Journal of the Bizarre

The indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest have played an important role in Native American folklore, from Chinook tales of monsters such as the Sasquatch-like Skookum and the humanoid sea monster of the Inuits named Qalupalik. A tribe inhabiting southeast Alaska, known as the Tlingit, has also played an important role in the folklore of the Pacific Northwest.

The Tlingit tribe, like many other indigenous tribes, holds a strong belief in magic and witchcraft. In 1915, a peculiar case evoking memories of Salem, Massachusetts, came before the court in Juneau, centered around allegations of witchcraft and sorcery. The strange case of Mary Moses- or Klantosh, as she was known to her tribe- could've been the last official "witch trial" in North American history had the District Attorney been able to find a law that was broken by the witch in question- a blind man who was said to be able to fly and transform himself into a duck.

The following comes from a newspaper article…

Photo by Ida County sheriff's department

Five teenagers in Idaho managed to miraculously dodge the natural selection bullet earlier this week after a horrendous SUV crash, which occurred when one of the passengers took out a lighter and lit the driver's armpit hair on fire.

The Ada County, Idaho, sheriff's department stated the rollover occurred after a 16-year-old boy in the front seat lit 18-year-old Tristian Myers' armpit hair on fire while Myers was driving. 
Authorities cited Myers with inattentive driving, while the 16-year-old armpit arsonist was cited for interfering with the driver's safety (and being a grade-A, first-class moron). The passenger's name wasn't released, out of fear for his safety. After all, with stupidity such as his, it's likely someone would've kidnapped the teenager and given him a forced vasectomy in order to ensure that he wouldn't reproduce.
Deputies also said none of the teens was wearing a seatbelt, and …

Nessie, a favorite among cryptozoologists for over 80 years, is in the news again-- this time making an appearance in Lake Windemere, some 150 miles from Loch Ness. According to the UK Mirror, the creature was recently photographed by Elle Williams, a 24-year-old professional photographer.

James Ebdon, of Autographer Camera Company, told the Mirror: “On closer look we thought it could be a larger animal like a horse with a saddle pack or something. Then we wondered if it was an old giant eel or catfish as seen on TV documentaries." He concluded, "Who knows what it is - maybe some kids messing about - whatever it is we will leave it to the experts.”

Well, until the alleged experts chime in, Journal of the Bizarre would like to take this opportunity to offerthree points which point to the non-existence of this famed creature.


1. A thousand year vacation and the miraculous saint.

The first Nessie sighting took place in 1933, when John Mackay and his wife saw "something resem…

Was the Hall of Fame baseball star assassinated by the CIA?



From the Sandy Hook school shooting to the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight 370, it seems that every tragedy in recent times is accompanied by a slew of conspiracy theories. Yet history is filled with events that would be enshrouded in conspiracy theories if they happened today. One such event is the plane crash that killed baseball Hall-of-Famer and Pittsburgh Pirates legend Roberto Clemente on December 31, 1972.

Most of us are familiar with the story: Clemente, playing the role of humanitarian, decides to accompany a flight of emergency aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua, after the victims claim that the corrupt military dictator, Anastasio Somoza, was preventing the much-needed emergency supplies from getting into the hands of earthquake survivors. The rickety plane goes down off the coast of  Isla Verde, Puerto Rico, immediately after takeoff. Strangely, Clemente's body is never found.

This story has all t…

The sea is brimming with bloodthirsty creatures with razor-sharp teeth and monstrous tentacles, and while man-eating sharks and gigantic squid may get all the attention, the world's oceans are also home to another man-eating creature: shellfish!

While killer clams and ornery oysters may sound like creations from a mad sea captain's warped imagination, history records at least one occasion when a human being was consumed by shellfish; in this case, a giant abalone. This true terrifying tale of the sea took place in 1861, off the coast of San Francisco.
Before we get to the particulars of the story, however, let's jump forward in time twenty-six years, to the fall of 1887. A few miles south of the famous Golden Gate strait, upon the sandy beach of Half Moon Bay, a large abalone shell was found. The curious shell was opened and there, captured in mother-of-pearl, was a perfect impression of a child's shoe. Locals immediately turned their thoughts toward an incident that to…