Ripley Entertainment Inc.'s Blog, page 194
July 8, 2020
The Legend Of The South Texas Headless Horseman, El Muerto
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Tales of decapitation have been told that leave us scratching our still-attached heads—everything from moving lips of Anne Boleyn’s severed skull to the 18-month-surviving headless chicken named Mike. But, taking it back to the most familiar headless character, this tale surrounds a very popular and creepy motif for urban legends: the idea of a phantom headless horseman.
Although, we’re not talking about the iconic horseman from Washington Irving’s The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, but rather the obscure South Texan legend of El Muerto, or “the dead man,”—a Mexican bandit who was horribly butchered by Texas Rangers, only to rise again and ride vengefully on his dark steed from beyond the grave.
The Bandit Who Would Become The Horseman
As the story goes, in the mid-1800s, a Mexican bandit by the name of Vidal committed a crime in San Antonio that would doom him forever: horse rustling—a deed he already had a bounty on his head for. Unfortunately for him, some of the targeted horses from this raid belonged to Creed Taylor, a Texas Ranger. Needless to say, Taylor did not take the news well.
During this period, rangers were harsh lawmen, hardened to the burden of their duty, and willing to commit the most heinous deeds in the name of justice. At the time, after all, the border between the United States and Mexico was an issue that the two countries couldn’t agree on.
As a result of this discrepancy, there was a stretch in-between that became a sort of no man’s land. Unsurprisingly, crimes were plentiful and vicious here, so the Rangers, whose jobs were to stem the tide, had to be equally as ruthless themselves. But, what Taylor and his fellow Rangers are said to have done to Vidal for his horse theft crime goes completely beyond the pale.
The Grisly Death of Vidal
Taylor set to track Vidal, and the rest of his henchmen, across this inhospitable and very dangerous stretch of land. Joining him on the hunt for vengeance was a ranch owner, who was also recently the victim of horse rustling, by the name of Flores and another ranger, William Alexander Anderson Wallace—better known as “Big Foot.”
Albumen print of William A. A. Wallace
Vidal had timed his attack using a coinciding Comanche raid as a decoy. Most of the local ranch defenders left to fight off the Comanche threat leaving the area vulnerable to Vidal and his small crew of bandits. Little did he know that Taylor and his small band were hot on the trail. The three soon tracked the criminals to their hideouts, waiting until night fell and ambushing the bandits while they slept. The defenseless outlaws were killed, but their deaths were only the beginning. It was what was done to Vidal next that birthed the legend of El Muerto.
Despite the draconian methods of warning from lawmakers, criminals and outlaws still failed to see the potential, and often grim, consequences of their unlawful acts. As a result, a whole new level of harsh justice was needed.
After being killed by Taylor and his crew, Vidal’s corpse was said to have been beheaded and tied securely to a horse, along with his decapitated head. The unfortunate horse was then left to roam free, horrifying all who encountered it. Incredibly, though, the brutal killing and degrading treatment of Vidal’s body was just the start of his post-mortem story.
The Headless Horseman Rides On
From then on, the horse and its headless rider roamed the area. Spotted many times, it was said that bullets had no effect on either, and so the legend of El Muerto started to spread. This fearsome specter was said to be an omen of ill fate.
It’s also said that the horse was finally captured, along with Vidal’s horribly wounded and sun-ravaged body. He was unceremoniously buried, but alleged sightings continued. In one notable 1917 encounter, a couple on their way to San Diego stated that a headless horseman had passed them on its steed, crying, “It is mine. It is all mine!” And then again, decades later in 1969, El Muerto was supposedly spotted near Freer.
Capt. Mayne Reid’s version of a Texas Legend, published in 1865
Is there any truth to the tale? Well, the major players were all real men, and the rangers did publicly claim responsibility for the killing. There’s said to have been markedly less rustling in the area in the aftermath of the event, too!
As for whether Vidal’s spirit continues to ride around South Texas as El Muerto, there’s really no saying, but sightings continue to be reported. In fact, the area of one supposed encounter was renamed Headless Horseman Hill! This just highlights the allure that this grisly mystery had, and continues to have, in local folklore.
By Chris Littlechild, contributor for Ripleys.com
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Source: The Legend Of The South Texas Headless Horseman, El Muerto
July 7, 2020
International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Greg DeSanto takes clowning around seriously. After all, he’s the executive director of the International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center, located in Baraboo, Wisconsin. And, it’s exactly what you might think: a true monument to the artistry and history of clowning.
“Managing the hall of fame is a year-round job,” he explains. Although it does welcome guests seasonally, for much of the year the research center is open by appointment only—and conducts off-site appearances for circus gatherings and related events.
The not-for-profit organization, DeSanto points out, celebrates clowns of every kind. “When we say the word ‘clowns,’” he says, “we don’t just mean circus clowns. We mean television clowns, rodeo clowns, movie comedian clowns, ice capades clowns…” It is, he points out, “a very broad definition of clown.”
The center celebrates a complete history of clowning, educating new audiences and encouraging awareness of its hall of fame inductees. That education is important, he says, because “as clowning develops and evolves – and it’s always been an evolving art form – we learn from the past. Sometimes you have to look back to move forward.”
Photo provided by Clown HoF and Research Center
The International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center was conceived in 1986, as a University of Wisconsin student project in collaboration with the Delavan, Wisconsin, chamber of commerce. Delavan became the museum’s first home—but not its last.
After fifteen years in Delavan, the museum moved to Milwaukee. Then, after a couple of years in the big city, it moved again, to the outskirts of Wisconsin. Eventually, its collection of artifacts and ephemera wound up in storage, where it stayed for about four years. It wasn’t clear what might happen next for the coveted clown collection at that point.
DeSanto, who still performs occasionally as a professional clown himself, recalls how he came to be involved with the organization. “It kind of fell in my lap!” he laughs.
“One of the board members called me up,” DeSanto says. “I was familiar with the museum, and I had settled in Baraboo,” he says. There was talk of the museum’s collection winding up on the auction block then, “and I knew a lot of people worked really hard to get this thing together, back in the ‘80s,” he says.
So, he took over the museum in 2009 and hasn’t looked back.
A big part of the organization’s mission is the routine induction of new members to its hall of fame. Qualifications include a minimum of 20 years of professional experience in the business and having a national or international influence and notoriety. Some of the organization’s best-known hall of fame members include Red Skelton; Lou Jacobs, “one of the most famous clown faces,” DeSanto points out, Jacobs was the face on many Ringling posters and traveled with that circus for more than 65 years; the iconic Emmett Kelly; and Charlie Chaplin.
Photo provided by Clown HoF and Research Center
Willard Scott, known to most as a Today show weather presenter, was awarded the museum’s Lifetime of Laughter award back in 1996. Before storm forecasting took over his day-to-day, the television personality portrayed fast-food clown Ronald McDonald in television commercials. Scott also took on the role of Bozo the Clown.
“A lot of them are honored,” DeSanto says of the performers the museum shines a spotlight on. “They’ll say, ‘I didn’t get into this to become famous … I got into this because it was work that I liked, it made me laugh and I liked doing it. It gave my life a purpose.’”
The museum’s guidance can be a valuable resource for students, fans, and, of course, those preparing for a clown-based role, as well. That was the case when Eric Stonestreet, of ABC’s popular Modern Family sitcom, came calling.
Before finding success with Modern Family, according to DeSanto, the actor had unsuccessfully tried out for clown college. “Eric reached out to the hall of fame,” DeSanto says, when his character began to occasionally incorporate his character’s clowning on camera.
“He came to us and wanted to make sure the makeup was right, and the look and the costuming. He knew a lot about this stuff, he had done this as a kid. So the makeup on the show, that’s his clown makeup; he designed it, he applied it (for) the show, it wasn’t a makeup artist. He worked with the costumers to make sure he got the shoes from the right place, the wardrobe, and the wigs and all that. So he kind of used us as an unofficial occasional consultant,” DeSanto says.
“He was…very supportive of the hall of fame. He’s been one of our best advocates in the past decade or so.”
Photo provided by Clown HoF and Research Center
That support is important since the group’s long term plans are to simply survive, “like any not-for-profit museum,” DeSanto stresses. “That’s our biggest goal, to continue to grow, build our membership, and our support base,” he says.
“We all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us,” DeSanto adds. “If you’re a clown and you want to learn more about it, you need to know who these people were and what they did. And how you can take from them, use it to become a better performer, a better clown, and a better person.”
The ICHOF is seasonally open for visitors, and only by appointment during the fall and winter. Calls to schedule private tours or research appointments are encouraged by calling (608) 852-6767.
By Bill Furbee, contributor for Ripleys.com
EXPLORE THE ODD IN PERSON!
Discover hundreds of strange and unusual artifacts and get hands-on with unbelievable interactives when you visit a Ripley’s Odditorium!
Source: International Clown Hall of Fame and Research Center
July 6, 2020
July 5, 2020
July 4, 2020
July 3, 2020
Megaflash Stretches 440 Miles Across Brazil
Featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!
This Week
[June 29-July 5, 2020] A letter from Winnie the Pooh, sign language gloves, a 440-mile lightning bolt, and the rest of the week’s weird news from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
Pooh Missed The Party
It’s safe to say we all found a friend in the Hundred Acre Woods as children, which is why it may have come as a disappointment when Winnie the Pooh and the rest of the gang never showed up to our birthday parties. One particularly bummed birthday boy wrote a letter to Pooh and his friends and, to his surprise, received a response in the mail. This 1935 letter is signed by Winnie the Pooh himself (illustrator Ernest Howard Shepard). The note included a drawing of the chubby little cuddly bear from A.A. Milne’s book series, as well as his best friend Piglet. Slated to sell for about $5,000, it sold last Thursday for a whopping $15,521.
Charming illustrated autograph letter from Winnie the Pooh illustrator E.H. Shepard, written in the guise of Pooh and apologising that he and Piglet can’t come to Buffkins’ party
Buffkins was the childhood nickname of Dr Harry Stopes-Roe, son of Marie Stopes#auction £3000-4000 pic.twitter.com/smOvKD9PIM
— Dominic Winter (@DWinterAuctions) June 2, 2020
Let’s Give Them A Hand
A team of scientists and researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles have developed a way to take words, phrases, or letters in American Sign Language, and verbalize them using a glove. The glove contains sensors in each of the digits that identify movements and transmits them wirelessly to a smartphone app. The app then translates and verbalizes the movements at a rate of one word per second. Let’s all give them a hand, shall we!
Welcoming Back the Whimsy with a Rube Goldberg Machine
After their four-month closure due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Exploration Place in Wichita, Kansas, was excited to reopen using more than just a classic push or pull technique. Over a five day period, staff and volunteers developed one of the largest machines ever seen. Inspired by American cartoonist, Rube Goldberg, the complicated gadget was nearly half a mile long and traveled through 40,000 square feet of the museum’s interactive exhibits. The project connected 138 tricks and science experiments in a huge daisy chain—a whimsical way to welcome back their guests, to say the least.
We’re Not Kitten, Your Cat Could Be Deterring Dates
Wondering you’re not getting quite as many “Swipe Rights” as you deserve? Apparently, fellas, you should reevaluate your photo choices on dating apps or websites, should your profile contain and pictures of your cat! Researchers recently discovered that posing with a cat makes men less desirable to women, compared with when they pose without their feline friends. The surveyed women rated cat-less photos of the same man higher on desirable qualities. And no, they weren’t all dog people!
Sparks Fly 440 Miles Across Brazil
Two years ago, on Halloween night, the atmosphere lit up above Brazil. A giant lightning bolt zigzagged across the night sky, slicing the darkness in half. But little did we know at the time, this single bolt of light was the single longest lightning bolt ever! According to a new analysis from the World Meteorological Organization, this epic “megaflash” over the country’s southern tip, stretched more than 440 miles from the Atlantic coast into the edge of Argentina. For our friends in the U.S., this single bolt could connect Toronto, Canada, to Chicago, Illinois!
July 2, 2020
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