UPDATED!! Grave Robbers & MDers Mentioned In Same Story.

[rtde3]

Man I hate to see stories like this one. SCROLL DOWN FOR AN UPDATE TO THIS STORY!

[Gypsy Heart]

Why would someone take the coffin.? There had to be several in order to carrry the casket...Evidently they knew that there had to be something of value in that coffin...other than poor Mary Ohrs Bones....Someone needs to go talk to that police department and tell them to get a clue...Our people dont drag coffins home, so there has to be money in the coffin from the era that she died...detective work boys....start locating family members for stories on what was buried with Mary... Who ever took this,went there with the intent of digging that coffin up, because a metal detectorist isnt going to dig a hole like that with his lesche.

[Minelab Ron]

That is very very sad and makes me mad. Just being in the genealogy field, that makes me MAD!! . How can someone show such disrespect to a grave!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!?

Unfortnately, it only takes one pit in a bowl of cherries to mess it up for everyone. Whether detectors did this or someone else, is yet to be known. I really hope they can find the culprit(s).

And I don't think it will happen, but I hope they find what ever items were taken. And I don't like when ppl don't cover their holes from digging either

Hey.....what if it was a descendent who did this, knowning of the families history??

I don't consider myself as a history buff MD'ing, but as a genealogist, I do. MD'ing is just fun and exciting and if I did find anything of extreme historical account, between Dr. Kelso (APVA Jamestown Digs) and Dr. Phelps (retired now, did digs on my hubby's property)...they could direct me to someone worthy to do a proper dig ...Infact, here is a pic of the 400 yr old 10K Gold Signet ring found on my hubby's property.

[kenb]

Saw a show last night on tomb raiding and they were showing weapons used by the looters, among them a metal detector. This doesn't say much about our hobby.


kenb

[Minelab Ron]

So they are the ones giving the ol' time MD'ers and us new MD'ers a bad name?

Kenb....My family comes from NYC....and spending lots of time at Central Park....have you ever done that park? I bet you would find lots of awesome items there. Not sure if they allow MD'ing though Wish I had a metal detector back in my days at Central Park!!

[Peg Leg]

It is a fact of life that there are good guys and bad guys.
It is also a fact of life that if you want to find something that contains metal you use a MD.
After studing the photo of the grave site I can only conclude that the person buried there had money at one time. I also conclude that it was the casket itself that was the object of the robbery and not what was inside the casket.
I also conclude that the grave site was very old.
What most people do not think about is that caskets of the wealthy were sometimes made with silver and gold metal hinges and handles and even some sheeting. If they were just after what was in the casket they would have just taken the items and left but they took the whole casket.
One more thing. This was a closed and fenced area so why a MD-this was BS just to add flavor to the story.
Just my thoughts on the subject
Peg Leg

[Heavy Chevy]

I have to agree with PegLeg about the MD thing.
It would be silly to have to tote a MD as well as a coffin through the woods at night,especially when the grave was so plaily marked.
It also shows what a great job these park rangers do to protect buried treasure !
It looks like we can just walk right into the Superstition Mts and retrieve the Dutchmans Treasure right out from under the nose of the park service !

But seriously, this (grave robbing) goes against all common decency. I hope they are caught and punished but i am sure the fine will not be big enough.

Just my 2 centavos,

Mike in SC

[EDDE]

i with you 2 on this one ,may have been a md'er that didnt fill there holes at the estate ruin etc, so of course they think these are the same people that dug up the coffin......

[Monty]

I was MDing just last week and using my new coin popper when I accidentally popped out this casket. My detector is a Mineshack and the VFI was showing an 85, depth 2". Boy was I surprised! I thought sure it was a '51 Merc ....4dr Sedan. Like to never got the corpse folded into that little display case. That's about as much a grave robber any metal detectorist I know could possibly be. Monty

[RatRacer]

I never understand the people that knock down tombstones, let alone ROB an entire GRAVE! That's just ASKING to be haunted!

[hollowpointred]

I was MDing just last week and using my new coin popper when I accidentally popped out this casket. My detector is a Mineshack and the VFI was showing an 85, depth 2". Boy was I surprised! I thought sure it was a '51 Merc ....4dr Sedan. Like to never got the corpse folded into that little display case. That's about as much a grave robber any metal detectorist I know could possibly be. Monty

yup, i always dig 5 foot deep holes with my screwdriver. it must have been those detectorists. and all of that history thats being wasted sheesh,............its so much safer rusting away in the ground.

[Jeffro]

I love the wording in that story.... "there are about a dozen holes outside the cemetary that are consistant with the activity of people with metal detectors"...

Never says that a metal detectorist did this, but it is HEAVILY implied.

Wording in the press is this way a lot.... especially in political stories. There was a letter to the editor today, in fact, where the writer actually called the editor to ask why it was that they used particular words. For instance when it was a story on abortion, the words were always "pro-choice" but the other side was always "anti-abortion" instead of "pro life".

What is also interesting and shows alot about the way the press handles stories like this is, they actually referenced the park ranger historian and the chief park ranger, but made no effort to contact a detectorist or detector group to get a response from them!-

What they would have got from me is this- "All the metal detectorists I know hold themselves to a higher standard, and none that I know would have perpetrated such an act. If someone with a detector did this, obviously they have no idea what the hobby of metal detecting is all about. Obviously this is probably the work of someone with zero scruples. Don't blame detectorists in general for the act of one immoral person."

[EDDE]

badgers dig holes so do rabbits ,maybe even a feral hog

[hollowpointred]

so do squirrels.........those damn grave robbin critters :P

[jeff of pa]

I love the wording in that story.... "there are about a dozen holes outside the cemetary that are consistant with the activity of people with metal detectors"...

Never says that a metal detectorist did this, but it is HEAVILY implied.

Wording in the press is this way a lot.... especially in political stories. There was a letter to the editor today, in fact, where the writer actually called the editor to ask why it was that they used particular words. For instance when it was a story on abortion, the words were always "pro-choice" but the other side was always "anti-abortion" instead of "pro life".

What is also interesting and shows alot about the way the press handles stories like this is, they actually referenced the park ranger historian and the chief park ranger, but made no effort to contact a detectorist or detector group to get a response from them!-

What they would have got from me is this- "All the metal detectorists I know hold themselves to a higher standard, and none that I know would have perpetrated such an act. If someone with a detector did this, obviously they have no idea what the hobby of metal detecting is all about. Obviously this is probably the work of someone with zero scruples. Don't blame detectorists in general for the act of one immoral person."

I agree.
If a person With a Detector did this,
They Probably went out and Bought a detector at Wallmart
For the Purpose of doing this.
And Never used one Before or after.

However, Seems to Me, a Detector isn't even Needed for Grave Robbery.
Just a Shovel.
Maby The Headline should have read "Shovel Owner Robs Grave"

Were their Footprints, Better Check. it maby should have Mentioned.
they need to Keep an Eye out for People wearing Boots.
that the place has been known for Boot Wearers to Frequent the place.

[nahabit]

Awfully....

[Peg Leg]

When the Corp of Engineers bult Table Rock Lake they hired people to remove whole Graveyards and place them at another location. The people they hired were some real low lifes. I talked with a few of them and the stories they told were as follows.
"We would dig up the grave and take everything of value including the gold teeth and rings. When we dug up Rebel graves we took everything they were buried with including their CSA belt buckles and buttons from their uniforms and sometimes we found a sword."

During my exploring through the woods looking for silver bearing lead ore I would come across many Civil War Graves. I never thought about disturbing a single one. I never even had a MD but was still able to find a lot of ore. This was in Arkansas around Leadville (where else).
When you go out into the HILLS it is alwasy best to talk with some old timers first and listen closley to what they have to say.
Peg. Leg

[BIG61AL]

Bottom line is ...... no sane person would ever dig up a coffin be they treasure hunter or not. This is the work of a sick individual. He/they are criminals - period. This just goes to show you that there are persons who think we are thieves just because they lack all the real facts. Makes me sick.

[Minelab Ron]

Heck....maybe it was something for an inductment into some fraterny or something. Maybe it was the descendents of the deceased, hearing all those stories and then letting the blame be placed everywhere else. Or as someone said, some very sick individual(s)....so many options to choose from. Nor do I believe it was a metal detector either. They just need someone to blame and cause they saw the Vole, Gohpher, Mole (etc,) holes, what better group of folks than those who metal detect!!

But you know, they just may get caught just on their own admission....some ppl just love to brag!!!!!!!!!

[Pennyworth]

Some people are just rotten to the core,I hope they get caught. I doubt any detectorist would do this,and it's a lot of work. Some people don't even want to retreive a target in a small hole any deeper than 6 inches.