INFANTICIDE: Dovey Davidson

 On April 1, 1872, in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina 1-year-old Dovey Davidson was buried alive by her father 30-year-old Nathaniel Caldwell. Nathaniel was a married man and had an unwanted baby with a 16-year-old Ann Eliza Davidson. Nathaniel would be hanged for the murder on August 23, 1872.

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in North Carolina and South Carolina page 19

Lovers of Valdaro

In 2007 the skeletal remains now known as The Lovers of Valdaro or Valdaro Lovers were found at a Neolithic tomb in San Giorgio near Mantua, Italy. The two skeletons were buried face to face with their arms around each other much like a lovers embrace. Double burials like this would have been rare at the time. They did not die in this position and were placed in the grave this way 6,000 years ago.

The pair of skeletons were one female and one male neither above the age of 20. Their deaths are unknown but it isn't believed to be violent as the bones showed no signs of damage. The male skeleton was found with a flint arrow near the neck and the female had a long flint blade along the thigh, plus two knives under the pelvis. It's believed these weapons were grave goods.

A block of dirt with the couple was placed in a wooden box leaving the remains undisturbed. Right now the couple is permanently displayed inside a glass case in the National Archeological Museum of Mantua.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia

The Vintage News April 9, 2017

Bloody Mary

 

Historically the divination ritual had young women walking up the stairs backward with a mirror. It could show the face of their future husband or a skull, which represented them dying before marrying.

More commonly today individuals or groups would try to contact Mary by standing in a dimly lit room in front of a mirror. The persons involved would have to repeatedly say "Bloody Mary" or "Hell Mary", or "Mary Worth" in order to summon her in the mirror.

Mary would show up in the mirror as a ghostly or as a corpse. She can either be friendly or evil being sometimes covered in blood. If she appears with evil intent she could curse at them, try to kill them, steal their soul, scratch out their eyes or drink their blood or haunt them.

Some say that Mary was a young woman who died of illness in the 1800s. Except she wasn't dead when she was buried and instead was in a coma state. a string tied to a bell was connected to the girl in case she was to wake. Mary would tug at the bell and no one was to hear it as it would fall to the ground. She would then die inside her grave unable to escape

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Media Wiki

J Hop Times

UNIDENTIFIED: Who was the well loved Leather Man?

 

In the 1860s there was a man who would make a round of every 34 days to visit the same homes. He would travel around 365-mile walk from Connecticut to New York. He went through towns like Danbury, New Fairfield, Watertown, Middletown, and Canaan into Westchester, New York then back to Danbury. Typically this trip would take around 34 days. He would stay in caves and visit homes he was welcomed to for food. Some of these homes he would visit for more than 25 years.

Now, what was the name of this mysterious traveler?

No one knows. People had noted him for his unique fashion and called him Leather Man since he wouldn't say his name. He wore clothes that were stitched together pieces of leather made from old boot tops. He would wear this outfit all year round even during the summer. It was estimated that his jacket alone weighed 60 lbs.

He would not hunt or fish on someone's land without permission. He also kept the caves on his path neat with a pine bough or leaf bed. He would have wood stocked up for the next visit. He preferred to sleep in the caves rather than in people's homes. People were generous and would give the man tobacco, food, and pennies. In some towns, school was let out for Leather Man day so that the children could visit with him and give him pennies.

It seemed that he was fluent in French and spoke broken English. He would mostly talk in grunts and movement. When people were to ask him personal questions it seemed that he would avoid questions and leave the conversation. He carried around with him a bible written in French. It could be possible he was French Canadian or just French.

After a bad winter in 1888, the Leather Man began to have a growth on his lip. Which turned out to have been cancer. He didn't get treated or help with the growth and in 1889 the Leather Man was found dead in one of the caves in Ossining New York.

There have been many theories on who he was. But for the most part, the theories are tales spun to give him some sort of background. None of them have been proven to be true.

Another mystery appeared in 2011 when the grave of Leather Man had been dug up. Other than a few nails there was nothing in the coffin. Leather Man's body wasn't in the grave and no one knows where it had gone.
 
SOURCES:

Historic Mysteries

The Leather Mans Loop

New England Today

Murder of Lenore Anna Cohen and Charles "Charlie" Murray

   

On March 19, 1915, little 5-year-old Lenore Cohen was seen in the Tenement building she lived on 3rd Ave. in Manhattan, New York by a neighbor. She smiled and showed the milk and candy she had. Her Aunt Mrs. Eckers asked the young girl to go on an errand to get milk for her. Leonore was excited as a penny was usually a reward.

 Ms. Augusta Johnson lived on the second floor. She heard a small cry outside her door 15 minutes after the other neighbor saw her. She opened the door and saw nothing, but stumbled over Leonore when she stepped out the door. The murderer probably heard Augusta's screams as it had aroused everyone in the Tenement. Leonore was still alive at this point. and was carried up to the third floor where her aunt lived. Her cousin tried to resuscitate her as she was foaming from the mouth, but she did not survive.

She had been hacked at with a knife. She had also been "criminally assaulted" possibly meaning molested. A later article states that her clothes were unbuttoned. There were finger marks on her throat. There were two sets of stairs in the building and Leonore didn't typically use the ones she was found on. Police believed that the murderer forced her to the area she was found. There was a cord found with grey hairs and is unknown if it was a part of the case.

It was brought to the police's attention that girls on 3rd Avenue have been harassed by an oldish guy who offered to buy them candy if they go with them.

Less than two months later on the night of May 3, 1915, 4-year-old Charles Murray was playing in behind the Tenement building he lived in on First Ave. in the East side of Manhattan, in New York. He was last seen alive 20 minutes before he was discovered. His 6-year-old sister walked into the hallway and saw a "foreign man" leaving it in a hurry. Shortly after she found her brother.

There are two gruesome crime scene photos. I will not post it as it shows the boy's intestines, but it's obvious whoever murdered him gutted him. It's described that the perpetrator hacked at the boy. His clothes were left unscathed from knife marks as the perpetrator unbuttoned his shirt before killing him. Just like the murderer of Lenora had. One article notes that a piece of the body was taken.

Several letters were sent to the mother of Leonore. The writer claimed to be the killer and boasted of his crimes stating the Eckard's (relatives of theirs) knew of the murders. The letters were signed with H.B. Richmond, Jack the Ripper. It was later found that a man named Edward Richmond had written the letters. 

A letter was also sent to Mrs. Murray, but it seems to have been written by another person. This letter claimed they were going to continue their crimes. 

There were several suspects, but none of them were convicted of the crime.


SOURCES:

Find a Grave (Lenore)
Find a Grave (Charles)

Case Book

New York Tribune March 20 1915

Chronicling America March 20, 1915

The Brooklyn Citizen March 21, 1915
Buffalo Courier March 22, 1915
New York Tribune March 20, 1915
Wilkes-Barre Semi-Weekly Record May 7, 1915
Evening Public Ledger May 6, 1915
The Washington Post May 9, 1915
Daily News May 16, 1915

Murder of Robert McKay

 

On the night of March 18, 1959, 34-year-old Robert McKay was driving his Taxi.  He was working for Edmonton's Yellow Taxi on and off for several years in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. At 8:25 p.m. he radioed his dispatcher from the Canadian National Railways station. This was the last time he was heard from.

At 10:30 p.m. George Bates was returning home to 130th St. in the Laurier Park area when he spotted a Yellow cab parked in the middle of a dead-end st. on the corner of 85th Ave. and 131st St. He went to check on the can and inside Robert was unconscious and slumped over the steering wheel.

When police and ambulance arrived and were removing him from the cab he weakly struggled and mumbled, "What are you guys trying to take me for now?". He would be rushed to the hospital and was operated on, but never regained consciousness and would die.

Robert had been beaten and suffered a compound fracture of the skull, and other head injuries resulting in severe brain damage. His taxi windows were broken and there was blood on one of the doors, but there was no sign of struggle near the taxi.

A local resident would find a hammer with blood and hair on it, a pair of rubber boots, and Robert's cap several blocks away. The items were set beside each other on the road with a nickel and dime on the grown a few feet away. 

Snow would soon hide any evidence of a struggle and they barricaded the area hoping the snow would melt and reveal evidence. An inconsiderate motorist would remove part of the barricade and would drive up the lane destroying any evidence that may have been there.

He had not been robbed his recorded fare money was still in his pocket, and he only had a few cents when he left for work. His glove compartment seemed to have been gone through, so a robbery may have still been the motive. The killer may have been scared off and didn't get the chance to go through Robert's pockets. 

The cab company told police that if Robert was going to pick up a fare and be asked to go to an isolated area like he was found that he would have likely called their dispatch and tell them because robberies often happen in isolated areas. 

SOURCES:

Edmonton Police

Taxi Library

Edmonton Journal March 19, 1959

Edmonton Journal March 23, 1959

UNIDENTIFIED: March 15, 1922 Phoenix, Arizona John Doe

On March 15, 1922, an unknown man drowned in Phoenix, Arizona. There is little information in this case. 

He was a white male around 50-years-old. 

SOURCES: 

Unidentified Wiki

Find a Grave

MISSING: Patricia Crandall

 

On March 13, 1949, 19-year-old Patricia Crandall was last seen in Redding, California. There is little information in this case. 

Patricia is a white female and was 19-years-old at the time. She is 5'3" and 112 lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing a green hooded cape coat and carrying a black suitcase.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project

GHOSTS: Kuchisake-onna

 

A Kuchisake-onna in a scene from Ehon Sayoshigure by Hayami Shungyōsai, 1801

If you're wandering down the streets of Japan and meet a woman with a surgical mask on asking "Am I pretty?" think twice about your answers to her questions. It might be Kuchisake Onna or the Slit Mouthed Woman and she might not have good plans for you.

The legend starts with a beautiful woman who had a jealous husband. He was convinced that his beautiful wife must be cheating on him. So he did the unspeakable so that she wouldn't be attractive to anyone else. In a fit of rage he slit her mouth ear to ear it resulted in her death and she came back as a vengeful spirit.

She would wear a surgical mask, which is not uncommon in Japan. She will stop a lone child and ask them a simple question.

"Am I pretty?"

There are two ways the child could answer. A no will result in her cutting them in half with her large scissors. 

A yes will result in Kushisake Onna taking off her mask revealing her large torn smile and asking another simple question. 

"How about Now?"

A No will once again result in death. She will cut off your head with the scissors. 

A yes will result in a smile of your own that she will create with her large scissors. 

If you run there is no way you'd survive as she will chase you down. Every time you turn around she will be behind you. Then she will reappear in front of you and cut you in half.  There is almost no way to escape from the slit-mouthed woman.

There is one way however you can survive without injury. When she asks her first question, "Am I pretty?" You answer with a neutral answer for example "You're so and so." or distract her with candy or money she will become confused and you will be able to escape. 

It's believed that the legend of Kuchisake-onna started during Japan's Edo Period (1603-1867). She is described as a malevolent spirit. She is typically seen partially covering her face, particularly her mouth or another item. She is usually carrying sharp items like scissors. She has long straight black hair, pale skin, and is beautiful except for her slit mouth. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Paranorms

Scary For Kids

Urban Legends Wiki

Murder of Annie Yates

 In 1884, 23/24-years-old Annie Yates was living at No. 12, Burton-Crescent St. (now known as Cartwright Gardens) in London, England. It was a home that rented out furnished apartments to women. Annie's room was on the first floor in the back. At the time Annie was working as a prostitute. Annie's past is a bit mysterious. It's believed that Annie Yates was an alias as a friend said that her name was Mary Anne Marshall, and her friends were in Reading. One article refers to her as Mary Anne Yates. 

On the night of 8 March 1884 Annie Yates and another lodger Annie Ellis this was not unusual for the pair. Around 1 a.m. The two would part at Euston road as Annie Yates had gotten into a conversation with a well-dressed man. It wouldn't be until around 2 a.m. that Annie was heard coming home with a man who is assumed to be the same man she was seen with earlier. 

Around 3 a.m. screams were heard from Annie's room, but it wasn't unusual. The other lodgers said that she would go into bouts of hysteria and those sounded similar to her screaming that night. A considerable time after the screaming sounds of a man going downstairs and leaving the house was heard. This was also not an uncommon sound in the place so nobody went to check.

Annie would not end up coming down for breakfast. Between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. Annie Ellis went upstairs to check on her friend. The door was already open a crack so Annie E. went inside. What she saw was the bedding piled up on something. Seeing Annie's foot sticking out from underneath Annie E. pulled them off. 

Annie was laying on her stomach. She was partially dressed and was laying in a pool of her blood. She had a serious gash on the left side of her head above her ear and had a towel tightly tied around her mouth with the knot on the back of her head. Annie E. noted that there were bruises on the back of her legs. It was found that there was blood on the wall bed and towel. 

The alarm was raised to Mrs. Apex the landlady of the house. Mrs. Apex would send for medical help and notified the police station. Unfortunately, Annie had been dead for hours and it was believed the towel wrapped around her mouth had led to her suffocating.

Police searched for the weapon used to hit Annie, but it was not found. It's likely the wound on her head knocked her out and then the towel was tied around her mouth while she was unconscious It's unknown if he did intend to kill Annie or to silence her in case she woke up.

The room had also seemed to have been ransacked. It was found that the killer had possibly stolen a dark leather purse with a clamp and a gold ring Annie was wearing that night/morning was gone. Annies ring was described as 9-carat gold with three gems, a turquoise gem in the middle with two pearls on either side of it. 

The man last seen with Annie was around 25-years-old. He was described as being fair, with a medium height. He was wearing a black felt hat, brown cutaway coat, he seemed to have a respectable appearance.

According to Wikipedia, this murder was never solved.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

The Times 9 March 1884

The Bristol Mercury and Daily Post, Western Countries and South Wales Advertiser 15 March 1884

The Preston Chronicle and Lancashire Advertiser 22 March 1884

UNIDENTIFIED: March 5, 1951

 

On March 5, 1951, a blue denim military-style bag was found off the side of U.S. 250 near Oilville, Virginia about 26 miles west of Richmond. Inside the bag was the body of a young boy. He had been dead 2 to 3 days before the bag was discovered and it was not discovered how he died, but he did have bruises and two cuts on his head. His body could not have been tossed from the road where he was found.

He was a white male between 3 and 6-years-old. He was 3'6" and 44 lbs. He had red/auburn hair and blue eyes. Someone tried to make a bandage for the injury on his head.

He was wearing a "Checks size 4, J.C. Penny Company" sweater coat with red and pink block checks and sleeves and waistband, a new button had been sewed onto it, red, white, and blue striped socks size 9/10, he was not wearing shoes, but he would be a size 7to 8, a red, white and blue stripe on a brown cotton short-sleeved shirt, 11 1/2 inch across shoulders, 12 inches in length from the neck, overall pants: new, dungaree-type, elastic top blue denim, 14 inches in length, one pocket on the right hop, underwear is white wool button-down front and a union-suit type with short legs and sleeves. Label: "C-Y is best, age 6-8." 13 inches across the shoulders and 1 inch long.

The bag was a denim military-type duffle with a drawstring. There was a woman's raincoat around his feet.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Medium

Daily Press March 6, 1951

SACRIFICES: Ñusta

  

Ñusta was found in Bolivia and was a child that was sacrificed in the later half of the 1400s. She was around 8-years-old and was believed to be an important person, or the daughter of someone elite as she was found in a chullpa on the Andes highlands near La Paz, Bolivia. Her tomb had various items like pouches, feathers, a clay jar, and some plants.

Ñusta was ethnically Aymara, a South American people where The Aymara Kingdom was between 1200 to 1438 until they were conquested by the Incas. When the Incas claimed them religious rituals and rights were overhauled and child sacrifice (Qhapaw hucha) was practiced. The children are often sacrificed after important events or disasters. The Chullpa she was found in was rare. It was likely she was an important person or the daughter of someone elite. 

SOURCES:

Mummipedia Wikia

Lansing State Journal

All That's Interesting

WKAR

Monsters: Roperites

 

According to the Digger Indians, Roperites are the spirits of early Spanish ranchers. Its home is in the foothills of the Sierra's and the Pitt River in Nevada where lumbermen reported seeing them. They live in groups and are predators not to be messed with even if it's is the size of a small pony. Its nose is that of a long noose that it uses to drag prey like jackrabbits through thorny chaparral to its death. It also releases a terrifying noise from the rattles on its tail that vibrates while it's going for its prey. Its well-developed flapper-like legs allow it to move in a way like half running and half flying.

SOURCES:
Cryptid Wiki
Monster Wiki
A Book of Creatures
San Fransisco Examiner