A Case of Second Sight

 

Martinsburg Independent
08 May 1897

Back in May of 1897, little five year old Lutie Frankenberry was taken to the newspaper office of the Martinsburg Independent, where she was able to demonstrate a remarkable gift of second sight by correctly identifying the number of dots on a set of face-down dominoes. Of course, the newspaper had to write up a brief story about the feats of little Lutie, the daughter of George Frankenberry, but failed to mention WHAT brought about this display of her alleged abilities.

And, being the curious sort, I had to do a little more digging! Unfortunately, I was disappointed, lol. Surprisingly, I DID find some additional newspaper articles mentioning Lutie through the years, but nothing about her psychic abilities. She and her family lived on Moler Avenue, and she was a pretty good student, being mentioned in the newspaper for receiving good marks at school. Like many other young ladies of the time, she was mentioned in the social columns for attending various parties and other social gatherings. There was even a Lost and Found ad where Lutie was asking for information on the return of a coat that she had lost (which, I guess if she really still had her psychic abilities, she'd know where it was??). Finally, a newspaper article appeared in 1923 announcing that Miss Lutie Frankenberry of Martinsburg, WV had married Harry C. Beard of Harrisburg, PA and that the couple would be residing in Pennsylvania. 

It's often said that children do tend to have a stronger, more open pineal gland, and therefore, will display a greater aptitude for psychic abilities, which tends to wane as they get older. Was that the case with Lutie? Was she really blessed with the gift of second sight, and if so, did she lose it, or was it something she carried with her throughout her life, but only shared with a select few? 

The Bewitched Hen of Roney's Point

 

A Leghorn hen like this one laid a really weird egg
in West Virginia! 

It's Weird Wednesday! It's also Witchy Wednesday! Today's blog is a 2 for 1 in witchy weirdness, with the tale of a Leghorn hen that laid a rather interesting egg, near Roney's Point, West Virginia in 1886! The following story can be found on page 4 in the Daily Register, a newspaper from Wheeling, West Virginia, in the March 31, 1886 edition. 

MYSTERIOUS WORK OF A HEN

She Lays An Egg That Contains Cabalistic Inscriptions

Col. Jacob Nunge has a very peculiar Hen's egg on exhibition at his place in upper Market Square. This piece of hen fruit is about an inch and three quarters in diameter one way, and a fraction over that the other, it being almost perfectly round. On the outer edge of the shell the surface is corrugated all the way around, while inside of this is another circle in which the letters T A M N I O I U in Roman letters are plainly visible. At one of the ends of the egg a figure "6" is also to be seen.

A white Leghorn, owned by Jacob Fisher, of Roney's Point, gave up this mystery on the 25th inst, but whether the hen was bewitched or whether she performed this little feat just to have some fun, cannot be told. Nevertheless the curiosity is there and anyone can go and see it. 

I'm honestly not sure what to make of this strange incident, but I can't help to think that this is the sort of thing that the famed Charles Fort, collector of bizarre and unexplained occurrences in the natural world, would have been proud to have in his collection. And, it happened right here in wild and weird (and of course, wonderful) West Virginia!

Want MORE weird animal stories? Check out my blog post, Weird Wednesday: Weird Animals Around Charleston!

A Gruesome Grave Robbing in West Virginia

Find-a-Grave
Uploaded by Tammy Parks Markwood

Ghoul: n. An evil spirit or phantom, especially one supposed to rob graves and feed on dead bodies.

When I hear the word 'ghoul', that's the definition I usually associate with it, but throughout history, the term has also come to be a description of those flesh and blood living humans who engage in the heinous act of disturbing buried bodies. It was these types of ghouls that had a small community in Preston County, WV outraged.

Mary Ellen Shaffer Calhoun was a well-known and well-respected elderly widow living in the community of Newburg. When she passed away on January 27, 1916 at the age of 78, she was buried in the Calhoun Family Cemetery near Manheim, beside her husband, John G. Calhoun. There she laid in rest...for about two weeks. 

February 11th, 1916 was a Friday. That morning, two boys, Kramer Brandau and Harold Painter, were on their way to school in Rowlesburg. On route from their homes in Manheim, they passed the Calhoun Family Cemetery and noticed a big pile of fresh dirt and wooden boards strewn about. Being a small community, they knew that there wasn't a recent burial, so they walked over to check it out. To their horror, they found the body of Mrs. Calhoun, partially nude, lying above ground. The wooden case enclosing her casket had been smashed and scattered. The coffin lid and nameplate had been removed. The body, although outside of the coffin and lying on the ground, was left intact. However, the clothes had been partially torn off and ripped to shreds. 

The boys ran all the way to Rowlesburg to report the incident to authorities. It wouldn't be long before Sheriff Laco Wolfe, accompanied by a pack of bloodhounds belonging to Sheriff Ross F. Stout were on the scene. Dim footprints were found in the mud, but unfortunately, the dogs were unable to sniff out the trail of the alleged grave robbers. Mrs. Calhoun's body was placed in the care of the local undertaker, who hastily reburied her with as much dignity as the situation could merit. 

Local rumor believed that Mrs. Calhoun was the victim of grave robbers because she was buried along with expensive jewelry, valuable papers, and even perhaps a large sum of cash. Local newspapers covering the story even first reported that rings were violently cut from her fingers and stolen by the grave robbers. However, all this would prove false. The family claimed that she wasn't buried with her jewelry, and she certainly wasn't buried with CASH. These rumors may have been started when Mrs. Calhoun's oldest son, Albert Dodson (AD) Calhoun, who was named administrator of her estate went over all the assets on February 5th. In doing so, he discovered that his mother had never cashed or deposited a check for $400 that he had written her 18 months prior for debts he owed her. Upon discovering this and checking with the First National Bank of Grafton, he reissued a check in the same amount to be paid to the estate. However, he claims that no one, not even other family members, were aware of this transaction.

So what was the motive for this horrific crime?

Perhaps the motive was robbery. Mrs. Calhoun seemed to be a very well-known figure in the community, and she probably had some wealth to go along with her reputation. Maybe the grave robber(s) thought she WOULD be buried with jewelry and/or other items worth stealing. That would account for the disarray of the clothing/shroud as the robbers hastily tried to find what they were looking for. However, a strange article came out in the February 12, 1916 edition of the Daily Telegram. This paper claimed that Mrs. Calhoun was disinterred in such a disrespectful manner because of SPITE. It was noted that the body was found in a field near the railroad tracks...the same railroad tracks traveled daily by her son, H. Calhoun who was a conductor on the Morgantown and Kingwood Railroad. 

That's an interesting take on the whole situation, but I never found out what in the actual hell Mrs. Calhoun or her family had done to make someone want to hurt them and disrespect them in such a gruesome manner. Digging up a corpse and leaving it out where it can easily be found by two young boys on their way to school is absolutely horrific. For one to do so out of spite is the sign of a pretty twisted mind.

Whatever the reason behind the gruesome event, it doesn't appear that the case was ever solved. On February 19th, the Martinsburg Herald basically stated that the case had gone cold and all leads exhausted. However, on the following day, the Sunday Telegram ran a small article saying that all clues had been exhausted, BUT an unnamed hypnotist/mind reader was being called in as a last resort to uncover clues. After that, it seems that local papers dropped the matter, and I couldn't find any additional mentions in the sources I regularly use. 

This story may seem a little more...gruesome...than what you're used to seeing on Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State. And although it's not paranormal, it is WEIRD---weird and spooky. I love branching out into ALL aspects of West Virginia's strange and fascinating history and thought a tale of grave-robbing might be something YOU'D be interested in as well! Lemme know down in the comments what YOU think of these types of stories, and as always, let me know what kind of content you'd enjoy reading about. 

Sources:

The West Virginia Argus. 17 February 1916

The (Clarksburg, WV) Daily Telegram. 12 February 1916

Martinsburg Herald. 19 February 1916

The Sunday Telegram. 20 February 1916. Accessed through Newspapers.com 

BONUS GHOST STORY:

As a paranormal researcher/investigator, I was REALLY hoping I could find some ghost stories associated with the Calhoun Family Cemetery, or tales of it's reputed haunting. How cool would that be to find documentation that this lil' location has a history of being haunted...and making the connection that this tragic tale could be behind it.

Unfortunately, that wasn't to be. But, I did find a very, VERY brief mention of another cemetery being haunted! Mrs. Calhoun was apparently living in Newburg, WV at the time of her death. Newburg is a good 30 minutes away by today's standards from her burial place between Manheim and Rowlesburg. Newburg is also home to an allegedly haunted cemetery of its own! The Damon Cemetery (sometimes referred to as the Knights of Pythias Cemetery) is haunted by the ghostly apparition of a lady in white. A visitor to the cemetery, checking on her father's grave, also had her own personal experience in the cemetery, which was shared on the Facebook page, West Virginia's Most Haunted Places. 

Weird Wednesday: Animals Around Charleston

Back in the early days of the 20th century, Charleston, WV was kind of a weird place. I mean, it still is...but back then, it was much more common to see such interesting sights as a horse in pants or a trained bear, escaped from a local theater, wandering around the federal building. Luckily, these delightful tales were odd enough to warrant the attention of local newspapers, and are preserved for us to enjoy today. I found both of them while researching other spooky stories in the area, and while there's nothing really PARANORMAL about these tales, they're definitely strange, and deserve a Weird Wednesday mention!

From The West Virginian
30 August 1916

From The Charleston Daily Mail
24 August 1914

UFOs in Gilbert, West Virginia

Readers of Theresa's Haunted History know that I can't pass up a good book of paranormal nonfiction. My ever-growing library on subjects such as UFOs, ghosts, cryptozoology, and beyond is one of my most cherished possessions. But, my personal library extends beyond just the paranormal. I am also a collector of West Virginia history books! On one of my many visits to thrift stores and antique shops, I picked up a two-volume set of the history of Gilbert, WV. Gilbert is a small town located in Mingo County, WV. It may be small, but it's packed with history and interesting stories. Several interesting stories concerning UFOs can be found in the second volume, More Stories About Gilbert, West Virginia and Surrounding Communities, written by Colonel (Retired) Darrell G. Brumfield and Richard N. Ellis. The book was published in 1995 by Gateway Press, Inc, and my copy has some neat annotations and handwritten notes (including the address and phone number for Mr. Ellis!). 

Anyway, from what I can gather, Clifford Eugene Ellis starts off the UFO stories with an experience his father, Phillip Ellis, had in the 1920's. Phillip and a friend had a very early close encounter with a landed unidentified flying object! Here's the story in his own words:

"In the late 1920's, in the bottom below Uley Perry's place on Gilbert Creek, a strange flying object was seen by my Dad and Toney Perry. Dad told me a few years ago about the UFO. Toney and he were driving from Ben's Creek at night when they saw what appeared to be a tent which had been pitched. They thought that someone was going to camp out. They pulled over, stopped the car, and were going to go over to where the tent was set up. Suddenly, this object they thought was a tent (sides rolled up and lights inside) rose above a big sycamore tree and took off in flight. Dad asked, "What was that?" Toney replied, "I don't know, but let's get the hell out of here." Dad and Toney did not tell anyone of their experience for several days." 

The section on UFO's concludes when one of the author's of the book, Richard Ellis, decides (reluctantly, as noted) to share his OWN UFO story. He and a co-worker were rebuilding a diesel engine at a mining site located along the Logan/Mingo County border when they saw a strange craft with actual beings moving around inside it. Here's HIS story in his own words: 

"Sometime in the later 1970's, exact date unknown, on a Sunday evening, a fellow worker (who will remain nameless for reasons to be detailed later) and I were working, installing a rebuilt diesel engine for a power generator at Clarence Poe's mine on Sylvia Branch, near Verner. No one else was at the time as all equipment, even the mine ventilation fan, depended on that power plant that we were hoping to get operational right away so as to allow work as usual beginning with the Monday A.M. shift.

The installation was completed, and the test run was nearing when a needed filter was determined to be missing, left at the Marcus Coal Office of Ewell Hatfield in Gilbert.  Ewell, who owned the mine and had just arrived at our work site to check on our progress and bring food, suggested we take a well deserved and welcomed break while he returned to Gilbert to get the needed filter.

Following Ewell's departure, while we were sitting in the cab of our service truck enjoying coffee and a late supper, a row of several lights suddenly appeared in the sky straight ahead, visible through the windshield. Our truck was not running and all lights were off. The observed lights were in the interior of a craft which was no more than 100 yards away, and just slightly above our level as we were very high on the mountain.  It appeared to be over the creek, and we were nearer the point or side ridge of the hollow. 

We jumped from the truck thinking we were about to witness a plane crash. We then realized that the craft was stationary, and it made no noise, unlike any vehicle known to us. There were no navigational or landing lights visible, and the craft appeared to be cigar shaped, much like the fuselage of a larger conventional airplane in silhouette against a bright starlit but moonless night sky. 

Upon closer observation, the lights were revealed to be ports or windows.  We could see what appeared to be bodies, head and upper torso, move past the several windows. A pattern of movement was determined which saw the "beings" move in a route predictable from left to right past a window, then hidden by the solid section, only to appear moving by the next window. At the same time, a second similar figure could be seen moving in the opposite direction. It appeared the individuals were changing positions aboard the craft. That was seen clearly, but at a distance that would not allow us to further define body or facial features or dress.

After perhaps a minute, and after all interior movement ceased, the vehicle accelerated from its described position to out of sight as a streak of light as fast as the eye could follow. Our high mountain vantage point and the craft's direction of travel towards the most distant and open horizon allowed us to track it for many miles into the bright and open sky.

Gilbert, WV
Source: Town of Gilbert Facebook page

It looked exactly like a "shooting star" except that its trajectory was reversed, rising as it departed, much like a military missile upon launch. All of that still without any sound or additional light. The relatively low interior light level and our angle of viewing of the craft upon departure would have made it impossible for us to have traced it for so great a distance. In retrospect, I believe that we witnessed an exiting heat glow due to friction through the earth's atmosphere, just the reverse of the re-entry glow on our NASA space vehicles. 

Total silence, total disbelief, nothing known to man could have done what we had just witnessed! My fellow worker's first words were "I am never going to say anything about this to anyone!" In the years that have passed, I never mentioned it to him even though we still converse regularly. During work on this account for this book, I questioned him concerning his recollection of the incident. He is still a man of his word. He will not talk about it. I respect his wishes and will not mention it to him again or reveal his name. 

We did not tell Ewell upon his return in about one hour; we completed the work and went to our homes. I never mentioned the incidents until I talked with LaDonna Auvil, a fellow teacher at GJHS. As a UFO freak (sorry, "Don-Don"), she convinced me I should share the incident and belatedly report it. Soon after that, in discussion with Clifford Eugene Ellis and Randy Livingood, I admitted to having seen something I could not and can not explain. A UFO by any other name...

I have always scoffed at UFO accounts and especially the abduction reports that were prevalent about the time of our sighting documented here. I considered anyone who told some of the wilder accounts as perhaps a lost cause. If you agree, then maybe I need help.

At about the time of that incident the Chief of Police of Gilbert, Charles Sparks, observed lights over Gilbert and ran into June's (Runyon) Diner and emptied the place of patrons and help, all of whom reportedly witnessed the UFO. Since I was not among them, I will not attempt to elaborate further on what they may have seen. END OF MY UFO ADVENTURE."

Both of these stories really intrigued me, but I was especially fascinated by this latter tale. If the Chief of Police and a whole restaurant full of people saw something strange in the sky, surely the encounter would be documented elsewhere. And it was! The Williamson Daily News ran an article on October 23, 1973 with the headline 'UFO Viewed Over Gilbert.' This article comes amid a flap of UFO sightings that took place across the United State in the late summer/fall of 1973, and leading up to this article, the Williamson Daily News was doing its best to cover all the strange lights and crafts seen in the skies. 

This particular article states that Police Chief Charles Sparks, along with 25-30 additional witnesses spotted a UFO flying in a westward direction, directly over the town of Gilbert the previous night about 9:10pm. Sparks described the UFO as being round, gray in color, with a revolving white stationary light, two small blue flashing lights, and a yellow pulsating light.  Sparks and the group of witnesses, including Eugene Justice (head of the water department) watched the craft for about 5 minutes. They estimated it to be about 2000 feet up in the air, and made no sound.

While doing research for today's blog, I actually ran across quite a few reports from Mingo County and surrounding areas, including this sighting from September of 1982. In addition, the awesome author, Kyle Lovern, has collected quite a few reports in his book, Appalachian Case Study: UFO Sightings, Alien Encounters, and Unexplained Phenomena (as well as the follow-up, Appalachian Case Study, Volume 2). It seems like this area along the West Virginia/Kentucky border is quite the UFO hot spot! Any theories on why that would be, or do you have your own UFO sighting from this area? Please leave me a comment below, or join me over at Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State on Facebook! 

Want MORE UFO stories from around the tri-state? Check out this blog post on the 1975 Big Chimney UFO sighting!

Charleston's Very Own Spirit Board

Nirvana Board. Patented by Elijah Bond, 1907
Source

One of the most controversial subjects in the paranormal field is the Ouija Board. Some people believe that the Ouija and other 'talking boards' or 'spirit boards' are a hotline straight to Hell and should be avoided at all costs. Others believe that these devices are merely a game, influenced by small, involuntary and unconscious muscle movements called the ideomotor effect or simply just an outright hoax by users. Still, others believe that the boards are like any other communication tool---use with caution and a healthy dose of common sense. For me personally, I have a love-hate relationship with Ouija Boards. I do believe that you're more likely to get a response through your own unconscious muscle movements, as opposed to actually contacting some being on the spirit world, and therefore, Ouija Boards scientifically are not part of my ghost hunting toolkit. However, that doesn't mean they are safe. If you're getting responses based on your own unconscious movements, then that means you're tapping into what you already know...or ASSUME you know...and you might be wrong, or you might not be able to deal with that knowledge being brought to the surface in such a manner. I've seen people get obsessed with the board, using it as a crutch to make important life decisions, and taking everything it says as gospel. Plus, there are several historical cases where 'Ouija mania' has led to some not-so-positive outcomes for all involved. So, I don't typically USE Ouija Boards.  But...

...they are so freaking beautiful! I absolutely love the aesthetics of the Ouija Board, a passion that makes itself known through my apparel and house décor. I also love the idea of collecting vintage Ouija and other similar boards and I love learning their history and connection to the Spiritualist movement. It was while reading about such that I learned that my very own hometown had a fascinating connection to the history of modern talking boards!  That's right; Charleston, West Virginia has secured its spot in the annals of Ouija history.  It all starts with a man named Elijah Bond.

Okay, actually it doesn't. As early as 1100 A.D., a similar method of 'planchette writing' had been used in China. In the 1880's, spiritualists and mediums, especially in Ohio, had revived the idea of a talking board and its use became a common component of seances. But, it WAS Elijah who is credited as being the first to take out a patent/trademark on a talking board, thus becoming the father of the modern Ouija Board. 

Elijah J. Bond
Source

Elijah Jefferson Bond was born on January 23, 1847 in Maryland. As a young man, he served in the Confederate Army, and then went on to law school at the University of Maryland, graduating in 1872. He married Mary Peters, also a Maryland native, and had one son, a boy named William Brown Bond. Sometime in early 1890, Bond, who was already racking up patents for various other inventions in addition to his work as a lawyer, had an idea to patent an improved planchette to be sold with a wooden board imprinted with letters of the alphabet laid out in a semi-circle. Around the same time, businessman Charles Kennard saw the opportunity to start manufacturing and selling his own version of these 'spirit boards' that were so quickly growing in popularity around the country. 

On October 30, 1890 the Kennard Novelty Company was incorporated. The true story as to how the Kennard Novelty Company came to be, and who ACTUALLY invented the modern Ouija Board is almost as controversial as the Ouija Board's use today. Different sources tell slightly different stories, and even back in the early 1900's, there was a lot of in-fighting and claims being made and challenged. But, I think I've got enough details sorted out to give a fairly accurate picture. (Please be sure to see the additional reading and resources at the end of the blog for more info!) Anyway...

Harry Welles Rusk was named president of the company. He had graduated law school with Elijah Bond. William Maupin was also brought on board and just happened to be married to Bond's niece. So, Bond already had at least two fairly close connections to the company when he became involved. Although by most accounts he was never listed as a formal member of the Kennard Novelty Company, the patent for his talking board (no. 446,054),  filed for on May 28, 1890 and granted on February 10, 1891. Elijah was listed as the inventor, and the assignees were Maupin and Kennard. 

Page 1 of Nirvana Talking Board
Patent 63360

Page 2 of Nirvana Talking Board
Patent 63360

In addition to the patent, Elijah Bond is also responsible for giving the modern talking board the name of 'Ouija Board!' Elijah's sister in law, Helen Peters, was a medium, and during one of her sessions, asked what the board wanted to be called. She was given the answer of 'ouija.' When asked what the word meant, the board spelled out 'good luck,' which some interpret as the spirits/board wishing the Kennard Novelty Company good luck in its business endeavors! However, good luck was not in the plan. I won't get into in this blog, but the Kennard Novelty Company kinda fell apart, and different members split off, some opening up competing talking board companies. What was left of the original Kennard Novelty Company was changed to Ouija Novelty Company, with Kennard no longer a part of his own company. With all that drama, Elijah Bond seemingly slipped out of the talking board industry to continue his work as an attorney and inventor.

But then in the early 1900's, Elijah left Maryland and came to Charleston, West Virginia. For whatever reason, he was once again hit by the talking board bug, and decided to branch out on his own with a NEW trademarked board. On June 18th, 1907, he was granted a patent (63360) for the Nirvana Talking Board. 

By today's standards, the wooden board is fairly shocking to look at, as its emblazoned across the top with a large swastika and the word 'Nirvana.' But, being in a time before the Nazis perverted this ancient symbol, it was seen merely as a symbol of eastern mysticism. Elijah incorporated a new company, the Swastika Novelty Company, headquartered at his home/office at 146 Court Street in downtown Charleston. (This address no longer exists, but if we go off of modern numbering, it was probably right around where the Charleston Federal Center, on the corner of Quarrier, is located.) Unfortunately, the board was only manufactured for a few short years, making it a rare and very sought-after collectible today. 

Elijah would make his way back to Baltimore, Maryland some time later. In 1919, he suffered what was labeled as a 'stroke of paralysis.' His health further declined until his death on April 14, 1921. He was buried in and unmarked grave at Green Mount Cemetery in Baltimore. Thanks to the efforts of Robert Murch, this burial plot was rediscovered in October of 2007. Murch worked with cemetery officials and eventually surviving family members to get permission to erect a fitting monument to Elijah and his contributions to history of the talking board. With the help of Tegeler Monuments and a host of donators, an awesome talking board tombstone was dedicated on July 12, 2008. 

Elijah J. Bond was only in Charleston, West Virginia for a few short years, but during his time here, he invented and manufactured a piece of talking board history. While he may have only intended his invention as a fun novelty, his contributions have had a significant impact on the Spiritualism movement, and have given Charleston another reason to celebrate its weird history. Stay spooky!

Elijah J. Bond's Tombstone
Source

Sources and Further Reading:

Museum of Talking Boards: History

Ouija Wikipedia

Elijah J. Bond Biography from WilliamFuld.com 

9 Oldest Ouija Boards in the World

Ouija Boards ARE Dangerous

The Southside Bridge Hanging Man

Photo by Michelle Krone--Source

It's been a loooong time since I did a Weird West Virginia Wednesday, but thanks to this past Saturday's ghost tour/hunt with the Charleston Ghost Tour Company, I was inspired to bring it back! Way back in 2012, I was introduced to a very strange piece of Charleston's public art. I was taking a Historic Preservation class through WVSU, which met at the haunted Capitol Theater and was taught by Dr. Billy Joe Peyton. One class meeting involved taking a historic walking tour throughout downtown Charleston, and as we were talking about the Southside Bridge, it was pointed out to us that there was a creepy little addition to the building beside the bridge: The Southside Bridge Hanging Man!

The building in question, One Bridge Place, was originally built in the 1890's and served as the warehouse for the Lewis, Hubbard, and Company Wholesale Grocery. Today, the building is home to various offices, but has also become an integral part of Charleston's art community. Back in the early 1980's, the building went through renovations, which involved the painting of a large mural on the south side of the building, facing the bridge.

Can you see him up top?

Known locally as the 'San Francisco Mural,' the side of One Bridge Place resembles a row of colorful Victorian houses. The work is by artist Bart Davies, a graduate of Penn State's Fine Arts program. The project, which employs the use of trompel'oeil (to trick or deceive the eye) was started in 1983 and took about two years to complete.  

You have to look closely, but if you do, you can see that some of the windows are painted on and some are actual, functional windows. And if you look REALLY closely, you'll see that one of the faux windows holds a rather dark and macabre surprise. At the very top left, you can see what appears to be the shadowy figure of a person in the window. Look a little closer, and you'll see that there is a rope or noose coming from this figure's neck. As of this date, no one has publicly come out with a reason as to why such a creepy image was added to this otherwise bright and cheery mural. Of course, plenty of conspiracy theories abound. At the very least, the Southside Bridge Hanging Man is right up there with Mortar Man as a well-loved (albeit strange and kinda dark) piece of hidden public art, which has found a home in West Virginia's capital city! 

Close-up of the Hanging Man