Watseka Wonder

We're covering the possession of Laurenci Venom.

And this is regarded as America's first and most well-documented possession case.

Much of the information comes from Dr. Stephen's book, The Watsika Wonder, and some of the events were observed by him specifically, while others were told to him by Mr. Roth and a few others.

I read the whole book.

It's a bit messy, but it's one of the reasons that this case is so well documented.

So if you're interested in this, I suggest you go read the book.

And over the years, I've come across countless possession cases, countless, but none are quite like this one, at least that I've found.

We're used to things like head spinning, offensive remarks, Catholic priests and their stoles throwing holy water, a lot of violence and vomit everywhere.

So Mary Laurency Venom, part of the Venom family.

And this is in the late 1800s, right? And there's a book on this called the Watseka Wonder, W-A-T-S-E-K-A.

And it's the most documented case of this ever by far.

There's over 100 signed affidavits from doctors and witnesses and neighbors.

At the girl's frantic insistence, they allowed Lurancy to move into the Roth household.

Now, what followed over the next 15 weeks is what cemented the Watseka Wonder into the annals of American paranormal history.

Because, you see, Lurancy didn't just act like Mary.

Oh, no.

At the girl’s frantic insistence, they allowed Lurancy to move into the Roff household.

Now, what followed over the next 15 weeks is what cemented the Watseka Wonder into the annals of American paranormal history.

Because, you see, Lurancy didn’t just act like Mary.

Oh, no.

But, um- But for this, the seance, uh, we brought her into this environment.

It's called the Watseka Wonder.

It is in, uh, the south side of Chicago in Watseka, Illinois.

It is the first documented spiritual possession in the country in the mid to late 1800s.

At the girl's frantic insistence, they allowed Lurancy to move into the Rolf household.

Now, what followed over the next 15 weeks is what cemented the Watseka Wonder into the annals of American paranormal history because, you see, Lurancy didn't just act like Mary.

Oh, no.

She knew things she possibly couldn't know.

Then, as the figure floated into view, turns out it was a woman in a rich brown dress, holding a lighted wax candle before her face.

As she drew level with the doorway, the apparition halted.

She turned her head toward Marriott and looked him dead in the face.

Marriott later wrote that what terrified him wasn't just the empty, shadowy pits where her eyes should have been.

On that fatal afternoon, Trout had flown into a fury because she hadn’t prepared meat for his dinner.

In a savage frenzy, he grabbed her by the throat, choked her until she couldn’t breathe, and then violently twisted her head until the bones popped away.

To prove her words, the apparition turned her head around completely until her face looked backward over her shoulders, the sound of splintering bone echoing in the silent cabin.

For four consecutive nights, the spirit of Zona returned, repeating the terrifying tale down to the finest detail.