This is a great example of why one should keep a find like this as quiet as possible. I agree with Mr. Hardin. The find should be his since he bought the property 18 years earlier. What if he found a vein of gold, or a large meteorite, or struck oil on the property?
Should all previous owners have claim to that too? In a case like this, the attorneys wind up with all the money. People come out of the woodwork to steal a piece of the pie. " A search will be made for heirs of Mrs. Charlesworth " "Hey ! Don't forget me ! I'm Mrs. Charlesworth's bastard son who was born 9 months after she slept with my father, John McFeeley, the Milkman. " Before she died she promised me everything. The farmhouse, the land, all the tools & vehicles, EVERYTHING !!
It's all mine !!