UNIDENTIFIED: February 5, 1924 Jinnampo, North Korea Doe

  On February 5, 1924, the body of a mutilated toddler was found in Jinnampo, South Pyongan Province, North Korea. At the time it was under Japanese Occupation and Japanese police were in charge. A publication ban was placed so it was not widely reported. 

The infant was estimated to be around 2 years old and his death was horrific as they were done to him while still alive. His neck was severed, their limbs and genitals were removed, their skull was fractured, and their brain had been removed.

A suspect was quickly arrested, 24-year-old Lee Chang-po. He had reported to the police that he had witnessed the child's brutal murder and the details matched the scene. Lee was suffering from syphilis and was considered mentally unwell. After his arrest, he would confess but he seemed confused. He was often repeating vague statements and mumbled and mismatched words. He claimed he dug up the child from the cemetery, but that was untrue. 

He would recant his confession as it after the autopsy contradicted him. He would then claim that he did it himself and that the missing flesh, organs, and limbs would be found at his home. When Lee lead officers to the home they came across his mother and he asked her "Where did you put the knife and child's flesh you used earlier?" His mother screamed at him "This crazy person!" and refused any involvement with the child's death. Other family members also denied any involvement and the house turned up nothing. 

There was no evidence against Lee and they determined that he lied during his confession. Lee was mentally ill and this helped clear him. They believed he may have witnessed the murder as he stated and that his family was the ones who had done it. If they had it was possible that they believed like a Korean superstition at the time that eating the liver of a young person or child would cure diseases. 

SOURCES:

Unidentified Wiki

Namu

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

SACRIFICE: Achiometl's daughter

In 1323 the Mexica would ask the new ruler of the Culhuacan, Achicometl, for his daughter as a bride. They would tell him that she would reign as "Sovereign of the Mexica and wife of their god,” Huitzilopochtli".  Achicometl complied not knowing of their actual plans to make her the goddess Yaocihual meant.

He would then bring her to the Mexica. Unbeknownst to Achicometl to make her the goddess Yaocihual meant that his daughter was going to be brutally sacrificed. Her skin was flayed from her body. The Mexica would invite  Achicometl and some of the people of Culhaucan to some festivities.

They would see a dancing priest wearing the young bride's skin. It would anger the Culhuacan people and especially Achicometl. The Mexica were chased out.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

David Bowels

Time Toast

Kidnapping and Murder of Marion Parker

On December 15, 1927, 19-year-old William Edward Hickman went to Mount Vernon Jr. High School in the Lafayette Square section of Los Angeles, California. He went to the office and told the registrar, Mary Holt, that Perry Parker the father of  12-year-old twins, Marion and Majorie.

He asked for Perry Parker's daughter. This confused The registrar as Perry had two daughters. He stated that the smaller one was who Perry wanted to see. It turned out that William didn't know that Perry had twin daughters or even their names. Regardless they trusted the man and handed over Marion to him believing his story was suspicious but true.

His story was all a lie and Perry was perfectly fine. It wasn't noticed that the girl was kidnapped until she was supposed to arrive home. She was reported missing and ransom notes came to the family. In the ransom letters, He asked for 75 $20 gold certificates which would equal $1,500 (this was equal with $21,887 today). The ransom letters were signed with "Fate", " Fox" and "Death"

The original meet was supposed to happen on December 16th and they were given instructions on how it was supposed to go. William had seen a policeman in the area and fled. A third letter was sent stating.

“I will be two billion times as cautious and clever, as deadly from now on. You have brought this on yourself and you deserve it and worse. A man who betrays his love for his own daughter is a second Judas Iscariot – many times more wicked than the worst modern criminal."
At 7:30 p.m. on December 17th Perry arrived at West 5th St. and South Manhattan Place in Los Angeles alone. He had the ransom money and hoped for the safe return of his daughter. He went over to a parked dark Ford roadster with a young man (William) sitting inside. William pointed a gun at Perry and when Perry asked to see Marion William pointed to the passenger seat.

Marion was sitting and unmoving and wrapped up to her neck. William told Perry that Marion was sleeping. Perry assumed that it meant she was chloroformed. Perry gave the stranger the ransom money. William accelerated his car about 200 feet and kicked Marion out.

It had turned out that she was dead. Perry quickly held his daughter in his arms. She had been horribly mutilated. Her legs and arms had been cut off and she had been disemboweled and stuffed with rags. He had sewed his eyes open with wires. Her back had shown evidence that she had been whipped.

He had strangled the girl and slit her throat before dismembering her. He later stated that he believed that Marion was still alive when he dismembered her though. He then wrapped the arms and legs up in newspaper and left them in Elysian Park where they were found on the 18th.

Police had no idea who had kidnapped the girl at first. All they knew it was a young man around 25 years old, about 5'8" and weighing 150 lbs. He had a shaved face and thin features with dark wavy hair. He was driving a dark Ford Roadster.

A break came in the case when a laundry mark that was on a towel used to stuff Marion had on it. It traced back to an apartment complex in Los Angeles. More than 100 police officers came to search room to room for the suspect. This was when they found Donal Evans (William Hickman) who was staying in one of the rooms.

They interviewed him and he stated that he hoped they find the fiend who killed the girl. They had no evidence against him and left him. This was when the man they knew as Donald Evans fled. Police found the roadster and inspected it. It had been stolen from Kansas City weeks before. Fingerprints in the vehicle belonged to a man named William Edward Hickman.  He was a career criminal.

The motive of the kidnapping was found. He was an employee of Perry Parker and was an assistant cashier. He had been fired for forging checks at the bank and Perry testified and opposed probation against him. This caused him to serve a brief time in jail.

Now knowing who the kidnapper was William's mugshot was plastered in many newspapers. After seeing the mugshot in the newspaper the landlady confirmed that Donald Evans was, in fact, William Hickman. Others in the apartment said they witnessed him carrying newspapers out the night of the Ransom pickup. Blood was found in the apartment.

William had stolen cars on the way heading north. One of the marked bills was found in Seattle and the man who did it matched the his description. Another showed up in Portland Oregon and on December 22 he was caught by police in Pendleton, Oregon.

 William denied being the man at the apartment. He claimed he had an accomplice, but the man he claimed that was with him was in jail at the time. He had claimed that this accomplice was the one who killed Marion to shut her up. Police did not find such an accomplice, and it was believed that he did this on his own. He stated that the kidnapping was so he could get money for college, but the police didn't believe him and thought it was actually revenge. At one point he asked if he would be as famous as "Leopold and Loeb."

At trial, he claimed not guilty due to an insanity plea. It was up the defense to prove that he was insane at least at the time of the crime. They put his mother on the stand and she claimed that insanity ran in the family. Several alienists (psychologists) came to see him, but the majority believed that he was sane.

The original judge was known to not have people hang. William made a comment along the lines that even if they don't find him insane the judge wouldn't hang him. The judge hearing about this comment disqualified himself from this trial.

After a 10 day trial, a verdict was made on the case. The jury did not believe he was insane at the time and that he was guilty. He was smiling when he heard the verdict. He was asked how he felt about it and his response was "The state won by a neck".

He was then sentenced to hang. On October 19, 1928, William walked 13 steps up to the gallows. A priest was standing up there and said: "Lord, have mercy on us." William responded, "Christ have mercy on us." A black hood was placed over his head  On the way down he hit his head on the gallow and violently shook as he hanged. After a few minutes, he was pronounced dead.

SOURCES:
Find A Grave 
The Malefactors Register
LA Times
Wikipedia
Rare Newspapers

Murder of Earl Fuller Jr.

Photo of Joseph Altringer

At 7:30 p.m. on October 4, 1930, 12-year-old Earl Fuller Jr. left his home in Dubuque, Iowa. He went to go play football with friends in an area near the "bottoms" along the Mississippi River. The scrimmage was done at 9:30 and some of the boys witnessed Earl going off with a man afterward.

Soon his parents became worried when Earl didn't come home before 10 p.m. They would search for him. His body would be found the next day in the bottoms in a clump of willows. He had been strangled to death It was believed that he had been sexually assaulted too as he had no clothes on him. 

They would then interview several people for the murder, but they would come across one suspect soon a 22-year-old Joseph Altringer. They would interview him for 15 hours and admit to the murder. Two of Earl's friends would confirm that Joseph was the man they saw him leave with.

Joseph would enter a plea of guilty and Judge P.J. Nelson gave him his sentencing. He would be sentenced to death. Joseph did not seem to accept his sentencing. His lawyer tried to plea on his behalf stating he was still so young, but this fell upon deaf ears.

Joseph would be hanged on November 6, 1931.


SOURCES:
Legal Executions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri
The Daily Times October 6, 1930
Quad-City Times October 13, 1930
The Daily Times October 13, 1930
The Des Moines Register October 20, 1930
The Des Moines Register November 5, 1930
The Gazette November 9, 1930