Sorry lovelies! I
was busy as anything this weekend, so I didn't have the time to post, so I'm
going to do a make up one for yesterday and one for today!
So let's see, what
went on yesterday? Well, I went to San Jose. For those of you that don't know
it, San Jose is a relatively big city in California's bay area. I was born
there. When it was established, San Jose was the home of orchards. Now it's the
home of the San Jose Sharks, cute eclectic diners, and street fairs. And of
course all the things that come with big cities. It's a city rich in history
and I'm lucky enough to have grandparents that are fully immersed in that.
They belong to many
historical associations, one of which that put on a luncheon this Saturday.
During that luncheon they had a talk on the McGlincy Massacre. I'm going to
tell you all that story, it's sad, but very interesting. :)
In the late 1800s a
woman named Hattie Wells was set to marry a James Dunham. Hattie's real father
was dead and her mother, Ada Wells remarried Colonel McGlincy, an
ex-confederate soldier. She had a brother as well, James or Jimmy Wells.
Originally Hattie was to marry James's brother, Charles McGlincy, but James
managed to woo her into marrying him.
None of the family
like him. They didn't think he was right for her, or even very nice. Which was
entirely plausible. Dunham's mother was known as Kate the Terror, known for her
ferocious Irish temper. And Dunham himself was known to have a ridiculously short
fuse, going to the far extent of in a fit of rage tearing chickens to bits. Now
what if he was very angry at a whole family, now murder seems in the very near
future, yes?
Well it was. The men
of the house were out at a meeting. The Colonel, Jimmy and the farmhand all
went. So left at the house was Hattie, Ada, and the maid, Minnie. Dunham was
out as well until about 8 that night. Then he ascended the stairs in stocking
feet, carrying an ax. He walked into his wives room where her and their three
week old baby laid. He strangled her to death. In that time Minnie, whose room
was right next to Hatties, came onto the scene. He hit her with the ax.
Ada hid in her room
downstairs, afraid of the commotion. She didn't last long either thanks to the
ax. Then the boys came home. The Colonel walked through into the parlor and put
up a long fight, but it was long before he had a slash a long his face. Assuming
he was dead, Dunham went for the brother, who had an even longer fight, but
thanks to a bicycle injury in one of the weeks prior wasn't a full strength and
so he died. Turns out the Colonel wasn't dead. He took off running to another
house while Dunham collected some guns. The Colonel barricaded himself in the
house, but thanks to some cajoling on Dunhams part, came out because he through
that Dunham would have put down the gun. He had not and the Colonel now died.
The farmhand whose house he was in then also died. Now we just have the stable
boy.
He was hiding in the
hay, trying to stay alive. And he did, miraculously. Dunham never found him.
And no one ever found Dunham either.
How am I related in
anyway to this story you ask? Well my great grandparents ran a boarding house
in the McGlincy house for a few years. My great grandam used to tell stories
about the house being haunted. A stain that looked like blood on the wood stairs
that never came out. Something looking like it was holding my grandmas hand as
she came down the stairs. Little things like that. I'm not sure if it's all
real or not, but it's all pretty trippy stories.
Maybe this wasn't
the happy uplifting thing you were looking for today, I just thought I'd share
a bit of history. And it's a pretty entertaining story.
With love, life, and
laughter
Brina :)
