#circleville letters

[toomanywatchers]

ryan: trying to go through all the circleville letter suspects

shane:

[espanolbot2]

The Sinister Letters That Terrorized A Small Town • Mystery Files

Oh hey, the Circleville Letters Incident. I wonder if they'll include the bit about the boobytrap?

EDIT: They did!

[yungcrybby-anonymousbosch666]

Georgia Marie is one of my favorite crime/mystery youtubers and this week’s midweek mystery is the Circleville Letters. It’s one of my favorite mysteries. It isn’t a traditional murder/crime story:

In 1977 someone began sending residents of this small town letters that exposed affairs and other dirty laundry. Primarily, to expose Mary Gillespie's affair the letters sought to blackmail her and threaten her daughter’s life. Someone even put a booby trap on Mary’s bus route (she was a school bus driver) to shoot her.

One man ended up dead, another did a lengthy prison stint and the author or authors of the letters remains a mystery.

Personally, I think it was Mary herself or her sister in law. Or maybe the son of the man Mary was having an affair with. I believe there were multiple writers and it’s definitely in that immediate circle of family.

[creepypiss]

The Circleville Writer

In 1976, the small town of Circleville, Ohio was shaken by scandal when many residents began receiving anonymous letters from who would come to be known as the Circleville Writer. Using blocked letters, the writer claimed to be watching those who he targeted, stating information that only the recipient would know. The content of the letters were rude, accusatory, and even threatened violence.

One of the main targets of the Circleville Writer was Mary Gillespie; a wife, mother, and school bus driver. Her family and her life were forever changed after the writer began accusing her of participating in an affair with the superintendent of schools.

"Don't lie when questioned about knowing him. I know where you live. I've been observing your house and know you have children. This is no joke. Please take it serious. Everyone concerned has been notified and everything will be over soon."

This was the first of two letters that Mary initially received, in which she tried to hide at first out of fear and began keeping an aware watch on her daily activities in hopes that she might spot the mystery writer. However, she could no longer keep the secret when her husband received his own letters, both demanding that he end the affair or die.

Mary came clean to Ron about the letters, but insisted that there was no affair going on. They decided to try and ignore it, but another letter proved that to be impossible. The writer threatened to broadcast the accusations on billboards, signs, and CB radios if they didn't come clean with the supposed affair. The Gillespies had a pretty good idea who might be sending the letters and seeked out the assistance of Paul Freshour, Ron's sister's husband, who helped them write their own message to the person they believed was the Circleville writer. This seemed to work as the letters stopped for an extended period of time. However, the quiet wouldn't last.

On August 19th, 1977, Ron Gillespie received a call from the alleged writer. Although Ron didn't directly relay what was said, Mary deducted that the call confirmed their suspicions about the identity of the Circleville Writer. Ron grabbed his shotgun, got into his truck, and apparently set off to confront the individual. Unfortunately, Ron was found dead only a short distance away, his truck wrapped around a tree. His shotgun had been discharged at some point before the crash, but forensics couldn't find any evidence of the gun being shot inside the truck.

Initially, Sheriff Dwight Radcliffe stated that he believed the crash was a result of foul play. However, he quickly changed his stance and the official report stated that the crash was an accident caused by drunk driving, as it was found in the autopsy that the blood alcohol content in Ron's body was twice the legal limit. Those who knew him found this to be incredibly shocking as he wasn't known to be a heavy drinker at all. During this time, several other residents of Circleville received letters, claiming that the Sheriff was involved in a cover-up.

The superintendent and Mary soon came clean with their affair, but insisted that it had not started until after they began receiving the letters.

Later on in February of 1983, Mary began receiving harassment via posters and signs on the side of the road on her everyday bus route. Becoming fed up, she went to rip down one of the signs before noticing that the sign itself was hooked to a device; a trap which had a box with a gun inside, pointed at her. Had she pulled the sign down in a specific way, the gun would have gone off.

Although an attempt was made by the perpetrator to rub off the serial number, the police were able to trace the gun back to Paul Freshour, now separated from Ron's sister. Paul was investigated and although he claimed that the gun had been stolen, his boss confirmed that Paul hadn't been at work the day Mary found the trap. He was also subjected to handwriting tests, in which he was asked to write in the same block lettering.

On October 24th, 1983, Paul Freshour went to trial for attempted murder. Although he wasn't charged for the letters, they played a key role in the case. Mary testified that she believed Paul to be the writer after his wife had come to her with the same suspicion. A handwriting expert also testified that Paul was the writer. Freshour himself claimed to have a solid alibi, but chose not to testify and was ultimately sentenced to 7 - 24 years.

While in prison, Paul Freshour recieved his own Circleville Writer letter.

"Freshour, now when are you going to believe you aren't getting out of there? I told you two years ago; when you set 'em up, they stay set up. Don't you listen at all? No one wants you out. No one. The joke is on you. Ha Ha! Tell no one of this letter. I saw the paper. Great news, great! The Sheriff loved it. Ha Ha! Do you believe it now? Do you?"

Additionally, other residents of Circleville still received letters in the following years as well, despite the fact that Paul was in solitary confinement. He was even denied parole in 1990 as a result, despite the fact that there was no possibility he could've written them. He finally received parole in 1994.

Paul Freshour maintained his innocence until his death in 2012 and it is still unknown who the true Circleville Writer is.

[deeploretv]

The Detective, The Journalist, and the Killer: Suspects in the Circleville Case

In Circleville, Ohio, the mail once carried more than news or bills. It carried warnings. Beginning in 1976, residents started receiving anonymous letters written in heavy block capitals — accusations, threats, and promises of exposure. The first envelopes landed in the mailbox of Mary Gillispie, a local school bus driver, and inside was a message that would upend her life. Some accounts date her…

The Detective, The Journalist, and the Killer: Suspects in the Circleville Case

[scholarofgloom]

[historic-mysteries]

Circleville Letters Mystery Still Unsolved - Historic Mysteries

Although a man got convicted, the letters continued. Paul Freshour served a decade, but the Circleville Letters mystery remains unsolved.

Travel approximately 25 miles from Columbus in Ohio and it is quite possible to overlook one of many small towns dotted around America. Situated along the banks of the Scioto River, Circleville is the type of small-town America in which everyone knows everyone else. It is likely to be the kind of place where residents can leave their doors unlocked overnight without fear of recriminations.

[thedawgsblog]

WHO WROTE THE CIRCLEVILLE LETTERS

WHO WROTE THE CIRCLEVILLE LETTERS

Anonymous letters threaten to expose an Ohio town’s rumored secrets Forensic expert says she knows who the Circleville letter writer is Imagine the shock and fear of finding in your mailbox a poison pen letter from someone who claims to know your deepest secrets. And what happens when the letters continue, and your friends and neighbors begin receiving them too? It may sound like a plot from a…

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