Decidedly Grim

Here’s a wonderful blog for morbid sightseers like us!

Curious Expeditions

Thanks to Eleanor for the link.

Web

Today’s Low and Guttural Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Taylorism is an old name for an ear condition, now called pressure-bonded tinnitus, which leads sufferers to hear sudden sounds which are not real. These noises are low and guttural and can sound like waves, cars or growling creatures. The condition is notable since the sounds sometimes trigger phantom sight phenomena – sufferers can momentarily see a wave or car lunge towards them. Although the condition is not named after him, its most prominent victim was James Taylor Markham, an explorer and financier who travelled extensively in Southern Africa in the late 19th century. Markham had come to terms with his disability and had conditioned himself not to jolt or run when he heard or saw something unexpected. In 1902, he was charged and gored to death by a rhino in what is now Botswana.

Culled from: Infowisps
Generously submitted by: Aimee

Facts

Today’s Godly Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

For mass public execution with the most pomp and circumstance, the Inquisitions of Spain and Portugal are difficult to top. An enormous crowd of 20,000 dressed in their finest clothes jammed the main square of Lisbon to witness the burning of 21 heretics on June 30, 1682, among them noblemen and Church dignitaries. Here is an eyewitness account:

“At the place of execution… there are so many stakes set up as there are prisoners to be burned, with a good quantity of dry furze about them. The stakes of the Professed, as the inquisitors call them, are about four yards high and have a small board, whereon the prisoner is to be seated within a half yard of the top… The Professed go up a ladder betwixt two Jesuits, who have attended them the whole day of execution.

“When they come even with the aforesaid board, they turn to the people and the Jesuits spend near a quarter of an hour in exhorting them to be reconciled to the Church of Rome. If they refuse, the priests come down and the executioner ascends and turns the professed from off the ladder and puts them upon the seat, chains their bodies to the stake and leaves them.

“Then the Jesuits go up a second time to renew their exhortations and if they find them ineffectual usually tell them at parting, that they ‘leave them to the Devil, who is standing at their elbow to receive their souls and carry them with him into the flames of hell fire, as soon as they are out of their bodies.’

“Upon this, a great shout is then raised, and as soon as the Jesuits are off the ladder, the cry is ‘Let the Dogs’ beards be made, Let the Dogs’ beards be made!’ This is done by thrusting flaming furzes against their faces with long poles. This barbarity repeated until their faces are burnt coal black, and is accompanied with such loud acclamations of joy as are not heard even at a Bull-Feast or a farce.

“Fire is then set to the furzes, which are at the bottom of the stake, but the flames seldom reach as high as the seat they sit upon… If the day is windy, then they do not die even after an hour and a half or two hours, and so are really roasted and not burnt to death… The sufferers as long as they are able to speak, cry out: ‘Misericordia por Amor de Dios’ (’Mercy for the love of God’).”

Culled from: An Underground Education

“Let the dogs’ beards be made” is my new favorite expression. For the love of God, of course.

Facts

Trey Brandt has a fascinating hobby: he tracks down the wreckage from military plane crashes, photographs his findings, and shares them with us on his website. In addition to captivating photos of the wreckage, he provides archival photographs of the victims and details of the circumstances behind the crashes. Completely entrancing! I am jealous… I want to track down some old crash sites now!

Aircraft Wrecks In Arizona and the Southwest

More websites dedicated to crashes can be found at the Asylum’s All Things Dark & Gruesome – Catastrophic Crashes page.

Web

Today’s Crushing Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

In 1982, 27-year-old David Grundman and a roommate decided to do a little “cactus plugging,” by shooting the desert plant with a shotgun. The first one, a small cactus, went off without a hitch and Grundman was encouraged to try a larger prey: a 26-foot-tall Saguaro cactus, probably a 100-year-old plant. Unfortunately, Grundman blasted off a large chuck of the cactus that fell on him and crushed him to death! To date, this was probably the only known instance of revenge killing by a plant.

Culled from: Neatorama
Generously submitted by: Bex

Facts

Thanks to Trase for the image.

Mirth

Today’s Restrained Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

Bilboes were a method of restraint which consisted of a long iron bar attached to the floor. Free to slide along the bar were a number of hinged iron rings which were riveted about the ankles of the prisoners, forcing them to sit or lie down until the restraint was released. Some prisons in Britain also found bilboes invaluable for securing prisoners who were being flogged, and indeed the punishment cell in Newgate Prison was given the name of the Bilboe or Bilbow. The word is a corruption of the Spanish town Bilboa, for when the Armada was defeated in 1588, chests of these shackles were found in the galleons, reputedly to pinion English captives. In actual fact similar devices were widely used for naval prisoners on board ship and the Royal Navy was equipped with them until the 18th century. Doubtless that was how they found their way to the West Indies, where they were used during the slave trade era. Ten or more slaves would be secured in bilboes, being released each day before being taken to work in the plantations.

Culled from: Rack, Rope and Red-Hot Pincers

You can get your own personal bilboes from Irontree Works. What a nifty Christmas gift!

Facts

Headless Historicals are the perfect gift for the historically-minded morbid doll lover in your life. I am personally quite fond of Anne Boleyn, though she’s a bit out of my price range.

Thanks to Desmodus for the link.

Trinkets

I have been a horribly busy Comtesse lately – literally running around non-stop for the last few weeks – which explains why I haven’t been keeping up with the facts. It probably won’t get much better until the beginning of October when my life finally settles down. However, I will try to get a few random updates in between now and then…

I spent four hours this morning wandering through dew-covered, burr-infested meadows and woodlands in the Midlothian Meadows forest preserve near Chicago looking for a friend of my girlfriend’s who has been missing since last Sunday. There was a huge turnout – maybe about 100 people or more – and it was a well-organized search. He apparently just walked out of his house on Sunday night and hasn’t been seen since. Search dogs tracked him to the railroad tracks near his house, that run through the woods, and then lost his scent.

We didn’t find any trace of him, though I did find some other creepy artifacts in the woods (several of which I photographed), including the foundation of an old house, a creepy rocking horse and teddy bear in a clearing, an empty suitcase (you know I looked in it!), and a deer humerus that I thought at first might be human. (It will become a decoration on my bookshelf now.) I thought for sure we’d stumble across some human remains, even if we didn’t find the man we were looking for, but alas… we came home empty-handed. Every plastic bag was opened, every piece of canvas was overturned, and I am completely exhausted now. I’m off to sleep for a thousand years.

Here’s information on Tariq. I hope he turns up soon.
Tariq Ali

UPDATE: Tariq’s body was found in another nearby forest preserve about a week after our search. He had committed suicide by shotgun blast to the face. R.I.P.

Sundry

Today’s Inadequate Yet Truly Morbid Fact!

The Ballantyne’s Department Store Fire on November 18, 1947, remains the worst fire disaster in New Zealand history. Forty one people died in the blaze, mostly employees who had failed to evacuate the second floor workrooms at the time of the fire. J. Ballantyne & Co, located at the corner of Colombo Street and Cashel Street in Christchurch, employed about 300 people at the time of the fire. Many of these worked on the second floor in various departments, including millinery, dress-making, and bookkeeping. When the fire was first noticed, at 3:31 in the afternoon, the owners were informed and the fire department was called. The shopping area on the first floor was evacuated by sales employees. When firemen arrived shortly after, they initially did not realize there were still people on the second floor of the building. Many of the victims on the second floor died of smoke inhalation as they tried to leave via fire escapes. Kenneth Ballantyne was the last person to be rescued by firefighters. A commission later determined that the fire response was inadequate and the building did not meet fire codes, though it had passed its last inspection.

Culled from: Wikipedia
Generously suggested by: Robyn

Facts