Page 72 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - September 2021

72 Top 10 Most Famous Ghosts
Top 10 Most Famous
Ghosts
Continued from Page 71
The Ghost of Christmas Past
In Charles Dickens' famous novel "A Christmas
Carol," cold-hearted miser Ebenezer Scrooge
has a change of heart after being visited by
several ghosts representing different eras of his so popular with kids that he got a starring role in there were 27,000 volts of electricity hovering
life's Christmases (Past, Present, and Yet to
Come).
Ghosts are often associated with life lessons and burps make him among the most memorable SCAVENGER HUNT
morality tales, and these spooks are no
exception. The ghosts aren't wasting time
rattling chains or scaring kids; instead the Ghost
of Christmas Past rehabilitates Scrooge by
showing him visions of his past Christmases.
Scrooge comes to appreciate the true meaning of
Christmas- no, not holiday commercialism but
friendship and goodwill.
The Murdered Peddler
One day, in the early 1840s in Hydesville, New
York, a young peddler arrived at the home of a
Mr. and Mrs. Bell to sell his housewares. He was
invited into the home by the Bells' housekeeper
and in fact stayed for some days. The maid was
shortly dismissed from service but abruptly
rehired a week later. The peddler was gone, but
many of his items were now in use in the Bells'
kitchen. The maid thought little of it until she
began experiencing strange, ghostly
phenomenon, only to find out from the peddler's
ghost that he had in fact been murdered in her
absence.
At least that was the story told by two sisters
named Maggie and Katie Fox, who claimed to
communicate with the ghost. Years later, the
sisters admitted it had all been a hoax; there was proof” vest. It turns out the vest wasn’t stab-
no murdered peddler, and the spirit proof, which he discovered while trying to prove
communications had been faked. Still, the sisters it was, by stabbing himself in the chest with a
had inadvertently founded a religion called kitchen knife. Easton, 22, was rushed to the
Spiritualism, which is still practiced today. The hospital, but didn’t make it. (The coroner ruled
Murdered Peddler is the only fake ghost whose it death by “misadventure.”)
presence started a real religion.
SAY CHEESE
Slimer
In May 2015, Anna Ursu, a “self-obsessed”
Slimer is the grotesque green ghost featured in teenager from Romania, attempted to snap a pic
the "Ghostbuster" films and cartoons. He's of herself on top of a parked train. While lying
green, he's obnoxious, and he can spew slime... on her back, she held her phone above her and
what's not to love? In fact, Slimer proved to be lifted one of her legs in the air...not realizing that
the spin-off series "The Real Ghostbusters." A around the cable. The shock actually caused
reformed evil ghost that joined the Ghostbusters Ursu to burst into flames. She did not survive.
team, Slimer's voracious appetite and guttural
cartoon ghosts. []
In 2019, brandon and Jennifer Husband were
riding their motorcycle on a Kansas highway
STRANGE DEATHS when a large vulture flew out of a ditch and
struck Brandon in the head. He lost control of
the bike and crashed into a barbed-wire fence.
THE LAST LAUGH
Neither of them were wearing helmets and
neither survived.
In April 2019, a 60-year-old British comedian
known as Ian Cognito (real name: Paul Barbieri)
A BAD SIGN
arrived at the Atic bar in Bicester to perform his
stand-up routine. Cognito told club owner
In 2009, Mark and Diane Durre of Chambers,
Andrew Bird that he wasn’t feeling well that
Nebraska, drove their Ford pickup truck to a
evening, but he’d do his best. Bird later told
Taco Bell on Interstate 80 in order to meet a
reporters that the set got off to a great start, as
couple to whom they were going to sell a puppy.
Cognito joked about being sick and even about
They parked in the prearranged meeting spot
having a stroke. A few minutes later, he sat
under the 75-foot tall Taco Bell sign, but before
down in a chair and stopped talking. Then he
the meeting could take place, tragedy struck.
collapsed. “Everyone in the crowd, me included,
Strong wind gusts - later estimated at around 40
thought he was joking,” said Bird. Not only was
mph - put so much strain on the sign that the
Cognito not joking, he wasn’t breathing. A
pole broke about 15 feet from the ground. The
nurse tran to the stage to try and revive him, but
large sign came crushing down and landed right
he’d died on the spot.
on Durre’s truck. Amazingly, mark’s only injury
was a broken finger, and the puppy was
BURDEN OF PROOF
unharmed...but Diane wasn’t that lucky. She
took the brunt of the hit and was pronounced
In 2017, Jordan Easton was at a friend’s house in
dead at the scene. []
northeastern England, bragging about his “stab-