1931 June 25, Thursday Evening, Phoenix Gazette – Page 1 LOST PROSPECTOR HUNTED BY POSSE DISAPPEARS WHILE SEEKING PHANTOM MINE BELIEVED DEAD IN SUPERSTITION HILLS Reward Posted For His rescue Or Recovery Of Body Fear that the phantom Lost Dutchman mine, long the object of prospectors’ search, has lured A. Ruth 65, former government employe of Washington D. C., to his death was expressed here today as a posse of cowboys and deputy sheriffs combed the winding canyons and precipitous walls of Superstition mountain. Since he entered the mysterious Superstition range two weeks ago to search for the mine which now has become little more than a legend, Ruth has not been seen. He instructed packers to return with more supplies in two weeks. When they did so yesterday, they found no trace of the aged prospector. After a preliminary search they returned to Florence, gathered together a group of desert-wise officers and cowpunchers and renewed the hunt today. REWARD OFFERED A telegram from the missing man’s wife in Washington was received at the office of Sheriff J. R. McFadden today. A reward of $100 for rescue of Ruth or for bringing his body from the mountains was offered. Little hope is held by experienced men of the desert that Ruth will be found alive. There is practically no water on Superstition, it was said. The man is believed to have entered one of the mountain canyons from which exit is almost impossible. Should he have been trapped in one of these canyons, it is probable that hunger and lack of water have claimed his life, it was said. SEARCH LONG PLANNED Ruth’s search for the Lost Dutchman is the culmination of 40 years of planning, it was said. Since the tale of the Lost Dutchman became widely known Ruth has dreamed of finding it, officers were told. He studied every document pertaining to the elusive mine that he could find. After spending many years of his life in government service, he came to Arizona a few weeks ago to search out the hidden storehouse of gold. Armed with government maps and much data on the mine, he set out from Florence a little more than two weeks ago. His packers accompanied him to Boulder creek, where they left his supplies and returned to Florence. They were to return in two weeks with more food, but upon their arrival there was no trace of the searcher. They waited for several hours, believing that he would return at nightfall from his day’s search. When he failed to appear late in the day they set out in search of him. RETURNS FOR AID Unsuccessful, they returned for aid. Today the search was taken up. Search for the Lost Dutchman has drawn men from all walks of life for half a century. Some have lost their lives in the mountainous and desert country which surrounds and purported location of the rich gold vein.

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Many have declared themselves in possession of maps showing the mine’s location, but their efforts to locate it have been in vain. A soldier is credited with having discovered the fabulously rich vein a half a century ago. He would come into town laden with gold. He refused to divulge location of his mine, and though many were the attempts to follow him, none was successful in doing so. The soldier disappeared retaining the secret. As years passed fame of the mine, by then christened the Lost Dutchman, spread. Hundreds of prospectors turned their attention to the country in which the mine was located. Many Arizonans have continued the search in recent years, but the rough country in which the Dutchman is buried has defeated their efforts.

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1931 June 26, Friday Evening, Phoenix Gazette – Page 1 CANYONS HIDE GOLD SEEKER Officers Fail To Find A. Ruth In Mountain Fastness Search for A. Ruth 65, of Washington D. C., from whom nothing has been heard since he entered Superstition mountain to hunt for the Lost Dutchman gold mine two weeks ago, continued today without a trace of the elderly prospector. It is feared by cowboys and deputy sheriffs seeking him that he has perished in one of the deep canyons of the mountain. The posse took up the search for Ruth yesterday after packers reported that he could not be located when they took supplies to him Wednesday. A reward of $100 for rescue of the prospector or for recovery of his body has been posted by his wife. Ruth took up the search for the phantom Lost Dutchman after 40 years of planning.

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1931 JUNE 27, Saturday Evening, Phoenix Gazette – Page 1 WEIRD HUNT FOR LOST PROSPECTOR CANYONS ECHO WITH SHOUTS OF POSSE AT NIGHT Indians Convinced Gods Have Avenged Selves On White Man By George D. Crissey (United Press Staff Correspondent) The silence of the canyons in Superstition mountain was broken last night by the echoing shouts from searchers, resembling the mocking laugh of Indian gods, as a posse continued its efforts toward finding A. Ruth, 65-year-old government employe, who disappeared into the jagged range two weeks ago. The blistering heat of the barren and rocky canyons during the day sapped the strength of the rugged men who have spent their lives in that part of Arizona. Frequent rests were necessary, hampering the search. This led to the decision to prosecute the search under a beaming moon after the night breezes had banished the heat of day. The hunt will be resumed after sundown tonight. Little hope is entertained that the elderly man, unfamiliar with the arid mountain country, would ever be found alive. VENGEANCE OF GODS Indians of central Arizona were convinced that legendary gods had avenged themselves again because a man broke the injunction not to cross the water mark, left high on the mountain by a flood during pre-historic times. White men, discounting the Indian legend, were of the opinion that another man had died in quest of the “Lost Dutchman” gold mine, a fabulously valuable deposit of precious metal which Arizona prospectors have sought for more than 50 years. “Soon,” said Gabriel Robles, Mexican trailer, “we will look up in the hope of seeing vultures which will guide us to the body. Ruth’s hazardous entry into the Superstition range came after years of planning while working in a government office in Washington. He had compiled maps of the region and was sure he could find his way through the canyons and around cliffs to the place where half a century ago a Dutchman found gold in large quantities. He instructed packers to meet him with additional supplies. The search started when he failed to appear at the appointed time. SINGLE SLENDER CLUE One slender slue, in the form of tracks in a deep and baking hot canyon, was found today. The marks led along a rocky canyon floor and soon were lost. Inability to follow the tracks probably sounded the death knell for Ruth. There aren’t many places in that region where tracks would show. Bloodhounds are useless, due to the rocky formation of most of the trails and the fact that it rained early last night. Mrs. Ruth in Washington D. C. has telegraphed an offer of $200 to the man who finds her husband’s body. The reward is of little importance, however, as more than $100 of time and effort has been expended already.

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In the opinion of trackers Ruth probably met death in one of three ways. Rattlesnakes abound in that country and a bite might easily cause the death of a city man. He may have wandered far from water, which is scarce, until he fell fainting from thirst or he may have mercifully fallen to his death from one of the numerous cliffs.

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1931 June 29, Monday Evening, Phoenix Gazette – Page 1 and Page 8 Posse Seeking Body As Lost Prospector Given Up As Dead. SEARCH TO BE CONTINUED FOR ANOTHER WEEK Latest Chapter In Half-century Old Hunt For Phantom Mine BY GEORGE D. CRISSEY United Press Staff Correspondent A disappearance as mysterious as the numerous Indian legends woven around Superstition mountain today baffled a posse searching through that range for A. Ruth 65-year-old government employe who came to Arizona in quest of the “Lost Dutchman’ gold mine. It was two weeks ago today that Ruth left his camp, seven miles up the mountain from the termination of the automobile road. The camp was established three day prior to his departure for the confusing jungle of canyons and cliffs prevailing in the higher altitudes. Six days ago, after Ruth failed to return to his camp base to meet packers with supplies, a general hunt for him started, No trace, excepting a few indefinite tracks several days old, have been found. All hope of finding the man alive has been abandoned. Searchers from the Pinal county sheriff’s office, sunburned and weary from the long ordeal, returned to Florence last night and enjoyed a night’s sleep. They left for the hills again this morning. “There isn’t the slightest chance of saving his life but we hope to recover the body.” Gabriel Robles, Mexican tracker, said. Numerous shots, echoing through the canyons, have been fired by the searching party but there has been no answering shot. This indicates that Ruth probably passed beyond the realm of mortal aid before the hunt started. That the “Lost Dutchman” mine, which has inflamed the imagination of Arizona prospectors for more than 50 years, had claimed another victim was the view of the posse members. Indians, however, recalling the legends that Gods do not want men in the fastness of the mysterious mountain, shook their heads sadly and vowed that defying the Gods of Superstition was poor business. The little camp established as a base by the elderly city man was placed in the vicinity of a water mark left on the mountain side by a prehistoric sea. That Mark, according to Indian legends, is the deadline beyond which men should not venture. To do so places such persons, the legend contends, to the danger of being transformed into one of the rock pinnacles which rear skyward throughout the Superstition area. A touch of rain relieved the searchers today, bringing cooler weather which drew from the sun- tortured men a sigh of gratitude. During all of the search the temperature has ranged around 110 which, in the close canyons, is almost unbearable. The posse will hunt for the body through the week after which, in the event of failure, the story of Ruth, who thought a government map would lead him to Arizona’s “golden fleece” will form another tragic chapter to the half century old search for the “Lost Dutchman.”

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1931 July 10, Friday Evening, Phoenix Gazette, - Page 5, Column 6 and 7 Son Finds Diary Of Prospector Believed Dead On Superstition The theory that death overtook A. Ruth, 65-year-old amateur prospector of Washington D. C., who disappeared in the rock-bound wilderness of Superstition mountain June 15, was advanced today by peace officers, experienced in the dangers of the desert, after they viewed an unfinished notation discovered and brought to Phoenix by his son Dr. Vincent Ruth. A notation of “June 15, 1931” was followed by blank pages and was believed to have been the last words written by the seeker of the legendary “Lost Dutchman” mine of the Superstition range. Ruth’s fate is hinted in the previous entry. “Sometime tomorrow morning I will prospect some.” The diary was found by Dr. Ruth at the last camp his father made that searchers have discovered. Although Dr. Ruth picked up the trail, when he renewed the search after his arrival from the east and carried it on a few miles further than the first posses had followed it, the faint traces were lost in the rock-strewn wilderness of canyons and ridges in the ascent to the top of the range. After being unsuccessful in his efforts to obtain an airplane from the government forest service with which to continue the search, Dr. Ruth was planning another plunge into the mountains. Dr. Ruth conferred with T. T. Swift, forest supervisor here, and was told that the nearest forest service planes were in California. Dr. Ruth has been living at the ranch home of Cal B. Morse, on the Apache Trail highway. 1? Miles east of Mesa, since his arrival from the east.

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1931 July 11, Phoenix Gazette, Page 1 - Column 7 and 8 Airplane To Hunt Lost Prospector Veterans Of Desert And Mountain Country To Enter Fastness Of Superstition Range With Indian Guide In Search For Ruth. Despite the disheartening failures of nearly a month’s search for A. Ruth, 65, Washington man who disappeared in the vastness of the Superstition mountain range while seeking the legendary Lost Dutchman mine, Dr. A. Ruth, son of the lost prospector, today planned additional expeditions into the rocky wilderness. Dr. Ruth was in Phoenix today making arrangements to continue the search by airplane, believing that this method of scouting the mountain range will produce results more quickly than posses on horseback. ORGANIZING VETERANS Veterans of the desert and mountain country also were being organized today in another searching party by Dr. Ruth. W. A. “Tex” Walker, Mesa cattleman, and Jeff Adams, deputy for sheriff J. R. McFadden, planned to leave for the range tomorrow with an Indian guide. Walker is regarded by old-timers as the most experienced guide and packer of the entire district, while Adams traveled the range in his cattle-punching days and during his work as a peace officer. They plan to take a bloodhound to aid in following the trail that soon becomes lost to human eyes on the rock floor of the canyons in the vicinity of Mr. Ruth’s last camp. Mr. Ruth’s recently found diary has led searchers to believe that he did not wander far from the base camp. One of the concluding entries said: “I am very tired today from the hike to this camp. (The distance where the pack train began into the mountains is about six miles and it took the outfit all day to reach the spot.) Following this entry Mr. Ruth wrote in his diary that he had fixed up his camp that day (June 14) and planned to prospect the next. FOOD FOUND IN CAMP Those notations, together with the fact that Mr. Ruth’s heavy boots, spectacles and most of his food were discovered at the camp when searchers found it, caused them to believe he could not have traveled far. A diligent search of nearby country tailed to reveal any clues however, and Dr. Ruth now plans the airplane trip into the region. He believes traces may be found in the larger area that may be covered by plane. Dr. Ruth sought the assistance today of George Holmes, who has been prospecting in the Superstition range for 22 years. Holmes also has flown over the country in search of water holes to aid his prospecting trips. Holmes made pencil sketches of the region to assist in the air trip.

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1931 July 13, Monday Evening, Phoenix Gazette – Page 5, Column 4 TWO FLY OVER SUPERSTITION Flight Indicates Perils Of Air Search For Prospector The perils of an aerial survey of the Superstition mountain range as contemplated to aid in the search of A. Ruth, retired government employe of the department of agriculture who dropped from sight June 15 at the outset of a search for the Lost Dutchman mine, was told here today by two Phoenix pilots who flew over the mountains yesterday afternoon. Bert L. Friedman, Phoenix jewelry dealer and aviation enthusiast, accompanied by Carl Kinier of the South Central airport, traversed the perilous range in a return flight from Globe yesterday afternoon. “The air was so bumpy that we had to keep an altitude of 2,000 feet.” Friedman reported. “to prevent dropping out of control in an air pocket. At that altitude the mountain looked like a huge pile of broken glass with its sharp ridges and jagged point inviting death to any who crashed an airplane.” At the altitude which they flew over the range, Friedman reported they saw no signs of life – either animal or human. The two fliers advanced the theory that Ruth met death in a fall from some precipitous cliff in the vicinity of Weavers Needle, where he made his last known camp. The two passed over the needle in their flight over the range.

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1931 July 13, Monday Evening, Phoenix Gazette – Page 8, Column 1 MAN KILLED AS HE PLANS HUNT FOR LOST MINE Indians Link Death With Warning To Keep Out of Superstitions Whether Apache Gods of Thirst and Starvation have adopted modern methods in dealing with those violating the sacred fastness of Superstition mountain was debated by Indians today in the wake of the death of Charles Knickerbocker, 60-year old prospector. It was three months ago that Knickerbocker announced he believed he had found the phantom- like “Lost Dutchman” gold mine, hidden somewhere in the recesses of mysterious Superstition. Time after time Knickerbocker entered the deep and twisting canyons and was believed to be preparing to follow up on clues found recently which he felt would lead him to Arizona’ Golden Fleece – the “Lost Dutchman.” Last night Knickerbocker was run down and fatally injured when he attempted to cross a highway at Claypool, a suburb of Miami. His death was not even remotely connected with his long quest for the gold mine which was found, worked and lost more than half a century ago. GODS “GET THEIR MAN” Regardless of the avenue of death, there was a feeling among Indians that Apache Gods managed to “get their man,” and that a curse placed against those violating an injunction to remain out of Superstition worked. Knickerbocker’s death came on the eve of a renewed search for A. Ruth, 65-year-old government employe of Washington D. C., who entered the mountains June 15, and disappeared. The hunt will go ahead, according to Dr. Vincent Ruth, the amateur prospector’s son, but will be handicapped as Knickerbocker’s knowledge of Superstition was valuable. The disappearance of Ruth was in keeping with the Apache Legend which is that those crossing a water line high on the mountain side by a prehistoric sea, will never return – that the Gods of Thirst and Superstition will keep them there forever, turning their bodies to tall pinnacles of rock which loom up throughout Superstition range. SEARCH HOPELESS Ruth’s quest was in the opinion of mountain men, hopeless from the start. He was inexperienced, a city man and knew nothing of exploration in an arid mountain land. But, on the other hand, Knickerbocker might have succeeded. He knew as much of Superstition as any man. Whether his clues were worthwhile, due to his death, must remain one of the unknown phases of the “Lost Dutchman” quest – fading with the story of the mine into an almost legendary background. Many men have died seeking the “Lost Dutchman” since its original Dutch owner disappeared more than 50 years ago after bringing gold to town from a secret mine. During his life men attempted to follow him without success. After his disappearance the search started in earnest but without result. Sometimes it seemed as though the ghost of the “Lost Dutchman” had joined with Apache Gods in guarding his secret. In the meantime, the search of Ruth continued – minus the valuable aid and information which Knickerbocker only could have given the searchers.

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1931 July 14, Tuesday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 2, Column 7 RENEWS HUNT FOR FATHER IN RUGGED HILLS Son Makes Last Desperate Effort To Find Prospector No Clues came out of the jagged Superstition mountain today to alleviate the anxiety of a son over the fate of his 66-year-old father who, enmeshed for 40 years in the legendary spider-web of the “Lost Dutchman’s” gold, has been lured to apparent oblivion. A. Ruth of Washington, D. C. whose years of life at a desk in the department of agriculture were lightened by dreams of the fabled lost mines of the southwest, and plans for locating them, ventured behind the frowning brow of the Superstitions more than a month ago. No man has seen him since, nor a trace of him, excepting only a last entry in his diary on June 15 at his little prospecting camp in a rocky wash. Beyond that little area, not even his footprints have been found. AIR SEARCH PERILOUS Dr. Edwin C. Ruth, his son, former treasury department investigator, who came from the east to direct the search, entered the range again today, with a posse of mountain men. A reconnoiter by airplane did not materialize. The unstable air above the broken and twisted geological formations which make the Superstition range one of the most perilous areas in the southwest for the lone adventurer, was not amendable to invasion today. Cross-currents whipped and howled about beetling abutments, and through chimney-like canyons, as a mid-summer sun chased steaming mists from the sparsely vegetated mountain crown. GIVEN UP FOR DEAD The searchers have long since given the missing man up as dead. Nearly all of his food was found untouched at his camp, where he last is known to have been a month ago. They now are concerned with finding out, if possible, what stealthy menace of the mountains came upon him on the eve of his long planned search, and lifted him bodily from the ranks of living men. Not content to leave his father’s fate entangled in the ancient belief which caused the mountains to be dubbed the “Superstition” range, Dr. Ruth plans to spend perhaps another week in the forbidding defiles in an effort to discover some natural means by which his father disappeared. The century-old superstition is that those who enter the range do not return, and in the early days the giving of a wide berth to the Superstitions mountains was a sensible precaution – the rocky canyons bristled with Apache lances.

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1931 July 15, Wednesday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 1 and Page 7 GAZETTE PLANE SEARCHES FOR RUTH FLIGHT ENDS HOPE LOST PORSPECTOR STILL ALIVE FOUL PLAY FEARED AS MYSTERY GROWS Believed Murdered For Maps And His Body Disposed OF The mystery surrounding the disappearance of Adolph Ruth, 66-year-old seeker of the Lost Dutchman mine in Superstition mountain, deepened today as result of an airplane flight, sponsored by the Phoenix Gazette, over the lance-like pinnacles and precipitous canyons of the legend-clad range. Winging their way eastward into the dawn, Charley Goldtrap, piloting a plane chartered by the Gazette, and E. D. Newcomer, Gazette staff photographer, entered the formidable mountain at the risk of almost certain death in one of the most daring flights in southwestern aviation history in an effort to clear up the fate of the former department of agriculture employe who dropped from sight June 15 – a month ago today. AVOID CRASH After a two-hour flight in which a possible fatal crash was averted through the skillful piloting of Goldtrap, the plane was brought back to its South Central airport hangar with its two occupants completely mystified. The fliers sank into canyons below the mountain tops and scanned every foot of country with powerful field glasses, yet they saw no traces of human life. Although failing to clear up the mystery, the flight served to narrow speculation regarding the possible fate of the aged prospector to three theories: 1. – That he met with foul play, and his body disposed of. 2. – That he met death when he slipped and fell into one of the deep, narrow canyons. 3. – That he suffered loss of memory and wandered out of the mountains into the valley and may still be suffering from amnesia, unable to tell who he is or where he came from. The third theory that Ruth might have suffered loss of memory, although possible, is regarded as improbable. The practically impassable nature of the country revealed in the airplane flight and Mr. Ruth’s physical condition weakens this theory. A report would have been made if he had been discovered in the valley, because of the wide publicity attending his disappearance. It is thought possible that if he did wander from the mountains in a daze he might have died in the surrounding desert. PHOTO Caption: This photograph and sketch shows the district covered by the chartered Phoenix Gazette airplane in its flight this morning for the purpose of attempting to solve the mystery of the disappearance of Adolph Ruth, 66, Washington, D. C., amateur prospector and seeker of the famed “Lost Dutchman” mine. Upper, an aerial view taken near the bottom of the canyon in which Ruth made his last known camp. The spot marked by arrow is a sheet laid on a bush by a searching party on foot to aid the airmen. Inset, Charley Goldtrap, of South Central airport, daring pilot who averted a fatal crash in the treacherous wind currents of the rugged mountain. Bottom, sketch of the district covered in the flight. The dotted line indicates the course of the plane as it entered Superstition from the south, circled the pinnacles and followed the canyon

Page 12 courses, until it finally emerged on the northern edge of the mountain near Canyon Lake. Photo by Gazette staff photographer and sketch by Gazette staff artist. If Mr. Ruth met an accidental death in the mountains his body would have been discovered by vultures which in turn would have attracted the attention of searchers by their presence in the air. During the past three-weeks, however, the gaunt desert birds have not been reported at any particular point in the range while no sign of bird or animal life was seen in today’s airplane flight. WATER PLENTIFUL The theory advanced by a few that Mr. Ruth became lost and died of thirst was discredited by the fliers who reported several large springs visible in the mountain canyons. If the prospector met with foul play and his body was buried by his murderers who sought the map that was expected to reveal the location of the lost mine, the absence of buzzards might be explained. It is upon this theory that two experienced men of the wilderness who now are in the mountains are basing their search with trained hounds. Jeff Adams, deputy for Sheriff J. R. McFadden, and W. A. Barkley, Mesa cattleman, left the Barkley ranch at the southern edge of the mountain yesterday, planning to work their way through the canyons until they eventually emerged at First Water ranch on the northern side of Superstition. They are expected to reach their destination sometime tomorrow. The peace officer and cattleman planned to let the dogs lead the way as the keen sense of smell of the animals would be capable of finding the body if it had been covered with loose dirt or rocks. CONVINCED FATHER DEAD Dr. Erwin C. Ruth, son of the missing prospector, who has been leading the efforts to find his father for the past two weeks, today told the Gazette he had at last become convinced his father was dead and that he would be forced to leave the mystery of his death to the mountains if Adams and Barkley were unable to discover any clues with their dogs. When Dr. Ruth was told of the results of the aerial search he admitted for the first time the belief that has been generally accepted that the aged seeker of the lost mine has been overtaken by death. A few days ago Dr. Ruth said that his funds were running low and that he could not finance an airplane survey which he felt sure would definitely settle whether or not his father was dead or alive in the mountains. The photographs taken during such a flight would aid searchers on foot, the son pointed out. After careful preparation for the hazardous undertaking, Goldtrap and Newcomer took off in a mono??? At 6:30 o’clock, this morning from the South Central airport. CURTAIN OF MIST LIFTS Superstition mountain was nearly hidden at that hour by the mists from last night’s storm. But as the Gazette plane neared the peaks the curtain of mist and cloud seemed to part and the rugged country below was revealed. Goldtrap entered the range from the south side, flying over the Barkley ranch and picking up the pass through which Mr. Ruth entered the mountain. Soon deep in a ??uous canyon a spot of

Page 13 white was seen. This white spot in the canyon floor was a sheet left by Adams and Barkley at Mr. Ruth’s last known camp when they began their search with hounds yesterday. With this camp as a landmark Goldtrap headed toward Weaver’s Needle which loomed to the east. After circling this tall rock spire the systematic and dangerous search began. PLANE FLYS LOW Flying so low down West Boulder canyon that the rock walls almost could be touched by hand, according to Newcomer’s description, the plane worked in and out of the winding defile until its junction with LaBarge canyon was reached. The same process then was repeated down East Boulder canyon, which completed the survey of the two canyons which led to Mr. Ruth’ final camp. In one of these canyons the famed Lost Dutchman mine is believed to be hidden. At one point in the flight when the junction of two canyons was traversed, the wind struck the ship with such force that it momentarily stopped its forward motion. As the plane began to slip in the treacherous blast of air before falling off into a spin, Goldtrap brought it out of the stall and averted a fatal crash. PERILED BY AIR CURRENTS The high peak of the mountain west of the fliers rose to 5,030 feet, from sea level, while Weavers Needle to the east ascended to an altitude of 4,535 feet. The plane was held at varying altitudes of ?,000 and 4,000 feet during most of the flight Goldtrap reported. This brought them close to the canyons and lower ridges on either side of the two high points. At this altitude the danger from cross currents and air pockets was greatly increased, it was said. Two fliers who crossed who crossed the range Sunday reported great difficulty even though they remained 2,000 feet above the mountain tops which placed them at an altitude of around 7,000 feet as compared with today’s flight maintained mostly at 4,000 feet. After combing all sides of Weaver’s Needle and inspecting the canyon walls the plane was diverted back over the southern entrance trail. After circling this region the mountains were crossed, the ship emerging near the southern edge of Canyon lake at the northern edge of Superstition. The fliers followed the Salt river back to Phoenix. The landing was made at 9:30 o’clock – two hours after the take off. An area 10 square miles in content was carefully worked while an additional 25 miles of mountain country was flown over. PHOTO Caption: The famed Weaver Needle shown here is the landmark in the rugged confines of Superstition mountain around which countless legends of the “Lost Dutchman” mine have been woven. Somewhere within a 10-mile square area surrounding this jagged pinnacle the mine is supposed to be located. It was in a canyon near this landmark that Adolph Ruth, aged prospector, pitched his last known camp before disappearing in the wilderness of Superstition mountain. Inset shows the principals involved in the search for Ruth, who dropped from sight a month ago today. Upper, Dr. Erwin C. Ruth, son of the prospector, who has led the search for his father during the past two weeks since his arrival from Washington, D. C. Lower, left, L. F. Purnall and, right, Jack Keenan, cowboy prospectors who packed Mr. Ruth over southern pass to the water hole in the canyon where the camp was made. When they returned with supplies after several days they found Mr. Ruth missing. They have directed searching parties since then. The photo of Weavers Needle was taken by the Gazette staff photographer, who flew in a Gazette chartered plane, piloted by Charley Goldtrap, this morning over the treacherous mountain range. The picture indicates how low the ship was flying as the pilot and photographer searched the ground for traces of the vanished prospector.

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1931 July 15, Wednesday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 1 Fliers Escape Death When Ship Caught In Wind Blast Spectre Of Death Rides With Gazette Plane In Search For Aged Prospector Lost In Superstition Mountain Range Although the spectre of death flew with them as a companion, Charley Goldtrap, of South Central airport and E. D. Newcomer, Gazette photographer, regarded as “just another adventure” their hazardous two-hour flight over Superstition mountains this morning in search of traces of Adolph Ruth, 66-year-old prospector. A howling blast of wind that whirled around a steep canyon wall, nearly sent the fliers to their doom. This and other dangers were successfully overcome as the pilot and photographer scanned the rocks below them. Most of the time, during their flight, the ship was hemmed in on three sides by iron-bound walls of granite. Despite all this the two performed their work and had time to admire the magnificence of the rocky and brush-covered wastes. “The profusion of pinnacles and spires reminded me of the headstones in a graveyard.” Newcomer said. “The only trouble was,” he added as an afterthought, ”the shadows were too long for good pictures.” After the flight was over, Goldtrap reflected upon the seriousness of the dangers encountered and said “A man’s crazy to fly over that mountain. It’s no place for an airplane.” There wasn’t a spot as big as my hat that I could set the plane down in. If we had smashed the ship would have been strewn over the tops of peaks to the bottoms of canyons. It wouldn’t have been necessary to go after us if we had crashed – there wouldn’t have been anything left to find.” “It would have been different if we were several thousand feet higher,” Goldtrap pointed out. “Then if anything had happened to the plane we could have glided to the valley.

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1931 July 15, Wednesday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 7 FATE SMILES AT AGED MAN AND THEN TRAPS HIM Comes Into Possession Of Maps By Strange Circumstance Fate played into the hands of Adolph Ruth and then mocked him. Through a life filled with prosaic routine there burned the fever of buried treasure, of gold waiting for his eager fingers in long lost mines, of high adventure and of conquest. This one-time employe of the department of agriculture lived for the day when he would tell the world that he had discovered the riches for which others had searched and failed. According to his son, Dr. Erwin C. Ruth, who has led the search for his father for nearly two weeks in the myriad canyons of the Superstition Range, Mr. Ruth made his first plans in 1913 to seek the gold mines of the days of the Spanish conquest. It was in that year that chance apparently favored Mr. Ruth as his son came into possession of three Spanish maps. STORY OF MAPS Two of these ancient maps related to a mine in San Diego county, California, and the other showed the location of a mine said to have been operated by the Peralta family in the Superstition range of Arizona which later was supposed to have been discovered and worked again by Jacob Waltz, a German, from whom the countless tales of the “Lost Dutchman mine” had their origin. The son obtained these maps as a result of a weird and adventurous chain of circumstances. In 1913 Dr. Ruth was employed by a Texas firm engaged in promotion and of development of Mexican farming lands near the border. In this work Dr. Ruth became acquainted with the Gonzales family, a branch of the older Peralta lineage. The murder of Francisco Madero in Mexico Feb. 22, 1913, and the subsequent successful revolution that placed Gen. Victoriano Huerto in power also caused the death of many followers of Madero. Dr. Ruth’s friend was one of these. He was thrown into prison and his family left to face the terrors of the revolutionists. The day before his execution Gonzales talked with Dr. Ruth and told him where to find three maps at his hacienda. Gonzales disclosed the hiding place of these maps providing Dr. Ruth conducted the Gonzales family to safety across the border into Texas. SENT MAPS TO FATHER Dr. Ruth found the maps and complied with the last request of Senor Gonzales. Although he believed the elaborately prepared drawings and Spanish instructions were authentic, Dr. Ruth had no desire to use them and sent the documents to his father in Washington. – and promptly forgot about them for many years. The joy with which Mr. Ruth received them may only be imagined in view of the fact that for many years he had been collecting documents and keeping a scrapbook of western mining lore. One of the newspaper stories in this scrapbook was printed in the San Francisco Chronicle in 1892 (an indication of the years this adventurous spirit imbued Mr. Ruth) and was one of the most authentic accounts yet to be found of the “Weavers Needle” or “Lost Dutchman” mine. With the receipt of these maps in the spring of 1913 Mr. Ruth began to make his plans to use them. The first opportunity presented itself in 1923. After finally overcoming the discouraging arguments of his wife and son, Mr. Ruth set out with his son for California to find the mine of San Diego county.

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NEAR DISASTER This first adventure ended in near disaster. After hiring an automobile in which to drive into the mountains the father and son were forced to turn back from their destination because of a severe storm. They had planned to reach a ranch at the end of a mountain road but the storm caused them to start for a shelter in a village a few miles back. On the return they ran out of gasoline and Dr. Ruth set out to hike to the village while his father planned to explore a nearby canyon. When Dr. Ruth returned in a few hours with gasoline the day was rapidly ending and his father was missing. After a fruitless search he returned to the village and the next morning returned with searchers. INJURY HALTS QUEST Mr. Ruth was found, helpless from a fractured leg. While returning in the dark to the road and the car, he had stepped over the steep bank of a dry wash and suffered a broken leg The injury forced Mr. Ruth to give up his quest, but his spirit was undaunted. Last winter the adventure urge again seized him and he prepared to come to Arizona. Dr. Ruth again attempted to dissuade his father from the project. The objections were finally overcome, however, when Mr. Ruth persisted in his desire and convinced his wife and son that there was slight danger, as the Superstition range covered a comparatively small area and it was near the populated area of Phoenix. Little did Mr. Ruth realize the danger and hardship that might be encountered in the wilderness of Superstition, even though it was a “comparatively small area.” In March Mr. Ruth purchased an automobile -- and set out for Arizona – and the Lost Dutchman mine. After waiting nearly a month at the W.A. Barkley ranch at the southern edge of the Superstition range, Mr. Ruth obtained the services of L. F. Purnall and Jack Keenan, cowboy prospectors, who agreed to pack the outfit into the mountain near Weavers Needle where a base camp might be established at a spring. This pair was the last to see Mr. Ruth before he dropped from sight June 15. TELLS OF SUFFERING Mr. Ruth probably began to realize that he again would be thwarted by fate when he began the pack trip into the mountains. In his diary of June 14 – written in the form of a letter which would later be sent to his wife – Mr. Ruth told of the suffering he endured in reaching the spot for his base camp. “At one point in the trail,” he wrote, “the boys dismounted and led their burros because of the rough going. I didn’t get off my burro because I was so stiff and tired I was afraid I could never get back on.” Many years ago Mr. Ruth believed fate played into his hands. It was only a gesture – climaxed with disaster. Perhaps the Gods of Superstition directed destiny in the end. Indians of this region will tell you that is true.

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1931 July 15, Wednesday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 7 INDIAN LEGEND BOLSTERED UP BY GRIM FACTS Many Are Said Never To Have Returned From Superstition Range Grim facts have bolstered the ancient Indian legends of “Bad medicine” in the Superstition range. The stories told by the Indians generations ago and handed down to the white settlers of later times have been given additional impetus with the disappearance of Adolph Ruth of Washington, 66-year-old former government employe, amateur prospector and seeker of the fabled “Lost Dutchman” mine. The original Indian legend explaining how the beetling, rocky range 50 miles East of Phoenix became the mountain of menace appears to be as authentic as any unwritten history. The Indians had their own names for the formidable pile, but with the advent of the Spaniard and white man a new name was applied that indicated the fear held by the natives of the district. INDIAN SANCTUARY The massive bluff that rises from the desert floor to a high and jagged plateau has been designated as Superstition mountain while the entire district is called by some, the Superstitious range. It has been fairly well established that before the arrival of Europeans to America the warring Apache used this range as a sanctuary after raiding the villages of the Pima and other tribes of the valley floor. It said that once a small band of Apaches descended to the valley, murdered the men of an entire village, destroyed the farm lands and carried off many women and children. Reprisal was sought by the valley Indians and a large force – the fighting strength of the entire tribe – followed in, hot pursuit the small band of Apaches. The trail led up a canyon of Superstition and the valley Indians followed it dauntlessly. NEVER RETURNED The large war party never returned. It is presumed the Apaches ambushed them and slaughtered them. From this and similar stories of Indians who failed to return after entering the mountains there has grown up a superstitious dread of the entire region. Strange tales of tortured spirits moaning in the wind that whip through the canyons and harry the pinnacles strengthened this dread. Even cattle pastured in the foothills have said to have been stampede to their death by a fearful and unknown power. The mountain became taboo to all but the Apaches and when that great tribe was broken up and driven to the east and north the huge pile was left in solitude. Even the whites did not care to venture into its depths because of the rugged nature of the country, the lack of animal life on which to live and, perhaps, because of the dread with which the Indians regarded it. STORIES OF GOLD During the middle of the last century the stories of fabulously rich gold deposits located in Superstition mountain had their inception. That there exists an undiscovered gold mine of great wealth in Superstition mountain has long been an article of faith among mining men. The facts and individual statements, although emanating from widely diverse sources, all agree in a remarkable manner as to the description of the mine, and what is still more convincing, are unanimous indicating a particular quarter of the mountains in question as the place of its location.

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Years ago Indians boasted to the early settlers of the wonderful wealth of this deposit, and even pointed out vaguely the direction in which it lay. Pimas, Maricopas, Apaches – all claim a knowledge of it, though nothing can tempt one of them to disclose its exact whereabouts. Mexicans – even Mexicans of means – equipped with elaborate maps of the mysterious region, have more than once made journeys from Sonora in the hope of enriching themselves. The district designated is not extensive. It lies within an imaginary circle whose diameter is 5 to 10 miles and whose center is marked by the Weavers Needle, a prominent and fantastic pinnacle that rises to a height of 2,500 feet among a confusion of lesser peaks and mountainous masses. Around this landmark cluster all the tales of treasure, whether Indian, Mexican or frontiersman. In 1891 all the old stories were revived and new impetus given to the search, by reason of the death-bed disclosure of an old German, who, in his last hours is said to have confided to the woman nursing him how he and a partner worked that very mine in 1863, until the latter was killed by Apaches. DEATH BED STORY From this man sprang one of the countless “Lost Dutchman” stories, although there is a varied collection of other tales with different characters, explanations and events. All, however, deal with a rich mine in the vicinity of Weavers Needle. Jacob Waltz, the German who told the death-bed story, said that at the beginning of the Civil war, being at that time in Arizona, he went into Sonora to avoid military duty, and there made the acquaintance of the Peralta family. This family believed it had lost a large land grant in Arizona in which the mine was located, because of the Mexican War. They revealed its location to “Old Dutch Jacob,” as he was known. With his partner Jacob arrived at the initial point mentioned in Peralta’s instructions. – “the first gorge on the south side, from the west end of the range” and found a marked trail which led them “northward over a lofty ridge; thence downward past Weavers Needle into a long canyon running north, and finally to a tributary canyon very deep and rocky.” DESTROY MARKINGS After discovering the mine, the German and his partner took precaution to destroy the monument rock piles marking the trail. After they worked the mine for a brief period, the German returned to the valley with word that his partner had been killed by Apache and the he had barely escaped with his life. However this may be, certain it is that the old man never profited by his gold. His superstitious fears always prevented him from returning to the spot. For the remainder of his life he was a morbid, fearful and broken down old man, not even daring to enjoy his wealth. It is a curious fact that the Indians describe just such a mine, with a tunnel and shaft in that same vicinity, with Weavers Needle as a landmark; and they also say the tunnel has been walled up and covered over. This is also the description of it given by the Mexican prospectors. MAP BACKS LEGENDS The map which Mr. Ruth obtained through his son from an ancient Mexican family which was broken up in the Madero revolution of 1913, is said to coincide with the principal facts of these many legends, according to Dr. Erwin C. Ruth, son of the aged amateur prospector, who has been seeking his father since he dropped from sight June 15.

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Dr. Ruth is uncertain whether his father carried the original map with him. He believes not, that instead he had an English translation made of the Spanish document and took sufficient notes to guide him. Mystery now surrounds this ancient sketch as it was not found by Dr. Ruth when he searched his father’s collection of pamphlets and documents on the western mining legends. Since Mr. Ruth declared he would not bring the original map to Arizona with him, it should be in his collection in Washington but it has not been found there. Together with the map which led him to his doom, Mr. Ruth has apparently passed into oblivion.

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1931 July 16, Thursday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 1 RUTH’S DEATH TRAIL IS FOUND BY POSSE SOLUTION OF HILL MYSTERY BELIEVED NEAR EXPECT TO FIND BODY IN CANYON Definite Traces Of Lost Prospector Found Unexpectedly The first definite clues leading to the solution of the mysterious disappearance of Adolph Ruth, 66-year-old former government employe who is believed to have become another sacrifice on the altar of the phantom mine of Superstition mountain, was reported to the Phoenix Gazette today from a searching party led by Jeff Adams Maricopa county deputy and W. A. “Tex” Barkley, Mesa cattleman. The clues were discovered by the two veterans of Arizona’s wilderness after they had undergone 48 hours of hardships and came at a time when near complete exhaustion and suffering from thirst, they were unable to follow them up. After spending last night at First Water ranch, owned by Barkley, on the northern edge of Superstition. Adams and Barkley early this morning returned to the rugged mountains where they found the first and only clues discovered in three weeks. They carried with them sufficient water and provisions to last 24 hours and were confident they would return with Ruth’s body. COWBOYS WITH ROPES As they left they gave the word that they would not return to the ranch until their supplies had given out – or until they discovered Mr. Ruth or his body. Accompanying the peace officer and rancher were two Mexican cowboys with long coils of rope. The section of country in which they were working today is considered the most rugged and impassable of the entire range. Working on the theory that Mr. Ruth might have toppled from a precipitous cliff, the searchers planned to explore the canyon floors. The only means of reaching the bottoms of these deep crevices in safety is by a rope. It was planned to lower the Mexican aides into the narrow slits in the earth. The work will be painstaking and hazardous as the region is nearly inaccessible. It is criss- crossed by narrow and deep canyons combined with a profusion of jagged ridges and upheaved rock masses that block progress. According to the searching party the clues linked with Mr. Ruth are many miles north of his camp in West Boulder creek near Weavers Needle. NEW SEARCH AREA It is the first time the search has been concentrated in this area. Other searching parties on foot and the survey carried on yesterday morning in a chartered Gazette airplane was conducted in the southern half of the range in the area surrounding Weavers Needle. The Gazette plane flew over the district in which Adams and Barkley are working as it left the mountains to return to the valley. A story of two days of hardship were told by Adams and Barkley at their arrival at First Water ranch. After spending the first day of the search in the district already covered, they set out from their camp in the mountains early yesterday to traverse the range. Water holes and springs were dried up in the northern half of Superstition and as Adams and Barkley worked through this section they became weakened from lack of water and the physical toil required to surmount the natural obstacles.

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DOGS EXHAUSTED The hounds used as a means of locating Mr. Ruth’s body in the event it had been buried in the rocks, soon became helpless from lack of water. It was at this time when the search had been temporarily abandoned and the party was working toward the northern ranch that traces were stumbled upon that indicated a human being had recently been in that region. After making note of the location, Adams and Barkley continued with the dogs to the ranch. A check at the ranch revealed that no one had entered the mountain from the north recently. This led the searchers to believe that the traces were undoubtedly left by Mr. Ruth. Results of these findings blast the theory that Mr. Ruth wandered from the mountains. A new angle on the mysteries and legends of Superstition mountain was discussed today be E. E. Wright, 609 South Central avenue, retired prospector, who offered aid in the search for the missing man. Wright spent many years in Superstition mountain seeking the Lost Dutchman mine, until an attempt was made by unseen enemies to take his life. He believed the attempt on his life was made by either Apache Indians or moonshiners. He believed that there are Indians in Superstition that were left to guard the mine. He advanced the theory that either these ancient Indians or the more modern moonshiners killed Mr. Ruth who unwittingly trespassed on their domain. When asked why he gave up his search for the Lost Dutchman Mr. Wright replied, “I can’t give you a logical reason – I guess I must be afraid of the mountain.”

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1931 July 17, Friday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 1 RUTH MURDERED OFFICERS SAY CLUES FOUND IN ROCKS BY “LOST MINE” MONUMENTS “KILLERS BELIEVED PROPERTY LOCATED” Searchers To Renew Hunt For Prospector near Deep Crevice Adolph Ruth has been murdered! This is the firm conviction of searchers who last night came out of the Superstition mountains weary and exhausted after days spent among the crags and canyons of this mysterious land. The secret of how and where he met his death, however, still is locked in mystery as deep and ominous and strange as the legend of the “Lost Dutchman” mine, for which many have searched, but none has found. Indians will tell you that he was a victim of the wrath of the spirits of their ancestors left to guard the legendary riches of the phantom “Lost Dutchman” mine until such time as their descendants can return in peace and security to claim the “Golden Fleece.” The prosaic white man is just as convinced that Mr. Ruth has been murdered, not by spirits, but by ruthless hands of flesh and blood inspired by cupidity and greed. Both Indians and white men are agreed that back of the disappearance of the aged prospector lies the “Lost Dutchman” mine he was hunting and possibly found. MURDER HINTED The motive for the slaying, in the belief of searchers, was to obtain possession of the “Lost Dutchman” mine, which he was believed to have discovered or to get possession of the map he was known to carry purporting to give the location of the supposed “lost” mine. According to Adams and Barkley, Ruth is believed to have been followed into the mountains and kept under close surveillance during his search for the phantom property. When he was seen erecting the monument found by the searchers, his slayers are believed to have become convinced that he had located the long sought treasure. Believing that their time had come to carry out their plans, his foes are thought to have set upon him, murdering him and perhaps hiding his body. The murder theory is strengthened by the fact that at that time he disappeared he was dressed in ordinary walking shoes. His prospecting boots were found at his camp. This is taken to indicate that he was in or near camp at the time he was killed. Had he been prospecting for the lost mine and fallen to his death, it is pointed out, he would have been wearing his boots as the country is very rough and rugged. SEARCHERS RETURN The return from the mountains last night of Jeff Adams, Maricopa county deputy sheriff and W. A. “Tex” Barkley, Mesa cattleman whose ranges include the legend-cloaked region, brought new and startling clues linked to the disappearance June 15 of the former government worker. Ruth was packed into the mountains by L. F. Purnall and Jack Keenan from the Barkley ranch. After they had set up camp and had done everything possible to insure his comfort and safety they returned to the ranch. Five days later Purnall and Keenan again set out for the camp to carry supplies to Mr. Ruth. When they arrived Mr. Ruth was missing. After making a hasty search that brought no clues they returned to the Barkley ranch and notified “Tex” Barkley who

Page 23 in turn informed Pinal and Maricopa sheriffs. Purnall and Keenan led searching parties and assisted the prospector’s son, Dr. Edwin C. Ruth. TO FOLLOW NEW CLUES All posses have abandoned the hunt but Barkley and Adams, who today were preparing to follow fresh clues they hoped would solve the mystery. Mr. Ruth lived at the Barkley ranch nearly a month before going into the mountains and was not hesitant in revealing the purpose of his visit to the region. It is believed someone heard of the proposed quest for the Lost Dutchman mine and sought maps and papers owned by Mr. Ruth. The assassin is believed to have lurked in the vicinity and when Mr. Ruth was left alone carried out his evil plans. From evidence discovered by Barkley and Adams it appears that Mr. Ruth met death many tortuous miles of rock and canyon from his mountain camp. It was in a jumble of huge rock masses and deep crevices that were turned into a veritable inferno by the blazing desert sun that Adams and Barkley found the traces of Mr. Ruth. “LOST DUTCHMAN” FOUND Perhaps most significant was a small pile of loose rocks, recently heaped together. This monument is the type used to mark mining claim boundaries and it gave mute evidence that perhaps Mr. Ruth had discovered the famed mine and had begun to stake his claim. This rock pile was discovered Wednesday and when Adams and Barkley returned to the mountains yesterday after resting at First Water ranch additional clues were discovered. In a canyon bed, beneath a bush, one of Mr. Ruth’s handkerchiefs was found. It appeared the white bit of cloth had been stuck on the bush to mark a trail but had been blown to the ground. Nearby evidence was seen that indicated Mr. Ruth had rested and eaten a meal. The aged man carried with him many cubes of condensed food, wrapped in tinfoil. He used this type of nourishment when away from his camp in place of bulkier foods. FOOD CONTAINER FOUND Shining brightly in the sun, a square of tinfoil that had covered one of these food cubes was found by Adams and Barkley. Close at hand was a wisp of paper in which his pipe cleaners had been wrapped. It is assumed that after the frugal meal Mr. Ruth cleaned his pipe for a smoke and a bit of brown paper was left at the spot. All tracks that Mr. Ruth made in the sandy washes have been destroyed by the summer showers since his disappearance. Into this almost inaccessible, waterless wilderness Adams and Barkley will go at daybreak tomorrow with water and food to last several days. They plan to pack supplies in on burros and make a permanent camp at which they will remain until their search is completed. In addition to the food and water they will take with them several hundred feet of rope, necessary for use in exploring the precipitous canyons. The rock monument believed to have been built by Mr. Ruth is at the edge of a deep crevice. Into this they will lower themselves with ropes.

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1931 July 17, Friday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 1 and Page 7 Veterans Of Desert Tell Perils, Hardships Of Hunt Heat And Lack Of Water Leave Mark On Searchers For Lost Prospector; Even Dog’s Feet Blistered By Hot Rocks PHOTO Caption: Two veterans of desert and mountain country prepared today to enter the rugged Superstition range to unravel clues which they believe will solve the Mysterious disappearance of Adolph Ruth, aged prospector. Left: Jeff Adams, deputy for Sheriff J. R. McFadden, and who has been an Arizona peace officer for more than twenty years. He once served as a deputy when Senator Carl Hayden was county sheriff, and later himself served as sheriff. Right: W. A. “Tex” Barkley, Mesa cattleman, owner of four ranches in the Superstition range and rider of the rugged mountain region for more than a score of years. He is said to know more about the Superstition country than any living man. The dog is Adams’ lion hunter and was used in the first day of the search until he became physically exhausted and his feet were so worn and blistered he could not move. The mules will pack supplies into the mountains near the spot indicated by the arrow so that the veteran peace officer and rancher may continue the hunt for the seeker of the phantom “Lost Dutchman” mine. A story of indescribable hardship and danger in the fantastic maze of rock ridges and canyons of Superstition range was related by Jeff Adams, Arizona peace officer, and W. A. “Tex” Barkley, veteran of the cattle range, last night when they came out of the mountains for a brief rest returning to their hunt for Adolph Ruth, vanished amateur prospector. Although they minimized the adventure the strain they had undergone was reflected in their worn and exhausted appearance. Natural obstacles of rocks and crevices were accentuated by the merciless sun that charged the region with super-heat. The close of the second day of their search found the two men resting at the “U” ranch owned by Barkley in the southern edge of Superstition. Today pack equipment was assembled, provisions were brought from the valley and horses and burros were corralled as preparations were completed for and intensive search lasting several day in the treacherous region where clues of Mr. Ruth were discovered yesterday and Wednesday. DOGS FEET BLISTERED Mute evidence of the exhausting efforts of the last two days was seen in the condition of Adams hunting dog, “Blood.” The hound, victor in many mountain lion fights, lay panting in the shade of the ranch house, unable to move because of the worn and blistered feet caused by the hunt over the burning rocks and through the canyon infernos. Last night Blood’s painful feet were doctored with mutton tallow to relieve the burns. It will be many days before Blood will be ready to take the trail again after lions or humans. The physical labor, heat and lack of water to quench their thirst left its mark on the two men. However, undaunted by these experiences they are ready to carry on, when they regain their strength, to an end that will solve the mystery of Mr. Ruth’s disappearance. EXCHANGE JOBS In marked contrast to their physical condition was their mental attitude last night. They found sweet delight in exchanging jibes. “Jeff suffered more than at any other time when he

Page 25 discovered he had lost his pipe.” Tex Barkley asserted, “I believe he would have gone crazy if we hadn’t gotten him one at First Water ranch.” “Talk about going crazy,” Adams retorted, “When the wind began moaning and talking through the canyon and the heat waves were dancing all around, I thought Tex was a goner. If someone had put a feather headdress on a pinnacle or two, Tex would have begun firing at random.” VETERANS OF DESERT Underneath this banter, however, was the grim realization of the task ahead of them. The successful, though hazardous, work of the past two days was only a beginning. Tomorrow they leave on a trip to a rugged mountain top where there will be neither water nor food, except that which they will pack with them. Adams has searched for men in the desert, in lakes and rivers and in other mountains, but of all these past experiences he believes the search in Superstition is the hardest. Barkley, owner of four ranches in the Superstition range, has ridden over the ridges and through the canyons most of his life while running cattle. But never before has he gone into such an impassable and waterless region as this. Cattle don’t venture into the area at any time. The broiling sun makes conditions worse.

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1931 July 18, Saturday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 1 and Page 10 Perils Of Hills Defied As Search Resumed For Ruth Veterans Of Desert “Take Off” At Dawn In Final Effort To Solve Deep Mystery Of Missing Prospector Showing defiance of the dangers of a barren and rugged country and refusing to admit the presence of legendary perils pervading the region, Jeff Adams, Maricopa county deputy sheriff, and W. A. “Tex” Barkley, veteran cattleman, left at dawn this morning for the heart of Superstition mountain where they hope to find the body of Adolph Ruth, aged prospector who disappeared from his camp June 15 while searching for the famed “Lost Dutchman” mine. Although recognizing the hazardous nature of their undertaking, they were eager to be off as the first rays of light tinted the jagged mountain tops in the east. They realized that this trip would probably end the month’s search for the missing man and might also disclose the location of the famed mine, which has been hunted without success for more than half a century. Clues which they discovered on their last trip into the mountain have created the speculation that Ruth discovered the Dutchman mine before he went to his death as in a barely accessible locality several monuments of the type used to designate mining claims were chanced upon. The searchers believe that after discovering the mine Ruth was murdered by someone who tracked him into the mountains and kept him under surveillance during his search for the gold deposit. Adams and Barkley were accompanied into the mountains this morning by a pack train loaded with supplies and driven by a cowboy. A camp will be made near the locality of the recently discovered traces of Ruth and then the cowboy will return to the “U” ranch with the mules and horses. An indication of the hardships to be faced is seen in the establishment of the “dry” camp. Two kegs of water were packed in with the food and equipment as the mountain springs have long been dried by the blazing summer sun. SIGNALS ARRANGED A smoke signal system was arranged on the eve of departure between the searchers and those remaining at the ranch. If Ruth’s body is found, if an accident occurs to either Adams of Barkley or if the water runs low and the pair is forced to leave the mountains, word will be sent to the ranch by the ancient Indian system of communication of smoke columns. A long unbroken spiral of smoke, rising into the hot blue sky will be the signal those at the ranch hope to see within a few days. It will mean: “We are all right, the search has ended – bring in the horses.” By carefully saving their water using only enough to quench their thirst each day – and by frugally apportioning their food Adams and Barkley expect to be able to remain in the mountains until Tuesday evening. Unless some discovery is made before then, no word will be received from them until then.

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1931 July 20, Monday Evening, Phoenix Gazette - Page 1 and Page 5 Mystery Land Still Guards Secret Of Fate Of A. Ruth Return Of Searchers, Anxiously Awaited After Three Days Of Silence Behind Grim Portals Of Superstition Mountain The return of Jeff Adams, deputy sheriff, and W. A. “Tex” Barkley, veteran cowman, from the land of mystery was being anxiously awaited today in hope they would bring with them information that would throw some light upon the strange disappearance of Adolph Ruth, who dropped from sight June 15 when he entered the Superstition mountains in search of the fabled “Lost Dutchman” mine. The anxiously awaited smoke signals have not been seen and no word has been received at the Barkley ranch in the southern edge of the mountains since the two searchers set out at daybreak Saturday to follow up clues they firmly believe would solve the mystery of Ruth’s disappearance. RAIN AIDS SEARCHERS So far as known, the last person to see Adams and Barkley was the cowboy who accompanied them into the mountains so that he could return with the pack animals that carried supplies to the remote spot where they were to camp until their search was completed and the mystery solved, or until they were forced to leave because of lack of water and food. After unloading the supplies the cowboy returned to the Barkley ranch Saturday afternoon. He was instructed not to leave the ranch until the smoke signal had been given, when he would re- enter the mountains with a pack train to bring out the equipment used by the searchers. Barkley and Adams took 30 gallons of water with them, sufficient to last until tomorrow. A heavy rain fell in the mountains Saturday night and it is believed this filled springs again, thus insuring a sufficient for a longer period. Even though they have plenty of water, Adams and Barkley were expected to return to the ranch tomorrow. There even is a possibility that they might give up the hunt and return this evening. BELIEVED MURDERED Dr. Erwin C. Ruth, son of the aged prospector, spent yesterday in the valley and returned to the Barkley ranch early this morning where he will remain until work is received from Adams and Barkley. During the three days word has been awaited from Adams and Barkley, speculation has arisen as to whether they stumbled upon the Lost Dutchman mine. It is believed that Ruth met death in the region indicated by his maps as the location of the phantom mine. In their search for the prospector in the area where traces of his presence were discovered last week, the peace officer and cattleman may have chanced upon the long-sought gold deposit.

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1931 July 21, Tuesday Evening, Phoenix Gazette – Page 1 (2nd Front Page) INFERNO DEFEATS RUTH SEARCHERS ABANDON HUNT FOR MISSING PROSPECTOR IN SUPERSTITION FATE IS SEALED IN RUGGED MOUNTAINS Lure Of “Lost Dutchman” Mine Claims Another Victim A molten summer sun that turned rugged mountains and canyons into natural furnaces has apparently succeeded in defeating the efforts of searchers who would have wrested the secret of the fate of Adolph Ruth, 66-year-old amateur prospector, from the depths of Superstition mountain. The hunt for the missing Washington, D. C. man was officially ended today by the son, Dr. Erwin C. Ruth, after the return late last night of Jeff Adams, Maricopa deputy sheriff, and W. A. “Tex” Barkley, Mesa cattleman. Exhausted after days of punishing toil, Adams and Barkley were forced to give up the quest and announced that everything possible had been done under the trying conditions. The only remaining hope of finding the body of the seeker of the “Lost Dutchman” mine is to resume the search in the fall during cooler weather. A wandering cowboy or prospector may discover the last resting place of Ruth if the search is not taken up again. REWARD REMAINS POSTED Dr. Ruth said today that he was certain that everything within human power had been done to find his father and that nothing could be gained in continuing the hunt at present. Dr. Ruth expressed his appreciation for all that had been done and personally thanked those that had risked the dangers of Superstition to hunt for this father. He planned to leave this evening for his home in Washington. The $200 reward will remain posted, he said, and will be given to the finder of his father’s body. Dr. Ruth indicated that he might return to Phoenix in the fall to make another attempt to solve the mystery of his father’s disappearance. In the valley today Adams and Barkley recounted their experiences in the almost inaccessible area of the Superstition mountain where a week ago they discovered clues that led them to believe they might find Ruth in that particular locality. RATTLERS SEEK SHELTER Although the rugged nature of the mountains made their work difficult, the extreme heat made it almost impossible for them to accomplish anything. There was no shade except against canyon walls and the temperature generated in the rocks burned their skin. They were forced to drink nothing but hot water as the kegs in which they carried their supply for their three-day intensive work absorbed the heat. No animal life was seen in the region and even the rattlesnakes had sought shelter from the sun’s rays. In one of the large caves they entered to search for Mr. Ruth they discovered several rattlesnakes that had taken refuge from the heat. A shower that fell in Superstition Saturday night failed to aid conditions to any great extent, they said. The water disappeared as if it had been poured on a hot stove, they reported.

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DOG IS EXHAUSTED Although he declared it would be futile to continue to search “Tex” Barkley told Dr. Ruth today that he would always be on the lookout for the missing man during the roundups and cattle drive in the mountain. Barkley’s cattle ranges cover the entire country in which the “Lost Dutchman” mine is believed to be hidden and in which Ruth probably lost his life. Another searcher, nearly dead from the hardships encountered in the mountain, limped into First Water ranch yesterday. The searchers feet were blistered, his tongue was thick and swollen from lack of water and he scarcely had strength enough to wag his tail – for it was a dog that evidently had accompanied a group into the mountains over the week-end and had become separated from them. Those at the ranch did not know who the dog’s owner was but they will take care of it until it is claimed.

Garry Cundiff - December 1, 2007

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