The Dunking of Grace Sherwood

Grace Sherwood, also known as the Witch of Princess Anne County, lived in Virginia in the early 1700's. Not much is known of her, what is known comes from the scattered remnants of court room records and local folklore.

Mrs. Sherwood was a widowed land-holding woman, most likely of mixed African descent, who lived along Bansnett's Creek near the Chesapeake region of Virginia. Her story begins with a trial in which she accused a local man, Luke Hill, of trespass, assault, and battery. She won the trial, and collected damages, but Mr. Hill accused her of witchcraft in retaliation, leading to another trial in which she was the main attraction. Folklore makes it difficult to determine whether there is any validity to his accusations, but spite is obviously what motivated him.

During this whole debacle, the local authorities were apprehensive about even trying her at all and tended to delay and stall the process. She was examined twice for Witch's Marks while the courts argued over jurisdiction and sent her case back and forth. To top it off, an all woman jury could not be found who could preside in her trial, leading to postponement of the final date. She was allowed to undergo trial by ordeal as an option. Her ordeal was to be "Ducked" in water, to determine guilt or innocence. Innocence being determined in this case by the innocent party sinking to the bottom, and God miraculously saving the accused because of their pure and innocent heart. Anything else was deemed a sign of guilt.

The local authorities really wanted no part of this, other than to make it go away. They even went so far as to provide boats for her rescue, and to schedule it on a day where the weather would not make her ill from the exposure to cold. On July 10th, 1706 the day finally came. They took her to the appointed place (now called Witch's Duck, on Chesapeake Bay) and tossed her in. Doing what any sane able bodied American would do, Mrs. Sherwood swam back to shore, sealing her guilt in the court's eyes.

Unlike most trials of this nature, Mrs. Sherwood was not sentenced to death. She ended up spending some time in the local jail, how much we do not know, since the court records end with her sentencing. It is known that her land was legally passed to others many years later, so it is assumed by most historians that she did not serve much time in jail and was soon released. Maybe there was validity to the accusations, as she seemed to get off rather light compared to most victims of the Witch Trials. Archeological records have even turned up "witch's bottles" in the area where she was suspected to live, leading to further speculations. A vivid psuedo-historical folklore has sprung up since her death, and she has become an almost mythical figure in the obscure history of the Chesapeake Region.

Her case also highlights the fact that most trials for witchcraft in the early American Colonies, centered around widowed land-holders, and in most places the legal system had no real desire to pursue it.

The picture above is a piece of artwork by Joshua Shaw, illustrating the place where her "ducking" took place.

Truly a Most Amazing Evil...

The creepily amazing world of Walter Potter and his grotesque taxidermy collection. This 19th century Taxidermist is the man who invented the original card-playing dogs on velvet, only he didn't paint them.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/oct/08/walter-potter-exhibition-museum-everything

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Potter

One is left wondering where he got all those kittens?

Look out below!

Yes, those are nets for falling bodies. It seems these Chinese workers can't stop flinging themselves out of the windows.

This is Interesting - The World Sunlight Map...

I will figure out something to do with this some-day.

The World Sunlight Map

The Last American Witch Hunts...

We have all heard of the history of the Salem Witch Trials, but unknown to most Americans, witch hunts took place in other regions of our country. In 1756, during a period far later than the Salem Hunts, the Spanish Inquistition conducted a little known witch hunt in the New Mexico town of Abiquiu. It is unusual in the fact that it occurred during a period in which the power of the Spanish Inquisition was starting to decline, and was largely unconcerned with trivialities such as Witchcraft.

The Abiquiu area was due a new priest, and shortly Franciscan Juan Jose Toledo arrived from Spain to fill the duties. When he arrived, he was aghast to find the local indians still practicing their native dances and traditions. He felt it to be a form of Devil Worship, and questioned how well they had been converted to Catholicism. The Priest then ordered an end to their festivals and pagan dances.

He then claimed someone, or something was attacking him magically, causing him illness and duress. These claims prompted investigation by local government officials. It was not long before the local residents and indians were accusing each other of various witchcraft related crimes. These officials decided to eliminate all cultural traces, and destroyed rock art and pictographs in the area that had been there for centuries, along with forbidding many traditional customs practiced by the locals.

Shortly after the accusations, several local women claimed to become possessed by demons. Father Toledo carried out excorisms on these women hoping to eliminate the problem. Instead, it spiraled hopelessly out of control as more claims of demon posession, and accusations of witchcraft came pouring in. Eventually, the Regional Governor, caught wind of the affair. Growing tired of the whole sordid ordeal, he sent many of those involved to face the Spanish Inquisition in Mexico City.

Several of the accused languished and died in jail. Many others faced punishments ranging from public humiliation, to flogging, but no one was executed for the crime of using witchcraft. Contrary to public opinion, it was actually very rare for an accused witch to be executed by the Spanish Inquisition. To their credit, claims of witchcraft were normally considered to be flights of fancy or mere superstition without much merit, though the Inquisition persecuted Jews and Muslims without mercy.

This was the last known case of Witch Hysteria in the continental US.

The Lost Island of Dolls

There is a place in Mexico, the likes of which is not seen anyplace else in the world. It is named Isla De Las Munecas. It is a small island, near Mexico City, which is totally populated by creepy children's dolls and doll parts. These dolls were placed there 50 years ago by a hermit named Don Julian, who lived on the island.

Don Julian created this spooky place as a shrine to a little girl who is said to have drowned in a near-by canal. The locals say her ghost haunts the island, and he collected the dolls to calm her unquiet soul. For over 50 years he collected them, placing them in spooky little shrines, and stringing their parts from trees.

Here is the really weird part...

He later died by drowning in the same canal as the little girl.

Steve Kaplan and the Vampire Research Center

Since such romantic pablum as Twilight is so popular right now, I figure it is time for a commentary on REAL vampires...

Modern Society tells us that Vampires are mythical fiction, the stuff of Dracula tales and obscure Slavic superstition. His research unknown to most of the world, Dr. Steve Kaplan has been researching whether these legends are true since 1972. He founded the Vampire Research Center in that year, travelled the world interviewing suspected vampires, and investigated vampiric activity.

He has investigated and interviewed literally thousands of people, and has identified 650 persons who he considers to be REAL vampires in North America, and shed light on a strange medical affliction called Porphyria. This affliction causes a physical need to ingest human blood. Based on his 20+ years of research, he believes the Vampire myth is based partly in fact.

Over the course of the years, Dr. Kaplan has identified several social groups claiming to be vampires, and a few who do not claim it, but still fit the description. He says the overwhelming majority of persons who claim vampirism are simply people drawn to the heavily gothic, romanticised image of the vampire. These folks are what he considers to be vampire "wannabees". These folks usually dress like a stereotypical vampire, and more or less play the part. For them, it is the fetish of taking on the image of the seductive undead which is most appealing.

The next step up is what he calls the "Yuppie" vampires. These are people who trade sexual favors for blood. They have a literal need for blood. They have been documented doing such things as drinking the blood drained from meat cartons at the supermarket. Most have a compulsion, and harbor feelings of guilt and shame for what they do.

Dr. Kaplan says he has found out of the many people who physically drink blood, a small number have a physical need to consume blood in addition to their regular diet. He calls these people Conservative Vampires, because they dress inconspicusouly and look average. They hide their vampirism, and feel irritable, depressed, weak, or aggressive if they do not get enough blood in their diet. This is the mark of Porphyria.

The third and final group he describes are the Blood Killers. People who act on their impulses and seek out victims to kill and drain of their blood. He has worked with Police organizations and interviewed killers responsible for these acts. It can be dangerous work. He was almost been killed on several occasions performing his investigations. As a result, he changed his interview methods where he never met anyone face to face.


Dr. Steve Kaplan died in June of 1995.

Here is his Wikipedia entry...

You know you have too much time on your hands...

If you go here.

Exoplanet House of Horrors

Posted by Guy Pirro on 10/30/2009 5:00 PM

Astronomers may be closer than ever to discovering a planet that’s habitable like our own, but along the way they’ve discovered some very scary exoplanets – places where conditions are far too harsh for life as we know it to exist. Joshua Rodriguez and NASA have rounded up some of the most frightening, deadly exoplanets -- places that make even the scariest haunted house on Earth pale in comparison.

Radiation Bath, Anyone?

The exoplanets PSR B1257+12 b, c, and d were among the first discovered, and also happen to be three of the weirdest. The entire system is a graveyard, remnants of what used to be a normal, functional solar system before the star blew apart in a giant explosion known as a supernova.

The massive shockwave from the supernova stripped away any atmosphere or living creatures that might have once lived on these planets, leaving behind ghostly, rocky shells, dead planets orbiting the corpse of an extinct star.

Except that PSR B1257+12 isn’t all dead - the remaining core from the old star has become a zombie star called a pulsar. Literally spinning in its grave, PSR B1257+12 makes a full rotation every 6.22 milliseconds and emits an intense beam of radiation that can be detected from Earth. The star’s unfortunate planets are thus bathed in deadly radiation on a regular basis, making sure that this system remains a cosmic no-man’s land.

A Mighty Wind

The sound of howling wind is a must for any Earth-based haunted house, but weather conditions on HD 189733 b make it a very dangerous place to go trick-or-treating.

At first glance, HD 189733 b looks like the typical “hot Jupiter” – a huge gas planet perched dangerously close to a burning-hot star, with daytime temperatures around a balmy 1,770 degrees Fahrenheit. HD 189733 b is “tidally locked” in its orbit, meaning that the same side of the planet always faces its star.

But when scientists measured the planet’s nighttime temperature, they were shocked to find that it was only 500 degrees cooler. How does the back side of the planet stay so warm?

The answer is wind: insanely fast, dangerous wind that whisks heat from day-side to night-side at a speed of 4,500 mph, nearly six times the speed of sound. In fact, astronomers estimate that wind speeds might top out at 22,000 mph, conditions that make hurricanes on Earth look like a breezy day at the beach.

Needless to say, kite-flying on HD 189733 b is not recommended – unless you’re flying one from the cockpit of a fighter jet.

Boil, Boil, Toil and Trouble

The planet HD 209458 b has a few things in common with Earth: water vapor, methane, and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere, key ingredients for life on our planet. Don’t be fooled, though, because this planet is a roiling cauldron of almost unimaginable heat.

Even the hottest summer days on Earth don’t get as dangerous as the conditions on HD 209458 b, a planet that orbits so close to its host star that its atmosphere is literally boiling off, ripped away from the planet as it whips around on its breakneck 3.5-day orbit. The gas that escapes from HD 209458 b forms a tail about 124,000 miles (200,000 km) long.

Scientists have found many planets like HD 209458 b – huge gas giants that orbit hazardously close to their stars and have hellishly hot, poisonous atmospheres. Sometimes, planets like these can be in danger of being swallowed whole by their host stars, as may be the case for the doomed world WASP-18b.

As far as planets go, WASP-18b is on death’s doorstep. There’s a good chance that it will be torn apart completely within the next million years, when it finally spirals too close to its star. Scientists will know within 10 years whether or not WASP-18b is on a funeral march towards its untimely demise.

All Alone and Very, Very Cold

While most of the exoplanets found so far are hellishly hot, OGLE-2005-BLG-390L b has the distinction of being the coldest exoplanet yet discovered.

The planet takes about 10 Earth years to orbit its tiny dwarf star, and it’s a chilly trip; the average temperature on OGLE-2005-BLG-390L b is 50 Kelvin, or minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit. A good costume for trick-or-treating on this frigid planet would be a toasty self-heating spacesuit, an oxygen supply, ice skates and plenty of hot cocoa.

Of course, don’t expect to find many houses with candy here, because despite the fact that it’s just a few times bigger than Earth, OGLE-2005-BLG-390L b is an uninhabitable ice ball stuck in a perpetual winter freeze. Even the coldest Halloween night in Antarctica is a balmy paradise compared to this frosty world.


For more information:

http://www.nasa.gov/topics/universe/features/exoplanetHouseOfHorrors.html

Robotic Mold

Scientists at the University of the West of England are currently engaged in a project to develop robots from mold. Yes, you heard that right. Mold. Like on a piece of bread. These guys don't seem to think it is as odd as I do. They call them Plasmabots.

Here is a link...

So She's Burning a Candle, eh?

For you Trivia Buffs. Found on the web.

Enjoy...

How to Interpret Hoodoo and Santo Candles

The candle explodes.....
There are two different ways to interpret this. If it is a protection or reversing candle it means that the candle protected something from attacking you and/or a lot of negative energy has been directed towards you. If the candle is being used to dominate or cause conflict to someone, it means that the person is being protected spiritually. If this is the case ,you are to light another candle of the same type to break their protection to allow the spell to work correctly.

Candle does not burn.....
If the candle is a prosperity or protection candle, this means that other type of spiritual cleansing must be done before the beginning of this spell to remove the negativity of the environment before proceeding. If the candle is being used for domination of to inflict harm then another type of spell must be used.

The candle has a high flame.....
The spell is going to be effective and work fast. If for prosperity or protection,the environment is clear of negativity. If for domination and harm, you will most likely see quick results as they do not have spiritual protection.

The candle has a low flame.....
In regards to prosperity & luck,cleanse your environment. In regards to domination and harm, they are resisting due to a strong spirit and it will be awhile before you see results. It is suggested that you try another spell in combination with the present one to see faster results.

The candle burns the glass totally black.....
If after the candle burns down the entire glass is black, it is thought to mean that negativity or witchcraft has been directed towards you. Cleansing your environment and lighting a reversing candle should do the trick. If this happens when burning a candle to dominate or harm someone they suggest stopping because it may possibly turned back on you.

The candle burns the top half of the glass black.....
If only the top part of the glass burns black this means that the spell was initially met with negativity before it began to work.

The candle burns the bottom half of the glass back.....
If it is a candle for prosperity or luck,negativity was sent your way and the candle detected it. If used to dominate or harm, the spirit of the person was alerted and reversed the spell.

The candle burns only on one side.....
This means that the spell will only be part way effective. This means that the wrong candle or candle dressing was used.

The glass cracks.....
If being used for self-protection,this means that the candle broke the negativity in the enviroment. This can also mean witchcraft or the presence of secret enemies. If being used to dominate ,it means the protection of the individual was broken.

The candle flame crackles.....
If for self-protection it means that someone is talking about you and has bad intentions directed towards you. If being used to harm, it means the individual is thinking about you.

If the candle has more than one flame.....
The center or main flame represents you. If being used for protection each one other than the center one represents an enemy. If being used to dominate, it means that the person is being helped by other people.

The candle flickers.....
When a candle flame flickers,this signifies the presence of spirits.

The entire top of the candle including the wick is on fire.....
This means that the spell is being fought off by guardian spirits but more than likely,the spell will be successful.

The candle flame goes out during the spell.....
If the spell is for protection this means that while the job was being performed, witchcraft was directed your way and your spirits were unable to fight it off. If directed towards another ,their spirits were able to fight the attack off & have alarmed the individual. Another type of spell must be performed.

Can a candle be extinguished & then lit again later?
Only a candle being used to bring prosperity or success to an individual may be extinguished before it has completely burned. If being used to dominate or harm someone,the candle flame must never be put out or the spell will not work. The guardian spirits of the other individual will then have time to prepare and reverse it back on to you.

How do you put a candle flame out?
Placing a plate over the flame thus allowing the flame to extinguish itself naturally or use a candle snuffer.

What if a candle is extinguished and then relights itself?
This means that your guardian spirits do not want you to turn the candle off because they are detecting something good or bad for you. If the candle is turned off they cannot assist you effectively.

What if a 7 day candle burn out before seven days?
This means that the spell is working fast and another candle must be lit immediately. Money is coming in regards to prosperity spells,a lot of negativity in regards to reversing spells and in spells of harm, that the individuals spirit is fighting it off but it will soon be successful.

What will make a candle spell work more effectively?
Using the appropriate incense,oils, herbal bath, salts,powders etc....

God is on Trial in Philadelphia

He is apparently on trial for fleeing the scene of an accident, or something like it. And he seems to have been found guilty.

Read on at CityPaper.net

The Headless Skeleton of Swamptown

I find this story interesting. It is from a very old book, long out of print called Myths and Legends of Our Own Land, printed in it's 8th edition in 1898...

The boggy portion of North Kingston, Rhode Island, known as Swamptown, is of queer repute in its neighborhood, for Hell Hollow, Pork Hill, Indian Corner, and Kettle Hole have their stories of Indian crimes and witch-meetings. Here the headless figure of a negro boy was seen by a belated traveller on a path that leads over the hills. It was a dark night and the figure was revealed in a blaze of blue light. It swayed to and fro for a time, then rose from the ground with a lurch and shot into space, leaving a trail of illumination behind it. Here, too, is Goose-Nest Spring, where the witches dance at night. It dries up every winter and flows through the summer, gushing forth on the same day of every year, except once, when a goose took possession of the empty bed and hatched her brood there. That time the water did not flow until she got away with her progeny.

But the most grewsome story of the place is that of the Indian whose skull was found by a roadmender. This unsuspecting person took it home, and, as the women would not allow him to carry it into the house, he hung it on a pole outside. Just as the people were starting for bed, there came a rattling at the door, and, looking out of the windows, they saw a skeleton stalking around in quick and angry strides, like those of a person looking for something. But how could that be when the skeleton had neither eyes nor a place to carry them? It thrashed its bony arms impatiently and its ribs rattled like a xylophone. The spectators were transfixed with fear, all except the culprit, who said, through the window, in a matter-of-fact way, "I left your head on the pole at the back door." The skeleton started in that direction, seized the skull, clapped it into the place where a head should have grown on its own shoulders, and, after shaking its fists in a threatening way at the house, disappeared in the darkness. It is said that he acts as a kind of guard in the neighborhood, to see that none of the other Indians buried there shall be disturbed, as he was. His principal lounging place is Indian Corner, where there is a rock from which blood flows when the moon shines—a memento, doubtless, of some tragedy that occurred there in times before the white men knew the place. There is iron in the soil, and visitors say that the red color is due to that, and that the spring would flow just as freely on dark nights as on bright ones, if any were there to see it, but the natives, who have given some thought to these matters, know better.

I Find This Somewhat Interesting...

A seven year old boy stowed away on a train, riding 52 miles on the coupling between the railcars. Meanwhile, his parents and police were conducting a manhunt for the missing child. It seems he really, really, liked trains and decided to ride one.

It also seems before he liked trains, he really, really, liked TORNADOS!

WTF?

I am glad he didn't decide to hitch a ride on one of them.

Here is the link to the news story...

The Tadpoles Still Fall...

It seems the strange rain of tadpoles in Japan is still making the news. The latest being in Hiroshima prefecture on June 15th.

See more HERE.

As if a rain of tadpoles is not strange enough, it seems a mummified snake may have also fallen during this veritable deluge of creepy crawlies.

Mysterious Tadpole Rain in Japan

On June 4th at 4:30 pm, residents of Nanao, Japan, went outside to discover small tadpoles had fallen with the rain. It happened again on June 6th in Hakusan, leaving residents baffled. A strange sound was reported in both cases prior to the fall of the tadpoles.

As a side note, another freak rain was recorded, this one occuring on June 9th. It dropped a load of small Crucian Carp in Nakanoto.

Pics are available here.

Are Quantum Particles Conscious?

In the "Good Old Days", it was supposed that everything in this world was explainable by science and good old Newtonian Physics. Niels Bohr came along in the early 1900's and turned this view upside down with the creation of Quantum Physics.

The physics itself is not the issue. The issue arises from the observations made in the course of experimentation. It seems that once we progress down in scale to a sub-atomic level, "particles" start doing some strange things. They do strange things like perform random movements and jumps in sequence, sometimes at a vast distance scale. They also seem to change their behaviour when we observe them, usually performing whatever is expected of the observation. In short, they behave like they are aware of our thought patterns.

This is not "Hokey" as a great many physicists have devoted their careers to figuring this out. As yet, none have been sucessful. This is the core mystery of Quantum Physics, and why it is so Earth shattering to old school science. It threatens to up-end the very view of our world that is accepted by science and religion. The main implication being that the Universe is alive, and we are it. Having this being proven by science is akin to finding God.

You can read an interesting article about it here.