Latest / Common Mystics / Boo Review #11: Death By Witchcraft in Quindaro, KS
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker A: Foreign Good evening and welcome to the BOO Review. I'm Jill Stanley. Tonight's story is based on an article in the Wyandotte Gazette out of Kansas City, Kansas, dated Thursday, February 3, 1870. We'll be diving into a chilling tale from the annals of Kansas history, a story that has left many shuddering for nearly a century. Join us as we uncover the haunting events surrounding the mysterious death of Abner Lewis, a man reputed to possess mystical powers. For more on this, let's throw it to Jennifer James at the Bulletin desk. Jennifer.
- 0:54Speaker B: Thanks, Jill. The historic town of Quindaro, Kansas, was established around 1850 at a bend of the Missouri River. Strategically located opposite the state of Missouri. A slave state at the time, Kendaro served as a stop along the Underground Railroad, providing an escape route for freedom seekers fleeing slavery in Missouri. The land on which the town stood was part of a territory occupied by the Wyandot people. When the Wyandotte tribe disbanded, the land was divided among members who chose to stay in the area and join the Union. Quindaro is a Wyandot word that means in Union there is strength. In addition to the indigenous population of Quindaro, early residents included black men and women who had escaped slavery during the pre Civil War era. Many chose to settle and build their homes in Quindaro, living alongside their Wyandotte neighbors. Thus, the founding residents of this Kansas town brought with them a distinctive blend of spiritual beliefs and practices. The town witnessed the emergence of religious customs rooted in African, Native American, and European traditions. Many townsfolk utilized herbs, roots, and animal magic for healing, protection, and various other purposes. Outsiders simply referred to it as Quindaro witchcraft. By the late 1850s, Quindaro had rapidly transformed into a bustling Pioneer river port town. Stores, hotels, churches, and residences sprang up across the street terrain to accommodate its growing population. When the city charter was approved in January 1858, Quindara boasted 100 buildings, including numerous hotels, dry goods stores, grocery stores, shoe shops, drugstores, and meat markets. Among these establishments, the two blacksmith shops, one owned by Obadiah Dale and the other by Abner Lewis, stood out for their notable rivalry, a feud that became legendary and lasted for years. No one knows exactly how their rivalry began. Some speculate that Dale's son courted, then abandoned, Lewis's daughter. Others recount a bidding war between the two overshoeing the mayor's horses. The true cause remains a mystery, however. The men shared a legendary animosity and would go to great lengths to undermine each other's success at every opportunity, using Any means possible. It was said that Abner Lewis walked past Obadiah Dale's rented stable and spat on the ground at the entrance. Within two weeks, six horses became lame, and Lewis insinuated throughout the town that it was Dale's poor craftsmanship that was responsible. As a result, Dale had to compensate the owners for their injured horses. It was reported that Dale retaliated by carving enigmatic symbol on the post of Lewis's pasture fence, after which he his cattle repeatedly escaped through the broken wire. Dale then spread a rumor, blaming the recurring fence breaks on Lewis's poor craftsmanship. Moreover, the stray cattle repeatedly trampled through his neighbor's kitchen gardens, devouring all the vegetables. As a result, Lewis had to compensate for his neighbor's crop losses time and time again. One day in late 1868, Abner Lewis walked by Obadiah Dale's shop. As he passed, Lewis turned and spat on the ground from his window. Dale observed this affront and hurried outside to respond. Muttering an incantation, Dale picked up a stick and etched crude symbols in into the dirt. Suddenly, Lewis collapsed onto the road, clutching his foot and howling in apparent agony. Witnesses reported that his foot swelled rapidly to an alarming size. Neighbors assisted Lewis up from the ground while Dale observed from his shop window, muttering to himself. The whole time, Lewis clung to his helpers for support. They brought him home, laid him in bed, and called for the doctor. Dr. Vernon arrived promptly and questioned Lewis about his injury. Lewis insisted he hadn't hurt himself, but claimed that Dale had bewitched him. He recounted how while walking past Dale's shop, he suddenly collapsed and everything went dark. Through a sort of tunnel vision, he saw a large brown mouse scurry out of Dale's smithy across the street and come right up to him. The mouse crawled onto his foot and then disappeared. At that moment, he felt an excruciating pain in his foot, as if the mouse had burrowed inside it. Dr. Vernon listened to Lewis's story and then checked his head for any lumps. He found none. In his professional opinion, Lewis had tripped and sprained his foot, though fortunately it did not seem to be broken. Lewis insisted that the doctor examine the bottom of his foot for a mouse hole. After thorough inspection, the doctor found no such hole. He advised Lewis to stay in bed, keep the foot wrapped and elevated, and promised to reevaluate him. And a week after a week had passed, the doctor returned to Lewis's home. Lewis assured him that he had remained in bed, though he was frustrated about neglecting his smithy to Dr. Vernon's surprise. The swelling had migrated from Lewis's foot to his ankle. Lewis confirmed that the pain in his foot had lessened, but he still couldn't walk due to the new pain in his ankle. Dr. Vernon carefully wrapped the ankle in bandages and promised to return again in a week. When Dr. Vernon examined Lewis a week later, he was puzzled once more. The swelling had shifted yet again, now localized at the lower part of Lewis's shin, where a knot of pain persisted. As the weeks went by, the swelling on Lewis's leg gradually moved upward onto his abdomen. Lewis was doubled over in pain. The doctor tried several treatments, including dandelion root tea, ginger compresses, and even bleeding him with leeches, but nothing proved effective. The swelling continued its relentless advance, reaching his chest and wrapping around to the back of his neck. As the lump at the nape of Lewis's neck grew inexplicably. Dr. Vernon recognized the severity of the situation. Lewis was contorted, his head bent forward and twisted at a grotesque angle, delirious with pain and straining for breath. Fearing the worst, Dr. Vernon summoned Lewis's only relative, his daughter. She arrived just in time to witness her father take his final breath. Shortly thereafter, funeral arrangements were made. Obadiah Dale, the town's only blacksmith, crafted the nails for Lewis's coffin, and Lewis's body lay in repose at the wake. As townspeople filed in somber lines to pay their respects to the man reputed to be a powerful witch. Some came to satisfy their morbid curiosity, while others offered prayers, hoping to placate the spirit of the man known for his mystical powers. As he lay in the open casket, everyone present witnessed a large brown mouse emerge from Abner Lewis's mouth and scurry away. Any remaining doubt of Lewis's cause of death vanished at the sight. Rumors of a curse caused many to flee, leading to the eventual extinction of Quindaro. Today, no buildings remain where a once thriving settlement stood. However, the graves of former residents still linger on the town's outskirts. Most markers have been lost to time and the elements, leaving only stubs where headstones once stood. Occasionally, however, a rogue stone emerges from the desolation that was Quindaro, unmistakably inscribed with the words death by witchcraft. Now back to you, Jill.
- 11:15Speaker A: And that brings us to the end of our broadcast and the mysterious tale of Abner Lewis and the downfall of Quintero. Was it truly witchcraft that seems sealed the town's fate? Or simply a string of tragic events that stoked the fires of superstition? Although the buildings are long gone, the story endures, etched forever into the landscape by the winds and whispers of time. As the shadows lengthen over the forgotten graves, the mystery remains, an enduring testament to the power of folklore and the fragility of human human belief. On behalf of everyone here at the Boo Review, thank you for joining us and good night. I'm Jill Stanley. The Boo Review is a Common Mystics Media production in association with Access. Paranormal Story by Dennis Brose Edited by Yokai Audio, Kalamazoo, Michigan for more Common Mystics, check out our website, commonmystics.net Follow us on all our socials at CommonMySticsPod. Listen in wherever you're hearing your favorite podcast, but please remember to download, like and subscribe.