Sadie McMullen was just 17 when she was accused of throwing two young girls from a railroad trestle into Murder Creek. But the story gets even stranger from there. Sadie claimed she couldn't remember what happened, and at her trial, her family described years of seizures, blackouts, strange behavior, and mental illness. The jury ultimately found her not guilty by reason of insanity, and she was sent to the Buffalo State Asylum.
But Sadie's story is only one of the legends surrounding Murder Creek. Long before her case, another story claimed the creek earned its grim name after a romantic tragedy involving a Seneca woman, her lover, and a man who wanted her for himself.
So what actually happened at Murder Creek? And how much of either story can we really trust? This episode offers a look into the Victorian era’s treatment of women, mental illness, and sensationalized journalism. Together, these stories reveal how folklore and historical bias can shape the way a place is remembered.
https://citegeistpod.com/
Have a ghost story you want to share? Leave a voice note or send an en email at https://citegeistpod.com/contact
Podcast Instagram: http://instagram.com/citegeistpod
Personal Instagram: http://instagram.com/joshua.spellman
Channel illustration by GiAnna Ligammari:
https://virtualgia.com/
https://www.instagram.com/virtualgia.zip
Music:
"Behind the Veil"
by 8er41
"Drafty Places"
by Eric Matyas
www.soundimage.org