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The Paisley Witch Trials
Christian Shaw was the ten-year-old daughter of the Laird of Bargarran near Erksine. She was described as a “sensitive child”. In August 1696, she caught her servant Katherine Campbell stealing a drink of milk. Christian duly reported the incident to her mother, and Katherine was reprimanded. Katherine apparently had a temper and responded by blessing the child out and was reported as saying she wished the Devil would “”haul [Shaw’s] soul through Hell.” Soon after Christian fell ill with violent seizure, convulsions and unresponsive trances. She was supposed to have vomited up straw bins, eggshells, orange pills, hair, excrement and bones. Pinch marks were found all over her body and…
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The Winchester Mystery House
The Winchester Repeating Arms Company made a boatload of money. The company had improved upon the Volcanic Repeater, a rifle that used a lever mechanism to load bullets into the breach. Improving on the this design, the company started production of the Henry Rifle, which became a favorite with Northern troops at the beginning of the Civil War. Eventually, the Winchester Rifle became known as “The Gun That Won The West”. William Winchester was the son of company founder, Oliver Fisher Winchester, who was also the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut. The Winchesters were the cream of New England society, so when it came time for William to marry, he did…
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The Legend of the Bell Witch
This might be the most famous supernatural story in the history the United States. It is definitely the most famous haunting in the state of Tennessee. The story was so famous, it caught the attention of Andrew Jackson when he lived in the state. The legend of the Bell Witch is over a hundred years old and has taken on a life of it’s own, with a Bell Witch Fest and Tours of the cabin and cave. So what is the story? Like many other people in the early 1800s, John Bell and his family moved west to the lush land of Tennessee. They settled in the bottom land around…
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Stanisław Warszycki and the Faustian Bargain
Loyal castellian, able military commander and patriot. These are all things that have been said about Stanisław Warszycki. However, a few others have been attributed to him as well- heretic, sadist and murderer. Where does the truth lie? Let us examine Warszycki’s life and see if we can find a glimmer of it. Born around 1600, Stanisław Warszycki was from a noble family and was educated at the University of Padua. In 1632, he married Helena Wiśniowiecka, and the couple had one son and two daughters. Warszycki kept his estates in good order and he encouraged the immigration of foreign craftsmen to his estates, which had cloth, pottery and brick…
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1886 Eruption of Mount Tarawera and the Phantom Canoe
The volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera in New Zealand on June 10,1886 was one of New Zealand’s greatest natural disasters. The eruption lasted for six hours and caused unparalleled destruction. Located 24 kilometers southeast of Rotorua in the North Island, many Maori villages were located near by. It was also near a natural wonder called the Pink and White Terraces. These were on the shores of Lake Rotomahana and were considered to be the eighth wonder of the world. The Maori name for this natural formation was Otukapuarangi, fountain of the clouded sky, and Te Tarata, the tattooed rock. The terraces were formed as water containing silica flowed down from…
