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Fear of the Unknown? (Undead) By Stephanie Ressler

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Vampires: Beyond Blood Suckers Close your eyes and picture a vampire. What does your imagination conjure up? Some see a Hollywood depiction of a blood sucking demon, except maybe it’s more attractive or charming, a hybrid mix of a Count Dracula or Edward Cullen. A vampire’s appearance has been commonly depicted in similar ways throughout folklore, and that image has been glamorized through the magic of Hollywood. Running at the speed of light is a young attractive man with a pale skinned complexion. Harsh black circles surround those dark demonic red eyes. His blindingly white teeth are amazingly straight with piercing sharp cuspids. He will put those to good use as they sink into the soft warm flesh of his next victim’s neck, draining their body of every ounce of blood in one swift gulp only to make him stronger, more powerful and more of a threat to humankind. Well, that’s what Hollywood wants you to think. But that’s not what a vampire means to everyone, especially not Rhode Islanders, like Lewis Everett Peck, or just “Everett” as his friends call him. His mother was a Brown, and a relative of Mercy Lena Brown. The name Mercy Brown is familiar to almost every native Rhode Islander, especially those from Washington County, which is locally known as South County. Mercy is also known by vampire fanatics as the last known vampire in New England, and possibly America. She has been given that name due to the fact that she was the last documented exhumation that took place during the vampire scare of the 19th century, where a series of exhumations took place. An exhumation is when a dead person’s corpse is dug up and removed from the grave, commonly to be relocated or medically examined. There are many well-known cases of exhumations, such as Abraham Lincoln or Christopher Columbus. However, even with all those famous figures, Mercy Brown is the posterchild of unusual exhumations. She is the only Wikipedia example of an exhumation that is associated with an attempt to thwart off an undead manifestation, which is said to be common in folklore and mythology. But that’s not all that is significant about Mercy Brown’s exhumation; in fact there is a lot more to it. Unfortunately for the Brown family, one after the other they fell to their deaths to an unknown contagious disease. All around the town people were dropping dead and no one could explain why. No one wanted to be the next victim of these inexplicable afflictions that caused their loved ones to vanish into nothingness. This epidemic of an unknown malady ferociously attacked New Englanders and caused a frenzy of panic. Such great fear and deep terror is the only way to justify why so many people acted in such unfathomable ways. And that was just 37 years before Everett was born, in 1929.

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Brown Family Legacy On a winding road in a woodsy area of Exeter, Rhode Island, Everett lives alone with his pets. He can be found all around his large white farmhouse, which sits much elevated from the road. His 4,500 square foot ranch sits atop his hundreds of acres of farmland, which is what keeps his 86-year-old self very busy. “My family was actually one of the two families that founded this town. And I’m one of the few that has been here ever since,” Everett says. He exudes a sense of nostalgia as he shares his remarkable stories of his upbringing. Everyday Everett wakes up and rides his large yellow tractor around his farm. Alongside his farmer, Rich, they are raising chicken, turkey, guinea hens, and sheep. He’s doing quite well for a man his age. “It’s a hobby farm, we’re not gonna kill. We raise. They’re all pets, just like my cat and dog,” says Everett. Everett is a jolly old man that stands about 5-foot-7 tall with a medium build and a big round belly. He has kind eyes and an endearing smile. He is wearing a denim blue shirt tucked into his dark navy pants. He wears large glasses, a gold watch on his left hand and his shirt pocket is filled with writing utensils. When walking outside on a cool November day, he covers his dark grey hair with a red fedora. Inside his cozy farmhouse there are pictures covering every wall. He has books and clippings of the Brown family stories aside on a table. He has his own office, a very small space that is completely consumed with books, documents, machinery and all types of clippings. He explains that he was on the Exeter town council for many years and how he loves to take notes excessively. He served his country, got married, had six daughters, got a divorce, and got remarried. He jokingly and vaguely mentions that he may even have a child in Japan, “Hey, when you’re overseas you gotta stay sane somehow,” he says, letting out a long loud cackle. And all the while Everett has managed to stay in Exeter and preserve his family legacy. “Everyone in this town knows who I am and knows the Mercy story,” says Everett. While he’s not thrilled to be the center of attention or controversy, he is content with his life and doesn’t plan to change a thing. “My wife died almost nine years ago. I’m not leaving and I’m not downsizing,” Everett says adamantly. Everett explains that he is not interested in retelling the Mercy Brown story, as he promised himself 20 ago that it would be the last time he would tell it ever again. This is partially due to the fact that as years went by, he knew he might eventually forget important aspects of this story.

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He also decided that he wanted to preserve that memory and share his full story one last time. The last person given the privilege to hear this full story would be famed folklorist and vampire expert, Michael Bell. Everett was extremely satisfied with how Bell told the story with respect to him and the Brown family history, so he promised himself it would be the last time he would share the details of the story to someone new. Any stranger lucky enough to hear the story out of his mouth is always questioned for their intentions. “I found out that they’re makin’ it like it’s some sort of joke. It’s not a damn joke, and that’s why I’m done tellin’ this story,” Everett said adamantly. Though Everett was insistent about not retelling any accounts that have already been written in Bell’s book, “Food For The Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires,” he gradually opened up and shared little tidbits of information, once he was reassured that this thesis would honor and respect his family legacy. However, he always finds that he has to be skeptical when an outsider expresses interest in his family history, and he believes he has every right to be. He made it very clear that he is not okay with anyone tampering with the gravesite. And for whatever reason, the act of desecrating Mercy’s grave has become much more of interest than just any old grave. Aside from the fact that it is disrespectful, Everett has been warned since he was a young boy, by his parents and grandparents, not to play around too close to the Brown family gravestones. There is one spot to particularly avoid, and that is the large square shaped natural stone that sits a few feet next to the grave. “I spend a lot of time over there. I used to go there more often, but it’s right down the road so every once in awhile I’ll walk around and make sure everything is staying, you know, respected,” said Everett. One time Everett was invited by a local TV station to tell his story. He agreed to meet with them and they asked to film him at the historic cemetery where the family is buried. When he arrived he noticed that they had set up spirit detectors and were trying to pick up supernatural signals from underground. He was extremely offended with how they were handling the situation and he immediately backed out of the interview. Ever since that instance, amongst many other similar events, he has become very hesitant to share his personal family information with the media or any outsider. “They were making a joke of it. I told them forget it, I’m not interested,” said Everett. He is passionate about his family story being honored and told factually. Certainly without the presumed connotation of vampires or spirits. Everett is also the last member of his family to express a real interest in the Brown family story. He had pictures of the Brown family, but he gave them to one of his daughters, who is creating a

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scrapbook with the photos. He is still holding on to the fact that he will get the original photos back. He then continues to shares many stories, but one of a Halloween night when he was out at the bar having a drink. “I heard a bunch of young kids sayin’ they was gonna check out the Mercy grave,” He pauses. “So, I decided I was gonna get to it first,” he says. “I head over to the spot and laid on the ground behind the grave. When they started walkin’ over I went, “oooooooo,” and they turned away so fast,” Everett says, cracking up over the howling noise he had just made. Everett spent many Halloweens at that gravesite, shooing away any potential vandals. He was happy he had stopped at least one group of drunken thugs from messing with his family's grave. He mentioned how the town used to have police officers that monitored the grave around Halloween, since there has historically been criminal activity that happens around that time. “They used to have police officers patrol the area but they don’t do that anymore,” says Everett. The house Everett lives in is located just minutes away from the Chestnut Hill Baptist Church, which is also just another few streets down from the property where Mercy Brown and her family once lived. This cemetery is where his wife is buried, his parent’s are buried, his grandparents are buried, and just about everybody on the Brown side of his family is buried. All located within the same vicinity of the cemetery, which is directly behind the church.

To the right of the church is a long dirt path that leads down alleys of headstones; some so old the words on the stones are illegible. About 200 feet from the paths entrance, on the left side of

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the dirt path, there’s a large pine tree. That is precisely where Mercy, Mary, Mary Olive, George and Edwin Brown have all been laid to rest. Everett takes the two minute drive down the road to the infamous site where most of his family is buried, and where some were unfortunately disturbed from their rest due to their unruly exhumations. “That’s it right there. As you can see it’s bound by metal,” he points to the gravestone of Mercy Brown. “A couple years back they had an incident where someone stole her headstone. They found it though, so that’s still the original one,” he says walking closer. He was right, there was a different set up for Mercy’s headstone. It was tied up and attached to a metal rod. That rod had a thin piece of metal that was welded into a larger piece of metal that roots deep inside the dirt. That gravestone is bound by steel, tied up, and not going anywhere. Mercy’s grave is centered in the middle of her sister, Mary Olive to the right, and her brother Edwin, to the left. There’s that large pine tree right in the middle of Mercy and Edwin’s graves, which is how curious onlookers might locate the site of the Brown family graves from afar, or the beginning of that dirt pathway. The three children are buried right across from their parents, George and Mary Brown. The only member of the family that has any current adornments on their grave is Mercy. Her grave has a few bouquets of fake flowers, with pennies and nickels on top, and an abnormal amount of seashells. More shells than anyone would ever expect on an accused vampire's grave, but of course this is Rhode Island, nicknamed the Ocean State. Everett thinks about his ancestors all the time. He lives in a small town where everyone knows the Mercy Brown history. He drives past the cemetery everyday and walks through it once in awhile. He really just wants to make sure his family is getting the respect it deserves after decades of false accusations and disrespect. “You know my family, we’re not rich people. We all make for ourselves,” says Everett. He is talking about the Brown family as well and how they struggled during the times of sickness. In his interview with Bell in “Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires” Everett elaborated that in his family of longtime farmers, he was raised to always resort to natural cures whenever applicable. “They just didn’t know what was goin’ on, so they panicked. It’s as simple as that. What they did after though, that was something else,” says Everett, speaking of the accusations and mistreatment of Mercy’s (un)dead body. “That was awful,” he says. Because of these consequences, the hype surrounding Mercy grew. She became the center of an issue that was much beyond her control, undead or alive. While she was the victim of an awful disease, she was also the victim of an even greater societal disease, a mass hysteria. Mass hysteria is a phenomenon that instills fear in society as a result of fear of the unknown. This is the only way to explain and somewhat justify the atrocious acts that

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occurred when the Brown family was exhumed on March 17, 1892 in the small eerie town of Exeter. The Rhody Vampires Exeter is a rural New England town located in Southern Rhode Island. In the early 1600s the colonial settlements of North Kingstown and East Greenwich referred to this area as the "Vacant Lands” and therefore took over the land. From 1680 to 1725, the first permanent settlers of Exeter carved their homesteads out of the wilderness. In just 20 years the town expanded rapidly, and by the 1740s there was about a thousand people living in the town. By 1820, the population had tripled. Now, it is a very rural area with a large area of farms and beautiful spans of countryside. It was the late 1800s when Exeter became the center of the New England vampire scare and the location where many exhumations took place. Most notably and most recently, the story of a 19-year-old girl named Mercy Lena Brown. When Mercy was just nine years old, she lost her mother Mary and soon after it was her sister Mary Olive, to an unknown and unbearable disease that viciously attacked their lungs. This disease had been mysteriously killing Americans for decades, even longer than they could imagine. Since they had no solution or understanding of this disease, they labeled it as ‘consumption’. This disease killed one in every seventh person living in America and Europe at that time. It was at the same time that they were panicking across New England, that they were making scientific discoveries in other parts of the world, and would soon identify consumption. It became officially known as Tuberculosis, which is colloquially known as TB. Tuberculosis was more than just an epidemic in New England, it was a worldwide pandemic that killed a huge population, especially in the 19th century, Many discoveries show that Tuberculosis may have been present in humans for thousands of years. Skeletal remains show that prehistoric humans from 4000 BC had Tuberculosis, and Tubercular decay has been found in the spines of Egyptian mummies from 3000-2400 BC. The bacteria that causes Tuberculosis is Mycobacterium tuberculosis and was discovered by German Dr. Robert Koch on March 24, 1884, for which he won a Nobel Prize in 1905. This discovery was the first huge step toward controlling and eventually eliminating the major threat of this fatal illness. There are two different forms of Tuberculosis. Latent TB means the bacteria remained in a person’s body in an inactive state. A person with latent TB (also called inactive TB or TB infection) will exhibit no symptoms and is not contagious. Approximately 2 billion people have latent TB. It is important to be treated because latent TB can become active TB. Active TB is a condition that makes you extremely sick and can easily spread to others. This is the worst form of Tuberculosis and a diagnosed patient requires immediate care

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The symptoms of active TB are quite unbearable. Coughing lasts for weeks at a time, victims are often prone to coughing up or vomiting blood. There is commonly chest pain and difficulty breathing or coughing. There also tends to be unintentional but extreme weight loss associated with this disease. Fatigues, high fevers, night sweats, chills and loss of appetite are all part of the experience. Tuberculosis can also affect other parts of the body, including kidneys, spine or brain. The symptoms vary according to the organs involved. For example, Tuberculosis in the spine may cause severe back pain, while Tuberculosis in the kidneys could cause blood in the urine. In 2015, Tuberculosis has become less of a threat, but it still affects nearly 10,000 Americans. In Rhode Island there are currently 21 reported cases. This number has diminished in half since 2004, when there were 47 reported cases. Carol Browning is a Consultant and Public Health Nurse for the Rhode Island Department of Health, and she specifically works in case management of Tuberculosis and other infectious diseases. She speaks very highly of the TB programs in place in Rhode Island, and the proven efficiency given the history it has of spreading through the smallest state. “What we do is we review TB cases weekly. We sit with the clinic and oversee the daily delivery of medications. We manage 150 to 180 house therapies. We may check in with them on video, on Skype, which is all confidential,” said Browning. They also take a hands-on approach, meeting with each patient daily to ensure that they are properly treating their infection. “We observe them take their medications. Other patients we go to their homes Monday through Friday, and supply them for Saturday and on Sunday,” said Browning. She explains that the best way to control and subside cases of TB in Rhode Island is through proper education. She also believes it is important to release relative information and warn of the potential high-risk situations. “We do academic detailing for educational purposes where we encourage people to screen for TB. We make people aware if they’re foreign born, they may be a high risk group,” said Browning. They take extreme precaution when a case is identified within the state. It is Browning’s job specifically to meet with the patient and ensure safety and proper treatment for those infected. “As soon as there is an active case we go to the site and tell them what were gonna do. We test everyone that was close to the individual. We go and speak to different centers and places of employment. We will hold a clinic and test everyone for TB baseline testing. And then 10 weeks after the person was last in a building we will go again,” said Browning.

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She continues to go into extensive detail on the precaution they take to ensure an infectious case is extremely contained, “We visit the patient’s churches, workplaces, close contacts, and from there we try and find people that are considered high risk to get them tested at the clinic. If they do not show up we will follow up and keep going to make sure they come in.” Browning makes sure that all cases are properly documented and all medicine are distributed, and even more importantly, taken. The risk of spreading this disease can become extremely high if these safety measures are not met. “If we have an infectious case we make them stay at a home quarantine situation so they are not going out in the public. They can go in their backyard but until they clear their sputum they cannot go to markets or public places,” said Browning. When it comes to the future of Tuberculosis in Rhode Island, Browning remains optimistic. As long as the department of health (DOH) continues their hard work in keeping the community educated and informed, infectious diseases will likely stay controlled. “The DOH will do their best to inform. It’s all about education. Keeping patients and the public involved about what is being done, and making sure the data presented is accurate and not based on hysteria,” said Browning. She notes that it may be easy to make decisions out of fear and hysteria, but it is much more difficult to learn all about the bacteria or virus that is causing an affliction. When epidemics do inevitably happen, the DOH treats the situation with extreme urgency. “Public health is a lot because a lot of people need to get involved. Infectious disease is the emergency room of public health,” said Browning. The Story of Mercy While many consider Mercy the center of vampire folklore, Mercy never even uttered the word “vampire,” nor did she take part in any vampire practices. She was just a regular teenage girl living in New England at a very unfortunate time. Ten years after the death of her mother Mary and sister Mary Olive, Mercy too fell ill to the same disease that killed half of her family. What the local doctors, family members and neighbors eventually identified as another case of ‘consumption’. The name consumption came from the belief that the deceased relatives were undead entities and physically consuming the bodies of the living. Most people suffering from consumption at this time experienced their bodies shut down completely, shrivel up, and ultimately die from the disease. As more fear and misinformation spread about this disease, so did the vampire panic in Rhode Island. This panic predominantly took place in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont, where Tuberculosis was incurable and spreading fervently.

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On Jan. 17 in the middle of the cold winter of 1892, Mercy’s body could not fight the disease anymore and she died. George Brown lost another member of his shrinking family to this atrocious disease. He was left with his only son Edwin. By the time of Mercy’s death Edwin had also contracted the disease and ventured out West with his wife to find a cure. He returned to Rhode Island around the time of Mercy’s death with no cure and a severely exacerbated condition. Mercy was buried with her sister and mother in the cemetery of the Chestnut Hill Baptist Church in Exeter. One could say it was going to be another ugly year for the remaining members of the Brown family, but that would be an extreme understatement. Mercy Lena Brown Did Not Rest in Peace: The Exhumation One day, in the midst of the panic, someone whispered the world “vampire.” In a small town where rumors spread rapidly, that was the spark that fueled the frenzy. Before anyone knew it, the entire town was pointing fingers with suspicion and obsessed with solving this enigma. The commoners suspicion was that Mercy and ‘consumption’ of the undead was in fact the cause of her brother’s worsening illness and the declining state of everyone in the community. This gave reason for doctors and family members to partake in exhumations that would either confirm or deny the existence of undead entities with the people who are associated with consumption. The Brown family was among the families chosen as potential suspects. While George Brown refuted these theories, many strongly believed that Mercy, in her undead state, was consuming the bodies of her living family members and maliciously spreading the disease to maintain her own undead state of being. The same myth that is derived from vampirism and ancient folktales. No, Mercy did not rest in peace. As her brother became increasingly sicker, it was even more widely accepted that Mercy was to blame. The less people knew about consumption, the more they feared. George Brown eventually gave in to the persuasion of several villagers to exhume the bodies of his fallen family members. However he could not be there physically to witness the acts himself. On March 17, 1892 the curious townspeople and doctors helped dig up the ladies of the Brown family, with Dr. Harold Metcalf as the medical examiner on scene. First they looked at Mary, she was severely decomposed. Then they looked at Mary Olive, like her mother, she also experienced some considerable amounts of decomposition. When they finally got to dig up Mercy, they were completely stunned. What they saw appeared as if Mercy was asleep on her side and still alive. Right before them was the very proof they needed that Mercy was in fact undead and therefore the cause of the problem that seemingly everyone was facing.

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These findings shocked everyone and further fueled paranoia of consumption from the undead as the cause of this unknown disease. The body of Mercy was turned over in her grave, on her side, and did not look decomposed at all. She looked practically the same. This affirmation put those present into a panic. When they cut into her body, they were terrified as they watched her red blood pour to the ground. Paralyzed by utter fear and terror, they took it to the extreme measure. They had to do something, anything, to ensure that Mercy was truly and officially dead. Right then and there they ripped open Mercy’s body and tore her heart straight out of her chest. They placed her heart and other organs onto a nearby stone and lit it into a fiery blaze. That stone, the stone that Everett warned of, can still be seen from the grave, and is considered to be highly haunted. They mutilated her body, scorched her organs in flames, participating in a ritual that is not common in American tradition. After the severe desecration of her body, she was placed back in her casket at the Chestnut Hill Baptist Church. Mixed with the blood left in her heart and the ashes that remained from her organs, the doctors conjured up an eerie concoction. Desperate for a possible solution, they suggested that the concoction be used as a preventative measure for her dying family members. This was a pre-vaccination and pre-antibiotics era, so in an abnormal situation they suggested an abnormal solution. Edwin drank the fluid that was concocted of the two-month-old remnants of his dead sister’s heart. He died soon after, joining the rest of the Brown ladies at the family gravesite. George Brown was now alone. No wife, no kids, and at the center of vampire accusations and controversy. However, fascination and continual desecration of the Mercy grave did not end on that cold March day in 1892. Neighbor’s Thoughts This letter to the editor was published about a week after the exhumation took place. It was submitted on March 25, 1892 to the Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner, which was the local newspaper of that time.

“Mr. Editor, as considerable notoriety has resulted from the exhuming of three bodies in Exeter cemetery on the 17th inst., I will give the main facts as I have received them for the benefit of such of your readers as "have not taken the papers" containing the same. To begin, we will say that our neighbor, a good and respectable citizen, George T. Brown, has been bereft of his wife and two grown-up daughters by consumption, the wife and mother about eight years ago, and the eldest daughter, Olive, two years or so later, while the other daughter, Mercy Lena, died about two months since, after nearly one year's illness from the same dread disease, and about two years ago Mr. Brown's only son

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Edwin A., a young married man of good habits, began to give evidence of lung trouble, which increased, until in hopes of checking and curing the same, he was induced to visit the famous Colorado Springs, where his wife followed him later on and though for a time he seemed to improve, it soon became evident that there was no real benefit derived, and this coupled with a strong desire on the part of both husband and wife to see their Rhode Island friends decided them to return east after an absence of about 18 months and are staying with Mrs. Brown's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Willet Himes. We are sorry to say that Eddie's health is not encouraging at this time. And now comes in the queer part, viz: The revival of a pagan or other superstitions regarding the feeling of the dead upon a living relative where consumption was the cause of death and so bringing the living person soon into a similar condition, etc, and to avoid this result, according to the same high authority, the "vampire" in question which is said to inhabit the heart of a dead consumptive while any blood remains in that organ, must be cremated and the ashes carefully preserved and administered in some form to the living victim, when a speedy cure may (un)reasonably be expected. I will here say that the husband and father of the deceased ones has, from the first, disclaimed any faith at all in the vampire theory but being urged, he allowed others if not wiser, counsel to prevail, and on the 17th inst., as before stated the three bodies alluded to were exhumed and then examined by Doctor Metcalf of Wickford, (under protest, as it were being an unbeliever.) The two bodies longest buried were found decayed and bloodless, while the last one who has been only about two months buried showed some blood in the heart as a matter of course, and as the doctor expected but to carry out what was a forgone conclusion the heart and lungs of the last named (M. Lena) were then and there duly cremated, but deponent saith not how the ashes were disposed of. Not many persons were present, Mr. Brown being among the absent ones. While we do not blame any one for there proceedings as they were intended without doubt to relive the anxiety of the living, still, it seems incredible that anyone can attach the least importance to the subject, being so entirely incompatible with reason and conflicts also with scripture, which requires us "to give a reason for the hope that is in us," or the why and wherefore which certainly cannot be done as applied to the foregoing.”

Expert Vampire Hunter Michael Bell is a well-known expert folklorist and author of the book “Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires”. He begins the opening chapter of his book with an interview between himself and Everett, showing the pivotal encounter that began his interest in vampire studies.

“Peck’s family story of Mercy Brown’s exhumation was the impetus for my research into New England’s vampire tradition, which continues to this moment,” said Bell.

Bell has spent the past 30 years “hunting vampires” by searching the untold vampire tales from around the world. This includes traveling throughout the area to uncover extensive research of authentic vampire cases in North America. He spent a considerable amount of time specifically studying the New England vampire scare, which is the focus of his book. In his book, Bell researched about 20 cases of similar occurrences to the Brown family. This was when his book was published in 2001. Now his research has widely expanded and he has found many more similar instances, in the same locality and time period.

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“In “Food for the Dead” I had documented about twenty cases. I’m now past 80, still mostly in New England. I believe that the major reason for the prevalence of this folk practice was the utter failure of the medical establishment to effectively treat pulmonary Tuberculosis, called consumption prior to the 20th century,” said Bell. He also admits that there are likely more similar cases that he has not come across in his research, simply because they were never documented. The earliest case he discovered was Vermont in 1793. Since Mercy was the last one in 1892, this shows that these mysterious exhumations took place over the course of a hundred years. After decades of investigating vampire tales, Bell has made research based conclusions of the origin of this practice of exhumation to thwart off undead entities.

“I’ve concluded that these practices were introduced to America from Northern and Eastern Europe by immigrants, some of whom were traveling quack doctors who sold cures, including the folk approach to consumption that has been termed “vampirism” throughout the Northeast,” said Bell.

Because of the prevalence of this practice occurring internationally, there is speculation that these traditions were brought over from other parts of the world.

“I think the practice must have been introduced several times in several places by various immigrants. That, and the process of folk tradition that occurred once the cures were here, accounts for the variation we find in the practice,” said Bell.

While these practices came from overseas they quickly spread and became used by New Englanders suffering from Tuberculosis that were desperate for a cure.

“The heart, and I am sorry for the pun, of the vampire practice, in both Europe and America, was to stop the spread of mysterious illnesses that were decimating local populations. Mysterious illness in New England was invariably consumption. In Europe, where the practice was much older and more ingrained in the culture, the ailment could have been a number of different diseases or plagues,” said Bell.

Bell takes on a more realistic approach when understanding the actions of society. He does not believe that advancements in science and technology will prevent society from another public health mass hysteria.

“But we still have ailments that we cannot understand nor cannot control or cure. Look at the ridiculous over reaction to the Ebola situation last year. When people are afraid, and believe that the established system cannot deal with the object of their fears, they resort to a number of different strategies, including using folk cures and quack medicines,” said Bell.

Bell anticipates a public health threat that could certainly cause this to happen again, likely with different elements.

“Let’s not break our arms patting ourselves on the back over how smart we are. We are no more intelligent than people two hundred years ago, we simply have more knowledge at our disposal,” said Bell.

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He explains that humanity will always resort to panic and fear over unknown maladies, it is simply inevitable.

“Since I believe such fears and reactions are part of our human nature, I doubt that it will go away. It will change as our understanding changes, but our irrational reactions to fear seems constant,” said Bell.

History Repeats Itself If the history of the New England vampire panic sounds familiar, that’s because it is. Exactly 200 years before ‘consumption’ of the undead, in the same part of America was the notorious Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials refer to an era in the late 1600s where many females in Salem, Massachusetts were publicly executed for allegedly partaking in witchcraft and strange activity. This was because the victims would show signs that doctors had never seen before, such as violent muscle spasms, vomiting and hallucinations. In an effort to give a reason for the strange afflictions happening specifically to young girls in Salem, the public made supernatural assumptions. Assumptions that might now be considered ridiculous. Not blaming an illness, but rather an evil act of witchcraft. Almost 200 people were accused of taking part in witchcraft, most of which were females. Of those associated, 20 were publicly executed by being hanged or in some rare cases, stoned. Years later it was discovered that these afflictions were actually caused by the fungus, ergot, which was commonly found in rye, wheat, and other cereals. Toxicologists say it can cause the same symptoms that were experienced by those considered to be “bewitched”. This piece of history can be associated with the New England vampire panic because it is another example of mass hysteria that caused a social frenzy of people to act disorderly. This all links from a fear of the unknown. This deep fear of an unknown malady is engraved in human culture. Since the first documented cultures, people exemplified how they created psychological solutions to their problems. This can even be linked to the Ancient Greeks and how they assigned different Gods and Goddesses to explain their unknown questions. To subside their fear and confusion, they found peace of mind in solutions that centered around the existence of the supernatural. Mass hysteria is a social frenzy affecting a large group of people. It is typically caused by anxiety or fear over inexplicable symptoms of an illness. Both the Salem Witch Trials and the New England vampire scare were examples of a public health mass hysteria that affected the Northeast of America. These instances caused society to act in obscene ways, even prompting unnecessary harmful acts, such as humiliation, public executions and exhumations. Essentially, history shows that humans continue to make excuses for things they simply cannot understand. Sometimes they quite literally scare themselves to death. Sometimes they act in

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obscene ways. Other times they create answers to their problems through existence of supernatural beings. Whatever the case may be, the myth of vampires in New England was created out of this phenomenon. What We Know Now As noted from expert research, science adds insight to the abnormal Brown family situation. Aside from the fact that Mercy really just died from Tuberculosis, there is other scientific evidence that explains the mysterious blood in her heart and the condition of her body in her grave. Society now knows that it is actually not uncommon for a deceased person to still have blood in their heart for a few months after they have passed, specifically if the body is not embalmed. Research from that time period shows that embalming did not become a common procedure until the beginning of the 20th century. During this time period it was common to bury the body in the condition that it had passed. Now, the embalming process drains the dead body of remaining blood, and fully kills that person. Studies show that without the embalming process, it could take a body many years to fully die. This is because a person’s organs do not just stop working when a person dies. It is common that death can be a long process without embalming. A major mistake they made was that they compared her decomposition status to that of her mother and sister, who were already dead for almost a decade. Because Mercy was buried in the winter it is evident that her body was frozen and therefore that would delay the appearance of her decomposition. Even if a body is not “fully dead”, that does not necessarily mean it is undead. Even if perhaps Mercy’s body had not reached complete death at that point, that certainly does not insinuate that a demonic spirit was still alive and therefore causing harm to others. Case in end; Mercy was not a vampire and vampires are not real. Mercy had Tuberculosis and experienced a proper amount of decomposition under her circumstances. She was even kept in a crypt for the first month of death because that winter was so cold that the ground froze over. They had to wait for ice to melt to sink her casket into the dirt. These circumstances also caused her body temperature to drop, which explains why her physical appearance had not been significantly altered. Mercy died from Tuberculosis. Tuberculosis was known as consumption, and consumption was synonymous to vampirism. In Exeter, where they were very vulnerable to the evident public health hysteria, the conclusion was positively that Mercy was a vampire. A little research into Mercy’s life shows that she was not a vampire at all. Mercy was nothing short of a victim of mass hysteria due to a public health panic. This panic was labeled as a

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vampire panic, which is why it attracts vampire fans and experts from around the world. This is likely why there is still a fascination with her gravesite. Vampire Time Travel In the past decade the vampire frenzy has completely exploded. Recent popular culture has recreated the mythical vampire into a modern day enchanting being. While they are still supernatural beings and undead creatures, they have become glorified by movies like “Twilight” and television shows like “Vampire Diaries.” Before they became beautiful entities that used their looks to charm their prey, vampires had a very dark history all over the world. Legends of vampire creatures were common in ancient folklore for as long as the earliest documented cultures. Before the word “vampire” was ever used, cultures had created their own version of a blood sucking demonic spirit that took on the form of a deceased human being. Physical characteristics of a vampire vary, but they tend to have pale light skin, sharp white fangs and dark red eyes. They are known to survive off blood and be much more physically adept than their victims, mortal humans. They also may have magical powers and defy gravity. The word vampire derives from the Hungarian word “vampir” which means “a good or more often evil spirit that possesses the body of a deceased, typically in the first month of their death.” This myth was established and loosely recreated in cultures all over the world. Ancient Babylonians were one of the first documented civilizations to incorporate blood sucking undead entities into their folklore. They believed that 6,000 year old evil mystical beings, Lilitu and Esrites, survived off feeding on babies and men. Egyptians believed that improper burial could bring the deceased in a form that they can only survive by drinking human blood. Ancient Greek and Roman people feared to meet Empusae and Lamia, demonic creatures that feasted on human flesh, and had ability to enchant people using magic. Those two beings later became morphed into medieval versions of witches and demons. Northern medieval Europe incorporated beings with vampire traits to their folklore. In England, first stories about resurrected evil corpses started appearing shortly after the waves of Viking invasions. The widely accepted means of killing a vampire is exposure to sunlight, beheading, piercing wooden stake through the heart, burning the organs, entering a church or holy ground, and covering it with holy water. The first famous vampire in popular culture is Count Dracula, who was based on the life of Hungarian Count VladTepes or Vlad the Impaler, a man with a reputation as a fierce killer in Romania. According to popular belief, he murdered because of his Christian beliefs, which initiated his inability to be close to churches, crosses or holy water. Count Dracula is based off the life of VladTepes but with vampirism involved. The vampire character Dracula was officially created as the main antagonist in the 1897 gothic horror novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker.

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Dracula is a nobleman from Transylvania and a centuries old vampire. Transylvania is historical region located in central Romania. The area is bordered by large mountain ranges and known for it’s beautiful scenery. Unlike vampires before him that are portrayed as corpse-like creatures, Dracula exudes a dignified charm. An unauthorized version of “Dracula” was recreated by the 1922 silent film adaptation “Nosferatu.” Count Dracula has been recreated and talked about in popular culture, and has become a household name across the globe. There are more than 200 films featuring Count Dracula. This explains why most people associate vampires with Dracula, and though the vampires in New England were nothing at all like the infamous and deadly vampires created by Stoker, it has been suggested that when Stoker passed away there were newspaper clippings of the Mercy Brown story found in his desk drawer. The 21st Century Vampire Movies and TV shows such as “Twilight,” “Vampire Diaries,” and “True Blood” have contributed new features to the vampire myth, as well as incorporating some old stereotypes. “Twilight” by Stephenie Meyer is a young adult romance and thriller about a vampire and a human that fall in love. For the last few years the pop culture trends have sparked something of a vampire craze. Nearly every major network or film company has created their own vampire tale. Many of these tales depict very different variations of this mythology. There are two traits however, that all media and culture have accepted as unquestionable features of vampires; they are undead creatures that feed on blood for survival. Edward Cullen has become an icon for the modern day vampire and has changed the way pop culture portrays this mythological creature. Vampires are no longer the feared beasts of the Dracula era, and have in fact developed a certain attraction. Pale, dazzling skin, golden eyes and a crooked smile that could light up a room, teenage girls obsess over the fictional Cullen family. Making them even more desirable for humans; the Cullen family has broken the tradition of the other covens and committed to drinking only animal’s blood. They live in Forks, Washington; the rainiest town in America. In this story the threat of sunlight is that vampires would become exposed to society by their dazzling diamond-like skin. Vampires have become both sexy and relatable; a far cry from undead corpses that turn into bats. “Twilight” has also affirmed the vampire and werewolf rivalry. Werewolves are creatures similar to vampires in that they are supernatural and mythological beings that supposedly kill humans. Werewolves are distinguished from vampires in that they are living, human creatures that are able to shape shift into wolves. Werewolves are featured as the enemy of vampires in many adaptations. Vampires do not age, they stay at whatever age they converted into a vampire. Sometimes living as undead children for centuries. This problematic theme of vampire children began with Anne Rice’s “Interview with The Vampire” and has crossed into the Twilight Series as well. Child Vampires pose a unique threat, as they cannot always control their strength and power due to

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their immaturity. People fall in love with these beautiful undead children, but the danger of their existence is a threat to other vampires as well as humans. Although Vampires are immortal there are many different ways to kill a vampire. These include decapitation, a stake to the heart or lighting their organs on fire. In some stories it takes all three to officially put a vampire to death. There are also common weaknesses of old and new vampires including exposure to sunlight and garlic. The Twilight Series fandom is very strong, and hardcore fans of the series go by the nickname “Twihards.” Twihards and Die Hards To some a vampire is no more than a Halloween costume or a silly superstition. To others, it’s a lifestyle. There is a world of vampire enthusiasts that are linked through their passions, and they are able to connect with each other on the Internet. The Internet is home to vampire societies and various online profiles. It is unclear which of these many profiles associate themselves with vampire culture or are just fascinated by the phenomenon. In some cases it is both. On a Facebook page called “Vampire Fans” Internet users from around the world share posts about vampires. There are events and get together where people can network with fellow vampire experts. At a glance of his Facebook page, Anthony Hogg looks like a modern day vampire. His leading profile picture features him sitting in front of a bookshelf with an eerie smile. A smile so peculiar you simply cannot tell if the expression on his face is happy, confused or angry. The lights are flashed right onto his face giving him a pale devilish glow. The shadows of his eyes and nose on his face and the blood red of his shirt are all factors that undoubtedly give off a vampire energy. This energy is further solidified by his cover photo, which is a skeleton lying in a grave with a bloody stake directly in the heart. Everything he posts is about vampires. Everything he is tagged in is about vampires. Everything he does is about vampires. “I’m a vampirologist,” said Hogg. He lives in Australia where there is not as much opportunity for him to exercise his vampire enthusiasm with like-minded people. But that does not stop his interest in vampire culture and all things supernatural, so he turns to the Internet “Well, my initial interest grew out of my dormant interest in mysteries, legends and the supernatural, but my interest in vampires, specifically, was crystallised by watching “Fright Night Part Two” on TV the night before I started grade six,” said Hogg. He is the face behind two of the most active and informative vampire blogs on the Internet. One called “Vamped” and the other is “Vampirologist.” He has done some journalistic work in his

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extensive research on the Highgate case. The Highgate vampire was a media sensation that took place at a cemetery in London in the 1970s. “My beliefs are that people from many years ago misinterpreted a phenomena that we have a great understanding of today, for instance, the decomposition process. In the case of New England vampirism, the cause was obviously Tuberculosis. At the time that was seen as a mysterious malady, so we’re essentially talking about folk remedies which just happen to involve the dead,” said Hogg. Everyday Hogg logs into Facebook, connects with his vampire friends and creates close relationships on the Internet. Though Hogg realizes the vampire phenomenon was resulted by the panic of the unknown, he finds many things about the myth that intrigue him. He has noticed some mysterious connections that make him consider how myths that originated in opposite parts of the world have some striking commonalities. “One of the particularly interesting aspects to the vampire myth is sleep paralysis. Especially as vampires most commonly attacked people in their sleep. Not only does that account for a sense of universality, but it also applies to cultural myth. Substitute alien visitations with vampires and you have the same phenomena,” said Hogg. While he lives in Australia where there are not many people that share the same interests, he has found a way to get out and spend time in the vampire scene. A Vampire Studies Symposium took place on Halloween of 2015 at North Central Texas College at the Corinth Campus. Vampire scholars from around the world descend to this daylong event to hear from notable keynote speakers and other vampire experts. “This symposium is basically a way of getting out a bit,” said Hogg. There were a total of 38 vampire fanatics in attendance and six keynote speakers. Among these speakers were Hogg and Michael Bell. It is an opportunity for the most hardcore vampire fanatics to prove their fandom and make friends from around the world. When the Unknown Becomes Known The myth of vampires in America was conjured as a result of mass hysteria, and deep-rooted fears of the unknown. In the case of New England vampires, it was a public health mass hysteria that caused for desperate measures in moments of pure agony. Mercy Brown was no blood-sucking vampire although she epitomizes the vampire myth as a true victim of this phenomenon of fear and mass hysteria. Though that time has passed and we believe we are living in a much more medically developed world, there are people like Everett Brown who are still feeling the pain of those days.

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He still feels he has to protect his family name and stop disrespectful vampire lurkers from desecrating Mercy’s grave. He still spends a considerable amount time at the gravesite of his ancestors. There will always be someone interested in messing around with Mercy’s gravestone, out of curiosity over whether the haunting stories are true. Everett continues to do what he can to ensure his family justice, honor their name, and tell their story with complete accuracy and truth. If he doesn’t, the name Mercy Brown will continue to be synonymous with the myth of vampires. And to Everett and every member of the Brown family, that is not true or acceptable. The 19th century sounds like a long time ago, but events from this time are still very much part of Everett’s life. Although the 21st century is more medically advanced and therefore we should be able to avoid another situation like this from occurring again, experts disagree. Tuberculosis is no longer spreading throughout Rhode Island, with promising numbers that show to be diminishing every year. Now that Tuberculosis is controlled and “consumption” is completely gone, it is unlikely that there will be another Tuberculosis outbreak or vampire scare in New England. However, as is shown through these stories of the New England vampires, as well as the Salem witches, this is a common theme in society. Every couple of years an undiscovered virus appears with full destructive force, ready to wipe out an entire population. Science is regulating this number and eliminating possibilities of this occurring, but it might not always be able to do so. History shows there will always be a new disease or virus that has not yet been discovered. And when that happens, will our faith in science and technology remain unwavered? Or are we as humans prone to panic and hysteria? In the most recent case of Ebola, which spread furiously in Western African nations like Liberia and Sierra Leone. Panic ensued when Thomas Eric Duncan became the first patient diagnosed of Ebola in America. There was very little knowledge of how infectious this disease was, and therefore everyone that encountered this patient within 21 days became a threat, and anyone associated with that person felt threatened. It was like scene straight out of a Hollywood movie. Every news station was leading with stories on Ebola, every front page of every newspaper talked about the threat of this infectious disease. The media played a large role in the panic that occurred regarding Ebola. Hundreds of miles away people were terrified and believed it was only a matter of time until Ebola was in their hometown. But like TB, the threat of Ebola fizzled thanks to advanced precaution and a large team of medical experts. But with the strong effects of the media and the common denominator of public health mass hysteria, the situation could have been severely worse.

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Vampire experts and infectious disease nurses warn there will be another mass hysteria in the future. This phenomenon is so powerful. The story of Mercy should serve as an example that it could really happen to anyone. It is powerful and it is dangerous, and Everett still fights for justice for his family to end the pain and embarrassment of this centuries old myth. It is only a matter of time until the next infectious disease causes humanity to once again act unethically with madness and delirium. There will be another Mercy Brown.

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References

Bell, Michael Edward. Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England's Vampires. New York: Carroll & Graf, 2001.

"Exeter, RI." Rhode Island Living. N.p., n.d. Web. 2015.

"Grave of Mercy L. Brown." Quahog.org:. N.p., n.d. Web. 2015.

"History of Embalming” Seattle Funerals Cremations and Funeral Home RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 2015.

"History of Washington and Kent Counties, Rhode Island." History of Exeter, Rhode Island. J. R. Cole W.W.Preston & Co., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Stoker, Bram. Dracula. Harlow: Longman, 1987. Print. "TB (Tuberculosis)." Tuberculosis: Department of Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

Tucker, Abigail. "The Great New England Vampire Panic." Smithsonian. Smithsonian

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"Vampires." Truth Here - Vampires. Omega Magnus Corp, n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2015.

"Vampire Symposium." Vampire Symposium. N.p., n.d. Web. 2015.