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Poltergeist

Chase Vault Phenomenon

The most documented impossible event in colonial history. Lead coffins weighing hundreds of pounds were tossed about by unseen forces. The British governor himself witnessed it. No one ever explained it.

1812 - 1820
Christ Church, Barbados
50+ witnesses

The Chase Vault defied physics and explanation.

The Family

Chase history:

  • Wealthy plantation owners
  • Thomas Chase
  • His daughters
  • Suicide noted
  • Unhappy family

What Happened

The sequence:

  • 1807: First burial
  • 1808: Second burial
  • 1812: Third burial, others moved
  • Pattern continued
  • Each time worse

The Coffins

Heavy objects:

  • Lead-lined
  • Hundreds of pounds
  • Required multiple men
  • Yet thrown around
  • Some upended

Governor Combermere

Official witness:

  • Skeptical initially
  • Personally supervised
  • Spread sand
  • Applied seals
  • Still happened

Scientific Attempts

Explanations tried:

  • Flooding ruled out
  • Earthquakes: none
  • Grave robbers: impossible
  • Gas buildup: insufficient
  • Nothing worked

The End

Vault abandoned:

  • 1820 final time
  • All coffins removed
  • Buried elsewhere
  • Vault left empty
  • Mystery preserved

Sources