The following is a chapter from a historical novella that chronicles real world events. It is the result of nearly 4 years of research and hard work. Some of the names have been changed
Chapter 5: 1937 (I)
A stranger arrived at Dionysus’ doors in the cold winter of January 1937. This mysterious individual would become the key figure of Adam Curtis’ 1974 book, Ariadne. Curtis conducted extensive interviews with the inhabitants of Gare from 1963 to 1971. Including Officer Joseph (Joe) Murphy the man that first found Peter O’Keefe and conducted the investigation of the events of September 18th 1937
“I first heard about her or him from Patrick (Abbott). He said the most beautiful woman he had ever seen walked into Dionysus’ on Saturday. He says she is tall, red hair with freckles, can’t keep his eyes off her. Starts getting worried Lisa (Morrison) going to notice but he can’t stop. He looks over at Lisa and she is eyeing the same woman. Latter they at home and he brings it up. Asks his wife if she knows who the woman was? Lisa replies, what woman. So Patrick says the ten out of ten red head. Lisa says the guy. Patrick says no, the woman. Lisa swears she saw the hottest man that night but no woman” Joe Murphy interview from 1964 (Ariadne)
The stranger had caught the eye of more than just the Abbotts. Soon the town of Gare was buzzing with gossip of a handsome or beautiful stranger that had appeared at Dionysus’.
“You got to know Gare is a small town. Everyone knows everyone and people going to talk. Crazy thing is no body can agree on what this person looks like. Mary down at the post office says it’s a bald African man. Alex says it’s a native woman. Paul claims he saw a blonde. It goes on like this for weeks” Joe Murphy interview from 1964 (Ariadne)
The stranger had captivated the imagination of most of the people of Gare. Some begin to claim that the stranger may have been a shape-shifting spirit or witch. The attendances at Dionysus’ increases as people gather in the hope of catching a glimpse of the stranger. Allegedly the Prairie Pirates write a song about the stranger called “Puca”. However not all took the appearance of the stranger as something to take lightly
“My mom knew that it was a bad omen the moment she heard the story. Our people have shared stories about Gare for generations. We grew up being told that it was a cursed place that nothing was supposed to grow there. I was about twelve when I first heard about the Byrne family. A kid I knew from town told me what happened to them and so I asked my mom. She just looked at me and said they let a stranger in” Noya (Oceti Sakowin); interview from 1967 (Ariadne)
Over the next four months the myth of the stranger became old news. The attendance at Dionysus’ reduced and life went on. The town had almost completely forgotten about the Puca when on the night of June 5th 1937 a stranger arrived at Dionysus’ doors.
“The band was half way through their set-list so it should have been around eight. I was sitting with Lenny (Baker) and Ray (Martin). Jesus I miss those guys, sorry it’s still hard for me. So we were sitting there and I see this woman walk in; pale, short black hair wearing a green dress. The other guys all turn to look at her and that’s when I realize that maybe this is the Puca. We all just silently watch as she heads for the dance floor and all the people move out her way. She starts dancing and I can’t explain it. The only thing I can say is it felt like the first time I saw my son.” Samuel Phillips, interview from 1964 (Ariadne)
The creature or individual danced alone for several minutes as all the patrons of Dionysus’ watched in silence. Some claim that Prairie Pirates played the most beautiful song in the world that night, but they can’t remember the tune. Samuel Phillips claims that he was moved to tears and that by the end of the performance most of the audience was too. Then without a word the stranger walked out of Dionysus’ into the night. However Peter O’Keefe limped after the stranger to the astonishment of all in attendance
“….maybe I should have tried harder to stop him. He (Peter O’Keefe) had been acting strange the past couple of weeks. I just assumed he was back on the morphine. Paul told me later in the hospital that Peter had been saying that maybe the Puca could fix him, fix his leg. I screamed for him not to go after it, so did Paul and Alex. But he was out the door before the words hit the floor” Elizabeth Palmer (Paul O’Keefe’s girlfriend at the time) interview from 1970 (Ariadne)
We may never know what happened to Peter O’Keefe that night. Regardless the man suffered life altering injuries. The medical report would state that both of Peter’s had suffered a double Enucleation. While stable he was unresponsive to all external stimuli. He was effectively brain dead and blind for life. The first person to fined Peter was Officer Murphy who had stopped at the only gas station in town to fill up his car.
Joe Murphy: I remember hearing this terrible scream. But it didn’t sound human, it was animalistic, primal. I told the other people at the gas station to either get inside or their cars and walked towards were it came from. It took me about three minutes to get to the crossroad
Adam Curtis: Crossroad?
Joe Murphy: The main road into Gare and the train tracks cross each other just a little out of town. That’s where I found Peter O’Keefe. He was lying face down in the middle of the road. I called out to him but he didn’t respond. I knew he had a drug problem so thought he was high. I flipped him over and that’s when I saw he had no eyes. Can we take a break?
Adam Curtis: Sure, take your time
Joe Murphy: So I find Peter and he doesn’t have his eyes. But there isn’t any blood. They are just gone. He got two holes in his face and he has this smile on his face; ear to ear. I try wake him up but nothing, I actually start thinking he is dead so I check for a pulse. He is alive but not responding to anything. I pick him up and take him to my car. Drive to the hospital. All the while he got that smile on his face like it’s his birthday
Interview from 1964, (Ariadne)