 Welcome, Weirdos! I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. Coming up in this hour, find one of the most eccentric men you can. Allow them to move into a rundown cottage and fix it up as they like, filling it with trinkets, doodads and costumes, and you have the makings of amazing town gossip and some eerie tales that remain many years later. It's hard to believe but the terms psychopath and sociopath aren't usually listed in medical reference resources and texts. Instead, they're labeled as anti-social personality disorders. That's a pretty friendly and non-committal way of describing a serial killer. No wonder we don't know if psychopaths come from nature or nurture. Plus, I'll tell you about a man who outlived his entire family. But that's not the amazing part of his life. The amazing part is all the things he lived through that should have killed him. These stories and more in this episode. If you're new here, welcome to the show. And if you're already a member of this Weirdo family, please take a moment and invite somebody else to listen. Recommending Weird Darkness to others helps make it possible for me to keep doing the show. And while you're listening, be sure to follow Weird Darkness on Facebook and Twitter, and visit WeirdDarkness.com To find the daily Weird Darkness podcast, watch streaming B horror movies and horror hosts 24-7 for free. Listen to free audiobooks I've narrated to send me your own true story of something paranormal that's happened to you or someone you know and more. You can find it all at WeirdDarkness.com. Now, hold your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness. If you played Identify the Imposter in the Weird Darkness Weirdo's Facebook group for this week's radio show, the story title that was a hoax and is not one of the stories tonight is Hitchcock's Closet Skeleton. Snows Hill is one of the loneliest and most unspoiled villages in the Cotswolds, a range of hills in southwest England. Its manner was owned by Winchcombe Abbey from 821 until the disillusion of the monasteries in 1539 when it passed to the crown and was given to King Henry VIII's wife Catherine Parr as a gift. Subsequently, the house had numerous owners and tenants and underwent many modifications and additions. The main part of the house dates from around 1500 and was altered and extended in the 17th century. By 1919, Snows Hill Manor was a semi-derelict farm. It was then that it was bought and restored by a man named Charles Wade. Charles Page Wade was an architect, artist, craftsman, collector, and poet from Yoxford and Suffolk who inherited sugar estates in the West Indies from his father. He'd been employed as an architect with the firm of Parker and Unwin before serving with the army in France during the First World War. He was whilst in the army that Wade saw an advertisement for the sale of Snows Hill Manor in Country Life magazine and the building and its rural Cotswolds setting appealed to him immediately. When he visited the Cotswolds in February 1919, Wade found the house in a run-down state amid a forest of nettles and thistles. He undertook a complete restoration of the house and garden, observing as much of the old paneling and stonework as he could. There were no modern additions or alterations at the Manor and Wade deliberately disregarded the use of electricity and modern conveniences, preferring the subdued and atmospheric lighting of oil lamps and candles. He then commenced filling it with his extraordinary collection of objects de art, mechanical oddities, extraordinary clocks, bicycles, children's toys, and many other bizarre items which he'd collected from various places around Britain. Wade did not actually live in the Manor House itself, but the old priest's house in the courtyard. This small house, a priest's lodgings and monastic times, is the cottage to the west of the Manor House and had become a bakehouse and farm building when Wade bought Snows Hill. Wade himself would add a touch of drama to the already unique atmosphere by materializing noiselessly from a dark corner of a room or from one of the numerous secret doors and passageways to startle the guests. Wade was extremely fond of dressing up using old costumes from amongst his vast collection and visitors to his strange Cotswolds Manor House, including John Beshman, Virginia Woolf, Graham Greene and J.B. Priestly were often persuaded to perform amateur dramatics in Dragon, one of the rooms in the Manor House or in the garden. J.B. Priestly described Wade as my eccentric but charming friend of the fantastic Manor House. The names of the rooms in the house were chosen by Wade and usually bore some relation to their contents, decoration, or their position in the house. So there are names like Seventh Heaven on the top floor, Meridian in the center of the house, Dragon named after the Roaring Fire that Wade would usually have burning and was probably the great fireplace of the medieval hall, and Hundred Wheels containing objects mainly connected with transport. The Green Room contains an incredible collection of 26 suits of Japanese samurai armor dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, gathered from various parts of England between 1940 and 1945. Wade seems to have had a profound interest in magic and alchemy. In a private room at the top of his Cotswold Manor House known as the Witch's Garret, there was once a collection of objects connected with witchcraft, and the floor and one wall were, and still are, decorated with various magical symbols. When the Manor was given to the National Trust, this strange collection of magical objects was loaned to the Museum of Witchcraft, formerly at Bourbon on the Water in the Cotswolds, now at Boss Castle in Cornwall. Amongst the items, the museum still has is a large oak magician's chest, possibly from the 17th century. Unfortunately, this was badly damaged in a flood in 2004, and only the wooden carvings, including female figures, green men and horned God masks survive. Nothing is mentioned of these occult items in the National Trust's descriptions of Wade, the Manor House, and his odd collection. Wade spent lots of his time in the Manor House organizing and restoring his incredible collection and by the time he handed it and the Manor over to the National Trust in 1951, he had amassed 22,000 items, plus a 2,000-piece costume collection. In giving the collection to the National Trust, his hope was that people would learn to value quality craftsmanship from contact with these objects, each endowed with the spirit of the craftsman and the era in which it was created. It is perhaps inevitable that an eccentric collector living in a lonely Manor House in the Cotswolds would inspire ghostly stories of strange goings-on. In the best traditions of local folklore, there are indeed eerie tales told of Snow's Hill Manor. When Wade acquired the Manor, he engaged 28 workmen who stayed in the attic during the week. After the first night, one workman refused to stay another night in the place, saying that it was haunted. Wade later learned that there was a belief in the village concerning the ghost of one of the Benedictine monks of Winchcombe Abbey. Some people who visit Snow's Hill Manor have noticed that the entrance to the house has a certain uncanny ambiance and occasionally refused to enter. When Charles Wade began his restoration of the first floor rooms, he sent a small piece of timber to a well-known lady psychic in Brighton without telling her where it originated. The psychic replied, Two houses upon a steep slope, the larger lofty and mysterious. In the lofty house, in an upper room, late at night there is a girl in a green dress of the 17th century. She is greatly agitated. She paces anxiously up and down the room. She doesn't live here and will not stay the night. It was only later that Charles Wade came across a story that may have inspired tales of hauntings at the Manor. It involved a clandestine marriage that took place in an upper room of the house on St. Valentine's Eve, 1604. Anne Parsons, a 16-year-old orphan heiress related by marriage to John Warren, owner of Snow's Hill at the time, was forcibly removed from the home of her guardian by Anthony Palmer, a handsome 20-year-old servant and some friends. She was then taken to Snow's Hill Manor and married to Palmer at midnight in the room above the Great Hall by the vicar of Broadway, another Cotswolds village nearby. She afterwards refused to stay at Snow's Hill and the dejected wedding party was forced to travel by night to the village of Chipping Campton. The marriage was subsequently declared invalid by the court of the Star Chamber. The room is now known as Anne's room and is haunted by her unhappy ghost. Another incident which some think has contributed to the ghostly atmosphere of the house is the duel which is supposed to have occurred in the room known as Zenith in which one of the participants was killed. Another story relates to Charles Marshall, who occupied the house in the first half of the 19th century and held land. Sometime before 1858, the year Mrs. Marshall died, a laborer named Richard Carter was working at a remote place called Hill Barn Farm. Returning home one winter's evening by a little used track, he met an apparition of his former master, Charles Marshall, who rode alongside him on a fine black pony. This happened several times and finally Carter, on the advice of the rector, asked the ghost what it wanted. The reply was that Carter should meet him at midnight in the chaff house. At the meeting that night Carter was given a secret message for Mrs. Marshall, the contents of which were never made known. However, there were rumors that the message was connected with the location of hidden money as soon after the incident the widow managed to start new buildings to the north of the manor. This story, which sounds like a piece of Cotswold folklore, was told to Charles Wade in 1919 by Richard Dark, son-in-law to the laborer Richard Carter. The village of Snows Hill itself also had its folkloric tales of ghosts and hauntings. Alistair Biles, landlord of the Snows Hill arms from 1969 to 1979, frequently saw a ghostly figure in the ancient upstairs part of the inn. Apparently this apparition could open doors and would disturb his dog so much that it would run downstairs to the modern part of the building. The strange figure often took the form of a hooded monk, but at other times seemed to have very little form at all, being no more than a misty shape that would disappear through walls or closed doors. Neither Mr. Biles nor his family ever felt threatened by the figure. There are also claims of a strange presence that lurks in the lane that runs past the manor, and there is a particular spot there that some of the older villagers refused to pass after dark. Some of our two local people think the ghost, like the one in the Snows Hill arms and perhaps the manor, is that of an unhappy monk, probably connected with Winchcombe Abbey. The pub is one of the oldest buildings in the village, and in medieval times it is thought that the older part was used as a hostel for visiting clergy and lay people. Charles Wade, though rarely seen about the village, was well-liked by the locals, though his 18th-century appearance without landish bobbed hair and breeches, stockings and buckled shoes was thought eccentric to say the least. In 1946, he married and spent many of his last years in the West Indies. He maintained a keen interest in Snows Hill Manor and continued to add to his collection. In 1951, when he gave over the manor to the National Trust, Wade was the same unique figure, still mischievous, waxy complexioned, a medieval face seen through the wood smoke. While on a visit to England in July 1956, Wade was taken ill in the Cotswold village of Broadway, and shortly after died in Evesham Hospital. He is buried with his mother and sisters in Snows Hill Churchyard. He once wrote of his beloved Snows Hill Manor, Old am I, so very old, Ears centuries have been, Mysteries my walls unfold, None no deeds I have seen. Coming up, the terms psychopath and sociopath they are now usually listed in medical reference resources and texts. Instead, they are labeled as anti-social personality disorders, which is a pretty friendly and non-committal way of describing a serial killer. Are psychopaths created by nature or nurture? We'll look at that up next on Weird Darkness. Do you have a true paranormal story that has happened to you or someone you know? Tell us about it by calling the dark line toll-free at 1-877-277-5944. That's 1-877-277-5944. And you know something is going right. And you know something is going wrong when people all around you are dying. That's what happened to Michelle, who told us about it when she called the dark line. I'm calling from Florida, calling from a county called Poe County, and I lived in a super, well I still do, live in a city called Lake Wales. And when we first moved to this town, my parents purchased a house in an area that was a super well known spin coal. And the house he lived in was actually built on a spin coal. This was back in 1999. And my parents were aware of it, but it was a pretty good deal on a house. And you know, so they agreed to take it. I think they paid something like $90,000 for 4-3, which is, as you can imagine, just an amazing price for the large yard. And something I remember shortly after we were living there, we just started having a bunch of debts. So our neighbor, he passed away. She was older. So at the time we were like, oh, you know, she was older. And there was a gentleman who would actually serve, but I wasn't sure where or what he served in or for. And he also passed away. And I believe we were told that he was extremely unwell, from injuries he sustained. We were like, okay. And then there was somebody else that lived like a street down and lived like in a subdivision. And that person was stabbed at a Domino's Pizza because some whack job wanted the money he was carrying as tips from all of his deliveries. And we were like, okay, insane. But what can you do? And then there was a girl that passed away that lived at the end of the street. And she was a young girl. She was like 16 or so. And she was involved in a car accident. So that was like, you know, a couple of debts like pre-condensed in one area. And, you know, it was kind of just like a, hmm, you know, this is a lot of bad luck. But the thing that I remember the most about living there is that I would have these apocalyptic nightmares. Essentially what would happen is every single night I would have these dreams where I was standing in the street that our house was on and the color would be drained. And then there would be this thing that I can only describe as like a dog that had human hands for feet. It was like the strangest thing ever. And in the dream, officially it would rise as far as I would see it at the bottom of the street. And then it would start bounding up the street to where my house was. And I would run inside my house. And I would close the door. But then the door would do this thing where it would like swing in and out of the door opening. It wouldn't actually close. And this thing would like run up to this dog man hand thing with running up to the door and then we would get into this tussle. So it would have two hands on the actual door. And then it would use the other four hands to basically just like beat on the door and jump up and down. And this went on for years. I would have this nightmare for as long as I, you know, lived there. And it just went on and on and on and on and on. And eventually we moved and I never had that nightmare ever again. And we heard that people continued to die. So there's that. Thanks for the call, Michelle. Sounds like the sinkhole you moved to might very well have been literally sucking the life out of your neighborhood along with sucking down the actual property. And I have no interpretation for that recurring dream of the dog with hands instead of paws. Sounds like something out of invasion of the body snatchers. You think those tiny yapping dogs can be annoying now? Just give them thumbs. Well, thank you for the story, Michelle. If you have a true paranormal or creepy story to share of your own, you can do what Michelle did and call the dark line toll free at 1-877-277-5944. That's 1-877-277-5944. Let's return now to the subject of psychopaths. Are they born that way or are they made? Is it nature or is it nurture? Let's examine that question. The Genetic Aspect A true psychopath is rare. Only about 1% of the population can be confidently diagnosed with ASPD. From this 1%, scientists have been able to perform brain scans and determine there are some striking differences between the brains of those with ASPD and neurotypical individuals. The scans conclude that two main regions of the brain which control behavior and aggression are markedly different in psychopaths. There also seems to be something of a genetic component to psychopathy as well. While the child of someone with anti-social personality disorders not guaranteed to develop the condition, they are statistically much more likely than average. Humans have certain traits because they're useful. Having a level of or at least being capable of narcissism, aggression and a me-first attitude does have its advantages at times. Resources were often scarce and the ancient man needed to defend himself when required. That being said, humans are by nature social creatures, so a level of cooperation and concern for the well-being of others was also required. The standard neurotypical individual possesses the ability to draw on both classes of personality traits. In fact, standard societal norms afford certain allowances for these types of behaviors. The issue arises when an individual cannot control their aggressive narcissistic traits. They end up operating outside the societal norms and thus are considered to have an anti-social personality. Another interesting aspect of a psychopath's brain is their inability to perceive or register the emotions of other people. The human brain is acutely aware of minor changes in an individual's face. Things we cannot consciously pick up on are noticed by the brain. Many studies have shown that people engage in a small form of mimic to help the brain better understand the emotional state of the person they are viewing. People with ASPD seem to lack the ability to draw any information from minor facial mimicking. They can understand mood, state, and emotion on an intellectual level and often use this understanding to manipulate people for their benefit. An interesting observation made some decades ago is when people with ASPD are asked to draw cartoon face representations of emotional states such as joy, sadness, fear, anxiety, guilt, and pleasure, they often draw identical or minutely different faces. There seems to be something fundamentally wrong with a psychopath's ability to interpret the feelings of other people. It is also unclear to what level psychopath experienced these emotions. Then there is the nurture aspect. Having the genetic disposition to psychopathy or ASPD is necessary but not sufficient condition to becoming a sociopath. There appears to be an environmental component that triggers this mindset in many of those afflicted with ASPD. The most common of these environmental triggers is trauma. The vast majority of those with ASPD also have had some sort of trauma occur in their life. The most common and the strongest form of trauma to trigger psychopathy in those with a disposition is childhood abuse. The number of psychopaths who also suffered some form of childhood abuse usually violent or sexual in nature is the norm, not the exception. So the conclusion, as with most things in life the answer is not a simple yes or no. The same platitude can be applied to the psychopath question. It appears that there is a requirement for a genetic, physical, and social combination to result in anti-social personality disorder. Those born with the genes and perhaps associated brain structures of a psychopath are not guaranteed to become one. Likewise, those who suffer some form of childhood trauma or abuse are also not likely to become psychopaths. It's when both these conditions are met that psychopathy occurs. Here is some of the weird news that made it to the Weird Darkness website the past few days. You can find links to the full stories on these by clicking on WeirdNews at WeirdDarkness.com. The Swedish Tax Agency has rejected a young couple's request to name their son Amir Putin the name of the famous Russian president. The Tax Agency that has legal say over these matters, they didn't explain exactly why they rejected the naming request, but according to Swedish law, names should not be offensive or risk causing problems for the bearer. So I'm guessing naming their kid the second choice of see more butts is also out of the question. Video footage of a strange object in the sky of Dover, Delaware was taken recently of a dark reddish out of place object or being with a double tail or tentacle like appendages behind it. It finally went from reddish to black before it disappeared into a cloud formation. A still photo would make you think it's a kite or maybe a piece of burning debris with a smoke trail, but seeing it on video does not act like that. Some even think it could be a living biological entity that we have yet to identify. I'm not sure I'd go quite that far, but I'll let you decide for yourself by seeing the video in the Weird News section at WeirdDarkness.com It appears the U.S.'s famous or infamous Project Blue Book might be returning. According to sources, a provision in the forthcoming FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act calls for the creation of a new permanent agency dedicated to investigating UAPs or unidentified aerial phenomena, what we common folk refer to as UFOs. If this goes through, it'll be the first time in the United States since Project Blue Book, which operated from 1952 to 1969. The document's precise text is as follows, Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this act, the Secretary of Defense in coordination with Director of National Intelligence shall establish an office within the office of the Secretary of Defense to carry out, on a department-wide basis, the mission currently performed by the Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon Task Force as of the date of the enactment of this act. So another step by our government confirming that they're taken seriously the existence of UFOs. In case anyone thought the mission of the U.S. Space Force was just to protect us from alien attacks from space, its Space Enterprise Consortium has issued $1 billion in contracts and holds space pitch days where companies can pitch their technologies and solutions and sell them on the spot. So now's the time to show everybody that faster-than-light-speed spaceship time machine you made for the sixth-grade science fair that you got honorable mention for. Daniel Kineman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 2002, says artificial intelligence would be the overwhelming winner in a workplace battle between robots and humans. I say we teach robots how to use social media. They'll be too busy and confused to try and take over the world. Butchers cutting up a 13.4-foot 750-pound Mississippi alligator earlier this year were shocked to find two ancient Native American artifacts, the 1700 BC or 3700-year-old plummet stone and a 6000 BC or 8000-year-old at ladle dart point in its stomach. Which brings to mind two questions. How old is that alligator and how long does it take to digest a meal? New Zealand national MP Maureen Q says that she's been struck by lightning three times. Once so powerfully it cooked her flesh and another time leaving her like a vegetable for six weeks. One silver lining however is that she's currently being asked out by single men who love her new beef on the grill smell. An Norwegian company called Ocean Therm wants to use bubbles fed from perforated pipes below ships to cool down sea temperatures in order to cut off a hurricane's supply of warm water and stop it before it strengthens. I don't know. I've never had it happen in a bathtub where the bubbles I made were anything but warm. You can read more about these stories by following the links in the Weird News section at WeirdDarkness.com Up next on Weird Darkness, I'll tell you about a man who outlived his entire family, but that's not the amazing part of his life. The amazing part is all the things he lived through that should have killed him on the way. Hey, be sure to follow Weird Darkness on Facebook and Twitter at WeirdDarkness. On April 8, 1826, an 83-year-old horse trader named George Talkington of Utto-Exter in Staffordshire, England, died of old age, outliving his first wife and all 18 of his children. Although his second wife who he married at the age of 74 might have survived him. What's novel about Mr. Talkington is not that he died, rather the strange litany of things that didn't kill him across 83 years of his life. He appears to hold a record for surviving more potentially fatal accidents than almost any other human being. Up to the year 1793 they were as follows. Right shoulder broken, skull fractured, and trapanned. Left arm broken in two places, three ribs on the left side broken, a cut on the forehead, lancet case, flu case, a knife forced into the thigh, three ribs broken on the right side, and the right shoulder, elbow, and wrist dislocated. Back seriously injured, cap of the right knee kicked off, left ankle dislocated, cut for a fistula, right ankle dislocated, and hip knocked down. Seven ribs broken on the right and left sides, kicked in the face, and the left eye nearly knocked out. The back again seriously injured. Two ribs and breast bone broken, got down and kicked by a horse until he had five holes in his left leg. The sinew just below the right knee cut through, and two holes in that leg. Also two shocking cuts above the knee. Taken apparently dead seven times out of different rivers. Since 1793 when a reference to these accidents was given to Mr. Madley, surgeon of Otto Exter, right shoulder dislocated and collar bone broken. Seven ribs broken, breast bone laid open, and right shoulder dislocated, left shoulder dislocated, and left arm broken. Two ribs broken, and right thigh much bruised. In 1819, then in his 76th year, elacirated wound in the calf of the leg, which extended to the foot. The mortification of the wound took place which exposed all the flexor tendons of the foot. Also the capsular ligaments of the ankle joint became delirious and so continued upward of three weeks. His wonderful recovery from this accident was attributed chiefly to the circumstance of a friend having supplied him with a quantity of old Madeira, a glass of which he took every two hours for eight weeks and afterwards occasionally. Since then in 1823 he had a mortification of the second toe of the right foot with exfoliation of the bone from which he recovered and at last died from gradually declining old age. Falkington was involved in breaking horses, training young horses to put up with human nonsense like letting us ride them, which is no doubt a dangerous occupation from which one might expect a certain number of injuries. This is why I found it a little puzzling that he said that he had also been taken, apparently dead, seven times out of different rivers. I would avoid rivers at least after the first two times. We'd be similarly hard pressed to call Mr. Falkington lucky, apart from the whole not dying thing, although one suspects he spent a great deal of his 83 years in agonizing pain. Falkington must have lived his life without fear, repeatedly getting back up on the horse, literally and figuratively, after each body shattering accident. As poet William Congreve observed, fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear. Knowing that each time he left the house, odds are that he would be maimed, drowned or otherwise brutalized by the fates, Falkington must have had a smile on his face and somewhat jagged spring step. When horrible wounds just keep on coming and you recover from every single one, why worry? And if you missed any part of tonight's radio show, my Patreon members get a copy of tonight's show immediately after it's over. You can become a patron and or subscribe to the free podcast at WeirdDarkness.com. You can follow the show on Facebook and Twitter at Weird Darkness. And please tell your friends, family, co-workers and classmates about the show. Tell somebody you know loves the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters or unsolved mysteries like you do. Telling others about Weird Darkness makes it possible for me to keep doing the show. If you'd like to be a part of the show, you can call the Dark Line Toll Free with your own true paranormal story or a story that happened to someone you know. That number is 1-877-277-5944. Again, that number is Toll Free. That's 1-877-277-5944. You can also email me anytime at Darren at WeirdDarkness.com Darren is D-A-R-R-E-N and I read every email I receive. All stories I've shared tonight are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can find source links or links to the authors in the radio show notes for this episode, which you can find on the Weird Darkness website. Weird Darkness is a production and trademark of Marlar House Productions, copyright 2021. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Peter 3, verse 14, but even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear their threats. Do not be frightened. And a final thought, people come in and out of your life. Only the real ones stay. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness. Hey Weirdos, keep listening. Hour 2 of the Weird Darkness radio show is coming up. There are many Virginia based urban legends about haunted places in Charlottesville. One such tale is about the Dunlora mansion, which tells of witchcraft, violence and grisly murder. It is said that over a hundred years ago, a group of boy scouts and their scout master stopped for the night in the woods on the Dunlora plantation. However, none of the children ever left alive. Was it the scout master who killed them all? Or was it something far more sinister? We may never know, but the bloody legend persists. When it comes to the Dunlora mansion and other plantation hauntings, some questions don't have answers. Where is this ancient building? And did a witch live there? What happened to the boy scouts? Did any of this even occur at all? Or is it something concocted without a shred of fact? Whatever you believe, you can rest assured the stories will live on for generations to come. They will also endure when curious ghost hunters seek out the haunted land even if they must illegally trespass to do so. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Welcome, Weirdos. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. Coming up this hour, his voice, music and even look was loved by millions. He was adored by women, admired by men. The death of Elvis Presley sent shock waves around the world. But once the tears began to dry, the conspiracies began to rise with some wondering if Elvis may in fact have faked his own death just to escape the never-ending spotlight of fame. Elon Musk, the man with the dream of taking us to Mars, was born on June 28, 1971 but 22 years before Elon was born it was written that Elon mentioned by name would take 10 men to Mars. Hard to believe but it's true. But first, it's the Virginia Plantation haunted by Boy Scouts. We begin with that story. If you're new here, welcome to the show and if you're already a member of this Weirdo family, please take a moment and invite someone else to listen. Recommending Weird Darkness to others helps make it possible for me to keep doing the show. And while you're listening, be sure to follow Weird Darkness on Facebook and Twitter and visit WeirdDarkness.com to find the daily Weird Darkness podcast. Watch streaming B horror movies and horror hosts 24-7 for free. Listen to free audiobooks I've narrated. Send me your own true story of something paranormal that's happened to you or someone you know and more. You can find it all at WeirdDarkness.com. Now, bolt your doors lock your windows, turn off your lights and come with me into the Weird Darkness. In the summer of 1920, six young Boy Scouts and their scout master set out for a camping trip in the woods near Charlottesville. It was the boys' first outing with this new leader. Unfortunately, the scout leader was neither familiar with the forest they were hiking through, nor had he heard the tales of the mysterious witch or ghost in the area. For this reason, they unknowingly passed on to the witch's property at Dunlora and decided this seemed like a suitable place to camp for the evening. At first, everything went okay. The group set up their tents, cooked dinner, and when night fell, they all went to bed. It was the last night the troop ever spent together. At least, alive. Late in the evening, the scout leader stirred awake due to a strange noise. He thought something odd occurred in one of the tents nearby. Initially, he assumed it was just the boys playing a game or goofing around and got up to tell them to cut it out and go to sleep. However, when the scout master went to the tents, he found they were empty. The boys were not inside the tents and there was no sign of what happened to them. Still thinking it was a prank, the scout master called out for the boys to return, but only received silence in return. Now worried, he began to venture into the woods, screaming their names and searching for any sign of them. He found nothing at all and he began to fear for the boys' safety. Then, in the distance, he saw a single light flickering. With nothing left to do, the scout master followed it, hoping that he would find the boys there. As he emerged from the woods, the scout leader found he was standing in front of a large mansion or farmhouse. It was beautiful, but appeared abandoned. There was dust everywhere as he walked up to the porch. Spiderwebs lined the windows and doors. The front door was wide open and as he entered, he saw the furniture was old and touched. He suspected the place was vacant. He searched the house, calling for the scouts, but they did not reply. He found no sign of them. Turning to leave, he thought he heard a small voice, a child's voice, coming from the cellar of the house. He descended the stairs and found a large empty room with no one at all inside. He was again going to leave when he saw what looked like a boy scout's hat lying on the ground. Just then, he heard a sound from the stairs and turned around, hoping to find the boys there waiting for him. What he saw instead made him scream. There, only inches from the scout master's nose was the leering face of a witch. The light from the scout leader's flashlight showed the witch smiling maliciously, her eyes gleaming and staring straight into her victim's soul. The witch's pointed teeth glistened in the darkness. The scout master, as you might guess, shrieked and rushed out of the cellar, up the stairs and out of the house. He fled back into the woods, searching for a road so he could get help. Behind him, he heard sounds suggesting a pursuit. Even as he found the road, whenever he looked back, he could see the intense eyes of the witch getting closer. Once when he turned around to run further from her, he saw something even more frightening. All the scouts standing in a row on the dirty road. Their eyes stared at him, unmoving. With all the boys' stomachs carved open and their entrails dropping out onto the road, it was about this time the scout leader lost consciousness. Eventually, the police showed up. They found the scout master curled up on the road, babbling nonsensically. It seemed he had lost his sanity and kept talking about the disemboweled boy scouts. Once the cops coaxed a little bit of information from the poor man, they located the camp. When they arrived, however, a grisly scene awaited them. Inside the tents were all the boy scouts. Their stomachs slashed open as they rested atop their sleeping bags. Some lacked intestines and the authorities later found these organs in the still hot fire. Adjacent to the fire was a knife belonging to the scout master. The blood of the scouts still glistening on it. Police arrested the scout leader for murder shortly after. As he was too insane to stand trial, the scout master entered an asylum for the rest of his days. He never stopped alleging the witch killed the boys, as if to support his claim something strange happened only a short time later. On the Dunlora property, seven fully grown trees suddenly appeared one day by the side of the road. They stood in a row, six of them straight, but one was twisted and gnarled. The six regular trees supposedly contained the spirits of the dead boy scouts. Their souls trapped there by the witch for all eternity. The last tree is said to confine the broken mind of the poor scout leader, claimed by the witch when he fainted. Those trees allegedly still stand on the property to this day, acting as a warning for any who would even think to stop for the night in the nearby woods. We'll look more closely at this ghostly Virginia legend when Weird Darkness returns. Have you seen the Monster Channel? It has horror hosts, be horror movies, retro television commercials, and a whole lot more. You can watch it anytime 24-7-365 for free on the Monster Channel page at WeirdDarkness.com. That's also where we hold our Weirdo Watch parties each month. You'll be hearing about those pretty soon. Get your monster movie fixed for free on the Monster Channel page at WeirdDarkness.com. Now let's return to our story. To catch you up, on the Dunlora property, seven fully grown trees suddenly appeared one day by the side of the road. They stood in a row, six of them straight, but one was twisted and gnarled. The six regular trees supposedly contain the spirits of the dead boy scouts. Their souls trapped there by the witch for all eternity. The last tree is said to confine the broken mind of the poor scout leader, claimed by the witch when he fainted. Those trees allegedly still stand on the property to this day, acting as a warning for any who would even think to stop for the night in the nearby woods. Some say that around the 1900s a woman who may or may not have relations with the original family acquired the house. However this woman was not just a simple plantation owner. Instead she was a witch, an evil one. She lived covertly in the house, letting it fall into disrepair and shambles. Some people even say she died there and it was only her ghost inhabiting the property. People in the area know to steer clear of the witch's property. Some did occasionally camp in the woods but they gave her property a wide margin. However the witch's lands were still beautiful and covered in forests. The place seemed inviting to those unaware of her legend. It was only a matter of time before someone ventured too close for her comfort. Since then the Dunlora property became a small private community and the houses itself were incredibly high prices. However this has not stopped the place from being a hotbed of paranormal activity. Many people ventured into the woods in search of the historic haunted mansion looking for the place the scouts died. It is said if you go there you will feel a dark presence in the area and perhaps even see the spirit of the witch watching you. In one account strange things happened with the trees and bizarre sounds surfaced. When driving down the old dirt road you count eight trees in a row driving back up the road you only count seven. We decided to stop the car in the middle of the road and roll down the windows. Not two minutes later we heard the boys screaming. We rolled up the windows locked the doors and sped out of there. Of course this fascinating and dark tale has a little problem. The story spread around on Facebook in 2016 but there's not much of a written record of it before then. Many maps list the dirt road that leads to the farmhouse and plantation but the farmhouse itself doesn't appear to have a fixed address. Although the legend is fascinating it has not made the residents of Dunlora very happy. They say teens cruise through the area in search of ghosts and sometimes trespass on their property even cause damage. Because there is no exact location for the Dunlora mansion it leads people to traipse all over the private community which is a few hundred houses in size. As for the actual owners of the property they are anything but pleased with the notoriety. While the witch may not drive kids away the living owners certainly will. The caretaker Kenny Taylor said the plantation has been here since 1730 it's been in the hands of the same family ever since then. I've heard the stories before but nothing from the family itself or anything about Boy Scouts. We just tell people that it's private property and we live here that it's not abandoned and to please respect our privacy. The history of the area called Dunlora is still greatly shrouded in mystery. What we do know however is it's one of the oldest established places in Charlottesville and perhaps even Virginia itself. The land given to Major Thomas Carr for services to the crown dates back to 1724. Builders constructed a farmhouse sometimes called a mansion on the land in 1730 which supposedly housed not only the wealthy but many slaves as well. There are even rumors of a slave graveyard near the premises possibly adding to the evil energy that many feel as they pass the property. Here are some of the weird news stories that made it to the Weird Darkness website the past few days. You can find links to these stories by clicking on WeirdNews at WeirdDarkness.com. Some scientists are claiming that the Mayan civilization did not disappear after all and in fact the Mayan society still exists to this day. They claim it was not society that fell into decay but the political system that they used. Yes and apparently their gosh awful calendar. The First Lady of Japan has stated publicly that she believes she was abducted by aliens. This is the wife of the Prime Minister of Japan saying this. In 2009 then 62 year old Miyuki Hatayama wife of Japan's Prime Minister-elect Yukio Hatayama came under scrutiny for what she wrote in a book entitled Very Strange Things I've Encountered. Hatayama wrote about the experience that happened to her two decades before. She said while my body was asleep I think my soul rode on a triangle shaped UFO and went to Venus. The retired actress and author of cookbooks also claimed to recognize the actor Tom Cruise from another life. So it's probably a good thing the Prime Minister has changed over there since then. Because we all know Tom Cruise is not from Venus, he's from Neptune. A person looking at a house and taking photos of it apparently captured what looks like a ghost, which might make sense, saying as the house the person was looking at is known to be haunted. The person was even warned about it by the realtor showing it to them. The house used to be a Civil War Army hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee and now it is somebody's home. The photo is definitely creepy if you want to look at it yourself and read more of the story. I do have that weird news section of WeirdDarkness.com. Most homes that are haunted are debatable. Are they really haunted or not? But you really got to stand up and take notice when the realtor has to warn you about it. Wildlife officials at Yellowstone National Park want to know what's gotten into the park's wolves after two were seen biting grizzly bears on their butts. They actually caught video of this happening if you want to see it. Obviously, too many college students have been vacationing in Yellowstone and they were a bad influence, so now the wolves are hazing new pack members before accepting them. Japan's Daisuki Hori claims that he has trained his mind and body to function on just 30 minutes of sleep a day without getting tired and has formed the Japan Short Sleeper Association to teach others how to lower their daily sleeping time so they can enjoy life more. Honestly, this sounds kind of dumb to me. I mean, sleeping, that's my favorite part of the day. Why would I want less of that? Teach me how to do everything I need to do all day in just 30 minutes so I can spend the other 23 hours and 30 minutes of sleep. Then you're talking. You can find links to these stories and others in the Weird News section at WeirdDarkness.com. Singer Elvis Presley was a beloved artist who died tragically young. And as a result, there are many Elvis conspiracy theories circulating on the internet. Was Elvis Presley murdered? Did he fake his own death? According to official reports, Presley unceremoniously died in his bathroom at Graceland on August 16, 1977. The official cause of death was a heart attack, but it was later revealed he had a strong concoction of prescription drugs in his body. Police did not investigate, and photos were not taken at the scene because there were no signs of suicide. Foul play was not believed to be a factor either. Yet some have never been able to come to terms with his death. It's been a source of fascination ever since the day he passed. Elvis death theories range from the plausible to the ridiculous. Many conspiracy theorists think that he pretended to die in order to live a life out of the spotlight. Others think he's working under cover with the federal government. Super fans have tracked presley sightings over the years and often present evidence that they believe definitely proves the king of rock and roll still walks among us. The first bit of evidence, Priscilla Presley recently spoke with the king. Many believe that Elvis is still alive because his ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, inadvertently told a talk show audience in 2005 that she recently had a conversation with it. Presley let it slip that she spoke to him while being interviewed on Oprah Winfrey's show. She was sitting on the couch with her daughter Lisa Marie and she said he too grew up poor and that's exactly what he said the other day. Did she mean what she said or was it just a Freudian slip? The spelling of his middle name causes many to believe that there's something suspicious about his grave. It remains that Graceland are marked with a plaque that says Elvis Aaron Presley. When Elvis wrote his middle name he spelled it A-R-O-N without the extra A at the beginning and this led some to believe that Elvis wasn't actually buried there because the plaque and his grave has two A's for Aaron. However, it appears the king wanted his middle name to be spelled with two A's all along. Graceland's spokeswoman Dana Yarmowicz told the Associated Press in 1997 that Presley's middle name was originally spelled with one A to match the name of his stillborn twin brother Jesse Garan. Presley always wanted it spelled with two A's like it was in the Bible. When Presley located his birth certificate he discovered somebody had inadvertently spelled it A-A-R-O-N and he was happy about that. He then started using two A's when he wrote his middle name. Did the mob order a hit on Elvis? Actress Susanna Lee started alongside Presley in Paradise Hawaiian style. She heard many conspiracy theories surrounding Presley's passing, many of which indicated that he had been slain. Prior to his demise, Presley was allegedly involved in an FBI investigation and given the code name Fountain Pen. The case involved billions of dollars and organized crime and Presley was allegedly an unwitting victim of the scheme. The singer was expected to provide some evidence in the case before his passing. According to Lee, the FBI was tasked with making sure Presley was safe. Some believe the circumstances surrounding his demise were suspect. A member of Presley's security detail and a former police sergeant named Dick Grubb was convinced the mob ordered a hit on Presley because they were afraid the evidence Presley would reveal in court. Grubb believed someone inside Presley's inner circle let the individual responsible for his passing in the house. And then there is the wax figure conspiracy. In 1994, a conspiracy group called the Presley Commission claimed that a wax dummy that appeared to be sweating was buried inside Presley's coffin. The group was convinced the king was being hunted by the mafia and in order to escape he chose to go into witness protection. The commission said Presley's manager perished in the Graceland bathroom and the wax dummy in the coffin was kept cool through an elaborate ruse involving hidden fans and dry ice. A small group believe Elvis may have killed himself either on purpose or accidentally. At the time of his passing, Presley was reportedly depressed. He was overweight, unhealthy, and heavily using drugs. His marriage to Priscilla had failed and he was afraid to go on tour because of the way he looked. By some estimates he weighed 350 pounds. His handlers took care of him and he was administered a drug cocktail several times throughout the night and day. But according to some conspiracy theorists on the day of his passing, Presley took several pills and injections all at once possibly causing his death. He could still be hiding today. Conspiracy theorist Mickey Moran believed Presley faked his own passing because someone was threatening to take his life. Moran wrote on his website, Since this is all about conspiracies, why not bring black helicopters into it? Many conspiracy theorists believe Presley wanted to live a life away from the spotlight. The only way he could do that was by faking his own demise. Their proof? Well, not long before his corpse was found in Graceland, a black helicopter arrived on his property. Presley allegedly got on board and traveled to Bermuda where he was never heard from again. But that doesn't explain the body that was found in the bathroom. And then there is the absurd home alone cameo. One of the more obscure conspiracy theories about Presley is that he appears as an extra in the 1990 film Home Alone. The scene in question involves Kate McAllister at an airport in Pennsylvania, standing behind her in line as a bearded man wearing a black shirt and brown blazer. Some believe that it's Presley making a cameo, and that his eyes and mouth give that away. In addition, in another part of the film, Kevin McAllister, played by McCully Culkin, smooths his hair back and sings White Christmas in the bathroom. Is it a reference to the king? It's unclear why Presley, if he was alive, would choose to appear in a film 13 years after his supposed passing. If you're trying to escape the public, purposefully placing yourself on a movie set is the last place you'd want to be, especially up close to the action as a featured extra. And this particular theory has been bumped easily. It's been shown the person in question was actually somebody director Chris Columbus bumped into one day and thought the man had a great look for background work. Maybe Elvis is undercover now, working for the DEA. Did the king fake his own passing to work undercover for the federal government? According to Elvisisalive.com, Presley met President Richard Nixon in 1970 and bonded with the president over their shared views against communism and drug use. Conspiracy theorists believe the president decided to make Presley a special agent in what is now called the Drug Enforcement Agency, DEA, and Presley's task was to secretly help the government combat drug abuse. This would also allow Presley to remove himself from the spotlight, and both he and the government would benefit. Considering he abused prescription drugs, this theory is a little hard to believe. Some believe he visited Graceland on his birthday. In January 2017, the Elvis Presley Alive Facebook page published a photo quote-unquote proving that the king was still walking this earth. The image was reportedly taken during a birthday tribute at Graceland. In the photos, a man purported to be Elvis sports a white beard and mustache and wears a black jacket and baseball cap. Some conspiracy theorists believe that he was being guarded by the security guards featured on his right-hand side in the photo, although personally I have seen the photo and it looks more like Santa Claus than Elvis to me. Perhaps his manager, Colonel Tom Parker, had him killed. Most before his passing, Presley decided to take a sabbatical and let go of half of his staff, including his manager, Colonel Tom Parker. The day after Presley perished, Parker signed a lucrative deal with Presley's father. He would receive half the earnings the Presley estate made following Elvis' demise. Parker, who served in the army but as a private, not a colonel, was discharged from service after having a psychotic breakdown in 1932, so it's possible that he had another breakdown and slayed the king of rock and roll. While he may have had motive to kill Presley, he wasn't at Graceland during Presley's passing, so this theory is most likely false. Maybe Elvis still lives at Graceland and works as the gardener. In 2016, video from Graceland surfaced showing a groundsman who looked kind of like Presley. The man is pictured with white hair and a ponytail. The YouTube channel that uploaded the video, The Shadow, claimed that Presley gave his fans a secret signal. Quote, pay close attention as he walks up to the cam. He raises his two fingers to the top of his left head as a proof of life signal. He told us he's alive with the simple V sign. He's giving us a clue that he knows we are all there watching him and to his most loyal fans that he is indeed with us. Quote. And finally, maybe Michael Jackson is still alive too and Elvis is living with him in an underground bunker. Okay, laugh all you want, but in 2009, the Daily Mail reported that a website claimed Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson were living together in a bunker. The website reported, surely you've heard of the secret seven-story deep bunker that Elvis Presley had built underneath Graceland prior to faking his own demise. MJ lives there now with Elvis and certain other dead celebrities. You don't have to be sad for him anymore. The bunker was supposedly underneath Graceland, Presley's former home. Honestly, as a fan of Elvis, I think all these theories do is tarnish the legacy of a great entertainer with a golden voice. The King is dead. Long live the King. When Weird Darkness returns, Elon Musk, the man with the dream of taking us to Mars, he was born on June 28, 1971. But 22 years before Elon was born, it was written that Elon mentioned by name would be a leader on Mars. That story is up next. If you're looking for Weird Darkness merchandise, you can find it in the Weird Darkness store. And no matter what you buy, 100% of the profits I receive from the store are donated to organizations that help people who struggle with depression. You can search through all the merchandise by clicking on store at WeirdDarkness.com. Werder von Braun in 1949 finished writing a book that he'd begun back in the 1940s, but it was not published for the first time until 1952. Elon Musk's plans to fly to Mars are widely publicized, but what is striking is that in addition to the calculations and drawings of rockets to fly to Mars, Braun's book contains a striking coincidence. Quote, the Martian government was run by 10 men whose leader was elected by popular vote for five years and was called Elon. Why did Braun use that particular name? After all, Elon Musk is Elon Musk. Would you agree that the name Elon is rare enough that it's just an amazing coincidence or is it a prophecy? This never-before-published science fiction novel by the original Rocket Man, Werner von Braun, combines technical facts with human history in a way that only a true dreamer can understand. Covering the entire story of the journey, this novel moves from the initial decision to go to Mars to the planning of the mission, the construction of mighty spaceships, the journey, the amazing discoveries made on Mars, and the return home. The author's attention to the actions and feelings of the characters, both those who left and those who stayed, make this a human-scale adventure, not just another sci-fi tale. Included with his exclusive von Braun treasure is a appendix with his original technical drawings from the late 1940s on which the story's plot is based. Here's the introduction to the book. It has long been recognized that Mars is the planet in our solar system most capable of supporting life. In 1949, when this book was written, Werner von Braun was convinced that an underground civilization existed on Mars that was more or less equal to our own, and it is a peaceful civilization, seeking neither conquest nor paranoia about attack. In this story of the first human mission to Mars, 10 spacecraft make the journey to the Red Planet. Up to a thousand missions to orbit Earth required to build, supply and fuel these 10 ships. This was an international collaborative project. The mission plan does not include a stay to colonize or set up a Martian base, which again is realistic for our first mission. Von Braun did a tremendous job preparing the plot for this story. The calculations and technical drawings he developed for the mission to Mars and on which he then based the story are included in the 65-page appendix to this book. This book can also be seen as a proposal for international cooperation in human missions to Mars. Von Braun clearly believed this was possible. The action of this story takes place in the 1980s and went to great lengths to prove it, both in his professional work and in his writing. When this story was written in 1949, a manned flight to Mars was considered science fiction for the average person, but very few today deny that it is possible. The reasons we still haven't done it are economic, not technical. And here's an excerpt from chapter 24 in the book. How Mars Is Ruled Long and tedious were the official receptions of the three Earthlings by the Martian authorities. Holt and his two companions finally found enough free time to compose for themselves a coherent picture of the great variety of new impressions with which their week of greetings had showered them. Not once did they feel any suspicion that their arrival from the depths of space might be due to anything other than the friendliest feelings and intentions. At first they thought that perhaps the Martian consciousness of absolute technical superiority over the Earthlings was the basis for the dignified courtesy and attention shown to them by the dignitaries. After all, an interplanetary visit could not have been an ordinary event even in their lives. But gradually, Holt and his companions began to realize that they were acting primarily out of entirely different motives. The pictures of life on Earth they were enjoying were to them only the final confirmation of the universal deep religious conviction that God had created man in his own image wherever he was. Earthmen's attempts to subjugate nature on their planet seemed to the Martians to be technically extremely primitive. The Martian government was run by 10 men whose leader was elected by popular vote for five years and called Elon. The two houses of parliament made the laws that Elon and his cabinet were to administer. The upper house was called the Council of Elders and consisted of only 60 people, each appointed by Elon for life, as vacancies occurred. up. Even professional listeners there to listen at all hours of the day. If you're having dark thoughts of harming yourself or worse, there's the suicide prevention lifeline that you can either call or chat online with anytime 24-7. The folks at ifred.org are doing what they can with research and education on depression to give us the tools we need to fight against it in the days ahead. These resources are absolutely free and they are there when you need them on the Hope in the Darkness page at WeirdDarkness.com. Just click on Hope in the Darkness at WeirdDarkness.com. Thanks for listening. If you like the show, be sure to subscribe to the podcast where you'll hear not only tonight's radio show, but also the extra sudden death content that I prepared that I didn't have time to fit in, like more weird news, answers to emails in the Chamber of Comments and more. And while the radio show is just one night per week, I upload episodes for the podcast seven days per week. And if you missed any part of tonight's radio show, my Patreon members get a copy of tonight's show immediately after it's over. You can become a patron and or subscribe to the free podcast at WeirdDarkness.com. You can follow the show on Facebook and Twitter at Weird Darkness. And please, tell your friends, family, co-workers and classmates about the show. Tell somebody you know who loves the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters or unsolved mysteries like you do. Telling others about Weird Darkness makes it possible for me to keep doing a show. If you'd like to be a part of the show, you can call the dark line, toll free with your own true paranormal story or a story that happened to somebody else. That number is 1-877-277-5944. Again, that number is toll free 1-877-277-5944. You can also email me anytime at Darren at WeirdDarkness.com. I read every email I receive. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Proverbs 10 verse 28, The prospect of the righteous is joy, but the hopes of the wicked come to nothing. And a final thought from Wanda Hope Carter. Take control of your destiny. Believe in yourself. Ignore those who try to discourage you. Avoid negative sources, people, places and habits. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness. Hey Weirdos, be sure to click the like button and subscribe to this channel and click the notification bell so you don't miss future videos. I post videos seven days a week. And while you're at it, spread the darkness by sharing this video with someone you know who loves all things strange and macabre. If you want to listen to the podcast, you can find it at WeirdDarkness.com.