The Army’s official position on the whereabouts of the gold is still a cautious one. According to Jim Eckles, civilian public affairs officer at White Sands Missile Range, the burden of proof rests with the accusers. There is just no way of satisfying everyone involved in this mystery.

Some researchers believe the Army really did retrieve much of the gold and then perpetrated a cover-up. They point out that the army spent hundreds of thousands of dollars digging and excavating Victorio Peak. They also point out that the Army built roads and even placed a locked steel door over the original shaft discovered by Doc Noss. Why...if not to conceal?

Was Captain Orby Swanner telling the truth? Did the Army removed the gold from Victorio Peak? Is there any physical evidence that Captain Swanner, or anyone for that matter, was ever, in fact, inside Victorio Peak in 1961? There are some who claim that Swanner left evidence of his presence in the cave, and that during the 1977 excavation, military debris---battery packs and such---was found. There is also the claim that they photographed a name and a date and an Army serial number on the wall of one of the tunnels. The name was Capt. Orby Swanner. The date was 7 OCT 1961.

Understandably, members of the Noss family and their friends believe that the military may have exploited Babe’s claim and that the treasure is now gone. They think soldiers may have moved it out by October 1961. But it is also entirely possible that the treasure still remains. The codices mentioned a total of seven entrances into the peak---presumably doorways to seven different treasure locations. Doc Noss’ was the summit; Captain Fiege’s was along one side. Suppose there are others?

Terry Delongas just doesn't know. “We're not accusing the military of stealing the gold, but I do feel that the Department of the Army in the 1960’s treated my grandmother unfairly. They really tried to make a fool out of her, and all the time she was telling the truth. They had sent my grandmother on a wild goose chase for decades. If that is the fact, I think a great injustice has been done. However, we’ve worked very hard over the years to establish a working relationship with the military, and we're certainly not going to jeopardize that by accusing them of theft.”

It is doubtful anyone will know the truth about Victorio Peak until it is thoroughly excavated. There is no doubt a treasure existed; it has been photographed, affidavits are on file from those who have seen it, and Babe Noss had relics from it. Researchers also believe that the mine of Father La Rue was the hiding place of Chief Victorio’s plunder...and Doc Noss’ discovery.

Babe Noss died in 1979 and since then, her heirs have continued to push the Army for permission to excavate the peak. A special act of Congress, House Bill 2461 passed in 1989, has unlocked the Hembrillo Basin for Terry Delonas and the other heirs of Babe Noss to investigate. The Partnership has been allowed back on the range, but as late as 1995, they had still found nothing. The search is on-going.

Is the treasure still there? No one knows for sure. With all the blasting and digging that has occurred on the peak over the past sixty years, it may be impossible to economically excavate. But if it does still exist, the entire treasure today is estimated to be worth more than $1.7 billion dollars.

Source: Sierra

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