George Noory was joined by author Jan Bondeson, who shared stories of some of the most extraordinary dogs in history. He recounted the tale of Greyfriars Bobby, a Skye terrier who supposedly kept vigil over his master's grave at an Edinburgh cemetery for 14 years. According to Bondeson, there was a dog (actually, two dogs), at the Greyfriars cemetery. "He didn't keep vigil at any grave though," he said, adding how the story is a common myth across Europe. "Every one of the great cemeteries in Paris had a cemetery dog that was supposed to be mourning his master," Bondeson explained. He reported on a talking dog named Don, who knew nine German words and was said to use them intelligently when replying to questions, as well as the canine, Rolf, who purportedly could communicate with humans by tapping out letters with his paw.
Bondeson also discussed the history and risks of being buried alive. He referenced two French physicians, who in the 1740s convinced the public that checking for pulse or breath were unreliable ways of determining death. "They built waiting mortuaries (in Germany), like hospitals for the dead, so they could incubate the corpses until they were putrid," Bondeson revealed, noting how putrefaction was the only certain sign of death. The fear of being buried alive was greatly overrated and no person in these waiting mortuaries ever woke up, he added. Nonetheless, evidence from exhumations in which a corpses have been found with torn fingernails and pulled out hair show it did happen at least occasionally.
Some coffin manufacturers patented security caskets which included signaling systems (bell or flag) in case of premature burial, Bondeson continued. He related several accounts of people who were buried alive, including a German shoemaker who in 1822 was being laid to rest and could be heard knocking from below as the gravedigger shoveled dirt onto the coffin. In 1867 a 24-year-old woman was buried alive in France, and in the 1970s an overdose victim woke up as they were clamping down his coffin lid, Bondeson reported. "People are really at risk of being buried alive even today, and the best safeguard is not to take a drug overdose because then you can be diagnosed dead by mistake," he said.
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During Open Lines, listeners phoned in to share their scariest stories. A caller from Long Beach, California, recounted her harrowing experience with hostile ghost activity in her home. She recalled feeling something unseen touch her, rip off the covers, and pull her out of bed. She admitted to being so frightened that she ran out of the house and left her kids behind. The caller claimed she did not set foot in her bedroom for a year, opting instead to sleep in the living room. She credited beloved long-time C2C guest Evelyn Paglini with helping her cope with the experience.
Mike in Livermore, California, told George he has been involved in three vehicular accidents involving rollovers. In one particularly terrifying account, Mike described how his Volkswagen Transporter was clipped by another driver and immediately lifted off the ground. "The last thing a remember I'm looking down at the ground going past me," he said. Witnesses reported my vehicle flipped end over end three times before stopping, Mike added. Carl from Milwaukee remembered the time he visited the North Dakota badlands, climbed up a butte to watch the sunset, then lost his step on the way down and fell 30 feet to land on his back.
News segment guests: Jerome Corsi / Peter Davenport