Hey everyone, welcome to Seneca Lake Mysteries,
the podcast where we explore the unusual, strange,
and unexplained on New York's largest finger
lake. I'm glad you're here. Thanks for listening
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emailing podcast at SenecaLakeMysteries .com
or leaving a voicemail at 607 - 307 -1167. So
this time around, I've got a couple of cool Seneca
Lake monster stories from back in the day. One
that you may have heard before if you've done
any digging into the legend, as well as another
story that you probably haven't heard about a
prominent and highly esteemed Seneca Lake area
citizen's connection to the Seneca Lake serpent
story. Also for this episode, I'll be covering
a very different sort of topic compared to what
I've been talking about in the first 11 episodes.
Now, back in episode one, I talked about how
the name of the podcast, Seneca Lake Mysteries,
might confuse some people into thinking it's
a true crime podcast, a genre that's hugely popular
right now on podcasts, TV shows, documentaries.
So over the years, I've definitely come across
some crazy true crime stories, unsolved murders,
mysterious deaths, things of that nature. But
you won't hear those stories on this podcast
because I really don't think they fit into the
whole vibe of Seneca Lake Mysteries. I just don't
feel like stories of violent deaths or murders
or whatever are the kind of thing I'm going for.
However... I did come across a couple of stories
from the history of Seneca Lake that are maybe
technically true crime stories, but the victims
of these crimes weren't killed or maimed, and
the stories aren't that dark or tragic. But I
do think these stories are just plain weird,
and I think some of you might find them as interesting
as I do. So for this episode, I'll be diving
into two different stories of people who fake
their own deaths. on Seneca Lake back in the
mid -20th century. And even though they happened
many years ago, there are still lingering questions
about each case, which I still find pretty fascinating.
But before we get to those stories, I'm going
to start right here in 2025 with a couple of
strange reports in Watkins Glen and Burdette
that took place just a few weeks ago. A pair
of UFO sightings happened. during the last week
of July 2025 near Seneca Lake. The first sighting
was of an orb that changed shape and color. It
was recorded on video by a witness in Burdette
on Friday the 25th at 10 .14 p .m., while the
second sighting prompted a call to the Schuyler
County Sheriff's Department, who reportedly followed
the unidentified aerial object or objects starting
in Watkins Glen. towards the direction of Reading
on Tuesday, the 29th of July, around 4 a .m.
So the first July sighting in Burdette on the
25th was reported by an anonymous witness to
Enigma Labs. That's an app and also a website
where UFO witnesses can submit reports and stories
and users can receive real -time alerts when
there are new reports. I'll put a link in the
description. to the site and this specific report.
And you can also find the app for Android or
Apple by searching Enigma UFO Sightings and Reports.
So the witness left the following brief description
on the app along with a video. Quote, just got
home in our driveway. We saw a light moving in
the sky. I grabbed my phone to video. I didn't
realize until I was reviewing the video, it looked
like it was rotating, changing shape and colors.
My wife was also present, end quote. So in the
23 second video, the object, which is moving
steadily across the sky, first appears whitish
blue. The object then appears to change shape,
becoming larger while looking like it's rotating.
and changing color. The light seems to grow smaller
at some point while continuing to change color
with shades of blue and purple and pink before
it disappears behind the rooftop of a nearby
house. It does not look anything like a plane,
drone, or Chinese lantern to me. And you can
also go to the Seneca Lake Mysteries YouTube
page. to see the video along with a zoomed -in
version of the video that I made. And, of course,
orbs have been seen in the skies over and around
Seneca Lake for the last 70 years or so. So another
sighting in 2025, while rare, certainly isn't
unusual for this region. Now, the next sighting
took place on July 29th. On July 30th, a Facebook
user posted the following in a local Facebook
group. Anyone have any info on a possible UFO
sighting at 4 a .m. on Ellison Road outside of
Watkins Glen in early morning 7 -29 -25? Sheriff
was dispatched to check it out. Then another
person asked for more information and this Facebook
user provided the... following clarification.
I was told by somebody that they heard it on
the scanner as deputies were dispatched to check
it out. Apparently they followed a light or lights
north towards Redding. I was hoping to hear more
info. That's why I put it out there. I'd like
to hear from whoever called it in at 4 a .m.
Then several commenters replied and confirmed
that they had heard the same report on the scanner
with one person stating that the responding deputy
had to ask dispatch to repeat the message. Another
user from Watkins Glen stated, I've seen many
since December 2024. So although there's no other
information on this report, and it quite possibly
could have a prosaic explanation like a drone
or a meteor. It's worth noting that this specific
area along the southwest side of Seneca Lake
has seen many UFO reports over the years, particularly
during the 1968 UFO flap that I covered in Episode
2 of the podcast. And one of those sightings
in December of 1968 took place very close to
Ellison Road near Mud Lake Road, the site of
this. that was reported on Facebook a few weeks
ago. So if anyone has any information about these
recent sightings or if you've seen any unusual
or unexplained objects in the sky near Seneca
Lake, I'd love to hear from you. Call 607 -307
-1167 to leave a voicemail or you can send me
an email to podcast at SenecaLakeMysteries .com.
So thanks again for listening and let's get to
it. So we live in a time in history when the
idea of faking your own death and building a
new life somewhere else sounds virtually impossible.
From cell phone data to camera surveillance everywhere
to GPS tracking to high -tech ID cards were all
in the system. And it's incredibly difficult
to completely avoid detection. And this is why
I find stories of people who fake their own deaths
pretty interesting. Even 40 or 50 years ago,
making the decision to disappear was actually
doable. And if you go back a few decades earlier,
it was even more possible. Now, Seneca Lake means
many things to people. One person might look
at Seneca Lake and think, that would be a great
place to go boating. Another person might think,
this is a beautiful example of natural beauty
and an extraordinary ecosystem. Someone else
might think, that's a perfect spot to do some
fishing. But it also turns out that there have
been people who've seen Seneca Lake and said,
this would be an ideal location to fake my own
death and leave my life and my problems behind.
So here are a couple of stories about men who
did just that. They faked their own deaths by
supposedly drowning in Seneca Lake with mixed
results. So we'll start back in June of 1940.
36 -year -old Frederick Campbell had his hands
full. Several months earlier, he had moved to
Geneva, New York. moved from Geneva, New York
to Waterloo, New York with his wife and six children
who ranged from ages 6 to 14 years. Now prior
to living in Geneva, Frederick and his family
had lived in the Boston area. He worked as a
claim adjuster for a company called Consolidated
Motor Lines in Border City. Then he got the news
that due to a change in management or ownership
at the company, He was going to be transferred
to the company's location in New Haven, Connecticut,
forcing him to move his large family a long distance
once again. Frederick then took a week -long
leave of absence before his move to New Haven,
during which he would take a planned fishing
trip to Seneca Lake. But Frederick Campbell actually
wasn't just planning to go fishing. Whether he
was overwhelmed with his job or his household
full of six kids or something else, Frederick
wanted out, so he came up with a plan. On Wednesday,
June 12, 1940, Frederick left his home on Swift
Street in Waterloo and headed for Pontius Point
on Seneca Lake in Romulus. He stopped at a nearby
livery and rented a rowboat for the next morning.
At 6 a .m. on Thursday, June 13th, Campbell took
the boat out onto Seneca Lake. He apparently
spent a long time on the lake because he was
seen fishing from the rowboat by a nearby resident
who lived on the shore there at around 10 p .m.
on Thursday night. Then the next morning, Friday,
June 14th, the empty rowboat was found washed
ashore. There was no trace of Frederick Campbell
in the boat except for his fishing license button
and a tackle box. One oar was in the boat, but
the other was eventually found about a quarter
of a mile away. Nearby, Frederick Campbell's
car, his locked car, was found. It was opened
by a state police sergeant, and inside they found
Frederick's hat and his briefcase. So a search
team was assembled. That same day, and they began
working to locate the apparent drowning victim.
State police, the Sheriff's Department, Seneca
County Game Protectors, and residents along the
east shore of Seneca Lake used powerboats to
drag the area around where the rowboat was found.
On the second day, Saturday, the weather took
a turn and rough waters on the lake hampered
the search, which was temporarily halted. But
then the search continued all day on Sunday until
after dark, but there was still no sign of Frederick
Campbell. However, many of the longtime residents
of Seneca Lake believed that Campbell's body
wasn't in the lake. And rumors started spreading.
Speculation was rampant that Campbell hadn't
actually drowned. So the search of the lake was
ended after three days. and local news reports
said he was presumed dead. But the authorities
didn't stop looking into Frederick Campbell's
life. They suspected that Campbell had faked
his own suicide, and the Bureau of Criminal Investigation
continued working on the theory that Campbell
was still alive. And about four months later,
Frederick Campbell was found. He was arrested
by the Youngstown Police Department on October
9th, 1940, in Youngstown, Ohio. It's not clear
how he was found or why he was in Youngstown,
but it's likely that Campbell had ties to the
Youngstown area and authorities in New York State
had notified the police in Ohio. In any case,
Frederick Campbell was apprehended and held on...
$2 ,500 bail pending a hearing on October 22nd
in Youngstown when he was expected to be extradited
to New York State if he refused to go back on
his own volition. However, Frederick Campbell
volunteered to return to New York State and face
the music, so he was taken from Youngstown and
delivered to Waterloo and arrived on October
22nd, where he was promptly arrested and jailed
on the charge of abandonment. Campbell stayed
in the Waterloo Jail for almost four months until
his arraignment before the judge on February
18th, 1941. When he showed up in court, Frederick
Campbell pled guilty to abandonment and the judge
sentenced him to probation. although it's unclear
how long the probation lasted. One of the provisions
of the probation was that Campbell could not
leave New York State. The judge also ordered
Campbell to provide for his children and admonished
him for abandoning his family. And if Campbell
violated any provisions of his probation, he
would be immediately returned to the court to
be sentenced on the charge of abandonment. So
I was unable to find any further information
about Frederick Campbell and his family from
that point forward. So I'd assume that he completed
his probation successfully. And it can probably
be assumed that he was just overwhelmed with
his career and family and moving all the time
and just kind of wanted to hit the reset button
on his life. But there are still questions about...
How he did it on the night he disappeared and
abandoned his robo and his car. Where did he
go? How did he leave the area? Was he on foot?
How did he get all the way to Youngstown? And
did he have any help? So, although Frederick
Campbell didn't get away with faking his own
death, there would be another man who appeared
to have fooled everyone, at least for a while.
So back in the summer of 1957, 30 -year -old
Harry Brubaker was a restaurant owner in Endicott,
New York, which is outside of Binghamton and
about a 70 -mile drive to Seneca Lake. Originally
from the Pittsburgh area, Harry had a wife, Eleanor,
and an 11 -year -old son, and they lived on a
farm they owned. Although Harry's business, the
Blue Star Restaurant, was successful, something
was wrong. Harry Brubaker was dealing with some
type of stress, and apparently the stress was
so overwhelming that he came up with a plan,
a way out of his situation. It's unknown if Harry's
wife Eleanor or anyone else was aware of his
plan because the details in old newspapers are
scant, but let's start with what we know. On
Friday, August 9th, 1957, Harry Brubaker walked
into McLary General Insurance Company in Endicott
and met with insurance agent Harry Stabler. Brubaker
purchased a 17 -day, $15 ,000 insurance policy
for $10 .75. Mr. Stabler, the insurance agent,
would later say that it wasn't uncommon for people
to purchase short -term insurance policies when
they were going on fishing trips, which was the
apparent reason for Mr. Brubaker's purchase.
However, Mr. Stabler said that normally people
buying a short -term policy for a fishing trip
would only get $5 ,000 worth of coverage, but
Brubaker's policy was for $15 ,000, which would
be the equivalent of roughly $172 ,000 today.
Eight days later, on the evening of Saturday,
August 17th, Harry Brubaker left on that fishing
trip with his friend from Endicott, a man named
Glenwood Colley. The two men planned to get to
Seneca Lake, about 70 miles, like I said, from
Endicott, where they would sleep in Harry Brubaker's
car and then wake up early Sunday morning to
fish off of a pier. on the east shore of Seneca
Lake, about five miles north of Watkins Glen.
And while Harry and Glenwood went on their fishing
trip, Harry's wife Eleanor and their 11 -year
-old son took a trip to the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
area to visit family. Around 2 .30 a .m. on the
morning of August 18th, Glenwood was woken up
by Harry. while they were sleeping in the car.
Harry said that he was restless and couldn't
sleep and was going to go try out his spinning
rod and do some fishing off the pier. So Harry
left the car into the darkness and Glenwood went
back to sleep. A couple hours later, when the
sun came up, Glenwood went over to the pier to
look for Harry, but Harry was gone. All that
Glenwood found on the pier were Harry's flashlight,
and his fishing rod submerged in the water at
the end of the pier. Harry's shoes were also
found nearby, but Harry was gone. Glenwood contacted
the police, and a massive search was underway.
It was believed that Harry had fallen into the
water, had been unable to make it back to the
pier or to land, and drowned. The fact that the
pier was located near one of the deepest points
in the lake, made the search even more difficult
and urgent. So over 200 people joined the search
party, including Seneca County Fire and Police
agencies, civil defense workers, conservation
department employees, and volunteers who dragged
to the lake, dove into the waters, while also
conducting searches in nearby wooded areas. around
the pier. Harry's wife and father found out they
left Pittsburgh and ended up joining the search
team at Seneca Lake. But after three days of
searching, no sign of Harry was found. The search
was called off and Harry Brubaker was presumed
dead. But Harry was not dead. And six weeks later,
he was at his father's house near Pittsburgh.
Harry had hired an attorney, Joel Skelsey from
Endicott, and his attorney had notified authorities
and the media of Harry's location. Harry had
shown up to his father's house three weeks earlier.
Harry's brother, Dale, was told by reporters
of his brother's reappearance, and after visiting
Harry at their father's house, Dale said, quote,
it is the first time I knew he was alive and
I don't know where he has been since he disappeared.
He appears in good health, but he isn't talking
and I know of no future plans he has in mind,
end quote. So it turns out that Harry's lawyer
had known that Harry was alive for a while, but
delayed telling anyone to protect his clients.
He said he wanted to give Harry's wife a chance.
to leave Endicott and come to Pittsburgh to reunite
with her husband. The attorney, Skelsey, said,
quote, it would have been a different situation
had Mr. Brubaker come to me the day after he
was supposed to have drowned. Then I wouldn't
have hesitated notifying the proper authorities.
As it was, he came to me a month after the lake
search had been abandoned. It was my job to protect
my client, end quote. Mrs. Brubaker. actually
arrived in Pittsburgh just a day before Harry's
reappearance was announced. Now, shockingly,
Harry had actually gone back to Endicott on September
17th to give his lawyer, Mr. Skelsey, power of
attorney, to wind up Harry's affairs in Endicott.
This indicates that Harry's wife, Eleanor, and
his attorney knew he was alive. at least two
weeks before the rest of the world knew. The
attorney stated that he wanted to spare Mrs.
Brubaker, quote, additional grief and misfortune,
end quote, as she prepared to leave Endicott
for good. When the lawyer was asked why Harry
disappeared, he just said it was due to some
kind of mental strain. So after reuniting in
Pittsburgh, Harry, Eleanor, and their son, never
went back to Endicott. Their attorney took care
of the sale of their farm and restaurant. Meanwhile,
Deputy Stanley Jarrett of the Seneca County Sheriff's
Department was not pleased to have been the victim
of an apparent hoax and stated that they would
do some investigating into the reasons behind
the disappearance. Deputy Jarrett said, quote,
End quote. However, it seemed that nobody in
New York State wanted to go to the trouble and
expense of bringing Harry Brubaker back to New
York State. to account for his disappearance.
So he never came back and was never charged with
anything. And as far as the insurance policy
goes, it turns out that the agency had already
filed for a settlement of the claim shortly after
Harry Brubaker was assumed dead, although it
would have taken a full year before the policy
would pay out to his wife. When they found out
he was still alive, they immediately canceled
that application. So it seems that Harry and
his wife ended up living their lives in Pennsylvania
from that point forward. There are no records
that I've found that show he faced any legal
consequences whatsoever for faking his own death.
And in one of the last news reports on the case,
Harry's attorney said, quote, Why don't they
leave the poor guy alone? A lot of people tell
me that they feel the same way, end quote. He's
a pretty good lawyer right there. There are still,
though, many unanswered questions from this story.
How did Harry get from the shore of Seneca Lake
with no car all the way to Pittsburgh? Did someone
help him? Did he leave on foot? Did he have another
pair of shoes? Because they found his shoes there
at the site. Was he planning to... disappear
and rebuild his life elsewhere without his wife
and son while leaving them with an insurance
payout? Was he planning to disappear, then they
would get the insurance payout and then meet
up later? Did he plan to fake his death and relocate
with his wife and son? Did his wife know about
the plan? Did his father know about the plan?
Did anyone help him? Why did he resurface weeks
later when it looked like he was going to get
away with? faking his own death? Did he feel
remorse or did he have second thoughts about
his whole caper? I'm not sure and it seems like
these questions will never be answered. Dr. Edward
Cutbush was one of the most influential and notable
Americans of the mid -19th century. Dr. Cutbush
also lived on Main Street in Geneva, overlooking
the northern shore of Seneca Lake from around
1830 until his death in 1843 at the age of 71.
When he was only 18, Edward became resident physician
of the Pennsylvania Hospital. By 22, He had received
his M .D. from the University of Pennsylvania
and became the Surgeon General of the Pennsylvania
Militia during the Whiskey Rebellion. In 1799,
Dr. Cutbush joined the United States Navy, serving
as the Navy's first ever commissioned medical
officer for almost 30 years. Then in 1816, he
co -founded the Columbian Institute for the Promotion
of Arts and Sciences, which is a forerunner to
the Smithsonian Institution. Then in 1830, he
moved to Geneva after accepting an offer to become
professor of chemistry at Geneva College, which
is now Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where
he realized that the area had a desperate need
for a local medical facility. He convinced the
college's board of trustees, to establish the
Geneva Medical College in 1834 and was named
as the Geneva Medical College's first dean. It
was the first medical facility and medical school
in the history of central New York. When Dr.
Cutbush lived on Main Street in Geneva, he was
known in the neighborhood for his mulberry orchard.
that overlooked Seneca Lake, he harvested mulberry
leaves and then fed them to his collection of
silkworms who would spin cocoons of durable and
soft and very expensive mulberry silk. So he
was quite an interesting guy. But there's one
other interesting thing about Dr. Edward Cutbush.
He believed in the Seneca Lake monster. He claimed
to have seen the serpent and that the creature
had, quote, a body as thick as my leg, end quote.
As one of the most accomplished and renowned
Americans of his time, Dr. Cutbush had to be
considered a highly credible witness and his
belief in the legendary beast, to me, is one
of the most interesting. Examples of forgotten
lore in the history of the Seneca Lake Monster.
Now, the next story takes place in August of
1914 when a man named Edric McConnell from Watkins
Glen and an unnamed young woman were in a rowboat
off the western shore near Corbett's Point in
Redding. Pair were startled when a large animal
suddenly emerged from the water and rushed along
the surface towards deeper water. The young woman
was so shaken she apparently needed to be taken
to the safety of a nearby cottage. Edrick took
this opportunity to find his friend and acquaintance,
John Rowe, and a couple of .38 caliber revolvers.
So Edric and John climbed into the boat and returned
to the location where the strange animal had
been seen, and they waited. It was only about
a half hour before the creature abruptly resurfaced,
raising its head out of the water. Edric and
John got a good up -close view of the Seneca
Lake monster. They said it was shaped like a
snake, black in color. about 10 feet long and
7 to 8 inches around. They said it had a head
about the size of a man's with hair that stuck
straight up. The two men fired two shots, but
neither struck the serpent, who plunged back
into the depths of Seneca Lake and did not return.
Well, that's it for this time around. I hope
you enjoyed it. Thanks so much for listening.
And if you have any thoughts on any of the topics
in this episode, please let me know. And remember
to like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts
and get over to SenecaLakeMysteries .com and
subscribe to the email list so you don't miss
anything. The new podcast comes out every month
on the sevens. I'll talk to you then.