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Thursday, January 15, 2015

Freaky Friday - Woman Dies In Plunge

The Fond du Lac Daily Reporter,
16APR1926, pg1
Sometimes when I'm scrolling through microfilm I come across articles that aren't related to my family, but strike me as odd. I know there's a "Funny Friday" blogging prompt, but some of the articles I have wouldn't really be appropriate. I mean it isn't quite funny what happened here. It's just plain odd! See for yourself...

"Woman Dies in Plunge

Sets Self Afire, Falls From Roof While Walking in Sleep

New York, April 16, (RLW) - Believed to have set herself afire while walking in her sleep, Teresa Ferrara, 33, plunged in flames from the roof of her apartment house early today and died on the operating table shortly afterward as surgeons were attempting to remove a garden stake on which she was impaled. The dead woman was a somnambulist, according to her sister. A partly burned match found on the stairs leading to the roof led police to believe Miss Ferrara struck a match while walking in her sleep."

I don't have any siblings or children that would sleep walk so I'm not very familiar with it, but it is truly horrifying to think that someone could do all of this to themselves in their sleep. I have to admit that part of me wondered if there had been someone else involved. To sleepwalk off a roof is tragic. To set yourself on fire and sleepwalk off a roof is horrific. To set yourself on fire, sleepwalk off a roof, and impale yourself on a garden tool is unbelievable.

It's like death was coming for her and he wanted to make sure she wasn't getting away. Too many things happening at once, any of which could have killed her.

What is the most unbelievable news clipping you've seen?