Entry #47:
The Forgotten Tragedy of the Barnaby Circus Murders

!! WHAT FOLLOWS WAS PIECED TOGETHER FROM COUNTY RECORDS, ESTATE LETTERS, AND LOCAL TESTIMONY. BELIEVE WHAT YOU WILL. !!

Few residents of Bermuda Dunes know their quiet community once hosted Barnaby's Unbelievable Circus (1931–1947). Its star attraction was Zippy the Clown, famed for his lucky red nose, which he never removed.

On the night of September 12, 1947, Zippy was found dead in the cookhouse, noseless. Owner Patch Barnaby ruled it an accident — but letters recovered decades later suggest that Barnaby killed Zippy to take his lucky nose.

Soon after Zippy's death, locals began to report sightings of a noseless clown wandering the grounds at night. When a patron was found stabbed to death, Barnaby was forced to shut down the circus. Soon after, he died of heartbreak when he discovered his beloved companion, Penny the Cat, flayed and dressed in a tiny clown outfit...

Zippy's nose was never recovered, but I have a hunch that the nose is buried where Barnaby's own tent once stood. Comparing the old circus layout to modern maps, the spot is marked by a willowy tree with drooping leaves, where the crabs scuttle.

I am saving up money to make the trip to California, but I'm scared to go by myself. Legend holds that Zippy's spirit cannot rest until what was stolen is returned to him, and I don't want to face him alone...

Editor's note: I drove past the Starlight Lane property at dusk in Oct. 2003. My tape recorder picked up what sounds like soft laughter. I have not gone back. — NightOwl62