The Unexplained

The Alverez family of Ft. Worth, Texas in 1936 on the 100th anniversary had traveled to The Alamo, where during a great Mexican victory in 1836 their ancestor Juan Alverez had been killed. Family history having documented exact place where their brave ancestor had fallen; they had designed the period clothing worn in the photograph. The photos were given to a Ft. Worth photography shop to be developed and placed in an album. They were delighted with that album…until they got to the last shocking photo on the album’s last page!

The deeply religious/superstitious female member of Alverez family who had planned the event, was so panicked by that last bedeviled image she had wildly torn at photos of herself and brother, and thrown the “cursed” album in the trash! The album had secretly been recovered by younger Alverez relative from whom I had acquired these surviving photos in 1971.

The incredible, unexplainable image is what caused the frantic reaction of the Alverez family! The relative from whom I acquired this haunting photo of ghostly Caucasian man in dirty, worn buckskin standing behind Alverez family members, assured me that they had only taken photos that day in 1936 of Mexican family members! Added mystery of this photo which might be explained as photo overlay mistake, experts on camera use pointed out the in focus buckskinned image (with an unfriendly disposition) being so much larger than all other photos of an identical focal distance?

The next bit of information I received from Alverez relative is as mysterious as the photo itself! When I told Mr Alverez it was good that he had stapled the rare photo in protective plastic; he had told me he had done it more to protect himself than the photo! He had explained to me he was fascinated, but not superstitious about the photo until one night showing the photo, he had heard a voice say “Sorry has killed” or “Sorry he’s killed”? Later he had learned all Tennesseans with Crockett who had died at Alamo were wearing buckskin like man in photo; he had been reading a list of their names and when he read name “Charles Heiskell,” he had heard the voice again, but this time it wasn’t words. Was this the identification of  the ghostly figure in the mysterious Alamo photo?