What can I say? Mystery Blood Stories are just the gift that keeps on bleeding giving. This latest one is found in the "Decatur Morning Review" for February 7, 1891. It falls into the same simple-but-insane pattern we've come to know so well:
WASHINGTON CITY, Feb. 7.--Washington has a sensation over the mysteries in the house of Byron Sunderland, the pastor of the Presbyterian church which President and Mrs. Cleveland used to attend. Dr. Sunderland has been one of the characters of the national capitol for a good many years, but his church had no celebrity until it was selected as a place of worship by Mr. Cleveland because of old associations between his father and the pastor. During the period that it had a presidential pew the church was crowded regularly. Since Mr. Cleveland went away it has fallen back into obscurity.
The blood-stains, however, were in Dr. Sunderland's house and not in the church. He heard a loud noise during the night, but did not go down-stairs to investigate. Thursday morning two large pools of blood were found in the dining-room, while stains on the door and wall gave evidence of the conflict. As far as can be learned the house had not been broken into, and nobody had been in the house either. There were blood tracks from the sidewalk of the house to the square below, where they were lost. The police have not succeeded in clearing up the mystery.
Why wouldn't the reverend go downstairs to investigate? I have cats, so if I can guess at what or who is making the noise, I don't bother. But the noise Dr Sunderland heard is not described, and the newspaper doesn't state that he thought it nothing, so why didn't he to see?
ReplyDeleteI quite wish they had given some description of this "noise," especially since there was no sign of a break-in.
Delete