NOTE: The following Q & A was directed by Stephanie King. She has since left the original publication for which this interview was conducted and rights reverted to W. C. Jameson. W. C. has graciously offered the information to me for this blog.
I am running this article in two parts. Part 1 will preface my review of his book, The Silver Madonna, which will post on Wednesday January 21, 2015.
An Interview with W. C. Jameson:
W. C. Jameson is an award-wining songwriter and
recording artist, performs more than 200 times per year, has written the sound
tracks for films, written and performed in a musical, and still finds time to
author books, over ninety at last count. In addition, he is one of the foremost
professional treasure hunters in the country. His adventures have been captured
in his memoir, Treasure Hunter: Caches,
Curses, and Deadly Confrontations, winner of Book of the Year in 2011. He has served as an advisor for film and
television, and has appeared on the
History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the
Travel Channel, and more.
1.
You have participated in and accomplished so
many things in your life. For this interview, I would like to focus on your
treasure hunting activities, adventures, and your series of books dealing with
that topic. How did you get your start treasure hunting and when?
WCJ: I was involved in my first treasure hunt
when I was eleven years old. That account is described in detail in my memoir.
The end result was that a cache of 100 gold bars were located in a shallow cave
in the Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas, recovered, and a portion of them
reburied, where they still lie in the ground to this day. I’ll never forget
that incredible sensation of handling a thirty-five pound gold ingot. I was
hooked from that point on.
2.
Tell us about your successes. Have you found
treasure? And how much?
WCJ: With over
200 hundred expeditions I did encounter a number of successes. Also a lot of
failures. Any treasure hunter who tells you he finds something every time he
sets out on a quest is not telling the truth. What a lot of people don’t
understand is that finding a treasure and recovering it are two entirely
different things. In many cases, because of logistical and legal obstacles,
recovery is often more difficult than discovery.
3.
What do you do with gold ingots and coins when
you find them?
WCJ: Depends on a
number of things. If the recovered items are of high quality and of significant
age, there are numerous collectors who will pay top dollar for coins and
ingots. Over the years jewelers have been customers, often purchasing hundreds
of pounds of gold and/or silver at a time at the going rate. Up until several
years ago I made use of a precious metals broker to sell all or portions of our
recovered items. When we received payment for recovered material, we reimbursed
ourselves for our expenses, divided the remainder four ways, and invested in
our next expedition.
4.
Is anything you are doing illegal?
WCJ: Technically,
it is. In reality, however, most of the laws governing the discovery and
disposition of lost treasure such as gold and silver ingots and coins are
absurd and benefit the state almost exclusively. Consider this: As a treasure recovery
specialist, I invest sometimes hundreds of hours of my time into research. In
addition, there is a significant investment in energy and money, sometimes to
the tune of thousands of dollars. On an expedition into dangerous country, I am
the one paying for the equipment and supplies, taking all of the risks, braving
the real and potential dangers. I do all the work but I get no help whatsoever
from the state, yet the state wants all or most of my recovery. They claim ingots
as “historical artifacts” and therefore claim them as property of the state.
That is morally wrong.
Here is what is morally right: A significant percentage of
the gold and silver ingots we have located and recovered in the United States
and Mexico were dug from mines not by the Spaniards during the early days of
mining activity, but by Indians who were captured and enslaved by the Spanish,
chained together to work long hours in the dark mines with little to no food
and water, and whipped sometimes until they died. This is a matter of
historical record. Morally, that gold and silver is the fruit of their labor. I
am an American Indian. If I recover such treasure in Mexico or elsewhere as a
result of my research, investment, and personal risk and convert it to cash, I
regard it rightfully mine. I regard it as reparation for past sins.
5.
Since many or most of your discoveries and
recoveries are in Mexico, how do you bring the treasure back across the border?
WCJ: Sometimes it
is converted to cash in Mexico. If we are faced with transporting ingots across
the U. S. – Mexico border, we are forced to conduct the activity away from the
eyes of the respective governments. They would seize it, and we are not going
to let that happen. Moving anything across this border is quite easy.
Contraband goes from Mexico to the U. S. with incredible facility on a daily
basis. Guns move from the U. S. to with little difficulty. The truth is, since
the so-called Bush border fence was erected, smuggling has tripled. Another fact
is this: Our Border Patrol is ineffective with regard to controlling smuggling and
is regarded as a joke by the smugglers.
6.
Are you ever afraid of getting caught?
WCJ: No. I have
been moving gold and silver ingots across the border for over four decades.
7.
How did your writing career come about.
WCJ: As I was
researching lost mines and buried treasures relative to searching for them, I
encountered hundreds of fascinating tales, legends, and accounts. These are a
significant part of our folklore and history and deserve recognition. I enjoyed
crafting articles about them, and then later – books. I also enjoyed getting
paid for something I love to do.
8.
Which do you like best – treasure hunting or
writing?
WCJ: I’ve had a
great deal of fun and success with both. It’s a toss-up as to which I like
best.
9.
You have also written about people who have
“disappeared” or were allegedly killed but who returned, most notably the
outlaw Billy the Kid. Tell about this interest of yours.
WCJ: Searching
for lost people is a lot like searching for lost mines and buried treasures.
The research techniques are similar. We are beginning to find out in this
country is that much of the history we have been taught in public school and
even at the university level is bogus. Much of it is not so much the truth as
it is what the people in power want you to believe. A number of books have
appeared over the past several years providing the truth of a lot of history
and thus contradicting the status quo. In my case, I have discovered, and
proved, that what we always thought was the truth about Billy the Kid, Butch
Cassidy, John Wilkes Booth, and others was, in fact, distortion. An interesting
case in point relates to my next book in that particular series – Amelia Earhart: Beyond the Grave. As it
turns out, little of what we think we know about Earhart is truth. She was, in
fact, on a spy mission during her around the world flight, was captured by the
Japanese, and held prisoner for eight years before being rescued and repatriated
under a new identity. The government was involved every step of the way, and
the lies they told the American public are documented.
10. Are
you still active in searching for lost mines and buried treasures?
WCJ: Yes, but not
as much as a few years earlier. My long-time partners are either dead or
inactive and I often go it alone or with a trusted companion and kindred
spirit. I have recently made a fascinating discovery of a famous lost mine in
the United States. I am in the process of recovering a portion of the gold and
my agent is reviewing the manuscript relating to that adventure.
Next month I'll share Part 2 and introduce you to the man behind the music.
In the mean time, please check out his
WEBSITE to learn more about W. C. Jameson and his many talents.
Until then, Country Blessings
