Chapter 1: A Contagion of Death

In the year 1892, the notion of death was viewed as a contagious ailment. It was thought that one could contract it from a family member or even a neighbor. The symptoms were alarmingly uniform: an individual would first appear gaunt and pale, followed by a harsh, bloody cough. As time passed, weakness would take hold. This malady was commonly referred to as "consumption" or the "wasting sickness," a name that reflected how it devastated the body.

Today, we recognize this illness as tuberculosis, but during the 19th century, the understanding of its contagious nature was non-existent. The rural community of Exeter, Rhode Island, was especially affected, experiencing a drastic population decline from 2,500 in 1820 to merely 961 by 1862. Although many deaths were attributed to the American Civil War, a significant number were caused by diseases like tuberculosis.

Rather than accepting that these diseases were communicable, residents of New England believed that death itself was infectious. In their minds, deceased individuals could rise from their graves at night and drain the life from their living relatives, leaving them pallid and lifeless.

While this may sound like a tale of vampires, the people of New England avoided that label, dismissing it as nonsensical. They were too grounded in reality to entertain such ideas but were convinced that some supernatural force was at play.

Section 1.1: The Brown Family's Tragedy

The Brown family became the focal point of this grim belief. On December 8, 1883, thirty-six-year-old Mary Eliza Brown succumbed to consumption, leaving her husband and six children behind. Just six months later, her daughter Mary Olive also fell victim to the same fate.

Years later, their son Edwin fell ill and sought refuge in Colorado Springs, hoping the fresh air would restore his health. However, during his absence, his nineteen-year-old sister Mercy, often called Lena, also fell ill and ultimately died from the same affliction.

Upon his return, Edwin's health rapidly deteriorated. The townsfolk were consumed by fear; they believed that one of the deceased Brown family members was preying on Edwin's vitality. The community was determined to put an end to this perceived curse.

Subsection 1.1.1: The Exhumation

Under immense pressure, their father, George Brown, consented to exhume the bodies of the three deceased women. This practice, though strange, was not uncommon in New England for those suspected of being "vampires."

Medical professionals would check for specific signs to determine if someone was truly dead. The body needed to be decomposed to a certain degree, and the heart must show no signs of blood. If both criteria were met, the individual was deemed definitively dead.

When the townsfolk opened Mary Eliza's coffin, the medical examiner found her in a state of proper decomposition. However, the same could not be said for Mary Olive, wh