Murder of Bernard Quinn

At 7 p.m. on January 1, 1923, Bernard and Elizabeth Quinn were having a New Years party at their home at 1 Woodbine Street, Hendon, Sunderland. At the party were at least4 other people including Elizabeth's mother Elizabeth Cassidy. The party would only end in tragedy.

Elizabeth and 60-year-old Daniel Cassidy had been separated for a while and she was living in Manchester at the time. She wrote earlier to her daughter she would spend Christmas and New Year with her in Sunderland. This information was told to Daniel in hopes of reconciling their relationship. This however was not the case as when as he had a different thought in mind.

Daniel would show up to the party with a revolver. He would shoot six times at people in the room. Bernard, his mother-in-law, and his wife were all three shot. A downstairs tenant, James Coggins, would hear the shots and rush upstairs. He would see Daniel with the revolver.

When he came into the room Daniel struck him with the revolver. James would knock the gun out of his hands and bring him to the ground. He would then march Daniel along Hendon Road until a policeman was found.

The three who were shot were brought to the hospital. Bernard was beyond help and would pass away. The other two would recover from their injuries.

Daniel would be taken to trial and try to plead insanity. The jury did not believe there were any signs of insanity from Daniel and he was found guilty and set to hang. On April 3rd Daniel would be executed in Durham.


SOURCES:
British Executions
Evening Chronicle January 2, 1923
Evening Chronicle January 9, 1923
The Gloucestershire Echo January 15, 1923
The Shepton Mallet Journal, City of Wells Reporter, and County Advertiser April 6, 1923

Murder of Mary Jane Voller

 

On December 31, 1898 5-year-old Mary Jane Voller was sent to get a penny worth of linseed oil at a shop only across the street from her home in Barking, London, England. She left the home around 5:10 p.m. with a threepenny and was never seen alive again after that.

After 10 to 15 minutes Mrs. Voller who sent Mary on the errand got worried. The errand should have been quick and it shouldn't have taken this long. Mrs. Voller would ask Mr. Voller, but he believed she was overreacting. He didn't search for her and was trying to finish fixing Mary's shoes. 

Mrs. Voller went and looked for her herself. She asked neighbors and went to the shop to ask if they'd seen the 5-year-old. The shopkeeper could not remember the girl as the family had only moved to the area weeks before. But when Mrs. Voller asked if a young girl buying linseed came in the answer was that no one had bought any since 2 that afternoon. This meant that no one had seen Mary, she never made it to the shop and had been taken young Mary within the 10 to 15 minutes she'd been gone. The family did a search was soon done on the streets for Mary.

Mr. Voller searched the streets with his father, and after finding no sign of his daughter they went to the police station. They hoped the girl had wandered off and was lost and reported that she was a lost child.  A description of her was sent out across the country. 

Mr. Voller would continue to search unfrequented places for his daughter. They would search abandoned houses and such. Going down Barking-Lane Mr. Voller went over to inspect a shed. Near the shed was a brook and his heart dropped when he saw something floating inside of it.

When they got close to the water the lantern blew out. Knowing there was something floating in the water Mr. Voller went into the water and searched the area blind on his hands and knees where he saw something floating. In his arms was the lifeless body of his daughter.

News soon spread of the discovery. Mr. Voller initially refused to move the body until the police came, but his wife convinced him to bring her home. The police and coroner met them at their home and it was obvious that the girl was brutally murdered. 

Mary had been raped she had 2 punctures in her neck, one near her groin, and one on the inside of her left thigh. the wounds were accompanied by scratches and were believed to be done by a blunt object. These did not kill her and it was believed she drowned in the 3 feet. She did not have mud or such in her throat so it's believed she was unconscious or in shock when put in the water. 

It's unknown who did this horrific murder to the young girl and will remain unsolved. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

The Mirror

The Standard January 4, 1899

The Essex County Standard Ect. January 7, 1899

The Weekly Standard and Express January 7, 1899

Lloyds Weekley Newspaper January 8, 1899

December 30, 1903, Iroquois Theater Fire 1 Unidentified

 

Image created by Charles N. Landon and published by the Tacoma Times

On December 30, 1903, the play Mr. Blue Beard was playing at the Iroquois Theater in Chicago Illinois. During the second act, the curtain was caught on fire possibly by an electrical short circuit. This made several of the theatergoers go into a panic. Some were calmed by the fact of an actor trying to keep them calm. But the theater was burning down around them so many tried to escape.

The fire extinguishers that the theater had were meant to be thrown at fires on the ground and were useless against this fire as it rose. Three exits were forced open but unluckily lead to unfinished fire escapes. Some of the doors opening caused the fire to increase. Many people were trampled, crushed and asphyxiated in the fire.

Even though the theater claimed before the fire that it was "absolutely fireproof" it was not. It had been noted by several people including the fire department captain, and the editor of Fireproof Magazine that it was not.  In fact, it was hazardous as the theater did not follow the rules. The fire warden was warned, but because they knew the owner would ignore it. Unfortunately, the carelessness of the owners caused 602 people to die.

One of the victims was never identified.

The victim was a white woman around 50-year-old. Her face was still recognizable when she died. She is buried in Montrose Cemetary in Chicago.

SOURCES:
Unidentified Wiki
Wikipedia
Find a Grave

UNIDENTIFIED: December 29, 1985 Tucson, Arizona Jane Doe

 On December 29, 1985, the partial cranium of an adult woman was recovered from a residential yard. There were obvious signs of animal depredation on it. The previous tenant of the home reportedly left the cranium in the residence. When he vacated he told the new tenant that it was from a teaching specimen. Analysis however reveals that it's possible to have been a Trophy Skull from an unknown origin. the earliest that the woman may have died was the 1930s.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Unidentified Wiki

INFANTICIDE: December 27, 1902 Marylebone, London, England Baby Girl

On December 27, 1902, a baby was found wrapped up in a parcel beside the Great Central Railway at Rossmore Road Bridge in Marylebone. The infant had been born alive and healthy. It was found that she had a bruise over the right eye and her nostrils flattened. It's believed that something was pushed onto her face to cause suffocation leading to her death. 

The coroner added that the baby may have been a victim of baby farming and was part of the illegal disposal of infants at the time.


SOURCES:
Unsolved Murders UK

CURSES: The Wooden Man

The Egeskov Castle in Kværndrup, Denmark is home to the Wooden Man. He sleeps peacefully under the tower spire upon his pillow. Legend says the Wooden Man must stay or the house itself will suffer. It says that if he moves from his place the castle will sink into its moat on Christmas Night. Several owners believed the legend. They would spend Christmas away, but the current owners celebrate it and even leave a bowl of rice pudding for the Wooden Man. The Wooden Man is a doll the size of a child. 

Countess Nonni loaned the Wooden Man out to the National Museum of Demark. He was weighed, measured, and photographed. The loan agreement was only for 6 months but after 14 days Countess Nani asked for it back.  The castle creaked and groaned and the walls began to shake and once he restored to his pillow the castle became peaceful.

SOURCES:

Egeskov 

Obscura Atlas 

Hit and Run of Mary Doherty

On December 23, 1922, in Blackpool, England a vehicle would run over 66-year-old Mary Doherty killing her. The vehicle would then drive off and the driver would never come forward. It was unbelievable that the killer did not know that they had run over Mary. A search for the vehicle was said to have happened all over Lancashire and Yorkshire, but the driver was never found. 

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

INFANTICIDE: December 21, 1940 Derby, England Baby Doe

  On December 21, 1940, the body of a newborn girl was found on the bank of the River Derwent at Derby, England. She was wrapped up in sacking and a piece of mackintosh and a part of an apron and tied up with several yards of tape. Her body had been in the river for some time and had washed down the river where it was found. She was born alive and died of asphyxiation, but it does not state whether or not it was from suffocation or drowning.

SOURCES: 

Unsolved Murders UK

URBAN LEGENDS: The Purple Mirror

 A young girl was always sick because of her immunity impairment and her body was so weak she spent most of her teens in the hospital. One year for her birthday she received a cute hand mirror from her parents. She would treasure the mirror and would look into it every single day. 

The girl's favorite color was purple and she decided to paint the mirror purple. After it was painted purple and she could look into it she became strange. She was shocked and tried to desperately peel the purple paint off of it. It would not peel though and it was stuck. It was permanently purple and she could no longer look into it. 

Her illness would take for the worse maybe because she was distraught about her precious mirror. Her parents hoped that she would get better and bought another mirror, but she was not interested in it. 19 days before her 20th birthday she lay in her bed holding the purple mirror. She would look into it muttering "Purple mirror" repeatedly until her last breath.  

It's said that the grudge for the mirror lives in the words "purple mirror (murasaki kagam)" and children who remember it by their 20th birthday will meet with misfortune or death.

In another variation of the story as told in the Kansai area the girl was not sick. One day a girl was approaching her 20th birthday. She was excited about her coming-of-age ceremony and was looking forward to wearing her best clothes for it. This would never happen though as she had died in a traffic accident. 

Her family wanted to bury her with her treasured purple mirror. She carried it around with her everywhere, but when she died it wasn't on her person. When her parents looked in her room it was gone. So the funeral proceeded without it.

A short while after a terrible rumor about the dead girl began to spread. It was said that she was dating a boy with a bad reputation and this soured when she wanted to break up. This was why she had died and the missing mirror was a treasured gift from the boy. This however was not true. 

It had turned out that a close friend of hers started the rumor. When it came to that girl's coming-of-age ceremony arrived she disappeared. Inside her room was the missing purple mirror. It's said that her parents died from anxiety. 

In other variations of the story, it's until the person meets another age like 18 or 15, or sometimes when they graduate. Some say that she had an eating disorder and finally saw how she looked after painting the mirror.  All in all because of the unfortunate fate of a young woman and her mirror a curse began. 

SOURCES:

Kowabana

Scary For Kids

MONSTERS: Black Annis

 

In the countryside of Leicestershire, England there is a cannibalistic witch living in a dark cave in the Dane Hills. She's known as Black Annis' Bower by the locals. She is very tall and horrible, with blue skin, long sharp teeth, claw-like fingers, and glowing eyes. The entrance of the cave is an old oak tree which she often hides at night and waits for her next meal. 

She only leaves the cave to find tasty children with the tastiest being those who misbehave. If no children could be found then she would feed on livestock like sheep and lambs. It was most common to see her pull the children with her long arms through windows (no glass at the time). The children would be warned of her visit as her howl could be heard from miles away. Sometimes you can even hear her teeth grinding.

She would suck her preys dry of blood, and then the skins are hung on the oak tree to dry. 

Her cave was filled with dirt into the late 1800s, possibly burying Black Annis in her home. It's unknown as it's believed that she was an immortal being able to adapt to the modern world. It's said that she adopted the name Cat Anna at the end of the 1800s and was said to be living in cellars under Leicester Castle where a supposed subterranean passage connect to Dane Hills. 

It's unknown where Black Annis would reside now. Her territory is entirely lost now as the hillside is now a large housing estate. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Monsters Wiki

Murder of Vera Isobel Minnie Page

 

On April 13, 1921, Vera Page was born in Hammersmith, London, England to Charles and Isabel Page She would grow up as an only child and would be known as a popular but shy and well-behaved girl. Her father was a painter for the Great Western Railways and her mother was a housewife. In order to supplement income, the couple would allow lodgers in their home.

The family owned a three-story home near Blenheim Crescent, they did not occupy the whole house. So they would have lodgers on the upper floors and typically they were family members or people known to the family. Arthur and Annie Rush were occupants of the home for 20 years. 

On December 14, 1931, 10-year-old Vera left her home around 4:30 p.m. She was going to her aunts home that was around 50 yards away to collect two swimming certificates she achieved. She left them at her aunt's house the previous day. Vera would get the certificates and left her aunts home at 4:45.

By 5:30 p.m. she still hadn't returned so her father went to the aunt's home to get his daughter. The aunt told him that she had left almost an hour before for dinner. Charles hoped his daughter got sidetracked and visited the homes of her friends and relatives. When there was no sign of her by 10:30 p.m. he went to Notting Hill police station to report her missing.

With several friends, neighbors, and family members Charles and Isabel searched for Vera. They would search up into the morning, and the following day her description was circulated among the police. By the evening the media reported on Vera's disappearance.

Police determined that between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on December 14th Vera spoke to a school friend outside a chemists on Blenheim Crescent and Portobello Rd. Vera told her friend that she was going to purchase soap dominos for her parent's Christmas presents. After the brief conversation, the friend would leave Vera standing in front of the shop window. Her friend stated that she was carrying an envelope at the time, the one with her certificates inside. No one reportedly saw Vera after this.

On December 16th vera's body would be found lying in a patch of shrubbery in the front garden of 89 Addison Rd, Kensington, close to Holland Park. This was just a mile from her home. The killer tried to conceal the body by throwing handfuls of dirt and leaves on her body. Police suspected that her killer lived near the location of her body or knew the neighborhood well.

During the autopsy, it was found that Vera had been raped and strangled to death. Bruising on her neck showed she had been strangled with a ligature. She had been dead over 24 hoursand they believe she may have been killed close to 9 p.m. the night she disappeared. There were traces of soot and coal dust on her face. There was candle wax in two places on her right shoulder and three locations on the shoulder of her coat. In the crook of her elbow, an ammonia-stained finger bandage was found. Likely the killer lost it when moving her body, and did not notice it.

It's likely that she was stored somewhere warm after her death as she was greatly decomposed. Also, she was likely not outside or placed there soon after death. The day before between 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. and her clothes only had moisture on them where they touched the ground. It's believed her body was dumped there a couple of hours before discovery.  It's believed with evidence of soot and coal on her that she likely was in a coal shed or cellar possibly with no electricity if the candle wax is from the area her body was hidden. It's likly she was placed there after 7:50 a.m. according to witness accounts.

A Mrs. Margaret Key would come forward and state that at 6:40 a.m. on December 16th she saw a man pushing a wheelbarrow with a bundle covered with a red table cloth with knitted fringe towards Addison Rd. 

On December 17th a woman living close to Addison Rd would bring a child's red beret to the police station. She had found it on the 16th around 9:30 p.m. close to where Vera was last seen alive. It was Vera's beret. It smelled of paraffin, but that may have been caused by the woman storing the beret beneath her sink before bringing it in. The woman stated that she also found torn up peices of paper and a peice of candle, but thre those away. It's believed that the papers may have been her certificates.

It was also discovered that a coal shed near Addison Road was unlocked and left ajar during the time Vera was missing. It was unusual for the shed door to be ajar, but no one investigated it. So it's unknown if Vera's body was stored there but it's strongly believed it was and the murderer transferred her body using a wheelbarrow.

A suspect was soon found. 41-year-old Percy Rush knew Vera and her family through his parents Arthur and Annie Rush who rented a room from them. He lived down the street from them. He also had a bandage on one of his fingers. He also matched the description of the man with the wheelbarrow matched Percy's description. 

Percy claimed that he normally would visit his parents on Mondays, but decided to go shopping after work that day. His wife was not home and didn't want to be home alone. He would return around 8:30 p.m. and his wife shortly after. They then went to sleep around 10:15 p.m.

Police believe that he lured her to the coal shed where he would attack and murder the girl. Percy said that he did not know the girl well enough that they may have only spoke once. That Vera wouldn't know or trust him enough to follow him anywhere.

He was wearing a bandage on his little finger because he got injured at work. At his place of work he would have had gotten in contact with ammonia. He had a rough bandage and his wife made a second with their supply at home that was more comfortable and protect against the ammonia. He stated that he got rid of that bandage on the 11th. His co-workes confirmed he was wearing a bandage at work on the 9th, but they did not know if he was wearing one on the 14th. He claimed that he threw the second bandage into the fireplace at work to get rid of it on the 11th. He claimed that hadn't worn a bandage since the 11th because he wanted to harden the wound. The bandage found on Vera was tried on his pinky finger and it fit.

Police found uncovered sections of bandage and a distinctive red table cloth with fringe, and candle in his home. On his jacket remenece of the coal dust, semen and wax was foud on his overcoat. The candle was found to be identical to the wax found on Vera. The bandages found at his home did not match the one found on Vera. 

The police and the community believed that Percy was her killer. This was never proven and he was never convicted for her murder. A coroner's inquest was done on Feb. 10 1932 and the jury determined there was not enough evidence for prosecution. Witnesses to validate Percy's were not brought up. Percy's criminal history was also not brought up which includes indecent exposure in 1923 and 1927. The victims were both young girls. In June of 1931 he exposed himself to two young girls.

It's unknown if he was actually the perpertarator of the crime and it will remain a mystery who had murdered Young Vera Page.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Wikipedia

Unsolved Murders UK

Morbidology

Mysterious Universe

True Crime England

SUPERSTITIONS: Black Cats

 

Photo by Akin Cakiner

There are several superstitions on black cats. Though not all bad some see black cats of an omen for their black fur. In different cultures there are different beliefs in black cats. Cats have always had connections with humanity for a long time. 

In Ancient Egypt cats were seen as divine. In Greek Mythology Hecate the goddess, of the moon, witchcraft, magic, and sorcery had a cat that was a familiar. In Japan if a black cat crosses your path it will bring you good luck. In Germany if one walks right to left in front of you luck is in the future. In Scotland it if you find a black cat on your doorstep then moneys coming to you soon. Some European sailors would bring a black cat for luck onto their voyages. 

The most known and popular superstition for black cats though are that they bring bad luck. Like many other black animals like dogs it's believed that they are harbingers of death. Some believe that they are familiars or helpers of witches or the witches themselves. Some believe that they may even be the devil incarnate. This belief was even documented by the pope in 1233. 

SOURCES:

History

Blue Cross

The Spruce Pets

Murder of Michael Leo Resk

 

Around 11:45 p.m. on December 8, 1955, 36-year-old Michael Resk left his home on Poplar Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He was heading to the store that his brother owned and operated on Gottingen St. to help close down the store like he usually did. By 12:40 a.m. he never arrived at the store and would be reported missing by either his brother or wife. 

A few hours later at 2 a.m. on December 9th a taxi driver would call the police on a delivery van parked on Acadia St. near Roome St . about 2 miles from his home. It was parked in an unusual way and was blocking the taxi driver's driveway. When the driver looked inside he saw a body. When police investigated the vehicle it was Michael's body that was inside. He was shot execution-style and was shot multiple times with a .32 automatic. 

SOURCES:

Nova Scotia, Canada

Defrosting Cold Cases

Star-Pheonix December 10, 1955

Salt Wire December 9, 2020

City News Everywhere December 9, 2020

Salt Wire December 12, 2020

UNIDENTIFIED: December 8, 1886 Auckland, New Zealand

On December 8, 1886 the body of a female was found in water (not stated what source) in Auckland, New Zealand. She had drowned to death. There is little information in this case. 

SOURCES: 

Find a Grave

Girl of the Uchter Moor

In 2000 the body of a teenage girl was found in a bog by a peat cutter in Uchte, Germany. The person was using a backhoe at the time and dismembered the body. Leaving more than 100 body parts to recover. The girl was found to be from the iron age and was called Girl of the Uchter Moor or Moora. 

Her remains were dated to 650 B.C. and she was around 16 to 19-years-old. It's believed that she lived as a laborer and had chronic malnutrition throughout her life, underwent two partial skull fractures, and suffered from different diseases. Due to her malnutrition, she suffered from bone decay and lack of bone growth, and she had a benign tumor in her skull.

Her death is believed to have been accidental. There had not been any violent injuries to her body that would have caused death. It's theorized that she may have been picking bilberries (intoxicating berries) at the time she died. She may have slipped and fallen to her death . She may have also been nude at the time she was mummified. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mumipedia

Archeology

Ancient Origins

MONSTERS: Hidebehind

 

The hidebehind as illustrated by Margaret Ramsay Tryon for "Fearsome Critters" by Henry Harrington Tryon

A Hidebehind is a nocturnal fearsome critter from American folklore. It is a large and powerful creature that preys on humans that wander the woods at night. The creature will follow the human and conceals itself behind an object or the observer if there is an attempt to look at it directly. The creature will eventually attack the human and drag them to its home where it would devour the human, especially their intestines. They hate alcohol and avoid those who smell/drank it. It was said that they were to blame for many disappearances of early loggers. 

Maybe the noises heard in the forest is not just forest noises, but the hidebehind hunting for dinner.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Cryptid Wiki

INFANTICIDE: November 29, 1922 Brighton to Victoria, England Baby Doe

On November 29, 1922, on the 10:00 a.m. train from Brighton to Victoria, in England, the body of a baby boy was found wrapped in satin and brown paper. The baby was a newborn and had likely been suffocated from direct pressure on its mouth. There was evidence of the baby being placed in an oven and baked, but it's unknown if this happened before or after death. The baby was placed there at Brighton or one of 14 stops between Brighton and Victoria. It was assumed that the mother was a young woman and who was a cook.

SOURCES:

Unsolved Murders UK

Taunton Courier, Bristol and Exeter Journal and Western Advertiser December 13, 1922

Röst Girl

 

In 1926 the remains of a toddler, now known as Röst Girl, were found in a bog in the Schleswig-Holstein state of Germany. Because her body was in the bog her body was mummified. She had a woolen cloak over her body. 

Her body is presumed to have been destroyed during WWII. The cloak was however not destroyed and was used for date testing. It's believed that she was alive between 200 B.C.E and 80 C.E. in what is now current Germany. 

SOURCES:

Mummipedia Wiki

Wikipedia

UNIDENTIFIED: November 1590, Bicester, England Stranger

 On November 21, 1590 a body of a stranger (gender unstated) was found in a field in or near Bicester, England. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

MONSTERS: Cheval Mallet

 

Photo by Janosch Diggelmann

A Cheval Mallet (meaning Mallet Horse) is evil but fabulous horse in French folklore. It's seen around Vendée, Poitou, and Pays de Retz, near Lac de Grand Lieu. It's described as a beautiful white or black horse saddled and bridled. It tempts exhausted travelers and the unwary who choose to ride the horse are said to never be seen again. The only thing to protect the traveler from the horse is a protection spell as a medal of St. Benedict or have them n the price of traveling.


SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Monsters Wiki

Myths and Folklore Wiki

Murder of Maggie Pitt

 In 1894 Horace Cooper and Maggie Pitt were living together. He would ask her to marry him. She did not want to and would reject him. By November of 1894, Maggie would move out and would be living with a Perry Gibson in Cokesbury, Maryland. Horace would get angry at her thinking if she didn't choose him no one would have her.  He would threaten to kill her several times.

On the night of November 17, 1894 Horrace would sneak into Perry's home in  He would climb through a second-story window and would sneak into Maggie's room. She would wake up to Horrace and Perry would catch Horace with a gun pointed at Maggie. Perry would force Horace out of the home.

The next morning Horace would return wanting to finish what he wasn't able to do the night before. He would shoot Maggie three times. She was shot in the chest, abdomen, and thigh. Maggie would only live a few days.

After the shooting Horace would parade up and downtown threatening to kill anyone who dared arrest him. He would flee town and he would be caught in Columbia Pennsylvania by Harvey H. Mackey of Elkton. Horace would be tried for Maggie's murder. He would be found guilty and would be set to hang. On June 21, 1895, Horace would hang at the Elkton jail yard. 

SOURCES: 

Penalty USA

The Baltimore Sun November 20, 1894

The Baltimore Sun November 21, 1894

The Cecil Whig November 24, 1894

The Baltimore Sun December 10, 1894

The Midland Journal December 14, 1894

The Cecil Whig December 15, 1894

The Cecil Whig May 4, 1895

The Baltimore Sun June 22, 1895

Unsolved Murder of Jonathan Alonzo Anthony

 On November 17, 1953 neighbors of 75-year-old Jonathan Anthony went to check up on him as they had not seen him for two days. They went to his home Burnetts Chapel Rd in Greensboro, North Carolina. He had been bound, severely beaten, and gagged. He was beaten before he was bound and had been suffocated with a torn bed sheet. A blood-stained trowel was found on a shelf on the back porch.

SOURCES:

Rocky Mount Telegram November 19, 1953

The Herald-Sun November 19, 1953

The News and Observer November 19, 1953

The Durham Sun December 11, 1953

UNIDENTIFIED: November 14, 1869 Door County, Wisconsin John Doe

 On November 14, 1869, the body of a young man was found at the Southwest point of Washington Island, Wisconsin. He could not be identified and it was believed he was in the water for some time. It's possible that he was a sailor

John Doe's race is unstated, but he was a male around 17 to 18-years-old. He was around 5 ft and had black hair. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

Ghosts: La Vidua

Photo by Benjamin Lehman

La Vidua or The Widow or The Window in Black in Englis is a spirit that roams the lonely mines and path within Chile. In life, La Vidua went mad with grief and anger when her husband died and those feeling followed her in death. After death, she roams waiting for unsuspecting men. 

She is not noticeable to travelers on the road at first. The closer they get the more details they get. Dressed in a black dress that covers her entirely, the person she picks cannot see her face till they are close to her. Once close enough it is revealed that La Viuda is a very beautiful woman. She will then demand sex from the man and if he refuses she will kill him and go on looking for the next one. 

In the modern retelling of the story, she has been seen climbing onto cars of men who are alone and may have alcohol in their blood. 

SOURCES

Villians Wiki

Murder of Samuel Barker

 In 1904 44-year-old Arthur Jefferies and Samuel Barker were a part of a poaching gang. Arthur did not get along with the other members of the gang. When Arthur was drunk he would often threaten and curse other members stating he woukd do one of them in.

On November 12, 1904 Samuel and three others from the poaching gang came across Arthur and his wife near where he lived in Rotherham, England. Samuel would tell Arthur to have a "Good Night," and Arthur would respond with a foul expression. Samuel would repsond with a "back at you". This anger Arthur and he would strike Samuel and start a fight.

The two would begin to fight going down the alley. It was narrow and dark the three could not stop the fight. Samuel and Arthur then would step out of the alley and Samuel would drop dead. He had been stabbed with a cobbler's file under the ribs causing an 8 inch wound.

Arthur would be found guilty of murder. He would be executed on December 29th.

SOURCES:

British Executions

The Gaurdian November 19, 1904

The Times December 10, 1904

The Gaurdian December 9, 1904

UNIDENTIFIED: November 10, 1922 Tucson, Arizona John Doe

 On November 10, 1922, a man died a mile south of the city limits of Tucson, Arizona. He had died near the railroad tracks, and his death certificate is hard to decipher, but it mentions that the body was mangled, and back broken meaning he may have been hit by the train. 

He was a Hispanic male.

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Unidentified Wiki

UNIDENTIFIED: 1660 Unknown Male Child London, England

In 1660 a child sewed up in cloth was found at the Parish of St. James Clerkenwell in London, England. He was laid near the New Churchyard and after the coroner viewed the child he was buried on November 8, 1660, in the New Churchyard. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave 

MONSTERS: Yama-Uba

 

Yama-Uba (Mountain Hag) is a female yokai who are considered old hags or witches in the Japanese Forests and Mountains. The Yama-Uba were born human but turn into monsters. They typically appear as kind old ladies, but sometimes they sport horn or fangs. They don't give sign to their evil nature.

Yama-Uba will live alone in huts by the road. They will offer shelter, food, and a place to sleep for travlers. Unbeknowist to the travlers she would wait for them to sleep before turning to their true form an old, ugly, demonic witch. She would then catch and feast on them using her magic. 

Stories of the Yama-Uba would spread and keep travlers to be safer. It's also told as bedisde stories to disobediant children. Sometimes these stories were told when young wome were accused of crimes or wicked deeds and they had to flee to the forest/mountain. They would live in exile becomeing an "old hag".

Sometimes during famines or economic hardship families would make hard choices to get rid a family member so the rest would survive. Often this was a newborn or an elderly family member would be removed. It's believed that some of the Yama-Uba may have been elderly senile women abandoned by family members in the forest or mountains. It's said that these women would either out of rage or desperation tranformaed into the Yama-Uba practicing black magic. 

SOURCES:

Yokai Wiki

Wikipedia

Yokai

UNIDENTIFIED: 1959 Highland County, Virginia John Doe

In 1959 or 1960 a human cranium was found in Highland County, Virginia. It was then stored in a closet at the county jail until it was found and transferred to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner. It is believed that the person died between 1958 to 1959. There is little information in this case. 

John Doe is an African American male between 21 to 45-years-old. 

SOURCES:

NamUs

End of Watch: Murder of Constable James Corcoran

On October 30, 1850, in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania. 32-year-old Constable James Corcoran spotted a man who had a warrant for assaulting his wife. He arrested the man. They were only a few blocks from the magistrate's office and when they were on Vine St and 13th St the man kicked the constable in the abdomen twice. He would flee.

A citizen saw what had happened. The citizen walked the Constable back to the magistrate's office. The citizen reported what had happened and was deputized to arrest the man. The citizen and Constable Corcoran went to serve the warrant. The subject was spotted walking past the magistrate's office and he was quickly arrested. 

Constable Corcoran would return home and a doctor would be summoned the following morning. He was still having pain in his abdomen, and surgery was performed. His health would decline and he would die on November 1st. 

The man was charged with murder and was found guilty of manslaughter on March 21, 1851. A motion for a new trial was denied by a local judge the following month. 

SOURCES:

Criminal Justice Research Center

Criminal Justice Research Center PDF pg 32

Officer Down Memorial Page

UNIDENTIFIED: October 26, 1856 Stockton, California Antione

On October 24, 1856, a man around 36-years-old named Antoine was admitted to Ward No 2. to Stockton State Hospital in Stockton, California. He would die 2 days later on the 26th from Epilepsy. There is little information in this case. He was described as being an "idiot" and was French.  He was also a Charity Patient. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

HAUNTED: Pupa The Doll

 

Pupa the Doll was a doll made for a little Italian girl in the 1920s. She would own the doll up until her death in 2005. Since she was a girl the owner stated that the doll was alive and would talk to her throughout the years. The doll was a friend who helped a little girl grow up and kept her secrets.

Pupa and her owner's family would travel a lot throughout Europe and the U.S. At the end of WWII, her owner's grandmother would pass away and as a memento, they sewed a button from her grandmother's clothes onto Pupas. Pupa and her owner would eventually settle in the U.S. and her owner would start a family. 

Her owner would often tell family members how special Pupa was and it wasn't until after death that they realized it was true. After her owner's death, she was still active. She is now kept in a glass case and isn't happy about it. When someone decided to clean the case they fogged up the window and saw the message Pupa Hate on the glass. Sometimes tapping can be heard on the glass and at times a strange faint laugh can be heard.

SOURCES:

ObscUrban Legends

Emadion

The Paranormal Guide

Unsolved Murder of Joseph "Joe Stevenson

 Around 12:30 a.m. on October 22, 1953 police received a call for a shooting at the Blue Goose Jook in Belle Glade, Florida. The Blue Goose Jook was a gambling location in Zellwood owned by Lee Grant, who was at the location. The body of Joseph Stevenson who went by Joe Stevens was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds near The Blue Goose Jook.

SOURCES:

Orange County Sheriff's

Murder of Baker Tilley

 On October 21, 1871, 31-year-old Pompey Lyon stabbed  Baker Tilley in Orange County, North Carolina. The motive for the murder was a fracas at a husking bee. Pompey would be executed on December 15, 1871.

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in North Carolina and South Carolina pg 18

Tri-Weekly Era November 7, 1871

The Wilmington Morning Star December December 23, 1871

MONSTERS: Tano Giant

 

In the Upper parts of the Boin Tano Forest in Ghana, Africa, a tale is told by the natives of the area of the Tano Giant. It seems to be a bigfoot-like creature described as a white ape of extraordinary structure and human instinct. They are described as larger than a man with arms as thick as a man's body. His skin is white, but black hair grows on it. They only have four fingers and no thumbs, the head is flat and small for its size, but the same size as a large monkey's head. His facial features are similar to monkeys, their mouth is the same, and has large teeth. It's said that they carry the skin of a bush cow and during the when cold. The creature is also dangerous.

A hunter once tried to shoot the Tano Giant, but the creature broke the gun and the hunter's arms. There are other similar stories. It attacked two women gathering plantains and kidnapped one and the other woman left screaming. This woman was never found again. It's said that several children were kidnapped by it and their bodies were later found mutilated with their bowels devoured. 

To help keep the Tano Giant away doors are barricaded at night and broiled plantains and cassava are left on the jungle paths to the village. This is to help appease his hunger and hope he does not find his next meal in the village. But if they do appear in the village he only runs away when a fire is thrown at them.

SOURCES:

Cryptid Wiki

Kook Science

Mysterious Creatures: A Guide to Cryptozoology Volume 2 page 535

UNIDENTIFIED: October 10, 1914 Yuma, Arizona John Doe

 On October 10 1914 the body of a man was found in Yuma, Arizona. He had been murdered the same day, but it's unstated how. The murderer was unknown. 

John Doe was a black male around 40-years-old. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Unidentified Wiki

MISSING: Sveinbjörn Jakobsson

 At 7 p.m. on October 9, 1930, 46-year-old Sveinbjörn Jakobsson, an Icelandic fisherman, took a taxi to a household in Reykjavík, Iceland. He left the taxi without paying and went inside the household. When Sveinbjörn didn't return to the car the taxi driver contacted the police. 

Police would ask residents of the home the taxi driver claimed that he went into. People inside claimed to have not seen him, and he had not been there. Sveinbjörn was never seen again, and foul play was suspected in his case.

The next day he was supposed to return home on a cruise ship. He was a fisherman and was believed to have had a significant amount of money on himself at the time because it was the end of Herring season. 

 His case was the first disappearance to be investigated as a homicide in Iceland. 

Sveinbjörn is a white male and was 46-years-old at the time. He had false teeth.

SOURCES:

Internation Missing Persons Wiki

Facebook

IMDB2

UNIDENTIFIED: October 9, 1901 Somerville, Indiana John Doe

On October 8, 1901, a young unknown man would be seen in Somerville, Indiana. On the 9th he would be seen walking up and down the streets stopping to rest once in a while in front of stores. He spoke very little, but people could tell he was of more than ordinary intelligence. He had gone to the train station several times to ask when the train was going to arrive. 

He would start walking down the track about 30 minutes before the train would arrive. When the train got close to him he ignored it. The engineer in the cab blew the whistle and it alerted the man. He looked up at the train and walked to the edge of the track as if he was going to walk off the track, but stopped just before doing so with one foot on the rail. Instead of walking off he turned and walked towards the train.

The Train tried to stop but was not able to. The man was struck but was still alive and unconscious. The train crew would bring him aboard and physicians aboard tried to help him. It seemed that he broke his arm, his back was injured and he had internal injuries. He died a few minutes after his arrival. 

The man seemed to have taken precautions before his death. There did not seem to have been any way of identifying him. It may have been his plan to kill himself in this town where no one knew him.

John Doe was around 21 years old. He was well dressed and may have been middle class. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Evansville Courier and Press October 10, 1901

Evansville Courier and Press October 11, 1901

Suspicious Deaths: Edgar Allen Poe

 

Edgar Allan Poe is one of the most known Authors of America. He was a poet, writer, critic, and editor that  Many of his short stories and poems haunted the minds of the readers. He’s even credited with giving birth to the detective story.  He’s even inspired many like Alfred Hitchcock. His poems and stories have even been adapted into a film and T.V. Poe even wrote a poem that the Baltimore Ravens were named after.

Born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, but was raised in Richmond Virginia. It’s not surprising that Poe’s young life was not shy from death at an early age. Before he was 3 years old both of his parents had died, his first love died when he was 15, and his foster mother when he was 20.

Poe did not know his parents and was separated from his brothers and sisters after their mother had died. He was sent to live with John and Frances Valentine Allan who were tobacco merchants. They never officially adopted Poe. He had gone to a good school and grew up in a good environment. But John and Poe did not get along, but Frances and he did. John did not like the fact that Poe wasn’t following in the family business and wanted to do literature.

When Poe was 6 he was sent for schooling in England. He returned to America when he was 11.

By the time Poe was 13, he was considered a prolific poet. Both his foster father and headmaster tried to discourage him. Neither could as he focused on his poetry. It was rumored that Poe even wrote poetry on the back of his foster father's paperwork.

By the time he was an adult, Poe did not mend his relationship with his father. Poe had gotten into the University of Virginia in 1826. Poe was a great student who excelled in his classes but did not get enough money from Allan to pay for everything. In order to help Poe turned to gamble, but it backfired causing him to go into debt. This was also the time that Poe started to drink excessively.

When he returned home he found that his fiance Sarah Elmira Royster was engaged to someone else. This made Poe decide to move to Boston and join the military. In 1827 Poe published his first poetry book called Tamerlane and Other Poems. In 1829 he published his second collection of poems called Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane, and Minor Poems.

In 1829 Poe was honorably discharged from the military. He had acquired the label regimental sergeant major. Poe’s father refused to give him the money to stay a cadet, and when Poe began to ignore his duties and violating regulations the military discharged him. Some think that he did it to spite his father.

He then went to New York City where he published his third poetry book Poems in 1831. Poe then moved to Baltimore to live with his Aunt Maria Clemm and her daughter Virginia. Poe was not rich and could not sustain himself on his own. Even after his father’s death in 1834, he wasn’t left with anything extravagant. In 1835 though Poe found a job at the Southern Literary Messenger as an editor in Richmond, Virginia. Poe brought with him his Aunt and his 12-year-old cousin. While being an editor he published many of his own poems and stories.

In 1836 when he was 26 he married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia. The two were first cousins when Poe started to live with His Aunt Maria Clemm and Virginia he began doting on her. She eventually became the inspiration and a love interest. It was not uncommon at the time for first cousins to marry.

In the late 1830’s and 1840’s Poe’s works began to get more attention, but he didn’t make much profit from his works. He started editing for Burton’s Gentleman’s Magazine and Graham’s Magazine in Philadelphia and the Broadway Journal in New York City.

Sadly on January 30, 1847, Virginia died from a 5 year-long battle with tuberculosis. She was 24 years old. This affected Poe deeply. He was reported to not want to see his wife’s face dead and would have wanted to remember seeing her as alive. Not having a picture of her he hired a painter to paint her.

On October 3, 1849, Poe was found wandering the streets of Baltimore delirious. He was brought to Washington Medical Hospital. It was found out that he was not wearing his own clothes. It was said that Poe was never coherent enough to say what had happened to him.

On October 7, 1849, at the age 40-years-old, Poe met with death and like many of his poems and stories, it’s a mystery. At the time Newspapers claimed that it was congestion of the brain from his alcoholism. In reality, no one is sure how he had died. There are many theories on what had happened.

Some think it might have been caused by a beating, or epilepsy, or even Alcohol poisoning, and many more theories. Even one theory is that he was a victim of electoral fraud which citizens force people to vote repeatedly for a candidate. They make the person change their clothes and force them to vote for a certain candidate which would have accounted for him not wearing his own clothes. It can sometimes lead to violence and sometimes death.

And the man who wrote about mysteries death involved a large mystery.

SOURCES:

Biography

Poetry Foundation

Poe Museum

Wikipedia

MONSTERS: Hone-Onna

 

From the Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki by Sekien Toriyama

Hone-onna (bone woman) is a yokai in Japanese lore and as the name implies she is in a form of bones. She's a woman who has died but has an undying love that brings her back to life. She is seen as beautiful as she was alive, but some will see her as a rotting corpse. Those people are either not blinded by love or strong religious faith.

This undying love allows her to be with whoever she was in love with alive. She seemingly seems normal to them and herself unknown to both that she's a rotting body. The man would more than likely know that she is in fact dead, but is blinded by love when seeing her. 

She would visit them at night and they would have a sexual relationship. This could last up to weeks and unbeknownst to their lover, she is sucking the life force from him. He will eventually die and the two will be together in death.

If she is seen in her rotting form the person and informs the man what was happening. Her lover may be thrown off though and use magic charms on the home to keep her away. This only works if he truly wants that though. She may continue to visit at night as she is still unknown to her own condition. 

Within the collection of writings called "Otogi Bōko" (1666) by Asai Ryōi (this collection is the moral-free version of "Jiandeng Xinhua" (1378) by Qu You) the story "Botan Dōrō" or the Peony Lantern is about a Hone-onna. A man named Ogiwara Shinnojo would meet Yako, a beautiful woman, and they would have a sexual relationship every night. An elderly neighbor would witness the two, but instead of seeing Yako, they would see Shinnojo embracing a skeleton.

One story of Hone-onna is explained in the text "Konjaku Gazu Zoku Hyakki" by Toriyama Sekien (may be referenced to the previous story) in the story Otogi Bōko. Hone-onna is an aged female skeleton who would carry a chōchin lantern that was decorated with Botan flowers. She would then visit the home of a man she loved when alive and have a sexual relationship with him.

In "Tōhoku Kaidan no Tabi" by Norio Yamada there is an odd tale of Hone-onna in the Aomori Prefecture. It's said that an ugly woman in the Ansei period became a good-looking skeleton after death. She is said to walk around town as a skeleton to show off, likes fish bones, and would collapse upon encountering a high priest.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Yokai 

Myths and Folklore Wiki

Yokai Wiki

UNIDENTIFIED: September 1878 Omaha, Nebraska Doe

 On October 1, 1878, an unknown Native American (gender unstated) was buried at the Prospect Hill Cemetary in Omaha, Nebraska. It's stated that they died in September. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

MONSTERS: The Bekatarō

 

The  Bekatarō is an ugly, malevolent, and cannibalistic Japanese Yokai. It's believed that it was a wicked child born with a supernatural and unquenchable hunger. They consume anything they can find including humans. It's said that he was so hungrey he started eating humans and thus became a yokai. Their hunger allows them to devour more than what 10 or 20 adults could and want more.  They have a humanoid form and are usually seen pulling their lower eyelids with its finger and sticking its tongues out in a mocking gesture. 

SOURCES:

Yokai

Yokai Wiki

Monsters Wiki

UNIDENTIFIED: September 21, 1914 Bronx, New York "German" John Doe

 On September 21, 1914, a man had committed suicide. He was found hanging at the Maple Grove Cemetary in Hart Island, Bronx, New York. It's believed that the John Doe may have been a German laborer. He was a white male between 39 to 45-years-old. he had a newspaper, a pair of spectacles, and a red handkerchief. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Unidentified Wiki

UNIDENTIFIED: September 19, 1902 Detroit, Michigan Unknown Man

At 7:10 p.m. on September 19, 1902, an accident would happen on Jefferson Avenue in Detroit, Michigan. No 176 Woodward car heading west hit an unknown man was leaning over the side of the platform of a Rapid Railway car that was heading East. 

He was still alive and would lay on the road in the rain. He had been bleeding from his ears and had internal injuries. It was said that medical help for him was overlooked, and would soon die. The coroner arrived he was in the same place he died. Angry at the crowd that was watching the spectacle he asked why no one took him off of the road. This caused the crowd to go silent. 

In the man's pocket was an article from the Toledo Blade, the article was about a similar accident. It is possible he was recently in Ohio City. A jury found that the man's death was an accident from his own carelessness. 

The man was a white male and was around 35-years-old. He had black hair and a sandy almost red mustache. He had the tattoo J.M.C. on the upper part of his right arm. He was 6 ft and 190 lbs. He was wearing a black worsted coat, light striped trousers, a black topcoat, black flannel overshirt, black lace shoes, black socks, and a black fedora. 

It's unknown if he had been identified or not, but his grave is still marked as "Unknown Man". 

SOURCES:

Find A Grave

Detroit Free Press September 20, 1902

Detroit Free Press September 26, 1902

GHOSTS: The Hat Man

 

The Hat Man is an entity that is reported to be seen as a shadow man dressed in a top hat or fedora. He is dark in his entirety without any details but has substance. When seen he is seen he does absolutely nothing for minutes even when touched. It will sometimes move around a bit just before disappearing. He doesn't vanish in a sense but leaves like any normal person would. People who see him are struck with fear he doesn't want physical harm, but to scare their victims.

It's believed that he may be related to sleep paralysis. People who typically see him are either sleeping and awoken or in a groggy state. 

SOURCES:

Monster Wiki

The Week

Hunt a Killer