Chapter 29

“Rick we don’t even know that the medal ever existed. If it did it would be a big mess. Anyone who had any family connection with Blackhoof would make a claim. Then there are the Shawnee tribes. Right now there are three recognized by the United States.”

“The ones that are closest to Blackhoof would be the ones in Oklahoma, which is where his people ended up. For a while, they were part of the Cherokee Nation. The Indians from Lewistown went to Kansas. There are also other tribes that would feel they have a claim.”

“Then there is the Federal Government, every state that has hosted many of the tribes, just within Ohio the Logan County Historical Society would probably be at war with the Auglaize County Historical Society. When treasure like that becomes known everyone possible would have a handout for it.”

“The present owner of the Manary Blockhouse Mrs. Radford would feel like it was hers. The property it is sitting on belongs to Russells Point so they would have a claim. The legal battles would probably take one hundred years.”

“The really nasty battles wouldn’t be the legal ones, it would be the scholars. Every professor of Native American History in the world would want in on it.”

“There would be a small footnote that we were present at the find. The implication would be we were sweeping the floor or something when the Ph.D. made the find. When we found it we would fall to our knees and worship him or her.”

“Now that is cynical!”

“No, that is how it works. Actually, I would want nothing to do with such a find.”

“From everything you just told me, it sounds like the Shawnee Tribe would have naturally ended up with Blackhoof’s papers and valuables.”

“If they hadn’t been buried with him that is where they would have gone.”

“Thanks that was interesting.”

She dropped me off. It was only three o’clock. As usual, there was coffee on. Dad was at the kitchen table doing one of his usual projects, this time he was making duck decoys. He was at the stage of painting them. Mum was sitting with him and embroidering a table cloth.

I poured a cup of coffee and joined them.

“I need to talk.”

They both looked up quickly. Who knows what went through their minds.

I joked, “No you are not going to be grandparents.”

If looks could kill I would’ve been done for.

I went on to explain the whole situation starting with, “I have found a treasure.”

Then I told them of my trip to the library in which I met Mrs. Rupert, how she led me to the Bellefontaine Gazette which in turn told about Blackhoof’s mythical medal. Then how I read about a robbery at Blackhoof’s shortly before he died. This all followed today’s discovery.

Actually, there were many interruptions during the story as my parents gained understanding.

When I was done, Dad started with, “Well Rick you certainly know how to throw the cat amongst the pigeons. What do you plan to do?”

“Well, the first thing I have done is bought some time to figure out the right thing to do.”

“That is good, and it isn’t an irrevocable step. You can always ‘discover’ it at a later date.”

‘I did get that far in my thinking.”

“Are you looking to benefit from this?” Mum asked.

“No, I just want it to go to the rightful owners.”

“And who would that be?” Mum continued.

“From my conversation with Mrs. Rupert, it really belongs to the Shawnee Tribe. But we can’t just call them and tell them where it is. There would be claims of theft all over the place.”

‘Hmm,” Dad went. “Didn’t Janet Rupert say that Della Radford would like to sell the building?

“She did, it would make it easier if we owned the building when we ‘discovered’ it.”

“Della and I never got along that well, but let me call her and see what she would want for the building.”

Dad called information at United Telephone. As luck would have it my Aunt Minnie, Ross’s wife was working the switchboard, so they talked for a minute then she put him through.