Pennsylvania Oddities

In June of 1908, the body of David Shilling, a 16-year-old office boy, was found hanging from a printing press at the newspaper offices of the Chambersburg People's Register. While evidence seemed to suggest suicide, there are many peculiar facts surrounding the incident which has led to speculation that the young man may have been murdered in a botched robbery attempt, or worse-- murdered by his own co-workers. Note: Summer vacation! New episodes will return on September 1.

In July of 1863, a bloody battle fought near a small Pennsylvania town made the name Gettysburg famous throughout the world. Just forty-five years later, in July of 1908, tragedy would once again befall soldiers on the hallowed fields of Gettysburg. This time, the casualties would not fall by Confederate cannonballs or Union bayonets-- but by the hands of Mother Nature.

Located in Clinton County, Cherry Run, a tributary of Fishing Creek, is situated in a rugged, narrow valley between the small rural communities of Tylersville and Lamar. Today, a small clearing exists where Cherry Run intersects Narrow Road. On this spot once stood the two-room log home of a 34-year-old farmer named Isaiah Colby, his wife, Nora, and their two young children. On August 8, 1887, Isaiah's mother and nephew came to visit. But when they neared the cabin, a ghastly sight met their gaze; on the grass lay the bodies of Isaiah and Nora Colby. It was apparent that Isaiah had died from a gunshot wound to the face, while Nora had been struck a violent blow to the back of the head. It was also evident that she had been sexually assaulted-- perhaps after her life was already extinct. But what was the motive behind the assailant's terrible actions? Greed? Or lust?

In March of 1932, a girl named Alice was born in Fayette County to Martha Harris, the unwed 27-year-old daughter of a prosperous farmer from Perryopolis. Years passed, but very little was seen of Alice. Neither Martha nor her father spoke of her, not even her brother mentioned her. It was almost as if the child had never existed. Despite the secrecy surrounding the child, word of Alice's existence got out. On January 12, 1938, the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society sent officers to Perryopolis to investigate. Their visit to the Harris home left them mortified. This is the shocking story of Alice Marie Harris, who was kept a prisoner in an upstairs storage room for five years, and the remarkable effort to rescue her from the depths of hell.

On the afternoon of April 1, 1965, state troopers visited the Duncannon home of 47-year-old Byron Halter and his family, consisting of his wife, Betty, their 17-year-daughter, Holly, and Betty's mother, Mrs. Elizabeth Swank, who lived in the adjoining side of the duplex. The reason for their visit was because someone had sent anonymous letters to local papers warning that four people were about to die. But this was not a cruel April Fool's prank-- it was a senseless slaughter carried out by a disturbed Sunday School teacher.