Forgotten Darkness
Strange things are lost and forgotten in obscure corners of the newspaper.
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Episodes
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
Hypothetical planets are those theorized to exist, whether by observation or prediction by means of examining gravitational fields. Several hypotheticals are discussed, with the story of the planet Vulcan, at one time thought to exist between Mercury and the Sun, discussed in-depth.
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Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
Tuesday May 24, 2022
Tuesday May 24, 2022
In 1910, Dr. B.C. Hyde was put on trial for the murder of Colonel Thomas Swope, a wealthy Kansas City landowner the year before. Also included in the charges were manslaughter and several counts of attempted murder. This is a case I've gone back and forth on several times.
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Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Col. T.H. Swope Goes to Rest.” Louisville Courier-Journal, October 4, 1909.
“Col. Thomas Swope Dead.” Cherryvale Republican (Kansas), October 4, 1909.
“Coroner's Jury Finds Dr. Hyde's Medicine Killed Swope.” St. Louis Star and Times, February 9, 1910.
“Dr. Twyman Very Ill.” Kansas City Star, April 18, 1910.
“For Third Time Dr. Hyde Will Face Trial Next Week.” Parsons Daily Sun (Kansas), May 24, 1912.
“Hyde and Wife to Take Stand.” St. Louis Star and Times, April 19, 1910.
“Hyde Trial Begins Again in Porterfield's Court.” Salina National Field (Kansas), October 23, 1911.
“Juror's Escape May Halt Hyde Trial.” St. Joseph News-Press, December 11, 1911.
“Kansas City Pioneer Gone.” West Plains Journal (Missouri), October 7, 1909.
“Letter in Swope Case is a Serial Story of Horrors.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, February 4, 1910.
“Mrs. Hyde Prompts Walsh.” Kansas City Star, April 23, 1910.
“Nurse Who Attended Swope Swears He Took Patent Medicine Containing Strychnine.” Cincinnati Enquirer, February 8, 1910.
“One of the Hyde Jury Ill.” Kansas City Star, November 30, 1911.
“Story of Death of Crisman (sic) Swope.” Deseret News, April 22, 1910.
“Stranger at Home of Missing Hyde Juror.” St. Louis Star and Times, December 13, 1911.
“Swope Murder Case is Opened.” Hope Pioneer (North Dakota), April 14, 1910.
“The Juror Returned.” Hutchinson News (Kansas), December 14, 1911.
“The Nurse Confused.” Fort Scott Tribune-Monitor (Kansas), April 23, 1910.
“The Rialto in Ruins.” Kansas City Star, December 23, 1909.
“Typhoid Story Out?” Kansas City Times, April 20, 1910.
“Witness Tells How Hyde Bought Disease Cultures.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 27, 1910.
Duke, Thomas Samuel. Celebrated Criminal Cases of America. San Francisco: The James H. Berry Company, 1910.
Dr. Hyde & Mr. Swope – The Swope Murder Trial - HistoricalCrimeDetective.com
Dr Bennett Clark Hyde Sr - Facts (ancestry.com)
Thursday May 05, 2022
Thursday May 05, 2022
An unidentified, mostly noncommunicative man in a Minnesota mental hospital, known as J.C.R., was the plaintiff in a case to prove his identity as a North Dakota rancher's son. Who was J.C.R.? Will we ever know?
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
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Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Accused of Writing Bogus Checks.” Washington Post, January 7, 1905.
“Aphasia Victim May Be Naval Officer.” New York Tribune, May 26, 1913.
“Are Positive of Identity.” Long Beach Telegram (California), May 23, 1913.
“Bullets Write New Chapter in 'J.C.R.' Mystery.” Leavenworth Times (Kansas), May 4, 1917.
“Caldwell Will Case Postponed.” Grand Forks Herald (North Dakota), August 27, 1917.
“Dorothy Harris Claims to be Daughter of 'J.C.R.' and Heir to a Large Fortune.” Minneapolis Star-Tribune, November 16, 1919.
“Famous Identity Case Concluded Late Last Week.” Dickinson Press (North Dakota), January 20, 1917.
“Found Paralyzed.” La Crosse Tribune (Wisconsin), July 13, 1907.
“Four Others Identify 'Aye-Hee' as Ramsey.” Oregon Daily Journal, May 23, 1913.
“Girl, 18, Claims 'J.C.R.' Mystery man as Father.” Maurice Times (Iowa), December 11, 1919.
“Hopes of Fortune Depend on Flute.” Spokane Daily Chronicle, November 17, 1919.
“Insane Prisoner Attacks Sheriff.” Billings Gazette (Montana), August 10, 1917.
“Is He? Or Is He Not? Week of Court Serves to Deepen Mystery of 'J.C.R.'.” Dickinson Press (North Dakota), January 6, 1917.
“'J.C.R. Again in Our City.” Dickinson Press (North Dakota), July 31, 1915.
“'J.C.R.' Face to Face With Lost Identity.” Chicago Inter Ocean, January 17, 1914.
“J.C.R. Identified as James Harris Now Making Home with Former Wife.” Ward County Independent (Minnesota), August 26, 1920.
“'J.C.R.' in Visit to Dickinson.” Bismarck Tribune, November 14, 1921.
“'J.C.R.' on Co. Wants to Let Go.” Dickinson Press (North Dakota), April 10, 1915.
“'J.C.R.,' the Man of Mystery, Declared Seen in Spokane.” Spokane Chronicle (Washington), January 24, 1920.
“'J.C.R.' Walks to Dickinson.” Williston Graphic (North Dakota), August 5, 1915.
“Man of Mystery Found.” Seattle Star, January 27, 1920.
“Mrs. Pitkin Has an Unenviable Record.” Fargo Forum and Daily Republican (North Dakota), December 14, 1914.
“Mysterious 'J.C.R.' Identified as Man Missing since 1906.” St. Louis Star and Times (Missouri), November 19, 1914.
“Mystery Man for 13 Years is Brought Home.” Minneapolis Morning Tribune, August 18, 1920.
“Mystery Man of Stark is Paralyzed.” Bismarck Tribune, January 31, 1921.
“Noted Murder Case in North Dakota.” Rapid City Journal (North Carolina), June 19, 1917.
“Says She is Wrong.” Long Beach Telegram (California), May 22, 1913.
“'Silent Man' an Oklahoman?” Oklahoma Weekly Leader, May 29, 1913.
“Slayer of Two Caldwells Held Insane by Jury.” August 14, 1917.
“State News and Comment.” Bismarck Daily Tribune (North Dakota), April 10, 1915.
“Strange Case of 'J.C.R.' the Man of Mystery Who Has Apparently Lost All Track of Himself.” Asheville Citizen-Times (North Carolina), November 9, 1913.
“Trial of Mike Chumack Likely to be Postponed.” Hope Pioneer (North Dakota), June 14, 1917.
“Wife Looks for Jas. P. Harris.” Tampa Times, January 13, 1920.
Burnett, W. Fulton. “The Case of the Mysterious J.C.R.” North Dakota Law Review, volume 25, number 4 (1949).
Callahan, Edward W. List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps, from 1775 to 1900. New York: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1901.
James H. Caldwell - Facts (ancestry.com)
Waseca County Minnesota Railroad Stations (west2k.com)
Strange Company: Who Was J.C.R.?
Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
Tuesday Mar 29, 2022
The “woman in black” stalked the streets of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and other towns and villages in Pennsylvania's Lackawanna and Luzerne Counties in the winter of 1886-1887 and into the 1930s.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
Philadelphia Inquirer, November 8, 1886.
Scranton Republican, December 15, 1886.
Wilkes-Barre Record, January 5, 1887.
“Attacked For the Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre Evening News, December 27, 1886.
“Caught At His Tricks.” Wilkes-Barre Sunday Leader, February 6, 1887.
“Caught the Woman in Black.” Scranton Republican, November 6, 1886.
“He Wasn't Afraid.” Carbondale Daily News, December 9, 1886.
“Lackawanna's Mystery.” Wilkes-Barre Evening News, November 30, 1886.
“Local Brevities.” Carbondale Daily News, December 4, 1886.
“Local Gleanings.” Pittston Evening Gazette, December 18, 1886.
“Plymouth.” Wilkes-Barre Record, December 25, 1886.
“Plymouth.” Wilkes-Barre Record, December 27, 1886.
“Plymouth.” Wilkes-Barre Record, December 28, 1886.
“Scared by a Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre Record, December 30, 1886.
“Slammer Coleman as the Woman in Black.” Scranton Republican, December 9, 1886.
“The Bunko Men.” Wilkes-Barre Sunday News-Dealer, October 31, 1886.
“The Woman in Black.” New York Times, November 10, 1886.
“The Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre Evening News, November 23, 1886.
“The Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre Dollar Weekly News, December 25, 1886.
“The Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre News, December 30, 1886.
“The Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre News, December 31, 1886.
“The Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre Sunday Leader, January 2, 1887.
“The Woman in Black.” New York Times, January 7, 1887.
“The Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre Weekly Dollar News, January 22, 1887.
“The Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre News, February 5, 1893.
“Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre News, December 27, 1886.
“Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre Sunday News-Dealer, January 2, 1887.
“Woman in Black.” Wilkes-Barre Dollar Weekly News, January 15, 1887.
Peter VON WEISENFLUE - Facts (ancestry.com)
Wright J. Horton - Facts (ancestry.com)
Ancestry.com - U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 – Scranton 1886
Ancestry.com - U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 – Wilkes-Barre 1882
Luzerne County 1873 Pennsylvania Historical Atlas (historicmapworks.com)
Coal mining in Plymouth, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia
In the passage describing the attack on Wright Horton, the name of the sheriff's son is incorrectly given as Jules. His name was actually Julius, and I've corrected it to such.
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
In the winter of 1891-1892, a series of slashing attacks - and one murder - took place in the rough streets of the Bowery in Lower Manhattan, barely a stone's throw from the seedy hotel where “Old Shakespeare” was slain only a few months before.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Arraignment of the Slasher.” New York Sun, January 20, 1892.
“Carson's Slayer.” New York Evening World, January 18, 1892.
“Caught Cutting a Throat.” New York Tribune, January 18, 1892.
“Dowd Was Mad, the Jury Say.” New York Sun, January 30, 1892.
“Jack the Slasher Again.” Passaic (NJ) Daily News, January 16, 1892.
“Jack the Slasher in Court.” New York Evening World, January 28, 1892.
“Masterson a Roundsman Now.” New York Sun, January 20, 1892.
“Men Whom Dowd Slashed.” New York Evening World, January 29, 1892.
“Murder or Suicide?” New York Evening World, January 15, 1892.
“Red Revenge Day By Day.” Pittsburgh (PA) Dispatch, January 18, 1892.
“Saloon Keeper Flynn's Frenzy.” New York Sun, July 6, 1887.
“Slasher Dowd's Defense.” New York Evening World, January 21, 1892.
“Slasher Dowd's Trial Put Off.” New York Evening World, January 25, 1892.
“The Slasher's Brother Sane.” New York Evening World, January 28, 1892.
“The Weather.” Brooklyn Times-Union, January 18, 1892.
“Who Killed Lawyer Carson?” New York Evening World, January 16, 1892.
Dekle, George. The East River Ripper. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2021.
New York, U.S., Sing Sing Prison Admission Registers, 1865-1939 - Ancestry.com
Daytonian in Manhattan: The 1894 House of Relief -- Nos. 67-69 Hudson St. (daytoninmanhattan.blogspot.com)
Friday Feb 11, 2022
Friday Feb 11, 2022
In the early 1700s, the Lincolnshire rectory of Reverend Samuel Wesley, whose son John went on to found the Methodist Church, was haunted by a poltergeist, one which the Wesley children named Old Jeffrey.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
Bruce, H. Addington. Historic Ghosts and Ghost Hunters. New York: Moffat, Yard & Company, 1908.
Yates, Kelly Diehl. “Jeffrey the Jacobite Poltergeist: the Politics of the Ghost That Haunted the Epworth Rectory in 1716-7.” Wesleyan Theological Journal 50:2 (Fall 2015).
The Epworth Poltergeist: 1 - The Wesley Home - Ghosts, Ghouls and God (ghostsghoulsandgod.co.uk)
The History of Epworth Old Rectory - Epworth Old Rectory
At the Roots of Methodism: Escape from fire shaped Wesley's life (gcah.org)
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
Thursday Jan 20, 2022
In 1920s Los Angeles, the mother-daughter duo of May Otis Blackburn and Ruth Wieland ran a female-dominated religious cult. The Blackburn Cult, as it was called in the newspapers of the time, came to the attention of the LAPD after a fraud investigation. But following the clues soon led to revelations of far worse offenses than simple fraud.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Amazing Attempt of the Great Eleven Cult to Raise the Dead.” Shreveport (Louisiana) Times, April 6, 1930.
“Angel Gabriel Girls Quizzed.” Los Angeles Times, February 7, 1925.
“Apostles of Doom to Wait Whole Week.” Pomona Bulletin, February 7, 1925.
“Believe Body May Be That of H. Balcom.” Santa Ana Register, October 8, 1929.
“Cult Leaders Face Charges.” Los Angeles Times, October 4, 1929.
“Cult Queen Tells of Being Chained Two Months to Bed Post.” Los Angeles Times, October 11, 1929.
“Cult's Poison Rites Investigated as Rainbow Tells of Leader's Quest for Potion.” Los Angeles Times, October 12, 1929.
“Death Theory is Switched.” Long Beach Sun, October 10, 1929.
“Four Women Feared Slain in Cult Rites.” Oakland Tribune, October 9, 1929.
“Heart Murder Victim Seen as Rancher.” Long Beach Sun, October 18, 1929.
“Human Heart in Mail May Solve Crime.” Long Beach Sun, October 30, 1929.
“Kidnapping of Woman Feared.” San Francisco Examiner, March 21, 1927.
“Murder Victim Found on Ranch Near Westminster.” Santa Ana Register, October 7, 1929.
“Mystery of Simi Woman Revived.” Ventura County Star, December 17, 1937.
“New Chapter Written in Louise Volz Disappearance.” Ventura County Star, March 28, 1938.
“Pair Describe Death in Oven.” Los Angeles Times, October 10, 1929.
“Police on Search at Venice Cottage for Secret Grave of Young Cult Priestess.” Los Angeles Times, October 6, 1929.
“Probe L.A. Doom Cult.” Los Angeles Record, February 6, 1925.
“Sheriff Has New Theory.” Los Angeles Times, October 10, 1929.
“Vogel Adjudged Mentally Sick; to be Confined.” Los Angeles Times, January 9, 1925.
Fort, Samuel. Cult of the Great Eleven. Omaha: Nisirtu Publishing, 2019.
ESDA | Rowen, Margaret Matilda Wright (1871–1939) (adventist.org)
Secrets of Los Angeles, 1932-33: The Anton Wagner files | Esotouric
As Above So Below: The Meaning of The Esoteric Phrase | Mysterium Academy
Pioneer Era – Strathearn Historical Park and Museum (simihistory.com)
People v. Blackburn, 214 Cal. 402 | Casetext Search + Citator
Mary Harlene Satoris - Facts (ancestry.com)
Sunday Dec 26, 2021
Sunday Dec 26, 2021
In 1920s Los Angeles, the mother-daughter duo of May Otis Blackburn and Ruth Wieland ran a female-dominated religious cult. The Blackburn Cult, as it was called in the newspapers of the time, came to the attention of the LAPD after a fraud investigation. But following the clues soon led to revelations of far worse offenses than simple fraud.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
Oregon Daily Journal, August 5, 1917.
“Body of Cult Priestess Discovered Under House.” Los Angeles Times, October 7, 1929.
“Police Probing Weird Burial by Cult.” Los Angeles Evening Post-Record, October 7, 1929.
“Priestess Snubs Ex-Swain.” Los Angeles Times, October 8, 1929.
“Rhoads is Known at Klamath Falls.” Salem Statesman Journal, October 10, 1929.
“Vancouver Marriage Licenses.” Oregon Daily Journal, May 28, 1915.
Fort, Samuel. Cult of the Great Eleven. Omaha: Nisirtu Publishing, 2019.
Fremont Everett - Facts (ancestry.com)
Ruth Angeline Wieland - Facts (ancestry.com)
Saturday Dec 11, 2021
Saturday Dec 11, 2021
The White Star Line lost many ships over the years, most famously the Titanic in 1912. But over its century of existence, it had only one ship vanish without a trace. Did it sink in a storm? Explode due to its volatile cargo? This is the story of the Naronic.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Another Naronic Hoax.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, April 3, 1893.
“Fears for Ocean Steamers.” Delaware Gazette and State Journal, March 9, 1893.
“Is She Still Afloat?” Wilkes-Barre Record,March 8, 1893.
“Nine Sailors Saved.” Wilmington Morning News, March 8, 1893.
“No News of the Naronic.” Brooklyn Daily Eagle, March 8, 1893.
“No Tidings of the Naronic.” Wilmington Morning News, March 8, 1893.
“Put Into Halifax.” Boston Globe, February 26, 1893.
“Regarded as a Hoax.” Norfolk Virginian, March 31, 1893.
“Rosseau Admits He Sent Dynamite to Liner.” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 16, 1905.
“Rosseau, Dynamiter, Guilty, the Jury Says.” New York Times, March 28, 1905.
“She is Lost.” Boston Globe, March 20, 1893.
“The Naronic.” Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner's Advocate (Aus.), August 30, 1893.
“The Naronic's Boat Picked Up.” Newcastle Morning Herald and Miner's Advocate (Aus.), January 18, 1894.
”The Naronic Mystery.” The Australian Star, March 27, 1893.
“Thinks They Blew Up Maine.” New York Times, March 29, 1905.
“To Dynamite British Ships.” Kendrick (ID) Gazette, January 20, 1905.
“Toilers of the Sea.” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, February 25, 1893.
“What To Do With Cranks.” New York Times, January 17, 1905.
“With an Infernal Machine Man Called at Kelly Home.” Philadelphia Inquirer, January 14, 1905.
What Happened to the Naronic? (titanic-whitestarships.com)
NARONIC MYSTERY UPDATED. | Waratah Revisited
Ever wonder what Frederick the Great is doing in Carlisle? - pennlive.com
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
Tuesday Nov 23, 2021
In 1894, an injured young girl arrives on the doorstep of a Missouri farmhouse. She was Nellie Meeks, and she was the sole survivor of the murder of her entire family.
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PodcastDarkness
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agable_fd/
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Burnt Clothing of Gus Meeks.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 27, 1895.
“Crime of Fiends.” St. Joseph Herald, May 12, 1894.
“Final Pleas Being Made.” Kansas City Star, August 1, 1895.
“Jerry South Gets His Reward.” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 1, 1896.
“Jury Receives Instructions.” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, August 2, 1895.
“Looks Black for the Taylors.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 26, 1895.
“Story of the Taylors.” Larned (KS) Eagle-Optic, September 13, 1895.
“Taylor Is Hanged.” St. Joseph Herald, May 1, 1896.
“Taylor Makes a Statement.” Mexico Weekly Intelligencer, April 30, 1896.
“Taylor Taken to Carrollton.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 28, 1896.
“The End of the Famous Meeks-Taylor Case.” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 8, 1926.
“The Taylors' Defense.” St. Joseph Weekly Gazette, April 2, 1895.
“William Taylor Executed.” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, May 1, 1896.
“William Taylor in Kansas City.” St. Louis Globe-Democrat, April 11, 1896.
Nellie L. Meeks - Facts (ancestry.com)
John Blackwell Hale - Wikipedia
Thomas Miles Bresnehen (1860-1926) - Find A Grave Memorial
History in Hannibal: Folktale relates town's horror over Meeks' family murders | Article | hannibal.net