James Brown, a Sailor Vampire

The James Brown incident was a popular case about a Portuguese sailor who murdered the two crews of the ship by sucking their blood.  But just as how fast the news spread all over North America, the issue died all of a sudden, the only evidence left are the news paper clippings, prison register as well as the ship’s logs.

According to the documents, the story about the James Brown vampire incident happened in 1867.  James Brown left the port of Boston riding a fishing vessel.   Suddenly, the captain noticed that 2 of his crews are missing.  Feeling worried and a bit angry that the two are neglecting their duties, the captain decided to look for them.  He went into the hold and saw Brown sucking the blood from one of the missing crew members, not far from their location was the corpse of the other missing crew, all dried out of blood.

James Brown was sentenced to death due to the atrocities he committed, but the President intervened and reduced his sentence to life imprisonment.  Brown was first jailed at the Suffolk jail and later transferred to the Ohio State Penitentiary.   After two years the government sent him to the US Government Insane Asylum.   Rumors said that James Brown committed another murder while inside the jail reason why he was transferred to the Mental Asylum.  But why did the President intervene on his death penalty?  And why did the issue dissolve all of a sudden?  These are just some mysteries in life that we might never solve due to the alleged cover ups of people in the higher position.

Beast of Gevaudan

The Beast of Gevaudan or also known locally as the La Bête du Gévaudan was the name given to a man-eating wolf that terrorized Gevaudan.  It is said to be  the inspiration behind the novel “Hound of Baskerville” by Arthur Conan Doyle.  The Beast of Gevaudan is not part of any myth, it is real.  It left more than footprint and killed more than 80 people.

The story of the beast of Gevaudan was documented after the French Revolution in year 1789.  Account said that between the months of May 1764 to June 1767, a huge wolf like creature preyed on women and children, killing at around 80-113 people.  The number of injured individual was never documented.

Montague Summer’s also gave the description of the beast which was also based in London Magazine dated 1765

 

“For months this animal panic-struck the whole region ofLanguedoc, and is said to have devoured more than onehundred persons. Not merely solitary wayfarers wereattacked by it, but even larger companies traveling incoaches and armed. Its teeth were most formidable. Withits immense tail it could deal swinging blows. It vaultedto tremendous heights, and ran with supernatural speed.The stench of the brute was beyond description. 

Witnesses attested that the said Beast of Gevaudan attack suddenly and sometimes in broad daylight and will vanish after into the thick forest.  Some people claimed that the beast remained silent as it was hunting its prey others said that they heard a loud noise like the neigh of the horse.    Its appearance cannot be compared to a normal wolf; its muscular built will frightened any individuals who come across the said beast.  The news about the man eating wolf quickly spread all over the land even reaching Louis XV who commissioned hunters to hunt the beast. The hunters arrived at the rumoured place with hounds trained for hunting wolves.  The hunters claimed to kill a number of Eurasian wolves during their hunt; they believed that those are the beasts that are causing the random attacks.  But four months later and the attack of the Beast of Gevaudan continued.  They were replaced by Francois Antoine, The lieutenant of the hunt who arrived on June 22.  Antoine managed to kill a huge wolf, stuffed it and sent to Versailles.  Antoine was given a huge amount of money as a reward.  But on the 2^nd of December, 1769 the attacks continued, harming more than a dozen of people.

The credit of killing the beast was given to a local hunter named Jean Chastel.  But his claims were surrounded by controversy.  Chastel said that when the huge hunting started, he sat down with the Bible and prayed.  While Chastel was praying the beast came into sight, he shot the beast but not until he finished his prayer.  The townsfolk could hardly believe his story since the beast has an uncanny ability to conceal itself when preparing for an attack.

Up to this day, the identity of the beast remained a mystery.   Some says that the deaths on those days are a result of pack of wolves, or that the story about the Beast may have been exaggerated.  Some says that the beast may have been an exotic animal.  No matter what it is, the beast continues to baffles the imagination of today’s generation.

Auvergne Werewolf

Auvergne werewolf is a case of a woman who was executed due to allegations that she’s a werewolf.  The event took place in 1558 and was documented by renowned demonologist Henri Boguet.  Accounts can be found in his book Discours des Sorciers written in the year 1602. Though the account was only reported by reliable sources and not personally witnessed by Henri Boguet.

It is said that a nobleman asked a hunter to bring him a few of his kill.  While the hunter is in the forest, he was attacked by a werewolf.  Fortunately he was able to severe one of its paws; he placed it in a knapsack and went back to the castle.  He went to the nobleman to present the evidence that he encountered a werewolf, but to his dismay, the paw was nowhere to be found when he opened the knapsack.  Instead he saw a hand of a woman wearing a golden ring.

The nobleman recognized the ring; he knew that the ring belongs to his wife.  So the nobleman went to his wife and interrogated her regarding on her daily activities.  He noticed that his wife is hiding her arms.  Upon further investigation, the wife admitted that she was the werewolf who attacked the hunter.  Her admission of her true identity led to her death.  The wife was burned alive at the Ryon stake.

Vampire or Zombie of Castle Alnwick

The event was documented during the 12^th Century by William of Newburgh.  It is about a terrifying incident of a blood sucking monster that terrorized the town that surrounds Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, England.

The story started with a man who lived his life with sins and cruelty.  He moved to the town to evade the authorities that are seeking for him.  He was sure that the officers can never lay a hand on him on this place since he is well acquainted with the Lord of Castle Alnwick. 

He decided to settle down on Castle Alnwick and get married.  But there are rumours that his wife is unfaithful to him.  To discover the truth behind the rumors, the man said that he’s going away for a trip and will be gone for several days. He hid on top of the roof and spied on her wife.  At that night he saw a young man visited his wife and he was able to catch his wife committing an act of adultery.  The man was too shocked that he fell off the roof.   The man incurred severe injuries that eventually caused his life.  He never had the chance to repent his sins, but he was given a Christian burials.  William Nyubskogo said on his certification

“For by the power of Satan in the dark hours he was wont
to come forth from his tomb and to wander about allthrough the streets, prowling round the houses, whilst onevery side the dogs were howling and yelping the wholenight long. Throughout the whole district then every manlocked and barred his door, nor did anyone between thehours of dusk and dawn fare to go out on any businesswhatsoever, so greatly did each one fear that he mighthaply meet this fellow monster and be attacked and mostgrievously harmed.”

Days after the supposed burial of the man, people over the town claimed that the man visited their house at night. The documented event stated that the dead man leave an unbearable stench on every home he visited that people from that town started to flee and relocated somewhere else.  The bizarre event has come to the knowledge of the bishop, so one Palm Sunday the Bishop talked to the council in order to find a solution to the problems.

But there are two men, who can no longer kept in silence due to the death of their loved ones that they blame on the dead man.  They started exhuming the dead body and burn the corpse.  The body was already swollen but with red cheeks, it is clear evidence that time that the corpse is still feeding on blood.  They struck him with a sharp stick and blood started flowing out of his body.  The townspeople started to flock and surrounds the burning corpse.  After the said exorcism, the foul stench emanating from different houses suddenly vanished and people went back to their ordinary life.

Buckinghamshire Vampire case

The Buckingham Vampire case is about a man who died on the year 1192.  At that time he cannot be called a vampire since the term “vampire” started to exist in the English language during the 18^th Century.  This particular case was accounted by William of Newburgh from the accounts told by Stephen, Archdeacon of Buckinghamshire Diocese.

The man who died in the year 1912 was laid to rest on the night of the Ascension Day.  That night his wife claimed that his husband visited her.  The man’s name was never mentioned on the story.   The man’s specter climbed on the bed with the wife and began to focus his entire weight on top of the wife. This phenomenon is known as the Old Hag Syndrome, it is a Psychotic Disorder popularly known as Sleep Paralysis.

The wife was almost killed by his dead husband that night. During the third night, the wife fears that his husband might cause him more harm so she decided to invite people at her house.  Shortly, the husband appeared before the crowd and was stunned to see the numbers of people.  They started to shout and create noise that drove away the vampire.  Others claimed that the vampire started to infest other houses and their cattle.  People stay on guard fearing for their life.  There were some people saying that they saw the man walking in broad daylight with an evil look.

The townspeople are desperate and ask for the help of Archdeacon Stephen.  He wrote a letter to the bishop and asked him to help him on a rare case.  Eventually they will find out that similar cases also happened on England.  One of the methods they executed to stop the attack of the said undead was to exhume the body and burn the organs.    Archdeacon Stephen felt it was inappropriate for him to do this so the bishop wrote a letter of forgiveness.  He instructed Stephen to open the coffin and place it on the chest of the corpse.  When they opened the coffin they were startled to see that the corpse of the suspected undead was well-maintained and with no sign of decomposition.  Stephen did as he was told by the bishop, after that day the attacks of the rumored undead ceases. 

Frederick Ransom

New England Vampire panic is the result of the unexplained sickness that time.  There is a little information about consumption; most often this type of sickness is associated with vampirism.  Such is the case of Mercy Brown and Frederick Ransom.  By now most of you have already known about the identity of Mercy Brown.  Apparently the same incident also happened in Vermont on a suspected vampire by the name of Frederick Ransom.

Frederick Ransom came from a well-to-do family from South Woodstock Vermont.  He was attending a college at Dartmouth when one day he came home very pale and looking sick.  Frederick eventually died due to consumption on February 14, 1817.  His father suspected that an undead might have caused his sickness.  Fearing for the life of the other members of his family he suggested exhuming the body.  And just like the case of Mercy Brown, his heart was burned and the ashes was mix with water and consumed by the sick members of the family hoping that it will cure them.

Unfortunately not long after the death of Frederick Ransom, his Mother, sister and two brothers also died.  The case is one of the well documented exorcisms of undead manifestation in the history of New England.

The story of Frederick Ransom was shared by his brother Daniel.  He was only three years old when the incident happened but he clearly remembered every details of it.  The alleged exorcism happened in Woodstock Village that also involved a man they called Corwin.  But as of late, they were unable to find a grave bearing the name of Corwin which placed some inconsistencies on the account of Corwin.

The vampirism account of Frederick Ransom was published on 1890s in Vermont Standard.  Other local news agency grew an interest on the case including Providence Journal and Norwich Courier.

Peter Plogojowitz a case of a mass hysteria or a real life-vampire?

Peter Plogojowitz is one of the best documented cases of vampire hysteria.  The report was described by Imperial Provisor Frombald who witnessed everything including the staking of the accused vampire.

The year was 1725, when a farmer named, Peter Plogojowitz died, and his death was followed by 9 other random deaths within just a few days.  The “victims” confessed that they were strangled by Plogojowitz every night.  Furthermore Plogojowitz’ wife stated that he asked her to give him some food to which the villager concluded that it is a sign of vampirism.  The villager demanded to examine the body wherein a priest should be present, but the priest said that permission from the Austrian officials is needed in order to proceed with the examination.  But the villagers feared that the whole villages would be exterminated by the time that the Austrian authorities replied to their request.  Frombald was then forced to examine the body without a written consent.

Together with a local priest, Frombald examined the body to search for any signs of vampirism and he was astounded to find out that some characteristic associated with vampires are indeed present.  There were bloods on his mouth, the nails and beards have grown and there are new skin tissues present.   They proceeded with the staking that caused a fresh blood to flow out of the mouth and ears of the corpse.  Plogojowitz’ body was burned afterwards.

The case of Plogojowitz became a hot topic in Eastern Europe and appeared on Viennese newspapers.  It is one of the earliest well documented cases that became a part of the vampire culture in Europe.

Michael Ranft attempted to explain the said phenomena by relating it to an unknown disease.  He believes that people who had a contact to the deceased person may have been infected with the disease that caused them to die.  There is also the case of death caused by panic of seeing the corpse.  Here’s the exact statement of Ranft-

“This brave man perished by a sudden or violent death. This death, whatever it is, can provoke in the survivors the visions they had after his death. Sudden death gives rise to inquietude in the familiar circle. Inquietude has sorrow as a companion. Sorrow brings melancholy. Melancholy engenders restless nights and tormenting dreams. These dreams enfeeble body and spirit until illness overcomes and, eventually, death.”

Man says he’s a Vampire

A man from Michigan was found dripping wet, muddy and all messed up outside a drug store.  But it appears he wasn’t there to do some shopping, he was looking for some blood.  Andrew Whiteman, 21 years of age from Royal Oak Michigan told the local officer that he was a 100-year old vampire that can smell blood.  He threatened the life of an officer and its kids and he also claimed to have an eternal life.

Whiteman was displaying an inappropriate behavior outside of the Drugstore on SR 58 when he was arrested.  He was charged for trying to break inside the drug store and for other misconducts while under the influence of alcohol. 

Whiteman was being taken on the County jail when he told the deputies that their lives are in danger and that he can smell their blood even though he’s at the back seat of the patrol car.  Upon arriving at the county jail, Whiteman remains to be unruly and refused to get outside of the patrol car.  The officers had to push him out of the car to get him out.  He also said to a woman officer that he will eat her kidney since he’s craving for it.

Afraid that he might cause further damage.  The officers decided to restrain his actions by placing him on a restraint chair.  

Mary Mallon “Spreading Sickness”

Vampires are known for spreading diseases.  They can spread plague into a whole community and spoil their crops.  In real life there is one case of a human that can spread disease.  Mary Mallon also known as Typhoid Mary was born on the 23^rd of September 1869 in Ireland and went to the United States at a young age of 15.  Mary is known to have a skill in cooking which allowed her to work in a house in Mamaroneck during 1900.  After a mere two weeks of working at their house the entire family got sick.

Mary then went to Manhattan and work again as a cook for a wealthy family. Not long after, members of the family started getting sick.  Some of them developed diarrhea and fever and one of her co-workers died.  She then moved to the house of a rich lawyer and just like the previous incidents, 7-8 members of the families acquired sickness.

The New York Board of Health summoned Dr. Sara Josephine Barker to investigate the incidents linking Mary to the death and illness, but Mary refused. George Sopher asked Mary to provide them with a urine and fecal sample but again Mary refused.

Eventually it was discovered that Mary Mallon herself is crawling with bacteria from typhoid fever.  She served as the carrier of the disease without her knowing it.  It is so hard to believe that she was the carrier of the disease as she would often volunteer to take care of the patients, which makes matter worse.

Mary was placed into quarantine into an isolated island until 1910 when Commissioner of Health declared that keeping the disease carriers forcibly in an isolated area is cruel.  Mary was declared a freeman under one condition that she will never work as a cook again in her entire life.

But after a while, Mary Mallon took a job as a cook again at a hospital where at least 25 people contracted the disease.   Mary was sent back into the quarantine where she spent the rest of her life.

Dale Merle Nelson

A Canadian murderer known under the influence of LSD when the killing spree happened, Dale Merle Nelson is the mass murderer of 8 of his neighbors in a crime that happened on September 1970.

There were evidences that Nelson had committed an act of cannibalism in the most bizarre way.  One of his victims was cut open in the stomach where he inserted his whole head and devours the recent meal of the victim.  He was deemed to be sane and in his normal condition while committing the murders, he was sentenced to two counts of murder and order to spend the rest of his life inside the prison.

He was a logger known to fight his impotence with liquor and as well as violence.  Nelson was married and had three children.  He was said to be a good husband to his wife and a caring father.  But he was also reported to be having a problem in anger management especially when he is under the influence of alcohol.  He went into a depressed state when he was 31 year old. Based on the account, he attempted to commit suicide but was unsuccessful in doing so.

On the day of the murder, Nelson was allegedly under the influence of alcohol.  A friend also said that he talked to him about the upcoming hunting season and was not in his normal state.  He left the barn where he took a 7 mm rifle that he loaned to him then he went to buy gun shells and as well as more alcohol.  Then on the midnight, he went to a distant relatives house where he executed his plans.

The authorities arrived on the crime scene and the truck was still outside of the scene.  They discovered number of dead and mutilated bodies inside the house.  They police then drove to Nelson house and took his wife and his children into their custody fearing that Nelson might attack them next.  But the authorities were shocked to know that Nelson is in the crime scene and drove away with one of the bodies.  After a few moments they received a report about a man carrying a gun and that their daughter, Cathy was missing.

The police launched a man hunt and Nelson was arrested on the afternoon of September 6, where he confessed that Cathy is already dead.  He also admitted to all counts of murders that was caused by his alcohol problems and that he is under the influence of LSD.  Prosecutors said that if he would be granted a parole, they would charge him with the remaining 6 counts of murders.

Buckinghamshire Vampire

The Buckinghamshire Vampire incident concerns an English undead that was relayed by William of Newburgh.   The supposed vampire was said to be related to the archdeacon of Buckinghamshire.   The vampire term was not used by William of Newburgh that time since the word vampire has yet to be introduced in the English language.

In 1192, a man who recently died was sighted by some people in Buckinghamshire.  The first person who saw him was his wife who was sleeping on that time.  The phantom supposedly went into his bed; he pressed his entire weight on his wife.  An event which is popularly called the Old Hag syndrome or sleep paralysis.  The wife claimed she almost died on the first day of attack.  And just when she thought that it was the last f it, the husband continue to visit her every night.

The wife was so scared that he might not be able to survive the succeeding attack so she called other people in the house to stay with her.  When the vampire visited again that night, the people started to shout at the vampire, successfully driving him away.  But the vampire is not willing to end the night without tormenting someone so he went to see his brother.  The people made strong scary noises that eventually drive the vampire away from the house.  He then went to the other house of the villagers and terrorized the sleeping town’s folks and other farm animals.  People had to keep on guard and awake during the wee hours of the night just to protect them from the suspected vampire.  But the presence of the vampire grew stronger and stronger as he can now walk in a broad daylight.

The people seek the help of the archdeacon who wrote a letter to the bishop asking them what should be done to the restless spirit.  The priests noted a similar incident that happened in England, it is believed that you need to exhume the corpse and burn the internal organs of the body.  But the archdeacon is not willing to desecrate the grave of the suspected vampire; he nonetheless wrote a document of forgiveness and decided to place it on the chest of the perfectly preserved corpse of the vampire.  The attack reportedly ceases after they placed the absolution in his casket.

Woman named Miliza

In a report made by Johann Fluckinger (the same man who reported the vampire incident about Arnold Paole and Stana) a woman named Miliza was mentioned.  Her grave was opened on the same time that the exhumation of the body of Stana occurred.

Miliza is a 60 year old woman, who died of an unknown disease.  She suffered for three months before finally succumbing to the death.  Exactly 3 months after her death, the disinterring on her body was executed believing she was one of the suspected vampires that are causing the massive outbreak of disease on her land.  The disease has caused so much life that the people started to blame it to unknown forces.

The people noticed a fresh blood on her chest and despite of the fact that she died three months ago, they were surprised to find out that the corpse has been maintained well and show no signs of decay.  The exhumation was attended by haiduks (haiduks are like freedom fighters/guerilla) and they marveled on the plumpness and the bloated body of Miliza.  They said that they have known her for her entire life and she has always maintained a lean stick figure.  They were so puzzled how her body could end up swollen, this lead to their belief that Miliza could have feeding herself with blood of her victims.

They also believe that the cause of her being a vampire was that she ate the sheep that was attacked by the vampires.  They think that the sheep was infected by the curse of the undead so when she ingested their meat, she contracted the “virus” thus ending up as an undead creature.

Fluckinger further reported that after their exhumation, their head was decapitated and their body together with their head was reduced to ashes.  The ashes were dispersed on the Morava River.

The people also believe that Miliza started the vampire incident and caused the massive death in their village.  The case of Miliza formulated the notion that anybody can be afflicted by the curse of the vampire.

The incident was also reported by Dr. Glaser, an Austrian military doctor.

The tribe of Bebarlang

There is a tribe in the Philippines claiming that their members are adept in doing psychic vampirism.  They said that they can do astral projection and visit their prey; they will then drain the energy and the life force of their victim.

Bebarlangs are not creature of the night, they are entire human who were claiming to learn psychic vampirism.  Members of the tribe said that they know a high level of astral projection allowing them to visit far villages and suck on their vitality.  They said that if they all work together in one night, they are capable of wiping out an entire village in just one attack.

They usually prey on those that are sleeping.  Some of them allegedly have a power to enter the mind of an individual and steal his secrets together with his life force.  The bebarlangs live in the rural jungle of the tropical island of the Philippines.

To protect you from psychic vampirism, A charm can be made which consists of a blood, a strand of hair, and strips of fingernails that would be mixed with mud and wax.  The must should be taken outside the doorstep of your house.  They would usually mold it into an angel figure or any types of design and use as an amulet that is hung in the owner’s bed.  There were also accounts that the person who is being victimized by a psychic vampirism can use it as a necklace to protect him from time to time.

It is remarkable that the Bebarlang does not only attack the people of other villagers.  They also attack those who are within their tribe and suck them not of their blood but of their life energy.  They deemed to be invisible to the naked eye when they launch their attack.

Werzelya

Werzelya is a tale of a vampire demon in the country of Ethiopia.  In real life, Werzelya is said to be the sister of a Saint (Saint Susenyos) but unlike her brother who dedicate his life to the good of men, Werzelya pledged her allegiance to the evil.  He took Satan as her lover and had sexual relationship with him.

Werzelya eventually gave birth to a daughter.  She killed her own daughter and drank her blood believing that it will grant her with magical ability to shape shift into a bird or a snake form.  Then Saint Susenyos discovered that her sister had a relationship with Satan, murdered her own daughter and feed on her blood; he confronted her sister killing her in the process.

But Werzelya didn’t stop from there; she returned as a vampire and started to kill kids in the region.  The son of Susenyos was not spared from the series of killings.  Saint Susenyos rode his horse and went to kill his sister for the second time.  He also defeated her horde of demonic creatures.  After the battle. Susenyos would then proceed in killing every sorcerer he could find.

On the final hour of Werzelya, she swore that anyone who has the medallion of Susenyos will be spared from her attack the next time she return and unleash her terror.