Stranger Than Fiction Stories

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

THE TRAGIC TALE OF THE GIRL IN BLUE | M.P. Pellicer

For more than 70 years, a solitary grave under a lonely mulberry tree in Willoughby Cemetery simply read: "Girl in Blue. Killed By Train. December 24, 1933. Unknown, But Not Forgotten." The ground around the grave is littered with dimes and pennies in remembrance of this unknown victim of tragedy.

1933
Christmas was two days away, and a young woman dressed in a navy blue skirt came to the ticket window at a Greyhound bus station, and asked about fare to Erie, Pennsylvania and Elmira, New York. She eventually purchased a ticket to Willoughby, Ohio.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Skulduggery at the Vatican | M.P. Pellicer

People disappear all the time. Sometimes it's voluntary, other times it's a question of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. But how could the wrong place be the Vatican, one of the world's holiest cities? Precisely because of its pious reputation, a series of unexplained disappearances that have occurred throughout the years, leads one to believe that dark deeds have indeed taken place.

The disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi on June 22, 1983 has produced various conspiracy theories of what happened to the 15-year old since the fateful day she left for music lessons.

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Leakin Park: Baltimore's Open Air Cemetery | M.P. Pellicer

Leakin Park in Baltimore is where missing people or those suspected to be victims of violence are looked for. Why? Because since the 1940s, sixty-eight bodies of murdered men, women and children, many times mutilated have been dumped in the woods or along the roads running through the park.

Leakin Park adjoins Gwynns Falls Park which covers 1216 acres. Without knowing of its sinister reputation it appears to be a lush woodland, where families once visited so their children could ride ponies and enjoy the outdoors.

The Price of Disobedience at the Church of Sacrifice | M.P. Pellicer

In January 1911, 605 Western Avenue in West Crowley, Louisiana was the scene of a horrific murder of an entire family.

Officer Ballew, the first to arrive found a Walter Byers, his wife and small son all lying in bed with their skulls split wide open. The sheets underneath them were drenched in blood. The front door was locked which indicated the murderer had entered through an open window. There was no need to search for the murder weapon since in a corner of the room next to the head of the bed, was a bucket full of blood and a bloodied ax propped next to it.

The Haunted University Media Room | M.P. Pellicer

What could be more unspooky than a radio station early in the morning, right? However, it's sometimes this setting that catches the unsuspecting in a moment worthy of a Twilight Zone episode.

It was an early summer morning when college senior, Victoria Bailey sat by herself in the studio of KXCV radio station on the Northwest Missouri State University campus. She was engrossed in her task when she caught something out of the corner of her eye that made her believe she was not alone. Like what happens to many of us, when she turned, nothing was there. The movement she had spied made her think it was a person and she walked into the hallway, and again found nothing. It was a Sunday, when not even the janitor made an appearance.

The Scottish Witch | M.P. Pellicer

Lilias Adie lived in the Scottish village of Torryburn in 1704. She was accused of witchcraft, and after enduring torture as part of her interrogation, she admitted she was.

The hunt for a witch was spurred by the accusation of Jean Nelson (also referred to as Jean Bizet) who'd become ill. Lilias Adie (Lilly Addie, Eadie) came under scrutiny when Jean accused the old woman, stating, "beware lest Lilias Adie come upon you and your child."

The Chinese Ghost of Stewart's Folly | M.P. Pellicer

In 1901, Stewart's Castle or Stewart's Folly as it was also known was demolished.It had been built for Nevada Senator William Morris Stewart after the end of the Civil War. Contrary to popular expectations as to who would be the phantom to haunt this place, it was not Senator Stewart, but the origins stem from the time this building served as the Chinese Legation from 1886 to 1893.

The Ghost of the Eerie Spaniard | M.P. Pellicer

In 1883 a local historian of San Luis Obispo wrote of place that many considered was haunted by a proud Spaniard who had made a dying request that his body should be interred at lonely, seaside home he had built called "El Morro".

The Forgotten Dead of Mississippi's First Insane Asylum | M.P. Pellicer

For years, as students walked about the campus of the University of Mississippi's Medical Centre they were unaware that they were only a few feet from the remains of as many as 7,000 patients who died while institutionalized at Mississippi's first insane asylum.

The Necrophiliac Hitwoman | M.P. Pellicer

A Mexican hitwoman whose made-up name is Juana but known as "La Peque Sicaria" due to her short stature worked for one of Mexico’s most dangerous cartels, the Zetas. Now incarcerated in Baja, California, she admitted to becoming sexually aroused by blood, murder and gore.

The Owners of the Willard Suitcases | M.P. Pellicer

The stately Victorian buildings may be derelict, but the contents inside them betray lives that were at times happy, but mostly tragic. The buildings were part of the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane where the discovery of suitcases in the attic of the building provided a cache of information as to the lives of the patients that came here, and sometimes spent their remaining days there.

The Martyrs' Bones in America | M.P. Pellicer

St. Martin of Tours in Louisville, Kentucky was built in 1854. Few people known that the skeletal remain of Saints Bonosa and Magnus have been on display here since 1902.

Cannibal From Down Under | M.P. Pellicer

In 1824 Alexander Pearce was executed for the crimes of theft, murder and cannibalism. When asked if he had any last words, he unapologetically said, "Man's flesh is delicious. It tastes far better than fish or pork". Can you imagine how the conversation went between Mr. Pearce and the guard who asked him what he would like for his last meal?

My Boyfriend the Killer | M.P. Pellicer

There are women who run with killers who are classified as compliant accomplices, in other words they were aware and at times participated in their crimes either in fear of their lives or that the relationship would end. There are other women who claim they were in total ignorance that the person they were involved with was killing other human beings.

Red Jack, Saucy Jack, A Jack by Any Other Name | M.P. Pellicer

Well over 100 years since the gory murders committed in the White Chapel district of London, the identity of Jack the Ripper is still in question, and just how many others were masters in their own right of similar, bloody handiwork.

Forgotten Mischief Night | M.P. Pellicer

Nearly 75% of American do not know that the day before Halloween has a special name all its own. It's not surprising that a day when tricks, treats and pranks are the order of the day and what better name than Mischief Night?

All Saints' Day and Halloween | M.P. Pellicer

Just as Halloween is known for being the day when the veil is thinnest between the worlds, the two days following it also remember those who have passed away, whether they are family or Christian martyrs.

November 1st is known by a variety of names: Hallowmas, All Hallow's Day and All Saints' Day, and November 2nd is All Soul's Day.

Henry's Doomed Wives | M.P. Pellicer

Stories, legends and myths surround the building of Henry Flagler's railroad. The history that is most intriguing is Flagler’s marriages, and, via his wives, the disbursement of his fantastic fortune and the tragic destiny of his three wives.

Who Haunts Ted Bundy's Childhood Home? | M.P. Pellicer

The home where serial killer Ted Bundy grew up in has a contractor who is remodeling it, scrawling Bible verses on the walls and calling in the clergy.

Philadelphia Old City's Forgotten Dead | M.P. Pellicer

In February 2017, Philadelphia crews working on an apartment building in the city's historic district got a shock when their backhoes started hitting coffins and unearthing fully intact human remains. The site was supposed to be a former burial ground from 1707, and all remains were supposedly exhumed in the 1800s and moved to a different cemetery, which apparently they weren't.

Herman's Deadly Curse | M.P. Pellicer

The name Herman Webster Mudgett is largely forgotten, but he was an infamous figure in late 19th century America, where he was better known as H. H. Holmes.

The Origins of the Horror Film, 'The Changeling' | M.P. Pellicer

The 1980 film The Changeling starring George C. Scott and Trish Van Devere is based on the paranormal events Russell Hunter experienced while living in an old home near Cheesman Park in the late 1960s.

The Crimes of Joe "The Cannibal" Metheny | M.P. Pellic

On December 19, 1996, Joe Roy Metheny, was charged with the murders of three women in three separate incidents. He confessed to killing a male victim, as well, and in time he admitted to killing at least 10 people, however it was what he did with the bodies that was the most nauseating aspect of his crimes.

The Most Haunted Houses in Literature | M.P. Pellicer

It's the time of year for turning leaves and cooler weather. Before pumpkin spice flavored everything from coffee to donuts, and orange plastic ornaments invaded store shelves, October was the month when classic and terrifying tales of haunted houses were used to mark the onset of autumn, and remind us the day the veil between the worlds was thinnest was fast approaching.

Young Women Were Sacrificed in Ancient City of Cahokia | M.P. Pellicer

More than 40 years ago archaeologists discovered a thousand-year-old mass grave site in Illinois. The scene depicts one of the most extravagant acts of violence ever documented in ancient America where a total of 53 skeleton were lined from corner to corner.