Dumbwaiter death

[snopes]

Comment: There was a rich family, (I believe in the mid-west) (US), and he was
a spoiled brat. The family bought him numerous maids to all work at
once. They got tired of him and decided to kill him. So one night,
they were going to send his dinner up to his room via the dummwaiter.
(I have no idea how to spell it... If you don't understand I'll
clarify)So they snuck it past him and brought it ALL the way up and
high as it could go. They lowered it slightly and shouted thawt they
were sending it up. After about 30 seconds, he was puzzled why it
wasn't there and stuck his head in the hole for it. Then a maid cut
the ropes to it and let it drop on his head. They meant to hurt him,
but they decapitated him.

(there's an extension to this rumor. Which I am almost certain is
false.) People turned the house into an attraction and retold the
story. They had used the real head and body for the props and they
boys body came to life, grabbed the head, and killed one of the
guests.

[erwins]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: They had used the real head and body for the props and they
boys body came to life, grabbed the head, and killed one of the
guests.

Wow. They're almost certain this part is false?

erwins

[snopes]

Originally Posted by erwins

Wow. They're almost certain this part is false?

The shadows look funny. I vote fake.

- snopes

[notjustnebodee]

Originally Posted by snopes

They got tired of him and decided to kill him.

Originally Posted by snopes

They meant to hurt him,
but they decapitated him.

Uhhh.....

[Tootsie Plunkette]

Comment: There was a rich family, (I believe in the mid-west) (US), and he was
a spoiled brat. The family bought him numerous maids to all work at
once.

This was undoubtedly back in the days when rich mid-western families bought maids in vast quantities. Nowadays they just buy them one-at-a-time.

[Johnny Slick]

In the Midwest, families are masculine. Who knew?

[Eddylizard]

Originally Posted by Johnny Slick

In the Midwest, families are masculine. Who knew?

Gay marriage, cloning and in-vitro gestation all rolled into one.

Okay so we haven't invented in-vitro gestation yet.

[charlie23]

If I remember right, this is very similiar to a popular legend about a historical house in Hyde Park, Chicago. They had just reopened it after renovations (maybe last year?) and the legend of the "headless ghost of a child killed by the maid/maids" was included in the press release. The details (and grammar) were different but I think the basis of the story was the same.

[Seaboe Muffinchucker]

The mother of one of my bil's friends (FOAF warning!) was killed by a dumbwaiter. But they weren't rich and she didn't haunt the house. Nor did anyone try to turn the house into a tourist attraction.

Seaboe

This OP reminded me of the central character in Ali Smith's Hotel World.