Knights of the Golden Circle Archives

BOOK REVIEW: Duke, Daniel J., Jesse James and the Lost Templar Treasure: Secret Diaries, Coded Maps, and the Knights of the Golden Circle (Rochester, VT, Destiny Books, 2019) 148 pp, illustrations, notes, bibliography, index, softcover, $16.99.

By Nancy B. Samuelson

Daniel J. Duke, author & son of Jesse James conspiracist Betty Dorsett Duke.

Daniel J. Duke, is the son of Betty Dorsett Duke. Those who follow Jesse James’ literature will likely remember that Betty wrote three books. She claimed Jesse James was not killed by Bob Ford and that her grandfather James L. Courtney was actually Jesse James. This book continues along that same line and repeats the claims that James L. Courtney was really Jesse James.

The title of the book, however, is very misleading

The title of the book, however, is very misleading. There is little in this book about the real Jesse James and very little about James L. Courtney. There is also little discussion of the Knights of the Golden Circle. The book is a complete leap into the world of esoteric legends and myths concerning the Knights Templar, Rosicrucians, Masons, and other such groups.

Knights Templar parade in downtown Chicago, Illinois, 31st Triennial Conclave, August 6-13, 1910

The book is a complete leap into the world of esoteric legends and myths

The author tosses out the names of many famous people and expects us to believe that such historical figures as Francis Bacon, Sir Christopher Wren, John Dee, and a host of others somehow obtained information about the vast wealth of the Knights Templar and passed this knowledge down to people who survive today. The author’s great-grandfather, James L. Courtney, was one of the chosen few who obtained the knowledge of some of this immense treasurer buried in various locations in the United States.

The book is replete with lots of diagrams, overlays, secret symbols, etc. etc. etc. Various works of art are also presented and these too contain secret symbols relating to vast hordes of treasure.

The Knights Templar came into being during the crusades. They developed an extensive banking system and acquired sizeable amounts of assets. In the early 1300s the King of France, who owed vast amounts of money to the Templars, decided to destroy the order. According to the author, the Templars were able to assemble a fleet of ships and take their treasures to the new world. The plan was to build a new and more perfect society at some future date.

Betty Dorsett Duke in 2001, attending the annual conference of the James-Younger Gang. At the event, Duke demanded the blood of the James family so she could prove by DNA her claimed kinship as a descendant of Jesse Woodson James.

claims that vast amounts of treasure are to be found in Victorio Peak (now within the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico) and a secret vault under Burton Chapel on the campus of William and Mary College in Virginia

Mr. Duke claims that vast amounts of treasure are to be found in Victorio Peak (now within the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico) and a secret vault under Burton Chapel on the campus of William and Mary College in Virginia, There are also various other sites around the United States that contain an untold amount of Templar treasure. The author presents overlays, secret numbers, etc. etc. to make his case.

take a pass on this one.

In summary, if you like fantastic tales of buried treasure, you might enjoy this book. If you are looking for information about Jesse James take a pass on this one.