Phantoms and Monsters

HIB: Humanoids in Black
Searching For Past Travelers At Barstow's Harvey House
Fortean / Oddball News - 8/9/2010
The White River Monster: Myth or Reality?

Posted: 09 Aug 2010 10:07 AM PDT

The following anecdote was forwarded to me by a reader this past weekend who states they found it on a discussion thread recently. I noticed that someone on ATS picked it up as well and posted there:

Hello, I had an extremely frightening experience five years ago that I had no idea what was going on, but when I happened to run across a description of the MIB (which I had never even heard about except for passing references to the Will Smith movie), I suddenly realized this is extremely similar to what I experienced. My mouth dropped open at the similarity.

What happened was, I used to be a postal delivery person in Washington, D.C. One of the buildings I always delivered mail to on my route was this huge building. One day I had paused to eat an apple outside the building, and not seeing a trashcan anywhere, I just threw the core onto the ground. When I walked into the building to deliver the mail, I was angrily confronted by the head security guy who asked me why I was littering. I was a little taken aback and asked him how he knew I had thrown the apple core on the ground. He told me that this whole premises was under video surveillance, including not only all sides of the building but even the grassy areas around it. It was then that I suddenly realized this building had really unusually tight security. Even when I went inside to deposit the mail, the mail room was open to me, but the rest of the building was inaccessible. I could only go into the mail room, deposit the mail, and leave. I had to ring a buzzer to be let into the building each time I delivered.

Anyway, a few weeks later, I was on my way to deliver the mail as usual to the building, and as I was nearing the building, I saw three figures crossing the street on their way towards the building. At first glance I thought they were normal. But as I looked closer I was shocked at how strange they were - they were extremely thin, and they didn't walk by putting one leg in front of the other, but sort of waddled by moving their whole bodies from side to side, lifting one foot off the ground, then the other foot in a sort of whole-body side-to-side waddle. It's hard to explain what I mean, but it was not the way any normal person would walk unless they were unable to move any joint in their legs.

But as strange as this was, this was not what frightened me. What frightened me was that they were absolutely thin. It was like they were as flat as a set of clothes that had been ironed. Their faces and bodies were entirely flat - no contours. The nose did not jut out, nothing. And they were also extremely thin. The best I could describe is if you saw a suit hanging from a clothes hanger, that would be about the same thickness. It was like no thickness at all, just clothes hanging from a hanger. All three were dressed in black suits. They all had black sunglasses.

I saw them walk up, ring the buzzer, and be let into the building. I was absolutely scared sh*tless as I had just been about to enter that very same building. I really wasn't sure what to do, but I kind of steeled myself, and slowly forced myself to ring the buzzer and enter the building, figuring, hey, I might have imagined this, in any case I should force myself to go through my routine until I can think this thing out. When I entered the mail room, there were like 10 (normal) men standing there, just looking at me. It was really intimidating. They asked me if I had seen anything. I was kind of speechless for a second, not knowing how to respond. And then one of THEM walked right up to me from the side and from slightly behind me. I could tell it was one of the same types of things that I had seen crossing the street. It walked right up to me and I was too afraid to turn my head to the side and look at it. I am very scared just typing this right now, remembering it. It didn't say anything, it just got right up close to me, and I had a feeling of fear so intense, I felt as if my heart had just frozen and was going to fall out of my body onto the ground. Again, they asked me, "Did you see anything? What did you see?" I just shook my head and stammered, "No, I didn't see anything." Unless they were all retarded there is no way they couldn't have noticed my extreme fright. I thought they might hold me there and not let me go. But finally they said, "Okay, leave now."

The MIB that was to my side and a little behind me, kind of took a step back to make way, and I had to steel myself to actually walk past it on my way to the door and I was out of the building. it is the bravest thing I've ever done in my life

At the time I had never heard of the MIB, I had no idea what this thing was or what the government was doing. All I knew was that I was dealing with something far more powerful than me. I thought maybe it was some new type of robot and the government was doing test-runs on them, but why that would be done in broad daylight I could not and still do not understand. To give you an understanding of how frightening it was, the first thought that came to my mind was that I needed to leave the country - to find some way to get the h*ll out of the country and go somewhere else - but then it occurred to me that if I started to act strangely, they might get suspicious and kill me or something. I realized the best thing I could do was act as normally as possible and pretend nothing had happened.

Later the next week, my supervisor at the post office told me I had been suddenly reassigned from my old route to a new one, something that was unexpected. He asked me if I had encountered any problems on the route - I think even he may have been a little confused at why I was being reassigned. But I said I had no problems and I was very quiet about it. So eventually I got reassigned. After what I thought was an appropriate amount of time continuing to work at the post office, I quit my job and now I work at an airport. I am telling this story now because five years later I need to get this off my chest. I doubt they will come after me now but if they do, I can't avoid my fate. I've never seen any sort of alien or had any sort of unusual life event of any other kind, nor do I believe that there is such a thing as a devil or demons or anything. So I really don't know what to believe now. There is no doubt whatsoever the building was under the control of the government, with normal human beings. I still think it was some sort of cyborg experiment, and on occasion I still am tempted to just leave the country to get away from all this.

NOTE: I found this post here as well, so it is at least a 5 year old story. There was also an IP search over on ATS after someone stated that this incident was posted on Wikipedia at some point...the original writer seems to now live in California. Anyway, this is actually not the first time I have read a MIB described as thin and having a strange side-to-side gait. I went through some notes and found the notation of an incident that occurred in the the early 1990's here in Baltimore, MD. There had been an automobile accident on I-95 not far from downtown near the Washington Blvd. exit where a witness described a similar looking 'person' (thin, dressed in a black suit, fedora and sunglasses) 'who waddled back and forth like a penguin' away from a black Crown Victoria that was stopped near the scene. This 'person' got to the guard rail and hopped over it with ease and disappeared. The local news didn't make note of this 'person' though it was reported in the local 'City Paper' a week after the accident. I searched for other references to this incident but have not been successful...Lon

HIB: Humanoids in Black

Searching For Past Travelers At Barstow's Harvey House

Posted: 09 Aug 2010 08:58 AM PDT

desertdispatch - It's been nearly four decades since the Harvey House welcomed and housed travelers, but some say many of its visitors haven't left.

Stories have trickled into the ears of Jeri Justus, executive director of the Barstow Area Chamber of Commerce, who works at the Harvey House: Rumors of orbs of light floating in mid-air, a little girl playing peek-a-boo in the foyer, an old man with a handlebar mustache standing at the top of the stairs.

Justus herself says that although she hasn't seen anything, or anyone, she has felt their presence. She's felt a sudden drop in temperature on a warm day, the movement of unseen bodies swaying to music.

"Definitely there are spirits there," she said, adding that people have seen many apparitions during the Haunted Barstow tours the chamber holds in October. "I don't believe or not believe, (but) I know these feelings that I get."

One group — the High Desert Paranormal Society — won't wait until October to unearth evidence that the Harvey House is a paranormal paradise. Founders Craig Case and Dave Meyer, a Barstow resident and an Apple Valley resident respectively, and their members will lock themselves up in the Harvey House starting at 8 p.m. Friday and will search the building until 2 a.m. Saturday.

Members of the High Desert Paranormal Society, a 10-year-old group with 40 participants, will have video cameras and motion sensors set up and a command station ready to catch anything out of the ordinary. Teams of two to three people will also sweep the area continuously with night-vision cameras, electromagnetic field detectors, digital voice recorders and thermometers, Case said.

"We've heard lots of reports coming out of the Harvey House, particularly in the basement and upstairs," he said. "(People) seeing white apparitions and hearing strange noises. That's what we're looking for."

Evidence of paranormal activity include a spot of really cold air in the middle of a room. This is a classic sign of paranormal activity and is obvious on a hot day, Chase said. People will be listening for voices, looking for orbs and watching for spikes in the electromagnetism in the room.

Between 30 and 35 reports have reached the group of strange phenomena at the Harvey House, Chase said. About five years ago, the paranormal society investigated the outside of the building, but this will be the first time they have entered the building.

**********

HISTORY: THE HARVEY HOUSE - BARSTOW, CA

The Harvey House Railroad Depot, known as the Casa del Desierto - its original name, is a former (Fred Harvey) Harvey House located in Barstow, in the Mojave Desert within San Bernardino County, California. Casa del Desierto now functions as an unstaffed Amtrak passenger station as well as housing Barstow city offices and two museums.

The Casa del Desierto station and hotel was built by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway and replaced an earlier one built in 1885 that burned in 1908. It was designed by renowned Fred Harvey Company architect Mary Colter in a synthesis of Spanish Renaissance and Classical Revival architecture styles.

Harvey Houses were legendary in the history of Western rail travel. Operated by Fred Harvey in conjunction with this Santa Fe Railway, the network of restaurant-hotels set a new standard in quality meal service. Barstow's Spanish-Moorish "Casa Del Desierto" opened in 1911 and closed in 1971. It was registered as one of the last and finest remaining examples of the West's famous Harvey Houses.

Sources:
www.desertdispatch.com
www.hauntedbarstow.com
www.vvdailypress.com
www.americantowns.com
www.barstowrailmuseum.org

Searching For Past Travelers At Barstow's Harvey House

Fortean / Oddball News - 8/9/2010

Posted: 09 Aug 2010 08:23 AM PDT

Hawking Warns That Human Race 'must colonize space or face extinction'

dailymail - Stephen Hawking has warned that unless the human race colonizes space within the next two centuries it will disappear forever.

The famous astrophysicist says that our only chance for long-term survival is to move away from Earth and begin to inhabit new planets.

In an interview with website Big Think, Hawking said he was an 'optimist' but the next few hundred years had to be negotiated carefully if the human race is to survive.

He said: 'I see great danger for the human race. There have been a number of times in the past when survival has been a question of touch and go. The Cuban missile crisis in 1963 is one of these.

'The frequency of such occasions is likely to increase in the future. We shall need great care and judgment to negotiate them all successfully.'

'But I am an optimist. If we can avoid disaster for the next two centuries our species should be safe as we spread into space.'

Earlier this year, Hawking warned that humans should be wary about trying to make contact with other alien lifeforms in space as we could not be sure that they would be friendly.

'If we are the only intelligent beings in the galaxy we should make sure we survive and continue.'

But he warned that mankind was entering 'an increasingly dangerous period of our history'.

'Our population and use of the finite resources of planet Earth are growing exponentially along with our technical ability to change the environment for good and ill,' he said.

'But our genetic code carries selfish and aggressive instincts that were a survival advantage in the past. It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster in the next 100 years let alone the next thousand or a million.

'Our only chance of long-term survival is not to remain on planet Earth but to spread into space.

'We have made remarkable progress in the last 100 years but if we want to continue beyond the next 100 years our future is in space.'

That was why he is in favor of manned space flight, he said.

Earlier this year, Hawking he said that a spaceship capable of traveling through time - but only forwards - would breach Albert Einstein's theories of relativity.

This means that humans might one day be able to use time travel to skip generations into the future.

Having taken six years to reach its full speed of 98 per cent of the speed of light (650million miles per hour), a day on board the ship would be equivalent to a year on Earth, he said, allowing those on board to reach the edge of the galaxy in just 80 years.

**********

More Horror In China...Female Babies Develop Breasts

dailymail - Female babies in China have grown breasts after they were given milk laced with hormones.

The horrifying scenes have caused uproar among parents in central China, who fear that the milk powder they used had led to the premature developments.

The official China Daily newspaper reported today that medical tests indicated that the level of hormones in three 'test case' girls, ranging in age from four months to 15 months, exceeded those found in the average adult woman.

All the babies who showed symptoms of the phenomenon were fed the same baby formula.

'The amount of hormones in the babies definitely means there's a problem,' said Mr Yang Qin, chief physician in the child care department at the Hubei Maternity and Children's Hospital.

He urged parents to stop using the formula and insisted that the milk powder be subjected to chemical analysis.

But his suggestion has come up against red tape.

Local food safety authorities have refused one mother's request to investigate the formula, made by the Synutra company, claiming they do not conduct tests when requested by consumers.

According to the Global Times newspaper the suspect baby formula is still being sold in the Hubei provincial capital, Wuhan, at discounted prices and is also on store shelves in Beijing.

Synutra insisted that its products were safe, claiming that 'no man-made hormones or any illegal substances were added during the production of the milk powder'.

As experts tried to pin down the source of the hormones that resulted in babies growing breasts, a dairy association said the hormones could have entered the food chain when farmers reared the cattle.

'Since a regulation forbidding the use of hormones to cultivate livestock has yet to be drawn up in China, it would be lying to say nobody uses it,' said Mr Wang Dingmian, the former chairman of the dairy association in the southern province of Guangdong.

Two years ago Chinese dairy products were recalled worldwide after it was revealed that melamine, used to make plastics, was widely and illegally added to the products to give the appearance of higher protein.

At least six infants died and 300,000 others fell sick as a result of the malamine additions, it was claimed.

Though...Girls in the West are Reaching Puberty Much Sooner

NOTE: maybe my theory that aliens could be mutated humans from the future isn't that crazy after all...Lon

**********

Man Sentenced for Murder After Seer Predicts Prison

themoscowtimes - A court in the Kemerovo region has sentenced a man to more than 20 years in prison for stabbing two people to death following a fortuneteller's prediction that he was destined for jail.

Last fall, on Oct. 8, Gennady Osipovich met with a Gypsy woman to have his future told. He became enraged when the self-proclaimed clairvoyant informed him that he was bound for a "kazyonny dom," or "state-sponsored house," a Russian slang term for prison, regional prosecutors said in a statement Thursday.

Osipovich proceeded to employ dubious logic, according to the prosecutors. In order to prevent this fortune from coming true, Osipovich tried to kill the woman. He pulled out a knife and stabbed her, though she managed to escape.

Tragically, two witnesses were unable to flee in time. Osipovich stabbed each of them repeatedly, and the victims died of the knife wounds, investigators said.

Prosecutors said Osipovich was sentenced to 22 years in a maximum security prison.

NOTE: there's a Greek tragedy in there somewhere...Lon

**********

Groom Accidentally Kills Father and Two Aunts at Wedding

newstime - A wedding in Gaziantep, Turkey ended disastrously after the groom killed his father and two of his aunts after opening fire into the air with a machine gun which is part of the usual celebrations. There were an additional 8 other relatives injured in the debacle that took place in the southeastern province of Turkey. The groom somehow lost control of the weapon and accidentally aimed it at guests occasioning the carnage described above.

The police then intervened and he was arrested on what should have been the happiest day of his life. Shooting into the air is traditional at weddings, circumcisions or sports victories in Turkey. This has led to criticism by opponents who point to the number of accidents as a result of stray bullets. Unfortunately for this groom that won't be of much comfort to him following this disaster.

His conduct might well help others in the future as the Turkish government responds to the events. There are different kinds of wedding ceremonies in Turkey depending upon the social and economic status of the couples and their families. Those in the rural areas differ from the wedding ceremonies of urban areas. In the villages, the wedding ceremonies continue for two days. There are two separate wedding ceremonies, one in the home of the bride's family and one in the home of the groom's family.

The ceremonies start on Friday evening and finish on Sunday at noon when the groom's relatives take the bride from the home of the bride's family and bring her to the groom's home. After that, the groom's relatives and the bride's relatives have lunch together, and the bride and groom are left alone in their new home. Unfortunately in the case of the groom here, while he may have made it to Sunday, chances are that he won't be home alone for many days to come.

**********

El Camino del Rey - The King's Little Pathway

Click for video

Located along the steep walls of a narrow gorge in El Chorro, near Álora in the district of Málaga, Spain. There is a wire pinned into the wall that follows most of the walkway and can be used by people to latch onto as safety precaution, but it was not designated to carry much weight. The walkway was closed off in 2000 after 4 people died on it within a span of two years. Many travelers however find the way to get on El Caminito del Rey and get themselves the rush of walking on the most dangerous pathway in the world.

Fortean / Oddball News - 8/9/2010

The White River Monster: Myth or Reality?

Posted: 09 Aug 2010 07:26 AM PDT

guardonline - The White River Monster or, according to doubters, alleged monster — the theme of Batesville's ongoing 67th Annual White River Water Carnival, which concludes Saturday — made quite an impression on young semi-pro baseball player Thomas Graham in 1937.

"My dad broke into minor league baseball, or semi-pro ball, out of Luanne, near Smackover, that year, in the Cotton States Baseball League," said James Graham of Bethesda.

"His dad got on a bus with him when he was 17 and they came from Smackover to Newport and his dad got him a room." The pitcher's father then went back to Smackover.

"What amazed Dad was when he got there everything was set up, (all) up and down the river, in the monster watching area," James said. His father, he said, was amazed at how well the local chamber of commerce was taking advantage of the monster situation.

"They charged a quarter to get into the monster watching area," he said. "There were hot dog and concession stands, and I'm thinking he said they even had a couple of carnival rides set up down in that area.

"Just listening to him talk, there was a pretty good stir going on over there over that thing."

And large crowds in which everyone seemed to be hoping to catch a glimpse, if not a good look, at the monster.

"It was just covered up. There were cars there from six or seven different states. In '37, that was something, to draw in cars from that far away."

And some did glimpse the monster, according to the 1937 Third Annual Rice and Cotton Festival book, published by the Newport Chamber of Commerce. The festival was Oct. 7-9 of that year.

"All the world knew in July, 1937, that Newport had a MONSTER," starts the three-page article headed "The White River Monster ..." that begins on page 82 of the festival book.

"From Canada to Mexico, from California to Maine, there was scarcely a city or hamlet but knew of the fact and were interested in it," the story states, noting that when first reported, not much credence was given to the reports.

But, it states, "... when it was seen by persons whose veracity could not be questioned, it soon came to be recognized that something bit and strange really had its habitat in the river..."

The creature was described as "big as a boxcar" and "as wide as three automobiles."

The article contains sworn statements from people who said they had sighted the monster or its presence, including Bramblett Bateman, Mrs. Bramlett Bateman, J.M. Gawf (who said that as a respected merchant, planter and stock raiser he would have "no reason to make a false misrepresentation" about the matter; and Deputy Sheriff Z.B. Reid.

Reid and Mr. Bateman attempted to shoot the monster with a rifle during one sighting, but Bateman apparently got so excited he forgot to load the gun.

Graham, the young pitcher, went on to have a semi-pro baseball career that carried him to teams in several states, until World War II interfered. He gained the nickname "Lefty."

"He played in Denver and in Amarillo, Texas, and Greenville, Mississippi (and other places). ... He was unusual in that he was a left-handed, one-eyed pitcher," James said.

"He got his left eye put out when he was 3 years old by a spring on a screen door. He played 14 years as a pitcher, then got over 1,400 hours as a pilot. I've got his log books."

"Lefty" retired in the early 1950s, then went to work for the Pine Bluff Arsenal. He died in 1999.

Thanks to Maggie for the heads up!

**********

The White River Monster

The legend of the White River Monster begins in the town of Newport in northeastern Arkansas. In 1915, local farmers began filing reports of a large, unknown creature off the banks of the White River. In July 1937, a key eyewitness account described the creature as having gray skin and being "as wide as a car and three cars long." A county deputy said the creature itself "looked like a large sturgeon or catfish."

THE MONSTER RETURNS: The White River Monster was sighted again in the summer of 1971. That year, eyewitnesses who encountered the creature described it as "the size of a boxcar" with a bone protruding from its forehead. "It looked as if the thing was peeling all over, but it was a smooth type of skin or flesh," said one, and it made strange noises that sounded like a combination of a "cow's moo and a horse's neigh." Other accounts of the White River Monster described three-toed tracks, 14 inches in length, on Towhead Island leading down to the river through a path of bent trees and crushed bushes. Following the reports, in 1973 the Arkansas State Legislator created the White River Monster Refuge, making it illegal to "molest, kill, trample, or harm the White River Monster while he is in the retreat."

MISTAKEN IDENTITY? According to scientists, the White River Monster is likely a case of mistaken identity. Cryptozoologist and biologist Roy P. Mackal has suggested that the creature is "a clear-cut instance of a known aquatic animal outside its normal habitat or range and therefore unidentified by the observers unfamiliar with the type." Mackal believes that the creature is in fact a large male elephant seal that wandered up the Mississippi River into White River. Measuring an average of 5,000 pounds and 14 feet in length, a male elephant seal shares many of the characteristics described by those who've encountered the "monster": gray skin, three-toed tracks, summer molting and a farm animal's call. Even the "bone" on the creature's forehead can be explained by the male elephant seal's inflatable trunk. So are male elephant seals visiting White River? No one's been able to confirm that they are, and the mystery continues.

Further information...

Some believe the White river monster may have had an impact on the Civil War. The river was used for transportation, and the monster was supposedly responsible for overturning a boat. Sightings of the monster began in 1915. On July 1 of that year, an owner of a plantation near the river, saw the monster. He reported it having gray skin and "as wide as a car and three cars long." As the news spread construction of a rope net began, but ended due to lack of money and materials.

The White River Monster was sighted again in the summer of 1971. That year, eyewitnesses who encountered the creature described it as "the size of a boxcar" with a bone protruding from its forehead. "It looked as if the thing was peeling all over, but it was a smooth type of skin or flesh," said one, and it made strange noises that sounded like a combination of a "cow's moo and a horse's neigh." Other accounts of the White River Monster described three-toed tracks, 14 inches (360 mm) in length, on Towhead Island leading down to the river through a path of bent trees and crushed bushes.

The most interesting part of this legend happened in 1973. The Arkansas State Legislator created the White River Monster Refuge along the area of the White River that runs adjacent to the Jacksonport State Park. They enacted a resolution which made it illegal to "molest, kill, trample, or harm the White River Monster while he is in the retreat." Is this proof of his existence or just an attempt to draw tourists?

There are many explanations for the creature. Biologists believe Whitey was actually a lost elephant seal. He somehow migrated incorrectly and ended up in Newport. Some townspeople believe that it was an elaborate plot to gain attention by farmers in the area. No one knows for sure.

The monster hasn't been seen much in recent years but many of the people living around the White River still believe he is there. Some think that he has died because the river has gotten shallower.

Click for video

Sources:
www.exploresouthernhistory.com
animal.discovery.com
littlerock.about.com
weirdthings.com
www.guardonline.com

The White River Monster: Myth or Reality?

Have you had a close encounter or witnessed something unusual?
Send us an email

'Phantoms and Monsters' - Now Available on Kindle

New Items - Strickler's Celebrity Autographs

Anomalist Books - works on maverick science, unexplained mysteries, unorthodox theories, strange talents, and unexpected discoveries. Please check out their excellent and diverse catalog
Become a fan of 'Phantoms and Monsters' at Facebook