Although she waited, no further writing appeared. If you use Anomalies or any of its sub-databases for research, please be sure to list Anomalies and its URL -- http://anomalyinfo.com -- in your references. 6-7. The area where he was walking was large and flat. Accept Read More, Codex Gigas Devil’s Bible: Weird Medieval Manuscript, Death of Philip Taylor Kramer of Iron Butterfly, Amelia Earhart’s Last Flight – Mystery at Sea, Hypatia of Alexandria: A Classical Age Female Scholar, 11 Things You Didn’t Know About Christmas, Isolated Stairs in the Woods and Their Creepy Stories, Belmez Faces: Mystery of the People in the Floor, Genghis Khan Facts – 5 Interesting Details That May Surprise You. Just, one second he was standing there and the next second he wasn't. She eventually found she could used a planchette -- a piece of wood with a pencil attached -- to receive messages written by the dead as they controlled the movements of her hand. David Lang's two children, George, 8, and Sarah, 11, were playing in the yard when Lang and his wife came out of the vine-covered brick house. Zombies: History, Beliefs, and Modern Ideas, Also Available:Spontaneous Human CombustionThe Green Children of WoolpitBlue Skin, Terms & Conventions used in Anomalies Articles. She then followed a hunch, and located a copy of Charles Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare which her father had given her. One source says that in the spot where David Lang vanished the grass grew unnaturally well, although no insects would go near it and livestock refused to graze there. David Lang Disappearance On September 23, 1880, David Lang was crossing a field near his home in Sumner County, Tennessee. 7, Winter 1998/99.Bierce, Ambrose.”Present at a Hanging.” Contains “The Difficulty of Crossing a Field.”Wallechinsky, David, and Irving Wallace. At the spot where David disappeared there was a 15 foot circle. During the 1970s, researchers who contacted a Tennessee librarian named Hershal Payne unearthed a possible source for the tale. I almost dropped my laptop when I read the name "David Lang". Mrs. Lang never fully recovered. In 1888, author Ambrose Bierce published “The Difficulty of Crossing a Field” in the San Francisco Examiner. He was nominated for an Academy Award for "Simple Song #3" from the film Youth. After several minutes, they heard his voice feebly calling back; but by the time Sarah Lang related the story to Palmer, she had long forgotten what her father might have actually said. The FATE version of David Lang's disappearance, though written by Palmer, was said to just be a trans-literation of the story as told to him by Sarah Lang -- daughter of the vanished man -- in 1931, fifty years after the events would have taken place. david lang disappearance photos; People also ask . Spiritualism was still a known topic in paranormal literature in the 1950's; but by the time Edwards and Wilkins released their books, the popularity of Spiritualism as a topic had dropped off... and so both authors ditched the end, creating a more compact version of the David Lang story. In 1880 a farmer named David Lang vanished into thin air in front of his wife, children, and two friends. The Peoples Almanac. His wife and two children were watching their father walk across the field. Yet oftentimes the truth is stranger than fiction. He lived happily with his wife and his two children, and his life was very normal in a middle class American family. He spoke to the children and then started walking out across the pasture. Access to New Articles at least a Week before Anyone Else! What had happened to David Lang? The Disappearance of David Lang was a strange disappearance that allegedly happened on September 23, 1880, near Gallatin, Tennessee.During the 1970s, researchers who contacted a Tennessee librarian named Hershal Payne unearthed a possible source for the tale. Aug 21, 2014 - The Disappearance of David Lang - TN, 09/23/1880. This thread is archived. No one could explain the strange disappearance of a man in broad daylight that was witnessed by his wife, children and two men. The Disappearance of David Lang by Gary Westlake “David Lang had not taken more than half a dozen steps when he disappeared in full view of all those present. As an afterthought, Sarah added that she had heard that a later owner of the house tried to plow up the field, but the strange circle just kept growing back; and she said she had returned to the farm once when she was old enough, but makes no statement as to whether or not the circle was still there. Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead in absentia.Some of these people were possibly subjected to forced disappearance, but there is insufficient information on their subsequent fates.. Many people who disappear are eventually declared dead in absentia.Some of these people were possibly subjected to forced disappearance, but there is insufficient information on their subsequent fates.. A 15 foot patch of dead grass later appeared at the site. Not getting a response, she was turning to go back to the house when she heard a faint cry for help in her father’s voice. Perhaps the most notable example would be the infamous mysterious disappearance of David Lang. Suddenly, in the view of everyone, Lang vanished in mid-step. The story was called “How my father disappeared” and was allegedly written on the basis of an interview that writer Stuart Palmer took from Sarah Lang in 1931. Instinctively, they all ran toward the spot where Lang had last been seen a few seconds before. The Disappearance of David Lang. All rights reserved. The children, too startled to realize what had happened, stood mutely. He was nominated for an Academy Award for "Simple Song #3" from the film Youth. After the immediate search of the field, the children were taken to the kitchen by 'Mammy Sukie' -- "our colored cook and friend" -- and confined to the house. So there were only three witnesses: Emma Lang, Judge Peck, and Peck's brother-in-law, identified by Palmer as a Mr. Wade from Ackron, Ohio. On September 23, 1880 he supposedly vanished into thin air while walking through a field near his home. J. Over time, as there was no progress, Sarah slowly stopped contacting her mother; but on a day in April, 1929, at ten o'clock in the morning, she was suddenly impelled to try one last time. This story has been told and retold over the 100 years since it happened, but it continues to fascinate people. He spoke to the children and then started walking out across the pasture. The FATE version of David Lang's disappearance, though written by Palmer, was said to just be a trans-literation of the story as told to him by Sarah Lang -- daughter of the vanished man -- in 1931, fifty years after the events would have taken place. Classic Mystery Legend: The Disappearance of David Lang. Mark Soveign February 24, 2008 . The story was called “How my father disappeared” and was allegedly written on the basis of an interview that writer Stuart Palmer took from Sarah Lang in 1931. Advertisements Estimated reading time — 2 minutes David Lang’s two children, George, 8, and Sarah, 11, were playing in the yard when Lang and his wife came out of the vine-covered brick house. Historic Mysteries is an Amazon Associate and earns from qualifying purchases. A very similar case of disappearance was published in June 1953 in the journal Faith. The American farmer David Lang had a farm in the proximities of the city of Gallatin. September 23, 1880, was just another day on a farm near Gallatin, Tennessee, when David Lang was walking across his fields. The grass in this area turned yellow and stopped growing. At the sound of the disembodied voice, both children ran screaming back to the house and told Mammy Sukie what had happened. FATE was the source for strange stories in America in the 40's, 50's, and 60's; it was also a magazine that Frank Edwards had previously published stories in, as well as borrowed most of the stories for his book Stranger Than Science from. Other Sites Built & Maintained by Garth Haslam. The overriding characteristic of the opera is ambiguity. For those of you who don't know, Spiritualism is a religion that has as its base premise a belief that some living individuals are capable of contacting the dead and acting as a 'medium' for communication between life and death. Weeks later in the precise spot he had disappeared a 15' circle had appeared. Eventually, a medium in Philadelphia gave her a message from her mother: "She says that she is seeking as you are seeking... and that she is waiting as you are waiting. According to Palmer, in her later years Sarah Lang turned to Spiritualism for answers. In October, 1976, Robert Forrest and Bob Rickard were apparently the first people to both investigate the basic facts of the David Lang account and publish the results, which they did in the British magazine Fortean Times, issue #18. Payne had personally checked census records and related materials at his library and had found no evidence for the existence of either David Lang or Judge Peck. The Disappearance of David Lang Dec 27, 2012 Dimensions Altered Dimensions There are some who believe that there may be additional ‘dimensions’ not accounted for in our commonly accepted system of three dimensions (four dimensions if you count ‘time’). That's my father's name. Instinctively, they all ran toward the spot where Lang had last been seen a few seconds before. While family watched, David crossed a field when he disappeared right before their eyes in mid-step. . While both Frank Edwards' and Harold T. Wilkins' accounts clearly start with Stuart Palmer's story in the 1953 FATE Magazine -- despite Wilkins' claims of having newspaper articles from the 1880's (he has lied about this in other accounts as well) -- both Edwards and Wilkins chose to drop the part of the story that dealt with Sarah Lang's attempts to contact her dead parents. David Lang had simply vanished. On September 23, 1880, on the day of his wife’s 32nd birthday, Lang disappeared in sparkling daylight before astonished witnesses as he crossed a flat, obstruction-free field. The most famous of these disappearing stories is of farmer David Lang, who supposedly disappeared from his farm one day in full view of his wife, his two children, and two visiting friends, one of which was a well respected Judge. Palmer explains that on the afternoon of September 23, 1880, Mr. Lang had just arrived back from a business trip to Nashville and, when he vanished, both children were busy arguing over the toys he had brought them from that trip; so the two children didn't witness the actual disappearance, as they only looked up after their mother started screaming. At this time, Judge … The Disappearance Of David Lang Read More » Robert Schadewald, the other researcher, had read Palmer's 1953 article; and after reading the Fortean Times' de-bunking of the common telling of the story, Schadewald realized that the Fortean Times article directly conflicted with Palmer's story... simply put, if David Lang had never existed, then how could his daughter have told Palmer the story? They returned the following day and once again heard Lang calling for help, although the cry was fainter. Forced disappearance The original story by Ambrose Bierce was so intriguing that it kept resurfacing. The county surveyor confirmed that the field was on perfectly solid ground, with no caves or sink holes. Both Mr. and Mrs. Lang saw the buggy, and Mr. Lang waved to the judge as he turned to walk back towards the house. This was fully witnessed by his two children, his wife, Judge August Peck, and the Judge's traveling companion (the Judge's brother-in-law); understandably, Mrs. Lang screamed. So it's clear that Palmer was well aware of Ambrose Bierce's short stories about supernatural disappearances, one of which, entitled "The Difficulty of Crossing a Field," tells the story of a farmer named Williamson who disappeared while walking in a field with his wife and two friends as witnesses. He supposedly vanished into thin air while walking through a field near his home. In a show not far off from the David Lang version, The Twighlight Zone came out with an episode in 1962, “Little Girl Lost,” about a child who vanishes into the fourth dimension from where her parents can hear her faint cries for help. Articles for Patrons Only, and other Exclusive Content! His wife and two children were watching their father walk across the field. The story of Oliver Larch (Sometime known as Lerch or Thomas) follows a similar narrative to that of David Lang (item 3). The adults quickly searched the field for other possible clues, but to no effect. A very similar case of disappearance was published in June 1953 in the journal Faith. Help Keep the Paranormal Real by Becoming a Patron! The above account of David Lang's supernatural disappearance is largely how the event was described in two books, Harold T. Wilkins' 1958 Strange Mysteries of Time and Space, and Frank Edwards' 1959 Stranger Than Science. At this time, Judge … The Disappearance Of David Lang Read More » 10 The Disappearance Of Oliver Larch. Mrs. Lang soon became hysterical, and was taken back into the house as neighbors were called with an alarm bell. In this case, David Lang’s daughter, Sarah, wrote about the incident in great detail. No one had any answers for what happened. ... A striking irony on the theme of conclusion without closure is the parallel between the disappearance of Bierce’s character, and that of the writer himself. Become a Patron; Get Exclusive Content! Shortly after, their mother died. The grass in this area turned yellow and stopped growing. He has published five books on the topic of historic true crime. O God! (Mark Swed reviewed the 2002 world premiere in San Francisco.) The family was very frightened. Pgs. Local papers hinted that Mr. Lang had merely run away. Most literary historians credit Bierce’s work as the origin of the David Lang story. This story has been told and retold over the 100 years since it happened, but it continues to fascinate people. 'the difficulty of crossing a field' music by David Lang words by Mac Wellman film by Bill Morrison voice-over: Jay O. Sanders string quartet: Harlem… David Lang's 'the difficulty of crossing a field' -- The Disappearance on Vimeo By late 1913, Bierce was divorced and free to pursue a wandering writer’s life. Despite that, the children snuck out one evening to visit the field -- no date is given -- and found an irregular circle of "rank and tall" meadow grass with an odd yellowish-green color. save. The earliest report I've found of the David Lang mystery is in the American magazine FATE for July 1953. . The next day, all of the servants except Mammy Sukie left the house. The Mystery: David Lang's 2 children, George, 8, and Sarah, 11, were playing in the yard with a wooden wagon pulled by wooden horses when Lang and his wife came out of the vine-covered brick house. David Lang was famous for, supposedly, disappearing in broad daylight from his Gallatin farm. One moment he was walking and the next moment he was gone. PLEASE NOTE: All articles in the Anomalies database and it's sub-databases (Mysteries, Curiosities, and Legends) are written by Garth Haslam, and should not be copied in any format without his express permission. David Lang’s true pearl: an opera in five tapestries (with libretto by Sybil Kempson), is inspired by Isabella Stewart Gardner’s sixteenth-century tapestries that tell the story of the first king of Persia, Cyrus the Great.The five-part “in-ear opera” is a private experience, available only through headphones in the Museum’s Tapestry Room. Sarah talked about how her father, David Lang, disappeared without a trace. Ironically, in 1913, the author Ambrose Bierce did disappear without a trace allegedly somewhere in Mexico. His wife and two children were watching their father walk across the field. The pencil danced uncontrollably across the paper at first, but soon produced a message written in a style completely different from Sarah Lang's mother's handwriting, which read: "Together now and forever... after many years... God bless you." Then David Lang completely disappeared in mid-step. All five witnesses ran to the spot they had last seen Mr. Lang, but there was nothing to hide behind or under; the field contained just short grass. . View the profiles of people named David Lang. Lists of people who disappeared include those whose current whereabouts are unknown or whose deaths are not substantiated. The story of Oliver Larch (Sometime known as Lerch or Thomas) follows a similar narrative to that of David Lang (item 3). His inquiries garnered a reply from one Hershal G. Payne of the Public Library of Nashville and Davidson County, who had also been interested in the David Lang story and had already investigated it some. Mammy Sukie prayed for the children's father nightly, gave the children charm bags to wear, and distinctly warned the children to never go into that field again. At that moment one of the coach horses stumbled and came near falling. He simply vanished into thin air!! The Disappearance Of David Lang. He lived either in South Bend, Indiana or somewhere in Wales. Sarah suggested they call for their father. The farm was occupied by David Lang and his family -- his wife, Emma, his two children, eight-year-old George and eleven-year-old Sarah, and their household servants. report. That the story was false was also the consensus opinion of all the newspaper and literary researchers in the area he talked to. There were no trees or stones or fences in the area. Forced disappearance He also included it in his anthology Can Such Things Be? And this is where Palmer's account of David Lang's disappearance continues past where modern versions of the event end. All three documents were fake, and the production of just one person: Stuart Palmer. With the permission of Jerome Clark, then Associate Editor of FATE, a copy of the 1953 FATE article -- with its illustrations of the documents -- was sent to handwriting expert Ann B. Hooten of Minneapolis, a nationally known Examiner of Questioned Documents. Lists. - Anomalies on Instagram! The story is complicated and stretches across decades. Here is an excerpt: Williamson strolled leisurely down the gravel walk, plucking a flower as he went, passed across the road and into the pasture, pausing a moment as he closed the gate leading into it, to greet a passing neighbor, Armour Wren, who lived on an adjoining plantation. David Lang had just suddenly ceased to exist. in 1893. ), Scottish rugby union player David Lång (born 1972), Swedish politician Like Williamson, Lang sat on the front porch with his wife and children, walked to a field, and was never seen again. But searching the area showed no hole or other explanation for his disappearance. For years afterwards, Sarah Lang regularly received messages from her dead mother which, unfortunately, showed that her mother was still searching for the missing Mr. Lang also. Two men in a buggy were riding by and also watched Lang as he made his way across the field. A Net Inceptions project. Other sources report the exact opposite — grass never grew there but it would grow lush all around the area. There was nothing in the area to explain the disappearance (sinkholes, abandoned wells, etc.) The hand-written inscription on the flyleaf of the book, written by her missing father, matched the handwriting in the strange message from beyond -- and, careful lady that she was, Sarah Lang also had a handwriting expert confirm this for her. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. In a postscript to the above findings, Rickard added that he had heard of the existence of an earlier article on the David Lang disappearance in the July 1953 FATE -- the issue with Palmer's earlier version of the story -- after he had typed up Forrest's research... but since he had no copy of this article, he had no comment on it. In the years since, many authors have guessed -- possibly Lang was an abduction by fairies or UFOs, perhaps he somehow fell into a different dimension of existence, or perhaps he somehow had the very atoms of his body suddenly break into their component parts and simply ceased to exist -- but all of it are just guesses. On 23rd September of 1880, David Lang, a farmer, disappeared in front of his family and friends. Posted by 2 years ago. Nothing was found. Web page design, logo/link art by Garth Haslam, September 1996-2019; he can be emailed by Clicking Here. The Disappearance Of David Lang. By: La Mettrie ", and was written by Stuart Palmer... and both Wilkins' and Edwards' versions of the mystery, clearly based on this article from FATE, only include part of that original story. Support ANOMALIES! One year later, Lang’s daughter stood in the spot where Lang had vanished and called out to her father several times. View discussions in 4 other communities. 100% Upvoted. Archived. The Event: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF DAVID LANG When: September 23, 1880 Where: A farm about 12 mi. Classic Mystery Legend: The Disappearance of David Lang J. The intensified search for Lang led to nothing. The tale depicts a slave owner who vanishes into thin air on his farm. Though it was a great tragedy for the family, Mrs. Lang refused to move her family away until her husband was found. best. As we got out of the carriage at the gate of the field, and while Sam was hanging [sic] the team to the fence, Mrs. Williamson, with her child in her arms and followed by several servants, came running down the walk in great excitement, crying: ‘He is gone, he is gone! One day, in September 23th of 1880, David Lang came out of the house … Doug MacGowan lives on the San Francisco peninsula with his wife, a dog, and far too many cats. Right before their eyes, David Lang disappeared. Roswell Rock: Magnetic Anomaly Linked to Crop Circles. Of course the full search was done of the area in the following days but no trace of Mr Lang was ever found. The Disappearance of David Lang by Gary Westlake “David Lang had not taken more than half a dozen steps when he disappeared in full view of all those present. Sort by. At the spot where David disappeared there was a 15 foot circle. Close. 1862, August: A Strange Dance on a Welsh Hill, 1804, December 25-26: Paris Woman’s Fiery Death, 1888 (pub): Difficulty of Crossing a Field, ‹ Dr. Budge's Providential Dream (sources). Interesting history topics are just a click away. DAVID LANG Of the few persons who have popped out of existence like a burst human soap bubble, one of the most famous was Tennessee farmer, David Lang. The first conclusion by those who had been watching him was that he had fallen down a hole in the ground. The children, too startled to realize what had happened, stood mutely. An extensive search turned up nothing, and the county surveyor stated that bedrock started just a few feet below the surface, so no cave-in could have occurred. His voice was growing fainter each time she heard him. Inside this circle nothing grew, it seemed, even the insects did not crawl there. No animal would graze in that section of the field. The affidavit did not have a notary seal, and the notary's name was neither typed nor stamped on it, which is unusual... and the writing on the affidavit looked strangely familiar. This letter was apparently sent at the time that Palmer submitted his story to FATE... but this previous publication has never been found, despite many people searching for it. “Fortean Corrigenda: The Disappearance of David Lang”, article in Fortean Times magazine, October 1976, Iss. Mrs. Lang eventually left the farm and allowed Judge Peck to rent it out, with the exception of the field in the front of the house. In 1880 a farmer named David Lang vanished into thin air in front of his wife, children, and two friends. A local attorney, and two children, and Lang 's disappearance continues where. No trace of Mr Lang was bedridden with shock weeks later in the precise spot he had disappeared a foot... Even the insects did not crawl there his two children were watching him was he. 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Articles are written by and copyright ( c ) 1996-2019 Garth Haslam, September 1996-2019 ; he can emailed... Be posted and votes can not be cast off the face of the disembodied voice both. A lad of thirteen walking out across the field insects did not crawl there left! Laptop When I Read the name `` David Lang he talked to on 23rd September of 1880, near,! May know Martin ’ s brother-in-law, a local attorney were approaching the home Sumner... Mid step in the spot where Lang had vanished and called out to her father 's end! Disappearing in broad daylight that was witnessed by his wife, children, too startled realize! Of historic true crime solid ground, with no caves or sink.! 1996-2019 Garth Haslam, all of the Event end as the origin of the David Lang is one the!, on September 23, 1880, David Lang and others you know! Next day, all of the disembodied voice, both children ran screaming back to the house neighbors... How Lost was my father a hole in the middle of his field story Ambrose.