While hunting down articles to post on my blog I ran across mention of a fish-man/lizard-man/wild-man being caught in the hills of Tennessee back in the late 1800s, while I coudnt find the original article I was able to hunt down a couple mentioning the original. would make for an interesting game scenario...
Wild Man of the Woods, 1878 (http://www.paper-dragon.com/fistsand45s/wild-man-of-the-woods-1878/)
I'm trying to find more, but in the Louisville Courier Journal on November 13th 1878 is another article:
Another Ghoul.
A Coroner's Assistant Decapitates a Corpse and Sells the Head. [San Francisco Chronicle]
About three weeks ago the unusually quiet community of Oakland was startled from its equanimity by the report that a man had ended his life and miseries at the same time by the efficacious pistol-shot. The report proved true, and the body was removed from the end of Long wharf - the scene of the suicide - to the morgue. Several days elapsed, during which Coroner McKenzie and his deputy, James Lutell, made the most diligent search for the relatives of the deceased, without avail, and it was decided to hold the inquest and bury the body. The inquest revealed the facts that the man had arrived at the wharf on the seven o'clock boat from San Francisco, and had immediately repaired to the new portion of the wharf, where he placed a pistol to his head and ended his life. The wound was in the center of the forehead, and no doubt produced instant death. On the person of the deceased was found about $3 in coins and a gold "Remember me" ring. An India-ink sketch on the right forearm and the ring proved to be the means of the subsequent identification. At the conclusion of the inquest the jury rendered a verdict of suicide, and determined that the self-murderer was unknown, and the body was ordered consigned to Potter's field. The case had almost been forgotten, when three men, giving the name of Wheaton, visited the Oakland morgue and inquired into the circumstances surrounding the different unknown cases lately transpiring. Among others, the wharf suicide was mentioned, and the property shown, when, with one accord, the three Wheatons, who proved to be brothers of the deceased, recognized the ring, money, and pistol, and claimed the right of removing the remains from Potter's field to a more decent sepulture. This very reasonable request was acceded to by the Coroner, and James Kiernan, the man in charge of the burial of the indigent dead, was directed to proceed to Mountain View Cemetery and take the necessary steps for the exhumation and reburial of the body. A singluar reluctance on the part of Kiernan to perform the duy assigned him provoked no particular remark until, in the course of his duty, he had caused the rude box containing the remains to be exhumed, and refused to comply with the requset of the brothers to take off the lid. A workman for the cemetery was then summoned, and the cover removed, when the brothers and other lookers-on were horrified with the sight of a headless body, stripped of its clothing, and bearing the marks of the most frightful butchery. A careful investigation of this matter has developed the alarming fact that Kiernan, the employee of the Coroner to whom the duty of caring for the burial of the unknown dead was intrusted, had deliberately severd the head from the body of the unfortunate man, and sold it to Dr. A. S. Hudson for $6. The clothing, which was all new, was approrpriated and worn by this ghoulish despoiler of the dead. After the discovery of the above detailed facts, and a full confession by the culprit, steps were immediately taken to recover the head from the physician who had purchased it, resulting in an agreement on his part to take the head, which he had preserved in spirits, and sew it on the body, which proposal was agreed to, and the remains, thus patched up, were given a decent burial. Strenuous efforts have been made to suppress this matter, but an interview with Mr. Collins, the superintendent of the cemetery, has justified this publication, while it removes any personal blame from Coroner McKenzie, except so far as he is responsible for the acts of his subordinates.
Edit - the story above is an update to a story reported the prior day.
I'm looking for the original article and I'll transpose it if I find it.
Bad ass! So going to stuff into my memory jar and whip up a Delta Green one-shot in the future!
This thread title would make a great title for an RPG!!!
Tennessee is at least 500 miles wide, by the way; and has lots of hills, valleys, lakes, and rivers. TN stretches from the Mississippi River, to the Great Smoky Mountains.
These headlines are amazing. On November 6th 'Bashed to Death' - Shocking Fate of the Author of 'The Dance of Death' and 'The Missing Millionaire - A Sagacious Bloodhound Snuffling in St. Marks and Barking on the Cold Trail of the Thieves. - Bits of the Great Merchant's Decomposing Body Found Sticking to the Fence - Muddy Foot-prints Across the Porch, and Mud on the Bricks of the House - the Ferry-Boat's Mysterious Stench'.
Regarding the 'Wild Man' stories, they're difficult to find. The original headline cited in the article claimed it was originally reported in the Louisville Courier Journal, but I couldn't find it. There were some articles referencing it:
November 20th, there is an article talking about a talk mentions the audience 'the greater part attracted as much by that sort of curiosity which impelled the people to turn out to see the "wild man of the woods", exhibited at one of the local theaters a few weeks ago.
November 13th, an article The Wild Man of the Woods
The name of the party mentioned a few days since as running wild in the woods, was Kelin. He was captured, but died the next day in great agony.
I expanded my search and did find corroborative evidence. These are all behind a paywall, but you can see a glimpse of them.
Daily American [Nashville] Saturday October 26th 1878. Page 3 (https://www.newspapers.com/image/118806526)
Pulaski Citizen Thursday November 7th, 1878. Page 1 (https://www.newspapers.com/image/171588022)
Concordia Empire Friday November 22nd, 1878. Page 2 (https://www.newspapers.com/image/134219799)
The Daily American (Nashville) Saturday October 26th article attributes the story to the Louisville Courier Journal from that Wednesday, but I didn't find it. The copy isn't great and searching via text doesn't seem to work for that day, so I could have overlooked it.
Edit - There was also another version I found online that reproduces newspaper text (https://tngenweb.org/white/wild-man-of-white-vanburen-counties-1878/) that tells the same story.
Quote from: Razor 007;1082804This thread title would make a great title for an RPG!!!
Tennessee is at least 500 miles wide, by the way; and has lots of hills, valleys, lakes, and rivers. TN stretches from the Mississippi River, to the Great Smoky Mountains.
Plus there are lots of small hollers where a private community could be located and not be detected easily.
(One of the cool things about hiking in the Smokey Mountains is that when you least expect it, you run across something odd like the ruins of a homestead or a small graveyard.)
Eastern Tennessee has a lot of cool stuff for a campaign.
Lots of great stuff in the Smoky Mountains and also the Tri-Cities area near the Virginia border.
Also, Dollywood and Gatlinburg are in Tennessee as well, and those places are both awesome!
And in terms of plot ideas, from my personal experience, Tennessee is full of Steers and Queers :D.
Maybe that could be worked into a story involving The Great Old Ones? Such as an avatar of Nyarlathotep manifesting as a transgender furry cult leader who has a bovine fursona!
As I have noted before. My great grandparents house was something straight out of a Lovecraft story. Remote up in the Tennessee mountains. The house built by my grandfather himself and right up against a cliff that plunged down hundreds of feet. You got water in the kitchen by lowering a bucket on a rope down to a natural spring in the side of the cliff. Last time I was out there the phone was one of those crank and horn types. Think like this.
(https://i.pinimg.com/236x/25/cd/04/25cd0481d37b06157215d6eaecd5e515--style-vintage-brings.jpg)
After a while only my uncle and great grandmother lived out there till my uncle went insane.
There were also caves under the land. Though I only ever got to see a small part. Apparently there was more below.
Tennessee might actually be from where HPL got the idea for the Deep Ones from, not so much this, but the story Fishhead by Irvin S. Cobb, which is set in Reelfoot Lake
Quote from: Doc Sammy;1082816Eastern Tennessee has a lot of cool stuff for a campaign.
Lots of great stuff in the Smoky Mountains and also the Tri-Cities area near the Virginia border.
Also, Dollywood and Gatlinburg are in Tennessee as well, and those places are both awesome!
And in terms of plot ideas, from my personal experience, Tennessee is full of Steers and Queers :D.
Maybe that could be worked into a story involving The Great Old Ones? Such as an avatar of Nyarlathotep manifesting as a transgender furry cult leader who has a bovine fursona!
Don't forget all the secret government labs here.
Plus we have the Bell Witch, Stones River Battlefield, the 'haunted' Sam Davis home, and my favorite, Smyrna's Monkey Woman Bridge.
The original Monkey Woman Bridge crossed Stewart's Creek. A strange creature, half woman, half monkey was said to live beneath the bridge and those foolhardy enough to stop there late at night sometimes encountered the dreaded Monkey Woman. According to one Smyrna resident, Monkey Woman Bridge in Smyrna was one of the spookiest places I've ever been to. Monkey Woman Bridge was the place to go if you wanted to scare anyone. The Monkey Woman would howl at you and either throw things at the car or swing over the car and hit it or scratch it. Sometimes she would have a baby doll hanging from her hand. I hope it was a doll.
At one point, the Monkey Woman was so feared that people would slap the outside of their cars as they drove over the bridge at night in an effort to keep the Monkey Woman from jumping on their car! The road has been rerouted in recent years and the original Monkey Woman Bridge has reportedly been moved to Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro. A new concrete bridge now crosses Stewart Creek and rumor has it that the construction crew working on the new road found a woman's remains when they were digging.
I live in Smyrna, and drive through that area when I go to one of the guys houses to game.
Quote from: Imaginos;1083129Plus we have the Bell Witch, Stones River Battlefield, the 'haunted' Sam Davis home, and my favorite, Smyrna's Monkey Woman Bridge.
I recall Smyrna being mentioned by relatives. But can not remember in what context. Off topic but anyone from TN happen to know where a "Pee Wee Holler" might be?
Quote from: Imaginos;1083129Plus we have the Bell Witch, Stones River Battlefield, the 'haunted' Sam Davis home, and my favorite, Smyrna's Monkey Woman Bridge.
The original Monkey Woman Bridge crossed Stewart's Creek. A strange creature, half woman, half monkey was said to live beneath the bridge and those foolhardy enough to stop there late at night sometimes encountered the dreaded Monkey Woman. According to one Smyrna resident, Monkey Woman Bridge in Smyrna was one of the spookiest places I've ever been to. Monkey Woman Bridge was the place to go if you wanted to scare anyone. The Monkey Woman would howl at you and either throw things at the car or swing over the car and hit it or scratch it. Sometimes she would have a baby doll hanging from her hand. I hope it was a doll.
At one point, the Monkey Woman was so feared that people would slap the outside of their cars as they drove over the bridge at night in an effort to keep the Monkey Woman from jumping on their car! The road has been rerouted in recent years and the original Monkey Woman Bridge has reportedly been moved to Cannonsburgh Village in Murfreesboro. A new concrete bridge now crosses Stewart Creek and rumor has it that the construction crew working on the new road found a woman's remains when they were digging.
I live in Smyrna, and drive through that area when I go to one of the guys houses to game.
Now if I remember right, Smyrna is right between Nashville and Murfreesboro. I've driven through there a few times.
Then again, as for stories, there is always the one about Murderous Mary (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)), who was hanged in Unicoi County, TN.
Quote from: Imaginos;1083129...Stones River Battlefield...
I have an ancestor buried there. He had the misfortune to be assigned to the unit attacking Sheridan's position. They eminent domained the Confederate cemetery, and I'm reasonably sure they missed quite a few bodies, including his. I've had little luck locating where the original cemetery was, but I've joked that if you see someone in your house wearing a Confederate uniform, that's Great Great Grandad!
But I've never heard anything particularly spooky about Stone's River. Elaborate?
Tennessee is also where they hung an elephant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)) for murder.
Quote from: deadDMwalking;1083451Tennessee is also where they hung an elephant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_(elephant)) for murder.
Scooped, see post #13.
Quote from: Crawford Tillinghast;1083188I have an ancestor buried there. He had the misfortune to be assigned to the unit attacking Sheridan's position. They eminent domained the Confederate cemetery, and I'm reasonably sure they missed quite a few bodies, including his. I've had little luck locating where the original cemetery was, but I've joked that if you see someone in your house wearing a Confederate uniform, that's Great Great Grandad!
But I've never heard anything particularly spooky about Stone's River. Elaborate?
Cool about having a relative buried there. There are multiple stories about ghosts from the battlefield but it seems the most prominent is the headless horseman.
http://www.cannoncourier.com/ghost-rider-haunts-battlefield-cms-11381
Quote from: jeff37923;1083160Now if I remember right, Smyrna is right between Nashville and Murfreesboro. I've driven through there a few times.
Your recollection is without fault in this regard.
Quote from: Imaginos;1083678Cool about having a relative buried there. There are multiple stories about ghosts from the battlefield but it seems the most prominent is the headless horseman.
http://www.cannoncourier.com/ghost-rider-haunts-battlefield-cms-11381
That is fascinating. Thank you.