A self-published author in Arizona claims he was offered $25,000 after a huge discovery by a treasure hunter who wanted his book pulled from circulation.
Posting under the Reddit name frakus007, the Mesa resident explained he had written a book based on his interpretation of maps tied to the fabled Lost Dutchman Mine in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains.
‘Great distress’
The original poster (OP) said he printed about 100 copies and submitted one to a local museum for consideration. The next day, he received a call from a man who said had seen the book behind the museum counter.
The caller, claiming his family had been searching for decades using maps passed down from a “psychic” grandfather, insisted the author unpublish the book, saying it caused him “great distress.”
“I figured, ‘sure, I’d like to discuss my book with you’,” the OP wrote.
“I was sort of thrilled to have someone’s opinion of my book and it was somewhat validating that we agreed on the location.”
Photo by Jairo Mesa / Getty Images
‘I met one of the crazies’
They met in a Mesa coffee shop, where the man apparently offered $25,000 for the author to withdraw the book.
“I then just realized that I met one of the crazies that lurk in the Superstition Mountains,” user frakus007 wrote.
“I told him that I will not unpublish, but I’d be happy to help him out get to his spots if he wants. He said no and got angry. I then promptly left and said do not contact me any more.”
The man later allegedly barraged the author and his wife with harassing messages and social media posts.
“My last contact with him was telling him that if he attempts to contact me or my family again, I will contact the authorities and use legal remedies, such as a restraining order,” the OP told Newsweek, noting that the advice of the r/legaladvice forum was, “very helpful.”
According to frakus007, the man clamed he could contact all the people mentioned in his book and get him sued for defamation.
However: “I was already in contact with these people and they know what I wrote about them. They were fine with it,” he told Newsweek.
The OP added that a rational person would probably back off at the mention of a legal solution, “but I am not sure this guy would qualify as a rational person.”
What is the Lost Dutchman Mine?
According to local lore, German-born miner Jacob “Dutchman” Waltz discovered a rich gold vein in the 19th century, but took its location to his grave in 1891, never revealing where it lay.
Many believe the lore stems from earlier tales tied to the Peralta family, Mexican ranchers who are said to have mined gold there in the mid‑1800s before being ambushed by Apaches.
Over the decades, thousands of treasure hunters have ventured into the rugged canyons—some even losing their lives—in pursuit of the fabled fortune.
However, despite many expeditions, no verified site or treasure has ever been confirmed and the mine remains among the most famous unsolved mysteries in American history.
‘Google must have heard’
In a message to Newsweek, frakus007 said he has a permit request with the forestry service.
“They rarely approve them, so I am trying to get them to approve it,” he added.
His interest in the mine began when his daughter asked him questions about the “big mountain in front of us,” adding, “Google must have heard our conversation and YouTube recommended a video on the Lost Dutchman Mine,” the OP said.
“I watched it and saw a couple maps that caught my eye. I noticed something about them and it took me down a rabbit hole.
“I then looked at all the maps… and realized they ALL go to the same exact spot.”
‘My heart is racing’
The thrill of finding treasure isn’t just a thing of the past, as Newsweek has reported.
In June, a man who lives at sea pulled out a metal detector and showed his TikTok following an impressive find: A 22-karat gold ring with a red stone on top.
“I see a tiny bit a gold and at this point my heart is racing; I wonder if it’s real gold,” the man says in the clip.
A father and son using their metal detectors, meanwhile, discovered a hoard of Viking Age treasure dated to around 1,000 years ago on the Isle of Man in October, which the Manx National Heritage’s curator for archaeology, Allison Fox, called “a wonderful find” in a press release.
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