"A powerful earthquake toppled scores of buildings in
central Turkey on Sunday," February 3, 2002, "killing at
least 42 people, injuring more than 150 and sending
terrified residents running from their houses."
The quake came one week after five mysterious lights
appeared in the night sky over Adiyaman, a city 300
kilometers (180 miles) southeast of Ankara. The hovering
lights were videotaped for nearly six hours by the Turkish
Security Directorate. Their presence a week before the
big earthquake in Afyun has triggered a sharp debate in
Turkey's UFO community.
According to Erol Erkmen of the Turkey UFO and
Paranormal Events Research Group (the Turkish acronym is
TUVPO--J.T.), "The lights, which are supposed to be
alien/UFOs by some New Age groups, were also recorded on
video cameras. Scientific studies indicated that some
very similar events have been experienced in the region
and all of them had the same characteristics."
"All of the places where the lights were observed
were located along the active fault line," Erkmen pointed
out, "It is proved that the lights, which were first
thought to be (the planet) Jupiter, were earthquake
lights, or anomalous light phenomena (ALP)."
However, Turkey's Sirius UFO Space Sciences Research
Center stands by its assertion that the mysterious lights
were unidentified flying objects. The group stated, "We
repeat that the lights observed in Adiyaman skies could
not have been earthquake lights or any other kind of
plasma formation created by ionized electrically-charged
particles. There is not a single sample of this kind of
event in world chronicles, in which earthquake lights were
recorded for so long." (About six hours--J.T.)
The center argued that, if the Adiyaman lights seen
on the night of January 26 and 27, 2002 were indeed
earthquake lights, "this dreadful event (the earthquake)
would have occurred in Adiyaman and not in Afyun which is
located 700 kilometers (420 miles) away." (Many thanks to
Erol Erkmen of TUVPO for the news clips.)
RED UFO PLUNGES INTO LAKE
ERIE NEAR CLEVELAND
"It was first thought to be a downed helicopter, then
a meteor shower or Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis--J.T.)
but whichever it was caused the U.S. Coast Guard to launch
a rescue boat last night (Wednesday, February 13, 2002)
and search Lake Erie off the mouth of the Black River."
"Sightings of red lights or flashes thought to be two
miles (3 kilometers offshore) from the Elyria Water Works
started being reported on Lorain (Ohio) police radio
transmissions around 8 p.m."
"'We're out there doing search patterns,' said a
dispatcher for the Lorain Coast Guard station, but nothing
was reported being found late last night."
"Lorain police dispatchers said they had nothing to
report."
"Lights from helicopters or possibly commercial
planes were later seen in the air above where the Coast
Guard boat combed the waters."
"Also traveling the airways were reports of unusual
lights being seen from Bay Village (population 16,087) to
Toledo (population 313,619), and Coast Guard radio traffic
indicated a helicopter had been dispatched to take a look
along the (lake) shore." (See The Morning Journal of
Lorain, Ohio for February 14, 2002, "Unidentified red
lights seen in night sky." Copyright 2002 by The Morning
Journal, all rights reserved.)
Eyewitness T.S. reported, "I did not see it, but I
may have 'heard' it. Over the late evening, there were
several concussion-like sounds like sonic booms. They
shook and rattled the windows of my cottage in Bay Village
near the shorefront of Lake Erie."
Lorain (population 68,652) is on Ohio Routes 6 and 67
approximately 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of Cleveland.
Bay Village is on Route 6 nine miles (12 kilometers)
west of Cleveland.
Toledo is a large port city on Lake Erie located
approximately 119 miles (190 kilometers) west of
Cleveland. (Many thanks to T.S. for the Morning
Journal news article and his report.)
(Editor's Comment: This isn't the first time we've had an
unidentified submerged object (USO) on the bottom of Lake
Erie. A similar case occurred in Ashtabula, Ohio a year
ago.)
CHUPACABRA RAIDS A FAMILY
HOME IN CENTRAL CHILE
"The Chupacabra phenomenon does not cease in Chile.
Indeed, it seems to move to different sections of the
country."
"Almost two years ago, the central coastal area of
Chile witnessed strange animal deaths, particularly
chickens. The animal mutilations took place in towns
like Llo Lleo and Cartagena."
"However, today it is in the coastal area of
Barrancas where the most recent animal mutilation cases
have occurred. The dead animals, once again, presented
signs of the absence of blood in their bodies, which is
typical of Chupacabra attacks."
"A local family of Barrancas is shocked and
frightened by what has taken place. They are not only
afraid of being subjected to ridicule, but of the fact
that the animal mutilations have taken place on their
property. Furthermore, the fear is even greater due to
uncertainty and of not knowing if the phenomenon will
happen again or not."
"Another landlord, who did not want to appear in
public, said he woke up frightened yesterday (Wednesday,
February 13, 2002). He claimed that he was awakened by a
strange sound made by one of the chickens outside. He
quickly went outside with his son. They walked across the
yard and found the dead body of a hen. It was headless and
it had no blood."
The first incident "happened about 6:40 a.m. on
(Monday) February the 11th. As a result, the following
day, the family members discussed over breakfast how this
could have possibly happened. They all seemed to agree
that the crime should not go unpunished and that this must
be prevented from happening again."
On Monday, February 11, 2002, a about 6:40 a.m., the
family's "13-year-old daughter found five dead chickens.
In this case, they were a few weeks old, and they were
still located in the backyard. One of them was
headless and appeared to be 'bloodless' as well."
"They blamed their dog, a young German Shepherd, for
the death of the birds. As punishment, they locked the
dog up. However, they soon realized that it was someone--
or something--else other than the dog, as they had found
another dead chicken the following day (Tuesday, February
12, 2002) while their dog was locked up inside the house."
"'We used to enjoy staying out on the porch until
late at night. Now, we have to go inside early because we
simply do not know what we are dealing with,' said the
girl's father."
"He also stated that they have looked around their
property for any clues as to what might have caused the
death of the chickens, but with inconclusive results."
(See Diario Lider de San Antonio for February 14, 2002.
Muchas gracias a Dr. Virgilio Sanchez Ocejo de UFO Miami
para eso articulo de diario.)
MYSTERIOUS LIGHT FLASH
ILLUMINATES THE SKY OVER
ARICA, CHILE
An unusual light phenomenon has been reported in
Arica, the northernmost city in Chile, just south of
that country's border with Peru.
"A photojournalist for a major (Chilean) domestic
media source was returning to the city of Arica from the
area near Visviri after covering the Raid Altiplanico (a
local fiesta--J.T.) for his newspaper. Accompanied by a
group of officials from the small city of General Lagos,
he was driving through the town of Molinos in Arica
province, the the middle of the Lluta Valley, when they
noticed that a powerful beam of white light filled the
entire area at around 9:30 p.m. on Sunday (February 10,
2002)."
"At first they thought it was lightning and paid
little heed."
Hours later, however, "the photojournalist discussed
the event with a resident of the Puerta Norte Building in
the town of Cardenal Raul Silva Henriquez. The resident
confirmed having seen the same phenomenon from" that town.
"'I thought it was a lightning strike because the flash
was only a few kilometers away from us. But I'm certain
it wasn't because it covered a rather wide radius of
illumination. I have a few relatives who also saw it
from Arica,' said the informant, who preferred to remain
anonymous."
"'I saw a flash of white light, as though from a
flash bulb, that lasted only an instant. When we
commented on it in the van, we all thought it had been
lightning. But thinking back on it, it couldn't have been
just this,' the photojournalist said."
"'I saw other colors swirling and, I don't know if it
was my imagination but I saw a red spot in the air. I
think something fell...entered the atmosphere. It was
strange. I'd never seen anything so powerful. It lit up
the whole valley. Suddenly the sky was filled with
light.'"
"Fifteen other cars on the road also witnessed the
phenomenon. Among them was Maria Saldias, a homeowner who
was participating with her husband in the Raid
Altiplanico. 'I saw a very powerful light. What was odd
is that everything was super-clear, no signs of rain
anywhere. Even the stars could be seen. Up there (in
Visviri--S.C.) we heard some thunderclaps, but it was
cloudy, unlike the valley.'"
"'All the people participating in the Raid saw it,'
Maria said. 'We thought it could have been car
(head)lights or a short-circuit in the power lines. We
talked about it later when were down in the city (Arica)
and reached the conclusion that it had been something
weird. We had never seen anything so powerful. It was
like in the movies because the sky lit up
completely. Lightning bolts don't cover so much space.'"
Yet, this wasn't the first time the horizon-to-
horizon anomalous light phenomenon (ALP) had been seen in
Arica province.
In 1993, "while working on the preparation of the
decorations needed for a fiesta, Elisio Osorio, an Aricano
(city resident--J.T.) dwelling on the slopes of Morro de
Arica (mountain), remembers having seen the skies of Arica
light up completely. 'We were making an assembly of
several structures (for the parade--J.T.) when suddenly,
around 4 a.m., the sky over the city lit up. It was
impressive. We couldn't see any connection to lightning.'"
"Other residents of Arica told this newspaper that in
September of last year (2001) the very same phenomenon was
seen from Pampa Chaca. 'While I drove in the morning from
Iquique (north) toward Arica, I saw the entire sky light
up. I thought I was seeing things, but after discussing
it with others, I was told that they too had seen the same
thing in the vicinity of Arica,'" a witness reported.
Arica is located about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles)
north of Santiago de Chile, the national capital. (See La
Estrella de Arica for February 12, 2002, "Strange
phenomenon in the sky." Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales,
autor de los libros Chupacabras and Other Mysteries y
Forbidden Mexico, y tambien Gloria Coluchi, para eso
articulo de diario.)
WOMAN VIDEOTAPES A UFO
NEAR SALTA, ARGENTINA
"Adriana Acosta, a 24-year-old woman from Salta, who
is in the second year of studies of the Architecture
program at the University of Tucuman, managed to film for
three consecutive minutes the impressive maneuvers of an
unidentified flying object (UFO) which appeared and
disappeared in the mountains located to the northeast of
Salta."
"The event occurred on Saturday, February 2, of this
year." (2002--J.T.)
"'It was a truly amazing event, and all of the
members of my family and some residents of the barrio Tres
Cerritos (neighborhood) were witnesses to it,' said
Adriana, who lives at Calle Las Acacias 700 (street),"
Tres Cerritos, Salta, Argentina. 'We kept quiet about the
subject to avoid being the target of pranks or practical
jokes, but we decided to come forward and present our
filmed document, after having read in El Tribuno that
there was a delegation of specialists in Salta who were
getting ready to go out to Cachi where these events take
place on a daily basis, according to the press.'"
(Editor's Note: Cachi is a small town about 130 kilometers
(80 miles) west-southwest of Salta. It's on the edge of
the Salar de Hombre Muerto desert, in a very remote region
of northern Argentina. If any of our South American
readers have more information about the continuing UFO
flap in Cachi, please email UFO Roundup at Masinaigan@aol.com.)
"'What we wished was to have the images I captured
with my Samsung X14 (videocamera) analyzed by the
experts,' she stated. Adriana added that her sighting
of the craft was the result of a number of coincidences."
"'The time was 9:15 p.m. on Saturday (February 2,
2002). I was looking for my cat to feed it. We had moved
to our new house (in Tres Cerritos--J.T.) only two weeks
earlier, and we'd lost our pet. However, he returned that
day, thin and apparently ill. He was on the roof and
refused to come down. My father, an electronics
technician, had brought home a Rottweiler dog, and this
was the reason he wouldn't come down. Therefore, I
decided to climb to the roof.'"
"'Suddenly I raised my eyes and saw--directly above
the hills that give the barrio its name--that strange
light. It was above the line that marks the top (the
ridge--J.T.) and gave off alternating flashes of silver
and red light. I thought it might be a car or a
helicopter , but it couldn't be. I remained motionless,
looking at it, when suddenly it moved from one side to
another, and another object, exactly alike, emerged from
its side, although its colors were opposite. When one
flashed silver, the other flashed red, and so forth.'"
"'I called my Dad immediately, since he was working
in his laboratory. When he saw what I was seeing, he told
me to find my camera, which I did immediately, and we went
out to the second story of our house, which had
broad windows facing the place where the UFO could be
seen.'"
"'My Mom, Gloria, and my three sisters--Marianela,
21; Marisel, 19; and Liz, 10--followed us and were stunned
by the sight. Especially my Mom who has always been
skeptical about UFOs.'"
"'When I started filming, the thing remained right
there, and it moved from one side to another. Sometimes
there were two objects melding into one. I was trying to
capture the images but everything seemed to be going
wrong. The camera had no batteries. Some three minutes
went by until I was able to make it work. Fortunately,
the light or lights remained there. They moved. They
went from north to south and vice versa. At some times
they went away. At times they came closer. We had the
impression that they were spinning permanently on their
own axes.'"
"'The spectacle was strange and overpowering because
it wasn't just unusual. It was something no one had seen
before. I have no doubts that the objects were foreign to
this world. All of my relatives and neighbors who saw it
say the same,' Adriana pointed out, excited at the
recollection of her experiences."
Adriana estimated that the UFOs were there for "seven
to ten minutes" and "then vanished at an unreal speed
towards the north." (See El Tribuno for February 15,
2002, "The footage is startling! A student managed to
capture a UFO on film." Muchas gracias a Scott Corrales y
tambien Mercedes Casas de CEUFO-Proyecto
Condor para eso articulo de diario.)
TRAPEZOIDAL UFO SIGHTED
IN MAGSTADT, GERMANY
On Sunday, February 17, 2002, at precisely 1 a.m.,
Debra Rauch was out walking in her hometown of Magstadt in
Germany when she "saw a strange light approaching from the
southwest."
Looking up, Fraulein Rauch saw that "there was an
orange trapezoidal shape looking like it was on fire. It
started out huge and was going northeast and looked as if
it was being controlled. It was not falling to Earth. I
have to say it was an awesome sight. It got very small
and then it disappeared."
Debra estimated that the object "was 3 centimeters
(just over an inch) long" just before "it vanished over
the horizon." (Email Form Report)
MYSTERIOUS RASH AFFLICTS
CHILDREN IN SEVERAL STATES
OF THE USA
"Hundreds of youngsters in at least seven states have
broken out in a mysterious rash, and some health
investigators suspect it might be caused by a new or
yet-to-be-identified virus."
"The red, itchy rash (or dermatitis--J.T.) is thought
to be more an annoyance than a serious health threat, but
it has managed to temporarily close schools, for whom
answers have been elusive."
"Students in Pennsylvania, New York (state), West
Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, Oregon and Washington (state)
have complained about the rashes on the face, arms, legs
and body. For the most part, the rash goes away when the
students leave school."
"In the Quakerstown (Pennsylvania) Community School
District, where nearly 170 students at all nine schools
were confirmed to have the rash, an environmental company
collected air and water samples and examined carpets,
floor mats, vacuum bags and clothing, but all tested
negative for contaminants."
"Dr. Norman Sykes, who examined about 30 suburban
Philadelphia students who came down with the rash this
month, suspects the culprit in Quakerstown is either a
mutation of the childhood illness known as fifth disease
or a virus not yet known to science."
"Fifth disease, so-called because it was once
considered one of the five main childhood illnesses (like
measles, mumps and chicken pox--J.T.) produces
a low fever and cold-like (rhinovirus) symptoms, followed
by a rash."
"Though Sykes's patients had these same symptoms, a
blood test turned up no evidence of the virus that causes
the disease." (See the Duluth, Minn. News-Tribune for
February 16, 2002, "Mysterious rash plagues hundreds of
students," page 9A.)
(Editor's Comment: I just hope this turns out to be a
mutated virus and not some more "unintentional collateral
damage" from those stupid chemtrails.)
READER FEEDBACK:
FILM IN A DIGITAL CAMERA!?
Barbara Farrish writes, "I'm wondering what kind of
'film' one would use in a digital camera. Something
doesn't work here--digitals don't use film at all, they
record on disk, CD or memory chip. At least I think
that's what the little thingy is called. But they don't
need film and there's nothing to develop. Maybe he could
have taken it home and plug it into his computer. But
that's not what this (news story) says." (See UFO Roundup
volume 7, number 5, "Man finds a saucer in his NYC tourist
photo," page 5.)
(Editor's Reply: You are absolutely right, Barbara.
That's exactly what Derek did.
The fault here belongs to your editor, who is still stuck
in the Twentieth Century when all cameras carried film.
My mistake! And if you think that's bad, you should have
been at my workplace the day I picked up Zack's portable
CD player and asked if it was a frisbee. Good thing I
didn't throw it.)
MORE ON ROBERT E. HOWARD
Rick Lambert writes, "I enjoyed the article about
Robert E. Howard and the inspiration for his Conan
stories. But did you know that L. Sprague de Camp only
quoted a small part of REH's letter? The whole section is
much more revealing."
"Here's what REH wrote to his friend and fellow
author Clark Ashton Smith in the letter of December 14,
1933: 'While I don't go so far as to believe that stories
are inspired by actually existing spirits or powers
(though I am rather opposed to flatly denying anything--
REH) I have sometimes wondered if it were possible that
unrecognized forces of the past or present--or even the
future--work through the thought and actions of living
men.'"
"'This occurred to me when I was writing the first
stories of the Conan series especially. I know that for
months I had been absolutely barren of ideas, completely
unable to work up anything sellable. Then the man Conan
seemed to grow up in my mind without much labor on my part
and immediately a stream of stories flowed off my pen--or
rather off my typewriter--almost without effort on my
part. I did not seem to be creating, but rather relating
events that had occurred. Episode crowded upon episode so
fast that I could scarecely keep up with them.'"
"'For weeks I did nothing but write of the adventures
of Conan. The character took complete possession of my
mind and crowded out everything else in the way of story-
writing. When I deliberately tried to write something
else, I couldn't do it.'"
"'I do not attempt to explain this by esoteric or
occult means, but the facts remain. I still write of
Conan more powerfully and with more understanding than any
of my other characters. But the time will probably come
when I will suddenly find myself unable to write
convincingly of him at all. This has happened in the past
with nearly all my rather numerous characters; suddenly I
find myself out of contact with the conception, as if the
man himself had been standing at my shoulder directing my
efforts, and had suddenly turned and gone away, leaving me
to search for another character.'"
"Again thanks for the article." (See UFO Roundup,
Volume 7, number 5, "1932: Slouching towards Valhalla,"
page 6.)
(Editor's Comment: As a matter of fact, Howard was still
"powerfully" writing Conan tales at the time of his tragic
death in June 1936. But Rick has a point. Was REH an
author? A channeller? Or a little of both? You
decide.)
From the UFO Files...
1863: THE PRESIDENT'S
PSYCHIC
Yesterday was Presidents Day here in the USA. And it
follows closely on the heels of the birthday of one of our
country's best known presidents. People overseas know him
as the bearded fellow on the USA's five-dollar bill.
Namely, Abraham Lincoln, who was president from March 1861
until his assassination in Washington D.C. in April 1865.
One of the most intriguing things about Lincoln was
his pronounced interest in Spiritualism. After the death
of his son Willie in 1862, Lincoln "assertedly saw many
mediums--Charles Colchester (also known as "Lord
Colchester," who claimed to be the illegitimate son of a
British viscount--J.T.), Lucy Hamilton, Charles Redmond--
but only one, Nettie Colburn Maynard, has left an account
of these singular meetings."
Nettie Colburn was born in Connecticut, the daughter
of Colonel Albert V. Colburn, an officer on the staff of
Gen. George B. McClellan, commander of the Army of the
Potomac. The Colburn family was prominent in the
Spiritualist movement in the New England states. After
her father and older brothers joined the U.S. Army
following Lincoln's call for volunteers in the American
Civil War (better known in "Mother Dixie" as the
unsuccessful War for Southern Independence--J.T.) Nettie
came to Washington, D.C. with her cousin, Mrs. Parthenia
Hannum, looking for work in the federal government.
An impressive array of witnesses backed Nettie's
claim that she performed channellings for Lincoln. "The
wife of former congressman Daniel E. Somes of Maine, a
Lincoln intimate, affirmed them. Mrs. Elvira M. Dupuy, a
Washington socialite, was another to support Mrs. (Nettie
Colburn) Maynard's account. 'My husband,' she stated
flatly, 'was a visitor to seances where Mr. Lincoln was
present.'"
Mrs. Dupuy "herself attended a seance in 1862 at the
home of a Mr. Laurie in Georgetown, with Mrs. (Mary Todd)
Lincoln present and Miss Nettie Colburn the medium."
(Editor's Note: Today the Laurie House is the most haunted
in Georgetown. It was built by Rev. James Laurie, who in
1803 constructed the Associated Reformed Church at the
corner of H Street and New York Avenue in Washington, D.C.
Originally it was a Scottish-Irish Presbyterian Church.
But in the 1850s, Mrs. Cranston Laurie became an ardent
Spiritualist, and the church became a mecca for New Agers
of the era. Lincoln himself attended this church on a
sporadic basis during his presidency.)
According to Mrs. Dupuy, "At this (1862) seance,
remarkable statements were made by Miss Colburn, which
surprised Mrs. Lincoln to such a degree that she asked
that a seance might be given to Mr. Lincoln."
(Editor's Comment: Mr. Dupuy has been six feet under in
Arlington for nearly a century. But his wife has carved
out a whole new career for herself as "Elvira, Mistress
of the Dark." Just kidding, Cassandra!)
Nettie Colburn's "first sitting at the White House,
as she recalled, occurred shortly after she had met Mrs.
Lincoln at the Lauries' in Georgetown. She was invited to
the White House in December 1862 at eight one evening.
The meeting took place in the Red Parlor (now the Red
Room--J.T.) Lincoln came in soon after Nettie arrived.
She was struck at once by his magnetic presence. The
group formed the familiar circle of the seance, and
she obediently went into trance."
"As she recovered consciousness, she sensed a
suppressed excitement in the room. 'I shall never forget
the scene around me when I regained consciousness,' she
said, 'I was standing in front of Mr. Lincoln, and he was
sitting back in his chair, with his arms folded upon his
breast, looking intently at me.'"
"A distinguished looking man whom she did not
recognize leaned forward and whispered in Lincoln's ear,
'Mr. President, did you notice anything peculiar in the
method of address?'"
"As if shaking off a spell, Lincoln raised himself in
his chair and glanced quickly at a full-length portrait of
Daniel Webster (famous Senator from Massachusetts--J.T.)
that hung over a large piano. 'Yes,' he replied,
'And it is very singular, very.'"
"From the conversations," Nettie "was able to piece
together what she had said in trance. It was very much
what some imagined the late Senator from Massachusetts
might have said. She--or the spirit voice--had told the
harassed President not to delay enforcement of the
controversial Emancipation Proclamation beyond the new
year." Lincoln "was told to stand firm 'and fearlessly
perform the work and fulfill the mission for which he had
been raised up by an overruling Providence.'"
(Editor's Note: Lincoln had first met Daniel Webster at a
political meeting in Chicago in July 1847. Keynote
speakers at this event were the newspaper publishers
Horace A. Greeley and Thurlow P. Weed.)
"The next meeting, on February 5, 1863, was equally
portentous. On an impulse, the President had accompanied
Mrs. Lincoln to a seance at the Laurie house. Nobody--not
Lincoln himself--knew he was coming until, filing out of a
Cabinet meeting, he climbed into a carriage with Mrs.
Lincoln. But Nettie had told the host to expect him."
Later the same year, Nettie "was closeted with the
President and two (Army) officers she had never seen
before." (One was probably General Henry W. Halleck,
Lincoln's Chief of Staff--J.T.)
"Mrs. Lincoln had graciously welcomed her but had
then drawn off to a corner with Congressman Somes. There
was a specific reason for the privacy."
"'Mr. Lincoln quietly stated,'" Nettie wrote in her
book, "'that he wished me to give them an opportunity to
witness something of my rare gift.'"
"Promptly she put herself into trance. An hour
later, when she regained consciousness, she was standing
by a large map of the Southern States. 'In my hand was a
lead pencil.'"
"To the military, the President said, 'It is
astonishing how every line she had drawn conforms to the
plan agreed upon.'"
"'Yes,' replied the older soldier (Halleck?), 'It is
very astonishing.'"
"And then Lincoln bent over and whispered to Nettie,
'It is best not to mention this meeting.'"
Nettie's last meeting with Lincoln took place in late
February 1865, just prior to his second inauguration. Her
cousin, "Parnie" Hannum, was there as well. Nettie was
planning to return to New England to care for her
ailing father, the colonel.
(Editor's Comment: If ever you take a good magnifying
glass to those old photos of Lincoln's second Inaugural
Ball, a startling face will jump out at you--the face of
John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin. Amazingly, Booth
was a guest at the Inaugural Ball the night of March 4,
1865.)
"'What they (her spirit guides) have predicted for
you has come to pass,' she said, 'But they also reaffirm
that the shadow they have spoken of still hangs over you.'"
"The President made an impatient gesture. 'Yes,' he
said, "i Know. I have letters from all over the country
from mediums warning me against some dreadful plot against
my life. But I don't think the knife is made nor the
bullet run that will reach it.' And then a melancholy
expression that she would always remember fell over his
face, and he said, 'Well, Miss Nettie, I shall live till
my work is done, and no earthly power can prevent it.'"
Nettie married one of her father's junior officers,
Lieutenant William E. Maynard, and the couple moved to
White Plains, New York, where she lived for the remainder
of her life. In her old age, conscious of the illness
that was sapping her life, she wrote an account of her
meetings with Lincoln.
The book immediately touched off a controversry.
Both Robert Lincoln, the late president's oldest son, and
Lincoln's former law partner, William Herndon, flatly
denied it. But Nettie had people to corroborate her
account, particularly Mrs. Somes and Mrs. Dupuy.
Since then, a "smoking gun" has turned up--an 1862
letter, in Mary Todd Lincoln's own handwriting,
recommending "Miss Nettie Colburn and Mrs. Parthenia
Hannum for employment" at the U.S. Treasury Building in
Washington, D.C.
It appears that the full account of Abraham Lincoln's
involvement with the paranormal has yet to be written.
Meanwhile, I can think of two disturbing questions that
ought to be pondered.
(1) Whatever happened to all of those letters Lincoln
received from psychics, clairvoyants and assorted
sensitives, warning of the "dreadful plot" against his
life?
(2) Was the carnage of General Sherman's march
through the South planned...
in the Spirit World? (See the books The Door to the
Future by Jess Stearn, Doubleday and Company, New York,
N.Y., 1963, pages 131 to 135; Mary Todd Lincoln: Her Life
and Letters by Justin G. Turner and Linda Levitt Turner,
Alfred A. Knopf, New York, N.Y., 1972, pages 122 and 123;
The President's Wife: Mary Todd Lincoln--A Biography by
Ishbel Ross, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, N.Y., 1973,
pages 182 and 183; and Washington: City and Capital,
American Guide Series, Government Printing Office,
Washington, D.C., 1937, pages 490 and 491.)
That's it for this week. Join us next time for more
UFO, paranormal and Fortean news from around the planet
Earth, brought to you by "the paper that goes home--
UFO Roundup." See you in seven days.
UFO ROUNDUP: Copyright 2002 by Masinaigan Productions, all
rights reserved. Readers may post news items from UFO
Roundup on their websites or in newsgroups provided that
they credit the newsletter and its editor by name
and list the date of issue in which the item first
appeared.
E-Mail Reports to: Joseph Trainor <Masinaigan@aol.com>
or use the Sighting Report Form at:
Official Archives of UFO Roundup, AUFORN Australian
UFO Reports and Experiences, UFO + PSI Magazine, plus
archives of Filer's Files, Oz Files, and UFO News UK.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
UFO Roundup is only sent to subscribers.
If you wish to unsubscribe or feel you have received
the bulletin in error, please write to: