A secret usually outweighs the treasure it conceals, and talking about it is a way of disburdening. Next thing you know, bands of hoodlums in gabardine trench coats and fedoras were prowling the Catskill forests and digging a lot of holes. They didn't turn up much except worms. Then a rumor got out that the henchman had drawn a map and given it to a friend, so this friend was relieved of both the map and his life. Now with directions in hand, the mobsters were giddy with a sense of imminent success.
Treasure hunters live for such moments.
The map was said to have consisted of a crude drawing of some pine trees, a creek, and a strange figure that some argued was the eye of an owl and others the footprint of a bear. Besides, they were mobsters and had other business, so they gave up the search. The treasure, as far as we know, is still in the ground. As for the map, like the library at Alexandria, it was lost. But a story like this has a life of its own.