Forgotten Darkness

63 - A Blaze on Banyan

Lucille Miller was a California housewife who, in 1964, was accused of murdering her dentist husband in a fiery accident on a lonely road through a lemon grove. The ensuing case is one of the most muddled and morally-unclear I have ever come across.
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Giant Wyrm" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
"Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“Another death factor in murder trial.” Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, December 7, 1964.
“Attorney Hayton tells trial of affair with Mrs. Miller.” Los Angeles Times, February 5, 1965.
“Attorney to ask federal hearing in Miller case.” Redlands Daily Facts, December 10, 1964.
“Attorneys keep vigil in auto fire death case.” Los Angeles Times, October 11, 1964.
“Civil rights of arrested woman said violated.” Eureka Humboldt Standard, December 16, 1964.
“Coroner declares Dr. Miller murdered.” San Bernardino County Sun, October 16, 1964.
“Cremation in a car; murder quiz of wife.” San Francisco Examiner, October 11, 1964.
“Decision due today on dentist's auto death.” Los Angeles Times, October 13, 1964.
“Defense presses for Mrs. Miller's release.” San Bernardino County Sun, October 23, 1964.
“Dentist dies in auto blaze; wife arrested.” Los Angeles Times, October 9, 1964.
“Dentist dies in flaming car, wife held.” San Bernardino County Sun, October 9, 1964.
“Dentist's wife indicted after jury hearing.” Santa Cruz Sentinel, October 21, 1964.
“Dentist's wife indicted for car fire death.” Los Angeles Times, October 21, 1964.
“Exam indicates suspect pregnant.” Santa Maria Times, December 21, 1964.
“Hearing for wife held for murder.” Eureka Humboldt Standard, October 14, 1964.
“Miller trial loses juror; 'discharged.'” San Bernardino County Sun, February 26, 1965.
“Motel romance loveless on his part, Hayton says.” Los Angeles Times, February 9, 1965.
“Mother of three faces indictment.” Ukiah Daiy Journal, October 20, 1964.
“Mother to go on trial.” Roseville Press-Tribune, November 5, 1964.
“Mrs. Miller arraigned in dentist's car death.” Los Angeles Times, October 22, 1964.
“Mrs. Miller loses another freedom bid.” San Bernardino County Sun, October 17, 1964.
“Mrs. Miller to enter plea on Friday.” Redlands Daily Facts, October 28, 1964.
“Mrs. Miller's defense may seek trial delay.” Los Angeles Times, November 30, 1964.
“Murder charges filed against Mrs. Miller.” Redlands Daily Facts, October 13, 1964.
“New trial scheduled.” Hanford Sentinel, December 9, 1964.
“New trial set Jan. 11 in Miller murder case.” Redlands Daily Facts, December 8, 1964.
Hartsfield, Jack. “Attorneys clash during Miller trial arguments.” San Bernardino County Sun, February 26, 1965.
─. “Debbie Miller, friends take witness stand.” San Bernardino County Sun, February 10, 1965.
─. “Doctor Miller's funeral first quiet in case.” San Bernardino County Sun, October 16, 1964.
─. “Foley tears into Turner and Mr. Hayton.” San Bernardino County Sun, February 26, 1965.
─. “Lucille Miller may gain freedom.” San Bernardino County Sun, February 6, 1972.
─. “Lucille Miller's 5-year fight for freedom.” Ontario Daily Report, October 18, 1970.
─. “Miller murder trial goes to jury today.” San Bernardino County Sun, March 2, 1965.
─. “Mrs. Miller's murder trial opens tomorrow.” San Bernardino County Sun, December 1, 1964.
─. “Turner claims defense using double talk.” San Bernardino County Sun, March 2, 1965.
─. “Turner says Mrs. Miller's story baloney.” San Bernardino County Sun, February 26, 1965.
─. “Uproar sweeps court as verdict announced.” San Bernardino County Sun, March 6, 1965.
─. “Was wife of S.B. attorney murdered?” San Bernardino County Sun, December 5, 1964.
Didion, Joan. “Some Dreamers of the Golden Dream.” The Literature of Reality (Gay Talese & Barbara Lounsberry, eds.). New York: Harper Collins, 1995.
Hertel, Howard. “Mrs. Miller takes witness stand to deny killing mate.” Los Angeles Times, February 17, 1965.
Hertel, Howard and Henry Sutherland. “Mrs. Miller had two love affairs, prosecutor implies.” Los Angeles Times, February 11, 1965.
─. “Mrs. Miller's fate rests with jury.” Los Angeles Times, March 3, 1965.
Miller, Debra J. “A Mother's Crime.” https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-apr-02-tm-dreams14-story.html
Murphy, Mike. “Supreme Court to review Lucille Miller's S.B. trial.” San Bernardino County Sun, December 5, 1967.
"People v. Miller (1966).” https://law.justia.com/cases/california/court-of-appeal/2d/245/112.html
Yetzer, Carl. “Policewoman 'plant' may get new trial for Lucille Miller.” San Bernardino County Sun, June 8, 1969.

62 - The Mapleton Ghost

A ghost haunts the railroad connecting Brooklyn and Coney Island in August 1894, but it soon proves to be... not what was expected.
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
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
Brooklyn Standard-Union, May 28, 1894.
Brooklyn Eagle, March 7, 1943.
“A.D. Mapledoram.” Brooklyn Citizen, March 28, 1909.
“All lies within the ken of Mr. Kennedy's pen.” Brooklyn Eagle, March 7, 1943.
“Funeral of Margaret Barning.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 10, 1894.
“Ghost – beware!” Brooklyn Standard-Union, August 14, 1894.
“Ghost hunt a-wheel.” New York Evening World, August 13, 1894.
“Her identity is a mystery.” New York Evening World, August 6, 1894.
“Her identity known.” New York Evening World, August 8, 1894.
“Mapleton slights its ghost.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 11, 1894.
“Mapleton's ghost out again.” New York Evening World, August 20, 1894.
“Mapleton's shy ghost.” New York Sun, August 20, 1894.
“Mr. Kelly's queer statement.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 9, 1894.
“More mysterious than ever.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 7, 1894.
“Recognized at the morgue.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 8, 1894.
“Rides royally.” Brooklyn Citizen, July 8, 1894.
“Scientists look for a ghost.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 22, 1894.
“The ghost cornered.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 28, 1894.
“The ghost seen again.” New York Sun, August 13, 1894.
“The ghost walks again.” Brooklyn Standard-Union, August 20, 1894.
“The great ghost hunt.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 23, 1894.
“Three shots at the ghost.” New York Sun, August 17, 1894.
“To be interred in Jersey.” Brooklyn Citizen, August 9, 1894.
“Turned out to be a pig.” Brooklyn Standard-Union, August 13, 1894.
“Walks about the city.” Brooklyn Eagle, August 26, 1894.
Heffernan, John A. “How two reporters laid Mapleton ghost.” Brooklyn Times-Union, July 21, 1930.
https://www.nycsubway.org/wiki/Early_Rapid_Transit_in_Brooklyn,_1878-1913
http://and-now-the-screaming-starts.blogspot.com/2009/08/stuff-portrait-of-victorian-ghost.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Drinker_Cope

61 - The Case of George Edalji

Small-town politics and old-fashioned racism come into play when the household of an Indian vicar in Great Wyrley, in Staffordshire, England is targeted for harassment. In 1903, a series of animal mutilations and maiming afflict the area and the vicar's son, a solicitor by the name of George Edalji, is convicted.
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
Opening music from https://filmmusic.io. "Giant Wyrm" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
"Dark Child" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com). License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Closing music by Soma.
SOURCES
“A stupid hoax.” London Standard, July 26, 1895.
“Cattle-maiming – fresh atrocities at Great Wyrley.” The Guardian, August 28, 1907.
“Cattle-maiming – the new situation at Great Wyrley.” The Guardian, August 29, 1907.
“Edalji is restored.” Washington Post, December 1, 1907.
“Extraordinary hoax.” Essex County Standard, August 24, 1895.
“Labourer sent to penal servitude.” London Times, November 7, 1934. https://www.casebook.org/press_reports/times/19341107.html
“'Poison pen' letters.” The Guardian, November 7, 1934.
“Strange persecution of a clergyman.” Birmingham Daily Post, January 20, 1893.
“Strange persecution of a clergyman.” Leicester Chronicle and Leicestershire Mercury, April 1, 1893.
“The Edalji case – a mysterious letter from Walsall.” The Observer, January 20, 1907.
“The Edalji case – prisoner to be released this week.” The Observer, October 7, 1906.
“The maiming outrages – an arrest at Wolverhampton.” The Guardian, September 6, 1907.
“The renewed Wyrley outrages.” Manchester Guardian, April 1, 1904.
“The Staffordshire maiming outrages.” The Penny Illustrated Paper, November 14, 1903.
“The Wyrley outrages.” The Guardian, September 7, 1907.
Costello, Peter. Conan Doyle, Detective: The True Crimes Investigated by the Creator of Sherlock Holmes. London: Constable & Robinson, 2006.
Doyle, Arthur Conan. “The Case of Mr. George Edalji.” New York Times, February 2-3, 1907.
Risinger, D. Michael. “Boxes in Boxes: Julian Barnes, Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes and the Edalji Case.” International Commentary on Evidence 4:2 (2006).
Weaver, Gordon. Conan Doyle and the Parson's Son: The George Edalji Case. Cambridge: Vanguard Press, 2006.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shapurji_Edalji
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/mar/18/arthur-conan-doyle-set-up-by-police-fabricated-letters
https://britishheritage.com/features/sir-arthur-conan-doyle-and-the-case-of-george-edalji

60 - Fire, Devil, Bat

Charles Fort related the story of how an elderly couple named the Krings were murdered and their house burned, and a number of mysterious bodies found nearby. Discussed here is the story of what actually happened. Also: unreported facts in the cases of the 1909 sightings of the Jersey Devil in Bristol, PA and a possible other interpretation of the famous Houston Batman.
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/60
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
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
Austin American-Statesman, June 19, 1953.
Bucks County Gazette, July 4, 1901; January 30, 1902.
Perkasie Central News, July 2, 1908; April 22, 1909; November 25, 1918.
“Attacker of 12 women believed held.” Brownsville (TX) Herald, October 14, 1953.
“Beautiful ex-model said suicide victim.” Waco Tribune-Herald, July 4, 1953.
“Bellaire mugger strikes again.” Odessa (TX) American, February 26, 1953.
“Bellaire phantom suspect caught.” Mexia (TX) Daily News, October 14, 1953.
“Bristol dealers are acquitted.” Bucks County Gazette, May 22, 1908.
“Bristol liquor dealers arrested.” Bucks County Gazette, February 28, 1908.
“Cambria County mysteries.” Altoona Tribune, February 4, 1892.
“Death in the flames.” Altoona Tribune, January 29, 1892.
“Democrats to have censors for candidates.” Bristol Daily Courier, March 9, 1915.
“'Devil prints' in Bristol.” Bucks County Gazette, January 22, 1909.
“Houston area love bandit is sought by dogs.” Waco News-Tribune, May 21, 1952.
“Houston girl fights off night attacker.” Lubbock Evening Journal, February 5, 1953.
“Lynn pleaded guilty.” Bucks County Gazette, February 28, 1908.
“Man eludes pair in chase.” Lubbock Evening Journal, May 21, 1953.
“Mysterious 'Batman' seen by five persons in Houston.” El Paso Times, June 19, 1953.
“Phantom prowlers sought by officers at Dallas, Houston.” Lubbock Morning Avalanche, September 30, 1953.
“Purse snatcher is sought at Houston.” Lubbock Evening Journal, October 23, 1953.
“Slashed with a knife.” Bucks County Gazette, January 23, 1902.
“Suspected mugger held in Houston.” Mexia (TX) Daily News, March 9, 1953.
“The borough conventions.” Bucks County Gazette, February 11, 1892.
“Two horses killed.” Bucks County Gazette, November 6, 1908.
“Woman foils bold attacker in Houston.” McAllen (TX) Monitor, June 11, 1953.
Fort, Charles. The Complete Books of Charles Fort. New York: Dover, 1974.
Gerhard, Ken. Encounters With Flying Humanoids. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2013.
Kernell, Samuel and Michael P. McDonald. "Congress and America's Political Development: the Transformation of the Post Office from Patronage to Service." American Journal of Political Science 42:3 (July, 1999).
McCloy, James F. and Ray Miller, Jr. The Jersey Devil. Moorestown, NJ: Middle Atlantic Press, 1976.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/37244885/samuel-kring
https://walterhutskyjr.com/beckys-grave-the-truth-revealed/
https://www.tribdem.com/news/laurel-highlands-haunts-legends-swirl-around-young-woman-s-grave/article_dccdb3d4-bc59-11e7-a6a2-3fac73a4ba05.html

59 - The Maniac of Beekman Hill, Part Two

The net closes around Robert Irwin who, it turns out, is far more volatile than anyone knew. His is actually a rather sad story of mental illness, criminality, and someone who was essentially doomed to lead the life he did before he was even born.
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
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
“Comb city for 'mad slayer' of model.” New York Daily News, April 6, 1937.
“Cops think Gedeon killer made mask's of model's face.” Long Branch (NJ) Daily Record, April 8, 1937.
“Eagle crime tipster used Irwin's alias.” Brooklyn Eagle, April 7, 1937.
“Guilt of Irwin found in check of fingerprints.” Brooklyn Eagle, April 7, 1937.
“Hunt queer-acting man at Woodstock.” Rutland (VT) Daily Herald, April 7, 1937.
“It's a cinch! Amateurs find Irwin in 5 places.” Brooklyn Eagle, April 6, 1937.
“Killer carved soap statue in model's home.” Des Moines Tribune, April 8, 1937.
“New clue places murder suspect on M&M liner.” Rutland (VT) Daily Herald, April 7, 1937.
“Ronnie's fiance sleepless, fearing death; going abroad.” Brooklyn Eagle, April 6, 1937.
“Sculptor confesses to Easter triple slaying.” Quad-City Times (Davenport, IA), June 27, 1937.“Student wore masks, Gedeon informs police.” Brooklyn Eagle, April 6, 1937.
“Thinks Irwin is suicide.” Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader, April 9, 1937.
“Triple killing suspect seen in mountains.” Brooklyn Eagle, April 8, 1937.
Reynolds, Quentin. Courtroom: The Story of Samuel S. Leibowitz. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1950.
Schechter, Harold.  The Mad Sculptor: The Maniac, The Model, and the Murder That Shook the Nation. New York: Little A, 2014.
https://hoover.blogs.archives.gov/2016/07/14/lou-henry-hoover-and-the-mad-sculptor/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azusa_Street_Revival

58 - The Maniac of Beekman Hill, Part One

On Easter Sunday, 1937 the bodies of model Veronica Gedeon, her mother, and a man named Frank Byrnes were found dead in an apartment on East 53rd Street in New York City. Suspicion quickly falls on the father – but did he actually have anything to do with it?
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
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
“Artist's model, mother, and male roomer murdered in Manhattan home.” Nassau Daily Review-Star, March 29, 1937.
“Divinity school student sought in Gedeon probe.” Nassau Daily Review-Star. April 5, 1937.
“Gedeon's reaction watched as he views bodies of slain.” Nassau Daily Review-Star, April 1, 1937.
“Private Larry O'Toole's fine tribute to Chief U.S. Grant.” Potsdam Junction Commercial Advertiser, April 7, 1942.
“Slain girl's father wears out police as they grill him on triple murder.” Washington Court House (OH) Record-Herald, April 2, 1937.
“Small piece of cloth found at scene of triple murder may link father to crime.” Ogdensburg Advance-News, April 2, 1937.Schechter, Harold. Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of. New York: Ballantine, 2012.
—. The Mad Sculptor: The Maniac, The Model, and the Murder That Shook the Nation. New York: Little A, 2014.
https://immigrationtounitedstates.org/560-hungarian-immigrants.html

57 - Montie the Monster and Others

In November 1945, the rural Sheep Hill district in northern Chester County just south of Pottstown, Pennsylvania was prowled by a mysterious beast capable of gigantic leaps and screams. And in March 1973, another animal appeared and killed animals at Ringing Hill in Pottsgrove Township. Also: the Wild Man of Chestnut Hill, the “Jersey Madman,” the Dorlan Devil, and the Coatesville “Roof Rabbit.”
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
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
“All around the town,” Pottstown Mercury, November 15, 1945.
“All around the town,” Pottstown Mercury, November 17, 1945.
“Body of fox solves mystery.” Pottstown Mercury, November 7, 1945.
“Buzzing.” Pottstown Mercury, April 3, 1973.
“Casualties mount to four as mystery animal continues to evade posses at Sheep Hill.” Pottstown Mercury. November 14, 1945.
“Creature quiet, no sightings are reported.” Pottstown Mercury, March 20, 1973.
“Dorlan's devil cuts up didos.” Pottstown Mercury, July 30, 1937.
“Evidence of creature is found.” Pottstown Mercury, March 19, 1973.
“Expert says creature belongs to dog family.” Pottstown Mercury, March 30, 1973.
“Game protector declares 'terror' has moved away; far, far away.” Pottstown Mercury, November 21, 1945.
“Hunt for Montie the Monster outdoes Gettysburg battle, says alarmed Sheep Hiller.” Harrisburg Evening News, November 5, 1945.
“'Jersey Devil' is captured and proves silver fox not much bigger than tom-cat.” Harrisburg Evening News, August 21, 1937.
“Man believes 'The Thing' is his lost dog.” Pottstown Mercury, November 17, 1945.
“Mangled rabbit found in borough.” Pottstown Mercury, April 6, 1973.
“Monster cause of excitement in New Jersey.” Shamokin News-Dispatch, January 23, 1932.
“Montie the Monster object of search near Pottstown.” Dunkirk (NY) Evening Observer, November 15, 1945.
“Mysterious animal is finally seen.” Pottstown Mercury, November 9, 1945.
“Mysterious beast is sought in Chester Co.” Lebanon Daily News, February 15, 1939.
“Mysterious creature believed back in vicinity of Ringing Hill.” Pottstown Mercury, March 29, 1973.
“North Coventry mystery still unsolved.” Pottstown Mercury, November 8, 1945.
“Posse of 40 men fails to locate 'crying cat.'” Pottstown Mercury, November 10, 1945.
“Strange animal is roaming in North Coventry.” Pottstown Mercury, November 6, 1945.
“There's a glowakus loose down in Coatesville; durn thing has foot-long neck and screams.” Reading Times, February 15, 1939.
“Turkey lures Norco animal, cries heard.” Pottstown Mercury, November 19, 1945.
“Two persons injured on 'panther' hunt.” Pottstown Mercury, November 12, 1945.
Binder, John K. “Game protector and police act to prevent hunting of beast.” Pottstown Mercury, November 15, 1945.
—. “North Coventry mystery animal may be a puma, resident says.” Pottstown Mercury, November 13, 1945.
—. “Search for mystery animal is spurred on by fresh tracks.” Pottstown Mercury, November 16, 1945.
Kessler, Barbara. “Creature sightings, incidents increase.” Pottstown Mercury, March 16, 1973.
—. “Mystery beast stalks Pottsgroves.” Pottstown Mercury, March 15, 1973.
—. “Speculation grows: what could creature be?” Pottstown Mercury, March 17, 1973.
McCloy, James E. and Ray Miller, Jr. Phantom of the Pines: More Tales of the Jersey Devil. Moorestown, NJ: Middle Atlantic Press, 1998.
Pitchford, Charles. “Creature changes location, attacks poodle.” Pottstown Mercury, March 24, 1973.
Renner, Timothy. Bigfoot in Pennsylvania. CreateSpace, 2017.
https://www.readingeagle.com/news/article/you-ask-youker-was-the-last-wild-panther-in-pennsylvania-shot-in-berks-county
https://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/59/messages/861.html
https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Education/WildlifeNotesIndex/Pages/Fisher.aspx

56 - The Disappearance of Ambrose Small

Ambrose J. Small was a wealthy theater manager who disappeared without a trace on the evening of December 2, 1919 near one of his theaters in Toronto, Ontario. There was no shortage of theories and possibilities as to what happened. Was it the long-suffering wife? The obsessive, clingy mistress? The secretary who had robbed him? Or someone else?
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
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
Lethbridge Herald, January 14, 1925.
“$65,000 was set aside to trace Ambrose Small.” Montreal Gazette, November 13, 1922.
“Allege effort to blackmail in Small case.” Regina Leader-Post, June 5, 1922.
“Ambrose Small case confession called forgery.” Winnipeg Tribune, November 25, 1936.
“Ambrose Small not man found by detectives.” Montreal Gazette, August 16, 1921.
“Arrested when he bared his head.” Boston Post, December 5, 1920.
“Bares torture in kidnapping of Canadian.” Santa Ana Register, August 15, 1921.
“Believe Small is alive.” Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 1920.
“Doughty and detective are on their way.” Montreal Gazette, November 25, 1920.
“Doughty says absconded when panic stricken.” Vancouver Sun, December 31, 1920.
“Doughty sent up for trial, theft charge.” Ottawa Citizen, December 31, 1920.
“Ex-janitor and wife to testify against Doughty.” Montreal Gazette, November 26, 1920.
“Excavation of dump for Small body planned.” Winnipeg Tribune, November 14, 1928.
“Former Small maid gone from asylum.” Ottawa Journal, December 19, 1924.
“Hoping arrest of Doughty to solve mystery.” Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 1920.
“Hotelman would see detective.” Montreal Gazette, June 26, 1922.
“Is Small in bay?” Saskatoon Daily Star, April 5, 1922.
“Lost millionaire dead to world but legally alive to law.” Spokane Spokesman-Review, April 22, 1923.
“Man exploited as lost millionaire unknown cripple.” Des Moines Tribune, August 16, 1921.
“Mystery gives way to strange acts of sleuth.” Salt Lake Tribune, November 4, 1928.
“New Langsner move in Small case expected.” Winnipeg Tribune, November 16, 1928.
“New Orleans opera house, scene of glorious triumphs, now a mass of ruins.” Musical America, December 13, 1919.
“Not Small, declare Sackett and Hogarth.” Des Moines Tribune, August 16, 1921.
“Nothing overlooked by police searching for Ambrose Small.” Vancouver Province, December 3, 1920.
“Only vague chance.” Montreal Gazette, November 26, 1920.
“Paris knows nothing of Ambrose J. Small.” Ottawa Journal, August 13, 1920.
“Permission for probate given.” Winnipeg Tribune, June 5, 1923.
“Prof. Langsner to attempt to solve disappearance of five-year-old Julia Johnson.” Winnipeg Tribune, November 1, 1928.
“Prof. X's mind slowly clearing.” Camden (NJ) Courier-Post, January 12, 1920.
“Reward of $50,000 starts new international search for Small.” Buffalo Times, May 28, 1923.
“Reward offer of $50,000 to expire Sept. 1.” Des Moines Register, August 15, 1921.
“Search for Small's body in Montreal.” Ottawa Citizen, January 19, 1921.
“Small's body is found in dead house.” Regina Leader-Post, August 13, 1920.
“Small fake is exposed – newspaper hoax bared by Register.” Des Moines Register, August 16, 1921.
“Small named defendant in $52,500 suit.” Windsor Star, May 5, 1922.
“Small thought buried near ravine.” Windsor Star, March 9, 1922.
“Small will not genuine, according to an aunt.” Winnipeg Tribune, March 22, 1924.
“Suspected of being Ambrose Small, he resents detention.” Vancouver Sun, December 3, 1920.
“Think Ambrose Small may be alive and in hiding near Kemptville, Ontario.” Calgary Herald, February 5, 1921.
“This clue doubted.” Windsor Star, June 24, 1922.
“Thought he was Small.” Montreal Gazette, February 21, 1921.
“Thought man in Des Moines may be lost magnate.” Freeport (IL) Journal-Standard, August 15, 1921.
“Toronto detective, returning with Doughty, declares only part of Small story is known.” Ottawa Citizen, November 25, 1920.
“Toronto studies Langsner claim in Small case.” Winnipeg Tribune, October 6, 1928.
“Trace missing millionaire.” Nebraska State Journal, August 15, 1921.
“Vienna's Sherlock Holmes unknown to police world.” Winnipeg Tribune, September 13, 1928.
“Visit to bank vault.” Montreal Gazette, November 26, 1920.
“Witness avers Doughty of kidnapping.” Montreal Gazette, March 23, 1921.
“Witness says signature on will forgery.” Ottawa Journal, November 19, 1936.
“Woman friend of Small in Toronto.” Montreal Gazette, May 25, 1922.
Allen, Robert Thomas. “What really happened to Ambrose Small?” Maclean's Magazine, January 15, 1951.
Daubs, Katie. “Toronto's scoundrel of the century.” Toronto Star, September 7, 2019. https://www.pressreader.com/canada/toronto-star/20190907/282321091692393
Dominion Law Reports, vol. 64 (C.E.T. Fitzgerald, C.B. Labatt, Russel S. Smart, and A.P. Grigg, editors). Toronto: Canada Law Book, 1922.
O'Leary, Dillon. “Small: foul play or did he run out?” Ottawa Journal, November 23, 1974.
St. John, Jordan. Lost Breweries of Toronto. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2014.
https://www.grandtheatre.com/mysterious-disappearance-ambrose-j-small
http://www.hogtownempire.com/
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/porchlightcanada/1919-small-ambrose-12-2-1919-t1102.html
http://theothersidetv.ca/extra-research-season-4-episode-10/
http://strangeco.blogspot.com/2016/04/collecting-ambrose-small.html
https://calebandlindapirtle.com/inside-mind-murderer/

Halloween 2019

Second Halloween episode. This year's creepy stories are the tales of the cursed Zoarites of New York State; the black-veiled Reverend Moody of 1700s Maine; Connecticut's Moodus mystery booms, a battle of witches, and a cursed jewel; Detroit's Nain Rouge; a morbid phantom at Holly Tree Cottage, in England; the 1938 urban legend of the New Orleans “devil man"; and bizarre behavior and sightings at the scene of some fires in 1909 Rochester, New York.
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
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
“Maybe balloon lodged on roof.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, August 16, 1909.
“The peddler's curse.” Cincinnati Enquirer, February 13, 1892.
F.V.C. “From Across the Abyss.” The Occult Review, February 1909.
Potter, Gail M. "The Legend of Handkerchief Moody." From Mysterious New England. Camden, ME: Yankee Books, 1971.
Ries, Maurice. “Weird story of the Louisiana Devil Man.” San Bernardino County Sun, December 18, 1938.
Skinner, Charles M. Myths and Legends of Our Own Land. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1896.

55 - The Hex Cat of Tumbling Run

In autumn 1911, the Tumbling Run valley in Pennsylvania was afflicted by a curse in the shape of a black cat.  This is a story of misfortune, the supernatural, black cats in cages, and arson. 
Part of the Straight Up Strange Network: https://www.straightupstrange.com/
My Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/forgdark/
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
“After a witchcat.” Indiana Weekly Messenger, May 22, 1912.
“Alleged hex cat captured.” Pottsville Republican, September 30, 1911.
“Another runaway attributed to hex.” Pottsville Republican, October 3, 1911.
“Ask that hex cat be forgotten.” Pottsville Republican, November 2, 1911.
“Bad crops laid to Mary's witch cat.” Adams County Independent, October 21, 1911.
“Called sister witch.” Lancaster Inquirer, September 30, 1911.
“Death by hex, many other calamities.” Pottsville Republican, September 22, 1911.
“Hex cat dodges bullet of gold.” Pottsville Republican and Herald, September 28, 1911.
“Hex cat fails to turn up to be shot with a gold bullet.” New Castle Herald, October 6, 1911.
“Hex cat man is frozen to death.” Mount Carmel Item, January 8, 1918.
“Hex cat worries Schuylkill County.” Allentown Democrat, October 10, 1911.
“Hex cats' victim tries to burn 2 tenements.” Danville Morning News, June 17, 1916.
“Hex doctors congress on bewitched farm.” Greenville Record-Argus, September 30, 1911.
“Hex victim is buried, spirits after daughter.” Pottsville Republican, September 26, 1911.
“Many want to capture hex cat.” Pottsville Republican, September 29, 1911.
“News oddities.” Lancaster Semi-Weekly New Era, June 17, 1916.
“No arson in hex fire.” Harrisburg Telegraph, November 24, 1916.
“Pottsville has a hex of a time.” Pottsville Republican, October 16, 1911.
“Powwow folk fix it all up.” Lebanon Courier and Semi-Weekly Report, October 3, 1911.
“Supposed demon cat is captured with Bible.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, October 2, 1911.
“That Tumbling Run hex.” Pottsville Republican, September 26, 1911.
“Thomas, hex cat victim, to spend 90 days in jail.” Mount Carmel Item, June 28, 1916.
“Will kill hex cat for $25.” Pottsville Republican, October 11, 1911.
“Witches are blamed for man's ill luck.” San Francisco Examiner, December 3, 1911.
http://schuylkillhavenhistory.com/TUMBLINGRUN.html
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/167758949/howell-thomas
https://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers.htm#sort=First_Name+asc,Last_Name+asc&q=thomas&fq%5B%5D=State%3A%22Pennsylvania%22