What's in the Cellar?

On the 2nd of March 1929 Frank Abbot, private investigator, and Steven James author of several books on the occult and cousin of Arthur Blackwood, met at the New York offices of Joseph Klein. Klein—an attorney at law—represented Arthur Blackwood in the matter of his wife’s murder. Blackwood was accused of his wife’s death even though no body had been found. Blackwood was adamant he was innocent and begged Frank and Steven to investigate the family rumours of an evil genie bound to the family who he was sure was responsible for his wife's death.

Both Steven and Frank were sceptical, but agreed to investigate. Quickly, for Arthur’s trial was set to begin in only two weeks, the two travelled to the Blackwoods’ cabin hidden deep in Whitehall’s wooded hills.The one-storey cabin itself seemed unremarkable. Quickly the investigators realised the cellar—the apparent site of the alleged murder—might hold the key to Arthur’s deranged ramblings.

When they emerged several hours later from the dusty, cramped cellar neither man could articulate with any certainty what they had seen. Curiously, Frank Abbot was seriously injured, and would take almost two weeks to recover from his ordeal.

The two found certain evidence in the cellar that cast doubt on Arthur’s guilt. While neither would confess to having seen a genie, or anything else out of the ordinary, the state of the remains they recovered suggested a large, powerful animal may have been to blame Rose’s death.

Such revelations, and particularly the physical evidence of Rose's teeth-gnawed skull, was enough to raise reasonable doubt in the minds of the 12-strong jury. Thus it was that Arthur Blackwood was acquitted of his wife's murder.

However, since that fateful day, no Blackwood has ever set foot in the family cabin again...