In Search of Mysterious Unsolved Ancient Mysteries #14
Hey- Who doesn’t love a great mystery? We’re all into caching, after all and some of us grew up (and are growing old) on TV shows, movies and websites that encourage us to question reality and provide answers like “There’s more to the story” and “Things are NOT what they seem”. While there’s no shortage of LPCs and PBNs on traffic signs - which are great when you just need to grab a cache, it’s worth noting that the world remains full of places and things that just defy common theory and conjecture. So, strap on your tinfoil hats and hone your caching skills. That’s the signpost up ahead...
The Background
If you are of a certain age and grew up in the Metro Detroit Area in the early 1970s, then you have already completed the title of this cache with "Joshua Doore. Joshua Doore". You would also think, Hey, what’s the Mystery here, other than why did they come and go so quickly? Or perhaps, who exactly was Joshua Doore? Both are good questions. But, indeed, there is much more to the story. So much more. And while Jimmy Hoffa gets all of the notoriety for being a local unsolved legend that was likely murdered by the Mafia, there was a previous case that, while quite similar, and even included many of the same players, has largely been forgotten.
Maybe that’s because there's no doubt about the fate of Harvey Leach.
For starters, there was no Joshua Doore. He was an invention of the young businessman, who had purchased the local Robinson Furniture chain and wanted to rapidly expand the business. On March 16th 1974, which was intended to be the day before his wedding, Leach was to attend a business meeting with potential investors- who just happened to be connected with organized crime. If that meeting actually happened, it didn’t quite go as well as he would have expected.
No, things did not go very well at all. In fact, Leach would end up being murdered and his body was found the next day, in the trunk of his Lincoln Mk IV, at the Congress Building on Southfield Road.
It was instantaneously clear that, as the Detroit Free Press noted, this was a “gangland slaying”. It was widely rumored that Leach was heavily involved financially, and in debt to, the local Mob, and that he was romantically involved with the girlfriend of one of the kingpins, Despite this, after questioning numerous suspects, nobody was ever arrested or charged with the crime.
The murder is technically unsolved.
Following Leach’s untimely death, the Joshua Doore business quicky collapsed. But the jingles still live on, even if they are in the deep recesses of the memories of Metro Detroiters born before 1974. In that case, we apologize for waking them up.
For the cache:
You are looking for a subject-appropriate container inside a small ammo box that is hidden near the location in which Leach was found. Cacher discretion is advised. Please do not remove the contents and exercise stealth as this may be a high muggle area. Also, bring your own writing utensil and, as always, please return the container as found.
Good luck and happy caching