Fawn Hoof Mummy

 

 

In September of 1811 a tomb for a woman was found inside Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. She was found in a little crypt with a big stone as a roof. She was in a sitting position with two decorated deer skins, and a woven woolen blanket. Her red hair was cut short, and her teeth and nails were pristine. She was 6 ft tall which was unusual for the time. There was evidence of makeup on her lips. She had a necklace made of young deer hooves, giving her the name "Fawn Hoof Mummy". She had many dressing ornaments and utensils in her tomb. She must have been cared for.

Some say that she was mummified purposely and similarly to how the Egyptians did it. It's possible that she wasn't and that it was done naturally due to the cave and the deer skins she was wrapped in. It's unknown now as her body has been lost. 

After her body was found at the time like many other historical remains it was treated as property. She had gone through many hands. The last time it was seen was shortly after the Smithsonian photographed it. Some believe that the Smithsonian still has her remains, but they were disassembled and stored.

SOURCES:
Little House of Horrors
Ancient Code

Curiosmos 
Mummipedia

UNIDENTIFIED: July 12, 1924 Covington, Kentucky Jane Doe

 On July 12, 1924, the body of a woman was found on a bluff overlooking the Ohio River in Covington, Kentucky. Her body showed she had struggled with her killer. Her clothes seemed to have also torn due to the struggle. She was then shot twice in the right side of her head. There was no evidence that she was killed there and may have been killed elsewhere and dumped there. It was believed she died around a week before. 

It's possible that she was killed in Cincinnati, Ohio and her body was dumped where it was found. 

Jane Doe was a woman between 30 and 40 years old. She was 5'6". She had long dark hair with a curl to it. She was wearing a tan whipcord dress made of good material, an orange blossom gold wedding ring of late design, earrings, a long black string of beads, and a cheap ring. She was wearing no shoes


SOURCES:
Find a Grave

Lexington Herald-Leader July 13, 1924

The Paducah Sun-Democrat July 14, 1924

William Zinsmeister Shoots up a Picnic

 On June 23, 1923, 35-year-old William Zinsmeister would question his son-in-law. He would inquire where his daughter, 15-year-old Mamie, was attending a picnic for the St. Williams Catholic Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He would then ask who she was attending with and if it was the boy he disapproved of. He would then call a taxi to come get him at his soft drink stand at 1:30 p.m. 

Before leaving he would tell his son-in-law that he "I'm going to kill 5 kids this afternoon". His son-in-law would try to make it to the river before him. He left in the taxi with two revolvers and over 75 rounds. The taxi would bring him to the picnic area of the Ohio River. There was nothing unusual about how William was acting in the taxi.

When they arrived William would leave the vehicle and walk towards the river. The Taxi driver would stay and chat with someone. He would then walk down to his daughter who was sitting on a log next to the water. 18-year-old Thomas Mullaney and 16-year-old Sarah Connolly were in the water near her. 

William would be greeted by Mamie saying "Hello Daddy." He would then ask his daughter "What are you doing out her Mamie?". She responded with something along the line of to have a good time and her father's response was "Well I'm going to kill you." He then pulled out and began shooting. 

Mammie died almost instantly with two shots to the head. He then began shooting at those in the water. 16-year-old Sarah Connolly would be shot and killed. 16-year-old Gertrude Franconia, and 18-year-old Charles Eifler would be injured. Thomas would be able to get one of the revolvers from William and received a wound to the shoulder and was hit on the head. 

Those witnessing the madness would run screaming towards where the Taxi was parked. "He's shooting people in the water." After the shooting William would flee across fields on foot towards his childhood home and where he was born. He was a few hundred feet from his former home and would kill himself. 

There were only two deaths, Mamie and Sarah. Sarah's body was washed away and a search would be done for it. She wouldn't be found for two days. Her body would be found down stream about a mile from the scene. The rest were injured with non life threatening wounds.

SOURCES:

The Puducah Sun-Democrat June 25, 1923

Messenger-Inquirer June 25, 1923

The Courier-Journal June 25, 1923

Hinton Daily News June 25, 1923

GHOSTS: Headless Woman of Iroquois Park

 At Iroquois Park in Louisville, Kentucky it's said that a headless woman wearing 1800's clothes and carrying her head could be seen in the park. It's said that at night she wanders through the woods holding her head. You can see sometimes see her walking through a cloud of fog or smoke.

It's said that she was the wife of an old farmer. One night when she was home alone Native Americans would raid the home. When they found the poor woman inside they beheaded her and burned the house down.

SOURCES:
Louisville Ghost Hunters Society
Nolan Group Media
DJX
Manual Red Eye

INFANTICIDE: February 1922 Mason County, Kentucky Baby Doe

 In February 1922 the body of a newborn (a day old) baby was found in Cabin Creek in Mason County, Kentucky. 

SOURCES:

Find a Grave

Murder of George Franklin

On March 5, 1878, 19-year-old John Parker went fishing. He decided to go to Mr. M.A. Conant's shop in Somerset, Kentucky. He would return home and then come back to town with a bucket. When John went into C.A. Zachary's drugstore local barber George Franklin came out of a back room.

John tipped his hat as a greeting. This angered George Franklin as it was rude at the time to tip your hat at another male. This is along the lines of what was said.

John: "Good evening, Mr. Franklin." He tips his hat at him.

George: "You are a fool. Don't you know it is not polite for a man to tip his hat to another? Ain't you never been anywhere? I have been all over the United States."

John: "I know what is polite and what isn't."

George: "You are a damn liar if you say that is polite."

John: "Have you got to learn me what to say."

George: "Say me across the head. You are nothing: I can whip you if you are 10 pounds in my weight."

John: "I am." This was when John exited the store and waited for George on the sidewalk. It took a couple of minutes before George joined him.

The next thing people knew was that George had been stabbed by John. Witnesses said that when George reached the sidewalk John thrust the knife into his chest hitting his heart in the lower part. George stated, "John I believe you have cut me." George walked into the drug store and grabbed a poker and threw it at John before collapsing and dying.

But John stated that he nor George was actually angry at each other. The two were friends and he even blackened a pair of shoes for George that day. He said he was sharpening a pencil by the time that George came out and George smacked John. He stated that to block another hit from him he instinctively threw his hand in front of him to block the blow, and that was when George fell into the knife.

John was found guilty at trial and was set to hang. He was hoping that the governor would pardon him for the murder. He was not pardoned and hanged on June 12, 1878.

SOURCES:
The Cincinnati Enquirer April 13, 1878
Interior Journal April 5, 1878
Kentucky Explorer
Shaking Paper

Murder of William "Curly" Shelton

On December 4, 1957, 32-year-old  William "Curly" Shelton was found lying face down in the front seat of his convertible. The vehicle was behind VFW Club on  U.S. 41A and 3 miles South of Henderson, Kentucky. He had been beaten to death and the murderer seemed to have only used his fists and stomped on him. He had a fractured skull and a broken leg and the beating resulted in his death. He was seemed to have been beaten outside of his vehicle and then thrown into the vehicle after the beating. 

Curly was a T.V. star in Evansville, Indiana. He was a regular on "Hillside Hoedown" a popular Saturday night country music variety show that aired on  WEHT-TV in northwestern Kentucky and Southwestern Indiana, and Eastern Illinois. He was a guitarist and vocalist.

He was kind of a playboy and was involved with several women. Some of who were married or in a relationship. He was also a heavy drinker and in deep debt, but police said robbery doesn't seem to have been the motive. It could be possible one of the women he was involved with's boyfriend or husband killed him. This case has never been solved.


SOURCES:
Kentucky State Police
WKYT
News 14
Messenger-Inquirer
The Messenger 

Murder of Andrew H. Reagan.

27-year-old Andrew Reagan was last seen alive on September 22, 1954. He had left the McCurdy Coral Room after having drinks with some friends at the McCurdy Coral Room. After he left he was never seen alive again. At the time he was working as a terminal manager of B.B.I. Trucking company.

On October 1, 1954, four laborers were checking a fence while riding a tractor on a Jim Ellis Farm. This was when they found his body was found lying in a ditch along a country road five miles Northwest of Henderson, Kentucky. Andrew was from Evansville Indiana and where he was found was just 12 miles south of there. 

He had been killed from at least 9 blows to the head with a tire tool-type instrument. His wallet was missing along with his money and I.D. inside of it. This leads investigators to believe the motive for the murder may have been robbery.

SOURCES:

Kentucky State Police

Nashville Banner

The Owensboro Messenger

The Courier-Journal

Muncie Evening Press

Murder of William Lewis Arwood

On August 9, 1953, 42-year-old William Arwood was inside of the bar Southside Liquors, a segregated bar, in Henderson, Kentucky.  A black man came from the black side of the bar to the white side. William and the unknown man had words with each other. The unknown man called William outside and he went out and was shot in the chest twice killing William.

On Jan. 19, 1980 a subject was called the Police Department in Sacramento, California and gave details of the murder. With a further investigation, the person believed to have made the call denied knowing anything about the murder or making a phone call. 

SOURCES:

Kentucky State Police