Nevada Mine Spook Makes Ghost Hunter Ill Jul 18, 2018 15:16:00 GMT -5
Post by Joanna on Jul 18, 2018 15:16:00 GMT -5
Nevada Mine Spook Makes Ghost Hunter Ill
LAS VEGAS – A ghost hunter came face-to-face with a “spirit” with “such a strong presence” that it made him vomit and “feel dizzy.” Xavier Hunter (above), 38, had heard the tales of the “restless spirits” of the miners who had been trapped in the dark tunnels and wanted to investigate. The mine was also known as a prime spot for witches to gather and practice their magic.
Intrigued by the spooky stories, Hunter ventured into the mines at night, located 25 miles outside Las Vegas, Nevada, armed with his camera and pal Kaytie. As the pair began to explore, they were overwhelmed by the stench of rotting meat and the sounds of strange growling.
Giving up on their venture, the ghostbusters fled to the opening of the mine and Hunter was convinced that he spotted a hooded figure. A spirit also seemed to appear in front of Kaytie, off camera.
Hunter believes the figure could be that of the feared “tommyknocker” – a trickster type entity that takes the form of a human or gnome and tries to lead people astray in the dark. The origins behind the superstitions involving tommyknockers are believed to originate from the knocking sound that was heard shortly before a mine collapsed.
When later checking their footage, Hunter was stunned to discover there was in fact a “hooded figure” lurking in the darkness behind them as they left. He claims the creepy video shows the figure appear to step backwards into the gloom so as not to be seen by the pair – but fails to avoid being caught by the passing camera.
The presence was so “malevolent” that Hunter was sick and became nauseous and dizzy. “I was not afraid to enter the mine,” he insisted. “I was curious to see if these legends were true. So we went in with an open mind not expecting to catch anything. The figure appeared to be hooded, it was completely black,” he continued. “We didn't immediately see it. We saw it after we began to review the video. The odd thing is that around the same time the figure appeared, I began to feel sick and nauseous. I threw up and felt extremely dizzy. We did not record that moment because Kaytie was trying to help me figure out what was happening. I was shocked, especially after feeling sick right after capturing the figure on tape.”
Immediately prior to encountering the figure, Hunter said they had found articles of women’s clothing deep inside the mine. “We were questioning why the clothes would be so deep in there and who had left them behind,” he added. “We immediately felt uneasy to go any deeper, but we decided to keep going.”
Many believed Tommyknockers would lead miners into dangerous areas unless gifts and trinkets were left to appease them. However others saw the entities in a different light, believing them to be the restless spirits of workers who had died in the mine trying to warn others of impending doom.
Hunter, who goes by “Cryptid Hunter” during his investigations, said, “I had heard stories that there was a haunted mine near Goodsprings and so I went out in search for it. Another local told me that the mine was cursed and haunted by tommyknockers that had caused a cave-in where at least one miner had died and now his restless spirit haunts the mine. They are also said to cause cave-ins if the miners wouldn’t respect them or bring them ‘gifts.’”
Despite the startling footage he captured, Hunter has been returning to the mine hoping to obtain additional evidence perhaps encounter the tommyknockers again.
Source: Hana Carter, The Mirror, July 9, 2018.