Ep. 41 - Bitten by a Skeleton

Summary

Podcast Summary: My Victorian Nightmare – Episode 41: "Bitten by a Skeleton"

Release Date: May 5, 2025
Host: Genevieve Manion

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Introduction

In Episode 41 of My Victorian Nightmare, host Genevieve Manion delves into a collection of eerie Victorian-era tales that blend mysterious deaths, supernatural encounters, and unsettling discoveries. Skipping over the episode's advertisements and promotional segments, the focus remains sharply on the macabre stories that define the Victorian fascination with the supernatural and the morbid.

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Segment 1: Ghostly Apparitions in Garstang

Timestamp: [05:43] – [08:13]

Genevieve introduces her segment "With Their Own Eyes," where she recounts firsthand ghost encounters reported during the Victorian era. The episode opens with a ghost story from Gerstang, North Lancashire, as reported by the Illustrated Police News, Law Courts and Record.

Key Points:

• A White Ghost's Haunting: The ghost was frequently sighted at a lonely point between the railway station and the village, causing widespread fear among residents.
• Impact on Locals: Incidents led to a servant girl being confined to bed due to nervous shock and the village postman abandoning his duties.
• Community Response: Young men armed with cudgels patrolled the lanes nightly, determined to confront or capture the apparition.
• Police Skepticism: Authorities speculated the ghost might be a young man disguised in a white sheet, mocking traditional ghostly behavior.

Notable Quote:

“A ghost at large... must lose all heart for either the lighter or more serious business of its existence.” – Illustrated Police News [08:15]

Genevieve expresses amusement and intrigue over the townspeople's reactions, pondering whether the ghost ever made contact with the “cudgel men.”

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Segment 2: The Blind Man's Hatchet Rampage

Timestamp: [11:02] – [16:46]

The episode transitions to a shocking account of a violent incident involving a blind man named Frank Batty in Baltimore. Initially reported as a gruesome murder, further investigation reveals complexities.

Key Points:

• Initial Report: Frank Batty allegedly attacked Fanny Cole with a hatchet, causing severe injuries as detailed in a vivid police report.
• Contradictory Accounts: Subsequent articles from the Alexandria Gazette and the Democratic Advocate suggest that Mrs. Cole survived the attack and introduce unrelated tales, such as the Prince of Wales's bout with typhoid fever.
• Legal Proceedings: By June 1872, Batty's trial revealed the horrifying details of the attack. Despite the brutal nature of the crime, Batty was quickly found guilty.
• Final Report: An illustration titled "Burglar bitten by a skeleton" adds a surreal twist, describing a burglar's terrifying encounter with a mechanical skeleton in a physician's office.

Notable Quote:

“The blows of the hatchet were made mainly struck upon the back of the head and had broken through the skull.” – Baltimore Sun [15:34]

Genevieve highlights the discrepancies in historical reporting, emphasizing the challenges in verifying Victorian-era crimes.

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Segment 3: Skeleton Discoveries

Timestamp: [16:54] – [26:31]

Genevieve shares four spine-chilling skeleton encounters from Victorian newspapers, each more disturbing than the last.

1. Burglar Bitten by a Skeleton
   Timestamp: [16:58] – [18:44]
   A burglar's attempt to steal from a physician's office leads to a terrifying encounter with a mechanical skeleton, causing him to faint from fear.

2. Discovery of Skeletons at Birmingham
   Timestamp: [19:17] – [21:37]
   At Sarah Tasker's house in Freeth Street, the skeletal remains of two infants were found, leading to her arrest for willful murder. The investigation delved into the difficulties of determining suffocation as a cause of death from skeletal remains.

3. Extraordinary Discovery in Barduk, Lower Saxony
   Timestamp: [21:46] – [24:00]
   Workmen uncover a subterranean chamber in an old chapel containing an elegantly furnished yet skeletal remains of a woman. The mystery of her death remains unsolved, leaving the community puzzled and eerie.

4. A Horrible Story from the Sea
   Timestamp: [26:21] – [33:17]
   The wreck of the schooner Lancaster is explored after being found deserted and filled with skeletons. Captain Martin's investigation uncovers the grim fate of the ship’s crew, likely perishing from hunger after months at sea. The discovery raises questions about the identities and origins of the deceased sailors.

Notable Quote:

“An extraordinarily discovery of human remains... elegantly furnished apartment and the remains of what appeared to have been a woman seated at a table in an antique chair.” – English Illustrated Police News [16:58]

Genevieve expresses both fascination and horror at these skeleton discoveries, marveling at the vivid descriptions and the lingering mysteries surrounding each case.

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Segment 4: The Wharton Poisoning Case

Timestamp: [36:28] – [40:44]

The episode recounts the dramatic case of Elizabeth G. Wharton, a Baltimore society figure accused of poisoning General William Scott Ketchum and attempting to poison Mr. Eugene Van Ness.

Key Points:

• The Crimes: General Ketchum and Mr. Van Ness fell ill after consuming milk punch prepared by Elizabeth Wharton, leading to suspicions of poisoning.
• Investigation: Forensic analysis revealed lethal doses of tartar emetic in General Ketchum's remains. Elizabeth had purchased a substantial amount of the poison earlier.
• Legal Battle: Despite substantial evidence, Elizabeth Wharton was acquitted due to conflicting testimonies and alternative explanations for the General's illness.
• Personal Fallout: The stress of the trial reportedly led Elizabeth's brother, John Nugent, to attempt suicide.

Notable Quote:

“Elizabeth prepared a milk punch for Mr. Van Ness and his wife poured it right into the sink where it was.” – Victorian-era Newspaper [39:21]

Genevieve draws parallels between Elizabeth Wharton and other notorious figures like Belle Gunness, highlighting the dark undercurrents of Victorian society’s elite.

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Segment 5: Heroic Rescue at North Platte

Timestamp: [40:44] – [43:39]

Shifting from horror to heroism, Genevieve recounts an inspiring tale of bravery from North Platte, Nebraska.

Key Points:

• The Incident: A 17-year-old boy nearly falls from a school building's window, while his 16-year-old sweetheart heroically grabs him mid-air.
• The Rescue: Demonstrating remarkable strength and quick thinking, the young girl prevents a tragic accident, earning community admiration.
• Community Praise: The heroine's actions are celebrated, and her valor is lauded as exemplary.

Notable Quote:

“She held on like grim death, and that said she was a young lady of rare muscular development.” – Victorian-era Report [43:15]

Genevieve appreciates the balance of courage and tenderness in this Victorian story, offering a moment of respite from the episode’s otherwise dark themes.

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Conclusion

Timestamp: [43:46] – [46:07]

Genevieve wraps up the episode by sharing a poignant short poem inspired by Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." The poem captures the haunting atmosphere of a ghostly ship and the lingering presence of the dead, echoing the episode's overarching themes of mortality and the supernatural.

Notable Poetic Excerpt:

“They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose, nor spake, nor moved their eyes... For when it dawned, they dropped their arms and clustered round the mast.” [44:11]

Genevieve encourages listeners to engage with the podcast on social media, share their thoughts, and continue exploring the enigmatic and eerie world of Victorian history.

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Final Thoughts

In "Bitten by a Skeleton," My Victorian Nightmare Episode 41 masterfully intertwines tales of hauntings, violent crimes, mysterious skeleton discoveries, and acts of heroism. Through meticulous storytelling and vivid descriptions, Genevieve Manion transports listeners to a bygone era where the lines between reality and the supernatural are intriguingly blurred. This episode serves as a compelling exploration of Victorian society's complex relationship with death, the unknown, and the extraordinary.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

• [08:15]: “A ghost at large... must lose all heart for either the lighter or more serious business of its existence.” – Illustrated Police News
• [15:34]: “The blows of the hatchet were made mainly struck upon the back of the head and had broken through the skull.” – Baltimore Sun
• [16:58]: “An extraordinarily discovery of human remains... elegantly furnished apartment and the remains of what appeared to have been a woman seated at a table in an antique chair.” – English Illustrated Police News
• [39:21]: “Elizabeth prepared a milk punch for Mr. Van Ness and his wife poured it right into the sink where it was.” – Victorian-era Newspaper
• [43:15]: “She held on like grim death, and that said she was a young lady of rare muscular development.” – Victorian-era Report

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Join Genevieve Manion next time on My Victorian Nightmare as she continues to uncover the spine-chilling secrets of the Victorian Era. For more eerie tales and dark histories, follow the community on Instagram @myvictoriannightmare.

Transcript

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[Genevieve Manion]

Hello and welcome to My Victorian Nightmare. I'm your host, Genevieve Manion, and I'm here to talk about mysterious deaths, morbid fascinations, disturbing stories, and otherwise spooky events from the Victorian era. Because to me, there's just something especially intriguing, creepy and oddly comforting about horror and mayhem from the 19th century. So listener discretion is adv foreign.

[Unknown]

And.

[Genevieve Manion]

Welcome to this, my 41st episode. Oh, how lovely. The botanical garden nearby is in full bloom. The lilacs, the bluebells, the cherry blossoms, they have all popped open.

[Unknown]

It looks like Brooklyn is just a.

Big bowl of candy at the moment.

And existential dread. There's a lot of that in the bowl too. Thank God for the naked man orchids. Those are also in full bloom at the Garden. I put a picture of those on the Instagram. Treat yourself to a chuckle. You're gonna die when you see these. Not only do they really look like little naked men, but it looks like they're also wearing beautiful sun hats.

[Genevieve Manion]

They'll make your day, I promise. I hope that you had a wonderful week despite the horrors.

[Unknown]

I had a gloriously shrimpy Coven Circle dinner with my girls on the new Moon last Sunday, but I think my place is legit haunted now. Or again. It was never fully established if the ghosts who were coming to me in my dreams, desperately asking me to free them from the clutches of a demon spirit in my building, were actually freed.

[Genevieve Manion]

Or if they were real and not.

[Unknown]

Just shadows of undigested spicy snacks that I need to stop eating before bed. Regardless, my TV has been turning itself on. It has happened twice now.

[Genevieve Manion]

My bedroom ceiling sprung a leak over.

[Unknown]

My bed and has been leaking for the last three days because they couldn't find the source. But don't worry, Elvis, my super finally cracked the case.

[Genevieve Manion]

He traced it and replaced the pipe this afternoon.

[Unknown]

But I haven't slept for literally three days. So I just gave up at 5am this morning because I was sick of waiting to get rained on and I didn't have enough strength for a shower. So I just laid down in my dry tub and I used my toesies to operate the water thing, the knob.

[Genevieve Manion]

As it were, and just let the water rise.

[Unknown]

And while it was rising and I was getting all goose pimply, I started hearing talking. I was like my brain is actually turning into Swiss cheese with the lack of sleep that I've been getting. And I realized that it was the TV in the living room. I got out of the tub and yeah, the thing turned itself on while I was in the tub, which is a particularly terrifying time to have an appliance turn itself on. I turned it off and I pretended that it didn't happen. And later I left to go get Elvis a bottle of wine for like 15 minutes and I came back and it was on again. It is unplugged now. I do not have the constitution to handle what's happening. In that regard, I'm going to need about 10 hours of sleep before I investigate further. My doors are locked. There is nowhere for a living person to hide in my place. Every square inch of closet space has been packed with things I don't need. There is no room for a sentient being, only ghosts. So I will keep you posted. If I have a poltergeist in next week's episode. I am legit terrified. Though I am playing it way cooler than I'm actually handling it. If the leak was in the living room where the TV was, I think maybe the water was shorting the TV or something. But no, it wasn't. There's only one explanation here and it's ghosts. Or someone has managed to hide between my overabundance of towels and I will be murdered this week.

[Genevieve Manion]

And my capacity for accepting either of these realities is as structurally sound as a pudding pop on a bright summer's day. So like I said, I will keep.

[Unknown]

You posted when I am a human being again and can thoroughly investigate.

[Genevieve Manion]

Okay, a little Haunted Housekeeping. Thank you for rating the show on.

[Unknown]

Spotify and Apple podcasts because it helps my show grow. They're really, really important. Those rating thank you for your comments as well. You know I love them so much.

[Genevieve Manion]

Thank you to those of you who have joined my Patreon where you can hear the show ad free and you.

[Unknown]

Can find all of the truly, truly fabulous illustrations that I am going to mention today on my Instagram Yvictorian Nightmare.

[Genevieve Manion]

And Bluesky at Victorian Nightmare Short and sweet today because we have a lot to cover. Speaking of ghosts, I have another installment of my fairly new segment With Their.

[Unknown]

Own Eyes.

[Genevieve Manion]

Where I share with you first hand encounters of ghosts that Victorians survived to tell the tales of. And this one today comes all the way from a place I've never heard before in England.

[Unknown]

Gerstang, North Lancashire. It sounds like someone had to quickly make up the name of an English.

[Genevieve Manion]

Village, but did a bad job like.

[Unknown]

Oh, so you have a girlfriend? Where is she from? She lives in Garstang, England. No disrespect to my Garstang listeners.

[Genevieve Manion]

It is an article from our very favorite Illustrated Police News, Law Courts and Record and it is called A Ghost at Large and it reads an extraordinary ghost scare is reported from Garstang, North Lancashire. For some days the inhabitants have been considerably concerned on account of the nocturnal walking of a white ghost. The place the ghost has appeared is a lonely point between the railway station and the village. A few nights ago a servant girl was passing the point where the ghostly object presented itself to her. She was so terrified that she could not speak and she hastened home and went to bed, where she has since been confined, suffering from nervous shock. The late village postman, whose duty it was to meet the night's trains with mails, was so scared by the ghostly appearance that he gave up his office and could not be whipped down the lane after dark. So strong is the sensation respecting the ghost that each night bands of young men patrol the lanes armed with cudgels. They express their determination of making making an example of the ghost if it can be caught. It is believed by the police, who are also on the lookout, that some young fellow has been enfolding himself in a white sheet and parading the road, and if so, it is to be hoped he will speedily fall into the warm embrace of the cudgel men. End quote.

[Unknown]

Doesn't sound like the townspeople of Garstang were having it.

[Genevieve Manion]

I wonder if that ghost ever came.

[Unknown]

In contact with a cudgel man.

[Genevieve Manion]

I checked. I wanted to know if they caught a prankster and I did not find an article claiming as such. But I did find an article from a week later about this same event that said some wonderful things about ghosts in the age of spiritualism, and I.

[Unknown]

Need to share with you just a few excerpts.

[Genevieve Manion]

It is also called a ghost at large, and it reads, perhaps the discipline to which spirits have of late years been subjected to by professional spiritualists has robbed them of the gaiety of disposition which once prompted them to disport in rural lanes and frighten country bumpkins. It is easy to understand that a poor ghost, condemned to wrap tables at the bidding of and for the profit of a very poor sort of social adventurer, must lose all heart for either the lighter or more serious business of its existence. The modern spirit is, in truth, in bonds. Its original occupation is gone, to be replaced by such undignified exercises as beating tambourines or tweaking noses at a dark seance. Indeed, the commonplace ghosts of today are degenerate creatures, unworthy of the traditions of their species. They apparently have no better mission than that of frightening simple minded folks out of their wits. There is no consistency, no moral resolve apparent in their behavior. They bring no criminal to justice. They guide the way to no guilty Hidden Treasure.

[Unknown]

The funny thing about this is I am assuming there is facetiousness in this writing, but you never know with these folks. People really took ghosts seriously in these days, like me.

[Genevieve Manion]

So regardless, wasn't that just marvelous?

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[Genevieve Manion]

Dear listener, I spelled dear Dead in my script. Today for you dead listeners we will be keeping with the articles from the Horrible, the Grisly, the simply charming tabloid from the 1800s, the Illustrated Police News, Law Courts and Record. And boy oh boy guys, you know.

[Unknown]

How I have been on a murderess kick lately? Well, that has officially given way to spooky skeletons. I am obsessed with spooky skeletons now and I have some really special skeleton.

[Genevieve Manion]

Encounters for you today. Not one, not two, not three, but four. I also have a hatchet attack by a blind man, a man trying to slice his own head off, and a young lady with enough pluck and presence of mind to save the very day. Let us begin with the blind man on a hatchet rampage.

[Unknown]

Shall we?

[Genevieve Manion]

This article is called A Baltimore woman killed by a blind man. And it reads. On Wednesday the 29th, a frightful affair occurred in Baltimore. Late in the afternoon, two women informed the police that Frank Batty, a blind man, was cutting Fanny Cole, the owner and occupant of house number 51 Josephine street, to pieces with a hatchet. The officers had not proceeded 10 yards from the station house when they encountered Batty walking toward them with his head down and a hatchet in his hand dripping with blood. The sergeant stepped up behind him and seized him round the waist. Not, however, before Batty was in enabled to make some play with his terrible weapon. And to slightly wound Officer Gibson in the hand. He was rushed into the station house and a struggle ensued for the possession of the weapon. And as soon as Batty discovered that he was in the hands of police, he surrendered the hatchet and stated that he had come to give himself up. That he had killed Fanny Cole because she had got all his money. On visiting the house, Fanny Cole was found upon the floor in the front basement or dining room. In a pool of blood several yards in circumference. With the back of her head absolutely gashed off and the brain protruding. Her throat was gashed open from behind the left ear to the windpipe. The wound was about 6 inches in length and fully a half inch in depth. Her left hand was almost completely severed from her wrist. And the first finger on her right hand was badly cut. It appears that before supper Batty had requested one of the girls to lend him 25 cents. She did not have the money with her, but went out and procured it for him. After supper he walked into the yard and took the hatchet from its hiding place where he had put it. In the morning he came back to the supper room and suddenly threw his arm around Fanny Cole. She drew away from him and told him to let her alone. Whereupon he struck her a blow with the hatchet which severed a portion of the scalp and occup. Occipital. Occipital bone from her head.

[Unknown]

Sorry.

[Genevieve Manion]

Afterwards, the probability is that Fanny Cole threw her hand up to avert the next blow. And in doing so received the cut which severed her hand at the wrist. In this way, she probably received upon the back of her neck and throat. And fell to the ground covered with blood. The wretch, finding that he had accomplished his work, brandishing the hatchet in his hands. Okay.

[Unknown]

Very impressed that a blind man was.

[Genevieve Manion]

Able to pull off such a thorough hatchet attack.

[Unknown]

I hope that isn't ableist to say, but I Have some great jaw dropping news.

[Genevieve Manion]

This article's title is wrong. That Baltimore woman was not killed by him. She survived. I went digging for more details and.

[Unknown]

First came upon an article in the.

[Genevieve Manion]

Alexandria Gazette that said the unfortunate woman, Fanny Cole, who was so brutally wounded with a hatchet by a blind man. Frank Batty is still improving and her friends have hopes of her ultimate recovery.

[Unknown]

I kept digging and digging and I came across a straight up unhinged one.

[Genevieve Manion]

From the Democratic Advocate.

[Unknown]

It's really short.

[Genevieve Manion]

It just says neither Fanny Gould nor the Prince of Wales is dead yet, but the latter had a first class obituary in the Baltimore American of Tuesday, end quote. The Prince of Wales apparently had a bout of typhoid fever and almost died of it.

[Unknown]

He was expected to not live, but he did survive. What a horrible little article. But check this out in the Baltimore Sun.

[Genevieve Manion]

In June of The following year, 1872, I found the article about Batty's trial and here is a quick excerpt.

[Unknown]

It is unreal and it reads, Fannie.

[Genevieve Manion]

Cole was placed on the stand as the first witness. She appeared very well considering the nature of her wounds, which it will be remembered, were made by Batty with a hatchet. The lower part of the brain had been cut into and Dr. Johnson exhibited fragments of the woman's skull, making a dreadful character of some of the wounds which were 13 in number. The blows of the hatchet were made mainly struck upon the back of the head and had broken through the skull. The evidence was corroborated by Sergeant Cadwaller, who testified that he arrested Batty on Thanksgiving Day and that he had difficulty in getting the hatchet away from him. And he said he had killed Fanny Cole and that he was glad of it and that the hatchet was full of blood and hair. End quote. Mr. Batty was very quickly found guilty. Okay, prepare yourself for one of the greatest articles I will have ever read on my show. It's from the English Illustrated Police News.

[Unknown]

That last one was from the American and I'm not going to say anything other than apart from.

[Genevieve Manion]

To my sheer delight, there was an.

[Unknown]

Illustration to go with this one that I put on the Instagram and Blue Sky.

[Genevieve Manion]

It will tickle you to your bones. It is called a Burglar bitten by a skeleton. And it reads, a skeleton in the closet is not generally considered a pleasant thing to have, but a recent occurrence in Greenberg America shows that it may sometimes answer a good purpose. We learn from the Philadelphia Medical Times that a burglar broke into a physician's office in that town and Opening a closet, while his companion, with a dark lantern was in another part of the room, Got his hands between the jaws of a skeleton which, being adjusted with a coil spring and kept open with a thread, closed suddenly on the intruding hand by the breaking of the thread, startled it. Being thus seized, he uttered a faint shriek. And when his companion turned the lantern toward him and he beheld himself in the grim and ghastly jaws of death himself, he became so overpowered by fear that he fainted and fell insensible to the floor, pulling the skeleton down upon him and making so much noise that his companion fled immediately. The doctor, alarmed at the noise and confusion, hastened to the room and secured the terror stricken burglar still held by the skeleton. Burglars, who may have a design upon the tranquillity or encumbrances of any of our households, will take warning by the unhappy fate which. Which befell one of their comrades in arms in a doctor's study at the other side of the Atlantic.

[Unknown]

When I was transcribing this article, I realized as I was finishing it that I had a big, goofy, maniacal grin, ear to ear the entire time I was writing it out. I kind of wish there was a camera on me. I looked insane. This is just so magnificent on every level. There was nothing else I could find to research about this article, though I think it very much stands for itself. This next skeleton discovery is actually pretty sad. And then I have another two fabulous ones.

[Genevieve Manion]

But this one is called the Discovery of Skeletons at Birmingham. And it reads. At the inquest on Thursday, a verdict of willful murder was returned against Sarah Tasker, at whose house in Freeth street the skeletons of two infants were discovered a few days since. The inquiry was of a painful character. Prisoner's daughter being the cause of her mother's arrest and also giving evidence. On the 16th, the daughter, who is 18 years of age, out of curiosity opened a box which had always been kept locked in her mother's bedroom. And finding the skeleton of a child, became frightened and the next day left the house. She told a cousin of the horrible discovery and when communicating with police, prisoner was arrested. In a box the police found the skeletons of two infants which, according to the medical evidence, were born alive and killed by suffocation. Several neighbors testified to the prisoner being pregnant about five years since. And letters showing an improper intimacy with a Birmingham gentleman were found in the box. Prisoner admitted to giving birth to the children but denied that they were born alive. End quote. Very sad story. But there was one detail Here that I needed to dig into.

[Unknown]

Sadly, I didn't find more about the case itself, but I wanted to know how or. Or if you could determine if someone died by suffocation. If the only remains are skeletal, and.

[Genevieve Manion]

This is what I found, it's very difficult to determine this.

[Unknown]

However, it's obviously easier if the suffocation.

[Genevieve Manion]

Was performed by strangulation, as you would.

[Unknown]

Potentially see signs of neck compression.

[Genevieve Manion]

These could include fractures of the hyoid.

[Unknown]

Bone or, like, thyroid cartilage, but these.

[Genevieve Manion]

Fractures can be caused by other things.

[Unknown]

Like their absence doesn't rule out asphyxial death.

[Genevieve Manion]

But in the case where, say, like.

[Unknown]

A pillow was put over a person's face and they were suffocated that way.

[Genevieve Manion]

They wouldn't have fractures in their bones. But they may have what are called petechia. These are small pinpoint hemorrhages on the surfaces of bones, particularly on the face and neck, that would be created by soft tissue compression.

[Unknown]

Fascinating and horrible. Okay, this next skeleton discovery is ever so intriguing and a bit nightmarish for me.

[Genevieve Manion]

It is called Extraordinary Discovery of a Skeleton, and it reads, the Continental papers report an extraordinary discovery of human remains which were found in a portion of an old house in Barduk, Lower Saxony. The facts of the case are brief, but significant enough. They are as some workmen were engaged upon building several houses on the outskirts of the town of Bardawick. The houses in course of erection are close to a small building which is said to have formed at a very ancient date, a portion of a monastery or convent. Of late years it has been used as a chapel. While engaged upon digging the foundation of one of the houses in question, the workmen came upon a subterranean chamber abutting out from what is now called the chapel. The owner of the ground was communicated with and orders were given to remove the brickwork to make room for the new erection. This was soon accomplished, whereupon some thick oak paneling was revealed. This the carpenters proceeded to take down, when, to their surprise and horror, they discovered an elegantly furnished apartment and the remains of what appeared to have been a woman seated at a table in an antique chair. Although clothed, with head resting on its elbow, the body was literally a skeleton. On the table there were several articles, a plate, dish, knife and fork, jug, candlestick and snuff box. Scientific men who have visited the chamber with its ghastly occupant appear to think from the furniture, clothes and apparel of the remains that the remnant of mortality within the chamber must have had life and existence as far back as three or four centuries, how she met her death and how it came to pass. She was left like one asleep in a Glastonbury chair. We fear forever remain a mystery.

[Unknown]

Indeed.

[Genevieve Manion]

Sadly, there was no more info on.

[Unknown]

This one, but I am just so.

[Genevieve Manion]

Locked into the description of her in that chair. Could you imagine busting through one of the walls in your home and finding.

[Unknown]

An elegantly decorated apartment from like the 1500s with a dead woman sitting there.

[Genevieve Manion]

With her skull resting on her skeleton hand?

[Unknown]

I really hope this is how I die is what I'm trying to get at.

[Genevieve Manion]

Fix a lovely breakfast in my lovely home in a soft lovely robe, place my head in my hand and drift off to the great beyond. Oh how I also wish this for you, dear listener. Guys, I am still loving one skin. I've been using their OS1 moisturizer and eye cream every single day, twice a day and I am positively glowing.

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[Genevieve Manion]

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[Unknown]

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[Genevieve Manion]

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[Genevieve Manion]

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[Unknown]

Okay, this next one is so haunting.

[Genevieve Manion]

And the descriptions are just so crisp.

[Unknown]

And really put you there. I feel like we can all use a ghastly description.

[Genevieve Manion]

Discovery of a perceived Victorian ghost ship that is actually full of corpses and skeletons and perhaps some words for parts of old ships that We've never heard before.

[Unknown]

I don't usually do sound design for these articles, but I think a little.

[Genevieve Manion]

Atmosphere and a couple of seagulls will really turn it up a notch. This one is special. It is called A Horrible Story from the Sea and it reads, a schooner bound to Sydney from Prince Edward island on 18 August fell with a dismasted vessel which was apparently deserted. The master of the Lancaster, Captain Martin with several of his crew, and Mr. Duggin, a passenger, boarded the wreck. Mr. Dugan gives the following account of what he and his companions saw on boarding the wreck, which we extract from the morning at Visor. Splintered shards entangled in canvas and rigging gear and the planks of a boat.

[Unknown]

Torn asunder by the wind and sea.

[Genevieve Manion]

Were scattered around in sad confusion. More dismal still were the scenes which further investigation brought to light. Below a heap of motley rigging and broken by the weight of a spar which lay across it, were the bones of a human being, a skeleton. The skull and ribs had been crushed almost on a level with the deck. Shreds of canvas trousers and a Guernsey frock were found among and near the bones. Further search reveals five other skeletons. A slight covering of crisped flesh remained on four of the skeletons, showing that they had died more recently than the other two. Too many of the utensils of the galley were found and Captain Martin made a strict search among them to assure himself whether there had been any food on board at the time of the death of these men. Not a single remaining pot or vessel of any nature in the cooking department of the ill fated craft contained the least particle of food. This discovery seemed to satisfy the captain that all on board had perished from hunger, having failed after months of eager expectation and short allowance to meet with any helping hand. The spectacle on board the dreary sepulchral hull was at least appalling. It was ascertained that the vessel had been rigged a brig. The hull bore no name on its sternpost. On the bowsprit, the word Glen Elvin was barely legible. In the core castle, which was almost filled with water, a most unearthly stench was discovered and only two men could be found to enter and remain long enough inside and report on what they had seen there. There were two corpses on the floor and one stretched across a bunk. These sad relics were removed, moved on deck, and the nine remaining were arranged in line and covered in canvas. By the captain's order, the wheel house had been carried away and the fastings of the rudder broken this, as the captain remarked, was the work of some tremendous sea. The Foremost had been cut away to save the vessel from foundering. One of the extremest emergencies in a hurricane at sea. The the Jibboom was gone and the entire craft, as she then appeared, was the most complete wreck Captain Martin had seen or heard of in his nautical experience of nearly 40 years. Entering the cabin, a foul odor was discovered, but not intense enough to forbid a thorough investigation. Towards the end of the steps leading down to the cabin, a fetid pool of water was seen and the men had to wade through it in order to reach every portion of the cabin. Between a stationary table and a couch, the head of a corpse protruded from a berth in the wall, and when brought on deck, it was found to be in a state of decay. A buttoned jacket of good material, blue pantaloons, a flannel shirt marked TT and one boot covered the corpse. The chronometer in the cabin pointed to half past 4:00 and on the stationary table was an open Bible turned downward, a revolver with two chambers loaded and a bottle containing a piece of paper, upon which was written, jesus, guide this to some helper. Merciful God, don't let us perish. The words were detached and a hyena hiatus occurred between every two or three of them, which showed that the writer must have been either in the lowest stage of debility or driven to madness by hunger. In the captain's stateroom his corpse was found lying bent on the floor as though he had fallen from weakness while struggling with faint hope to save himself and men. On his bed were scattered books and papers. The ship's regular papers were not found open, but Captain Martin took in charge a neat writing desk found in the captain's trunk and locked. There was a slate on the table in the cabin which was covered with guards such as are used at meals in stormy weather. The slate, intended for taking down the log in rough, contained only blurred figures and illegible writing. Towards 3 o'clock a dead calm prevailed and the boat's company that went on board the dismal wreck rode back to procure something to eat and drink. At 7pm, the calm continuing, Captain Martin proposed to set out for the ill fated vessel again to perform the sorrowful services of a burial at sea. Four coffins. A quantity of old canvas was brought and rude bags were quickly formed of that material. At half past 8 o'clock, the pale moon shining solemnly over that lonely sepulchre of the sea, a long board was laid upon a Sound portion of the bulwarks and two bags to which weights were tied were laid down and rattled as they fell. A lamp was held by a sailor on each side side of the temporary hearse. And after Captain Martin had read the usual service, the plank was listed upward, whereupon the coffin bags and skeletons fell into the sea. The ceremony over, the party went back again for the Lancaster, happy to quit the gloomy craft that harboured so many.

[Unknown]

Dead, heard so many dying groans and.

[Genevieve Manion]

Such awful roaring of the wind and.

[Unknown]

Sea that had caused all that death and destruction.

[Genevieve Manion]

Captain Martin has procured every possible clue, all of which he will give to the authorities at Halifax or Sydney, so that the true history of the Glen Elvan may be learned. End quote.

[Unknown]

Okay.

When I was transcribing this one and researching the hell out of it, this story was written in about 50 different papers at the time, all ending the same way. No one knew where the ship was from or who these men were. There were subsequent articles following up saying they still did not determine who these men were or where the ship was from. And I literally cried when I found it. I think I found it in a small paper from April 4, 1872, five months before the ship was found, buried at the bottom of a list of foreign arrivals and sailings. Glen Ovan left Jamaica for London via Montego Bay on March 9.

[Genevieve Manion]

The ship that found this one was.

[Unknown]

Coming from Canada and traveling all the way to Sydney.

[Genevieve Manion]

They could have easily crossed each other.

[Unknown]

Five months lost at sea after a strong storm busted their ship, they still would have been between Jamaica and London in the North Atlantic.

[Genevieve Manion]

It all lines up.

[Unknown]

Of course, it's possible that these men were eventually identified and their families were tracked down. The story was, after all, run in at least three dozen newspapers that I could find from around the world. And it was listed in this one paper. Surely it was listed in a log at the seaport.

[Genevieve Manion]

But for a story that was pretty.

[Unknown]

Big, it was never reported that they.

[Genevieve Manion]

Discovered where the ship came from.

[Unknown]

It is possible I may have been the only one to find it. I could be wrong here, but I'm still going to sit with that one for a while.

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See for [e-mail] OK, this next one.

[Genevieve Manion]

Is not skeleton related, but never fear, I have created a whole new folder for skeleton discoveries, so perhaps those will become a regular segment in and of themselves.

[Unknown]

But as I said, this next one is not and it's pretty gruesome.

[Genevieve Manion]

It is called A Brother of the Baltimore Borgia Attempts Suicide and it reads, John Nugent, brother of Mrs. Wharton of Baltimore, the alleged poisoner, attempted suicide in Concord, Chester County, Maryland on the 18th by cutting his throat with a razor. He went into the road in front of Mr. Arment's house where he resided, and after inflicting three or four cuts upon his throat, was discovered by a neighbour who tried to wrest the razor from him and in doing so Nugent made an effort to cut him and afterward made his escape into the woods where he was found shortly after, faint from the loss of blood. Blood. He was taken to the residence of Mr. Armont, where he is now. The cause of this rash attempt upon his own life is said to have arose from the depression of mind related to the charges made against his sister. The Council of Wharton announced that they will be fully prepared for her trial on the charge of murdering General Ketchum by poison. On the first Monday in December. Nearly 200 witnesses on both sides are to be examined. She and her daughter will remain in Baltimore jail until a few days before the trial. End quote.

[Unknown]

Okay, I dug into this one.

[Genevieve Manion]

That sister that the article keeps referring to was Elizabeth G. Wharton, who was a pillar of Baltimore Society. In 1871 Ms. Wharton moved in charitable, highly respectable, wealthy, influential circles. On the 23rd of June. She had a number of house guests, one of whom was General William Scott Ketchum, a longtime family friend. He stayed the night and by the morning he became very ill, while the General was staying longer than he intended to while being seen by Doctors in the home, another house guest came to stay. Mr. Eugene Van Ness. He was served a glass of beef year by Ms. Wharton and he too quickly became violently ill. Another doctor was summoned to his bedside. General Ketchum died and the illness of Mr. Van Ness caused some suspicion. Ketchum's friends didn't trust this woman, so they had his remains sent to a university to be analyzed. And they found 20 grains of tartar emetic. 15 grains are enough to cause death. An Investigation revealed that Ms. Wharton had purchased 60 grains earlier that month. Mr. Van Ness was still in her house and it had not yet been revealed that General Ketchum had been poisoned and Ms. Warden had not yet been arrested. Even still, Van Ness's wife was like.

[Unknown]

I don't want this woman giving my husband anything to drink.

[Genevieve Manion]

Elizabeth prepared a milk punch for Mr. Van Ness and his wife poured it.

[Unknown]

Right into the sink where it was.

[Genevieve Manion]

Then discovered the glass was covered with a white residue in the bottom. Side note, if you've never had a milk punch before, it's not what you think.

[Unknown]

It's actually delicious.

[Genevieve Manion]

And the milk is only used to.

[Unknown]

Like curdle in the booze, which I know sounds gross, but you remove it.

[Genevieve Manion]

The curdling removes acidity and makes it a really smooth, soft cocktail.

[Unknown]

Anyway, back to it.

[Genevieve Manion]

Ms. Van Ness was like, I don't.

[Unknown]

Care how long you spent curdling that.

[Genevieve Manion]

Milk, get it away from my husband. Long story short, it was determined that apart from the fact that Elizabeth owed General Ketchum a good deal of money.

[Unknown]

Which could have been a motive, some believed her to be a maniac that.

[Genevieve Manion]

Murdered both her husband and son, both of whom had large insurance policies.

[Unknown]

Reminds me of Belle Gunness from last week.

[Genevieve Manion]

Luckily, Van Ness did not die, but Elizabeth was actually found not guilty in.

[Unknown]

Her trial because her trial was essentially a zoo. Over a hundred witnesses, conflicting statements, and a large number of chemists and medical professionals were brought in to debate the process by which the General was found to be poisoned.

[Genevieve Manion]

And others testified that they believed he.

[Unknown]

Actually had cholera or spinal meningitis, etc. Sounds like the O.J. simpson trial where it was pretty clear cut from the beginning.

[Genevieve Manion]

But so much confusion was brought into.

[Unknown]

The trial that they simply couldn't convict her.

[Genevieve Manion]

And sadly, the brother mentioned in that article it appears couldn't handle the stress of it all. Perhaps. Okay, one last sweet one and then I've got a very special treat for you. This one is called Pluck and Presence of Mind. A quick witted and strong armed girl sitting saves her young lover from a terrible death at North Platte, Nebraska. And it reads. A few days ago an exciting incident occurred at one of the public schools in North Platte, Nebraska, the particulars of which, as we learn them, are as at the school in question. Among the other pupils are a youth of 17 and a lovely miss of sweet 16, who are dead in love with each other. On the day alluded to, the pair were alone in the third story of the building, talking soft nonsense generally and leaning out of one of the windows with arms around each other, when suddenly the youth projected his body a trifle too far, the centre of gravity overcame the base, and he started very much against his will on his downward career to the bosom of Mother Earth. As he began to slip out in his horror stricken lady, love felt him receding from her fond clasp about his waist. Her presence of mind came to her, and like a flash she grasped him by one leg as he slid from the window. Luckily for her, and still more so for him, she is a young lady of rare muscular development movement, and on this occasion her strength of arm and lungs stood the pair in good need. For with the former she held on like grim death, and the latter was quickly called in play to summon assistance, which came speedily and the young man was rescued from his perilous position. After being safely landed in the room again, the tension on her nerves relaxed. The reason reaction was too powerful and his beautiful preserver fainted away. She was convened to her home and soon entirely recovered, since which time the young heroine has received the hearty and well merited congratulations of the entire community. It is safe to wager that she will make an excellent wife. And we advise that youth to guard well the priceless treasure of the loved. She is bestowed upon him. End quote.

[Unknown]

There is a wonderful illustration for this article on the Instagram that I think you will very much enjoy.

[Genevieve Manion]

I think it's funny that it said she fainted away. How much do you want to bet.

[Unknown]

She was like, oh my God, I can't believe you almost just died. I gotta take a minute.

[Genevieve Manion]

And they described her as fainting away like a delicate lily in the summer heat.

[Unknown]

I bet she was awesome at arm wrestling.

[Genevieve Manion]

Very glad that the guy was okay. Okay, I have one last treat for you.

[Unknown]

In the spirit of that tragic nautical skeleton discovery.

[Genevieve Manion]

I have a short poem by Samuel Taylor Cooleridge about a very awkward and terrifying discussion between a wedding guest and an old oversharing sea captain. And it is called, from the rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.

[Unknown]

The loud wind never reached the ship. Yet now the ship moved on. Beneath the lightning and the moon, the dead men gave a groan. They groaned, they stirred, they all uprose, nor spake, nor moved their eyes. It had been strange even in a dream to have seen those dead men rise. The helmsman steered. The ship moved on, yet never a breeze up blew the mariners all gan work the ropes where they were wont to do. They raised their limbs like lifeless tools.

[Genevieve Manion]

We were a ghastly crew.

[Unknown]

The body of my brother's son stood by me, knee to knee. The body and I pulled at one rope, but he said not to me. I fear thee, Ancient mariner. Be calm, thou wedding guest. Twas not those souls that fled in pain, which to their courses came again, but a troop of spirits blest. For when it dawned, they dropped their arms and clustered round the mast. Sweet sounds rose slowly through their mouths and from their bodies passed.

[Genevieve Manion]

If you enjoyed this podcast and would like to hear more, please rate it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Please leave me comments.

[Unknown]

Tag me on social media if you post anything about the show so that I can thank you personally and share.

[Genevieve Manion]

The show with your spooky friends. Be kind to yourselves and I will see you in your nightmares.