Ghosl Trackers Newsleller !• •I . ... \ .... . ....... l' . ...... ' Vol1.0 No.1 Februar1y9 91 GRS Editors page: Welcome to another addition of the Ghost Trackers Newsletter! I would like to make the following announcement; Howard Heim has been promoted to the post of Research Director of the GRS. He has been a long-standing and loyal member of the organization and has attended every lecture, psychic fair, field excursion and bus tour that he could to attempt to learn everything there was to be learned about parapsychology and ghost research. He will function as my right-hand man and will receive brand new leads which he will be able to do research and investigation on and later report back to me. We are still looking for State Coordinators, Area Research Directors and Field Investigators in many states including Illinois. If you are interested in any of the above, call or write for further information. Thanks to: Tom Perrott for his photographs, books and clippings; Richard Locke for the Dowsers information, Halloween card, Fate article and D. Scott Rogo's obituary; F.S. Miller for the Halloween card and clippings; Howard Heim for the design for the ghost tour flyers and the distribution of the same, clippings, Chicago maps and telephone books, and the many articles including - "A Visit With Uri Geller", "Myths About Science and Belief in • • • • the Paranormal"; Rochelle Zaszczurynski for the psychic photograph; Judy Arrigo for the strange photograph taken at Robinson Woods on the recent group tour she was a part of; and all those people who sent me Christmas cards. Merry Christmas and have a Happy New Year! This issue is dedicated to the memory of parapsychologist, author and psychic researcher, D. Scott Rogo. Colleagues and the public were shocked to learn of the death by stabbing by an unknown assailant on August 17th. Neighbors noticing that the sprinkler in his backyard had been running for several days, alerted police who found the body in his California apartment. He had been scheduled to speak at a conference in Maryland the weekend that the body was found. Rogo was author of many books on psi and paranormal investigations and a frequent participant in seminars and conferences on parapsychology. His books dealt with telepathy, clairvoyance, precognition, ESP experiences and investigations and he contributed articles to a number of publications; among the most recent were those appearing in Fate magazine on NOEs and UFO research. As yet, there have been no clues and no arrests made in the case, which appears to have been break-in and burglary. He will be greatly missed! Since the last issue we have added six new members and have received renewals from four members. Welcome aboard or welcome back, we're glad to have you as a part of the GRS! 1 Ghost Research Society Excursions Into The Unknown tours went incredibly well last year as it was our biggest and best year to date. There was, as always, a wealth of new material and next year promises to be even better as it will most likely be a Northside tour. The long-awaited Overnight Haunted Indiana Ghost Tour is now in the planning stages. Watch for additional details in the near future. We are also planning a Strange Mysteries conference for early Spring. This will consist of a day-long series of lectures by various experts in a variety of paranormal fields including: parapsychology, UFOs, Bigfoot, Atlantis, etc. I have also been contacted by CBS from California concerning a hour long weekly series tentatively entitled "Real Ghosts". The first episode is scheduled for mid-February on all local CBS stations. They are in the planning stages of doing a Chicago episode which would include the GRS and myself. New Contributing Members include: Richard Friedmann, Brian J. Prichard, Martin w. Hurl, Michael D. Okin, Robert A. Emery, and Phyllis C. Butcher. New Sustaining Members are: Dr. David A. Gotlib, Bill Fuller, John Winson, Frank J. Pavlica, John Burke, Ronald Byrd, Jr. , Gemara Cetnarowicz and Tommy Distler. Those interested in Active Research include: Chesti na Stewart, Mike Shannon, Julie Greenholdt, Brian J. Prichard and Gemara Cetnarowicz. The November issue of Fate Magazine featured Chicagoland ghost hunters including myself and the GRS. The article was written by member Paul Miller and was an excellent job of compiling. Great work Paul! For those interested in obtaining a copy of the newest song about Resurrection Mary, Chicago's most famous ghost, send a postcard to: RSR Record Company, PO Box 302, Winthrop Harbor, Il., 60096 and request availability and prices. We will soon be finished with another special interest directory entitled National Register of Haunted Houses. Flyers will be sent out as soon as the finishing touches are added. The Newsletter of the Quarter is Thresholds, published six times a year by College of Metaphysics, Windyville, Mo. 65 7 83. Subscriptions are $13.40/1 year; $23.30/2 yeats. 2 The Wild Hunt in Folklore and Ghostlore By Tom Perrott In a previous article on "Screaming Skulls", I suggested that the many legends abounding on that theme, might well be traced back to the Celts' pre-occupation with the Human head, as a focal point of their religion. The legend of the Wild Hunt with fatal consequences for its beholders, is another ancient superstition, which is thought to have originated in Anglo-Saxon times. In the years pre-dating the introduction of Christianity into the country, it was the general belief that on stormy Winter nights, the Norse God Odin chased across the sky, in the guise of a mounted Huntsman, accompanied by a pack of baying hounds, sometimes believed to have been the metamorphosed souls of prematurely dead babies. It was commonly thought that anyone who beheld the Wild Hunt, would instantly be transported to some foreign land, and that if that person were rash enough to address the Huntsman himself, the results would almost certainly be dire, and most likely fatal. As a result of Christianity becoming the established religion of the land, many of the ancient gods were demoted to the rank of mere devils, and the role of the Huntsman was identified with that of Satan himself. In some areas the huntsmens' horses appear to have transformed themselves into 'headless' horses, often with a headless driver, driving a phantom coach. Again we are faced with the element of 'headlessness'. Could this again be an example of the survival of our Celtic beliefs, or could it be a long-forgotten Folk memory of an ancient sacrificial ritual involving decapitation. Sometimes it has been said that the expression 'headless', was a misnomer for 'heedless', especially where the driving speeds of the spectral Coachmen were concerned. Soon after the orthodox theological conception of a live devil started to recede, the identity of the Huntsman was sometimes merged into that of a National Hero, such as the freebooter Sir Francis Drake, whose phantom coach is sometimes alleged to have been seen driving furiously across the wild and rugged heathland of Dartmoor, in the South Western County of Devon. The Wild Hunt was sometimes referred to as the 'Wisht Hunt' and the hounds were known as 'Wisht Hounds'. Deep in the middle of Dartmoor is to be found one of its most haunted spots, which to this day is known as 'Wishtman's Wood'. Here may be seen ancient trees spreading into all sorts of grotesque shapes, while growing from moss-covered granite boulders, so old that they must have ·witnessed the Dawn of our island's history. From this dreaded spot the awful Wisht Hunt may sometimes be seen at midnight, led by the Devil or Dewer, as he is sometimes known locally. He is mounted on his black headless horse, sometimes accompanied by an entourage of demon Huntsmen. More often he hunts alone with his red-eyed and 3 slavering Wisht Hounds. So dreadful are they, that if anyone sees them, they cannot be expected to survive the year. Their immediate aim is to hunt the souls of unbaptised babies, some saying that the hounds themselves are such souls, transformed into hellish shapes. Again in the same area, a true sentinel on watch over the centuries, is the Great Hound Tor, a tor being a high rock or pile of stones and rocks deposited on the tops of hills, as a result of primeval volcanic activity, and very common in Devon. It is said that the rocks here resemble a pack of hounds in full cry, but suddenly turned to stone. Space does not permit me to quote further examples, but there is plenty of evidence to show that the legends of the Wild Hunt are still very much alive, and have formed a very important feature in the lives of our ancestors, and had they been but passing fancies, they would not have so nobly withstood the ravages of time. Some purists in the field of Parapsychology may think that the matters discussed in this article are irrelevant, where scientific investigations are concerned, but let them bear in mind the fact that many of the cases of inexplicable phenomena experienced today, may well have their roots in the Folklore memories of yesterday. Submitted by: Tom Perrott 93 The Avenue Muswell Hill London NlO 2QG United Kingdom 4 Circles In The Fields--Kansas City Style By Maurice Schwalm Copyright 1991 The Kansas City Star has carried two articles on a circle flap that occurred on the night of September 14, 1990. The first report dealt with a 50-foot circle near Bates City, Missouri. The second one dealt with three more circles that were reported to the Star after the original report was printed. One was to the southeast of the city and the other two were to the west of Kansas City. The circle near Bates City, which is to the east of the city, was in a sorghum field as was the one to the southeast; the other two were in pastures. In all four cases, just as in the English reports of this nature, the vegetation was flattened in a uniform pattern. There were no obvious indications of soil or crop contamination nor was it obvious that a microburst or other vortex wind pattern was involved. The Star did not speculate beyond that except to point out that there were no claims of an UFO being seen at the time. The Star did mention one of the anomalies of the case in passing which is that the Bates City circle had expanded from its original shape to an irregular area the size of a football field! This event alone would distinguish it from most of its British peers. But there is more. Two witnesses heard something on the morning of September 13. One, a retired school teacher, heard what he describes as "a loud sweeping sound as over cement" that seemed to be moving towards the northeast, which would be in the direction of Bates City as it passed over his farm which is located on the highest point in the county. There was no motor sound. It seemed to be an updraft although no light objects in his house were disturbed. Somehow, he was elated by the sound which lasted some two seconds. He then called his neighbors across the road. The neighbor in question is an environmental biologist who just happened to be home that morning. She also heard the sound which she could only describe as a non-motorized "whoosh". She was embarrassed she could not find a more scientific adjective for the sensation. She pointed out that all of them on the hilltop were more familiar with low-flying aircraft than they wished to be as a result of their proximity to Whiteman AFB. Troop-carrying transports pass that low on occasion, but the motor sounds are unmistakable. There seemed to be an upward air pressure with the sound, but no light objects in her house were disturbed. She went outside and looked in all directions from her hilltop vantage point but saw nothing. She had no further thoughts about the matter until the morning of September 15 when she saw helicopters in the air to the northea&t over Bates City. After spotting the aerial activity, she went to the site with her husband, who is also an environmental biologist, and her neighbor, the retired school teac· her. She and her husband both 5 noted there was an extraordinary lack of insect activity in the field but could draw no conclusion from that fact. The retired teacher showed her a "find" from the field which further pointed up the biological dimension of the phenomenon. He had found a frog that was still green but totally desiccated--devoid of bodily fluids. She also noted that the stalks of sorghum were softened at the base which would cause them to fall for lack of support. She saw no indication of trampling of the crop which would inevitably cause breakage of the stalks. She said, "If I wanted to generate this condition experimentally, I would subject the plants to infrared radiation which would heat the soil and weaken the stalks at the base only". The investigator then found that other Great Plains states had similar but yet distinguishable phenomena in the same time frame. In South Dakota, there had been a rash of healthy gras� circles formed of a gray powdery substance. He was able to obtain a sample which proved to be a fungus of the subkingdom mycota which, among other things, is to be found in the alimentary canals of insects. Then he found that in North Dakota there were grass circles that appeared to have been grubbed. The conventional UFO-logical explanation here, of course, is robotic sampling. Also to be found in North Dakota, are 100-foot circles which have been burned off. Farmers burn off fields to produce ash as a fertilizer. It then occurred to the investigator that the entire circle phenomenon might relate to biochemistry, rather than robotics and an attempt to communicate with Homo Sapiens by an "unknown intelligence" as some circle researchers have theorized. That concept is certainly cogent considering that some of the circles are as complex as pictograms! The investigator's model is that of a "Spacebug". That is, a transparent insectoid bioform whose behavior is shaped by chemical needs and capabilities that are unlike those of primate life forms. The geometric marchings and constructions of social insects would then be a precedent for the patterns in the fields. The circles could be formed using chemically generated infrared energy for the simple purpose of foraging the insect life at the base of the fields. They would then be insectivorous (insect eating) "insects". Ash would be used for fertilizing their camouflaged hives and fungus their waste products. Their "message" would then be that they wish to join our forest web ecology! The best way to confirm this hypothesis, would be to make insect counts in the circles as soon as they form. Alternatively, we could try to band one. The attempt would surely prove interesting since they appear to have ESP powers as well as prodigious chemical powers • • • • Submitted by: Maurice Schwalm PO Box 3522 Kansas City, Ks. 66103-0522 6 A Ghostly Encounter By Eugene Trundy I've told only two people of my experience with whom I believe to have been a ghost, a female, young woman of approximately 19-21 years of age. Because no one believed me, I was labeled as a partial "nut" to them, but I'm glad you find said experiences important enough to investigate, so it eases my mind quite a bit. My encounter with her was but one and a half to two hours long, and was in a small town in the state of Washington (Stillwater). (See map on last page) The town was just on the other side of Snoqualmie Pass. It has been four years since the encounter, but her name and description I recall very well. In this little town, is a old diesel fired steam locomotive that makes a run from Stillwater to Seattle-Tacoma, and then back again, (a tourist run) I call it. Jill Parker, the girl, entertained my person in the travel trailer as I drank beer. She drank too, or so I thought! I had consumed approximately five cans of Coors Beer, and her as well. I had bought a case. My habit was to put the empties back in the case. Each can· she emptied, I put back in the case. They did feel, and were empty, so between her and I, ten cans of beer were drank. Two hours later, I finally got up the courage to ask her out for a night on the town. She said yes, and would be my escort. She said she had to go home, and would I drive her there, as she liked to change her clothing and that I could pick her up at 7:30 pm. I brought her to the road to her house, but she wouldn't let me drive down the road or let me see her home at all. I obliged her request and told her in my final words; our final words to each other, "I'll meet you here then at 7:30, okay?" She replied, "I hope so". Then I left and went to a bar parking lot and inside to get a meal. It was one of those cafe-saloon type businesses that dominate the West. I did NOT have any liquor at all while there! I swear it's the truth. 7:30 came but before I left said parking lot, I went to take some beer out of the twelve pack racks and put it in the travel trailer refrigerator. That's when something was noted by me as being· odd. There should have been only fourteen full cans of beer left but I counted only five empty cans, though the two of us had consumed a total of ten beers. Well, I thought it over on my way to pick her up but couldn't come up with any logical answers, nor had I replaced what I thought, and saw her drink. Upon arriving at the corner where I'd dropped her off previously, I noted she wasn't there. I stayed there for about 15- 20 minutes, then thought I'd better go down to her house. I noted the road was a dead end road, but had a partial foundation left 7 over where a house once stood on it. The house itself was run-down and obviously had not housed anyone for quite sometime. It was deserted. The windows and doors were intact. No vandalizing of any kind. I called out to her, but no answer. I thought she may have been a female "tramp" just "crashing" in that house, and decided to leave. I went to the bar again, thinking she might have gone there, but I didn't see her. I looked into stores and the one other cafe in town. Nothing 1 Finally I went back to the bar-cafe, ordered up a drink after the manager said I could park on his property for the night. That's when things started emerging. The manager knew I was a tourist, asked my name and how I was doing. We talked back and forth. I mentioned to him my date and the fact that she stood me up. I can only recall his name on his shirt as being Bill. He immediately turned around, drew a full­ size pitcher of beer, filled a mug for himself and then set the pitcher down in front of me. He said, "Drink, and when that's empty, there's·more where that came from. It's on the house." I must have looked quite shocked to him because of his gesture. He also offered me "any food in the house" I may have desired'. That's when I learned about Jill Parker. He started telling me, "Did you recall going by a school on your left on the way to her road?" I told him yes. He said that you're going to be waiting for a long time for her if you do wait at all. Jill isn't a human anymore. She's not alive in physical form as you or I are. She died back in 1976, ten years ago. He then went on to tell me that she had taken her life in suicide after her son was killed by a car coming out of the school yard by a teenager from the same school. The school served as both a grade school and a high school. The police had come to her house to inform her of her sons death. She didn't want to go to the police station, so they brought his body to her house to identify. After identification, she apparently told the officials she'd be ok, that she was strong and that she would be down later. She was supposed to meet someone at 6:30 that evening but never saw them because whomever was to meet with her, found her outside on the ground dead from an overdose of medication. I was told that Miss Parker will occasionally strike up a meeting with people from out of town, tourists, salesmen, and at times has been seen at the school calling for her son Ricky. They'll walk back towards the abandoned house, then disappear. Sounds of little Ricky and her ghost occasionally are heard in or around the house. His toys outside are noticeably moved from time to time and the swing out back moves back and forth. No one will say where she is buried, but her son and her are buried in the same coffin. Bill also says, no one cares to talk about it because it was too tragic for the small town. All the speed signs now say 25 MPH since then. I hope you will believe me, as I needed to share my past experience with someone who'll believe me. I'm not crazy, just glad someone out there has started said society. 8 Submitted by: Eugene Trundy 200 Main St. Box A Thomaston, Me. 04861 9