Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal

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• A 'Phantoms & Monsters' Holiday Tradition: A Christmas Story....well, kinda
• Daily 2 Cents: Bizarre Bronx 'Owl Man' -- 1960 Texas 'Gorilla' Incident -- Eerie Sounds Heard in Spokane Valley, WA
• Cryptid Sea Creature in Alaskan Waters

A 'Phantoms & Monsters' Holiday Tradition: A Christmas Story....well, kinda Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:24 PM PST The following account is a bit of a holiday tradition here at Phantoms & Monsters. I hope you enjoy: This strange narrative is a holiday season tradition on 'Phantoms & Monsters'. In fact, many of my regular readers have told me that it is their all-time favorite post. This story was forwarded to me in 1998. I was told that it is a true tale despite the bizarre details. Even though it is holiday related, I had some reservations since there is a combination of death and Christmas. Nonetheless...I receive many requests by other bloggers to use on their site: Hello – I have a disturbing Christmas-related story that took place in a remote small town located on Mount Desert Island, Maine. My name is George and I have lived here all of my life. I hesitate to name the town since this story could carry unintended consequences for the residents. I know that the story is true because I was a witness to it. It started in early December 1960 when I was age 12. Each week, my mother and I would walk to the local supply store in order to stock up on whatever we needed at the time. We didn’t have the car because my father used it for his work as a state employee. He was away from home for several days at a time. The walk wasn’t too far but it was a bit hard during the winter since we had heavy snow at times. The store was owned by a wiry old man name ‘Big John’ Corneau. Big John was well-known in the area since he was a sort of legend after he had saved the life of a girl in the 1930’s who had been attacked by a rogue grey wolf. He would show the scars on his arms from the confrontation to the local kids when they would come into the store with their parents. Big John was also a storyteller – and I mean some real whopper tales, especially when it pertained to his personal history. On this particular day, I was admiring Big John’s small Christmas tree with wooden ornaments that he claimed he carved himself. There were all sorts of animals, including bears, elephants, tigers, etc. There must have been 50 or so wooden ornaments. As I stood in amazement of the detail in these carvings Big John walked up to me and sat down in a rocking chair beside the wood stove. He lit his small black pipe, sat back and rocked away while watching me examining the Christmas tree. After a minute or so, John asked me if I believed in Santa Claus. I was surprised by the question but assured him that I no longer believed in the legend. John looked away, smiled and said “well, that’s good. I didn’t want you to be disappointed this year.” I was confused by his statement. What did he mean? A few days later, my mother asked me to walk to the store for a few items she needed. My aunt had stopped over for a visit and my mother was busy with her so I made the lone jaunt. This wasn’t unusual since I was now old enough to do this on my own. When I reached the store, Big John was sitting in the rocking chair reading a magazine. He looked up and asked me if he could talk to me. I sat down on the small chair on the other side of the wood stove anticipating one of Big John’s tall tales. What he told me was more than I ever expected. Big John’s demeanor started to change – whatever he was going to tell me was probably more serious than one of his typical parables. He looked into my eyes and said “something unusual happened last Christmas Eve.” He paused - then continued “I saw the dead body of Santa Claus.” Well, I’m not sure what my facial expression was but I can tell you what I was thinking – this old man was four quarters short of a dollar. Again he said “I really did see Santa Claus’ dead body.” I’m thinking to myself…why is he telling me this? He started to explain what happened. Last Christmas Eve he was at home getting ready for the drive to his sister’s house on Christmas Day. He then heard a huge crashing sound in the woods near the house. He looked out the bedroom window but couldn’t see anything, so he decided to investigate. The snow was very deep all around the property and into the woods. It was a clear cold night and the moonlight was bright. Big John held a camp lantern in front of him as he made his way through the pine forest. Then he saw something lying in the snow. As he got closer he noticed a man with a blood-stained white beard and hair dressed in a tattered red-colored coat and pants. Big John knelt down to check the man’s condition. It was obvious that he was dead. In fact the body was terribly mangled though there was little noticeable blood. The body looked as if it had been dead for a few days. Big John explained that he reported finding the body to the authorities who soon retrieved the remains. He said that the police told him that they wanted to keep the death quiet until they determined the identification of the deceased. He agreed not to mention the incident. I asked Big John “why are you telling me?” He smiled and said “because I have to tell someone.” He got up from his rocking chair, walked behind the counter and reached into a drawer. He walked back toward me and handed me a pair of wire frames without the lenses. “Take these….these belonged to Santa Claus”. I placed the wire frames in my pocket and told Big John that I had to get going because it was getting late. I bought the items I came for and hurriedly left the store – my head was buzzing all the way home. For two days I wondered why Big John decided to tell me the story. I eventually determined that this was just another one of Big John’s ruses. I placed the wire frames in a shoebox and pushed it deep into the recesses of my messy closet. On Christmas Eve my mother came home after walking to the store. I was sitting at the table working on a new jigsaw puzzle. I heard her asking someone on the telephone if they knew why Big John’s store was closed. By this time my father was home so he decided to drive to Big John’s house to make sure he was OK. After an hour or so my father returned and said that Big John wasn’t home but his car was in the driveway. He had also noticed smoke coming from the chimney so the fireplace was still burning. He decided to call the local sheriff and make an inquiry. After several days no one had seen Big John. His relatives and friends were contacted but no one had any information. The sheriff was finally convinced that something was wrong so he entered the house. Nothing unusual was found – no clues as to Big John’s whereabouts. The next logical place to look was the store. Here is where the story gets fuzzy. I had no knowledge of what the sheriff had found until my father told me a few years later. While searching the inside of the store, the sheriff and a deputy found a large mound of old rugs in the middle of the ground cellar floor. The deputy started to remove the rugs until he started to notice an unmistakable odor. Before he removed more rugs the district coroner was called to the location. What they discovered was both unusual and confusing. There were skeletal remains of a human body with a tattered red coat and pants. Well, I’m sure my jaw noticeably dropped. I told my father the story Big John had told me – eventually I told the same to the sheriff. I also retrieved the pair of wire frames and handed it over to the State Police. Since that time I have not heard or seen anything further concerning this incident. I suppose there are various scenarios that could be created from the story but I just wish I knew what happened to Big John. NOTE: at the time I received this story (1998) there had been no further information on Big John Corneau or the body found in the cellar. I did confirm (through a constable in Ellsworth, Maine who had acquaintances living nearby) that a situation with a few similar circumstances did occur in a hamlet in the northeast section of the island very near the Acadia National Park in the early 1960's. He was unfamiliar with 'Big John' Corneau or if the case was resolved...Lon Bathroom Book of Christmas Trivia: Stories, Weird Facts & Folklore Behind Holiday Traditions from Around the World Weird and Wonderful Christmas: Curious and Crazy Customs and Coincidences From Around the World Awkward Family Photos The Christmas TV Companion: a Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials and Outrageous Oddities Please help support the free 'Phantoms & Monsters' newsletter https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=RWGVM33NUC592

Daily 2 Cents: Bizarre Bronx 'Owl Man' -- 1960 Texas 'Gorilla' Incident -- Eerie Sounds Heard in Spokane Valley, WA Posted: 20 Dec 2016 12:15 PM PST Bizarre Bronx 'Owl Man' From the forthcoming Humanoid Encounters: 1900-1929: Location: Bronx, New York Date: June, 1904 Time: Night Acting Capt. Wilson of the Bronx Park Police Station last night asked the Superintendent of the Zoological Gardens to try to take into custody a big brown ‘owl’ for which the past three weeks has been scaring the policemen who were assigned to Post 16, which is one of the most lonely posts in the gloomy old Bronx. For many days it was believed that a winged demon had deigned to hover over Post 16, and the policemen who were assigned to duty there came into the old station in the Lorillard Mansion night after night with wonderful tales of what had happened on the hoodoo post. Policeman Patrick J. Hickey said it was the most horrid thing he had ever encountered. “It’s not an owl,” said Hickey, “it’s a devil with wings. Sure I know an owl when I see one, but no man ever seen an owl with wings six feet wide. And it “whooooo’s” like a ghost in a graveyard, too, when it’s not growling beneath its breath. Why, men, he’s no owl; he’s a devil; and I’m going to get transferred.” And when Hickey was transferred, a German policeman was assigned to Post No. 16, which takes in Lorillard Lane. The German policeman had only been on the post an hour one night when he came running into the station house and shouted: “I seen it! It had a stick on its claw, and it tried to smash my head. When I ducked it ducked, too, and I had to run behind a tree. I think it is supernatural, that’s what I think.” Then policeman Walter Kane was assigned to the “hoodoo” post, and he got a transfer in a hurry after the strange creature on wings had knocked his helmet off while patrolling the lane. Policeman Frank Campbell, who was sent to the Bronx station from a downtown Manhattan precinct, was on duty on Post 16 only two nights when he encountered “something strange” that flew down from the trees and attacked him. He had not heard of the experiences of the other men who had been on Post 16, but when he entered the station a few nights ago with his face scratched and his helmet battered in, he wrote out this report: “Shortly before midnight encountered a dark, flying object with four legs and two wings, the beast attacked me, if it was a beast, and I fought back. Has the resemblance of a tall, slim man at times, and at other times assumes the form of a mountain dwarf.” Last night (June 21) Julius Wensch who resides at Bronxdale, ran into the police station and shouted for help. He told Sgt. Appel who was at the desk, that he had been attacked by something wild that “yelled like a tiger.” He said the strange thing had carried away a young woman who was in his company, and he asked for police assistance. Policemen Ollet and Baker were sent to rescue the girl, and they found her running through Lorillard Lane screaming. She explained that a wildcat with wings had attacked her and had torn the feathers from her hat. The policeman went back to the station and reported that it was undoubtedly the big brown owl which had been frightening policemen for the past three weeks. The acting Captain notified the Bronx Park folks and a squad of men were sent out to capture the thing at midnight. (No additional information as to what occurred). Source: Kate Massingill in 'Magonia Exchange List' quoting 'The New York Times,' June 22, 1904 Type: E NOTE: Gryphon (Griffon)... or possibly a Mothman? Interesting account...Lon ********** 1960 Texas 'Gorilla' Incident Huge Ape Reported Seen At Blue Creek By WILLIE JACOBS Democrat Staff Writer (July 20, 1960) BLUE CREEK- Is there a gorilla loose near this small community? J.O. Conrad, his wife and son, who live here three miles east of Sherman on Highway 82, say they saw "a seven-foot gorilla or some kind of monster" Monday night near their home. His story came to light only Friday. The animal has been reported seen near Bells by one other person. Some people merely shake their heads and smile at the story while others stand behind Conrad's report. Gorilla or not the citizens of Blue Creek are keeping their doors locked tight and firearms handy. Conrad said he had just gone to bed Monday night about 10:30 or 11. "I was smoking a cigarette when the dog started barking," he said. " I looked out the east window and saw him, He looked to be seven feet tall and about three feet wide across the back. He stood upright but hunched over." At first glimpse Conrad said he thought it might be a man walking through his yard. "Then I saw it was too big to be a man," he explained. "I jumped out of bed and got my flashlight and gun." Mrs. Conrad and their son, James, 13, watched the creature from the bedroom window. Conrad said he stepped off his front porch toward the animal and fired three times. "I know I hit him at least once. but he didn't even flinch. That's when I went after my shotgun," Conrad said. Mrs. Conrad called the sheriff's office in Sherman. Deputies warned against shooting the animal, afraid a bullet wound would cause it to attack. "I fired the shotgun over his head, but he didn't run, just shuffled of to the east down the side of the highway," Conrad continued. "I jumped in my car and followed. I got a real good look at him in my headlights while I was following him. "He looked black as coal. He was real hairy except for his face," he said. "I was about 20 feet from him when I shot, and I didn't try to get closer. I was scared." All the way to the Blue Creek bottom, a few hundred yards east of the community, Conrad said the animal swayed and shuffled slowly along on his back legs. "His front legs were just hanging down and swinging around," he said. After the animal went into the underbrush at the creek, Conrad said he gave up the search, afraid to follow the beast in the brush. Mrs. Curtis Wilson, who lives about 100 yards east of Conrad across the highway, said she and her husband were awakened shortly before Conrad saw the animal. "We heard something rattling around in the shrubbery beside the house, and our two dogs were going crazy," Mrs. Wilson said. "Then we heard something thump against the house and the dogs hushed, just like they had been turned off." When her husband went outside, Mrs. Wilson said the dogs were cowering in a corner on the porch and "shaking just like somebody had whipped them." At the same time, Mrs. Wilson said the Wilson's cows hehind the house had begun an uproar. The Wilson's first thought of a wolf. "Then we heard Mr. Conrad shooting and my husband got his deer rifle. But by the time he got out to the highway, whatever it was had gone into the creek bottom brush," she said. Mrs. Wilson said most of the people living near the community had kept their dooors locked since. Conrad said his wife was so scared that she did not go to sleep the rest of the night and had to have medical treatment the next day. W.B. Thompson of 716 S. Burdette, Sherman was working the same night at an all-night station in the Star community between Bells and Denison. He said a man drove into the station for gas and told him he had just seen a large, strange-looking animal along the roadside near Bells. Thompson did not get the man's name. Conrad said that as he started to follow the beast in his car another car came down the highway approaching the animal from behind. "That fellow must have seen the gorilla because he threw on his brakes and almost stopped at the side of the animal. Then he stepped on it and got out of there. I thought he would stop and help me, but he must of been scared, too." Grayson Sheriff's Deputy James Spaugh answered Mrs. Conrad's call for help. He said that as far as he is concerned "Conrad definitely saw something and it wasn't a man." Next morning Conrad took his wife to the doctor. When he returned around noon, he could find no tracks on the hard dry ground. "Some men who work around here had drug a wrecked car over the spot where I saw that thing standing. There weren't any tracks left," he said. Conrad said he had never seen a gorilla before. "I looked in my dictionary the next morning and found one. I know I saw a gorilla," he said. ********** Eerie Sounds Heard in Spokane Valley, WA Thousands of people are scratching their heads about an eerie sound that's been heard all night long in the Spokane Valley but no one seems to know for sure where the sound is coming from. Linda Pennfield from Spokane Valley and her husband have one theory on what the noise might be. She says the sound was so loud and so persistent last night, her husband actually got out of his bed and jumped in the car to track it down. His conclusion? The sound was coming from all the snow plows, as the metal plows scraped against the ground. According to our in house science expert, Radical Rick, the cold temperatures could be affecting the way we hear sound. He said, "temperature does affect the speed of sound, which can make certain things sounds different than what we are used to hearing. Sound will actually travel faster in hot air than it will in colder air." Listen to audio ********** Phantoms & Monsters: Unexplained Encounters - Available on Kindle & paperback - A collection of unexplained encounters submitted by regular people who felt compelled to contact me about their encounter. I truly understand their dilemma...they want answers. But can they comprehend the truth? I have also included transcriptions and vintage news reports that detail unknown beasts and bizarre events. Black-eyed people, humanoids, entities, Bigfoot and hairy hominids, flying monsters and winged anomalies, upright canines, Dogman, Pennsylvania's lycans and more cryptids. #UnexplainedEncounters ********** TODAY'S TOP LINKS The Airline Stewardess who Starved Herself to Death for Aliens Margit Mustapa – A Little-Known Contactee Why Ghosts Haunt England at Christmas but Steer Clear of America Creepy Krampus – 30 Vintage Postcards of the "Devil Santa Claus from Europe" That Will Haunt Your Dreams Why Darwin Needs ET The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster The Beast of Bray Road: Tailing Wisconsin's Werewolf Real Wolfmen: True Encounters in Modern America Please help support the free 'Phantoms & Monsters' newsletter https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=RWGVM33NUC592

Cryptid Sea Creature in Alaskan Waters Posted: 20 Dec 2016 09:07 AM PST I saw this video on another website...any idea what this is? Could it be an unknown sea creature? Click for video - Gigantic Dragon Sea Monster Filmed By Tourists In Alaska Description: Tourists caught the moment a huge sea creature surfaced during a glacier collapse in Alaska. The clip shows a total of seven black fin-looking objects poking out of the water in front of the collapsed glacier. The first three seemed joined together and are followed by a further four – as if showing the creature’s front and tail. The Pacific Giants (The Cryptid Files) Sea Monsters Unmasked and Sea Fables Explained The Mythical Creatures Bible: The Definitive Guide to Legendary Beings Phantoms & Monsters: Cryptid Encounters Click the 'Listen Live' link...then click the chat balloon icon Follow 'Arcane Radio' on Facebook This newsletter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Hotlinking of P&M Network images and copyrighted material is strictly forbidden unless permission is obtained. 'Phantoms and Monsters' and 'phantomsandmonsters.com' is protected under the Lanham (Trademark) Act (Title 15, Chapter 22 of the United States Code) 'Phantoms and Monsters' was establish in September 2005 as part of the Phantoms and Monsters Network Copyright 2005-2016 Phantoms and Monsters / PM Network - All Rights Reserved