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| Mundy's Landing, via Library of Congress |
This tale of murder and unwelcoming berry patches comes from the "Bronson Pilot," August 5, 1886:
Louisville, Ky., July 28. A [Louisville] Courier-Journal special gives the following, which was vouched for by reliable parties:
The inhabitants of Mundy's Landing, on the Kentucky river in Woodford county, are considerably nonplussed and worked up over the discharge of showers of stones descending in their midst. Several persons have been severely hurt and roofs of houses made to rattle like musketry. The scene and location of the mysterious visitations are at and near the house of Mrs. Lucretia Mundy, widow of Lowry Mundy. who died from the effects of poison administered, as charged, by his wife and [her son-in-law] Dr. Davis, the latter now serving a life sentence in the penitentiary for being guilty of the poisoning, and Mrs. Mundy now being under indictment as accessory to the murder.
The first notice taken of the falling stones was on Monday last when parties picking blackberries in a patch some distance from the Mundy mansion were surprised at the dropping of small stones in their midst. These continued to descend at intervals and their surprise changed to alarm and with buckets and berries they beat a hasty retreat from the patch. The next day Mrs. Dr. Davis, when about 100 yards from her house, was struck severely on the arm by a stone from some unknown direction. Miss Annie Mundy was also hurt severely by a stone descending upon her head. Miss Eva Mundy the next day was hit and slightly hurt. A negro man, Henry, was struck and knocked over a cliff Saturday and Sunday several negroes were struck; one or two of them were severely injured. The people of the neighborhood, of course, are stirred up. Some think it the work of some malicious individual or individuals who are creating the sensation. Others think it of the supernatural order. But from natural or unnatural causes all are of the opinion that it is a very strange affair. Several houses besides the Davis-Mundy mansions have been struck, and the stones descend perpendicularly and not horizontally as if thrown by the hand of an individual.
[Note: After no less than three trials, Lucretia Mundy was acquitted of murder--largely because one of the chief witnesses against her was found mysteriously shot to death. I have not found any more reports about the strange missiles of Mundy's Landing, or if there was any evidence they were somehow linked to the then-notorious murder case. As an aside, this story is very similar to another stone-throwing-in-the-berry-patch report featured earlier on this blog. Fortean berry fields may be an avenue worth exploring.]
I recall the earlier berries-and-stones story, and remember that it had more visible spirits than this one. If this later were a copy of an urban legend (actually, rural), I would have thought there would be more embellishment. Though the use of the word 'mansion' is interesting; I suspect it means simply house, or perhaps a better house than the usual farmstead. I wonder why Mr Mundy was poisoned?
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've read about the case, Mrs. Mundy was anxious to get her hands on her husband's life insurance. It was one of those cases where the spouse is seen as more valuable dead than alive. (Incidentally, even after she was acquitted, the insurance company refused to pay out.)
DeleteFor once, I'm on the insurance company's side.
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