The Bones of General 'Mad' Anthony Wayne
The colorful career of Revolutionary and Indian War General “Mad” Anthony Wayne came to end at Fort Presque Isle on December 15, 1796 at the age of 51. He was buried underneath the Erie Blockhouse per his request at the foot of the flagpole.
There his body lay for the next dozen years, until his daughter Margaretta asked her brother Isaac to bring their father's remains home to the family cemetery in Radnor. He jumped into a buggy and headed to Erie. When they opened the coffin, they found Wayne's body had barely decomposed.
They couldn't take the body home in Wayne's sulky, a light, two-wheeled wagon (although another version said the locals protested the move and held out for two burial sites), so Dr. Wallace and four assistants boiled the meat from the bones of the good general in a big black kettle, much like traditional cannibal chefs.
Isaac headed east with his dad's bones, neatly packed in a trunk, for burial at St. David's Cemetery in Chester County. The flesh, clothes, water and instruments used to filet Wayne were reburied at Presque Isle.
It's said that Isaac, on the steep and bumpy ride home along what is now Route 322, lost a few bones along the way. Every New Years Day on his birthday, Mad Anthony Wayne arises from his Erie grave and travels the road to St. David's in search of his missing bones.
What's left of Wayne's Presque Isle grave is now on display at the Presque Isle Blockhouse museum, including his coffin lid, some bits of clothing, and Dr. Wallace's tools. The rest either rotted away (burying the water was probably not a stroke of genius) or was destroyed in a 1853 blaze at the blockhouse and a subsequent leveling of the old parade grounds. The kettle is on exhibition at the Erie County History Center.
So if you're driving along 322 on New Year's Day and see a Revolutionary War figure riding along the road on his charger, pull over and say hi to Mad Anthony while he proceeds on his annual quest to make his skeleton whole after all these years. - Reader submission
**********
Crocodile Wedding: Mexican Mayor Marries Reptile
The mayor of a Mexican fishing town has married a crocodile in an elaborate ceremony where the bride wore white and guests danced with the reptile.
The reptile is a princess, according to local tradition, and it is hoped the nuptials will boost catches of fish, shrimp and other seafood along the Pacific coast.
Before the ceremony, the wedding party walked with the crocodile bride through the southern Mexican town of San Pedro Huamelula.
"It's my wish to marry the young princess," mayor Joel Vasquez Rojas said as the pair tied the knot.
He then danced with his new wife in his arms before guests joined in.
One local resident explained the importance of the ritual.
"As young people, this means a lot," said Eduardo Zarate. "It's the greatest treasure our ancestors have left us."
Members of the local council pay for the wedding festivities, which include dancing and fireworks.
Those who do not pay face a fine. - SKY
**********
Close Encounter in North Carolina
Greenville, NC - 9/18/1994 - Myself and my wife had decided to go and glean the fields for sweet potatoes,and upon loading the car and heading back home which was about a mile from home, right in the clear blue sky on the right appeared this huge craft in the sky, dark brown in color with windows going all around it, there was one woman standing in front of one of the windows as it hovered about a good two hundred feet above the trees, as we were riding in our car I asked my wife do you see that and she said yes, it was so huge and magnificent, I never seen anything on this planet like it before as it hovered over the trees not making a sound and no wind was stirring at all from this huge craft, the tops of the trees didn't move at all, as I sped up to get a better view of the huge craft,I had some trees that blocked our view for maybe 5 seconds as we was clearing the trees with great anticipation to get a better view the huge craft had vanished without a trace. We are a christian family with strong christian values, and when I tell my story of what we saw people really don't believe but I know what I saw and my wife know what she saw, and she doesn't like to talk about it and seems like she's a little different since it happened but we know what we saw. I've been searching the web to try and see something that looks similar.I feel that more time had passed than what we could remember but I'm not sure, it didn't dawn on me to look at my watch for the time we were so in awe, but at times I feel more had taken place than what I can remember. After we had encountered it I just remembered being tired,and going to bed early that night. We told some family about it but not much was said or done since.In school I used to be a fairly good artist,now I just can't seem to even draw what we saw on paper. - MUFON CMS
**********
Swede faces illegal weapons charges after building crossbow to protect himself from vampires
A man in western Sweden faces charges for illegal weapons possession after building a crossbow to protect himself from vampires. The man in Uddevalla, western Sweden, hates vampires.
He hates them so much that he built a crossbow at home and had it aimed at the door. The man had a history of weapons violations, and police were on their way to pick him up for a trial relating to a breach of knife laws. Upon entering his apartment they discovered that a crossbow, with arrow at the ready, was pointing straight at the door.
"Today I am going to go out and kill vampires," the man had written on his Facebook page. Other social media statuses included "Garlic!" and "What do you do when the blood is all gone?" The man admitted at the trial that he owns two crossbows, one which he had purchased and the "Zero - God's punishment", which he had made by hand.
The man said that he had the weapons because he felt threatened, and said that he admits to his crimes if indeed owning a crossbow is illegal. But if there is no clear law against it, he wants the weapons back. Police tried out the crossbow to see if it functioned - and lodged an arrow into a wall 22 metres away. - The Local
**********
.jpg)
Mysterious crocodile found lurking in Greek lake
A six-foot crocodile has been found in a lake near the seaside town of Rethymno on the Greek island of Crete, terrifying locals who claim it's been feeding on lambs and ducks.
It is an unusual sight, as wild crocodiles are not known to inhabit Europe - most are found spread across Africa, Asia and America. Residents have been blaming the crocodile for missing lambs and ducks, and souvenir shops are now selling inflatable crocodiles.
"Yes, they (the locals) are very upset because they are in danger. There are farm lands and properties (nearby) and people are in danger, they are afraid," said local resident Nikistratos Charokopou. "There are rivers from which people draw water to irrigate their fields and they are afraid to visit their land," he added.
Regional official Vangelis Mamangakis said it was unclear how long it has been there. Mamangakis said the crocodile was probably a pet that grew too big for its owner, who probably dumped him in the lake. Parts of the lake were fenced off and efforts will be made on Thursday to remove the crocodile.
**********
TODAY'S TOP LINKS
Strange 'Glowing' Clouds Sighted Across Europe
The Mysterious Village of Twins
Scientists Discover Large, Concentrated Group of Dinosaur Footprints in Alaska's Denali National Park
Earth's Magnetic Field Flip Could Happen Sooner Than Expected
Biggest Bird Ever: 21 Foot Ripsaw-Beaked Flying Horror
The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind
Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind
The Cthulhu Mythos Encyclopedia
Technology of the Gods: The Incredible Sciences of the Ancients
