DARK DAY FOR A WEDDING

Our next portrait reveals, what may be, our most shocking and chilling tale in this gallery so far. It looks innocent enough: a handsome, smiling aristocratic young man, with raven-black hair and outfitted in a fine Victorian suit. Although you would not know it by just looking at him, this dashing gentleman was actually responsible for the deaths of three people - two of which he murdered in cold blood. It's a most gruesome tale of love, betrayal, frustration, and anguish, that is told within this one unassuming portrait. The story of William Gracey: The Murderous Master.

William Gracey:

The Murderous Master

(1886 - 1911)

William Gracey was born in 1886 to Marcus and Wilhelmina Gracey, a young wealthy couple in northern Virginia. At the age of only 32, Wilhelmina came down with a case of pneumonia and died when William was only 12, leaving Marcus the task of having to bring up and raise the young Master by himself. Marcus was the proprietor of the vast Gracey Shipbuilding Co., with locations in bustling ports such as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and New Orleans; this company was the basis of the Gracey family's wealth. Marcus would always take young William down to his company's main office in Richmond, and show the young lad around the buildings and warehouses. Needless to say, the Master grew up having an affinity for ships and the ocean.

With the family's fortune, Marcus sent William to only the finest and most exclusive boarding schools and colleges for the young man's education. He attended schools and universities in New York, Georgia (where he met the acquaintance of a young lovely woman named Lily Equipoes), and New Orleans (a city which would become very dear to the young man's heart).

At the age of 23, while away in school at New Orleans, the Master received word that his father had been extremely ill and passed away - leaving the entire family fortune and shipbuilding company to William. With his family's wealth, he purchased a regal estate in New Orleans and transported the company's main headquarters to the city - his new permanent home. Gracey continued operating his father's shipbuilding company, knowing well that his father had wanted him to oversee it.

With his new wealth, Master Gracey also became part of the aristocratic high society in New Orleans. Although, despite having more than enough wealth, the other socialites thought Gracey to be what they called the "nouveau-riche" - having the money, but spending it in extravagant ways. One decision the Master made that many found extremely unusual was the hiring of a middle-aged fortune-teller and spirit medium named Madame Leota as his advisor. One of his more unusual hobbies, William was intrigued by the idea of supernatural contact. He would sometimes conduct seances with Leota to summon local apparitions, but mostly he asked her for advice since it was believed the woman could see into the future with the help of the spirits.

One night at an autumn cotillion hosted by one of his socialite friends, Gracey was introduced to the beautiful young Annabelle Noridge - a lovely woman who came from a wealthy family that prospered from importing and exporting valuable possessions to Europe. The Master was completely captivated by the young woman's charm and beauty. After talking and dancing the rest of the night, the two instantly fell in love with each other. Master Gracey courted the young lady for many months, and then finally proposed to her. Annabelle was overjoyed and accepted Gracey's proposal.

Head-over-heels in love with his stunning fiancee, William proposed to build a magnificent mansion with his fortune. He purchased a large area of land at the edge of town for a surprisingly small amount (due to its location next to a graveyard that people believed to be haunted). Construction of the grand mansion then began; preparing the large structure to be ready a month before the wedding. Gracey spared no expense in creating the elaborate estate for him and his bride; opulent chambers such as portrait galleries, a library, conservatory, grand hall and ballroom, and even a seance parlor were built. The mansion was finished precisely on time, and the Master moved out of his estate and into the large manor.

But as the day of the wedding loomed closer, dark clouds would begin to form on the happy day. The night before the wedding, after all preparations for the ceremony and the reception were finished, William sat down to a seance conducted by Madame Leota. Leota told the Master of a grave vision she had received the night before: a death will occur on the day of the wedding. Master Gracey was deeply disturbed by the Madame's ominous prediction, but he would not let anything stop the joyous day that he had been waiting for. He argued with her, insisting that her prediction must be wrong, but Leota constantly retorted that a death would most certainly happen on the wedding day. Infuriated, he stormed out of the room and retired to his chamber for the rest of the night.

The next day, Gracey made sure that everything went perfectly. Family and friends of Gracey and Annabelle gathered in the mansion's grand hall waiting to head to the church, while William and Annabelle prepared for the ceremony in their separate chambers. Leota still insistently told the Master that he should cease the ceremony before something tragic occurs, but he wouldn't hear a word of it.

Everything was prepared, and Gracey headed downstairs to the grand hall to greet the guests and leave for the church. Yet, after more than half an hour, Annabelle had not yet arrived downstairs. William assured everyone that he would go and find her. He frantically searched the upstairs of the mansion, finding no sign of his beloved bride. Finally, hearing voices emitting from the stairs to the attic, the Master ascended up to the lofty storage area.

There behind some piles of junk, Gracey witnessed a young man adjusting Annabelle's veil and dress. Jealousy washed over the young Master and he confronted the gentleman; demanding furiously what he was doing up in the attic with his bride. The gentleman only stammered nervously, obviously frightened by Gracey. William kept on demanding an answer from the gentleman, but the man only continued to stammer. Convinced that he was some secret lover of Annabelle's, Master Gracey grabbed an axe discarded among the junk in a fit of jealous rage, and proceeded to lop off the man's head, with the severed head flying through the air and landing in an open hatbox.

Annabelle was in complete horror after watching this scene unfold. William kept trying to move closer to his fiancee to comfort her, but she just kept backing away apprehensively from her now murderous lover. The Master tried to explain to her, but Annabelle just continued to back away further from him and shouted "Get away from me!" However, what the young woman did not realize was that she had just backed herself to the attic window. Gracey once again moved closer, only to have Annabelle shout "Get away!" and turn around and start to run. However, having no idea she was against the window, she turned and crashed through the glass.

Horrified, Gracey rushed over to the broken window, and peered down to find Annabelle's body lying cold, dead, and twisted on the ground.

In a state of shock, Gracey stared at Annabelle's body in disbelief, and turned back around to view the decapitated man's corpse. As he glanced over the deceased man's body, William noticed a bag that the gentleman had been carrying. Stated in stylized letters across the bag were the words, "Royal Street Bridal Courier Services."

The Master was then overcome with the realization of his actions; he had just murdered an innocent man and caused the death of his fiancee. What was even more frightening was that this is what Leota had predicted - a death occurring on the day of his wedding.

Struck with fear and dread, Gracey dashed out of the attic, still carrying the blood-dripping axe, and ran into the seance parlor to find Leota. As the Master approached, the Madame seemed to be not in the least bit surprised to see him clutching the blade. William frantically told Leota what had just happened; and the woman only icily replied, "I know." She explained to him, that she see had seen it all in her vision: the murder of the courier and the death of Annabelle. Gracey could not believe what he had just heard; this medium he trusted had known all along that Annabelle would die on this day and did not tell him. He cursed and shouted at Leota about her withholding the knowledge of Annabelle's death.

William felt rage building up inside him. His hatred and frustration toward the Madame reached its peak; and he released it with one swift swing of the bloody axe toward the medium's throat. The sickening sound of Leota's body and head collapsing to the floor seemed to echo throughout the large chamber. Seeming to have awaken from a dream, the reality of what his hatred had committed almost shattered his mind. He dropped the axe to the floor with a deafening thud after looking over the former medium's body. That was now two; two innocent people he had just murdered.

Master Gracey wandered the mansion's halls in a daze, tormented by the fact that he murdered two people. He knew he would never be able to live with the guilt of what he had just committed. Heading into the grand hall, Gracey decided he would tell everyone what had just happened. But after entering the grand hall, before he could announce the dreadful news to everyone, he was told by some of his relatives that they received word that one of his closest friends, Lily Equipoes, had just died on the way to the wedding - devoured by crocodiles in a river that was less than a mere mile away from the mansion.

The Master couldn't believe what he had just heard: one of his closest and dearest friends had just perished on the way to his wedding. All he could now think of in his mind was that four people were dead: an innocent courier and his most trusted advisor which he both murdered; his fiancee now dead due to his murderous rage; and one of his closest friends who died gruesomely on the way to his wedding. Gracey left the hall and paced through the mansion, tormented by the fact that four people were now dead on what was supposed to be a joyous day. At that moment, he then realized that there was nothing left in this world to live for.

Grabbing a piece of rope, William proceeded up to the highest tower of the mansion, where he tied the rope to the rafters and fashioned a noose with it. Standing atop a chair, he slipped the makeshift noose tightly around his neck, and then kicked the chair away.

A very chilling and shocking tale, indeed. Young Master William Gracey was certainly a most rageful gentleman on the day of his wedding. However, some believe that the Master's grim actions were not made entirely on his own. Many have rumored to believe that some evil entity that was born when the house was built had possessed or driven the young man insane, which caused his murderous and vengeful rampage. We may never know the real truth behind the Master's grave decisions; but we shall always know the unfortunate events that took place on that one dark, gruesome day.

Next Chapter: VANITY IS AGELESS - the story of Miss April/December