1890 News Paper Articles of Interest

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Blake_Alexander
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1890 News Paper Articles of Interest

Post by Blake_Alexander »

The following is an exerpt from the March 27th, 1890 Edition of the Sandusky Daily Register:

To Escape From A Convent

A Girl’s Frantic Attempt to Free Herself from the Nuns


WEST CHESTER, Pa., March 26-A young woman made a desperate attempt to escape from the Villa Maria convent, at this place, this morning, but failed. About 6 o’clock this morning she leaped from one of the windows in the large convent building to the ground, fifteen feet blow, and ran down the below, and ran down the board walk leading to the town, clad only in her night clothes and with nothing but her sticking on her feet.

After her ran five nuns, and when she had got a hundred yards from the convent, they caught her and dragged her struggling and crying bitterly back to the convent. The young girl cried “murder” several times, but no one was near to go to her aid. A young lad who was near was
told by one fo the nuns that the girl was sick and delirious, but this the fugitiveindignantly demed. The girl was about 18 years of age, and of an attractive appearance. The affair has created a sensation here, but no steps have been taken to investigate the matter.

LATER-Sister Leo, who escaped from the Villa Maria convent yesterday and recaptured a short distance from the institution, died today of paralysis of the heart.

As I read this, I felt it had the making of a good plotline for MotRD. Any suggestions on how this might be used?
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Blake_Alexander
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Post by Blake_Alexander »

Here is another from the same paper though it is in the March 21, 1890 edition. It's the story of a suicide of a young lady who was stalked for three years by an unknown tormentor. It's a sad story, but one that may make a good backstory of a restless spirit...or perhaps her tormentor was more than a mere human.

LETTER-WRITING FIEND

A Beautiful Young Lady’s Mind
Destroyed by Three Years of Persecution


JOLIET, Ill., March 20-Miss Jessie White, the 19 year old daughter of James S White, an old resident, committed Suicide last evening in a most sensational manner. She was out riding in a buggy and drive up and down Chicago Street several times, bowing and smiling to acquaintances. Finally, when nearly in front of a hotel she stopped the horse, took a box from the bottom of the carriage, drew a revolver and shot herself through the heart.

Several gentleman rushed to the carriage just in time to catch her body as it was falling into the street.

It is believed the young lady was demented as the result of a long series of persecutions at the hand of an anonymous letter writer. About three years ago he began his work.

Every young man who met the fair young Jessie at a party or a dance and received an introduction to her has been the recipient of anonymous letters from some jealous person who had fallen in love with Jessie, and whose attentions she had evidently repulsed.

All the local newspapers received letters directed against the young lady by the same person and in the same handwriting.

The letters were all turned over to the authorities, and the police and detectives were put on the watch for the persecutor. Finally a cousin of Miss Jessie, David White, was arrested and tried in the circuit court, but no positive evidence would be obtained and the trail resulted merely in his being hound over to keep the peace.

After the trail was over it was hoped by all the friends of Miss White that she would be left in peace, but the persecuting letters still kept coming to her, to her people, to all the society young gentleman in town, and to call who could possibly be influenced in any way by the epistles of the
jealous writer.

The young lady and her family were constantly kept in a state of terror and the letters were dropped on their door steps, shoved under their doors, sent in every way, till the young ladies were afraid to go out of their home. Finally Miss Jessie was sent away for a while to the east, But this did not stop the letter writer, who was so artfully persuing the beautiful and distressed girl.

All the detective brought into requisition could not entrap the villain,
so after three years of this kind of torture, the poor, hunted girl became so distracted that she could bear it no longer.

In the box in the carriage in which she had the revolver was found a letter addressed to her family, in which she says:

“I am tired of life, and am going to shoot myself and deny the letter writer the pleasure of doing it. Three years is long enough to be tortured by him, and there are no prospects of any peace for me as long as I live, and inasmuch as he has promised to take my life, I really think he means to, but now he never shall.”

“If he found any pleasure in torturing me I hope he will be satisfied now, for he has driven me to destroy my life. All I have to say now is for you to forget and forgive me for the wicked act I am about to commit. Now dear folks, I love you all so dearly I could not live if any of you were to be taken from me, so I want you all to think it is all for the best that I should leave this world.”

She also gives directions as to how she shall be buried, who shall officiate, and names the pall bearers she desires.

Does anyone have any thoughts on how this might be used as a plot seed. (I imagine that if the PCS actually witnessed something similar to the girls suicide it would almost demand investigation)
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Post by Gonzoron of the FoS »

Wow, it's amazing how different these stories read when you've got your MotRD/RL goggles on:

"normal" read: two tragic cases of mental illness

MotRD/RL real: in the first, the convent has "obviously" been infiltrated by some demon/devil/illithid/great-old-one who turned the sisters into cultists. Then one of their human sacrifices breifly escaped.

The second is an "obvious" case of a spurned suitor driven to suicide, who came back as a jealous spirit determined to drive his "love" to join him in death.

:)

Nice finds!
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Post by Sorti »

my dear Gonzoron fellow, you are clearly mistaken:

in the first case it is obvious that a possessed woman tried to escape during an exorcism that would have made her free from an evil influence, surely because she made a pact with the evil spirit or devil out of her free will, as shown by the fact she died when the exorcism was completed.
I hope nobody else had contact with her before the demonic entity in her was discovered, or he or she may carry still some of its hellish taint...

in the second case one must not forget that the famed detective Alanik Ray was called to investigate on the case, but was dismissed when he outrageously asked for an example of the handwriting of the unfortunate maiden herself. One should ask himself why she was afraid that her beloved ones would have been taken from her, and if by killing herself she didn't willing sacrifice her young life to stop something impure from entering this world...

(sorry I'm in a fiendish mood today :P)
Coltiviamo per tutti un rancore
che ha l'odore del sangue rappreso
ciò che allora chiamammo dolore
è soltanto un discorso sospeso
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Blake_Alexander
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Re: 1890 News Paper Articles of Interest

Post by Blake_Alexander »

I've found another possible plotline in an article from the June 5th 1890 edition of the Sandusky Daily Journal:

Asleep for Two Months

Amboy, IL-Grace Girdley the 19 year-old daughter of a prominant businessman, has been soundly for nearly two months. She went to bed in her usual health the night of March 15th and could not be roused from sleep the next morning. After sleeping for about a week she roused up somewhat and getting out of bed walked over to a rocking chair, where she immediately went to sleep and has not awaken since. Her cheeks are rosy and breathing regular and her sleep is seemingly as normal as that of an infant. All attempts to rouse her are fruitless. She is fed regularly with liquids. Her case puzzles all the doctors.
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Blake_Alexander
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Re: 1890 News Paper Articles of Interest

Post by Blake_Alexander »

Here is another article from the June 21, 1890 edition:

Four Drownings in One Day

PEORIA, June 20-Four drownings occurred here during the pst twenty four hours. Wednesday night the police were notified of the disappearance of a girl named Katie Sheehan who had not been seen since Tuesday night when she cam back to the city from an excursion on the steamer Howard. At noon yesterday some men who were unloading a barge discovered her body floating on top of the water near the dock. There were no marks of violence, though the clothes about the lower part of her body and on her limbs were badly torn. The last persons seen with her were Charles Beck and Henry Johnson and they were both arrested pending an investigation.

A little boy named Frank Scott while playing on a bridge at the foot of Hamilton Street feel into the river and was drownded.

John Gilbert, advertising agent of Rock Island Road, went across the river fishing. His body was found later in a slough on the other side. How he came to be drowned is a mystery.

information reaches here that a man was drowned in Kickapoo Creek, near here, though no particulars have been received.
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Re: 1890 News Paper Articles of Interest

Post by Morte Rouge »

A bit earlier, but here's a tale that made the rounds of newspapers across the East Coast in 1880:

The petrified child in the family of J.A. Kinsley, of New Philadelphia, continues to attract general attention, and is considered by all who have seen it to be the wonder of wonders. The hardness has gradually spread over the entire body, some portions being so hard that not the slightest indentation can be made. The case is said to be without parallel in the history of the country, and the singular disease has thus far baffled all medical skill. How the child can live in this solidified state is the greatest mystery. The parents are greatly grieved over its sad affliction, and are doing everything in their power for its relief.

New Philadelphia, by the way, is the town in Ohio, and is not the one in Pennsylvania, as I at first thought.
They ask me if I feel remorse and I answer, "Why of course!
There is so much more I could have done if they'd let me!"
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