Astonishing Legends

In tonight’s dead letter… Luke recounts a spooky camping trip with his brother and father where they found themselves surrounded by something both canine and ethereal. Despite being experienced outdoorsmen, they’re unable to defend themselves against whatever is encircling their campsite as the leader of this pack of animals stares intently at them, and has no reaction to shots fired in self-defense. LINKS: The Tule River Indian Tribe https://tulerivertribe-nsn.gov/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tule_River_Indian_Tribe_of_the_Tule_River_Reservation Black Dog https://www.thebarkingbugle.co.uk/the-black-dog-of-east-anglia/ The Barghest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barghest The Hellhound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellhound The Black Shuck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Shuck Original Reddit Post https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/55mhg6/surrounded_by_translucent_coyotes/ The KLF 3AM Eternal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_a.m._Eternal MOVIE REFERENCES: Jacob’s Ladder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob's_Ladder_(1990_film) BOOK REFERENCES: Wild Talents: By Charles Fort https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Talents_(book) The Silver Bridge (Collapse/Mothman Connection) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge PODCAST EPISODES: Let’s Not Meet https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/ https://crypticcountypodcasts.com/ Radiolab: You Are Here https://www.radiolab.org/podcast/110165-you-are-here Astonishing Legends: Are We Ever Alone? https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nLvVgPmouZsTAnuxepPMo?si=7eb6d9be9f9b4c14 Astonishing Legends: The Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0aPODiXAQaJwg5GePi7039?si=78bc91b6c0e14a3a OUR SPONSOR: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/dlo #rulapod Send YOUR story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

In 1988, the Knowles family’s journey across Australia’s remote Nullarbor Plain turned into a nightmare, when in the pre-dawn hours of January 20th, they encountered a glowing, egg-shaped object that chased their car along the Eyre Highway. They claimed the light emitted a high-pitched hum, filled the car with a gray mist, and lifted the vehicle off the road before dropping it, blowing out a tire. Fleeing in terror, they found the car dented and covered in black dust. A police officer confirmed their distress, and a truck driver reported seeing strange lights in the same area. What attacked the Knowles family that night? This week, we take a look. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In tonight’s dead letter… Veronica takes a ghost tour of an old jail in Charleston, South Carolina and has an intense encounter with a spirit there. She's able to describe this man in detail and later discovers the spirit is that of William Marcus, who was hanged at the jail for the murder of his wife. The experience was terrifying and shaped Veronica's path in understanding and protecting herself from many more unseen things she has crossed paths with in her life since then. The photo of William Marcus is from Charleston News and Courier (published as The News and Courier.) - August 4, 1906 - page 8.  LINKS: Facebook video where the video tour of the jail with the guide can be found, at 4:30 the image of William Marcus can be seen. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=198368942110180&rdid=DOvyBA9NGT8WMtSY Stella Maris Catholic Church https://stellamarischurch.org/ American Ghost Walks (Tour Company) https://www.americanghostwalks.com/ ASTONISHING LEGENDS EPISODES MENTIONED: The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts Part 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0R1h6Lw9GoAnMupP82zSrm?si=7f96f93019ef4976 The Vertical Plane Part 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/69ynhhVF8UrVzI1OI4Rsoy?si=d266bf2f5e064ca2 Send YOUR story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com 

In the cemetery of Christ Church Parish Church in Barbados stands a half-buried stone crypt infamous for its early 19th-century mystery. Between 1807 and 1812, several heavy, lead-lined coffins were placed inside, but each time the vault was reopened, the caskets were found disturbed — despite the massive stone door being sealed tight with no sign of entry. Governor Lord Combermere investigated in 1819, sealing the vault with his stamp, and spreading sand to catch footprints, but when it was opened again, the coffins had once more been thrown into chaos with the seals unbroken and the sand untouched. The bodies were removed soon after, and the vault sealed again, its mystery still unsolved. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In tonight’s dead letter, listener Trevor recounts a bizarre encounter while looking out the window one night. He saw a strange, bald, meditating figure with long pointed ears in his friend’s backyard. The figure then opened its eyes, grinned at him with pointed teeth, and hopped away into the woods. Trevor’s evening began with taking the psychedelic drug mescaline, but he has some experience with it, and has never experienced something interactive like this. Trevor is plain about the fact that he had been under the influence earlier in the evening, and maybe that’s the reason for what he saw, but he does also wonder if the drug lifted a veil to reveal a real being, especially when he connected his story to an older episode of Astonishing Legends where a listener encountered something very similar, while awake and completely sober. LINKS: Astonishing Legends - “Your True Halloween Stories, Part 3” with Mallory’s Storyhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/5q6pnT9fOeVof8hNIndYYi?si=3e6b159e281c4ba9 DMT: The Spirit Moleculehttps://www.simonandschuster.com/books/DMT-The-Spirit-Molecule/Rick-Strassman/9780892819270 Terence McKenna analysis on the Podcast: Midnight, On Earth https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ogRYNa6kWF6CKyUIkcnUl?si=23uwRaoCRNuXnrTqhSXw5A https://www.organism.earth/library/document/what-ive-learned-from-psychedelics Dr. Steve G. Jones - Astral Projection Hypnosishttps://stevegjones.com/buy/hypnosis-mp3s/astral-projection-platinum-mp3/ Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

In tonight’s dead letter… a listener shares their chilling encounters with "Die Fratzen," demonic faces that surfaced after a period of indulgence and self-disgust. These weren't just fleeting nightmares; they manifested as waking visions and doppelgangers, leading to a quest for spiritual help. The writer grapples with the possibility of mental health issues versus a genuine spiritual battle and how these experiences mirror those of Anneliese Michel, whom we covered a few years ago on Astonishing Legends. Links: Astonishing Legends: The Devil and Annaliese Michel P1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ZiRkT1ZfIyMBsUBAs1RDK?si=d044978fbf484d63 P2 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5k6UzW5Yku23D55QbcKGhl?si=cb39009d744f4dbd P3 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NHYwTl94InnHYREWpE044?si=bc43d397273d4176 Astonishing Legends: Sarah and the Spider Woman https://open.spotify.com/episode/38UXYglzND21RcSLQiTk1M?si=4e6f381273b34557 Unsolved Mysteries: Don Decker https://unsolved.com/gallery/don-decker/ Paranormal Witness: Don Decker https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2090999/ Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Explore the eerie tales of England's 'screaming skulls' that curse those who disturb them. From a haunting skull in Dorset that spells disaster to a railway project halted by Dickie's supernatural influence, these stories blur the line between folklore and reality. Uncover the tragic legend of a slave's skull at Bedescombe Manor, and delve into the mysterious origins of the names tied to these relics. With each skull, a unique narrative unfolds, revealing humanity's strange relationship with mortality and the past.

In tonight’s Dead Letter, you’ll hear a bizarre tale from rural Ohio, one of our favorite strange states, involving a creature known only as the "Lock Looker." This cryptid, with its orangutan-like build, glowing orange eyes, and famous movie scream, lurks near a dam and has been sighted by both the storyteller and their father. It may have been around a while. Join Scott and Forrest as they briefly debate the pronunciation of Orangutan and also delve into this multi-generational mystery. LINKS: Shelby County Parks (Home of Lockington Reserve)https://shelbycopark.org/lockington-reserve University of Zurich - Orangutan Callshttps://www.iea.uzh.ch/en/research/orangutannetwork/orangutancallrepertoires.html The actual one we played: https://www.iea.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:00000000-7c6e-90e4-ffff-ffff84c61003/Ref_Crying_and_Screaming_Jeri.mp3 R2-D2 Sound Design https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So0nmciiFJg Lyle Blackburnhttp://www.lyleblackburn.com/ Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

News from Scott and Forrest

In tonight’s dead letter… a VFW canteen worker in Michigan has a close encounter with a mysterious cowboy, complete with vintage attire and dollar coins. The stranger asks her to champion his cause of getting “shell shock” recognized for a Purple Heart. After the encounter, the letter he provides vanishes and the general he mentions turns out to be from the Civil War. Links: Jim Harold’s Roadhouse Saloon Campfire STory https://jimharold.com/the-roadhouse-saloon-from-the-files-of-jim-harolds-campfire/ The VFW https://www.vfw.org/ Shell Shock https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shell_shock PTSD https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-traumatic_stress_disorder PTSD as a Criteria for a Purple Heart https://www.dvidshub.net/news/520197/purple-heart-criteria-exclude-ptsd-defense-officials-say https://www.mghclaycenter.org/hot-topics/denying-purple-hearts-veterans-ptsd-2/ https://www.disabledveterans.org/purple-hearts-for-ptsd/ The ‘Seated Liberty’ Dollar https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seated_Liberty_dollar Some for sale on Ebay https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=seated+liberty+dollars+1840-1873&_sacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p4432023.m570.l1311 ‘The Edge of Tomorrow’ movie which references Verdun as an Alien Battle Site https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_of_Tomorrow Unsolved Mysteries: Paranormal Rangers https://www.imdb.com/title/tt22336540/