Swingers, a Creepy Man in Black, and More...

Yep, a very weird story!

Here's part 1.

And here's the second part.

 

A Strange Dream and a Weird Man in Black

That's the subject of a new article from me, which you can find at this link, and that starts as follows:

"Today, I’m on a bit of a 'weird dream' kick. By that, I mean there will be another dream-based article after this one. John Winterbauer is a friend of mine who I run into about once a year or so at conferences. At 8:43 a.m. on November 21, 2015 John sent me a text – while clearly in a state of some concern – that revolved around the story of a woman named Terry, who I interviewed a few years back. Her MIB-themed encounter makes for chilling reading. In part, Terry had told me: 'This encounter occurred during the day time thirty five years ago in 1977 at a Winchell’s in Sunnyvale California, I was just sixteen years of age at the time. My best friend and I had just finished our coffee and were heading for the doorway to leave. As we were passing a man seated at one of the tables, he reached out and firmly grabbed my wrist. In that moment my first reaction was to jerk away from his grip, but looking down at him I realized that he was a very old man and I felt in that moment that he was harmless. He was dressed in black wearing an old fashioned hat and suit, his clothing looked like it was from the 1930’s. He was extremely pale, very thin and appeared to be very old, I guessed in his 80’s or 90’s.'

A Few More New Articles...

1. Viruses in reality and in the world of zombies.

2. An explanation for the Puerto Rican Chupacabra?

3. From "The Dead to Dead 2."

4. Photographing a Man in Black.

5. Three potential expeditions of the cryptozoological kind.

High-Strangeness in Defiance, Ohio

My two latest articles at Mysterious Universe have a connection: the location. Namely, the small city of Defiance, Ohio, the population of which is around 17,000.

In the 1960s, Defiance was visited by a mysterious Man in Black and in 1972, a werewolf prowled around the area by night and for a couple of months.

Yep, seriously weird!

That's me hanging out - last summer - at the site where the werewolf was mainly seen - an old stretch of railroad tracks...

Mad Gasser or Mad Man in Black?

That's the question I ask in a new article at Mysterious Universe. You can find it at this link, and here's how it starts (the photo above shows my various books on the MIB, including overseas editions):

Back in the 1940s, the people of Mattoon, Illinois were plagued by a sinister character that became known as the Mad Gasser of Mattoon. The name was a very apt one: the mysterious figure gassed his victims, as a means to gain entry to their property, and to take advantage of whatever caught his eye. His actions followed a similar wave of attacks – in the 1930s – in Botetourt County, Virginia. But, today at least, let’s focus on the later events. On the night of August 31, 1944, a man named Urban Raef was overcome by a mysterious gas that provoked sickness, weakness, and vomiting. Despite Mr. Raef’s fear that there was a gas leak in the house, such was not the case. Rafe’s wife – to her horror – found herself briefly paralyzed.

Also among the Gasser’s victims, was Mrs. Bert Kearney, who lived in Mattoon, too. On September 1, 1944, and approximately an hour before the witching-hour struck, Mrs. Kearney was hit by what was described as a “sickening, sweet odor in the bedroom.” As was the case with Mrs. Raef, the “gas” caused temporary paralysis in her legs. It also resulted in a burning sensation to her lips, and a parched feeling in her mouth.