Monday, January 11, 2016

The Lafayette Famulus

Occult artifacts are, by their very nature, surrounded by mystery.  That's particularly true for left hand path tools, where the practitioner's desire for power and knowledge trumps all secondary considerations.  That frequently means the commission of crimes both spiritual and secular.

I've recently acquired an unusual item known as the "Lafayette Famulus".  If the provenance provided to me is accurate it's intimately tied to a horrific series of events in the early 20th century.   I'm not sure what's more disturbing- the idea that these horrific crimes were part of a magical ritual, or that they had no real motivation at all. 

This newspaper article was published in the New York Times on April 3, 1912.  The crimes described and the racial language used may be disturbing to those of a sensitive nature.



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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousJanuary 11, 2016 at 8:26 PM

    I was going to say that looked very convincing, as well it should, because it's real:

    http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9C02E3DD1E3CE633A25750C0A9629C946396D6CF

    Reminds me of some of the real articles the HPLHS looked up when they made COC.

    I guess the old adage was always true: "If it bleeds, it leads!"

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  2. CoastConFanJanuary 12, 2016 at 1:19 AM

    Here’s several links that give more information on the crimes

    http://unknownmisandry.blogspot.com/2011/09/clementine-barnabet-louisiana-serial.html

    http://www.crimezzz.net/serialkillers/T/TEXAS_AXEMAN.php

    http://bestofswla.com/2015/03/05/axes-evil-true-story-ax-man-murders-todd-c-elliott/

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-human-equation/201205/female-cult-leaders-who-kill

    Mention of the murders is made in the book, Dark Bayou: Infamous Louisiana Homicides by Gauthreau and Hippensteel

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  3. Steven M. PeffleyJanuary 12, 2016 at 10:16 AM

    I wonder if this, or a similar, news item inspired "The Tale of Inspector Legrasse" section of "The Call of Cthulhu." Given Lovecraft's views it would not be surprising.

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  4. RavenJanuary 12, 2016 at 12:50 PM

    Gosh, Props, these implausible ephemera you make up out of your own head sometimes go too far, and our suspension of disbelief just plummets.... ;/

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  5. AnonymousJanuary 14, 2016 at 2:38 AM

    Mr. Peffley -- The Horror at Red Hook also comes to mind.

    ReplyDelete