| abstract | - Garth Blackwood (died c.1895) was the master of Dartmoor prison in England. He had a reputation for being particularly cruel to the inmates there. In particular, he was known for physically abusing prisoners for minor offences, usually by the use of a chain he carried with him always. One night in approximately 1895, some prisoners who were fed up with his cruelty decided to rebel. A drawing was held to choose which one had the responsibility of killing Blackwood, and a man named Aristede was the chosen one. He successfully dispatched Blackwood and escaped from Dartmoor. While fumbling through the woods, Aristede was suffering from an apparent paranoia, wherein he heard the dragging wooden leg and rattling chains that the inmates had come to identify with Blackwood. At this time, Aristede met Count Petofi, who agreed to free him from Blackwood forever if he would become his servant. Until late 1897, Blackwood was not heard from again. Following an act of betrayal by Aristede, Count Petofi resurrected Blackwood by having Charles Delaware Tate paint a picture of him. Immediately after the picture was painted, Aristede was stalked by Blackwood relentlessly. In his search for Aristede, Blackwood killed Evan Hanley and King Johnny Romano's wife. Eventually, Blackwood caught up to his prisoner and killed Aristede. At this point, Petofi was unable to return Blackwood to his grave and he himself became the target of Blackwood's pursuit. During their first confrontation, Petofi and Charles shot Blackwood, weakening him considerably. Some time later, as Petofi entered a trance in an attempt to steal Barnabas Collins' body, Blackwood reappeared and seized Petofi. A struggle followed which resulted in a fire, burning the building and presumably killing both Petofi and Blackwood, because Petofi's glasses, which he could not get far without, were found in the fire, and Blackwood was never heard from again.
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