My opinion is the story is bogus and not worth persuing.

No one can deny a cipher exists but does a hidden cache exist and has it been recovered. I doubt it. I read several accounts in books and magazines and it sounded just like someone made it up. There was supposed to be gold and silver in that canyon or mine and then jewels were added later into the cache and explained away by saying they sold some of the gold. Gee why not add some early mint plates for printing money, a diamond larger than the hope diamond, some platinum, and a stone door that swings away when you say the magic words. I believe in Beale's treasure!

Nope.

Then there is the issue of 30 men who helped find the treasure and relocate it. If so many people knew of its location why create a cipher in the first place. I have a secret and only 60 people know so I am going to create a complicted code to keep it secret? Duh. And I would hide the list in the cache not encode it in the cipher. Why tell anyone names of the men who owned the cache?

Very little about the story is common place. There is a lot of mystery like a mystery novel has. I might believe it more if it stated they dug a hole in the ground, threw in silver, and then covered it only to lose the exact location cause the landscape changed over 10 years.

The details of the story also seem to exist just to explain away the doubts people have.

Most hoards I ever read about were a rusted out milk can filled with coins and buried. No one knew it was there and it was uncovered by accident. Usually they are dirty holes with coins and a rotted box or rusted can. thats it.

I hope you find a dirty little hole somewhere!

joe.