Suspicious Death of Birdie Hoffman and Murder of Gertrude Botts

At 7 pm on May 3, 1900, 18-year-old Birdie Hoffman and 16-year-old Charles "Otis" Botts went on a buggy ride in Peoria, Illinois. The two had been dating for the last two years and planned to get married. Birdie's parents tried to convince them that they were too young, but the two didn't care they wanted to marry.

On the ride, he would end up either sexually assaulting her or they had sex. Afterwards, this would upset Birdie greatly and he claimed that she was full of remorse over them doing that. He claimed that she refused to go home and they argued until 4 am. During the argument, she would grab his revolver and shoot herself in the head. 

Police however did not believe that she had killed herself. However, he could not be prosecuted for the crime as no evidence contradicted his statement. 

Five years later on January 6, 1905, a few days before his 21st birthday Otis argued with his wife, 19-year-old Gertrude at the border house they were staying at in Peoria. The two had been constantly arguing ever since they got married the year before. During the argument, He would strike her in the face and then begin to strangle her with a slender hair ribbon killing her.

He would leave the home and go to a saloon in Knoxville and Glendale. When he entered he seemed heavily intoxicated already and caused a disturbance. He was quickly kicked out. So he would catch a car on the way to the courthouse where again he made a disturbance. He was kicked out after traveling two blocks. 

He would then make it to Wall's Saloon on Fayette St. He would hang out there until late that evening. Towards the end of the night, he became more sober. He seemed greatly worried and even told the bartender that he wanted to drown himself in the river. 

 He would spend the night with his friend William Trautman on Nebraska Ave. At 10 am Patrolman Brannon and McEnvoy would go to William's to arrest him. He was still asleep when he arrived, and surprised him when they arrested him. It was found that he had a razor under his pillow. It was suspected he was planning on using it on himself. 

 He would then be arrested the next day for the murder. He would seem indifferent to his wife's death. He stated that it was an Eastern traveler named Albert Baer. His wife was infatuated with the man and the two had spent that night together, so he had to of been the one to kill her. Police did not believe him, especially since he was the last one seen in their room. It also didn't help that he was a suspect in the murder of another woman.

There was no solid evidence, but there was circumstantial so he would be brought to trial in just a couple months. At the trial, he would deny that he knew anything about his wife's murder. The jury would find him guilty and set him to be executed. This angered him and he yelled at the jury in the courtroom.


SOURCES:
Legal Executions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri page 20

The Altamont News May 10, 1900

Mount Carmel Register May 10, 1900

Herald and Review January 8, 1905

Herald and Review January 13, 1905

Marshall County Democrat March 30, 1905

Woodford County Journal April 6, 1905

The Meenybradden Woman

 

On May 3, 1978 turf cutters in Meenybradden Bod near Ardara, Ireland would find the body of a woman. It was found that the remains were of historical means. Her body would be kept in Dublin's city morgue and stayed in a freezer where the body was damaged. In July 1985 the body would be shipped to the British Museum and examined further.

It's believed that the woman was around 25 to 30 years old and died 1050-1410 CE. It is unknown how she died, but she didn't die violently. She was buried about a meter deep into the bog. It was strange that she was wrapped in a cloak dated by textile typology to the 16 to 17th centuries. However, the cloak was not carbon-dated and it's possible that it was from around the time she died. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Mummipedia

UNIDENTIFIED: May 1, 1924 Koppel, Pennsylvania John Doe

On May 1, 1924, the body of a man was pulled from the Beaver River near Koppel, Pennsylvania. He was dressed in winter attire and was believed to have been dead for several months. It's believed he had drowned.

John Doe was 5'9" and 175 lbs.

SOURCES:
Find a Grave

INFANTICIDE: April 27, 1958 Long Beach, California Baby Jane Doe

 On April 27, 1958, a newborn girl was found washed ashore in th Alamitos Bay in Long Beach, California.

Jane Doe was 1'3" to 1'6" and 7 lbs. She was wrapped in a woman's long housecoat size 38-40, it was in a duster-style and lightweight. The housecoat was faded with red piping on the collar. It opens from the neckline to the waist and is fastened with two buttons. The brand was Charmode which was sold at Sears Roebuck & Co.

SOURCES:

NamUs

INFANTICIDE: April 24, 1924 Roker Beach, England Baby John Doe

On April 24, 1924, the body of a newborn baby boy was found on Roker Beach near Sunderland, England. The infant was burned, had a fractured elbow and a scalp wound. It's believed that right after birth the infant was placed in a fire and burned to death.

SOURCES:
Unsolved Murders UK

GHOSTS: The Gelin

 

The Gelin (meaning Bride in Turkish) is a female demon or ghost in Turkish and Anatolian Greek folklore. More than likely hear stories in Heybeliada from Prince Islands about them. She is often seen as a beautiful young woman wearing a white wedding dress. Many of them become Gelin due to tragedy. Like being betrayed by a husband or fiance or being unmarried and pregnant. They usually die brutally typically by suicide.

These women are typically a harbinger of death similar to a banshee. She can sometimes haunt a family line or sometimes she rides a white horse in a graveyard. In the graveyard, she attracts men and kills them if they make contact.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Sabah

Encyclopedia Mythica

UNIDENTIFIED: November 29, 1985 Conroe, Texas Doe

 On November 29, 1985, a man fishing in Rish Creek in Conroe Texas would snare a skull with his fishing pole. It is suspected that the skull was a war trophy from WWII as there were faint scribblings on WWII, the Japanese, and the date April 22, 1942.

SOURCES:
NamUs
Doe Network
Unidentified Wiki