Browse:Name Substituted for Violent Death (Volume 1, entries 380)
Name Substituted for Violent Death
Volume 1, entries 380. Source context: SPIRITS → SPIRITS GUARD BURIED TREASURE. Entries listed under this heading in the source volume.
Entries
Entry 380
When they would see the earth sinking in some place, they commence to visit that place and they would meet many many spirits, and that would make them take notice. They would say, "There's some- thing buried there. The spirits are watching over it. I'll bet it's money. Let's get together and dig for it." And they would start out. They said that many people used to find it and dig for it and they would get it. They say you don't dare jto talk. They dig. No matter how near you are there, don't speak a word. If you speak airy a word, it goes down. By keeping quiet you get the money. They say it comes back, but it's really gone so deep it takes time. It really sinks and it rises, it sinks and it rises. You keep on to [till] you get it. But you get it soon. You'll get it quicker by not talking. I used to hear the olden people say they had some kind of rod for getting the money, a certain rod. I don't realize what they were. They push that down into the earth until it comes along the pot of money. They use to strike it, too. They say when it Was placed there, there would be so many names called. They were buried with the money down into the earth. The person who buried that money Would say, "Now, I want you to take care of this money and see that no one takes it away. Stay here until I come for it." Then all of those names [are] placed there to take care of it; if you get to interfering, they come before you. That's to frighten you to make you get away. No, not dead people; only the names of people living, they say, for witness to see it buried there. All these spooks around a-guarding of it, I could say they were alive. They never dig for the money in daytime. I used to ask, "Why do you dig at nighttime?" "We have to do that when everybody is quiet in order to keep the money from going way way down."