1800s Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Indianhead Jones

Hero Member
Jul 28, 2008
695
10
Revere, Massachusetts (5 Miles North of Boston)
Detector(s) used
White's Eagle Spectrum/White's Eagle II
1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

This is not a pleasant story, and I thought long and hard about posting it, but it was a hard lesson learned for me, and perhaps it will serve to convince others to avoid making the same stupid mistake that I did.

I want to assure everyone at the outset that this story is absolutely true...no lies, no embellishment. But you'll have to take my word for it.

It's about a spectacular coin purse spill recovered, and one of the most frightening days of my life.

It happened in the summer of 1986, with my detecting buddy Ken, who just passed away a few weeks ago from leukemia.

Ken had been laid off from his job, and was collecting unemployment insurance, and one Monday morning, I took a ride with him to the next town while he picked up his unemployment check. We were going to do some detecting later that day.

We arrived at the unemployment office, and I decided to take a short walk while he waited his turn in line. The town itself was, and still is, an economically-depressed, high-crime, low-income medium-size town, with a very high unemployment rate. The town went into receivership after the arrests and convictions of the Mayor and other city officials after a major corruption scandal, involving stolen city funds along with police corruption. I think you get the picture.

I walked up the street to get a cup of coffee, and as I stood outside the coffee shop, just up the street the town's original burial ground was in view. I walked over to check it out, and was horrified, to say the least at what I saw. The small cemetary, about a block square, was totally vandalized....it's ornate iron fencing torn down in places, and the entire cemetary was defaced with spray-painted graffiti, littered with liquor bottles, beer cans and other garbage, and headstones toppled and broken. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing...it was a sickening sight.

When I met up with Ken again, I took him over to see what I had seen. I then got an idea that I would come to regret.

I told him that we could possibly detect the cemetery and maybe find some old coins, as it dated back to the 1600's, but also, we could bring garbage bags with us and clean up garbage at the same time, try to right the headstones, and do whatever else we could to try and give the residents of this once-beautiful burial ground some of their dignity back. The detecting would take a back seat to the cleanup effort.

So, we set the rules: We would ONLY detect the common areas of the cemetary, and stay clear of the actual grave sites. And we would ONLY do this after we picked up as much trash and garbage as possible. It was going to take more than one day to do all this, so we decided on the first trip to pick up trash and right the headstones, and do a few minutes of detecting afterward to see if there were treasures to be found in the common areas, such as the perimeter of the fence-line, and the walking paths that criss-crossed the common areas. If it panned out, we would come back for a second trip to pick up more trash, fix headstones, and do some more detecting.

We arrived back the next Saturday morning, got out the trash bags and started to work. In a few hours, we had filled four trash bags, and had righted a section of headstones, and gathered pieces of broken stones to try and match them up. We were exhausted, so we decided to spend a short time detecting the common areas away from the actual grave sites, and hopefully find some very old coins.

WARNING! THE FOLLOWING IS VERY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING! DON'T READ ON IF YOU ARE EASILY FRIGHTENED OR UPSET!

I started working a path around the perimeter, close to the iron fencing surrounding the cemetery. Ken started at the main gates, which also had been torn up by the vandals described earlier. I quickly found a few silver coins from the 1930's, and I realized that our hard work earlier was going to be rewarded.

I had just centered another signal which was reading in the silver range, when all of a sudden the sound in my headphones quit. I was using a Whites 6000/Di Pro, and thinking my batteries were dead, I was about to open the compartment to check them. I was shocked to discover that all the knobs on the detector were turned all the way to the minimum setting, and the main power knob was switched all the way off. This was very disturbing, and I wondered how I could have accidentally hit all 6 knobs to their minimum settings, and actually switch off the detector at the same time.

I switched the detector back on, reset all the knobs, and ground balanced again. My threshold hum came back, and everything seemed normal again, so I continued to dig the target, which turned out to be a Standing Liberty quarter...a beauty that looked almost uncirculated, and even had much of it's mint luster. I pushed on, knowing that more silver was sure to be found.

After a few minutes more, the threshold hum again disappeared, and I lifted the detector and discovered that once again, all the knobs were set at minimum, and the main power knob was again switched all the way off. At this point, I began feeling nauseated, started sweating, (it was a cool day) and felt like I might get sick. Then, I started shaking, and feeling very nervous and scared, and I didn't know why. It was a horrible feeling of dread and panic, so I started walking to the main gates to tell Ken that I was feeling sick, and that I wanted to get out of there.

I walked across the center of the cemetery towards Ken, and as I walked, I was passing a raised area where tombs were situated against a small hillside. It was then that I noticed that the tombs didn't escape the sick and twisted vandals who had desecrated this ancient burial ground. Most of the tombs had been broken into, and I walked over to see how much damage had been done. I peered into one tomb that had its door torn off, and what I saw actually made me start crying. The poor individual to whom this tomb belonged had also been desecrated. The bones had been arranged to spell out a filthy word, and this person's skull had been smashed. I couldn't take any more...I started running and vomiting at the same time, and now the scared feeling had turned to full-blown panic.

I ran towards Ken to grab him and get out of there when I heard him yelling at me, a huge smile on his face, and pointing to a pile of coins on the ground next to him. He was still taking coins out of the hole next to him, and he was so excited that he was screaming with joy. I told him to get up and move his butt (I didn't say "butt") as fast as he could toward the car. I grabbed his detector and he scooped up the coins and was swearing at me as I manhandled him out the gate and toward the car. He was furious, but I didn't have time to explain...I just dragged and dragged him until we reached the car. I grabbed his car keys and no sooner was he inside that I sped off down the street, still under his verbal attacks. He was furious to say the least.

On the way home, he showed me what he was so excited about, and I couldn't believe my eyes. He had detected the remains of a very old coin purse, and it's contents...38 beautiful old coins, only 5 of which were copper. There were bust dimes, several bust quarters, silver 3-cent pieces...all from the 1830's to the 1860's. My eyes were staring at them, my hand was holding them, but I simply could not believe that Ken had found this beautiful pile of coins, and the remains of the old coin purse that had once held them.

I was sick to my stomach all the rest of that day, and I had nightmares that night. The next day, I called Ken and related everything that had happened to me, and the heart-breaking things I had seen. I also told him that I felt as if the treasures we dug were stolen from that sacred place, and that they didn't belong to us, and should never have been disturbed. I also said that I felt great about the cleanup efforts we made there, but the things that happened to me had me convinced that the poor souls who rested there were angry, and that maybe it was their way of crying out that they had had enough of us, as well as the sick vandals who came before us. And as much as I wanted to finish the cleanup that we had started, I just couldn't go back again.

Well, nothing out of the ordinary had happened to Ken the entire time we were there, and he found all this quite amusing. We had a falling out after that. We still made detecting trips together, but things between us were never the same.

I got rid of the coins I had dug, for my own peace of mind. I actually wanted to re-bury them where I found them, but after that day, I couldn't go back there.

And Ken, who was still a novice treasure hunter, with much to learn about collector-grade coins, had taken Brillo pads and polished to a mirror-gloss, each and every one of the coins he had recovered from the coin purse spill.

I was a much younger man in 1986, and subject to stupid ideas on occasion. I actually believed that cleaning up that sad, vandalized burial ground gave Ken and I the "right" to detect there. I was wrong, and found out the hard way.

I'm sure that some people in this forum will disagree, but I believe in my heart that what happened to me that day was a true paranormal experience. The incident I described with the knobs on my detector had never happened prior to that day, and never occurred again.

I did a lot of growing up after that day, as far as being a responsible treasure hunter is concerned. There are simply places where treasure hunters and metal detectors don't belong...and burial grounds are at the top of the list.

As a footnote to this story....that sad, depressed town had more than it's share of problems. My subsequent phone calls to the officials who had taken over the jobs of running it, regarding the plight of it's burial ground, and the poor souls who rested there, fell on deaf ears. They had "other things to worry about".

Larry G.
 

Upvote 0
Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Believed everything but the part about the detector knobs, Larry.
Good story.
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Powerful story and very well written.

It's sad the way too many cemeteries get neglected and abused like that.

Never would detect in cemetery myself.

Bad ju-ju.
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

I think that i have to believe your whole story as true............. The reason i have had some really weird things happen to me in my time................... And i have to believe in spirit's , ghost's , or demon's.......... Or what ever you want to call them.................. So i do not doubt any of your story......
 

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Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Trick or Treat :wink:
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Wow, interesting story. It's almost like you in some kind of weird vortex. Being such a bad area, perhaps your lives were in actual danger and you were being forced to flee for your own safety. That's my feeling. I would be shocked though to see a graveyard in such a disgusting disarray. It gives me the willies but that's because we have more to fear from the living. I think you were saved.
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

chkn said:
Wow, interesting story. It's almost like you in some kind of weird vortex. Being such a bad area, perhaps your lives were in actual danger and you were being forced to flee for your own safety. That's my feeling. I would be shocked though to see a graveyard in such a disgusting disarray. It gives me the willies but that's because we have more to fear from the living. I think you were saved.
********************** You know you might be right..***********..........
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Smudge said:
Powerful story and very well written.

It's sad the way too many cemeteries get neglected and abused like that.

Never would detect in cemetery myself.

Bad ju-ju.

Thanks, Smudge....As I stated in the story, I became a better person, and a responsible treasure hunter after that day.

Larry G. :)
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Keppy said:
I think that i have to believe your whole story as true............. The reason i have had some really weird things happen to me in my time................... And i have to believe in spirit's , ghost's , or demon's.......... Or what ever you want to call them.................. So i do not doubt any of your story......

Thanks, Keppy...everything happened exactly as I wrote it, and I understand that not everyone will believe it.

Larry G. :)
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

chkn said:
Wow, interesting story. It's almost like you in some kind of weird vortex. Being such a bad area, perhaps your lives were in actual danger and you were being forced to flee for your own safety. That's my feeling. I would be shocked though to see a graveyard in such a disgusting disarray. It gives me the willies but that's because we have more to fear from the living. I think you were saved.

Hi Chkn,

Thanks for your comments....as I stated, I almost didn't post the story, but I wanted to reach out to others, and hopefully save them a similar situation.

Larry G. :)
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Let me start by saying that I don't feel that detecting a graveyard is right, that's just my opinion. I very much beieve in ghosts/spirits/the paranormal/etc and I've had my own experiences. In most media (books, movies, etc), these "spirits" are portrayed as evil beings out to do harm. This is just not true and most people I've talked with agree with that statement. I took the fear of the unknown out of your story an read it again and it reads totally different. The story says you had some good finds and your friend was doing pretty good as well. I don't believe that the residence were trying to scare you off but maybe rewarding you for the respect towards them that has obviously been lacking, just their way of saying thank you. Just my opinion, thats all. Either way, it's a great story and an experience that will stick with you forever.
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Well...I happen to believe what's written in the bible which talks about demons and spirits, so I believe you may possible have encountered some maleviolent force.

I have had a couple freaky things happen some years back just before a couple died that when the phone rang, I already knew who was dead and that the call itself, before being answered, was the bearer of the news. No, I don't consider myself psychic, I think I was just informed beforehand as a warning.

I would almost doubt the knob thing if it wasn't for my own mother having experienced a horrible event that became violent when her picture of Christ flew off the wall and someone beat her and broke her nose right after. That someone was my own brother that had been a practicing satinist in his bedroom when he came downstairs after one of his rites and demanded my mother worship him. Just before he came downstairs is when the picture flung off the wall.

She refused naturally, being a devout Christian, and he beat her face mercelessly.

If you believe in God, then you have to believe in spirits....and I do.
Evil is a powerful force and takes many shapes.

Al
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Tony66 said:
Let me start by saying that I don't feel that detecting a graveyard is right, that's just my opinion. I very much beieve in ghosts/spirits/the paranormal/etc and I've had my own experiences. In most media (books, movies, etc), these "spirits" are portrayed as evil beings out to do harm. This is just not true and most people I've talked with agree with that statement. I took the fear of the unknown out of your story an read it again and it reads totally different. The story says you had some good finds and your friend was doing pretty good as well. I don't believe that the residence were trying to scare you off but maybe rewarding you for the respect towards them that has obviously been lacking, just their way of saying thank you. Just my opinion, thats all. Either way, it's a great story and an experience that will stick with you forever.

Hi Tony,

You've put a spin on the events that I never even considered. If indeed this was a paranormal event, I never thought that what I experienced was directed to me in an evil way. It seemed to me at the time that maybe it was a message to me in the vein of: "Look what they did to us, and to our resting places". But I never thought for a moment that we may not have been unwelcome visitors, i.e. in light of what we were trying to do in our cleanup efforts.

Thanks for your comments, and your insight....they're greatly appreciated!

Larry G. :)
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

deepskyal said:
Well...I happen to believe what's written in the bible which talks about demons and spirits, so I believe you may possible have encountered some maleviolent force.

I have had a couple freaky things happen some years back just before a couple died that when the phone rang, I already knew who was dead and that the call itself, before being answered, was the bearer of the news. No, I don't consider myself psychic, I think I was just informed beforehand as a warning.

I would almost doubt the knob thing if it wasn't for my own mother having experienced a horrible event that became violent when her picture of Christ flew off the wall and someone beat her and broke her nose right after. That someone was my own brother that had been a practicing satinist in his bedroom when he came downstairs after one of his rites and demanded my mother worship him. Just before he came downstairs is when the picture flung off the wall.

She refused naturally, being a devout Christian, and he beat her face mercelessly.

If you believe in God, then you have to believe in spirits....and I do.
Evil is a powerful force and takes many shapes.

Al

Al, that was a very disturbing and thought-provoking story, and I feel sorry that you and your mother had to bear something as horrible as what you described.

If your mother is still living, I hope that both she and you have somehow healed from what you both went through.

Larry G. :)
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Back in the 80s my sister went through a whichcraft phase and lots of bad stuff happened in a short time. I have not even told my wife of 12 years because some of the stuff is like a hollywood movie...
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

I would have to believe the coins you and your friend found were lost by people who visited the cemetary and not the people buried there. I do not believe spirits there were upset with you. I do very much believe in spirits and ghosts, but I do NOT believe they try to harm humans. Maybe some people believe this but not me. I see nothing wrong with what you did. You did a good thing cleaning up the area, and you were not detecting over graves, so you had nothing to worry about. Why did only you see and experience these things and not your partner?
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

I don't believe in ghosts, spirits or the like (If I ever see anything that causes me to change my mind, I'll be the first to report back), but I can understand the intense sense of unease that someone might feel after seeing what you described. In terms of recall, the mind does funny things after traumatic events- seeing what you described in the crypt would certainly qualify as a traumatic event.

After seeing a horrible desecration of human remains like you experienced, I would certainly get every authority figure, newspaper and media outlet I could possibly lay hands on involved. I can't really fathom what state of distress this city must've been in to allow something like that- burglarized crypt, human remains appallingly desecrated- to just 'sit there' unaddressed, but I do believe its possible. I've encountered some spectacularly incompetent, do-nothing, know-nothing municipal offices before, where no one is responsible for anything, no one knows who to talk to and the only reason they seem to exist is to play solitaire on the computer between their 2 hour lunch breaks.

There is no inertia stronger than that of a lazy government employee, but one of the few things that can break it is a TV crew with cameras pointed in their direction.
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

birdman said:
Back in the 80s my sister went through a whichcraft phase and lots of bad stuff happened in a short time. I have not even told my wife of 12 years because some of the stuff is like a hollywood movie...

I hope your sister came out of it....hope she's doing well, Birdman.

Larry G. :)
 

Re: 1800's Coin Purse Spill...And A Ghost Story (?) WARNING: DISTURBING CONTENT!

Goes4ever said:
I would have to believe the coins you and your friend found were lost by people who visited the cemetary and not the people buried there. I do not believe spirits there were upset with you. I do very much believe in spirits and ghosts, but I do NOT believe they try to harm humans. Maybe some people believe this but not me. I see nothing wrong with what you did. You did a good thing cleaning up the area, and you were not detecting over graves, so you had nothing to worry about. Why did only you see and experience these things and not your partner?

Goes4ever, that's something I can't explain...for him, it was just a good time and the joy of finding that coin spill. And again, when I related to him the events that happened to me, he thought it was amusing.

Larry G. :)
 

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