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Wedding Tragedy Mystery Cache

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CaptainPunkin: This one has served its purpose. Thanks for all of the seekers!

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Hidden : 6/25/2010
Difficulty:
2.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size:   micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:


The cache is NOT at the posted coordinates but you'll need to go there to get the information for the final.

At the posted coordinates is a home built in l877 by Albert G. Herr on land he inherited from his father, John Herr Jr. The home was named Magnolia Stock Farms and they raised cattle, trotting horses, and sheep. These are the same "Herrs" for whom the nearby Herr Lane is named.

Albert married Mattie E. Guthrie and they had five children: Aileene, Fannie Belle, Albert Gordon, James Guthrie and Ada, who died young.

On April 15, 1891, Fannie Belle married Winford B. Snook of Henry County at this location. The wedding was attended by a large number of guests from the city and surrounding county. After the ceremony, all of the guests were invited to partake of the wedding meal.

What started out as a happy and fashionable wedding occasion quickly turned to tragedy. It was only a few hours following the meal when many of those who had eaten the food suddenly became painfully sick. The symptoms were essentially identical, and it was speculated to be some type of food poisoning.

Sixty-five to 70 people who attended the wedding became ill, some more severe than others. For the following days newspapers reported on the conditions of those whose health was still in danger as well as those who were recovering.

Meanwhile the bride and groom had not been heard from and were assumed to be enjoying their wedding trip. However, unknown to their families, the groom became so ill when the couple arrived in Cincinnati that they had to abandon their trip. A few days later Fannie Belle sent a letter telling of Winford’s condition.

A total of seven deaths were reported in the first two weeks following the wedding. These included 2 aunts and an uncle of the bride as well as the father of the groom.

On April 19 Louisville newspaper The Critic reported that the bride and groom were both dangerously ill in Cincinnati. The saddest news came on April 30, 16 days after the wedding. The groom, Winford B. Snook, had died. His grieving widow returned to Louisville to be with her family.

Fannie Belle Snook remained in Louisville and was listed in the Louisville city directories as the widow of W. Snook as late as 1916. She remarried in 1917 to well-known physician Robert Burns Waddy of Lexington. Sadly, however, Dr. Waddy died only four years later. On Feb. 8, 1930, Fannie was found dead in bed at the home of Mrs. S.D. Turner on Maxwell Street in Lexington. Fannie was buried next to her deceased husband Dr. Waddy in the Lexington Cemetery, both in unmarked graves.

As for the final cache location, it can be found at

N38 1A.B38, W085 3C.D61

A = First digit in address + 5

B = Second digit in address - 5

C = Third digit in address + 6

D = Fourth digit in address + 2

You are looking for a Rx bottle hidden in typical fashion. Stealth may be necessary.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Haqre ebpx arkg gb erzanag bs gur cnfg.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)