Bell's Books and Blog January 31, 2025 -- Historical Unexplained Disappearances & Vanishings

In this episode of the Bell's Books and Blog podcast, host Jane M. Bell discusses three of history's most perplexing disappearances. Starting in the early 16th century, she explores the enigma surrounding the vanishing of Portuguese explorer Gaspar Corte-Real during his second voyage to Newfoundland, examining theories ranging from shipwreck, indigenous assimilation, secret return to Portugal, to involvement with the Knights Templar. Next, she delves into the chilling mystery of the Franklin Expedition of 1845, focusing on the crew's last recorded message and the possibility of yet undiscovered logs within the recently found shipwrecks. Lastly, she covers the inexplicable disappearance of a French regiment in 1814, considering possibilities including ambush, desertion, environmental peril, or a government cover-up. Throughout, Bell emphasizes the ongoing efforts to unearth new clues and hopefully unravel these age-old conundrums.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Bell's Books and Blog podcast, The place
where history, mystery, and suspense converge. I'm your host, author
Jane M. Bell. Today we'll navigate through the icy shadows
of the past, uncovering stories of historical disappearances frozen in time.
We'll delve into the mysterious vanishing of explorer Gaspar Quartirael

(00:24):
in fifteen oh one, decipher hidden messages left by the
doomed Franklin Expedition of eighteen forty eight, and investigate the
eerie disappearance of an entire French regiment during the Napoleonic
Wars in eighteen fourteen. So grab a cozy blanket, settle in,
and let's embark on this chilling journey through some of
history's cold cases. Let's start with the story of Gaspar Quartiraal,

(00:48):
a name that may not be as famous as Columbus
or Magellan, but one that carries no less intrigue and mystery.
Gaspar came from a family of explorers. His father, Joan Vassquirtereel,
was rumored to have reached the Americas even before Columbus.
Inspired by his father's legacy, Gaspar set sail in fifteen
hundred under the patronage of King Manuel, the First of Portugal.

(01:11):
In his first expedition, Gaspar ventured towards Greenland, but frigid
conditions forced him to turn back. Undeterred, he launched a
second voyage in fifteen oh one, this time aiming for Newfoundland.
It was there he encountered indigenous peoples, took captives, and
mapped parts of the coastline. Yet, as winter began to
close in, Gospar and his crew's fate took a dark turn.

(01:35):
After securing a shipload of captives, he sent one vessel
back to Portugal, choosing to stay behind to continue exploring. However,
neither he nor his crew ever returned home. They vanished
without a trace, leaving no distress signals, wreckage, or survivors.
This mysterious disappearance has led to various theories over the centuries.
The most straightforward one is that they were lost at sea.

(01:58):
The North Atlantic is known for its treachery waters, and
many ships have met similar fates. Another theory is that
Gaspar and his men were captured by indigenous tribes. Early
European explorers were sometimes taken prisoner or assimilated into native communities.
There's a possibility that Gaspar lived out his days far
from Portugal. A more controversial theory suggests that Gaspar may

(02:20):
have secretly returned to Portugal and was silenced for reasons unknown.
Some historical records hint at this possibility, though no official
report confirms it. Then there's the more mysterious theory involving
the Knights Templar. Some believe the Templars had secret settlements
in North America before Columbus, and Gaspar could have been

(02:40):
involved in such a mission. However, this theory is less
substantiated and leans more towards the realm of legend. Despite
the many speculations, the true fate of Gaspar Cortireale remains
one of histories enduring mysteries. His disappearance is a stark
reminder of the perils faced by early explorers and the
vast unknown dangers that awaited them in their quests for

(03:02):
new lands. Now, let's move forward a few centuries to
another haunting disappearance, this time in the icy embrace of
the Arctic. In eighteen forty five, Sir John Franklin set
out on a daring expedition with two state of the
art ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror. The mission was
to chart the last unclaimed routes of the Northwest Passage,

(03:24):
a feat that held the promise of great prestige and recognition.
Franklin and his one hundred twenty nine men ventured into
the frozen wilderness only to vanish, leaving behind one of
the greatest mysteries in maritime history. For years, scattered relics
and eerie tales from Inuit oral history were the only
clues to the Franklin Expedition's fate. Bones, artifacts, and whispers

(03:47):
of what transpired were all that remained. Then, in eighteen
fifty nine, a British rescue mission led by Francis Leopold
McLintock made a groundbreaking discovery. They found a weathered message
hid in a stone cairn on King William Island. The message,
scribbled on a standard admiralty form, contained two separate entries.
The first, dated eighteen forty seven, was written in neat script.

(04:11):
It reported that h M ships Erebus and Terror wintered
in the ice eighteen forty six to seven at Beechey Island,
Sir John Franklin commanding all well. This initial message suggested
that the expedition was preceding as planned, with no immediate
cause for alarm. However, scrawled in the margins of this
same document was a second entry, dated eighteen forty eight.

(04:33):
This note, almost an afterthought, revealed a chilling turn of events.
Sir John Franklin had died on June eleventh, eighteen forty seven,
the ships had been abandoned in April eighteen forty eight,
and one hundred five men were desperately heading south towards
the Back River. This brief, hastily added message marked a
stark contrast from the earlier, more optimistic report and hinted

(04:55):
at the dire circumstances faced by the crew. But was
this message the last word from Franklin's men. Many historians
suspect that it wasn't. Inuit testimonies described paper filled cairns
and even a wooden chest of documents found near the
abandoned ships, records that were never recovered by search parties.
Franklin's expedition would have meticulously recorded their journey in official

(05:17):
ship logs, yet despite years of searching, not a single
page has ever surfaced. For generations. Inuit stories included accounts
of finding paper filled caches near Franklin's final campsites. Some
claim to have used pages to start fires, suggesting that
more written records once existed but were either lost, burned,

(05:37):
or never recovered. Adding another layer of intrigue. Some theorists
speculate that Franklin's men may have encoded secret details into
their notes, knowing that their messages could be intercepted. Recent
discoveries have reignited the hope of solving this enduring mystery.
In twenty fourteen and twenty sixteen, archaeologists finally located the

(05:58):
wrecks of HMS air Erebus and HMS Terror in Arctic waters. Remarkably,
much of the ship's interiors have been preserved by the
frigid temperatures, creating a time capsule of sorts. Researchers now
hope that within these frozen vessels, Franklin's long lost messages
may still wait to be discovered. While the story of
Sir John Franklin and his crew ended in tragedy, their

(06:21):
ordeal remains one of the most haunting sagas of Arctic exploration.
The eighteen forty eight note stands as the final recorded
words of their doomed voyage, but perhaps with ongoing research
and new discoveries, we might one day uncover more pieces
of this chilling puzzle. In January eighteen fourteen, as Napoleon's

(06:41):
empire was collapsing under the weight of invading Allied forces,
a French regiment vanished without a trace near Saint Aubin, France.
The war was at a pivotal moment, and every battle
pushed Napoleon's forces closer to defeat. Yet amid this chaos,
an entire battalion of French soldiers disappeared mysteriously, no bodies,
no abandoned weapons, just eerie footprints and the snow that

(07:04):
led nowhere. There are several theories to explain this baffling disappearance.
One suggests that the soldiers might have fallen into an
enemy ambush amidst the dense fog and heavy snowfall that
concealed their movements. However, there are no reported battle records
or survivor accounts confirming such an encounter. Another theory posits

(07:24):
that these soldiers, demoralized and exhausted, opted for a desperate defection.
They could have abandoned their posts and melted into the
countryside or joined enemy ranks. Yet this raises questions as
to why there are no records or traces of their presence.
Then there's the theory that suggests the terrain around Saint
Auban may have played a role. The area is known

(07:46):
for its marshes, rivers, and dense woodlands. The soldiers could
have unknowingly wandered into a frozen marsh or river where
the ice broke beneath them, trapping their bodies until spring.
The possibility that the government covered up the regiment's fate
is another compelling theory. Napoleon's military records were tightly controlled,
often omitting defeats or embarrassing losses. If the regiment was

(08:09):
massacred or surrendered, their disappearance could well have been a
race to maintain morale. Lastly, some local legends offer a
supernatural explanation. Stories from the regions speak of ghostly figures
and strange lights in the forests near Saint Aubin. Though
the idea of a regiment being spirited away by paranormal
forces sounds implausible, the lack of concrete evidence keeps the

(08:31):
door open for such speculations. Modern advancements in technology provide
a glimmer of hope for solving this historical mystery. Ground
penetrating radar and historical mapping techniques have proven successful in
uncovering lost battlefields across Europe. If the missing soldiers of
Saint Aubin left behind any trace, be it buried equipment, buttons,

(08:52):
or musket balls, these tools could one day reveal the truth.
Despite centuries of speculation, the mystery of the Saint Aubin
Regiment remains unsolved. Unlike other Napoleonic battles well documented with
mass graves and findings, this case remains eerily silent. The
soldiers left no trace, only a haunting legend that continues

(09:13):
to intrigue. Secrets have a way of making themselves known,
even through silence. These are the profound words of Cecil Baldwin,
and from an anonymous French soldier's diary from eighteen twelve,
we read the ghosts of Napoleon's Army still march through
the snow. As we ponder these timeless quotes, it's worth asking,

(09:34):
if you were given an unlimited budget to fund a
historical excavation, which lost expedition, missing army, or sunken ship
would you want to investigate? If you have thoughts or
theories about these historical mysteries. I'd love to hear them.
I'd like to thank Ao for responding to last week's
segments on Thomas Jefferson and suggesting a visit to Thomas

(09:54):
Jefferson's home in Monticello, Virginia. And again, I appreciate the
repeated encouragement and feedback from doctor S. It makes my
heart sing when I hear from readers like AO and
doctor S and you. I encourage you to keep those
messages coming. Your letters always make my day. Now, let's
talk about something compelling yet free to all of you listening,

(10:16):
Yester Year's Ruin. This remarkable historical psychological thriller is available
for a free download, and you won't want to miss it.
Yesteryear's Ruin captures the essence of human resilience in the
face of unimaginable loss. The narrative weaves together themes of love, despair,
and the relentless quest for redemption. It's a moving story

(10:38):
that invites readers to explore the depths of human emotion
and the shifting gears a bit. I want to introduce
you to a gripping psychological thriller series that intertwined the
past with suspenseful mystery yester Year's Echo. This thrilling series
kicks off with the protagonist Levi, who becomes involved in
the dubious world of psychotemporal displacement experiments. These experiments allow

(11:01):
subjects to relive historical moments, a premise that alone is
enough to send shivers down your spine. The story takes
a dark turn as Bower, another key character, digs deeper
into these experiments. What he uncovers is alarming, a web
of disturbing truths tied to his family's involvement and a
sinister project known only as Case forty seven. As eerie

(11:23):
symptoms begin to manifest within his own family, Bower is
thrust into an urgent quest for truth, racing against time
to uncover the dark legacy hidden within Saint Elizabeth's Hospital.
The series masterfully blends themes of psychological tension, family secrets,
and historical significance, keeping you on the edge of your seat.

(11:44):
If you're a fan of intricate plot lines and tantalizing mysteries,
Yesteryear's Echo promises an intriguing journey that will leave you
questioning reality until the very last page. This book series
is perfect for those who enjoyed The Silent Patient and
Shutter Island. Allow yours to dive into this captivating story
and you won't be disappointed. Go ahead and add Yesteryear's

(12:05):
Echo to your reading list. You won't regret it. Next up,
I want to introduce you to a delightful historical mystery
that's perfect for our young readers out there. It's called
Mystery at Sea Edge, a Monterey Adventure, and it's aimed
specifically at fourth grade level readers. This captivating story takes
us on an exciting journey through time with siblings Wick

(12:25):
and Rindy and their cousin Les. The trio finds themselves
unraveling clues that lead them through a series of mysterious events.
It all starts with an enigmatic figure appearing in the
fog and a golden locket that holds secrets waiting to
be discovered. The plot is rich with themes of adventure,
personal prejudices, and historical context, making it both educational and entertaining.

(12:51):
Young readers will be swept away by the thrilling twists
and turns as Wick, Rindy, and Les navigate their way
through these intriguing mysteries. The book also offers a wonderful
opportunity for children to learn about the history of Monterey,
California as they follow along with the character's escapades. Mystery
at c Edge is not just a compelling read, it's
a chance for young minds to embark on a journey

(13:13):
that's both fun and enriching. So if you have a
young reader in your life, I highly encourage you to
get a copy and let them dive into this historical adventure.
They'll not only enjoy the suspense and mystery, but also
gain valuable insights into an important period of American history.
Stay tuned as we continue to uncover more fascinating stories

(13:33):
from the past, and remember history is filled with surprises
and lessons waiting to be discovered. This wraps up another
intriguing episode of the Bells Books and Blog podcast. I'm
Your host Jane M. Bell. Be sure to check the
show notes for links to all the books and articles
mentioned in today's episode. I always look forward to hearing
from you, so send me a message with your thoughts, responses,

(13:56):
or any questions you might have about the topics we discussed. Remember,
history is filled with mysteries and stories that continue to
ignite our curiosity and wonder. Keep exploring, keep questioning, keep reading, and,
as always, keep the past alive.