Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Knights of the Golden Circle

Bob Brewer was born and raised in western Arkansas. As a youngster, his great-uncle introduced him to a mystery that included wilderness paths, hidden symbols, carvings on trees and rocks, and the topography of certain areas. The old man was the keeper of some sort of secret knowledge that he kept to himself.

Brewer went off to a career in the Navy and retired in 1977. He returned to Arkansas and began to explore the mystery of his childhood. Over the next 25 years, he interviewed old-timers, researched documents, studied old maps, made alliances and went on expeditions. He became convinced he was on the trail of lost treasure.

Warren Getler, a former Wall Street Journal investigative reporter, has teamed with Brewer to create the book titled SHADOW OF THE SENTINEL which reveals the mystery of the Knights of the Golden Circle and their involvement in a vast Civil War era conspiracy.

The Knights of the Golden Circle (KGC) was a secret society formed in 1854 by sympathizers of Southern causes, dedicated to supporting pro-slavery policies and promoting the conquest of Mexico. It was created directly out of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and linked to the highest circles of American Freemasons.

During the Civil War, KGC operatives amassed huge quantities of gold and silver through clandestine raids. The caches were hidden in various secret locations, particularly in Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas, marked by a trail of complicated KGC ciphers. The accumulation of riches continued after the end of the Civil War in anticipation of a second war. Operations ceased in 1922 and the caches were sealed for good.

Getler and Brewer claim that the infamous outlaw Jesse James, a member of the KGC who turned over much of his ill-gotten gain to the cause, wasn’t actually killed in 1882 by Bob Ford as reported. A fellow named Charlie Bigelow who resembled Jesse James had been robbing banks using Jesse’s name. Supposedly, Jesse killed him and hired a prostitute to pose as Mrs. Jesse James to officially identify the body. Others who identified the body were all relatives or members of Quantrill’s Raiders, Jesse’s former comrades.

The real Jesse James then changed his name to J. Frank Dalton (his mother’s maiden name was Dalton) and continued his nefarious life as Chief of the Inner Sanctum of the Knights of the Golden Circle.

According to the book titled JESSE JAMES WAS ONE OF HIS NAMES by Jesse James III (the grandson) and Del Schroeder, Jesse James was indeed a prominent member of the KGC and hid large quantities of stolen riches in various locations on behalf of the secret society. In addition, John Wilkes Booth, the man who assassinated President Lincoln, was also a member of the Knights of the Golden Circle and didn’t die as history tells us either.

Booth was smuggled by the Confederate underground to Texas where he became a bartender by the name of John St. Helen. In the 1870s, he began telling folks about his past. When members of the KGC found out, they decided to silence him. Booth fled to Enid, Oklahoma, under the name of David George but was eventually tracked down by Jesse James and William Lincoln (a distant cousin of Abraham Lincoln who had spent 14 years searching for the real Booth). James and Lincoln then tricked Booth to drink a glass of arsenic-laced lemonade. James subsequently arranged to have Booth’s mummified body exhibited on a national carnival tour.

In her book titled THIS ONE MAD ACT, John Wilkes Booth’s granddaughter, Iola Forrester Booth, reveals that her grandfather had belonged to the Knights of the Golden Circle and had not been killed in Baltimore as reported in history, but rather had escaped capture through the aid of fraternal brothers.

The Supreme Headquarters for the Knights of the Golden Circle was 814 Fatherland Drive in Nashville, Tennessee. This was the home of Dr. Sylvester Frank James, older brother of Jesse James and high-ranking member of the KGC. Years later it became the Dixie Tabernacle, the original home of the Grand Olde Opry.

As conspiracies go, it’s a whopper. But then again, it’s so bizarre it’s probably true.

I originally wrote this piece as a newspaper column in February of 2004. Not long after publication, a man from Tennessee and a woman from Mississippi, neither of whom knew each other, each sent me detailed messages confirming the authenticity of this story, claiming it had been passed down within their respective families.
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Quote for the Day – "A warrior lives by acting, not by thinking about acting, nor by thinking about what he will think when he has finished acting." Carlos Castaneda (shaman)
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Bret Burquest is a former award-winning columnist and author of four novels. He lives in the Ozark Mountains with a dog named Buddy Lee and a multitude of wilderness paths. His blogs appear on several websites, including www.myspace.com/bret1111
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5 comments:

KGC Research and Archive said...

Thank you for your interest. I am sharing your blog with our forum.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Knights_of_the_Golden_Circle

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1.) James A Liddil in St Joesph Mo day Jesse James Died? as well wife Mattie Collins .2.)Liddil in Adairsville got fight wood Hite 3.) Liddil Shot Wood Hite but claim Bob Ford shot Wood Hite(Richmond Mo)?4.)Bob writes Liddil at his sisters_Liddil goes to Las Vegas & Creede Colorado business with Bob Ford?(ford dies) 5.)4-3-82 bullet hit jesse head didn't go thru head- cut head from being hit by revolver not by bullet?6.)GeoShepherd once said he shot jesse back head?7.)Jesse loved Horses-Infact pix Horse wall?Jesse even named his Horses pet names? The horses found in Jesse James’ stable at the time of his death were not his horses, but were horses stolen by the Fords and brought there. Jesse's horses were in the stable of his mother in Clay county, and they disappeared from there the night of the 4th of April, the day succeeding the one on which Jesse was killed. They were removed by Frank James, for purposes that can readily be conceived.(Frank wasn't at Jesse funeral?) Info from zee & Zerelda book Life Times Jesse James by Frank Triplett.8.) Auction: Jesse House St Joesph Mo (wife sold jesse stuff?)9.)Jesse Wife co author book with Mrs Samuels express payment conditions terms?10.)Mrs Samuels Mother & Frank James sells out by allow tours by paying visitors & even sell pebbles on Jesse grave?This goes on til 1978?11.) Zee buried next jesse? Frank cremate supposedly with anna not buried near Jesse?Zee Son JesseJr not in Missouri nor is he buried in Missouri but Zee daughter lives near Kearney both in movie about Jesse?12.) Jesse E James Jr said Dalton financial gain & put papers? Didn't Jr get alot of publicity &gain from Jesse Sr?13.) Zee said Jesse didn't trust Fords so why would lay his weapons down & get up chair dust fix picture in front 2 men he did not trust?14.)Zee said Jesse left at times she never knew where he went &she heard other women claim to been with Jesse ?Zee didn't know facts when Jesse died & call self Howard & Ford Johnsons?Zee tired of the moving/hiding/lying about names changing names?15.)Samuel mother didn't recognize body as her son?because beard? Jesse had beard many times?16.)Dick Liddil Friends lives with Ben Hudspeth Morrow,Silas B Hudspeth, Robert N Hudspeth&meet Jesse joins his robbing gang?The Hudspeth stable is used Gang & Hudspeth quantril raider?Not only that Hudspeth goes idenify jesse at the funeral as pailbears?17.)Jesse & Frank are quantrill raiders?18.)countless people claim it not Jesse?Newspaper Doc Exam body told body was not jesse james?19.)brass bucket names on it -with Jesse Frank and Bud Dalton? J.Frank Dalton hold bucket?20.)Frank James Fletcher Oka 1907-13 then Kearney?21.)john pierce neighbor said not Jesse?Jesse neighbor Chris Howard has bro Thomas kill by mistaken identity?Lucian Carter/Francis Street claim not Jesse but horse trader?Gen James Craig doubt man is Jesse and many more ?22.)who is Harrison Trow - identify body at funeral?then disappears?live blue springs Mo?23.)Bigelow brothers Charlie,John,&Bert?24.)J.Frank Dalton-want name change dod1951 or 1882?