The World's Suspected Gateways to Hell

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:14):
Most people believe in some form of heaven and hell.
They believe that if they are good people, they will
go to heaven. If they are sinners, they will go
to hell. Others believe that heaven and Hell are just
stories told on television and in movies. Some people honestly
admit they simply just don't know if heaven and Hell exist.

(00:38):
Regardless of your beliefs, though, there are real places on
Earth that look as though they could be the entrance
to fiery pits of purgatory. Some people who have explored
these various places on Earth believe they have truly found
secret entrances that lead to the underworld. I'm Darren Marler

(01:00):
and this is Weird Darkness. Welcome weirdos. I'm Darren Marler
and this is Weird Darkness Radio, where every week you'll
find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange

(01:21):
and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained coming
up this hour. Of course, a lot of people likely
don't believe in heaven or hell, and many will dismiss
such things as mythical tales or folklore. However, there are
places on Earth that could be considered Hell now, not

(01:45):
Detroit or Wichita. We're talking about actual places that look
like the entrances to purgatory, and perhaps they really are.
If you're new here, welcome to the show. If you're
already a member of our family, please take a moment
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(02:07):
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(02:29):
story of something paranormal that has happened to you or
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dot com. Now bult your doors, lock your windows, turn
off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness.

(03:01):
There was a place located in the southernmost tip of
the Greek mainland, and some believe it is actually the
gateway to Hell. It is known as Cape Tanner. Situated
on the end of the peninsula known as the Many Cave.
They open up at sea level into a cliff. The
area is marked by the ruins of a Spartan temple

(03:23):
and several entrances exist that the ancient Greeks say was
the entrance to Hades Cave. Many Greeks believe that this
is the place where Hercules began digging into the caves
to enter the underworld. Hades was known as the god
of the dead, and this area is linked to those beliefs.

(03:43):
There are plenty of cave networks in this area. Within
the ruins are the remains of a temple that was
said to be a temple dedicated to the sea god Poseidon.
The ruins are located on a hill directly above the
cave to Hades. In the area also a statue of
the poet Aryan he escaped from pirates by being carried

(04:05):
ashore by a pot of dolphins. The statue is bronze
and it resembles the poet riding a dolphin that stands
at the crest of the cape, far from the ruins
of a temple that was raised in honor of the
Sea God beside him. The caverns below contain stalactites and
stalagmites and they can be seen below water level. You

(04:26):
can visit the caverns by boat and you can pass
through the Gate of Hell. Fengdu Ghost City, China. This
city is nearly two thousand years old. It's located on
the Ming Mountain in Fendu City. The area is also
known as the City of Ghosts and it's located in

(04:48):
Shanqing Municipality. It is believed that this is the place
where the dead make a stop before moving on to
the afterlife. It's said that this is where you go
while you are waiting to find out if be moving
to heaven or hell. In the area are many Buddhist
and Taoist temples. Legend says that these temples are surrounded

(05:11):
by immortal spirits that torment the souls of the dead.
When a freshly dead soul arrives at the City of Ghosts,
they must cross a bridge where their soul is judged
for its virtue. If it is found that the soul
is not virtuous, it will be tormented by the immortal
spirits that haunt the area. If you want to test

(05:33):
your virtue. The King of Hell in China will be
there to determine whether or not you are virtuous. There
is a very popular tourist area for people traveling on
cruises through the length of the Yankseea River. In nineteen
ninety four, work in this area caused the water level
to rise that cause the City of Ghosts to become

(05:53):
an island. According to the legend, two individuals lived during
the Han dynasty. Their names were Yang chang Chen and
Wang feng Ping. They both quit their jobs at the
Imperial court and moved to Ming Mountain. There they practiced
self cultivation in accordance with the teachings of Taoism. As

(06:15):
a result, the two men achieved immortality. The men's last
names are said to translate to the King of Hell.
Saint Patrick's Purgatory is located on a small island in
the middle of an Irish lake. According to legend, the
area dates back to the fifth century. Christ himself showed

(06:37):
Saint Patrick a cave that's often referred to as a
pit on station island that was the entrance to Hell.
It is a place where souls wait before being sent
to heaven. Christ directed Patrick to a cave on the island.
During his stay, he received visions of the torments of
Hell so that justice could be created. The area is

(06:59):
known to be a place where unworthy souls will be
cursed and punished. The Pagans in Ireland believe that this
is a place where the devil actually exists. Saint Patrick's
Purgatory consists of holy wells and other sites. The area
was once a pilgrimage spot. However, it was shut down

(07:20):
due to an increasing number of serious incidents that were
occurring there. There are areas that are still open to
the public, and many people use purgatory and its legend
as an excuse to get drunk more suspected gates to Hell.
When Weird Darkness returns, I'm Darren Marler. Welcome back to

(08:08):
Weird Darkness. If you like what you're hearing and you'd
like to hear even more, you can check out the
free audiobooks that I've narrated at Weirddarkness dot com. I've
got free audiobooks there by Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Allan Poe,
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Stevenson and more. You can listen to all of the
free audiobooks that I've narrated on the audiobooks page at

(08:32):
Weird Darkness dot com. We continue now with real Suspected
Gates to Hell. The Gates of Guinea is said to
be the entrance of the voodoo of the underworld. The

(08:53):
gates are located in New Orleans through the seven Gates
that are scattered throughout the French Quartering to the voodoo legend,
the souls of the dead reside in a part of
the underworld known as Guinea. This is not a place
where torture or punishments are handed out. It's actually a
murky plain where spirits must pass before they can reach

(09:15):
the deep waters, which is the area where they would
be reunited with their family. The area is presided over
by Baron Semeti these a skeleton corpse that is painted
and dressed at a top hat in tails. He is
a symbol of death and rebirth. The actual theories of
the area very based on the voodoo practitioner you're talking to.

(09:38):
Many see the seven Gates as a metaphor for the
seven days after death. It is believed that the soul
will remain close to the body for the first week.
This is the time where there is a great risk
of the body becoming a zombie. Thanks to Hoodu magicians.
During the seven days, the soul will pass through each
one of the gates to finally be by Baron Semetti.

(10:02):
Then the soul will be taken to the land of
the dead. There are other practitioners in New Orleans who
claim that the seven gates are located in various cemeteries
scattered around Canal Street in the French Quarter. The gates
must be opened in the right order during seven nights
when seven moons are above. Also, proper respect must be

(10:24):
paid to each guardian before entering each gate. The Hauska
Castle has a terrifying background and it is said to
be haunted. It is one of the world's gateways to
Hell and it has a very scary urban legend attached
to it. The castle is seven hundred sixty two years old.

(10:48):
It is a Gothic castle. It is said to have
been built in order to seal up the real life
entrance to Hell. It's believed to have been built between
twelve fifty three and twelve seven and is located in
the Czech countryside. Legend says The location of the castle
was chosen so that it could cover the bottomless pit

(11:09):
where the demonic creatures would enter our world when the
sun would go down. These creatures are believed to be
black winged creatures that were half animal and half human.
At night, villagers would be too scared to leave their
homes and go anywhere near the hole. Even during daylight hours,
people would avoid the area. Before the castle was built,

(11:32):
this is the area where prisoners were sentenced to death,
and they would be sent here. Legend says that they'd
be tossed into the pit for their punishment. If the
prisoner were able to get out of the pit alive,
they would be forgiven and set free, but that didn't
happen very often. There was one legendary story about the
first man who was ever lowered into the pit. The

(11:55):
second that he was out of view of the people above,
they pulled him out of the darkness. When pulled up,
he had already aged thirty years after only a few seconds,
and his hair had turned white. People say the demonic
creatures from the hole would walk the town during the night,
and they would drag people to the bottomless pit. Finally,

(12:16):
the fear became too much for the villagers, and they
decided to build the Hauska Castle to close up the
hole forever. When the castle was built, people who were
visiting the lower floors claimed to have heard the creatures
from Hell scratching on the floor trying to find their
way out. The Royal Air Force Station men with hill.

(12:41):
If you look at this area from above, you would
think that you were at a giant golf course, because
there are structures in the area that look like huge
golf balls. The area, which is located in the UK,
actually belongs to the National Security Agency or NSSA. The
NSA has been around much longer than people think. For

(13:02):
a while, it was a secret. People didn't find out
about the agency until Edward Snowtin leaked the information about
the secret government organization. It was actually established by President
Truman in nineteen fifty two. Many people believe that all
of the NSA buildings are stationed in the United States,
but they're wrong. This place is supposed to be a secret,

(13:23):
but with such strange structures, it's hard to keep the
place a secret. The place has been used by the
United States since the nineteen fifties. It looks like an
Air Force base but it's not. Originally there were four
golf ball structures in the area. Today there are over thirty,
and there are pieces of high tech satellite equipment that

(13:44):
can gather and intercept communications. This is not a place
the public can visit. The US military is stationed here
and they will not let you in, and they won't
talk about their jobs. They won't tell anyone what they
do there. The base is known as the American Death Star.
It's said to be carrying out all types of illegal spying,

(14:08):
and there are plenty of crazy stories and theories about
this place. We may never know the truth about any
of it. One of those crazy theories is that they
are guarding an entryway to Hell. The Bohemian Grove is
hidden in the ancient Redwood Forest in northern California. It

(14:29):
was originally built as a camp for the most powerful
and rich men in the world. Since nineteen twenty three,
every US Republican president has been an exclusive member of
this camp. Nixon, Reagan, Eisenhower, and both Bushes have been
to this place, which has a lot of history behind it.

(14:51):
There are plenty of stories surrounding the area, and the
biggest one involved the Manhattan Project, a secret operation that
was planned back in nineteen for two, and it was
the code name for the operation that created the atomic bomb.
This is a place with a rich and the powerful
gather in what's like a summer camp. There are also

(15:12):
some pretty strange things in the grove, such as a
forty foot owl statue that has something to do with
a secret ceremony that takes place on the first night
that everyone arrives. The ceremony begins with everyone wearing dark
hoods as a small boat crosses the artificial lake that
is located in front of the huge owl. The leaders

(15:33):
of the group pretend to offer a human effigy that
comes from ferrymen of the boat, which they set on
fire at the foot of the shrine. While all of
this is taking place, a scary voice comes from the
speakers that are hidden in the statue. Next, fireworks go
off and the ritual is over. Conspiracy theorists have a

(15:54):
lot to say about the area. At one point, Alex
Jones and his cameramans knuck in to see the ceremony
and they filmed the entire thing. He made a documentary
with his footage and he called it The Dark Secrets
Inside the Bohemian grove Bureau thirty nine. These days, North

(16:16):
Korea is in the news quite often. North Korea is
known as the hermit Kingdom because the leaders have cut
themselves off from the rest of the world using threats
and intimidation. Due to these cut ties, there are plenty
of mysteries surrounding North Korea and not much is known
about the place because the leaders keep everything tightly controlled.

(16:39):
North Koreans have one television channel to watch, and they're
shown constant propaganda. The people of North Korea are not
allowed to hear about what's going on in the rest
of the world unless it is sanctioned by their government.
They're also not allowed to speak about what their everyday
lives are like to anyone living outside the country. Anyone

(17:00):
who is caught talking can wind up in labor camps
along with their entire family. In severe cases, they can
face execution. Because everything is a secret, people wonder about
Bureau thirty nine, also known as Room thirty nine. The
organization was founded in the seventies. According to many, it

(17:21):
is a place where the state's money is laundered through
some very classified accounts in Switzerland and China. These rumors
have never been proven due to the sanctions that are set.
Since the country needs some type of income and they
avoid trade with the rest of the world, it's believed
that they make money through fraudulent transactions such as drug

(17:42):
trafficking and arms smuggling. The North Korean government will never
admit that this is happening, of course, and they will
never admit that Bureau thirty nine even exists. Nobody knows
where the place is located, but they do say that
there is a printing press capable of printing counterfeit US money.
Since we literally know nothing about the area, there is

(18:05):
no way of knowing if the rumors are true or
if it even exists. Since the government does have money
and they're not involved in any trade embargoes with any
other country in the world, there is a good chance
that Room thirty nine does exist. Area fifty one is

(18:25):
a United Air Force base that is highly classified and
it is a detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It's
located in Nevada and the Nevada Test and Training Range.
The purpose of this base has an amazing story behind it,
partially due to the fact that the US government denied
its existence until twenty thirteen. For several decades, the government

(18:48):
claimed the area didn't even exist. Although the government was
denying its existence, people were still talking. It's believed that
an alien craft crashed into the desert of and the
US government found it. People say that they have the
alien's body and its aircraft stored there, and they have
been studying it for years. This is part of the

(19:10):
reason that UFO enthusiasts make it a point to visit
Area fifty one or as close as they can get
to it to make the place more mysterious. The people
who work there are not allowed to talk about what
they do, even to their family members. The people who
work there aren't even allowed to talk to their coworkers
about what they do. In a typical work setting, you

(19:32):
know exactly what your coworkers do every day. That's not
the case in Area fifty one two. People who work
in adjoining offices don't even know what their neighbors do
all day. This just goes to show you how mysterious
the dealings at Area fifty one actually are. When the
government is so secret about something, there certainly is something

(19:54):
to hide. They may say that they're working on high
tech aircraft, but most people don't believe it, and a
small faction of people believe they're dealing with demonic forces.

(20:32):
Welcome back to weird Darkness. I'm Darren Marler coming up.
Why are some people suddenly vigorous, alert, and feeling much
better shortly before they pass away. It's something that's happened
since time began, but medical experts are still baffled by it.
But first, a king, a gassoon, and a bear walked

(20:54):
into a bar. No, this is not the first line
of a joke, but a common occurrence in p Trero
Hill in San Francisco, California, during the eighteen eighties. Here's
the story. Frank McManus's kingdom was Irish Hill, a ten

(21:16):
square block area between twentieth and twenty second Streets and
Illinois Street and Peer seventy in Potrero Hill. Irish Hill
was aptly named, with the vast majority of its inhabitants
born in the Emerald dial six feet tall and two
hundred and thirty pounds, Frank earned his crown by becoming
the master of politics, drinking, and fighting, three of the

(21:41):
major Irish arts. In those days, Drinking and fighting were
both a pastime and an entertainment on Saturdays, instead of
going to a music hall, the patrons of one saloon
would fight the patrons of a different saloon in a
roped off area. After the fights, the victors would buy
the losers a nickel beer in their saloon. As the

(22:05):
owners of the Union boarding house, which included a saloon,
Frank provided beds, drinks, and jobs for hundreds of workers
at the Union Ironworks and Pacific rolling mills. In exchange,
they gave them their money and votes. Frank was often
accompanied by an entourage of ten to twenty brawlers ready

(22:25):
to do his bidding. With the ability to deliver up
to a thousand votes, Frank became a major power broker
in the Republican Party. He soon brought his family over
from Ireland to help him rule his kingdom. His favorite
was his younger brother, Cornelius Kahn for short, who he
named the Gassoon, an Irish term for a youth. As

(22:48):
King of the Petrero, Frank McManus held himself above the
law of the common people. He was often arrested for drunkenness, fighting,
and attempted murder, but he always got the charges dismissed,
either through fear or political power. He would plead guilty
for using bad language and pay a ten dollar fine

(23:10):
Instead of a jester. Frank had a three hundred pound
black bear chained in his backyard as part of his retinue.
The bear participated in the numerous drinking bouts at the
Royal Court. After one of these bouts, the besotted bear
ripped his chain loose, wandered into the second floor of
a nearby rooming house and got into bed with a

(23:31):
man who was similarly soused. The man, thinking his friends
were joking with him, started hitting the bear until the
bear returned the favor. Suddenly, the man awoke and realized
the bear was not a hallucination and started screaming. His
screams woke the rooming house, and the bear was returned
to the king without causing any serious injuries. Around eighteen ninety,

(23:55):
Jack Welch and his brothers, fellow irishmen who had honed
their political skills in the rough and tumble world of
Tammany hall politics, arrived in the Potrero. Jack and his
brothers opened a boarding house around the corner from Frank's place. Jack,
who was a Democrat, attached a large group of men
who had been chafing under Frank's rule. Thus began the

(24:18):
Blue Mud Wars, named after the blue rocks that would
turn to mud during the fighting. This war was won
during the Bloody eighteen ninety one Primary, when the Welch
faction decisively defeated the mcmanuses and the Democrats won the day.
More than one hundred men were involved in the fighting
that day. King Frank, however, refused to accept defeat, and

(24:42):
a war of attrition followed. On June second, eighteen ninety two,
Frank and his followers dragged Jack out of the carriage
he was riding in on Third Street. Convict Manus stabbed Welch,
and Welch pulled out his pistol and shot Khan three times.
Though serious wounded, both men survived. On June fourteenth, eighteen

(25:04):
ninety four, fellow ballplayer Charles Sweeney was attacked by Kahn
in a Third Street saloon. During the fracas, Sweeney shot
the gassoon three times, killing McManus. The death of his
brother drove Frank wild. He tried to get into Sweeney's
hospital room to kill him and had to be restrained
by six policemen when the priest refused to perform a

(25:28):
high mass during Cohn's funeral services, Frank threw a brick
through the church's window and threatened the priest's life. Despite
testimony that Khan had been the aggressor, Sweeney was convicted
of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years in prison. The
death of his brother devastated Frank and caused him to
increase his already herculean drinking. Within two years, he had

(25:52):
wasted away to one hundred thirty pounds and died of
congestive heart failure. Irish Shill disappeared after World War War One,
when industrialists fought the hill to expand their businesses. The
hill was leveled and dumped into the bay. Terminal lucidity

(26:24):
is a puzzling phenomenon that has been known since ancient times,
but it's only recently that scientists have started to pay
attention to this unusual condition that could shed new light
on near death experiences and unravel some of the many
mysteries of human consciousness. Terminal lucidity occurs to only a

(26:45):
small percentage of people, but recorded cases show that it's
still plenty. We don't know about the human brain. Those
who are in the terminal stage of the disease experience,
often shortly before dying, suddenly show unexpected died visible signs
of health improvement. People who should be dying are instead

(27:06):
full of energy and strength. This is terminal lucidity, and
this condition lasts from a couple of weeks to just
a couple of minutes before death. Relatives who have seen
their loved ones recover shortly before death with their memory
being intact, have been shocked. Why people suddenly experience mental

(27:27):
clarity and memory just before passing away is still unknown.
The term terminal lucidity was coined in two thousand and
nine by doctor Michael Nahm, a biologist who also works
at the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental
Health in Freeburg, Germany. Being curious about unexplained riddles about life,

(27:49):
doctor Noam started to investigate an unusual biological phenomenon that
he later called terminal lucidity. Today, his findings have become
an interest to other scientists. Doctors who observed this peculiar
condition in dying patients have been surprised because it doesn't
make any sense, and yet it is real in many

(28:10):
of the recorded cases. It should be impossible for patients
whose brains were destroyed by tumors and Alzheimer's disease to
return to ordinary intellectual activities. Doctor Nam says there are
several astonishing examples of terminal lucidity. For example, he recalls
a ninety one year old woman who suffered from Alzheimer's.

(28:33):
The sick woman, who had been cared for by her daughter,
couldn't recognize anyone for the last five years of her life.
All family members, friends, and people she previously knew were
complete strangers to her. Then suddenly, one evening, she behaved
like a healthy human being again. She had a normal

(28:54):
conversation with her daughter and revealed her fears of death.
The old woman explained what problems she had with her
other family members in the past, and everything seemed fine,
almost like a miracle. Sadly, she died a few hours later.
Her sudden improvement in health and mental abilities is a

(29:14):
perfect example of terminal lucidity. Anna Katerina Emmer, a German
woman who lived from eighteen ninety five to nineteen twenty two,
is another curious case that has baffled scientists. Anna was
born with several mental disabilities, and she spent all her
life in an institution. She couldn't speak a single word,

(29:37):
gorged her food, and fouled herself day and night. Her
behavior changed on the day she died from tuberculosis. Doctor
Wilhelm Wittenben and Friedrich Hapitch, a Protestant theologian, were stunned
when they saw what Anna was suddenly doing. When we
entered the room together, we did not believe our eyes

(29:57):
and ears. Emmer, who had never spoken a single word,
saying dying songs to herself. Specifically, she sang over and
over again, where does the soul find its home? It's peace, peace, piece,
heavenly peace. For half an hour she sang her face
up to then so stulified, was transfigured and spiritualized. Then

(30:21):
she quietly passed away like myself and the nurse who
had cared for her. Doctor Whittenben had tears in his eyes.
Hapitch recalled Doctornam and Bruce Grayson from the University of
Virginia said that Anna's story represents one of the most
intriguing cases of the phenomenon. According to doctor Noam, about

(30:42):
forty two percent of all people who had flashbacks died
on the same day. How can sick people gain mental clarity?
Just before they die. Why do patients who suffer from
Alzheimer's disease, brain tumors, or stroke suddenly for a brief
peers exhibit normal behavior. Terminal lucidity is currently a medical

(31:06):
mystery and one of those anomalies that neuroscience cannot explain,
at least not yet. When Weird Darkness returns. Many say
the most haunted hotel is the one in Colorado that

(31:27):
was used in the film The Shining. There is evidence
that one in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, though, deals with even
more paranormal activity. We'll look at the Crescent Hotel up next.

(32:09):
I'm Darren Marler. Welcome back to Weird Darkness. If you'd
like to stay up to date on everything that we
do here with Weird Darkness, read original paranormal articles by
yours Truly, register for contests or more. You can sign
up for the email newsletter. You can sign up for
the Weird Darkness newsletter for free at weird darkness dot
com slash newsletter. In Eureka Springs, Arkansas, overlooking a valley

(32:41):
sits the Crescent Hotel and Spa, opening its doors on
May twentieth, eighteen eighty six. It began its rich and
haunted history, which eventually gave it its nickname of America's
Most Haunted hotel. Designed by Isaac L. Taylor and built
by the Eureka Springs and Ruben Company headed by the

(33:01):
Governor of Arkansas Powell Clayton, in hopes of taking advantage
of these springs surrounding the hotel that were touted as
healing waters, Stonemasons from Ireland were brought in for construction
and brought the seventy eight room resort to life, boasting
numerous towers, chandeliers, beautiful gardens, and wooden pathways. People flocked

(33:23):
to the Crescent Hotel, but when they realized that the
springs held no healing power, they stopped coming and the
hotel closed its doors. It reopened and ran as the
Crescent Women's College and Conservatory from nineteen oh eight to
nineteen twenty four, but when tuition couldn't maintain the cost,

(33:44):
they closed it again. In nineteen thirty seven, the Crescent reopened,
this time as a cancer center run by a man
named Norman Baker, who advertised a miracle elixir that cured cancer. Sadly,
he was a fraud, gaining four men million dollars from
its unsuspecting victims and ending in his arrest in nineteen

(34:04):
thirty seven. From nineteen forty to nineteen forty six, the
building sat empty. In nineteen forty four, four businessmen bought
it and restored it, but in nineteen sixty seven a
fire destroyed most of the fourth floor. It passed through
many owners until May nineteen ninety seven, when Marty and
Elise Roenig bought it, restoring it to its former glory.

(34:28):
In September two thousand two, renovations were finished. With such
a rich and sometimes sordid history, it's not surprising to
find some ghostly activity. With the smell of pipe tobacco,
orbs and the appearances of pools of blood, the haunted
history of the Crescent is already ripe with paranormal activity,

(34:51):
and that is without the full bodied apparitions. The most
notorious ghost is that of a womanizing Irish Stonemadie and
named Michael, who allegedly fell through the roof into room
two eighteen during construction, hitting his head and killing him instantly.
Loud thuds today can be heard, and sometimes his apparition

(35:13):
appears in the room, staring at the floor He's also
been blamed for ghost hands reaching out of the mirrors
orbs and blood on the wall. Theodora is another ghost.
She was a cancer patient and one of the victims
of Norman Baker, who has appeared in full body apparition
in room four nineteen. Another ghost is that of a

(35:36):
young woman who lived there while the building was a college.
She was either pushed or jumped to her death. She
often wakes guests as they sleep by touching them, and
her apparition has been seen. Sometimes her screams can be
heard as she falls, re enacting her death. There is

(35:56):
also the ghost of a man dressed in hat and
tails that is thought to be the ghost of doctor
John Fremont ellis a frequent visitor of the hotel. Another apparition,
dressed in a top hat with a full beard, has
also been seen. The ghost of Norman Baker. The con
artist is usually at fault for moving objects and loud footsteps. Also,

(36:20):
the apparitions of two nurses have been seen, pushing empty
wheelchairs or carrying clipboards. There is also the apparition of
a waiter carrying butter through the dining room, as well
as the ghosts of a bride and groom, which appear
in a mirror, but not in the dining room itself.
There have also been sightings of a little boy and

(36:41):
a little girl, so if you're seeking ghosts, this would
be the place you're most likely to find them, and
for those brave enough, they do offer daily ghost tours.
With all the paranormal activity, the Crescent earns its nickname
as America's most haunted hotels. Hell Baba Vonga born Vangelia

(37:15):
Pandeva Dimitrova was an extraordinary mystic and clairvoyant from Bulgaria
who gained international recognition for her alleged prophetic abilities. Born
on January thirty first, nineteen eleven in Strumika, a small
village in the Ottoman Empire, her life unfolded against the
backdrop of tumultuous historical events. Despite being blind from a

(37:37):
young age, Baba Vonga's remarkable insights into the future captured
the imagination of millions worldwide. This long form biography delves
into the life, predictions and enduring the legacy of the
enigmatic seer known as Baba Venga. Vangelia Dimitrova's early life
was marked by tragedy and adversity. At the age of

(37:59):
two twelve, she lost her sight due to a tornado
that swept through her village. However, it was during this
traumatic event that she claimed to have experienced her first
supernatural vision, which she interpreted as a divine gift. Word
of her prophetic abilities spread, and soon people from all
walks of life sought her counsel. Babavanga, as she became known,

(38:22):
had the ability to see into the future, predict natural disasters,
and provide detailed insights into individuals lives. Her accuracy and
for telling events became legendary, and her reputation as a
seer continued to grow. Throughout her life, Babavanga made numerous
predictions that have both fascinated and perplexed people. Some of

(38:45):
her most famous and accurate prophecies include the assassination of
John F. Kennedy. It's believed that Babavanga accurately predicted the
assassination of the American President in nineteen sixty three, stating
that an American brother would be killed by steel birds.
The fall of the Twin Towers. Babavanga reportedly predicted the

(39:06):
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York
on September eleventh, two thousand and one, she described a
vision of steel birds crashing into two tall brothers, Brexits
and the European Union. Babavanga allegedly predicted the United Kingdom's
decision to leave the European Union. According to some accounts,
she claimed that Europe would no longer exist as we

(39:28):
know it by twenty sixteen and the rise of Vladimir Putin.
Babavoga purportedly foresaw the ascent of the Russian president to
power and predicted that he would bring about significant changes
in his country. These are just a few examples of
the many predictions attributed to Babavanga, which have sparked both
skepticism and awe among believers and skeptics alike. Babavoga's prophetic

(39:54):
abilities remain a subject of debate. Skeptics argue that many
of her predictions were either ver or open to interpretation,
and that any apparent accuracy could be attributed to coincidence. However,
her supporters claim that she possessed an extraordinary gift, allowing
her to tap into realms beyond our comprehension. Babavanga herself

(40:16):
remained humble about her abilities often stating that she was
merely a vessel through which divine knowledge flowed. She believed
that her purpose was to provide guidance and comfort to
those in need, rather than seek personal fame or fortune.
Babavunga passed away on August eleventh, nineteen ninety six, leaving

(40:36):
behind a legacy that continues to captivate and intrigue. Her predictions,
though sometimes met with skepticism, continue to generate curiosity and speculation.
Her life story and alleged abilities have been the subject
of books, documentaries, and countless articles. Furthermore, her home in
Bulgaria has become a pilgrimage site for believers who seek

(40:58):
spiritual solace and hope. The house has been turned into
a museum dedicated to her life, where visitors can learn
about her predictions, examined personal belongings, and gain insight into
the world of the blind mystic. Babavanga, the blind Bulgarian seer,
left an indelible mark on the world with her alleged
prophetic abilities. While opinions regarding the authenticity of her predictions

(41:23):
remain divided, there's no denying the fascination and intrigue she
continues to evoke. Her life story serves as a testament
to the enduring power of belief and the human fascination
with the mysteries of the future. Babavanga's enigmatic persona and
her uncanny ability to peer into the unknown will undoubtedly
continue to captivate the minds of generations to come. Thanks

(41:53):
for listening. If you missed any part of tonight's show,
or if you want to hear it again, you can
subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast by searching
for Weird Darkness. Not only we hear a copy of
tonight's show, you'll also receive daily episodes of the Weird
Darkness podcast. You'll find me wherever you listen to podcasts,
even YouTube. You can follow the show on social media
by visiting the contact social page at Weirddarkness dot com,

(42:17):
and please tell others about the show who love the
paranormal or strained stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries
like you do. Doing that helps make it possible for
me to keep doing the show. If you like to
be a part of the show, you can send in
your own paranormal experience by clicking on tell your Story
at Weirddarkness dot com. All stories in Weird Darkness are

(42:38):
purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can
find links to the stories or the authors in the
show notes, which I have already posted to the Weird
Darkness website. Baba Vanga is from Paranormality Magazine. Secret Doors
to the Underworld is from Facts Verse. King of the
Irish Hill is by Paul Drexler for a crime traveler terminal.

(42:58):
Lucidity Phenomenon is by Cynthia McKenzie for a message to Eagle,
and The Crescent Hotel was written by Amanda Pan for
Vocal Media Horror. Weird Darkness is a production and trademark
of Marler House Productions, Copyright Weird Darkness. And now that
we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with
a little light psalm on eight, verse two, you will

(43:20):
eat the fruit of your labor. Blessings and prosperity will
be yours. And a final thought, the key to living
a good life is recognizing that there are no doors,
no confines, no origin or destination. There is only the journey.
Cindy Dale, I'm Darren Marler. Thanks for joining me in

(43:43):
the Weird Darkness. Lucifer Satan Beels above. These are but

(44:27):
some of the many names used to describe the arch
demonic enemy of mankind, A diabolical devil figure appears in
history all across the globe. Whether you believe in his
existence or not, the hellish mark which the Devil has
left on the legends and folklores of mankind is indisputable.

(44:49):
Many tales describe encounters with the beast, and tonight I
have a few historic encounters with the Devil on Darren
Marler and This is Weird Darkness. Welcome Weirdos. I'm Darren

(45:13):
Marler and this is Weird Darkness Radio, where every week
you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the
strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained
coming up this hour. Many tales describe encounters with the

(45:34):
Devil himself, yet not all are the same. Sometimes Satan
approaches his prey, other times the lost soul goes seeking
Lucifer to make a deal. Either way, the results are
never favorable. If you're new here, welcome to the show.
And if you're already a member of this Weirdo family,
please take a moment and invite someone else to listen

(45:56):
in with you. Recommending Weird Darkness to others helps make
it pass for me to keep doing the show. And
while you're listening, be sure to visit Weird Darkness dot
com at click on contact Social to follow Weird Darkness
on social media and also on the website. You can
find the daily Weird Darkness podcast, which comes out seven
days per week, along with my other podcasts like Retro Radio,

(46:18):
Old Time Radio, in the Dark, Church of the Undead,
and a classic nineteen fifties sci fi style podcast called
Auditory Anthology. You can enter contests, find Weird Darkness, merchandise
and more. You can even send in your own true
story of something paranormal that has happened to you or
someone you know. You can find all of that at
Weird Darkness dot com. Now bult your doors, lock your windows,

(46:44):
turn off your lights, and come with me into the
Weird Darkness. Richard Cabell lived during the sixteen hundreds and

(47:13):
was the local squire of brook Manor and Deaf in England.
He was regarded as a monstrously evil man, a figure
of darkness, who local legend records as having beaten and
abused his wife until one night she escaped, fleeing across
the moors with her husband in hot pursuit. It is

(47:34):
said that he eventually caught up with the unfortunate woman,
murdering her and her faithful dog. The ghost of this
loyal canine haunted Cabelle for the rest of his life.
The reason for the squire's darkness, it was said, lay
in a deal he had made with the devil. Granted
immortality by the beast, Cabell did as he pleased, creating

(47:57):
such an infamous legacy that he would later go on
to provide the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound
of the Baskervilles. However, eternal life was not to be his.
Cabell died on the fifth of July sixteen seventy seven,
with some saying that he was hunted to death by
a pack of phantom hounds bent on revenge. On the

(48:21):
night of his interment into the family tomb, it is
said that this same pack of phantom hounds came baying
across the moor to howl at his grave. From then on,
on the anniversary of his death, the hellish phantom of
Richard Cabbell could be seen stalking the moors and the
area around his final resting place. Terrified of the dark

(48:45):
figure and his diabolical connection, local people built iron bars
around the squire's tomb and placed a huge slab of
stone on top of the grave. However, even after taking
such precautions, some still report a strange red glow emanating
through the iron bars. Some even claim that on certain

(49:09):
knights a whole host of demonic creatures gather at his grave,
trying to retrieve the promised soul for their master. Saint Dunstan.
In the tenth century, the religious fate of England was
safeguarded by Saint Dunstan, a pious and charitable clergyman who

(49:30):
held many important ecclesiastical positions throughout his life. By the
time of his death in nine eighty eight, Dunstan had
served as the Archbishop of Canterbury and had reformed monastic
life in England, as well as being a skilled artist,
harpist and metalsmith. Not only that, it was said that

(49:51):
Dunstan had protected England from the Devil himself. According to legend,
Dunstan encountered the Devil numerous times. The most famous of
these encounters occurred whilst he was living as a hermit
in a cell at Glastonbury. A talented metal smith as
he was, Dunstan occasionally accepted commissions. One such commission came

(50:15):
from an old man who appeared at his window, asking
if Dunstan would make a chalice for him. Agreeing, Dunstan
began work on the piece. However, when he looked up
from his work, he noticed that his visitor had changed.
One moment, he was the old man, the next a
young boy, then a woman. It was then that Dunstan

(50:36):
realized his visitor was the devil. Concealing his distress, Dunstan
continued to craft the chalice. He picked up his blacksmith's
tongs and moved them to the fire. Once they were
red hot, he pulled them from the flames, turned on
his heel, and seized the devil by the nose with
the tongs. Despite the struggling and screams of the devil,

(51:00):
Dunstan calmly cast the beast from his cell. On another occasion,
Dunstan was sat in his cell playing as harp as
the Saint sang his melodious tune. A tramping vagrant approached.
This was the devil, once again, intent on deceiving the
holy Man. However, Dunstan was a man of cunning. He

(51:22):
once again seized the devil, this time grabbing his diabolic hoof.
The saint proceeded to shoe the beast furiously, nailing a
metal horseshoe to the devil's hoof. The devil pleaded and
cried in pain as Dunstan hammered nail after nail into him.
When he was done, Dunstan only agreed to remove the

(51:43):
shoe and free the devil after he promised he would
never pass through a door over which a horseshoe hangs,
and from then on the hanging of a horseshoe outside
wants home has been associated with good luck and protection.
Over your threshold on your mast, be sure the horseshoes
well nailed fast more diabolical dealings with the devil. When

(52:12):
Weird Darkness returns, Welcome back to Weird Darkness. I'm Darren Marler.

(52:42):
You can get more Weird Darkness seven days a week
through the Weird Darkness podcast, which you can find wherever
you listen to podcasts on YouTube, or visit Weirddarkness dot
com slash listen and find a list of all the
apps where you can listen to the show That's Weird
Darkness dot Com slash Listen. We'll continue with more stories
of those who've dealt directly with the devil. Almost every

(53:13):
country possesses a legend of a devil's bridge. In this respect,
the Tyrol region of Austria is no different. Legend reports
that one day a village in the valley of Montaufen
had their bridge swept away by an overwhelming torrent. The
villagers were justifiably concerned, for they depended upon that passage

(53:36):
to pass to and from Schreuns, on the other side
of the river, from where they traded and purchased their supplies.
Banding together, the villagers applied to the local carpenter, offering
him a large sum of money if he would rebuild
the vital bridge in three days time. The carpenter was
in disbelief. The money being offered would make his large

(53:59):
family rich. However, he saw that completing such a great
amount of work in just three days was an impossibility.
Before making a decision, he begged the villagers for one
day of reflection. All that day, up to midnight, the
carpenter studied and pondered frantically searching for a way to

(54:21):
rebuild the bridge in a specified time. Angry and annoyed,
he could find no solution. Just when he was about
to give up and go to bed, a little man
wearing a green hat entered the room. The strange man
claimed that he could help the carpenter complete the task
in the three days. He did, however, have one condition.

(54:45):
Once the bridge was finished, the first soul out of
the carpenter's house to pass over the bridge would belong
to him. So enticed by the large sum of money
was he, the carpenter agreed to the devil's terms, believing
that when the time came, he could cheat the devil.
Three days afterwards, the bridge was complete, and the devil

(55:08):
stood in the middle awaiting his prey. After having remained
there for many days, the carpenter at last appeared. Sensing
his payment was close at hand, The devil jumped with joy. However,
the carpenter was driving one of his goats, and as
he approached the bridge, he pushed her on before him

(55:29):
and called out, there you have the first soul out
of my house. In a fit of rage at having
been so deceived and humiliated, the devil seized the goat
by the tail and dragged her across the bridge. So
hard did the devil handle the creature, her tail came out,
laughed at and mocked by all who saw him with

(55:50):
the goat, the devil took off. It is said that
since the day the carpenter outsmarted the devil, all goats
now have short tales. Robert Johnson he was an American
blues singer, songwriter, and musician. It was his guitar playing
ability for which he is most remembered, and is still

(56:13):
considered to be among the greatest guitarists of all time. Strangely,
playing the guitar was not a skill which he was
ever known for as a child. The story goes that
although he did play it avidly in high school, he
was not reported as having any real talent for the guitar. However,

(56:34):
at the age of eighteen, Johnson displayed a mastery of
guitar that seemed to come from nowhere. His rapid knowledge
of the instrument was inexplicable. He played it with such
intimate finesse that the only explanation for it was devilry.
According to legend, as a young man living on a

(56:54):
plantation in rural Mississippi. Johnson greatly desired to become a
great blues musician. The desire was so great he took
his guitar to a nearby crossroads. There he was met
by the devil, who took his guitar and retuned it.
Upon handing it back, Johnson was given mastering of the

(57:15):
instrument for the small price of his soul. In the
years that followed, Johnson became an itinerant musician, moving from
place to place, playing his guitar for tips on street corners.
He later went on to record several songs. Some say
that allusions to Johnson's diabolical pact can be found in

(57:38):
several of his own songs, including cross Road Blues and
Me and the Devil. Somewhat Ominously, Johnson died under mysterious
circumstances in nineteen thirty eight at the young age of
twenty seven. One theory suggests that he was poisoned by
the jealous husband of a woman he had flirted with.

(58:00):
Another theory is he died of syphilis. Ultimately, no one knows.
Not only that, Johnson's grave site is also a mystery,
with at least three different locations having been marked out
as possible sights. With Johnson's music now enshrined in the
Blues Hall of Fame, one can only wonder if the

(58:23):
devil came and collected his fee as agreed. After all,
Johnson died at the legendary and possibly cursed age of
twenty seven, meaning that he joined other great musicians in
that infamous twenty seven club, including Jimmy Hendrix, Kurt Cobain
and Jim Morrison. The Possession of George Lukens. On Saturday

(58:51):
May thirty first, seventeen eighty eight, the Reverend Joseph Easterbrook
was alerted to the strange case of George Lukens, a
man who claimed to be possessed by the devil. It
was one of the reverend's parishioners, Missus Sarah Barber, who
told him of Lucan's affliction. Upon visiting the village of

(59:12):
Yatton in Somerset, a place where she used to live.
Missus Barber had been disturbed to find a man she
once knew in a state of extraordinary illness. George Luken's,
a tailor and common carrier by profession, had been a
child of good character who constantly attended the church and sacrament. However,

(59:32):
for the last eighteen years, his demeanor had shifted, his
nature changed. During her stay in the village, she told
the reverend she witnessed the unfortunate man have fits multiple
times a day, during which he sang and screamed in
various sounds, some of which did not resemble a human voice.

(59:55):
George had been placed under the care of mister Smith,
an eminent surgeon. Many other medical gentlemen had also lent
their help to mister Smith and his patient. All was
in vain. No cure could be found for the mysterious malady,
with George himself declaring in the middle of his fits
that no doctor could do him service. Many of the

(01:00:18):
people of the village were convinced the man was bewitched.
George himself declared that he was possessed of seven devils.
Upon hearing mister Barber's recollections, Reverend Eastbrook requested George Lucan's
visit him. In the reverence notes, he described how George
made the most horrible noises as his body convulsed, experiencing

(01:00:42):
as many as nine fits a day. The man was
weak and emaciated. He was also unable to hear religious
expressions without writhing in pain. Another witness, who published a
letter in the local newspaper at the time, described how
George would declare in a roaring voice that he is
the devil, before singing a hunting song in a hoarse

(01:01:05):
and frightful voice. They even detailed how, at certain periods
of the fit, he was so violent that an assistant
was always obliged to be at hand to restrain him
from committing some injury to himself. On June thirteenth, Reverend
Easterbrook and several of his friends and colleagues met with

(01:01:25):
George in the vestry room of the church. They began
by singing hymns, which immediately caused George to convulse in agitation.
His fit became more violent until he spoke in deep, hoarse,
hollow voice. The voice declared that it would never quit
its hold of George, and that any attempt to help

(01:01:47):
the man would cause him to suffer torment a thousand
times worse. The voice then started singing in its usual manner,
boasting of its power, blaspheming, and vowing vengeance on both
the unfortunate George and all those who dared to oppose him.
As the session continued, other voices manifested, all refusing to

(01:02:11):
release George and warning against any and all attempts to
help him. At one point, a voice possessed the man
and declared I am the Great Devil, before causing George
to have such violent convulsions that two men had to
restrain him. When the voice, thought to be the devil

(01:02:32):
was asked why he tormented George, it answered that I
may show my power amongst men. All the while, George
continued to suffer violent convulsions despite his small size and
weakened body. As the session reached its climax, one of
the clergymen commanded, in the name of the Father, the Son,

(01:02:54):
and the Holy Spirit, the evil spirit depart from the man.
For his deliverance were offered, and the clergyman's command repeated.
George's convulsions and agonies grew stronger. He was by now
crying out, howling in miserable pain. Then he was delivered.

(01:03:16):
The convulsions stopped, the devil seemingly departed. George Luken's, previously
declared by medical men as incurable, was cured up Next,
I've already shared five stories of those who've had dealings

(01:03:38):
with the Devil up. Next, I'll share a few cases
for his existence when Weird Darkness returns. If you were
someone you know struggles with depression or dark thoughts, I'd
like to recommend the Hope in the Darkness page at
Weird Darkness dot Com. There, I've gathered numerous free resources
to help you fight depression, including the Seven Cups app,

(01:04:00):
the Suicide in Crisis hotline, Ifread dot organ many more.
These resources are absolutely free and they're there for you
twenty four to seven whenever you need them. They're on
the Hope in the Darkness page at Weird Darkness dot com.
That's Weird Darkness dot com slash hope. Whatever religion you

(01:04:49):
follow or do not follow, the existence of an archdemonic
being in folklore across time, space and culture is undeniable.
Devil's Bible made from more than one hundred sixty animal
skins and eating two people to lift it. Kodex Gigas,
also known as the Devil's Bible, was allegedly written in

(01:05:11):
just one night. Hermann the Recluse was a twelfth century
Bohemian monk. Legend has it that he was walled up
inside of his cell, condemned to atone for his sins
by inscribing holy texts for the rest of his days.
To complete the great task more quickly and release himself

(01:05:31):
from an early grave, the monk made a pact with
the devil. With the devil's aid, the monk supposedly wrote
the entire book in a single night. The first half
of the tomb comprises the entire Latin Vulgate Bible. The
remainder is a bizarre mixture of ancient medical treatises, encyclopedias, chronicles,

(01:05:54):
and magical formulas. The colossal codex even contains a portrait
of Lucifer, purportedly drawn by the fallen angel himself. In
experiments conducted to recreate the work, it has been estimated
that reproducing the calligraphy alone, without the illustrations or embellishments,

(01:06:14):
would have taken five years of non stop writing. Most
scholars believe that working at a regular pace, it should
have taken the monk around thirty years to compose the codex. However,
academics have remarked at the stability of the handwriting found
throughout the book, the suggestion being that the Devil's Bible

(01:06:37):
must have been written over a very short period of
time the possession of Elizabeth Knapp. Born in Massachusetts around
sixteen fifty five, Elizabeth Knapp worked as a household servant
for the local reverend. To all who met her, Elizabeth
was nothing more than an ordinary young woman. That was

(01:07:00):
until the devil came calling. It was when she was
sixteen years old that Elizabeth began to show signs of
demonic possession. Samuel Willard, the reverend whom she served, documented
the case in great detail. First, the girl experienced pains
throughout her body. She would yell out, grabbing her leg,

(01:07:22):
her breast, her neck. Often she would exclaim that she
was being strangled. Elizabeth would suffer nighttime fits, reporting to
have witnessed two persons walking around her as her body
convulsed unnaturally. One day, Elizabeth confessed to the reverend that
it was the devil himself who was stalking her. She

(01:07:44):
claimed that he had promised her money, youth, ease from labor,
and the ability to see the world. He had presented
her with a book of blood covenants, which were signed
by other women who had been unfortunate enough as to
sign away their souls. However, Elizabeth exclaimed that she had
been unable to do all that Satan had asked of her,

(01:08:07):
namely to kill the Reverend Willard and his family. As
winter approached, the possession escalated. During one of her violent fits,
Elizabeth began talking in a strange, deep voice. Willard wrote
in his journal how the girl's mouth remained closed as
her throat swelled up. In his mind, the devil talked

(01:08:29):
through her body. What makes this case particularly interesting is
the detailed and scientific approach which the reverend employed. He
called in medical doctors and learned men on several occasions
in order to try and find a cure for Elizabeth's symptoms.
Possession by the devil was a conclusion only reached after

(01:08:51):
all other options were exhausted. In one of his concluding
journal entries, Willard stated that Napp's temperament was on natural
and therefore diabolic. The Devil's footprints. In February eighteen fifty five,
the people of Xstuary in deaf In England awoke to

(01:09:11):
discover the devil's hoof prints trodden in snow. The cloven
shaped marks covered a distance of some forty to one
hundred miles, houses, rivers, haystacks, and other obstacles. Were traversed
straight over. The diabolical footprints even appeared on the tops
of snow laden roofs and high walls, as well as

(01:09:35):
leading up to and exiting drain pipes. News of the
unexplainable event reached as far as Australia. An extract from
a newspaper there exclaimed in confusion that the footprints were
to be seen in all kinds of unaccountable places. Investigators
have commented that if the tracks really extended for close

(01:09:57):
to one hundred miles, no human being would have been
able to follow their entire course in a single night.
According to Truman's Exeter Flying Post, the case was an
excitement worthy of the Dark Ages, and they published a
piece on the foot tracks of a most strange and
mysterious description. Others, however, thought little of the story's excitement

(01:10:21):
and more of its infernal meaning. In the town of Dawlish,
a group of tradesmen were so distressed that they armed
themselves with guns and bludgeons. On the morning of the
ninth of February, they took off in pursuit of the
mysterious footprints. At the time, the bizarre theories were circulated
in order to distract local parishioner's concerns about a visit

(01:10:43):
from the devil. The local reverend Musgrave explained the event
away by blaming the footprints on a couple of escaped
kangaroos from a private zoo. However, he later recanted in
a letter addressed to a London newspaper. I found a
very apt opportunity to mention the name of kangaroo an
allusion to the report then current. I certainly did not

(01:11:05):
pin my faith to that version of the mystery, but
the state of the public mind, the villagers, dreading to
go out after sunset under the conviction that this was
the devil's work, rendered it very desirable that a turn
should be given to such a degraded and vited notion,
and I was thankful that a kangaroo served to disperse

(01:11:25):
ideas so derogatory. Until this day, nobody has been able
to explain who or what visited the people of Xstuary
that night. The Gateway to Hell in Hauska Castle in
the Czech Republic. The castle was built with only one
purpose to encase the gateway to Hell, but in the

(01:11:49):
middle of nowhere, this imposing Gothic structure was constructed with
no fortifications, no water, no kitchen. When it was completed
in the thirteen century, it had no occupants. Instead, the
castles fortified inwards, with its chapel built over a huge,
bottomless pit, acclaimed to be the entrance to Hell. Its

(01:12:13):
sole purpose is to keep the devil and his demons
at bay. Historic witness reports attest to demonic half animal
half man creatures dragging themselves out from its depths. Other
reports describe dark winged creatures pouring out from the endless
chasm in order to terrorize the local populace. According to

(01:12:36):
local legend, when construction on the castle began, local prisoners
who were sentenced to death were recruited to discover more
about the mysterious whole. If they allowed themselves to be
lowered by rope into the dark depths, they would receive
a pardon. However, when the first of the inmates was lowered,
he began screaming. After just a few moments, those holding

(01:13:00):
the rope dragged him back to the surface. The man
had wrinkles, his hair had turned white. In a few
mere seconds, he had aged by over thirty years. The
unfortunate man died of unknown causes only a few days afterwards.
During the nineteen thirties, the Nazis supposedly occupied the castle

(01:13:22):
so as to conduct occult experiments with dimensional portals. Years later,
during renovations, several Nazi officer skeletons were found there. In
the modern day, the castle's ghostly as well as demonic
residents are well known and have attracted many paranormal enthusiasts.
Sightings include mysterious beasts, a headless black horse, and a

(01:13:46):
distressed spectral woman. Beneath the cellar, it is claimed that
there are non human remains of the demons who've managed
to claw their way out of Hell, and then there's
the Devil's handwriting itself. According to modern knowledge, there was
only one specimen of Satanic calligraphy in existence. This curious

(01:14:09):
extract first appeared in fifteen twenty three, taken from an
Italian text which describes an encounter between Lodovicio Spolutano and
the Devil. Spolutanio allegedly summoned Satan, requesting that he use
his body as a vessel to write clear and legible
answers to a series of questions asked of him. However,

(01:14:33):
the king of Hell refused to cooperate, and instead snatched
the pen into mid air so as to rapidly scrawl
the answers himself. What the devil wrote was indecipherable, a
series of diabolic scrawls that seem as though it should
read from left to right. After being passed on to

(01:14:54):
several learned men without success of decryption, the text disappeared
into abeyance. As of today, no one has been able
to decode the text or make a convincing case for
it being a hoax. However, academics have identified traces of
some of the manuscript's characters in Amoraic, a language spoken

(01:15:15):
in its purity in the province of Amhara, Ethiopia. According
to legend, this was the primeval language spoken in the
Garden of Eden. It wasn't until recently that I'd even

(01:15:36):
heard of the cryptid Ahol in case it's new to
you as well, It's a winged cryptid that some portray
as a giant bat, Others claim it's a flying primate. Personally,
I think it looks like a werewolf with bat wings.
Whatever it is, we'll learn a bit more about the
a Hool when weird Darkness returns we all want to

(01:16:22):
live up to the legacy of our parents. Doctor Ernest
Bartel's was doing just that, but in an unexpected way.
He was making his way through the jungles of nineteen
twenty five's Java Island, located in Indonesia, in search of
the next great discovery. He had a great deal to
live up to, being the son of noted ornithologist Meg Bartels,

(01:16:43):
who made a reputation for himself within the science world
having identified many previously unknown bird species. As for the
young naturalist, doctor Bartels had traded being in the classroom
for the wilderness, and Java certainly had plenty of that
d Java was the thirteenth largest island in the world,

(01:17:03):
formed from the results of past volcanic activity. It was
also the most populated island in the world, with one
hundred and twenty four million people. Overpopulation was unfortunately beginning
to have its effect on this Indonesian island. The rainforests
that were once all encompassing were beginning to dwindle. This
was pushing extinction for much of the wildlife, which included

(01:17:27):
twenty three mammal species, over two hundred bird species, and
five hundred forms of plant life. These figures do not
include species at the time still undocumented. Doctor Bartel's was
in a race against time to fully study the animals
of the region before they disappeared forever. Part of this
research would also lead to his own hopeful wildlife discoveries

(01:17:49):
and a police in the history books alongside his father,
so teamed with local guides and a notebook, he made
his way through the most remote parts of the island.
What are the many Trails within? In his trek was
with one of his most trusted guides from the local village,
where together they ventured to a waterfall on the slopes
of Sealk Mountains. It promised to provide everything that he

(01:18:10):
had been hoping for. The journey had been exhausting, but
the view of the cascading waterfall crashing into a pool
of water below was spectacular. At the site, the naturalist
retrieved his book from his pack to take notes on
the flora and fauna present around him. He was so
focused on his work that he failed to notice the
sound at first. It was a howling noise that started

(01:18:33):
off low but gradually increased with intensity. The village guides
heard it immediately and began looking around nervously. For the
source of the sound. Somewhere within the trees above them,
aho came ringing from above them. It was so loud
and clear that it completely drowned out the sounds of
rushing water from the waterfall. Suddenly, a large winged creature

(01:18:57):
leaped down from among the highest branches of the rainforest
canopy to come plummeting toward the ground below. At the
last possible second, it unfolded two enormous wings from its
body to divert its crash and launch itself into the air.
They were twelve feet wide and enabled the creature to
soar directly over doctor Bartell's head before it followed the

(01:19:17):
waterfall's course over the rocks and disappeared. The entire experience
only lasted for a moment before doctor Bartell's lost sight
of it. The shock left him too stunned to respond,
but he could still hear its call as it flew away.
He was in utter surprise and set to inquire with
the villagers as to what the creature was. It was

(01:19:38):
unlike anything he had seen before, and he was obsessed
with learning all he could about it. The villagers were
very informed about the creature. They called the Ahol, named
after its call along a who. The creature was bat like,
described as the size of a one year old child,
with a gigantic wing span of ti twelve feet. This

(01:20:01):
is twice the wingspan of the largest known bat in
the world, the common flying fox. Its dark gray fur
was noticeably short. It possessed large black eyes, flattened forearms
that supported its leathery red skinned wings, and a monkey
like head with a flattish humanoid face comprised with protruding fangs.

(01:20:24):
Villagers usually encountered its squatting on the forest floor, at
which time the a hool's wings were closed, pressed against
the creature's body, with its feet appearing two point backwards.
The villagers reported that the a Hool was a nocturnal creature.
The creature's days were spent concealed in caves located behind
or beneath waterfalls. Its nights were spent skimming across rivers

(01:20:47):
in search of large fish, using the claws on their
abnormal feet to capture and devour their prey. Jama Island
contains numerous volcanoes and some amazing cave systems. Unexplored resources
would be the perfect home for a creature or a
whole family of giant bats such as the a hool.

(01:21:08):
As the creature appeared to be very territorial, it never
traveled far from these caves or the rivers surrounding them.
Doctor Bartell's spent the next two years continuing his research
and exploration. The a hool became his quest and opportunity
for recognition in the field of natural science. He made
great progress while traversing every aspect of the island in

(01:21:30):
hopes of documenting his discoveries. He was able to find
a vast collection of Java's animal species to catalog. However,
the ahol continued to remain elusive, despite the tales of
encounters from the villagers. He was beginning to believe that
his encounter was set to become a once in a
lifetime experience. He was nineteen twenty seven when he had

(01:21:54):
taken up residence in a village close to the Jijnkoal
River in western Java. The house was not fancy, but
he had formed a close connection to the people and
the land during his expedition. One of his favorite pastimes
occurred during the late hours, when he would relax in
the darkness and listen to the sounds of the nearby jungle.
After his years studying the wildlife, it was a simple

(01:22:17):
personal game for him to match the animal to the
night calls that he would hear from time to time.
One night, around nearly eleven thirty pm, he heard a
vastly different sound just as he was about to drift
off to sleep. It was a flapping sound heard above him.
It was obvious to the naturalist expert that it was
exceptionally large, but unlike anything that he had identified before. Suddenly,

(01:22:42):
there was a heavy thud caused by the landing in
the creature, which was immediately followed by the clear cry
of the distinctive a whoo. Doctor Bartell's was in disbelief.
After searching for so long, the creature found him. He
was on his feet immediately. He grabbed the flashlight he
kept close by as he burst open the front door

(01:23:04):
and ran out of his hut. The creature had already
taken off. He raced off in almost complete darkness toward
the direction the sound was coming from. The naturalist stopped
on the path to catch his breath while constantly monitoring
the skies for the winged creature. At first, there was
nothing but stillness and darkness. Less than twenty seconds later,

(01:23:25):
he heard it again, a final ahol, which floated back
toward him from a considerable distance downstream. Any attempt to
follow the a hool along the dark waters of the
river was impossible. Doctor Bartell's had been so close to
catching sight of the creature again, but it was gone.

(01:23:45):
As he would recall many years later, he had focused
on the sound not because he did not know what
produced it, but rather because he did the a hool.
This was the last experience doctor Bartell's would have with
the a hool, as he eventually ended his research in
Java to return to Academia, where he published his research.

(01:24:06):
At the time, Bartel's had suggested that the creature was
not a bat but some type of bird, specifically an
exceptionally large owl, but his theory did not set well
with his peers. Instead, he was greeted with enthusiastic denials
by his friends, who assured him plainly that the evidence
he presented was that of a bat, regardless of the size.

(01:24:29):
Doctor Bartell's accounts of the a hool made the rounds
of academics, and eventually they were passed on to cryptozoologist
Ivan T. Sanderson By Bernard Huelman's Sanderson took a special
interest in the a Hool because he too had met
with such a creature, but not in Java. His encounter
took place in the Assemble Mountains of Cameroon, located in

(01:24:51):
western Africa. The cryptozoologist thought that the a Hool could
be an Asian form of the giant bat like creature
he witnessed in Africa, known by the African natives as
the Congamato. Research regarding the ahol continued long after doctor
Bartel's and Sanderson's investigations. Some researchers have suggested that the

(01:25:11):
creature may be a surviving population of pterosaur, a flying
reptile thought to have gone extinct around the time of
the dinosaurs some sixty five million years ago. The description
of the a Hool does match what science currently knows
about the pterosaur species, including large forearms supporting leathery wings.
Many investigators seem to agree, however, that the a Hool

(01:25:34):
is more likely a form of unknown giant bat, looking
to the creature's reported facial features as evidence against the
flying reptile theory. A third, less popular theory, also based
on the reported facial features of the a hool is
that this feast may be the world's first reported case
of a flying primate. As the population of Java continues

(01:25:57):
to grow and the rainforest dwindles, the territorial creature could
be rediscovered at any time or disappear due to deforestation,
the latter of which would be a tragedy to the
natural world and science everywhere. Thanks for listening. If you

(01:26:22):
missed any part of tonight's show, or if you'd like
to hear it again, you can subscribe to the podcast
in your favorite podcast app by searching for Weird Darkness.
Not only will you hear a copy of tonight's show,
you'll also receive daily episodes of the Weird Darkness podcast.
You'll find me wherever you listen to podcasts, even on YouTube.
You can follow the show on social media by visiting
the contact social page at Weirddarkness dot com. And please

(01:26:45):
tell others about the show who love the paranormal or
strained stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries like you do.
Doing that helps make it possible for me to keep
doing a show. If you'd like to be a part
of the show, you can send in your own paranormal
experience by clicking on tell your Story at Weird Darkness
dot com. While there, you can also find by other

(01:27:06):
podcasts like Retro Radio, Old Time Radio, in the Dark,
Church of the Undead, in a classic nineteen fifties sci
fi style podcast called Auditory Anthology. All stories in Weird
Darkness are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and
you can find links to the stories or the authors
in the show notes, which I've already posted to the
Weird Darkness website. Diabolical Dealings with the Devil is by

(01:27:29):
Laura for Paranormal Scholar and Cry of the Ahols by
Gary Brandt for Paranormality Magazine. Weird Darkness is a production
and trademark of Marler House Productions, copyright Weird Darkness. Now
that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you
with a little light Mark twelve, verse thirty. Love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all

(01:27:50):
your soul, and with all your mind, and with all
your strength. And a final thought, train your mind and
heart to see the good in everything. There's all we
something to be thankful for. I'm Darren Marler. Thanks for
joining me in the Weird Darknesses on September twenty third,

(01:28:36):
nineteen thirty five, in the Kingsbury Run area of Cleveland, Ohio,
two male bodies were found in the bushes. Someone had
beheaded and emasculated both of them. The police arrived and
conducted a preliminary investigation, during which they found both heads.
One of the bodies bore additional evidence of chemical treatment,

(01:28:59):
which earned the skin leathery and red. This was the
beginning of the Cleveland Torso murders, the work of one
of the most heinous and brutal serial killers in US history,
also known as the Mad Butcher. There was no blood
at the scene, and this led detectives to conclude that

(01:29:21):
someone committed the murders elsewhere and transported the bodies to
the site. One of the bodies remained unidentified, but the
other body was that of Edward Andressy, who the police
already knew as a petty criminal. Curiously, police determined that
the other anonymous man died several weeks before Andressy. Police

(01:29:43):
work began in earnest and the workload increased when the
body of a female showed up in January nineteen thirty six.
Her murder had occurred in a similar manner as the
two men. It was surprising to the detectives that the
killer had changed the gender of his victims, which was unusual.
Someone soon identified the body as Flow Pallilo, a frequent

(01:30:07):
patron of bars in the area. At this point, the
famous Elliot Ness became involved, as he was Cleveland's chief
of public Safety. He added himself to the growing number
of law enforcement working on the case. In June nineteen
thirty six, a male body surfaced that featured six notable
tattoos strown across his body. Police displayed the Morgue reports

(01:30:32):
and the victim's death mask at the Great Lakes Exposition
that year to thousands of people. However, not a single
person knew the tattooed man. His identity is still unknown today.
In September, a partial body lay with a hat nearby
that authorities later identified as one given to a homeless

(01:30:53):
man by a local woman. This reinforced the theory that
the Cleveland Torso murders involved only people from the lowest
rungs of society. There was a slight lull in the murders,
although the investigation continued at a frantic pace. The mad
Butcher of Kingsbury Run remained at large. Cleveland's serial killer

(01:31:15):
apparently took six more lives before the last canonical victim
emerged in August of nineteen thirty eight. Like Jack the Ripper,
there was some disagreement among law enforcement as to the
number of murders the mad butcher committed, and he had
surgically decapitated all of them. The Kingsbury Run shantytown emerged

(01:31:35):
as a result of the thirties Great Depression. During this time,
many people lost their jobs and suffered major economic hardships,
especially immigrants and minorities. Vacant areas within the industrial zone
of Kingsbury Run provided homeless and downtrodden individuals a place
to set up makeshift residences. A number of the Cleveland

(01:31:58):
murders serviced in the Caseingsbury Ron shantytown. In nineteen thirty eight,
Eliot Ness headed the raids of Kingsbury Run. He evicted
about three hundred individuals and burned down roughly one hundred
shanty homes. The hunt for the murderer hit one dead
end after another. Investigators were hopeful when they identified a

(01:32:20):
man named Frank Dolozol, who frequented a bar that several
of the victims also patronized people described him as prone
to anger and threatening when drunk. Police took dolazol into custody,
and after some time he confessed to one murder. Unfortunately,
he hanged himself before they fully questioned him about the

(01:32:40):
other murders. Suspiciously, after his death, his autopsy revealed several
broken ribs, which acquaintances of the man said he didn't
have when police took him into custody. This led the
press and general populace to believe his confession was worthless
because it appeared that police had obtained it under physical force. Later,

(01:33:01):
Ness himself oversaw the pursuit of doctor Francis E. Sweeney,
who had served as a military doctor in World War I.
During his time in the war, he conducted amputations of
wounded soldiers. He later developed mental Illness. Police brought him
in and the doctor failed a lie detector test. Ness

(01:33:22):
felt he was finally on the path to the killer
and continued to press the medical man. Unfortunately, Francis Sweeney
was related to the US Representative Martin Sweeney, which complicated
matters for Ness. The suspect volunteerily committed himself to a
mental institution. Which placed him out of legal reach of
Ness and his team. Had Ness pursued the doctor further,

(01:33:45):
the doctor had an insanity defense virtually locked in place. Coincidentally,
the Cleveland Torso murders appeared to stop after the doctor
went into the mental hospital. Cleveland police continued to investigate
the crimes. However, they made no convictions and the murders
remain a cold case today. Perhaps with new evidence or technology,

(01:34:09):
police may solve these burders in the future, or they
may remain a puzzle from the realm of twentieth century
true crime. An ice storm, the flu, and a computer

(01:34:31):
virus have kept me out of the blogosphere for a while.
When it rains, it pours, and in this case, it
rains ice. But one good thing came out of Trekking
twice a day to the only outlet still serving food.
About two days into the storm, one of my fellow
refugees approached me during dinner with a very strange story.

(01:34:53):
Adam Myers of Kansas, Oklahoma, another in a long line
of creative oak names, had an counter of the slithery
kind in the summer of two thousand and five. Kansas, Oklahoma,
is a small town in Delaware County, just off the
Cherokee Turnpike. It has a population of six hundred eighty

(01:35:14):
five according to the last census. Myers said, I was
riding my four wheeler at dusk behind my uncle's house
where there's a lot of trees. Back behind his house
there is a dip that leads to a pond that
he also owns, and before you reach the pond, there
is a turnaround point. It was dusk, and Myers began

(01:35:34):
to get spooked. He continues, I turned around and right
at the dip, my four wheeler immediately shuts off. I'm
trying to pull start it, and I started getting a
little more freaked out because I heard some rustling off
to the side. I look over and see a human
like shadow standing off to the side, but instead of

(01:35:54):
being a normal human, he had a snakelike head. The
being approached Myers, who struggled more and more frantically to
start his vehicle. I gave one final poll on the
starter while pressing on the gas at the same time,
and my four wheeler starts and I haul out of
there and go tell my friend Joe what I seen.

(01:36:15):
Joe took the four wheeler and returned to the site,
but headed back to the house after hearing a noise
that did not seem normal. The most interesting thing about
Meyers snake headed humanoid is the resemblance it bears to
the Seminole Tribe's human snakes, legendary malevolent creatures that lived
in dens full of giant snakes. I asked Myers if

(01:36:39):
he was familiar with the legend, and he said he
was not. Human snakes are either half snake, half human,
or can shape shift between the two. Human snakes aren't
the only breed of strange snake. The Native Americans believe in.
The Cherokee tribe tells of Ukana, a giant horned reptile

(01:37:00):
that lives in the water, and perhaps most interesting are
the Creek's tie snakes, strong dark snakes that live in
caves alongside riverbanks and are capable of pulling unsuspecting humans
to a watery death. Of the forty six species of
known snake native to Oklahoma, only a few are aquatic,

(01:37:20):
and none are powerful enough to prey on humans. The
Western diamondbacked rattlesnake and the coach whip hold the title
of Oklahoma's largest snakes. Both clocking and just shy of
seven feet long. But could there be monsters hiding in
the forests and lakes as the Native legends hold. Snake

(01:37:41):
Creek near ten Killer Lake appears to have been named
for a good reason. Edna Stubblefield recalls in the Stubblefield
Memoirs that sometime in the eighteen nineties she and her
family spotted a snake at the creek that looked like
a big old fence post crawling across the road. Nine
foot Burmese python turned up in a Tulsa driveway, and

(01:38:04):
on October twenty fifth, two thousand and one, another burmese python,
this one seven feet long, appeared in the still Water neighborhood.
While we're on the subject of out of place reptiles,
how about rampaging alligators. The official range of the American
alligator is restricted to extreme southeastern Oklahoma, particularly Choctaw and

(01:38:26):
McCurtain Counties, and yet they seem to keep turning up
in other parts of the state. In August two thousand
and two, a South American cayman of all things, was
netted in Lake ten Killer. Another cayman, this one two
to four feet long, appeared in a Tulsa backyard in
February two thousand and four, and in July two thousand

(01:38:47):
and six, animal control officers spent two days trying to
capture a four foot long alligator that appeared in the
Battle Creek golf course in Tulsa. The gator was never
caught and apparently van note of interest. The Battle Creek
Housing addition was also home to another out of place creature.
In two thousand and five, a mountain lion reportedly terrorized

(01:39:09):
the neighborhood, preying on household pets. It too, was never
caught and eventually just faded away. And then, of course,
the strange case of the fugitive gator. In the summer
of two thousand and three, a three hundred and fifty
pound reptile dubbed the truck Traveling Alligator was caught in
a pond, sent to a breeder, and then sent to

(01:39:32):
Safari Joe's, a wildlife sanctuary in a dare. The gator
promptly vanished from its pen and reappeared in a pond
just south of Interstate forty four, and then turned up
in yet another pond, this one behind the Big Cabin
Truck Plaza, where he was finally recaptured. He was relocated
to Prime Gator Habitat in McCurtain County. Granted, giant reptiles

(01:39:56):
are nothing new to Oklahoma. A Sam Noble Music and
Norman hosts the world's largest patosaurus ninety three feet long,
found in the Panhandle, And if that's not big enough
for you, the world's largest dinosaur to date also once
called Oklahoma home. In nineteen ninety four, fossils that were
first thought to be tree trunks were discovered. The trunks

(01:40:18):
turned out to be the neck bones, each four feet long.
The sauropod the bones belonged to stood an estimated sixty
feet and weighed sixty tons, and was dubbed Sara Poseidon,
the earthquake god Lizard. This monster went extinct one hundred
ten million years ago, but perhaps some of the god

(01:40:39):
Lizard's smaller cousins stuck around. Sudn't overtime wear darkness

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