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Jennifer Jones

Jennifer Jones is a historian and author passionate about uncovering the hidden lives behind haunted histories. With a talent for blending meticulous research with captivating storytelling, she brings the spirits of the past to life in her work, offering readers ghostly tales grounded in real people and events.

Haunted AmericaParanormal Exploration

3 Haunted Holiday Destinations to Chill You This Winter

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

The holiday season might be about joy and cheer, but for those of us who love a spine-tingling adventure, it’s the perfect time to explore haunted destinations. If you’re craving some ghostly encounters between your carols and cocoa, these three spots are must-visits this winter:

The Stanley Hotel – Estes Park, Colorado

Famous for being the inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining (one of my favorite movies), this hotel is a winter wonderland with a ghostly twist. Nestled in the snowy Rockies, the Stanley is said to host the spirits of its original owners, Freelan and Flora Stanley. Guests have reported heaing eerie piano music, phantom children laughing in the hallways, and even ghostly visitors tucking them into bed.

Salem, Massachusetts

This historic town might be best known for its witch trials, but Salem doesn’t pack up its paranormal vibes after Halloween. During the holidays, Salem’s snowy streets and festive lights add a magical backdrop to its haunted landmarks, like the Witch House and Old Burying Point Cemetery. Don’t miss the ghost tours, which run year-round!

Whaley House – San Diego, California

Even warm-weather destinations have their share of holiday hauntings. Dubbed “America’s Most Haunted House,” the Whaley House offers chilling tales of spectral figures and phantom footsteps. It’s decorated for the season in Victorian holiday style – perfect for mixing a little history with your hauntings.

Ready to trade traditional holiday plans for a ghostly getaway? Let these destinations fill your season with the perfect mix of chills and cheer. Download our free itineraries today and start planning your spooky getaway.

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Haunted AmericaHaunted Mansions

Explore the Supernatural: The Haunted Mark Twain House

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

Nestled in Hartford, Connecticut, the Mark Twain House stands as both a monument to literary genius and an enigmatic symbol of the supernatural. This Haunted Mark Twain House, built in 1874, is a 25-room Gothic-style mansion that brims with character, with each room seeming to echo tales from the past. Decorated by Louis C. Tiffany & Co., its walls and ceilings are adorned with intricate, haunting beauty, perhaps as mysterious as the stories that have emerged over the years. Twain himself was known for his fascination with ghost stories, a passion he shared freely. He once wrote a heart-wrenching letter to a minister, saying:

“Our house… is become a cemetery. But not in a repellent sense. Our dead are welcome there… we shall have them with us always and there will be no parting.”

This poignant sentiment captures the deep connection Twain felt to those who passed within the house’s walls. Clemens was so fascinated with the paranormal that he joined the Society for Psychical Research in England. While he said he didn’t believe a word of it, he was known to have read their journals “cover to cover.”

Spirits of the Twain Family

By The Writings of Mark Twain, Volume 37 By Mark Twain | Public Domain

The spirit of Twain’s eldest daughter, Olivia Susan Clemens—affectionately known as Susy—seems to linger here. Known for her brilliance, wit, and sensitivity, Susy met a tragic end in 1896 when she succumbed to spinal meningitis in the very home she cherished. As she was cared for in her parents’ mahogany bed by the family maid, she gradually lost her sight before finally lapsing into a coma. Today, visitors and staff believe they occasionally encounter Susy’s spirit. A spectral woman in a white Victorian dress has been seen gliding through the rooms, a silent echo of the once-vibrant young woman.

Susy is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira, New. York, surrounded by her family.

George Griffin: Guardian Spirit of the Twain House

Another key figure in the house’s history, George Griffin, was more than a servant—he was family. A former enslaved person, George became a fixture in the Clemens household, overseeing the massive 11,500-square-foot home and even sharing lighthearted bets with Twain over late-night billiard games. Known for his loyalty and good-natured personality, George’s spirit is said to have remained in the house after his death in 1897. Sightings of a Black man standing silently behind tour guides on the third floor have led many to believe George has chosen to stay near the family he served so devotedly.

Mark Twain scholar unveils only known photograph of Twain butler George Griffin

He is thought to have been the inspiration for the character Jim in Huckleberry Finn. Clemens once described George as: “…handsome, well built, shrewd, wise, polite, always good-natured, cheerful to gaiety, honest, religious, a cautious truth-speaker, devoted friend to the family, champion of its interests…. He was the peace-maker in the kitchen—in fact the peace-keeper, for by his good sense & right spirit & mollifying tongue he adjusted disputes in that quarter before they reached the quarrel-point.”

Paranormal Hot Spots and Ghostly Tales

The Mark Twain House has been the subject of numerous paranormal investigations, including by the famed Ed and Lorraine Warren and TAPS, who have made multiple visits. The documented activity spans from the mundane to the downright chilling. Key areas that witness regular activity include:

  • Susy’s Room: A soft childlike giggle or the feeling of a gentle tug on clothing can make even the bravest feel a chill.
  • The Library: Women report feeling playful tugs on their jewelry and bracelets slipping off unexpectedly, a phenomenon documented after TAPS’ investigation.
  • The Master Bedroom and Nursery: Here, people hear mysterious noises—loud bangs that echo without any clear source.
  • The Billiard Room: Twain’s beloved cigar smoke sometimes drifts through the air, a smell vividly present despite no obvious origin. Footsteps, laughter, and whispered conversations emerge, as if Twain’s social circle of the past has returned for a quiet evening together.

In 1967, a security guard in the basement reported seeing a silver tray launch across the room, an incident still discussed today. Shadows and strange sounds fill the basement, as if George Griffin or a former maid were still tending to their duties. The unexplained knocking, sudden fire alarms without smoke, and the spectral sight of a woman in period dress make each visit an unforgettable experience.

The Twain House Over the Years

After the Clemens family sold the home in 1903, it passed through various owners and transformations, even becoming apartments and a branch of the Hartford Public Library. But as much as the house adapted to the changing world, the spirits of its past seem to remain anchored.

Each room, from the grand library where Twain’s books line the shelves to the silent bedrooms, holds a piece of history—a history that refuses to be forgotten. The Mark Twain House is a place where stories are etched into every corner, and visitors might just find themselves becoming part of the tale.

For those who dare to explore, remember that you’re not alone in the halls of the Mark Twain House. The past lives on, and if you listen closely, you might hear Twain himself spinning another ghostly tale.

Sources:

The Mark Twain House & Museum – Overview of the house’s history, architecture, and connections to the Twain family.

Journal Inquirer – An article detailing paranormal reports and historical significance of the Mark Twain House.

Love to Know Paranormal – Interviews and accounts of paranormal experiences from staff and visitors.

Connecticut Magazine – Coverage of ghost tours and reported hauntings, including sightings of Susy Clemens and George Griffin.

The Hartford Courant – Historical clippings documenting the home’s transition over the years, from private residence to apartment and museum.

  • Notable Clippings: Hartford Courant, Dec 23, 1919, Pg 6; May 24, 1923, Pg 14; Mar 12, 1967, Pg 116

Star-Gazette (Elmira, NY) – Articles and obituaries concerning the Clemens family, notably Susy Clemens’ passing.

  • Notable Clipping: Star-Gazette, Aug 24, 1896

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Haunted America

Ghost in the Attic – Davis-Horton House Museum

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

And not just any type of ghost, specifically the Davis-Horton House Museum, is said to be home to the ghost of a German spy. There are other ghosts here at the oldest remaining building in downtown San Diego, including a ghost cat! But before we get to the ghosts, let me give you just a tiny bit of the home’s history and tell you how you can help ensure this museum survives.

Located in the San Diego historic Gaslamp District, the Davis-Horton house got its beginnings in Portland, Maine, and was shipped all the way around Cape Horn to be pieced back together in San Diego in 1850. Since its first location near Pantjoa Park at State and Market St, the house was moved two more times in its 171-year history, landing in its current location in 1984.

After the house was donated to the city in 1977, a massive restoration took place which included adding electricity to the house for the first time in its history. The rooms have been restored to show how the house appeared during various times including when it served as pre-civil war military barracks, the county hospital from 1873-1881, and a private family home. With all of the history contained in this small house, it’s not very surprising that it also has a haunted reputation.

Matt and I recently had a chance to visit this museum, and other than the docent, we were lucky enough to be the only people in the house. While small, the museum is well done, and certain areas definitely had a slightly creepy vibe.

But as we all know, an old house doesn’t automatically = haunted, even one that is filled with antique pieces. However, numerous people through the years have reported having strange experiences in the Davis-Horton House, including before the house was used as a museum and before it had electricity.

One of the most common occurrences is flickering lights and lights that turn off and on by themselves. You know, fairly typical haunted house activity. What makes this house even more interesting is that one of the house owners, prior to it being gifted to the city, said that even when gas lamps lit the house, they often had a mind of their own. Current staff at the museum report turning the lights off at night only to find one or more is on the following morning.

One of the docents told me that recently she had an interesting experience with the light in the upstairs office. She said that shortly after her husband dropped her off to open the museum for the morning, she heard a noise from upstairs as if someone else was inside. Worried that someone had broken in, she ran out to get her husband before he left and asked him to come and make sure no one else was there.

Her husband checked the upstairs and the attic and left after assuring the docent that there was no other living person in the house. As she went from room to room, turning the lights on for the day, she found that the desk lamp in the upstairs office was turned on. This is just an example of some of the odd occurrences experienced by those who work here.

Visitors have often told the museum staff that they saw a cat in one of the rooms and it ran out and simply disappeared. Others have reported hearing a cat meowing and being unable to find where the sound is coming from, a cat’s meow has also been captured on EVP. Staff will often come in to find small objects that were sitting on tables, now lying on the floor as if knocked off by a cat.

For a period of its life, beginning in 1873, the house was used as a “county hospital”, run by a woman named Anna Scheper. She was paid $1 per day per patient. This is reflected with one of the rooms being set up as it would have looked during that time. By the end of 1873 alone, three patients had died in the house. A small chest containing old medicine bottles is kept on top of a dresser and the chest is always left open so visitors can see the contents. Museum staff often report coming in to find the chest closed and the bottles and various items are not in the same place as they are usually kept.

While most of the activity involves things being moved and the lights being turned on or off there have also been a few sightings of full bodied apparitions. This ghost is said to be a woman dressed in Victorian era clothing, and has been seen at the top of the stairs near where the children’s room is today. Interestingly enough, the ghost is almost always seen only from the waist down.

Unfortunately, while the ghost in the attic seems to be the most mentioned, the activity attributed to him is difficult to pin down. One site referred to the apparition of a man wearing a WWII uniform that has been seen in the house, but that doesn’t match the history of the alleged spy in question. The reported spy was a German man named Karl Offer. Karl arrived in the United States in 1915 and listed his occupation as a fine jewelry importer. On July 12th, 1917, he was arrested as an alien enemy upon orders of Attorney General Gregory in Washington, D.C. It is said that the owners of the home at the time, German immigrants Herman and Lena Lohman allowed Offer to use their attic as a lookout to track the American Pacific Fleet in San Diego Bay. By August, Offer was transferred to Fort Douglas in Salt Lake City and it appears held until the end of the war. It’s unclear what information was used against him, but by 1928 he was granted citizenship in the United States.

If you won’t be in San Diego anytime soon, you can book a Virtual Ghost Tour here, they also have a non-paranormal option available. And, if like me you appreciate old buildings with haunted history considering donating a few bucks to help this museum stay open.

Sources:

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Haunted America

The Haunting of Express Car No. 5: A Historical Account

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

On January 26, 1882, a small article hit the third page of the Reno Gazette-Journal entitled “A Haunted Car.” The article stated that the Wells, Fargo & Co’s messengers have detailed encounters they’ve had with the haunted express car. The car in question was Express Car No. 5 and during this time its typical route was between San Francisco and Ogden. An express car was a guarded car that was used to transport gold, silver, and other valuable items. Well-armed express messengers traveled in the car, something similar to the armored trucks of today.

According to the article, this particular car had been causing problems of the paranormal nature for a number of years. It had become so well known amongst the Wells, Fargo & Co’s messengers and other staff that the company sent it to Sacramento for a complete renovation in December of 1881. The messengers believed that this would “kill the ghost and return the car to the rail free from all demoralizing influence.” Unfortunately for them, that was not the case.

On January 24th, 1882, the car in question left San Francisco and the poor messenger assigned to the car had the experience of his life. He told the paper that the “ghost came in and tumbled the boxes of freight about, tolled bells, and made sweet music, and called the messenger by name.” Wait, what? What was happening in this car?! According to the unnamed messenger, the car’s previous trip before being sent to Sacramento was even worse. The messenger during that run reported hearing strange noises on the roof of the car. Thinking that he was in the process of being robbed he waited for the robbers to try and enter the car. When that didn’t happen and the noises on the roof ceased, he opened the door and looked around but saw nothing and everything was quiet. Here’s where things get extra weird. He closed the door and while walking back to the mail table “down came a box of cooked shrimps and a band-box.” Just imagine the smell of a box of cooked shrimps in an unrefrigerated car back in 1881. Yuck. The freight was tossed around and then everything went quiet.

Whoever wrote the article goes on to claim that on another occasion prior to the renovation the express car had a corpse in transit. The messenger stated that he saw the head and trunk of the man’s body rise up from the casket, take a look around, call the messenger by name, and then vanish. If I had to guess I would say that this was some exaggeration from the reporter or the person who relayed that experience had eaten a few too many of those cooked shrimps. So, what is the cause of the haunting, you ask? The article stated that the car was part of a train that was in an accident several years prior near Truckee, California in which Conductor Marshall and an express messenger were killed. It was this event that started the frequent paranormal experiences of all of those unlucky enough to be assigned to car No. 5. I wanted to see if I could track down any information about this train wreck that led to the haunting of the car and sure enough, I was able to verify that the wreck mentioned did happen, and the people involved were real.

Around October 20th, 1872 on the Central Pacific Railroad an east-bound train was heading for Reno when trouble struck about 3 to 4 miles east of Truckee. The cars somehow became detached from the engine and despite efforts to avoid a crash eventually caught up to and collided with the engine. The post office, express, and baggage cars were thrown from the track killing Conductor Marshall who was caught between the two sleeping cars while trying to put on the brakes. He was nearly cut in two. The Express Agent, John Hawks, Express Messenger, Van Wormer, and Postal Agent, Joseph Taylor were all killed in the accident.

The Haunted Car article of 1882 would not be the last we would hear about the infamous car No. 5, however. On March 7th, 1882, noted Wells, Fargo & Co’s Express Messenger Aaron Y. Ross reportedly took a shot at what he thought was a person standing inside of car No. 5. Ross, who would go on to become famous for single-handedly warding off a robbery of the car in January of 1883 was said to be a level-headed, non-drinker. He was 6’3”, weighed over 200 lbs, and had a “commanding presence.” (Ross would eventually retire from Wells Fargo at the age of 87 and died in Ogden in 1922 at the age of 93.)

Back to the story, because we’re not done with this express car yet. In January 1885 it was reported that Ross demanded a new car. He said that one evening he was working alone in the car and went to sleep around 10 pm. At midnight he was awoken by a noise that sounded like a box falling and being crushed. He got up and looked around, nothing seemed to be out of place, and figuring he must have dreamt it, he went back to sleep. The next time he was on the same route he again was woken up by the sound of a box falling and being crushed. This time, however, when he laid back down he heard the noise again. He said it would happen every night he was working this route and he eventually got used to it and would simply ignore the strange noises.

One night, however, the noise was unusually loud, and he sat straight up in his bed. As he looked around he saw the “shadowy figure of a man standing at his desk, pen in hand.” He couldn’t figure out how the man got in and when he grabbed his rifle the figure disappeared.

There weren’t any further mentions of car No. 5 until 1893. The car was now being used on the mail route between Los Angeles and El Paso. According to the article, there was a macabre death of a “tramp” who was riding underneath Central Pacific Car No. 5062 when it stopped at a water tank. The man was thrown from his seat, horribly mangled and killed. On the next trip when the train neared the spot where the accident occurred a “peculiar moaning was heard” and would continue until the site was some distance behind the train. Messengers would claim this would happen on every trip. It seems the unusual life of car No. 5 would come to an end near Lordsburg, New Mexico on December 10th, 1893 in a wreck.

Sources:

  • The Daily Bee, 14 Oct 1872
  • The Mail, 7 Mar 1882
  • The Mail, 19 Jan 1885
  • Los Angeles Herald, 19 Dec 1893
  • Arizona Daily Star, 10 Dec 1893

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True Crime

The Gruesome Discovery: Body in a Box in Otterbein, Indiana

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

October 8th, 1976, had started like any other normal day for the Skoog family who lives near the small town of Otterbein, Indiana. The Skoogs were a farming family, and Norman Skoog had acres of corn ready to be harvested. While his 16-year-old son, Curtis, was busy mowing the grass, Norman had his combine out in the cornfields. Around 5:30 pm, he saw a cardboard box lying squarely in the rows of corn, about nine rows deep into the field. At first, he figured one of his kids had left it there and paid little attention to it. But as it was now in his way, his interest was piqued when he realized the box was too heavy for him to lift. He returned to his house and asked his father-in-law for some help in lifting the box onto the bed of his truck.

When they got it back to the house, they noticed a strange odor wafting from the box, the sickly sweet scent of cheap woman’s perfume. It was as if the box had been drenched in the perfume. Police described the box as one that was typically used by moving or storage companies. It was approximately 3’x2’x1′ with “wardrobe bottom” stamped at one end and written on another part of the box was “hall closet.” The box was sealed shut with what was described as gray furnace tape and tied with a clothesline. Curious as to what was inside, Norman cut a piece of the tape and opened up a small corner of the box. All he could see was an almost empty perfume bottle and something wrapped in heavy plastic. He told Curtis to put the bottle back in the box, and realizing that something was not right, Norman Skoog alerted the sheriff’s office.

When the authorities arrived and opened the box, they were confronted with an object wrapped in layers of heavy plastic—the type of plastic used to preserve carpeting in heavily-trafficked areas. The plastic was kept in place by what appeared to be masking tape. Upon unwrapping the plastic, it quickly became clear that the killer had used perfume to try and mask the unmistakable smell of decomposition. As they unwrapped the gruesome package, they found a woman’s body, placed in the fetal position and bound by more rope. The woman wore light green pants with a matching light green and tan knit shirt. The clothing was in relatively good condition with no rips or worn areas and surprisingly few stains, considering the pathologist would later determine the woman had been dead for approximately 7 to 10 days. She was not wearing shoes and had no jewelry on her body.

The killer wrapped the woman’s head in paper towels, a “smaller than average white cloth towel,” and two small light-colored trashcan liners. She wore no makeup, her nails were trimmed and neatly kept, and it was noted she had callouses on her hands. She appeared to be in her late 50s or early 60s with light brown or brownish-gray hair and brown eyes. Although there was very little for the police to go off of in the hopes of making an identification, the woman’s body did offer a couple of specific clues. She had recently undergone a mastectomy on her right side. She had dental work done but needed a considerable amount of more work, and she had a vertical scar on her torso that extended from her sternum to her stomach. She was fingerprinted, and the prints were sent to the FBI lab but produced no matches. Whoever this woman was, she had never been arrested, served in the military, held a position in the civil service, or immigrated to the U.S. The cause of death was determined to be a single gunshot wound to the back of the head.

Another sad fact would soon become clear to investigators; no one was apparently missing this woman.

Investigators surely expected someone to come forward looking for their missing mother, sister, wife, or aunt. They got a couple of calls from the surrounding area, but the woman in the box didn’t match the description given. The newspapers published a sketch of the woman’s face taken from police photos hoping it would cause someone to recognize her and come forward but to no avail. Police believed that perhaps she was a cleaning lady due to the callouses on her hands. The theory was that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time or walked into a situation she was not supposed to be aware of. Perhaps there was even Mafia involvement.

Journal and Courier Lafayette, Indiana Sunday, October 2, 1977

Investigators turned their focus to the box that contained the woman’s body. Manufactured by a company based in Melrose, Illinois, and distributed to moving and storage companies in parts of Indiana (Gary & Hammond), the Chicago area, southern Michigan, and parts of Wisconsin. Not exactly a small area of distribution. Police, however, believed the woman was most likely from Chicago. This wasn’t the type of crime to happen in this rural section of Benton County, Indiana.

They next focused on just how the box ended up in the “back 40” of Norman Skoog’s farm. The Skoog farm was not close to any major roads. Located six miles north of U.S. 52, this area of Benton County was only reached by a series of twists and turns down small rural roads.

Red circle indicates approximate area of the Skoog Farm

Norman didn’t believe that someone could have gotten the box nine rows into the cornfield without him noticing broken stalks. Additionally, police were certain the box had been left in the cornfield within hours of Norman finding it. When found, the box was dry although the area had seen rain the evening before. After talking to people who lived near the Skoog farm they concluded that no one saw or heard a car in the area, but they did report hearing and seeing something unusual.

Three different witnesses reported hearing and seeing a helicopter in the area of the Skoog farm the morning the box was found. Not only was seeing a helicopter highly unusual for the area, but this was also a costly type of helicopter: a white and gold Bell JetRanger.

1976 Bell JetRanger

In 1976 the average cost of a JetRanger was $160,000, which is equivalent to approximately $760,000 today. Not exactly a common thing to see in the rural farmland of Benton County, Indiana. Police at the time said that a helicopter of that type would’ve been limited to major corporations or the very wealthy. According to the witnesses, the helicopter approached from the northeast, swung towards the southwest, and lowered, hovering over the Skoog crops, lifted back up, heading west, quickly disappearing into the northwest.

On October 9th, 1976, the Unknown Woman was given a pauper’s burial in Fowler Cemetery. With no headstone marking her grave, the woman’s body would lie there, mostly forgotten for the next 43 years. With all leads exhausted and no new information coming in, her murder case was about as cold as one could get.

Journal and Courier Lafayette, Indiana Sunday, October 2, 1977

At the end of June 2019, the Benton County Coroner received a search warrant and order to exhume the Unknown Woman’s body. A team from the Human Identification Center at the University of Indianapolis carefully excavated the grave, finding the simple wooden coffin had almost entirely disintegrated. Still, her remains were quickly found inside a body bag. After first being taken to the Tippecanoe County morgue, her body was then brought to the University of Indiana, where the investigation would begin. Unfortunately, this was not a high-profile case, and it appears that any new information they might have gleaned from the research has not been made public as of yet.

What is known for sure is that it took more than one person to leave her body at that location. Whether it was transported by car or helicopter, it was too heavy for one person to lift on their own. I fully believe there are those still out there that have the answers to this mystery. Let’s hope that, at the least, the mystery of who this woman was is solved, and she can be buried under her proper name. And maybe, with increased awareness and technology, police will be able to determine who was responsible for her murder.

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Haunted America

Ghost Cats and Where to Find Them

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

One of my favorite types of hauntings doesn’t involve the ghosts of people, but cats. I keep a running list of locations said to have ghost cat hauntings.

Do you know of a location haunted by a ghost cat? If so, send me a message and I’ll add it to the list!

Last Updated: 10/11/24

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HistoryStrange & Unusual

Mary Reeser and the Phenomenon of Spontaneous Human Combustion

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

As a weird kid growing up in the 80s, I have to say that Unsolved Mysteries gave me completely unrealistic expectations about the frequency of cases of amnesia and spontaneous human combustion. All kidding aside, if you were into the strange and unusual back then, one of the things that you would always see in some weird book was the burned remains of a person with only the bottom portion of the leg still recognizable. There were two pictures that were the most popular, Dr. John Irving Bentley, and Helen Conway.

Both Dr. Bentley and Helen Conway died in the 1960s. But prior to their unusual deaths, a woman named Mary Hardy Reeser died under similar circumstances in July 1951. The difference between her death and theirs from a researcher’s perspective is that it was covered much more in-depth in the papers.

Who Was Mary Reeser?

Mary Hardy Reeser was a 67-year-old widow who had moved to St. Petersburg, Florida from Columbia Pennsylvania, following the death of her husband a few years prior. Her son, like his father had been, was a prominent physician in the area. Mary lived in a fairly new, furnished apartment located at 1200 Cherry Street NE in the “exclusive” Northeast section of St. Petersburg. She was in Apartment #1 which is the left corner apartment in the picture below. It was described as thoroughly modern. Each apartment had a living room, “electric” kitchen, twin-bed bedroom, tiled bath, and a garage.

Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida) · 3 Sep 1950, Sun · Page 41

Although the Allamanda Apartment building had five apartments and one hotel room, Mary and her landlord, Pansy M. Carpenter, were the only two living in the building.

A Telegram Arrives

Around 5 a.m. on Monday, July 2nd, Pansy was woken up by the sound of a dull thud. She told investigators that it sounded like a door closing. She got up, looked around outside but saw nothing unusual and made her way back to bed. As she got to her apartment she thought she smelled smoke and went into her garage to turn off an electric pump that had been causing her problems. Around 6:00 a.m. she got back up to get the paper and thought that it was strange that Mary was not up and listening to her radio as she normally did in the morning. Pansy said at this time she didn’t see or smell any smoke.

Around 8 a.m. a Western Union boy came with a telegram for Mary and asked Pansy what apartment she was in. Pansy told him she would deliver the telegram as she also had the paper. When she got to Mary’s screen door she felt that it was hot and hollered at the boy to come help her, she said the screen door was unlocked. When the boy didn’t respond she yelled at some painters working across the street, and told them that there was a woman in the apartment. The two men went into the apartment as she went back to her apartment to call the Fire Department and Mary’s son Dr. Reeser.

The first man looked into the apartment from the doorway and could see no one lying on the bed, although the bed looked like someone had slept in it. The second man entered and went through the entire apartment before he saw Mary’s remains on his way back out. He told investigators when he entered the apartment there was very little fire but a lot of smoke. All he could see of Mary’s body was the lower part of one leg and a black slipper. He noticed that the ceiling light was on in the dressing room and he tried to turn it off, but the face plate was melted and he was afraid to touch it. Both men told investigators that the heat was not what they considered to be intense.

When the Fire Department arrived on scene they remarked that the inside of the apartment was filled with smoke and the Assistant Fire Chief entered to open the windows to allow the smoke to escape. The smoldering mass on the floor was put out with a hand pump. He did not see what remained of Mary’s body until he was making his way out of the apartment.

The Investigation

The fire chief was completely stunned by the scene that he found. All of the electrical outlets were working fine, though most were slightly melted. The switch that was nearest to where Mary had been was completely melted and not working. An electric clock in the room had stopped at 4:20, but when it was plugged in at Pansy’s apartment it worked fine. The facts of the case were quickly released to the papers.

  • The corner where Mary’s body was found was hot enough to destroy Mary’s body and most of the chair, but the paint on the wall behind her was not cracked or scorched.
  • The living room rug was burned only underneath where the chair had been.
  • Soot and smoke blackened the upper walls and ceiling of the room, but there was no evidence of smoke near the floor or below table level.
  • Light switches melted and buckled, but outlets a few feet lower on walls were intact and working.
  • Candles on a windowsill near the hot corner had melted, but their wicks remained upright in the holders.
  • A pile of newspapers on a water heater immediately behind the hot corner were not damaged.
  • Bed sheets a few feet away were not burned, smoke damaged, or even dirty.
  • All electricity to the kitchen was off.
  • Wall mounted gas heater was secured and off.

Different theories began to spread about the cause of the fire. One of the more prominent was that Mary had been struck by lightning. Shortly after her death, police received an unsigned letter that was addressed to the “Cheif of Detectiffs” which said “a ball of fire came through the open window and hit her. I seen it happen.” Another theory was that her body must have been soaked in ether and/or alcohol.

Diagram of Mary Reeser’s Apartment

The police contacted the company that manufactured the chair to determine what they used to stuff the chair, and were told that it was stuffed with sterilized cotton batting. A Tampa Tribune reporter checked Mary’s medicine cabinet and only found “standard digestive aids.” Every possible angle was explored and left police and fire investigators baffled.

Mary’s Last Moments

Mary’s remains were fairly quickly released to the funeral home for burial, although the death certificate remained unsigned. Police tried to put together a timeline of Mary’s last moments as best they could. They questioned both her son, Dr. Richard Reeser, Jr, and Mrs. Pansy Carpenter as they were the people who saw her last.

Mary’s day was said to revolve around her son, Dr. Richard Reeser. She was known to get up before 6 a.m. and listen to the radio while washing her clothes or doing other chores around the house. She would normally eat breakfast around 7-8 a.m and then wait for Dr. Reeser to come over for his morning cup of coffee around 10 a.m. She would then leave to do various errands for Dr. Reeser and return usually by 4 p.m. She would take a nap until dinner time which she ate at her son’s house. By 8 p.m. she was normally back in her apartment listening to the radio until it was time for her to go to sleep.

Pansy said that on Sunday, July 1st, Mary came home around 4:30 p.m. and appeared to be upset. Her daughter-in-law came over around 5-5:30 p.m. and stayed for a short visit. Around 8 p.m., Dr. Reeser came over but only stayed for a few minutes. Pansy spoke to Mary briefly either before Dr. Reeser arrived or just after he left. She said that Mary was wearing a rayon nightgown and black satin shoes. She told Pansy she was a little upset and had taken 2 Seconal tablets and would take 2 more a little later. Pansy believed that Mary was upset over a family quarrel, but really she was disappointed about taking a trip to Pennsylvania.

The telegram that would arrive the following day and lead to the discovery of Mary’s remains was from a friend in Pennsylvania letting her know that her trip had been arranged and taken care of.

The FBI Investigation

On July 7th, 1951, the St. Petersburg Police sent 14 pieces of evidence to the FBI laboratory for review. Included in the evidence were glass fragments, six small objects believed to be teeth, metal from near the body, fibers from what they believed was Mary’s nightgown, bone fragments, cotton from the chair, charred wood, charred legs from end table, a piece of the rug, unburned section of rug “heavily soaked with greasy substance”, ashes, shoe, and chair springs.

Interestingly enough, J. Edgar Hoover was directly involved with the investigation into Mary’s death. J.R. Reichert, Chief of Police specifically requested that the FBI provide any information or theories into how a human body could be so destroyed and the fire contained to such a small area with so little damage done to the building and furniture in the room.

On July 31st, 1951, the long awaited FBI report was released. The results were that no accelerants were found, and the greasy substance submitted was body fat. They stated the lack of widespread damage in the apartment was most likely due to the fire smoldering rather than burning. The hot air rose and formed a layer which never came into contact with the items below the 4′ level. The FBI believed that the piece of metal found near the body was most likely the remains of a cigarette lighter. The final result of the report was that Mary most likely accidentally lit herself on fire while smoking a cigarette. Click here to read the full FBI file on Mary Hardy Reeser.

Mary’s death certificate was finally signed following the release of the FBI report. The cause of death was listed as accidental.

The Wick Effect

The wick effect is the most current explanation for cases of spontaneous human combustion (SHC). Basically, after a person has caught fire they are kept burning from their own fat. The clothing on the body acts as the wick, sort of like an inside out candle. Because it is normally a slow burn, nothing else other than items in the immediate area are affected. 1Wick Effect

I have to believe that the FBI got it right and Mary’s death was caused by a combination of sedatives and falling asleep with a lit cigarette. However, I have so many unanswered questions. Can someone be so passed out that they won’t wake up even when they’re on fire? If she did wake up on fire why didn’t Pansy hear her scream? If the thud that Pansy heard around 5am was Mary’s remains hitting the floor, is it possible for practically her entire body to be reduced to ash in a period of only 3-4 hours?

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Forgotten HistoryPosthumous Profiles

The Tragic Explosion at Granger Meeting House

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

On March 7, 1905 a group of little more than 60 people had gathered in the Granger Meeting House for the weekly meeting of the Mutual Improvement Association. The meeting was called to order at 8:00 p.m. sharp and following the opening prayer, a 21-year-old woman named Nellie Mackay walked up to take her place next to the organ and sing for the audience.

As Nellie was singing “You Can Make the Pathway Bright” the lights began to grow dim and flicker. People weren’t too surprised because the meeting house had been having difficulty with their lights for the last several weeks. Just as she finished her song, the lights went out completely, and did not come back on. The crowd of young people began making jokes and lighting matches to try and see in the darkness.

The janitor, Lambert Bowden, followed by some young men headed for the basement to find the cause of the lights going out. As the janitor reached the doorway a puff of white smoke was seen, followed immediately by a huge explosion as he opened the door. The sound of the blast could be heard from miles away. Smoke immediately filled the building, the floor heaved upwards, windows were blown out, and the roof was lifted from the building.

The people inside were thrown about, and as they regained their senses they ran for the exit. The door had been blown free from its hinges. A few people were trampled as they tried to squeeze through the doorway as quickly as possible.

Once people were outside they started to check on their friends. People from across town who heard the explosion had immediately made their way to the church and began helping the injured people. Those who couldn’t make it out of the building on their own were carried out and placed on the lawn in front of the church.

As the smoke cleared and the confusion and horror started to subside the townspeople entered the building to survey the damage. The large iron stove that was used to heat the building was blown to pieces. The walls of the building were slightly twisted and the floor was now uneven. People outside were trying to track down everyone that was known to have been there that night.

They soon realized that no one had seen Nellie since the blast. Someone in the crowd said the last time they saw her she was standing near the organ. Men ran into the building and soon found Nellie’s body, tightly wedged underneath the organ just moments before she had been standing next to. When they first found her they thought she was just unconscious, because she had no visible injuries. Soon however it became clear that Nellie was not breathing.

In the days that followed, throngs of people came by the church to gawk and some even took relics from the building. At the moment the explosion occurred Nellie had just finished singing and Anna Horne was playing the organ. The blast blew Anna out into the room, while, unfortunately for Nellie, the blast shot the organ up into the air and it promptly crushed her as it fell back to the ground.

Out of the people in attendance that night 26 were injured. Nellie was the only fatality. People noticed that Lambert was severely burned. Rumors began that Lambert had lit a match shortly before he opened the basement door. Accusations were made that he was responsible for the explosion. On March 8th, 1905 an inquest was held. Six witnesses were examined and it was determined that no match had been lit.

Authorities would determine that the acetylene lighting plant hadn’t been working correctly for several weeks. Nellie, it turned out, had been standing directly above the gas tank.

Nellie’s funeral was held on March 12th with a large crowd in attendance. She was buried in the Taylorsville Cemetery.

The damaged meeting house was quickly condemned and eventually razed. In 1912 a new meeting house was built which stood on the corner of 3200 West and 3500 South until the 1960s.

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CemeteriesPosthumous Profiles

Killed by a Circus Clown

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

Sounds like everyone’s worst nightmare, right? Unfortunately for a 13-year-old boy living in San Francisco in 1854, it was reality. On the evening of January 10, 1854, there was a “small Spanish theatrical representation on Stockton street.” A boy named William Snyder (or Bernard as the papers refer to him) was peddling candy and peanuts.

For whatever reason, Manuel Reys who was described as being a “mentally defected” circus clown grabbed William by the heels and swung him around several times. By the time he was done, blood was flowing from William’s mouth. He was taken to the hospital where he later died. A coroner’s inquest was held and the cause of death was determined to be a “rupture of the left pulmonary artery.” The cause of death was found to be accidental.

William was buried in the Yerba Buena cemetery the following day on January 11th, 1854. Manuel Reys was arrested for murder and his case was sent to the Grand Jury. It doesn’t appear that anything came of it. However, Reys would later be sent to prison in 1858 on a charge of assault and battery upon a police officer. During his court hearing he “commenced slapping his face as if a swarm of mosquitos were pestering him” and muttering broken sentences under his breath. The charging officer swore that Reys was known to have committed at least two murders previously. I have to wonder if William’s death was included in that number.

Visiting William’s grave is also impossible because the cemetery in which he was buried is now the site of the Asian Art Museum and Public Library. In 1870 some of the bodies were moved to the Golden Gate Cemetery, so he may have been reinterred there but it’s unknown. Also, it was apparently common practice for people to steal body parts from the Yerba Buena cemetery to make soap because many of the bodies were found to have turned into adipocere otherwise known as grave wax.

Sources:

  • Daily Alta California, Volume 10, Number 336, 7 December 1858
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Haunted AmericaUrban Legends

Discovering Whiskey Pete: Ghosts and History in Primm

by Jennifer Jones
written by Jennifer Jones

There’s a legend surrounding Whiskey Pete’s Hotel & Casino in Primm, Nevada that says the place is haunted by old Whiskey Pete himself. Patrons and staff alike have reported the unnerving feeling of being watched. As they look around they spot an elderly man wearing old fashioned western wear who then promptly vanishes before their eyes. The legend says that Pete still haunts his former property because his grave was disturbed during the construction of the resort, and he wants everyone to know that he’s still around keeping an eye on things.

I had heard of this legend before, and honestly, I chalked it all up to be a legend because there are never any details to the reports such as who saw the ghost and when. On top of that, I didn’t realize that Whiskey Pete was even a real person and it all just sounded too much like an urban legend to me. But, as it turns out, Whiskey Pete was a real person and his grave was actually disturbed.

The Beginnings of Whiskey Pete

Long before the hotels that straddle the freeway in Primm, Nevada sat a small service station called the State Line Station, which was run by a cantankerous moonshiner named Pete McIntyre. Most people in the area knew him as Whiskey Pete, and it seems like Pete was the type of guy who took no crap from anyone! Pete was very well known in Las Vegas and there were a few who did not care for him much and felt that he could get away with anything.

Pete is a difficult guy to trace through historical records. He does not show up in the 1900, 1910, or 1920 U.S. Census that I can find. He does show up in the Tulare County jail, however, in January 1918. He was arrested for running a “blind pig” otherwise known as a speakeasy. While he was eventually sentenced to 30 days in jail, he actually served a little over two months because he could not make bail initially. His place of birth listed is Arizona, which differs from where he would list his place of birth in the 1930 Census. The jail records state his occupation was a miner. In 1922 he was again arrested for bootlegging, this time in Nevada, and spent 6 months in jail.

He’s first listed on the 1930 U.S. Census living in Crescent, Nevada, a small mining town near the Nevada California line. He lists his occupation as the proprietor of a service station. He’s first mentioned in the Las Vegas newspapers in 1928 when the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce read a letter from a woman who stopped at Whiskey Pete’s gas station. According to the woman it was about 11 p.m. and she stopped to have her oil and water checked and to get gas. Whiskey Pete came out to serve them and when he realized that the car only needed water he became “abusive and threatening and refused to let them have water.” He forced the woman to drive to the next service station with an empty radiator and an overheated engine. The Chamber of Commerce said that for months they had received similar complaints from tourists driving to and from Las Vegas to California. One of the complaints said that Whiskey Pete shot at them and another said he threatened to shoot them. They referred the information to the Las Vegas sheriff so that he could have a chat with Pete.

Pete’s attitude might have chilled out for a bit but by March 1931 Pete was facing a charge of assault with a deadly weapon for shooting the Elgin postmaster, Rube Bradshaw in the shoulder. Unsurprisingly the two men had different versions of what happened. According to Rube, he stopped at the gas station with his two sons and when he walked inside Pete was already “surly”. When he asked Pete for a cup of coffee he said Pete became enraged so he simply said he’d get his coffee elsewhere and started to leave. When he reached the door he said that Pete called him a “vile name” and when he turned around to face him, Pete shot him in the shoulder with a pistol.

A preliminary hearing was set for Pete at which he pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. Pete told the reporters that he resented the bad reputation he had and that his remote location makes it necessary for him to be armed at all times. He also made sure to let the reporters know that he was paying for all of Rube Bradshaw’s hospital and medical expenses. Eventually, the charges against Pete were dropped when Bradshaw failed to show at court three separate times.

At some point in early 1932, Pete married a woman named Lauretta Frances Enders. By October she had apparently had enough and took him to court on charges of insanity. According to physicians Pete was just fine mentally, but physically he was likely to die in a matter of days due to “miner’s consumption.” Mrs. McIntyre was the only witness against her husband and claimed that he would “fly into a rage every time he sees me and accuses me of all sorts of things.” Pete quickly admitted to flying into rages but added: “who wouldn’t when they find their wife running around naked in the hills with other men.”

He said that a few weeks prior, Lauretta took him to the Stillwell Sanitarium in Banning, Calfornia and remained there with him, helping to care for him. As soon as he showed signs of recovering she left him. Lauretta was supposed to be looking after the service station, but when he was well enough to go home he found she hadn’t paid attention to it at all and was “running around with other men.” The judge denied Laurett’s motion to have him committed and there is really no mention of her after this.

By December of 1932, Pete declared that he was too busy to die and that he was now four months past his funeral date. By September of 1933, Pete was living back at Stillwell where he told reporters he was doing okay. Whiskey Pete McIntyre died on the 11th of November, 1933. It was soon announced that his funeral was to be held in Las Vegas, and this is where things get weird.

Buried Standing Up

At some point prior to his death, Pete told his friends that he wanted to be buried standing up near his service station. His exact words were “Bury me up on the hill, standing up facing the valley so I can see all those sons of bitches goin’ by.” His friends did as he asked and used dynamite to blast a 6′ hole in the limestone cliff overlooking Highway 91 from behind his service station. Over the years Pete’s grave became lost to time. People repeatedly stole his grave marker until it simply wasn’t replaced. His service station was sold a few times until the location was eventually developed into Whiskey Pete’s Casino in 1977.

The only known image of Whiskey Pete’s original grave. Used with Permission.

On February 2, 1994, construction workers were grading land for a railroad track that would connect Whiskey Pete’s to Buffalo Bill’s on the other side of the freeway. While working near the original site of State Line Station, they struck a crumbling wooden coffin. Inside they found the skeletal remains of Whiskey Pete himself. Even though some of the legends said he was buried with a 10-gallon hat on his head, his six-shooters strapped to his side and a jug of whiskey, all they found was his bones. He had a little bit of hair left on his skull, dentures in his mouth, and a couple of buttons left on his shirt.1Remains of Whiskey Pete found -Las Vegas Review-Journal – February 5, 1994

Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal February 5, 1994

Pete’s coffin was said to be about 80% intact and buried at an angle to the highway. The project manager said they knew that Whiskey Pete was buried somewhere in the area, but they had no way of knowing exactly where. “The tractor caught the edge of the box and the skull popped out. There was Whiskey Pete staring at us.”

Although the resort said that Whiskey Pete would be reburied somewhere on the property with a memorial, it doesn’t appear that any memorial has been set up, and it’s unknown exactly where Pete has been buried. It’s rumored that his remains were reinterred in one of the caves he used to make his moonshine.

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