Catholic Church. Although aimed at undermining the wealth and power of the church, for the wealthy landowning elites, they were faced with financial ruin, since they had no way to make full payment on their mortgaged properties. This ill-considered royal decree has been seen as a major factor in the independence movement in New Spain (Mexico). The decree was in abeyance once Charles and Ferdinand abdicated, but it undermined elite support while in force.”

 

This map rock was found along the old trail heading for the crossing of the Fathers. I wonder if Pedro Jose Salazar was able to make his payment?

I want so much to bring the many untold histories to public awareness but until we have subdued the foreign enemy who has come upon this land and currently makes the rules… my memory is fading… ;-)

 

It is a balmy 27 [43] degrees today, but there is peace and serenity around the fire, I wish I had a friend or two here today to enjoy it with… Making the best of the situation… Merry Christmas to all.

The Hathenbruck Legacy or Fantasy? Revised & Edited

 April 13th 2016

A Review of the Book Utah Gold Rush

* With a few updates *

F.W.C Hathenbruck and Family Circa 1920

Disclaimer

At no time in this report is it my intention to slander, diminish or embarrass any individual alluded to within, especially the ancestor FWC Hathenbruck. My purpose here is to inform the Hathenbruck decedents that the only story concerning their ancestor that has been published so far appears to be a complete fabrication. In my mind, this was a blatant and intentional act to deceive the many descendants of this man as to whom he was, or in this case, as to whom he was not.

I have compiled my findings that the descendants may know a part of truth concerning FWC Hathenbruck. I don’t mind a good fictional fantasy story, but when I spend my time, which I value, trying to learn the truth of my roots, the last thing I will put up with are the vain imaginations of what appears to be an intentional fraud for what seems to be for self-notoriety and self-gratification.

After publishing this article in 2016, I recieved several messages from the co author and his wife threatening me with copyright violation and threats of being sued... I just ignored the nasty messages as I knew a copyright was not possible and that the photos were stolen property, thier time will come. There is much more unrelated to this book review yet concerning the co author that you can read here... Setting the Record Straight

and still even more to the story that has not been written... perhaps some day...

Each of us from time to time discovers some colorful individuals in our past, sometimes a frontiersman, famous outlaw, lawman, a founding father, or sometimes even a member of the past Royal families. I don’t know about you but I get a thrill in discovering my ancestry, learning of those whom I may have a physical connection.

As I research the many ancestors, from time to time we find some incredible stories such as is the case with the enigmas FWC Hathenbruck. Who was he... Really? And where did he come from and are among the questions that would weigh on my mind.

Some years ago while researching this ancestor of many; I stumbled across a web site which seemed to have some considerable information concerning this elusive character. What I read on the site seemed a bit incredible and later in years I discovered a book which the same claims had been published. The web site was a creation of the co-author of the book.

The individual from the web site and apparent co-author of the book claimed to be a descendant of the subject at hand, this was not difficult to verify, as I always find the most original source in my research and check the credibility of the individual making such claims and because the claim seemed a bit far-fetched, I just had to investigate the source material for those claims.

Making contact with the individual who eventialually became a freind...or so I thought... who apparently is the source for all the claims made on the now closed downed web site, and the book, I was assured that the information was in his personal possession but to this very day have never received as promised the information to verify the claims made.

With initial contact I took notes of things I was told, one of which concerning how the ancestor in question lost his arm, I was told he lost it in a mill accident, but as it would seem, the story has grown into an almost unbelievable event.

Over the years I have also checked the qualifications and character of the author of the book, a man I would not suggest looking into, with what I would say is a very questionable back ground. A relative of mine served as a Psycologist and Captain at the Utah State Prison, he had known the author of the book quite well having talked with him many times over in his career, while his residence at the prison was had, I was told he served about 8 years for beating his wife to death with a 2 by 4, needless to say, the credibility of this authors integrity and qualifications were diminishing. More often than not some just believe or want you to believe that just because they are decent of some firsthand experience, that this somehow makes them an expert in the field.

However giving everyone the benefit of the doubt, I continued to inquire and research hitting nothing but dead ends in trying to verify the many claims made by the co-author & descendant of FWC, which so far was the only truth I had found.

I decided to start at the root of some of the claims and contacted several of the Historic Royal societies in England, with today’s internet capabilities; it has become much easier to track down not only contact information but resource material as well, vital statistics, travel records etc...

One such claim that almost seemed unreal and was the reason for contacting the pre mentioned societies, is the claim that FWC was the illegitimate son of Frederick III, German Emperor and King of Prussia. 

Frederick III, Father of Kaiser Wilhelm II

is Not the Father of FWC Hathenbruck

To my surprise, none of those contacted, had ever heard anything of the sort, no accounts of Frederick III being promiscuous were among them, and none of them had ever heard of the Fraulein Louisa Hudinburgh, said to be Hathenbrucks mother, (Hanna Louisa Haddenbrock, A Fictitious person, having supposedly been born 1825 entered on two Genealogy sites) in fact to this day I have  not been able to verify that she ever existed and with several different variations of spelling. After all these years I am convinced she is a complete fabrication, perhaps someone can provide some form of proof of her existence, I could always be mistaken.

However each of those whom I contacted suggested or was eager to tell me the story they each felt the claim came from, and that it occurred at nearly the same time. It would seem that it was not Fredrick III who had the affair, but Frederick III’s Father Wilhelm I who was promiscuous, the Kaiser Wilhelm’s Grandfather or who would have been the Grand Father of FWC IF in fact the claim made by the co-author were true, from this point, the story relayed to me was near identical in detail as to the story I was originally told by the co-author many years ago, yet differs from the printed story in some detail.

Kaiser Wilhelm I, The Promiscuous one...

Father of Ferdinad Emil Weinrich

Not the Father of FWC Hathenbruck

It would seem the well-known story among the Royalist History groups, was in that Wilhelm I had an affair with the widow Bertha Caroline Shonborn resulting in the bastard child Ferdinand Emil Weinreich being born in Konigsberg, East Prussia, the illegitimate son of Kaiser Wilhelm I. This event occurred at nearly the same time making Emil Weinreich about the same age as Hathenbruck. Apparently it is a well-known story among the Historic Royalists. Emil eventually settled in Denmark and married, some of his descendants joined the Mormon Church and moved to Provo Utah and to my knowledge Emil Weinreich never came to the states.

Ferdinand Emil Weinreich, the illegitimate son of Wilhelm I,

King of Prussia and Half Uncle to Kaiser Wilhelm II 

(See Ferdinand Emil Weinreich: His Life Story)

To this day, I have never seen definitive or even remotely curious evidence that shows even the slightest legitimacy of the story told concerning FWC being the illegitimate son of Frederick the III, there is absolutely no evidence what so ever not even the slightest implication other than the imaginative story fed to the descendants of Hathenbruck. It would appear the story of Emil Weinreich had been high jacked.

It would seem from what appears to be reliable information depending on Hathenbruck’s motives, What I have found believed to be true is that he arrived in the States in 1866, when he got here it would appear he was married at age 17 or never officially married as I cannot find any record of it. In the 1900 12th Census he stated that his parents were both from France, he being born in England. In 1920 in the 14th census, he answers the question again, Born in England, Father being French and French listed as native tongue, but this time he shows his mother as being from Holland and native tongue as Dutch, and he is marked as a manager in a Slate Quarry. I do not know what to make of the designation of the parents, personally I do not think Hathenbruck ever had the idea in his head that his Father was the Kaiser, I believe it was created by a glory seeking nobody, I don’t care how much someone would want to keep it quiet, Hathenbruck would have told someone.

From the 14th or 1920 census

Among many other claims made in what appears to be the only source concerning FWC’s origins and now appearing unreliable, my attention was drawn to the very tiny photos found on page 210 and 211 in the book in question. I always wondered why such small photos were used in the book when larger photos were in the possession of the chest pounding story teller. I do not know where the story teller got the photos but one source who knew the co-author in the 1990’s claimed he was told by the co-author that he had stolen the pictures and a few more items... from two Hathenbruck brothers from Cedar City. If anyone recognizes the photos presented here in as evidence to be weighed against the very large claims made with each of the tiny photos found in the book, please do tell and inform the rightful owner.

Looking at page 210 and 211 of the book in question of the co-author previously mentioned, we see the first of several photos which are from the same early 1900’s photo shoot session with one exception being the photo in the top right of page 211 with the text beneath it “Hathenbruck Wagon” This claim could very well be true, as the middle individual even in this barely discernable picture is without a doubt FWC, this photo is of a different source. So with that said, let’s move to the other pictures which creates much concern and in my mind destroys the credibility of the claims and deals a large blow to all other information which has been used in the so called Hathenbruck Legacy. I wanted to believe the wild stories of the ancestor FWC, and although I suspected some exaggerations, I had no idea how bad this exaggeration was.

Keep in mind, the original photos in their large format were available to the co-author at the time the book was publish, why would anyone use such small photos when such large claims are being made, unless of course they would be incriminating?

Claim #1 page 120

Actual size as printed in the book

Now when I first saw this page, having written many research articles, I could not help but wonder why this image was so small, to my knowledge no camera takes such small photos and if they did, why have the camera? The authors of the book would have to scan the photo for publication so unless the operator of the scanner was a complete idiot, there had to be a reason for the very small photos, I can think of a couple.

Some years ago the co-author who at the time was thought to be a freind, shared some old western photos from the basin area with me, at the time I was not concerned with where they came from, I just needed some old western photos, I had no idea he was handing me the very photos which are used on the pages in question. I scanned all the photos in high quality formatt with his permission. Having looked at the photos many times since, I became familiar with them. It wasn’t until I opened the book again years later and happened to turn to page 210 that I realized the photos were one and the same. Wow! I thought finally I can see the outlaws in the photos, needless to say I was very disappointed, and angry at the same time. I went from photo to photo only to find the same disappointing results. This is the first real time I made this research a matter of priority rather than accepting the author’s word for it.

Lets look first at the 2nd claim attributed to the photo and go right to the specific individual in the photo mentioned. (Claim: Hathenbruck is third from the right.)

Picture # 1 The Overall Larger Image

Now please feel free to correct me if I am wrong but this man is definitely NOT FWC and this man would appear to be about late 30’s to early 40’s but most noticeable is this man has both arms. FWC had lost his arm long before this, there isn’t one man in this photo shoot who is missing an arm. These pictures although the exact date is unknown, were taken sometime around 1900 to 1906. This same man appears in picture # 3 on the far left.

Now lets look at the 3rd claim pertaining to this specific photo, it is said that the man on the right with open vest is Matt Warner. The first claim of this photo is that these are FWC’s gunfighters, but based on the overall picture from this photo shoot, all men are carrying Shotguns, One man is holding the kill of the day, a sage hen or pheasant, right by the pheasant is two bird dogs, a Labrador and a Britney Spaniel, in another photo from this same photo shoot not used in the publication is a dear hanging from a tree. Also one of the men is wearing a shooting vest made for shotgun shells, not one man is seen as wearing a pistol and since when do gunfighters run around in an Old Hickory Farm Wagons and a German made Landau carriage? Why is it that in the staged photos, do most of the men point their guns upward as you would shooting birds, rather than shooting at an enemy? Something just isn’t right.

                                                                            Matt Warner Prison Photo

Matt Warner

The same man above said the be Matt Warner is also in picture number 2 second from the right with a strange man all the way to the right dress in white, we’ll come back to him. He is also in picture # 5 back row and second from the right. Now I am not line up expert but this is not Matt Warner, maybe you think it is. 

Now let’s look at the second photo on page 210 on the right and second picture down from top and the claims made with it.

Claim # 2 approximate actual size of photo as it appears in the book

Lets have a closer look at all the men starting from left to right.

The man on the left in the above picture is said to be FWC, this man is clearly in his late 30’s to early 40’s, and as you can see, holding a shotgun with his missing right arm is not possible, however just looking at him, it is clearly not Hathenbruck. Also notice the man on the right wearing a shotgun shell vest and at his right knee you see the head of a Britney Spaniel. This is the man who is claimed to be “Elza” Lay in picture # 5, His name is actually Elzy.

The man in the middle is the one which is claimed to be Matt Warner.

I will leave it up to you to see if you can find a match for any of the names mentioned as being in the photo.

             

Elzy Lay                                   Elzy Lay? I don’t think so.

I have no idea who Henry “Hen” Lee is except that he is mentioned in a book written by A.C. Wlkerson nor Iowa J. Hall.

The following images are according to the authors of the book in question, Bub Meeks but they call him Bob in one photo and Bill in another, His real name was Henry Wilbur Meeks (Bub)

Man Claimed to be Bub Meeks Same Man from other photo

                          

Young Bub Meeks                                                   Older Bub Meeks

And from the third photo is the same man, however the authors claim that in this photo that this man is Butch Casidy?

The Conclusion for me is an absolute, this is not Butch, Bub, Bill or Bob.

With this let’s move to the 3rd claim on page 210 bottom left photo.

Approximate size of actual photo from the book

Photo # 3

The only real claim from this photo is that the man standing in the center is Butch Cassidy shown previously.

Now just in case the authors made a mistake, here are the two men to the right, and the three on his left, and once again, I do not see Butch Cassidy in this picture.

Left                                                                 Right

Butch Cassidy

Man in the middle said to be Butch

 Claim # 4 Page 210

Now I’m not certain what the author was implying here as there is no such thing then or today as “Hathenbruck Crossing” or gunfighters for that matter. In case you haven’t put it together yet this photo shoot was a hosted hunting party in the Uinta Basin area near Blue Bell and likely the photos were taken somewhere between Sand Wash and Twin Pots, wait till you see who the guest and primary host of this hunting party was, the authors of the book apparently never saw it.

Claim # 5 page 210

We have pretty much already covered each of these, in addition let me say Bub Meeks was no small guy, said to be the second from the left, front row in the picture below.

Bub Meeks? I don’t think even close.

Still no Elzy Lay

Keep in mind in the following, the authors of the book claim the photos to be form 1905-6, and this might be a good time to point out from much more reliable sources, the Elzy Lay was arrested in 1899 and held in Prison until 1906, according to the source he never saw the now defunct Wild Bunch Gang again.

Bub Meeks was imprisoned in1897, he did at least 12 years, (1909) after which several sources cannot agree.

Matt Warner About 1896, while on a prospecting trip, was ambushed in a gunfight, killed two, wounded a third, was arrested and convicted. After serving four years of a five-year sentence for this shootout, he was pardoned and released by Utah Governor Heber M. Wells in 1900. In the early 1900's he became a Justice of the peace, deputy sheriff, night guard and detective in Price, Utah. Matt Warner’s real name is Willard Erastus Christianson.

Butch Cassidy or Robert Leroy Parker, made his plea for amnesty in 1896, while awaiting, he happened into more trouble and as a documented fact he fled for New York in 1901 and sailed to Argentina where he remained until

at least 1908 where in it is said he was killed but at this point in 1908 historians cannot agree some believe he lived out the remainder of his life under an assumed identity.

At one time on the web site of the co-author, it was said that Kid Curry and Doc Holiday were also among the men in these photos, however the web site no longer exists. I guess it was discovered that Kid Curry died in 1904 and Doc Holiday in 1907.

This one is by far my favorite of the photo shoot but not for reasons you may think. As you can see neither of the two men are Hathenbruck, how could someone as familiar with Hathenbruck as the co-author not know? Was it because he thought no one would ever see the large photos? The other man is referred to as a companion ON A HUNTING PARTY? I guess it wasn’t as easy to hide the same dog in this photo even by using a small photo as it was in two other photos with the same dog.

I do not know who the man on the left is, but I do know who it is not, but the man on the right I do know who it is, and it is not Hathenbruck either, I can’t understand for the life of me why the authors of the book did not see it.

Now just to recap, nowhere in this photo shoot, and exempting the photo of Hathenbruck’s wagon as it was not among the original photo shoot, Hathenbruck is no where to be found and apparently has nothing to do with the photos.

Now, who is this man on the right and primary guest of this hunting party? The Man on the right is Kaiser Wilhelm II the very man the authors claim is Hathenbruck’s half-brother? but as you have read there is a problem with this claim.

Kaiser Willhelm 1898, age 39, 

very near the same age as above right photo

It is the photo above from this set of photos that causes me with all other evidences the hunting party having taken place around the turn of the century. The Kaiser was born in 1859 and in 1899 would have been 40 years of age.

Kaiser Wilhelm in 1899 Age 40

There is no doubt in my mind that this is the Kaiser in this photo, the man on his left is also in the other photos which ties the photos together, and so I ask, what was the Kaiser doing here? Trying to secure the Gold of the Rhoades mine? Sounds good but I don’t think so; I think he had much bigger fish to fry. SEE: A strange-looking landau buggy and the Blue Max Beef  It is only fair to say at this point that the Kaiser did indeed have a withered arm from birth and according to historians and the many photos of the Kaiser, he was in the habit of hiding it from the camera, the reason he is seen posing for a profile photo with his left side protected. Notice his pants are torn which likely occurred in the overturning of the wagon shown in the photo shoot.

If the Kaiser were interested in the Rhoades mine, which is possible, would he handle it himself or would he have used his right hand man, Baron Louis Anton Von Horst? We know that land was being purchase at Sand Wash in Blue Bell prior to 1914, the newspaper articles confirm it was the Kaiser who was buying the land, but the name used in the transactions was his man the Baron Von Horst. I have yet to obtain the earliest of records of the indicial purchase.

It was rumored around 1914 that the German Kaiser had land in the Basin, there are many articles relating as such.

From the Vernal Express 03-28-1913

This is an interesting article as it shows communication “by correspondence” between Hathenbruck, and Baron Von Horst, the Kaisers suspect representative, keep in mind the man was also suspect of being a German spy in England and was arrested as such and by record, shows to be frequently traveling around the world and back and forth from the states to Germany. Did Hathenbruck have part in this?

The interesting thing is, the Kaiser came to the Basin, likely to see the land for himself, I would suspect Baron Von Horst set up the Hunting trip to the Sand Wash area with the hunt taking place sometime prior to 1906, and brought the Kaiser along with him but under a false name, the other hosts of the hunting party likely never knew who he was. No one to my knowledge ever knew the Kaiser came here but the evidences are difficult to refute. Below are the land records showing Baron Von Horst was the man paying the taxes which he often lets go delinquent. Recorded history of other sources does not show the Baron was even in Utah but the many news articles shows he was without a doubt here, and was frequently in the Basin as late as 1928. The land in question in the below photo is Sand Wash near Blue Bell.

After this recording it was always signed by his brother, E. Clemons Horst until sold in 1942, prior to the entries above it was signed as Mrs. Baron Louis Von Horst, the original purchase date was by a company/corporation Called T. R. Watts which is a surviving company to this day and presumed to be one and the same in Sommerset England, Patent Date was 1913.

Hathenbrucks efforts to lease enormous amounts of land on the Reservation came to a halt in 1905, of all the land the Kaiser could have had, why west of Mountain Home and in the Sand Wash area?

Now let me bring you back to the mysterious man that shows in two of the photos. On the co-authors web site the mysterious individual in this first photo was said to be Josie Basset Morris, but this is not the case. It is also claimed the photos were taken by FWC, which I suppose is possible but not likely. 

The claim and photo which still exists on Pinterest.

SEE Claim # 6

So if FWC was taking the photos, how could he appear in some of the photos taken likely the same day? If you look closely, two different men in the claim photos accused of being Hathenbruck, are in this photo, so how could he take the photo?

           

Based on all the evidence gathered from the picture, this whole photo shoot is a hosted hunting trip, the host is most likely this individual due to his nice dress, his presumed nice carriage he is standing by, and his guest is likely the Kaiser. This individual is highly suspect of being Baron Louis Anton Von Horst. I have searched for years for a photo of the Baron, and only recently has one been made available. Judge for yourself.

In reading the many articles regarding the Barons dealing in the Basin it is said he was working with his brother. His brothers are; Ernest F. G. Horst, Werner E. A. Horst, E. Clemens Horst, Paul R. G. Horst, Adolf E. Horst. I wonder if one of these brothers has an Alias?

   Perhaps Brothers?    

Now I can’t prove a thing at this time, But there is no record of Hathenbruck in his 3 claimed trips traveling to the states twice, and once to Germany although I suspect only one trip TO the states, obviously he was using another name, what name was it?

The genealogist in the Hathenbruck Family would like to believe that Hathenbruck is an alternate spelling of some other form, I do not believe this. I believe the very name Hathenbruck had no existence prior to FWC Hathenbruck and for some reason he was traveling under either his real name, or another assumed name. I would like just as much as any of you to learn the truth of this to discover the true identity of the mysterious man Hathenbruck.

We would all like to believe that the ancestor Hathenbruck was some Doc Holiday, Kit Carson, Butch Cassidy, Thomas Rhoades and Aron Lee Ralston all wrapped up in a ball, but I prefer to think there is a much more interesting and exciting story behind this man, a story of secret agents, spies, deceit, betrayal and mystery.

How can anyone of the Hathenbruck family know who they truly are until it is found who Hathenbruck was? Because it would seem quite clear to me that the currently believed fabricated story created by a couple of imaginative and creative minds apparently seeking glory, is a complete and utter fallacy. I just don’t see any truth to the claims of Doctor, Engineer, signing Custer’s death certificate, etc…

Concerning the claim of the 24 year old Doctor Hathenbruck, signing Custer’s equivalency of a death certificate, the State of Montana had this to say,

“The State of Montana does not have death certificate for the person listed below. Montana was a territory at this time and not a State. We only have death certificates starting from 1907 to present if reported to the state.”

Sharon B.

Montana Vital Records 406-444-4251

The History of Custer written by qualified individuals states the following;

“When the main column under General Terry arrived two days later, the army found most of the soldiers' corpses stripped, scalped, and mutilated.[65] Custer's body had two bullet holes, one in the left temple and one just below the heart.[66] Capt. Benteen, who inspected the body, stated that in his opinion the fatal injuries had not been the result of .45 caliber ammunition, which implies the bullet holes had been caused by ranged rifle fire.[67]

Following the recovery of Custer's body and that of his brother Tom, the remains were buried on the battlefield side by side in a shallow grave, after being covered by pieces of tent canvas and blankets.[68] One year later, Custer's remains and those of many of his officers were recovered and sent back east for reinternment in  more formal burials. Custer was buried again with full military honors at West Point Cemetery on October 10, 1877. The battle site was designated a National Cemetery in 1876.

It would seem Captain Benteen, not Hathenbruck,  who inspected the body had no issues about who the body was, and the fact that he was dead, however a death certificate may have been required in the State of New York where he was ultimately buried. However their response received just seconds ago as I type this, was;

“The New York State Department of Health (DOH) began filing birth records in 1880 and death and marriage records in 1881.

"For records prior to 1881 you may wish to contact the registrar or historian of the locality where the event occurred to see if they have earlier records. It is possible that no official records may exist for such early events.”

Now one more interesting tid bit relating to the claim of Hathenbruck being a doctor, I was browsing the many newspapers of the past searching the earliest publication of “Hathenbruck” when I discovered this article I had not seen… it is a lengthy article from Salt Lake Herald, 1887-04-10, and so I will give the two sections where in Hathenbruck is mentioned.

The earliest mention of Hathenbruck is found in 1885, what I find interesting in the article is in that Hathenbruck supposedly being a doctor at age 25 and apparently qualified and important enough to sign the nonexistent death certificate of General George Armstrong Custer and now has 35 years experience under his belt, is working at the Territory Insane Asylum not as a Medical Superintendent, not a physician or even a physician assistant, but as a Steward? Again the evidence doesn’t match the tall tail.

The earliest record of him in the states is 1867 “arrival” under census records, but immigration year shows 1866.

All in all, I don’t care what the truth is, as long as it is the truth. As it would seem, the credibility of the two so called authors has fallen to 0% for me.

There are also many articles in the digital newspaper collections, I highly recommend to any of Hathenbruck’s descendants to search them out at digitalnewspapers.org this alone helped me to understand the man known as Hathenbruck much more. It wouldn’t hurt to research Ferdinand Emil Weinreich, Baron Louis Anton Von Horst and histories of the Kaiser Wilhelm II.

See additional article having to do with the Kaisers visits and where he made his homes, and his interactions with Jesse Woodson James.

 

A strange-looking landau buggy and the Blue Max Beef

Death of the Republic
An assessment of the black book,
(Jesse James was one of his names), and the book Utah Gold Rush.
Was Jesse James murdered in 1882?
What was the Civil War Really about?

Who was FWC Hathenbruck?

BUY ON AMAZON!