I am the host and producer of Mystery Archives on Youtube. I love exploring and learning about the paranormal, mysteries and more. So I decided to use my passion for learning to start the channel and blog.
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On the evening of February 24, 1942, an anti-aircraft barrage of more than 1,440 rounds is launched at what is initially thought to be a Japanese aerial attack on the City of Angels. Five civilians die – three from traffic accidents spawned by the chaos and two from heart attacks.
What, if anything, is being fired upon remains a mystery. Theories include weather balloons, UFOs, birds, or just jitters by Angelenos with Pearl Harbor still a fresh memory and, even fresher, a Japanese submarine torpedoing a Santa Barbara oil field on February 23.
Regardless of cause, air raid sirens first blare at 7:18 p.m. Thousands of air raid wardens go to their posts throughout Los Angeles County. That alert is lifted at 10:23 p.m. Tensions ease. Then, after midnight, all hell breaks loose. From “Chapter 8: Air Defense of the Western Hemisphere” by William Goss, The Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. 1 published in 1983:
“Radars picked up an unidentified target 120 miles west of Los Angeles. Antiaircraft batteries were alerted at 2:15 am and were put on Green Alert—ready to fire—a few minutes later. The (Army Air Force) kept its pursuit planes on the ground, preferring to await indications of the scale and direction of any attack before committing its limited fighter force. Radars tracked the approaching target to within a few miles of the coast, and at 2:21 am the regional controller ordered a blackout. Thereafter the information center was flooded with reports of ‘enemy planes,’ even though the mysterious object tracked in from sea seems to have vanished. At 2:43 am, planes were reported near Long Beach, and a few minutes later a coast artillery colonel spotted ‘about 25 planes at 12,000 feet’ over Los Angeles. At 3:06 am a balloon carrying a red flare was seen over Santa Monica and four batteries of anti-aircraft artillery opened fire, whereupon ‘the air over Los Angeles erupted like a volcano.’ From this point on reports were hopelessly at variance.”
Not the least at variance are the media reports. According to the Los Angeles Herald Examiner a witness puts the number of planes at 50. Three are shot down over the ocean. A battery near Vermont Ave. takes out another. “Air Battles Rages Over Los Angeles” is the headline of the Examiner’s “War Extra.” The normally more staid Los Angeles Times says:
“Roaring out of a brilliant moonlit western sky, foreign aircraft flying both in large formation and singly flew over Southern California early today and drew heavy barrages of anti-aircraft fire – the first ever to sound over United States continental soil against an enemy invader.”
In Washington D.C., Navy Secretary Frank Knox says: “As far as I know the whole raid was a false alarm and could be attributed to jittery nerves.” Secretary of War Henry Stimson says 15 unidentified aircraft were over Los Angeles — possibly commercial aircraft operated by the enemy from secret fields in California or Mexico or light planes launched from Japanese submarines. Their goal is to determine the location of anti-aircraft defense or damage civilian morale, Stimson says.
“Probably much of the confusion came from the fact that anti-aircraft shell bursts, caught by the searchlights, were themselves mistaken for enemy planes. In any case, the next three hours produced some of the most imaginative reporting of the war: “swarms” of planes (or, sometimes, balloons) of all possible sizes, numbering from one to several hundred, traveling at altitudes which ranged from a few thousand feet to more than 20,000 and flying at speeds which were said to have varied from “very slow” to over 200 miles per hour, were observed to parade across the skies. These mysterious forces dropped no bombs and, despite the fact that 1,440 rounds of anti-aircraft ammunition were directed against them, suffered no losses.”
After the war, Japan says it has no planes in the area at the time of the “raid.” The Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. 1 posits weather balloons as the most likely explanation. A photo from the Los Angeles Times has been used to “prove” it is an extraterrestrial craft. Another explanation appears in an article attributed to the veteran Los Angeles newsman Matt Weinstock in which he interviews a man who says he served in one of the anti-aircraft batteries:
“Early in the war things were pretty scary and the Army was setting up coastal defenses. At one of the new radar stations near Santa Monica, the crew tried in vain to arrange for some planes to fly by so that they could test the system. As no one could spare the planes at the time, they hit upon a novel way to test the radar. One of the guys bought a bag of nickel balloons and then filled them with hydrogen, attached metal wires, and let them go. Catching the offshore breeze, the balloons had the desired effect of showing up on the screens, proving the equipment was working. But after traveling a good distance offshore and to the south, the nightly onshore breeze started to push the balloons back towards the coastal cities. The coastal radar’s picked up the metal wires and the searchlights swung automatically on the targets, looking on the screens as aircraft heading for the city. The ACK-ACK started firing and the rest was history.”
In January of 1959, ten hikers, all but one students at the Urals Polytechnic Institute in Sverdlovsk, began a hike into the Ural Mountains. They were led by Igor Dyatlov. All ten were experienced hikers. They planned a three week trip with a return planned for February 12th. One hiker, Yuri Yudin, left early in the trip, on January 28th, due to a flare up of sciatica. He had made it to the final leg of the trip getting out to the Ural mountains by sled, but had to ride back on the sled to return home. By this time, he’d already taken two train rides, a bus ride, and then the sled ride with the other hikers to get to the place where they would begin their treacherous journey through the mountains in the winter. He was disappointed to leave, but this decision would ultimately save his life.
There are records of the hikers up through February 1st. That day, the hike started late and only managed to cover 2.5 miles, which could have been the burden of excess gear carried after Yudin’s departure and low visibility due to the weather. At some point, the hikers dropped off excess gear at a camp base before continuing up Kholat Syakhi (Dead Mountain to the native Mansi people). They set up camp on the slope of the mountain, possibly because they did not want to lose the ground that they’d covered and because they were losing daylight. However, experienced hikers in the area have said it was an odd place to set up camp. They had dinner around 6-7pm and seemed to be in good spirits based on their personal and trip journals.
And then… nothing.
They did not arrive back by February 12th, though no one was immediately concerned. It was treacherous terrain. They could have been slowed down. Families, however, became worried when they had not heard anything by February 20th and a search party was sent the following day. Rescuers came across their tent a few days later, but the scene left everyone with more questions than answers.
What happened to the hikers?
Last week, the mysteries we covered were simple. Two were questions of authenticity, and one that focused on why. The Dyatlov Pass Incident, however, has all the earmarks of a true mystery.
The tent was the first thing to be found. It was facing north-south, with the entrance facing south and the north part covered with 15-20 cm of snow. The snow appeared to come from the blowing wind and not a sudden avalanche. The individual who found the tent claims he found a flashlight on the tent, but this was laying on top of 10 cm of snow. The tent had been cut from the inside and the entrance/exit was still fastened closed. The hikers had to have escaped the tent through the cuts made on the side. Most of the belongings of the hikers were found inside the tent.
Next, they found footprints leading downhill, though they were of people in socks or bare feet. There was the remains of a small fire under a cedar tree, with branches broken up to 5 meters up the tree.
The first body was found under the tree, close to the remains of the fire. Identified as Doroshenko, he had burns on his head and foot, minor cuts and bruises, dried blood on his face, and a gray foam substance on his cheeks, indicated a pulmonary edema. His cause of death was determined to be hypothermia. Just nearby was the body of Krivonishchenko, who had similar minor cuts and bruises and was missing the tip of his nose. He had burns on his hands and a chunk of his knuckle was missing. It was later found in his mouth. His cause of death was hypothermia. Igor Dyatlov, the leader of the group (for whom the pass would later be named), was found 300m up the slope back towards the tent. He had minor cuts and bruises, a missing tooth, and blood on his lips. His cause of death was hypothermia. His watch had stopped at 5:31 AM. Kolmogorova was found face down, 630m up the hill from the cedar tree, closest to the tent. She had minor cuts and bruises and a large blunt force bruise of unknown origin. Her cause of death was hypothermia.
Slobodin wasn’t found until March 5th, between Kolmogorova and Dyatlov on the hill. He was wearing one boot, had similar minor wounds, and a fractured the skull. The fractured skull, however, was not serious enough to cause death. His cause of death was determined to be hypothermia.
The last four hikers were not found until two months later, when the area began to thaw. They were found in a 6ft ravine. Kolevatov was found to have died of hypothermia, but had a broken nose and was missing his eyes and the soft tissue around them, likely from animal predation. His clothes were found at a later time to have traces of radioactivity. He and Zolotaryov, the one non-student member and the most experienced hiker of the group, were embraced, likely trying to preserve body heat. He died from a crushed chest and had pen and paper in hand, but was never able to write his message. Thibeaux-Brignolle was nearby died from an impact to his skull. And Dubinina died of a crushing injury to her chest and her eyes, tongue, and soft tissue was missing. She had blood in her stomach and radioactivity on her clothes (found later). The region itself was also said to have signs of radioactivity, though I could only find confirmation of the clothing. I wasn’t able to determine how they originally discovered there was radiation.
So, what happened? As you can imagine, the theories range from mundane to ludicrous. The sheer amount of theories cannot be truly managed here, but there are a few categories of theory.
FOUL PLAY
One of the possibilities of a more mundane nature is that the camp was met with foul play. One theory posits some of the hikers were double agents, transporting radioactive samples and searching for CIA agents reportedly in the area. However, something went wrong and the CIA agents attacked. However, it seems very unlikely. If they were transporting radioactive samples, why were only their clothes radioactive? And the theory points the finger at Zolotaryov, Kolevatov, and Krivonishchenko as being the spies. But only Kolevatov of the group had radioactive clothes. The other was Dubinina. Why did they cut themselves out of their tent? Why did six of them die of hypothermia? It explains very little.
Another theory claims they were mistaken for fugitives from the gulags or witnesses to something they shouldn’t have seen. The primary piece of evidence for this is that the region had gulags and Yuri Yudin, the survivor, claimed a piece of clothing was here that did not belong to anyone in the group. The piece of clothing was widely used among soldiers in the 40s and later among gulag prisoners. It later disappeared from the evidence room. This theory explains very little and the fact that Zolotaryov, a WWII veteran, had joined the group last minute is an easy explanation for how this piece of clothing got there. It is unlikely Yudin had a photographic memory of his compatriot’s clothing items, especially if they were underclothes.
The indigenous people of the region, the Mansi, attacked the group, one theory says. However, they were an easy scapegoat and they would have no reason to. The area was not special to the Mansi. And all the belongings were left behind, so it wasn’t robbery.
Another was an altercation between the hikers, but that explains very little. Why would everyone have died? Why did most of them die of hypothermia? Why did all of them leave the tent? There is also no evidence they had ill will towards each other.
SUPERNATURAL
There are two things about the Dyatlov Pass Incident that really stoke the fires of those who believe in a supernatural explanation: the signs of radiation and an image from Thibeaux-Brignolles’s camera. The yeti attack theory is given weight by local legends among the Mansi people of such a creature, but doesn’t explain much of the other parts. Why did most die of hypothermia? Why was the most severe injuries crushing injuries, not slash marks or bite marks? Why did they cut out of their tent instead of the yeti ripping into it? There are many things wrong with this theory. Why did they stop to build a fire?
As far as UFOs, this one is extremely popular. A UFO scared them from their tent and is the cause for the radiation. I still don’t understand the explanation of the fire, the broken cedar branches, hypothermia, etc. Part of the intrigue comes from Lev Ivanov, the man in charge of the investigation at the time, making claims in the early 1990s about forest treetops being burned and being forced to take out the pictures Mansi hunters had given of flying spheres. Ivanov was paid for the interview where he gave this information. He was also a proponent of freak ball lightning in 1959. And the man that forced Ivanov to take out the mentions of the UFOs was obsessed with UFOs.
NATURE
Nature is the most likely culprit here. An avalanche is unlikely, due to the slope of the mountain they were on, the small amount of snow found on the tent, and this not being an avalanche prone area. The footprints would have been wiped away, the group would not have been able to outrun an avalanche either. The most likely scenario: katabatic wind.
Katabatic means “descending” wind. It is also called gravity wind. It is a phenomenon occurs over ice sheets or cooled mountain areas, including the topography of the Dyatlov Pass area. This hurricane-force wind can reach up to 81 meters/second and happen suddenly, without warning like a storm. This phenomenon often occurs at night. One such wind killed skiers in Sweden in 1978, when a wind erupted out of a calm day at 20 meters/second. They abandoned their camp, most died of exposure, and their bodies were found with minor injuries. The bodies were found at intervals that led away from a hastily-constructed snow shelter. The difference here is that one person survived.
In 2019, Swedish adventurers and local guides followed the path of the hikers to replicate the exact trip of the hikers. They went out at the same time of year, followed the same path, with the same supplies. They experienced extreme and unpredictable changes in weather. The Swedish adventurers then came up with the katabatic wind theory. This is supported by situational evidence.
After a tiring day of hiking, the tent was pitched hastily with standing skis and was not angled on the gradient as it should have been.
A gale-force wind swept down the gradient of the mountain, threatening to rip apart their tent, and they cut their way out of the tent for speed and shoveled snow on top of the tent to hold it down in the strong winds, using what they had – their bare hands.
They left a flashlight on top of their tent as they evacuated to act as a beacon to guide them back to camp.
They went down the slope to seek shelter in the trees and lower elevation from the winds on the mountain. They were buffeted by debris lifted by the strong winds.
The three found on the slope died where they fell as they descended the mountain without shoes in light clothing: Slobodin, Kolmogora, and Dyatlov.
Doroshenko, a notoriously brave man, and Krivonishchenko took responsibility for constructing a fire, with Doroshenko climbing the cedar tree to break off branches for the fire. The other four were to build shelters in the ravine to shield them from the winds. The wicked winds would explain the burns or collapsing into the fire as they succumbed to hypothermia. Krivonishchenko’s knuckle injury was from biting it to stay conscious.
The remaining four members went into the ravine and huddled together in a snow shelter. But the snow shelter collapsed onto them, crushing the last four members. Dubinina had been crawling into the shelter when it collapsed on all of them. Soft tissue decomposition happens naturally, particularly in water. The individuals in the ravine had been in water and refroze during melting and freezing periods.
What of the radioactivity? Kolevatov was a student of nuclear physics and he could have come into contact with radioactive materials. Dubinina was an engineering and ecnomics major. There was also the fact that it was 2 months later before the bodies with radioactive traces were found. And there were several possibilities for contamination. Only beta particles were found, and they are used in product testing to determine the thickness of an item and these particles can be transferred to said item. Perhaps this was done on the clothes or on the tarp the students were carried in. The radioactivity appears to be little more than a red herring, leading people away from the most logical conclusion.
As is usually the case with mysteries.
Learn more about the Dyatlov Pass incident by watching this video now
The Sallie House is a small, two-story brick house on the bluffs of the Missouri River, widely considered to be one of the most haunted houses in the United States. Reportedly the house is haunted by a demonic spirit which disguises itself as a young girl called Sallie.
The Sallie House was built for the Finney family in 1867, who occupied the house until the last descendant, Dr Charles Finney, died in 1947. At least four members of the Finney family are known to have died in the Sallie House. Other reported deaths on the property include Michael Finney in 1872, Richard “Edwin” Finney in 1874, William True in 1918 and Agnes Finney True in 1939. After the death of Agnes Finney True, the line of the Finney family living in the house ended and after her brother living in Topeka past away the house was rented out.
Another story of a death in the house is that of a young girl named Sallie. One story is that Dr Charles Finney was home one evening when a neighbor began frantically banging on his door while holding her young daughter Sallie, screaming in pain. Dr Finney took the mother and Sallie in and laid her on a tabletop. He believed that Sallie’s appendix had ruptured and would need to be operated on immediately. Dr Finney sedated Sallie and then began to operate, not realizing that she was still awake. Despite Sallie still being conscious, the doctor did not stop operating and she reportedly died on the table from blood loss and shock.
Another story claims that Sallie was a young girl who lived in the house with her family and also died of a botched appendicitis surgery when she was six years old. A different story claims that she was taken to Dr Finney due to experiencing respiratory issues, however, the doctor did not recognize the seriousness of her condition and she later died of pneumonia.
After the death of Charles Finney, the house was let out and many families and residents came into the house and left. Many of them not wanting to stay long, due to unusual and paranormal happenings in the house, until Tony and Debra Pickman moved into the house in 1993.
It was not long before Sallie began to make her presence known to the Pickman family. The Pickman’s had reportedly decorated one room as a nursery and filled it with teddy bears for their newborn son when Sallie began to play with the bears herself. Sallie would take the bears off of their shelves and arrange them in neat circles in the middle of the floor, sometimes within minutes of them having been put away by the new parents. The Pickman’s would put the teddy bears away again only to come back and find the nursery room light on and the teddies arranged in a circle on the floor again.
After this event, Tony’s brother Greg picked up a camera and ‘snapped a few pictures’ of the teddy bear sitting next to the Pickman’s TV. Reportedly, as he focused on the bear he asked ‘if your here, do you want to have your picture taken’ and then, as he ‘clicked the shutter the bear spun around right before their eyes’.
Tony Pickman’s sister in law, during a visit to the house, would also report an‘ overwhelming, unsettled feeling’ in the nursery and the family dog would bark incessantly at the entrance to the nursery and their cats would stare at something the Pickman’s couldn’t see. Their newborn baby would also wake up every hour ‘as if someone was playing with him’. The Pickman’s also claimed that their neighbor would ask them why they kept the nursery light on all night, which Debra stated she always turned off at night.
The Pickman’s decided to leave the house for a time with their son and go stay with Tony’s parents. Tony was reportedly scratched on the back by an unseen force as they were leaving the house.
Another report stated that the first attack occurred on an occasion when Tony Pickman walked into the room that was reportedly once used as a surgery room by Dr Charles Finney. Tony claimed to experience a feeling of inexplicable cold and then ‘long bloody scratches’ appearing on his arm.
Psychic Barbara Connor visited the house and claimed to have spoken with a child spirit there and reported that the spirits name was Sallie and that she was a ‘seven-year-old girl who had discomfort in her abdomen, a pain in her hand and a toothache’. Barbara also told Debra that the spirit found her to be ‘bossy’ at times and that she ‘bugged her’. Barbara apparently recommended that when the Pickman’s walked around the house that they gently remind Sallie of the rules of the house and that they give Sallie a few toys of her own to play with.
Another of Debra Pickman’s stories of Sallie involved a toy baby doll they had gotten as a gift for Sallie and had left the box wrapped up as a present in the nursery. Debra claimed that one day she walked into the nursery to find the baby doll in the crib and the wrapping and box where it had been left and found that one of the box flaps had been ‘bent awkwardly outward’ but that the wrapping had not been removed.
The couple also reported taking numerous photographs around the house which appear show unexplained streaks and shapes. They also reportedly took photos showing a ‘bluish swirling sort of mass’ which Barbara Conner stated was a good sign and signified positive energy, ‘love and happiness’. Debra Pickman claimed to have taken a photo showing a dark mass with a ‘marbleized appearance’ in the nursery room doorway. They also took a picture from the bottom of the stairs which showed a ‘wispy looking’ area at the bottom and another taken from the top showed ‘an area of significant blackness’ at the bottom. Most of these pictures are unfortunately no longer on the official Sallie House website.
The Pickman’s also began to see apparitions of a young girl in early 1900’s period clothing and believed this the be the spirit named Sallie that Barbara Connor had communicated with.
Tony Pickman first saw Sallie early one morning when he was getting a drink from the kitchen sink and she was standing in the doorway. Tony dropped the glass that he was holding and when he looked up again the little girl was gone. He quickly sketched a picture of the girl that he had seen.
They also began to experience objects being thrown across the room and on one occasion a lamp was thrown at Tony Pickman’s mother, lights and their radio turning on by themselves, timers in the kitchen going off on their own, candles in the bathroom lighting on their own, disembodied and unexplained voices, finger marks appearing on burning candles and unused candles melted down and pictures on the wall turning upside down on their own. Debra Pickman also reported that fires would start on their own in the room that would become the nursery.
The family decided to invite over a friend of theirs who was also a psychic, Renae Leiker, to ask for help. Renae reportedly witnessed a shadow of a tall man sitting by the window, who got up and walked in the direction of the kitchen, when she arrived at the house. The house was reportedly empty at the time.
Leiker also reported feeling many spirits within the house as well as a strong presence of evil as she walked around. She instructed the Pickman’s to burn sage in each room to cleanse the house and help rid it of the evils spirit residing there.
When Debra Pickman began to cleanse the master bedroom, Tony Pickman, who was also present, was violently attacked. He was scratched and thrown through the air, across the room into the bedroom wall and was forcibly held down by an unseen force when Debra tried to help him up. Renae is reported to have repeatedly demanded the spirit release Tony until the entity eventually released him. He also reported one occasion on which Sallie appeared next to him when he was lying in bed, grabbed his wrist and left burns in the shape of fingerprints.
After this event, Tony reported that he would often feel the presence of something evil around him and was often physically attacked by some unseen force. He reported that scratched, burns and cuts would often appear on his body out of nowhere and from no visible source.
Many paranormal investigators have visited the house and many have reported seeing objects flying through the air, full and half-bodied apparitions of the girl claiming to be Sallie as well as other men women and children.
Other reported phenomena include unexplained smells, temperature fluctuations, electronic equipment malfunction, light phenomena, furniture moving on its own, floating shadows and items have reportedly moved on their own or vanished and then reappear in another part of the house. The Pickman’s also reported that they would find ‘strange mould’ on objects in the kitchen, some of which had been used very recently, on several occasions.
Further physical attacks by unseens entities, also including hair-pulling and being pushed, have also been reported by visitors to the house although the majority of the violent attacks are reported to have been focused on Tony Pickman.
The wounds from these attacks would reportedly manifest on his arms, back, chest and stomach. He also reported that there would always be a noticeable drop in the temperature of the room before an attack started. On one occasion a team of paranormal investigators reportedly witnessed Tony Pickman being possessed by an evil spirit which wanted to kill his wife Debra Pickman. The team then witnessed scratches appear all over Tony Pickman’s body.
Tony also stated that when he was in the house he was not able to think any happy thoughts, that he felt like he was a different person and he often felt that he wanted to hurt his wife Debbie and that he had ‘planned on slitting her throat’.
A resident who lived in the house before the Pickman family reported that on one occasion she had woken up in her bed in the middle of the night and found herself facing a ‘grotesque and gaunt dead-looking individual’ lying down and facing her in the bed.
A visitor to the Sallie House, who identifies as an empath, reported seeing a dark shadow in an upstairs window of the house and, upon entering the house, feeling an energy ‘akin to static electricity, but constantly moving static electricity’. The visitor stated that they began to quickly feel ‘jumpy, nervous, fearful, shivering cold, foggy’.
Another family who lived in the house before the Pickman family reported that her young daughter had an imaginary friend named Sallie. Her daughter would apparently often tell her that things she had gotten in trouble for had been the work of Sallie, or that Sallie has told her to do it. The young girl also identified Tony Pickman’s drawing of the spirit named Sallie as her imaginary friend from her childhood.
Numerous recordings of EVP have been made at the Sallie house. These include recordings of the voices of unseen men, women, children and even sounds of animals. Unseen furniture has also been heard moving, or being moved around as well as thumps, thuds, knocks, scratching in the walls. Some of these voices and sounds are even reported to have been heard by the naked ear.
The Pickman’s also reportedly captured EVP on their videotaping of their son’s first birthday. The suspected spirit EVP can apparently be heard saying ‘birthday boy’, ‘that’s all she gets?’, ‘catfish gut’ and other indiscernible but recognizable voices speaking.
Another visitor to the house reported EVP of a young girls voice saying ‘stay put’ after they moved some toys left for Sallie to a different room. They also claimed to record the voice of a man who they believe may be a father figure, EVP of an older woman addressing Sallie by name and asking her a question and an EVP of a spirit saying ‘Tom needs to hold her hand’. Their EVP seemed to have what sounded like the voices of two women, a spirit with an English accent and a conversation between a man and a woman named Agnes in which the man says ‘Agnes I am about the same age as you’. They also claimed to hear EVP of the spirit they believed to be Agnes (possibly Agnes Finney True who reportedly died in the house) making growling sounds as well as a young child’s spirit calling her ‘mommy’.
A list of the names of the people heard or referenced to in EVP interactions at the Sallie house can be found on the official website. Some theorize however that some of these voices may be a demonic entity disguising itself as human.
Other paranormal investigative equipment used at the Sallie House includes digital and analogue voice recorders, infrared and heat-sensitive video cameras and electromagnetic meters. Investigative groups visiting the house have also attempted to communicate with and detect it’s spirits with dowsing rods, crystals, pendulums and ESP.
The other reported spirits residing in the house, that of a middle-aged woman, is said to be behind the more violent attacks on the Pickman family and visitors to the home while the spirit of the young girl names Sallie is reported to be more mischievous than malevolent and is responsible for the more benign activity going on in the house.
One reported investigation done at the house involved ‘tuning forks’ being used in the basement to ‘bring up human spirits out of the ground beneath us’ and that a ‘dark and negative’ entity or force was angered by this action. Many of those present reported feeling physically sick, fearful or a heaviness in their chest and difficulty breathing as well as disturbing nightmares for several days after.
Other investigators have reportedly suffered from misfortune in their lives following a visit to the house including ‘financial distress, damaged or failing relationships, ailments and medical issues, auto accidents and deaths of family members and pets’.
July 6th, 2019. On a warm, Nebraska day. Chance Englebert and his family were out golfing for the day. After an argument with his in-laws, an upset Chance opted to start a journey back home to Wyoming. A trip that would’ve taken 12 hours on foot. A storm rolled through the area shortly after Chance’s…
Maureen Kelly, also known as “Anu,” left her group of friends at Canyon Creek Campground on foot on June 9, 2013. She stated she was going on a “spiritual quest” and left wearing no clothes and only a fanny pack. She was last seen heading towards the woods at about 5pm. She was reported missing…
The debate over the existence of extraterrestrial life was settled when the CIA authenticated the most famous piece of UAP evidence, the Alien Autopsy film. During the US government UFO disclosure over the past several weeks. Supposedly filmed days after the “Roswell incident.” The film provide an interesting insight into alleged extraterrestrial life.
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September 30, 2020 was the last time anyone saw or heard from 19-year-old Sydney West. She vanished without a trace from San Francisco, CA, near the Golden Gate Bridge. She seemed like a girl who had her whole life ahead of her. What could’ve caused this intelligent young woman to go mysteriously missing? Watch all…
Natalee Holloway was a young woman who went missing in 2005 in Aruba, whose case made international news. She was never found. In this video we examine the full timeline of events leading to the disappearance of Natalee Holloway. As well as we examine multiple theories as to what could’ve happened to her here on…
Tara Calico was a 19 year old woman who went mysteriously missing in Belen, New Mexico on September 20th, 1988 while on a bike ride. Her disappearance would soon turn into a missing person cold case. But after a strange polaroid photograph was discovered in 1989. The cold case thawed and new details began to…
Most people are familiar with the movie “The Exorcism” and perhaps you are familiar with the story that inspired the movie itself. But the story of Clara Germana Cele has been seemingly forgotten in the over 100 years since it happened. I believe, though this is speculation, that this story also played quite the role in The “Exorcist” movie.
Clara was born in South Africa in either 1889 or 1890, and we don’t know much about her life before she reached the age of 16. What we do know is that she attended St. Michael’s Mission in Umzinto in the region of Natal, South Africa and that she had been adopted by the Mission at the age of 4 due to being an orphan. But she was always seen as a well behaved and good child.
What is tragic, and puzzling, was what happened on her 16th birthday. She began to cry out for help and was erratic and confused. Her words were as follows, “Get the priest! I have to confess something. Get him quickly! I’m afraid Satan will kill me before I have a chance to confess!” Father Erasmus came to hear her confession where she told him she had made a pact with Satan.
Even before this, most at first noticed the drastic change in the young girl. Some think she may have been a rebellious teenager or overly curious but really, we’ve never found out why a young Christian schoolgirl decided to do such a thing. Supposedly, many of the locals overheard her making said pact and word spread quickly.
After the pact, it didn’t take long for the consequences to manifest themselves. Her mental health rapidly deteriorated. She became angry, unstable, and regularly began to spout blasphemies and vulgar things at random. She also often acted like an animal around her family with hissing and barking and aggression. But she also demonstrated the ability to speak in languages she had absolutely no knowledge of. A nun claimed that Clara could understand any languages pushed on her such as Polish or German. This was also observed by others than just the nun. The nuns and priests tried to pray for her and give her religious items, but Clara was just not responsive. It seemed that only the demons possessing her were in charge.
But this went beyond merely speaking in tongues. She also allegedly began to manifest the ability to read people’s minds and showed immense knowledge of secrets of both strangers and those close to her. Almost as if she could see their sins… It goes without saying that it should not be possible.
But it gets worse, the presence of blessed objects seemed to drive her insane and for a crazed 16-year-old girl, she should not have been able to manhandle the nuns and beat them up. This is also common in Demonic possessions, strength beyond what the body can normally exert. The nuns also were horrified by her cries which were supposedly extremely bestial and unlike the girl. As one Nun wrote, “No animal had ever made such sounds. Neither the lions of East Africa nor the angry bulls. At times, it sounded like a veritable herd of wild beasts orchestrated by Satan had formed a hellish choir. No animal had ever made such sounds. Neither the lions of East Africa nor the angry bulls. At times, it sounded like a veritable herd of wild beasts orchestrated by Satan had formed a hellish choir.”
Father Erasmus, the one who heard her confession and who had been called initially thought this was merely the consequences of a young mind rebelling against authority. So for 6 months later in August 1906. Two nuns found her curled up and much of her room ransacked and her bedframe ruined. She explained she had thrown away all of her crucifixes, rosaries, and other holy items. She was now vulnerable. She also began to attack the nuns and threw things around the room. She also allegedly said something close to the following to presumably the demon or demons possessing her, “You betrayed me! You promised me glory, but now you torture me.”
Several nuns and older sisters were made to watch over her. Many still believed her claims were false and for attention. According to one book, it was during this that she questioned the faith the nuns had in God and it turned into a very violent event. Clara reportedly beat several of them severely, tore off their clothes, and left a few of them unconscious. It was after this that the people at the Mission began to test her.
Her skin also reportedly burned when in contact with holy water even when Clara had moments of lucidity. Fire also apparently transfigured out of nothing around her, burning her room but not herself. Many of the people began to congregate around Clara to try and get rid of the demons and to help her, but she revealed the impure thoughts of those around her and the congregations quickly left. She also spoke about Father Erasmus’ travel to Rome at the time and knew details the Priest couldn’t even remember well.
It was during Erasmus’ travel to Rome that a younger priest took over the congregation and attempted to perform an exorcism on Clara. But she taunted him and revealed impure thoughts and he eventually cracked emotionally and slapped the girl. She proceeded to rip part of his vestments and beat him and choke him afterwards. She then sat in a corner and wept as the priest fled the scene. Clara was then put in a private room.
Many of the doors around the Mission including Clara’s began to shake and be beat upon with tremendous force like that of thunder and one priest even patrolled the hallways with a gun. Clara mocked him and told him the demon inside of her only took pleasure in the ordeal.
One can only imagine the horror it must have been to see demons defile and use such a young girl. But her foolishness had clearly played a part…
It was around this time she also began to physically change. Her neck would stretch and extend so harshly that visible bumps would form from the damage to her body. She also began to got to the ground and wiggle around like a snake and even bit a nun severely who was knelt praying for her. This left puncture wounds like that of a snake bite..
Finally, an exorcism was arranged for Clara with Reverend Mansueti who by this time was the director of St. Michael’s Mission and Father Erasmus, her personal confessor. The exorcism began in the morning and went on until noon then was again carried on with at 3pm and carried on until night. Clara began the exorcism by ripping off one of the priest’s collar and attempting to strangle him with it. But the priest continued un-phased.
Well over 100 people were said to have witnessed the event, specifically when Clara began to levitate.
She allegedly levitated both horizontally and vertically and her strange animalistic noises were heard by all. They put her through extreme pressure trying to exorcise the demon and finally, after hours the following day, the demon agreed to leave after levitating her 6 feet in the air and dropping her. Though the exorcism seemed to have worked.
What is truly mind boggling is that after all of that, she made another pact with Satan in 1907. She had to be exorcised a second time which was again, a success and not many details are known about it except for the room apparently being filled with a truly foul smell after the demon left.
Many still believe this was just a case of mental illness, but as far as all the sources indicate, she lived a normal life after the exorcisms. Had she been just mentally ill, this never would have happened, and she would have lived the same way for the rest of her life. Likely she would have ended up in a sanitorium or asylum. Sadly, she died of heart failure at the age of 22 in 1912. There have been speculations about whether the pacts shortened her life, but such ideas are just conjecture as far as we know.
What do you think? Was Clara Germane Cele truly possessed by a demon or even multiple demons? Or was it just a lie and bad behavior from a mentally ill orphan? I’ll leave that to you to decide.]
Things always seem mysterious on chilly fall nights in the country. For Woodrow Derenberger, his mysterious encounter with an almost human grinning man on the backroads of West Virginia one November night would affect him and his family for almost a quarter of a century. In 1966, Woodrow Derenberger was a sewing machine salesman living…
As legend has it, the flying Mothman mortified countless Point Pleasant residents in the late 1960s. And when a bridge collapsed, the creature was blamed for the deaths of 46 people. On November 12, 1966, in Clendenin, West Virginia, a group of gravediggers working in a cemetery spotted something strange. They glanced up from their…
Some have called it a supernatural place. Others have deemed it “cursed.” Terry Sherman got so spooked by the happenings on his new cattle ranch that 18 months after moving his family of four to the property now known by many as “Skinwalker Ranch” in northeastern Utah, he sold the 512-acre parcel away. He and…
Though America’s deserts are vast, empty expanses, they are filled with a brutal and bloody history that has stained not only the earth but the communities surrounded by the strange and mysterious. One such event to this day still draws the attention of those seeking adventure and the thrill of the unknown. That place, is Slaughter House Canyon, Arizona.
In the early 1800’s while the great American gold rush was taking place to the west, many families uprooted themselves in search of riches beyond their possible imaginations only to find sand a frustration. Also known as Luana’s Canyon, just southeast of Kingman county, the place in question is named after the woman who killed her children as she and what was left of her family nearly starved to death in their small wooden shack.
As I am sure many of our readers and listeners probably already know how the story goes, this could be a fun story to tell your own children by the campfire to spook them a little before bedtime. It was said that one day Luana’s husband, whom provided the food and worked for the family had gone out hunting as he always had but this time he had not returned when he was expected to be back. It wasn’t long after that hunger and insanity began to set in as Luana’s screams along with her children’s could be heard coming from within the shack. One day, Luana could no longer watch as her children suffered and out of an act of cruel mercy, ended their lives and tossed their body parts into a near by river.
What makes this story even stranger is that while she committed this atrocious act, Luana wore her wedding dress, staining its pure white fabric red with the blood of her own children. Luana, sitting by the riverbank where she had dumped her child screamed and screamed until she herself had succumbed to starvation. Though not much more information is available, there are some circles who believe that this story is the combination of other dreadful tales, such as the “ Lady in white” and other happenings of the time.
Even more interesting, It has been said that travels in search of the truth have gone to visited the supposed shack in Slaughter House Canyons and have reported hearing Luana’s and her children’s harrowing screams echoing throughout the valley.
In 1961, Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. However, some conspiracy theorists speculate that the Soviets reached the cosmos on an earlier mission but covered it up because they lost cosmonauts. Luckily for everyone who didn’t want to see the human race destroyed in an ocean of nuclear fire, the Cold War…
On the evening of February 24, 1942, an anti-aircraft barrage of more than 1,440 rounds is launched at what is initially thought to be a Japanese aerial attack on the City of Angels. Five civilians die – three from traffic accidents spawned by the chaos and two from heart attacks. What, if anything, is being…
In January of 1959, ten hikers, all but one students at the Urals Polytechnic Institute in Sverdlovsk, began a hike into the Ural Mountains. They were led by Igor Dyatlov. All ten were experienced hikers. They planned a three week trip with a return planned for February 12th. One hiker, Yuri Yudin, left early in…
Houska Castle is an early gothic castle, located on the slopes of mount Zámecký vrch that overlooks the village of Houska in the Česká Lípa district of the Czech Republic.
The castle was first built around the mid-13th century, with some historians attributing the construction to Přemysl Ottokar II of Bohemia, also called the “Iron” and “Golden King” of the Přemyslid dynasty, to administer his royal estates in the region before the founding of nearby Bezděz Castle.
Other written sources credit the construction to Hynek Berka of Dubá, as the castle is first mentioned in AD 1316 as the property of Hynek of Dubá (a son by the same name), who was later called Hynek Berka of Houska. The castle then passed hands to the Smiřič family of Smiřice, and then the Hrzánová family of Harasov.
With the development of artillery and cannon, the castle fortifications were strengthened with an outer wall, and the interior remodelled into a Renaissance chateau by Hrzány z Harasova between 1584-1590.
The most notable features of the castle’s interior include a polygonal closed rectangular chapel with preserved murals from the early 14th century, as well as the so-called green room, which is vaulted with a Gothic cross rib vault and decorated with Renaissance murals from around 1520.
After the Thirty Years’ War (fought between 1618 and 1648), the Habsburgs ordered the slighting of various castles and fortifications across the region, including Houska Castle. The outer walls of the castle and a gothic tower were demolished, with the building rubble used to fill the castle moat.
In the 18th century, the castle stopped serving as a noble residence and fell into a state of disrepair, until Vincenc Karel Kounic had it renovated in the Renaissance style in 1823.
With the outbreak of WW2, Houska Castle was confiscated by the German army and the regional staff of the SS, to be used as a repository for housing archives and documents (mainly Jewish and Masonic books from Europe) of the Reich Main Security Office, an organisation subordinate to Heinrich Himmler in his dual capacity as Chef der Deutschen Polizei (Chief of German Police) and Reichsführer-SS, the head of the Nazi Party’s Schutzstaffel (SS).
The Gateway To Hell
Another side to the history of Houska Castle revolves around folklore and the occult. According to legend, the castle was situated on a chasm or bottomless pit to stand guard over a gateway to hell where animal-human hybrids, and dark-winged creators crawled out from.
Unconfirmed accounts have sensationalised the myth of the supposed pit, where various modern sources claim that during the castle’s construction, prisoners sentenced to death were offered a pardon if they consented to be lowered into the chasm. Legend suggests that the first prisoner to be lowered was heard screaming, upon being hoisted back up appeared to look as though he aged 30 years, grown wrinkles and his hair had turned white from fear.
Other legends revolve around an alleged sorcerer searching for immortality who now haunts the castle, and a figure in a black monk’s hood with no face who appears in and around the vicinity of the castle.
Some sources even claim that the castle was used by the SS for occult practices and experimentation during WW2, although there’s no surviving documentary evidence to corroborate.
This video goes into those supernatural legends surrounding Houska castle
The Sallie House is a small, two-story brick house on the bluffs of the Missouri River, widely considered to be one of the most haunted houses in the United States. Reportedly the house is haunted by a demonic spirit which disguises itself as a young girl called Sallie.
Welcome to Mystery Archives. We’re a mysteries channel that makes in-depth videos telling stories of the unexplained in a unique and creepy environment. From the unknown to the paranormal; from ghosts to monsters and more. You’ll find something to entertain you and something more to pique your curiosity.
Most people are familiar with the movie “The Exorcism” and perhaps you are familiar with the story that inspired the movie itself. But the story of Clara Germana Cele has been seemingly forgotten in the over 100 years since it happened.
Though America’s deserts are vast, empty expanses, they are filled with a brutal and bloody history that has stained not only the earth but the communities surrounded by the strange and mysterious. One such event to this day still draws the attention of those seeking adventure and the thrill of the unknown. That place, is…
The mere mention of its name conjures images of fire, demons, torture, and the devil himself. But does the underworld really exist? Or is it simply myth and superstition? There is a castle in the forests of the Czech Republic where is it said that a portal to hell itself lies beneath its foundations. Join…
Centralia has had a hold on people’s imagination for years, especially those interested in the odd and spooky. The town, located in Columbia County, had a population of over 2,000 residents at one time until an underground mine fire in the 1960s forced the town’s residents to evacuate decades later. By 2017 only five people lived in the area.
For those who don’t know of Centralia’s history, this video gives the in-depth full story of what happened. As well as several ghost stories surrounding the town.
But for those of you who prefer to read. This is a brief overview of what happened.
Centralia was incorporated as a borough in 1866. The anthracite coal industry was the principal employer in the community. Coal mining continued in Centralia until the 1960s, when most of the companies went out of business. Bootleg mining continued until 1982. Strip and open-pit mining is still active in the area, and there is an underground mine employing about 40 people three miles to the west.
The borough was served by two railroads, the Philadelphia and Reading and the Lehigh Valley, with the Lehigh Valley being the principal carrier. Rail service ended in 1966. The borough operated its own school district with elementary schools and a high school within its precincts. There were also two Catholic parochial schools in the borough. The borough once had seven churches, five hotels, twenty-seven saloons, two theatres, a bank, a post office, and 14 general and grocery stores. During most of the borough’s history, when coal mining activity was being conducted, the town had a population in excess of 2,000 residents. Another 500 to 600 residents lived in areas immediately adjacent to Centralia.
It is not known for certain how the fire that made Centralia essentially uninhabitable was ignited. One theory asserts that in May 1962, the Centralia Borough Council hired five members of the volunteer fire company to clean up the town landfill, located in an abandoned strip-mine pit next to the Odd Fellows Cemetery. This had been done prior to Memorial Day in previous years, when the landfill was in a different location. The firefighters, as they had in the past, set the dump on fire and let it burn for a time. Unlike in previous years, however, the fire was not extinguished correctly.
Residents soon began complaining of fowl odors and seeing smoke rising from the ground beneath their feet. It was apparent at this time that the fire had made it’s way to the coal seam that was located underneath the town.
After multiple failed attempts to extinguish the blaze. The call was made to evacuate the citizens as the town was now lost.
The local government eventually evoked eminent domain and despite several citizens, 5 as of 2017, refusing to leave their homes. Centralia effectively ceased to exist. It now only remains on few printed maps and isn’t easily found. The fire continues to burn until this day. And it’s these spooky attributes that the popular video game franchise “Silent Hill” seems to take a lot of inspiration from. Couple the backstory with reports of people seeing apparitions within the toxic fog and you have a recipe for a true nightmare experience.
As for now, Centralia, for those who can find it. Serves as a popular tourist destination. But be warned, it is not safe to visit!
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Welcome to Mystery Archives. We’re a mysteries channel that makes in-depth videos telling stories of the unexplained in a unique and creepy environment.
Photographs of a stray pack of bright blue dogs on a snowy road in Russia have gone viral online over the last couple days. The photos of the dogs seem to show the pack all with varying degrees of the cobalt tinge to their coats. The pictures were taken in the city of Dzershinsk, about 230 miles east…
This video talks about the various legends that have made Helltown, Ohio (OH) infamous for decades. From ghostly apparitions to spooky cults, and even Satan himself. We go in depth on this supposed gate of hell of this episode of Mystery Archives. Discover what truly happened in Helltown as well as the history and various…
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