Monday, November 29, 2021

UNIDENTIFIED: November 30, 1921 Mobile County, Alabama Doe

 On November 30, 1921, a person died of paresis at the Mount Vernon Hospital in Mount Vernon, Alabama. They would be buried the next day at the Mt. Vernon Hospital Cemetary. 

Though the Unidentified Wiki lists the Doe as a John Doe their source states that the Gender was unknown. The person was black and around 38-years-old.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave


Saturday, November 27, 2021

Torture Techniques: The Brazen Bull

Photo taken by John Angel

The Brazen Bull is also known as the Bronze Bull, Sicilian Bull, or Bull of Phalaris. It's a torture and execution device designed and allegedly used in ancient Greece between 570 to 554 BC by Perolaus of Athens. It's debated if this device actually existed though. 

The bull was said to be hollow and made entirely of bronze with a door on one side. The bull is said to be the size of an actual bull and had an acoustic apparatus to convert screams into the sound of a bull. The condemned would be placed into the bull and a fire would be set underneath to heat the metal. The person inside would be roasted inside.

It's said that criminals were executed publically using the bull. This was to help make examples of them. 

 It's said that Phalaris, the tyrant of Akragas (now Agrigento) in Sicily, was to use the device. He was known to be extremely cruel and asked Perilous to design it. He also asked it to be designed where the smoke rice in spicy clouds of incense. When showing the device to Phalaris he said  along the lines of "His screams will come to you through the pipes as the tenderest, most pathetic, most melodious of bellowings." This description would disgust Phalaris. 

Instead of giving Perilaus a reward, he asked him to get into the bull and test it out. Perilous would climb in willingly thinking that he was purely showing Phalaris how it would work. The door would be immediately locked and the fire set so he can hear the sound of his screams and his death. Some stories state that before Perilous could die from being baked alive the door was opened. Phalaris would take him to a hill and threw him off killing him.

It's also said that Phalaris was also killed by Telemachus in the Brazen Bull.


SOURCES:
Wikipedia

Friday, November 26, 2021

The Birmingham Mummy

 



He was likely was a warrior that died between 1975 BC or 1640 BC. He was between 25 to 35-years-old. He had been shot by an arrow, from the front, into the soft tissues of his neck. The arrow struck the right infratemporal fossa, this did not cause immediate death. The wound would get infected and he would get a muscle spasm that induced torticollis. Torticollis or wryneck causes the twisting of muscles of the neck to rotate and tilt at an angle. It's likely he lived for a short while after his injury until the infection killed him. His Torticollis was not fixed during the mummification process. 

Tuesday, November 23, 2021

STRANGE HISTORY: Ghost Ship of S.S. Baychimo

 

Baychimo crew bringing supplies to the shore. 

In 1914 the cargo ship SS Ångermanelfven was built in Sweden. It was initially used on trading routes between Hamburg and Sweden until August of 1914 when WWI started. After WWI the boat was transferred to the U.K. as a part of Germany's reparations. In 1921 The Hudson's Bay Company bought the ship and renamed it the S.S. Baychimo. It was used it to trade pelts in Inuit settlements along the Victoria Island coast of Canada Northwest Territories and back to Scotland.

On October 1, 1931, the cargo vessel S.S. Baychimo was heading to Vancouver but became icebound in the waters near Barrow, Alaska. It was towards the end of a trade run, but the crew couldn't do anything about it. They tried their best to dig the ship out, but it was no use they weren't able to do it.

They decided that the best thing to do was to wait out the winter so that the ship would be free. They hiked over to the closest Alaskan City. They waited a few days and it did break free, but then got stuck again a week later. 

The Hudson Company decided to airlift 22 or 19 of the crew member and 14 or 17 of them stayed to keep an eye on the ship. They made a small camp on the shore near the ship. They anticipated they'd stay until the end of winter. 

On November 24th there was a massive blizzard that blew in. The blizzard caused the men to stay inside. When the storm was over they came out and found that the ship was gone. The crew initially believed that the ship just collapsed and sank due to the storm. 

A few days later an Inuit seal hunter had told the group that they saw the S.S. Baychimo around 45 miles off-shore. This was the beginning of the S.S. Baychimo becoming a ghost ship. The ship was reported missing spanning over 3 decades. The last sighting of the ship was in 1969. 

SOURCES.



Saturday, November 20, 2021

MISSING: Adele Marie Wells

 


On November 21, 1958, in Flint, Michigan 7-year-old Adele Marie Wells stayed home from school due to a cold. The second-grader decided to walk to her school, Jefferson Elementary School, that afternoon. She stopped at her grandmother's house around 11:30 to show her how nicely her mother did her hair. Her grandmother only lived a couple of blocks from the school and when she left it was the last time anyone had seen Adele. She never arrived at school.

There had been a report that day of a light-skinned African American man carrying a girl to a dirty Chevrolet. The man was reported to have been wearing a gray coat and red socks. It has not been confirmed that this was Adele's abductor. Other children who attended her school said that a driver with the same description of the car tried luring them into it.

Adele is an African American female and was 7 at the time of her disappearance. She was 3'6 and 50 lbs. She wore her black hair with bangs with waves on the side and had brown eyes. She was wearing a gray cotton coat, a blue dress with small animals along the hem, red knee socks, and black shoes.

Other Images:

Age progression to 63


SOURCES:

Thursday, November 18, 2021

UNIDENTIFIED: November 19, 1949 New Lenox Township, Illinois John Doe

  On November 19, 1949, the body of a man was found in Pilcher Park in New Lenox Township, Illinois. It's likely he died from a self-inflicted gunshot.

John Doe is a white male and was pre-40-years-old. He was 5'6". His hair color is unknown as he was bald. He has a scar on the right side of his face from his lip to ear across the cheek. He was wearing a khaki aviator wool-lined jacket with a brown fur collar, grey fedora, light yellow shirt with pencil stripes, tweed trousers with a light brown and black check pattern, black leather belt, tan oxfords with cream-colored paint, Handkerchief with the letter R on it and eyeglasses.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Crime Watchers

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

UNIDENTIFIED: November 18, 1919 St. Maries, Idaho John Doe

 On November 18, 1919, the body of a man was found weighed down in a body of water (not stated) in St. Maries, Idaho. It was presumed that the man had been murdered sometime that month. He was buried the next day at Woodlawn Cemetary in St. Maries. 


SOURCES:

Monday, November 15, 2021

UNIDENTIFIED: November 15, Havre de Grace, Maryland John Doe

 On November 15, 1959, the body of an adult male was found on the shore of the Susquehanna River in Havre de Grace, Maryland. It is believed he died days before.

He was a white male between the ages of 50 and 70 years old. He was 135 lbs and around 5'5. He was described as having greying hair that was scant. He has a surgical scar on his lower right abdomen from Appendectomy, he also did not have his appendix. A scar on his lower right arm, right knee, and right hand. He was also uncircumcised.

He had an Appendectomy in which the appendix is removed. He was possibly an Alcoholic or had abused alcohol. It is also possible he had a thyroid disease. It is also possible he was a coal miner or worked and or was somehow exposed to coal dust.

Dentals are available in this case, but Fingerprints and DNA are not.

SOURCES:
NamUs

Friday, November 12, 2021

INFANTICIDE: November 12, 1953 Des Moines, Iowa Baby Doe

On November 12, 1953, the body of an infant was found in the Des Moines River in Des Moines, Iowa. His head was struck and then he was thrown in. His race could not be determined. His body was cremated at the time and there's a low possibility of identification.

SOURCES:
NamUs

Thursday, November 11, 2021

INFANTICIDE: November 1896 Kansas City, Missouri Baby Doe

 Before November 11, 1896, the body of a baby was found in a patch of weeds on 20th and Charlotte Street in Kansas City, Missouri. The Baby was turned over to the Coroner. The baby was around 2 weeks old.


SOURCES:
Find a Grave
Kansas City Journal 

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

The Yingpan Man

 



The Yingpan Man is a mummy that was found in the Tarim Basin in China. He was 6'6" tall and had brown hair in a top bun. It's likely he was caucasian in his mid to late '30s. He had died in the 4th or 5th century, and his cause of death is either unknown or unstated. 

The Yingpan Man was found with a white mask on his face with a golden diadem across the upper forehead. He was wearing clothing that was a red, deep purple, and gold color. They had a pair of embroidered pants, decorative footwear, robe, and a belt woolen caftan. Everything was greatly detailed, and a miniature set was placed on his chest. Likely so he'd have something to change into in his next life. His clothing indicated that he had great wealth. 

With his clothing, when he died and the area he was buried it leads to the belief he was a wealthy tradesman on the Silk Road. His clothing is an example of what would have been woven in the Eastern Roman Empire and traded with the Tarim Basin and died far from his homeland. 

SOURCES:

Mummipedia Wiki

Archeology

History and Archeology Online

Sunday, November 7, 2021

Murder of Carolyn Loretta Wasilewski



 On November 8, 1954 at 6:15 p.m. 14-year-old Carolyn Wasilewski left her home in Baltimore, Maryland to go to her friend Peggy's home. The two planned to register for dance lessons at the nearby elementary school. She would never show up at Peggy's home, register for dance lessons, or return home.

At 7 a.m. on November 9, 1954 Carolyn's body was found in a rail yard under the Belvedere Avenue Bridge by an engineer on the Pennsy Express Train bound to Baltimore from Harrisburg Pennsylvania. She was not killed at the scene she was either tossed off of the bridge or dragged down to where she was found.

She was partially naked and had been beaten to death. She had fought back her attacker as she had broken one of her fingers. She was not sexually assaulted. Her skirt and shoes were missing . On her right thigh the name "Paul" was found written in lipstick. It was found that she had died at 11 p.m.

Not far from her family's home bloodstains and some of her stuff were found including her shoes. This was 8 miles from the tracks.

Carolyn was the oldest of seven children and was known to be a rebel. She joined a gang called the Drapes and known to commit petty crimes like auto theft and hosting hot rod races. She was often mistaken as someone in their late 20's to early 30's. She knew how to dress herself up to do look like she was.

Her case remains unsolved. 

SOURCES:

Saturday, November 6, 2021

UNIDENTIFIED: 1639 Catcott, England A Poor Walking Woman

 On November 8, 1639, a woman was buried at Saint Peter Churchyard in Catcott, England. From the Bishop's Transcripts, the woman was unknown and was buried as "A Poor Walking Woman." Her identity will remain unknown.

SOURCES:

Friday, November 5, 2021

UNIDENTIFIED: November 6, 1930 Hardingstone, England John Doe

 

In November 1930, 35-year-old Alfred Rouse met a man outside of a London, England pub. The man would tell him a down-and-out and a hard-luck story, he was looking for work and mentioned he had no family. Alfred would then bring the unknown man to a pub for drinks. He would drink lemonade as he pays for the unknown man's drinks.

Alfred for a while thought of faking his own death for a while. He was fed up with his life and was expecting children from his mistresses. He wanted to start life over again and realized that the man would not be missed and took the opportunity. He would search out for the man on the 2nd or 3rd of November and would find him. Alfred would tell the man that he was going to Leicester on Wednesday and would give the unknown man a lift there. He would make an appointment to meet the man to meet on November 5th at 8 p.m.

On the 5th he would meet the man outside of the pub. The two men would ride in Alfred's Morris Minor. On the drive, the two would talk a lot, and the man would drink the whisky Alfred gave him. When they got to Hardingstone the man would be half dozing due to the whisky. He would grip the man's throat with his right hand and pushed his head against the back of the seat. The man did not resist and just gurgled. 

Around 1 a.m. on November 6th Alfred would then go and loosen the feeding pipe between the petrol tank and the carburetor. He would take the petrol can from the boot and poured it on both the victim and the vehicle before placing it back in the rear of the car and grab his attaché case Standing from a distance he would catch the vehicle on fire. The man was unconscious and burned alive.

His intention was to walk to Northampton and travel to Scottland by train to start his new life. But when he was walking away from the vehicle he would pass two young men. The men noticed the smoke and said something about it. In response, Alfred responded with "It looks like someone's having a bonfire up there." Alfred would then abandon his plan and return home as the men had seen him and he believed that no one would think it was him who was dead. He would then report the vehicle stolen.

The victim was badly burned in the vehicle. He would not be identified. Alfred would be soon arrested for the murder. He would be insistent during the trial that the car was caught on fire due to John Doe's Cigar. That John Doe had been asked to fill the petrol and he must have accidentally lit the car on fire. The Jury would find him guilty and he would be sentenced to hang. 

It wasn't until a few days before his execution on 10 March 1931 that Alfred admitted to the murder. He would write to the Daily Sketch of the events that happened. Alfred would refuse to help the police find the man's identity. He would though give some descriptions of him. He did not know the man's name as he had no reason to ask.

John Doe was between 33 and 40-years-old. He was 5'6" to 5'8". The autopsy revealed that he had worked in an extremely dusty place throughout his lfe. The following descriptions are from Alfred. The man was respectfully dressed in a light-colored overcoat and had an overall appearance of a clerk. He had a slight brogue and had a sporting or boxing tattoo on his right forearm. At the time he was wearing police boots and had told Alfred that London police had given them to him. He had also carried a sports diary. 

In 2012 DNA was taken from the John Doe, but this has not led to an identification yet. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Wikipedia

BBC

Thursday, November 4, 2021

GHOSTS: Robert the Doll

 

Robert the Doll was created at the turn of the 20th century. He was handmade by the Steiff Company in Germany and was stuffed with wood wool called excelsior. Robert stood at 40 inches tall and wears a sailor suit. His now faded makeup was that of what resembled jester makeup. It is thought that he was fashioned in the image of Robert Eugene Otto. Robert had taken the first name of his owner while his owner used the name, Gene.

Gene and Robert were best friends growing up. Some believe it was voodoo that played a part in Roberts being, but the family of Gene believed it was the emotional energy placed upon him by Gene. Whenever Gene would misbehave he would then blame Robert for it.

According to legend servants would hear Gene would having conversations using two voices by himself in his room. Gene would also wake up in the middle of the night screaming and his family would come in and see all his furniture overturned. "Robert did it." He would say. They also claimed that Robert's giggles would be heard around the house.

Some rumors even say that Gene's wife had died from insanity caused by Robert. There are even some rumors that Robert was by Genes' side when he died.

Gene became a prominent artist and had even designed Fort East Martello Museum. He planned on making his childhood home in Key West, Florida into a museum with wax imprints of the artist's hands being a part of it. Gene never saw this as he died at 73 in 1974.

Myrtle Reuter purchased the home in 1974 and she found a companion in Robert. He even moved around in her house making it haunted. She even brought Robert with her when she moved to Von Phister Street six years later. In 1994 she donated Robert to the Fort East Martello Museum. A few months later she had died.

 It was said the staff noticed a shift of energy when Robert came. Once he was put on display the cameras and electronics malfunctioned. Soon letters were sent to Robert apologizing for the disrespect they showed and asking for forgiveness.

SOURCES:

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

MISSING: Frances "Fanny" Blanche Groves

 



Frances Groves would marry at 14-years-old in 1929. She would live with her husband and 7 children in Colorado. In 1950, her husband would accidentally shoot and kill their only son. After this, the two would get separated and Frances would move to Pueblo, Colorado.

She would meet Franklin Phye while working at the Pueblo Ordnance Depot. The two would get married and move to Missouri and then to Palm Springs, California. The two would work in the household of a wealthy family with the last name Brooks. 

In 1955 Franklin and Frances would go out for a picnic and he would return without her. She would leave a 6 figure sum in cash in a deposit box.

Frances claimed to her family that she and Franklin were married, but a marriage certificate couldn't be found. At the time Phye was divorced with 3 children. There was a history of domestic violence in the relationship. Franklin would commit suicide in 1996 and it's unknown if he was involved in her disappearance. 

Frances is a white female and was 49 to 50-years-old when she went missing. She may go by her maiden name Hayes. She was 5'2" to 5'7" and 125 to 150lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. Her ears are pierced.

SOURCES:

NamUs

State of California Department of Justice

Charley Project

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

Murder of Winona Charlotte Newton

 


On July 12, 1890, Winona Newton was born. She would live in Kansas City, Missouri near 55th St. and College Ave with her family. After her mother was sent to an asylum in St. Joseph Winona took care of the home and her siblings. 

In August of 1905, the 15-year-old Winona Newton began to meet with Austin Francis. He would come near the house and would give a signal so that Winona could meet with him.

Their relationship was not completely good. A friend of Winona stated that Winona claimed her lover had threatened to kill her several times. She had said that one of the times Winona went to Austin's office and he threatened to kill her if she would not marry him. Ada, Winona's 12-year-old sister, was sent in her stead to meet Francis a few times. He would tell Ada that he would kill Winona. Winona claimed that she didn't take the threats seriously and was not afraid of him. 

On November 3, 1905, Winona complained of feeling ill. She would make dinner with the help of Ada, but at 7 p.m. she would leave after hearing the signal. After a few minutes, she would return and grab an empty china cup and rush towards the bridge. That night she would not return to eat dinner. Her father would look for her at a few places, but figured she went to stay the night with a friend and didn't tell them.

The next morning an 8-year-old boy, Roy Wilson, would find the body of Winona on the bridge. He would scream and run to his employer Mrs. Hollenbeck telling her of the body. From his window, Mr. Newton saw Mrs. Hollenbeck running and he had a bad feeling about it. Roys father would be called, and then two other men, and then Mr. Newton. Mr. Newton and Winona's siblings ran to the scene knowing it was Winona.

Winona's murder was brutal. It had turned out that inside the empty cup she was given a large amount of carbolic acid, but before the effects of the poison could work she was attacked. Her face showed evidence of being slashed she had a cut above her right eye and slashed beneath both eyes and an incision beneath her ear. She had been strangled as fingermarks were found on her throat. She would then get beaten with large stones found at the bridge

Austin would be arrested on November 5th. He would go to trial where he claimed that he did write letters to the girl, but was not her lover. He said that he met her at the bridge only a couple of times since August. That there would be no reason for him to murder her. 

He would be found guilty, but the supreme court would overturn the conviction. It was believed that there was not sufficient evidence to say that Austin had killed the girl. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

The Kansas City Star Nov. 4, 1905

The Kansas City Times Nov. 16, 1905

The Kansas City Star Dec. 16, 1905

The Kansas City Times Dec. 19,  1905

The Kansas City Times December 21, 1905

Paxton Daily Record Jan 29. 1906

The Post-Crescent Jan 29, 1906

The Kansas City Star  December 3, 1916

Monday, November 1, 2021

MONSTERS: Abaia

 

Photo by David Clode 


In Melasian Mythology in the freshwater lakes in Fiji, the Solomon Islands and the Vanuatu Islands are where the Abaia live. The Abaia is a large protective eel and considers all creatures in these lakes their children. They will furiously attack those who disturb or mean harm to the lake and its creatures. 

The Abaia is said to use its powerful tail to cause waves to overwhelm fishermen. Or if someone is to harm a creature the Abaia had the ability to cause a rainstorm strong bad enough for flooding land, and drown those who did them harm. 



SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Cryptid Wiki

Mythical Creatures Guide