Lost Film: The School for Sons-in Law (1897)

The School for Sons-in-Law is an 1897 French short silent film by Georges Méliès and released by his company Star Film Company. The film was inspired by a vaudeville by French Playwright Eugène Bertol-Graivil (Aka Eugène Domicent). It's presumed to be lost.

It was filmed in the garden of the Méliès family property in Montreuil-sous-Bois, France. It had painted scenery and many parts of the set were reused in other films. 

SOURCES:

IMDB

Wikipedia

Lost Films: Peeping Tome at the Seaside (1897)

Peeping Tom at the Seaside is a French short silent film released in 1897. It was directed by Georges Méliès and sold by his company Star Film Company. In its catalog, it is numbered 113. This film was considered one of a small group of risqué "mature subjects" or stag films. He had made several others at the time. This film is now considered lost. 

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

IMDB

Lost Media: New Pillow Fight (1897)

Siegmund Lubin 1913

New Pillow Fight or also titled Daughters' Pillow Fight is an American silent comedy film released in 1897. It was produced by Siegmund Lubin. The film showed 3 little girls having a pillow fight and feathers would end up flying all around. This is considered lost and not to be confused with Thomas Edison's Pillow Fight released the same year.

CAST:

• Emily Lowry
• Marguerite Sessler

SOURCES:

Wikipedia

IMDB

Library of Congress

END OF WATCH: Murder of Officer Pitt McClellan Doxsie

 On October 26, 1897, 34-year-old Patrolman Pitt McClellan Doxsie was patrolling on horseback in the downtown area of Independence, Iowa. He would stumble upon a burglary in progress. He would get into a gunfight with the two thieves. He would be shot and killed, his body would be discovered in an alley.

His case will remain unsolved. 

SOURCES:

Iowa Cold Cases

Officer Down Memorial Page

The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

The 1897 Aurora, Texas UFO

On April 17, 1897, around 6 a.m. early risers in Aurora, Texas were surprised by the sight of something crashing from the sky. The UFO was seen flying over the town and was only going twelve or ten miles per hour. It slowly started descending as if there was something was wrong with the machinery. It eventually hit Judge Proctors windmill in the north of town.

There were pieces of destruction for several acres. The windmill was demolished, the UFO was also demolished, and the judge's flower garden and water tank were destroyed from the crash.  

The only casualty was the lonely pilot of the ship. Even though he was badly mutilated it was obvious that he was not of this world. There were also papers from the wreckage in an unknown language that was similar to hieroglyphics. 

The next day they gave the spaceman they assumed to have been from Mars an Earthly funeral.

In the Aurora Cemetery the body of the "pilot" they then named Ned. In 1972 scientists wanted to dig up the body and investigate. The cemetery association blocked their requests because only the next of kin are allowed to give permission to exhumations. Even though there was no known next of kin or if Ned was a spaceman or even a poor animal casualty of the supposed crash. At this same time, the grave marker was stolen.

It's believed that the whole event may have been a hoax by the townspeople. They had previously had many tragedies happen in the town. The cotton fields were destroyed by a boll weevil infestation, a fire on the west side destroyed some building and killing some people, and a spotted fever that caused some to be quarantined. It didn't help that the railroad was 27 miles from Aurora. So it's possible that in threat of dying out caused the townspeople to create a hoax that would attract many to their small town.

SOURCES:
Wikipedia
Texas Hill Country
Roadside America
Mutual UFO Network
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Aurora Texas