Your Letters

My dog Kye is half coyote and he is not at as

ferocious as this guy says. He is a little different than

most dogs but that could be because he was severely

abused before I got him. He has never shown any

indication he will bite and he is great with other dogs. I

agree with him that not every one should own one

because they do need more time and understanding to

train but as long as you are willing to put the effort in

they are very good animals! This guy doesn't know

what he's talking about!

―Youtube user 0Taralupe0, in response

to our video on Coydogs.

The orbs are from your headlights shinning off

the metal fence poles, it looks real cool though, I used to

live real close to there.

―Youtube user vacilek, in response

to our video on Cuba Road.

If you are a fan of the Legends and Lore of Illinois, we want to

hear from you! Please e-mail your letters to:

thefallen2@gmail.com. Unless indicated otherwise, all letters

and messages will be considered for publication.

http://www.myspace.com/legendsandloreofillinois

http://www.youtube.com/Illinoisghosts

A Short Message From the Author

Keep those submissions to our fake ghost

photograph contest coming! We’ve received so many

good ones that it will be hard to pick a winner. We

might wind up displaying the best of the bunch on our

Myspace page, so make sure to send yours in by

September 20. We will print the winner in our October

issue.

I am happy that more and more people seem to

be coming around to the Legends and Lore of Illinois. I

had a feeling that people were craving more than the

usual ghost-pulp that has been floating around for the

past 6 years. Here at the Legends and Lore of Illinois, we

strive to do things differently and to entertain you at

the same time.

Still, I would like to see more fan participation.

In the future, we’re going to hold more contests to

achieve those ends. Also, our CD exchange is ongoing.

Please e-mail your full name and (snail) mailing

address to us and write, "I want a free CD!" in the

subject line. We will send you a CD of our favorite dark

music. g

Contents From the Author 1 Your Letters 1 A Quick and Dirty Guide 2 The Fallen Investigate 3 Book Review 6 Ghostly Games 7 Trivia 7

Page 1

women, and even Arthur Blood along with his wife and

their entire family! A busload of elementary school

students is also said to have plummeted from the

bridge.

In my opinion, one of the most interesting

legends concerns a witch called “Witch Beulah” who

(allegedly) lived in the area. According to Haunted-

rockford.webs.com, Arthur Blood’s children once

encountered her under the railroad bridge and were

enthralled by her ability to produce fire from her

fingertips. Afterwards, the locals grew suspicious of

Arthur Blood’s family and drove them to suicide.

Other people say that Beulah hung her children from

the bridge, or that she committed suicide in an identical

fashion.

On the Shadowlands Index, an anonymous

contributor reported that a crumbling foundation exists

in the woods off of Sweeney Road (which intersects

with Blood’s Point). Red lights supposedly dance

around the area, and an old farmer chases trespassers

off with a shotgun.

The cemetery itself is said to be visited by a

wide variety of phenomenon, from orbs, to a phantom

dog, to a vanishing barn, to the disembodied laughter

of children and electrical malfunctions.

Some of these stories can be easily dismissed as

transplanted urban legends, but some of them are

detailed enough to, perhaps, have been rooted in fact.

One thing is certain; naming an area “Blood’s Point” is

a good way to attract attention! g

A Quick and Dirty Guide to Blood’s Point

Blood’s Point is one of those locations that is

well known to locals but has, to my knowledge, never

been included in any book on Illinois ghostlore. The

road and cemetery of the same name are home to a

cornucopia of stories and myths, each one a variant or

twist on the last.

The name of the road itself is enough to excite

one’s imagination. What kind of event would leave

such a name upon the landscape? A gruesome murder

or massacre? An ancient battle? Unfortunately, its

origins are actually quite mundane. According to The

Past and Present of Boone County, Illinois (1877), Blood’s

Point was named after a prominent local family, the

Bloods. Arthur Blood was the first white settler in Flora

Township; a pleasant area that derived its name from

the abundance of flower-covered fields.

One could say that ever since its christening, the

area has been stained by Blood (sorry, I couldn’t resist).

Both the Shadowlands Index of Haunted Places and

Hauntedrockford.webs.com contain a myriad of tales

relating to the cemetery and the railroad bridge that lies

about a mile to the west. The road itself is said to be

patrolled by phantom vehicles, most notably an old

pickup truck, but also a big rig and a disappearing cop

car.

Depending on who you ask, around 4-8 people

have hung themselves or have been hung from the

railroad bridge; a witch, her children, three anonymous

Page 2

Like many rural cemeteries, this one has received some

unwanted attention.

Is this a bridge of death?

The Fallen Investigation File 021

“With a name like Blood’s Point, this area was

just asking to be a paranormal focal point,” Mike said as

The Fallen cruised down the lonely rural avenue lit only

by the light of the full moon and the dim headlights of

their dark blue Toyota Corolla. The musical stylings of

the Lord Weird Slough Feg emanated from the

Corolla’s speakers, while fog obscured the scenery on

either side of the vehicle.

“So this school bus supposedly fell off a railroad

bridge up here, the very same bridge where a witch was

hung a hundred years before?” Emmer asked with a

touch of skepticism.

“I guess you could say it was a magic school

bus,” Greg interjected, but the others ignored him.

“There are a lot of layers to this place, Mike

explained from behind the steering wheel. “Isn’t it

possible that over the course of several generations, a

few traumatic incidents left their mark on this one

stretch of road?”

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” Emmer replied.

Aurelia, seated on the front passenger side,

examined a map under the narrow beam of a penlight

and stayed out of the conversation. Her hair was tied

tightly behind her almost cartoonishly round ears.

Suddenly, a pair of headlights lit up their rear

windshield. Mike squinted as he tried to make out in

the rearview mirror what type of vehicle the beams

belonged to.

“Is that a cop?” Greg asked, straining to see over

his shoulder.

“Better not be,” Mike grumbled.

“He’s coming up awfully fast,” Emmer added

with a touch of concern.

Indeed, the vehicle sped rapidly closer, and in a

few moments, The Fallen plainly saw the outline of a

large, white van behind them.

“It’s some asshole,” Mike said as he depressed

the breaks. “I’ll just let him pass.”

The van sped forward until, as the railroad

bridge loomed, its headlights practically pressed

against the bumper of the dark blue Corolla,

illuminating the bumper sticker that read, “Necrophilia

is Dead” in yellow, skeletal lettering.

“Look out!” Aurelia shrieked.

Mike covered his right ear and frowned. “What

the hell?”

“Hey, isn’t there also a legend about a car that

chases you on this road?” Greg frantically asked as the

bumpers briefly collided.

“Yeah, that’s it, blame it on the ghosts,” Emmer

Page 3

Overlooking the side of the railroad bridge. It’s a

long way down…

shot back.

“No, what if it’s not a legend after all?” Mike

said. “Crowley’s ass! I’m going to try and throw him

off.”

Upon clearing the bridge, Mike jerked the

steering wheel sharply to the right and braked. The

Toyota’s tires spit gravel and it lurched to one side on

the embankment along the side of the road. If they

hadn’t been wearing seatbelts, Mike and Greg might

have wound up in their friend’s laps.

The van raced ahead into the night, but

displayed break lights after less than fifty yards and

made a tight u-turn. Mike carefully guided his car back

onto the road, and the two vehicles sat facing each other

menacingly.

“Did anyone get the license plate?” Emmer

asked between gasps for breath.

“I think we have bigger things to worry about,”

Mike said as the van’s tires squealed and it began to

barrel toward the four investigators.

Then, without warning, a misty form

materialized in front of the van. Its driver must have

been startled by whatever had just appeared, because

he or she slammed on the brakes and swerved into the

opposite lane. Unfortunately for is occupants, but

fortunately for The Fallen, the vehicle spun out of

control and rolled off the road in a sickening tangle of

steel and aluminum, before coming to a rest in the

grassy trench along the border of a corn field.

The mist in the road dissipated as quickly as it

had congealed.

Greg broke the silence. “Uh, did you guys see

that?” he asked.

“They must have blown a tire,” Emmer said, still

in shock.

“Tire my ass!” Aurelia yelled. “What was that

thing in the road? And more importantly, where did it

go? Is it coming after us too?”

“What are you talking about?” Emmer asked in

frustration. “The mist? Hello—“ He gestured wildly

with his arms. “If you haven’t noticed, we’re

surrounded by fog. I think the most important thing to

do right now is find out if anyone in that van needs our

help.”

“What!?” Greg exclaimed. “Screw them! They

tried to kill us!”

Mike drove cautiously toward the spot where

the van had left the road. “No,” he said. “I want to see

who these guys are.”

“Do I need to remind you that anyone within a

mile radius is probably calling the cops right now?”

Greg insisted. “Or that someone might drive by at any

moment and see us next to the wreckage of a car that

mysteriously flew off the road?”

“You have a point,” Mike admitted, pushing

down the accelerator.

“Isn’t leaving the scene of an accident a felony?”

Emmer asked, but he received no response as the

Toyota Corolla rolled further down Blood’s Point Road.

After another few minutes of listening to Slough

Feg croon about ancient times, the silhouette of a

cemetery

Page 4

Someone painted a pentagram on the road over the bridge.

The tool shed in the back of the cemetery.

that one is buried up here in Blood’s Point Cemetery. I

did some mirror scrying and I think I know exactly

where it is.”

“Great,” Emmer said. “Assuming it even exists,

why do you want an old rib bone?”

“I think it will help us unlock the astral gate,”

Mike replied.

“Of course.”

Their Toyota Corolla pulled over onto the road’s

narrow shoulder and The Fallen piled out. They stood

for a moment and examined the cemetery’s two gates in

the darkness. A thick layer of fog obscured most of the

grounds.

“Stay close,” Mike ordered. “We can’t use

flashlights. Greg, you got the shovel?”

Greg nodded, and the quartet climbed over the

red guardrail and entered the cemetery.

Mike tentatively led his friends toward the far

left corner of Blood’s Point cemetery. On more than one

occasion, he tripped over or collided with a headstone

hidden in the fog-shrouded lawn, while Greg used the

spade to distance himself from any such objects.

An old cinderblock shed loomed in front of

them. Excited, Mike instructed Aurelia to shine the

narrow beam of her penlight down at the grass while he

dropped to his knees and felt around with his bare

hands.

After a tense moment, he felt a small, box-like

stone that protruded from the ground. “It’s just like my

vision in the mirror,” he said.

“Are we supposed to dig?” Greg asked.

“No, look.” Mike cleared the fog away from the

stone with one swipe. It read, “B.T.”

“I’ll be damned,” Emmer said.

Mike snatched the shovel out of Greg’s hand and

struck the stone with the sharp edge of the blade. To

everyone’s surprise, the stone was hollow and cracked

open. Clearing the debris, Mike thrust his hand inside

and removed an old, sun-bleached rib bone. He

refrained from shouting in triumph.

“It’s too bad Davin isn’t here to see this,” Aurelia

muttered.

“I don’t want to talk about him right now,” Mike

replied. “We’ve got what we came for. Let’s get out of

here before the cops show up.”

Wading back into the murky haze, The Fallen

disappeared into the night. g

cemetery appeared on the horizon.

“This is what we really came for,” Mike

announced.

“More phantoms?” Emmer asked in a haughty,

dismissive tone.

“Nope,” Mike replied. “Something nice and

tangible. The remains of an Indian—er—a Native

American chief. Well, one of his ribs, to be exact.”

“Uh…”

“According to an old history of Boone County, a

Pottawatomie chief named Big Thunder lived in this

area in the late 1830s,” Mike explained. “He died near

present day Belvidere and was buried on a hill where

the modern courthouse now sits. Well, buried isn’t

exactly the right word. He was placed on a chair facing

to the west and a log structure was built up around him.

Over time, the white settlers carried off his bones

as souvenirs one by one, until nothing remained. Some

of the locals tossed in old pig bones to play a joke on the

curiosity seekers, so no one really knows where the

original bones are. Except I have good information

Page 5

Most of the cemetery is well maintained and serene.

Another valuable part of this book is the brief

overview of the history of modern spirit

communication, particularly Electronic Voice

Phenomenon, or EVP. Ever since humanity discovered

the miracle of electricity and electronic communication,

there have been those who have tried to use the

technology to speak to the dead. From Thomas Edison

to Friedrich Jurgenson, the author gave his readers a

valuable and seldom-explained history of the

phenomenon.

Where Konstantinos fell off the deep end is

when he began to describe the alleged spirit

communication. Not just a few words or sentences,

mind you, but this author related entire conversations

with ‘technicians’ from the afterlife, alongside elaborate

descriptions of what the afterlife is like. He even went

so far as to delineate between a New Agey heaven and

hell (the Summer Realm and the Low Realm) and even

described what the spirits of the dead like to do in their

free time!

If you are looking for an interesting book that

will challenge your thoughts on spiritualism,

technology, and ghost research, then this book is for

you. Despite its many faults, Contact the Other Side is

one of the better books out there on this subject. Just

take everything you read with a grain of salt. g

Book Review

Contact the Other Side is both a useful and a

problematic book for any researcher of the paranormal.

It is useful because of its easily accessible body of

knowledge, including a practical guide to

contemporary spiritualist methods, but problematic in

its ready acceptance of testimony as evidence, as well as

its author’s rather colorful musings on alleged

communication with the dead.

Alongside its seven methods for afterlife

communication, this book offers a hefty dose of

background information, potential pitfalls, and enough

disclaimers to allow any reader to easily hedge his or

her bets if the results described fail to materialize. For

instance, he wrote in the introduction, “When first

approaching the mystery, our minds are not ready to

make first contact… Even those who claim to be

believers may have contradictory subconscious feelings

on the matter.” (3) Translation: if any or all of the

methods in this book fail to produce the desired results,

it is because you are not “ready” for them, not because

they simply don’t work.

Years ago, a man named John Edward made

millions with several books and a TV show in which he

claimed the psychic ability to communicate with the

dead. In Chapter 2 of Contact the Other Side, the author

exposed Edward’s technique, known as ‘cold reading.’

This was, I believe, one of the most valuable moments

of the book. Konstantinos carefully laid out every trick

and technique available to cold readers (Try it on your

friends!). I recommend reading this chapter and then

going back and watching old episodes of Crossing Over.

You will be amazed at how obvious the illusion

becomes.

If there is anything scientific about Contact the

Other Side, it is the author’s contention that everything

is his book can be performed by anyone. Like any

scientific experiment, anyone with the tools and the

prerequisite knowledge can perform the ‘experiments’

inside. Here there is no need for mediums,

intermediaries, or psychic powers. Although there is,

as the author reminds us time and time again, a need

for each individual person to genuinely believe that

communication with the dead is possible. That is where

faith enters and science departs.

Konstantinos,

Contact the

Other Side:

Seven Methods

for Afterlife

Communica-

tion. Non-

Fiction.

ISBN-10: 1-

56718-377-8.

(St. Paul:

Llewellyn

Publications,

2001.)

Page 6

Ghostly Games

This section is designed to put fun back into the craft of

“ghost investigation.” Most of these ideas will have nothing to

do with poking around with an EMF detector and thinking

you’ve detected a ghost when you’re really just standing under a

power line.

Game #9: Zombies!

This is a good party game that requires a lot of

participation, but very little setup.

Ingredients

6-12 friends.

Instructions

Everyone gathers in the same room and appoints a

referee. With the player’s eyes closed, the referee will

appoint one person to be a zombie by lightly tapping him

or her on the shoulder.

At the start of each round, the referee will instruct

the players to close their eyes (or “go to sleep”). The

zombie (eyes open) will then point at his or her intended

victim. Taking note, the referee will tap that person on the

shoulder, then tell the players to open their eyes.

The players will now vote on two people to “kill.”

The chosen players are eliminated from the game, and the

remaining players go back to sleep. If both zombies are

killed, then the game is over. If not, play continues until

either everyone has been bitten or all the zombies are

eliminated! g

Trivia

Tough questions will be asked in this section. It is up to

you to uncover the clues and determine the solutions.

Sometimes you will find the answers buried in the current

issue; other times you will need to go to the location itself.

The answers to this month’s questions will be posted in next

month’s issue.

1. Blood’s Point Road is about how many miles in

length?

2. In what year did Boone become a county and

for whom was it named?

3. Who was the first white settler in Flora

Township?

4. What name was given to the witch who

allegedly haunts Blood’s Point?

5. According to Trent Brandon’s Book of Ghosts,

what type of ghost is the dog that is sometimes

seen or heard around the cemetery’s shed?

6. What abbreviation has replaced “Blood’s Point”

on most of the road signs in the area?

7. Off of whose headstone will you be pushed if

you happen to sit there?

Go out and explore, and good luck!

Answers to last month’s questions:

1. The 1970s. 2. The Pecks. 3. The Satanic Bible was published in

1969 4. Devil’s Chairs. 5. Macon County. 6. 1859. 7. 3.5

miles.

Page 7

A phantom dog is said to patrol near this shed.

Blood’s Point Cemetery at dusk.