Pniewo Vampire (d. 1870) - Vampire case of a "Mrs. Gehrke," who caused her living relatives to become violently ill.
Mr. Gehrke was a forest keeper in Pniewo in the West Prussian district of Schwetz. His wife died in February 1870 and was buried in the Biechowo cemetery. Immediately afterward, Mr. Gehrke and the couple's children became severely ill. Mrs. Gehrke was suspected of being a vampire; according to local lore, vampires desire to be reunited with their family and their return from the grave makes the living ill and in danger of dying. Thus, the family will be reunited in death.
Four weeks after Mrs. Gehrke's burial, she was dug up at night by villagers and was seen to be in a vampire condition, with a ruddy face. Flaxseed and a fishing net were placed in the coffin to hold the corpse in place, but this was deemed by one observer—a wife of one of the group—to be insufficient. Consequently, Mrs. Gehkre's head was cut off with a spade and placed beneath her arm.
Mr. Gehkre, who had undergone an operation, quickly recovered. However, the vampire hunters were convicted of grave desecration in district court.
Text from The Encyclopedia of Vampires, Werewolves, and Other Monsters (Checkmark Books, 2005) by Rosemary Guiley
