Did a Ghost Kill John Sullivan?
Even the spirit mediums of this small town couldn't solve the mystery
By the end of the 19th century, Wisconsin had become home to several unique and important centers for spiritualism, the practice of communicating with the dead through seances and spirit mediums. Milwaukee, Madison, Lake Mills, Wonewoc and Whitewater were among the most prominent.
The Fox Valley was also fertile ground for communing with the other side.
The town of Omro (near Oshkosh) was home to the First Spiritualist Society, where many prominent mediums from around the country came to perform.
But even with all their connections to the Great Beyond, they couldn't solve the murder of farmer John Sullivan.
Sullivan had spent the day in town trading, and he was on his way around 9 or 10 o'clock that night when he met his mysterious fate near a foot bridge across the Fox River.
People from homes nearby reported hearing someone cry out, and then a gunshot.
Sullivan was found dead soon after with a single fatal bullet in his body.
He had no known enemies, and there didn't seem to be any motive since he spent most of his money in town on supplies.
Authorities had no leads, so the mediums got to work.
The spirits didn't seem to be talking, though. At least not to them.
A few weeks later, a man identified as Mr. Wilson was crossing the same footbridge where Sullivan had been gunned down when a man materialized out of the shadows. He was carrying a rifle.
Wilson then heard a spectral, disembodied voice whisper, "That is the gun that killed John Sullivan!"
Then a shrill scream erupted from the darkness, followed by a gunshot.
The man with the rifle vanished, and a terrified Wilson ran back into town to tell everyone what he saw.
Still, the spirit world remained silent.
The rifle was never found.
Sullivan's murder remains a mystery to this day.
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