What Was The Ink Light Affair?

Some time during the early 1940’s there was a group established called the Ink Lighters in Collinsville, CT. Their intentions were unknown to most and they were generally looked at by the townspeople as occultists; mostly due to the strange sounds that emanated from the house they occupied. The only thing known about them is the residence was placed in the name of a James Rose Hopewell, a musician only in name that the townspeople believed was starting a religion. The few people that were on record mentioning them said they were recluses who rarely left their residence, and when they did they had a habit of either wearing masks or elaborate make up to obscure their features. The last known mention of the group was on November 28, 1956 on a police report filed by Officer Lanterman.

The police report Officer Lanterman filed read as follows:

“On Thursday November 28th, 1956 at 0200 hours I was called to investigate a disturbance at the “Ink lighter’s” residence. Neighbors complained that the night before the group had been loud with screaming, banging, and music. When I asked why they did not request an officer that night they said they were on their way, when suddenly the noise stopped. They wanted me to talk to the group as this had not been the first time they had filed reports against them. I went to the residence to find that the door was ajar. I called into the house but got no reply, and under the belief there could be a break in or something worse I entered the residence. What I found was a room in complete disarray. A journal with pages scattered everywhere, furniture, musical instruments, and what looked liked blood splattered across the floor with no signs of life. As far as I am aware I’m the first person who is not a resident to enter the house, apparently they were all affluent musicians. In the corner of the room there was a Revox T26 tape machine, something I had never heard of before. I went over to the machine to collect the tape for evidence as this was now a crime scene, and next to the machine I also found an open envelope with an invitation that read “You’re cordially invited to the Ink Light Affair” and included the house’s address. I collected the invitation, journal with it’s scattered pages, and the tape from the Revox machine and left the residence to have our photographer take photos of the scene. When we returned to the house we found it had been set ablaze, by the time the firefighters were able to put out the flames there was nothing left.”

Only two people have been officially documented as listening to the tape recovered from the house, Officer Lanterman and a local man named James Gallagher who was familiar with the audio equipment. Officer lanterman filed a more detailed report after listening to the tape, but it has been redacted to the point of being essentially blank. The only thing he said that was left in the report was “It’s all a lie”. Officer Lanterman himself went missing not too long after, and Mr.Gallagher was eventually institutionalized and later died of Pneumonia. The tape sat in police custody until the early 2000’s when the police began digitizing their records to save space. It is unknown if this tape was digitized but as of now it is no longer in the police archives physically and seems to have disappeared.

After the cult disappeared rumors quickly spread throughout the town. Some said that the head of the household, James R. Hopewell, became a abusive dictator, a madman who was obsessed with music. According to anonymous sources that had talked to residents at the time claimed James was a man on a mission; he had a vision for his music that the musicians in his company could not keep up with. He constantly claimed there was a “perfect song” that would bring the world to unity, and he was going to be the one to find it and bring in the new age of peace. Supposedly on the day of the Ink Light Affair one of the cultists pleaded with a local resident named Craig Hitchcock, removing his mask and begging to let him hide away in his house with Craig’s family. Craig asked why the man wanted to leave and what happened, the man whispered “I think Mr.Hopewell is planning some sort of satanic ritual, I don’t think any of us will make it out alive. He keeps thinking we can create perfect music, but we don’t know what he wants. He’s been more violent, more desperate, he’s sick! He’s not thinking straight! He said I was making a difference but I’m scared. “. Craig believed the musician to be a madman and dismissed his claims, going on his way. The man tugged on Craig’s shirt, “Please! He says we all needed to sacrifice, for the greater good of humanity, I don’t want to die, I’m not even really a musician, please…” Craig paid him no mind, knowing the track record of this group. Supposedly some of the townspeople bribed the police after some time, curious of what actually happened, and got hold of some of the files from the incident. According to these documents leaked to the public Hopewell had written in his journal that he had indeed become desperate, dying of some illness (most likely lung cancer), and realized he was living on borrowed time. In a search for a way to continue his work he turned to books of the occult. He claimed when he told his followers that he required a new body, a better body to continue his work, and the purest among them could hold this high position. Unfortunately no one stepped forward, angering him. He then shouted at them “If you cannot come up with the chord progression required than there’s no hope for you! The Owls know! the Devilfish know! We need to find this! Don’t you want your life to have meaning? Have purpose??”. When the members tried to leave he punished them harshly, noting, “These people need to learn the importance of this music, they need to know we’re doing god’s work”. The night of the Ink Light Affair he only wrote one sentence, “The world will see us, see me, and see peace god forgive me”.