DANIEL’S X-FILE HALLOWEEN EDITION: THE JIM KAIZER INCIDENT
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OAKISLANDBOOK.COM
LOCATION: OAK ISLAND, NOVA SCOTIA
DATE: FALL OF 1965
INFORMANTS: FARON KAIZER, BEULAH KAIZER, AND TIM KAIZER.
CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE THE HISTORY CHANNEL, RANDALL SULLIVAN, AND DANNY HENNIGAR.
AGE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT: APPROXIMATELY 43 YEARS OF AGE.
THE CURSE OF OAK ISLAND, THE HISTORY CHANNEL
BACKGROUND: On August 17, 1965, Robert Restall, at approximately 2:45 p.m., fell into a shaft that was being excavated near Smith’s Cove. Robert Restall, Jr., Cyril Hiltz, Karl Graeser and Andrew Demont each attempted to save each other but none of them were able to before being overcome by an egg smelling gas which rendered them unconscious. A visiting New York Fire Captain, Edward White, attempted to save the men, but he was only able to save Andrew Demont, who was still alive, but unconscious. The other four men were dead. Since it was too dangerous for anyone to go into the shaft, a plan was decided to recover the bodies using a three-pronged treble hook. In the meantime, Jim Kaizer who was not present on Oak Island that day because he was home fixing a broken water pump at his wife’s insistence. Upon hearing the news, Kaizer immediately rushed to the scene and learned what the plan was to recover the bodies. He said, “No way, you’re not doing that. I’ll go down.” Kaizer used a World War II era gas mask stuffed with wet rags and was successful in recovering the bodies. After the tragedy, Robert Dunfield obtained the search rights to continue work on Oak Island. Dunfield needed someone who had experience working on the island and offered the Night Watchman position to Kaizer. Kaizer was no longer interested in the digging aspect of the treasure hunt. Kaizer accepted the job and would stay the night on Oak Island in the Restall’s cabin.
The Curse of Oak Island- The History Channel
TESTIMONY: A few months after the tragedy in the Fall of 1965, Jim’s son Faron Kaizer, relates the following testimony as told to him by his father, “. “Dad said it was about eleven or twelve o’clock. He said, ‘I had a little fire going. I put some wood on the fire and then I lay down on the cot and closed my eyes.’ Apparently, he fell asleep. And he said, ‘I woke up and I couldn’t breathe.’ And he said there was two of the biggest red eyes you would ever want to see looking right into his. And the whole body was covered with tight, curly black hair. He said that was all he could see, because the…whatever it was, was holdin’ him down by his arms and had him pinned so tight he couldn’t move. But then it smiled at him and said, ‘Don’t ever come back.’ My dad said when it let him go and disappeared the whole building shook.” Immediately after the incident, Kaizer thought that the other men who he worked with had pulled a practical joke on him, because they all had fun with each other pulling pranks. Kaizer quickly realized it was no joke and got into his truck and left Oak Island. The next morning, Kaizer found that he was covered with bruises. He told his wife that one set of bruises in particular looked like four fingers and a thumb had gripped him tight around his arm. “And he wouldn’t ever go back on the island again after that,” Faron said. “He told me, ‘It was the only thing that’s ever scared me.’
RELIABILITY OF INFORMANT: There is no reason to believe that Jim Kaizer lied about the incident or made it up for any reason. Kaizer was a hardworking and tough man, whose integrity showed when he was willing to retrieve the bodies of the men in the pit near Smith’s Cove.
OFFICIAL EXPLANATIONS: It is thought that perhaps Kaizer had a nightmare and perhaps had suffered bruising that he was not aware of receiving that showed up the next morning. Kaizer must have been suffering considerable guilt for not being on the island when the four men died in the tragedy months earlier. Feeling that if he was there, he could have prevented the deaths. It is also possible that Kaiser was suffering from depression or post-traumatic stress disorder and suffered a stress induced hallucination.
OFFICIAL CASE STATUS: CLOSED
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UNOFFICIAL EXPLANATIONS: According to Faron Kaizer, his father was never the same after the cabin incident. He began drinking heavily, and would be silent and brooding for days, then fly into a rage for no apparent reason. Kaiser started to have trouble with the law enforcement. Jim Kaizer committed suicide in 1976 outside of a bar at Western Shore, Nova Scotia. Was this the result of the Restall tragedy and psychological issues that Kaizer was suffering from? Some believe that it was something else. Jim’s grandson, Tim Kaizer, said, “…Oak Island scares me. I believe there is a bad spirit on the island. I believe my grandfather encountered it.” Is it possible that what Jim Kaizer encountered was not a creation of his mind, but something tangible and real? in Arabic mythology, Jinn, were spirits inhabiting the earth but usually unseen by humans, who were capable of assuming various forms and exercising extraordinary powers. In common folklore, jinn are capable of assuming human or animal form and are said to dwell in all conceivable inanimate objects—stones, trees, ruins—and underneath the earth, in the air, and in fire. Jinn delight in punishing humans for any harm done to them, intentionally or unintentionally, and are said to be responsible for many diseases and all kinds of accidents. However, those human beings knowing the proper magical procedure can exploit the jinn to their advantage. It is said that King Solomon had the ability to control Jinn for a variety of purposes including building monuments. It is said that a miraculous fountain or spring flowed with brass and copper for Solomon that were used by Jinn. It is also said that Solomon used a ring to command these spirits and is signified by his seals. Consider that some people believe that Oak Island was in some way associated with King Solomon and his Temple. There have been many unexplained and ghostly events that have been recorded happening on the island. Did the grief and anguish of Jim Kaiser bring about one of these Jinn terrorizing him for their own pleasure? THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE!
UNOFFICIAL STATUS OF THE CASE: OPEN WITH INVESTIGATION PENDING.
This story is dedicated to the memory of James Roland Kaiser (1933-1976)
