Murder of Eliza McNulta

By 1873 34-year-old Henry McNulta and his wife 36-year-old Eliza lived in Chillicothe, Illinois. In 1871 Henry started to go to Peoria at night to get drunk. When he would return home would beat Eliza in a drunken rage. It became so frequent that neighbors only slightly acknowledged it was happening, and paid no attention.

There were several times that Henry had half-beat Eliza to death. Every time he was arrested for his cruelty towards her she would go and beg for his release at the court. He would be released and the two would return back to their home. Early September was the last time Eliza plead for Henry's release.

On the night of September 21, once again Henry would go out to Peoria to drink. He would return and neighbors would hear the last beating Eliza would get. In the morning Henry would go for a physician as his wife was dead. He would claim various stories about what had happened to Eliza. One was that when he came home that night he found that his wife had fallen out of bed and was struggling to get back in the bed. Another was that he left his wife the night before sick in bed and she was dead when he returned.

Autopsy showed that two of her ribs were broken and her spleen had bursted causing her death. There were boot marks left on her body as she had been kicked and stomped on. Henry would deny beating his wifeand claimed he did not beat her in a way that would have killed her. People were not suprised that Henry had finally beat Eliza to death.

Henry would go to trial for the murder. It would take 7 hours for the jury to find him guilty. On December 13th he would be sentenced to be hanged by the neck. They trield to obtain a new trial, but failed. It was said Henry was hopeful for a change in his sentence up until he was on the gallows.

On Feb 7, 1873 Henry would be hanged. During his last speech was bitter as he claimed innocence. He blamed everyone involved with the execution. He claimed that his cousel wanted him convicted,Dr. Morley, and Judge Puterbaugh. He claimed that the Judge had decieved him and his friends. That the Judge had stayed and got drunk in Peoria and went to Sprinfield to drink with Govoner Beveridge. The speech made people solidify their thought that he was guilty of the murder. At 1:22 p.m. was hanged and was cut down close to 2 p.m. 

SOURCES:

Peoria Historian

Legal Executions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri page 4

The San Francisco Examiner September 25, 1872

New York Daily Herald Feburary 8, 1873

Chicago Weekly Post Feburary 13, 1873

Murder of Mary McGlew

By 1878 20-year-old Mary McGlew worked as a waitress at the Spencer House (a hotel) in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her employer was Henry Guetig, and his nephew is 19-year-old Louis Guetig. Louis was known to have a huge crush on Mary making advances on her and getting rejected every time.

On September 19,1878 Louis was drunk and tired of being rejected. At the Spencer House around 9 p.m. Mary, Addie McLaughlin, and Katie Collins were standing near the doorway of the stewards lodging house which faced the court but was at the rear of the main building. Louis approached the girls angrily focusing on Mary. 

"Are you ready to make that promise?" He screamed at her, "I've waited so long!" He pulled a revolver out on the girls. They screamed, but his focus was on Mary. Wanting to save her life she responded with "Yes, I'll promise you anything!" He didn't believe and her and told her that she was only saying that because he was going to shoot her. He empties out the gun with 4 out of 5 bullets hitting Mary and killing her. She was stuck under her left eye, in the cheek, in her abdomen, and right eye. The fifth bullet hit Katie in the thigh.

There were Police Officers in the area and came to the scene. They would arrest Louis and because Mary was still holding onto life they moved her to a room. Unfortunately, when they got to the room she passed.

Louis would state that he was ready to hang for the murder. When Mr. McLaughlin and Henry Guetig came to the jail though Louis feared for his safety.  

On November 18, 1878, the murder trial began. He would be convicted and sentenced to hang on January 29, 1878, but he was able to appeal it. He has then tried again and the same fate was set, except now he was set to hang on September 19th a year exactly from when he killed Mary. 

It was said that Louis was accepting of his fate. This did not mean he wasn't uneasy about his fate though. He had a manuscript to read for his last words. He would say he had no complaints of his deserving fate and asked that his friends and foes to forgive him. At noon he would be hanged and he would be pronounced dead after 16 minutes.  

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, and Missouri page 54

Executed Today

The Indianapolis News September 20, 1878

The Republic September 20, 1878

The Indiana Sentenial September 25, 1878

The South Bend Tribune September 21, 1878

The Republic November 19, 1878

The Indianapolis News December 31, 1878

The Indiana State Sentenial September 24, 1879

Murder of James "Jim" Monroe

On the night of September 17 or 19, 1883 around 9 p.m. 18-year-old Ambrose West was at the plantation of J.E. Billups in Worth County, Georgia. A number of colored people were gathered when Ambrose attacked James "Jim" Monroe. 

He would hit James in the head with a woode maul and when he was down he was hit again. This would kill him. Ambrose would be brought to authorities by those who witnessed the murder. Ambrose would admit to the murder stating another party encouraged him to do it. It wouldn't be stated why he attacked and killed James.

He would be set to hang. He would be seen as indifferent when his sentence was read to him at trial. Before he was hung he was accepting of his fate. 

On November 30, 1883, Ambrose would be hanged twice. His rope would break on the first drop and after an hour a second attempt was done. He would be pronounced dead after 26 minutes from strangulation. 

SOURCES:

Legal Executions in Georgia, Page 36

The Atlanta Constitution December 1, 1883

The Watertown News December 5, 1883

Demons: Dziwożona

 

Dziwożona. Woodcut by Jan Styfi (1839-1921) based on an earlier engraving by Henryk Pillati. 

According to Slavic folklore, a Dziwożona is a female swamp demon. It's believed that women would become one after death. Typically these women were midwives, old maids, unmarried women, pregnant women, and children that died before birth or were abandoned after birth. She usually lives in thickets near rivers, streams, and lakes. She typically is seen as an old woman with a hairy body, long straight hair, and breasts so large she uses them to wash clothes. She's usually wearing a red hat with a fern twig attached to it.

Dziwożona is said to kidnap newborn babies and switch them with her own children (changelings). If she did switch it was noticeable that the child was a changeling. They would have an uncommon appearance such as a disproportionate body, a disability, huge abdomen, unusually proportioned head, a hump, thin arms and legs, hairy body, or long claws, and would prematurely cut their teeth.

It's also said that these changelings would have a wickedness to them. They would be spiteful towards others, fear its mother, noisiness, be reluctant to sleep, and an exceptional glut. It would be rare for a changeling to reach adulthood as they typically die young. As an adult, they gibber instead of talk and do not trust people.

In order to keep the Dziwożona away from their newborn's mothers would tie a red ribbon around their child's hand, put a red hat on its head, and shield its face from the moon and sun. She should never wash the nappies after sunset or turn her head away from the child when it sleeps. Another method is to keep a St. John's wort flower at home or nearby as to grab it if she comes for the child for protection.

If she was able to take the child and leave a changeling there is a method to get the child back. The mother would have to take the changeling to a midden and whip it with a birch twin and pour water over it from an eggshell. While doing this she will have to shout "Take yours, give mine back!" The Dziwożona would want to save her child and switch them back.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Brendan Nobel

Mummy 1770

 

There was an Egyptian Mummylabled Mummy 1770 that was in storage for a long time at the Manchester Museum before an autopsy was decided on it in 1975. The team wanted to do an autopsy that allowed visual and anatomical techniques to provide a baseline for advanced imaging and analytical methods in the future. Mummy 1770 was chosen for this because she was badly preserved and was unlikely to be displayed. An x-ray of the mummy showed that she had some unusual features which not only would help their research, but help them understand the mummy inside the sarcophagus.  

The girl inside was around 13 or 14-years-old and wise likely from a wealthy family . She has a male guinea worm in her abdomen. She had both her legs removes. One was removed above the knee the other under the knee. This treatment was unsuccessful as it seemed she died weeks after the amputation.

Her legs were replaced with wooden planks and her feet were sandals filled with reeds and mud, and had reed tips for toes. She had two gilded nipple amulets as well as a false phallus included in the wrapping.  Her fingertips and reed tips had gold coverings.

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

Manchester 1824

Mummipedia

UNIDENTIFIED: September 14, 1935 Netherlands Jane Doe

On September 14, 1935, a woman was found drowned in the Netherlands. She was buried in Delfzijl. There is little information in this case.

SOURCES:

Netherland Police

MISSING: Sarah "Ella" LuElla Snow

On September 13, 1953, 33-year-old Sarah "Ella" Snow was with her mother and children in Springville, Utah. She told her mother that she was going to get supplies for dinner, and left with her car. She never returned, and a few days later her car, and shoes were found at the mouth of Hobble Creek Canyon. There was an extensive search, but no sign of her.

Sarah is a white female and was 33-years-old at the time. She was 5'3" and 103 to 125 lbs. She has brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing green slacks, white shoes, and a red and green plaid blouse. She may go by her nickname "Ella" or the last name Young or Snow.

SOURCES:

NamUs

Charley Project