Unusual Cause of Death - Black Widow Bite

Located at Anderson Cemetery in Anderson, MO.

Sadly he missed the Black Widow anti-venom by only 6 years.

General O. Ostrander

1875 - 1950

Bite and mashed Black Widow Spider on right side and back.
Death Certificate located at Missouri Digital Heritage.

Black Widow Spider

Immature Black Widow

• An effective anti-venom was developed in 1956.
• The Back Widow Spider can inflict a painful bite which can be fatal, especially to the young and elderly. 
• Death is uncommon (less than 1% of the reported cases), but in the elderly or very young death may occur from asphyxia 14-32 hours after being bitten.
• A small amount of venom can cause serious illness, as the poison attacks the nervous system. Systemic envenomisation usually results in headache, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, pyrexia and hypertension.
• The immature black widow look nothing like the adult spider and can be mistaken for beneficial spiders like the Theridion Immature black widows are smaller than the adults and do not have the black color typical of the adults. Immature black widows range in color from yellowish to a light brown with a pattern of white and brown bands and spots on the dorsal side. The hour glass mark is not red at this stage; it will appear white or be completely missing. As the immature molts, it gains more and more of the black pigment until reaches adulthood and acquires its typical black color. It is very difficult to distinguish male from female at this stage since they appear identical.
  
  

Sunday Styles: Hip Tomb

Hip tomb take on the form of a miniature low slung house with either a two or four sided roof.

Two Sided Roof

(Located at Anderson Cemetery in Anderson, MO.)

Sunday Styles: Rock Cairn

Rock Cairn -- A mound of stones erected as a memorial or a marker.

(Located at Jane Cemetery in Jane, MO.)

Wikipedia

Paranormal Experience And A Sad Story Of Murder All In One Cemetery.

My First Paranormal Experience In A Cemetery

My friend Theresa and I set out one blustery and cold morning in December for a day of explorations in the local cemeteries. Little did I know this would turn into an experience of the paranormal kind. 

We pulled up to the gate at Stone Cemetery in Noel, MO.  We sat in the van for a few minutes trying to decide weather or not we wanted to brave the cold for this small of a cemetery or come back when it was warmer.  We decide what the heck we were here might as well. 

Armed with a warm hoodie, a pair of fingerless gloves and my camera I climbed out of the van. As I approached the gate I got an odd feeling, like I was being watched.  I turned around to see if Theresa was watching me.  Nope, she was busying herself by getting her belongings from the back seat.   I swung open the gate and head towards the back of the cemetery. Glancing about half way through the cemetery, trying to determine my route, I noticed these stones.

(Located at Stone Cemetery in Noel, MO.)

Meet The Owsleys

Located in Owsley Union Cemetery in Longview, MO.

Unsolved Murder Mystery

As soon as I climb out of the car, at Cummings Cemetery in Tiff City, MO., I noticed the tall obelisk that is postioned near the back of the cemetery.  Immediately I know that is where I am heading. It is hard to miss, being it is the tallest marker in the cemetery.

Cause of Death ... For the Graveyard Rabbit Carnival

Perusing a cemetery, my eyes are flooded with stones that bear the customary information. They have names, dates of births and deaths, the occasional description of a personality or character trait. The stones that draw my attention, toward which I gravitate, are the ones highlighting an unnatural death, one that came amidst unique or tragic circumstances. I have discovered stones that say "killed by lightning," "killed by black widow spider," and "died in the line of duty." But my interest is peaked by those stones with a simple epitaph declaring the deceased "assassinated," "murdered," or just "killed." Often, I find only short articles detailing the "five W's" in the whodunit: who, what, where, when and how. There may be no real details on the deaths, let alone the grizzly ones, and no accounting of suspects or eventual punishments for the convicted. But sometimes I get lucky. This is the case of Dr. A. W. Chenoweth.