by Leslie Rule
The soft rumble of the train in motion must have had a relaxing effect, and Grace likely daydreamed about her future throughout the trip. By winter, she would have a sweet baby in her arms, and the handsome husband by her side would adore their child.
Grace was not privy to the thoughts in Chester’s head. While she contemplated her new life, he was planning her death.
They stayed at the Glenmore Hotel on Big Moose Lake, and Chester suggested they rent a rowboat. Grace could not swim, but she had her fiancé to protect her. The romantic scenario sounds like something in a Monet painting. The lazy summer afternoon. The deep lake, reflecting shades of green. Chester, his muscles flexing with each pull of the oars, and Grace, her delicate fingers trailing in the water.
No one knows the exact moment when the tranquil scene changed, but by evening, the lifeless body of Grace was resting on the bottom of the lake, her long hair waving with each ripple. Soon after the body was discovered, Chester was fingered as a suspect.
The joyful winter that Grace had imagined would never arrive. Instead, November saw the beginning of the murder trial for the man she had loved. It was a feeding frenzy for reporters, who flocked to the courtroom for the scandalous details the public waited to hear. Chester swore that he had not killed Grace. It was suicide, he insisted. The troubled woman had leapt from the boat and intentionally drowned herself.
But the smoking gun in this case was a bloody tennis racket, found hidden in the shrubs beside the lake. Prosecutors maintained that Chester had struck his unsuspecting victim on the head before dumping her in the water. A jury found Chester Gillette guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced him to death. He was strapped to the death chair and electrocuted on March 30, 1908.
The murder inspired books and movies, including the book and film An American Tragedy and the movie A Place in the Sun.
If Lynda Lee Macken had ever seen the old movies, she did not connect them with the wilderness retreat to which she and her best friend, Bridgett, had traveled. They had chosen Big Moose Lake, because it was the area where a favorite author had built a cabin.
“We had no idea there had been a murder there,” she said. They checked into Covewood Lodge and chose a rustic cabin near the lake. “We spent a day canoeing,” said Lynda. “The water was crystal clear, and you could see all the way to the bottom.”
The friends were awed by the wildlife as they watched black bears wandering in the distance on the edge of the ancient forest. “Yet, I felt uneasy from the moment we arrived,” confided Lynda. She was uncharacteristically jumpy. She found herself afraid to look out the windows at night when darkness swallowed their cabin. “I slept with the lights on,” she said.
She didn’t know what to make of it when the fresh batteries in her flashlight, camera, and clock were suddenly and inexplicably dead. “That was before I knew anything about ghosts, so I didn’t realize that they drain batteries,” she said.
She was headed to the gazebo by the lakeside when the batteries in her flashlight died. The moonless night offered no light, and the darkness was as black as ink. She stumbled back to the cabin and asked Bridgett to grab her flashlight and join her. As they sat in the gazebo, the low, eerie calls of the loons filled the night. “I was trying to tell Bridgett something, and she kept interrupting,” remembered Lynda. “I was getting really annoyed, because she kept pointing to the mist on the lake.”
“Look!” said Bridgett. “The mist is headed this way. Oh, look! It’s stopping in front of that cabin!” She suddenly gasped. “Oh, my God! Look! It’s a ghost!”
Lynda turned her head to see the distinct form of a lovely woman floating above the water. Though translucent, the figure was vividly detailed. She did not seem to notice her awed observers. Instead, she stared at the cabin as Lynda memorized every detail of the ethereal creature’s profile. She noted she wore a Gibson girl blouse with a high neck. She saw that the ghost had hands, and that her hair hung loose. “I looked for her feet, but she didn’t have any,” said Lynda. “Her legs trailed off into the mist.”
Though not frightened, Lynda felt an overpowering grief wash over her. “I had such a feeling of sadness,” she said. “One that I have never felt again.”
As the women watched, the spirit faded back into the night.
The next day they began to ask questions, and Lynda learned of the long-ago murder. “Grace was found in the deepest part of the lake, known as Punky Bay,” said Lynda. “That was the spot where the mist originated.”
The encounter had such a profound effect on Lynda Lee Macken that it inspired her to pen the first of her fourteen nonfiction books on East Coast hauntings. Since she published Adirondack Ghosts, others have come forward to say that they, too, have encountered the spirit of Big Moose Lake.
From sightings of ghosts from the windows of the lakeside hotels, to the distinct image of the beautiful specter seen through a video lens, the encounters with the poor soul continue.
Grace Brown lost so much a century ago. She lost the love she thought she had, the baby she longed to hold, and a future that should have been happy.
By the time Lynda Lee Macken told Grace’s story, there was little she could do to help the murdered woman, but perhaps having someone to empathize with her was help enough.
To read more about Adirondack ghosts, consult Lynda’s Web site at:
www.lyndaleemacken.com
Where the Dead Can’t Sleep
Get out a globe, close your eyes, and spin. No matter where it stops, you are sure to be staring at a spot near a haunted location where the restless wraiths wrought from murder roam.
Here are a few places where victims’ ghosts are encountered:
Midnight Visitor
Gadsby’s Tavern Museum in historic Alexandria, Virginia, is haunted by a dentist whose killer got away with murder. According to guides who lead the Ghosts and Graveyards Tours, the structure in Old Town was once known as Wise’s Tavern and had a basement apartment where tenants did not stay long. Plagued with terrible nightmares and ghostly visits, the residents hurriedly packed and moved. One woman awoke to see the apartment engulfed in flames, but the scene soon faded. She had witnessed not a real fire, but a reenactment of the long-ago burning of a murder victim. Another tenant was shocked to see a specter in her rocking chair. The apparition had a knife sticking from his eye.
The ghostly visits finally made sense when charred remains and a rusted dagger were found in a pit beneath the apartment. Detectives believed the remains belonged to a dentist who had vanished from the tavern years before. The murdered man’s spirit may have been trying to alert someone to his predicament by reenacting his death.
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GADSBY’S TAVERN MUSUEM
134 North Royal Street
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 838-4242
Ghost on the Green
In Victoria, British Columbia, a golf course is said to be haunted by the troubled spirit of Doris Gravlin. Locals say that the victim of a murder-suicide takes many forms as she stalks the Victoria Golf Course. She is reportedly most frequently seen at night during the month of March. Some witness a misty figure, while others are startled by a hovering bright ball of light.
Many claim to have seen the apparition of Doris, floating along in a long white wedding gown. Others report that the murdered woman’s ghost runs into the road and has even tried to climb into cars.
Strangled by her husband, Victor, in the 1930s and buried in a sand trap, Doris is believed to be searching for justice. Perhaps she does not realize that her husband took his own life, too. If he is serving time for his crime, it is not in this world.
The Victoria Golf Course is located on Gonzales Point and overlooks Oak Bay in Victoria, B.C.
Permanent Guest
Does the disgruntled ghost of a murdered man haunt the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park, California?
Yes. No. Maybe.
It depends on whom you ask. While the museum’s Web sit
e mentions the legend, it takes a skeptical tone. Others insist the place is home to many spirits.
Years ago, renowned psychic Sybil Leek claimed to make contact with the spirit of victim Pierre Duvon, supposedly killed in 1885 when the site was occupied by the Grand Union Hotel.
If Pierre is there, he is not alone. Some say they have encountered the specter of a tall woman and have heard the voice a small boy. Legend has it that the child disappeared while staying in the hotel in the late 1800s.
Some say he wandered off and was lost in the wilderness. Others believe he was kidnapped and killed.
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THE STAGECOACH INN MUSEUM
51 Ventu Park Road
Newbury Park, CA 91320
(805) 498-9441
Web site: www.stagecoachmuseum.org
Dressed to Kill
When the grand jury ruled that the demise of a famous actress was a suicide, many believed they had made a mistake. And others insisted that it was the injustice of that decision that brought the victim back from the dead.
Thelma Todd immediately won fans when she made her first film in 1926. Nine years and forty movies later, the blond bombshell was decidedly famous. Fans adored her in her funny roles in the Marx Brothers’ movies, Monkey Business and Horse Feathers.
When she opened her own restaurant, Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Café in Pacific Palisades, California, people visited as much for the brush with fame as for the food.
The movie star resided in the swanky apartment upstairs and, to outsiders, it seemed to be an ideal life. Yet Thelma had troubles. In 1935, friends said she was depressed. She had endured a tumultuous marriage and divorce and was teetering toward bankruptcy. Was it enough for her to take drastic measures?
On December 16, 1935, Thelma’s body was discovered in her 1934 convertible, her beautiful face resting on the steering wheel. The car had become a death tool, the lethal carbon monoxide snatching her breath away. Clad in a mink coat, mauve and silver evening gown, and shimmering jewelry, Thelma was dressed to kill. But did she kill herself?
The mystery of Thelma’s death still captures the imaginations of backseat detectives, who pick at the decades-old puzzle as they try to make the pieces fit. At this late date, the nature of Thelma’s true fate will likely never be known.
Today, the building that houses Thelma’s old café is home to Paulist Productions, a company dedicated to making religious films.
Thelma Todd is still seen.
The ghost of the glamorous movie star is said to materialize on the outside steps, which once connected her apartment to her café. The specter moves down the stairs before vanishing.
Visitors to the garage where Thelma died sometimes get a taste of her last moments. Witnesses insist that an inexplicable, overpowering odor of carbon monoxide has sent them running from the area. It is almost as if Thelma’s ghost is sharing her last horrible experience in an effort to make others understand.
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THELMA TODD’S SIDEWALK CAFÉ
once occupied the first floor of a building at:
17575 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, CA
It’s the Principal
Students of the Michelago Primary School in Australia have more to fear than pop quizzes if they believe the stories of the specter who haunts their halls. Legend has it that the school’s principal was murdered in the late nineteenth century. His wife was responsible for his demise but was declared insane.
When windows, which normally glide open easily, become inexplicably stuck, the ghost of the slain principal is blamed. Objects are moved about during the night, and someone leaves items scattered about the floor.
The ghostly principal is a restless spirit who may be unaware that he is dead.
The Michelago Primary School is located in Michelago, New South Wales, Australia.
Curtain Call
In Paris, Texas, about a hundred miles northeast of Dallas, residents say that the ghost of a murdered woman haunts the Plaza Theatre. This historic landmark opened its doors in 1926 and awed patrons with its plush interior, complete with a pipe organ, orchestra pit, and ornate foyer.
Soon after the grand opening, a young woman sat in the balcony, enjoying a Rudolph Valentino flick, when someone crept up on her.
Annabelle may have been so entranced with the larger-than-life figures on the movie screen that she did not sense the evil near her. She was attacked and strangled. According to lore, the killer escaped detection.
Annabelle forever wanders the theater, which is today the home of the Paris Community Theatre. Cast and crew report frequent paranormal activity.
Annabelle keeps everyone on their toes by borrowing and moving items. And some report that when her eerie shriek echoes through the building, it turns their blood to ice.
Poor Annabelle may not realize that it is too late to scream for help.
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PLAZA THEATRE
102 Downtown Plaza
Pans, TX 75460
(903) 784-0259
In Death They Don’t Part
Star-crossed lovers inhabit the Double Eagle Restaurant in Mesilla, New Mexico. They may be dead, but they are still in love.
Employees and customers have witnessed mugs gliding across the tables as if invisible hands were guiding them, heard the sound of disembodied voices, and been startled by the ethereal woman who appears outside the kitchen door.
What is the cause of this paranormal activity?
Locals whisper that it is the ghosts of teenage Armando Maese and his love, Inez. A century before the restaurant opened, the building was a stately mansion and home to the wealthy Maese family. According to legend, the snobbish Carlota Maese grew suspicious when she saw that her son noticed the lovely teenaged maid. Armando’s eyes followed Inez as she did her chores. Her gleaming black hair fell to her waist, and he saw a spark in her eyes as she smiled shyly at him.
When love blossomed, the Maeses’ other servants tried to hide the fact from Carlota for they knew she would not be pleased. Indeed she was not.
She was enraged. This was not the union she had planned for her son.
When she caught the young lovers in a compromising situation, she flew at them with a pair of scissors, intent on ripping into the maid’s flesh. Armando jumped in front of Inez to protect her. His angry mother accidentally stabbed him.
The couple bled to death in each other’s arms.
Some believe that the tragic lovers’ feelings were so powerful that they still linger in the place they met. When the empty chairs move at the cozy corner table, waitresses wonder if it is the young couple on a date.
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DOUBLE EAGLE RESTAURANT
2355 Calle De Guadalupe
Mesilla, NM 88046
(505) 523-6700
www.double-eagle-mesilla.com
Appetite for Murder
When a young boy suddenly appears near the stove in the Queensberry House in Edinburgh, Scotland, stunned witnesses know they have glimpsed the victim of a shocking tragedy. The servant boy found himself in an unfortunate predicament when he was confronted in the kitchen by a very crazy and very hungry James Douglas.
It was 1707, and James, oldest son of the Duke of Queensberry, escaped from his quarters and wandered into the kitchen. The servant boy was alone in the house. Everyone else was out, swept up in the excitement of the Treaty of the Union.
The disturbed youth wrestled with the terrified servant and managed to mount him on a spit and roast him alive. James was enjoying his snack when the other servants returned to the shocking scenario.
The Queensberry House is now part of the Scottish Parliament complex. The 1686 house retains the infamous stove, and many have reported the inexplicable scent of cooking meat. Sightings of the 300-year-old ghost continue to this day.
Holyrood Road
On the Canongate in Edinburgh
Ghosts in the News
Business as Us
ual
THE ROBBERY VICTIM killed in his store in Sundance, Wyoming, is still tending to business, according to the October 31, 2005, issue of the Casper Star Tribune.
Paul Sharp operated his hardware store for thirty-three years until the morning of October 14, 1983, when he was brutally murdered. Paul’s widow, Ethel, who kept the business going for fifteen years after the tragedy, was often heard to say that she never felt alone in the store.
When Rocky Courchaine turned the store into a western gift and antique shop where he makes his own jewelry, he too, soon realized he was not alone. He told reporter Sean Conneely that late one night he looked up to see someone walking through the store. “I had left the front door unlocked,” he said. “So I figured someone had just wandered in.”
When he searched the building, however, he discovered he was alone. He locked the front door and then witnessed a phantom figure walking through the store several more times before the night was over.
The specter continued to make appearances, and eventually Rocky was able to size him up long enough to recognize him. It was the spirit of Paul Sharp, dressed in his typical attire of dark pants and white shirt. Rocky also noted that the ghost always cut the same path through the store—from the office to the spot where the register sat for fifty years.
The encounters, he admitted, changed him from a skeptic to a believer.
three
The Third Eye
“I can’t get his face out of my mind,” the girl told me. “I saw him so clearly. He murdered someone.”
I had just finished giving a ghost talk at the library, and the twelve-year-old girl was troubled, as she described the recurring scenario in her dreams. “It’s near a baseball field, and there is a body in the Dumpster,” she continued. “It is the same every time I dream it.”