Badger Bizarre

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Occuring in the late 1870s, and centering on a teenage girl named Lurancy Vennum, who began experiencing strange trances, seizures, and claims of communication with spirits, 'The Watseka Wonder ' is one of the most famous cases of alleged spirit possession in American history.

Local physicians in Watseka, IL were at a loss to explain her condition, and she was nearly committed to an asylum, until a man named Asa Roff, whose own daughter had died years earlier after suffering similar episodes, recognized the symptoms and arranged for Lurancy to be visited by a spiritualist doctor named E. W. Stevens.
Following that visit, Lurancy claimed to be taken over by the spirit of Asa's dead daughter, Mary, who had died in 1865.

For the next 4 months, Lurancy lived with the Roff family, demonstrating detailed and accurate knowledge of Mary's life, recognizing old friends and relatives of the deceased girl, and recalling specific memories that Lurancy could not have known through any conventional means.

The case was documented extensively by Dr. Stevens in a pamphlet published in 1879 and later drew the attention of researchers in psychical research, making it a landmark account in the study of the paranormal, reincarnation, and spirit possession. Skeptics have offered alternative explanations ranging from fraud to dissociative disorders, but the case remains a subject of fascination and debate to this day.

Scott and Mickey discuss this case, its
aftermath, and the legacy which still resonates yet today.

Subscribe today to hear this tale on,

“Badger Beyond: The Watseka Wonder”

https://www.patreon.com/posts/157385127?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

The Roxxy in Madison. The location of the former Factory Nightclub.

If you haven’t yet, listen to our latest episode “Otis Redding” to learn about a dark day in Madison’s history, and how the history of music itself was altered because of it.

Listen here to Episode 61 of Badger Bizarre, “Otis Redding.”

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/otis-redding

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In November of 1959, the peaceful wheat fields of western Kansas were rocked by the brutal murders of the area's most prosperous farmer and his family. Killed inside their home in the middle of the night, the shocking crime against the Clutter family horrified this quintessential American small town, paralyzing the community in disbelief.

As the shock spread throughout the region, the murders caught the attention of the most famous author in the nation at the time, Truman Capote, who immersed himself into the story, prying information out of grieving townsfolk, and cozying up to investigators - and the perpetrators.

What resulted was the first of its kind, the nonfiction novel, "In Cold Blood," which also, in turn, created the genre which we all know today as True Crime.

Scott and Mickey discuss the Clutter family murders, the book, and their legacies on the true crime genre today.

Subscribe today to listen to Badger Beyond: In Cold Blood: The Clutter Family Murders

https://www.patreon.com/posts/149711074?utm_campaign=postshare_creator

In June of 2007, police in Portage, WI were following-up on a tip regarding a missing persons case from Florida, when they found a literal "House of Horrors" in a local rental property. The sheer amount of abuse and torture, ultimately culminating in murder, created headlines nationwide, and led to numerous states reviewing and overhauling state laws in regards to foster care and oversite.

Although bodies buried in the back yard and tortured children locked in closets sounds like fodder for horror films, this was reality for a house in Portage. The investigation which unfolded uncovered a ring of identity thieves, causing havoc and ruining lives in many states throughout the country.

Scott and Mickey discuss this case, what enabled it, and its aftermath, including some of the misteps that were taken, repeatedly, by people in positions meant to help avoid these crimes ocurring in the first place.

In the opening banter we discuss a similar case in Outagamie County currently being adjudicated, tie up the Morgan Geyeser saga, and further evidence of why WI remains a UFO hotbed.

All here, on Episode 60 of Badger Bizarre, "Portage House of Horrors."

https://badgerbizarre.libsyn.com/60-portage-house-of-horrors