Mystery Capsule

Buried Time Capsule

The south-west wall of the lighthouse needed repairs in 2022. The ground under it was giving way, which stressed the wall. From records, it was originally constructed in 1957 by Douglas Tabert, a general contractor. The existing wall was busted apart and the ground dug out to re-enforce it. All to make it a stronger structure. 

 

To our surprise we uncovered a time capsule buried under the wall. The newspapers and items within it confirmed it was from the same period.

 

The local historical society has no records of it. Sadly, it looks like we disturbed it 25 years too early.

The items in the capsule weren’t a surprise: a newspaper with a front page picture of Sputnik, various Elvis-mania collectables, a Reggie Jackson baseball card, among other trivial objects.

 

All of these were turned over to the library for proper archiving with the exception of a small statue of Buddha, which was promptly brought to the Sheriff’s Office.

Unsolved Murder

We noticed on its surface, dried and crusted, what appeared to be flakes of blood. And indeed, this turned out to be the case, it was human blood. Medical examiners later type-matched with a living relative of Lane Cagley.

 

Why him? Because he was killed that same year.

 

Lane Cagley was considered a likable guy. He was an auto mechanic and ran his own shop in Herrington. He kept several vintage cars from the 1920s on his lot and helped establish the Annual Hearse Show. If there was a flat tire in the area, he was quick to help change it.

 

He was also arrested several times for public drunkenness at Olgefield Beach. In his stupor, he would rant about some vague darkness off shore and the odd characters drawn to it like a magnet. Cagley was sure some of the residents knew about it.

 

As mentioned, Cagley was found dead from blunt force to the head in the early hours of a Saturday morning on Highway T. His car was still running, pulled off to the side, the driver’s side door open. The scene was discovered by a routine police patrol. And while there was a lot of blood, investigators could not find the weapon used to cause the injury. Until now….

 

 

Cold Case

Detectives from Okaso lead the investigation in '57. There were no clear suspects or a motive. Cagley was well respected and had no immediate family and no known enemies.

 

Douglas Tabert was questioned. In addition to being a freelance construction/contractor, he was a weekend deputy of the law. He had helped arrest Cagley during his drunken rages. This lead to a natural falling-out between them, with Cagley accusing Tabert of being part of the secret cabal in town. However, the police records are spotless, all encounters between them were on the up and up.

 

Without much to go on, it became a cold case. And forgotten. It wasn’t like people were told to be careful at night walking home. Lane Cagley’s auto shop lies abandoned on the east side of Herrington.

Reopened Case?

It’s hard to believe there will be any breaks in this case. No fingerprints could be taken off the statue. Douglas Tabert retired to Florida and shortly died of heart failure at the Fort Meyers hospital. There’s also been a dozen or more new sheriffs elected since then.

 

There are no previous owners of Shoreline 106, we purchased it at the government auction. And it is unknown who was behind creating the time capsule.

 

There are so many unanswered questions surrounding this. Such was who put the statue in the capsure and why? Why didn't anyone know about the time capsule? Who buried it?

 

For now, all we can say is if you’re on Highway T late at night, don’t pull over or you may regret it.