UNIDENTIFIED: May 1, 1921St. Johns County, Florida John Doe

 On May 1, 1921, a man was shot by an Ernest Reid(possibly Rild) in self-defense in Hastings, Florida. He was a black male around 35-years-old. There is little information in this case and is unstated why John Doe was shot in self-defense. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Unidentified Wiki

Murder of Lottie Rowe

On April 28, 1894, 15-year-old Lottie Rowe 300 yards outside of her home which was 2 miles east of Staunton, Virginia. She was with Charles Bradford. That was when 46-year-old Lawrence Spiller saw the two. He would beat Charles insensible with a biley and would draw Lottie away.

He would bring Lottie over to a nearby field and would rape her. He said that she figured out who he was and this caused him to kill her. He would beat her head in severely with a rock. He would then carry her body to the nearby railroad track hoping that a train would destroy the body. Her body would be found before that would happen. 

Lawrence would not admit at trial that he had murdered the girl, but before his execution he did. On June 8, 1894, he would be hanged, and his death would be instant as the rope had broken his neck. 

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in Deleware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia pg 92

The Macon Telegraph May 3, 1894

Chattanooga Daily Times May 3, 1894

Harrisburg Daily Independent June 8, 1894

Alexandria Gazette June 8, 1894

Murder of Elijah Davidson

89-year-old Elijah Davidson was living alone in Leetonia, Ohio. Sam Mead had inquired Elijah about the two rooms he had for rent. The two knew each other due to Sam pawning a jacket at the pawnshop Elijah worked. On April 24, 1875, Sam came back claiming that he wanted the room.

Sam asked Elijah to help measure and see if his bed would fit. He handed him a piece of string that was the length of his bed and asked him to measure the space with it. When Elijah stooped over holding one end of the string Sam took his chance. He smashed the back of his head with oblong-shaped kidney ore weighing 4lbs. When Elijah looked up Sam jumped up on him. He grabbed his neck and continued to hit him in the face. During the struggle, Elijah bit down on one of Sam's fingers so hard that when he pulled it out one of Elijah's teeth came out with it.

Sam believed that Elijah was dead and robbed him. He would leave and flee down the nearby train tracks.  He was alive and would crawl downstairs and out to his front stoop where neighbors heard him. He would tell others that it was Sam who'd tried to kill him. Elijah had bled so much where he had been attacked the pool of blood seeped through the floor. Elijah would die 5 days later.

Sam had fled into the woods and David, Elijah's son would put out a $200 reward for the arrest of Sam. He would go to his brother-in-law's home in Middleton County. Here he stated that his injured thumb was from a fight. He would try to change his appearance by shaving his face. He wouldn't escape the law and would soon be arrested.

Sam was soon found. He would claim to be a man named Charles Howards, but the marshall did not believe him. He would threaten to On the way taking him back to Leetonia Sam tried to bribe the officer telling him he had $60 to $65 in his coat sleeve.

When they got out of the buggy in New Lisbon Sam repeated his offer. Sam was able to slip out of his handcuff and flee as they were leaving the vehicle. He ran towards Jefferson st. and mistook an opening between two buildings as an alley, but instead, it went to a shed and he hid inside. Officer Welch followed behind him waited for a lantern and found Sam lying with some lumber over his face. They went back to the hotel for dinner and the officer ripped open the lining of Sam's coat to see if he really did have money. He did not.

Instead of traveling straight Leetonia and waited till 3 a.m. to transfer him. They wanted to avoid any lynch mobs that may have been waiting for their arrival. Luckily they didn't encounter one.

By this time Elijah was still alive but would succumb to his injuries making the charges murder charges. Sam would stay in jail until the murder trial started.

On August 24, 1875, guards walked into Sam's cell and seemed like he was wiping his face with a towel. In reality, the towel had a brick inside and when the guard bent over to put the bucket Sam hit him with the brick. The guard would be able to get out and lock the door even in the pain he was in.

In October his trial would start and would plead not guilty to the murder. He would sit in the trial with his family often having one of his children sitting on his lap. The jury would find him guilty and would give him the death penalty.

In November he tried to commit suicide by slashing his arm. He survived the attempt though and was able to see the judge give his death date as Feb. 25, 1876. His attorney would fight to get a retrial for Sam due to error. In January they would suspend his execution. Then Sam would learn that his 9-month-old Son Charles would die in March.

A retrial would be granted, but Sam would escape jail. He would saw through the bars of his cell window and climb down using sheets. Sam would get onto a train wearing women's clothing. He would meet his father on this train where his father would give him cartridges and a revolver. The man who saw Sam did not realize that he was wanted and that there was a $1,000 reward on his head.

Sam was likely in Arkansas working in fields for the next year. He was next seen on September 16, 1877, he went to his parent's home. They would beg him to flee again to avoid being arrested. He refused to leave until he saw his wife.

Sheriff Fountain would hear of suspicions of Sam's return home. The police would go to the house and search for him. When they got to the basement they found a door that went to an outside cellarway. Inside Sam was holding a pistol to his head. Sherrif Fountain would slam the door shut and Sam would flee outside.

Officers would scream for him to stop, but he wouldn't. He would turn his gun on himself and kill himself.

SOURCES:
East Liverpool Historical Society
The Cincinnati Daily Star April 27, 1875
The Stark County Democrat April 29, 1875
The Daily Times Nov. 4, 1875
The Democratic Press Nov. 11, 1875
The Stark County Democrat Nov. 25, 1875

Murder of April 21, 1877 Ellis, Missouri Jane Doe

On April 21, Mr. Fudge was looking after his stock that was near the railroad tracks in Ellis, Missouri. This was when he would come across the badly decomposed body of a woman. She had been covered with prairie grass that the killer had cut to conceal her body. He notified neighbors and they used pitchforks to retrieve to the body and bury her.

She would be dug back up by the corner and looked at. She had her left temple broken and she had been shot through her right eye and the bullet came out the back of her head. In the pocket of her dress was a map for the Missouri Pacific Railroad.

Before her body was found a woman's shawl, and a carpetbag with a pocket mirror, a broken ear-bob (earring) was found on the railroad tracks. It's possible these items belonged to the murdered woman.

Apparently, the area where she was killed was in view of 12 houses and could have happened during the night where the killer could sneak away unnoticed.


It is possible that the woman's name could have been Lulu King, but that couldn't be confirmed.

SOURCES:
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
Unidentified Wiki
The State Journal May 4, 1877

MISSING: Floradean Walker

 

Sometime in 1951 25-year-old Floradean Walker was last seen leaving a residence in Hext, Texas. The last date of contact is unknown, but it was thought to have happened in the Spring or Fall.  She's a white female and went by the nickname, Pat. She was 5'7" and 135 lbs. She had red/auburn hair and green eyes. She was left-handed.

SOURCES:
NamUs
National Missing Person Directory 

Murder of James Humphrey

In Aberdeen, Scotland 51-year-old Catherine Davidson/Humphery and her husband James Humphrey were said to be drunks and to not get along. On several occasions, she threatened to kill him. She would openly hope that someone would poison him. One time she held a razor to James' neck and threatened to kill him as he dared her. He knew that one day his wife would end up killing him.

Janet Petrie was a servant of the Humphery's and 6 weeks before 16 April 1830, she had gotten a vial of vitriol (sulfuric acid) to burn off a wart on Catharine's wrist. Before April 16th very little was used in the vial.

On the night of 16 April 1830, James was not happy when he came home to see Mrs. Walton in his home. He tried to kick her out and this caused James and Catherine to fight. The fight was both verbal and physical as they struck each other. Catherine and Mrs. Walton would then hide out in a room and lock the door. This did not keep James from breaking the door and forcing Mrs. Walton to leave.

Around this time a John Roy would come over to the house. The two men would drink whiskey and ale together that night. Roy would leave and James would ask Janet to cook some beef steaks. She did as he went to his bed in the kitchen. Janet would give him the beef steaks and would go to bed, it was unusual for her to do this before Catherine or James. While she was getting ready James called for her to take the steaks away as he couldn't eat them.

Catherine had decided that night she was going to hurt her husband. She would pour the vial into James' open mouth and give him a drink with it in it. The acid was also on a glass as a child who'd tried to drink it got burned.

She would wake up Janet only dressed in stockings. She was smiling as if in joy when she told her that "James is ill" Janet would go down to check on James and found him withering in pain. "I'm burned...I'm roast...I'm gone." were some of the things he was screaming. She would try to tell him that he must have had a bad drink while out, but he knew better. “Oh, woman, woman whatever I have gotten, it was in my own house.”

Neighbors began to gather at the home, as James agonizing shouting attracted the neighbors. They would essentially hear him accuse his wife “Oh, woman, woman, you have tried to do this often, and you have done it now.” James would die of his injures.

Catherine would be calm during the murder trial. She plead not guilty. The jury though would return with a guilty verdict and be set to be executed. She was so stunned and accepting of her verdict that she didn't hear when she was going to be executed. She would later ask one of her visitors how long she had.

She was treated well while she waited for her execution, but a day from her youth ran through her head. She was a witness to the hanging of a habitual thief, Jean Craig, on 25 July 1784. She was in the crowd and it had become customary to throw the cut rope out into the crowd. The rope had touched her chest and terrified her.

At 2:30 p.m. on 8 October 1830, Catherine hanged. She would then be buried in at the old Aberdeen jail.

SOURCES:
British Executions
Lena the Hyena 
The Black Kalender by  James Bruce
Blood and Granite: True Crime from Aberdeen by Norman Adams
Aberdeen Journal, and General Advertiser for the North of Scotland September 15, 1830
The Morning Post September 20, 1830
The Caledonian Mercury October 11, 1830
The Lancaster Gazette October 16, 1830
The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Western Countries and South Wales Advertiser October 19, 1830

Murder of Anna Priest

By April 13, 1920, 25-year-old Anna and 31-year-old James Priest had been married for 8 years. The week before Anna had left James before going to stay with her Godfather, Ernest Ercolani. She would tell him that their younger child was not his and that upset James. He would come back to where she was living with a gun. He would demand that his wife would come back with him. He would then and shoot her twice once in the skull and once in the back.

James would also be shot as John, Ernest's brother would shoot at him. This would lead them to go to the hospital for their injuries where Anna died. An officer McGinty would try to shake information from James at the hospital. McGinty would later get in trouble for this and fined 20 days pay for his treatment of a patient at the hospital.

James would survive his injuries and would go to trial On Jan. 31, 1921. James would claim self-defense but would be charged with first-degree murder. He would serve 12 years in prison for the murder. 

SOURCES:

The Philadelphia Inquirer June 2, 1920
The Philadelphia Inquirer July 25, 1920
The Tribune May 03, 1932
Philadelphia Homicides PDF page 45Other Absences PDF pg 6

STRANGE HISTORY: Blutfahne (Blood Flag)

 

The Blutfahne or the Blood flag was a sacred item of Nazi Germany. It was used in ceremonies sanctioning other Nazi flags during Hitler's reign.

It started at the Beer Hall Putsch on November 8 and 9 1923.  The Nazi party attempted to take over the government in Bavaria.  The Men were stooped by the Munich police and they fired upon them.

Heinrich Trambauer was carrying a Nazi flag when he was shot he fell dropping the flag. Andreas Bauriedl, who was marching next to Trambauer, was shot in the stomach and automatically died. When he fell to the ground he landed on the flag and soaked it with his blood.

This lead to Hitler's less than a year stay in prison and the creation of Mien Kampf. After Hitler was released the flag was essentially given to him and it became a symbol and ceremonial item.

Trambaur had taken the flag and had hidden it until he was able to give it to Karl Eggers. Eggers then gave the flag to Hitler once he was out of Landsberg Prison. The flag then was fitted for a new staff and a silver sleeve was dedicated to the martyrs from Putsch was placed upon it. It had the names of Bauriedl, Trambauer, and Von Stransky on it.

On July 4, 1926, the flag was presented by Hitler to the SA at the Party Rally in Weimar. The flag was given the name Blufahne. Hitler used it to consecrate new Nazi colors by holding it in one hand and Blufahne in the other.

Trumbauer was selected by Joseph Berchtold, leader of the SS at the time, to be the bearer of the Blutfahne. Due to poor health and later a skull injury, it was shared with  Jakob Grimminger until his death in 1942. Then Grimminger was the sole bearer.

The last time it was publicly seen was in April of 1944 at the funeral of Adolf Wagner. It was kept at the warehouse of Brown House in Munich but may have been destroyed during the Allied bombings in Munich.

It is unknown what had happened to the flag and if it even still exists.

SOURCES:
Axis History
History Extra
Wikipedia

MISSING: Clarence Theodore Moore

 

In 1956 26-year-old Clarence Theodore Moore was stationed at Fort Riley with the 16th infantry in Kansas. His family lived in West Virginia, his wife received a letter from a Chaplin at Fort Riley. The letter stated the Clarence may have gone AWOL and heading towards Canada and the FBI got involved. All of the child allotment checks stopped. His social security was not used after 1956. His daughter claimed that she has evidence that her father was still around Fort Riley after his disappearance, but it was never proven.

He was a white male and was 5'8/5'9 and 160 lbs. He has dark brown hair and blue eyes.

He has DNA and Fingerprints available.

SOURCES:
Doe Network
NamUs
Charley Project

Murder of Daniel Awety and the Death Curse of Thomas Busby's chair

 

Picture of Thomas Busby's chair thanks to unsolved mysteries.

The favorite chair of Thomas Busby has an eerie and terrifying past. For over 300 years this chair has been a sight for many, but misfortune for those who actually sit in it. It has even developed the name the chair of death. And it all started in 1702 with a man named Thomas Busby.

Thomas Busby was a man who would take any chance to drink. It was well known in the community about Busby's favorite pass time. This barfly was not a rare sight in his favorite pub. The only thing that would be rare as if he wasn't sitting in his favorite chair. Busby was not a man to be messed with as he was a thief with a bad temper. If someone said anything he didn't like a fight would ensue.

Busby's father-in-law was Daniel Awety a successful coin forger. The two were partners in petty crime.  Daniel Awety decided after earning a lot of money through his "business" to splurge out and buy a farm near Kirby Wiske. He had renamed it, Danotty Hall, after himself of course.

One summer day in 1702 Awety and Busby had a meeting that ended in a heated argument. Busby went back and found his father-in-law sitting in his favorite seat. Busby demanded Awety to get out of his chair and a fight broke out.

In response, Awety told Busby he was going to take his daughter back to Danotty Hall with him. Later that night Busby went to Danotty Hall and killed Awety with a hammer and placed his body in the woods.

Awety's remains were soon found and the authorities found Busby in his favorite chair. Busby went to trial and was found guilty his punishment was hanging and Busby was granted one last request. He was able to take one last drink in his chair.

"Death will come swiftly to whomsoever sits in my chair." Was Busby's last words before he hung. Surprisingly enough his words rung true.

A chimney sweep sat in Busby's chair and he was unfortunately fell off a roof and had died. This was the first time the chair had been used in decades and this unnamed chimney sweep was the first noted victim. He was not the only one. People were always dared to sit in the chair, but most refused. Some lost their lives doing so.

Some of the most noticeable was when in WWII the place became a hot spot for Members of the Air Force. Few were not afraid to sit in the chair and it was noticeable that those few did not make it home. In 1967 a couple of RAF  sat in the chair and later that night hit a tree head on in their car and died. A lot of daredevils from all around wanted to see the chair. The landlord his it in the basement in hope no one would get hurt.

That didn't help because a roofer sat on the chair to rest and his death soon came after. A cleaning lady who stumbled over the chair had died and even more had died. In the 1970's the chair was donated to the Thrisk Museum where it now resides six feet off the ground so that no one will ever die from it again.

SOURCES:
Historic Mysteries
Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
Thirsk Museum
Profiling the Unexplained
Real Unexplained Mysteries
Unexplainable

Disappearance of Rufus "James" Williams

April 1, 1955, 27-year-old Rufus "James" Williams was working at the Old Fort Finishing plant in Marion, North Carolina. He went to work as usual, but either began feeling ill or forgot something and left. He was allegedly last seen walking along the railroad tracks in Old Fort. There were searches for James, but nothing was found. 

His stepdaughter recalled that he had been having high blood pressure problems in the days before his disappearance. This may be one of the reasons he wasn't feeling well that day. He may have suffered from a medical issue on the day of his disappearance. 

James's race was not stated. He was between 5'3" and 5'8" and between 120 lbs to 160 lbs. He had sandy-colored hair. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

McDowell News