Newspaper Clipping of the Day

Via Newspapers.com

Hey, when a boxing, beer-guzzling cat becomes the subject of litigation, I’m there.  The “San Francisco Examiner,” October 21, 1898:

Life has lost its roseate hue for former Senator W. J. Dunn since Bob disappeared. Dunn keeps a saloon on Third street, near Stevenson, and Bob is a big Russian cat with fur as black as Egyptian night except for his white-tipped paws. Bob was last seen about 10 o'clock Wednesday night in the company of Sidney Perry, who is now dodging a warrant held by the police.

Dunn charges Perry with stealing the cat. Bob came from St. Petersburg and was brought to San Francisco by a seafaring friend of Dunn. He is large and fat, but as gentle as a sofa pillow. On shipboard the sailor taught him to spar, and almost every night for a year past Bob has sat on the end of the bar and made uppercuts and jabs at the patrons of the place.

Perry was formerly in the commission business on Stevenson street and rented his office from Dunn. Incidentally he became well acquainted with Bob and taught him the new blows as they came out. Dunn thought the friendship harmless, but now he swears vengeance on the ungrateful. When last seen Bob was tucked snugly under Perry's right arm.

On that same date, the “San Francisco Chronicle” gave further details:

A black cat has crossed the friendship which formerly existed between ex-Senator William J. Dunn and S. Perry, his former business partner, bringing bad luck to the latter.

Dunn and Perry were associated in the ownership of a saloon and poolroom on the corner of Third and Stevenson streets up to a few days ago. They parted then, evidently with mutual amicable feelings, having satisfactorily divided the assets. Among the items which fell to Dunn was a big black Thomas cat, the pet of the saloon and all its patrons, owing to his strange preference for steam beer over skimmed milk. Dunn still owns the saloon, but the black cat is no longer its main attraction. In fact, Dunn alleges that Perry has stolen the feline beer bibber.

His charge took legal form yesterday in the Police Court, when he applied to Judge Mogan for a warrant for the arrest of Perry on the charge that he "embezzled one cat, value $25.” Judge Mogan instructed Dunn to see Assistant Prosecuting Attorney McGovern of Judge Low's court about the complaint. McGovern hesitated about issuing a complaint, on the ground that a cat could not be considered property. He applied for advice to Acting Prosecuting Attorney Mann of Judge Mogan's court, who drew his attention to a decision of the late Police Judge Campbell, which maintained in a somewhat similar case to that of Dunn and Perry that a house cat was ferae naturae--of wild nature--and could not be claimed as a personal belonging by anybody. Despite this authority the warrant against Perry was issued.

On October 26, the “Chronicle” gave an update on this saga:

Bob, the boxing, beer-bibbing black cat that disappeared about a week ago from the saloon of ex-Senator William J. Dunn, on Third street, has not yet come back to its owner. and Sidney Perry, Dunn's former business associate, must now face a trial in Police Judge Mogan's court on a charge of having embezzled the accomplished feline. His case was called yesterday, but owing to the subtle legal possibilities which it presented a continuance was ordered to October 31st.

Perry was arrested on Monday night for the alleged cat embezzlement. It is understood that his defense will be a contention that the cat in controversy is not Dunn's property, in fact, but a wild beast. All cats, according to the theory held by Perry's attorney, are wild beasts, subject to capture by whoever chooses to hunt for them. This line of legal reasoning is not unknown to Police Court jurisprudence. An opinion rendered by the late Judge Campbell in a case where a man poisoned three of his neighbor's cats because of their depredations in his spinach bed contained the ruling that the feline species, whether of the forest or house variety, were ferae natural and not amenable to domestication.

As against this argument Dunn will present expert testimony showing that his lost Bob was tamed to such a degree that he could drink steam beer like a brewery wagon driver and give Sharkey points with the gloves.

Frustratingly, I could not find out how this important and instructive moment in legal history was resolved.  What became of the lovely and talented Bob?!?

The Automobile From the Past: A Time-Slip Story

In the Spring 1988 issue of “Strange Magazine,” Ken Meaux described a very eerie event experienced by someone he had personally interviewed, a friend Meaux named only as “L.C.”  Meaux described it as a “time-slip” story, although it reads to me more like an encounter with a ghost.  (Admittedly, the line between those two types of paranormal phenomena is a very blurry one.)  As the story Meaux relates is not a first-hand account, and possibly falls into the “too good to be true” category, I make no claims about its authenticity.  However, it’s such an intriguing little tale, that I decided to pass it on.

According to “L.C.,” on October 20, 1969, he and a business associate, “Charlie,” had lunch in Abbeville, Louisiana, and then began driving north along Highway 167.  The highway was largely empty, until at about 1:30 p.m. they saw ahead of them an old “turtle-back-type” car.  The auto was moving very slowly, so they soon caught up to it.  Their attention was arrested by the fact that although the car seemed to be a make from decades past, it looked in pristine condition.  They were also puzzled by the fact that the car bore a large orange license plate with the year “1940” printed on it.  They could only surmise that the car was used in parades or other ceremonial occasions which allowed it to sport such an unusual plate.

As they passed the antique car to its left, L.C. noticed that the driver was a young woman wearing 1940s style clothing.  A small child was in the seat next to her.  The windows of the car were rolled up and both the woman and child were very warmly dressed.  L.C. was bemused by this, as it was a warm, pleasant day.   When the two men looked more closely at the woman, they were disturbed to see that the woman seemed panicky, even frightened.  She kept looking back and forth as if she feared danger of some sort.  L.C., who was in the passenger seat, called to the woman and asked if she needed help.  She nodded, “yes,” while looking at their car in a confused manner.  Although her rolled-up window made communication difficult, L.C. was able to motion to her to pull over on the side of the road.  As they saw her begin to do so, the men continued to pass her car so they could pull over ahead of her.  After they parked on the shoulder of the road, the men turned back to look at the vintage auto.  They were stunned to see it was no longer there.  Somehow, on this open highway with no side roads, the car and its passengers had instantly vanished.

As L.C, and Charlie sat there, trying to process what had just happened, a third car pulled over behind them.  The driver ran over to them, demanding to know what had happened to the car that had been ahead of him.  The man explained that he was driving north on Highway 167 when he saw ahead of him a new car (L.C. and Charlie’s) slowly pass a very old car and pull onto the shoulder.  The vintage car began to do the same, when it suddenly disappeared.  

After comparing notes, the three men fruitlessly examined the area for about an hour.  The third man wanted to contact the police to file a “missing person” report.  L.C. and Charlie, however, thought that would do no good.  They had no idea what happened to the woman and child, and trying to explain what had happened would likely just make them all look like lunatics.  The man finally agreed.  The three of them did exchange addresses and phone numbers.  For some time afterwards, the man would periodically contact them to discuss the incident, out of an apparent desire to reassure himself of his sanity.

Meaux concluded, “High strangeness points to ponder over: what if--she was from the past, and went forward in time, and she is now an old lady still living today, and what if on that same day it had been her instead of L.C. and Charlie behind the ‘old car,’ that same now old lady would have met herself. What if--the Earth itself has a super mentality and it creates as a cosmic joke all these anomalies of life on its surface just for its amusement or some other esoteric reason. What if--and this is the final and most depressing of the "what ifs"--she had come from the past, popped into the future and did not return to her past. The newspapers of 1940 would puzzle over a disappearance of a mother and her child one cold October day, foul play suspected, the search continues--while she and the child continue traveling in and out of various time zones forever.”

I suppose one can offer a simpler theory: Imagine a woman driving down a Louisiana highway one day in the 1940s, in a state of great fear for herself and her child, desperate to escape--to somewhere, anywhere.

Perhaps, for a few moments, at least, she managed to do just that.

Weekend Link Dump

 

Welcome to the first Link Dump of 2026!

The U-2 incident.

Yet another rejected suitor turns to murder.

The theory that we started out as Martians.

The HMS Royal George disaster.

The earliest known adult cremation.

The kidnapping and murder of Maria Ridulph.

Some science-based myths.

Why a ball drops on New Year's Eve.

The legend of ancient Irish airships.

This is one of those year-end lists that make me despair for the human race.

Two centuries of New York City celebrating New Year's.

The mystery of a Pennsylvania skeleton.

A ghost pays a New Year's call.

Handel in London.

That's a wrap for this week!  See you on Monday, when we'll talk time-slips!  In the meantime, here's a bit of post-Christmas music.

The Best of Strange Company 2025

 

Yes, indeed, another year has come to an end, which means it's time for my annual look at this blog's best--or, at least, most popular posts of 2025.  As always, there were a couple of surprises for me.

1. America and Lake Cow Bacon

I really didn't expect my #1 post to be the one about the time Americans nearly switched to a diet of hippo burgers, but I suppose this is just that sort of blog.

2. The Natives of the Red Dragon

This was one of my favorites of the year: a delightfully offbeat story about a mysterious disappearance and some weird stamps.

3. Murders, Disappearances, and Mystery:  A Family Affair

The sinister tale of one very disturbing family.

4. Weekend Link Dump, February 7

Can't have a Top Ten without a WLD!  In fact, some of my readers have occasionally hinted that my blog would be greatly improved if I would just shut up and do nothing but share links.

5. Newspaper Clipping of the Day, August 20

The sort of thing that happens when an undertaker enters into an on-the-job romance.

6. The Restaurant That Never Was

A wonderful time-slip account.

7. Newspaper Clipping of the Day, September 3

Disputes over burial sites can be so embarrassing.

8. "Something Utterly Malign"; Or, Why You Should Be Very Careful Where You Hike in Scotland

A casual walk in the countryside turns into a terrifying encounter with The Weird.

9. A Car Bombing in Texarkana

A seemingly inoffensive man's brutal and mysterious murder.

10. The Lorius/Heberer Mystery

Two couples disappear during a road trip.

And there you have it!  See you in 2026, when I hope to share more tales of murders, disappearances, paranormal activity, and humans being generally peculiar.  There probably won't be any more hippo burgers, but I suppose you never know.

Newspaper Clipping of the Day

Via Newspapers.com

This nifty little ghost story appeared in the “San Francisco Chronicle” on January 3, 1882:

John Hargan, a man who has heretofore been credited with an unusual amount of hard common sense, has been driven out of his house at Recene by a series of circumstances that have plunged that little town into a fever of superstitious awe and excitement.

In order to fully understand the case that is at present agitating the denizens of Ten Mile, it becomes necessary to go somewhat into the past. The Hargan family, which consists of Mr. and Mrs. Hargan and two children, occupied a little house close to the foot of Ten Mile avenue before the devastating breath of the recent fire swept over it, and across the avenue tracks. Living with the family temporarily was a prospector whom Mr. Hargan was grub staking. These are the dramatis personae of the affair. 

The house consisted of four rooms, the two middle ones being used as sleeping apartments, and one occupied by the Hargans and the other by the prospector. 

About two weeks ago the first of a chain of remarkable manifestations took place. The family were one evening seated in the front room when one of the little children sprang up and cried out, “Who is that looking in the window?" and ran tremblingly to her mother's side.

At the same instant there was a loud knock on the glass. Hargin and his friend both ran to the door and threw it open. The moon was shining quite brightly outside and no one in sight anywhere--nothing but a broad expanse of freshly fallen untracked snow within 100 feet of the house. Puzzled and alarmed they returned and questioned the child. All she knew was that a man with a very white face had been looking in through the window, and when she screamed he suddenly disappeared. Mr. Hargan, who is not troubled with any superstitious fancies, tried to laugh off the matter and attribute the ghostly visitation simply to some hungry tramp attracted by the warmth and light within. 

An hour or two passed and the matter was well-nigh forgotten, when the family were thrown into consternation by a second rap, however, and sharper than before. Again a rush was made for the door, and again nothing but the untrodden snow greeted their eyes.

By this time, thoroughly alarmed, Mr. Hargan took a seat close to the window. and within a foot or two of the door, and patiently waited. In the course of twenty minutes there were two loud raps at the door, but their echo had scarcely died away when Hargan was on the threshold.

There was not a trace of any one outside, and completely unnerved, he re-entered the room and turned the lock. There were no other manifestations that evening, nor the next, but the day after that, at about noon, while Mrs. Hargan was engaged at some household work, there were three or four impatient raps at one of the middle doors of the house. She turned to it, supposing it to be one of the neighbors, when the door was suddenly pushed open in her face.

No one was there, the room was absolutely empty, and, half fainting with fright, she ran to get her husband. Ever since that time these manifestations have continued, and scarcely an evening passed that the raps were not heard on the doors or windows. 

The most startling of them, however, have taken place within the past few days. One night in the latter part of last week the prospector, who was quietly sleeping in the center room, was awakened by feeling something jump upon his feet and crouch there. His mind filled with the uncanny events of the two weeks past, he did not dare to move, and scarcely breathing, lay quite still.

An instant later the thing upon the bed crowded toward him, and he felt the clutch of a hand upon his shoulder. He had pulled the cover up over his head. but could stand it no longer, and gave a loud, long shriek of terror. Tho sound broke the spell, and he felt his legs instantly relieved of the weight, as at the same moment Hargan rushed, revolver in hand, into the room.  The story was told in a few words, and they hastily decided to say nothing about it to Mrs. Hargan, who was in a pitiable state of nervous prostration. 

Next night the husband made some excuse to sleep with the prospector, and with his revolver in convenient reach, they retired. Late at night, when everything was enveloped in pitchy darkness, Hargan was awakened by someone passing their hands over his side. His first impulse was to reach for his gun, but an uncontrollable terror seized him and he was unable to move. Half fainting, he felt something creep over him and then jump to the floor with an audible concussion. For an instant he lay mute and motionless, and then was aroused by the screams of his wife. The room in which she slept had a window opening to the old town of Kokomo, and when her husband rushed in she said she had awakened to see the black profile of someone between this and her. As she stared at it the head slowly turned, and by a faint phosphorescent glow that surrounded it she made out the figure of a man.

Then for the first time she found her voice, and as she cried out the figure faded and disappeared. This experience was sufficient, and the family sat up during the remainder of the night. As soon as possible the next day they moved out, and since then the house has stood vacant and empty. No one can be induced to even spend a night in it, and the owner is anxious to give it rent free to any tenant who will brave its unknown terrors.

The Priest and the Friendly UFOs

It is usually the stories told in the most prosaic, matter-of-fact way that are the most believable, even when they deal with a subject matter which is deeply weird.  For that reason, the following UFO account is considered among the most credible.

The main source for this story is an Australian Anglican priest named William Gill, who was working as a missionary in Boianai, Papua, New Guinea, which was at the time still Australian territory.  Gill was an honest, intelligent man who was highly respected by everyone who knew him.

In June 1959, Gill wrote a friend, Reverend David Durie, about an “inverted saucer-shaped object" that Gill’s assistant, Stephen Moi, had recently seen flying over their mission:

Dear David, 

Have a look at this extraordinary data. I am almost convinced about the “visitation” theory. There have been quite a number of reports over the months, from reliable witnesses. The peculiar thing about these most recent reports is that the UFOs seem to be stationary at Boianai or to travel from Boianai. The Mount Pudi vicinity seems to be the hovering area. I myself saw a stationary white light twice on the same night on 9 April, but in a different place each time.

I believe your students have also sighted one over Boianai. The Assistant District Officer, Bob Smith and Mr Glover have all seen it, or similar ones on different occasions again, over Boianai, although I think the Baniara people said they watched it travel across the sky from our direction. I should think that this is the first time that the “saucer” has been identified as such.

I do not doubt the existence of these “things” (indeed I cannot, now that I have seen one for myself) but my simple mind still requires scientific evidence before I can accept the from outer space theory. I am inclined to believe that probably many UFOs are more likely some form of electric phenomena, or perhaps something brought about by the atom bomb explosions, etc.

That Stephen should actually make out a saucer could be the work of the unconscious mind as it is very likely that at some time he has seen illustrations of some kind in a magazine, or it is very possible that saucers do exist, but it is only a 50/50 chance that they are not earth made, still less that they should carry men (more likely radio controlled), and it is still unproven that they are solids.

It is all too difficult to understand for me; I prefer to wait for some bright boy to catch one to be exhibited in Martin Square. Please return this report as I have no copy and I want Nor, [Rev. Norman Crutwell] to have it. 

Yours, Doubting William 

Anglican Mission, Boianai.

The very next day, Gill again wrote to Reverend Durie, this time with a strikingly different attitude:

Dear David,

Life is strange, isn’t it? Yesterday I wrote you a letter, (which I still intend sending you) expressing opinions re: The UFOs. Now, less than twenty-four hours later I have changed my views somewhat. Last night we at Boianai experienced about four hours of UFO activity, and there is no doubt whatsoever that they are handled by beings of some kind. At times it was absolutely breathtaking. Here is the report. Please pass it round, but great care must be taken as I have no other, and this, like the one I made out re: Stephen, will be sent to Nor. I would appreciate it if you could send the lot back as soon as poss.

Cheers,

Convinced Bill

The “UFO activity” Gill referred to began at 6:45 p.m. on June 26, 1959, when he noticed a bright white light in the Northwest sky.  It was such a striking sight that nearly forty other people came to watch it.  These witnesses then saw a four-legged, disc-shaped craft hovering over them.  Weirder still, the object was carrying four humanoid figures that were moving back and forth inside it.  A blue light periodically shone out of the craft.  The object remained above the mission for about forty-five minutes, after which it rose up into the sky and vanished.  At 8:30, several smaller crafts appeared, followed twenty minutes later by the return of the first “ship.”  This display was observed until nearly 11 p.m., when clouds obscured the sight.

The following night, the larger craft, with its four-humanoid crew, reappeared over the mission, followed by two smaller ones.  Gill later wrote, “On the large one, two of the figures seemed to be doing something near the center of the deck.  They were occasionally bending over and raising their arms as though adjusting or ‘setting up’ something.  One figure seemed to be standing, looking down at us.”

Father Gill's sketch of his unexpected visitors.

Gill--obviously feeling that every extraterrestrial was merely a friend he hadn’t met yet--waved amiably at the figure.  “To our surprise,” Gill related, “the figure did the same.  Amanias waved both arms over his head; then the two outside figures did the same.  Ananias and myself began waving our arms, and all four seemed to wave back.  There seemed no doubt that our movements were answered.”

After a bit more of this friendly back-and-forth waving, Gill--perhaps getting a bit bored with his Close Encounter--went inside for his dinner.  When he reemerged from the mission, the “ship” had moved away, but was still visible.  After church services had ended at 7:45, Gill went outside to look for the craft, but it was too cloudy to tell if it was still in the vicinity.  The next night, his new friends made yet another appearance in the sky--this time, he counted no less than eight objects over the mission.  A few hours later, there was an “ear-splitting explosion” above the mission’s roof.  The roof was undamaged, so the source of the noise was unknown.

Perhaps the sound was just the visitors saying “goodbye,” because the strange airships were never seen around the mission again.

Weekend Link Dump

 

Welcome to this post-Christmas Link Dump!

The Strange Company staffers are busy at the post-holiday sales.

What to do about radioactive reindeer?

What to do about phantom jellyfish?

Photos of what it was like to shop in Old London.

One of the earliest surviving decorated manuscripts.

The mystery of the woman with toxic blood.

W.B. Yeats' occult imagination.

When a Christmas party really is murder.

A pictorial history of Santa Claus.

Louisa May Alcott's version of "A Christmas Carol."

We bid farewell to 3I/Atlas, who stayed weird to the end.

An undertaker's Christmas Eve.

A scandalous murder.

A brief history of Christmas puddings.

An ancient "execution cemetery."

A whole lot of Victorian shoes have washed up on a beach, puzzling the hell out of everyone.

Mysterious ancient mass cremations in Scotland.

The Council of Nicaea.

An ancient stone labyrinth in India.

A now-obscure WWI tragedy at sea.

Madagascar's man-eating tree.

If anyone's craving authentic WWII-style mincemeat, here you go.

The disappearance of the Fort Worth Three.

The Not-Deer of Appalachia.

The man who revolutionized table tennis.

Some world leaders just should not throw Christmas parties.

When you're told "Good luck with the aliens," you know it's going to be a bumpy ride.

The squirrel who sold war bonds.

This is fun: 2025's nastiest book reviews.

The adopted cats of Snug Harbor.

The mystery of when, exactly, Vesuvius destroyed Pompeii.

The spiders of Jupiter.

The "lost rooms" of an Egyptian pyramid.

That's it for this week!  See you on Monday, when we'll look at the time an Anglican priest met some friendly extraterrestrials.  In the meantime, here's Maddy Prior: