 Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and is intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. It's very rare that among the annals of ufology, there should appear a UFO case which involved military yet is accompanied by actual photographic proof, such as the case of an event which took place over the Los Angeles area on February 25, 1942. A giant UFO would actually hover over the city and be witnessed by hundreds of observers. As America was gathering its senses after the shocking attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, there was a heightened feeling of insecurity and anxiousness. The skies were being watched as never before as a giant UFO moved through California, alerting the military and civilian watchers as well. The case is known as the Battle of Los Angeles and is one of the most important cases in ufology. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Welcome Weirdos, this is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. If you're new here, welcome to the podcast and be sure to subscribe so you don't miss future episodes. If you're already a Weirdo, please share the podcast with others. Doing so helps make it possible for me to keep creating episodes as often as I do. Coming up in this episode In 1942, a giant UFO hovered over the city of Los Angeles and was witnessed by military and civilians alike with hundreds of reports of the encounter afterward. Located in the middle of the historic section of Glenwood Cemetery in Mississippi is a grave surrounded by chain links which caretakers are cautious to never allow to break or come loose, but the results might be tragic to those living within the town. Annie Goodwin had been living with the family of John Traffigan for the last two years, but now she was missing and a conversation overheard by a man indicated something gruesome may have happened at the hands of her very own doctor. A very angry woman in a wedding dress terrorizes motorists in the Czech Republic. Plus, Weirdo family member Samuel Bayett tells us about his childhood home in Texas and some of the strange things that happened there. While listening, be sure to check out the Weird Darkness website. At WeirdDarkness.com you can sign up for the newsletter to win monthly prizes, find paranormal and horror audiobooks I've narrated, watch old horror movies for free, plus you can visit the Hope in the Darkness page if you're struggling with depression or dark thoughts. You can find all of that and more at WeirdDarkness.com. Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness. It would be early morning, February 2, 1942, when the incoming craft sirens were first heard in the Los Angeles area. Many Americans were expecting another wave of Japanese fighter planes and thought this is what they would see as they left their homes and ventured outside. How wrong they were. The first sightings of a large UFO would be made in Culver City and Santa Monica. Air raid wardens were ready to go at the first hint of an invasion, but this invasion would be something other than Japanese planes. The giant hovering object was soon lit up by the gigantic spotlights of the Army's 37th Coast Artillery Brigade. Everyone who looked up was shocked by the sight of a giant UFO sitting above their city. Military aircraft were sent to confront the object. Because of a well-organized alert system, the whole California southern section was searching the night skies in a matter of minutes. What they saw were beaming searchlights illuminating the night sky, all of them converging on one thing, a UFO. A similar scene would be repeated later during the Norwood searchlight incident, albeit on a smaller scale. The beams of light would soon be accompanied by a tracer fire from anti-aircraft artillery, all of the rounds aiming at the invading craft. The giant UFO would take direct hit after direct hit, yet would do so without any damage. The 37th Brigade was relentless in its attempt to bring down the large object but found no success. The barrage of spent shells would fall over the entire area. No place was safe this night. Many were injured, and there were even reports of death from the falling shells. According to newspaper reports, eyewitnesses described the sight of the UFO like a surreal, hanging magic lantern. As the large UFO moved into more lighted areas, views of the object became better. It moved directly over the MGM studios in Culver City. Fortunately, an extremely good quality photograph was taken of the object beams attached, tracer fire visible. The photo has become a classic UFO photograph. The UFO would soon move over Long Beach before disappearing altogether. A female air raid warden gave testimony saying, It was huge. It was just enormous, and it was practically right over my house. I had never seen anything like it in my life, she said. It was just hovering there in the sky and hardly moving at all. It was a lovely pale orange and about the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. I could see it perfectly because it was very close. It was big. Other witnesses reported, They sent fighter planes up and I watched them in groups approach it and then turn away. They were shooting at it but it didn't seem to matter. It was like the 4th of July but much louder. They were firing like crazy but they couldn't touch it. I'll never forget what a magnificent sight it was, just marvelous and what a gorgeous color. The giant invading airship was now gone and the citizenry of the Southern California area began to resume normal activities. It was an extremely important event, one that will not be soon forgotten. Only news of the war kept this from becoming a major news event. The case must have been in the mind of President Ronald Reagan when he warned us of an alien threat from outside of our world. Located in the middle of the historic section of Glenwood Cemetery of Yahoo City is a grave surrounded by chain links known as The Witch's Grave. The legend of The Witch of Yazoo became famous in Willie Morris' book Good Old Boy published in 1971. This story is an example of the unusual folklore surrounding Yazoo County. Many have pointed out that the grave and the legend were there long before Morris was born and that the chain had been broken for a long time. According to legend, the old woman lived on the Yazoo River and was caught torturing fishermen who she lured in off the river. The sheriff is said to have chased her through the swamps where she was half drowned in quicksand by the time the sheriff caught up with her. As she was sinking, she swore her revenge on Yahoo City and on the town's people. In 20 years, she said, I will return and burn this town to the ground. No one thought much of it at the time. Then came May 25, 1904. The fire of 1904 destroyed over 200 provinces and nearly every business in Yazoo City, 324 buildings in total. Many theories evolved as to how the fire started, but none were conclusive. The most popular theory is that the fire started in the parlor of a young Miss Wise who was in preparation for her wedding to be held later that day. While this is quite possible and certainly innocent enough, it is the strange and fierce winds that were blowing on that fateful day, unusual for the time, that led many to blame the witch. The flames were said by witnesses to have jumped through the air as if driven by some supernaturally forceful winds. This is one of the eeriest facts of the story. Area Weather Reports from May 25, 1904 make no mention of high winds in the area. A group of citizens made their way into Glenwood on the day after the fire and found the large chains around the grave of the witch broken in two. Today, adults and children alike enjoy taking the tour of Glenwood Cemetery and hearing the story of the witch, affectionately named the Chain Lady by many in modern-day Yazoo, as well as the story of many other famous and infamous Yazooans led by costumed storytellers. Many others visit to see the grave by themselves and to enjoy the peace and serenity that can be found only in such a historic resting place as Glenwood Cemetery. Some folks have said that the truth of the witch's grave is that a man is buried there. Make no mistake, there is no evidence of this. In fact, the only record ever to have been found, to our knowledge, shows that a woman owned the plot in Glenwood where the witch's grave is located. Many years ago, the stone, now long gone, which was original to the grave, only had the letters TW. The witch? The stone which is now in place mysteriously fell and split in two shortly after installation. No one knows why for certain. The heavy chains surrounding the grave are constantly being repaired only to fall apart again shortly after. There is certainly some mysterious force at work here. See for yourself, hear the story and decide what you believe. Current local lore says that when all the chains are gone from her grave, the witch will return again to exact her revenge on Yazoo City. To this day, the cemetery sextons are very careful to keep the chains repaired and in place, though they often are broken again very soon after being repaired. Up next, any good one had been living with the family of John Traffigan for the last two years, but now she was missing and a conversation overheard by a man indicated something gruesome may have happened at the hands of her very own doctor. Also, a very angry woman in a wedding dress terrorizes motorists in the Czech Republic. These stories and more when Weird Darkness returns. Want to receive the commercial free version of Weird Darkness every day? For just $5 per month, you can become a patron at WeirdDarkness.com. As a patron, you get commercial free episodes of Weird Darkness every day. Bonus audio and you also receive chapters of audiobooks as I narrate them, even before the authors and publishers hear them. But more than that, as a patron, you are also helping to reach people who are desperately hurting with depression and anxiety. You get the benefits of being a patron and you also benefit others who are hurting at the same time. Become a patron at WeirdDarkness.com. In July 1890, a man came into the 126th Street Police Station in Harlem, New York City to report a conversation he had overheard in an elevated train. A young man and woman sitting near him were talking about the mysterious disappearance of Miss Goodwin from the Storm King Flats on East 126th Street. They believed that she had been foully dealt with by professional malpractioners. The woman said that a friend told her that Miss Goodwin had died and within 24 hours she was buried and another young woman was wearing her clothes and jewelry. Malpractice was the euphemism that New York papers used for abortion and at the time a death by malpractice was considered manslaughter. The police decided to investigate. At the Storm King Flats, they learned that Annie Goodwin had been living with the family of John Traffigan for the last two years, which she had been missing since July 2. 18-year-old Sadie Traffigan, a close friend of Annie Goodwin, was reluctant to talk to the police, but through her they learned that Annie had previously lived with her sister Mamie and her husband George Halliday who also lived on 126th Street. After questioning Mamie Halliday and Sadie Traffigan, the police were able to piece together the story of Annie Goodwin's short life. Annie had been somewhat wild and restless while growing up and when she was 18, she left the restraints of her father's house and went to live with Mamie and her husband. Annie had a good job as rapper-cutter in a Manhattan cigarette factory and was living comfortably, but Mamie was concerned about her sister's lifestyle. She'd stay out until three in the morning and some nights she didn't come home at all. Annie Goodwin was considered a rare beauty, a bright-faced, laughing girl of medium height with a well-rounded figure, very dark eyes that sparkled with fun, a mouth that echoed the spirit of her eyes musically, a nose with just a ruggish hint of an upward turn, and dark hair worn in a wavy bang. She caught the eye of Augustus Gus Harrison, a young, independently wealthy man about home. Though he was not much to look at, small and thin with a wispy blonde mustache, Annie was flattered by his attention and became infatuated with Gus Harrison. Mamie did not like Harrison and didn't believe his attentions toward Annie were honorable. The late night's out increased and when he came to call he would sneak in a bottle of wine trying to hide it from the holidays. Finally, Mamie confronted Annie, telling her to cease associating with Harrison. He must stop coming or she must go live somewhere else. To which Annie responded, very well, I will go somewhere else. She went to live with the family of her friend Sadie Traffigan just one block west of the holidays and stayed there until her disappearance on July 2, 1890. At first, Sadie said she did not know where her friend had gone, but under intense questioning she revealed that Annie had gone to a boarding house on 127th Street, kept by Mrs. John Collins. There, the police learned that Annie had hired an attic bedroom for a week on July 2, but only remained there until July 4. That night, at about 10 o'clock, Mrs. Collins told them that Dr. Henry G. McGonigal drove to the house in his carriage, a two-wheeled gig, and took Annie away. The police were familiar with Dr. McGonigal. He'd been arrested several times in connection with mysterious deaths, but had managed to evade punishment. They were sure Dr. McGonigal was the cause of Annie Goodwin's disappearance. They went at Sadie Traffigan again, and she admitted she'd been aware that Annie was in trouble. She learned that on July 4, Annie was taken from Mrs. Collins' place to the apartment of Mrs. Fanny Shaw on East 103rd Street. On July 9 or 10, Sadie received a letter from Annie asking her to call at Mrs. Shaw's. She went and found Annie sick in bed. On July 14, she went again, and Mrs. Shaw told her that Annie had died and Dr. McGonigal had removed her body. Dr. McGonigal called at Sadie's house several times in the days that followed. He asked if she had any papers with the dead girl's handwriting and requested that Sadie write a note to Mamie, imitating Annie's handwriting over her forged signature, saying she had gone to New Jersey and would return in a month or two. Sadie refused. The police paid a call on Fanny Shaw. She was a 38-years-old, hideous-looking creature being treated for blood poisoning by Dr. McGonigal. Reluctantly, she told a story that mirrored what Sadie had said. The doctor was treating Annie Goodwin in her apartment until the afternoon of July 12 when the girl died. Dr. McGonigal said he would take care of it and around 2 a.m. Sunday morning, he carried the body wrapped in a quilt over his shoulder downstairs and drove it away in his gig. Checking with the Bureau of Vital Statistics, the police found a recent death certificate bearing the name of Dr. H. G. McGonigal. The document said that Jane Wilbur had died from rheumatism of the heart on July 11, the day before Annie Goodwin's death. But at the address given on the certificate, no one knew Jane Wilbur, and the police concluded it was a false name. At the undertaker shop of Cornelius Merritt, the books showed that instead of Jane Wilbur, they'd buried a man named John Wilbur at St. Michael's Cemetery in Astoria. The police believed he'd buried Annie Goodwin under a false name. Merritt pled ignorance, saying he had taken McGonigal at his word and given the body to his workmen without examining it. This was evidence enough, and the police rounded up everyone involved. They arrested Dr. McGonigal and Fanny Shaw for murder, and Augustus Harrison as an accessory. Sadie Traffigan, Cornelius Merritt, and several others were held as witnesses. In Dr. McGonigal's office, the police found about 30 glass jars containing evidences of malpractice preserved in alcohol, in other words, preserved fetuses. The police believed they had a nice, tight narrative now, where Gus Harrison, the author of Annie's Misfortune, hired Dr. McGonigal to perform the operation, and when Annie died, McGonigal had her buried under a false name. The newspapers took it even further, citing the predated death certificate, the New York Herald called it, evidence of a conspiracy to kill as complicated and as boldly carried out as the most fantastic scheme of murder in a French tale. The story took another turn when the police learned that Gus Harrison was not Annie's only romantic interest. Mrs. Collins told them that a young man named Drew visited Annie in the brief time she stayed at Mrs. Collins' boarding house. The newspapers tried to get in front of the police, speculating that the man was T. Oscar Drew, who had checked into the Harlem Hotel at least a dozen times, accompanied by a lady. This was the wrong Drew. Sadie Travagan told police that Drew was actually the nickname of Andrew L. Fanning, who'd been frequently calling on Annie. She said Annie was in love with Gus Harrison, and when she learned that she was in trouble, she begged him to marry her. He absolutely refused. Once Annie accepted this, she was ready to marry Drew Fanning after she had gotten out of trouble. Andrew Fanning turned himself in when he learned that the police were looking for him. He said that he had met Annie Goodwin on the street about six months earlier and had fallen desperately in love with her. He had proposed marriage and she accepted. But the Annie Goodwin that Fanning knew was quite different from the one everyone else knew. He believed her to be innocent and pure, almost prudish. She would chastise him if he let slip an unrefined word, and at the theater he saw her blush at an off-color remark. Fanning would frequently visit her at the trafficians and became disconsole it when she suddenly disappeared. On July 4th, he received a note from Annie. Dear Drew, come to me at once. I am very sick at 152 East 127th Street, signed Annie. He found her in her room, suffering dreadfully and wanted to go at once for the nearest doctor. She said she would have no other physician but Dr. McGonagall and gave him the doctor's address. Fanning brought the doctor to her and left. He never saw her again. Andrew Fanning was arrested as an accessory and held on $2,500 bail. The Wilbur body in St. Michael's Cemetery was disinterred. It is unclear whether the grave was marked John or Joan. Half naked, she lay face down in the coffin as if she had been thrown in. Sadie Traffigan and Mamie Halliday both identified the body as that of Annie Goodwin. A coroner's jury heard testimony from everyone involved and charged Dr. H. G. McGonagall and Fanny Shaw with manslaughter. Augustus Harrison was charged as an accessory. The focus was on Dr. McGonagall and at his trial the following September, he was found guilty of first degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison but received a stay pending appeal. He remained in the tombs until the following April when he was released on $5,000 bail. This was the extent of his punishment for Annie Goodwin's death. It would not be his last arrest for death by malpractice. The tale of an unhappy female ghost causing havoc for motorists on the highway is almost universal. There is one in the Czech Republic but she is not the victim of a recent car crash like so many of the others. She was the bride at a 16th century wedding that ended in a massacre. The place has been called nine crosses for as long as anyone can remember and tall wooden crosses still stand by the side of the turnoff where the nine victims were buried. The site is a protected cultural monument. The spot is just off the D1 highway from Prague to Bernau, the busiest road in the country. For years, tabloids have been pointing out that the fatal accident rate near exit 168 by the village of Lesney-Hluboch about 25 kilometers west of Bernau, South Moravia is higher than average and perhaps the bride's ghost is to blame. The area just under an overpass for exit 168 is where the white shrouded ghost is supposed to appear, frightening motorists into losing control of their cars. An old trade route for horse-drawn carts stood at the site long before exit 168 was opened in 1973. The curse has been in place for almost five centuries according to supporters of the tale. A wedding was planned in 1540 at the village of Lesney-Hluboch which means the Forest Deep. The town had existed since at least 1395 and likely is much older. The story starts a year earlier in 1539. A peasant from Forest Deep was returning from the market from a neighboring big town when he saw a wounded Hungarian horse merchant on the road. The peasant brought the merchant home and healed his wounds. The peasant had a very beautiful daughter who helped to look after the wounded merchant. The two being young fell in love with each other. The girl's father though had different ideas. He wanted his daughter to marry a wealthy person so the family could improve its standing. This was a time when marriages were often still arranged. The father sent the merchant to Hungary to do some business deals and if he returned wealthy after a year then he would consent to the wedding. This was just meant to get rid of the merchant though. The father hoped he would have another accident and never return or fall in love at home like people are supposed to do. Another version says the merchant left on his own having agreed with the daughter about a secret wedding on his return. But the tale soon takes a dark turn. The son of a rich local family became interested in the beautiful young woman just as the father had originally hoped. The parents on both sides were in favor of the marriage and the daughter was left out of the discussions. The girl's father set aside any thought of the promise to the Hungarian merchant and forced his daughter into the arranged marriage. Somehow word got to the merchant. Either the daughter managed to send a message or some other merchant sent word out as part of a code of merchant courtesy. Perhaps he simply returned because the year was up. The Hungarian merchant was not happy at being jilted and he wasted no time in planning his revenge. At a local inn he talked to friend perhaps the local gamekeeper into helping him punish the wedding party but the bride was to be spared. They would ambush from secret and not be seen. Perhaps he thought he could emerge as the hero, pretend to fight off the assailants and rescue his widowed loved one. Maybe he thought he would console the grieving widow and marry her after a brief morning period. Whatever his plan was he went astray. The happy wedding procession was returning from the church without a clue that the merchant had returned and was laying in wait. At the crossroads in front of the village the merchant and the gamekeeper opened fire. There were seven killed on the scene. The dead included the bride and bridegroom, the bride's father, the witness and three other women including bridesmaids. Guns were not very accurate then and it was easy to hit the wrong target. When the merchant saw that his beloved was among the dead he turned his anger against the gamekeeper blaming him for the stray bullet. He shot the gamekeeper in anger and either the gamekeeper lived long enough to shoot back or he took his own life knowing there was no way out. The nine dead were buried at the spot. Crosses were put up by the Benedictine monks from the nearby monastery and for a long time they were re-consecrated every 100 years to pacify the souls of the nine dead. The last re-consecration was September 18, 1887, meaning that in 1987 the souls had not been appeased. The wooden crosses have been replaced several times. Tabloid newspaper accounts say the bride, dressed in white, now appears standing in the middle of the D-1 highway by the exit 168 Overpass, causing drivers to swerve. Other accounts talk of a pair of black wings that swoop down on windshields, causing the driver to panic. One writer for a mainstream newspaper even talks of the DeMosev Triangle, an area that includes nine crosses, which has several unexplained road accidents. The white bride appears most often to those who are planning to get married or driving to or from a wedding. One accident involved a couple on their way from Burno to Prague to catch a flight for their Caribbean honeymoon. The injured driver who swerved without reason is supposed to have told his wife, I saw her. She was there. The bride. This story is from Weirdo family member Samuel Bayet. Here's what he says. When I was younger, I was living in a house in Texas. The street was called Peevy, an older two-floor house but from the outside didn't look any different from most houses there. We lived there for quite some time and in the years I spent there, several odd things took place. One day the sun was shining. I didn't really want to go outside because it was so hot, I just stayed indoors and played games and whatnot. That was when I heard creaking in the back rooms. The rooms that me and my sister slept in. I was in the house by myself. My uncle was outside on the porch and everyone else had left earlier that morning, so I thought I must have been hearing things. I walked over to the hallway doors and looked through the center of them suddenly wishing I hadn't because I saw this older woman with a walker leaving my sister's room and going upstairs to my room. I was so afraid at the time I didn't even go back to see if maybe it was just something hanging off of the door. That same night, I was hanging out with my sister in her room when the old radio we had turned on by itself and started playing some quite creepy music. We both freaked out and I ran over and unplugged it from the wall. Rushing back over to my sister only to have the thing turn itself back on again anyway. I thought maybe it was because of the batteries that were in it, so I rushed over and flipped it upside down quickly removing the cover only to find there were no batteries in the stupid thing. In a panic, I ran over to my sister and sat on the bed with her terrified when my dad and mom walked in getting angry at us for having it on. When we explained what happened, they looked at each other quite seriously and then picked up the radio leaving the room with it. We never saw the radio again after that. A couple weeks later, we were upstairs and as I was laying there I heard what sounded like glass sliding across something and when I looked at where the sound was coming from, one of my biggest fears came true. My sister's porcelain doll was slowly moving across the room towards us, the only thing touching the floor being the tips of the doll's feet. After that incident, it wasn't until much later when we started hearing faint knocking sounds throughout the house, mostly at the stairs headed upstairs into my room. That was when it truly started going downhill. Every time me and my sister would go up there, a different group of items would be thrown across the room like someone had been looking for something, got infuriated that they couldn't find it and just threw things around until one day my entire room and my sister's room were a complete disaster. Not long after this started happening, we ended up moving, leaving the house behind. I have never been back to it since. Thanks for listening. If you liked the podcast and you haven't already subscribed, be sure to do so now so you don't miss future episodes and also please tell someone else about the podcast. Recommend Weird Darkness to your friends, family and co-workers who love the paranormal, horror stories or true crime like you do. Every time you share the podcast with someone new, it helps spread the word about the show and a growing audience makes it possible for me to keep creating episodes as often as I do. Plus, telling others about Weird Darkness also helps get the word out about resources that are available for those who suffer from depression, so please share the podcast with someone today. Do you have a dark tale to tell of your own? Fact or fiction, click on Tell Your Story on the website and I might use it in a future episode. All stories in Weird Darkness are purported to be true unless stated otherwise and you can find source links or links to the authors in the show notes. 1942's Battle of Los Angeles was written by Billy Booth for Live About. The Chained Witch was posted at VisitYazu.org. Professional Mal Pratchiner was written by Robert Wilhelm for Murder by Gaslight. The Ghost Bride of Nine Crosses is by Raymond Johnston for Magic Bohemia. And Haunting on Peavey Street was written by Weirdo family Samuel Bayett. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. 1 Timothy 4 verse 12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. And a final thought by Maya Angelou. It's paraphrased, but I like the thought. We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes and discomfort it has gone through to achieve that beauty. The same can be said of us. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness. darkness.locals.com. It's a new social media page exclusively for the most loyal of listeners and supporters, you, the official Weirdos. You'll get the commercial free version of the podcast each day, exclusive news and content. And I'll also be able to upload videos there, schedule live stream events, and live chats. 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