“EMPATH AND PSYCHOPATH SHARE THE SAME BODY” and More Creepy True Stories! #WeirdDarkness

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Listen to ““EMPATH AND PSYCHOPATH SHARE THE SAME BODY” and More Creepy True Stories! #WeirdDarkness” on Spreaker.

IN THIS EPISODE: Conjoined twins might be identical genetically, but their personalities can be drastically different – with different interests, different opinions, different mental conditions… even different gender preferences when it comes to romance. The odd story of real-life conjoined twins, Masha and Dasha. (Empath And Psychopath Share The Same Body) *** Weirdo family member Alexis Bishop hears a creepy voice in the dark. (Cover Your Feet) *** As parents, you want to empower your children. You want to teach them independence, and a good way to start is letting them walk to school, without a parent or chaperone. But what happens when it all backfires, and your child never makes it to school? (Austin Sigg and the Murder of Jessica Ridgeway) *** One of the common themes in Yowie reports – and many Bigfoot reports – is that they like to throw stones. A lot. (Did A Yowie Throw That Stone)

SOURCES AND REFERENCES FROM THE EPISODE…
“Empath And Psychopath Share The Same Body” by Jodi Smith for Ranker: http://bit.ly/2N0y4KV
“Austin Sigg and the Murder of Jessica Ridgeway” from The Scare Chamber: http://bit.ly/2JaeWsC
“Cover Your Feet” by Weirdo family member Alexis Bishop
“Did A Yowie Throw That Stone?” by Paul Cropper for The Fortean: http://bit.ly/33Ra8jX
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“I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.” — John 12:46

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PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT:

DISCLAIMER: Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised.

INTRODUCTION==========

Conjoined twins have long been the subject of great curiosity due in part to the rarity of the condition. Not to mention, many different ways exists for siblings to become anatomically connected to one another. Fueled by that curiosity, a Soviet physiologist named Pyotr Anokhin – who studied the development and structure of human circulatory and nervous systems – made Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova the focus of many of his science experiments – experiments that were conducted for the majority of their lives. These USSR-approved experiments on conjoined twins subjected the sisters to torture, isolation, and a life greatly lacking in typical human interactions. Adding to the complexity of Masha and Dasha Krivoshlyapova’s situation, the sisters had diametrically clashing personalities – one showing the traits of a psychopath and the other an empath.

I’m Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness.

SHOW OPEN=====

Coming up in this episode…

Conjoined twins might be identical genetically, but their personalities can be drastically different – with different interests, different opinions, different mental conditions… even different gender preferences when it comes to romance. The odd story of real-life conjoined twins, Masha and Dasha. (Empath And Psychopath Share The Same Body)

Weirdo family member Alexis Bishop hears a creepy voice in the dark. (Cover Your Feet)

As parents, you want to empower your children. You want to teach them independence, and a good way to start is letting them walk to school, without a parent or chaperone. But what happens when it all backfires, and your child never makes it to school? (Austin Sigg and the Murder of Jessica Ridgeway)

One of the common themes in Yowie reports – and many Bigfoot reports – is that they like to throw stones. A lot. (Did A Yowie Throw That Stone)

Now.. bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness!

STORY:  CONJOINED=====

A Soviet physiologist named Pyotr Anokhin dedicated his career to conducting experiments that sought to pinpoint the different functions of the human circulatory and central nervous systems, specifically when a person was sleep-deprived, subjected to extreme temperature changes, or denied sustenance. So, when conjoined twins Masha and Dasha were born in Moscow in 1950 possessing one body that contained a joint circulatory system and two separate nervous systems, Anokhin saw them as the perfect subjects for his future experimentation.

Shortly after they were born, the twins were taken from their mother, who was told they had died of pneumonia just after birth. In reality, the sisters were transported to a nearby medical institute in Moscow where they became the subjects of extensive, life-altering experiments.

Since Masha and Dasha shared the same circulatory system but had separate nervous systems, scientists were particularly interested in testing each twin’s reaction (or lack thereof) to the other twin’s physical distress. The experiments they conducted involved tactics like covering one twin in ice while the other twin would be carefully observed for a reaction. Similar experiments were also conducted with extreme heat, painful stimuli, and even the injection of radioactive iodine.

The girls are also believed to have been electrocuted, had tubes inserted into their stomachs to measure gastric juices, and to have been deprived of sleep, particularly during their formative years, from birth to around age 12.

While the girls were living at the medical institute, the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences filmed many of their interactions with Masha and Dasha, from their infancy well into their early childhood years. The resulting film documents each of the twins being probed with various stimulus tools to measure the reaction of the ‘unharmed’ sister. The footage also shows them learning how to put on socks and use crutches for walking.

They were also reportedly injected with radioactive iodine to see if the substance would make its way from one sister’s bloodstream into the other’s. In another experiment, one twin was fed while the other starved, in an attempt to measure the gastric juices of both using tubes inserted into their stomachs.

Masha became noticeably disobedient as soon as Soviet scientists began trying to measure the motor skills of the twins as toddlers. While Dasha would lift the leg she controlled in response to a nurse’s request to put socks on her, Masha would ignore the caregiver and even throw the sock away aggressively. As a result, Dasha quickly learned how to put socks on herself while Masha was unable – or unwilling – to concentrate on the task long enough to get it done.

As the sisters grew older, they became friends with a woman named Juliet Butler, who claims Masha would scream threats at Dasha while physically attacking her. Butler also noted that Masha often refused to let Dasha speak for herself in many of the trio’s conversations, and alleged that Masha compulsively lied and showed narcissistic tendencies.

Even when they were children, Dasha was far more compliant and emotionally vibrant than Masha. Experiments that called for cooperation from the girls always showed a marked difference in the sisters’ attention spans, motor skill development, and interest in other people.

As a toddler, Dasha was always the first to pass motor coordination tests and complete requested tasks. When asked to squeeze a bulb in response to seeing lights, for instance, Dasha would always react first and keep her mind focused on the task, while Masha was almost always argumentative and distracted.

As they grew older, Dasha continued to seek companionship and romance away from her sister, while Masha would stubbornly push people away.

According to Juliet Butler, a friend of the twins who wrote multiple books about their lives, Masha began beating and abusing Dasha while they were still in institutionalized care. Recounting an incident that occurred when the girls were 11, she told the Ottawa Citizen that Masha beat Dasha until her nose was bleeding, threatening to kill her.

Dasha’s only response was to attempt to clean up the blood once her sister fell asleep, in hopes that the hospital staff wouldn’t know what was happening.

As she grew older, Masha had become very controlling and manipulative, pushing people away, lying, and exhibiting other troubling signs of psychopathy. Dasha fell in love with a male student named Slava, while attending the School for Invalids, but Masha became enraged. She disapproved and attempted to run him off with physical and verbal abuse. She would even physically attack the boy at times.

Masha preferred to avoid romantic relationships, but reportedly enjoyed watching movies with beautiful women in them, leading some to believe Masha was homosexual while Dasha was heterosexual. Distressed by her inability to pursue love interests and the violently controlling nature of her sister, Dasha attempted to hang herself at the age of 18.

Juliet Butler, a reporter who befriended the twins and subsequently wrote a fictionalized account of their lives, explained that Masha had been “very affectionate with [her], always covering [her] with kisses and nibbling [her] ear until it was quite awkward.” Additionally, Butler noted how “Masha had them dress like men. Their hair was always cut short, which Dasha hated. Masha wouldn’t let them wear any makeup.”

After the girls were born in January of 1950, their mother – Yekaterina Krivoshlyapova – was told her daughters would require extensive state-sponsored care to live. Yekaterina agreed, but asked for permission to still visit her daughters from time to time. But in order to avoid her objecting to the experiments scientists planned to perform, she was promptly told the girls had died.

Years later, Yekaterina managed to reconnect with Masha and Dasha and attempted to form a relationship with them. Unfortunately, Masha ran their mother off after only four years of reconciliation, returning the girls to a life of isolation.

In more ways than one, Dasha was unable to live her life the way she wanted, as Masha managed to assert control over nearly every aspect of both of their lives. They had to keep their hair short and boyish, their clothes plain and androgynous, and there was never an opportunity for an outsider to enter Dasha’s life and provide the romance and affection she desperately craved.

Once the sisters were released from the hospitals and asylums they had been forcibly admitted to, Dasha began to drink alcohol regularly. On several occasions, she allegedly drank to excess in hopes that, through their shared bloodstream, Masha would get drunk enough to be unable to physically abuse her or verbally accost strangers that looked their way.

Just after they were born, the twins were sent to the Institute of Experimental Medicine in Moscow. Six months later, the doctor who had been experimenting on the girls was exiled and the twins were subsequently moved to the Academy of Medical Sciences Pediatric Institute – where the experiments were continued by other scientists.

At 6 years old, the girls were moved to Scientific National Institute of Prosthetics in Moscow, where they learned how to walk and read. Eight years later, the girls were moved to a boarding school for people with disabilities, before moving into an institution that cared for veterans.

*****After spending over 53 years together, on April 17, 2003, Masha suffered from a deadly heart attack that left Dasha in a particularly vulnerable state. Unsure of what to do, doctors initially told Dasha that her sister was simply sleeping. “Dasha of course would have known the moment Masha’s heart stopped beating,” recalled a woman who was a long-time friend of the sisters.*****

Despite doctors suggesting she be promptly separated from her sister’s body, Dasha refused. Within 17 hours, Dasha died from blood poisoning, as her body had been slowly contaminated by the toxins that were being given off by her sister’s corpse.

STORY:  COVER YOUR FEET=====

When I was about thirteen years old I had the most terrifying experience of my childhood. Let me tell you about the house first. We moved to this house when I was eight years old. My mom used to be a night owl and she told me that one night after midnight she heard little footsteps that sounded like a child’s. When she got up to see if my sister or I were up she was shocked to find us both asleep in out beds. Growing up I used to feel like I was being watched constantly. The scariest thing happened when I was in bed one night. I used to sleep with my head under the blanket and my feet sticking out letting the heat escape. This particular night was no different. When I was almost asleep I heard this creepy voice that sounded like the monster out of a horror movie that said “cover your feet”. I froze instantly, terrified to remove the blanket from my head. Eventually I did move the blanket and looked. No one was there. I even got up after you see if anyone was awake. I thought maybe it was a prank and that one of my family members were trying to scare me, but everyone was sound asleep. Needless to say I didn’t sleep with my feet hanging out from under my covers for years.

BREAK=====

When Weird Darkness returns… as parents, you want to empower your children. You want to teach them independence, and a good way to start is letting them walk to school, without a parent or chaperone. But what happens when it all backfires, and your child never makes it to school?

Plus, one of the common themes in Yowie reports – and many Bigfoot reports – is that they like to throw stones. A lot. These stories are coming up.

STORY: AUSTIN SIGS MURDER=====

Friday, October 5, 2012, Sarah Ridgeway returned to her home in Westminster, Colorado at 7:30am after working a graveyard shift. She watched her daughter, 10 year old Jessca leave home around 8:30am, when she left to meet friends at Chelsea Park, where they’d meet to walk to school together. Jessica never made it.

Assuming this day was just like every day, Sarah went to bed, believing her daughter was safe in the hands of the school. She was exhausted and never heard the phone ring when the school called to let her know Jessica never arrived. It wasn’t until later that night, when she awoke to messages, that the terror set in.

An Amber Alert was issued late Friday night and the Westminster Police Department immediately got to work. By Saturday morning, they had assembled over 800 volunteers to canvass the area. They had bloodhounds, helicopters, and even dive teams searching nearby Ketner Reservoir. They contacted Jessica’s father, who lived in Independence, Missouri, who had been convicted of second degree domestic assault, and was on felony criminal probation, but had no indication that he was involved in her disappearance. Her father, Jeremiah Bryant, was the first to speak publicly, telling Missouri media outlets that he was devastated to hear his daughter had gone missing.

“I don’t know what to do, you know,” said Bryant, “I just want to find my daughter. I just want her back home.”

By Sunday, shops all over Westminster had hung missing posters in the storefronts with her information. Jessica was 4’10, 80 pounds with shoulder length blonde hair, blue eyes, and was last seen wearing a black jacket with pink and purple eyeglasses. Police still had no leads – that was until a backpack was uncovered in nearby Superior, Colorado – approximately 6 miles away from Jessica’s home. There was no further signs of Jessica, but police were not about to give up.

By Monday, the search had expanded. More than 125 persons from 12 agencies searched the area between Highway 128 and Highway 93. Teams even spread so far as Eldorado Canyon in Boulder. But their search turned up nothing. A press conference held Tuesday morning, let the public know that the police no longer suspected Jessica to be a potential runaway, but rather that she had been abducted. They put out more photos and even a video of Jessica on the Westminster Police Department’s Facebook Page. Trevor Matarasso, spokesperson for the Westminster Police asked the people to pay special attention to Jessica’s facial features, *****“We really want people to focus on Jessica’s facial features. Two things of note that you will see – particularly in the video – she has a gap between her two front teeth, when you see that video, it’s fairly obvious and a distinguishing characteristic. As well, she’s got a sore at the top of her nose just below where her glasses sit. That sore doesn’t heal, so it’s a good indicator if you see someone you think is Jessica those two things are good to pay particular attention to.”*****

The area where the backpack was found, as well as Jessica’s home, became the targets of ongoing search efforts. Police were able to rule out Jessica’s family as suspects in her disappearance.

Wednesday, police focused their efforts on a tip received, claiming they had seen Jessica in Maine, in a car with Colorado license plates the previous Sunday. They also investigated the possibility that Jessica’s case was related to another, of an 11 year old girl in Cody, Wyoming, who had been kidnapped, held for several hours, and then found.

Then around 6:40pm, Wednesday October 10, Westminster Police informed the public via Twitter, that a body was discovered near the Pattridge Park Open Space in the city of Arvada, Colorado. They would not confirm whether or not the body belonged to Jessica, and in a tweet the following day, they said, “Investigators are still working to ID body found in open space. Process is complicated because the body is not intact. #jessicaridgeway”.

Friday, one week after the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway, the search officially came to an end. The body found in Pattridge Park Open Space was, in fact, Jessica.

“There is a predator at large in our community,” said Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk.

“We can not afford to jeopardize this investigation. Be mindful of the impact on Jessica’s family,” said Jim Yacone with the FBI.

“The most important thing we can do now is the investigation, the apprehension, and the prosecution of the person who did this. Bringing the person to justice. As a result, we will not be talking to you, we will not be answering questions,” said Jefferson County District Attorney, Scott Storey.

Finally, Trevor Materasso, spokesperson for the Westminster Police Department said, “We will not rest until this person is caught.”

The police continued to search, and then something struck them. In May, there had been an attempted abduction in the Ketner Lake area, which is less than a mile from Jessica’s home. Was there a link between the 2 cases?

On May 28, a 22 year old woman said she had been jogging around the lake when a man grabbed her from behind and tried to cover her mouth with a rag that smelled like it had been doused in chemicals. The woman was able to get away though, and called 911. She described the suspect as a light skinned male, 18-30 years old with brown hair and a medium build and stood at approximately 5’6-5’8. This gave police something to work with, and they asked the community for any tips or information that might help.

On October 19, police released the description of a cross, that may have been left behind at the crime scene. The cross was described as a solid piece of wood, approximately 1 ½ inches tall by 1 inch wide with a hole drilled through the upper post portion, to possibly be worn on a necklace. On one side of the cross are three vertical bars etched into the shorter horizontal section as well as a zig-zag pattern carved into the opposite side.

“Authorities are looking for someone who may carry or wear this type of cross, may have recently purchased one of these, or is known to have some association with one. Police are also looking for a local business that may sell these specific crosses. Police believe there may be a connection between the Jessica Ridgeway murder and the attempted abduction at Ketner Lake, and urge the public to specifically look for someone with a cross like this that matches the suspect’s description from Ketner Lake.” From Westminster Police Department’s Facebook Page.

The following Monday, police confirm, via Facebook, that the attempted abduction at Ketner Lake and Jessica’s case are definitively connected.

“Westminster Police have definitively made a connection between the Ketner lake incident and the Jessica Ridgeway murder. We cannot go into details about the connection to preserve the integrity of the case.”

Tuesday night, a call came in to 911:

Mindy Sigg: “Hi, um, I need you to come to my house … um, my son wants to turn himself in for the Jessica Ridgeway murder.”
Dispatcher: “And what’s going on there. Ma’am, are you there?”
Mindy Sigg: “Did you not hear me? He just confessed to killing her.”
Dispatcher: “I know. I want you to tell me what’s going on. Can you tell me exactly what he said?”
Mindy Sigg: “That he did it and gave me details and her remains are in my house.”

As police were dispatched to the Sigg home the call taker asked if she could speak to Austin and asked how he was feeling.

Austin Sigg: “I don’t exactly get why you’re asking me these questions. I murdered Jessica Ridgeway.”
Dispatcher: “Okay.”
Austin Sigg: “There is … I have proof that I did it … there is no other question. You just have to send a squad car, something down here.”

Austin Sigg also admitted to attacking a jogger at Ketner Lake. He was then asked if he had weapons.

Austin Sigg: “I have knives in my room, um, and we own a few guns, but … I’m giving myself up completely, there will be no resistance whatsoever.”

The dispatcher then is heard once again talking to Mindy Sigg.

Dispatcher: “Is Austin still there with you?”
Mindy Sigg: “Yeah, I’m hugging him (crying).”
Dispatcher: “Okay, you guys are hugging? … Okay, you definitely did the right thing. You tell me when the officers get there, they’re coming to your front door, okay?

When officers arrived, they took his confession.

Austin sat waiting in the back seat of his Jeep. He found Jessica while she was walking to school, less than a thousand feet from her front door. As she passed, he lunged from the car and grabbed her, pulling her into the back seat and binding her hands and feet with zip ties.

Jessica asked him who he was, and if he knew her mom. Austin said, “She kept asking me questions. I would answer them and I would lie to her. I would tell her that everything was going to be OK. I would just lie to her.”

He took her back to his home, and carried her up to his bedroom. She saw cat boxes along the way and asked about the cats, and then asked what he was going to do to her. He cut the zip ties off her wrists and ankles and instructed her to change out of her urine-soaked clothes and stuff her belongings into her backpack. He gave her a white t-shirt and black shorts from his closet. He cut off some of her hair.

He sexually assaulted her, leaving her with awful bruises. He then instructed her to turn away from him, and that’s when he strangled her. He tried first with zip ties, but found he didn’t have ‘enough leverage’ so he had to use his hands instead. When he tried that for three minutes and she was still twitching, he filled a bathtub with scalding hot water and forced her face into it. He carefully dismembered her body, and initially hid her remains in a pool shed behind his house. He later disposed of some of her organs, but left her vagina, placing a cross in it. He disposed of her remaining pieces in the Pattridge Park Open space, but kept a few pieces for himself, including her skull, in the crawlspace under his house.

Jessica was dead before her mom even had the chance to call 911.

By Wednesday morning, police had arrested 17 year old Austin Reed Sigg, who lived about a mile from Jessica’s home. In a statement, police said, “Late Tuesday evening, police received a call that led them to a home near the Ketner Lake Open Space. With this discovery, police (announced) they made an arrest in the Ridgeway murder investigation. Additionally, authorities will file charges against the attacker in the May 28, 2012 attempted abduction at Ketner Lake.”

One year later, on October 1, 2013, Austin Reed Sigg plead guilty to all charges, in Jessica’s case and the attempted kidnapping case.

An investigator testified that Austin had used a homemade chloroform recipe he found on the internet to try to subdue a woman. Additional testimony revealed that Austin had child pornography on his laptop.

Austin Reed Sigg was sentenced life plus 86 years in prison, and the possibility of parole after 40 (as he was a minor when he was charged, parole was statutory, and the death penalty was not allowed.) During his sentencing, he showed absolutely no emotion.

“Evil is apparently real. It was present in our community on Oct. 5, 2012,” Jefferson County District Court Chief Judge Stephen Munsinger said, after thanking Sigg for pleading guilty and sparing Jessica Ridgeway’s family the ordeal of trial.

In a statement from Sigg, Munsinger read, “I don’t know about society because I’ve never really been that great with it, but I know that personally I am a monster. There’s no better word to describe what I’ve done than evil.”

STORY: YOWIE=====

One of the common themes in Yowie reports – and many Bigfoot reports – is that they like to throw stones. A lot.

Two historical accounts seem to reinforce that idea. These stories reflected both Indigenous and European traditions. Two different cultures describing similar strange creatures doing similar things.

The Indigenous account appeared in the Sydney Mail of 14 March 1928.

In that article, European author C.W. Peck described an Indigenous story from the Georges River region, south west of Sydney:

“Two young aborigines – brothers – were journeying up George’s River in order to inspect a piece of country in which the Persoonia (PC: a common type of Australian shrub) grew plentifully… Sometimes they heard people not far away and they hid, and even when a wallaby or a bandicoot made a noise by scampering through the undergrowth they stopped and remained still until all noise had ceased.

But when a large stone fell just in front of them they were completely nonplussed, and they peered up amongst the branches of the great eucalypt and looked carefully along the top of the high bank and amongst the boulders and the undergrowth of myrtles and ferns. They saw no sign of anything that could have caused the stone to fall, so they went on. They had not gone far when they were again startled by the crashing down of another big stone. This one they examined, and their keen eyes detected hair on it that they knew came from no animal they had ever seen. They had no sooner touched this hair than there appeared before them a “wullundigong.”

He was a little man completely covered with hair, and immensely strong. He barred their way, and the two men were so afraid that they fainted. When they came to their senses again the “wullundigong” had gone. They new then that they should not continue their journey to the place of the Persoonias; but, thinking that the “wullundigong” had gone for good, and that no one would again disturb them, they did go on.

They reached the place, and found that the berries were quite ripe; but when they went to shake the tree in order to make those quite fit to eat drop to the ground they were horrified to find that the “wullundigong” sat in the branches. He looked very fierce, and grinned at them and made a horrid barking noise. In this fright they each seized a stone and hurled it at the hairy animal. The stones both found their mark, and with a cracked skull the “wullundigong” dropped to the ground.

The men were overjoyed and seized him by the arms, intending to drag him from under the trees to a clear place so that they might better examine him, and perhaps get his kidney fat, for they believed that if they ate this fat they would be possessed of the strength of the animal. But the moment they touched it its spirit entered into each of them, and they became stone-throwers. Their arms grew long and of great strength, and hair grew all over them and over their bodies. They became human “wullundigongs.”

They ate all they wanted of the Persoonia berries, and then went back to their people. But they felt that they could not mix with them as they did before; so they climbed up amongst the boulders, and could not forbear the inclination to hurl stones down amongst the tribe. They were seen and with cries of “Wullundigong! Wullundigong!” the people ran away. They followed, and being human they could sometimes shed their “wullundigong” persons and become men.

In this form they married, and their children were natural stone-throwers. They have never died. As “wullundigongs” they go away and live for periods in rocky places, and as men they join a tribe and are received in silence, and they choose wives; but if they can be caught just before the change takes place or while it is in progress they are killed.”

The next tale of stone-throwing Yowies, this time by Europeans, appeared in the Armidale Expressof 9 February 1892. The report was in the form of a letter written to the Express. Here is that letter…

*****A Strange Adventure

GENTLEMEN, – Please publish the enclosed account of an adventure which happened to four men while out mustering cattle on the lower end of the Kangaroo Hills run, and I may mention the account is perfectly true, and can be verified on application to the manager of the Kangaroo Hills station.
A. W. G. C. B.

On January 29th a party of four stockmen went down to the lower end of the run to muster cattle, and fixed their camp on the Day’s River, about half a mile above the Bar. Just as it was getting dark they were fishing opposite a big, steep spur of the mountain, which ran right to the edge of the water in a very precipitous manner. They had been fishing about half an hour when they were startled by a heavy splash in the water, right in front of them, like a large stone being thrown in. After a few minutes, two more splashes came, when one, who was sitting a little apart from the others, called out to his companions not to throw any more stones, as it would frighten the fish. They all declared none of them had thrown any stones, and each one thought it was the other who had done it. Presently three more splashes came in quick succession.

The men began to get alarmed, and thought someone was having a lark with them. One called out “Who’s throwing stones over there?” There was no answer, but they heard something moving on the rocks, but could see nothing, as it was now quite dark. Presently another stone fell right at the feet of one of them, splashing the water all over him. They all jumped up and made back to the fire as fast as they could, and then began to talk matters over, and wonder who had thrown the stones, when they distinctly heard the steps of some heavy two-legged creature crossing over the gravelly bed of the river, and coming towards them. They were so startled that they began to prepare for a hasty flight, if necessary, and were busily engaged in strapping their swags on to their saddles, when a heavy stone, evidently thrown from a, short distance, came with terrific force and struck the fire, scattering it in all directions. The men instantly seized their bridles, and ran to where their horses were feeding, about 200 yards away, and found them snorting and in a terrified state. They caught and mounted them bareback; then, after holding a consultation, decided to go back to the camp and get their saddles if possible.

They found no one at the camp, and were in the act of saddling their horses when some more stones were thrown at them; they mounted their horses and galloped off into the bush. After they had gone about a mile to the river they stopped, and were speculating what it was that had startled them so, when, in about ten minutes, another stone fell about six yards from them. This one was evidently thrown from a long distance. They galloped off again up the river, and did not stop till they had gone several miles.

The country through which they were riding was very mountainous, being about the roughest of the Day’s River gulfs, and they ran great risk of breaking their necks riding over it at such a pace on a dark night. On arriving at the junction of Kangaroo Hills Creek and the Day’s River they stopped again, and thought that at all events, by this time, they had given the animal – whatever it was – the slip; and indeed he troubled them no more for about an hour, when the horses began to snort, and tried to break away. At this instant a stone was thrown with great force, and struck the ground in front of them, passing quite close to the head of one man. They galloped off again, and crossing the river rode up past Thunderbolt’s Cave, and made up a steep spur of the mountain. When they had nearly reached the top their horses began to get exhausted, and they were compelled to stop.

They remained there for some hours, and, just as daylight was approaching, thought they were at last in safety and were preparing for three to sleep, while one kept watch, when presently one of the men distinctly saw the form of a large creature, resembling a man, being about the same height, but much larger in the body, standing about 50 yards above them, on the spur they bad been going up, and was directly in front of them, preventing them from going any farther. He stood for a moment in a clear place between the trees, and could be distinctly seen against the sky, in the pale light of coming day. He stood only for an instant, and then moved slowly and silently down the hill. All this time the horses were very fidgety, and snorting as if they smelt something they were afraid of.

Presently they could see the animal sneaking quietly up the hill towards them, and this time on one side. They galloped off again down the spur. There were no stones thrown till they were in motion, when several flew swiftly past them, and they narrowly escaped being hit by some. The animal followed them for a short distance, and then, after throwing one more stone, made off up a very steep spur, a place no horse could possibly climb, and they saw no more of him.

It is reported a gorilla was seen about three years ago, on Guy Fawkes River, by a man, who fired three shots at him without effect. The four unhappy men who were chased about all night, in this singular manner, are all quiet, reliable men, not given to romancing, and no-one here doubts their story, as they all assert it is positively true, and are prepared to swear this account is true in every particular, and not exaggerated in any detail.”

Two cultures with legends of strange man-like bipeds throwing stones. I have this vision in my mind of the Kangaroo Hills story: terrified stockmen scrambling in the dark while a hairy Wullundigong stalked them through the Australian bush.

SHOW CLOSE=====

All stories in Weird Darkness are purported to be true (unless stated otherwise) and you can find source links or links to the authors in the show notes.

“Empath And Psychopath Share The Same Body” by Jodi Smith for Ranker

“Austin Sigg and the Murder of Jessica Ridgeway” from The Scare Chamber

“Cover Your Feet” by Weirdo family member Alexis Bishop

“Did A Yowie Throw That Stone?” by Paul Cropper for The Fortean

WeirdDarkness™ – is a production and trademark of Marlar House Productions. Copyright, Weird Darkness.

Now that we’re coming out of the dark, I’ll leave you with a little light… “Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” – Psalm 84:10

And a final thought… “Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.” – Benjamin Carson

I’m Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness.