Through the Crystal Ball
According to the medium hired to figure this out, the year this all began was 1819. The medium claimed he saw the upper bedroom of Paschal Buford’s tavern, which sat below the Blue Ridge Mountains near modern Montvale, Virginia. In this dark room, a frontiersman named Thomas J. Beale sat looking at a pair of saddlebags resting on his bed.
Blue Ridge Mountains, Virginia. Photo by Malcolm Schuyl/Flpa/imageBROKER/Shutterstock
As Beale opened the bags, light suddenly burst through the room. The medium, who claimed to see this all happen through his crystal ball, saw the glitter of jewels, diamonds, rubies, pearls, and emeralds. He then saw Beale look at his treasure, smile, and cautiously tuck the saddlebags under a pillow.