Lore

Legends 64: No Rest For the Wicked

October 13, 2025

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  • Many local legends surrounding accused witches, such as Mary Jane Hendrickson and Molly Lee, are revealed to be rooted in misinterpretations, childhood stories, or the distortion of the lives of independent or unconventional women. 
  • The grave marker for the Stoskoff family in Myrtle Hill Cemetery is a large granite orb, which local legend claims traps the spirit of a witch, but in reality, it merely designates the family plot. 
  • The stories explored in "Legends 64: No Rest For the Wicked" often demonstrate how fear and the desire to explain the inexplicable lead communities to transform real individuals, like the murderer Martha Hazel Wise, into figures of folklore like witches. 

Segments

Port Royal Sunk by Earthquake
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(00:01:34)
  • Key Takeaway: The city of Port Royal, Jamaica, once a major trade epicenter in the New World, was largely destroyed and sunk beneath the sea by an earthquake and tsunami in June 1692.
  • Summary: Port Royal was one of the largest European cities in the New World during the late 17th century, second only to Boston, deriving much of its wealth from the slave trade. An earthquake and subsequent tsunami in June 1692 submerged two-thirds of the city, killing an estimated 2,000 of its 5,000 inhabitants. The disaster was widely interpreted by contemporaries as divine punishment for the city’s wickedness.
Legend of Belleville’s Witch
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(00:03:47)
  • Key Takeaway: The local legend of Mary Jane Hendrickson, the witch of Belleville, Ohio, who was allegedly hanged and whose grave prevents grass from growing, originated from a 1963 summer camp counselor’s story to keep children from sneaking out.
  • Summary: Local legend claims Mary Jane Hendrickson was a witch executed and buried under a pine tree in Mount Olive Cemetery, with her grave marked by a spot where no grass grows, leading to superstitions about injury or death for those who disrespect it. The real Mary Jane Hendrickson died naturally in 1898, and the witch narrative was fabricated by a camp counselor in 1963 to scare children. The story may have been sustained due to the pun in her name relating to marijuana.
Molly Lee, the Witch of Burslem
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(00:07:53)
  • Key Takeaway: Molly Lee, labeled a witch in 18th-century England due to her independent life and unusual habits, was revealed by her 1748 will to be a wealthy benefactor who planned to build a hospital for the poor.
  • Summary: Molly Lee was considered a witch in Burslem, England, for living alone, not attending church, and allegedly keeping a blackbird familiar, leading Parson Thomas Spencer to accuse her. After her death on April Fool’s Day in 1748, townsmen buried her with the bird in her coffin and reoriented her grave north-south to prevent her spirit from rising. Her last will and testament, discovered in 1984, showed she was wealthy and intended to use her assets to support the poor inhabitants and widows of her community.
The Stoskoff Grave Mystery
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(00:15:21)
  • Key Takeaway: The unique, bowling-ball-shaped granite marker in Myrtle Hill Cemetery belongs to the Stoskoff family plot, not an individual witch, and the associated legend was inspired by the real-life arsenic poisonings committed by Martha Hazel Wise.
  • Summary: The strange granite orb in Myrtle Hill Cemetery is not a headstone but marks the general area of the Stoskoff family plot, with no one buried directly underneath it. The legend claims the ball traps the spirit of a witch who murdered her family, but this was inspired by Martha Hazel Wise, who poisoned three family members, including her aunt, George Stoskoff’s sister. Martha was convicted of first-degree murder and interred over 100 miles away in Marysville, Ohio, not under the orb.
Sarah Norton, the White Witch
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(00:30:33)
  • Key Takeaway: Sarah Norton, a beloved 19th-century midwife in Antioch, California, whose death was caused by a runaway buggy, is rumored to haunt Rose Hill Cemetery to watch over the children she helped deliver.
  • Summary: Sarah Norton was a highly respected midwife in Antioch, California, credited with attending hundreds of births without losing a single child, despite her prickly personality and refusal of a religious funeral. When the town attempted to give her a Christian burial twice, severe storms forced them to stop, leading to her burial without a service. Locals believe her ghost, known as the White Witch, remains in the cemetery to guard the souls of the children she brought into the world.
Podcast Credits and Support
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(00:34:11)
  • Key Takeaway: Listeners can support the ad-free version of Lore Legends via Apple Podcasts or Patreon, which includes bonus episodes called ’lore bites'.
  • Summary: This episode of Lore Legends was produced by Aaron Mankey, with writing by Alex Robinson and research by Cassandra DeAlba, and the topics were listener-submitted. Listeners can access an ad-free version of the podcast on Apple Podcasts and Patreon, which also grants access to weekly mini-bonus episodes called ’lore bites’. Further information on the show, including the book series and Amazon Prime adaptation, is available at lorepodcast.com.