Journal of the Bizarre

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on November 13, 2015

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An Abortionist's Graveyard

JOTB goes on the trail for clues to a 123-year-old unsolved mystery Bridge over the Passaic connecting Harrison and Newark On a sunny April day in 1881, two young boys were playing in the meadow not far from the Pennsylvania Railroad depot in the bustling Newark suburb of Harrison. Their minds filled with thoughts of pirate treasure, they dug hole after hole in the meadow. The discovery they soon made, however, turned their expressions from excitement to horror. They unearthed six glass jars, covered in mud. When they brushed away the mud the boys discovered that the jars didn't contain gold or silver coins-- but the preserved remains of fully-developed infants. Upon further investigating, thee more jars were found in the vicinity, bringing the total to nine. The boys had come to the meadow seeking buried treasure, but had instead found an abortionist's graveyard. Abortion was a bustling business in Newark in the latter decades of the 19th century. Though highly illega...

Jenny Hanivers, Mermaids, Devil Fish, and Sea Monks

Three centuries before P.T. Barnum attracted flocks of crowds with his mummified Fiji Mermaid (which turned out to be a papier-mâché creation featuring a monkey's head and a fish's body), sailors around the world had already began manufacturing "mermaids". Known as Jenny Hanivers, these creations were often sold to tourists and provided sailors with an additional source of income. These mummified creatures were produced by drying, carving, and then varnishing the carcasses of fish belonging to the order rajiformes - a group of flattened cartilaginous fish related to the shark which includes stingrays and skates. These preserved carcasses can be made to resemble mermaids, dragons, angels, demons, and other mythical creatures. Jenny Hanivers became popular in the mid-16th century, when sailors around the Antwerp docks began selling the novelties to tourists. This practice was so common in the Belgian city that it may have influenced the name; it is wide...

Debunked: "Black-Eyed Children"

Much has been written on the myth of the "black-eyed children"- a favorite topic among paranormal researchers and ghost story aficionados. According to legend, these creepy-looking kiddies with large coal-colored eyes pop up at night, tapping on windows and scaring the bejeezus out of the people who encounter them. In most accounts, these black-eyed children seek permission to enter your home or car, asking to use a phone or for some other favor. In practically every case, these mysterious individuals appear at night. Witnesses claim that one look into their black eyes invokes a strong feeling of horror, and sightings of these creepy kiddies have been reported in virtually every corner of the globe. Some paranormal researchers, such as David Weatherly (who has recently published a book on this very topic), believe that "black-eyed children" are demonic in origin. Others believe that these children are alien in origin. Still others insist that they are in...

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