Did you know?

On Christmas Eve 1945, a fire tore through the home of George and Jennie Sodder in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Four of their nine children escaped but five were never seen again. It was assumed they’d died in the blaze, but no trace of them was found in the ash. In addition, the house’s phone line had been cut, and a witness came forward to say she’d seen the children with two men and two women ‘of Italian extraction’ approximately a week afterwards. George Sodder, an Italian immigrant, had been outspoken in his criticism of Mussolini, which had angered some in the Italian-american community, and threats had been made against him. George and Jennie went to their graves convinced the children were still alive.