The President's Vampire: Strange-but-True Tales of the United States of America

by Robert Damon Schneck

THE PRESIDENT'S VAMPIRE is proof positive that an inordinate number of very strange things happen from sea to shining sea in the place known as the United States of America. It contains scrupulously documented accounts of ghosts, monsters, murderers, and hoaxes so improbable they will fascinate believers, skeptics, and anyone interested in the more obscure corners of American history and culture. "Robert Schneck is one of the best of a new breed of investigators into the relatively unknown byways of our cultural history. Because he is thoroughly familiar with his subject, writes with deceptive ease and a clarity that both amuses and educates, and because he never forgets that at the heart of even the strangest or most frightening of mysteries there are real human beings with a story to tell, I recommend him as a trusted guide." - Bob Rickard, Fortean Times Robert Damon Schneck is a freelance writer and contributor to Fortean Times, Fate, and other magazines. Friends describe him as a "loveable, nocturnal, monomaniac."

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Folklore, Paranormal, Vampires, Horror, American History

232 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2005

Reviews

[Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A moderately interesting handful of odd and mysterious stories collected from three hundred so years of American history. Ranging from purely mysterious (the chapter on "The Lost Boys," five teenagers who disappeared without a trace from Newark, NJ in 1978) to the purely paranormal, (the creepy story of "The Bridge to Body Island," in which a group of friends in Wisconsin experiment with divination only to attract the awareness of the sinister "Bye-Bye Man"). Robert Schneck, the editor, approaches each story with both skepticism and open-mindedness, researching them and analyzing their historical background; this can lead to some very different feeling entries.

The title chapter, for instance, explores the rather dry background of the "president's vampire," mentioned in a series of sensationalistic newspaper articles from the 1890s painting a picture of a nautical vampire pardoned by President Johnson himself but is really the tragic tale of a sailor who murdered a man in self defense and was imprisoned for life. In contrast, The Bridge to Body Island has very little in the way of verifiable facts and is more a personal anecdote that feels a lot more like horror literature than anything that could happen in reality, complete with a blind psychic albino hobo serial killer who carries a "Sack of Gore" and commands a creature made of tongues called Gloomsinger. The longest chapter, this story was some creepy stuff but Schneck's long analysis and discussion into the social-psychic nature of its origins had some intriguing material but goes on a bit too long for what seems like a spooky campfire story. Still, The President's Vampire is a quick read that has some good atmosphere and some interesting facts for around Halloween.

[Peter Landau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Damon Schneck is the lovechild of Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, without the alien DNA (I think). He has devoted his life to a pursuit of the paranormal. but with the practical eye of the research scientist. In his first book, THE PRESIDENT’S VAMPIRE: STRANGE-BUT-TRUE TALES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA he places himself within the same lineage as other historians of the untold history of our country. Chasing down the facts of vampirism, ghosts and gods, he never finds definitive proof of their existence, and always ends up with more questions than answers. Whether you care for the supernatural or not, what Schneck has done is document an alternative history, a social Rorschach test, that captures the psychological dimension of events and adds viscera to hollow history. This is how people thought and still think, and it's more truthful and insightful than mythologizing about cherry trees and rugged individualism. (Extra Bonus: The last story in the book was turned into the horror movie THE BYE-BYE MAN, but Schneck’s version is more chilling. Extra-Extra Bonus: My interview with the author on the publication of his second book, MRS. WAKEMAN VS. THE ANTICHRIST: http://www.bookslut.com/features/2014...)

[Maggie Walsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book did not live up to my expectations. I believe I found it in the fiction section of a local bookstore. The title made me think it was along the lines of an alternative history similar to the one where Abraham Lincoln is a vampire hunter (I haven't read that one, but it has to be better than this book). I thought it was going to be this cool story where a vampire is working for the President, perhaps as an assassin or spy. Instead, I got a compendium of obscure regional tales that the author seems to posit are true.

I do applaud the author for his research and citations of primary sources and first person accounts on occasion. But he seemed all over the place. A few of the chapters tried to bundle together thematically similar incidents: towns harassed by outsiders/apparitions or a lone thin man who leaped across buildings a la Spring-Heeled Jack. The title chapter focused on James Brown, who was supposedly a vampire but was probably just a sailor convicted of murder.

Of the seven chapters I read (I skipped the last one plus all the back matter), the one I found most interesting was the one titled "One Little Indian". Looking back on it, I think the title a bit derogatory and too much tongue in cheek. But the story of the Pedro Mountain mummy, the topic of the chapter, was interesting, particularly the scientific examination and determining if this was a pygmy or an infant with a birth defect. Like all of the tales, I wonder how much is true and how much just a tale spun on a slow news day.

Others may like the tales, but I feel like it was not for me and not worth the read.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not quite sure what to make of this book. At times it seems like a light-hearted collection of oddities yet at others times seemed as if it attempted to be a research paper. In addition, it seemed to point at proof of the weird in the world and at other times a book on debunking. It was all of these things, yet none at all. There were a few interesting parts like the phantom of Baltimore and Pedro, but the story of "The President's Vampire" was weak at best, and the Bye-bye Man story seemed all together disjointed and pointless. Referring to the former, the title of "President's Vampire" given to the supposed murderer is misleading. It's equivalent to calling me "Michael Jordan's Lounge Singer" because I happen to perform karaoke once in the same bar that he and his entourage were having some drinks.

All in all, it was an average read if you're into this kinds of pseudo-paranormal topics.
-m

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting collection of historical oddities, some creepy, some not-so-much. It's engagingly written, and shines light on some interesting sidenotes to history that I hadn't heard much about. The final chapter, "The Bye-Bye Man" is much more horrific than any of the other chapters, and was actually used as the basis for a horror movie. (That I have not seen, FYI.)

[Carey Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. It's a collection of odd historical happenings in the USA. If you are into folklore, odd history, or puzzles you will probably like it. In my early teens I found a couple of old Frank Edwards books, "Stranger than Science," and "Strangest of All". That was my introduction to this kind of thing. I read and reread those books, but it's been years. I ran across this, although it was retitled as the "Bye Bye Man: Strange-but-True Tales of the United States of America", in a used book store and had been wanting to read it. It was similar to the Frank Edwards books, although the chapters seemed a bit longer and more in depth, as well as a bit less sensationalistic. Probably a reflection of the change in time. I enjoyed it. Have to go back to the bookstore and see what else may be lurking.

[Lydia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mostly silly. I guess this guy did a lot of research and contacting historical societies and tracking down sources but mostly it is fluff. I read for "the Bye Bye Man," which is also the only nonsourced story in the book (a personal anecdote from a friend), and it reads like bad folklore analysis.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Last third of the book was painful. The author took a single story told by a friend and tries to produce evidence of its truth. It felt out of place in a book that was otherwise retellings of unique folklore.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had a collection of mythical tales from America. I appreciated the author trying to include stories that were not well known, but the writing was repetitive and there were a lot of obvious editing mistakes.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the different approach to "weird tales", but most of the stories weren't too terribly interesting. I read the book mainly for "The Bridge to Body Island".

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird and strange stories from American history. This was really fun to read.

[S. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the past, I have often found that many books and anthologies on unexplained phenomena and bizarre events are either sensationalized accounts with vague descriptions and no concrete details, or dry and inspirational regurgitation of other source materials with more footnotes than original material. So it was with great pleasure that I discovered Robert Damon Schneck's book The President's Vampire.

Schneck's approach is far from exploitational. His attention to detail and devotion to searching out the truth behind the sensational and unverified leaves no doubt to the author's curiosity or credibility. Exhaustive and well-documented historical research is devoted to every subject, even when possibly debunking an even more remarkable aspect to a story. But neither is his writing boring or overly-clinical. Schneck's academic yet personal approach to his subject matter does not hide an almost uncontainable passion for the unusual and unexplained phenomena he writes about, and more importantly, it does not detract from how fun and compelling his writing is.

Most chilling and disturbing is the final chapter, Bridge to Body Island, an examination of a friend's recollected close call with a supernatural bogeyman. Many authors would present the tale on its own with perhaps a few embellishments for dramatic effect. Schneck, however, tells the story (which is genuinely creepy and unsettling) and then proceeds to examine the possible explanations for the events that took place, including research into possible real-world connections. His historical and scholarly comparisons and explanations are as captivating as the story itself, and do nothing to prevent readers who have used a Ouija board in the past from losing sleep.

That is where Schneck's approach to such Fortean tales as God Machines and Presidential Pardons for Vampires is a step above other authors in the field. He might not hold a flashlight under his face while leaning over the campfire to tell a spooky story, but that is because more often than not, the facts are far more disturbing. Robert Schneck delivers them, and thankfully so.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book reads like a history book debunking various folktales until the last chapter when it talks about Ouija boards and a strange experience the author had. I actually believe in spirits and won't have anything to do with them so I skimmed through the chapter and it freaked me out enough I can't read it.

I liked the rest of the book because it helped me understand the history of Spiritualism. One of my grandmothers and one of my great grandmothers believed in and practiced Spiritualism so it was nice to understand them a little better.

I also liked the colonial history and recognized the names of Cotton Mather and others before the witch trials of Salem. It is easier to understand the witch mania when you realize they'd had supernatural attacks before.

[Ian Callahan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the best 'strange-but-true' book I've read. I used to read, and re-read, them as a kid. 'Vampire' is a more substantial, thoughtful take on the genre, even if the analytical parts of the book come off as a little silly at times. I am a skeptic, and there's nothing here that even comes close to changing my mind, but there are some genuinely creepy tales that bring out interesting (and factual) historical details.

[David]

This book was mentioned in an interview with the author of Blood Oath. "According to an obscure newspaper clipping, President Andrew Johnson — the man who followed Lincoln into the White House — pardoned a sailor accused of killing two crew mates and drinking their blood in 1867."

[Ken · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why isn't this kind of book ever any good?

Anyway: Collection of folk tales, mostly debunked by the author. Also, a long and stupid account of his friends' Halloween party story about screwing around with a Ouija board.

What I learned: These books are always lame, unless they were written by Charles Fort.

[Brad Theado · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was so boring, i dreaded reading it. I really only started it because of the President's Vampire chapter. The rest were claims of supernatural occurrences that just seemed like trumped up local legends.

[Elyse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's non-fiction maybe it's fiction - who knows. Most of the stories seem plausible and the author has a healthy skepticism about his subjects - except for the last entry. But it WAS spooky - Ouija boards give me the creeps.

[Mindy Houston · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was actually a difficult read. I appreciate what the author was trying to do, but each section was it's own beast, without a joining theme other than 'strange-but-true'. Or implausible. However, good idea fodder for other authors, so I thank him for that!

[Casey Danielson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the Bye-bye Man story alone in a big old brownstone in the middle of the day and had to invite someone over because I was so freaked out. The rest of the book was less potent.

[April (The Steadfast Reader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

While you could tell this book was meticulously researched, the writing and stories themselves failed to 'pop' for me.

[Jenn Baggett · Rating 1 out of 5]

i actually never finished it. just couldn't. maybe one day.

[Melissa Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun summer read for vampire lovers...

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as vampire books go, this one is not my favorite, but is still worth a read.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun quick read. This is clear proof that some of the "truth" of American history is stranger than fiction. The story about Body Island is downright creepy.

[Joyce Tisaj · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was more of a science experiment gone bad than a vampire story. I did enjoy it. It's a good read.

[Samantha Gramer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book, well written and informative, learned stuff about my own state

[Rita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting take on a vampire theme. Looking forward to the next one.

[Jung]

The Bye Bye Man based on the chapter "The Bridge To Body Island"