Sometimes I learn something about myself everyday, things I should know but surprisingly enough I don’t recognize until someone else points it out to me. That’s how I feel about the Lutz cemetery revelation that came to my attention shortly before my 34th birthday.
My mom found this article in the Tampa Tribune spelling out a dark history in the area, a feud that was just as bad as the Hatfield and McCoys. The story and the revelation goes as follows:
Since I was able to drive in 1995, I found myself drawn to a cemetery in Lutz, FL off State Road 54. I don’t know why but something always attracted me to it. I first found the cemetery skipping school one day with my friend Amanda and Bridgett. We decided to stop in and check it out since none of us really knew it existed.
When we got inside the cemetery was completely peaceful, it had an older section and a newer section. From that point in time I was completely addicted to this cemetery. I didn’t know why but I was. For years I thought it was the fact that a family (mother and two children) were wipped out in what I think is a car accident. The graves are always kept up and decorated with toys for the kids. That always renched my heart out, I could always see the tragic incident when I sat by the stones. I later found out that the husband/father of this family murdered them. However, this was NOT the illusive lure that kept my interest in the cemetery.
Throughout my senior year of high school I continued to visit this cemetery, walking around it and I always found myself drawn to the family that lost their lives and the old part of the cemetery; the old section mostly. It was here I found peace and a strange connection that almost made me feel like I needed to be here and read the story… but what story?
In 2012 when I made my book cover to “A Haunted Soul”, I came to the cemetery at night and photographed it. It would be the cemetery you see on the cover of the book, and in the background you can see the “story” that I’ve been searching for as I photographed it by chance. What you see in the photo is a look at the newer section that points directly to the old section. I chose this cemetery because of the connection I had to it growing up.
Now I will say that my psychic ability did help draw me to this location many times. Its how I can see the vivid last moments of the family who lost their lives.
Anyway, let me now step back to 1909 where the story starts for this cemetery and the connection that will soon be revealed.
Thomas M. Ellis was a disliked man in the Lutz, Land O Lakes area. He had a reputation as a bandit. His legacy would come to a tragic end in Gowers Corner on July 4, 1909.
It was there that Ellis was shot by Preston Gillette. The actual happenings of the shooting and motives vary as there are allegedly three different versions of the story. The only similarities, Preston killed Ellis and that Ellis wanted his brother’s wife Malinda (Gillette) Ellis. Lee was the Pasco County Sheriff at the time.
One day Austin Gillette was visiting his sister in Ehren Florida, next to Land O Lakes and is now part of Land O Lakes when Tom Ellis shot Austin through the window killing him. That is what started the feud between the Ellis’s and the Gillettes.
Then a short time later Lee Ellis died, leaving a large sum of money, $10,000.00 pension to Malinda. Tom vowed to steal the money even if he had to kill Malinda’s entire family including Preston Gillette so he would have her to himself and that the Gillettes could never get their grubby hands on his brother’s money though Malinda.
On the day of July 4, 1909 Preston Gillette was riding his horse drawn carriage down the road that is now SR 54 by Gowers Corner which is where SR 56 now runs over I-75. Tom Ellis rode up to Preston on horseback, and pointed a gun at Gillette pushing it straight into his ear. Ellis pointed the gun to a stump near by and told Gillette to drive to it and before he’d reach the stump some 200 yards away, he’d be dead.
Ellis jumped off Gillette’s wagon and walked with him over to the stump keeping a tight aim on Gillette. However he made one mistake, Ellis either looked away from the stump or tripped over it and in that split second Gillette gunned him down, pulling a gun out of the wagon he had hidden.
That is one version of the story, however NONE of these stories can be verified.
Tom was later buried in the Lutz cemetery. Preston later admitted to the now Sheriff of Pasco County Bob Sturkie that he killed Tom, but Tom Ellis was not missed outside of his immediate family. Some say the Sheriff gave Preston Gillette two shot gun shells for reimbursement for the ones he wasted killing Tom.
That angered Richard Ellis, Tom’s father. Richard would then carve a curse into the stone of Tom. A curse that had little to no effect at all. The curse can be seen in my photo above, though its hard to read. It says
“Mine enemies spoke against me. They lay and waited for me. Therefore let them be confounded and perish that were against me and be covered with shame and dishonor who sought to take my life which was brutally stolen by Preston Gillette”.
Preston Gillette went on to become a ship captain in World War II, two ships sank under him but he survived both. He would die later at the age of 65. He was hit by a car near Ehren.
When I read the article, it never once said the exact location of the cemetery. I had a vision and knew instantly that it was the cemetery off county line road across Livingston Ave.
On November 4th I went to see the grave and sure enough it was in the old part of the cemetery that I frequented throughout my childhood, right in the spot that I would sit and wait for someone to tell me their story. It was written on the stone the whole time, I just never looked.
I am very greatful to have read this article and be able to identify where it was just from a vision. I now know the lingering story I believe Tom was trying to tell me for almost 13 years or more; I just never knew where to look.
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