SWALLOWED BY THE MIST: Strange True Cases of People Who Have Disappeared in Fog, Smoke, and Mist

A medicine man teaches a desperate soul how to concoct a deadly potion and the lucrative business of unwanted infants disposal – until an unfortunate accident brings their prosperous enterprise to an explosive end. Hear the tale from The Black Mass! | #RetroRadio EP0434 Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… 00:00:00.000 = Show Open 00:01:50.000 = CBS Radio Mystery Theater, “Murder Most Foul” (April 19, 1976) 00:46:50.499 = Lights Out, “Execution” (April 27, 1943) 01:16:12.699 = The Lineup, “The Syncopic Sweazy Sweat Out Case” (July 05, 1951) 01:46:03.799 = Philip Marlowe, “Promise To Pay” (May 14, 1949) 02:15:54.739 = The Black Mass, “Oil of Dog” and “Esme” (November 13, 1970) ***WD (LQ) 02:39:11.129 = Beyond Midnight, “Marble Room” (1969) ***WD 03:07:02.099 = MindWebs, “The Cage” (1975-1984) 03:36:14.919 = Ellery Queen Minute Mysteries, “Rocking Chair Fraud” (1939-1948) ***WD 03:37:10.240 = The Whisper Men, “Rose Gilman is Murdered” (December 29, 1945) ***WD (LQ) 04:06:06.519 = Mystery In The Air, “Crime And Punishment” (September 25, 1947) 04:31:52.339 = Molle Mystery Theater, “Hands of Mr. Ottermole” (June 21, 1946) 05:01:14.611 = Show Close (ADU) = Air Date Unknown (LQ) = Low Quality ***WD = Remastered, edited, or cleaned up by Weird Darkness to make the episode more listenable. Audio may not be pristine, but it will be better than the original file which may have been unusable or more difficult to hear without editing. Weird Darkness theme by Alibi Music Library ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. = = = = = "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46 = = = = = WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness. = = = = = CUSTOM WEBPAGE: https://weirddarkness.com/WDRR0434

When a mysterious "census taker" begins visiting a quiet suburban neighborhood asking strange questions and displaying impossible abilities, three physicist friends realize they're dealing with something far more dangerous than government bureaucracy. Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. IN THIS EPISODE: “Second Census” by John Victor Peterson, originally published in Infinity Magazine, October 1957 ===== (Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.) = = = = = "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46 = = = = = WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness. ===== Originally aired: June 12, 2025 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/SecondCensus

In the height of a deadly plague, Prince Prospero locks himself and a thousand nobles inside his lavish abbey for a decadent masquerade ball, believing wealth and walls can cheat death—until an uninvited guest in blood-red robes proves that no one can escape their final dance. Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. IN THIS EPISODE: “The Masque of the Red Death” was first published in 1842. The story follows Prince Prospero's attempts to avoid a dangerous plague, known as the Red Death, by hiding in his abbey. He, along with many other wealthy nobles, hosts a masquerade ball in his abbey, and during the party a mysterious figure disguised as a victim of the Red Death enters. I’ll leave it there as to not spoil the fun. SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… “The Masque of the Red Death” was written by Edgar Allan Poe: https://amzn.to/4awyT7s ===== (Over time links may become invalid, disappear, or have different content. I always make sure to give authors credit for the material I use whenever possible. If I somehow overlooked doing so for a story, or if a credit is incorrect, please let me know and I will rectify it in these show notes immediately. Some links included above may benefit me financially through qualifying purchases.) = = = = = "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." — John 12:46 = = = = = WeirdDarkness® is a registered trademark. Copyright ©2025, Weird Darkness. ===== Originally aired: August 05, 2021 EPISODE PAGE at WeirdDarkness.com (includes list of sources): https://weirddarkness.com/MasqueOfTheRedDeath

Find more episodes like this, posted almost every day of the week, by searching for "Mind of Marlar" in the podcast app you're using right now! They say there’s no evidence of aliens — but I’d show you the truth myself if it were safe to take off my aluminum hat. READ or LISTEN to this #MindOfMarlar article: https://weirddarkness.com/mind-theytookmydog MindOfMarlar™, WeirdDarkness®, Copyright ©2025 STORY SOURCE: https://www.space.com/seti-chief-bill-diamond-ufos-alien-visitation

In the lawless Kentucky frontier of the 1790s, two brothers unleashed a reign of terror so savage that even hardened outlaws were sickened by their bloodlust—culminating in an act so heinous that one brother murdered his own crying infant daughter by smashing her head against a tree. Join the DARKNESS SYNDICATE: https://weirddarkness.com/syndicate ABOUT WEIRD DARKNESS: Weird Darkness is a true crime and paranormal podcast narrated by professional award-winning voice actor, Darren Marlar. Seven days per week, Weird Darkness focuses on all thing strange and macabre such as haunted locations, unsolved mysteries, true ghost stories, supernatural manifestations, urban legends, unsolved or cold case murders, conspiracy theories, and more. On Thursdays, this scary stories podcast features horror fiction along with the occasional creepypasta. Weird Darkness has been named one of the “Best 20 Storytellers in Podcasting” by Podcast Business Journal. Listeners have described the show as a cross between “Coast to Coast” with Art Bell, “The Twilight Zone” with Rod Serling, “Unsolved Mysteries” with Robert Stack, and “In Search Of” with Leonard Nimoy. DISCLAIMER: Ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. *** Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. IN THIS EPISODE: Are ghosts and shadow people the same thing? Author Jacob Shelton doesn’t think so – and gives us an in-depth essay behind his reasoning. (Ghosts And Shadows) *** In September, 1935, the Labor Day Hurricane obliterated the Florida Keys, killing hundreds.  Even today, more than 83 years later, skeletal remains still continue to occasionally be found… as do some of their ghosts.  (Ghosts Of The Labor Day Hurricane) *** Nathaniel Bar-Jonah was accused of murdering a child. Soon, his neighbors remembered the strange meat he'd given them years before.  (Child Killer and Cannibal) *** Was the notorious Dr Crippen, convicted and executed in 1910 for the murder of his wife Cora, actually innocent? (Dr. Crippen and the Chamber of Murder and Horror) *** Two women decide to move into a flat together – but quickly find out they might have a paranormal third roommate they didn’t know about. (The Other Flatmate) *** In the wild frontier of the 1790s, Americans had much to be worried about.  Drought, famine, being injured with no one there to get help for you, poisonous snakes, hungry wolves, even being scalped by bloodthirsty natives of the land.  But nothing was so scary as… the Harpe brothers.  You see, the Harpe brothers didn’t choose their victims – they simply killed anyone who got in their way, including women and children. (Two of the Outlaws of Cave-In Rock) *** “The Witch in My Dream” *** “The Old Hag” *** “The Aunt and the TV” *** “The Phone Call” *** “The Terrifying Vision of a Hanging Man” *** “The Tugging Ghost of Alabama” *** “The Return of the Living Dead” *** “The Sinister Dark Shadows That Haunt My Life” *** “A Thrill From Contacting The Dead” *** "Haunted Road" *** "Greenville’s Haunted Herdklotz Park" *** "Kitchen Poltergeist" *** "Lifted Off His Feet" *** "The Strange Tale of the Italian Bride - The Haunting Story of Julia Buccola Petta" *** "Castle of the White Lady" CHAPTERS & TIME STAMPS (All Times Approximate)… (Sorry, this information has been lost over time.) SOURCES AND RESOURCES FROM THE EPISODE… (Sorry, sources for many of the stories in this episode have been lost over time.) “Ghosts and Shadows” by Jacob Shelton”: http://ow.ly/QWtJ30m1gGF “Child Killer and Cannibal” by...