In Part 1, we learned that Adolph Ruth was murdered in the Superstition Mountains, and his head was located about three quarters of a mile from where his body was finally located. The Maricopa Sheriff’s Department was able to positively identify the body by the metal plate which was placed In his leg when he broke it looking for the Lost Peg-leg Mine in California many months earlier.
It doesn’t take long for one to realize Ruth was killed for his copy of the Peralta Map that was given to him by his son Erwin Ruth. The murder or murders were never caught. You would think it would not be too hard to figure out who had the opportunity and the motive. But, the entire time Ruth was waiting to go into the mountains he was bragging about his treasure expedition and how his map would take him to the treasure. Remember, he showed up in Phoenix and eventually found his way to the Quarter Circle U.
When Ruth’s body was found, his map was not among the items found with the body. However, there was a paper with half of it torn off. This paper had the following inscribed on it, “It lies with ______ _____ _____ square _____ elsewhere diameter is _____ _____ about five miles and whose centre is marked by Weaver’s Needle about 2500 high—among a confusion of lesser peaks and mountains masses of bastic rock. The first gorge on the south side from the west end of the range. They found a monumented trail which led them northward over a lofty ridge thence downward past Sombre Butte into a long canyon is running north and finally into a subtary canyon wooded with a contiguous thicket of scrub oak.” The spaces represent unreadable words. Then a little further down the page, “ Veni, Vidi, Vici.” (I came, I saw, I conquered)
Now it appears that Ruth was not killed just for the map, but the location of the treasure too. Perhaps, Ruth was not killed for the map, but because he would not reveal the location. The killers must have felt confident they could relocate the site on their own with the map. Were the murders able to find the treasure?
To Be Continued…
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