When the wealthy Chase family bought a vault it was already some eighty years old. The vault was partially underground and hewn out of the compacted coral that makes up much of the island’s foundations. Despite its age, it had only ever housed a single occupant: one Thomasina Goddard. The head of the Chase family, Colonel Thomas Chase, decided not to disturb Goddard—and she was soon saved from her lonely prostration when the young Mary-Anne Maria Chase joined her in lead-lined eternity.
Two more deaths followed in the years after. Upon reopening the for Thomas Chase’s body it was seen that, somehow, Dorcas’ coffin had moved from its original position and now rested against the far wall “standing on end, with its head downward”. Blaming vandals or thieves, the funeral party replaced the coffin, slid the marble slab back over the entrance and left. From then on, every time the vault was opened the contents would be in disarray—including Thomas Chase’s heavy casket which, according to sources, took eight men to lift.
Four times over the following years would the marble slab be heaved aside and the sun’s light rush in to illuminate this weird danse macabre. By now, word had spread about the strange movements and members of the public and island officials began attending the burials in great numbers. It was decided that cement seals would be put in place to indicate tampering.
Eight months passed and the Governor and a party of men decided to check out the crypt on their own. The seals were found to be intact and no evidence of foul play could be seen until, upon reopening, it was witnessed that once again the contents were in disarray.
In fact, this time, it was a particularly chaotic scene that greeted the onlookers as ALL the contents had moved from their resting places. Mary-Anna’s coffin had come to rest against the left wall and a small chunk had been chipped off it, seemingly caused by the violence of its journey. The floor’s sandy coating was undisturbed and no sign of flooding or earthquake was apparent.
After this incident the story ends abruptly. The bodies were moved to other burial sites and the Chase vault left empty. It still stands vacant to this day at Oistins on the island’s southern coast.