Friday the 13th's Freaky Phone Call

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH! 

A normal telephone conversation between two sisters on Friday, December 13th, 1968 turned into a rather bizarre experience!  Mrs. John Cox of South Charleston rang up her sister, Mrs. Clyde Cox, also of South Charleston to wish her a Happy Anniversary. Mrs. Clyde Cox and her husband had been married for 33 years and this Friday the 13th, were celebrating a wedding that had also taken place on a Friday the 13th. With a marriage spanning a little over three decades, one could argue that for the Cox Family, Friday the 13th wasn’t the unlucky occasion superstition would lead us to believe.

However, this Friday the 13th would just be a little…weird. At least, the phone call between the two sisters would leave them scratching their heads. Both sisters were talking on their private phone lines, but had a strange series of calls break onto their line. Within 10 minutes, calls came in from two local chemical companies (FMC and Carbide), a doctor’s office (Dr. Dunn), and two private calls. All five callers were wishing to speak with a Mrs. Riffe.

So, who was Mrs. Riffe, why were so many people eager to contact her in a span of ten minutes, and how did they ALL end up breaking into Mrs. Cox’s private phone line? Obviously, this little anecdote sounds more like supernatural snafu (or simply, a technical error, but that’s way less interesting to write about) than it does an example of Friday the 13th being an unlucky day. But, I guess maybe it’s all about perspective. Strange phone calls may not have necessarily been unlucky for Mrs. Cox and her sister…but somewhere out there was a Mrs. Riffe who no less than five people desperately needed to reach but couldn’t. Sounds like it was an unlucky day for her and those trying to reach her!

I hope this Friday the 13th brings you good luck and good fortune…and maybe a phantom phone call!

The Charleston Daily Mail 13 December 1968