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Burial Day Books is a boutique publisher of supernatural horror. Once a week we research a particular element dealing with superstition, folklore or myth and write a short piece about that element from the Gravedigger’s perspective. These elements were sometimes used somewhere in a previous horror story in history. Or, these elements could have been pulled from particular ideals, or from items that illicit fear. We may also discuss curious traditions that we feel admirers of horror, and beyond, would enjoy learning. Our blogs, while written from a fictional character ‘s perspective, are non-fictional. Overall, our blogs discuss true beliefs, phenomena, practices or customs.

Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol Cover

Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol Table of Contents

We are excited to present to you the table of contents for Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol. There

Vinegar of the Plague

Vinegar of the Plague Source WARNING: The treatment discussed here is a superstitious treatment developed in treating bubonic plague victims.

Gothic Blue Book VOL 6: A Krampus Carol - Submissions Now Open

Burial Day Books Call for Submission: Gothic Blue Book VOL 6: A Krampus Carol Source: The Atlantic.com Gothic Blue Books were

What is mutilating cattle?

Source: NPR For over 40 years there have been reports of cattle mutilations across North America, and beyond. There have

The History of the Satanic Panic: Part II

Disclaimer: This series may contain elements that might be triggers. Additionally, we would like to stress that the premier Satanic

The History of the Satanic Panic: Part 1

Disclaimer: This series may contain elements that might be triggers. Additionally, we would like to stress that the premier Satanic

Ripper Crew - Murder & Mayhem in the Windy City

As Chicago enters sub-zero temperatures, we wanted to explore some famous Chicago cold cases, crimes, and the strange this week.

The Exorcist in Chicago - Murder & Mayhem in the Windy City

As Chicago enters sub-zero temperatures, we wanted to explore some famous Chicago cold cases, crimes, and the strange this week.

Lipstick Murders - Murder & Mayhem in the Windy City

As Chicago enters sub-zero temperatures, we wanted to explore some famous Chicago cold cases and crimes this week. On June

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Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol Cover

Here it is finally, Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol Cover. The collection will go on sale October 31, 2020.

Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol Table of Contents

We are excited to present to you the table of contents for Gothic Blue Book VI: A Krampus Carol.

There are 31 days in December, so we thought the best way to bring you a terrifying winter is to give you one short story or poem per month. We are excited to bring you this collection and we hope you enjoy you.

Publish date: October 31st

Author Names

Deanna Baran
Die Booth
T.M. Brown
Jeff C. Carter
Malina Douglas
Kevin M. Folliard
Samson Stormcrow Hayes
Laurel Hightower
Nico Bell
Matt Jean
Shane Keene
Amanda Cecelia Lang
Gary E Lee
Madeleine McDonald
Sarah Michelson
Victoria Nations
Cindy O’Quinn
Kathleen Palm
Angela Sylvaine
Hailey Piper
Jennifer Quail
Monique Quintana
Kara Race-Moore
Mary Rajotte
C L Raven
Sage Ravenwood
Lawrence Salani
K.R. Smith
Austrian Spencer
M.C. St. John
Sara Tantlinger

Vinegar of the Plague

Source

WARNING: The treatment discussed here is a superstitious treatment developed in treating bubonic plague victims. Using essential oils directly on your skin can result in allergic reactions or burns. This is merely a historical piece and does not make claims for the use or efficacy of any non-medical treatments. Any and all illnesses, symptoms of illnesses, and treatments must be discussed with your medical doctor.

In October of 1347, 12 ships from the Black Sea stopped at the Sicilian port of Messina. To their horror, most of the sailors were dead. Those still alive were gravely ill and their bodies were covered with black boils. This event marked the entrance of the Black Death, or the bubonic plague that killed millions across Europe.

The Black Death spread quickly, indiscriminately and it was not until the 19^th century, hundreds of years later when scientists were able to fully understand the plague, what caused it and how it spread. Yersina pestis is the name of the bacillus that is spread. The bacillus can be spread from person to person by air. The bacillus can also be spread by the bite of infected fleas and rats, which were found in great numbers in Medieval Europe.

Source

There were crude treatments put in place for treating the Black Death, which many called God’s punishment, divine discipline for sins such as greed and heresy. With that thought in mind, many communities believed the best method to rid them of the plague was to seek God’s acceptance, and in order to do this they needed to purge themselves of heretics. More on heretics later this week.

So, what were the treatments in the 1300’s for the plague? The treatments included bloodletting, and boil-lancing (which means popping the bubo, the pus-filled boils that covered victims bodies. This was dangerous as victims could go into shock, and the spray of blood and pus could infect others in the room).

Other less gruesome forms of treatment include superstitious practices, such as burning a special blend of herbs, or bathing in rosewater, or certain vinegars

The most popular superstitious vinegar oil used was Four Thieves Oil, which is still sold today and which anyone can make at home. Four Thieves Oil can be made by combining;

40 drops of clove oil
35 drops of lemon oil
20 drops cinnamon bark essential oil
15 drops eucalyptus oil
10 drops rosemary oil

If you were going to use this as say an insect repellant, you would need to combine this mixture with water or a carrier oil.

Mix all ingredients in a glass bottle.

Must be diluted for use, so every 6-12 drop must be accompanied by an ounce of carrier oil.

The name Four Thieves Oil, or Four Thieves Vinegar, comes from one of two legends. In the first, a group of thieves was caught robbing the corpses of plague victims. For leniency, they promised to share their secret that allowed them not to get sick. In another possible origin, a group of thieves had already been caught stealing and their punishment was to bury plague victims. They created this oil in order for protection from the plague. It’s thought that these legends originated in either Marseille, or Toulouse. Sometimes you may hear of Four Thieves Oil referred to as Marseille Oil.

Some theories believe that those who used Four Thieves Oil were protected from the plague only because Four Thieves Oil does serve as an excellent insect repellant, so it kept away infectious flies. I do have the ingredients to make some and am looking forward to creating a superstitious based insect repellant this summer.

-Gravedigger

Sources:

https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/black-death

https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/four-thieves-essential-oil

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_thieves_vinegar

Gothic Blue Book VOL 6: A Krampus Carol – Submissions Now Open

Burial Day Books Call for Submission: Gothic Blue Book VOL 6: A Krampus Carol

Source: The Atlantic.com

Gothic Blue Books were short fictions popular in the 18th and 19th century. They were descendants of the chap book trade and are now a thing of the past. Burial Day Books is now open for submissions for Gothic Blue Book Vol. 6 to be available October 31st 2020.

What was a Gothic Blue Book?

Gothic Blue Books were abridgements of full-length Gothic novels. The subjects of these books fell into one of two categories; the first being set in a monastery or convent and the second being set in a castle.

In terms of the physicality of the book, they were three and a half to four inches in width and six to seven inches in height, with a page count of thirty-six to seventy-two pages.

These little pieces of terror were popular at the time because they were affordable, a sixpence or a shilling each. Their cost affordability led them to be nicknamed Shilling Shockers or Sixpenny Shockers.

What are we looking for?

Original Gothic Blue Books typically took place in either a monastery, convent or castle. In years past we have asked for short stories that take place in one of these locations, or a modern day location such as a morgue, haunted house or cemetery. This year, we have added a new theme – Krampus, Christmas, and ghosts / lore from the globe revolving around a major celebration. Christmas ghost tales have a history stretching back that includes Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL and more.

Please submit a short story or poem no longer than 3,500 words that follows one of the following:

A single mention or setting in one of the original Gothic Blue Book settings:

a) Monastery
b) Convent
c) Castle

OR –

A single mention or setting that includes one of 2020’s Gothic Blue Book theme:

a) Krampus
b) Christmas
c) And more – see below ‘2020 Addition’

2020 Addition:

a) A story or poem about Krampus, Christmas, Winter, Winter Solstice, Christmas ghosts or Christmas demons, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Epiphany, Three Kings Day, or any folklore, legend or myth surrounding winter, etc. For inspiration think of Charles Dickens’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL and give us cold, darkness, maybe even a demonic Ebenezer Scrooge, a tortured ghost of Christmas Past, Present, or Future, etc. We are also excited to read haunted tales about any other major celebrations from various backgrounds and belief systems; Djinn, Ghosts of Diwali, Chinese Winter Festival and so on. We hope that A Krampus Carol can take the old tradition of Christmas ghost tales, mixed with the spirit of Blue Books, and give readers something terrifying and new.

In addition to the above, the story or poem must instill fear using a supernatural element – ghosts, ghouls, monsters, myth, folklore or legend.

Extreme violence, sexual violence, derogatory language, hateful and harmful language of groups, people, or belief systems will not be considered.

For inspiration look to Ann Radcliffe, Edgar Allan Poe, Mary Shelley, Helen Oyeyemi, Jorge Luis Borges, Shirley Jackson, Emily Brontë, Daphne Du Maurier, Victor LaValle, Angela Carter, Neil Gaiman, Tananarive Due, Charles Dickens and more.

The collection will be published October 31st 2020 in eBook and traditional book format.

DEADLINE: JULY 5th 2020

LEGAL DETAILS

If accepted you are giving Burial Day Books:

A. The exclusive first right to publish your story.

B. The right to republish the story in or in connection with Burial Day, including electronic or hard copy form, including in promotional material or compilations – provided that authorial credit is given in every instance of reproduction.

After your story appears on Burial Day and in the Gothic Blue Book you are free to republish your piece elsewhere as long as you communicate to potential buyers that they are buying your story as a non-exclusive piece.

Payment details:

$50.00 (USD)

One (1) Contributor copy of the anthology

You can submit here at submittable.

The full link is also as follows: https://burialdaybooks.submittable.com/submit/6171/burial-day-gothic-blue-book-6-a-krampus-carol

What is mutilating cattle?

Source: NPR

For over 40 years there have been reports of cattle mutilations across North America, and beyond. There have been speculations for years as to what is doing this; animals, humans…and very often there are whispers of aliens.

The animals are often discovered with various organs removed, including hearts, eyes, and noses with what appears to be surgical precision, with often indications of a burn mark are left on the skin, leaving one to wonder if a laser-type instrument was used to remove these parts.

So many mutilations were occurring in farming communities at one time that the FBI was called in to investigate, and to this day, no formal explanation has been provided. Hysteria soon centered around sightings of a creature later named the Chupacabra, translated roughly into goat-sucker. The physical descriptions of the creature vary, but it’s generally described as small, with a row of spikes along its spine to the base of a tail. The first reported sighting of a chupacabra was in 1995 in Puerto Rico, where eight sheep were reported discovered with three puncture marks and drained completely of blood. Sightings of the chupacabra extended beyond Puerto Rico, into the United States, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Brazil, and with sightings recently in India.

Just days ago in Oregon, five purebred bulls worth $6,000 each were located dead on a ranch, drained completely of their blood with body parts expertly excised. The FBI will not confirm or deny that they are involved in these recent mutilations. However, two years ago something similar occurred in Oregon as well, with cattle mutilations being reported in the state as far back as the 80s. In that case, the eye witness claims there was not one drop of blood remaining.

A $25,000 reward is available for information regarding Oregon’s most recent case.

When asked what theories there are, a lot of people point to aliens.

-Gravedigger

Sources:

https://www.npr.org/2019/10/08/767283820/not-one-drop-of-blood-cattle-mysteriously-mutilated-in-oregon

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4651410/Cattle-mutilation-40-YEARS-stumps-FBI-farmers.html

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/5-bulls-found-dead-oregon-then-story-gets-weird-n1061421

The History of the Satanic Panic: Part II

Disclaimer: This series may contain elements that might be triggers. Additionally, we would like to stress that the premier Satanic organization, The Satanic Temple, is a non-theistic organization that states that part of its mission is to encourage benevolence and empathy among all people.

Not too long after Anton LaVey published The Satanic Bible in 1969 he published The Satanic Rituals which further fueled American fears that Satanic worshippers were out there and were taking part in dark ceremonies. Fears of Satanic cults was already growing. Rosemary’s Baby was released just one year before The Satanic Bible. Then, just a few years before that in 1966 the Time magazine cover titled “Is God Dead?” shocked a largely religiously affiliated American public.

Source: Time.com

The Tate Murders committed by the Manson family only increased fears that the occult was operating in America, violently murdering men, women and children, including the unborn in this tragic case.

Source: Smithsonianmag.com

Source: New York Times

Then, in 1971 William Peter Blatty’s bestselling novel further drove fear into American audiences, but nothing like what would happen in 1973 when The Exorcist was released in theaters. Some theaters showed the movie on a 24-hour marathon. People walked out of the theater in a panic. Others claimed to have become possessed after seeing Linda Blair’s spinning head on screen. The Catholic Church claimed that they saw a rise in attendance shortly after the release of the film. There’s no way whether that can be validated, but what can be validated is that this was a very different time in America, over 40 years ago American’s were still overwhelmingly religiously affiliated. Even the Ouija Board, which was once considered a sleepover game morphed into a sinister portal to demonic possession overnight because of this film and growing fears of possession.

Source: MeTV.com

The Omen was released in 1976, further drumming up fears of a global conspiracy of people who worked in the shadows for Satan, working to tilt the status of power into the hands of the wicked. People pointed to several strange deaths occurring onset during filming and involving some working on the film as a connection to occult and supernatural invovement.

Source: SyFy.com

There was a growing list of occult experts and individuals making the rounds on the talk show circuits around this time claiming to have been former Satanists. This included Mike Warnke, an American Christian evangelist who published The Satan Seller, where he claims to have once been a Satanist but later converted to Christianity.

Americans were in a panic and they thought the devil was coming to get them. Around the late 1960s the Zodiac killer began operating, gunning down men and women throughout California. He sent taunting letters to the media which included cryptograms. Only one cryptogram has been solved and the killer has never been identified. It’s thought he killed 37 people.

Photo: Zodiac Killer cipher, Sfgate.com

Then came the Alphabet murders, where girls were murdered in New York and California. The first letter in the first and last name matched the first letter of the name of the town where they were killed. Again, the killer was never caught.

More ritualistic-type murders emerged throughout the 1970s committed by Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam), and more.

Photo: David Berkowitz, New York Post

Americans no longer knew who to trust and then the child day care sex abuse hysteria scandals broke in the late 1970s, early 1980s. Fears of Satanists operating in communites went from whispers and Christian programming to mainstream media with seasoned reporters asking if the devil was working in America.

Source: Anton LaVey, OregonLive.Com

Sources:

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/oct/30/ouija-board-mystery-history

https://variety.com/2018/vintage/features/rosemarys-baby-1202843534/

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Warnke

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/10/us/the-trial-that-unleashed-hysteria-over-child-abuse.html

https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3386555/looking-horrible-cursed-production-omen/

https://www.history.com/news/babysitters-accused-of-satanic-crimes-exonerated-after-25-years

https://www.biography.com/news/son-of-sam-david-berkowitz-biography-facts

-Gravedigger

The History of the Satanic Panic: Part 1

It’s September 1st which means that the smell of pumpkin spice is in the air, the New Moon is in Virgo, and we are moving closer to Halloween. The season of Halloween brings with it cool temperatures, warm colors, and folklore and superstitions in the air.

Source: Gustave Doré for John Milton’s Paradise Lost, Wikipedia

This month, I wanted to explore the history of the Satanic Panic. While many of us think the Satanic Panic came and went I sometimes wonder if it ever did leave us. We remain as a society paranoid, skeptical, and perhaps are quick to dismiss ills on the terrifying ‘other.’

Bare with me as I explore this history. It’s complex. Many people suffered, and are still suffering. Books and documentaries have covered many of these cases, but I wanted to be able to give them a suitable overview here for Burial Day. I’m certainly not going to be able to cover everything, but I will try to cover as much as I can.

The Satanic Panic is our modern day Salem Witch Trials, but the only difference is can we really say that the Satanic Panic left us? Or, did it morph into something else?

Source: Amazon.com

When we talk about the “Satanic Panic” it’s typically thought of as a period of time beginning around the 1980s in the United States. The claims all had to do with Satanic worship around child and sexual abuse, ritual human sacrifice, rumors of abductions, animal mutilation, Satanic church proceedings, heavy metal music, and violent video games. If any of this sounds familiar with regard to modern day allegations then you are correct. Much of these elements continue to be blamed as contributors to violent and deviant behavior.

Before I delve into some of the cases, I wanted to establish a base for the practice of modern Satanism in the United States. Modern Satanism in the U.S. is generally associated with the establishment of The Church of Satan founded by Anton Szandor LaVey in 1966.

Source: Medium.com

LaVey was born in Chicago, Illinois on April 30, 1930. LaVey proclaimed the year The Satanic Church was founded as year one, or Anno Satanas – or the first year of the Age of Satan. In 1969, LaVey published The Satanic Bible, which contains four books – The Book of Satan, The Book of Lucifer, The Book of Belial, and The Book of Leviathan. LaVey’s books, writing, and rituals would all go on to encompass what is considered today as LaVeyan Satanism which involves rituals of greater and lesser magic. LaVeyan Satanism rejects the belief in Satan as a being and instead embraces the symbolism of Satan as an image of defiance. LaVey was an atheist and rejected the belief in gods and the supernatural, beyond his practice of lesser and greater magic. He instructed his followers to obey the law and stated that indulgence was positive so long as no one was harmed.

During LaVey’s lifetime, The Church of Satan was based in San Francisco, in The Black House.

Source: wikipedia.org

LaVey’s name may be coming up throughout this series, as well as the name of his children, Karla LaVey and Zeena Schreck. Schreck appeared quite frequently on the talk show circuit defending Satanism during the Satanic Panic. Schreck is no longer associated with the church or Satanism.

LaVey died on October 29, 1997.

LaVey has been described by many as a showman and it’s been stated that he plagarised some of the contents of The Satanic Bible. Regardless of the controversies surrounding LaVey, he was a magnetic personality who brought considerable attention – including fear – regarding those who practiced Satanism.

LaVey ultimately brought Satanism into the mainstream.

More soon as we enter Satanism and the 1980s.

Here is an interview with Anton LaVey on The Joe Pyne Show.

Here is an interview with Karla LaVey on The Joan Rivers Show.

Here is an interview with Zeena Schreck on KJTV.

-Gravedigger

Ripper Crew – Murder & Mayhem in the Windy City

As Chicago enters sub-zero temperatures, we wanted to explore some famous Chicago cold cases, crimes, and the strange this week.

“Only a monster could have done this. In all my judicial career, I have never heard a case such as this. It is shocking beyond human imagination. It is atrocious and disgusting. I can’t imagine a human being doing this. The devil must be inside you.”

– Judge Francis J. Mahon at Robin Gecht’s sentencing

It’s funny how some stories you grow up hearing about in this city, and others you don’t. Growing up, we were always warned about the clown. The clown became almost an urban legend growing up, rumors of a man in a van who would drive up wearing a clown costume and hit you over the head and whisk you away never to be seen or heard from again.

Source: Chicago Tribune

When I got older I learned about John Wayne Gacey and assumed that’s where the urban legend came from. Beyond that kids in this town always knew to watch out for men in creepy vans. I assume it’s the same in most towns, likely because so many killers have taken a liking to these large passenger vehicles that don’t really allow much space for other drivers or people on the street to see what is going on in the back. There’s this unnerving fear behind the white van, my friends and I would call them the “white serial killer vans” when we would see them drive by and then we would laugh it off, perhaps a nervous laughter knowing somehow that there was some truth to it, that some people had been taken, tossed in the back of a van and never seen again.

That’s what happened to many women in the Chicago-area around 1981 and 1982. They weren’t taken away in a white van, but a red van, and not by a clown, but by four men. It’s a case I never really learned about until recently when I started reading about anguished families of victims fighting to keep a murderer in prison.

We don’t know how many women were taken, tortured, raped, mutilated and killed by Edward Spreitzer, Robin Gecht, and Andrew and Thomas Kokoraleis, also known as the Ripper Crew.

On May 23, 1981 Linda Sutton was kidnapped. Days later her battered body was found in a park, face down, her left breast had been removed and she was handcuffed. It’s believed the Ripper Crew did not strike again for another year when Lorraine Borowski disappeared. Her body was found five months after she went missing.

More bodies of women throughout the Chicago area were found dumped, and mutilated – missing their left breast. Some women were beaten so severely with an axe to the face that identification became difficult.

In December 1982, Beverly Washington escaped her attackers, after she too had been beaten and mutilated. She described being taken to a Northwest side home where she was tortured in an upstairs attic. She then said her attackers used a wire garrote to wrap around and remove her left breast. She gave a description of the van she was taken in to authorities and that lead them to Robin Gecht.

Coincidentally, Gecht had once been employed by John Wayne Gacey. There is nothing to connect him to any of Gacey’s crimes however.

After questioning, authorities were unable to hold Gecht immediately and so moved to Spreitzer. It was Spreitzer who eventually would go on to describe in detail that Gecht would pick the woman to abduct. They would bring her back to Gecht’s attic, remove her left breast, and have sex with the wound. Gecht would then place the severed breast into a box, masturbate on it, and then the members would consume the flesh in a cannibalistic ritual.

From left to right: Thomas Kokoraleis, Robin Gecht, and Edward Spreitzer

Source: Allthatsinteresting.com

The Kokoraleis brothers confessed to their crimes, but Gecht maintained his innocence.

Andrew Kokoraleis was sentenced to death and died by lethal injection on March 16, 1999.

Edward Spreitzer was sentenced to death, but his death sentence was commuted to a life sentence in 2003 when all death sentences ended in the state of Illinois.

Thomas Kokoraleis was scheduled to be released on September 29, 2017, but the families of his victims, including the family of Lorraine Borowski maintained that he is a violent criminal and should not be released. Officials denied his initial release, but state that they can’t hold him and he will be released on September 30, 2020.

Robin Gecht is eligible for parole in 2022.

The family and friends of Lorraine Borowski with their attorney Gloria Allred.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Ultimately, we don’t know how many women the Ripper Crew killed. The families of their known victims are however engaged in a fight with the state to keep these men in prison.

Source: Mysuburbanlife.com

Source: Chicago Tribune

-Gravedigger

Sources:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/chicago-ripper-crew

http://swordandscale.com/the-ripper-crew-carnage/

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20170816/downtown/ripper-crew-lorraine-borowski-thomas-andrew-kokoraleis-parole-murder-serial-killers-satanic-cult/

https://chicago.suntimes.com/news/officials-deny-release-for-parole-eligible-ripper-crew-killer/

https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/09/29/thomas-kokoraleis-murderer-ripper-crew-denied-release/

https://www.mysuburbanlife.com/2017/09/29/i-feel-sick-to-my-stomach-with-release-date-unclear-ripper-crew-victims-loved-ones-share-fears/d9z1pnq/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripper_Crew

https://chicagotribune.newspapers.com/image/388493103/?terms=Robin%2BGecht

The Exorcist in Chicago – Murder & Mayhem in the Windy City

As Chicago enters sub-zero temperatures, we wanted to explore some famous Chicago cold cases, crimes, and the strange this week.

In 1971 the exorcist came to Chicago. No, not The Exorcist film based on the best-selling novel by William Peter Blatty that was released two years after this Chicago event.

Source: GamesRadar

Edwin and Marsha Becker went in search of a home in the Northwest side of Chicago in the early 1970s. They were shown a two-flat house by their realtor. When they entered the first floor it was still occupied by an elderly woman named Myra whose family had built and been raised in the home. Myra cursed at the couple and told them they would never own the house. Upon leaving the realtor assured them the Myra would be out of the house by the time they moved in, and so the Becker’s agreed to purchase the property.

Source: Blogtalk Radio

Within days of moving into the second floor of the two-flat the couple reported objects moving and lights flickering. Eventually the activity increased in intensity with dishes flying out of cabinets.

Still, the couple moved forward with plans to rent out the first floor to help with mortgage payments. Dan and Diane Wood moved into the first floor and Marsha and Diane quickly became friends.

Diane soon began to experience unexplained phenomena, including a swinging chandelier and her baby’s walker moving on its own. The activity in the second-floor continued as well, with Marsha reporting being attacked in a bathtub. Also, night after night Ed and Marsha heard a couple fighting, whom they assumed were their tenants but later learned was not. Ed would learn from a neighbor that there had once been a couple who lived in the house, Ben and Amelia, who fought constantly, and that Amelia hung herself in the basement.

Source: Blogtalk Radio

One day while Ed was cleaning out the basement he found strange objects, including a jar full of bullets, boxes full of clippings of pictures of women, and piles of pornographic magazines. He eventually connected the material to Ben. Still, none of this explained any of the activity.

Diane could no longer take living on the first floor and fled the house with her baby. The Beckers also feared for their safety, and so they turned to help. They reached out psychic Joe DeLuise who organized an exorcism. DeLuise reported the activity to NBC who agreed to record the exorcism of the home.

Source: Blogtalk Radio

The Beckers would go on to also write a book about the events in the house, True Haunting. The events in the house on the Northwest side of Chicago also recently attracted the attention of the television show Paranormal Witness whose episode “The Tenants” from season 2’s finale once again explores the exorcism in Chicago.

Also, it was announced today that Screen Gems is developing a a feature adaptation.

So what really happened in the house in Chicago? Was it really haunted? Find some of the original footage below and decide for yourself.

-Gravedigger

Resources:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/redeye/ct-redeye-xpm-2012-10-22-34659279-story.html

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/25/paranormal-witness-finale_n_2014941.html

https://deadline.com/2019/01/screen-gems-true-haunting-nbc-televised-1971-exorcism-movie-1202546083/

http://weekinweird.com/2013/01/03/watch-televised-exorcism-broadcast-nbc-1971/

http://paranormal-witness.wikia.com/wiki/The_Tenants

Lipstick Murders – Murder & Mayhem in the Windy City

As Chicago enters sub-zero temperatures, we wanted to explore some famous Chicago cold cases and crimes this week.

On June 5, 1945 Josephine Ross was found dead in her apartment. She had been repeatedly stabbed. Dark hair was found in her closed fists which indicated she struggled with her murderer.

On December 10, 1945, Frances Brown was found with a knife lodged into her neck and a bullet to the head. A message in lipstick was smeared across a wall of her apartment:

“For heavens

Sake catch me

Before I kill more

I cannot control myself”

Source: Riverfront Times

Then, a few months later 6-year-old Suzanne Degnan was kidnapped from her Edgewater neighborhood bedroom. A ransom note was left behind that read:

“Gel $20,000, reddy & waite for word. Do notify FBI or police. Bills in 5s & 10s”

On the back of the note it read:

“Burn this for her safety”

Degnan’s head and torso were found the day she was reported missing. The killer left a trail of her body parts scattered throughout the city, with her arms being found a month later.

Source: Chicago Tribune

William Heirens, who was 17-years-old at the time, was arrested after trying to burglarize a home in Edgewater. He was brandishing a gun, and during his arrest police dropped a flower pot on his head to subdue him. Heirens lost consciousness and was taken to Cook County Hospital where he would remain hospitalized and strapped to a bed for days.

It’s reported that he was forcibly given injections of sodium pentothal, considered a truth serum at the time. Today sodium pentothal is considered a short term anesthetic, and has been used as a lethal injection drug.

Heirens was interrogated using the Reid Technique, the same technique used on Steven Avery, his case highlighted in “Making a Murderer.” As part of the Reid Technique, interrogation is conducted as accusatory, with the interrogator telling the suspect that they clearly committed the crime they are being held for. The Reid Technique has come under question for eliciting false confessions.

On July 12, 1946 Heirens was charged with the murders of Ross, Brown, and Degnan. When it came time to formally confess Heirens stated that he had no knowledge of the murders, but eventually took a plea deal to avoid the death sentence, hoping that he could one day prove his innocence.

Source: DNAInfo

Much of the original physical evidence has been brought into question by the Edgewater Historical Society. Heirens did take two lie detector tests at the time of his arrest, which were reported as inconclusive, but today evidence points to he was telling the truth – that he did not know about the murders.

Steve A. Drizen, an attorney at Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Conviction argued that Heirens’ confession did not match the facts of the crimes or the physical evidence at the crime scenes.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Another suspect, Richard Thomas was initially dismissed by police. He was a nurse who would have the medical knowledge to dismember a body. He also had a history of sexual abuse against his daughter and was arrested for extortion and attempted kidnapping. He also used a ransom note in that case. Thomas was in the Chicago area at the time of the murders and he even confessed to the murders after he relocated to Phoenix, Arizona. Yet, once Heirens was found in the area of the murders Thomas was dismissed as a suspect.

Heirens maintained his innocence. He was the longest-serving prisoner in Chicago, spending 65 years in prison.

He died March 5, 2012 at the age of 83 at UIC Medical Center.

Source: Wikipedia

-Gravedigger

Sources:

https://www.riverfronttimes.com/newsblog/2012/03/06/william-heirens-chicagos-lipstick-killer-dies-in-prison

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reid_technique

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Heirens

https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160107/edgewater/70-years-after-lipstick-murders-doubt-over-killers-guilt-still-lingers/#

http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-120306-william-heirens-lipstick-killer-pictures/