Shadowy Military Entity Caught on Film in The Gasp Menagerie
Mr. Dark
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This is it, folks; this is what we’ve been waiting for… the very first original content to be added to The Gasp Menagerie!
What we have for you is an image and the story behind it, provided by J.J. Rice, founder and president of TexPart Paranormal from North Texas. TexPart is a group of paranormal investigators serving North Central Texas. They’re a non-profit, research-oriented group that focuses on helping those facing experiences and phenomena they cannot explain or deal with on their own.
J.J. started her research career in her native Iowa when she came into possession of a very haunted house.
This photo comes from Iowa as well, during a preliminary investigation of an historic inn that had been converted to city offices in Garden Grove, IA before being purchased by J.J. in the late 1990’s.
The important facts: J.J. was the only person in the back yard of the former Lady Amber Inn where this photo was taken. The only lights in the area were the street light seen over the figure’s left shoulder and one in a neighbor’s yard to the right of the figure, out of the picture.
The strange hat shape and clothing gives off the impression of an old-time army uniform, so J.J. spoke with life-long resident Albert Spidle to try to find any information. Though he was already in his late 80’s at the time, his memory was sharp. When asked about any military men around the inn, perhaps near the first world war, Albert offered a story.
When he was a small boy, he said, there was indeed a man in the cavalry during the WWI era that came to stay at the inn. He remembered, because he commented to his mother on the man’s “fluffy” pants and was corrected that those pants were the type used by soldiers on horseback in those days.
Some time later, Albert and his mother were passing the inn, and the doors on one side were open. Through them, the sounds of shouting reached Albert, followed by sounds of a scuffle and the wailing of a woman. Albert peeked inside and saw the army man struggling with another man, while a woman wept and screamed at them. His mother hurried him along to their stores, but Albert expected to hear tale of the fight later. However, nothing was said about it in the days following.
Albert thought nothing more of the army man until MP’s showed up looking for him, saying he’d gone AWOL. The word was that he’d returned to the town to marry a woman he’d met and fallen in love with, but her father wouldn’t permit it. Rejected, it was said he left town, possibly to kill himself.
Given Albert’s tale and this photo, J.J. believes that the man may never have left the town and may still be somewhere on the property of the Lady Amber.
So what’s in this photo? A trick of the light? Pareidolia? A “shadow person” as found in night terror phenomenon? (What IS it with those shadow folks and the hats?) Or is it the mounted cavalry man, killed in a fight with the father of his love, trying to get a message out to the living about the injustice he suffered?
Check out more from and about TexPart Paranormal at their website and visit their Facebook page for up-to-date information and more evidence they’ve discovered!
Coming soon, MORE original weirdness from TexPart and other groups, right here in The Gasp Menagerie!
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Have a weird story? Potential evidence of the supernatural, or at least something hard to explain? Spot any creepy critters out there roaming the wilds? LET ME KNOW! I’d love to talk about it and possibly write it up right here in the Gasp Menagerie. You’ll get appropriate credit, of course, and everyone else will get fresh creepy (as opposed to fresh Creepy, which, trust me… nobody wants that) to enjoy. As always, I can be found at mrdark@dreadcentral.com. Now get out there, find some weird, and let’s get this party started.
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