Nobody,
I have followed the 17 ton gold story for years. I remember reading one of the original stories discussing the grand jury, names, etc. Not one time in all of these years has anyone produced the origianal documents of the grand jury hearings. Why? Because grand jury hearings are private, confidential, and no transcripts are released to the public. As many people want to believe that story, there is no documentation to back up this story other than the story itself. Has anyone researched this down at the court house level? Not to my knowledge, because that takes foot work, and no one has made the effort, because the story says it's there. As in many stories and legends, until you have the final product who knows what is truth? A lot of money, people, and trips have been taken and spent on looking for this legend, but no one can prove anything. Finding four or five bars of gold here and there, could be dropped off a pack train or hidden by someone under attack. The 17 tons of gold story sounded like a tight operation and they wouldn't have just dropped a few bars accidentally. I think this is a great story! I have even looked for it, but I am not confident that this wasn't just a story made up by the author to make a little money. The thrill though is in the possibility though, just the possibility that it may be real, and someday you will find it!