Adolph Ruth

One victim of the Lost Dutchman tale was Adolph Ruth.Whether he was murdered or simply perished from the heat is uncertain, but his death was a major news story in 1931.Most of this information came from a 1992 article in the Journal of Arizona history by A.S.U.
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Adolph Ruth was a German immigrant who arrived in the United States as a youth in the 1870s.After trying several occupations, he became a meat inspector for the Department of Agriculture.Along with his son, Erwin, his hobby was an interest in lost mine stories.

Even before his retirement, Adolph became actively involved in searching for a "Lost Gonzales Mine" using directions form the Gonzales family.He quit after a search near Borrego failed in 1919.

A Gonzales family member afterward showed Adolph a copy of a map given them by a Peralta ancestor.They said it was a copy of the original, but believed it accurate.Adolph was convinced the document contained directions to the famous Lost Dutchman Gold Mine.

Retired from government employment, Ruth decided to try to find the mine in the summer of 1931.Over family protests, The 77-year-old man traveled to Arizona in his Essex, reaching the Barkley Ranch near Apache Junction in May.

When Adolph told owner William Barkley why he was there, the rancher tried to dissuade him from venturing out into the Superstitions.By then, the Arizona summer had nearly arrived.Barkley finally told Ruth that he would go with him if he could wait until after he sold some cattle in mid-June.Whether Barkley really intended to take Ruth into the Superstitions in summer is doubtful.
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Despite his instructions, cowboys Leroy Purnell and Jack Keenan took Adolph into the Superstitions as soon as Barkley left with the cattle.
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In return, Adolph promised to let them use his car after they guided him into the mountains.

The three departed on June 13.They trekked into West Boulder Canyon because they knew water was available there in the summer.
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They returned to the ranch after telling Ruth they would be back in a few days with supplies.

When Barkley returned from selling cattle and learned that the two cowboys took Ruth into the Superstitions, he ordered them to go with him to bring the elderly man out.They spent several days looking for Ruth, but couldn't find him.Then they notified law enforcement officers of his disappearance, and a posse went into the mountains looking for him with no success.

Several more expeditions failed to find Ruth until December, when dogs with an archaeological team found a skull.It had holes on both sides suggesting bullet entrance and exit wounds.The grisly find went to Phoenix.But where were the rest of the remains?

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What or who killed Adolph Ruth?
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Alex Hrdlicka, an anthropologist, gave credit to the belief Ruth was murdered by announcing that Adolph was killed with either a shotgun or rifle.
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Kearney, author of the journal article about Ruth, dismissed Hrdlicka's murder theory as nonsense.