Beyond Oak Island (2020–…): Season 2, Episode 3 - The Buried Loot of Sam Bass - full transcript

Tonight on Beyond Oak Island...

Sam Bass was
a notorious train robber.

He must have been
quite successful.

In just one robbery,
he got $60,000

in newly minted $20-gold pieces.

He buried
them in four different caches.

We have located two
of his known hideouts.

- Go find it.
- Absolutely.

- I’m coming in.
- What do you see?

- There’s another little chamber in there.
- Really?

- Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
- What is it?



- A coin.
- That’s a coin.

All the while we
were growing up,

my brother and I were
fascinated with finding treasure.

Pirate treasure,

cursed treasure.

Civil War gold.

Since then,
our work on Oak Island

has shown us there’s
a world of mysteries...

- Whoa.
- Waiting to be explored.

So, we like to reach
out to other treasure hunters.

X marks the spot,
right there. Brilliant.

- We want to hear their stories...
- That’s right.

- And share our insights.
- "Ill-gotten gains."

- And who knows...
- I got it.



Maybe we can help
them with their search.

Not only in America.

Wow. That is gold.

- But all over the world.
- Yeah!

Beyond Oak Island.

You know what I
love is when the treasure mystery

matches the allure of
the personalities involved.

You know what I mean? When
you have a huge personality

- involved or a legend involved.
- Sure.

You mean like Rick Lagina?

- Bingo. Right.
- Yeah.

- Well, like a Dan Blankenship.
- Dan Blankenship.

Right? Or Fred Nolan?

- Fred.
- Um, or even, you know,

I think we all love
the American west.

And-and those stories
attached to those guys...

Those gunslingers,
those legendary outlaws...

It doesn’t get any
better than that for me.

- Well, we grew up with that, right? I mean...
- Yeah, of course.

Think of the names
associated with the old west.

It’s incredibly
fascinating, you know.

Larger-than-life figures.

Yeah, but the stuff I
read when I was a kid...

And I was all
enthralled with people

like Kit Carson
and stuff like that.

This whole concept
of hero or villain

keeps popping up
time and time again,

depending on which
side you were on.

- Right?
- Absolutely.

And you know what
was very interesting,

in-in looking at outlaws,

I was surprised actually

by how many of them
came from the state of Texas.

- Texas for sure.
- There you go.

During the post-Civil
War years of the early 1870s,

the state of Texas was
still very much frontier land.

Because of its fertile
agricultural landscape,

it offered great opportunities

to those seeking legitimate
livelihoods in farming,

ranching and mercantilism.

However, because
of its vastness,

it also became an ideal
place for those looking

to escape debt, the
weariness of war and the law.

Texas in the 1870s
still had a frontier to it.

Up to that point in time,
law enforcement officials

really were not adept at
chasing down bad guys.

As a result, it was
fertile ground for outlaws

and bad guys to come and find
a good hideaway and camp out.

Opportunities in Texas, uh,
seemed to appeal to them.

Travelers along the remote roads
were often stopped and robbed.

Stagecoaches were
stopped and robbed.

Sometimes payrolls that were
transported by stagecoaches

or freight wagons were robbed.

A lot of outlaws took
advantage of this.

There are accounts where
hundreds of thousands

of dollars’ worth of
usually gold coins

were taken in a robbery.

A couple of saddlebags
full of gold weighs a lot.

And so, uh, in many cases
they simply hid their booty

and then fled, again,
with the intention of

coming back and
retrieving it at a later date.

This particular
case that I’m kind of

looking into right now involves
a guy named Sam Bass.

- Mm-hmm.
- Some people call him the Robin Hood of the west,

that he stole from the
rich and gave to the poor.

And I also know that his
reign was short, apparently.

Then he must’ve
been quite infamous.

He must’ve been
quite successful.

- He could go...
- Well, yeah, a lot of them were like that, weren’t they?

Wasn’t Jesse James
pretty short-lived

- and a lot of these guys?
- Yeah.

I think Sam Bass fits
exactly in that world

of somewhere in the middle
of hero and villain, I guess.

In 1869,

Indiana native Sam Bass

made his way to Texas
at the young age of 18

with initial plans of
pursuing a virtuous vocation.

Sam Bass

had been, uh, attracted
to the state of Texas

with tales of
cowboying and ranching

and a certain amount of glamour

that he saw
associated, uh, with this.

After a
successful stint in horse racing,

which earned him a
taste of small-time fame,

Bass transitioned

into herding cattle,
hoping it would lead

to greater success in ranching.

However,

the grueling physical
labor and meager pay

prompted him to consider
other, more daring ways

to earn a living.

Sam Bass, uh,

he made friends with a
man named Joel Collins.

And Collins came
up with the idea

of putting together a herd

and the whole notion of being
successful cattle ranchers.

But that didn’t pay off,

and they ran out of
money pretty quick.

And they turned
to stage robbery.

Some way of getting money.

But Sam Bass,

being an entrepreneurial sort,

thought that there was
probably a better way

to do this, and he
focused on trains.

Bass set his sights on
a station for the Union Pacific Railroad

in Big Springs, Nebraska,

and on the evening
of September 18, 1877,

he and his gang pulled off

one of the boldest
train robberies in history.

So, they picked Big Springs,

and they waited for it
to come into the station.

They broke the telegraph
machine that the operator had

in the station and
then went aboard.

Once inside
the train, Bass and his men

headed to the express car,

where valuables would
commonly be kept.

Although they
were unable to open

the safe because of a time lock,

they found three boxes
sitting next to it, unprotected.

Upon opening one, they
were astonished to discover

that it was filled
with gold coins.

They made off with,
uh, $60,000 worth

of, uh, freshly-minted
1877 $20 gold pieces.

According to most estimates,

this fortune would
be worth nearly

six million dollars today.

They reached a point
where it was in their best interest

to split the loot and split
up because it was clear

that they were being
pursued by law enforcement.

Sam Bass

got back to the
Denton, Texas, area,

and he was smart
enough to realize

that it was dangerous to start
spending these things overtly,

so he buried them.

And the legend goes
that he buried them

in four different caches,

and after every
robbery, he would add

his share of the
booty to one or more

of those caches.

I got contacted by
two treasure hunters.

Um, this woman
named Donna McCauley,

- Mm-hmm.
- And this woman named Michele Woods,

who goes by the
name Gypsy Jewels,

which I love.

She’s like a... kind of
a female Gary Drayton.

She’s a metal detectoress.

- Oh, okay.
- She’s great at what she does.

And these two believe firmly
that they are hot on the trail

of a treasure

stashed by Sam Bass

in the 1870s sometime.

Okay. Well, that sounds
like an interesting story.

- Absolutely.
- They’re actually standing by.

I’ve arranged a call. Do
you want to talk to them

- Absolutely.
- And see if it’s something you guys want to pursue?

- Absolutely. Put them on the screen.
- You bet.

Great.

- Hello, ladies.
- Hello, ladies.

- Hi.
- -Hi.

-Welcome to the Oak Island
war room. -Thank you.

Yeah, it’s nice
to see you guys in person.

Uh, which one is Donna, and
which one is Gypsy, please?

- I’m Donna McCauley.
- And I’m Gypsy.

- Pleasure to meet you two.
- Very nice to meet you both.

I’m Donna McCauley.

I’m a treasure
hunter and a historian.

And I’m on the board

with the Parker County
Historical Commission.

I’m Gypsy Jewels.

I’ve been treasure
hunting almost all of my life.

I’ve been metal detecting
now for a little over 22 years.

I met Donna through
a mutual friend,

and we instantly connected

through our love
for metal detecting

and treasure
hunting and history.

I started metal detecting
probably about 40 years ago.

My father had a metal detector.

And I found silver dollars.

I found a bunch of
Civil War pennies,

1943 World War II steel pennies.

I found a whole thing
of Mercury dimes.

And, of course, Morgan dollars.

I found a lot of those, too.

And, uh, because of me
finding all those old coins

over the years, I just
started collecting them.

And that was
really how I started

looking for Sam Bass’ coins

from the Big
Spring train robbery.

They took 60,000 of $20
Double Eagle gold pieces.

And the mint is "S"
for San Francisco.

And then after so many
years, there’s only one

ever been found.

So that’s just telling me

that the coins
are still out there.

So, I, you know, I have to ask.

It sounds like a pretty
substantial treasure

that could be found.
Do you have any idea

what it might be worth if you...

if you were to come up with it?

Those 1877 coins
have to be pretty rare,

and there’s not hardly
any known out there.

Uh, it’s gonna
increase the value

because you would be
able to trace that back

to the actual train robbery.

We think it’s
worth $1.5 million.

But because of it
being museum-quality,

it could be worth five
million or even more.

- Oh, wow.
- Well, that’d be worth it.

- That’s worth a trip.
- Yeah.

So, Donna here works with
the Historical Commission,

and she’s done a
lot of local research

and has helped us locate

two of his known hideouts.

- Wow.
- Wow.

Tell us about
these two locations

and why you think
they’re important.

Well, the first
location is Springtown,

and that’s called
Sam Bass Springs.

They had named it after him
’cause he was known to be there.

It has, to my knowledge,
never been metal detected.

They would not allow people
on their land until recently.

Some newer people
purchased these lands,

and they’re giving
us permission.

That’s perfect. What
about the other one?

So, the other one is

at the base of East Mountain,

where it is known that
Sam Bass hid out at.

There’s a house that was built

on top of an old well,

and it’s very likely
that Sam Bass

could have hid his
gold down in that well.

So, uh, we’re really excited

to check that
place out, as well.

Matty, this is
right up your alley.

Right up your alley, man.

- I am in.
- You guys,

can you put up with Matty Blake

helping you out down there?

Oh, yes. We-we
can’t wait to meet him.

- All right. Perfect.
- Great.

All right. Well, uh, I’ll
coordinate with you ladies

on my trip, and we’ll
see you in Texas.

- Sounds good.
- Sounds good to me. Let’s find

a pot of gold. Thanks, y’all.

- Thanks for your help. -See you.
- Pleasure to meet you.

Sounds exciting.

- You’re all in.
- All in. I mean,

this is exactly
what I love to do.

I love representing the
team. And if there’s something

there to be found,
I think we’ll find it.

Go find it.

Go find that pot of gold.

Yes, sir.

Three days after his meeting

with the Lagina
brothers on Oak Island,

Matty Blake has
traveled to Waco, Texas,

to meet up with treasure hunters

Michele "Gypsy Jewels"
Woods and Donna McCauley

at the Texas Ranger
Hall of Fame and Museum.

Hey. Oh,

- hey, Matty.
- D-Donna.

- Hey, Matty. How are you?
- Good to see you in person.

- You, too. -How are you?
- Glad to finally see you

- in person.
- Good to see you, Gypsy.

Uh, this is
Mr. Byron. He’s the director

- of the Texas Museum.
- Very pleased to see you.

- Why don’t we go on back.
- Love to see it.

- Awesome. Let’s go see.
- Yeah, great.

The Texas
Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

is home to more
than 20,000 artifacts,

photos and documents
preserving the legacy

of the premier state
law enforcement agency,

which was founded in 1823.

Here Gypsy and Donna have
arranged to show Matty evidence

that the notorious
outlaw Sam Bass

may have buried
at least $1.5 million

in gold and silver
somewhere in the state

nearly 150 years ago.

Wow. This is a beautiful museum.

This is a painting

of Sam Bass’ shoot-out
in Round Rock.

Sam Bass himself
was kind of interesting.

He was kind of a
drifter and a cowboy

and had a very short career.

He was really known

for two things.

One was

committing one of the
biggest train robberies

in western American history.

And then the second
event he was known for

was dying in a hail of
bullets from Texas Rangers

in Round Rock, Texas,

who had been after him
ever since that train robbery.

Following their robbery

of the Union Pacific Railroad

in Big Springs, Nebraska,
on September 18, 1877,

Sam Bass and his
cohorts fled to Texas,

where they carried out
four more train heists

within the next two months.

It was an audacious feat

that no other outlaw

had ever committed
or even attempted.

After four
successful train robberies,

the railroads got pretty
tired of Sam Bass.

So, the railroads in conjunction
with the Texas Rangers

decided to go after
Sam Bass for real.

So, they recruited
30 Rangers temporarily,

and then from then on, it was
just a chase, and he didn’t rob

any more trains because he
was too busy running from the law.

The Texas Rangers were unable

to capture Sam Bass
by conventional means,

so in order to stop the man

who was quickly gaining
legendary outlaw status,

they hatched a highly
unconventional plan.

They arrested Henderson Murphy,

who was the father
of Jim Murphy,

who was in the Bass Gang.

Jim Murphy was upset
because his father

was taken into custody,
so he went to the prosecutor

and said, "Look, if
you let my father loose,

I will get you Sam Bass."

After Murphy
tipped off the Rangers

that Sam Bass had
plans for his gang

to rob Williamson County Bank

in the city of Round
Rock on July 19, 1878,

four Rangers

along with a local sheriff
named A.W. Grimes

hurried into town with
the intent to set a trap.

Sam Bass and
the gang come into town.

Murphy was afraid

that he was gonna walk
into an ambush and get killed,

so he talked him into
letting him get off in the store

on the way in
there to ask and see

if there’s any Rangers around.

Once Jim Murphy left the group,

Bass and his two
cohorts, Seaborn Barnes

and Frank Jackson,

hid their horses in an alley

and headed for the
town’s general store.

As they approached
the store, there were...

there were two deputies there.

One of the deputies
approached Sam Bass

and asked him if he was armed.

And at that point,
the gunfire breaks out.

Grimes was shot five
times and falls dead.

Then the Texas
Rangers open fire,

shoot Bass’ middle finger off.

The three bandits

start down the alley
to get to their horses.

Seaborn Barnes gets down
there, and one of the Rangers

draws aim and puts a
bullet right through his brain,

kills him dead on the spot.

During the ensuing gunfire,

Sam Bass was hit near
the base of his spine

and was helped to his
horse by Frank Jackson.

The two men continued
to dodge bullets

as they raced out of town.

Bass can’t ride very much.
He is-he is severely wounded.

So they stop, and, uh, Jackson
leaves him and disappears

into history.

In the morning,
a posse goes out,

and they capture Sam Bass.

It was not long after
that that he passed away.

At the time of Sam Bass’ death,

not a single gold
coin was found on him

or in his saddlebags.

To this day,

what happened to the
majority of the treasure

remains a mystery.

Well, now let’s take a look

at the treasure from the
Sam Bass archive here.

However, one of the coins,

reportedly spent by Sam
Bass himself in a saloon...

- Wow.
- Wow.

Was donated to
the museum more than 50 years ago.

Oh!

You know, Byron, I think

I’m gonna let Donna have the honors.

- Oh!
- ’Cause she’s been waiting a long time,

- right, Gypsy?
- She has.

Oh, look at that.

- Sam Bass held this.
- That’s amazing.

Well, we’ll
tell you the story of it.

The train

that Sam Bass knocked
over had a shipment

from the U.S. Mint
in San Francisco

of $20 gold Double Eagles.

They were called Double Eagles

because it was two
times ten dollars,

or $20.

When he found
those on the train,

it became a curse for him

because suddenly,
every lawman in the West

was looking for
San Francisco Mint

- $20 Double Eagles.
- Yeah. Right.

- Got it.
- So it was a real problem.

- There were 3,000 of these.
- Mm.

They weighed in
excess of 200 pounds

in 90% gold.

Are we still confident
that there’s enough of these

that may still lie
buried somewhere?

You know, he might
have buried some of them

just to get them out of
circulation for a while.

And we’re gonna find
something. I believe it.

Thank you so much,
Byron. That’s-that’s an honor.

- Thank you.
- It’s our pleasure.

I think it’s time to go find you

- some Sam Bass gold. What do you think?
- Oh, I do, too.

- Let’s go find it. I’m ready.
- I’m ready.

- Byron, thank you, sir.
- I’m glad to have you here.

Thank you.

Later that afternoon...

- We’ll start loading up?
- Matty,

Donna and Gypsy arrive

in the city of Springtown,
where Sam Bass

and his gang established
one of two known hideouts

back in the late 1870s.

That’s everything. All
right, let’s hit the road.

- A
- hideout on private land

whose owners have
never allowed a search

with metal detection
equipment until now.

So, our hopes

when we are at
Sam Bass Springs is

to search around where
they might have camped

and see if there is
any hidden objects

inside the spring.

The thrill of what I do

is what can you discover?

What can you find?
You just never know.

What about this
spot in particular

led you to believe, A,
this is a great hideout

for the gang, and B,
they might have left

- some stuff behind?
- Well, you know,

if you... Just picture it.

Back in the 1870s,

that was all covered
with huge trees.

- Really?
- Yeah. Oh, yeah.

And in the mid-1990s,

they had a big fire here.

They lost all their big
trees. So that’s why

the terrain looks
a lot different now.

- Interesting.
- Uh-huh.

So, are y’all ready
to start searching?

- Let’s treasure hunt in Texas, ladies.
- Ready?

To conduct their search,

Gypsy and Donna are using
Garret ACE Apex metal detectors,

which can identify
both ferrous targets,

such as iron, and
nonferrous targets,

such as silver or gold,

as much as two feet
beneath the ground.

I’m also gonna
be scanning for snakes,

- to be honest.
- Okay, you scan for snakes and mountain lions.

- I got a signal here.
- You do?

I do.

Oh, yeah.

Ooh!

Okay, Matty,

I’m saying that’s about center,

- so...
- Okay.

Yeah, it’s a little bit
of a different terrain

than I’m used to, but...

- It’s not Oak Island?
- Not quite.

- Nice plug.
- Thank you.

Oh, it’s right here.

- Right there.
- Wow.

- Find something good.
- Is that it?

- Oh, my God.
- What is it?

Oh, my God. Look at that.

Are you serious?

- Are you serious?
- I think it’s a coin.

Do we have some
water or something?

- Oh, my God, look at that.
- What is it?

It’s so smooth it feels like,

uh, almost-almost...
looks decorative.

- It’s got a little green patina there, too.
- Oh, yeah, a patina.

It’s got patina, yeah.

- Uh, hit that side again one more time.
- Yeah.

Near Springtown,
Texas, at a hilltop location

known as Sam Bass Springs,

Matty Blake, along with
treasure hunters Donna McCauley

and Michelle "Gypsy
Jewels" Woods,

have just made what could
be an important discovery.

Now, what this could
be is... it came off of a saddle.

Does this look like it’s
of the period to you?

I think that’s from the 1800s.

- You do?
- With the green patina, it could be.

Wow. So this could be

your first piece of evidence
that they were here.

- That they were here.
- That Sam Bass’ gang was here.

Man. I’m happy.

Me, too.

- I’m happy.
- I’m so happy, too.

You hit it right there, I mean...

Well, let’s-let’s
put that in the pouch

- Okay.
- And let’s, uh, keep going.

Fantastic.

- So I’m just curious...
- Go straight up.

If-if up the hill, right up
there above that ridge,

if they might have camped
there and went up there

- for lookout, so...
- Let’s go.

Now, we definitely
want to check around these rocks

just in case they
dug a little hole

and rolled the rock right
on top of the treasure, so...

Got it.

You like that?

I’ve got a hit right here.

- Center right there?
- Right there.

Man, I don’t have to
go to the gym today.

Right? You’re
getting your workout.

Yes, ma’am.

Whoa!

- What is it?
- Look at the size of that.

Wow.

- What is it?
- That looks like

it was part of a-a shovel.

- Yeah.
- This would have been

part of the, uh, bottom
piece of the shovel,

but this is old.

Look at the rivets
on that thing.

They look hand-forged.

- Wow.
- My goodness.

Do you think that’s period?

- I do. I do.
- I do.

And they could have used
this shovel to bury their gold.

I mean, they do not make
shovels like that anymore.

No. If these finds date
where you guys think they do...

- Mm-hmm.
- It’s kind of irrefutable evidence

that at least someone in Sam
Bass’ time frame was here,

- Mm-hmm.
- Which is huge.

- Sam Bass could have used this very shovel.
- Yeah.

I’m getting
chills. Are you?

That’s what I’m thinking.

All right, I think we’ve
covered this area pretty well.

- Pretty thorough.
- I do, too.

What do y’all say
we go to the spring?

- I agree. Let’s go.
- Let’s go.

After finding
what could be two valuable clues

related to the outlaw
Sam Bass and his gang,

Gypsy and Donna are
now focusing their attention

on a freshwater spring
also located on the property.

- Do you see that tin top right there?
- Oh, wow. Yeah.

- Yeah.
- Yeah, there it is.

Although covered
today with heavy metal doors,

based on her extensive
research and interviews

with local residents,
it is Donna’s suspicion

that the Sam Bass gang
may have used this spring

for more than a fresh
water source for their horses.

Oh, wow.

Look at this, huh?

Now, so, this is the spring?

- This is the spring. Sam Bass Spring.
- Wow.

What’s your theory as
to what might be in here?

They’re collecting water, right?
They’re camping around this.

You think maybe they
dropped something in here

or maybe actually hid
something in the water?

- I think they could’ve.
- I think of both.

All right, but before I open it,

this looks like...

it could be, like,
snake heaven in here.

Snake heaven.

That’s exactly
what I was thinking.

Hey, fellas?

We’re coming in.

- Wow. You know what, though...?
- A lot of leaves.

- It’s actually pretty clear.
- It’s really clear.

So Matty, you know,

I think I’m gonna go ahead
and put my waders on

- and I’m gonna get in.
- That’s a great idea.

In order to search for any clues

or potential valuables
in the spring...

- I got you.
- Whoa.

Gypsy is using

the Garrett Max
underwater metal detector,

which is also capable
of detecting metal objects

buried as much as
three feet underground.

There’s
definitely metal in here.

But I’m thinking it’s from this.

Where I really want to get...

- Under there.
- Is up under that ridge. -Yeah.

Okay.

Ooh, that looks
deeper up under there.

- Look how deep that’s going.
- You see that?

Look at that.

- You hitting?
- Wow.

- It even jumped up to 90.
- Wow.

We’re really looking
for those high-number targets.

Anything from high 70s
all the way up to 90s,

because that could indicate

that there is a larger
target deep below.

You want the shovel?

- Uh, not yet.
- Okay.

Let me see if I can get
it with the pinpointer.

I am not getting it
with the pinpointer,

- so it must be deeper.
- Huh.

You want the shovel?

Um, yeah.

Let’s try it.

- All right.
- All right.

Let me dig this out a
little and then we’ll hit it

- with the pinpointer again.
- Love it.

You have an idea

- where that detector hit, right?
- Yeah.

Let’s get the pinpointer.

All right, so you’ve dug a hole.

You’ve dug a hole, let’s
see if you can get it now.

- Watch that barbed wire right on your head.
- All right.

Well, guys, I am still not
getting it with the pinpointer.

- It’s deep.
- Phantom target?

- Or deep target?
- It could be deep.

Y’all, we’re gonna have to
come back to this another time.

There’s too much water down
in there for us to get up in that.

’Cause I guarantee you
that goes back up in there.

I think that’s your best bet.
Come back here with a pump,

clear this thing
out and dig safely.

- I think you’re right.
- I agree.

Although Matty, Gypsy and Donna

may be just a few
feet from uncovering

a potentially historic
and valuable discovery,

because of the large boulders,
they will have to arrange

for heavy equipment
to be brought in

before they can continue
investigating the spring.

All right, we got you.

Unfortunately,

even on private land,

this will require a
government permit,

which could take several
days or weeks to obtain.

However, they still have
another location to investigate.

One where eyewitnesses actually
claim to have seen Sam Bass

hide some of his
stolen treasure.

We want to get
to another site if we can.

Yeah, let’s load up and go.

Let’s get
out of this Texas heat.

Yeah.

Let’s talk about the site
we’re going to right now.

We’re gonna be
going to East Mountain.

- Okay.
- And we’re have to go up on a,

you know, a pretty steep
hill... Well, it’s a mountain.

There’s rattlers
over there, definitely.

So we got to be
real careful on that.

Awesome.

In Mineral Wells, Texas,

Matty Blake, along with
treasure hunters Donna McCauley

and Michelle "Gypsy Jewels"
Woods are on their way

to investigate a property
known as East Mountain.

According to Donna’s
archival research

and 19th-century
newspaper accounts,

this area was also
used as a hideout

by the notorious
outlaw Sam Bass.

We made it.

East Mountain,
in Sam Bass’ time,

was a bit of a
haven for outlaws,

and kind of a Wild
West type of place.

Shoot-outs, just
typical Wild West tales.

Hello, I’m
Sonny. How are you doing?

Sonny, I want to
introduce you to Matty.

- Hey, Sonny. Matty Blake.
- Hello. Nice to meet you.

Local businessman Sonny Estes

is the current owner
of the property.

Sonny’s home,
known as Hill House,

may also be hiding
important or valuable clues

due to the fact that it was
built on top of an old well

that Sam Bass is also
reported to have used.

Thanks in part to Donna
and Gypsy’s cooperation

with Rick and Marty Lagina,

Sonny has agreed to allow
his home to be searched

for the first time ever with
metal-detecting equipment.

So, Sonny, obviously,
this house of yours

has a lot of
history, a lot of lore.

It’s very notorious,

but how about as far
as legend of Sam Bass

being right here
on the hill behind it?

Have you heard
anything like that?

We found stuff in newspapers,

and then also in the
history books about...

they talk about him burying
half of his stash up there

before he headed to Round
Rock, I believe, is what I’ve read.

Yeah, you know,
Indian Joe... he’s the one

that witnessed Sam Bass,
you know, putting that gold

- down in a well.
- Wow.

In November of 1938,

civil engineer William R. Jones
became the first treasure hunter

to conduct a search of
this East Mountain property

after reading the account of a
local man known as Indian Joe

that was published in
the Austin American.

According to his testimony,
Joe personally watched

as Sam Bass and
several associates

buried an estimated
$80,000 in gold coins

somewhere on East Mountain,

a sum that would be worth
more than $2.2 million today.

Armed with an electronic
water pipe detector,

Jones spent more than a
week searching the mountain,

but left empty-handed.

Well, Sonny, thanks
for letting us do this.

I think our plan is to get
up there, search for a while.

And then, I would actually
love to get in the house

and maybe see this well that
you guys have told me about,

if that’s possible.

Okay. Y’all ready to go?

- Yeah, right up there?
- Okay, yeah, we’ll just...

- let’s go this way.
- Let’s go hunting.

The search plan today

is to make our way
up East Mountain.

It’s pretty treacherous terrain,

so we’re gonna
have to be careful.

It’s getting steep,
so be careful.

Okay.

The heat and humidity is brutal.

We’re gonna let
Donna and Gypsy worry

about searching for treasure,

and I’m gonna keep
my eyes out for snakes,

any potential dangers,
make as much noise as I can.

- \h\h-Donna, this way?
- Yes, go that way, \h\hup to the right.

Okay.

Well, you know, Matty,

if you look around, we are
seeing bigger stones now,

and now, I think this
would be a great hideout.

I think you’re exactly right.

Let’s fire up the
detectors and let’s do it.

- Okay.
- All right.

Be careful.

Gypsy, I’m-I’m
right behind you, buddy.

All right.

I’m not getting anything.

Donna,
Matty! I got a hit.

- Oh. Let’s do it.
- Let’s do that.

It’s hitting a 78, 79.

Where’s the
center? About here?

- Right about there.
- Okay.

Oh, it’s loose soil.

First plug’s coming out.

All right.

All right. First plug’s out.

Oh, I got it. Oh, whoa.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

- What is it? -A coin.
- That’s-that’s...

It’s in the
shape of a coin. Hold on.

Could be a button.

Yeah, that’s a... that’s a coin.

I think I see some copper
color underneath all the dirt.

So you might be right, it
might be a penny, but...

it looks stripped-down.

Do you mind if I
take a look at it?

Please. You found it.

So my eyes can see.

I think it’s just
gonna be a penny.

Could that be from the
time of Sam Bass or no?

Unfortunately, I don’t think

it’s what we’re looking for.

I think I see Abe
Lincoln on there.

So that’d make
it way past the time of...

- Right. It would be, uh...
- Sam Bass.

Probably earliest it could
be is probably around 1909,

if memory serves me correctly.

All right, guys, we’ve
been searching for a while.

I think it’s time to
head back down the hill

and check out that dry well.

- I agree.
- Sounds like a plan.

- All right.
- All right.

We’ve completed
our search on East Mountain,

and now we’re going back to
the Hill House to search that well.

During the time of Sam
Bass, the house wasn’t there.

But there was a well
that they would have used

for a water source as
they hid on East Mountain.

Years later, this
house was built.

So we’re gonna search that well.

All right, just this way, guys.

The well that we have
uncovered is right here.

Wow.

All right, let’s take a look.
So, can I-can I just move these

- out of the way? Is that all right?
- Yes.

Okay.

Oh, man.

Oh, yeah.

What do you see, Matty?

Oh, my God.

Look at all that.

- It’s definitely rounded.
- Oh, wow.

Be very careful. It’s very tiny.

- Does it look \h\hlike a well?
- It sure does.

- Oh, awesome.
- At the historic Hill House

in Mineral Wells,
Texas, Matty Blake,

along with treasure hunters
Donna McCauley and Gypsy Jewels,

have just uncovered an
old well where some believe

the outlaw Sam Bass may
have stashed millions of dollars

in gold coins more
than a century ago.

Definitely crude,

stones are definitely placed.

Okay.

Looks like it’s
been here a long while.

- Hold on.
- What do you see?

You know,
there’s a space, a little hole

right here on the
left of the well.

- Really?
- Yeah.

And it looks to be, like,

there’s another little
chamber in there.

- Really?
- Oh... -Yeah.

Do you think we could get that
snake camera in through there?

Oh, definitely,
it’s the perfect size for it.

I mean, it’s-it’s literally,
like, that big of a hole.

- Oh, wow.
- But the space that it leads to is... looks like a little room.

It-it seems to run all
the way down there

underneath this floor to
the old part of the house.

It looks like a little
void, you know?

I definitely want
to check that out.

That sounds good.
Let’s get the camera.

Cool.

In order to search the
confined space of the abandoned well,

Matty has brought an
Anysun borescope camera,

capable of recording
high definition footage

as far as 100 feet underground.

Let’s get this
hooked up, and Matty,

if you could feed
it through the hole.

You got it.

The fact that there’s a
crawl space, basically,

hidden for hundreds
of years by this house,

who knows what could be there?

All right, let’s
take it slow now.

All right, here it goes.

I’m gonna go very slow.

We’re in this void.

Tell me if you want me
to go in a certain direction.

- Although I can’t, really.
- You know, you’re...

It’s tough, maneuvering.

What is
that? It’s colorful.

What is that red?

Yeah I see that.

It almost looks like a
cloth or something blue

- right there as well.
Uh-huh. Wow.

Could it be a bag?

It almost looks
like a white bag.

Yeah, it’s
frustrating ’cause I can see

right now, with the
light of the camera,

what you guys saw,
is like a little pile of...

it almost does look like a
folded-up paper or something.

I just want to reach in
and grab it, but...

you can’t, it’s too
small of a hole and...

What is that shiny
stuff down in there?

- You see something shiny?
- Uh-huh.

This almost looks like a yellow.

Well, gold’s yellow.

Let me see. I’m
gonna try to leave it right there.

Right here. Right...

Go down a little bit
and it’s right up here.

- Oh, yeah.
- What is that?

There’s some
sort of metallic piece here,

but then there’s a perfectly
round piece right under it.

It almost looks like a coin.

Wow.

What we could do is
I could crawl in there

and investigate
with the pinpointer.

Let’s go for it. If
you’re willing to do it.

Be very careful, it’s very tiny.

This girl will go anywhere.

Oh, man.

- All right.
- Okay.

Be careful.

There’s not much space here.

Do you mind handing
that flashlight to me?

- Yeah.
- And what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna

probe around with
the pinpointer in here...

- Got it.
- And just see if I get any hits.

Got it.

Do you hear that?

- I hear it.
- Yes.

That sounds like
a good hit, Matty.

Sure does.

I think
I’m right on it. Mm.

I don’t like that tone.

I think I see it.

Ooh, I wonder what it is.

It feels kind of heavy.

What is it?

Oh, wow, this is cool.

That’s a little piece
of metal of some kind.

- Do you feel how thick it is?
- It is heavy.

- But it does look like it could be iron.
- Yeah.

It almost
looks like the very top

of a hand-hewn nail.

- Like the head snapped off.
- Oh.

- Oh, well, that would be old.
- Yep.

The fact that
Gypsy had found some metal

in this very old well
is pretty interesting.

It definitely looks
period. It looks old.

They may have
buried treasure there.

Uh, but right now,
I just don’t know.

All right, guys,

there is not that much
space to explore in here

until this is dug out further.

So, we will leave the
rest of the exploration

for another time.

But, uh, I think I’m ready
to climb out of this hole.

- -Yeah.
- I think so, too.

Good job. -

- Ooh, you’re dirty.
- Man.

Y’all ready to get out of here?

- Let’s pack up and go.
- Let’s do it.

This is a situation
tech must be applied.

You have to run a scan,
you have to get some sort

of detecting
equipment down there,

and then you come
up with a target.

And then you’re gonna have
to start pulling boards and dig,

if you want to find anything.

But I’ve got stuff to
show Rick and Marty.

If you get some science up here,

if you get the
proper tech up here,

I am convinced that Gypsy
and Donna will find something.

Oh, that was fun.

So, this has been an
unbelievable journey,

- and I hope you keep going.
- Oh, we will.

We are coming
back for this area, too,

for this and the well.

Yeah, I’d love to see
you guys get some tech

up on that mountain.

Because I do think you
have a great hot spot there.

We will be finding
Sam Bass’ gold.

- I just can’t stop.
- I love it.

- One more time?
- Uh-huh.

One week after searching

for Sam Bass’ buried loot...

gold coins said to be worth
nearly six million dollars...

Matty Blake has
returned to Oak Island

to give brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina

a full report on the
Texas treasure hunt.

It looks like a shovel, but
the spade of the shovel

would be here, right?

And then this would be the
handle, the wooden handle.

And there’s your
rivets connecting it.

I’ve been doing some
research with Gypsy

and with Donna, and it
appears to be from the 1870s.

The Sam Bass legend
is so well known,

how could it have
possibly escaped

- the attention...
- Private property.

- Private property.
- The owners have never...

No interest in searching it up
until they were approached by...

- Really?
- That-that’s what I was told.

Well, you know,
this local lore...

It seems to be just
that until you start

pulling stuff like this
out of the ground.

And what started to
emerge to me in that moment

at Sam Bass Springs in
particular was, like, you know,

find, find, find.

And you start to
go, "This is a camp."

That makes complete sense.

Made all the sense in the world.

Is this the shovel
that Sam Bass used

to bury gold on that site?

Could be.

This is tantalizing, right?

But are the ladies done
or are they going back?

Oh, they’re going
back. They’re not done.

Anyone who knows
treasure hunting at all

knows that these
things take time.

- Hello, Oak Island, right?
- Yes. Yes.

So, they’re not
done by any stretch.

They are moving on,

so she definitely wants
to go back to the spring.

’Cause we didn’t have
heavy digging equipment.

We didn’t have a jackhammer,
we didn’t have anything

- to breach it if she did get a hit.
- Mm-hmm.

So, more work needs
to be done, definitely.

They’re onto something, right?

And-and, uh, you know,

it’s all about filling in
the pages of history,

and that’s where
we started, right?

We started with the
hope that science

would really break
the Oak Island mystery.

But we know now that
there are limitations to it.

There’s certainly connective
tissue between our search

and what these
people are-are pursuing.

So, when you can
tie that together...

Our experience with theirs...

I think it’s all that
much more enjoyable.

- Yeah.
- That’s what I think.

Yeah, which leads you
to the obvious conclusion

that we have a lot
more to do here.

- We have. We have more than enough to do here.
- Yeah. We...

We’re right in the midst
of that right now, so...

Good job.

- Let’s go find some of this out there.
- There we go.