Screaming Hotel Guest

This video has been floating around the net for several years. It has been the subject of a hot debate.

Is it real? Or just a fledgling film director’s attempt to sensationalize the interest in ghosts?

Regardless, this video captured something that is both scary and captivating.

It was filmed in 2003, at a Wingate Hotel, in Illinois.

Guests staying at this hotel, reported they heard screams on the second floor, near, or in Room 209.

This confused the hotel staff, since no guests had checked into this room—it was supposed to be empty.

A hotel security manager, and a desk clerk, Amy, sent a workman, John to check out what is going on.

The hotel security cameras with John at door to Room 209.

This video records the sound of screams, while John hears them at the same time, near Room 209.

This man is encouraged by the manager, who also hears the screams, via security camera and radio, to wait for the police to be called in. Instead, John enters the room.

Open door after John enters the room.

Observe, at 1:31 on the video, a bilious cloud figure exits the room just seconds after John enters the room and at 1:32 walks down the hall—to right of the door. (The video at the end shows this figure again.)

Flashing lights are recorded, not just his flashlight beam, coming from the room and John exits, noticeably scared a minute or so later.

John immediately demands the other staff, call the police.

He describes, to the two other two employees, what he found.

All the furniture in the room is upside down and the shower water is running, but no one is in the restroom.

The carpet in the room has been ripped up. But again, no one is in the room.

The security manager, whose voice is only heard on the radio, admits he is now officially freaked out.

Here is the video.

Many have tried to debunk this video, stating it was just staged.

But a variety of hotel guests heard these screams, as well as these three hotel employees claiming what they saw and heard was real.

And one cannot ignore the fact a repairman was contracted by the hotel chain to restore the room.

So this incident remains a mystery.

Hotel employees, to this day, state they avoid or are uncomfortable offering this room to guests when they check-in.

The Ghosts at Lincoln Park Zoo

I have written other posts, here, here, and here about what happens when cemeteries are moved but some bodies are left behind.

This disruption often results in very active hauntings.

Entrance to Lincoln Park Zoo

The Lincoln Park Zoo, located in Chicago, Illinois is a prime example of graves being disturbed.

In 1837, Chicago’s City Cemetery contained thousands of victims of several cholera outbreaks. As the city expanded health concerns arose that these bodies were being buried near the cities’ main water supply—Lake Michigan.

View from Lincoln Park Zoo.

When this cemetery was closed in 1866, it is estimated that it contained 30,000 graves. Chicago officials decided to move these bodies outside the city limits.

Families of the deceased were informed, in 1869, that they needed to make other arrangements for their dead relatives. The city then undertook the removal of those who did not have a family.

People fled to the park during
the fire.

It is said the 1871 Chicago Fire hindered this work. This fire destroyed many of the grave markers, which meant bodies were left behind.

When this land where the old cemetery was located was given to the Chicago Park Commissioner, one exaggerated rumor declared that there were still 10,000 unmarked graves in the park.

Conservatory at Lincoln Park.

Lincoln park today is a large recreation area that encompasses 1,208 acres. It hosts, formal gardens, a conservatory, nature and history museums, playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, boating facilities, beaches, hiking paths and trails, including an 18-mile bike path along the lakefront, a golf course, bird refuge and the zoo.

A skeleton uncovered at
the Lincoln Park Zoo.

During construction in the park, bodies are sometimes dug up. Lincoln Park Zoo was built in the 1870s directly over the old cemetery site. It is in this southern area of the park where most of the paranormal activity occurs.

In 1962, one of the lost bodies was discovered. The zoo was constructing a new barn when they dug up a skeleton. Since this body could not be identified the zoo director, for legal reasons, had it placed back where it was found, then the barn was built over this grave.

Witnesses report seeing ghosts wearing Victorian clothes throughout the park, they appear out of nowhere and then they quickly disappear.

The Lion House at the zoo.

One lady from this period is observed near the Lion House. She is seen walking around, apparently oblivious to the modern day visitors that pass by.

This same ghost is often spotted in a Ladies Room near this exhibit. Many women have been unnerved when they spot her reflection in the mirror only to turn around and discover she is not there.

There are many reports of lights flickering, and doors slamming all without cause.

The Couch crypt is the only
visible grave at the zoo.

EVP’s have been recorded with mysterious voices, both male and female. Several groups have received clear one-word responses to their questions.

Thousands of photographs are taken of the animals at this zoo, every year, but many visitors discover anomalies in these pictures they did not expect.

They find they have captured, strange fogs, streaks, orbs, lights, and faces without bodies. Several have revealed full-bodied apparitions that were not in the area when the pictures were taken.

There are also areas around the zoo, which appear to randomly become infused with negative energy. When people who are sensitive hit these spots they become nauseated.

Suicide Bridge

Another part of the park’s history is pointed to as a further reason for these hauntings. A 42-foot bridge stood in this park from 1894 until 1919.

It was built to give visitors a view of the surrounding area. But it was torn down once it was nicknamed, “Suicide Bridge.” For it was here hundreds of people either hung themselves or jumped to their deaths.

Inez Clarke: A Real Haunting or Myth?

Stories about cemetery statues coming to life are a popular ghost sub-genre.

One of the most beloved of these tales involves a statue of a pretty six-year-old girl wearing a frilly dress and sitting in a rustic log chair. Her name was Inez Clarke, and the figure that marks her grave is enclosed in a glass box.

Inscribed below this case:

Click to enlarge

Daughter of

J.N. and M.C. Clarke

Born Sep. 20, 1873

Died Aug. 1, 1880

This impressive sculpture is located at Graceland Cemetery outside Chicago, Illinois.

Inez was buried at Graceland in 1880. According to one legend, she died when her parents forced her outdoors into a thunderstorm as punishment.

When she was struck by a thunderbolt and killed her parents now guilt-ridden told others that she died of tuberculosis.

A subtler story told is that Inez was on a picnic with her parents when a sudden storm moved in. She was hit by a thunderbolt and killed instantly. Her parents inconsolable had a lovely statue made and placed at her grave in remembrance of their daughter.

Shortly after her burial, it is said Inez was not able to rest in peace. Rumors began that she haunted her gravesite. Her ghost was seen near her statue and also seen meandering throughout the cemetery.

Credible witnesses state they saw a little girl dressed in an old-fashioned dress playing next to the glass-encased statue. Others report they heard crying or moaning coming from this plot.

Children most often see her ghost. They state they run and play with her.

One cemetery night watchman quit his job after spotting the case empty during a violent thunderstorm. He was scared the stories about Inez’ ghost were true.

After this, rumors spread that the statue would come to life during storms.

This entire story was supposedly debunked in 1910 when staff contacted the Clarke family which they thought was connected to Inez. This family knew about the old tales but denied the connection.

Soon after it was discovered that there was no one by the name of Inez Clarke in the local US Census in the late 19^th century.

It was also discovered that Inez’ grave was actually the burial plot for an eight-year-old boy named Amos Briggs.

Then an explanation was given as to why this statue was above his grave. It was stated a Scottish sculptor offered it to the cemetery. Graceland accepted it but did not put much thought into where they placed it.

Grandparents buried at left.

But this old explanation does not explain the inscription below Inez’s statue.

Recently, new research points to the fact Inez is buried here. She was the daughter of Mary Clarke who had her during her first marriage. So Inez’ real last name was “Briggs.”

Inez went to live with her grandparents after her parents divorced. The name “Inez Briggs”--seven years old--does appear in the 1880 Chicago Census report. Inez was living with her grandparents at the time of her death--the cause was diphtheria.

Her grandparents most likely had the statue made. More proof that this is the real story is her grandparents, David and Jenny Rothrock are buried right next to her grave at Graceland. 

Below is a copy of the 1880 Chicago Census that shows Inez living with her grandparents.

Click to enlarge

Springfield: The Lake Club

The Lake Club was a popular nightclub in Springfield, Illinois in the 1940s and 50s. It featured well-known entertainers including-- Mickey Rooney, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Hope, and Nat King Cole.

This nightclub was also popular because it ran an illegal gambling operation located in the back part of the building. Patrons enjoyed billiards, card games, and slot machines.

In December of 1958, the police raided this gambling operation and shut it down. After this The Lake Club slowly declined until it closed down in the early 1960s.

One popular employee at The Lake during its heyday was a bartender by the name of Albert “Rudy” Cranor. With the gambling operation, he made a good living. Successful gamblers often tipped him well.

Interior of The Lake Club

With the decline of the club, it was said Rudy also declined. He was found in the club’s office one afternoon--he had shot himself in the head and was dead.

In 1974, when this building was opened as a rock/disco nightclub, it was believed that Rudy’s spirit haunted the building.

Bill Carmean and Tom Blasco co-managed this new club. They, the other employees, and the customers all encountered Rudy’s ghost.

Shortly after opening the club Carmean was in the building alone one night when he heard a piano playing in the next room. He never discovered the cause.

When his partner, Blasco was brought in, he experienced strange sounds, whispers, and cold spots. One night he saw the apparition of Rudy. He exited the building so quickly he left all the lights on. After this, he always carried his rosary for protection.

One waitress at the club, Barbara Lard also heard a phantom instrument. One afternoon before the club opened, she listened to a trombone playing. She assumed it was a band member until she discovered that none of them had arrived yet.

Lard also saw the apparition of the tall man. He had white hair and a white mustache. Later she identified this man as Rudy from an old photograph.

Rudy’s ghost spoke to her in the club office. He told her that one of the owners of the building was going to die. His prediction turned out to be true. One of the building’s landlords died shortly after of a heart attack.

One customer, a salesman, was sitting with Carmean one night when he saw a glass on the bar fly off--he ducked as it headed for his head.

Blasco in 1979, after attending a class reunion requested a former teacher of his, Father Gary Dilley come in and cleanse and bless the nightclub.

Father Dilley and two other priests, Father John Corredato and Father Gerald Leahy were successful for after this the activity in the club settled down. It was felt Rudy was finally able to move on.

In 1992, the building that housed the nightclub burned down.

Victim Tells All

This is the true case of a female ghost returning in order to reveal the person that murdered her.

This story first appeared in a book, Houses of Horror by Richard Winer. It was then showcased in an episode of the television show Unsolved Mysteries in April of 1990.

In 1977, Allen Showery an African American hospital orderly was called in for questioning by the Chicago police. He knew what it was about.

The Victim

Born in the Philippines in 1929, Teresita Basa was a quiet and unassuming respiratory therapist at Edgewater Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. In February of 1977 the fire department was called to her apartment.

Teresita Basa

In the blaze her nude body was found under a burning mattress with a butcher knife buried in her chest.

The police pursued several leads but none panned out.

A Vision

In 1977, Remy Chua another respiratory therapist at the hospital also from the Philippines saw a disturbing sight in the Edgewater employee lounge. She saw the ghost of Teresita in this area.

Chua who had not known Teresita very well then started to have strange visions and dreams.

In these visions and dreams Teresita implored Chua to go to the police and tell them what had happened.

Chua started to take on mannerisms and habits that were not her own. At one point her coworkers heard her singing a song. Later she denied singing this song stating she didn’t even know it.

As things worsened Chua collapsed on her bed one night. Teresita’s voice taking over informed Joe--Remy’s husband a doctor--that Showery had killed her. When Joe asked for proof so others would believe him she listed jewelry that her murderer had stolen from her home.

The couple reluctantly approached the Chicago police who at first were skeptical. Detective Joe Stachula felt the Chua’s had given them enough information to implicate Allan Showery.

Confession and Conviction

As relatives identified jewelry found in Showery’s home as belonging to Teresita--he broke down and confessed to the crime.

He had been invited to Teresita’s home to fix her TV. He killed her and took her jewelry to give to his girlfriend.

Showery was convicted of murder in 1979. He was only given a 14-year sentence for this cold-blooded crime.

Allan Showery

Remaining Mystery

Remy has never had another experience like this one.

She and her husband and others involved in this case have not been able to explain what happened to her in 1977.

Footnote: The Edgewater Hospital building today is abandoned and many believe it is haunted.

Here is the Unsolved Mysteries 11-minute story about this case. At the time of this production the names of the couple were changed.

Illinois: Phantom Steamboat

My favorite ghost stories from this mid west state are the ones that have been told for generations.

The story of the phantom steamboat seen along the Spoon River in Fulton County has been told since the 1800s.

Spoon River

In one very wet spring in the 1840s it is said the Spoon River overflowed its banks. Because of this even the most experienced riverboat pilots avoided its dangerous waterways.

One pilot and crew of a small steamboat with more spunk than common sense decided Mother Nature would not intimidate them. Early one morning they with a small group of passengers fool heartedly headed down the Spoon River.

The last time this steamboat was seen was as it made its way around a bend. Witnesses later told the St. Louis Republican newspaper that as the boat disappeared out of sight they heard its sharp whistle blow and the soft strains of its passengers singing the hymn, In the Sweet By and By.

After this the boat was never seen again. Searches were conducted but with no result. Some speculated that the boat must have run aground. But if this were the case this steamboat would have eventually been found.

It wasn’t until 13 years later in 1853 that this boat was seen again.

The Spoon River had once more overflowed with the spring rains. Several witnesses that lived along the Spoon reported a strange sight.

It was midnight and the banks of the river were flooded so it startled many of the local residents to hear the sound of a sharp steamboat whistle blow on the river.

What boat could possibly be out on this dangerous river, especially after dark?

Several groups of concerned citizens went as near the river as the flooded banks allowed. They were amazed to see a small steamboat break through the mist headed silently downstream.

Many reported that it appeared to be the same steamboat that had disappeared years before.

Witness accounts included a description of how the boat seemed to “glow.” Others stated they saw the dark outlines of people on deck.

The most eerie part was all of these reports stated people heard the faint sound of a chorus of voices singing the refrain from the traditional hymn, In the Sweet By and By.

“In the sweet by and by,

We shall meet on that beautiful shore;

In the sweet by and by,

We shall meet on that beautiful shore.”

Here is the complete hymn.

Ghosts of Dug Hill, Part l

In years past settlers in the interior of southern Illinois used a rough “cut” through the hills near Jonesboro, Illinois to reach the Mississippi River. This cut was known as Dug Hill Road.

Dug Hill Road
1928

Today this road located 5 miles west of Jonesboro on State Highway 126 has lost its rustic appearance but in the 1860s it was a dark secluded spot that posed many dangers to both the locals and travelers that used it.

For this reason Dug Hill gained a reputation as being one of the haunted roads in southern Illinois. Stories of strange sights were often told and with each telling these legends grew.

Here are two of these stories.

The Murder of Marshall Welch

In April of 1865 near the end of the Civil War, a Marshall by the name of Welsh arrested 3 deserters from the Union army. He did not treat these men kindly. He took them to Jonesboro and turned them over to the authorities.

A few days after these men were jailed word reached Illinois that the war had ended--General Lee had surrendered at Virginia. These 3 men were then released.

They were bitter and angry at how Welch had treated them and they set out to get revenge. One late evening as Welch passed through the cut heading home these men lay in wait. They shot and killed him as he rode by. They left him lying in the middle of Dug Hill Road.

Welch’s body was found quickly but these 3 men were never arrested or punished for this crime.

Soon after Welch’s death local farmers and travelers who passed through the cut started to report unusual activity. Welch’s ghost was seen walking along this road wearing bloody clothing.

Several witnesses stated that he pleaded for help--as they approached he just vanished. More often his ghost was seen lying in the center of the dusty trail.

One wagon driver traveling through the cut spotted a man lying facedown in the road. He stopped his team and climbed down to see if he could help.

When he leaned down to turn the man over, his hands passed right through him. He tried once more but his hands only touched the dirt beneath the body.

Terrified, he ran to his wagon. He urged his horses forward. As he reached the spot where the body lay he felt a bump as his wagon wheels went over the phantom corpse.

He looked back and saw that the body was no longer there.

The Spectral Wagon

Yet another strange sight seen along Dug Hill Road is that of a ghostly wagon.

One cold dark snowy night in December a farmer named Bill Smith was driving his team of horses through the cut. He had to stop because the harness had slipped off one of his horses. As he repositioned it he heard a disturbing sound approaching him from down the road.

He heard the loud crushing sound of wagon wheels in the crusted snow approaching his position quickly. A chill ran down his spine. The wagon was approaching too fast and he knew the narrow road would not accommodate both wagons.

If he could not move his wagon or call out a warning both drivers would be killed.

He yelled loudly into the darkness but he feared the other driver had not heard him over the racket. He was right for the other wagon drew closer. In a panic, he attempted to move his wagon.

At any moment the two wagons would crash but then the farmer saw a shocking sight. The other wagon did crest the hill but the noise was no longer coming from the road. He looked up to see a man fiercely whipping two black horses.

“The horses’ hooves pounded the air and the wagon wheels spun as if they were on the ground. This eerie sight soared above the farmer’s head headed for the next hill.”

  --taken from The Big Book of Illinois Ghost Stories by Troy Taylor

This flying wagon then disappeared from view and its loud crushing noises slowly faded away.

Yet another legend connected to Dug Hill Road I first read about in Troy Taylor’s book. This legend is about a mythical creature or boogeyman. Read about it in Ghosts of Dug Hill, Part ll.