Imagine driving near Chicago’s Mount Carmel Cemetery and seeing a woman wearing a white wedding dress walking along the road. It’s rainy and muddy, and yet she seems untouched by all of it. You would be seeing the Italian Bride, one of Chicago’s most famous ghosts. But who was she, and why does her ghost […]
Episode 117: Julia Buccola: The Ghostly Italian Bride of Chicago Read More »
The driver leaned forward in his seat, squinting through the windshield at the road in front of him. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, casting Chicago in a midnight blue gloom made darker by the steady rain. As he drove along Harrison Street, the cemetery began to come up on his right. That
Julia Buccola: The Ghostly Italian Bride of Chicago Read More »
Happy Halloween, everyone! For our Halloween episode this year, I’ll be telling you some personal stories of the paranormal, as well as some from my family and friends. Come with me as we finish out the spooky season and experience the beyond.
Episode 94: Experiences With the Beyond: The Halloween 2022 Episode Read More »
Historians are keepers of the stories of the dead. I suppose it only makes sense that they would cross paths every so often. Although I’ve had a lifelong interest in the paranormal, I’ve rarely sought it out per se. Sure, I’ve been on a lot of haunted walking tours and even played with a Ouija
Experiences From Beyond: The Halloween 2022 Special Read More »
William Engelberg was probably looking for a better life when he came to America. But his efforts were met with tragedy after two of his wives committed suicide only a few years apart. Sources Engelberg. Chicago Tribune, 7/17/1916 Mother Takes Her Life. Chicago Tribune, 6/17/1916 Mother Drowns Baby in Bathtub; Kills Herself. Chicago Tribune,
Episode 84: William Engelberg’s Wives Commit Suicide Only A Few Years Apart Read More »
When William Engelberg came to America, he was probably looking for a better life. Born in Russia in 1872, he immigrated to the United States in the late 1880’s, possibly seeking escape from persecution for his Jewish faith. He initially landed in New York City, and then made his way to Chicago, Illinois. Eventually,
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All Thaddeus Fancher wanted to do was have a drink. But when a group of robbers came into the bar, his night would end in death. Who had killed him, and what ties did they have to one of the most vicious killers in prohibition-era Chicago? Sources Two Seized on Girl’s Charge of
Episode 80: Who Killed Thaddeus Fancher? Read More »
All Thaddeus S. Fancher wanted to do was have a drink. Maybe the 36-year-old lawyer from Crown Point, Indiana just wanted to have a good time. Or maybe he had a long day and wanted to unwind with a drink or two. The problem was that it was 1924, and, technically speaking, just having
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In 1924, Bernice Zalimas was accused of poisoning her husband in Chicago, Illinois. But did she really, or was she the victim of vicious rumors? Sources Blonde Widow Thinks Zalimas Poisoned Self. Chicago Tribune, 12/03/1924 Widow Questioned. Photo, Bernice Zalimas. Chicago Tribune, 12/03/1924 Zalimas’ Widow Held to Grand Jury as Slayer. Chicago Tribune,
Episode 79: The Accused Poisoner: Bernice Zalimas Read More »
Bernice Martikonis was young when she first came to America, but old enough to remember at least most of it. The only child of Ignatz and Stella Martikonis, they, along with several thousand others, had decided to immigrate from their native Lithuania to the United States. Lithuania had long been subject to the political and
The Accused Poisoner: Bernice Zalimas Read More »
