When you read into criminals, we often see them as solipsistic villains. People who would do something purely for their benefit. And while that is often the case, some gangsters and criminals carry a slightly more chivalrous side. Some, though, just hoarded their wealth and their takings from a life of crime. One example of this comes from the story of Dutch Schultz. He is one of the most prominent names in the prohibition-era crime scene.
During his era as a crime lord, Schultz built up incredible wealth during an era when it was not common for a gangster to outlive their usefulness. He hid a secret stash at some stage during his life, which is worth anything from $50m to the more outlandish estimates of $150m. The riches came in the form of actual cash, as well as gold coins, diamonds, and even Liberty Bonds from the First World War!
A massive iron box holding all of these goodies is yet to be found, though; it is a proper pirate's treasure chest filled with money that would change the life of anyone who found it. Of course, if you did find it, you would be highly unlikely to ever be able to make anything from it – it would be swept up by the authorities before you could spend a dime.
The treasure chest is believed to be buried in the Catskills Mountains, and it was supposed to be buried in a typical spot marked as X. Not long after the box was deposited and hidden, Schultz was shot dead in a battle in 1935.
To this day, the box has never been found. Despite treasure hunters spending years of their life in upstate New York looking for this special box, it has never been located. Even with modern tech, we cannot find the box – is it a myth? A legend? Or was it claimed by the very people who helped Schultz hide it?
Likely, we will never know. What does exist, though, is one of the most interesting tales of treasure hoarding you are likely to find.