To wrap up the month of September we have a special guest episode where we interview Stephanie Craig on one of her favorite legends, The Gates of Hell in Stull, Kansas. Stephanie is a fellow podcaster, traveler and history fanatic so be sure to check out her website www.historyfangirl.com.
Stull is the very definition of a small town with just a few inhabitants and a small number of buildings within the city limits. However the lore that is interwoven into the history of Stull reaches far and wide, as it is said to contain one of the Gates of Hell. Its believed that on Halloween and the Spring Solstice the Devil comes to Earth through this gate to summon the spirits of those who died in violent ways. While some of the legends might be thought to be far-fetched, there are numerous rumors of strange encounters that have occurred on the cemetery property in Stull, including the demolishing of the church in a most mysterious manner.
Albert Fish is one of the most horrific serial killers of all time. Despite an alleged lower kill-count than other notorious killers, the brutality of his crimes takes him to an all new level. He is most famous for his quote: “I like children, they are tasty”. However as a boy, Fish was set up for failure. With a family history of psychiatric illness, significant childhood trauma and even physical trauma to his central nervous system, he would go on to develop a sadomasochistic desire for pain. His numerous paraphilias developed over the years along with his bizarre religious delusions. This could be the darkest episode we have ever done at Strange Matters Podcast.
Massive tax debt, divorce, the death of your brother, the collapse of your business… its enough to drive anyone mad. Ben McDaniel experienced all these things yet teetered on the edge of his sanity. To regroup he took a long sabbatical at his parents vacation home in Florida. During this period of recovery he rediscovered his lost passion of SCUBA diving. At Vortex Springs he began to log many hours of diving in order to gain an advanced certification. Vortex Springs had a checkered history. In the 90s, it has claimed the lives of many divers who thought themselves skilled enough to explore the deepest depths of the underwater cave. In order to prevent more deaths a gate was put up and a sign was posted at the entrance to ward off individuals who thought to highly of their own capabilities. McDaniel was one of those individuals. On August 18th he dove down into the abyss and never resurfaced. Most people immediately assumed he was simply another life to be claimed by the underwater cave but others suspect a variety of theories including murder and that maybe he even could have framed his own death to escape the burden of his previous life.
Around the same time that reports of the Mothman were surfacing, another mysterious creature had been sighted nearby. Encounters with a strange creature now known as Indrid Cold, a humanoid creature with strange features including an unusually large, frozen grin, were spreading around the area. While sightings were not as prevalent as with the Mothman, they were no less unsettling. Sometimes Cold would simply stare at passers-by, other times he would give chase and even engage in conversation. Just about everyone reports feeling at best, uncomfortable, at worst horrified for their life. However it is unclear at this time whether or not Cold actually possessed any nefarious intent or whether he was simply observing humankind. Furthermore no one truly understands Cold’s purpose for visiting our planet or whether or not this was even an alien in the first place. While some witnesses claim that Cold revealed all to them and even took them to their home planet, other simply report being terrified. Could this mysterious “Grinning Man” be an alien from another planet or even a government “Man in Black”? Is he a single entity or a community or species? Or was Point Pleasant West Virginia simply a hot spot for paranormal activity at time?
“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! Wait what is that really? Oh no it’s following us, run for your lives!” This is probably what a young couple was thinking in Point Pleasant, West Virginia back in the sixties when they first encountered what is now well-known around the world as the legendary Mothman. There were practically no reports of similar creatures until 1966, when suddenly there were dozens of sightings of this horrific, flying abomination. Residents of this small town were so petrified they actually held a town hall meeting so that citizens could publicly express their concerns and share tales of their encounters. Since then similar sightings have been reported all over the world; all to often the sightings precede some sort of cataclysmic event, leading some to think that it is an omen of bad things to come. While it is not one of the most popular cryptids of our time, it certainly produces arguably more convincing evidence then others of its kind. Explanations for these sightings range from large cranes or owls all the way to angels, genetic hybrids and flying military machines, however we must accept that mankind may never know the true identity of the Mothman.
In this episode we discuss some of the most convincing, interesting and disturbing reports of real-life zombies. The first story is about a Haitian man named Clairvius Narcisse. At the age of 40, Narcisse died under mysterious circumstances and was buried. 18 years later and much to his sister’s horror, he reappeared and greeted her in a marketplace. Most people believe he was cursed by a witch doctor who used tetrodotoxin to make him appear dead. Once buried, the witch doctor (known as a “bokor”) revived and enslaved Narcisse on his plantation. While far-fetched, this story is likely plausible as there exists a strong cultural belief in zombies in the Haitian culture. This in conjunction with the toxins he was exposed to could possible have created a placebo effect convincing Narcisse that he was a real-life zombie.
Rudy Eugene, also known as the Miami Cannibal is known for pouncing on an innocent, homeless man and gnawing 75% of his face off. Initially thought to be under the influence of some recreational hallucinogens, Eugene was shot and died at the scene of the crime. Later toxicology reports showed only trace amounts of marijuana in his body. This has gone down as one of the most disturbing and violent scenes in Miami as many witnesses report. But if not drugs, what could have caused Eugene to commit this horrific crime?
