Fourth Man Ministries

Copyright 2016 © palió amartoló  productions

     Was it just a rumor?  Maybe.  Or, were there generations of accumulated wealth that lay hidden, waiting to be shared with relatives, friends, and heirs?  Also maybe.  Stories like this can drive some people crazy.  Estranged relatives suddenly become “close kin” after they hear that there is gold buried somewhere on the family property.  Family reunions become hot-spots for distant relatives who suddenly feel the need to reconnect with their roots.  Well, maybe this isn’t all bad.  These folks are “family”, so we should welcome them, no matter what may be their motivate.

     First, we must establish where the gold came from.  This will help us to sort rumor from historical fact.  Research will take us back to the beginning of the 19th Century in the royal palace of Austria.  Here we find an employee of the court, a textile merchant with the last name of Adlof.  The duties of Mr. Adlof included traveling the world to locate and purchase the finest linens, tapestries, silk fabrics, knit rugs, Kashmir upholstery, curtains, and fabrics fit for the Emperor of Austria and his Royal family.  One day the world changed for the Adlof family.  Mr. Adlof died while on a trip to Japan.  Shortly after this, the throne of Austria was overthrown, ousting those in favor with the former regime.  This was the cue for the Adlof family to quickly cash in their assets and flee across the ocean to Texas before their wealth was seized by the new Emperor.

     As many German/Austrian immigrants to Texas  during the late 1800’s, the Adlof family moved to Hallettsville, LaVaca County.   The family farm was located next to the Pagel cotton plantation.  Both families became close friends and business associates.  As time passed, Ella Adlof and Ernest Pagel were married and moved to Gonzales. Other Pagel descendants moved to nearby towns.  Adlof descendants moved to locations around Texas.  Max Adlof, the oldest brother of Ella, moved to Houston and became a wealthy businessman.  During his lifetime, he remained close to Ella.  Her son, Alton, was his favorite nephew.  When Max passed away in the mid 1960’s, he left all of his wealth to Ella.

     Alton, the oldest son of Ernest and Ella Pagel, had become a successful businessman and real estate owner on the Rio Grande River.  His work took him across the border as an architect and developer.  As the highest ranking Freemason in south Texas, Alton was the person responsible for establishing and setting up lodges throughout many towns.  His photo is still displayed in temples in many locations between Waco and Laredo.  As time passed, Ernest and Ella both went to live with Alton in south Texas and entrusted all of their assets and wealth to him.  Ernest and Ella spent their lives instilling in Alton a devotion to Jesus.  Both parents were profoundly spiritual.  This was the driving principal in each of their lives and the principal that would eventually conquer Alton, as well.

     Meanwhile, back at the Adlof plantation in Hallettsville during the 1950’s, the old family property was being partitioned and sold.  An excavation company was hired to bulldoze and haul off the debris from the old barns, hen houses, and servant barracks.  A bit of historical fact occurred during this excavation that should be of interest to any doubter…….an abundance of gold was uncovered by the bulldozers and “accidentally hauled off to the dump grounds” by the dump trucks.  What became of the remainder of the gold???  Hmmmm.  Max knew the answer to this question, but he passed away.  Did Ella know?  Did she tell her secret to Alton?  Alton…Alton…Alton…what are your secrets?  Where did you hide the gold??

     Years passed.  Alton surrenders to the call of God to accept the lonely life of devotion.  He defected from Freemasonry, leaving himself and Allene without even one friend in this world.  He liquidated all of his real estate investments, sold his “dream home mansion”, and purchased an old nursing home in Uvalde, Texas.  The home was renovated and opened as a residential discipleship/counseling center for families and individuals in transition.  Between the years 1982-1992, over 500 people passed through the facility that Alton opened.  Fourth Man Center became Alton’s life’s work.  He climbed to the heights of academic accomplishments as a World War II statistician, responsible for designing a training system for new recruits that saved thousands of lives.  He walked away from a career of secular accomplishment that sparkled and shined like a trophy in the minds of other vain men.  He turned his back on Freemasonry, making himself an outcast and a traitor, choosing rather to walk the path of rejection with his Lord, Jesus.

     Right now people are wondering, “Where’s the gold? Where’s the gold?”  Does anyone see into the heart of Alton?  Does anyone understand what keeps him trodding onward?  We can join him in his prayer room.  Maybe there we will hear or overhear something that will guide us toward the answer that we seek.  Listen, what do you hear?? “Lord Jesus, help your hurting people”, he prays as tears flow down his cheeks.  Then, he walks away, down the trail toward the buildings that he is renovating to accommodate more families as they arrive seeking help.   “Where’s the gold, Alton?   Just tell us. Where’s the gold?”

     Then, one day a special party was arranged by Alton’s daughter in Fredericksburg.  It was Alton’s 90th birthday party and many grandchildren, nephews, nieces, and friends had gathered.  The relatives and friends sat around in a circle as Alton shared stories of his life and how God had crowded out all other loves.  After a while a lull in conversation came.  I saw an opportunity to ask Alton a question.  “Alton, do you think that it would be a good time now, since all of the relatives and friends are gathered here, to tell everyone where the gold is buried?”  Whaaaaaat?  Total silence gripped the room.  Sleepy cousins and grandchildren snapped to full attention.  Whaaaaat?  The Gold?  Since this scene had been prearranged by Alton and me, he responded “Oh, Cecil….we will talk about that later.”  Ha! Ha!  Alton, at 90 years old struggled to keep the grin off of his face and I did my best to appear as one of the relatives who had no clue.  Really, I knew exactly where the gold was buried.  Alton showed me years earlier.  We did not intentionally keep this secret from the relatives.  We just hoped that someday they would unite their hearts with our hearts so that we could tell them all about the gold.  Needless to say…the birthday party took a lively turn at that point.  Whispers and wide-eyed glances consumed the remainder of the day.  As I returned home, I decided to write a song and share a few clues concerning the gold.
(Turn on music before reading the lyrics below)

The Old Man and His Gold

The untold story
Is waiting to be told
About where the old man
Buried all his gold.

Some say it’s just a legend
But what I tell is true
My eyes have seen
I now share with you

He worked a lifetime
To achieve his dream
He found that power and riches
Were not what they seemed

Then one day it happened
To everyone’s surprise
He sold all that he owned
Severed all worldly ties.

Where did the old man 
Bury all his gold?
Not a riddle hard to grasp
Not a treasure map to hold.
“X” marks many spots
Not found with shovel in hand
Buried in hearts, not under
Rock or sand

Each dawn would find him
In prayer and in God’s Word
In the furnace with the 4th Man
Where no flame can disturb.

Some days he prepared the meals
For families he’d taken in
Or help a single mother
With no family or friend

Many people came to him
With pain in their lives
They left with the touch of hope
Renewed and revived.

“We must help God’s hurting people”
He would always say
Others just shook their heads, saying
“What a waste”. Hummmph!

With dreams as big as his heart
And faith strong and bold
He helped to pave heaven’s streets
With his bag of gold

The years of his life
Have now come to an end
His treasure all invested
In strangers, family, and friends.

Where did the old man 
Bury all his gold?
Not a riddle hard to grasp
Not a treasure map to hold
“X” marks many spots
Not found with shovel in hand
Buried in hearts, not under
Rock or sand.