Falls From Ferris Wheel
Eau Claire Woman Killed and Her Husband Injured
Weekly Telegram | September 8,1905

St. Paul – Falling fifty feet from the top of a Ferris wheel at the state fair grounds. Mrs. Frank Sebenthal of Eau Claire, Wis., was almost instantly killed at 4 o’clock Wednesday afternoon and her husband received injuries which may prove fatal. It is thought that the accident was caused by a defective fastening on the wicker car in which Mr. and Mrs. Sebenthal were riding . The car had just reached the highest point in the wheel when a casting broke and they were thrown to the ground. Mrs. Sebenthal struck the ground on her head, receiving a deep gash back of the ear and sustaining internal injuries from which she died at the emergency hospital. Mr. Sebenthal sustained fractures of the right leg above the knee and of the right elbow.

Chad’s Take: A Strange Ride Back to Eau Claire

Now that the fair season is officially over, it is finally safe enough to bring up this horrible story. At first glance the article seems to be just another unfortunate death caused by a terrible accident. However, it is the husband’s somewhat bizarre (or romantic, depending on your idea of macabre adventure) action that turns this accident into an even more grisly story.

Now it should be noted that I am a true admirer of the carnival. From the artery stopping food and eccentric people to the rundown and outdated rides and wildly rigged games, I enjoy everything about a good old fashioned fair. Over the years I have discovered that some of the most interesting festivals are the ones that seemed thrown together by a traveling band of amateurs. I have been to a lot of weird carnivals and fairs and most of the time I am always absolutely amazed that some parent (including my mother) put their child on a ride that looked like it was held together by chewing tobacco and faith. But Mrs. Sebenthal did not happen to chance her luck at some second rate rural carnival, in fact she visited the Great Minnesota Gathering known as the Minnesota State Fair.

After falling over fifty feet Mrs. Sebenthal was pronounced dead on the scene. Miraculously her husband survived the fall with only a few broken bones and cuts even though his condition was listed a critical. Now here is where the story takes a sharp turn. The Sebenthal’s were an Eau Claire couple, and after her death, the body of Mrs. Sebenthal was scheduled to be brought back home on the back of an express car. Rather than stay in the hospital and recover, Mr. Sebenthal insisted on accompanying his wife’s lifeless body back to Eau Claire, even though his doctors told him that the trip might cost him his own life. A later edition of the paper described the scene stating “it was a sorrowful sight to see on one side of the express car the pine box containing the coffin in which rested the body of Mrs. Sebenthal, and, a short distance from it, the husband, bandaged and strapped to a stretcher.”

While most experts agree that fair rides have gotten safer in the last 100 years, it is still hard to watch some unsuspecting kid board a ride and hold on like his live depends on it, knowing that it probably does. Keep an eye out …

Phantom at His Bedside
O’Donnell Said to be Haunted by the Ghost of his Wife
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | September 2, 1897 

A report comes from Waupun that John O’Donell, of this city, now confined in the penitentiary for the murder of his wife by administering strychnine, recently applied for permission to have a light all night in his cell; that, when asked why he wanted it and told that if the request was based on reasonable grounds, it would not be refused by the authorities, he said “Every night, when the light is put out, my wife comes to my bedside and talks to me. She says, ‘John I know you ought not be here, for you never did that.”
It is not learned whether O’Donnel’s supposed request was granted. It is reported that he is broken in health and that his hair is almost white.

Chad’s Take – Help that comes a little too late

In 1897, the Chippewa Valley was buzzing with news of the unexpected death of Mrs. Catherine O’Donell. At the beginning of the investigation Mrs. O’Donell’s death looked like nothing more than another young seemingly healthy person succumbing to one of many illnesses that plagued the 1800s. However, it didn’t take long for the case to start unraveling, and when it did, the lurid details built the case into something right out of a cheap murder mystery paperback.

The investigation into the death of Mrs. O’Donell was very in-depth and heavily detailed, so I will try to provide you will only the highlights (or lowlights, depending on your level of macabre interest). Late one evening Mr. John O’Donell had called for the doctor to come and check on his wife, who was suddenly feeling under the weather. When the doctor arrived O’Donell told him that his wife was sound asleep. The doctor was a bit hesitant to wake up the wife for something that Mr. O’Donell told him was probably nothing. During the night the woman’s condition declined and early the next morning the doctor was again called on, and this time when he actually checked on the woman, she was dead. At first it appeared as though the woman died of natural causes, a common listing for the cause of death for this time period. Yet when the doctor informed the husband of the terrible news, the doctor noted that Mr. O’Donell seemed unfazed by the news and calmly asked about speedy funeral arrangements. It turns out Mr. O’Donell may have had good reason for a quick burial, because for every hour the investigation continued, the possibility of the truth surfacing increased.

So here is where I sum up the rest of the case for you in five easy steps:

1. Upon the doctor’s request Mrs. O’Donell underwent an autopsy where strychnine was discovered in her stomach.
2. A Sixth Ward pharmacist named A.J. Klofanda testified that Mr. O’Donell had recently purchased strychnine from his store using a fake name.
3. Mr. O’Donell was previous arrested with his mistress who provided the court with letters that Mr. O’Donell had sent her where he told of wanting to “get rid” of his wife.
4. The O’Donell’s twelve year old boy took the stand and told the jury that he had on several occasions heard his mother talk about ending her own life.
5. John O’Donell was found guilty for the murder of his wife and sent to Waupun Prison, where the ghost of his wife appeared nightly to proclaim his innocence.

Believe it or not, the ghost of deceased family members haunting their loved ones is an all too common story, especially in the late 1800s. I have collected several other cases where killers have been tormented by the spirits of their victims. I truly don’t know whether or not Mr. O’Donell actually killed his wife, but I do know that if he would have had his dead wife’s spirit testify on his behalf during the trial, he probably would not have been in prison to begin with.

Keep an eye out….

Spook, Crank, or Masker
Apparition on North Side Hill Causes Great Stir Last Night. Ghostly Object Seemed to Some Like Man Dressed as a Woman.
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | July 31, 1902

Reports came to Sergt. Elliot of the Eau Claire police force at a late hour last night that attention of the police was required in the residence district of the North-side hill, where it was a number of women had been scared by a person in the garb of a woman who was parading around residence streets and acting in a particular manner. The party was described as of large build and carrying a fan. The supposition of some was that “it” was a man or boy dressed as a woman, and either crazy or bent on mischievous pranks. When Sergt. Elliot arrived in the locality where the supposed masquerader had been seen “it” had disappeared from the scene. Another account shows that the mysterious masquerader if he or she was such, was seen by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart school dodging around the church and school house between 9 and 10 o’clock last night; that the Sisters were very much alarmed; that a knot of people gathered near the school to watch the gyrations of the mysterious “critter” who, when an attempt was made to approach him, her, or it, the capture was impossible. Some of the youngsters who believe in spooks think that “it” is the real thing in the line of ghosts.

Chad’s Take: A Ghost or Eau Claire’s First Cross Dresser?

Okay, where do I even start with this particular story? Was this mysterious “it” a ghost, some crazed lunatic, or simply one of Eau Claire’s first cross dressing citizens? I think it is important to remember that during this time period the north side of Eau Claire was rife with ghost stories, as evidenced by several of my previous articles. The fact that many of the citizens believed that the being was impossible to catch certainly ties it into other traditional ghost stories, as it was a common belief that spirits of the time were beyond capture or restraining. The late night appearances and abnormally odd behavior also are consistent with historical ghost legends.

Yet after reading the article numerous times I am not convinced that this is a cut and dry haunted legend. Too many other bizarre variables seem to stand out from traditional ghost stories. Even the newspaper itself leaned towards the idea that the being was some deranged man masquerading around in women’s clothes. During the turn of the century bizarre behaving individuals were just as prevalent in Eau Claire as ghost stories. Perhaps this really was a case of some gentleman needing to fulfill his urge to wear women’s clothing in public. Back then, this action would have landed the man a first rate room in the insane asylum, while today it would just be considered another Saturday night. Unfortunately, I was unable to recover any follow up articles that solved this strange mystery, and over 100 years later the event remains as another unsolved anomaly in Eau Claire’s extremely colorful past.

Keep an eye out…

Finds Skeleton of Giant
Well Preserved Implements Are Dug Up in the City of Trempealeau
Eau Claire Leader |July 19, 1906

Trempealeau- Excavators removing soil for a new sidewalk a half block south of Main Street uncovered the of what is believed to have been a mound builder, also some well-preserved stone implements, weapons, pottery and an oven, presumably of prehistoric origin. Earnest Bright made the discovery. He saw part of a skull protruding from the damp earth and after digging a few feet below the surface the spinal column and other bones were found. Trempealeau citizens say the bones are either those of an Indian of unusual size or of a mound builder, which archaeological researchers have proved lived in the vicinity of Trempealeau. The latter theory is more generally accepted, because of the array of stone implements found with the bones. A clay oven was found imbedded in the dirt. Many dishes of a brackish cast and made of a peculiar stone were also found.

Chad’s Take: Giants Roaming Wisconsin?

Before I tackle the immense size of the bones discovered in Trempealeau I wanted to touch on the bigger picture of where exactly the remains were excavated from. The article claimed that among the bones was a “stone implement, weapons, pottery, and an oven.” With the various clues pointing to a Native gravesite, Mr. Bright most likely stumbled onto an effigy mound, which are Native American burial mounds often constructed into the shape of an animal. Most researchers believe that these mysterious mounds are sacred sites and need to be protected. Archeologists estimate that at one time Wisconsin was home to approximately 20,000 effigy mounds. Sadly, however, due to development, construction, and agriculture, less than 4,000 of them still remain today.

Okay, now for the strange portion of the article, the giant size of the bones that were unearthed. Although the paper never list the exact measurements of the bones, we can assume based on their description of “unusual size” and other similar discoveries in Wisconsin that the remains were outside of the average height of an American male, which in 1906 was 5 feet 6 inches. In 1899, researchers discovered unknown remains near Fond du Lac, WI that measured well over 7 feet. In his book, Giants in the Land: Folktales and Legends of Wisconsin, folklorist Dennis Boyer documented dozens of similar finds and stories of abnormally large “humans” lurking around Wisconsin. For me, the salient lesson learned from this article is that when you go digging around, you never know what weirdness you might uncover.

Keep an eye out…

Thought They Saw A Sea Serpent
Eau Claire Leader | July 17, 1909

At Lake Chetek, or rather on the Kagamo the cottages saw a curious sight a few evenings ago, and at once the cry was passed along the shore “A sea-serpent.” It turned out to be two venturesome young ladies and a young man. They had rigged up a long ladder, and with only their heads poking through were paddling and swimming across the lake. In the dusk of the evening the spectacle presented was a novel one, and the effect quite startling.

Chad’s Take: Where Did All the Serpents Go?

The important part of this article is not the disappointing fact that the “serpent” turned out to be nothing more than some mischievous youngsters playing a prank. What stands out is the public’s immediate belief that the odd disturbance trolling the water was indeed a real sea serpent. During the 1800s and early 1900s, sea serpents were reported around Wisconsin on a nearly weekly basis. While a few of these reports ended up being easily explained, many of the more dramatic sightings baffled both the public, and the scientists of the day. I have uncovered several dozen Wisconsin sea serpent sightings from every corner of the state. What I have found is that these sightings were prevalent all the way up until the 1930s. Then for some unexplainable reason the media reports of sea serpents abruptly stopped. It is unknown whether the general public no longer spotted these creatures, or whether the newspapers simply did not report them. Regardless of the reason for the stoppage, sea serpent reports all but dried up in Wisconsin during the 1930s.

However, there was one exception to the sea serpent shortage, and that was the regular sightings of a strange animal living in Lake Pepin, which borders Wisconsin and Minnesota. Reports of the affectionately named “Pepie” date back to the early Native Americans who regularly told stories of the majestic creature inhabiting the waters of the lake. Of course all of these sea serpent tales are nothing more than superstitious belief from a time long gone, right? Well some are so convinced that Pepie is alive (or that tourists will come looking for it) that Lake City, MN is offering $50,000 to the first person to gather proof of Pepie’s existence. For the Wisconsin adventurers among you this may be the perfect excuse to dust off the fishing pole and head out to capture both Pepie and the $50,000 reward.

Keep an eye out …

Fights With Five Wildcats
Chippewa Falls Physician Kills Three in Vicinity of Bloomer
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | July 8, 1904

Chippewa Falls- Dr. H. D. Miller had a thrilling experience with five wildcats a few miles from Bloomer. He was met by two of the cats which attacked his horse. After succeeding in driving them away, three more came and the attack was renewed. Miller fought the animals with a club and before the battle was over killed three.

Chad’s Take: Another Unusual Battle

I know I stated this sentiment way too many times to count, but the Chippewa Valley must have been an amazing place to see during the early days, and this article is just another piece of evidence to support my nostalgic belief. Picture the good doctor Miller returning home from a day of treating the community when he finds himself attacked by two wildcats (known throughout the U.S. as panthers, cougars, mountain lions, and pumas). Amazingly, the doctor fends off the two vicious creatures, only to have three more beasts arrive to join the fight. By the time the fight is finished, three dead wildcats fall victim to Dr. Miller’s club. It is difficult to imagine coming home from a day’s work only to discover that some wildcats were looking to make a nice meal out of you and your trusty horse. The situation is so far removed from our modern daily lives that even the thought of using a horse for transportation is almost completely lost to us, not to mention having to defend the said horse against a pack of wildcats. Stories like this remind me that with all of the tremendous advancement of the last 100 years, I sometimes find myself pinning for the adventure of the old days, although I am not so sure Dr. Miller would feel the same.

Keep an eye out …

Shot By His Wife
Frank Hunter, Proprietor of a Chippewa Falls Resort
June 20, 1895 | Eau Claire Weekly Free Press

Frank Hunter, proprietor of Hunter’s resort, just outside of Chippewa Falls, was shot and badly wounded by his wife Tuesday. Mrs. Hunter, better known as “Big Minnie,” missing $1500 in currency from her private drawer in their room, accused Hunter of taking it. During the quarrel which ensued Mrs. Hunter drew a revolver and opened fire at him, firing five shots, two taking effect in his shoulder as he was making his escape out of a door. How badly wounded Hunter is is not known, as no trace of him can be found.

Chad’s Take - Don’t mess with Big Minnie

Like nearly all of the other articles that I dig up, there is a lot more to the story than what was only printed in the newspaper. When I first read this article I was under the naïve belief that Mrs. Hunter was merely a scorned woman desperate to retrieve her missing funds. Yes, I do understand that grabbing a revolver and unloading a barrage of lead at your husband’s head is probably a smidge overboard, yet in 1895, $1,500 was a hefty sum of money. Perhaps the $1,500 represented her life savings, or maybe an important family inheritance. One would think that having a wife with the moniker “Big Minnie” would be enough of a deterrent to keep Mr. Hunter on the straight and narrow, but unfortunately the article is too vague and the subsequent removal of the money was never fully explained. But by now I was fully intrigued with the case and decided to delve deeper into the story, and what I found was that Big Minnie seemed to be extremely comfortable with shooting bullets at men.

Since no printed account of the couple’s reunion was discovered I will leave it up to you to picture the exact scenario of couple’s eventual reconciliation. The only reason that I even know they were reunited comes from another article printed 1898. The article tells that around 11:30 at night, Mr. Hunter was busy tending to his busy bar clientele while Big Minnie was relaxing in the adjoining room. Two rough looking men entered the saloon and ordered up some drinks. When the drinks were delivered, instead of paying for them, the two men whipped out their guns and stated that it was a stickup. In an instant the bar got eerily quiet. In the next room, Big Minnie heard the drop in noise and immediately sensed that something was wrong. She grabbed her gun and launched herself into the bar and began shooting up the place. One of the bullets struck the main bandit, and the two robbers, along with the bar’s patrons, quickly stampeded their way out. In all of the crossfire, Big Minnie was struck with a bullet to her head. The sheriff was called and he followed the trail of blood oozing from the robber to a carriage area where the two men escaped. Big Minnie was treated by a doctor and luckily survived her encounter with the would-be thieves. No further details of the incident were published and one has to wonder just how many bizarre stories of Big Minnie and Hunter’s Resort have been lost to history.

Keep an eye out …

Palmistry
Eau Claire Leader | June 2, 1904

Some Remarkable Readings by MME. Budda
The Leader has heard of several wonderful demonstrations of the ability of Mme. Budda, who is stopping at No. 316 Eau Claire Street, opposite Eau Claire House and which offered unquestioned evidence that Mme. Budda is a gifted clairvoyant and palmist. Her visitors include many well known citizens all of whom express satisfaction that the readings are fair and honest.

A Chippewa resident who visited this gifted medium and palmist struck the key note when he first remarked that “My past and present were called so closely as to make me wonder if Mme. Budda had no by some manner come into possession of a diary kept by me, which of course was not the case, but her predictions and revelations are simply marvelous.” She is well worthy of Eau Claire’s patronage. No. 316 Eau Claire Street

Chad’s Take: Is this an ad or an article?

In the past, the Chippewa Valley was not too kind to traveling psychics as evidenced here. However, in this article the paper actually seems intent on promoting the wandering clairvoyant as though they are receiving a healthy cut of the profits. It is important to note that this article also was printed during the popular Spiritualist Movement that had swept over the United States, where it was widely believed that psychics could communicate with those in the afterlife. Countless thousands of normally skeptical citizens flocked to séances and fortune tellers for the opportunity to speak with their lost loved ones.

While popular fortune tellers were quite common in the Chippewa Valley what intrigued me about this particular clairvoyant were the glowing reviews that were touted by the paper. I also took notice that the name of the overjoyed customer who was marveled by Mme. Budda’s accuracy was somehow omitted. Being an admirer of P.T. Barnum I quickly wondered if this “article” had been written by the clairvoyant herself in an attempt to drive up business. Unfortunately for us today, Mme. Budda is no longer operating in this world, leaving the question of her accuracy forever left untold. While Mme. Budda is long gone, the Chippewa Valley does have several operating psychics for the more curious among us to visit, just make sure not to bring your diary.

Keep an eye out …

Was Pursued by Wolves
Eau Claire weekly Leader | May 27, 1904

A Cook’s Valley Farmer Had An Exciting Adventure
Chippewa Falls- Hugh McWithey, a wealthy farmer living in Cook’s Valley, had an exciting adventure with four wolves while crossing the farm. The animals attacked him and would have killed him but for the intervention of two big dogs, which finally killed the wolves. McWithey’s clothes were torn into shreds.

Chad’s Take – Dogs vs. Wolves Part 1

I am always amazed at the extraordinary changes that have transpired over the last 100 years. These changes are not limited to population, inventions, and wealth, as I also take into account shifts in public perception as well. Perhaps nowhere is this shift greater than in the wolf. Until very recently the wolf was plagued by its reputation as a ruthless killer that was hell-bent on terrorizing local livestock. Lucky, today the majority of people view the wolf as an important predator helping to thin out other overpopulated species.

Today the Wisconsin DNR estimates that over 500 wolves still roam Wisconsin, and although rare outside of the Northwoods, encounters with humans still occur. It appears that Mr. McWithey barely escaped his unfortunate encounter with a small pack of wolves. With his clothes “torn into shreds” McWithey must have experienced quite a scare from these expert hunters. However, I must admit that I feel some skepticism with this article based on the fact that is reports that only two large dogs were miraculously able to not only ward off the four wolves, but that the ferocious dogs actually killed them. Now if I were a betting man and I was asked to pick a winner between four wolves and two dogs, I would go with the wolves every single time, unless of course the dogs were actually these creatures.

Keep an eye out …

Drowned in Chippewa
Eau Claire Weekly Telegram | May 16, 1905
Such is supposed to have been the fate of Fred Kenney, aged 11 • Coincidence in Tragedy •  Arthur, a brother of Fred, was drowned near the same locality

Eau Claire- It was thought today that at almost identically the same spot where his brother Arthur drowned ten years ago, Freddie Kenney, the 11 year old son of Patrick Kenney, met with the same fate yesterday afternoon after school hours. At least all indications pointed to such a sad ending of the little lad’s life.

Roy Hunner, a school mate of Fred first notified Mr. Kenny of his son’s disappearance. According to the boy’s story, he and Freddie had gone down to Little Niagara immediately after school yesterday afternoon. Roy wanted to go up the hill and pick flowers, while Freddie would not go, and Roy left him and went flower picking alone. After some time he returned to the place where he had left his little comrade but could find no trace of him. After looking around for a few moments he spied a pair of shoes and stockings on the river bank not far from the water, which he found, upon closer examination, to be those worn by his companion. But there were no signs of Freddie, and Roy, becoming frightened, hastened back to town and gave the alarm. It was too late to commence a search last night, as it was too dark to do anything, and it was thought that possibly he had started home and had stopped somewhere leaving his shoes and stockings behind him. But he had not appeared this morning and Mr. Kenney, with a number of friends to held him, went down the river to drag it.

The shoes and stockings still lay on the river bank today as they were left yesterday afternoon.

Chad’s Take – A Cursed Family?

With the warm spring air ushering in swimming weather I thought it was only fitting to include a tragic story of the Chippewa River terrorizing a local family not once, but twice. According to the article, little Freddie Kenney was pulled down to his watery grave in nearly the same exact spot his brother drowned. At first glance this article did not seem that out of the ordinary because I was under the impression that the boys had both drowned at their favorite swimming hole only a couple years apart. It wasn’t until I read the entire article that I realized that Fred was just an infant at the time of his brother’s death, making it impossible that they swan at the location together.

Unfortunately the article gave little detail into Arthur’s drowning. With a little digging I soon discovered that this case was even weirder than I originally thought. Not only did little Freddie drown in the same location as his brother Arthur, he did so at the exact same age as Arthur as well. Arthur and some friends were out playing down by the river when Arthur decided to test his skill by walking out on the jammed logs crossing the river. None of his friends were that daring, so they just sat back and watched him from the river bank. Young Arthur quickly lost his balance and was swept down the river. A local fisherman witnessed the accident and bravely dove in to save the boy, but unfortunately he was too late, and Arthur was gone.

Although the worst was feared, at the time this article was printed Freddie was listed only as a missing person because his body had not been discovered. The family held out hope that perhaps Fred just got lost or disoriented and would soon find his way home. The family’s hopes disintegrated on June 5th when Fred’s lifeless body was found near Caryville, Wisconsin.

What makes this story so fascinating is that the location of Little Niagara is extremely well-known in the Chippewa Valley. It is right in front of UWEC where the Little Niagara creek empties into the Chippewa River. On any given summer day you can spot numerous people out exploring the area, unaware of the place’s grisly past.

Keep an eye out …