All language subtitles for Expedition.Unknown.S14E03.en

[marching band music playing]

Come now, lads.

Put your backs into it.

Row lively now.

Worst Christmas ever.

Welcome to the front lines
of the Revolutionary War.

American colonial patriots,

under the command
of General
George Washington here,

are in their second year
of fighting against

the British for
their independence.

And right about now, well,
things aren't going so hot.

A blizzard is coming,
morale and provisions
are running low.

Oh, and did I mention
we lost New York?

Yeah, we lost New York.

That's why
Mr. One Dollar Bill here

has decided to do
something daring.

Our mission?

To secretly ferry 2,400 troops
across the Delaware River

to launch a surprise attack
against the British-led
military outpost

in Trenton, New Jersey.

It is a huge gamble,
and undoubtedly,

you know how it turns out.

But according to legend,
this pivotal win

very nearly
doesn't happen at all.

Roll lively.
We're almost there.

Across the way,
on a ridge overlooking
the icy river,

a man named Moses Doan
has spotted Washington

crossing the Delaware.

Moses is a colonial farmer
from a Quaker family.

He's also something else,
loyal to the British.

Later, Washington will
reportedly call Moses

and his brothers

in the Doan gang the greatest
threat to the American cause.

Meanwhile, the British
mercenary forces here

in Trenton are exhausted
and hunkered down

in the frigid temperatures,
unaware of Washington's
impending attack.

As for the commanding
colonel and senior officers,

a night of Christmas merriment
has left them
somewhat distracted

from duty.

The story goes that Moses Doan
races here

to deliver a note of warning.

This single piece of paper
could snuff out

the very birth of a nation.

Luckily, the colonel
is too busy playing cards

to read the message.

Moses and his brothers
did succeed

at something else, though,

terrorizing the colonists
through brazen acts

of robbery,
including the shocking heist

at gunpoint of one of
the early US treasuries,

what was then the largest
ever theft of US public funds.

The Doan gang's crimes
have become
the stuff of legend,

as have the millions in gold
and silver

they reportedly buried,
but history is about
to resurface.

The past is all around us.

Oh, this is crazy.

-A world of mystery.
-This is a plane.

Yeah.

Danger.

-We are about
to be underwater.
-Whoa!

And adventure.

It's just straight down!

[exclaims]

I travel to the far corners
of the Earth

to uncover where legends end.

-And history begins.
-Okay, let's punch it.

I'm Josh Gates,
and this is
Expedition Unknown.

Welcome to Philadelphia,
home of the 76ers.

No, not the basketball team.

I'm talking about the guys
who in 1776 signed

the Declaration
of Independence,

and kicked off
the American Revolution,

pitting our brave patriots
against the oppressive
British monarchy.

But it's a little more
complicated than that.

It turns out the fight
for independence
was also a civil war

in which Americans
battled themselves.

I was shocked to learn
that 20 to 30%
of the colonists

wanted no part
of this revolution.

Among those
loyal to the crown
was farmer Joseph Doan

of Plumstead, Pennsylvania.

When asked to sign an oath
swearing his allegiance

to the newly formed American
government, he refused.

The patriots branded him
a traitor,

confiscated his farm,
and turned him

and his five grown sons
out onto the street.

Homeless and infuriated,
these young men became

America's first outlaws,
the infamous Doan Gang.

The Doan brothers,
Levi, Malan, Aaron,

and Joseph, were led
by eldest son, Moses.

In direct opposition
to their freedom-fighting
neighbors,

these turncoats helped
the Redcoats,

establishing a clandestine
network of spies
for the British,

stealing hundreds of horses,
and robbing

colonial tax collectors.

Benjamin Franklin himself
is said to have signed

the Doans' execution papers.

Though not before
they allegedly accumulated

a hidden stockpile of gold
and silver that would now

be worth millions.

To see if it can be found,
a team of historians

and treasure hunters
is preparing an investigation

of the gang's former hideout.

And a historian has uncovered
documents leading

to a legendary cave
where the Doans

may have buried their loot.

I'll be heading
to the Doan gang's
old stomping ground

of Bucks County, Pennsylvania.

In 1776, it was a day's ride
from Philadelphia by horse.

I'm taking a Jeep though,
so should be faster.

-[vehicle beeps]
-Let's ride.

♪♪ I will call you ♪

From Philadelphia,
I drive 30 miles

to historic Newtown,
Pennsylvania,

where people clearly remember
their local lawless traders.

And it's where my search
for the Doan Gang

and their buried loot begins,
at a place known
as Tomlinson Farm.

I'm greeted on the back porch
by Doan Gang historian,
Annie Halliday.

-Nice to meet you.
-So nice to meet you.

Pleasure. This is
a beautiful old house here.

Gorgeous property.

-Yeah.
-This is a Bucks County
stone house.

You can see here from
the date stone, built in 1769.

-Oh, really old house.
-Really old house.

Okay, and this was a historic
farm that belonged to who?

John Tomlinson,
who was a British loyalist

and a principal member
of the Doan Gang.

Let's talk about
the Doan Gang.

Why become a British loyalist
in the colonies?

-What's the advantage
for them?
-I think the advantage

is staying with the government
that you've grown up with.

I mean, they are
of English descent.

They arrived in the colonies
in the 1690s.

So for many generations,
this is the only form

-of government they know.
-Right.

Why break with that
to join this other

newly formed United States
government that you have

no loyalty to,
you didn't vote for,

and is sort of being
forced upon you?

In order to become
our founding fathers,

the colonists needed
money and an army,

and their methods
for getting them
weren't exactly subtle.

They coerced their neighbors
into joining the revolution

with harsh fines
and public shaming.

Traitors to the cause were
even physically branded,

and lists of their names were
published in local newspapers.

The Doans were prominently
featured on one such list.

And that really changes
things for them because

it is published
in the newspaper,
they are named as

attainted traitors,
and their family farm

is forfeited to
the Pennsylvania government.

-So they lose their homestead.
-Yes.

Now homeless outcasts,
the Doan family becomes

the Doan gang.

Their illustrious criminal
career kicks off

with horse thievery
and home invasions

and the Doans quickly become
wanted men.

But other British loyalists
like the owner of this
property, John Tomlinson,

protect the Doans.

It's a crime for which
he'll eventually be executed.

As for the gang,
they expand into

bank robberies and espionage,
as one document found

on the farm demonstrates.

-This was found here?
-This was found here

among John Tomlinson's papers
after his death.

And what is this?

So this is an original
hand-drawn map

of the US battalions in
North Bergen, New Jersey.

Wow.
This is the original document?

This is the original
hand-drawn document

-dated August 10th, 1780.
-So this is a map showing

the position
of revolutionary forces.

And this map presumably
would have aided the British

-in finding out where
the rebels were.
-Yes.

-That is incredible.
-It is.

This map is evidence
of the exploits

that would turn the Doans
into local folk heroes

to the loyalists.

There are even stories
that portray them

as handsome rogues with
near superhuman strength.

Those are, of course,
tall tales,

but what can't be denied
is the Doans' thievery,

including a huge haul
from the 1781 robbery

of the Newtown Treasury.

The heist made the Doans
public enemy number one,

and the gold and silver
they stole

could be worth millions today.

And that money
has been recovered?

It's never been recovered,
and potentially some of it

could have been left
behind here.

Beyond this document here,
this property

has not been
very well investigated.

We know the Doans
used this farm as a hideout,

and they may have even buried
their stolen loot on
the property.

-These fields have
never been searched?
-Mm-mmm.

Well, that is certainly
a lot of land to search.

Yeah, and it's not going
to be easy.

To cover all this ground,
we're bringing in a team

from Pennsylvania Historical
Recovery Services,

led by their founder,
Jim Bongiovanni.

So what does
the Pennsylvania Historical
Recovery Service do?

People call us to come out
to their homes.

We come out for free.
We find relics for them,

and then we give them back
so the people can display

and preserve them in the home.

I love that mission.
That's great.

And so here we've got
this old colonial house.

It was once a farm, right?

As you can see,
a lot of land here.

So what would your approach be
on a property like this?

We find that the concentration
of relics are closer
to the house.

So what we'll do
is we'll start closer
to the house

and then work our way out
into the fields.

All right.

And find bags and bags
of Doan Gang treasure.

Yes, because I know exactly
where they're at.

See, I love this confidence.
I love this confidence.

-Should we do it?
-Yes.

-Let's do it.
-All right, go team.

-Let's go.
-Go team.

The group breaks out
their metal detectors

and we start to scan
Tomlinson Farm,

hoping for
a bumper crop of--

-Hey, I got something, Josh.
-Wait, already?

What do you got?

Kind of a big 1700s era button
made out of tombac metal.

-Which is, uh...
-Button...
What is tombac metal?

It's an alloy of tin
and brass.

Yeah, look at that.

And this dates to when,
would you say?

That dates to the mid-1700s
into possibly the late 1700s.

So we are in our
target period here.

-We are 100% in the period.
-Wow.

I was going to make
a joke and say it's
a Doan gang button,

but hell, it could be.

-Very well could be.
-Absolutely.

-Definitely could be there.
-Belonged to somebody
working the farm.

Belonged to somebody working
the field.

-It's a good find.
-Really good find.

Also good to have in case
you lose a button.

-That's right.
-Because these
will come in handy.

Put it in your pocket.

Here we go.

The button pushes us
to keep looking for more,

and Tomlinson Farm delivers.

Yo, Josh, I got
a coin out here.

Found a coin?

[man] Yeah, colonial era.

Dude, we just started.

-What'd you find?
-Oh, you got to see this.

It's a colonial era coin,
without a doubt.

-What'd you find?
-Oh, you gotta see this.

It's a colonial-era coin,
without a doubt.

Look at that.
It's really super thin.

I'm pretty sure that's
a King George.

I'm with a team
scanning the grounds
of a colonial-era farm

for the lost loot
of the Doan Gang,

a crew of British loyalists
who robbed, spied against,

and terrorized
the patriots during
the American Revolution.

I can see a little bit
of writing on it.
Okay, what do you think?

What? What? Oh, yeah.
That's a King George.

King George.

I can't get a date,
but it's definitely
a King George.

Great Britain had six kings
named George,

and each had their face
on official coinage.

No matter which one this is,
it's historic.

-Dude.
-Nice.

Unbelievable.

You know who's really good
with the years on these?
The mustache.

-The mustache?
-Yeah.

The other,
one of the other Bills.

-Are we calling it
the mustache?
-Oh, absolutely.

-Mustache!
-Mustache!

-I didn't realize
they called you the mustache.
-Well, he does.

Okay, so there's definitely
an eight in there.

So facing left is
King George II.

And I see a two.

So it's definitely
King George II.

You'll see right up here
in the 1 o'clock position,

-a Roman numeral II.
-Yes.

-That's King George II.
-The date range is?

Late 1720s into the 1750s,
1760s.

-So this is...
-Woohoo.

-Woohoo. Way woohoo.
-This is...

Way woohoo.

One thing is clear.

When it comes to coinage,
this mustache is a must-have.

-This is old.
-Very old.

I mean, to be clear,
there is no U.S.
minted coinage

from this time period.

-Correct.
-Doesn't exist yet.

-The U.S. mint
started in 1793.
-Right.

So this is being used
as legal currency here

in the colonies,
but this coin,
it sailed here.

-Yes.
-Yes.

That's unbelievable.
So this predates
the Doan Gang.

-Yes, yes.
-But would have been
in circulation

when they were doing
their robberies.

Could have been in his pocket,
and they could have camped
right here.

-How about that?
-That's pretty awesome.

That's unbelievable.

We've made a discovery
that puts us square

in the Doan Gang's territory.

And that's not all that's
cropping up on this farm.

-Here we go.
-What do you got?

Got a coin over here.

Another coin, worn smooth
with age,

can't be firmly dated,
but is clearly

hundreds of years old.

All right, you're making
the rest of us look bad.
Slow down.

-What do we got?
-What do you got?

-Musket ball.
-Oh, it's a musket ball.

Oh, and look, it's been fired.
It hit something.

-That did hit something.
-Got a coin?

Hey, we got a coin here.

This field is producing
more coins than most
slot machines,

but we're looking
for artifacts

we can tie specifically
to the Doans' era.

-You got a good hit?
-I have a great hit.

-Okay.
-Yep, we call it a banger.

-You got a banger?
-I got a banger.

Okay, we got a banger
going over here.

All right.

[metal detector whirrs]

That is right there.

-Oh. Coin.
-Coin.

Hell yeah, it's a coin.

-It's a coin.
-Another one.

Look at that.

I mean, this is
Field of Dreams.

-Got another coin.
-Nice.

You got your magnifying glass?

I definitely see 17... 6.

This style of bust
is the young head.

That was 1729 to 1739.

-So that's 1736.
-Has to be 1736.

-So that's a dateable coin.
-That's a coin from 1736.

That's just under
300 years old.

-Is that worth a woo-hoo?
-That's a woo-hoo.

That's a woo-hoo right there.
That's unbelievable.

These incredible coins
and artifacts

are tangible proof

that there is
historical treasure buried
on Tomlinson Farm,

and this was just
the first pass.

We spend the rest of the day
scouring the fields,

the beginning of a process
that will take months.

The next morning,
I'm back on the road,

having received word about
a promising new trail
to follow.

I'm off to meet with
perhaps the world's foremost
Doan Gang expert,

who's been chasing their story
and their loot

for most of his life.

So the most passionate
hunter of Doan Gang history

is an expert named
Clint Flack.

And from what I've read,
Clint might just have

a very hot lead on where
the Doans could have
hidden their loot.

Clint is a curator at
the nearby Mercer Museum,

which people around here
say is hard to miss.

I think I found it.
I was told this was a museum.

That is a castle.

Look at this place.

Wow.

Check it out.

The Mercer Museum
is a six-story castle

designed by
Henry Chapman Mercer,

a rich man with
a lot of stuff

and not nearly enough
closet space.

Completed in 1916,
the castle houses

his vast collection
of early American antiques

and pre-industrial tools.

-Clint.
-Josh.

-Great to meet you.
-Thanks for coming.

-I'm, like,
in awe of this place.
-It's amazing, right?

How many objects are
in this museum?

Over 50,000 in our collection.

And so, among the many things
that you have here,

I take it, a lot of stuff
on the Doan gang.

We are actually in
the process of putting
together

a large exhibit
right now on the Doans.

And I've read about you
that you,

beyond your job here,
you have

a personal fascination
with the Doans.

I do.
I grew up around here.

My family's been here since
the time of the Doans.

And as a small child,
I was obsessed with pirates.

And I had an amazing librarian
who took it upon herself

to introduce me
to Bucks County's
land pirates.

Right, the real pirates
of Bucks County.

The real pirates.

The tales of
the swashbuckling Doans

hooked a young Clint Flack
for life.

And now he's compiled historic
court summons and warrants

for the gang,
as well as other
priceless Doan relics.

So along with the paperwork,
we've got some

serious hardware here.
What is this?

Why don't you throw
those gloves on,

-and I'll show you one of
our most amazing pieces.
-All right.

So this gun was dropped by
one of the Doans

in a dramatic shootout.

[Josh] This is one of their
actual weapons.

[Clint] This is one of their
actual weapons.

This is the kind of thing
that makes this story

-come off the page.
This is real now.
-Yes.

I mean, this is the hardware.

-It bore witness
to these events.
-Totally.

It's traveled through history
to your hands.

That's unbelievable.
Amazing.

You know, weapons like
this were used by the Doans

to cause mayhem,
to steal horses,

-but also to steal
a lot of money.
-Exactly.

Including their
most successful robbery,

October 22nd, 1781,
the Doans robbed

the Bucks County Treasury.

Right, this is a really
brazen robbery.

-It is.
-This isn't just taking
a couple horses.

No, it is by far
their most successful robbery,

and they've taken all
of the tax money, essentially,
for that year.

On October 19, 1781,
British General Cornwallis

surrenders to
George Washington,

effectively ending
the Revolutionary War.

Three days later,
in retribution,

the Doan gang stages
a terrifying armed robbery

of the Patriots' treasury
in nearby Newtown.

It begins with a home invasion
as the Doans break into

the residence of
John Hart, the treasurer.

At gunpoint,
they steal Hart's coat

and a key to
the Newtown treasury.

One of the Doans,
now disguised as John Hart,

then strolls confidently down
the street toward

the fortified treasury
building and its heavy door.

They unlock the door,
they go inside,
and they see the desk.

It's right behind you.

This is the actual desk?

This is the actual desk
the Doans saw

-when they entered
the treasury.
-And the money was in here?

The money was in here.
Now, the Doans
have the benefit

of having a key
to the front door
of the treasury.

But they didn't have
a key to the desk.

-RIght.
-It's locked.
So what do they do?

They used a knife.

They take the knife,
and they pry the drawers open.

You could still see,
even today,

This desk has the witness
marks of a knife blade.

[Josh] That is incredible.

Once they get the drawer open,
they encounter
1,200 Spanish dollars,

400 French crowns,
and they take all of it.

And so where do they go?

I mean, how were
they laying low
after a score this big?

Are they still hiding out
at that farm?

Only up until 1782.

After 1782, John Tomlinson
is executed.

The Doans have to find
somewhere else to hide,

so they're harbored by
local loyalists,

or, according to legend,
they hide out in caves.

All gangs, all pirates, too,
are always connected to caves.

Is there any truth to it?

Did the Doan Gang hide
or bury treasure in a cave?

It's a question, a question
we're hoping to answer.

Through my research,
I've actually found
this article.

It's written by a man
named Joseph Fell,
who's a local school teacher.

He writes into the newspaper
and details his discovery

of this cave in 1859.

So he says,
"On Christmas night,
one of my sons informed me

that he had been examining
with the aid of candles

a cave in Centreville
near the barn

of Dr. Charles Matthews.

Joseph Fell goes on to say
that he visited the caves

and made a descent into
this subterranean vault

about 18 feet to the floor
and then he says

nine feet from the bottom,
I found with the aid
of my candle,

the following inscription,
1775,

M. Doan deeply cut
in the rock."

Okay, so now let's add
a little geography to this.

The town of Centerville
that he mentions

-where this cave is, is where?
-Long gone.

The town doesn't exist
anymore?

Doesn't exist as far
as a name.

Okay.

However, Centerville still
exists on old maps.

Okay.

And we have a map from 1859,
the same year...

-Yes.
-...that the article
was printed.

Farm map
of Buckingham Township,

Bucks County,
and where is it?

-Right in the center
of the map.
-Of course, where else?

-Centerville.
-Centerville, look at that.

And right in the heart
of Centerville,

the property
of Dr. Charles Matthews.

[Josh] Stop it, his name
is on the map.

So wait a minute,
this means not only do we know

the town this cave was in...

-We know the property.
-We know exactly where
the cave is.

So the million-dollar
question, is it there?

-It's definitely there.
-How do you know that?

-Because I've been
inside of it.
-Really?

-You want to see it?
-I'm dying to see it.

-Let's take a ride.
-Let's take a ride.

Holy [bleep].

-Come on, Josh!
-This guy's crazy!

Whoo!

That's one excited historian.

Whoo!

How much further?

Not far.

Another quarter mile.

Oh, boy. Whoo.

I'm riding through the woods
of Pennsylvania with historian

and Mario Kart
enthusiast Clint Flack.

We're heading for a cave
where the notorious

Revolutionary Era Doan Gang
may have hid millions
in gold and silver.

We're here?

Almost there.
We got a fallen tree.

We're gonna have to go
the rest of the way on foot.

Okay.
We'll walk from here.

We hike deeper into the woods.

Clint insists that somewhere
nearby is the cave

identified in an 1859 article
as a Doan hideout.

-I see a lot of rock.
-Well, we got lots of rock.

Okay.

We also have...

-A deep, scary hole
in the ground.
-Oh, my God.

Look at that.

-You got a cave.
-We got a cave.

This goes down how far?

18 feet to the floor.

Which is what
the newspaper article says.

Exactly.

And do you feel like
you've uncovered the extent

-of the cave down there?
-No, we've only just begun.

I mean, it goes on and on,
I think.

Okay.

-Can we see what's down there?
-Oh, absolutely.

How do we see
what's down there?

-Oh, we're gonna need
some ropes.
-Ropes.

Ropes are good.

-All right, you ready?
-I'm ready if you are.

-I am. You're going first?
-I'm going first.

Perfect.
It's just what I like to hear.

Okay, so good luck.

Clint carefully shimmies
his way down

the slick sides
of the limestone crevice

until he's enveloped
by the darkness.

Oh, man.

I've literally lost sight
of you.

-You okay down there?
-I'm good.

-I'm down.
-You're down.

Come on down.

Gonna maneuver here...

Ooh, oh, that is slippery.

Doing good.

-Almost there.
-Almost.

A few more feet.

I'm on something.

-You're down. You did it.
-I'm down.

-Hey.
-You made it.

-I made it.
-Welcome to the cave.

-You weren't kidding.
-It's tight.

It's tight.
I mean, I've heard
of a man cave before...

-[chuckles]
-...but this is next level.
All right, so...

Give me the grand tour.

Let's see what's down here.

Almost 20 feet underground
in a narrow slot of rock

with only one exit.

Look at this.

I have no idea where Clint
is leading me or whether

this could truly be
a Doan hideout
with hidden loot.

Oh, my word.

Okay, so end of the line.

-So far.
-So far.

You've literally dug all
the way back to here.

-To this point, yes.
-Okay.

So I've been slowed down
by this jumble of rocks.

-Big rocks here.
-Big rocks.

But in between all of these
rocks is all kinds
of really cool artifacts.

-But no sign
of that inscription yet.
-Not yet.

-And I'm guessing
you're really looking.
-Under every inch.

I comb it.

I mean,
what would it mean to you
to find that inscription?

There's no words or phrase
in the English language.

-I mean, it's been my quest
my whole life.
-Right.

-Well, what's our move?
-We got to start digging.

I mean, we got to start
combing through all this.

We'll carefully remove rocks
and look for artifacts.

But when you say remove,
like, remove it to where?

We got to remove it back
to the entrance
and then get it up top.

Oh, God.

This is a chore.

The ceiling is literally
falling in on me.

-It is dripping on us.
-All right, let's get moving

before this whole place
collapses.

-You ready?
-Right.

-Let's dig.
-Let's dig.

To begin, we're going
to sift through the mud

and debris
that has settled here.

Using trowels and handheld
metal detectors,

we're looking for artifacts
that hopefully go back

to the Revolution.

-[metal detector beeping]
-We got something.

-What is it?
-It's a coin.

It's a coin?

No, it's not a coin.
I don't know what it is.

Is it a shell?

Oh, a shotgun shell.

Yes, look at that.
It's hollow.

That is definitely
a shotgun shell.

-Look at that.
-That's awesome.

So let's see what we got here.

Look at that.
You can still read it.

Now, we should be able
to date this.

-Hey, uh, Adam?
-Yep?

-Can you run a search for me?
-Yes.

UMC Co.,
Union Metallic Cartridge
Company.

Number 12, smokeless.

These head stamps on these
shells changed quite a lot,

so we'll be able to date this
within a specific range.

All right, I got it!

What do you got?

1892 to 1902.

-Amazing.
-Amazing.

That is so cool.

So, 120-plus-year-old shell
hiding down in this cave.

We're a century too late
for the Doans here.

-Exactly.
-But to find something
dateable like that is so cool.

-Amazing.
-All right, we're off
and running.

Here we go.

The shell may have been from
someone else who ventured
down here,

maybe a well-armed
treasure hunter
from a century ago.

We keep digging into the mud
for artifacts,

hoping to find something
that ties this cave

to the Doan legend.

I gotta say,
this is one of the...

dirtiest caves
I've ever been in, Clint,

and that is truly
saying something.

So, I don't think
there's any part of me

that's not covered in mud
right now.

-[metal detector beeping]
-That's something metal.

Go ahead.

-I got a bottle.
-A bottle?

A piece of bottle,
but it's coming up...

-as metal.
-Metallic?

It's so weird.
It's just glass.

[beeping]

What in the world...

-Oh, that's a coin!
-We got a coin.

Oh, are you kidding me?
That is a coin for sure.

Curator Clint Flack
and I are underground

in a Pennsylvania cave,

searching for
a long-lost carved inscription

from the Doan gang.

And we've just found
something historic.

See those lines?
I think it's a shield nickel.

-Oh, I do see those lines,
yeah, right here.
-Yep.

Shield nickel.
And these are from when?

-Just after the Civil War
until the early 1880s.
-Wow.

First U.S. five-cent piece
made of copper and nickel.

Five-cent pieces like this
with a shield on the face

were the first U.S. coins
made with a nickel alloy

shortly after the Civil War.

We're holding one of the very
first nickels ever struck.

Well, what's really incredible
is as we get deeper

and deeper and deeper here,
it's getting older and older.

-We're going back in time.
-We are.

So we got just under
a century now to go.

Yep.

-We got a lot more digging
to do. [laughs]
-Yeah.

We're moving in the right
direction,

but still nothing
that sheds light on
the Doans, until...

Oh, hold on.
Hold on, hold on, hold on.

Whoa, whoa, whoa,
whoa, whoa, whoa.
What is this?

Oh.

Is that part of a lamp?

-It is.
-Yes, look at that.

-It is.
It's an oil lamp piece.
-Oh, my word.

-That is part of an oil lamp.
-Yep.

You can see the adjuster
right there.

-The wick would have come out
right there on the top.
-Yeah.

And it makes you wonder,
was somebody down here
with this?

-Some early explorer.
-Right?

I mean, this would have
been the headlamp
of the day, right?

Right.

With the Doans
down here lighting their way

in their hideout.

This is so, so cool.
This is incredible.

The artifacts we're finding
are bringing us closer

to the Doans' era,
but we're quickly running out
of ground to cover.

Ooh, what is this?

Is there a cavity here?

-Find something?
-There's like a hole here.

Look at this.

Does that go back?

Oh, there's a hole here.

[Clint] Like a little hole
between the rocks?

Yeah, but it go...
Oh, it goes way back.

Oh, my God.

Like right under where
you're sitting is all hollow.

Like it's walled off?
What is it?

No, it's like another part
of the chamber.

-It goes back...
-Like a few feet?

How far does it go?

-It goes back
as far as I can see.
-What?

Dude, it's like
a whole other room.

[Clint] Oh, my gosh.

I think the floor
of your chamber
is down here.

Oh, my gosh.

-Look at how far back
that goes.
-Oh, my God.

Another chamber.

Oh, my God.

-There's a whole room
down there.
-There is, right?

Yeah.

Holy [bleep].

Oh, my God.

Like, this is not the back
of this chamber at all.

It goes way back.

Oh my Goonies.

This is an actual
blocked passage

to a deeper section
of this cave.

I think that somebody
stacked these rocks up

when they closed
the cave off.

You think somebody
walled this?

There's clearly rocks stacked.
There's an intent.

They're trying to wall off
this chamber.

-We've got to get in there.
-That's insane.

That's insane.

Can you see anything?
Is there anything
on the floor?

[sighs] I mean, rocks,
and it looks like
untouched dirt.

It's like the surface
of the moon,

like no one's walked there
in 100 years or more.

Okay, this is amazing.

You don't happen to see any
inscriptions in there, do you?

-I can't see that far back.
-Particularly "M. Doan"?

Not yet.

But according
to the newspaper article,

-it should be this direction.
-Right.

It should be in this side.

Well...

-We've got to get in there.
-We've got to get in there.

-I mean, now we've got to move
some serious rock.
-A lot of rock.

I mean, just the one
you're sitting on here

feels like it's going
to be a chore.

And where's this stuff going?

We've got to get it up top.

We've got to get it out
of the way.

-It's going up.
-It's going up.

Okay.
Can you break them apart?

Yeah, with a jackhammer.

Well, sure,
but we're not going to
jackhammer down here, right?

-[jackhammer whirrs]
-Come on!

Here we go!

The hammer is effective,
but it's leaving a lot
of rubble in its wake.

Fortunately, Clint has even
more help at his disposal.

He's called up
the property owner,

Frank Lamitina,
who brings in some
heavy metal.

Okay?

-Frank?
-Yes.

We're going to need
a lot of buckets.

All right, coming down.

We run a bucket brigade
to send the broken rocks
to the top.

Okay, Frank, pull it up.

Where Frank empties them
into a front loader

to take them away.

Bucket by bucket,
we clear the fragments
from the cave,

hopefully getting us nearer
to entering the chamber.

Bucket up.

Once the rock has been
cleared away from the passage,

we get our first good look
into the newly opened chamber

of what we hope is the cave
with Moses Doan's inscription.

All right, how's it look?

I think we're almost
ready to go in.

-Is that wide enough for you
to pass through?
-Yeah, I can get in there.

-Okay, can I get in there?
-You can definitely get
in there.

-All right, you ready?
-Yeah.

Nice and slow.

-You in?
-I'm in.

-Okay, I'm going to try
and come down.
-Okay.

Oh, my god.

-You see anything down there?
-There's initials all over
the place.

What?

Oh, my word.

-There's initials on
the walls.
-It's everywhere.

During the Revolution,
Philadelphia was
a divided city.

Brother against brother,
loyalists against patriots.

Today, the city is once
again in turmoil,

with one fundamental issue
dividing its citizens.

Battle of the Cheesesteaks.

On this corner, it's Pat's,
the self-proclaimed
king of steaks.

And on the opposite corner,
we've got Gino's,

the so-called best of steaks.

Both loaded with thinly sliced
beef, both smothered
with onions,

both drenched in Cheez Whiz
for some reason.

Here we go.

Both a melting pot of flavor,
both equally patriotic.

It's a tie.

I'm eating both.

There are initials
on the walls.

There's all kinds of carvings
in here.

-Ha!
-Historian Clint Flack
has been searching

for a cave mentioned in
an 1859 letter

that's supposed to contain
an inscription from

the notorious Doan Gang.

This really matches
the description of the cave.

It matches it perfectly.
I mean, this chamber
is supposed to have,

it's like a roof where
two rocks meet

and make a peak,
and then it tapers into

a smaller point where
it just dies off.

That's insane.

Look at these initials.

So, J-A-W?

Yep.

And then over here, J-A.

And more up here.

-Yeah.
-Look at this.

J-R.

And it looks like a diamond
with a little diamond.

What does that mean?

-And more here.
-Oh, my god.

It's a W.
I mean, it's everywhere.

-And then there's more
down there.
-There's more down there.

So somewhere in this chamber
supposedly is the inscription,

-"M. Doan."
-Yeah.

So the article by Joseph Fell
says that the inscription

that says M. Doan
should be where?

-In this direction.
-Right.

In this chamber.

-He says it's on
the southeast wall.
-Right.

And it's how far in?

It's as far as a man
can reach and nine feet up

from the bottom.

-I mean, that should be
somewhere around here.
-Right.

We searched the back
of the chamber
for Doan's initials,

hoping that the elements
haven't worn them away.

-Oh, I got an M.
I got an M right here. Yep.
-It's him?

Oh, my God.

That is an M for sure.

And then some sort of faded
initial next to it.

But I can't tell if that used
to be a D

or if this is something else,
part of a G. I don't know.

But it looks like there
might have been something

-under it at one point
as well.
-Oh, my gosh.

I mean, could that have said
1775 right there?

[Clint] That would be amazing.

What do you think?
M for Moses?

It is the only M
we've seen in this cave.

-Maybe that's all that's left
is the M.
-Maybe.

Maybe.

I'll tell you what.

I'll take it.

It can no longer be denied.
This is the right place.

The writing is literally
on the wall.

I can't believe this is here.

Clint, I don't want to say
that I doubted you.

-I totally doubted you.
-[chuckles]

I'm sorry, I have to say it.

I mean, I knew that
you had found a cave.

I knew that it was historic,
obviously.

We were finding artifacts.

But the idea that it was
this cave from the article

and that it hadn't
been destroyed.

I mean, it seems impossible.

It seems completely impossible
for us to be here
in this place,

in this moment,
looking at all
of these initials.

I've spent my whole life
trying to be right here.

-You made it.
-I did it.

This is one of the best days
of my life.

Oh, man, I'm so happy
I could be here to see it.

-I'm glad you're here, too.
-This is incredible.

After decades of searching,
Clint has found the cave

he's been looking for since
he was eight years old.

But this is only
the beginning.

The chamber has just started
to reveal the secrets

of the Doan gang,

and Clint has his work cut out
for him

to fully excavate the site.

As for the Doans themselves,
the ending of their story

does not lie in this cave.

Two years after
the Treasury robbery

and the Doans were hunted men.

The Revolutionary War
was over,

and they could no longer count
on the Loyalists

for shelter or safety.

On August 28th, 1783,
word leaked that Moses Doan

had been sighted.

A posse of armed men
surrounded him

at a remote cabin.

They eventually wrestled him
to the ground.

Moses surrendered,
only to be fatally shot
in the heart.

Malin Doan was jailed
later that year.

Legend has it he shaved
the flesh off

his own heel bones
to slip out of his shackles

and escape, some say
on a boat to England.

Aaron and Joseph Jr.
moved to Canada,

which was still under
British rule

and friendly to loyalists
like the Doans.

And in 1788,
Levi and his cousin
Abraham Doan were caught.

Benjamin Franklin reportedly
signed their death warrant

and they were hanged
in Philadelphia.

Their sister Mary returned
their bodies to Bucks County

and asked the Quakers
for permission
to lay them to rest here

in their meeting house
burial ground.

But the pacifist Quakers
refused,

unwilling to inter militants.

And so Mary buried
her brothers here,
beyond the wall.

Their legacy was chiseled onto
their headstones, "outlaws."

And yet these overgrown graves
are far from forgotten.

In Bucks County, Pennsylvania,
determined people

have kept the story
of the Doans alive.

In the fields
at Tomlinson Farm,

we saw history come to life
and worked alongside

a small army to uncover
rare coinage

from the Doan era.

And deep in the woods,
in the depths
of a forgotten cave,

a historian who wouldn't
give up has unearthed
extraordinary relics

and now a hidden chamber
that verifies

part of the Doan Gang's story.

A story that reminds us
that the revolution

wasn't just patriots fighting
the Redcoats.

The battle for democracy
is one fought from within.

And it has been since
the beginning.