TAKE A BREAK
The Hair- Cutting Intruder Who Terrorized a Town
CARDINAL COOKIES FROSTY GINGERBREAD GIFTS MENORAH MITTENS PEPPERMINT PINECONES SAGITTARIUS SNOWBALL YULE
The Disturbing Tale of the Phantom Barber
Few things in life are scarier than knowing someone has broken into your home. In an instant, your sanctuary has been violated, and you worry about a return appearance in which they could steal from you or even harm you. During the early 1940s, the community in Pascagoula, Mississippi, was terrorized by a mysterious home intruder who was not after the wealth or health of the locals. Instead, this person was after something we always keep close to us. In mid-June 1942, 11-year-old Mary Evelyn Briggs and 12-year- old Edna Marie Hydel were sound asleep in their room within the Our Lady of Victories convent. Mary Evelyn woke up to a nightmarish sight. “I saw the figure of a kinda short, fat man bending over me with something shiny in his hand, and he was fooling with my hair. When he saw me open my eyes, he said, ‘Shhh.’ I yelled, and he jumped out the window,” stated Mary Evelyn. Although the two girls were unharmed, Mary Evelyn started the next morning with fewer inches of hair. Shortly after, 6-year-old Carol Peattie woke up to find somebody had chopped her hair while she slept. The only evidence left behind was a cut screen window and a sandy footprint. Before the end of June, an adult fell victim to the phantom barber while she slept beside her husband. During this time, the suspicion that the barber was using chloroform to keep his victims still started to spread. Local businesses and law enforcement offered a reward of $400 (about $8,000 today) for information that would lead to the “barber’s” arrest. Earlier in the month, an intruder with a lead pipe had attacked a couple in their home. Police theorized the barber was behind the attack, giving them a serious crime to work with. They would go on to arrest 57-year-old William A. Dolan, an individual the community detested due to his pro-German views. He stood trial, was found guilty, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He maintained his innocence throughout his life and was released early after passing a lie detector test.
Classic Italian Tiramisu
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus more for dusting • 1 cup brewed espresso • 1 tbsp vanilla extract • 5 large egg yolks, cold • 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt • 16 oz mascarpone cheese, chilled • 1 3/4 cups heavy cream, chilled • 28 hard ladyfinger cookies
Directions 1. In a bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, espresso, and vanilla and set aside. 2. In a mixer, beat egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes. 3. Add salt and mascarpone cheese, and continue to whip. 4. Add the chilled heavy cream and continue to whip until light and smooth. 5. Dunk each ladyfinger in the espresso mixture to absorb the liquid and line a 7x11-inch oval baking dish with the cookies. 6. Top the first layer of cookies with half the whipped mascarpone mixture and spread it into an even layer. Dust with cocoa powder. 7. Repeat for another layer and then finish by dusting with cocoa powder on top. 8. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before serving.
The Phantom Barber effectively disappeared after Dolan’s arrest, never to silently cut the hair of unsuspecting people again.
Inspired by WhatsGabyCooking.com
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