Bandits stolen loot still buried on private property in Miami,AZ.

[alberticus59]

This is a true story about an estimated $50,000 taken in an armed robbery that happened in Miami,AZ during the 1940's. The names of the people involved I have changed to protect the rights of the innocent.
I had known "Mike" ever since I was a kid growing up in the small mining community of Miami Arizona. He was about 10 years older than I so it was from a distance that I admired his suave demeanor and freespirit life style. Our families would have been polar extreme opposites. My father was very conservative, hardworking, law abiding and church going. Mikes father was a rebellious, hard drinking and lawless. When I had reached the age of 20 and was working at one of the local area copper mines. I met Mike through one of my high school buddies that had married one of his cousins. As the years went by we would run into each other every once in a while on a hunting or fishing trip and so you could say we were acquaintances. As circumstances changed we would not see each other for long periods of time which was fine because we only were acquainted, not friends. Then when Mike was in his early 50's and I early 40's circumstances put us in closer proximity to each other geographically as well as socially. This is when we became friends and started hanging out and running around together. It was during this time that I remember first hearing about the money that was still buried in a pit on his families property in Miami. Mike was always talking about going and digging it up. The story goes like this. When Mike was still a baby his father had been involved in an armed robbery of some business around the local area. The money was taken still locked in the safe it was kept in. When the local police started to close in on the bandits Mikes father tossed the safe down into the pit, actually an abandoned mine shaft approximately 40 feet deep, in the back yard. His father was arrested and convicted for the crime and served time in prison for it. When he got out Mike was older but still just a boy. Mike told me that one day his father decided to try to retrieve the safe from the pit and since Mike was lighter than any of the grown men there he would be the one that would be lowered into the pit to tie the rope onto the safe so that his dad and his buddies could pull it out. Now according to Mike he recalled that being lowered into that shaft was terrifying to him. There were all sorts of trash and debris in there. Boards, household trash, empty liquor and wine bottles, skulls and bones from numerous poached deer as well as cattle. It is not hard to imagine the horror he was faced with as they lowered him down into that hole. He told me that he could see the safe but couldn't reach it to tie the rope to it. Then as he tried to move stuff out of his way to get to it, garbage and junk would cave in on him. They pulled him back out and decided it best to try again later. Well the years passed and Mike grew up and made a family of his own. His father grew old and when his father was nearing the end of his days Mike took him in and cared for him until his passing. The property in Miami remained in the family and Mike never forgot about that money in the safe down in that hole. He had seen it with his own eyes but it was just out of reach. He had told me the story a hundred times over the years we were running around together and in May of 2005 we had decided that we would go to the property in Miami and dig it up. He and I drove to the lot which was nestled back in one of the numerous little canyons in the town, so he could show me where we would be spending the next however many weeks digging. The pit over the course of more than half a century had completely filled in. The only thing visible was the outline in the concrete that surrounded the estimated 8'x8'x40' shaft. I had made a list of tools we would need since we intended to dig it by hand. A large undertaking but we had plenty of time. Thats what we thought anyway. Before we had ever taken one bucket of dirt out of that shaft fate intervened once again. Mike suffered a massive brain herniation and died just as we were going to start taking the tools to the site. As he lay on that hospital bed in a coma I went in to say my last words. I pleaded with him to please wake up, we still got to go dig up that buried treasure. Those were my last words with him. To this day the property still belongs to his family but no one has tried to retrieve that money. So it seems that is where it will stay. Alb

 

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[geezerdb]

Perhaps the family will let you dig just to see what you come up with? Nothing ventured, nothing gained!

 

[alberticus59]

geezerdb, Actually, his family does still own the property and there are some of his children living in the area, and we see each other every once in a while . We have kicked the idea around about digging it up. Seems that we can never get started on it. I'm not sure what kind of laws or ordinances of the town or county might apply to that sort of thing. for that matter would in be below whatever surface mineral rights they may have. Hmmmm...., that would throw a wrench in the gears. There would be quite a pile of fill that would come out of there and there is no telling what condition the money would be in. The 40 ft. deep hole would need to be shored for safety and confined space entry techniques used.
[air pumped down to keep the diggers cooled] I can just see us complying with all that and then coming up empty- handed. That would be the risk we would have to take. Then what if some insurance company tried to say that it paid the buisness for its loss and now the money is theirs. I dont know if I would be willing to take that chance. Thanks for the input. Alb
















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[Prospecting P.]

was a good read, sorry about your friend. 40 feet is a long ways to dig

 

[alberticus59]

For whoever may be interested, There is more to this story.
Well, you see, it was a Wednesday and my friend Mike came over to see me with his wife. We talked about the upcoming project, digging for the buried loot in Miami, and then they went home which was just down the road. The next day I called him and he told me that his back was out and that he could barely move. I was concerned but it had happened before so I figured he would be ok. I didn't see him that day but the next day as I was out and about I decided to stop by his place to see if he was still down with his back out.
I knocked on his door and got no answer so I knocked again. Still no answer. I knocked on the window and had given up, but as I walked to my van I heard a female voice say"hey dont leave we are here." It was Mikes wife, she let me in and lead me to the bedroom. There I found my friend conscious but moaning in pain and hiccuping continuously. I told him to look at me, and when he did I saw that his eyes would not stay still but they seemed to be vibrating. I immediately told his wife that he needed to go to the hospital. She said that she was gonna take him as soon as her son got back with the vehicle. I told her he needed to go right then not in a little bit. I told Mike he needed to go to the hospital immediately and he agreed telling his wife "this time its bad, honey". She called 911 and with in a couple of minutes I heard the ambulance approaching so I went out to show them in. Soon the paramedics were doing the preliminary check on my friend. He was still aware of what was going on but obviously in need of serious medical attention. My friend had always been known for his great physical size and strength so it was only with some help from him that we were able to get him onto the gurney. They wheeled him out to the living room and began gathering their tools prior to putting him into the back of the ambulance.
I decided to go by the house and change my shirt and grab a quick snack before driving to the hospital. When I got to the hospital his daughter was outside obviously upset she told me that he had lapsed into a coma on the way to the hospital. They were getting ready to put him on the chopper for the half hour flight to Barrow at St. Josephs Hospital in Phoenix. Sure enough a short time later the paramedics emerged with him on the gurney and loaded him onto the helicopter which was just starting its engine. The patient strapped in and the personnel cleared as the choppers engine began to rev up. As the blades of the helicopter began washing everyone with the air it was pushing the machine lifted off the pad and rapidly began gaining altitude and turning its nose toward the west and toward Mikes last chance at survival.
Barrows Institute is arguably the finest of its kind in the entire southwestern U.S. If anyone could save him they could. I was shocked by the turn of events and very concerned for my friend he was in a very serious condition but I didn't know just how bad it was. When we arrived at the hospital after driving down from Globe the doctors had already looked at him and determined that his condition was helpless. There was nothing that could be done. I went in to see my friend as he lay there in a coma , I pleaded with him to please wake up. We were supposed to go dig up that treasure together. I think I remember seeing a tear well up in his eyes. By this time it was already Saturday morning and needing rest I decided to drive back to Globe and get some sleep. I told the family I was going back and that I would call when I woke up. To be continued.

 

[Gold Maven]

that's an interesting story, don't leave us hanging...

sorry about your friends.

The big mystery here is how much money is in the safe. Is it really $50,000 ? It seems like a lot of money for a business to have on hand in the 40's. Perhaps some research might turn up a ball park figure, and then I believe it will be easier to decide what to do.

Good Luck.

 

[alberticus59]

Well I woke up later on that day and called my friends oldest son , but there was no improvement in his condition. The family had decided that they would pull the plug. Once the IV bag that was keeping him alive ran out the nurses were not going to start another one. then nature would take its course. I was restless, as I wanted to build a huge bonfire to sent the prayers I had up into the sky with the smoke and flames, which is what I do when I am doing some serious praying. But the wood was damp and I just knew I couldn't build one big enough to offer up the prayers needed to save my friend. so I decided to go for a ride like Mike and I would do. Start at the far end of town and work our way back to the house visiting our friends as we went. So I did and as I would tell our friend the story of how our friend Mike was on his death bed you could of heard a pin drop. When I got back to my end of town I decided to go to the casino so I did but my heart wasn't in it and about 1:45 am I left there and started to head towards Globe.
I got out onto the highway and I saw what looked like the sun rising over Globe but this was impossible as Globe was in the west. As I got nearer and nearer I began to see that there was a very bright light coming from the town and a huge column of smoke rising up from it. As I watched and drove into the city I could see what appeared to be lightning bolts of electricity shooting far up into the smoke cloud. It was spectacular. There was obviously a major fire burning downtown. The power was out but downtown was lit up like day the flames were rising hundreds of feet in the air. I drove to where I could see what was happening and parked . "whats this snow falling all around me?" I thought and then realized it was June , this aint snow its ashes from the fire . The ashes fell like snow flakes as I sat there watching that huge fire consume the old Pioneer Hotel and the Globe Theater. Then it dawned on me, I had been wanting to build a huge bonfire earlier and now here it is done in a very grand style. I was sure that somehow my friend had started that fire for me because he wanted me to know that he had heard me and that he was free now. My friend passed away that night in a hospital room down in the valley and Globe saw the biggest fire in its history that same night.
About a week after the fire the Copper Country News ran an article about the fire and with it a picture taken by a photographer of the landmark hotel burning. When Mikes daughter and I saw the picture we about fell out of our chairs. There right in the fore ground was Mike. From his salt and pepper hair to the barrel chest and beard. Even the red bandana he would keep half hanging out of his rear pants pocket. His face was turned toward the fire away from the camera but we knew who he was.
He has been gone for going on 8 years now and it still gets me all choked up when I think about him and our lost treasure still buried there in Miami. I wish we would have been able to say "we got it!" Some things just aren't meant to be. I guess. Alb

 

[alberticus59]

that's an interesting story, don't leave us hanging...

sorry about your friends.

The big mystery here is how much money is in the safe. Is it really $50,000 ? It seems like a lot of money for a business to have on hand in the 40's. Perhaps some research might turn up a ball park figure, and then I believe it will be easier to decide what to do.

Good Luck.

I can understand the disbelief that would be a huge amount of cash. From what my friend had told me the robbery was timed to take advantage of the business owners habit of keeping a large sum of money in order to cash payroll checks for some of his customers that worked for the copper mines there. Thank you for your words of kindness .

 

[alberticus59]

I woke up that afternoon and called Mikes oldest son to see if there had been any improvement in his condition. He told me there was no improvement and that the family had decided to pull the plug, The IV bag that was delivering the drug which was keeping his heart pumping would not be replaced once it ran out. I was restless at the house, I wanted to build a big bonfire to offer up prayers with the smoke and flames. However the wood I had was wet and I knew it would be impossible to build a fire big enough for the prayers that Mike needed. I decided to go see our friends and tell them the bad news. As I spoke telling them about finding our friend in such bad shape you could have heard a pin drop. When I got back to my side of town I was still restless and decided to go out to the casino , which I did, but my heart just wasn't in it and about 1:45 am I left to go back home.
As I pulled out onto the highway I noticed something peculiar. The sky was lit up a bright orange color over Globe. I knew it wasn't the city lights and as I drove nearer I saw the huge column of smoke rising into the sky, every once in a while you could see bolts of electricity shooting up into the cloud like lightning. This was obviously a major fire burning in Globe. I drove to where I could see what was going on and parked. It was snowing, I thought, as I watched the ashes from the fire were falling like snowflakes all around. The power was out but downtown Globe was lit up like day light. As I sat there watching the fire I remembered that I had wanted to build a big fire earlier. I was sure that Mike had heard my wishes and started that fire just for me. so that I would know that he was still with me. My friend Mike passed away that morning in a hospital room down in the valley and Globe saw the biggest fire in its history.
The Copper Country News ran a story about the fire about a week later and with it a picture taken by the photographer of the fire. When Mikes daughter and I saw that picture we both about fell out of our chairs. There in the fore ground is Mike. From his wavy salt and pepper hair and beard to his barrel chest and the red bandana half hanging out of one of the rear pants pockets. He was looking at the fire away from the camera but there was no doubt in our minds who it was. He had somehow managed to get his picture taken with the fire.
It has been almost 8 years since my friend passed away. I miss him and I will never forget about my friend and the buried treasure still there on his property in Miami. Alb

 

[mical66]

i say since the family still owns the property talk to them and offer to go 50/50 and split expenses , rent a back hoe and if needed hire a operator .
you can rent them daily at a equipment rental store or hire someone who owns one to dig.
then dig a pit stair stepped down to 40 feet,.. it would be really big but a 40 foot shaft is way dangerous . if it collapsed or caved in who ever was in there would be dead ,
when i worked construction if we had to lay pipe over 8-10 deep they had to by osha laws widen the trench wide enough to make it multiple levels so if the top walls collapsed they would not go down into the next level.
( example ) dig down 8 feet leave a 8 foot landing , dig down another 8 feet then another 8 foot landing. or just 1 big slope since no one is really working there except the back hoe and the ramp he leaves would need the banks sloped also .
and like i said its alot of digging but 40 feet below ground is a looong way to not play it safe...

just a thought.
im sure some one else may have some kind of knowledge about trenching or tunneling and id love to see it...keep us posted.

 

[geezerdb]

A medium size track hoe or excavator (25-35K lb machine) could dig down close to 40 feet in about two stages. I have dug holes close to that deep. You dig down at a slope towards your target. When you are as far down as the arm with the digging bucket will reach, you go down your sloped ramp to the bottom and start digging again. If I had room, I always dug a large cone shaped circular hole with a shelf all the way around near the bottom. Then I would do down to the shelf and start digging and putting the overburden on the shelf, stacking it on the shelf all around so I would not have to carry each bucket full of dirt back up the ramp and out of the hole. It also makes it quicker to fill back in when done. The final stage of the hole to the target does not have to be as big around as the first stage, and if you are close to your target area, you should be able to 'paw out' the safe with your hoe bucket without getting down in the hole yourself, so the last 15-20 feet should not require a person to be at the very bottom of the hole trying to dig the safe out by hand. I once had to dig about 25 holes this way at a federal super fund clean up site, and the federal inspector would have me keep digging down until I had reached undisturbed soil, then he would motion for me to bring up a buckefull so he could take a soil sample. It was the only way to dig down really deep and maintain a cone shaped hole that would not cave in on the machine and yet allow me to run the machine back up the ramp with the required sample. I envision the same procedure for you, except going back up the ramp with a nice safe in the bucket! Around my neck of the woods, an excavator can be delivered for two days work, and picked back up again for about $1K for a 30K lb machine. That would be plenty of time to dig up the safe and fill the hole back in again! Keep us posted on how this goes!