- 2 days ago
Josh digs deep into the swamp to hunt the lost fortune of notorious bootleggers and bank robbers the Ashley Gang. Josh needs to retrace the outlaw family's criminal empire, which included a blood feud with the local Florida sheriff.
本集内容包括：
• 亡命帝国：约翰·阿什利及其家族在1914年至1924年间横行佛罗里达州，抢劫了40多家银行，积累了巨额财富。
• 新线索：乔什·盖茨与历史学家和博物馆研究人员合作，发现了一份遗失的文件和一些线索，指向一座可能藏有宝藏的岛屿和沼泽中的秘密藏身处。
• 世仇：搜寻工作追溯了该团伙的暴力历史，包括他们与佛罗里达州当地警长之间由来已久的血仇。
本集内容包括：
• 亡命帝国：约翰·阿什利及其家族在1914年至1924年间横行佛罗里达州，抢劫了40多家银行，积累了巨额财富。
• 新线索：乔什·盖茨与历史学家和博物馆研究人员合作，发现了一份遗失的文件和一些线索，指向一座可能藏有宝藏的岛屿和沼泽中的秘密藏身处。
• 世仇：搜寻工作追溯了该团伙的暴力历史，包括他们与佛罗里达州当地警长之间由来已久的血仇。
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TVTranscript
00:00The Ashley gang robbed more than 40 banks, while Dillinger only robbed 24.
00:09How much money did they get away with over the course of this crime spree?
00:12In today's money, millions.
00:18He couldn't put his proceeds in the bank. He had to hide it.
00:21So, do you know where it is?
00:29For almost a hundred years now, people have been digging holes trying to find it.
00:33Guys, come here.
00:34Oh my God. Oh my God.
00:35Shut up. No. Woo.
00:37Oh my God. My heart is beating.
00:40This is what we've been looking for.
00:42Are you kidding me?
00:43Ashley, treasure. There you go.
00:45This place is like a gold mine.
00:47This is insane.
00:56Most gangsters are associated with big cities.
01:00Al Capone was synonymous with Chicago.
01:03New York had Lucky Luciano.
01:05And LA, Mickey Cohen.
01:07But unless you're from Florida, well, you've probably never heard of John Ashley.
01:11His story is like something out of the movies, except it's all real.
01:15He was known as the King of the Everglades and led a vicious gang that terrorized the Sunshine State from
01:221914 to 1924.
01:25Back then, Florida was an un-air-conditioned, vast, and lawless frontier,
01:30where the Ashley Gang went on a notorious decade-long crime spree of bank robbery, bootlegging, piracy, and murder.
01:40Their criminal enterprises netted a fortune, and reports of millions in hidden Ashley loot have swirled for a century.
01:49Now, research for a new museum exhibit on the gang has turned up incredible new clues, and treasure hunters are
01:56finally closing in.
01:58One has unearthed a lost document that points to a real-life treasure island that might contain actual buried loot.
02:05While a historian claims to have located an entire lost town, and traces of the Ashley Gang's hideout.
02:12We're on a hunt for truth and treasure.
02:15So put down the golf clubs, set aside your bingo card, and get ready for an expedition to an unknown
02:20Florida from a century ago,
02:22where the only way to retire was with a bullet.
02:28My name is Josh Gates.
02:30Hello!
02:33Explorer, adventurer,
02:34Amazing!
02:36Woo!
02:36And a guy who ends up in some very strange situations.
02:40Woo!
02:41That was exciting.
02:42With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained,
02:46I travel to the ends of the earth, investigating the greatest legends in history.
02:51Okay, let's punch it!
02:52This is Expedition Unknown.
03:02We begin our journey in Miami, the magic city.
03:05No matter how hot it gets, sooner or later, there's a cool breeze coming in.
03:18Okay, so this episode is about bank robbers in the 20s and not drug cops in the 80s,
03:23but come on, Miami Vice is a classic.
03:25Plus, turquoise is really my color.
03:30All right, down to business.
03:33The heart of our story actually takes place about 100 miles north of Miami in the quaint town of Stewart.
03:40Along with classic Florida beachside vibes, this town is literally calling out to me about the Ashley Gang.
03:46Well, John Ashley grew up in the Everglades
03:51Those who knew him said he wasn't all that bad
03:55Those he murdered might just disagree with that
04:00Turns out people here are really into the Ashley Gang.
04:03This band, they're called the Ashley Gang, and they're singing about, who else?
04:08The Ashley Gang.
04:08Oh, till the Ashley Gang went down
04:14They went out looking for trouble
04:17Trouble's what they found
04:19Sheriff Baker made a promise
04:21Before they laid him in the ground
04:23He'd see the Ashley Gang go down
04:29Thanks.
04:30Even the beer here is named after the Ashley Gang,
04:33and I'll give you one guess what the name of the bartender is.
04:35My name's Susie.
04:36It's Ashley.
04:37It's definitely Susie.
04:38Okay, nice try, Ashley.
04:39Let's see the Ashley Gang go down
04:48In addition to bands and beer,
04:51Stewart, Florida is also home to a new exhibit dedicated to the Ashley Gang.
04:55My education about the man known as the King of the Everglades begins here at the Elliott Museum.
05:02Founded in 1961, this terrific and eclectic collection celebrates the spirit of invention, along with art and Florida history.
05:12Amidst the miles of memorabilia, I find CEO Rob Steele.
05:17Rob?
05:18Josh, welcome to the Elliott Museum.
05:19Nice to meet you.
05:20Thrilled to have you here.
05:21I'm thrilled to be here. This place is amazing.
05:24It's eclectic. You never know what's around the next corner.
05:26Well, that kind of brings me to my first question, I guess, which is the place is so diverse.
05:30You've got these awesome cars and, you know, Americana, baseball collection, and now a new exhibit on a group of
05:39notorious criminals.
05:40Beloved notorious criminals, the Ashley Gang.
05:42Right. The Ashley Gang is not, I would say, a household name.
05:46They're really not.
05:47The John Dillinger's carry more notoriety, but the Ashley Gang robbed more than 40 banks, while Dillinger only robbed 24.
05:54Wow.
05:55In the course of their work, it was impressive.
05:58It's a story that is waiting to be told that everyone should know about.
06:02At the center of this gang is John Ashley.
06:07When does John's criminal career kick off?
06:11In his early 20s, John Ashley is in the Everglades, and he has a partner who is a Seminole Indian
06:16named DeSoto Tiger.
06:17They would routinely take a canoe and set trap lines to catch otters and sell the pelts for cash to
06:22the nearby trading posts.
06:24At some point in the game, DeSoto Tiger ends up shot dead and his body floating in the river.
06:30Not long after, John Ashley sells a tall stack of otter pelts with Seminole markings at a trading post in
06:37Miami.
06:38Enter Palm Beach Sheriff George Baker, whose pursuit of the Ashleys will become a family obsession, carried on by his
06:45son, Sheriff Bob Baker.
06:47With ties to the KKK, Sheriff Bob's participation ensures there are no good guys in the story of the Ashley
06:54Gang.
06:55In response to the murder of DeSoto Tiger, a detail of deputies are sent to arrest John Ashley.
07:01And how does that go?
07:03Not altogether well.
07:04They're met with the rifles of the Ashley family.
07:08And John notoriously sent a message to the sheriff saying,
07:12don't send any more chicken-hearted men with rifles.
07:15They're liable to get hurt.
07:16Wow.
07:17At 19 years old?
07:18At 19 years old, he stood toe-to-toe against the sheriff.
07:22And that was the beginning of a feud that lasted until the end of John's life between Sheriff Baker and
07:27John Ashley.
07:28Wow.
07:30As the murder case attracts more attention and controversy,
07:34John Ashley eventually surrenders himself to authorities, only to then break out of jail.
07:39Once a fugitive, John forms a gang of outlaws, joined by his brothers and occasional other partners in crime.
07:47This gang that he forms, this is largely a family affair, right?
07:51Four brothers and a nephew, along with John and his father.
07:55The first few scores are a little bumpy, proving that even a life of crime has a learning curve.
08:01First thing that they knocked over as a gang was a train, right?
08:05Attempted train robbery. It didn't go exactly according to plan.
08:08The teller windows from the Bank of Stewart, which was their first successful robbery as a gang.
08:13These are the actual windows from the bank?
08:15Those are the windows.
08:16Wow. So how much did they get away with in that robbery?
08:19$5,000 was their take.
08:21Not bad for a day's work.
08:22Not bad, when you consider the fact that that's $140,000 in today's dollars.
08:26Oh, that's a very good day's work. It turns out I should be robbing banks.
08:29You might want to reconsider a career change when you hear how the getaway went.
08:33Oh, they don't get away scot-free?
08:34One of the gang members had a misfire of his firearm,
08:37and the bullet passed through John Ashley's jaw, lodged in his skull, and caused his eye to be removed.
08:43Wow. So that's why we always see him with that eye patch.
08:46Add an eye patch and a glass eye.
08:49Now, every good story needs a little romance, and John Ashley's is no exception.
08:55And there is also a Bonnie to his Clyde, right?
08:58Absolutely. Laura Up the Grove is devoted.
09:01Sorry, what now?
09:02Laura Up the Grove.
09:04Sir, this is a family program. Her name is Up the Grove?
09:07Up the Grove.
09:08And she wasn't just a hanger-on here, right?
09:10Not at all. She was a full partner in crime.
09:13Laura earned her way into the gang with her solid marksmanship and cunning criminal mind.
09:18She cased potential robbery spots, oftentimes planned the heist, and even drove the getaway car.
09:24In short, she became a key player.
09:26She was a stalwart member of the gang. There was nothing they couldn't ask her to do.
09:32With a gun-slinging love interest now added to the team, John and the gang embark on a 10-year
09:38crime spree that is simply epic.
09:40Along with daring bank robberies, the gang become major moonshiners in the swamps, producing and selling illegal hooch,
09:48and even engaging in piracy off the Florida coast.
09:51As a criminal enterprise, the Ashley gang is bold and very diversified.
09:56And what's he doing with all this money? He's like a swamp guy, right?
09:59So, like, is he living large?
10:01John Ashley was actually reinvesting in the community.
10:04There are lots of oral histories from people that were directly affected by his generosity.
10:09Like Jesse James, Dillinger, and other criminal antiheroes,
10:12John Ashley has gained a folkloric reputation as a kind of Robin Hood.
10:17Sometimes called the swamp bandit, John's enterprises bring some infrastructure and money to an otherwise undeveloped and impoverished region.
10:25And he had a lot of people on the salary, too, to run all these enterprises.
10:29But other locals, like people in Stewart, whose money was in the bank John robbed, see him for what he
10:35was.
10:36A crook.
10:37And his spree eventually comes to an end, the culmination of his long grudge with Sheriff Baker.
10:43On November 1st, 1924, Baker's deputies are part of a trap set to capture John Ashley and three of his
10:49men as they travel north to Jacksonville.
10:54In the aftermath, John and his associates are shot dead.
11:00Afterward, John Ashley's glass eye is plucked out of its socket and delivered to Sheriff Baker, a twisted trophy to
11:07mark the end of their bitter feud.
11:10Oh.
11:11My.
11:12Word.
11:13Pretty amazing.
11:14Staring back at you.
11:16Literally staring back at me.
11:18This is his actual glass eye.
11:20Correct.
11:22It's actually kind of hard to look at because suddenly it actually seems like this larger-than-life character is
11:29looking back at us.
11:31The sheriff intended to use it to make a keychain.
11:34Okay.
11:34It's a good way to keep an eye out for your car keys.
11:38All right, I'm going to give this back to you.
11:40Back in the case.
11:41Can I get the Purell?
11:44But let's keep an eye on the prize and stay focused on the potential treasure.
11:48How much money did they get away with over the course of this crime spree?
11:52In today's money, millions.
11:54Millions.
11:55Okay.
11:56So I take it the money wasn't recovered at the time.
11:59No.
11:59For almost 100 years now, people have been digging holes in Martin County trying to find it.
12:04And what do you think?
12:05Do you think that that treasure's still out there?
12:07If that amount of money ever saw the light of day, we'd be aware of it.
12:11Just sort of vanished?
12:13Absolutely.
12:14Well, now we just got to find it.
12:16It's a tall task.
12:18Somebody's got to do it.
12:21Fortunately, several investigators are hot on the case.
12:24One is author Patrick Mesmer, who's written three books on the Ashley gang and is now going after their treasure
12:30in the swamps.
12:31I head to a nearby dock to meet him.
12:35Patrick, how are you?
12:36Hey, Josh.
12:37Good meeting you.
12:37Nice to meet you too, man.
12:38Beautiful day.
12:39Oh, it's an awesome day.
12:40Is it a beautiful day for finding treasure?
12:42Every day is a good day for finding treasure.
12:44I like that attitude.
12:45Okay.
12:45Ashley gang.
12:46Is there any truth to the idea that there's Ashley gang treasure out there?
12:50I believe there is.
12:51Really?
12:52Because I've studied a lot about that period of history in this area.
12:55Right.
12:56Patrick's research has turned up information about a largely forgotten Ashley gang moonshining site, a place where John may have
13:03stashed the gang's loot.
13:04And I guess more importantly, do you happen to know where to find it?
13:07I have a pretty good idea of where it is, but it's not where you would think.
13:11Is it in the middle of a marina?
13:12No, it's not here, but we need to leave from here to get where we need to go.
13:16All right, so which one of these yachts is yours?
13:18Yachts?
13:19Who needs a yacht?
13:20I think everybody needs a yacht, don't they?
13:22I've got something better and much faster.
13:25What's better than a yacht?
13:29Evidently, everyone doesn't need a yacht.
13:34Besides, these little motorcycles are a lot of fun.
13:38And very fast.
13:40Holy s***.
13:47We're headed from Stewart to a tiny, narrow patch of land in the mangroves called Corset Island.
13:53I'll see what you got, Patrick.
13:55Patrick lets her rip, and I'm in hot pursuit on a quest for some good old-fashioned Sunshine State treasure.
14:10Okay, Josh, this is Corset Island.
14:13I found an old newspaper article from the 1920s that said that the Ashley Gang camp was here on this
14:20island.
14:21I'm jet skiing in Florida with author-turned-treasure hunter Patrick Mesmer as we search for bank robber and bootlegger
14:28John Ashley's old hideout.
14:31He believes this area was a base for one of their major moonshining operations.
14:36This is impenetrable.
14:38That is, if we can actually get onto the island.
14:41Just all mangroves.
14:43Hey, Josh, I think we can get in over here.
14:46Go for it.
14:47Finally, a possible way in.
14:51We dock at a break in the mangroves.
14:53Okay, here we are.
14:54Let's go find some treasure.
15:03So, what's the move here?
15:04We have some metal detectors.
15:06I think what we're going to do is just check this little shallow area here.
15:09There's some sandy beaches around the island.
15:11We'll just kind of work our way along and see if anything pops up.
15:14Okay, well, let's get after it.
15:17The gang's moonshining exploits peak during Prohibition, the period between 1920 and 1933, when it was illegal to transport, buy,
15:26or sell alcohol within the United States.
15:31You get bull sharks in here?
15:33A few.
15:34Good, good, good, good.
15:35Perfect.
15:36Remote, hidden, and near the coast, Patrick believes this area was a base for one of their major booze operations,
15:42as the gang took full advantage of Prohibition,
15:45building enough liquor stills to kick their side hustle into a large-scale production.
15:51Hey, Josh, I got a hit.
15:55Let me see.
15:58That's a hit for sure.
16:03Certainly smells like treasure.
16:06There it is.
16:11A copper pipe.
16:12Copper pipe.
16:12Hey, a copper pipe was used in a still.
16:15That's absolutely right.
16:16It's old copper, too.
16:17Yep.
16:18That could be still copper.
16:19What's that doing here?
16:21Right.
16:23Our first find elevates our spirits quite a bit.
16:26Now we press inland in hopes of uncovering even more.
16:31Hey, Josh.
16:33Looks like we got an opening here.
16:35Let's see where it goes.
16:42Wow.
16:44Oh, look at that.
16:46I found the interior.
16:48See, this opens up in here.
16:50Oh, wow, it really does.
16:51Look at that.
16:51Yes.
16:57There's building material.
16:58Yeah.
17:00So this area looks like it had buildings on it.
17:03After getting a lay of the land, it doesn't take long for Patrick to surmise how this would
17:08have been an ideal area for a bootlegging operation.
17:12That is a road.
17:13That looks like a road.
17:14It is a road.
17:14Oh, look at that.
17:15So it's like an old abandoned trail that connects the camp out to the water.
17:19This looks like an old trail in here.
17:21Yep.
17:22We got a bluff here.
17:24Once the booze was made, it had to be moved.
17:27Patrick explains how Corset Island operated as a staging ground for the Ashleys to transport
17:33their product discreetly.
17:35This would have been a great spot for the Ashley gang to have a camp.
17:38On the other side of that is the ocean.
17:41This would have been a perfect departure point for trips to the Bahamas just 50 miles away,
17:46where they could buy liquor legally and smuggle it back to the United States.
17:52They would buy cases of booze, and they would bring it back, unload it at a dock here at
17:58this site.
17:58A lot of times the profit margin on booze was six times what they paid for it.
18:03Wow.
18:04It's $70,000 or $80,000 for one trip.
18:07Imagine if you did five trips a week.
18:10They actually had a lock on the rum running trade for several years, where no one could
18:15do it except them.
18:17But as lucrative as this was, the Ashley gang wanted even more.
18:22They weren't just bootleggers.
18:23They were also pirates.
18:24They would attack other rum runners.
18:26You mean literal pirates.
18:28These guys are crazy.
18:29Yes.
18:29How much money are we talking about here?
18:31A lot.
18:32And where is that money?
18:34Underneath our feet.
18:38Convinced we have the right spot, Patrick and I get to work.
18:51Hey, Josh, I got a hit.
18:56Here?
18:57Yep.
18:58Right in that area right there.
19:00Patrick, why don't you dive in there and get that out?
19:03All right.
19:05Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
19:07Patrick, you couldn't find stuff on land?
19:09Hold that for a second.
19:10Mm-hmm.
19:10Remember, kids, treasure hunting is dangerous business.
19:15Just ask my camera operator.
19:18He hit my leg.
19:20What?
19:21It's a crab.
19:22It's been a f***ing.
19:24What is happening?
19:26You all right?
19:28Nothing.
19:29What was it?
19:30A crab.
19:30A crab.
19:31A little crab.
19:32A big crab?
19:33A little crab.
19:34Sure, there's a joke here to be made about my cameraman catching crabs, but I'm above
19:39that.
19:40I thought an alligator had your leg.
19:42So did I.
19:43Okay, where were we?
19:46Can I hold this for a second?
19:47Mm-hmm.
19:48Let's see if I can...
19:51Here we go.
19:53Oh, I got it.
19:58What is that?
19:59Wow.
20:02I thought it was a beer tab for a second, but it's not.
20:06Oh, you know what this is?
20:07I think this is part of a lantern.
20:08I think that's the wick turner on an oil lamp.
20:10Yeah.
20:11A really old oil lamp.
20:13Wow.
20:13Let's see.
20:14It's stamped.
20:14It says, Dietz Company.
20:16A trusty 1920s Dietz Oil Lamp would have been the perfect way for the Ashley Gang to illuminate
20:22their bootlegging activities in the stealth of night.
20:26That is so cool.
20:35Gold coin.
20:36Gold coin.
20:36Come on, gold coin.
20:37Come on.
20:39Or whatever this is.
20:40Huh.
20:41What do you think?
20:42Some kind of armature.
20:45Whatever it is, it's not treasure.
20:47Keep moving.
20:48We continue to search and to dig.
20:52And dig.
20:55Have at it, Patrick.
20:57How's it going, Patrick?
20:58I'm determined.
21:00Yeah, that's how I started.
21:02Now I'm determined to find a daiquiri.
21:06After a few hours of investigating, it feels like we need a new tactic.
21:10All right, so, promising spot for sure.
21:13Couple cool finds.
21:14No treasure yet.
21:15No, but I'll tell you what.
21:16I brought a couple of special tools that I think might give us an edge.
21:20All right, what do you got?
21:26Magnets.
21:27Magnets?
21:30Magnets.
21:32Magnet fishing, as the pros call it, is actually a surprisingly effective way to recover items
21:37underwater.
21:38And it's also a hell of an upper body workout.
21:42Okay, Josh.
21:43This magnet has 3,600 pounds of pull.
21:46I take it that's strong?
21:47It's very strong.
21:48Okay.
21:49It won't pick up gold or silver, but sometimes those items get concreted in with other things,
21:54like a case or a box.
21:57After a hundred years of storms and erosion, anything the Ashleys may have buried on Corset Island
22:02is just as likely to be bogged down in the water's edge as it is in the ground.
22:07Now, is there a specific technique to this?
22:10We take the magnet, and we throw it in the water.
22:13Okay.
22:13Run that by me one more time.
22:15We take the magnet, and we throw it in the water.
22:18I got it now.
22:24That was a good one.
22:25I feel real good about this one.
22:27We cast out into the water again and again, until finally Patrick feels a little added resistance
22:34on his line.
22:35Oh, I got something.
22:37What do you got?
22:40Come on.
22:45It's shiny.
22:46What is that?
22:49It's a knife.
22:50It's a steak knife.
22:54All right, well, is that a weapon from the Ashleys gang?
22:56I don't think so.
22:58John Ashley was known for holding up banks, not steakhouses.
23:02You get three more of those, we got a set.
23:05Oftentimes, success relies upon perseverance.
23:08With magnet fishing, that's even more so.
23:12There's worse ways to spend an afternoon.
23:14We continue to toss our magnets into the water in the hopes we can drag in some of that sweet
23:19Ashleys gang treasure.
23:22Old nail.
23:24Unfortunately, hours later, we have little to show for it but some sore shoulders.
23:31I got a fish hook.
23:35What's it going to take to find Ashleys gang treasure out here, you think?
23:38I think it's going to take dedication and hard work just like we've been doing today.
23:42Florida has 1,300 miles of coastline and for hundreds of years, it's been all about smuggling
23:48and piracy all along our coast.
23:50And a lot of that story is still buried here.
23:52Right.
23:53And as we see over and over again and even today, that history keeps coming back to the surface.
23:58Yes, it does.
23:59All right, well, we got to keep looking.
24:01We should probably go make sure those jet skis are still there.
24:02I agree.
24:04Let's go.
24:04Let's go.
24:06Patrick and I jet back towards civilization, having explored what might be one of the Ashleys
24:11gang's bases of operation.
24:13But there's another critical location associated with the gang that might yield even more.
24:18Back in the town of Stewart, I'm following in the gang's footsteps to see where they lead
24:23and where they end.
24:25This restaurant over here used to be the old Bank of Stewart.
24:28It's where John Ashley lost his eye.
24:30And in fact, the gang robbed this place not once, but twice.
24:34By the second time, they were so recognizable that they couldn't just walk in unnoticed.
24:39So John's nephew slipped in by wearing a dress.
24:43As for John, he found himself in and out of prison, escaping for the third time in 1923.
24:51By this time, the Ashley gang kicks their robberies into high gear, operating out of a homestead
24:56and moonshining headquarters deep in the swamp, where many believe their ill-gotten treasure
25:01was ultimately buried.
25:03The only problem?
25:04The town was torched to the ground and then lost to history.
25:08But now, two experts believe they've found it.
25:18I'm on the trail of the notorious bandit and moonshiner John Ashley.
25:22Now, Florida historians Steve Carr and Chessie Ricca believe they relocated a lost town that
25:29might contain the lost treasure of the notorious gangster.
25:33So let's start with a little orientation.
25:35Where are we?
25:35Well, you're standing in the town of Fruita.
25:38I'm sorry, the town?
25:39The town of Fruita.
25:41The ghost town of Fruita.
25:43I don't even see a ghost town.
25:44Like, where is it?
25:45Well, you gotta look hard.
25:47It's here.
25:48So there was a town here.
25:50And when was this town in existence?
25:53Roughly 1910 through 1912.
25:55It began its roots, homesteaded by Joe Ashley, the father of the notorious bandit John Ashley.
26:03John Ashley actually called this home, and this was his base of operation.
26:07And they, their home was where?
26:09It was right here where you're standing.
26:10Like, right here, right here?
26:11Yeah.
26:11This is the Ashley homestead.
26:13You're standing on top of it.
26:15If Steve is right, this is the location of one of the most dramatic and bloody events in the gang's
26:21history.
26:22Remember Sheriff Bob Baker, the one who would eventually use John's glass eye as a keychain?
26:27Well, having had quite enough of the Ashley gang's exploits,
26:30Baker orders a large group of heavily armed deputies to raid the Ashley homestead in the pre-dawn hours of
26:37January 9th, 1924.
26:44A massive shootout ensues.
26:49And while John escapes, the sheriff's men burn the Ashley home and their moonshining operation into oblivion.
26:57Right here, Josh.
26:59That's ceramics from the, probably from the Ashley homestead, from the house.
27:04This place was burned to the ground.
27:06The dishes inside it, of course, were crushed.
27:09Wow.
27:09There's archaeological evidence that the house existed and was here.
27:13Look at that, a dinner plate that might have been in the Ashley home.
27:16John Ashley may have eaten off of that plate.
27:19How crazy is that?
27:20This famous raid that went down, that was supposed to have taken place near one of the big stills they
27:26were moonshining in, right?
27:27So, in one fell swoop, the idea was to bring enough deputies here.
27:33And, Josh, they didn't come with warrants.
27:35They came here to do business, to take this place out.
27:39Fruita is gone.
27:40It was destroyed in one night.
27:41The main target of the raid was the gang's whiskey stills.
27:46Steve and Chessie not only believe they've found that area, they think the Ashley treasure could still be buried there.
27:52So, let's talk about this treasure, right?
27:55There are these rumors, these stories that it might have been hidden out near this still site.
28:00Do we know where this raid took place, the actual kind of flashpoint out here?
28:04Yes, we do.
28:05We're lucky to have photographs of where the site was.
28:08And I think with 99% certainty, Josh, I can put you on that whiskey still site, which was the
28:14whole point of the raid.
28:15Can we see it?
28:16You ready to go?
28:17Please.
28:22Now, Josh, I want you to keep an eye out for these cactuses here.
28:25Yeah.
28:26Also, there's one other thing you've got to keep an eye out for.
28:29We've got pygmy rattlesnakes.
28:32What the hell's a pygmy rattlesnake?
28:33It's like a rattlesnake, but small, and it has no rattle.
28:37But the rattle's the one way you know they're there.
28:41Welcome to Florida.
28:42This state is crazy.
28:44All right, come on.
28:46Keeping an ever-watchful eye out for non-rattling snakes and whatever other wildlife Florida has in store for us,
28:52we finally arrive at a clearing, which Steve believes was at the center of the police raid.
28:58So, Josh, where we're standing, this was that major still site.
29:03The big whiskey still was right here.
29:04Right here in front of you.
29:05Now, there's an old photograph that showed the sheriff's deputies who raided this place in 1924.
29:13Yes, I've seen that.
29:13They're all lined up, right, in front of a building.
29:15Correct.
29:16And that building was right there.
29:21And was that building the still?
29:23It was the still house.
29:25It was the operation.
29:27During Prohibition, they were producing over 100 gallons of whiskey a day.
29:31Sorry, 100 gallons of whiskey a day?
29:33100 gallons of whiskey a day.
29:34This was a massive operation.
29:36This was one of the most productive activities anywhere in the country.
29:40So, how do we know that still was right here?
29:42I'm going to prove that to you.
29:45So, Josh, I got something I want you to see here.
29:48Oh, look at this.
29:48What do we got?
29:49I believe that's going to be part of the foundation stone for the still that we were talking about.
29:54I mean, that is a cut stone for sure.
29:56Look at that.
29:57It is.
29:57What do you got?
29:58That's some blue glass.
29:59Blue glass.
30:00So, what's blue glass doing out here?
30:02Well, John Ashley's brother, Bill, produced his own brand of moonshine, and he put it in those blue bottles.
30:08That's it right there, right?
30:09We got moonshiners glass and a foundation stone in the middle of nowhere.
30:13And we got a lot more over here to show you, too.
30:15Wow.
30:16All right.
30:16Well, let's go find it.
30:19Everything points to this being the location of the raid.
30:22I got a broken whiskey bottle.
30:24Look at that.
30:24Whiskey bottle.
30:25If you find a full one, Chessie, let me know.
30:28If this is the spot, it makes sense that treasure could be buried here, too.
30:33After all, the gang was making a lot of money here, and most of it has never been found.
30:38A lot of people believe that they could have been producing as much as $5,000 a day in revenue.
30:45And that's a hell of a lot of money in 1920.
30:49Ashley had a penchant for swapping paper money out for gold.
30:53He couldn't put his proceeds in the bank.
30:55He had to hide it.
30:56Yeah.
30:58If he's producing $5,000 a day, Josh, we could be talking millions, if not billions, of dollars in gold.
31:06It's believed that John may have buried boxes of gold coins out here near their base of operations.
31:12Our mission?
31:13Look for the loot, but also see if we can find any remnants of the gang's presence, which would be
31:18historic.
31:20We point our noses to the ground and slowly start walking the site.
31:25Oh, I got metal.
31:26Steve.
31:29So, what do you think?
31:30Uh, it could be part of a stove.
31:33As we scour the land, I can't help but feel goosebumps at the idea that John Ashley and his gang
31:38may have stood in this very place.
31:41Hey, guys, I think I got something cool over here.
31:45Where?
31:46Look at that!
31:48Wow!
31:53Hey, guys, I think I got something cool over here.
31:55We're in the swamps of Florida searching for traces of the Ashley gang and their treasure.
32:01I think I got a bullet.
32:02I think I got a bullet.
32:03Wow!
32:03Now, we may have just uncovered a remnant from one of the bloodiest chapters in their history.
32:09Oh, big one.
32:10Look at that!
32:12That is too cool.
32:14So that is...
32:18That's 12-gauge.
32:20Look at that.
32:21Look, we got another one.
32:22Two of them!
32:23They're just literally laying there?
32:25Yeah.
32:25Josh, this speaks to the violent nature of this story.
32:28When Sheriff Baker's men come to the homestead, they're not here to negotiate.
32:33They immediately open fire on the gang.
32:36In the mayhem, Joe Ashley, John's father, is shot and killed.
32:42Having witnessed his father's death, John immediately fires back in retaliation,
32:48killing Officer Fred Baker, cousin of Sheriff Baker.
32:53John's girlfriend, Laura, is also seriously injured, taking three wounds to the abdomen.
32:59John, however, miraculously escapes.
33:03And, like almost every other part of John Ashley's story, though, they don't kill him.
33:08Yeah, he had kind of a sixth sense about these things.
33:11And while everybody was sleeping, John always seemed to have one eye open.
33:15Remember, he...
33:16Well, that's all he had.
33:18Sorry, it was right in front of me.
33:19It was right in front of me.
33:21Just the idea that we may be holding the shells that were used to kill somebody out here.
33:26Absolutely.
33:27People died out here.
33:27This was a life-and-death situation, man.
33:29This was one of the biggest battles in Palm Beach County history.
33:35One of the reasons John survived is that he was sleeping in a campsite
33:39away from the main whiskey still and the Ashley home.
33:42This site must be close by, and there's been a long-standing local rumor
33:46that another whiskey still was there as well.
33:49We head deeper into the swamp to search, and Chessie almost immediately detects something.
33:57Hey, guys.
33:57I got a good mark over here.
34:01Could just be a piece of metal.
34:02Let's see if it'll come out here.
34:03Is that it?
34:07Is it scrap iron or something?
34:09Yeah, that's what it looks like.
34:10Just a thin piece of scrap metal.
34:11Okay, well.
34:13That's a good sign.
34:15Soon, even more metal comes out of the ground.
34:18There's like a little nail in there.
34:23It's got that rounded kind of edge.
34:26This was attached to whatever the remainder of that is over there.
34:30Like edge of a crate, maybe?
34:32Something was here.
34:33I don't know if it tells us that we're at this campsite, but...
34:37It tells you that man, at one point in time, was in fact right here.
34:40That's a start.
34:41We'll take it.
34:42All right, let's keep looking.
34:44What might be the edge of a box handle is an intriguing sign.
34:47In fact, there are signs everywhere.
34:54Hey, Josh.
34:55I got something for you.
34:57More scrap metal?
34:58Well, I don't think so.
35:00This looks like an old trap.
35:03Oh, my word.
35:04They were otter hunters.
35:06Careful that thing's not still loaded.
35:07It is definitely a trap.
35:08Yeah!
35:10Ow!
35:12We can take it off of that.
35:13Son of a...
35:14Yeah, it's a trap.
35:15That is a trap.
35:16It's an old animal trap.
35:17And what's cool about it is it's still got the chain stuck to it.
35:20Right?
35:20I don't want to break it, obviously, but the crazy thing is, look at that.
35:23You can still...
35:23It's still moving.
35:24You can still actually set this trap.
35:26All the pieces of it are here.
35:28All the things these guys are known for, the moonshining, the guns, the traps, the...
35:33Like, we're finding all of these things that are so closely associated with these guys, too, right?
35:38That's the beauty in archaeology is it allows us to tell their story from what they left behind.
35:51Hey, guys, I think I got something cool over here.
35:59I think I found something crazy.
36:01What?
36:02It's ripped on the side like a coin, but it's thicker than a coin.
36:06Thank you so much.
36:07Try that.
36:09What?
36:09Is that a coin?
36:11It's a silver dollar.
36:12It's actually two silver dollars.
36:14Those are coins.
36:14Jesse, it's two silver dollars stuck together.
36:17Are you kidding me?
36:18Ashley treasure.
36:19There you go.
36:20Right there.
36:21Look at that.
36:24These are two-piece Liberty dollars, minted between 1921 and 1928, which puts us right on the money for the
36:32Ashley gang.
36:33Hey.
36:34Nice job.
36:35Thank you, sir.
36:37These discoveries are strong indicators that we may be close to the camp and long-lost moonshine still, where John
36:43Ashley was sleeping the night of the raid.
36:46Encouraged, we press our search into more unforgiving territory.
36:50Josh, this is getting thick back here.
36:53I mean, super overgrown.
36:55This is the old, uh, old Florida.
36:57This is, like, prehistoric Florida.
37:00If you were a pioneer back in early Florida, this is what you had to survive.
37:08See any glass?
37:09I'm not seeing much.
37:10Me neither.
37:15Hey, Josh.
37:16What do you got?
37:16Check this out.
37:17This is what we've been looking for.
37:20Shut up.
37:21This is it.
37:21Dude, look at this.
37:23This is part of a still.
37:24This is the boiler tank for a still.
37:27Get out of here.
37:29That's insane.
37:30That is too cool.
37:31Here in the woods, we found the boiler tank.
37:33Dude, that's unbelievable.
37:36Woo!
37:37Take a look at this.
37:38Is that blue paint in there?
37:39Yeah, well, no, it's a ceramic finish inside, which is important because in a moonshine still,
37:46you had to keep the mash perfectly clean.
37:48It couldn't mix with rust or anything else.
37:49Right, right.
37:50Guys, look.
37:52Sitting right here.
37:52A bottle literally right in front of you.
37:54Right there.
37:55That's insane.
37:57This whole site, I think, is just littered with this stuff.
38:00Yeah.
38:01This is now, I think, a significant place.
38:03This old still is a remarkable piece of American history.
38:07It's the very tool of the trade that the Ashley Gang used to amass great wealth during the
38:12time of Prohibition.
38:14This place is like a gold mine.
38:16There's stuff everywhere.
38:18All right, everybody keep looking around.
38:19Everybody.
38:20Got it, Josh.
38:21This is insane.
38:22Believing we're now in the heart of John Ashley's camp, we immediately fan out around the
38:27still to see if anything else is here.
38:30Getting a lot thicker in here.
38:36Uh, Steve?
38:37Yeah?
38:38What the f*** is this?
38:39Guys, come here.
38:41There's a huge hunk of metal here.
38:44Wow.
38:45What the hell is this?
38:53Life is a journey filled with crossroads and choices.
38:56But in Stewart, Florida, one of the more terrifying feats of civil engineering lies here at a
39:01intersection affectionately called Confusion Corner.
39:05This doesn't seem so confusing.
39:08Sorry.
39:10I guess I go here and comes here.
39:15Oh, good lord.
39:17Eight streets, a traffic circle, and a train all meet in one jumbled junction.
39:22What could possibly go wrong?
39:24Look, kids, Big Ben.
39:26Who designed this?
39:29So the next time your life is at a crossroads, no matter how bad you think it is, it could
39:34always be worse.
39:36Oh, and merge carefully.
39:38Go ahead.
39:39Go ahead.
39:41We got it.
39:43Sweet lord above.
39:44I'm alive.
39:47Somebody's got to fix that.
39:51Guys, come here.
39:52There's a huge hunk of metal here.
39:54Wow.
39:56Wow, wow, wow, wow.
39:56What the hell is this?
39:58Having found a long-forgotten whiskey still, we're scouring the location of a lost campsite
40:03belonging to the notorious John Ashley.
40:06And we've just made another find.
40:08Wait, is this actually a car?
40:10Whatever it is, it's big.
40:12Oh, my God.
40:13Oh, my God.
40:13Well, that answers your question.
40:16Dude, it's a car.
40:17You asked, and I think...
40:19Why is there a car in the middle of the forest?
40:22Did it grow out of it?
40:24You've got a tree growing through the center.
40:27John would have had a vehicle out at this camp to move Moonshine into town and across the
40:32state.
40:33There's a headlight.
40:34Look how tinny these...
40:35That's a headlight.
40:35Look at that.
40:36Look at the green spider on it.
40:38That's ancient.
40:40Old car.
40:411920s, definitely.
40:43Wait, this could be John Ashley's car.
40:47That's insane.
40:49Yeah, look at this, Josh.
40:51This kind of looks like maybe the grill or where a radiator could be.
40:55It's a lot of metal, I can say.
40:57Yeah, it is a lot of metal.
40:58This is a fender.
41:00I'm thinking it might be a truck, because the trucks from the 20s had the door cut out.
41:06Can you see how it falls like a cutout pattern?
41:09For sure, right here.
41:09So I think this is an old truck, like an old Model T.
41:13Based on the pieces we found, Steve believes this could be a Ford Model TT, which debuted
41:19in 1917 and fits the timeline of John Ashley.
41:23This is truly a remarkable discovery.
41:26This changes everything, Josh.
41:28In my mind, I can almost see the whiskey camp right here.
41:32We're boiling whiskey over here, the truck to load up the whiskey when it's ready to go.
41:37We have trails running back here to who knows where.
41:40We're finding bottles that clearly date to the period.
41:44I mean, what more could you ask?
41:46This is really a treasure.
41:49To me, this is treasure.
41:51Finding an antique truck in the middle of the Everglades.
41:55Clearly nobody has been here before us.
41:58I see no signs of modern, anything modern.
42:01Not a beer can, not anything.
42:03We are just rediscovering the whiskey camp of the Ashley gang.
42:08This is treasure.
42:09This is real treasure.
42:10To an archaeologist, this is a lifetime of work.
42:13I mean, this is a whole camp here.
42:16An archaeologist could work out here for years.
42:19This is so awesome.
42:21As for John Ashley himself, he escapes the raid, but not the long arm of the law.
42:26In November of 24, fed up and embarrassed by John Ashley's exploits,
42:32Sheriff Baker receives a tip that the Ashleys will be traveling north on the Dixie Highway.
42:36The police place a chain across the road, stopping the car and handcuffing the gang.
42:42According to one of the deputies, John Ashley makes a sudden move,
42:46giving the officers no choice but to shoot all of the men.
42:51The gang, like this site, will eventually fall to ruin.
42:55Laura, it is said, lays low in Palm Beach County,
42:59operating a gas station until 1927, when she dies by poisoning,
43:03possibly having taken her own life.
43:06The so-called King of the Everglades finally receives his Florida retirement.
43:10Today, the Ashley Family Cemetery resides within the bounds of a private country club
43:16near the 18th hole of a beautiful golf course.
43:19Given John's crime-ridden past, it's a pretty decent lie.
43:25And while he's received a reputation as a beloved scoundrel,
43:29the fact is, he was undoubtedly a ruthless criminal.
43:33Personally, I'm more intrigued by those who are trying to preserve the early history of this wild state.
43:40And rediscover the gang that thrived in its humid swamps.
43:44Beneath the overgrown vines, we've unearthed historic finds
43:48that helped to paint a fuller picture of the Ashley gang.
43:52I thank Steve and Chessie for the incredible adventure
43:55and wish them luck on future excavations.
43:59Oh, and of course, I remind them to call me
44:01if and when they ever find a missing box of Ashley treasure.
44:09Thanks a lot.
44:09Oh, let's check.