Reader requests DeSoto House ghosts confirmation
I received the following email from a reader who would like some confirmation on a ghostly encounter she experience in Galena, Illinois. She had read my post on the DeSoto House and decided to send me the inquiry:
Hi...My name is Evette Heim and I never stayed at the DeSoto House but a few years ago my boyfriend and I came down to Galena for a Halloween weekend. Well I was dressed like Medusa and had green makeup on. We were outside watching the Halloween parade in front of the DeSoto House until it ended. I really had to use the washroom and went in the restaurant that’s underneath the DeSoto House. I went up the stair case and found myself in the hall of the hotel and saw a bunch of people dressed in 1800’s clothing. I looked right at a woman who’s face was very pale and she had dark brown hair and she was wearing a big black 1800’s type dress with a hat and her hair in a large bun. Well, I said to her “ Wow, I love your costume” “Where did you find it” and she did not respond and looked kinda creepy as if she dressed like a ghost of galena’s past. Let’s forward to last year’s Halloween weekend of which I came back. I took the Haunted Trolley Tours at night with the best tour guide EVER named Ted Well. As we approached the DeSoto house he told us various stories of hauntings there and also mentioned hotel guests seeing people dressed in 1800’s clothing. Well, I freaked out. After the tour was over I went up to Ted and told him that’s what I saw the prior year and that I saw a few men dressed that way too. I asked him if the hotel has Halloween parties and if the staff or guests dress up in 1800’s clothing and he said NO. I still want a confirmation of what I saw. Were they real living people or the ghost’s of Galena’s past. If anyone can confirm this, I would love for you to contact me at everock79@yahoo.com.
Evette
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Woman attempts to sneak husband out of prison...in a suitcase!
Police say a woman was caught trying to sneak her common-law-husband out of a Mexican prison at the weekend in a suitcase following a conjugal visit.
A spokesman for police in the Caribbean state of Quintana Roo says staff at the prison in Chetumal noticed that the woman seemed nervous and was pulling a black, wheeled suitcase that looked bulky.
Spokesman Gerardo Campos said that prison guards checked the bag of 19-year-old Maria del Mar Arjona and found inmate Juan Ramirez Tijerina curled up inside in the fetal position.
Ramirez is serving a 20-year sentence for a 2007 conviction for illegal weapons possession.
Arjona was arrested and charges are pending. - odt.co.nz
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Rapture ribbing leads to shooting
The motive in a workplace shooting in Eugene may be the ribbing one employee took from a co-worker after the predicted May 21 rapture failed to occur.
The mother of the victim told The Register Guard that her son said Dale O'Callaghan took it personally when he was needled about his belief that he would be taken to heaven by the return of Jesus Christ.
Eugene police say O'Callaghan shot Jerry Andrews on Friday morning at LHM Hydraulics, where they worked. Andrews suffered a fractured shoulder.
Police say O'Callaghan was still at the business when they arrived just before 7 a.m.
His mother, Robin O'Brien, says her son didn't want to speak with a reporter about the shooting, but she said O'Callaghan had expected to be taken up in the rapture.
But the suspect's father, Ronald O'Callaghan, said his son is
not among those who believed the rapture was going to occur on May
21.
The Register-Guard reports a police affidavit says that Andrews
told investigators O'Callaghan called him "one of those Satanic
people" after the shooting.
O'Callaghan, 39, is being held in the Lane County Jail on a charge of first-degree assault. - kptv
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| Witness' rendering |
Georgia UFO Encounter
MUFON CMS - Everything in this report is 100% correct and factual. I have no reason to make up or fabricate anything, I have no other reason other than to try and explain what I saw on this day, and the incredible impact that it has had on me all these many years later. It is not my intention to try and convince the naysayer and nonbelievers, but I will be honest and forthright with the events that transpired on this day. People can conclude what they will from this, but the people who know me, know that I am not capable of making up stories, or lying for that matter. Why did I wait to write now after so many years have passed, or for that matter to bring it up at all? Perhaps it is all the events going on in the world right now. There are so many strange events happening all over the planet. It is no secret that more and more UFO sightings are happening on a regular basis. I’m writing this report for my own personal reasons. The people that I choose to share this with will most likely be close friends and family. I have no reason to try and get any form of recognition, and certainly not looking for any kind of fame or glory. While I still can, I want to convey this event as accurately as possible, and with as much detail as I can remember. One of my regrets is that I did not go straight home and write down the exact date that this occurred. In the last 10 years or so, I have been keeping very accurate records of day to day events, rarely skipping any. Sadly during this time period, I didn’t give much credence to such things and therefore did not keep up with particulars. As far as my biggest regret with this encounter, would have to be the fact that I did not have a camera or video recorder in order to substantiate my story. If only I did, they would most certainly be some of the most revealing up close and in great detail, as ever witnessed by anyone. I say this not to boast, but to simply state a fact. I have seen probably hundreds of videos on You Tube, some really good, some bad, others down right stupid or a hoax. I am convinced that what I saw would have afforded me a visit from the so called “Men In Black”. It would have been that spectacular, and set the standard by which all skeptics would have to admit- WHAT WAS THAT? The aforementioned is the forward of my story. What follows will be the time line of what happened on this memorable day, one that I will never forget.
While I don’t know the exact date that this occurred, I do know that it was the winter of 1996, around November or December. I know this because the days were short, and all the leaves had fallen off the trees- this I know for sure. I was working at Milliken Design Center in LaGrange Georgia. My normal work hour was 8:00 – 5:00 o’clock, Monday through Friday- a typical office schedule. It was not uncommon for me to work over an extra hour when ever necessary. On this particular day, I shut down my computer and prepared to leave the building at exactly 5:45pm. I remember a gentleman walking ahead of me, approximately 50’ feet or so. He exited the side parking lot door first, a few seconds later I did the same. He already had a head start going to his car, which was towards the left as you walk out the side doors. My car was parked more to the right as you walked out the door. I will try to give a reference as to where his car was, as apposed to mine. It was at this moment (after leaving the building) that I first saw the unidentified flying object with my peripheral vision. At that very moment the object had just came from the right corner of the building. It was at a very low altitude, approximately 80’ – 100’ feet in the air. It was traveling from a SW direction (215° azimuth), going in a NE direction (35° azimuth), at a line sight elevation of approximately 35°- 40° degrees. It was moving at a very low rate of speed, thus giving me plenty of time to observe it. It made absolutely no sound at all- none whatsoever. Perhaps the one thing that caught my eye first was the huge bright light on the underside of the craft. It was so bright that at times it was hard to look at. The top portion of the craft was shiny silver metallic. I remember thinking how strange that this craft had appendages sticking outward from the sides, different geometric sizes and shapes- something that I would later refer to as probes. Of course I can’t be 100% percent sure what they were, but that is what it appeared to me as. As mentioned above, the craft moved or hovered slowly from a south westerly direction going towards the north east. Once it came somewhat over the parking lot, I could see it plainly, making out the distinct shape and approximate size of the craft. At the time of this sighting, I drove a 1980 White Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. The size of this model car is 18.5’ feet long. Given this fact and judging the height and distance of the craft, and the proximity to where I was standing- I estimated the object as being approximately 25’ feet in circumference. It was not a huge craft by no means, but was certainly capable of being maneuvered or controlled by some kind of intelligent life form. As the craft hovered slowly over the parking lot and past over the trees in the median, separating actually two parking lots, it continued moving in the north east direction. I never took my eyes off the object the whole time, and as it moved on across the parking lot and almost over the main road in front of the office complex, it did something that defied all explanation of physics. It went from moving slow, let’s say 5 mph, to an accelerated speed so fast, the only way to describe it would be: “shooting a bullet” out of the barrel of a gun- basically a streak, then it was gone. I have read similar cases of flying objects doing the same thing as I have described here. All one has to do is go to You Tube and type in “UFO”, it wouldn’t take long to find some videos showing similar maneuvers. An example would be to type in the phrase on You Tube: “UFO Over River In Italy”, then you could understand the velocity by which I am describing. I am convinced that America nor any other county on this planet has anything in its military arsenal that could come close to what I witnessed. Let me say for the record: this was not an airplane, jet, helicopter, balloon or anything else of this earth. I certainly don’t need to be told that it was “swamp gas” or the planet “Venus”, or anything else that would insult my intelligent. What I saw was real, it really did happen, it took place exactly as I have outlined here, and no I am not crazy by a long shot.
Summary: The gentleman walking out the door ahead of me to his car never saw this object. As soon as I saw this object, I wanted to yell to this gentleman and say: “hey man, do you see that”, but I was literally speechless, the words would not come out. I was so in awe at the sight of this UFO, that I just could not take my eyes off it- not even for a second. The funny thing about this whole scenario- I could remember telling myself that “this is a real UFO that I’m looking at”. I just knew immediately what it was, but at the same time I couldn’t believe that it was right there in front of me, in all its wonder and mystery.
Note: On July 2nd, 2011- I did travel back to the place where this event took place and took several pictures. I used the aid of my old compass in order to get an accurate bearing on where I was standing, in relation to what direction the craft was traveling. Keep in mind these photos were taken in the middle of summer, with the trees full of leaves, not to mention these trees have grown considerably over the past 15 years.
I have used the aid of “Google Map” in order to show a satellite view from space, the office complex where I worked at the time (MDC). I even have a picture of what my white Cadillac looked like in order to give some credence to the size of this object. The UFO was slightly larger in circumference than that of my car, but it was the only thing at the time that I could reference in describing the objects size. Lastly, I found a picture on the internet that somewhat closely resembled the object in question. Please note that I did use software on my computer (MGI PhotoSuite IV) to help further enhance the photo. It was my intention to show a truer comparison to what I saw on that day. It is not precisely the same in every detail, but certainly very close. One exception worth mentioning here is that the photo that I have is darker, the actual UFO was very shiny and metallic on top. The bottom was somewhat darker than the top due to the lighting outside, except for one huge light in the middle- this was amazingly luminous.
The information that I have provided is true. This report is mainly for my own personal recollection. If other people read this and are inspired- that would great. If others read it and think its hog-wash, that’s OK too. It is not my intention to make people believe me. I do think people should open their minds to the possibility that we humans are arrogant, if we think that we are the only intelligent beings in the universe.
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The 'Anti-Christ' receives 666 months prison sentence
A man who was on trial this week for sexually assaulting two girls, and who also called himself the "Anti-Christ", was found guilty of all six charges.
Christopher Guy was charged with sexually touching two young girls, ages 8 and 9. He represented himself during the four-day trial which began on Monday.
The jury announced its verdict Thursday afternoon finding Guy guilty on all six charges including three counts of indecent liberties with a child, two counts of first-degree sex offense, and one count of attempted first-degree sexual offense. They deliberated for an hour an a half.
Guy was sentenced to 55 1/2 years in prison, which is 666 months, according to an assistant district attorney.
Once the verdict was read, the mother of one of the victims addressed the courtroom.
First, she thanked the jury. She then said she hoped Guy receives the help he needs, and that it will take time for her forgive him. She also said she was happy with the sentence.
Guy maintained his innocence, but he apologized to his family as well as the families of the two victims.
Earlier in the day, Guy told the court there was no evidence to prove the young girls' claims of abuse.
Guy said he lost everything important to him because of the allegations, and that he is a good-hearted person who loves everyone and never lies.
But prosecutors told the court the victims had no reason to lie about the abuse. They said Guy fondled the girls during a sleepover where he tried to make them perform oral sex.
The prosecution went on to say that Guy was the only person to gain anything from lying.
On Wednesday, Guy took the stand in his own defense and put himself up for cross-examination by prosecutors.
"I have no regrets," said Guy. "I promise you though, I didn't do it. I'll say it again. I didn't do it."
He started his testimony by saying he always tried to be a good person. He said the girls had the wrong version of events.
During cross-examination, prosecutors also brought up a letter Guy wrote to the Mecklenburg County District Attorney's Office in which he claimed to be the "Anti-Christ." The letter, however, was stricken from the record.
During a special hearing, Judge Jesse Caldwell read a portion of the letter to decide whether the jury could hear anymore. The letter stated that Guy was "omniscient" and that "they were playing with the wrong one."
Caldwell said the letter would not be allowed in court.
An 11-year-old girl testified Tuesday about the alleged abuse. She had to answer Guy's questions during cross-examination.
The girl walked into court and did not even look at Guy. She handled questions from prosecutor Leslie Cooley very well, until Cooley asked her to get specific about the abuse.
The girl struggled for words. She looked up and down before crying.
Judge Caldwell called for a recess while Cooley and prosecutor Tim Sielaff tried to comfort the girl and help her to continue.
During cross examination, Guy asked the girl about their relationship and whether she had ever been harmed by him before.
The line of questioning and her answers seemed to demonstrate Guy still had a grip over her, and that she still cared about her alleged abuser.
Jury selection finished Monday. The prosecution team questioned potential jurors for more than an hour, but Guy told the judge he was happy with the jury and had no questions.
During opening statements, prosecutor Cooley told the jury that Guy stole a child's innocence during a Memorial Day sleepover. She woke to find Guy fondling her. She cried and told her family, who reported the case to police.
At that point, the second young girl came forward and reported she had been molested by Guy as well.
During opening statements, Guy said anyone who would commit such crimes deserved the electric chair. However, he claimed he was innocent.
He said the first alleged victim was upset with him for trying to correct her potentially promiscuous behavior. He told the jury any evidence against him was speculation. - wbtv
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The 'Freak Show' is over
Well, as I had predicted last week Casey Anthony was not convicted of the murder of her daughter Caylee Anthony. It is not a popular verdict but not surprising based on the fact that there were too many questions about the family and that there was no physical evidence tying the defendant to the murder. We have seen this many times in our media-driven society but our system of justice is still the best in the world. I have seen this process first hand as a juror in violent cases (a rape and a homicide) and can understand why this verdict was rendered. The talking heads and pundits need to tone down their comments in future cases and stop stirring the pot to a point of mass hysteria.
Justice may not have been found for Caylee Anthony but she will not be forgotten regardless of a jury decision. There are thousands of children murdered each year and we need to recognized that each of these deaths is just as important as this case...Lon
