Dead baby heirlooms, Victorian crime, and serial killers

I've decided to backdate most of the Jack Bauer facts in Blogger. It's much easier to keep track of 'em that way, haha. So if you want to see them, go to March 2003.


Today's Mummified Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

A family heirloom is not going over well with police. The mummified body of a baby kept by a Concord, N.H., family has drawn attention from investigators. The current keeper of the baby, Charles Peavey, said the tiny mummy has been passed down in his family for many years. Concord police recently got word of the remains, and they took them in for testing. A forensic anthropologist will examine the tiny corpse. Peavey said the mummy belonged to his great-great uncle, who was born in Ashland in 1850. The family estimated that the mummy is 90 years old. It was discovered among the uncle's possessions in 1947 in Manchester, N.H. Police said the testing on the corpse could take a month or more.

Culled from: Click 2 Houston
Generously submitted by: Steve O.

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Click to see a picture of the adorable little heirloom. Lucky family!

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The Comtesse Recommends...

A Treasury of Victorian Murder by Rick Geary

Rick Geary compiles and illustrates true crime stories from the 19th century. This is his first book, originally released in 1987, and it's a fun-filled (if all-too-short) read. My favorite story is "The Ryan Mystery" which concerns an unsolved double-murder of a pious brother and sister who shared an apartment in 1873. (It's like something from an Edward Gorey book.) This volume also includes "The Crimes of Dr. E.W. Pritchard" and "The Abominable Mrs. Pearcey" - two additional high-profile murder stories from the 19th century. Highly recommended for enthusiasts of Victorian drama.

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Epitaph Du Jour!

Culled from:
Over Their Dead Bodies: Yankee Epitaphs & History
Authors: Thomas C. Mann & Janet Greene
Date: 1962

Mary Fowler, 1792, age 24, Milford, Conn.
Molly, tho' pleasant in her day
Was suddenly seized and went away
How soon she's ripe, how soon she's rotten
Laid in her grave and soon forgotten.

Thanks to Miyuki for the contribution.

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Wretched Recommendations!

Awhile back, B recommended the documentary The Iceman Interviews, about Richard Kuklinski, a former mob hitman who claims to have killed over 200 people. Stephen sent me some additional information, plus an additional book recommendation:

Regarding The Iceman Interviews: "It's not a gore-fest. It's Kuklinski sitting across from the interviewer, intermittently popping his chewing gum, while telling how he killed 20 of his victims. He's ice-cold, yes... he's descriptive, yes... he's un-remorseful, yes... but I've seen more brutal killers that just never got the chance to 1-up him on their score-cards."

The Iceman Interviews (1991)

"Maybe you should read A Sniper's Sin, by 'David Alan Soprano' (a fake name). He's a former Vietnam / CIA sniper-turned-Mob hitman, and his stories'll make you ill, knowing that a man could be such an animal. His job was to kill VC, but he slowly started to turn evil, and the book is all about his turn. If you're not sure, read the last paragraph of the book first... I promise you that'll be enough to make you buy the book."

A Sniper's Sin by David Alan Soprano