Buried "treasure" in Southeastern Pennsylvania

[SEPaMan]

Hello, treasure hunters. A couple weeks ago I was paid by an elderly neighbor to mail the following letter to newspapers in Southeastern PA. I was also instructed to post the letter online in "appropriate venues" (let me know if this is one of them):


To Whom It May Concern,

Years ago my grandfather buried some kind of "treasure" at a secret location in Warrington Township. He left a series of clues that led to the treasure but passed away before he felt the need to retrieve it. Having lived through the Great Depression I don't think he was the type to trust in banks or government. I can remember that he hoarded precious metals of all kinds, as well as old and valuable coins, keeping them in linen trunks in the basement. Sort of an eccentric fellow.

My siblings and I hunted for the treasure all throughout our youth, but our enthusiasm waned as we matured. Even after many years of searching no one in my family has ever been able to find the hoarde. I think this is because none of us ever found the location of the first clue. Both my father and uncle assured me that they witnessed my grandfather in the area of the Bradford Reservoir with pick and shovel on more than one occasion. This was our one hint, but no matter how much we searched the forest we never found anything. He knew it too well, and we too little. Or perhaps the clues were lost to time, rusted and overgrown.

I don't have it in me to hunt for treasure anymore. I was the last member of my family to give it up. In a month I'll be moving in with the rest of my relatives out west - permanently - and I don't want this little legend to die with us. Somebody should enjoy the hoarde. None of us want to let it rot in the ground forever, even if we can't have it. I've talked it over with my siblings and we agree that it's time to turn the treasure hunt over to people smarter than us. I would like to make this information public. I would respectfully request that you publish the story and the clues that my grandfather left behind.

Please respect my desire to remain anonymous in these matters. I do not wish to attract any undue attention to my family. As a metal detector hobbyist for many years I have heard my fair share of stories about the kinds of harassment families and property owners can face when rumours arise regarding "buried treasure" in the vicinity.

Undoubtedly with your resources you can spread news of this throughout the county and roundabout. I will be mailing this information to as many publications and individuals as possible, in the hopes that those with the means to do so will disseminate it freely. Any interested treasure hunters are encouraged to make for the hoarde. We relinquish all claims and consider the hoarde fair game.

I will be reading the papers and following this story with enthusiasm! I look forward to eventually congratulating the finder, if any.

Sincerely,

Sonny Amou

PS -- Family tradition has it that my grandfather buried numerous hoardes throughout the township, however we have only one set of clues. Whenever I searched for the hoarde I usually swept the area with a metal detector in case any other treasures happened to be near. My father, who I believe was in the know, said that the location of the hoarde was a clue to finding other buried caches - one of them in a barrow containing my grandfather! These were the sorts of colourful family legends told about the man; that he was secretly buried according to Anglo-Saxon custom, that his ghost floats through the forest bearing a lantern and a shovel, that the "hidden fortunes" of our family are scattered across Warrington in underground vaults. But none of us ever found anything. As I wrote earlier, the very first clue eluded all of us. I may have been a treasure hunter all my life but I know when to admit defeat and pass the torch.

The Clues:

Within 70 paces of the Lion's Tree there is iron in the earth.
99 paces at 72 degrees the Sun shines underground.
At 9 o' clock the Sun's rays reach out 86 paces.
A book there rests which guides the way, it reads:

52-3-21
10-7-17
80-5-23
44-5-25
16-8-32
84-4-28
52-9-15
34-6-12
90-7-19
28-4-22
66-2-12
78-5-15
72-5-23
58-4-26
24-8-18
60-4-54
48-7-21
30-1-23
16-5-19
24-1-11
50-5-43
70-1-19
44-4-26
24-7-17
12-3-29
38-2-10
84-3-27
18-5-13
96-6-30
30-3-21
52-9-21
78-6-38
14-1-19
22-4-28
88-3-34
68-7-33
60-6-34
10-8-12
40-4-22
56-4-14
38-3-13
26-1-11
50-2-16
74-3-19
86-9-17
12-2-24
66-1-37
30-7-21
42-2-12
98-4-32
92-9-25
44-4-22


I can reveal the following: Warrington Township is in Bucks County, PA and "Sonny Amou" comes from a wealthy family. This letter went out to local newspapers -- the Intelligencer, the Courier Times, Calkins Media (owner of the Intelligencer and the Courier Times), the Reporter, the Herald, the County Historical Society, and two employees of Calkins Media who Mr. Amou thought might be interested in the story (one a columnist for the Courier Times and one an archivist for the Intelligencer). As of this date no newspapers have run the material. Please help raise awareness of the subject, otherwise I won't earn the second half of my commission. Thanks for your time.

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[jeff of pa]

Good Luck wish it was closer

[Kentucky Kache]

Is someone trying to create another Thomas Beale? Not saying that's the case...just wondering.

[SEPaMan]

I can't make any claim about the validity of the story. I was simply paid to spread it. However, I appreciate your interest. Please tell your colleagues.

[Kentucky Kache]

Okay, I'll play.
The book is mentioned, followed by lines of three numbers. The middle number is the smallest, so that would probably be paragraph. Page, paragraph and word (possibly letter) in the paragraph.

[SEPaMan]

I thought the number sequence was a code of some kind too. I also Googled Thomas Beale, pretty good story, I can see the similarities. I'm not that familiar with treasure hunting - are coded messages like these typical? Anyway I think I came to the right place, there are knowledgable people here. Thanks for the info, and again for your interest.

[Kentucky Kache]

I thought the number sequence was a code of some kind too. I also Googled Thomas Beale, pretty good story, I can see the similarities. I'm not that familiar with treasure hunting - are coded messages like these typical? Anyway I think I came to the right place, there are knowledgable people here. Thanks for the info, and again for your interest.

Coded messages have been used throughout history, including the World Wars. They are also used in finding treasure, but perhaps only in works of fiction. But then again...

Are you going to search for this treasure?

[Diggit]

You were PAID to "spread the story?"
And this was buried before metal detectors came into common usage? So, what would the point be of burying "iron" as a reference point.

Sorry, my BS meter is SCREAMING right now.

[Diggit]

There IS a "Sonny Amou" on Montero rd. in San Diego CA. Might be some validity to that after all. I don't see that being a very common name.

Although Sonny himself may be playing games.

[lookindown]

Here we go again...Im out.

[cw0909]

i want to play too
----------
The Clues:

Within 70 paces of the Lion's Tree there is iron in the earth.
99 paces at 72 degrees the Sun shines underground.
At 9 o' clock the Sun's rays reach out 86 paces.
A book there rests which guides the way, it reads:

52 sets of 3 #s highest # from left to right is
98-9-54
lowest # left to right is
10-1-10
-----------------
if the lion's tree,is found,the dir of the iron has to be found
IE: Within 70 paces of the Lion's Tree,there is iron in the earth.
i would hope it is a metal pole,and the only one that close to the LT
i put an img together,to see what im reading,i put the iron to the E
of the LT,it could be NSW too,either way though the 86p and book
back track the 99p,give or take a foot or 2,either side.thats if i figured
it out correctly,as to what the clue says
im going to have to think on the # sets,maybe a magazine has 10 paragraphs
i guess a book could too, if the paragraphs are short,2-3 lines

[SEPaMan]

Kentucky Kache - Great info, I stick by what I said about the people on this forum. Very knowledgable and helpful. No, I won't be searching for the treasure, I don't know thing one about treasure hunting and I prefer cash in hand like I'm getting for spreading this information, not just the possibility of wealth from finding some treasure that may or may not exist.

Diggit - I have no idea when the treasure, if any, was buried, but if what you say about the iron being a marker is true then it wouldn't make sense if the treasure was buried before metal detectors came into common usage, right? I don't mean to sound like an idiot but I don't know anything about metal detectors. My neighbor did, though, when I was younger I used to see him down at the Bradford Reservoir with one pretty regularly. Anyway his grandfather died in the eighties I think. When did the handheld ones become commercially available? By the way Sonny Amou is not the man's real name.

ccw0909 - I like your passion. Looking at your map I can see why all of you enjoy this so much, although I still don't think it's for me. My neighbor would be excited to hear that other treasure hunters are already drawing their own maps!

Frankn - My neighbor might be eccentric but I've always trusted him. He would give you the shirt off his back. If he says he wants anyone to find it, he means it.

Again, thanks for your interest.

[cw0909]

SEPaMAN,now if i knew what a lions tree is/was,and it may not be in PA.

Sonny Amou = Anonymous

[jeff of pa]

not sure where, but I Believe last Lions Tree I saw was somewhere between Reading PA & Atlantic City
between North & South Lanes somewhere If I'm correct on "loins Trees", they look alot
like Bonsai Trees

Dosn't mean much though, there are probably hundreds, if not thousands in PA,
and depending on when this particular lions tree existed, none that exist now are the right one.
it may have died, or been cut down years ago

Maybe it's not even a "lions" tree.
perhaps it's a tree in a Zoo near a Real or in a Park by a statue of a Lion

[franklin]

No similarity to the Beale Treasure at all. With the Beale Treasure you did have within four miles of a starting point. This story here has no starting point, no single location, not even a name of the man supposedly that buried this treasure. Since this was during the depression the story can easily be checked out thus the reason for no name and no address. Just a Lion's tree to start with---------maybe thousands in the area. Myself I believe this only a publicity stunt to gather tourist to this small town. Nothing more than a gimmick. I would not search for this treasure. Should anyone else want to go on a fruitless hunt be reminded that your compass readings will be off 2.8 degrees since the Great Depression.

[spartacus53]

SEPaMAN,now if i knew what a lions tree is/was,and it may not be in PA.

Sonny Amou = Anonymous

I thought it was scrambled to read Annoy Us (om) = oh my

[MassBK]

wow

this is only about 4-5 hours from me and I'm unemployed for the summer..sounds like an adventure I'd be willing to take

[SEPaMan]

cw0909 - Wow, cool catch, I wondered why he had signed the letters with such a weird name!

jeffofpa - My neighbor seemed pretty sure that the treasure, or one of the clues, was buried in the area of the Bradford Reservoir. Anyway he was told by his grandfather that it was definitely in Warrington. It seems like if he would tell anyone the truth it would be family. Just my opinion.

franklin - Like I said to jeffofpa, my neighbor thought the starting point was at the Bradford Reservoir. Now I don't know anything about treasure hunting besides what I've been told, but if the story wasn't spread anonymously then my neighbor could be harassed, right? I think I've written before that this forum has a lot of friendly and helpful members, but a few certainly have very negative opinions.

MassBK - Good luck. Please tell your colleagues and spread the word.

[SEPaMan]

lorddean13 - Thank you for your interest. To answer your question, my neighbor lives in the area of Bradford Avenue, which abuts the Bradford Reservoir, where he strongly believes his grandfather buried the treasure.

[Frankn]

The Lion is a train, the tree is a tressle, The iron in the ground are the train tracks entering a tunnel, The sun shines in the tunnel quite a way at 9 am so the tunnel opening faces East. OK who's good on the book portion? Frank