Shinytalecherryblossom - The Creepy, Paranormal & Unexplained

The unnerving sight of an approaching car in the dark: photos by Henri Prestes.

Well, look what she can do… if she wanted us dead. When we cut into her. She tried to stop us each time. It’s like there’s something she doesn’t want us to find. 

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016)

Lizzie Borden House, Fall River, MA

“Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. When she saw what she had done She gave her father forty-one…”

Lizzie Borden was born on July 19th,1860 in Fall River, Massachusetts. She, along with her sister Emma lived with their father and step-mother in a two story, dark green, Victorian-style home. Life was not happy at the Borden home. Mr. Borden ruled his household with an iron-fist and had absolute control over everyone that resided there.

On the morning of August, the 4th , 1892 Abby Borden was the first to be murdered. She was in the guest bedroom when her killer struck her with the axe and landed the first blow into her forehead. She collapsed to the floor, dead. But that wasn’t enough, the killer then decided to drive their axe into her 19 more times.

At lunchtime Mr. Borden came home early and decided to take a nap on the couch. It was then, the killer slipped in through the window and attacked him from behind, then hit him 11 more times before the axe finally broke leaving the blade wedged into Mr. Borden’s skull. The handle was later found in the basement by investigators.

It was determined that this wasn’t a break in, but an act of hate and revenge. When authorities arrived and proceeded to question Lizzie, she acted in a cool, calm, demeanor despite finding her father and step-mother dead. She was arrested days later when her story kept changing. She was charged the 3 accounts of first-degree murder for her father, step-mother, and for killing them both. After 10 days it was determined that she was not guilty due to a lack of evidence against her and no witness to link her to the crimes. After spending 10 months in jail, she was released. However, the people of Fall River believed she committed the murders and shunned her from society. She and Emma received the full inheritance and moved to a classier neighborhood, buying a mansion that they called Maplecroft.

In 1918, the Borden home was sold to a private family who had problems with people who were curious and wanted to get a better look at the notorious home. It wasn’t until 1948 when the house was sold to the McGinns who restored the mansion and opened it up to the public.

The Borden house has a long line of paranormal activity tied to it. In the guest bedroom people claim to have seen an indentation in the bed as though someone was lying there, and they hear cries as well. Mr. Borden however continues about his business and has even answered a few EVPs from time to time. In the maid’s room people have reported cold spots and have seen an apparition in maid’s clothes doing chores around the house. An apparition of Lizzie herself has also been seen. She appears in the basement looking around, perhaps making sure that she has hidden all the evidence? The lights also appear to have minds of their own, turning on and off. Upstairs staff would hear doors open and shut, followed by disembodied footsteps. Shadow people have also been seen wandering around the house, particularly in the main hallway. Photos of misty forms have appeared in photographs taken in the living room where Mr. Borden was hacked to death. This place is so haunted that several paranormal shows have investigated here such as Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures.

Do you think Lizzie Borden committed those murders and do you think the house is haunted?

The picture above is Mr. Borden’s skull. Yikes!

SCOOB! by Zac Retz

Where Disney villains reside...

Vigilante justice can often be a very dangerous thing. People can be accused of crimes that they did not commit, leading to unjustified revenge. Furthermore, vigilante mobs often consider bloodthirsty violence as a method of revenge for petty non-violent crimes.

In May of 2016, 42-year-old Venezuelan chef, Robert Bernal, fell victim to unjust vigilantes. An elderly man accused Robert of stealing the equivalent of $5 from his pocket while Robert was on his way to work. Following this accusation, a group of men started to beat a bewildered Robert until he was semi-unconscious. While coming around from the brutal beating, a man poured gasoline over Robert’s head and body and set him on fire.

Robert was a well built man from serving years in the army. He spent much of his free time cooking for his friends and family - it was his passion, they would say. He was a deeply religious man; just the night before his death, he sent his loved ones text messages hoping that God filled their day with blessings.

“These guys I work with every day had turned into demons. I could hear the man’s flesh crackling and popping. When I put the fire out, they threw bottles at my head,” said Alejandro Delgado, the only passerby that attempted to help Robert as he was up in flames. Robert was eventually taken to hospital where he perished from his severe burns. Disturbing footage of the event was uploaded online, where people praised the ruthless and cowardly act. 

Before he passed away, he told his wife and children that he was innocent of the crime he was killed for. But even if he was guilty, the punishment certainly doesn’t fit the crime. His brutal murder highlights the growing problem of vigilante and mob justice in Venezuela.

Francisco Goitia

The Witch, 1916

Oil on canvas

39x33 cm