OTTO HILLIG’S LEGEND
& His Lost Nazi Treasure
Overview
At the end of World War II there were a lot of stories and conspiracy theories about lost Nazi gold and treasure. Units like the Allied Monuments Men searched caves, tunnels and other hard to reach locations looking for the lost loot. Though much of it was found, there are estimated to be millions still missing.
Lost Nazi treasure is not something that you would normally expect to find buried in the United States, especially in the remote Catskills Mountains of New York. Otto Hillig is a legend in the Catskills Mountains, from aviation, to photography, the small town of Liberty holds this man in very high esteem.
Otto Hillig and Holger Hoiriis with their plane ‘Liberty’ which they flew the 10th ever transatlantic flight.
The plaque which marks the starting point of Hillig and Hoiriis transatlantic flight in 1931.
However, apart from being a legend, he also created a legend. During the war he managed to kill two German saboteurs who had hijacked his plane, hid their loot and created a treasure hunt so that one worthy finder could claim the money that was originally intended to be used for destruction by the Nazis.
By following a series of cryptic clues left almost 50 years after he passed away, you could find the buried coin with the initials OH on it and claim Otto Hillig’s Nazi Treasure. From buried treasure to Castles, the Otto Hillig Treasure has it all.
Henry Every, also known as Henry Avery (20 August 1659 – after 1696), sometimes erroneously given as Jack Avery or John Avery,[a] was an English pirate who operated in the Atlantic and Indian oceans in the mid-1690s. He probably used several aliases throughout his career, including Benjamin Bridgeman, and was known as Long Ben to his crewmen and associates.[b]
Dubbed “The Arch Pirate” and “The King of Pirates” by contemporaries, Every was infamous for being one of few major pirate captains to escape with his loot without being arrested or killed in battle, and for being the perpetrator of what has been called the most profitable act of piracy in history.[1] Although Every’s career as a pirate lasted only two years, his exploits captured the public’s imagination, inspired others to take up piracy, and spawned works of literature.
Every began his pirate career while he was first mate aboard the warship Charles II. As the ship lay anchored in the northern Spanish harbour of Corunna, the crew grew discontented as Spain failed to deliver a letter of marque and Charles II‘s owners failed to pay their wages, and they mutinied. Charles II was renamed the Fancy and Every elected as the new captain.
Every’s most famous raid, on the 7th September 1695, was on a 25-ship convoy of Grand Mughal vessels making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, including the treasure-laden Ghanjah dhow Ganj-i-sawai and its escort, Fateh Muhammed. Joining forces with several pirate vessels, Every found himself in command of a small pirate squadron, and they were able to capture up to £600,000 in precious metals and jewels,[1] equivalent to around £91.9 million in 2021[2]. This caused considerable damage to England’s fragile relations with the Mughals, and a combined bounty of £1,000—an immense sum at the time—was offered by the Privy Council and the East India Company for his capture, leading to the first worldwide manhunt in recorded history.[3][c]
Although a number of his crew were subsequently arrested, Every himself eluded capture, vanishing from all records in 1696; his whereabouts and activities after this period are unknown. Unconfirmed accounts state he may have changed his name and retired, quietly living out the rest of his life in either Britain or on an unidentified tropical island, while alternative accounts consider Every may have squandered his riches.[4] He is considered to have died sometime between 1699 and 1714; his treasure has never been recovered.
Sourced from: Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
- Burgess 2009a, p. 138
- ^ UK Retail Price Index inflation figures are based on data from Clark, Gregory (2017). “The Annual RPI and Average Earnings for Britain, 1209 to Present (New Series)”. MeasuringWorth. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
- ^ Jump up to:a b c Burgess 2009a, p. 144
- Woodard 2007
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The Legend
Otto Hillig was born in 1876 in Gera, a small rural village south of Leipzig, Germany. Very little is known about Otto’s boyhood. In 1891 at the age of 15 he emigrated to the United States. Adventure and trouble were always a part of Otto’s life. In 1895 he worked as a conductor during the Great Trolley Car strike, as a bartender and other odd jobs. In 1897 Otto moved from Brooklyn, probably to the southern Catskills mountains of New York.
It was here, while working as a farm laborer near the town of Liberty, that he picked up a photography magazine. This led to the purchase of his first box camera and he started to photograph the local landscapes. Over time, Otto grew his photography business and his studio in Liberty soon became the best equipped studio between New York City and Buffalo. Otto’s adventurous spirit led to him owning one of the first cars in the county, and in 1916 he took one of the first cross country road trips.
Map of the town of Liberty, in Sullivan County, New York.
Otto Hillig’s Photography Studio in the town of Liberty, New York.
Fast cars led to fast planes and in the 1920’s Otto started flying, he would often take his camera, and is considered one of the early pioneers of aerial photography. Otto partnered with a Danish pilot by the name of Holger Hoiris and the two commissioned the construction of a Wright-Powered Bellanca Monoplane for $22,000 ($395,952 today), and named it ‘Spirit of Liberty’ in honor of the town.
The 1920’s were a boom time for aviation and especially long distance flights. In 1927 Charles Lindbergh had flown solo from New York City to Paris and since then, only a handful of other transatlantic flights had taken place.
Otto and Holger planned to be the first to fly from New York to Copenhagen, Denmark, and on June 24th 1931 they took off from the Liberty Golf Course. The first leg took them from Liberty to Newfoundland to refuel.
After leaving Newfoundland the pair encountered a large fog bank that led them to fly over Portugal, Spain and France, until they landed at Krafeld, Germany with only 5 gallons of gas to spare. After refueling they flew on to Copenhagen and were greeted on the ground by over 60,00 people who were waiting to see them land.
Otto Hillig and Holger Hoiriis in front of their plane ‘Liberty’.
Returning to the US as heroes, Otto went back to his studio, and in 1932 started working on a new project: building a castle for himself on Washington Mountain outside of Liberty. Then on September 1st 1939 Hitler invaded Poland and the world went to war against Germany.
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The Treasure
None of the battles fought during World War II were ever fought on US soil, however, with a large German immigrant population, the US was home to lots of Nazi sympathizers. Sabotage was one way that Nazi agents could disrupt the US war effort, and this made targets of locations like electrical plants, railroads, munitions factories and dams. On August 1st 1942 Otto and Holger were at the airport readying their plane for an evening flight when two men pointed guns at them and ordered them to fly the plane in a south-easterly direction towards New York City.
Once in the air, the two hijackers, thinking that their prisoners would not live to tell the tale, began explaining their entire plan. The leader pulled out a large sum of cash and stated that they were flying to New York City to purchase some dynamite, and were going to use the dynamite to blow up some trestle rail bridges around Liberty.
‘Liberty’ Plane Flies Over New York City.
Otto and Holger celebrated on their successful transatlantic flight.
After a few minutes of silence, Otto managed to get Holger’s attention and pointed to the map pocket of the cockpit, where a loaded revolver was kept. Otto then indicated that Holger should roll the plane. When Holger rolled the plane the two hijackers were slammed into the side of the plane, giving Otto who was buckled a chance to grab the revolver. One of the hijackers was able to fire a shot which grazed Holger’s flight jacket, but Otto was too quick and without a second thought shot and killed both men. After taking some time to calm himself, Holger turned the plane around and returned to Liberty.
Both men were shaken and agreed to contact the authorities, but not to mention the money. Upon landing, Otto hid the money before calling the police. When the authorities arrived the two men were sworn to secrecy so that there would not be a panic among the local residents.
Otto and Holger made a promise to each other not to use the money except for something good and noble, so the money remained buried for many years. Holger died later that year, leaving only Otto with the location.
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The Clues
Otto used his remaining years, before his death in 1954, to work on his photography, finish building his castle and also to create a series of 25 cryptic clues that, when solved, would lead to a buried bronze coin stamped with an ‘OH’. The instructions outlining what to do after finding the coin are vague, however the money is said to be in the Fleet Bank on North Main Street, Liberty. After all this time it is unknown who you would turn the coin into to claim your prize.
Many treasure hunters have searched much of the Liberty area, some even going so far as to dig up the Castle grounds, but the Nazi Treasure still remains unclaimed. It is suggested that all you need to find the coin are the 25 clues, and a good understanding of the geography and history of the local area. Otto gave the clues and the coin’s location to a trusted friend with a promise to release his Treasure Hunt on August 1st 1992, exactly 50 years after the tragic flight.
One of the clues as it appeared in the original published article.
The Clues
1. The Witch Cannot See.
2. The Coin is in the open.
3. Broad head Points to.
4. Blue Mountain Cemetery looks over Otto’s treasure.
5. Grady’s horse kicked the spot.
6. The Lennon Building holds a clue.
7. From inside Manion’s Store, the Mongaup will roar.
8, What once was Hortonville, now is not.
9. She is as beautiful as her closest sister, who once left Skeetersburg.
10. Dr. Blake Wales knew it as two log houses.
11. William Ayers mourned Liberty’s first death.
12. Four pins mark the spot, maybe yes, maybe not.
13. “Foul wrinkled witch, what makes thou in my sight?”
14. O Tsuga Canadensis, protect me!
15. As you pass by behold and see in a restaurant across from the old “Big G.” My works live on and hold a clue to find the coin now known to you. Enjoy the food and have a ball, examine all the pictures on the wall.
16. You are very close at number one, the plaque is a spot which you should plot, go in and eat, and count the feet, from there to here, let’s have a beer.
17. The fish won’t bite at the Western part but begin the hunt. It’s OK to start.
18. Liberty Public Service was there in my time, now in its place is a restaurant which has food that is fine. Descramble the words on the bar and you will be one step closer to being the star.
19. Ugly Acer rubrum on the trade, then 30 paces and you will have it made. Turn to the right if walking at, turn to the left if walking back.
20. The municipal corner is basically nutty.
21. The arch of the roots is by your boots.
22. The lens of my camera has revealed the spot.
23. Mr. Manion’s home plate.
24. Lucky me, I’m in the Queen’s backyard. If you can’t find me, you haven’t looked too hard.
25. This is it, you have all the clues. If you do find me, call the news. Fred will know what to do, he has the treasure to give to you.
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Conclusion
Simply finding the answers to Otto’s clues is not always guaranteed to move you closer to finding the coin. For example the first clue, “The Witch Cannot See”, seems almost too easy. This clue almost definitely refers to Witch Head Rock on Walnut Mountain just outside of Liberty. There is an unusual rock formation that overlooks Liberty that looks like a witch’s chin.
There are several postcards with pictures of the rock that Otto took of the location, but what does this mean, and does it have any link to the ‘Foul wrinkled witch clue’, or is the witch looking over the coin’s location?. Then there is the clue “William Ayers mourned Liberty’s first death”. According to the History of Liberty Sullivan County New York “in 1797, a child of William Ayers, who had become a resident, was so badly scalded that it soon died a painful death.” This is an interesting piece of local history in itself, but how does it help? Is this a way to find a location point or does it have some other use?
Otto Hillig’s Castle Home On Top Of A Prominent Hill Outside Of The Town Of Liberty.
Picture Taken By Otto Hillig Of Witch Rock Located In Walnut Mountain Park.
What would seem like a more straightforward clue is number 16: “You are very close at number one, the plaque is a spot which you should plot, go in and eat, and count the feet, from there to here, let’s have a beer”. This clue leads you to the plaque that commemorates Otto and Helgar’s flight across the Atlantic. The plaque is located on a rock at the Liberty Golf Course (where the flight started) and is conveniently right next to the first tee.
One of the biggest issues that you will come across while searching for this treasure is that so much of this area has changed over the years, and so much has been lost to time, but the hunt for Otto’s treasure continues.
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Written By
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ROBERT JENNER
Guest Writer
Robert, a guest writer for Areas Grey, has had treasure hunting coursing through his veins from a young age. A fascination with pirates, shipwrecks and lost treasures inspired him to study Marine Archaeology at QUT, working aboard cruise ships many years, then creating and hosting Live from the CodeBar: a podcast about treasure hunting.
Robert is also a member of Fourtune; the most successful armchair treasure hunting team to date which have solved: ‘The Lost Skull’, ‘It’s In LA’, ‘The Letters of St Germain’, ‘Hidden Treasures Treasure Hunt’, and more recently ‘The Bossall Treasure’ which had gone unsolved for almost 10 years!
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