February 12, 2025 • 33 mins
Two true ghost stories: first, we hear of Henry, a ghost living in Tori's haunted childhood home. Then, we meet a more sinister entity called The Hunchback Woman who creeps me out more than any other story I've read so far.
Thank you to Tori and FarPromise6205 for giving me permission to read their true strange stories. Do you want to hear your own true spooky story narrated on the show? Email me atmadamestrangeways@gmail.com or visitmadamestrangeways.com.
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Produced by: Madame Strangeways
♫ Theme Music by: Marina Ryan atmarinamakes.co
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
If you have a true strange storyof the unexplained you'd like to
hear, read on the podcast, e-mail it to
madamstrangeways@gmail.com or goto madamstrangeways.com or just
check the show notes for a link.I can't wait to read it.
Welcome strangers and strangelings to Madam
(00:23):
Strangeways, where I, Madam Strangeways, narrate true
strange stories of the unexplained.
And as always, solicited or not,usually not.
I share my thoughts and observations after each spooky
tale. Today I've got 2 new true
strange stories for you. But first.
(00:46):
A huge. Thank you to my Patreon patrons
TJ Hotter, G Man Music, and now Ted.
Yes, that Ted I. Appreciate you 3 SO.
Much do you want to hear your name at the?
Beginning of every episode. Perhaps do you want an exclusive
(01:06):
vinyl Madam Strangeway sticker to slap on?
I don't know, like your Ouija. Board or something.
Or maybe you just want to hear aguided sleep meditation recorded
by yours truly. To lull you.
Into a state of slumber. Well, that's just the weirdest
coincidence. Because you can get all of those
(01:27):
things and more like bonus content by supporting me on
Patreon. So just go to patreon.com/madam
Strangeways and join today. Your support means the world to
me. The underworld, obviously, if
that wasn't already clear. And now on to the strange
(01:49):
stories here on Madam Strangeways.
(02:10):
How I Met Henry by Tori I grew up in a haunted house in the 80s
and 90s and heard and saw many strange things.
I have been sensitive to activities since I was a young
child and my mother was thankfully very accepting of
(02:33):
this since she was sensitive to the story that I want to share.
Happened in the late 90s when I had just moved back home for a
while. After renting out my house and
moving out of state I decided that I wanted to come back to
Texas and since my tenants leasewas still active I asked my mom
(02:56):
and granny if I could stay with them a few months.
Of course they were. Happy to have me.
The first night that I was home,I was putting away my clothes in
the closet, which was next to the bedroom door that led to the
hall, and my mom's room was directly across the hall.
Maybe. 8 to 10 feet, so not far.As I was leaning into the small
(03:19):
closet to hang things up I heardsomeone clap very loudly right
next to my ear which was on the door side.
I screamed very loudly since it startled me and yelled Not funny
mom. She didn't answer me so I looked
(03:39):
into the hallway and her door was closed so I presumed she had
went back in there and walked tothe door.
As I was walking there is an arch to the right that goes to
the laundry room and then a doorto the main part of the house.
As the small hallway and bedrooms were in addition put in
(04:01):
when my grandparents needed another room for my aunt and mom
so they wouldn't have to share aroom with their brothers.
So when I got to the arch I could hear my mom and granny
laughing up front in my granny'sroom.
I went up there to confront my mom about trying to scare me and
my granny asked if I saw a spider.
(04:23):
They both know I have been. Scared of them?
Since I was a child, I told themwhat happened and they looked at
each other and simultaneously said Henry, which confused me.
I asked who is Henry and they went on to tell me they had been
seeing a man walking in the house and he liked to turn door
(04:49):
knobs, flip the light switches but not turn them on.
The house was built in the early40s and had those really old
loud clicking ones. They had the deed to the land
from the 1800s and he was the first known to build on the land
and when they had called him other names that had been listed
(05:10):
as owning the property they got chills.
But when they said Henry, there was a warm comfort around them
so. They figured.
That is who it was. I spent several months living
there and had plenty of time with Henry.
But he always seemed. Respectful thankfully.
(05:32):
When he would twist my door knobwithout opening my door or click
the laundry room light switch I would just ask him to stop and
he would. He also never seemed to enter
bedrooms or bathrooms but we would hear and see him all
around the house. My mom passed a few years ago
(05:52):
and I haven't been back to the house.
It sat empty for a few years andnow we rent it out but I haven't
heard anyone say anything about him after my mom was gone.
Thankfully Henry was kind, but not all of the spirits there
(06:13):
were. But that is a story for another
time. I would love to.
Share more in the future with you and your listeners if you
would like. So that horrifying story was
(06:35):
submitted via e-mail by Tori. Thank you Tori.
What? You're setting such a great
example for the listeners. Tori took herself to Gmail or
whatever e-mail she uses, can't remember, and Tori typed up her
story. And she?
Emailed it to me at Madam Strange Ways.
(06:55):
At gmail.com. Thank you so much, Tori.
Seriously, it made my day to receive that e-mail.
It always makes my day when y'all submit something.
It's just, it just means a lot to me because I know like these
are really stressful stories, even if they happened a long
time ago, remembering them is stressful.
And then it's tough just writingit down, you know, even if it's
(07:20):
not traumatic, even if it just happened a while ago, you have
to remember it. And then you got to get your
timeline right. And then you just, you want to
it's, it's just, I understand it's a lot because I have not
fully put my experiences in writing either.
And I've started them and it's aprocess.
So I appreciate every single person who said submits a story
(07:41):
to me. But Tori, thank you so much.
I incredibly appreciate you because wow, what a creepy
story. I know and see OK, we love a
respectful man. We also.
Love a respectful ghost. Man, man.
Ghost, we love it, love to hear it.
(08:03):
You know that he didn't, that hedidn't enter any bedrooms or
especially bathrooms. I thought that was very, very,
very thoughtful of him. I was going to say very demure,
but like, I'm not trying to. I'm not, I'm not trying to get
in on that social media trend. I mean, it's it's like 10 years
old now at this point, OK? It's like 2 months old, maybe 3.
(08:24):
Months. Four months.
This year has felt like a decade, so it's really hard to
say. Time is an illusion.
Lunchtime doubly so. But I'm not trying to get into
that. I'm just saying that I just
that, yeah, that's very thoughtful of Henry to not barge
in when you're in your bedroom, private safe space.
Most ghosts don't follow that. Most ghosts.
(08:47):
Some ghosts follow you under thecovers, like.
Juwan in in that movie. The grudge that was.
Really scary because. Come on under the covers.
That's safe. So that was really thoughtful of
Henry to not bother you when you're in your when you're in
your bedroom, but probably also really, really.
(09:07):
Off putting. Even even if he is being really
respectful and also you just you're just going to casually
mention like, oh, Henry though, was not as respectful as some of
the other entities in the house.Excuse me, I'm going to need
(09:28):
that information immediately. I need it yesterday.
I need to know more about it. I know.
Again, I know it's stressful. So take your.
Time. But when you're ready, I want to
hear about some of the other things that.
Happened in that house. Super, super interested.
I I did some Googling. It's difficult because I didn't
(09:48):
have a last name and I could have asked.
I could have, I could have askedTori for more details.
I didn't, but I just did some mild Googling.
Just wondering, you know what can?
We find. Regarding Henry's in the 1800s
in the. Area which was in.
Brazoria County, which is in Smithville, TX, so like not that
(10:09):
far from Austin, pretty close toAustin.
So let me share with you what I did find.
I don't know how. Relevant it is.
So the first Henry. Is Henry Gordon Smith.
He was born. In 1888.
Which I think is maybe just a little too late because he would
have had to be a teenager if hisname was on like the land rights
(10:30):
or the land deed in the 18. Hundreds so.
Probably not him, but I did find.
Like. Genealogy stuff on him.
So I was really wanting it to behim and then I kind of did the
math and womp, womp. OK.
But the other Henry, which is also a Henry Smith, is the other
one Smith. Is the other one Smith?
(10:51):
Yeah, what the heck? Both Henry Smith's apparently a
very common name in the 1800s. This one Henry Smith was born in
1788, which means this could definitely be him.
And he was actually the first American born governor of the
Mexican territory of. Texas.
So yeah. I mean, the timing is right.
(11:14):
He would have been there early days and he would have had
access to whatever land he wanted.
So very possible that he was theone that owned that land.
However, here's what I'm going to say.
Here's. What I'm?
Going to say. You know he's a politician and
the Henry ghost in your. House was really.
(11:34):
Respectful. So I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know.
At first I was thinking, I'm notsure if this is him, like, I
don't know, maybe, maybe. But here is some some little
little snippets of his personal life, which kind of makes me
(11:56):
think that the Henry in your house is probably not the same
Henry. So this this Henry Henry Smith.
Married. Harriet Gillette In 1815.
They had three sons. Then they moved to Missouri
where Harriet died, which is tragic.
Then Smith married Harriet's sister, Elizabeth.
(12:18):
OK. They had five daughters.
OK, calm down. Then they moved to Texas, and
then Elizabeth, his second wife,who is the sister of his first
wife, dies of cholera like you do in the 1800s.
And then six years later, he marries Elizabeth's twin Sarah.
(12:42):
So he married Harriet, then she died, and then he marries
Harriet's sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth dies, and then he
marries Elizabeth's twin sister.So he just married through the
sisters and then Sarah died shortly after.
And I don't think it doesn't saythat any of his.
Wives died from. Childbirth, but like, oh, OK,
(13:05):
OK, we've got cholera. I'm just saying how is he
surviving? It's just suspicious.
It's a little, it's a little SUS.
So I don't know. If this is him.
I would love to look into more of the history of the house
though. Tori, if you want to send me any
details, I'd be happy to poke around and see what I can find.
I'm going to say I don't think it's this Henry Smith.
(13:28):
I just don't want it to be. I mean, although, you know, he,
maybe he's looking for another wife, Tori, maybe he's just
looking for another wife and that's why he's being so
respectful as he's trying to just bag another wife.
Maybe what? If.
What if, OK, because you said hold on, you said that he kind
(13:50):
of wasn't around as much after your mom passed, which I'm so
sorry, so sorry to hear that. By the way, my condolences about
your mother. But you did say, you said, I
think you said you said that when your mom passed, you didn't
really hear from Henry anymore, even though I think also you
kind of weren't living there. But like, you haven't heard
about him and I feel like you would.
(14:11):
Even from tenants. But if he kind of went away?
When your mom passed. What if y'all are related?
To the Gillette family. Let me know, e-mail me back.
Because what if that's why he was so nice to y'all?
Like what if y'all were like descendants of the Gillette
(14:33):
family in which he loved that family because he married into
it three times. OK, So we have two narratives
here with the governor. Henry Smith. 2 Narratives 1.
He murdered his wives and said this is not Henry.
This is not the ghost Henry. OK.
Or two Henry Smith, the governor, is the ghost Henry and
he didn't murder his wives. And he just.
(14:55):
Really loves the Gillette familyand y'all are descended from the
Gillette family. OK if this isn't true, you know
what you don't need to tell me that I'm wrong because I just
love the narrative of this so much and this is a good book I
would read this book like I would read it so somebody write
it let me know give me credit I don't need I don't need the
(15:15):
money. I just want the fame and the
credit when you. Publish this book.
There's something there I don't know.
There's something there. So Tori also mentioned in her
e-mail to me a little bit of history so.
Yes, the house. Is in Smithville, TX and her
grandparents built it back in the 40s on an empty lot after
(15:35):
their house burned down in town.And they lost.
Their first two. Children in the fire.
Before her mom was. Born.
That's so sad, so tragic. But like it's, I think it like
there's like something there, right, Like with all of the the
loss. And.
Desperation that had to be kind of imprinted on your family when
(15:57):
that happens, right So Tori also.
Said that let. Me just hold there's like a
spoiler I don't want to share for a future story.
But then she also says, interestingly, there is a
cemetery. Down the street.
And we used to walk by that. As a kid and would see things
inside the gates. Things like what I want to know,
(16:18):
Tori, don't leave me hanging. I'm so curious as to what you.
Saw in the cemetery. Gates I'm ready for it to keep
me up at night, so. Just hit me.
Up. Let me know when you're ready
and I cannot wait to share your other stories.
With our listeners. Thank you so much.
(16:48):
Haunted trailer in Southwest Virginia from 1984 by far.
Promise 62 O 5. As a child, my family moved
around a lot. I never knew why until I was an
adult and realized it had much to do with my mother's ADHD.
(17:12):
Maybe she was running from something.
My older sister says she was protecting us.
Anyway, we moved nearly 30 timesbefore I graduated high school,
and many of the homes we lived in, I saw things that only I
could see. This one place is among the most
(17:34):
remarkable. I was 14.
It was 1984 and summertime. My family had just moved into a
single wide trailer in a large. Trailer Park.
Immediately I began to see and hear things and it took me a few
days to realize they were paranormal.
(17:57):
I would lay in my bed at night and hear loud growls coming from
under my bed from my room. I would also hear my mother in
the kitchen and smell food cooking.
In the early hours. Pans clanking and such and go
into the kitchen and the lights would be off and no one was
(18:23):
there. This happened many times and
everyone in the house says they experienced this at least once.
My mother would wake us up in the middle of the night with the
door wide open, screaming leave us.
Alone, please just leave. This happened a lot.
(18:45):
I remember my aunt coming over to take care of us because my
mom was in the hospital and she made us all sleep together in
the living room. Because.
She was scared. The most terrifying experience
was early one morning. I was wide awake and laying in
the bed with the room door wide open.
(19:07):
Everyone was asleep and I could see down the hall into the
kitchen. I saw a short, dark figure with
a hunch back rise off the kitchen table and slowly walk
down the hall toward my door. When it reached my door, it
(19:30):
stared at me briefly and turned away.
I was terrified, gasping for breath.
It was just dark with no features.
I believed it to be a woman, butI'm not sure.
Anyway, we moved shortly after. This is the only house we lived
(19:51):
in that everyone saw things. Usually it was just me.
Far promise. 62 O 5. Thank you so much for allowing.
(20:12):
Me to reach your. Story Your.
Just nightmarish story. Just I just the short dark.
I'm going to just I saw a short dark.
Figure with the hunchback. Rise off the kitchen table and.
(20:33):
Slowly walk. Down the hall.
Why is it on the table? Why is it on the table?
Like, why is it on the table? When it reached my door, it
stared at me briefly and turned away.
And you know. Yeah.
And then you gasped because of course you did.
It was just dark with no features.
(20:55):
And then it's so interesting because you say like that you
believed that it was a woman, but you know, how would you
know? And it's, it's so dark.
You just get the sense, right, that it's a woman.
And why is it on the kitchen table?
What's it doing on the? Kitchen table What?
Why? Well, if you're wondering that,
if you're if I'm, if you're wondering that and I'm not the
(21:18):
only one wondering that. There's a comment that far
promise left in the thread that.Gave me.
Shivered me Timbers. Let's say here it is a neighbor.
This is them. I'm quoting them.
A neighbor told me that the previous.
Tenant died there. OK, OK, all right.
(21:43):
So like a ghost, you know, the ghost of the lady that lived
there last. OK, like, yeah, maybe that's it.
OK, no, hold on. There's more.
And this is the quote. And that she slept on the table
and that she was unfriendly, even mean.
She slept on the table, y'all. She slept on the table.
(22:11):
OK, supposedly she had a bad back and had difficulty walking.
Which would explain. The hunchback.
And this here it is. According to the neighbor, she
died on the kitchen table. You can't see my face, but I am
(22:33):
staring ahead like unfocused eyes.
Unfocused, unseeing, Just 1000 yard stare.
How would you? You wouldn't know that.
Like a kid wouldn't know that. Even if, even if, even if, even
if, even if you assume that like, you're 14, you hear
(22:55):
things, you know you've been moved around a lot.
Which, by the way, that's incredibly stressful.
I can't even imagine having moved 30 times before graduating
high school. I really hope that your mom did
successfully protect you in the process of moving you.
I hope that she successfully protected you for something and
(23:16):
and not that that was done for no reason.
Although it sucks that it happened at all.
So I'm sorry you went through that, but OK, so even if so,
you're 14, you live in it. You live, you move into this new
area, you hear people talking. Let's.
Just say in passing. Without realizing it, you kind
of hear someone mention, oh, thelady that used to live there
died. OK, maybe you would hear that.
(23:41):
I think that's fair. And then maybe you would, you
know, internalize it. And then you'd forget that you
heard it. And then you're seeing shapes,
you know? In in the.
Trailer OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK.
But the table. Like I just feel like that's not
a detail. I just feel like that's not a
normal detail. I I just think if you heard that
(24:05):
someone died laying on the kitchen table because OK, how
many times have you listener laid on the.
Kitchen table. How many times?
Let's say as an adult, OK, because I know kids are weird,
right? As an adult, when was the last
(24:27):
time that you laid down on any table?
I'm you know what I'm going to any table, coffee table, pool
table. What are the kind of tables?
Breakfast nook tables? Card tables?
There's got to be other round tables.
Perhaps in Camelot tables? Tables, tables, tables, tables,
(24:51):
tables. Whatever have has have you, have
you ever? I've never so I think if you
heard hey, the lady that used tolive here died and she was found
dead on her kitchen table. I just think you would remember
that. You would definitely remember
it. It would stick out as a detail
(25:11):
and it wouldn't be news to you the next time that you heard it.
You know what I'm saying? So like I just I I think far
promise did not know before. Hearing it from the neighbor.
Which is so scary. I don't know why it might.
Is it just me? Let me know.
Let me know. e-mail me madamstrangeways@gmail.com.
(25:32):
Let me know if it's just me thatthat is so unsettling.
It's dude, why are you? On the table get.
Off. Just don't be on the table.
That's so weird and. Then to die on the table.
Man, I mean that Lady. Of course she was mean.
Far Promise said that apparentlyshe was very unfriendly, even
(25:55):
mean. Yeah, no shit.
You know, 'cause the amount of pain that you would have to be
in in order to feel like the waythat you fix it is to lay on a
kitchen table and that's where you sleep, that your bed is the
kitchen table. That's an that's an incredible
amount of pain. So just not shocking at all.
(26:16):
I would be mean. Too.
If I slept on a kitchen table I would be really mean, so I can't
really blame her for being mean.But.
Really weird if that was her, ifthat was the shape, the short
hunchback figure rising off the kitchen.
Table that's just so scary. That's just really scary.
(26:43):
And see, this is the thing. This is the thing.
This is a short story, you know this is 3. 172.
Words, OK, and this is so unsettling, you know, if someone
read this and they're like, wow,this is so scary.
Let's turn this into a script. Let's get this green lit.
Let's get this, let's make dollsand let's make merch and let's,
(27:08):
let's do see, it's something viral on TikTok, you know, to
promote the movie. Yeah, but like it's not going to
be. Anywhere nearly as scary.
It's, and it's only 372 words. You know, there's just something
about something about brevity being the soul of horror.
(27:30):
Is that how that saying goes? Brevity is the soul of scary
things? I don't know.
I just, I just feel like this isway scarier than if you tried to
turn this into like a movie, like a feature length movie
film. Just don't do it.
This is just really, really scary though.
Like thank you. Thank you for the nightmare fuel
(27:52):
for promise. I appreciate you.
I'm. Sorry that you have seen things
for so long, and I'm sure that lots of people doubted you.
And that it's. Just kind of stressful probably
trying to figure out who can youshare it with and who can you
tell it to and. Yeah, sorry about that.
Sorry you had to put up with that.
(28:13):
But on the other hand. I would be so honored to read
any other stories that you wanted to share that you felt
comfortable sharing so. Just let me know Madam
strangeways@gmail.com or you canDM me on Reddit where we've got
a chat open. Thanks.
(28:41):
Thank you so much for listening to these spooky stories.
Remember that you can feel afraid and not be in danger, so
if. You have a.
True strange story that you'd like to hear read on the show.
Go ahead and send it to me, Madam strangeways@gmail.com or
Madam strangeways.com and since word of.
(29:02):
Mouth. Is so important for podcasts.
If you could to. Me.
Just one little weird spooky. Strange Solid.
That would be amazing. And that would be telling your
friends about the show. I'd really appreciate it.
Madam Strange Ways is produced and narrated by me.
Madam Strange Ways theme music is by
(29:26):
marina.ryan@marinamakes.co. All stories are read with the
explicit permission from their original authors.
Thank you so much for listening,see you next time.
(30:04):
Table table table table table like a drafting table like an
architect. 'S.
Drafting table, a table table, poker table, kind of said card
table but that's like a folding table.
I mean like a full on poker table.
Why do poker tables? I feel like poker tables and
(30:26):
pool tables have the same like material.
On them. That's interesting.
What are the kind of tables? Tables table tennis table table
tennis table tennis table a table, an excel spreadsheet
table. Well, you.
(30:47):
Cannot physically sleep on. One of those, unless you printed
it out first table table to likea a fold.
I've got I already said the cardtable.
Which is like a folding table. There's got to be other kinds of
tables. Dining table?
(31:09):
Hold on, hold on. Types of tables.
Types of tables. Dining, yes.
Dining table? Coffee table?
Duh. End table?
OK, that should round. Table.
Console table. Bedside table?
It's just a night stand. Wouldn't call it a bedside
table. Oh, maybe that did kind of roll
(31:30):
off my tongue when I said it though.
There's an Ottoman which is not really.
A table? I guess you can use it as a
table. It's not the same.
Banquet table. Conference table A.
Dressing table. I should have thought of that.
One folding table. Duh.
OK, hold on. There's got to be more.
(31:53):
Don't sleep on any. Of these chess chess.
Table don't sleep on a chess table.
That's weird, unless you're. A cat.
You can sleep on any of these tables if you're a cat.
Trestle table, whatever that is.Sewing table, snack table.
I need some of those Bistro table, vanity table, workbench
(32:21):
which I think by definition is not a table, so why would you
even suggest that to me? I want to see how far this can
go. Picnic.
Table that should have been way sooner on my list.
That should have been way up there.
That should have been like, the third thing I said was a picnic
(32:42):
table. You know, weirdly there's not
just like. Why isn't there like a
Wikipedia? Page that's like, oh, there is
table furniture, Princess. A table is an item of furniture
with a raised flat top. It is supported most commonly by
one to four legs, although some can have more.
(33:02):
It's It is used as a surface forworking at, eating from, or on
which to place things. I'd put the emphasis on the
wrong syllable there. Let's try that again.
It is used as a surface for working at, eating from, or on
which to place things. Let me tell.
(33:24):
You What it did not just say is that it's a place for sleeping,
even if your bed or even if yourback is bad.
If you have a true strange storyof the unexplained you'd like to
hear, read on the podcast, e-mail it to
madamstrangeways@gmail.com or goto madamstrangeways.com or just
check the show notes for a link.I can't wait to read it.
Welcome strangers and strangelings to Madam
(00:23):
Strangeways, where I, Madam Strangeways, narrate true
strange stories of the unexplained.
And as always, solicited or not,usually not.
I share my thoughts and observations after each spooky
tale. Today I've got 2 new true
strange stories for you. But first.
(00:46):
A huge. Thank you to my Patreon patrons
TJ Hotter, G Man Music, and now Ted.
Yes, that Ted I. Appreciate you 3 SO.
Much do you want to hear your name at the?
Beginning of every episode. Perhaps do you want an exclusive
(01:06):
vinyl Madam Strangeway sticker to slap on?
I don't know, like your Ouija. Board or something.
Or maybe you just want to hear aguided sleep meditation recorded
by yours truly. To lull you.
Into a state of slumber. Well, that's just the weirdest
coincidence. Because you can get all of those
(01:27):
things and more like bonus content by supporting me on
Patreon. So just go to patreon.com/madam
Strangeways and join today. Your support means the world to
me. The underworld, obviously, if
that wasn't already clear. And now on to the strange
(01:49):
stories here on Madam Strangeways.
(02:10):
How I Met Henry by Tori I grew up in a haunted house in the 80s
and 90s and heard and saw many strange things.
I have been sensitive to activities since I was a young
child and my mother was thankfully very accepting of
(02:33):
this since she was sensitive to the story that I want to share.
Happened in the late 90s when I had just moved back home for a
while. After renting out my house and
moving out of state I decided that I wanted to come back to
Texas and since my tenants leasewas still active I asked my mom
(02:56):
and granny if I could stay with them a few months.
Of course they were. Happy to have me.
The first night that I was home,I was putting away my clothes in
the closet, which was next to the bedroom door that led to the
hall, and my mom's room was directly across the hall.
Maybe. 8 to 10 feet, so not far.As I was leaning into the small
(03:19):
closet to hang things up I heardsomeone clap very loudly right
next to my ear which was on the door side.
I screamed very loudly since it startled me and yelled Not funny
mom. She didn't answer me so I looked
(03:39):
into the hallway and her door was closed so I presumed she had
went back in there and walked tothe door.
As I was walking there is an arch to the right that goes to
the laundry room and then a doorto the main part of the house.
As the small hallway and bedrooms were in addition put in
(04:01):
when my grandparents needed another room for my aunt and mom
so they wouldn't have to share aroom with their brothers.
So when I got to the arch I could hear my mom and granny
laughing up front in my granny'sroom.
I went up there to confront my mom about trying to scare me and
my granny asked if I saw a spider.
(04:23):
They both know I have been. Scared of them?
Since I was a child, I told themwhat happened and they looked at
each other and simultaneously said Henry, which confused me.
I asked who is Henry and they went on to tell me they had been
seeing a man walking in the house and he liked to turn door
(04:49):
knobs, flip the light switches but not turn them on.
The house was built in the early40s and had those really old
loud clicking ones. They had the deed to the land
from the 1800s and he was the first known to build on the land
and when they had called him other names that had been listed
(05:10):
as owning the property they got chills.
But when they said Henry, there was a warm comfort around them
so. They figured.
That is who it was. I spent several months living
there and had plenty of time with Henry.
But he always seemed. Respectful thankfully.
(05:32):
When he would twist my door knobwithout opening my door or click
the laundry room light switch I would just ask him to stop and
he would. He also never seemed to enter
bedrooms or bathrooms but we would hear and see him all
around the house. My mom passed a few years ago
(05:52):
and I haven't been back to the house.
It sat empty for a few years andnow we rent it out but I haven't
heard anyone say anything about him after my mom was gone.
Thankfully Henry was kind, but not all of the spirits there
(06:13):
were. But that is a story for another
time. I would love to.
Share more in the future with you and your listeners if you
would like. So that horrifying story was
(06:35):
submitted via e-mail by Tori. Thank you Tori.
What? You're setting such a great
example for the listeners. Tori took herself to Gmail or
whatever e-mail she uses, can't remember, and Tori typed up her
story. And she?
Emailed it to me at Madam Strange Ways.
(06:55):
At gmail.com. Thank you so much, Tori.
Seriously, it made my day to receive that e-mail.
It always makes my day when y'all submit something.
It's just, it just means a lot to me because I know like these
are really stressful stories, even if they happened a long
time ago, remembering them is stressful.
And then it's tough just writingit down, you know, even if it's
(07:20):
not traumatic, even if it just happened a while ago, you have
to remember it. And then you got to get your
timeline right. And then you just, you want to
it's, it's just, I understand it's a lot because I have not
fully put my experiences in writing either.
And I've started them and it's aprocess.
So I appreciate every single person who said submits a story
(07:41):
to me. But Tori, thank you so much.
I incredibly appreciate you because wow, what a creepy
story. I know and see OK, we love a
respectful man. We also.
Love a respectful ghost. Man, man.
Ghost, we love it, love to hear it.
(08:03):
You know that he didn't, that hedidn't enter any bedrooms or
especially bathrooms. I thought that was very, very,
very thoughtful of him. I was going to say very demure,
but like, I'm not trying to. I'm not, I'm not trying to get
in on that social media trend. I mean, it's it's like 10 years
old now at this point, OK? It's like 2 months old, maybe 3.
(08:24):
Months. Four months.
This year has felt like a decade, so it's really hard to
say. Time is an illusion.
Lunchtime doubly so. But I'm not trying to get into
that. I'm just saying that I just
that, yeah, that's very thoughtful of Henry to not barge
in when you're in your bedroom, private safe space.
Most ghosts don't follow that. Most ghosts.
(08:47):
Some ghosts follow you under thecovers, like.
Juwan in in that movie. The grudge that was.
Really scary because. Come on under the covers.
That's safe. So that was really thoughtful of
Henry to not bother you when you're in your when you're in
your bedroom, but probably also really, really.
(09:07):
Off putting. Even even if he is being really
respectful and also you just you're just going to casually
mention like, oh, Henry though, was not as respectful as some of
the other entities in the house.Excuse me, I'm going to need
(09:28):
that information immediately. I need it yesterday.
I need to know more about it. I know.
Again, I know it's stressful. So take your.
Time. But when you're ready, I want to
hear about some of the other things that.
Happened in that house. Super, super interested.
I I did some Googling. It's difficult because I didn't
(09:48):
have a last name and I could have asked.
I could have, I could have askedTori for more details.
I didn't, but I just did some mild Googling.
Just wondering, you know what can?
We find. Regarding Henry's in the 1800s
in the. Area which was in.
Brazoria County, which is in Smithville, TX, so like not that
(10:09):
far from Austin, pretty close toAustin.
So let me share with you what I did find.
I don't know how. Relevant it is.
So the first Henry. Is Henry Gordon Smith.
He was born. In 1888.
Which I think is maybe just a little too late because he would
have had to be a teenager if hisname was on like the land rights
(10:30):
or the land deed in the 18. Hundreds so.
Probably not him, but I did find.
Like. Genealogy stuff on him.
So I was really wanting it to behim and then I kind of did the
math and womp, womp. OK.
But the other Henry, which is also a Henry Smith, is the other
one Smith. Is the other one Smith?
(10:51):
Yeah, what the heck? Both Henry Smith's apparently a
very common name in the 1800s. This one Henry Smith was born in
1788, which means this could definitely be him.
And he was actually the first American born governor of the
Mexican territory of. Texas.
So yeah. I mean, the timing is right.
(11:14):
He would have been there early days and he would have had
access to whatever land he wanted.
So very possible that he was theone that owned that land.
However, here's what I'm going to say.
Here's. What I'm?
Going to say. You know he's a politician and
the Henry ghost in your. House was really.
(11:34):
Respectful. So I don't know.
I don't know. I don't know.
At first I was thinking, I'm notsure if this is him, like, I
don't know, maybe, maybe. But here is some some little
little snippets of his personal life, which kind of makes me
(11:56):
think that the Henry in your house is probably not the same
Henry. So this this Henry Henry Smith.
Married. Harriet Gillette In 1815.
They had three sons. Then they moved to Missouri
where Harriet died, which is tragic.
Then Smith married Harriet's sister, Elizabeth.
(12:18):
OK. They had five daughters.
OK, calm down. Then they moved to Texas, and
then Elizabeth, his second wife,who is the sister of his first
wife, dies of cholera like you do in the 1800s.
And then six years later, he marries Elizabeth's twin Sarah.
(12:42):
So he married Harriet, then she died, and then he marries
Harriet's sister Elizabeth. Elizabeth dies, and then he
marries Elizabeth's twin sister.So he just married through the
sisters and then Sarah died shortly after.
And I don't think it doesn't saythat any of his.
Wives died from. Childbirth, but like, oh, OK,
(13:05):
OK, we've got cholera. I'm just saying how is he
surviving? It's just suspicious.
It's a little, it's a little SUS.
So I don't know. If this is him.
I would love to look into more of the history of the house
though. Tori, if you want to send me any
details, I'd be happy to poke around and see what I can find.
I'm going to say I don't think it's this Henry Smith.
(13:28):
I just don't want it to be. I mean, although, you know, he,
maybe he's looking for another wife, Tori, maybe he's just
looking for another wife and that's why he's being so
respectful as he's trying to just bag another wife.
Maybe what? If.
What if, OK, because you said hold on, you said that he kind
(13:50):
of wasn't around as much after your mom passed, which I'm so
sorry, so sorry to hear that. By the way, my condolences about
your mother. But you did say, you said, I
think you said you said that when your mom passed, you didn't
really hear from Henry anymore, even though I think also you
kind of weren't living there. But like, you haven't heard
about him and I feel like you would.
(14:11):
Even from tenants. But if he kind of went away?
When your mom passed. What if y'all are related?
To the Gillette family. Let me know, e-mail me back.
Because what if that's why he was so nice to y'all?
Like what if y'all were like descendants of the Gillette
(14:33):
family in which he loved that family because he married into
it three times. OK, So we have two narratives
here with the governor. Henry Smith. 2 Narratives 1.
He murdered his wives and said this is not Henry.
This is not the ghost Henry. OK.
Or two Henry Smith, the governor, is the ghost Henry and
he didn't murder his wives. And he just.
(14:55):
Really loves the Gillette familyand y'all are descended from the
Gillette family. OK if this isn't true, you know
what you don't need to tell me that I'm wrong because I just
love the narrative of this so much and this is a good book I
would read this book like I would read it so somebody write
it let me know give me credit I don't need I don't need the
(15:15):
money. I just want the fame and the
credit when you. Publish this book.
There's something there I don't know.
There's something there. So Tori also mentioned in her
e-mail to me a little bit of history so.
Yes, the house. Is in Smithville, TX and her
grandparents built it back in the 40s on an empty lot after
(15:35):
their house burned down in town.And they lost.
Their first two. Children in the fire.
Before her mom was. Born.
That's so sad, so tragic. But like it's, I think it like
there's like something there, right, Like with all of the the
loss. And.
Desperation that had to be kind of imprinted on your family when
(15:57):
that happens, right So Tori also.
Said that let. Me just hold there's like a
spoiler I don't want to share for a future story.
But then she also says, interestingly, there is a
cemetery. Down the street.
And we used to walk by that. As a kid and would see things
inside the gates. Things like what I want to know,
(16:18):
Tori, don't leave me hanging. I'm so curious as to what you.
Saw in the cemetery. Gates I'm ready for it to keep
me up at night, so. Just hit me.
Up. Let me know when you're ready
and I cannot wait to share your other stories.
With our listeners. Thank you so much.
(16:48):
Haunted trailer in Southwest Virginia from 1984 by far.
Promise 62 O 5. As a child, my family moved
around a lot. I never knew why until I was an
adult and realized it had much to do with my mother's ADHD.
(17:12):
Maybe she was running from something.
My older sister says she was protecting us.
Anyway, we moved nearly 30 timesbefore I graduated high school,
and many of the homes we lived in, I saw things that only I
could see. This one place is among the most
(17:34):
remarkable. I was 14.
It was 1984 and summertime. My family had just moved into a
single wide trailer in a large. Trailer Park.
Immediately I began to see and hear things and it took me a few
days to realize they were paranormal.
(17:57):
I would lay in my bed at night and hear loud growls coming from
under my bed from my room. I would also hear my mother in
the kitchen and smell food cooking.
In the early hours. Pans clanking and such and go
into the kitchen and the lights would be off and no one was
(18:23):
there. This happened many times and
everyone in the house says they experienced this at least once.
My mother would wake us up in the middle of the night with the
door wide open, screaming leave us.
Alone, please just leave. This happened a lot.
(18:45):
I remember my aunt coming over to take care of us because my
mom was in the hospital and she made us all sleep together in
the living room. Because.
She was scared. The most terrifying experience
was early one morning. I was wide awake and laying in
the bed with the room door wide open.
(19:07):
Everyone was asleep and I could see down the hall into the
kitchen. I saw a short, dark figure with
a hunch back rise off the kitchen table and slowly walk
down the hall toward my door. When it reached my door, it
(19:30):
stared at me briefly and turned away.
I was terrified, gasping for breath.
It was just dark with no features.
I believed it to be a woman, butI'm not sure.
Anyway, we moved shortly after. This is the only house we lived
(19:51):
in that everyone saw things. Usually it was just me.
Far promise. 62 O 5. Thank you so much for allowing.
(20:12):
Me to reach your. Story Your.
Just nightmarish story. Just I just the short dark.
I'm going to just I saw a short dark.
Figure with the hunchback. Rise off the kitchen table and.
(20:33):
Slowly walk. Down the hall.
Why is it on the table? Why is it on the table?
Like, why is it on the table? When it reached my door, it
stared at me briefly and turned away.
And you know. Yeah.
And then you gasped because of course you did.
It was just dark with no features.
(20:55):
And then it's so interesting because you say like that you
believed that it was a woman, but you know, how would you
know? And it's, it's so dark.
You just get the sense, right, that it's a woman.
And why is it on the kitchen table?
What's it doing on the? Kitchen table What?
Why? Well, if you're wondering that,
if you're if I'm, if you're wondering that and I'm not the
(21:18):
only one wondering that. There's a comment that far
promise left in the thread that.Gave me.
Shivered me Timbers. Let's say here it is a neighbor.
This is them. I'm quoting them.
A neighbor told me that the previous.
Tenant died there. OK, OK, all right.
(21:43):
So like a ghost, you know, the ghost of the lady that lived
there last. OK, like, yeah, maybe that's it.
OK, no, hold on. There's more.
And this is the quote. And that she slept on the table
and that she was unfriendly, even mean.
She slept on the table, y'all. She slept on the table.
(22:11):
OK, supposedly she had a bad back and had difficulty walking.
Which would explain. The hunchback.
And this here it is. According to the neighbor, she
died on the kitchen table. You can't see my face, but I am
(22:33):
staring ahead like unfocused eyes.
Unfocused, unseeing, Just 1000 yard stare.
How would you? You wouldn't know that.
Like a kid wouldn't know that. Even if, even if, even if, even
if, even if you assume that like, you're 14, you hear
(22:55):
things, you know you've been moved around a lot.
Which, by the way, that's incredibly stressful.
I can't even imagine having moved 30 times before graduating
high school. I really hope that your mom did
successfully protect you in the process of moving you.
I hope that she successfully protected you for something and
(23:16):
and not that that was done for no reason.
Although it sucks that it happened at all.
So I'm sorry you went through that, but OK, so even if so,
you're 14, you live in it. You live, you move into this new
area, you hear people talking. Let's.
Just say in passing. Without realizing it, you kind
of hear someone mention, oh, thelady that used to live there
died. OK, maybe you would hear that.
(23:41):
I think that's fair. And then maybe you would, you
know, internalize it. And then you'd forget that you
heard it. And then you're seeing shapes,
you know? In in the.
Trailer OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK, OK.
But the table. Like I just feel like that's not
a detail. I just feel like that's not a
normal detail. I I just think if you heard that
(24:05):
someone died laying on the kitchen table because OK, how
many times have you listener laid on the.
Kitchen table. How many times?
Let's say as an adult, OK, because I know kids are weird,
right? As an adult, when was the last
(24:27):
time that you laid down on any table?
I'm you know what I'm going to any table, coffee table, pool
table. What are the kind of tables?
Breakfast nook tables? Card tables?
There's got to be other round tables.
Perhaps in Camelot tables? Tables, tables, tables, tables,
(24:51):
tables. Whatever have has have you, have
you ever? I've never so I think if you
heard hey, the lady that used tolive here died and she was found
dead on her kitchen table. I just think you would remember
that. You would definitely remember
it. It would stick out as a detail
(25:11):
and it wouldn't be news to you the next time that you heard it.
You know what I'm saying? So like I just I I think far
promise did not know before. Hearing it from the neighbor.
Which is so scary. I don't know why it might.
Is it just me? Let me know.
Let me know. e-mail me madamstrangeways@gmail.com.
(25:32):
Let me know if it's just me thatthat is so unsettling.
It's dude, why are you? On the table get.
Off. Just don't be on the table.
That's so weird and. Then to die on the table.
Man, I mean that Lady. Of course she was mean.
Far Promise said that apparentlyshe was very unfriendly, even
(25:55):
mean. Yeah, no shit.
You know, 'cause the amount of pain that you would have to be
in in order to feel like the waythat you fix it is to lay on a
kitchen table and that's where you sleep, that your bed is the
kitchen table. That's an that's an incredible
amount of pain. So just not shocking at all.
(26:16):
I would be mean. Too.
If I slept on a kitchen table I would be really mean, so I can't
really blame her for being mean.But.
Really weird if that was her, ifthat was the shape, the short
hunchback figure rising off the kitchen.
Table that's just so scary. That's just really scary.
(26:43):
And see, this is the thing. This is the thing.
This is a short story, you know this is 3. 172.
Words, OK, and this is so unsettling, you know, if someone
read this and they're like, wow,this is so scary.
Let's turn this into a script. Let's get this green lit.
Let's get this, let's make dollsand let's make merch and let's,
(27:08):
let's do see, it's something viral on TikTok, you know, to
promote the movie. Yeah, but like it's not going to
be. Anywhere nearly as scary.
It's, and it's only 372 words. You know, there's just something
about something about brevity being the soul of horror.
(27:30):
Is that how that saying goes? Brevity is the soul of scary
things? I don't know.
I just, I just feel like this isway scarier than if you tried to
turn this into like a movie, like a feature length movie
film. Just don't do it.
This is just really, really scary though.
Like thank you. Thank you for the nightmare fuel
(27:52):
for promise. I appreciate you.
I'm. Sorry that you have seen things
for so long, and I'm sure that lots of people doubted you.
And that it's. Just kind of stressful probably
trying to figure out who can youshare it with and who can you
tell it to and. Yeah, sorry about that.
Sorry you had to put up with that.
(28:13):
But on the other hand. I would be so honored to read
any other stories that you wanted to share that you felt
comfortable sharing so. Just let me know Madam
strangeways@gmail.com or you canDM me on Reddit where we've got
a chat open. Thanks.
(28:41):
Thank you so much for listening to these spooky stories.
Remember that you can feel afraid and not be in danger, so
if. You have a.
True strange story that you'd like to hear read on the show.
Go ahead and send it to me, Madam strangeways@gmail.com or
Madam strangeways.com and since word of.
(29:02):
Mouth. Is so important for podcasts.
If you could to. Me.
Just one little weird spooky. Strange Solid.
That would be amazing. And that would be telling your
friends about the show. I'd really appreciate it.
Madam Strange Ways is produced and narrated by me.
Madam Strange Ways theme music is by
(29:26):
marina.ryan@marinamakes.co. All stories are read with the
explicit permission from their original authors.
Thank you so much for listening,see you next time.
(30:04):
Table table table table table like a drafting table like an
architect. 'S.
Drafting table, a table table, poker table, kind of said card
table but that's like a folding table.
I mean like a full on poker table.
Why do poker tables? I feel like poker tables and
(30:26):
pool tables have the same like material.
On them. That's interesting.
What are the kind of tables? Tables table tennis table table
tennis table tennis table a table, an excel spreadsheet
table. Well, you.
(30:47):
Cannot physically sleep on. One of those, unless you printed
it out first table table to likea a fold.
I've got I already said the cardtable.
Which is like a folding table. There's got to be other kinds of
tables. Dining table?
(31:09):
Hold on, hold on. Types of tables.
Types of tables. Dining, yes.
Dining table? Coffee table?
Duh. End table?
OK, that should round. Table.
Console table. Bedside table?
It's just a night stand. Wouldn't call it a bedside
table. Oh, maybe that did kind of roll
(31:30):
off my tongue when I said it though.
There's an Ottoman which is not really.
A table? I guess you can use it as a
table. It's not the same.
Banquet table. Conference table A.
Dressing table. I should have thought of that.
One folding table. Duh.
OK, hold on. There's got to be more.
(31:53):
Don't sleep on any. Of these chess chess.
Table don't sleep on a chess table.
That's weird, unless you're. A cat.
You can sleep on any of these tables if you're a cat.
Trestle table, whatever that is.Sewing table, snack table.
I need some of those Bistro table, vanity table, workbench
(32:21):
which I think by definition is not a table, so why would you
even suggest that to me? I want to see how far this can
go. Picnic.
Table that should have been way sooner on my list.
That should have been way up there.
That should have been like, the third thing I said was a picnic
(32:42):
table. You know, weirdly there's not
just like. Why isn't there like a
Wikipedia? Page that's like, oh, there is
table furniture, Princess. A table is an item of furniture
with a raised flat top. It is supported most commonly by
one to four legs, although some can have more.
(33:02):
It's It is used as a surface forworking at, eating from, or on
which to place things. I'd put the emphasis on the
wrong syllable there. Let's try that again.
It is used as a surface for working at, eating from, or on
which to place things. Let me tell.
(33:24):
You What it did not just say is that it's a place for sleeping,
even if your bed or even if yourback is bad.
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