They say time stops for no one…
But what if—just what if—it actually does?
From eerie deaths to strange protests, these are 6 Weird and Chilling Accounts of Stopped Watches.
1. Watch Stop at Moment of Mother’s Death
These were once very common stories where a watch would stop when a loved one dies. We find these stories in newspaper accounts and in fictional stories. However, in 1915 we read that:
“Samuel Black’s watch stopped at exact moment his mother died in Franklin, Pa.”
Source: The Day Book. Chicago, Ill., 17 June 1915.
2. Dead Wife, Dead Watch
A different incident, reported in 1907, tells us that a husband’s watch stopped at the moment his wife ended her life with a bullet to the head.
Source: The Times Dispatch. Richmond, Va., 01 Feb. 1907.
3. A Drowning
Then, in 1922, it was reported that a man, fishing in a river near him home, drowned. Men were sent out to search for him and they found his body. The man’s watch had stopped in the water, and showed that the tragedy had taken place a little before noon.
Source: Grant County Herald. Lancaster, Wis., 02 Aug. 1922.
4. Train Wreck
In 1928, a train crashed into a derailed freight in West Virginia. A fireman and an engineer were killed in the crash.
According to a survivor who was traveling in the club car, the accident took place a little after 8 p.m. The impact of the collision had stopped the man’s watch.
Source: The Washington Times. Washington [D.C., 26 Nov. 1928.
5. Tampered With Evidence
In November of 1935, the body of a young Maryland woman was found murdered. The story was an instant news sensation as many witnesses believed they saw a car driving away from the young woman’s home and then, days later, her garroted body was found.
But what does this have to do with stopped watches?
Well, the victim’s watch had been discovered trampled in the mud near her body. The perso who found the watch said the watch stopped at 9:05, but then the finder wound the watch and it continued to work for another 15 minutes. The watch was then handed over to the police, but the two different times caused discrepancies in the theories surrounding the crime, and created confusion in the media.
Source: Evening Star. Washington, D.C., 23 Nov. 1935.
6. Ankle Watch Abomination
And finally, in 1915, an Alaskan senator let his watch run down in protest again women wearing ankle watches and shorter skirts.
He said that letting his watch run down was the only way he could show his utter disgust at the idea of carrying a time piece on a female ankle.
Source: The Seward Gateway. Seward, Alaska, 05 Nov. 1915.
