Who WAS the author of the BEALE PAPER(S)?

bigscoop

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SHERMAN...? LOL!

Sherman had a long history of writing and publishing various pamphlets, even past treasure tales. You can find adds for those pamphlets in newspaper archives and there are copies of these other pamphlets that have survived. Sherman was also a failed play-write. And let's not forget his printing and publishing background in the newspaper business. Now these are confirmed facts. Hard for true believers to swallow, I know, but facts non the less. All else concerning other possible suspects contain just pure speculation pulled out of the air. I don't like the notion of it being a fictional or factional story, but when you look at this evidence alone, and in light of a complete absence of facts concerning other possible suspects, well, he is certainly the number one suspect by far when we examine just the facts. And there is more but this is still being investigated. It becomes a curious notion when we ask ourselves, "Why did he have such a fascination about treasure?" :icon_thumleft:
 

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He was insane, taken by the Sheriff of Lynchburg, Va. to Western State Hospital in Staunton, Va. (Shenandoah Valley), where "rumor" is... HE WAS WRITING NUMBERS on the wall of his room.
 

ECS

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I would have to say the author of the Job Print Pamphlet is Edward Sixtus Hutter.

Edward Sixtus Hutter aided Jefferson Davis and the CSA cabinet during their flight from Richmond on the Danville train.Hutter saved a "special" copy of Vattel's LAW OF NATIONS that belonged to someone that was on that train.
WHY?
 

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bigscoop

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Edward Sixtus Hutter aided Jefferson Dais and the CSA cabinet during their flight from Richmond on the Dannville train.Hutter saved a "special" copy of Vattel's LAW OF NATIONS that belonged to someone that was on that train.
WHY?

Have no idea. Why did he say he kept it? When my grandfather came home from France he brought back posters, medals, books, all sorts of things.
 

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Edward Sixtus Hutter was also paid $600 by Judah Benjamin in Danville, Va. It was claimed to be back wages. Although, he was not paid by the treasury clerks. Being paid by Judah Benjamin and him being over the CSA SS tells me that he paid him to do something for the government.
CSA Major E S Hutter was entrusted at Danville, with Confederate documents and papers that would compromise many CSA supporters in the US and in Europe.Hutter burned the documents in the warehouse where he stored them with kerocene,but saved Judah P Benjamin's personal copy of Vattle's LAW OF NATIONS.
Yes,Benjamin did head the CSA's SECRET SERVICE and used ciphers with his spy network.
 

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Have no idea. Why did he say he kept it? When my grandfather came home from France he brought back posters, medals, books, all sorts of things.
I doubt that CSA Major E S Hutter given a direct order to burn the documents by either CSA President Davis or CSA Sec of War Gen John C Breckinridge would keep Benjamin's copy of Vattle's as a war souvenir.
Benjamin and Breckinridge both used ciphers and codes.
The most common was the VIGENERE TABLEAU,but they also used cipher disks,grilles,dictionary and book codes.
Was Benjamin's Vattles a book code that had to be saved?
Amoung the items left behind by John Wilkes Booth in his Washington hotel was a printed copy of the Vigerere Tableau with an extra alphabet beginning "ZABC" to complicate the message.The Federal government used this to implicate Confederate leaders in the assassination plot.Introduced as evidence was a Vigenere cipher reel that was found in the Richmond office of Judah P Benjamin.
The last official message of the CSA was written in the Virgenere,and sent by Jefferson Davis,April 24,1865,from Charlotte,NC to his secretary,Burton H Harrison in Chester,SC.
It read:
"The hostile government reject the proposed settlement,and order operations to be resumed in fortyeight hours from noon today"
The key words needed to decipher this message were- "COME RETRIBUTION".
 

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I doubt that CSA Major E S Hutter given a direct order to burn the documents by either CSA President Davis or CSA Sec of War Gen John C Breckinridge would keep Benjamin's copy of Vattle's as a war souvenir.
Benjamin and Breckinridge both used ciphers and codes.
The most common was the VIGENERE TABLEAU,but they also used cipher disks,grilles,dictionary and book codes.
Was Benjamin's Vattles a book code that had to be saved?
Amoung the items left behind by John Wilkes Booth in his Washington hotel was a printed copy of the Vigerere Tableau with an extra alphabet beginning "ZABC" to complicate the message.The Federal government used this to implicate Confederate leaders in the assassination plot.Introduced as evidence was a Vigenere cipher reel that was found in the Richmond office of Judah P Benjamin.
The last official message of the CSA was written in the Virgenere,and sent by Jefferson Davis,April 24,1865,from Charlotte,NC to his secretary,Burton H Harrison in Chester,SC.
It read:
"The hostile government reject the proposed settlement,and order operations to be resumed in fortyeight hours from noon today"
The key words needed to decipher this message were- "COME RETRIBUTION".

YEP!
 

The Enigmatist

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Scoop- I have a few questions for you. Was James B. Ward, Robert Morriss, or anyone else involved in the TBPs directly or indirectly (including Sherman), a Freemason? There are historical narratives which recall Masonic dinner parties being held at Morriss' hotel - but that doesn't necessarily mean he was a Mason. I've also read that Ward was a Mason....but can this be confirmed? What about Sherman? Why I ask has to do with what I've found in the papers- clues which prove a Masonic connection.
 

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Hillbilly Joe

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As I am so very new to this mystery, as in I just read a wiki entry and some posts here, please excuse me if this has been hashed over. I cannot help but think that if a copy of the Declaration was used to solve the second puzzle, why the bible, or another popular document/book of the time? As far as I can tell the author my never be found out, but I have to say it sure is a fun thing to think on!
 

The Enigmatist

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The DOI was used on all three ciphers- the same DOI included in the Papers- making the pamphlet a closed-loop.
 

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Scoop- I have a few questions for you. Was James B. Ward, Robert Morriss, or anyone else involved in the TBPs directly or indirectly (including Sherman), a Freemason? There are historical narratives which recall Masonic dinner parties being held at Morriss' hotel - but that doesn't necessarily mean he was a Mason. I've also read that Ward was a Mason....but can this be confirmed? What about Sherman? Why I ask has to do with what I've found in the papers- clues which prove a Masonic connection.

Bro. JB Ward was a Master Mason, until suspended for non-payment of dues; we think it was Hill City Lodge # 183 in Lynchburg, Va. (1859); Marshall Lodge # 39 (1793 or so) was first.
 

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I doubt that CSA Major E S Hutter given a direct order to burn the documents by either CSA President Davis or CSA Sec of War Gen John C Breckinridge would keep Benjamin's copy of Vattle's as a war souvenir.
Benjamin and Breckinridge both used ciphers and codes.
The most common was the VIGENERE TABLEAU,but they also used cipher disks,grilles,dictionary and book codes.
Was Benjamin's Vattles a book code that had to be saved?
Amoung the items left behind by John Wilkes Booth in his Washington hotel was a printed copy of the Vigerere Tableau with an extra alphabet beginning "ZABC" to complicate the message.The Federal government used this to implicate Confederate leaders in the assassination plot.Introduced as evidence was a Vigenere cipher reel that was found in the Richmond office of Judah P Benjamin.
The last official message of the CSA was written in the Virgenere,and sent by Jefferson Davis,April 24,1865,from Charlotte,NC to his secretary,Burton H Harrison in Chester,SC.
It read:
"The hostile government reject the proposed settlement,and order operations to be resumed in fortyeight hours from noon today"
The key words needed to decipher this message were- "COME RETRIBUTION".

VLoN was one of 3 SECRET books of CSA gov't...
 

The Enigmatist

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Thanks Reb. Marshall Lodge makes sense. Do you know when Ward was suspended? Do you know if Morriss was as well- or John Sherman? Master Mason in Scottish Rite is rather low on the pole. Given that he was dismissed due to lack of dues it would appear he wasn't all that interested...
 

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Thanks Reb. Marshall Lodge makes sense. Do you know when Ward was suspended? Do you know if Morriss was as well- or John Sherman? Master Mason in Scottish Rite is rather low on the pole. Given that he was dismissed due to lack of dues it would appear he wasn't all that interested...

Naw... "short of funds". "No" on MORRISS nor Sherman. Master Mason (3rd Degree) is highest you can go; w/o it you can't be York Rite (RAM - 7th Degree nor Scottish Rite - 32nd Degree). Neither Masonic Knights Templar nor Shrine were part of OLD
FreeMasonry. In Ward's day... ONLY Master Mason & Royal Arch Masonry, which are ALL part of York Rite (Holy Royal Arch) were available in America. Prez George Washington was YORK RITE (Holy Royal Arch). French Rite started in New Orleans, LA @ 1803 or so & became part of Scottish Rite, later.
 

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The Enigmatist

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The first three degrees; Entered Apprentice, Fellow Craft, Master Mason- the first three degrees to become a Mason, really haven't changed. What I'm saying is at the time of the Beale Papers in Lynchburg the Marshall Lodge was a Scottish Rite Lodge and Scottish Rite's 32 Degrees were fairly fleshed out by the 1840s, especially post-1871 when Albert Pike released Morals and Dogma Not uber important really. The important part is that you're telling me Sherman and Morriss were not Masons- and Ward was removed from the rolls at the 3rd Degree for non-payment of dues. Because the Papers are clearly Masonic, this suggests rather directly none of these men was directly responsible for the creation of the Papers.

The relationship between Ward and Sherman however is an interesting one. I don't believe Sherman was as involved in the Paper's production as has been suggested by researcher Greaves. I'm very confident the Papers were sent to Ward under a false cover and also fully-completed (meaning the ciphers themselves were already typed to ensure no mistakes). The author must have suggested a false prior relationship between himself and the Ward family and was free enough with the names of prominent people that it seemed believable that he could have once been part of the Lynchburg scene. Virtually all of the information on Morriss and his wife however could be found in published books and county registers.

Ward also can't question the author, so he ignores the need to verify anything (as he can't). He's also been given full publishing rights to the story so he enlists his relative Sherman, who owns a printing business, to get in on the deal. Sherman must have asked to be cut into some of the presumed profit in exchange for free advertising and printing costs. This explains Sherman's liberties with the price. It also explains why the story never went anywhere after 1886. Sherman was likely convinced he had a potential gold mine (not from the treasure but from pamphlet sales), but once it bombed he retained it- and it died on the vine.

Now I just need to figure out how the guy I'm confident wrote the Papers can be positively linked to it.
 

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Rebel - KGC

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FIRST... Marshall Lodge was/is NEVER Scottish Rite; it is ONLY a "Blue Lodge" of 3 degrees up to Master Mason. Scottish Rite DID NOT exist in the days of the Beale Expedition out WEST (1817-1822 or so).
 

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SECOND... JB Ward was ONLY the AGENT for the author (his cousin), and was to get BEALE PAPERS copy-righted (which he did). I AM interested in your "Masonic theory", tho... Carry On, please.
 

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