Holiday Naughty Stories from Darkcast Network

Part One of a special Holiday Episode with fun vignettes from all of the Darkcast Network Podcasts! In this episode hear holiday stories, including true crime, myths and cryptids from the naughty side of the holiday. Happy Holidays!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Darkcast Network. The light shines brighteston our indie podcasts. Hello listeners,
who are so very happy you couldjoin us here at Darkcast Network for our
Holidays stories. The first part ofour holiday special focuses on those who have
been on the Naughty List, someof them for many years. Are you

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wrapped in your favorite blankie and haveyour comfort snacks nearby? I certainly hope
so. On with the show.Hi there, and happy holidays everyone.
My name is Raven and I'm thehost for Rogue Darkness, the podcast that
uncovers how the misinterpretations and misinformation surroundingwitchcraft, the occult, and other beliefs

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have led many to do unthinkable crimesfor ritualistic killings and the demons that live
in all of us. To explorationof the macabre and delving deep into the
unknown. Let's explore the darkness ofmankind, one crime at a time.
In honor of the Yuletide season,I wanted to tell you a tale of
German folklore, originating in the Palatinateregion of Europe and which has since migrated

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to the States, having a currentplace in Pennsylvania lore. This is the
tale of the sometimes endearing but alsomany times terrifying companion of Saint Nicholas,
a character known as Belsnickel. Belsnicolis said to be often adorned with animal
fur, rather dirty and even severedclothes, and he will sometimes even make

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his appearance while wearing deer antlers atophis head. His appearance is actually where
his name itself came to be.The German word bells translates to fur,
and Nichol refers to Saint Nicholas.His name also changes based on who is
telling the tale. Sometimes people referto him as Chris Kinkle, Beltsnickel,
pels Nickel, and sometimes even asthe Christmas Woman when he appears to children

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while dressed in women's clothing. Muchlike the children beloved Saint Nicholas, who
would bring treats to those who weregood throughout the year, Belsnickel who keeps
track of children's behavior throughout the year, choosing whether the children he visits deserve
holiday treats or if they'd rather bedisciplined for their naughty behavior. Belsh Nicholas
said to arrive at children's homes twoweeks before Christmas carrying a switch in his

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hand for the naughty girls and boys, while stowing lots of cakes, candies,
and nuts in his pockets for thewell behaved and nice children. Upon
his arrival, the children are askedto answer some questions for him, or
to sometimes even sing him a song. In exchange for their responses or singing,
Belshnickele will then throw some cakes,candies, and nuts onto the floor

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a means of testing how the childrenwill react. If the children immediately jump
at the treats, the belsh Nickelewill uncover his switch and threaten to swap
their hands or back with it.But the children who proved they were good
all year and respected the belsh Nickelare rewarded with the treats that he had
brought with him. The tale ofthe Belsnickel has long since served as a

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reminder to young children that it's nevertoo late to stay out of mischief,
especially before Christmas. Since he arrivestwo weeks prior, it's a tale to
help children to remember to think twicebefore they misbehave. If you enjoyed this
legendary tale of Germanic lore, you'dprobably also like my holiday episode from last

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year, where I covered the legendof the Christmas Scarecrow. It's an eerie
tale that actually has roots based onreal historical events and individuals, So definitely
go give it a listen, andfor even more eerie episodes involving everything from
lore and possible demonic possessions to ritualisticsacrifices and cult persuasion, definitely check out
Rogue Darkness wherever you listen to podcastsOho Themes, Tosi Sonta, Ash just

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playing y'all, it's just Ash andnow though I was convincing, huh Well.
In case you're new around here,I host Creepy Tapas with my best
friend Jordan. We love being onthe dark Cast Network and where we share
our tiny tastes of terror with y'all. Every week, we dive into some
crazy topics like vampires, murderous clowns, demonic possessions and more, exploring the
reality behind the fiction as well asmovies and books that are inspired by the

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true life terrors. We wrap upevery topic with a terrifying true crime case
all centered around our weekly theme.Today, we have a very special task.
Behold the Naughty List, killer kidson film and in reality. Everyone
we talk about today deserves coal forChristmas, not even the foil wrapped like

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crunchy chocolate kind, just the regularkind. He saw when you were sleeping,
what happened when you were awake?He knows where all the bodies are
hids, So your soul is histooth. Take nice. Well, Hey,
I'm Ash and I'm Jordan, andtoday we're gonna get into the naughty

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list. Kids are creepy. Theydo in say creepy stuff all the time,
y'all mostly innocent, sometimes insidious.We rely on Santa and his universal
naughty list symbol, a solitary lumpof coal to tell us what kids we
should keep a watchful eye on.Were you ever shocked that Santa brought you
a present because you were such aninsuperable little all year? Kind of He's

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really forgiving. I think there's somekids who kind of qualify as forever naughty
though, Yeah, I think sotoo, Like, no matter how hard
they try, they'll never ever seeanother gift from all Saint Nick ever.
Again, some of the children,when we talk about today, committed crimes
when they were like eight years old. Do they give them a little Santa
clause at the institution? I wonderif Santa visits the psychiatric ward. I'm

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not sure. Are you listening froma psychiatric No write us no creepytop us
at gmail dot com. No,yes No. March twenty second, twenty
sixteen, three first graders at acharter school in Anchorage, Alaska were enjoying
their lunch like any other day.Together, the group sat and enjoyed a
dried seaweed snack, gross that thiswas a no ordinary seaweed. This unassuming

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snack was unwittingly being groomed to becomean accessory to void what The students put
their plan into action, and thefirst graders were ready. But then suddenly
the school resource officer approached, separatingthe trio of deadly murderers and began questioning.

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It was not long until the girlsbroke, admitting to their foul plans,
which were now ruined. Parents werenotified. A letter was sent out
to everyone, and the girls wouldcement their place on Santa's Forever Naughty List.
The letters sent home to all parentspraised two students who came forward bringing
the plot to the attention of thegrown ups. It said, the students,
we're planning on using the silica gelpackets from their lunchtime seaweed to poison

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and kill another student, which werenot actually poison but the students believed that
they were. It went on toconfirm the accusations, citing the girl's confessions
to both the principle and the resourceofficer. An investigation was conducted which corroborated
the story as well. My firstreaction was definitely shocked, said one father
in an interview with KATIEUU in Anchorage. I just couldn't believe that some children

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as young as they were first gradecould come up with something like that.
Silica gel usually comes in the formof round balls and a paper or cloth
packet, which are commonly used tomaintain freshness in the packaging of food or
clothing. You've probably seen them before. They say do not eat all over
them, which is I guess whythe kids assumed it would be lethal.
All right, No, yeah,I think it's more of a choking hazard.

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Well, according to the Illinois PoisonCenter, silica gel is chemically inert
and is considered to be non toxic. The concern with silica packets is their
size, which can be I'm achoking hazard. If that's what I said,
It is what she said look atyou. Well, maybe being smart.
I no police have investigated the incident, but said no charges would be

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laid, leaving punishment up to theschool instead. Well, Sanna is a
pretty forgiving guy. I think theyprobably earned at least twenty five twenty five
years on the naughty list. Ithink you're getting cold. I mean,
I would say a couple, butmaybe not forever. It's a pretty bad
it's a pretty bad one. Well, they didn't actually go through with it,
and it wouldn't have actually poisoned anybody. Yet it wouldn't have worked.

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I feel like some people would havesome plastic balls in their belly. Oh
yeah. Anna Brackett, eighty fiveyears old, opened her door on June
fourteenth, nineteen eighty three, andshe saw two pleasant teenage girls. They
were panicked. They told her thatstrange men were chasing them and they had

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to come inside to use the phoneto call emergency. Brackett, a retired
seamstress and great grandmother, was waitingfor a visit from her son, Carl,
who was going to pick her uparound six pm to take her to
a bingo game. As he wasdriving toward his mom's house, he passed
these two teenage girls that looked likethey were hitchhiking on the road. He
just thought to himself, silly kids, whatever, you know. When Carl

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arrived at his mother's house, henoticed an unsettling amount of quiet. When
he entered, he found his mother'sbody on the living room floor, along
with at least twenty eight stab wounds, one four inches deep. An autopsy
would later show that she'd been beatenand strangled as well. Police that were
investigating in the neighborhood found out thattwo teenage girls had been knocking on doors
in the community earlier that day.There was another woman who allowed them inside

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and she gave them water. Shelet them use the phone, but then
the girls left because her husband camein the room, so they just took
off. The lady would later tellthe police that the girls were so creepy
that she actually washed the glasses andwiped the phone receiver with alcohol. Oh
well, because she was so unsettledby them and just needed to clean them
off of everybody. Yeah, whichkind of sucks because she, you know,

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were wined some evidence, But itwasn't hard for the cops to figure
out what was going on. Thegirls were locals Cindy was from Auburn and
Shirley was from Placerville, twenty eightmiles away. Witnesses soon matched faces to
names. Less than twelve hours afterAnna's murder, detectives were knocking on the
door of Cindy's house, where shelived with her mother and brother. The
two of them were actually sleeping inCindy's basement when police woke them up for

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questioning. You imagine no being wokeup by the cops. Were just having
a plumber party. Don't mind us, we were sleeping. Shirley confessed to
everything. We did it. Wekilled her. They said they were scoring
Anna's neighborhood for a car that theywanted to run away in. Anna's nineteen
seventy dodge caught their attention. Theydecided they wanted to steal it. Saw

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she was an old lady, perfectcar, Shirley said, just to set
up, we figured we'd kill her. Scumbags, right, Shirley Catherine Wolf,
fourteen years old, scrolled in aledger containing her most private thoughts.
Today, Cindy and I ran awayand killed an old lady. It was
a lot of fun. Anna unfortunatelylet them in, offered them nice cold

(11:07):
drinks, had a conversation with them, got to know him for over an
hour. These girls sat with herand enjoyed her hospitality before they decided to
get down to business and do whatthey were really there for. Then I
stabbed and stabbed. I stabbed herin the nick because if she lived,
she would know who we were andreport us, Sureley said. Anna begged
her to stop. She told themthat she was dying, and I turned

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and I go good. Shirley claimed, Well, both girls appeared to actually
revel in the cold blooded murder ofthis kind old woman. We were going
out to celebrate the fact that wekilled someone just for fun. Cindy was
quoted saying they seemed like sisters orat least old friends. But in reality
yet this they had met eight hoursbefore the murder. Yeah what yep,

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they shared this crazy blind rage.They both had really, really, really
bad childhoods. You know. SometimesI guess people find community in their pain.
You know. In the short timethey got to know each other,
obviously that was the topic. That'show they connected. Almost immediately they started
knocking on doors. Yeah. So, in nineteen eighty three, these two

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were found guilty of first degree murderin burglary. It was a non jury
trial and the judge took fifteen minutesto make his decision. That's it.
Well, yeah, you know,kind of blatantly said they did it totally
will and like happily, gleefully admittedproud of it. Cindy and Shirley received
the same sentence, eight years ina juvenile dettention facility. Both had time

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added for bad behavior Shane yep.After studying law in prison. Cindy was
released in nineteen ninety two. Shemarried, had four children, and has
lived quietly ever since. Released innineteen ninety five, Shirley continued to have
trouble with the law for a timeand then dropped completely off the radar.
So what do you think forever nautilustYeah, probably, yeah, you don't

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think clause has forgiven that. Thatwas pretty bold and they were proud of
it. They were. Jonathan GeorgeTimpson was born in an isolated Cree Indian
community on December thirtieth, nineteen eightyseven. He was playful and outgoing.
He had a winsome smile and acouple of missing front teeth. His hero

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was Zoro. He was a lotlike other little boys where he had a
favorite superhero. On July eights,Charles and an unnamed eight year old accomplice
lured little tiny Jonathan into a bushnear his home on the pretext of playing
a game where Jonathan had to gofind a ball. Charles then leaped onto
the sweet and unsuspecting child, stabbinghim at least four times in the throat,

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body, and face with his mother'sparent knife. He only paused when
the knife became lodged in Jonathan's eye. He then used a beer bottle in
a twelve pound rock, which administeredthe deadly blow, crushing Jonathan's skull.
Then, apparently mimicking a ritual hesaw in the nineteen ninety one movie Warlot,
Charles tore fifteen strips off Jonathan's bodyusing another one of his mother's kitchen

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knives. Oh my God. ProsecutorRitter told the judge that Charles then returned
home, put the strips in asoup can covered with Foyle, put the
can on the stove, and cookedthe flesh to reduce the fat to liquid.
The idea was if you cut thefat off of a virgin, unbaptized
child, then boiled it down anddrank it that it would give you the
power to fly. Three days afterhis death, Jonathan's butchered body was discovered

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in the woods and by his cousin, who was part of a search party
formed by local townsfolk. Charles wasarrested two days later. After his arrest,
Charles told the police that he wasin the thrall of spirits when he
committed the murder. I started tothink about killing something wanted me to.
Defense lawyer Barry Singer said that Charleshad been deeply affected by the movie Warlot,
which he viewed at least ten timesin the days leading up to the

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murder. Like the title character inthe movie, Singer said that Charles believed
he would become a son of thedevil and be able to fly if he
drank the boiled fat of an unbaptizedmale child. Singer a so called psychiatric
experts who testified that Charles was sufferingfrom a serious mental disorder and that he
had lost touch with reality when heended Jonathan's life. Prosecutor Robin Ritter suggested
that Charles could tell right from wrongand noted that he in his eight year

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old accomplice, which I can't believethat an eight year old helped him.
Yeah, I know, that's wild. So the eight year old would not
be charged because of his age,and he now lives in a foster home.
They decided to kill a kid tendays before the murder, and they
actually pre selected Jonathan as their victim. It wasn't even like it was random.
Now they straight up chose him aneight year old and a twelve year
old for ten days like it justwow, that's just wild. The prosecutor

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also said that Charles had told youthjail's staff that he'd hoped to be declared
in the same so he would besent to a psychiatric hospital and that way
he would only have to spend twoyears time bars. Oh god, he
was just, oh yeah, itwould be fine, honest, plea insanity,
let's go away for a couple ofyears. Well, he unfortunately did
get his wish and he was foundnot guilty for reasons of insanity. He's

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serving out his sentence, which Iactually can't find the length of, but
I know that he's in a psychiatrichospital. As for the children who knew
Jonathan Timpson, the loss was painfuland troubling. When we think about this
We're just crying all the time,said Jaya Ramaya, assistant director at the
daycare cooperative where Jonathan had been takendaily by his mom. Mental health experts
urged the children to write short notesto Jonathan and slip them into helium balloons

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that ascended into the heavens. Miniwrote, we love you Jonathan. Miss
Ramaya recalled it rained and so childrennoted that Jonathan's tears were falling. A
Kree Indian funeral service was held forJonathan and he was buried in a tribal
cemetery. Jonathan was just a perfectlittle angel. He was very quiet and
well behaved. A tragedy like thisshould never be allowed to happen anywhere in
the world, said Miss j dLloyd, who runs a daycare center for

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children. I think, regardless ofwhat a judge decided, he is absolutely
naughty, listed forever and ever forever. What did you think? Goo fiends,
you can find Creepy tapas and indulgein our insanity once a week.
We upload every Sunday and we're availablewherever you hear your podcasts. Thanks for

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listening, y'all, Stay creepy.Hi, my spooky friends. My name
is Brenda and I'm the host ofthe podcast Horrifying History. On our show,
we tell you all the dark talesthat stain the pages of history.
Christmas will soon be here and thisis the time of year we hear stories
about love and family. But thatis not the type of story that I'll

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be telling you all today. Killersdressed up as Santa Claus has been used
by the entertainment industry since the earlynineteen seventies. But the story I will
tell you is a true story aboutone of the first individuals who decided to
turn Santa into a killer. OnDecember twenty fourth, two thousand and eight,
a party was in full swing insidea home in the Californian town of

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Covinia at thirty pm that night.The young children inside the home were excited
to hear the doorbell ring. Theystarted to gleefully call Santa's name as an
eight year old girl opened the door. But behind that door was no normal
Santa. This Santa was carrying alarge wrap gift in one hand, and

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as the girl went to give hima hug, he pulled out two handguns
out of his Santa pants and shotthat girl in the face. This Santa
was not there to spread any sortof holiday teer. He immediately started to
shoot his weapons into the group ofover twenty party guests, since he was
actually there to get his revenge againsthis former in laws, his ex wife,

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and anyone who would get in hisway. As panic and fear flowed
through the party goers, one personquickly realized who this Santa actually was.
Bruce Pardo. Forty five year oldBruce was the recently divorced ex husband of
the homeowner's daughter, Sylvia. Therewas not one single drop of love or

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goodness in his soul as Bruce shotindiscriminately at members of Sylvia's family, as
his very own niece lay near deathin the doorway. Bruce would take nine
lives that night in what was latercalled the Santa shooting spree. In the
days after the massacre, people startedto talk about why they thought this could
have happened. Some said that Bruceand Sylvia's marriage fell apart after Sylvia found

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out that Bruce had a secret childhooddisability that he cut all ties with.
Others just didn't want to believe thatBruce could do anything wrong. After all,
he was a regular churchgoer who wouldcheck in on his neighbors to see
how they were doing. How couldsuch a good and religious man do something
like this, Well, the answeris quite simple. Bruce wasn't a good

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man. Survivors of this massacre reportedthat Bruce would stand over each of his
victims to execute them at close range. As survivors ran from the scene,
leaving the bodies of the dead behind, Bruce decided to unwrap the gift he
brought with him. Inside was awhole main flamethrower on a trolley. It
was here that he set the houseon fire with a little help from eighteen

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gallons of gasoline. It took abouttwo hours to put out the fire,
but believe it or not, theeight year old girl survived with another young
child that Bruce had shot in theback. Now that the home was ablaze,
Bruce had a problem as he wassurrounded with the now burning bodies of
those he killed. His cheap Santacostumes started to melt. It stuck to

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his skin as he tried to takeit off. He changed into street clothes
before he ran away from this deathscene. Now, when Bruce was planning
his murder spree, he did planhis getaway. He bought a plane ticket
to escape to Canada, but dueto the severity of his burns, he
pivoted from this plan. Bruce decidedto drive thirty miles or forty eight point

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two kilometers to his brother's house.His brother was not home, and this
is when Bruce decid I did totake his weapon and end his own life.
Police later found his body, whichhad seventeen thousand dollars strapped to his
leg. They also found his carin the street by his brother's house.
It was booby trap to explode ifsomeone tried to remove the remains of his

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Santa suit from his car. Afterthe police searched Bruce's property, they found
multiple handguns, shotguns, a highoctane fuel tank, and bomb making items.
So why did he do all ofthis? Why did Bruce dress up
a Santa Claus with the goal tokill everyone in Sylvia's family? Well we'll

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never know for sure, but somebelieve that after Sylvia divorced Bruce, he
became obsessed in making her pay forthe hurt he felt. He started his
evil plotting, and he decided thathe wasn't just going to take her.
He was going to use this asan opportunity to wipe anyone she loved off
the face of the earth. Insteadof using this holiday to celebrate and show

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people that he loved them, Brucedecided to take this holiday to introduce his
evil onto our world. We hadHorrifying History wanted to tell you this tale
for a reason. The Christmas seasonis supposed to be a time of happiness
and love, not hate. Itis a time to appreciate all of those
who are in your life and fillyour life with good tidings and joy.

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From the Horrifying History family to yours, may the magic of the holiday season
fill your heart with joy, peaceand love. You can find Horrifying History
wherever you find your favorite podcasts.You also can find us on Facebook as
Horrifying History, on Instagram as HorrifyingUnderscore History, and on Twitter at Horrifying
Hi st one. Hello, I'mAshley the host of Fuck That, a

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true crime podcast, and today I'mgoing to share the story of a figure
that encompasses the spirit of Christmas.As winter approaches and the days become shorter,
there is a cheer that the crispAir. The spirit of the holidays
is growing as families get ready tospend Christmas with the ones that they love
the most. Children are always ontheir best behavior this time of year,

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eager to ensure a top spot onSanta's nice list, guaranteeing they get wonderful
presents instead of a large lump ofcoal. Children in Central Europe look forward
to Saint Nicholas's arrival once before Christmas. On the eve of Saint Nicholas Day,
which occurs on December six, thenight before, children carefully place a

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shoe in front of the fireplace ortheir front door, eager to wake up
to it filled with small gifts andcandy from Saint Nicholas himself. However,
the Eve of Saint Nicholas Day isnot all that it seems. In fact,
once the sun sets on December fifthand the sky falls black, Crampus

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Knocked or Crampus Night begins late atnight, well tucked cozily into their beds,
young children may hear the tiptoe ofSanta on their roof as he prepares
to bring the children joy. Butsome children may hear something far more menacing,
the sounds of Crampus, Saint Nick'sdevilish companion, Crampus, son of

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Hell, the Norse god of theunderworld roots back to pre Germanic paganism during
the winter solstice. Half goat,half devilish man, Crampus is the antithesis
of Saint Nicholas and Christmas Cheer.Naughty young children awaken to the sound of
Crampus's cloven hooves tapping, filling theonce peacefully silent night with terror. The

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lucky ones will awaken only to findthat Crampus is taken away the small gifts
that Saint Nicholas had left. Theunlucky children, however, will come face
to face will the monster beyond theirwildest little imaginations. As Crampus slowly makes
his way up to their beds,children are paralyzed with fear as they gaze
upon the nightmare that has come topunish them. Crampus, seven feet hall,

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is covered in dark, mangled fur, his body wrapped in jeans,
and a sack is neatly draped acrosshis shoulder. The sack makes it easier
to bring the children with him backto Hell. Atop his head sits long,
gnarly pointed horns with large bulging eyes, nestled menacingly. Below, gripped
tightly in his clod hand is abundle of birch rods that he uses to

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dole out one of his many formsof punishment. As Crampus gazes upon naughty
children, he lets out a widesmile, revealing his long and pointed tongue,
salivating at the thought of consuming naughtychildren for his dinner. That is
just one of the many fates thatthe unfortunate may face when they encounter Crampus.
Some naughty children get away with amere beating from Crampus's birch rods.

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Others Crampus takes down to the riverto drown. And while many would consider
those children that Crampus feasts upon isunlucky, there are some that Crampus selects
to bring back with him to thedepths of health fre eternity. The terrifying
story of the antithesis to Saint Nicholasoriginated in folklore as early as the sixteen
hundreds. Over time, Crampus evolvedinto a cloven demon and was incorporated into

(26:08):
Christian winter celebrations. While Crampus representedthe menacing side of the holidays, homes
across Europe and eventually the United Statesbegan to embrace him lovingly. Crampus has
become an integral part of the holidayspirit in many European countries, from Crampus
cartan Crampus themed Christmas cards filled withrhymes and poems, to Crampus Love Crampus

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runs where adults dress up as Crampusand run through the towns. The spirit
of Crampus is very much alive,maybe more than the spirit of Saint Nicholas.
So before you tuck your little onesinto bed, remember Saint Nicholas doesn't
come until it's start out. Makesure children are safe and sound. One
can never be sure if Crampus islurking in the shadows, are not waiting

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to drag the children to hell.Hey Hey, it's me Autumn from Autumn's
Oddity, part of the Dark CastNetwork, and I am bringing you a
good old fashioned Christmas witch today.You know there's no finer tradition. Really

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Well, those who prefer the darkerside of the holiday season have had it
pretty good lately, myself included.Thanks to the growing popularity of Crampus,
Once a mythological character on the fringesof Christmas lore, the horned Germanic monster
has gone mainstream. There are Crampusparades and major cities, an influx of

(27:33):
merchandise with his little horns and longtongued creepiness, and even a horror movie
about him tormenting a terrible family.While Crampus may be king of holiday scares,
his fans often overlook an equally nastyand formidable queen, a Christmas monster
who lives further north in the frigidclimes of Iceland, who goes by the

(27:55):
name Greyla, the Christmas Witch.This ogress, as she is described,
lives in a cave in Iceland's hinterlands, the matriarch of a family of strange
creatures, launching attacks on nearby townships, snatching up misbehaving children and cooking them
into delicious stew. And that tome sounds a lot worse than putting children

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in bags and beating them with sticks. Terry Gunnell, who is the head
of folkloristics department at the University ofIceland, says, you don't mess with
Grila. She rules the roost upin the mountains. Tales of the Ogris
began as oral accounts, with theearliest written references found in the thirteenth century
in historic sagas and poems throughout theregions. One reads, Here comes Grila

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down the field with her fifteen tailson, like does she have fifteen tales?
Why does she have fifteen tales?No one explains. Down comes Grila
from the outer fields. This timeshe's got forty tails, a bag on
her back, a sword slash knifein her hand, coming to carve out
the stomachs of children who cry formeat during Lent Yesh in Iceland, the
midwinter holiday known as Yule, whichis a version of the Old English and

(29:04):
Old Germanic word Yule, which describesthis time of gathering together, feasting and
celebrating. It's essentially the same thingas Christmas in the United States hanaka it
evolved into modern Christmas. Makes sense, right. It's generally darker than in
the United States, and not justbecause you know, the sun barely comes
out that time of year. Accordingto Gunnell, the earliest celebrations of the

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seasons or of that season were viewedas a time not only to bring together
relatives, both living and deceased,but also elves, trolls, and other
magical slash spooky creatures believed to inhabitthe landscape. Sometimes these figures would visit
in person as masked figures going aroundto farms and houses during the holiday season,

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and this is given off kind ofa Halloween vibe to me. Grila
again, whose name loosely translates togrowler pretty metal right, would be among
these, showing up with a horntail and a bag into which she would
toss the naughty children. She wasdefinitely around in about thirteen hundred, although
she was not directly associated with Christmas. She was associated with a threat that

(30:10):
lives in the mountains. You neverknew exactly where she was. Long poems
were written about Grila and a husband, but he did not last long as
apparently she ate one of her husbandswhen she got bored with him, so
in some ways she was the firstfeminist in Iceland. Or you know,
a human praying mantis biting off thehead of her mate. Other bits of

(30:33):
folklore describe a second troll like husbandand a giant man eating yule cat.
We've covered him before on my showin last year's Christmas Cryptid's Traditions and Lore
episode. The Yule cat was knownto target anyone who didn't have on new
clothes around the holiday, which youknow, we find it boring to get
a pair of socks, but thereit's awesome because you're not going to get

(30:56):
eaten by the Yule Cat. Fillingout what Gunnall calls this highly dysfunctional family
are Grila's mob of large adult sonsknown as the thirteen Yule Lads. Each
of these troublemakers visits Icelandic households ondifferent days throughout December, and they unleash
their own kind of hell. I'mgoing to butcher these names. I apologize

(31:17):
in advance. Hurda Skiller is partialto slamming doors. PoTA Skeffle eats any
leftovers from pots and pants. That'srude, and I don't know how to
say this. Bungy Cavier lives upto his nickname of sausage swiper. I
apologize. I looked up how topronounce these, but they are never right,
and also they're very difficult to say. Grila did not get connected to

(31:37):
Christmas until around the early nineteenth century, when poems began to associate her with
the holiday. It was also aroundthis time that the Yule Lads and the
Yule Cat, which had been standaloneChristmas figures with no connection to the Christmas,
which then were integrated into her bigcreepy family. Prior to that,
she was really just a personification ofthe winter and the darkness and the snow

(32:00):
getting closer and taking over the land. Again, not only did she represent
the threat of winter, she wasactually seen as controlling the landscape. Historians
explained that Icelandic people understood themselves tobe like more like a tenant of their
harsh environment, you know, whereglaciers, volcanoes, and earthquakes are dominant,
and viewed mythical creatures like Grila asthe ones who were really running the

(32:23):
show. Yeah, that's a lotof power, right And still today children
are apparently terrified of Grila in Iceland. The historian that I just talked about,
he said that he's visited children's playschoolsto demonstrate drawing skills, and if
he draws Grila, then two orthree terrified children have to leave the room
because it's just too strong for them. That it's apparently a living folklore there,

(32:45):
and she's really never stopped being embracedas a living figure. You apparently
see her all around Reikiavic. She'sjust never really gone away, which I
think is pretty cool. You know, Europeans love a good Christmas which there
are many. I don't know ifanymore will appear on this list. You'll
just have to give it a listen. I love a good Christmas, which
too. And while Crampus is kingof the holiday scarers, Old Grilla is

(33:07):
the Queen. All Hail Queen Grila. Welcome my friend to a dark holiday
story. My name is Keely.I am the host of a true crime
and paranormal podcast here on the darkCast network called Missy Mysteries, and the
story I'm bringing you today involves themurder of a family on Christmas Day.

(33:27):
Going back two weeks before Christmas ofnineteen twenty nine, a forty one year
old tobacco farmer in Jermington, NorthCarolina, named Charles Lawson took his thirty
seven year old wife, Frannie,and seven children, seventeen year old Marie,
sixteen year old Arthur, twelve yearold Carrie, seven year old Maybel,
four year old James, two yearold Raymond, and four month old

(33:51):
Mary Lou into a town thirteen milesaway for a Christmas surprise. This surprise
was a shopping spree for fancy clothesbefore the family went to a photo studio
to take a family picture. Thesurprise was surprising to not only his family,
but the community. The Lawson familyweren't struggling, but they were not

(34:13):
well off. Most families at thistime, living off of what the Lawsons
did, never got to have picturestaken. Dude, how expensive it could
be, especially after buying all newclothes for such a large family. The
Christmas surprise seemed very unusual to manypeople, especially for those learning about this
case today, knowing that on ChristmasDay Charles did unthinkable to his family.

(34:37):
December twenty fifth, nineteen twenty nine, started off with Marie waking up early.
She needed to get started on hertwo layer cake she was baking and
icing for the family's festivities. WhileMarie baked, Arthur was sent to town
to go get shotgun shells for theirfamily's traditional Christmas rabbit hunt, and the

(34:57):
two middle girls, carry a Maybel, were on their way to visit their
aunt and uncle's farm. Carrie andMaybel would sadly never make it to their
aunt and uncle's farm that day.The two girls were the first to fall
victim to Charles's senseless attack on hisfamily. Charles hid behind their tobacco barn,
waiting for Carrie and Maybel to walkclose enough to him. When the

(35:19):
girls friendly got close enough, Charlesshot the two middle girls. He then
bludgeoned the girls to ensure that theyhad died, and placed them inside of
the barn. He then headed tothe family's home, where his wife Frannie
was sitting on the porch. Charlesshot Frannie, killing her before moving inside
the house to shoot Marie, whowas screaming after seeing what her father had

(35:40):
done inside the house, He tookthe life of Marie, just like he
had his wife and his younger daughters. He then found James and Raymond,
who Marie had instructed to run andhide from their father. Shooting the boys
and taking the lives of his twosons, Charles showed no mercy for any
of his family because he then wentto baby mary Loo, where he took

(36:04):
her life by physically attacking her andfracturing her school. After butchering his family,
Charles laid them all down in thehome with pillows under each of their
heads and their arms crossed over theirchest. Charles took to the nearby woods
after this, pacing in a circlearound a tree while Arthur returned home to
see what had happened to his family. Help came to aid Arthur, and

(36:28):
so did it unwanted crowd. Hoursafter the discovery of the family's massacre,
one single gunshot rang from the woodsnear the home. Arthur and the police
officers followed the gunshot to find thatCharles had taken his own life with a
suicide note by his feet. Thesuicide note offered no explanation to why he
did what he did. There hasbeen theories blaming a head injury, child

(36:51):
substained months before this, and thepossibility that Charles got his own daughter,
Marie pregnant, but ultimately we donot know why he did this. In
the end of it, sixteen yearold Arthur was the only survivor of his
father's senseless crimes. He had tobury his family while friends, neighbors,
and strangers made a tourist attraction outof his home. Everything in the home

(37:14):
was left as it was. Peoplewould just walk through the house to see
the blood of the Lawson family onthe floor of their home and the blood
soaked pillows that Charles put under hisfamily's head. Some even took raisins off
a Maurice's Christmas cake as souvenirs thiscake had to be covered with glass to
preserve it while it acted as atourist attraction. This was an awful event

(37:36):
in history that brought out some ofthe worse in the community. The Lawson
family Christmas massacre has truly left astain in the history and on the holiday.
Hello and happy holidays from Sinister StoryHour. My name is Stev and
I'm so glad you're joining me alongwith all my other partners at the Dark
Cast Network in his holiday celebration ofNaughty and Nice. We all sincerely thank

(38:01):
you for your support in twenty twentytwo. The holiday season is a time
of year that's rich in traditions,from food, to rituals, and even
the decorations that we've grown accustomed tousing. One thing that always comes to
mind for me is how these customsbegan and what their origins are. One

(38:22):
popular tradition in Guatemala has always piquedmy interests just because it's so different from
our customs here in the US.In a tradition dating as early as the
eighteenth century, residents of Guatemala,especially Antigua Guatemala, the country's former capital,
gather in different areas and perform aceremony to purify their homes and ward

(38:45):
off evil spirits. Fire has longbeen believed to have purifying qualities, with
various cultures performing fire ceremonies or smokesmudging to cleanse and transform. That concept
is no different here in Guatemala,where fire is believed to clear out negative
energies gathered throughout the year. It'sbelieved to be the direct cleaning of the

(39:09):
heart in the anticipation for Jesus.The ritual I'm speaking of is called Lacema
del viablo, or the burning ofthe devil. It's the way for all
Guatemalans to banish negativity and unclean spiritsand usher in the Christmas season. It
is believed that negative energies or uncleanspirits can gather in our dwellings and cities,

(39:34):
building up and leading to bad luckor negative experiences. By burning the
effigy of the devil, they areridding the space of the negative energy and
can begin the following year with aclean heart and spiritually cleansed environment. I
also believe that there's an element ofsymbolism to this as well, as they
are putting faith in this process thatthey will start anew from the ashes of

(39:59):
the past ust year's failures. There'salso a religious component to this ceremony,
as they are preparing to celebrate theVirgin in the coming days. Although the
preparations for the burning of the devilcan begin days in advance, it is
at precisely six pm on December seventhof every year that you will find gaud

(40:21):
mullins gathering for the ceremonies. Itcan look very different from some families celebrating
the occasion among themselves at home,while others gather in the streets or local
parks where thousands of people congregate towatch the ritual being performed. Some families
will use tires or trash for thematerial they are burning, while in other

(40:44):
areas they use a plastic suit,filling it with straw and trash. There
are some that also use figures thatare said to be malevolent and diabolical,
and they throw them into the fire. One common element is that in most
of these bonfires, they will usefirecrackers inside of the trash and it lights

(41:05):
up the sky as they shoot outfrom the infernal In the nineteen nineties,
this ceremony began to take on adifferent feel as it gives people of Guatemala
even more the reason to gather andcelebrate. It has since evolved into the
use of devil like figures, takingon much of the shape and characteristics of
that of a human. Of course, they pull out all the stops in

(41:30):
this elaborate depiction where some of thesefigures range anywhere from life size to three
stories tall. Others are small papermache versions, all depicting the devil,
and many of them with the numberseven. I couldn't find the exact significance
for the seven, other than itbeing December seventh when they celebrate, but

(41:52):
also it came to my mind thatseven is the number often associated with God.
It's also no surprise. Over timethe process has become more commercialized.
There are hundreds of street vendors thatsell pinatas in the shape of a devil.
They come in all sizes and styles, and you'd be amazed at seeing

(42:13):
how many are sold in the daysleading up to the celebration. There are
also street vendors that pass by tosell souvenirs, including devil hornhead bands that
light up, and many of thechildren will down those during the party,
as is custom in most Latin regions. The festivities also include some delicious food.

(42:35):
There are stands where traditional food canbe available for patrons and participants in
the events. Some of the foodsthat are popular are bunuelos, torpas and
a spiced eggnog called prompope. Ishould also add that this celebration is not
without controversy. Just the environmental aspectalone has become a reason for objection.

(43:00):
Where before it was mostly paper thatwas being burned, now some residents have
begun to burn trash, including plasticand rubber, and some even furniture items,
causing even more air pollution in theselarge bonfires. Lacema del Diablo has
always been held on December seventh,the eve of another huge celebration for the

(43:22):
Guatemalans. December eighth is the daythey observe the feast of the Immaculate Conception,
where the Virgin Mary is celebrated.Although there has been some controversy in
involving this custom, it remains significantfor the country of Guatemala, and they
are said to strive to maintain adevil free and harmonious nation. Thank you

(43:45):
so much for joining me. Ilove to learn of other cultures and customs,
So if you've experienced Lacema del Diablo, I would love to hear about
it once more. Happy Holidays fromSinister Story Hour in the Dark Gast Network.
Hello. My name is Jasmine Castilloand I am the podcaster and the
voice behind Hands Off My podcast,a true crime podcast for the lost voices

(44:09):
of family friends from the people ofColor community. And they have the stories
of their loved ones that are missing, murdered, human trafficked, as well
as trauma survivors that share their storiesof their lost loved ones. Mexican folklore
is filled with twisted tales of wildbeasts, often served up with a pinch

(44:30):
of Aztic mythology weeped in. Aswith many other cautionary folk tales and legends,
some grandparents and parents tell the leaChusa tell to children to keep them
safe and in the house at night. La mouhel la Chusa, or the
owl Witch, is favored in Hispanicfolklore. The stories tell of the witch

(44:51):
who can transform into a large birdafter dark, commonly taking the form of
an owl. For decades, sightingsof these human sized owls have been reported
throughout Mexico and southern Texas. Theorigins of the lore of la Chusa started
centuries ago, and it is rootedin Mexican and Tehrano folklore. Some believe

(45:13):
that la Lachusas are women who weremurdered by their lovers and live to seek
revenge on those who wrong them.Let Chusa is thought to control the souls
of men and bring them to theirdeaths. Though it is true, intentions
are often unclear because she makes dealswith both good and evil people. The
la chusa is not necessarily malevolent.She merely does what she must do to

(45:37):
survive, though she usually takes aninterest in activities that are dangerous or forbidden
by others. It is said thatthe Lachusa does not usually allow herself to
turn into an animal unless fit formoney, because she would otherwise lose her
powers. Also, if the headof the lachusa changes, so does her

(45:58):
power and strength. The worst partabout it is that there isn't just one
Lachusa, put rather an entire cabalof women who have the ability to shape
shift into owls. There's a chancethat they can hunt and packs, so
basically, Lachusa is a huge owllady who kills bad children or drunkard men.

(46:20):
A story that captures a little bitabout the tales of the Lachusa and
its sightings. One night in SanAntonio, Texas, three women were driving
back from the market place. Asthey merged into Highway one ninety one,
they saw a large owl swooping towardsthe side of the car. They tried
to keep their distance, but itchased them upwards to seventy miles per hour.

(46:45):
At this point, the car sandlydied, but they managed to pull
over to the side of the roadbefore it stopped completely. The owl was
nowhere to be seen. After afew tries, they got the car started
again. Once the headlights came onilluminated a large human size owl sitting on
a telephone pole. It watched themintensely. Frightened, they quickly drove away.

(47:09):
After arriving home, the driver toldher husband about the incident. Well,
it must be the la Chusa,he said. La la chusa is
a Spanish phrase meaning the owl.Maybe this doesn't sound frightening so far,
but la Lachusa is no ordinary owl. No, she is a shape shifting
old woman who becomes a giant owlwith fifteen feet wingspan and the face of

(47:32):
a woman, and to up theAnnie's in creepy factor. The woman is
Bruja or which with revenge on hermind. You see, she was a
gurandera a healer practicing white magic.Put people in her village were frightened of
her powers and killed her. Resurrected, possibly by selling her soul to the

(47:54):
devil. La Lechusa returned with revengeas her main objective. Now she shifts
into a huge owl, lures passersby to her hiding spot with innocent sounds
such as a crying baby, andconsumes a curious as her next meal.
Her favorite victims, it is claimed, are intoxicated men. Throughout folklore,

(48:17):
large flying creatures appear often. Storieslike the mothmen of Point Pleasant and the
Birdman are described in Native American myths. Both have similar characteristics and witnesses reports
are in the thousands. These kindsof creatures are erily common on the American
side of the border. There aremany indigenous communities who have similar legends of

(48:40):
gigantic birds. Collectively classified as thunderbirds. These huge nocturnal birds are in the
oral histories of the peoples of theSouthwest and the Pacific Northwest, and can
be found among the Algonquin, theOjibwe, and Winnebago. According to people
who have claimed to see the LaLachus in real life, these witches have

(49:01):
the ability to drain a car's batteryin order to render persons helpless on the
road. One of the stranger aspectsof the La Chusa legend is that her
strange tie in with storms. Mysticsbelieve that there are out witches are capable
of causing thunderstorms out of the blue. According to Tejano's Tails, if you

(49:22):
notice strange thunderstorm pattern in your area, a La Chusa might be linked to
it. No one knows why stormyweather is so deeply tied to these witches,
and why is linked to birds.One of the more positive rumors about
La la Chusa's deals with the peopleshe chooses to attack. According to this

(49:44):
rumor, La la Chusa only attackpeople who have done evil things to women
or have evil in their hearts.If you see a La Chusa and she
doesn't attack you, it means thatshe's there to warn you of tragedy.
Even so, the vast majority ofpeople who have close run ins wi La
Chiusa never seem to live long afterher trademark. Noise isn't a hawk like

(50:09):
screech or an owl like hoot.Most often the whistles occur in batches of
three. She might even whistle orscreech annoyingly outside your window until you've so
irritated that you open your window andwill pounce on you and scratch your eyes
out. Some believe that it isa way that these which is communicate to

(50:30):
one another. Others say it's anoise that they make when they are about
to start hunting. Considering how unsettlinglaala Chusa looks, most people would run
as soon as they see owl womennearby. That's why they tend to be
crafty when it comes to finding theirprey. To lure people into traps,
let it choose a hide up inthe tree tops and start to mimic sounds

(50:52):
of an innocent creature in need ofhelp. Sometimes when they hunt, they
will sound like a baby cry.Other times it will sound like a kitten
stuck in a tree or a puppybarking. People who are foolish enough to
venture into the woods after hearing thosesounds are never seen alive again. If
you believe the rumors to be true, there are ways to ward off these

(51:15):
creatures. If you shoot at itand it doesn't die, you die instead.
If any part of Letusa touches you, even a feather from its wing
tip, you will die. Ifyou dream about the creature, that means
someone in your family will die.And many stories that Lachusa has been killed.
But when the sun comes up andthe body of the bird transforms back

(51:38):
into the body of a haggard witch. There are several things you can do
to ward off an attack of thecreature. Hanging a rope with seven knots
in an outside your front door oron your porch shows the creature that you
acknowledge and respect it and will leaveyou alone. Or if you see the
creature flying at you, an attackcan be repelled with the combination of salt

(52:01):
and chili powder thrown into the lachusa'sface. Line your home with salt.
For some reasons unknown to us,salt is universally viewed as a material capable
of warding off evil. Unsurprisingly,lachusas can't stand salt. Placing some nearby
will prevent them from lurking near yourhome. If salt and chili powder are

(52:22):
not handy, you can always recitethe Magnificent In Spanish, lamanifica a Catholic
prayer taken from the Gospel of SaintLuke, where the Virgin Mary is praising
the power of God. It isalso called the Canticle of Mary, and
it celebrates the visitation the Second JoyfulMystery of the Holy Rosary. The prayer

(52:44):
must be recited in the normal mannerand backwards. Well, I'm not sure
if this would work. How muchtime would there be to say this prayer
forward and backwards if a massive birdcame out of the sky and was swooping
down on you. In any event, it made the list of possible lachusa
repellence. One of my favorites iscursed at it. You think that Master

(53:05):
wouldn't care about foul language, butyou'd be wrong. Apparently cursing at la
Lachusa will make her go away.Now, don't bother with traditional weapery.
The very same magic that makes ala chusa shapeshift also makes her impervious to
traditional weapons like knives and guns.Avoid eye contact. It believed that the

(53:25):
direct eye contact wi lachusa can givethem the ability to steal your soul or
shape shift into you now, couldthese legends of the la Chusa exist because
they are describing an actual animal ifsoul, is there physical evidence of this
animal existence? As the people ofthe borders say, las lachusa por regulal

(53:49):
no son bele grosas. What didthis mean that the owl is not dangerous
normally velises icaciones. Hi. Thisis Kelly and this is Jenna and you're
listening to ODFM. This episode isone deck the Halls from Murder and we're
doing this with the Dark Caste.Yeah. Guess why I'm taking you to

(54:13):
Florida Because we are all Florida.The best stories are Florida from Florida.
Let's go to Florida. This isa very Florida story. This is Homestead,
Florida's just outside of Miami. Justto give you a location. Okay,
it was the morning of December twentyfifth, nineteen seventy nine. Forty

(54:34):
nine year old Butch wassco wits Ithink is how you say it? Okay,
Butch is driving his wife and kidsfrom his house to his parents house
to spend Christmas Day. They livedin the same neighborhood. They were only
three, like about three streets away. From each other, and I like
it. About halfway there, hesees what looks suspiciously like a body on

(54:54):
the side of the road. OhJesus, Merry Christmas, I found a
present. He pulls over to investigateand is horrified to discover that the body
is his mother, his own mom, His own mom, seventy one year
old Gertrude. Wass go with Gertrude, So he sends one of his teenage

(55:15):
sons to go start knocking on doorsto call nine one one, right,
yeah, yeah, yeah right.This is pre cell phones, absolutely,
but he probably had a knock ona couple doors because it's like Christmas Day,
like people people, you know.So when police do arrive, they
instantly assume Gertrude was the victim ofa hit and run. But there were

(55:36):
no the typical things you would see. There were no tire marks or other
telltale evidence you would normally see ifa hit and run. But you know,
she didn't look like she was shotor no, nope, But several
feet away in some dirt on alawn, there were like these three inch
wide marks in the lawn, possiblydirt bike. Still really weird, you

(56:00):
know, Plus it was on thelawn. So it was like, well,
someone would be in the street likeI like like they had an accident
and somehow very very strange. Yeah, So the first thing investigators do is,
of course interview the family. Thenight before, on Christmas Eve,
though how much tribes again, lascaWIT's family had gathered at the home of
Butch and his wife Patsy around ninetyfive pm. Gertrude and her husband,

(56:24):
who was seventy four year old Elmo, they had gotten into an argument,
which was very typical for them.They'd been married like fifty some years and
they bickered and all this. Yes, so she wanted to get home because
everyone was coming to their house forChristmas Day and she had food to prep
and you want to clean and gethim right, Yeah, that's stressful.

(56:45):
He's still like playing cards, smokingcigars. He was so right, right,
So, everyone had been drinking alot of eggnog. There was tipsy
and stuff. So Gertrude decided,fine, I'm gonna walk the three blocks
home, Gertie, not alone.Butch and Patsy were like, don't think

(57:06):
that's a good idea. You've alsobeen drinking and all this. But she
was a very stubborn lady. Ay, one of them that you didn't want
to mess with, So no onewants to mess with her when she's angry.
It was Florida, so it wasn'tcold out. They don't get snow
there. It was the safe neighborhood. It was the seventies. People walked
placed everywhere, Yeah, exactly,So it wasn't like completely strange for her

(57:30):
to do that. And it wasthree blocks away. Yeah, she's she
was a very capable woman. Soeveryone's like, Okay, Elmo wasn't going,
Elmo wasn't moving. So when investigatorswent to speak to her husband,
Elmo, they were immediately suspicious.Oh, he didn't seem concerned about his

(57:51):
wife at all, no reaction tobeing told she was dead. They asked
why he hadn't reported her missing whenhe came home that night. She was
supposed to walk, Yeah, andthen he came home, and you wouldn't
think she's going to go out anywhereelse. She'd been drinking, right,
she'd been drinking. She was walkinghome, right, Oh, what you
do? He said. He gothome after midnight, all the lights were

(58:12):
off in the house. He assumedthat she had finished her preparations. And
had gone to bed. So they'relike, well, wouldn't you have seen
her in the bed and he waslike, well, sometimes he slept in
the spare room because she complained abouthow he snored when he drank which shit,
yeah, or more when he drink. So then they were like,
okay, well why didn't you reporther missing in the morning then, and
he said, ah, just wasn'taware that it was already late enough that

(58:36):
guests would be starting to arrive.Like he's just like in his own little
love lands. He's probably used toher doing everything for him, right,
And they're like, well, shedidn't get up or anything, and he
was like, well, lately Gertrudehadn't been taking her medication as regularly as
she was supposed to on some days, and so it caused her to sometimes
sleep really lnger, yeah, becauseshe wouldn't remember till later in the day,

(58:59):
and sometimes they made her tired andthen a bead laid or I mean,
he had all these answers, butstill was like a little yeah,
it's weird he never checked in,or yeah, he's like, good,
it's quiet, I'm gonna enjoy mytime. Was face complaint, Oh I
should note also that when police didarrive at Elmo and Gertrude's home, they

(59:20):
had surprised Elmo while he was kickedback in his favorite chair watching football.
Not a care in the world.That sounds like what happens in my house
on Sundays. Right, We're like, oh, the house isn't being prepared.
I wasn't even aware. I'm watchingthe game. Yeah, because he
doesn't help. When the autopsy wasfinished, it was determined that the cause
of death was not likely a hitand run whoa. Gertrude had multiple contusions

(59:45):
and last serrations up and down herback, as well as one on her
forehead, like somebody beat out ofher somehow. I don't know how you
get it on your head and thenyour back, or maybe like got hit
from the back and then you hityour head when you hit the ground.
Yep, I didn't think about thatone. Oh yeah, that could be
it, too, right. Causeof death was listed as blunt force trauma

(01:00:07):
by an unknown object approximately two andthree quarters inches wide, oblong, with
kind of like two curved teardrop shapesnext to each other. Very weird,
like not something right. Yeah,I was first thinking you were going to
say like a two by four orsomething like that, right, baseball bat
like, yeah, this is weird. Right. The coroner, who had

(01:00:30):
grown up in Canada, was anavid hunter and noted that the marks on
her back looked suspiciously like deer prints. Does this sound familiar to you at
all? What this sounds like?Yeah, it sounds like that song.

(01:00:50):
Yeah, grand ball got run overby a raindeer walking. Oh my god,
Jeff got you got to get so. Grandma really did get run over
by a raindeer. Grandma really didget run over by our reindeer, although
in Florida. Of the details ofthat story are completely made up by me

(01:01:16):
based on the lyrics of the song. That's fantastic. Well, Happy holidays
from Kelly and Jenna from ODFM atthe holidays, Coming holidays. So if
you want to hear more true crimestories TI Yeah you know, we tire
our stories in with a lot ofour own special brand of dark humor,

(01:01:37):
and you can find us on yourfavorite podcast platform. We released new episodes
every Monday. Yeah, Happy holidaysfrom us and the dark Cast Network.
Hello everyone, this is Rotina Kingand sitting all the way in Portland.
Is my ever beautiful partner. Hi, I'm Lynn, the docent of Darkness,

(01:01:57):
and we are Disturbing in Trees.We are a Terrible Mysteries, Horrible
Histories podcast out of Seattle, andwe are part of the dark Cast Network.
This is our Christmas crossover and Iam just going to I'm just going
to apologize right now for what's aboutto happen. When what are we telling
these fine people about? Sons withdah or good evening in Welsh, We're

(01:02:23):
going to talk about the magically weirdtradition of the merry lud of Whales.
So, like Germany and Austria,they have crampus right, the terrifying crampus
parades. Sweden has the gavel ofgoat that is the target of like arsonists
across the land seeking to burn thisgiant straw goat. One of my favorite

(01:02:45):
Christmas traditions there. Yeah, anytimelike you can do massive mayhem and destruction.
I'm here for that holiday. ButI feel like whales. Wales looked
at the landscape of weird holiday craftand they were like, hold my harp.
So like Whales, the birthplace ofmy great great grandfather Willem Harris has

(01:03:06):
an extra super delightful tradition that marriesboth like creepy spookiness with bardick tomfoolery ooh
to create legendary song battles between innocentWelsh householders just trying to eat there like
cheese and crackers and beer in peaceof a winner's evening. Okay, yeah,
this sounds like some straight up dand dan nonsense happening right here.

(01:03:30):
I know this bart this is yeah, this is so weird. I'm here
for it. So basically, youknow, it's turn to hang out,
turn to have their snacks, andthis giant spectral horse skull on a pole,
wrapped in a bedsheet and decorated withlike festive holiday tinsel and babbles comes
by and is like knock knock,and that's yeah, it's next level bizarre

(01:03:52):
and I think we are both onepercent here for it. So let us
dive into what the actual holy heckis going on in Kymri, which is
the Welsh name for whales when itgets to the darkest, coldest part of
the year. So this tradition isin the same vein as was sailing,
which is a very old custom inthe British Aisles of going door to door

(01:04:13):
to visit your neighbors, singing andoffering an exchange of gifts for a drink
of cider or spiced ale from thewassail bowl. So the origins of the
song here we go a watling,I believe so green yep, here we
go rounder yep exactly. It's fromthis kind of wassail tradition. And like
back in the day, it wouldhappen around twelfth night, which was like

(01:04:35):
the twelfth day of Christmas, whichis what twelve golden birds lords leaping something
like that. I don't know.All I know is there was a mess.
Yeah, you should not give peoplethat many birds, like don't please,
don't don't give me that. No, not even for hanka, Like
I'll even take eight days of underpantsbefore I will take twelve days of random

(01:04:55):
birds. I don't care if youput down a plastic cloth before giving me
set birth. That many geese,that's a lot of hissing geese are very
mean. So this normally, likethis kind of wassall thing would usually happen
in early January, and now thattradition has been replaced in modern times by
caroling, which also takes place alsoearlier in the kind of twelve days of

(01:05:18):
Christmas cycle, usually before and rightaround Christmas itself, so like instead of
I don't know, hits from thecommunal ale bong and rowdy drunken song fests,
you get all the Dickens carolers shownup at your door singing little drummer
boy. That's kind of the traditionthat we're coming out of. But Wales,
Wales was like, you know what, let's get real weird with this.

(01:05:40):
So the earliest instance of this traditionof the mary Lud was recorded of
happening right around like eighteen hundred,and it was kind of a going concern
really very much around the late nineteenthand early twentieth centuries, and the tradition
kind of died out for a while, probably because of some really uptight Chris
citizens getting kind of salty about theweird pagan undertones of this bizarre ritual.

(01:06:05):
But it has made a resurgence inthe later half of the twentieth century and
it is going strong today. Sobasically what happens is that a group of
at least in the past it wasmostly men, though today anybody can do
it. They would dress up withall kinds of like bobbles and ribbons and
rosettes and stuff on their clothes andform a little was sale posse a was

(01:06:27):
Si if you will, with acouple of them dressed up as Punch and
Judy, and then a ringleader anda merryman, who is usually someone with
like a drum or some other musicalinstrument that would make the music happen,
and then of course there would besomeone dressed as the mary Lude herself.
I can really see this happening atRenaissance fairs. In fact, I'm pretty

(01:06:48):
sure I was part of one ofthese at a Renaissance fair totally. So
basically, what the merry lude isis a horse skull, like an actual
skull from a deceased pony, oryou can make it out a paper mache
if you don't, just I don'tknow, have a horse skull light around
like you do, and it wouldbe mounted on this tall wooden pole,

(01:07:10):
and then a white cloth like asheet would be draped beneath it that would
kind of cloak and hide the personthat was holding the pole. You know,
Yes, I always find myself askingquestions about logistics in our stories,
like that's the one thing that getsme more than anything out of history.
It's the logistics behind it. Well, you know, it's good upper body

(01:07:31):
strength. You have to kind ofbe fit to marry loot. I guess
maybe, oh my god, forgetlike jazzer size. Looter size, you
know, really good for the upperbody. Just you in that pole.
You don't need a shake weight,you just need a horse skull on a
stick. You're good to go.That's the origin word for glut loot,
Mary glut there you go. Sogood for your core too. So the

(01:07:55):
skull itself might also be a littlebit decorated. It might have glass babble
inserted in the eye sockets, whichthat's not horrifying at all, and then
ribbons and tinsel and bells and bowsand things like that would be deck the
whole situation like it's a well dressedMary lud. It's essentially this is the
greatest Welsh black metal arts and craftsproject ever. So the Wassie please let

(01:08:19):
me make Wassie happen. The Wassailposse they would show up at your door,
they would knock, ring the bell, whatnot, and then they would
initiate a call and response exchange ofsong verses. So what happens is that
first the mary Lude party would requestentry, and householders would sing back with
an excuse of why you're not comingin? No, no, we don't

(01:08:40):
want you in here, And thenthe merry Lude would respond with another request
to enter and a reason that theyshould totally let them in. It's gonna
be great, it's gonna be fun. And then the household would reply with
another verse about why that is nothappening. No, no, no,
like, oh can't sorry, I'mwashing my hair something like that. So
basically it just, you know,they go back and forth, back worth,
back and forth, until eventually thehousehold just runs out of excuses and

(01:09:03):
they would let the merry Lude andcompany in and mildly mayhem filled jolliness would
result. Jollility, if you will, would result, and everybody would eat
ale and cakes and whatnot and justkind of have a little bit of a
party. And then at the endof it, probably really it isn't the
worst outcome that you could hope forupon allowing a giant, disembodied spectral horsehead

(01:09:28):
and it's entourage into your home ofa winter's evening. Yeah, that's kind
of the basics of how the merryLud operates, and I thought, you
know, I thought to myself self, I said, it might be both
fun and educational for the listeners hereto hear an example of what a modern
day mary Lude experience here in Americacould be light. Are you up for

(01:09:49):
it? Up for the role play? You know? I already signed up
for this. And the only thingthat's educational about this, ladies and gentlemen,
is learning why I question end mylife choices sometimes. Oh, this
is gonna be so much fun.Okay, So I'm gonna be the merry
Lude, and you, Regina,you can be an innocent Welsh citizen,

(01:10:10):
just minding your own business, chillingout your little Snowdonian cottage on a wintry
night. I've always wanted to bean innocent. There you go, You're
an innocent. You just eat hadyou cheese, your crackers, you're delicious,
warm spiced ale. Just you're havinga nice night in and then knock,
knock, who's there? It's me, the Merry Lude. Michael.

(01:10:33):
Let me is sorry? Wrong reference? Wrong reference? Head to get that
in there, though, I mean, hey, hey, just me your
friendly neighborhood horse skull on a bowl. As about you let me in.
We have some snacks. Little wassailwill be great, it'd be fun.
Yeah, yeah, I don't know. I'd like my snacks. You're on
a pole. It's kinda awkward.Okay, well how about this? What

(01:10:55):
if? What if? What ifI sang a little no? What if
I wrapped a little Yeah? Howcan you say no to a horse skull
wrapping? You can't, You justcan't. Yeah. Yeah, Now here's
a little story I've got to tellabout a Welsh horse skull that you know
so well. It start our wayback in history with Judy and Punch and

(01:11:16):
the man Mary. I had alittle horse named Mary lud just me em
a horsey and Punch and Jude ridingacross the land, kicking up sand.
Santa's Posse's on my tail, Cousin'min demand, one lone mary Abe,
all by myself without nobody. Thesnow has fallen down on my et coin
skull. The air is getting cold, the bear's getting chill. Looking for
a snack. I ran into agirl. My name is Regina King,

(01:11:40):
I said, howdy, he saidhi. I told a little story that
sounded well, rehearsed four days onthe run and that he's dying of thirst.
My brew was in my hand andhe was on my tip. His
voice was horse, his throat wasdry. He asked me for it.
He said, can I get some? I said, you can't get none.

(01:12:03):
Had a chance to flee, buthere he comes, the merry quick
come to draw. I thought I'dbe dead. He put his skull to
my head and this is what hesaid, Dear God, did it?
Now? My name is Mary Loot. I got a license to wassail.
I think you know what time itis. It's time to get ill.

(01:12:23):
Now what do we have here?A Welshman and his beer. I run
this land. You understand, I'vemade myself clear. We stepped into the
wind with my scalhill grin. Youthink the stories over, but it's ready
to begin now. I got therap, you got the brew. You
got the choices of what you cando. It's not a tough decision,
as you can see. I canwastle you away, or you can ride
with me. We did it,We did it. See that's what it's

(01:12:46):
like. I'd like to imagine backin you know, nineteen hundred in Whales,
just rapping two people with the horseskull on a pole, just rapping,
rapping. The look of horror onmy face at my self is just
sublime, truly and with deep,deep, deep apologies to you, the
Beastie Boys and every person in Wales. That is our story of the Marylou

(01:13:10):
and to everyone who heard me inany way, shape or form. Yet.
Sorry, we don't usually rattow Andat this point we would say you
might be disturbed, but you're notalone alone. Hi, this is media
from the Crime Diner. We area Jersey podcast and we share a variety

(01:13:31):
of true crime cults, mysteries,historical hilarities and sometimes victims stories. And
we do this within a dinner withfriends theme. You better watch out,
you better not cry, you betternot pout. I'm telling you why Pair
Off Todd is coming to town.In the US, when a child is
naughty, Santa will leave a lumpof coal instead of a gift. But

(01:13:55):
misbehaving children in northeastern France have abigger urgency to behave. They know they
have to be extra careful to mindtheir elders. Because there Santa takes on
an extra helper. His name ispere Fota aka Father Whipper. While Santa

(01:14:15):
is a jolly happy soul. PereFotar is a crooked, shaggy old man
with an intimidating appearance. Good littleones get the usual gifts from Saint Nicholas,
but naughty tots get the whip atbest, and at worst, they
get taken away into the night,never to be seen again except maybe in

(01:14:38):
a stew Pere Fatad's backstory will scareany kid straight. Legend has it.
It all began when Peretar, abutcher down on his luck in the hunting
department, found three little boys lostin the forest and decided they would be
the catch of the day. Hehunts them down and chops them from me

(01:15:00):
to sell in his shop. WhenSaint Nicholas stops by the butcher's shop for
meat, pair of Futag tries sellinghim the boy meat. Santa, being
too smart to fall for it,brings the boys back to life and decides
to hire Pair of Futag as hissidekick during the holidays to punish naughty children,

(01:15:21):
or to scare them from being misbehavingin the first place. Hey,
spooky friends, it's Angelina and Aurorafrom Murder Murder News. The True Crime
Call with all of the baby goatsand none of the brainwashing. Grab yourself
a cup of hot cocoa, andpull up a seat by the crackling fire
as we dive into a Christmas storyof survival. It was Christmas of nineteen

(01:15:45):
ninety and twenty year old Lenae Titaand her sixteen year old sister Trish could
not be more excited. Their familyowned a pretty luxurious cabin in Webner Canyon
near Oakley, Utah. The girlshad loved traveling to the vacation spot from
their home in Houston, Texas sincethey were kids. The mountains, snow
horses, and peacefulness of the familygetaway had caused their mom, fifty one

(01:16:09):
year old Kay, to nickname itTita's Tranquility. This year was especially exciting
for the Titas because their whole familywas getting together at the cabin for the
holidays. Their grandmother, cousins,aunts, and uncles were all going to
be there. Seventy six year oldBeth, who the girls lovingly referred to
as Grahams, had recently recovered froma car accident. She'd been slowing down

(01:16:31):
in recent years, and it wasreally important to everyone to spend as much
time with her as possible. Linnae, Trish, and their family left Texas
for Utah on December twenty first.Kay and Beth got to work deck in
the halls for the holidays. Thegifts were wrapped, the tree was lit,
and the stockings were hung. Thetwo women knew how to do Christmas.

(01:16:54):
On December twenty second, the familywent out to do a little last
minute Christmas shopping forty minutes in SaltLake City. It was a brutal winter
and there was so much snow thatthe best option for getting from the house
to the main road about four milesaway was a snowmobile. Beth, Kay,
and Linnae went into town to getfood for the family, while Trish

(01:17:15):
and her dad, fifty one yearold Rolf, went to Camas, Utah
to a snowmobile repair shop. Aroundthree thirty pm, Linae arrived back at
the cabin with her mom and grams. The weather was frigid and Linae couldn't
feel her fingers. She rushed insideto warm up her hands under some warm
water so she could help Beth andKay carry in all the bags. As

(01:17:36):
she headed up the stairs, shesaw a flash of gray dart across the
kitchen. If it was one ofher cousins, ducking behind a door to
jump out and surprise her. Shewas ready for them. A moment later,
a man with frizzy hair came outfrom around the refrigerator, gun cocked
and pointed at Linae. This wasnot her cousin. The man told her

(01:17:58):
to sit down and be quiet.Just then, another man with dark hair
and thick glasses came down the hallwaytowards them, putting a gun at Linae.
The man asked if anyone else waswith her. She replied that her
mom and Grahams were outside just asshe heard them coming up the stairs to
the front door. Kay pleaded withthe man, asking what she could give

(01:18:20):
them. She offered to get herpurse and write them a check. As
Linae looked around the room at thescene, she noticed the two men had
already scavenged the cabin. They hadopened their Christmas presents. They had gone
through the kitchen and helped themselves tofood. Two rifles sat resting against the
couch. Without warning, the onewith the frizzy hair shot Kay in the

(01:18:43):
chest. Next, he shot backtwice in the head. Linae watched as
her mom and Graham's died on theground of their once tranquil cabin. Linae
started to pray and was told bythe frizzy haired man it wouldn't help because
he worshiped the devil. Meanwhile,Trish and Ralph were still in campus at

(01:19:04):
the snowmobile shop. Suddenly, awave of terror washed over Trish. Something
was wrong. She told her dadher fears. Maybe Grahams had fallen off
a snowmobile. They called the cabin, but there was no answer back at
the cabin, the killers were angeredby the phone ringing and took it off
the hook. The next time Trishtried calling, the line was dead.

(01:19:29):
Rolf and Trish rushed to get hometo check on their family, Worrying that
Trish's bad feeling had been warranted.Linnae pleaded for her captors to just leave
and she wouldn't tell anyone. Theytold her there was too much evidence to
tie them to the scene. Theyhad to burn the house down. They
dragged the bodies of Kay and Bethout onto the patio and forced Linnae to

(01:19:50):
pack a bag of her belongings.Linnae didn't know what the two assailas were
planning to do to her, butshe knew she needed to get out of
the house fa or they would killher dad and her sister. She packed
as fast as she could, butRolf and Trish had hustled back to the
cabin, fearing something was wrong.As they pulled up to the house,

(01:20:11):
a tall man in a ski maskjumped out with a gun. Tricia's first
instinct was that this was one ofher cousins playing a trick on her.
The masked man escorted Trish and herdad into the garage and told Ralph to
take off his snow clothes. Theman with the frizzy hair ordered the man
in the glasses to shoot Rolf.The man with the glasses froze seemingly in

(01:20:32):
fear, so the man with thefrizzy hair shot Rolf and the head himself.
They poured gasoline on Rolf and aroundthe garage. Then the men poured
gas around the rest of the cabinbefore setting it alight. The two men
forced Linnae and Trish to drive thetwo snowmobiles while they rode on the backs.

(01:20:53):
That's when Tricia's survival instinct kicked in. Her mom, dad, and
Grahams had all been murdered. Shewas going to save Linae, and she
was going to save herself. Shebegan plodding. She had a fair bit
of experience driving a snowmobile, andshe believed she could get enough speed coming
around a corner to throw one ofthe men off the back, perhaps even

(01:21:13):
into a tree. But what wouldher next move be? She worried the
man with glasses wouldn't hesitate to shoother sister. As she drove the other
snowmobile along the road, the girlsspotted their uncle Randy, who had stopped
on the shoulder. He wondered whothe men were riding along with his nieces.
Had they brought boyfriends to the cabinthis year. To his surprise,

(01:21:35):
the snowmobile zip past him without wavingor even slowing down. Trish and Linay
had seen their uncle, but didn'twant to risk Randy's life. Acknowledging him,
they made the decision to leave theiruncle and deal with their captors alone.
Linnae, Trish, and the twomen made it back to the place
where the family car had been parked. The men forced them into the back

(01:21:58):
seat at knife point. They drovepast Uncle Randy once again, and again
he noticed the girls in the carwith the two strangers. He motioned for
them to stop. Tris tried togive Randy a look to let him know
something wasn't right without alerting the kidnappers. Randy felt like something was amiss,
but not knowing the girls were beingheld at knife point, he decided just

(01:22:20):
to continue down the road towards thehouse, and then he spotted something even
stranger. A man was riding downthe canyon on a snowmobile and just jeans
and a shirt and the freezing cold. The man was also covered in blood.
It was Rolf. Rolf had managedto get up even with his gunshot

(01:22:41):
wound to the head, but ashe moved from the garage back into the
house, he caught on fire.He managed to put out the fire in
the shower, but after discovering thebodies of his wife and mother in law,
he knew he had to go savehis daughters. He managed to get
on a snowmobile and head towards themain road. That's when he ran into
Randy, who could not believe whathe was seeing. Rolph told him what

(01:23:03):
had happened, and Randy helped himinto the backseat of his vehicle. Randy
had a cell phone, but therewas no cell service in the canyon in
nineteen ninety. He raced towards themain road, trying repeatedly to call nine
one one, no reception. Milesdown the canyon, Randy caught up to
his nieces in the car. Hedidn't know what to do. He didn't

(01:23:25):
want to alarm the killers, fearingthey would shoot Linae and Trish. Could
he somehow run them off the roadwithout endangering the girls. Suddenly the call
went through and Randy connected to anine one one operator. He told them
his nieces had been kidnapped and wherethe car was heading. Just as he
requested an air transport for Rolf,the call dropped. He soon made it

(01:23:46):
to a gas station in Oakley andcalled again. At this point, Linae
and Trish were still in the carwith their captors, who had made it
to the main road and were headingtowards campus. A police our approach from
behind, then drove on past.Soon a second police car passed, then
turned around to pursue them, withtheir lights flashing. A ninety mile an

(01:24:10):
hour pursuit began, but the killerslost control of the car. They drove
off the road into an embankment.Fortunately the girls were okay. A helicopter
arrive for Rolf, who ultimately survivedhis gunshot wound. The killers, eventually
identified as twenty five year old VaughnLuster Taylor, the one with the frizzy
hair, and twenty one year oldEdward Stephen Delhi, the one with the

(01:24:33):
glasses, were each charged with twocounts of first degree murder, one count
of attempted first degree murder, andtwo counts of aggravated kidnapping. They were
also charged with aggravated assault, theft, arson, and failure to heed to
a police signal to stop. Lena, Trisch and Rolf all testified against Vaughn

(01:24:54):
and Edward in the trial. InMay of nineteen ninety one. Vaughan pleaded
guilty and was sentenced death. Edwardwas convicted a second degree murder and sentenced
to life in prison, where hestill is today and it's unlikely he will
ever be parolled. Vaughan remains ondeath row while working to appeal his sentence.
Rolf, ever, the hero,rebuilt the cabin after the fire for

(01:25:16):
the family. It was better thanever and still remains a place of healing
and tranquility for Linnae and Trish.Rolph recovered from miss injuries that passed away
in two thousand and eight at theage of sixty nine from cancer with his
family by a side. Linnae marriedher childhood sweetheart, Nathan, who she
says changed her life. They nowhave a blended family with nine children between

(01:25:39):
them. Tricia is a mother oftwo little girls. She said that when
she looks into their eyes, shesees both her mother and her father.
She says that the incident in nineteenninety doesn't define her, but has helped
to make her who she is today. For more on Line and Trisha's story,
be sure to check out our sources, which we're Surviving, Evil and

(01:26:01):
forty eight hours. We hope youenjoyed this story, and we hope you're
all safe and sound around with theones you love the most. If you
find yourself with some time to killthis holiday season, check out Murder Murder
News wherever you listen to podcasts,and we'll help keep you company. New
episodes come out every Friday, eachone featuring a story from the corresponding week

(01:26:23):
in true crime history told from avictim first standpoint. Happy Holidays, Happy
Holidays, We hope you enjoyed Partone of dirt Cast Network Holiday Stories,
The Naughty List. Tomorrow we'll sharepart two of Dirtcast Network Holidays Stories,

(01:26:45):
The Nice List, which will befeel good stories that you can share with
your entire family