Category: RABBIT HOLE
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ALL APOLOGIES: THE SUICIDE NOTE OF KURT COBAIN
On this day 26 years ago legendary musician Kurt Cobain passed away due to a gunshot wound to the head. A singer, guitarist and songwriter he was best known as the front man of the Seattle area grunge band Nirvana. While there have been many rumors and conspiracy theories about his death, I think legions…
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LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: THE TRAGIC DEATH OF BRANDON LEE
A crow visits the grave of Brandon Lee, who died on this day back in 1993. The son of famed martial artist and iconic actor Bruce Lee was on set shooting a scene for the cult classic ‘The Crow’ when he was accidentally shot by fellow actor Michael Massee, who played the role of Funboy.…
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THERE IS NO ESCAPE: THE STORY OF THE TRIANGLE SHIRTWAIST FACTORY FIRE
March 25th marks a tragic day in American history, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire. The disastrous event, which happened on this day back in 1911, made many aware of the deplorable and dangerous working conditions that large numbers of the population faced on a daily basis. The factory, owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris,…
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CLYDE BARROW’S CAPTURE MEMORIALIZED IN MIDDLETOWN
Walking into the lobby of the Middletown Police Department one probably wouldn’t think they’d come face to face with one of the most notorious outlaws in American history. But you will – his mugshot anyway. 91 years ago today Clyde Barrow was arrested by Middletown, Ohio police. To honor this moment in local history they…
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SCREAM LIKE A BANSHEE
So today is St. Patrick’s Day and under normal circumstances I’d be celebrating Ireland’s patron saint by raising a pint or two at my local pub. But alas, the Covid-19 protocol has made that celebratory tradition impossible. So as an alternative I think I’ll sit here and write a little instead. I can’t help but…
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THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS
Beware the number thirteen – at least when it comes to the trains running near Spuyten Duyvil station in the NYC borough of the Bronx. The number thirteen seems to vex this particular station and the notoriously sharp curve located nearby. On a cold January day in 1882, Friday the 13th to be exact, an…
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DISMEMBERED ARMS AND LEGS, OH MY!
Cincinnati is known for a lot of things but in the late 1880’s it seems beer, caskets and cadavers were top of the list, and I think this tale links them together quite splendidly. Back then, our city’s beer consumption ranked 2 1/2 times the national average. That comes in at about 40 gallons for…
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BURIED SECRETS
Cincinnati’s oldest cemetery is home to more than just our city’s first settlers, it is also the site of what was once a thriving Native American village. The area known as Pioneer Cemetery is located just off Wilmer Avenue in the city’s East End. It sits unassumingly across the street from Lunken Airport and is…
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KILLER BUNDLES OF LEAP YEAR JOY
It’s Leap Day! February 29 – a date that only comes around once every four years. Did you know not one, but two, infamous serial killers were born on this day? Bouncing bundles of aberrant joy, Aileen Wuornos and Richard Ramirez were both leap day babies. Aileen Wuornos was born in Troy, Michigan on this…
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DON’T GO MESSIN’ WITH A FAUX LAVEAU
Marie Laveau is perhaps the most notable occultist in American history. Known as the Voodoo Queen of New Orleans, Laveau spent her entire life in the city working as a voodoo priestess, midwife, herbalist and hairstylist. In addition to protection spells and gris gris, Marie was a devoted Catholic and intertwined her magical workings with…
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DEAD PRESIDENT: ZACHARY TAYLOR AND HIS CALAMITOUS CHOW DOWN
President’s Day mostly comes and goes with little to no fanfare, a paid holiday for a chosen few and maybe a great mattress sale, but this year it got me thinking, have there been any weird or extremely interesting causes of death for any of our former leaders? We all learn about assassinations of presidents…
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DEPRAVED LOVE: THE STORY OF FRED AND ROSE WEST
This Valentine’s Day let’s take a look at Fred and Rose West, a pair of depraved lovebirds who together sadistically killed at least a dozen young girls between 1972 and 1987 in Gloucester, England at the notorious address, 25 Cromwell Street. The married serial killers and rapists turned their love nest into a veritable house…
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LICK ROAD: WHERE URBAN LEGEND AND TRUE CRIME COLLIDE
I love urban legends and I find that while most are seemingly far fetched stories, a few of them are rooted in grains of truth. I think that may be the case with one local bit of lore here in the Cincinnati area. Amy and The Legend of Lick Road. Let’s start with the legend:…
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DAWN McFARLANE’S AMPUTATION SITUATION
The story of Dawn McFarlane is a bittersweet tale. The sassy lassie from Portsmouth, England, was stricken with polio when she was just a baby and suffered immensely from the dreaded disease that plagued so many at that time. In 1952, when she was just fourteen, Dawn fell headfirst for a young private in the…
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TWO SERIAL KILLERS WALK INTO A BAR…
Even the most vile criminals and serial killers like to cut loose and throw back a few adult beverages on occasion. Many of them even had a favorite watering hole to unwind, their own little “Cheers.” For example, when Edmund Kemper wasn’t cruising around looking for his next victim, he was hanging out at his…
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THE MAN WHO IS BURIED ON THE MOON
There is only one person in the world that has the unique distinction of having their remains buried on the surface of the moon. So who claims this deep six in deep space? Eugene Merle Shoemaker. Eugene Shoemaker was a prominent American geologist who, after studying craters here on earth, took his expertise to a…
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THE SILHOUETTE OF MARGARET SCHILLING
The story of Margaret Schilling, ‘The Lost Lady’ may be one of the region’s most compelling ghost stories. In 1978 Schilling was a patient at the then century old Athens Lunatic Asylum. Margaret, who was a seemingly trusted patient, was allowed to walk freely around the grounds of the large facility but on December 1st did…
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THE SUICIDE OF JEREMY DELLE
January 8, 1991 Richardson High School in Richardson, Texas. Fifteen year old Jeremy Delle arrives late to class and is sent to the office to get an attendance slip. When he returned to his classroom he addressed his teacher directly saying, “Miss, I got what I really went for.” He then revealed a .357 Magnum, stuck…
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THE HEAD AND HANDS MURDER
On this day back in 1936 the headline of The Cincinnati Enquirer proclaimed ‘Hicks Condemned to Death.’ Justice was swift as it would take a jury less than 15 minutes to convict Heber L. “Jimmie” Hicks. So what did he do? Hicks was the mastermind behind a murder that became to be known locally as…
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1 LUNATIC, 1 ICE PICK
Luka Magnotta was born Eric Clinton Newman on July 25, 1982 in Scarborough, Ontario. A new breed of psychopath, Magnotta shared the heinous acts he perpetrated on the internet. The web was the perfect platform for him, after all, he was obsessed with his looks and referred to himself as a “plastic surgery addict.” He…
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FRIDAY THE 13TH JINX
The Jinx illustration depicted here announced the Friday the 13th wedding party of James Kral and Jenny Patton. It was published in Chicago paper ‘The Day Book’ on June 13, 1913. The devilish skeletal imp announcing the couple’s theme of embracing everything 13 for their big day. The nuptials would take place on the 13th…
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SPIRITED SPIRITS: THE GHOST OF IMOGENE REMUS
One of Cincinnati’s most popular ghost stories is the one of Imogene Remus. Legend has it her spirit has haunted the Spring House Gazebo in Eden Park for over 90 years. So how did Imogene become a ghost? You see, back in 1927 Imogene was gunned down in Eden Park by her husband, the infamous…