Mondo Lizzie Borden

I have always been interested in reading true crime. I don’t know if this comes from being the child of reading parents who passed such books onto me when they were finished, or if it was because I come from the city where Ted Bundy was finally convicted. The trial was held in my town. I didn’t see any of it in person, but watched it (pre-CourtTV) on the local news every night. We even purchased one of those yellow suction cup babyonboard thingys one time that read “Bake Bundy” and hung it on our refrigerator.

Long story short, I have read an enormous amount of true crime books. My all time favorite is Beyond Belief: A Chronicle of Murder and Its Detection by Emlyn Williams. It is the story of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, a true folie à deux, who in 1963 murdered as many as five young people in England. The book is literate and well-written and I am lucky to have found it when I did—as it spurred me to read more true crime at an age when I could have ventured off into other topics if faced with a bad book on a subject.

The book was published in 1968 and you can still find it easily enough in used bookstores or online for very little money.

It wasn’t until 2001 that I stumbled upon an update to the Brady/Hindley story in an odd little book titled The Gates of Janus written by one of the killers themselves!–Ian Brady. It was the handiwork of the uber-prolific true crime writer Colin Wilson, who had written Brady in prison and started a correspondence, visiting him and learning about him first-hand. It is the eeriest book I have ever read. Here is what Publisher’s Weekly has to say:

The infamous “Moors Murderer,” writing from his U.K. jail cell, Brady provides a rambling account of the socio-philosophical and psychological genesis of the modern day serial killer, but it’s emphatically “not an apologia.” The child pornographer and convicted killer (of 10-year-old Lesley Ann Downey, 12-year-old John Kilbride and others) spends the first half of the book contending that killers such as himself, who are free from societal, religious and moral chains, are able to provide greater insight into the criminal mind than psychiatrists, crime reporters or police. But this argument, in and of itself, is unsurprising, and any logical authority Brady might have been able to build up is undermined by page after page of his nihilistic ranting. Pointing to myriad problems present in overpopulated, self-satisfied, privileged societies, Brady imagines contemporary culture as a breeding ground for serial killers. To prove his point, he attempts psychological profiles of Henry Lee Lucas, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and other notorious killers. But these chapters are not profiles so much as they are detailed accounts of the gruesome crimes committed. While revisiting such felonies might be enjoyable for the hardcore true crime fan, for most readers the depictions will feel as gratuitous as the heinous crimes they describe. The relentlessly abrasive and controversial social critic Sotos (Pure), an aficionado of murders recorded on audio tape, adds a provocative afterword.

Indeed. It isn’t until after reading that afterword that all things came together into one enormous understanding of just what was going on in this case. It was riveting and intense.

Myra Hindley died a few years ago in prison. Brady is still around, never to be released. He is one scary dude!

I can’t say enough good things about Williams’ book, and I can’t warn you enough about Brady’s diatribe. It is a frightening exploration into the mind of a serial killer. It will make you angry and confused and you might even want to write Brady yourself when you read how he bastardizes Nietzsche to his own use. I almost did, but was talked out of it by my sister who warned me about getting personal with such individuals—they are experts at using people. I am glad I took her advice and didn’t write.

But I still wish I had gone at least one day to the Bundy trial. The courthouse where it took place is still there, but it has been turned into an historical museum. They also operate ghost tours of the facility at night. Apparently, they feel the place is haunted from all the events that have transpired there over the years. Like Lizzie Borden’s trial courthouse, which still stands in New Bedford, and is open to the public when the court is not in session, Ted Bundy’s courtroom still stands, open to historical types and paranormal investigators.

I don’t know why I am into this right now, but here are some more ghosts. I found this on google video. It is 41 minutes long and has video of stuff happening. Cool!

You can see it below or see it big screen here.

Found this on a Myspace site. The description says “my mom in my garage talking to something that messed with her car its pretty creepy no video just audio and captions.”

I can hear it when I turn the volume way up. This isn’t a joke movie, one of the hundreds that are posted that make you get close to the screen to hear and then they just pop out at you for the scare. This is a voice in the garage. Very scary!

ghost

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The tall ships are coming to Newport, June 27 to July 1.

Check out the list of 21 ships here.

May. 22, 2007

Amica Insurance Tall Ships® Rhode Island 2007
Offers Teens the Trip of a Lifetime

Students from Schools Throughout the State to Embark
on 10-day Voyage Aboard Historic Tall Ships

NEWPORT, R.I., May 22, 2007 - When 20 majestic Tall Ships converge on the Newport and Fort Adams waterfronts at the end of June, a few will carry teenagers from all over Rhode Island, many of whom have never stepped foot on a boat. Amica Insurance Tall Ships® Rhode Island 2007 and the American Sail Training Association are offering area teens the trip of a lifetime — ten days aboard a tall ship as it sails to Newport for New England’s only Tall Ships festival this summer.
For more than a year, John Corbishley and his wife Lori have been traveling the state, meeting with students at Classical High and the Met School in Providence, the Met School in Newport, and a host of nonprofit organizations in every corner of Rhode Island, such as R.I. Educational Talent Search and Volunteers in Providence Schools. The Corbishleys have recruited participants from the Narragansett Indian Tribe, Chariho High School, Child & Family, Boys and Girls Clubs, and the Martin Luther King Center in Newport, just to name a few.

The teens will board a tall ship in Baltimore on June 16 and arrive in Newport June 26 for the festival, which will be June 27-July 1. The sailing opportunities are free and available before, during, and after the festival to area teens, ages 14 to 19, with an emphasis on participants who would not have the financial resources for this type of journey.

“Many of the teenagers we are speaking with have never been sailing, never stepped foot on a boat,” said Corbishley, who started sailing at age 10 and is Past Commodore of the Newport Yacht Club. “Sail training programs around the country have consistently shown that a prolonged experience offshore can provide a permanent shift in perspective among the participants. They see the results of team work immediately as the ship they are sailing on responds to the efforts they contribute.”

When Don Mays, the coordinator at the Martin Luther King Center, learned about this opportunity, he immediately garnered spots aboard the tall ship VIRGINIA for teens at the popular Newport center.

“It will be a powerful, life-altering experience,” said Mays, who will be aboard the VIRGINIA with eight teens including his fourteen-year-old son. “The children will be living in a small space with each other. They will bond and grow and learn from each other. I look forward to seeing them become a crew, working together, and supporting each other to make this trip happen.”

In addition to the voyage before the start of the festival, there are 10-hour day sails on the Bay during the festival and longer trips when the ships depart Newport for various destinations. The skills introduced by these sail training programs, which will be supervised by trained crews, include: mechanics behind a ship’s operation, how a ship sails, line handling, navigation, shipboard maintenance, and the important of teamwork. Given the nature of the journey and the dedication required, candidates should have a desire to learn from new experiences as well as to be able to follow directions and work in close quarters with others, Corbishley said. Parental or guardian approval is required.

“For many years, ships such as these have been used to provide sailors in navies around the world the training to work together and develop a sense of self-confidence that cannot be duplicated in other environments,” said Festival Co-Chairman Vice Admiral Tom Weschler. “I encourage all parents to seriously consider these journeys as a tremendous opportunity for their children.”

Don Mays at the Martin Luther King Center could not agree more. “I’ve been involved with leadership training programs and without exception you see how it changes people for the better. It removes them from their environment and gives them the opportunity to get a new perspective on the world and what’s going to happen after high school.”

Nicole Beede, an eighth grader at Thompson Middle School and member of the Martin Luther King Teen Center for three years, said she couldn’t wait for the voyage.

“I’ll get to experience something many people never get a chance to do,” Beede said. “I’ll get to travel and learn more about working on a ship.”

Participants are nominated through non-profit organizations around the state. For more information, contact the Amica Insurance Tall Ships Rhode Island 2007 office at 401.841.0080.

Amica Insurance Tall Ships Rhode Island 2007 will be the largest display of ships in Newport since the bicentennial celebration. Ship visiting will be free to the public. The festival will feature extensive special events, including an International Village, fireworks, crew and cadet parade, integrated tot and teen programs, and black tie ball. It will be capped by a Parade of Sail on Sunday, July 1. For the latest information visit www.tallshipsrhodeisland.org.

I am off to adventures yet unknown. Gone fishin’ for a while without a telephone. No Internet or TV or radio or cable, just fishin’ for a while, be back when I am able.

Thanks to Harry Widdows for the fake Lizzie photo!

James Starrs—the forensic pathologist who wanted to dig up the Bordens to reexamine their remains—is at it again. This time, he and Michael Baden are getting their chance at a posthumous investigation into the life and death of none other than Harry Houdini!

Experts to Test Harry Houdini’s Body

Thursday March 22, 2007 10:31 PM

AP Photo NYOL973

By LARRY McSHANE

Associated Press Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - For all of his death-defying stunts, Harry Houdini couldn’t escape the Grim Reaper: the unparalleled performer, age 52, expired on Halloween 1926. Many of his trade secrets went with him to the grave - but rumors that Houdini was murdered soon took on a life of their own.

Eighty-one years later, Houdini’s great-nephew wants to exhume the escape artist’s body to determine if enemies poisoned his renowned relative for debunking their bogus claims of contact with the dead.

A team of top-level forensic investigators would conduct new tests once Houdini’s body was disinterred, the legendary star’s relative told The Associated Press.

“It needs to be looked at,” said George Hardeen, whose grandfather was Houdini’s brother, Theodore. “His death shocked the entire nation, if not the world. Now, maybe it’s time to take a second look.”

The circumstances surrounding Houdini’s sudden death were as murky as the rivers where his act often found the virtuoso emerging unscathed from chains, locks and wooden boxes. The generally accepted version was that Houdini suffered a ruptured appendix from a punch in the stomach, leading to a fatal case of peritonitis.

But no autopsy was performed. When the death certificate was filed on Nov. 20, 1926, Houdini’s body - brought by train from Detroit to Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal - was already buried in Queens, along with any evidence of a possible death plot.

Read all about it here.

From October 26, 2006 The Daily Free Press, The Independent Student Newspaper at Boston University:

Baby Doll Burlesque
by Rob Ferrer
Issue date: 10/26/06 Section: Muse

The holiday famous for free candy and girls dressing promiscuously is on its way. Though it’s no longer age-appropriate for college students to go trick-or-treating, if they still want to revel in Halloween fun, they can take part in what Halloween offers to adults — debauchery. The burlesque troop Boston Baby Dolls will hold a Halloween show Oct. 29 at the Paradise Lounge to fulfill that very need.

The Baby Dolls put on an energetic and funny show that appeals to both men and women. And don’t be confused — this is no strip club. Show host Scratch and headlining Baby Doll Ms. Mina told the Muse last week the Baby Dolls show is less about stripping (though there’s some) and more about having a raunchy good time. The people involved in the show have a true love for old-fashioned burlesque theatre and believe in the “timelessness of burlesque,” they said.

The Baby Dolls draw inspiration from what Mina admits is the somewhat idealized “golden era of burlesque” of the 1920s, ’30s and ’40s. The show, which contains a unique mixture of pomp and camp, begins when Scratch comes out in a blood-red suit and speaks in his booming baritone voice.

Performances can get quite comical –one involves an archaeologist disrobing a mummy, while another involves a rejoicing Lizzie Borden. There is also a resident contortionist who cracks wise while twisting himself in manners unnatural to the average human. And a big part of the Baby Dolls show involves crowd participation — it’s completely acceptable to be raucous, rowdy and rude. So, to celebrate Halloween this year, grab a bunch of friends, put on a lascivious attitude and head to Paradise.

Link.

Here is a link to the Boston Babydolls website.

And here is the link to the Lizzie Borden performance!

New York Post sports writer Mike Vaccaro did an op-ed today and prominently mentioned Lizzie Borden. Here is the first paragraph to his piece. Read the rest here.

December 31, 2006 — LIZZIE Borden was the first one to gain a modicum of fame for taking 40 whacks, and the old hag has held the record longer than DiMaggio has held his, longer than Cy Young (who also did most of his best work in New England) has held his, longer than just about every entrant in the Guinness book has held his, her, or its.

Check this site out for ideas for party games on New Year’s Eve! Victorian Games - Party Games Rules Parlor Game for Groups.

The Laughing Game

- - All players sit in a circle. One player starts the game by saying “Ha”. Then, going around the circle, the second player says “Ha Ha”, third player says”Ha Ha Ha”, and so on. All players must not laugh or smile, but must proceed with straight faces. Anyone who fails to do this is out of the game.

Cat and Mouse

- - Place two rows of chairs facing each other with just enough space between the rows for a person to pass through. Select one player to be the cat and one player to be the mouse. All other players sit in the chairs. Blindfold the cat and mouse and have one stand at each end of the pathway of chairs. Cat and mouse walk around the two rows of spectators and must stay within touching distance of them. The cat attempts to catch the mouse - he should stay blindfolded and hunt the mouse entirely by listening. When the mouse has been caught, two new players are chosen to be the cat and mouse.

The Minister’s Cat

- - All players sit in a circle. The first player describes the minister’s cat with any adjective that starts with the letter “A”. Example: “The minister’s cat is an adorable cat.” The next player must also use the letter “A” - such as “The minister’s cat is an angry cat.”, and so on all the way around the circle. When it comes back to the first player the letter “B’ is used - example: “The minister’s cat is a bashful cat.” Anyone who can’t come up with an adjective or repeats one that was already used is out of the game.

Thanks to Sherry Chapman for this fun find!

My good friend and Borden humorist Sherry Chapman found this lovely writeup on the decorations at the Fall River Historical Society.

Read it here.

Merry Christmas.

Greetings, Mystery Lover.
We are pleased to announce that Dunn & Powell Books Mystery Catalogue 80 is available for viewing or download at our website (available in three formats):

http://www.dpbooks.com/cat80.txt (plain text)
http://www.dpbooks.com/cat80.htm (html for maximum compatibility)
http://www.dpbooks.com/cat80.pdf (pdf , best for printing - you need the free Adobe Acrobat software - see link at our website)

Catalogue 80 features 961 items including a large number of pre and post-war mysteries, many in dust jacket and a selection of mystery anthologies and mystery reference titles. Among the highlights: the original Edgar statuette awarded to Patrick Quentin for THE ORDEAL OF MRS. SNOW, the first three volumes of Stephen King’s epic THE DARK TOWER in limited editions, a signed first edition of REBECCA and a large number of vintage pulp magazines.

(If you do not wish to be notified of future Dunn & Powell Books Mystery Catalogues, please reply to this message and add “Remove” to the subject line.)

Thank you and good hunting,
Steve Powell & Bill Dunn

Dunn & Powell Books
The Hideaway
13 Hideaway Lane
Bar Harbor, ME 04609
Phone (207) 288 4665
Fax (206) 202 305
dpbooks@adelphia.net

Link.