The World's Suspected Gateways to Hell

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Most people believe in some form of heaven and hell.
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They believe that if they are good people, they will
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go to heaven. If they are sinners, they will go
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to hell. Others believe that heaven and Hell are just
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stories told on television and in movies. Some people honestly
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admit they simply just don't know if heaven and Hell exist.
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Regardless of your beliefs, though, there are real places on
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Earth that look as though they could be the entrance
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to fiery pits of purgatory. Some people who have explored
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these various places on Earth believe they have truly found
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secret entrances that lead to the underworld. I'm Darren Marler
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and this is Weird Darkness. Welcome weirdos. I'm Darren Marler
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and this is Weird Darkness Radio, where every week you'll
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find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange
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and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained coming
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up this hour. Of course, a lot of people likely
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don't believe in heaven or hell, and many will dismiss
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such things as mythical tales or folklore. However, there are
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places on Earth that could be considered Hell now, not
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Detroit or Wichita. We're talking about actual places that look
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like the entrances to purgatory, and perhaps they really are.
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If you're new here, welcome to the show. If you're
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already a member of our family, please take a moment
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and invite someone else to listen in with you. Recommending
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to keep doing the show. And while you're listening, be
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sure to visit Weirddarkness dot com and click on contact
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someone you know. You can find it all at Weirddarkness
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dot com. Now bult your doors, lock your windows, turn
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off your lights, and come with me into the Weird Darkness.
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There was a place located in the southernmost tip of
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the Greek mainland, and some believe it is actually the
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gateway to Hell. It is known as Cape Tanner. Situated
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on the end of the peninsula known as the Many Cave.
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They open up at sea level into a cliff. The
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area is marked by the ruins of a Spartan temple
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and several entrances exist that the ancient Greeks say was
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the entrance to Hades Cave. Many Greeks believe that this
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is the place where Hercules began digging into the caves
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to enter the underworld. Hades was known as the god
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of the dead, and this area is linked to those beliefs.
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There are plenty of cave networks in this area. Within
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the ruins are the remains of a temple that was
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said to be a temple dedicated to the sea god Poseidon.
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The ruins are located on a hill directly above the
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cave to Hades. In the area also a statue of
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the poet Aryan he escaped from pirates by being carried
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ashore by a pot of dolphins. The statue is bronze
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and it resembles the poet riding a dolphin that stands
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at the crest of the cape, far from the ruins
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of a temple that was raised in honor of the
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Sea God beside him. The caverns below contain stalactites and
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stalagmites and they can be seen below water level. You
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can visit the caverns by boat and you can pass
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through the Gate of Hell. Fengdu Ghost City, China. This
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city is nearly two thousand years old. It's located on
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the Ming Mountain in Fendu City. The area is also
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known as the City of Ghosts and it's located in
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Shanqing Municipality. It is believed that this is the place
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where the dead make a stop before moving on to
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the afterlife. It's said that this is where you go
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while you are waiting to find out if be moving
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to heaven or hell. In the area are many Buddhist
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and Taoist temples. Legend says that these temples are surrounded
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by immortal spirits that torment the souls of the dead.
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When a freshly dead soul arrives at the City of Ghosts,
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they must cross a bridge where their soul is judged
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for its virtue. If it is found that the soul
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is not virtuous, it will be tormented by the immortal
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spirits that haunt the area. If you want to test
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your virtue. The King of Hell in China will be
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there to determine whether or not you are virtuous. There
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is a very popular tourist area for people traveling on
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cruises through the length of the Yankseea River. In nineteen
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ninety four, work in this area caused the water level
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to rise that cause the City of Ghosts to become
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an island. According to the legend, two individuals lived during
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the Han dynasty. Their names were Yang chang Chen and
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Wang feng Ping. They both quit their jobs at the
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Imperial court and moved to Ming Mountain. There they practiced
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self cultivation in accordance with the teachings of Taoism. As
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a result, the two men achieved immortality. The men's last
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names are said to translate to the King of Hell.
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Saint Patrick's Purgatory is located on a small island in
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the middle of an Irish lake. According to legend, the
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area dates back to the fifth century. Christ himself showed
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Saint Patrick a cave that's often referred to as a
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pit on station island that was the entrance to Hell.
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It is a place where souls wait before being sent
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to heaven. Christ directed Patrick to a cave on the island.
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During his stay, he received visions of the torments of
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Hell so that justice could be created. The area is
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known to be a place where unworthy souls will be
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cursed and punished. The Pagans in Ireland believe that this
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is a place where the devil actually exists. Saint Patrick's
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Purgatory consists of holy wells and other sites. The area
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was once a pilgrimage spot. However, it was shut down
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due to an increasing number of serious incidents that were
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occurring there. There are areas that are still open to
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the public, and many people use purgatory and its legend
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as an excuse to get drunk more suspected gates to Hell.
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When Weird Darkness returns, I'm Darren Marler. Welcome back to
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Weird Darkness. If you like what you're hearing and you'd
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like to hear even more, you can check out the
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free audiobooks that I've narrated at Weirddarkness dot com. I've
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got free audiobooks there by Algernon Blackwood, Edgar Allan Poe,
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Stephen King, HP Lovecraft, Charles Dickens, Robert Heinland, Robert Lewis
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Stevenson and more. You can listen to all of the
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free audiobooks that I've narrated on the audiobooks page at
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Weird Darkness dot com. We continue now with real Suspected
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Gates to Hell. The Gates of Guinea is said to
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be the entrance of the voodoo of the underworld. The
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gates are located in New Orleans through the seven Gates
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that are scattered throughout the French Quartering to the voodoo legend,
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the souls of the dead reside in a part of
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the underworld known as Guinea. This is not a place
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where torture or punishments are handed out. It's actually a
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murky plain where spirits must pass before they can reach
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the deep waters, which is the area where they would
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be reunited with their family. The area is presided over
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by Baron Semeti these a skeleton corpse that is painted
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and dressed at a top hat in tails. He is
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a symbol of death and rebirth. The actual theories of
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the area very based on the voodoo practitioner you're talking to.
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Many see the seven Gates as a metaphor for the
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seven days after death. It is believed that the soul
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will remain close to the body for the first week.
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This is the time where there is a great risk
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of the body becoming a zombie. Thanks to Hoodu magicians.
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During the seven days, the soul will pass through each
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one of the gates to finally be by Baron Semetti.
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Then the soul will be taken to the land of
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the dead. There are other practitioners in New Orleans who
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claim that the seven gates are located in various cemeteries
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scattered around Canal Street in the French Quarter. The gates
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must be opened in the right order during seven nights
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when seven moons are above. Also, proper respect must be
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paid to each guardian before entering each gate. The Hauska
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Castle has a terrifying background and it is said to
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be haunted. It is one of the world's gateways to
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Hell and it has a very scary urban legend attached
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to it. The castle is seven hundred sixty two years old.
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It is a Gothic castle. It is said to have
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been built in order to seal up the real life
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entrance to Hell. It's believed to have been built between
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twelve fifty three and twelve seven and is located in
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the Czech countryside. Legend says The location of the castle
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was chosen so that it could cover the bottomless pit
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where the demonic creatures would enter our world when the
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sun would go down. These creatures are believed to be
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black winged creatures that were half animal and half human.
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At night, villagers would be too scared to leave their
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homes and go anywhere near the hole. Even during daylight hours,
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people would avoid the area. Before the castle was built,
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this is the area where prisoners were sentenced to death,
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and they would be sent here. Legend says that they'd
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be tossed into the pit for their punishment. If the
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prisoner were able to get out of the pit alive,
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they would be forgiven and set free, but that didn't
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happen very often. There was one legendary story about the
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first man who was ever lowered into the pit. The
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second that he was out of view of the people above,
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they pulled him out of the darkness. When pulled up,
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he had already aged thirty years after only a few seconds,
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and his hair had turned white. People say the demonic
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creatures from the hole would walk the town during the night,
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and they would drag people to the bottomless pit. Finally,
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the fear became too much for the villagers, and they
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decided to build the Hauska Castle to close up the
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hole forever. When the castle was built, people who were
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visiting the lower floors claimed to have heard the creatures
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from Hell scratching on the floor trying to find their
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way out. The Royal Air Force Station men with hill.
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If you look at this area from above, you would
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think that you were at a giant golf course, because
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there are structures in the area that look like huge
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golf balls. The area, which is located in the UK,
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actually belongs to the National Security Agency or NSSA. The
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NSA has been around much longer than people think. For
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a while, it was a secret. People didn't find out
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about the agency until Edward Snowtin leaked the information about
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the secret government organization. It was actually established by President
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Truman in nineteen fifty two. Many people believe that all
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of the NSA buildings are stationed in the United States,
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but they're wrong. This place is supposed to be a secret,
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but with such strange structures, it's hard to keep the
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place a secret. The place has been used by the
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United States since the nineteen fifties. It looks like an
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Air Force base but it's not. Originally there were four
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golf ball structures in the area. Today there are over thirty,
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and there are pieces of high tech satellite equipment that
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can gather and intercept communications. This is not a place
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the public can visit. The US military is stationed here
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and they will not let you in, and they won't
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talk about their jobs. They won't tell anyone what they
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do there. The base is known as the American Death Star.
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It's said to be carrying out all types of illegal spying,
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and there are plenty of crazy stories and theories about
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this place. We may never know the truth about any
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of it. One of those crazy theories is that they
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are guarding an entryway to Hell. The Bohemian Grove is
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hidden in the ancient Redwood Forest in northern California. It
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was originally built as a camp for the most powerful
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and rich men in the world. Since nineteen twenty three,
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every US Republican president has been an exclusive member of
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this camp. Nixon, Reagan, Eisenhower, and both Bushes have been
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to this place, which has a lot of history behind it.
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There are plenty of stories surrounding the area, and the
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biggest one involved the Manhattan Project, a secret operation that
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was planned back in nineteen for two, and it was
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the code name for the operation that created the atomic bomb.
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This is a place with a rich and the powerful
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gather in what's like a summer camp. There are also
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some pretty strange things in the grove, such as a
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forty foot owl statue that has something to do with
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a secret ceremony that takes place on the first night
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that everyone arrives. The ceremony begins with everyone wearing dark
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hoods as a small boat crosses the artificial lake that
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is located in front of the huge owl. The leaders
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of the group pretend to offer a human effigy that
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comes from ferrymen of the boat, which they set on
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fire at the foot of the shrine. While all of
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this is taking place, a scary voice comes from the
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speakers that are hidden in the statue. Next, fireworks go
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off and the ritual is over. Conspiracy theorists have a
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lot to say about the area. At one point, Alex
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Jones and his cameramans knuck in to see the ceremony
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and they filmed the entire thing. He made a documentary
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with his footage and he called it The Dark Secrets
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Inside the Bohemian grove Bureau thirty nine. These days, North
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Korea is in the news quite often. North Korea is
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known as the hermit Kingdom because the leaders have cut
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themselves off from the rest of the world using threats
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and intimidation. Due to these cut ties, there are plenty
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of mysteries surrounding North Korea and not much is known
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about the place because the leaders keep everything tightly controlled.
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North Koreans have one television channel to watch, and they're
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shown constant propaganda. The people of North Korea are not
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allowed to hear about what's going on in the rest
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of the world unless it is sanctioned by their government.
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They're also not allowed to speak about what their everyday
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lives are like to anyone living outside the country. Anyone
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who is caught talking can wind up in labor camps
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along with their entire family. In severe cases, they can
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face execution. Because everything is a secret, people wonder about
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Bureau thirty nine, also known as Room thirty nine. The
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organization was founded in the seventies. According to many, it
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is a place where the state's money is laundered through
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some very classified accounts in Switzerland and China. These rumors
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have never been proven due to the sanctions that are set.
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Since the country needs some type of income and they
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avoid trade with the rest of the world, it's believed
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that they make money through fraudulent transactions such as drug
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trafficking and arms smuggling. The North Korean government will never
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admit that this is happening, of course, and they will
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never admit that Bureau thirty nine even exists. Nobody knows
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where the place is located, but they do say that
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there is a printing press capable of printing counterfeit US money.
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Since we literally know nothing about the area, there is
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no way of knowing if the rumors are true or
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if it even exists. Since the government does have money
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and they're not involved in any trade embargoes with any
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other country in the world, there is a good chance
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that Room thirty nine does exist. Area fifty one is
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a United Air Force base that is highly classified and
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it is a detachment of Edwards Air Force Base. It's
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located in Nevada and the Nevada Test and Training Range.
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The purpose of this base has an amazing story behind it,
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partially due to the fact that the US government denied
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its existence until twenty thirteen. For several decades, the government
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claimed the area didn't even exist. Although the government was
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denying its existence, people were still talking. It's believed that
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an alien craft crashed into the desert of and the
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US government found it. People say that they have the
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alien's body and its aircraft stored there, and they have
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been studying it for years. This is part of the
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reason that UFO enthusiasts make it a point to visit
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Area fifty one or as close as they can get
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to it to make the place more mysterious. The people
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who work there are not allowed to talk about what
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they do, even to their family members. The people who
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work there aren't even allowed to talk to their coworkers
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about what they do. In a typical work setting, you
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know exactly what your coworkers do every day. That's not
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the case in Area fifty one two. People who work
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in adjoining offices don't even know what their neighbors do
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all day. This just goes to show you how mysterious
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the dealings at Area fifty one actually are. When the
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government is so secret about something, there certainly is something
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to hide. They may say that they're working on high
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tech aircraft, but most people don't believe it, and a
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small faction of people believe they're dealing with demonic forces.
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Welcome back to weird Darkness. I'm Darren Marler coming up.
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Why are some people suddenly vigorous, alert, and feeling much
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better shortly before they pass away. It's something that's happened
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since time began, but medical experts are still baffled by it.
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But first, a king, a gassoon, and a bear walked
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into a bar. No, this is not the first line
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of a joke, but a common occurrence in p Trero
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Hill in San Francisco, California, during the eighteen eighties. Here's
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the story. Frank McManus's kingdom was Irish Hill, a ten
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square block area between twentieth and twenty second Streets and
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Illinois Street and Peer seventy in Potrero Hill. Irish Hill
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was aptly named, with the vast majority of its inhabitants
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born in the Emerald dial six feet tall and two
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hundred and thirty pounds, Frank earned his crown by becoming
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the master of politics, drinking, and fighting, three of the
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major Irish arts. In those days, Drinking and fighting were
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both a pastime and an entertainment on Saturdays, instead of
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going to a music hall, the patrons of one saloon
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would fight the patrons of a different saloon in a
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roped off area. After the fights, the victors would buy
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the losers a nickel beer in their saloon. As the
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owners of the Union boarding house, which included a saloon,
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Frank provided beds, drinks, and jobs for hundreds of workers
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at the Union Ironworks and Pacific rolling mills. In exchange,
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they gave them their money and votes. Frank was often
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accompanied by an entourage of ten to twenty brawlers ready
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to do his bidding. With the ability to deliver up
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to a thousand votes, Frank became a major power broker
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in the Republican Party. He soon brought his family over
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from Ireland to help him rule his kingdom. His favorite
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was his younger brother, Cornelius Kahn for short, who he
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named the Gassoon, an Irish term for a youth. As
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King of the Petrero, Frank McManus held himself above the
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law of the common people. He was often arrested for drunkenness, fighting,
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and attempted murder, but he always got the charges dismissed,
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either through fear or political power. He would plead guilty
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for using bad language and pay a ten dollar fine
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Instead of a jester. Frank had a three hundred pound
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black bear chained in his backyard as part of his retinue.
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The bear participated in the numerous drinking bouts at the
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Royal Court. After one of these bouts, the besotted bear
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ripped his chain loose, wandered into the second floor of
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a nearby rooming house and got into bed with a
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man who was similarly soused. The man, thinking his friends
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were joking with him, started hitting the bear until the
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bear returned the favor. Suddenly, the man awoke and realized
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the bear was not a hallucination and started screaming. His
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screams woke the rooming house, and the bear was returned
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to the king without causing any serious injuries. Around eighteen ninety,
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Jack Welch and his brothers, fellow irishmen who had honed
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their political skills in the rough and tumble world of
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Tammany hall politics, arrived in the Potrero. Jack and his
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brothers opened a boarding house around the corner from Frank's place. Jack,
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who was a Democrat, attached a large group of men
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who had been chafing under Frank's rule. Thus began the
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Blue Mud Wars, named after the blue rocks that would
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turn to mud during the fighting. This war was won
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during the Bloody eighteen ninety one Primary, when the Welch
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faction decisively defeated the mcmanuses and the Democrats won the day.
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More than one hundred men were involved in the fighting
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that day. King Frank, however, refused to accept defeat, and
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a war of attrition followed. On June second, eighteen ninety two,
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Frank and his followers dragged Jack out of the carriage
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he was riding in on Third Street. Convict Manus stabbed Welch,
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and Welch pulled out his pistol and shot Khan three times.
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Though serious wounded, both men survived. On June fourteenth, eighteen
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ninety four, fellow ballplayer Charles Sweeney was attacked by Kahn
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in a Third Street saloon. During the fracas, Sweeney shot
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the gassoon three times, killing McManus. The death of his
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brother drove Frank wild. He tried to get into Sweeney's
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hospital room to kill him and had to be restrained
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by six policemen when the priest refused to perform a
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high mass during Cohn's funeral services, Frank threw a brick
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through the church's window and threatened the priest's life. Despite
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testimony that Khan had been the aggressor, Sweeney was convicted
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of manslaughter and sentenced to eight years in prison. The
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death of his brother devastated Frank and caused him to
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increase his already herculean drinking. Within two years, he had
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wasted away to one hundred thirty pounds and died of
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congestive heart failure. Irish Shill disappeared after World War War One,
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when industrialists fought the hill to expand their businesses. The
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hill was leveled and dumped into the bay. Terminal lucidity
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is a puzzling phenomenon that has been known since ancient times,
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but it's only recently that scientists have started to pay
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attention to this unusual condition that could shed new light
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on near death experiences and unravel some of the many
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mysteries of human consciousness. Terminal lucidity occurs to only a
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small percentage of people, but recorded cases show that it's
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still plenty. We don't know about the human brain. Those
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who are in the terminal stage of the disease experience,
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often shortly before dying, suddenly show unexpected died visible signs
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of health improvement. People who should be dying are instead
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full of energy and strength. This is terminal lucidity, and
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this condition lasts from a couple of weeks to just
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a couple of minutes before death. Relatives who have seen
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their loved ones recover shortly before death with their memory
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being intact, have been shocked. Why people suddenly experience mental
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clarity and memory just before passing away is still unknown.
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The term terminal lucidity was coined in two thousand and
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nine by doctor Michael Nahm, a biologist who also works
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at the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental
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Health in Freeburg, Germany. Being curious about unexplained riddles about life,
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00:27:49.400 --> 00:27:53.400
doctor Noam started to investigate an unusual biological phenomenon that
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00:27:53.440 --> 00:27:57.920
he later called terminal lucidity. Today, his findings have become
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00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:02.599
an interest to other scientists. Doctors who observed this peculiar
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condition in dying patients have been surprised because it doesn't
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00:28:06.640 --> 00:28:10.640
make any sense, and yet it is real in many
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of the recorded cases. It should be impossible for patients
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whose brains were destroyed by tumors and Alzheimer's disease to
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00:28:18.880 --> 00:28:24.000
return to ordinary intellectual activities. Doctor Nam says there are
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several astonishing examples of terminal lucidity. For example, he recalls
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a ninety one year old woman who suffered from Alzheimer's.
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The sick woman, who had been cared for by her daughter,
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00:28:36.559 --> 00:28:40.759
couldn't recognize anyone for the last five years of her life.
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00:28:40.839 --> 00:28:44.920
All family members, friends, and people she previously knew were
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complete strangers to her. Then suddenly, one evening, she behaved
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00:28:51.160 --> 00:28:54.480
like a healthy human being again. She had a normal
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conversation with her daughter and revealed her fears of death.
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The old woman explained what problems she had with her
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other family members in the past, and everything seemed fine,
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almost like a miracle. Sadly, she died a few hours later.
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Her sudden improvement in health and mental abilities is a
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perfect example of terminal lucidity. Anna Katerina Emmer, a German
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00:29:20.519 --> 00:29:23.839
woman who lived from eighteen ninety five to nineteen twenty two,
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is another curious case that has baffled scientists. Anna was
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born with several mental disabilities, and she spent all her
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life in an institution. She couldn't speak a single word,
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00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:40.680
gorged her food, and fouled herself day and night. Her
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00:29:40.720 --> 00:29:45.759
behavior changed on the day she died from tuberculosis. Doctor
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Wilhelm Wittenben and Friedrich Hapitch, a Protestant theologian, were stunned
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when they saw what Anna was suddenly doing. When we
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entered the room together, we did not believe our eyes
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and ears. Emmer, who had never spoken a single word,
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saying dying songs to herself. Specifically, she sang over and
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over again, where does the soul find its home? It's peace, peace, piece,
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heavenly peace. For half an hour she sang her face
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up to then so stulified, was transfigured and spiritualized. Then
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she quietly passed away like myself and the nurse who
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had cared for her. Doctor Whittenben had tears in his eyes.
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Hapitch recalled Doctornam and Bruce Grayson from the University of
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Virginia said that Anna's story represents one of the most
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intriguing cases of the phenomenon. According to doctor Noam, about
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forty two percent of all people who had flashbacks died
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on the same day. How can sick people gain mental clarity?
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Just before they die. Why do patients who suffer from
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Alzheimer's disease, brain tumors, or stroke suddenly for a brief
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peers exhibit normal behavior. Terminal lucidity is currently a medical
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mystery and one of those anomalies that neuroscience cannot explain,
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at least not yet. When Weird Darkness returns. Many say
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the most haunted hotel is the one in Colorado that
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was used in the film The Shining. There is evidence
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that one in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, though, deals with even
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more paranormal activity. We'll look at the Crescent Hotel up next.
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I'm Darren Marler. Welcome back to Weird Darkness. If you'd
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like to stay up to date on everything that we
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00:32:14.880 --> 00:32:18.799
do here with Weird Darkness, read original paranormal articles by
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00:32:18.839 --> 00:32:22.240
yours Truly, register for contests or more. You can sign
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00:32:22.359 --> 00:32:24.599
up for the email newsletter. You can sign up for
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00:32:24.640 --> 00:32:28.039
the Weird Darkness newsletter for free at weird darkness dot
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00:32:28.079 --> 00:32:41.079
com slash newsletter. In Eureka Springs, Arkansas, overlooking a valley
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00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:45.480
sits the Crescent Hotel and Spa, opening its doors on
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May twentieth, eighteen eighty six. It began its rich and
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haunted history, which eventually gave it its nickname of America's
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Most Haunted hotel. Designed by Isaac L. Taylor and built
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by the Eureka Springs and Ruben Company headed by the
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Governor of Arkansas Powell Clayton, in hopes of taking advantage
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of these springs surrounding the hotel that were touted as
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healing waters, Stonemasons from Ireland were brought in for construction
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and brought the seventy eight room resort to life, boasting
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numerous towers, chandeliers, beautiful gardens, and wooden pathways. People flocked
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to the Crescent Hotel, but when they realized that the
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springs held no healing power, they stopped coming and the
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hotel closed its doors. It reopened and ran as the
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Crescent Women's College and Conservatory from nineteen oh eight to
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nineteen twenty four, but when tuition couldn't maintain the cost,
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00:33:44.240 --> 00:33:48.599
they closed it again. In nineteen thirty seven, the Crescent reopened,
475
00:33:49.000 --> 00:33:51.559
this time as a cancer center run by a man
476
00:33:51.640 --> 00:33:58.200
named Norman Baker, who advertised a miracle elixir that cured cancer. Sadly,
477
00:33:58.240 --> 00:34:01.039
he was a fraud, gaining four men million dollars from
478
00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:04.880
its unsuspecting victims and ending in his arrest in nineteen
479
00:34:04.960 --> 00:34:09.599
thirty seven. From nineteen forty to nineteen forty six, the
480
00:34:09.639 --> 00:34:14.079
building sat empty. In nineteen forty four, four businessmen bought
481
00:34:14.159 --> 00:34:16.800
it and restored it, but in nineteen sixty seven a
482
00:34:16.840 --> 00:34:20.599
fire destroyed most of the fourth floor. It passed through
483
00:34:20.679 --> 00:34:24.599
many owners until May nineteen ninety seven, when Marty and
484
00:34:24.639 --> 00:34:28.199
Elise Roenig bought it, restoring it to its former glory.
485
00:34:28.800 --> 00:34:33.840
In September two thousand two, renovations were finished. With such
486
00:34:33.880 --> 00:34:38.519
a rich and sometimes sordid history, it's not surprising to
487
00:34:38.519 --> 00:34:42.880
find some ghostly activity. With the smell of pipe tobacco,
488
00:34:43.199 --> 00:34:47.400
orbs and the appearances of pools of blood, the haunted
489
00:34:47.440 --> 00:34:51.400
history of the Crescent is already ripe with paranormal activity,
490
00:34:51.920 --> 00:34:56.079
and that is without the full bodied apparitions. The most
491
00:34:56.119 --> 00:35:00.159
notorious ghost is that of a womanizing Irish Stonemadie and
492
00:35:00.320 --> 00:35:04.000
named Michael, who allegedly fell through the roof into room
493
00:35:04.039 --> 00:35:08.719
two eighteen during construction, hitting his head and killing him instantly.
494
00:35:09.599 --> 00:35:13.239
Loud thuds today can be heard, and sometimes his apparition
495
00:35:13.320 --> 00:35:17.039
appears in the room, staring at the floor He's also
496
00:35:17.079 --> 00:35:20.679
been blamed for ghost hands reaching out of the mirrors
497
00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:25.719
orbs and blood on the wall. Theodora is another ghost.
498
00:35:26.280 --> 00:35:29.039
She was a cancer patient and one of the victims
499
00:35:29.079 --> 00:35:32.519
of Norman Baker, who has appeared in full body apparition
500
00:35:32.760 --> 00:35:36.320
in room four nineteen. Another ghost is that of a
501
00:35:36.360 --> 00:35:39.840
young woman who lived there while the building was a college.
502
00:35:39.880 --> 00:35:43.559
She was either pushed or jumped to her death. She
503
00:35:43.679 --> 00:35:47.119
often wakes guests as they sleep by touching them, and
504
00:35:47.199 --> 00:35:51.519
her apparition has been seen. Sometimes her screams can be
505
00:35:51.559 --> 00:35:56.599
heard as she falls, re enacting her death. There is
506
00:35:56.639 --> 00:35:59.039
also the ghost of a man dressed in hat and
507
00:35:59.159 --> 00:36:01.719
tails that is thought to be the ghost of doctor
508
00:36:01.800 --> 00:36:07.320
John Fremont ellis a frequent visitor of the hotel. Another apparition,
509
00:36:07.440 --> 00:36:09.760
dressed in a top hat with a full beard, has
510
00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:14.039
also been seen. The ghost of Norman Baker. The con
511
00:36:14.159 --> 00:36:20.079
artist is usually at fault for moving objects and loud footsteps. Also,
512
00:36:20.320 --> 00:36:23.719
the apparitions of two nurses have been seen, pushing empty
513
00:36:23.719 --> 00:36:28.119
wheelchairs or carrying clipboards. There is also the apparition of
514
00:36:28.119 --> 00:36:31.760
a waiter carrying butter through the dining room, as well
515
00:36:31.800 --> 00:36:34.440
as the ghosts of a bride and groom, which appear
516
00:36:34.679 --> 00:36:37.559
in a mirror, but not in the dining room itself.
517
00:36:38.599 --> 00:36:41.320
There have also been sightings of a little boy and
518
00:36:41.719 --> 00:36:45.960
a little girl, so if you're seeking ghosts, this would
519
00:36:45.960 --> 00:36:48.639
be the place you're most likely to find them, and
520
00:36:48.679 --> 00:36:52.400
for those brave enough, they do offer daily ghost tours.
521
00:36:53.199 --> 00:36:57.199
With all the paranormal activity, the Crescent earns its nickname
522
00:36:57.599 --> 00:37:14.920
as America's most haunted hotels. Hell Baba Vonga born Vangelia
523
00:37:15.039 --> 00:37:19.920
Pandeva Dimitrova was an extraordinary mystic and clairvoyant from Bulgaria
524
00:37:20.199 --> 00:37:25.280
who gained international recognition for her alleged prophetic abilities. Born
525
00:37:25.320 --> 00:37:29.239
on January thirty first, nineteen eleven in Strumika, a small
526
00:37:29.320 --> 00:37:32.679
village in the Ottoman Empire, her life unfolded against the
527
00:37:32.719 --> 00:37:37.320
backdrop of tumultuous historical events. Despite being blind from a
528
00:37:37.320 --> 00:37:41.719
young age, Baba Vonga's remarkable insights into the future captured
529
00:37:41.719 --> 00:37:46.480
the imagination of millions worldwide. This long form biography delves
530
00:37:46.519 --> 00:37:49.639
into the life, predictions and enduring the legacy of the
531
00:37:49.800 --> 00:37:56.199
enigmatic seer known as Baba Venga. Vangelia Dimitrova's early life
532
00:37:56.320 --> 00:37:59.800
was marked by tragedy and adversity. At the age of
533
00:37:59.800 --> 00:38:02.679
two twelve, she lost her sight due to a tornado
534
00:38:02.760 --> 00:38:05.519
that swept through her village. However, it was during this
535
00:38:05.599 --> 00:38:09.119
traumatic event that she claimed to have experienced her first
536
00:38:09.239 --> 00:38:14.159
supernatural vision, which she interpreted as a divine gift. Word
537
00:38:14.199 --> 00:38:17.920
of her prophetic abilities spread, and soon people from all
538
00:38:18.000 --> 00:38:22.239
walks of life sought her counsel. Babavanga, as she became known,
539
00:38:22.559 --> 00:38:26.320
had the ability to see into the future, predict natural disasters,
540
00:38:26.400 --> 00:38:31.159
and provide detailed insights into individuals lives. Her accuracy and
541
00:38:31.239 --> 00:38:35.119
for telling events became legendary, and her reputation as a
542
00:38:35.239 --> 00:38:41.079
seer continued to grow. Throughout her life, Babavanga made numerous
543
00:38:41.159 --> 00:38:45.519
predictions that have both fascinated and perplexed people. Some of
544
00:38:45.519 --> 00:38:49.639
her most famous and accurate prophecies include the assassination of
545
00:38:49.719 --> 00:38:53.599
John F. Kennedy. It's believed that Babavanga accurately predicted the
546
00:38:53.639 --> 00:38:57.599
assassination of the American President in nineteen sixty three, stating
547
00:38:57.679 --> 00:39:01.280
that an American brother would be killed by steel birds.
548
00:39:02.440 --> 00:39:06.199
The fall of the Twin Towers. Babavanga reportedly predicted the
549
00:39:06.360 --> 00:39:08.800
terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York
550
00:39:08.880 --> 00:39:12.159
on September eleventh, two thousand and one, she described a
551
00:39:12.199 --> 00:39:17.760
vision of steel birds crashing into two tall brothers, Brexits
552
00:39:17.800 --> 00:39:22.079
and the European Union. Babavanga allegedly predicted the United Kingdom's
553
00:39:22.119 --> 00:39:25.920
decision to leave the European Union. According to some accounts,
554
00:39:25.960 --> 00:39:28.519
she claimed that Europe would no longer exist as we
555
00:39:28.639 --> 00:39:32.519
know it by twenty sixteen and the rise of Vladimir Putin.
556
00:39:33.079 --> 00:39:36.679
Babavoga purportedly foresaw the ascent of the Russian president to
557
00:39:36.760 --> 00:39:40.159
power and predicted that he would bring about significant changes
558
00:39:40.199 --> 00:39:43.639
in his country. These are just a few examples of
559
00:39:43.719 --> 00:39:47.639
the many predictions attributed to Babavanga, which have sparked both
560
00:39:47.679 --> 00:39:54.159
skepticism and awe among believers and skeptics alike. Babavoga's prophetic
561
00:39:54.159 --> 00:39:58.320
abilities remain a subject of debate. Skeptics argue that many
562
00:39:58.360 --> 00:40:01.800
of her predictions were either ver or open to interpretation,
563
00:40:02.280 --> 00:40:06.800
and that any apparent accuracy could be attributed to coincidence. However,
564
00:40:06.920 --> 00:40:10.960
her supporters claim that she possessed an extraordinary gift, allowing
565
00:40:11.000 --> 00:40:16.079
her to tap into realms beyond our comprehension. Babavanga herself
566
00:40:16.239 --> 00:40:19.639
remained humble about her abilities often stating that she was
567
00:40:19.719 --> 00:40:24.159
merely a vessel through which divine knowledge flowed. She believed
568
00:40:24.239 --> 00:40:27.079
that her purpose was to provide guidance and comfort to
569
00:40:27.119 --> 00:40:30.639
those in need, rather than seek personal fame or fortune.
570
00:40:31.960 --> 00:40:36.559
Babavunga passed away on August eleventh, nineteen ninety six, leaving
571
00:40:36.599 --> 00:40:41.559
behind a legacy that continues to captivate and intrigue. Her predictions,
572
00:40:41.599 --> 00:40:46.360
though sometimes met with skepticism, continue to generate curiosity and speculation.
573
00:40:47.320 --> 00:40:50.199
Her life story and alleged abilities have been the subject
574
00:40:50.280 --> 00:40:55.320
of books, documentaries, and countless articles. Furthermore, her home in
575
00:40:55.360 --> 00:40:58.519
Bulgaria has become a pilgrimage site for believers who seek
576
00:40:58.559 --> 00:41:02.199
spiritual solace and hope. The house has been turned into
577
00:41:02.199 --> 00:41:05.199
a museum dedicated to her life, where visitors can learn
578
00:41:05.239 --> 00:41:09.280
about her predictions, examined personal belongings, and gain insight into
579
00:41:09.280 --> 00:41:14.880
the world of the blind mystic. Babavanga, the blind Bulgarian seer,
580
00:41:15.239 --> 00:41:18.000
left an indelible mark on the world with her alleged
581
00:41:18.039 --> 00:41:23.079
prophetic abilities. While opinions regarding the authenticity of her predictions
582
00:41:23.119 --> 00:41:27.039
remain divided, there's no denying the fascination and intrigue she
583
00:41:27.079 --> 00:41:30.679
continues to evoke. Her life story serves as a testament
584
00:41:30.719 --> 00:41:34.079
to the enduring power of belief and the human fascination
585
00:41:34.199 --> 00:41:38.559
with the mysteries of the future. Babavanga's enigmatic persona and
586
00:41:38.599 --> 00:41:42.519
her uncanny ability to peer into the unknown will undoubtedly
587
00:41:42.559 --> 00:41:53.840
continue to captivate the minds of generations to come. Thanks
588
00:41:53.880 --> 00:41:55.920
for listening. If you missed any part of tonight's show,
589
00:41:55.960 --> 00:41:57.599
or if you want to hear it again, you can
590
00:41:57.599 --> 00:42:01.079
subscribe to the podcast in your favorite podcast by searching
591
00:42:01.119 --> 00:42:04.239
for Weird Darkness. Not only we hear a copy of
592
00:42:04.320 --> 00:42:07.119
tonight's show, you'll also receive daily episodes of the Weird
593
00:42:07.199 --> 00:42:10.599
Darkness podcast. You'll find me wherever you listen to podcasts,
594
00:42:10.760 --> 00:42:13.639
even YouTube. You can follow the show on social media
595
00:42:13.679 --> 00:42:16.880
by visiting the contact social page at Weirddarkness dot com,
596
00:42:17.239 --> 00:42:19.440
and please tell others about the show who love the
597
00:42:19.440 --> 00:42:24.400
paranormal or strained stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries
598
00:42:24.440 --> 00:42:27.119
like you do. Doing that helps make it possible for
599
00:42:27.159 --> 00:42:29.360
me to keep doing the show. If you like to
600
00:42:29.360 --> 00:42:30.840
be a part of the show, you can send in
601
00:42:30.880 --> 00:42:34.519
your own paranormal experience by clicking on tell your Story
602
00:42:34.760 --> 00:42:38.239
at Weirddarkness dot com. All stories in Weird Darkness are
603
00:42:38.280 --> 00:42:41.280
purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can
604
00:42:41.280 --> 00:42:43.360
find links to the stories or the authors in the
605
00:42:43.400 --> 00:42:45.800
show notes, which I have already posted to the Weird
606
00:42:45.840 --> 00:42:51.400
Darkness website. Baba Vanga is from Paranormality Magazine. Secret Doors
607
00:42:51.400 --> 00:42:54.599
to the Underworld is from Facts Verse. King of the
608
00:42:54.639 --> 00:42:58.719
Irish Hill is by Paul Drexler for a crime traveler terminal.
609
00:42:58.800 --> 00:43:02.599
Lucidity Phenomenon is by Cynthia McKenzie for a message to Eagle,
610
00:43:03.239 --> 00:43:06.119
and The Crescent Hotel was written by Amanda Pan for
611
00:43:06.280 --> 00:43:09.840
Vocal Media Horror. Weird Darkness is a production and trademark
612
00:43:09.960 --> 00:43:14.119
of Marler House Productions, Copyright Weird Darkness. And now that
613
00:43:14.159 --> 00:43:16.480
we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with
614
00:43:16.559 --> 00:43:20.519
a little light psalm on eight, verse two, you will
615
00:43:20.559 --> 00:43:24.079
eat the fruit of your labor. Blessings and prosperity will
616
00:43:24.079 --> 00:43:27.920
be yours. And a final thought, the key to living
617
00:43:27.960 --> 00:43:31.119
a good life is recognizing that there are no doors,
618
00:43:31.480 --> 00:43:36.960
no confines, no origin or destination. There is only the journey.
619
00:43:37.880 --> 00:43:43.119
Cindy Dale, I'm Darren Marler. Thanks for joining me in
620
00:43:43.159 --> 00:44:27.000
the Weird Darkness. Lucifer Satan Beels above. These are but
621
00:44:27.280 --> 00:44:31.000
some of the many names used to describe the arch
622
00:44:31.079 --> 00:44:36.400
demonic enemy of mankind, A diabolical devil figure appears in
623
00:44:36.519 --> 00:44:40.119
history all across the globe. Whether you believe in his
624
00:44:40.239 --> 00:44:43.960
existence or not, the hellish mark which the Devil has
625
00:44:44.039 --> 00:44:48.440
left on the legends and folklores of mankind is indisputable.
626
00:44:49.599 --> 00:44:54.079
Many tales describe encounters with the beast, and tonight I
627
00:44:54.199 --> 00:44:59.880
have a few historic encounters with the Devil on Darren
628
00:45:00.039 --> 00:45:13.639
Marler and This is Weird Darkness. Welcome Weirdos. I'm Darren
629
00:45:13.639 --> 00:45:16.639
Marler and this is Weird Darkness Radio, where every week
630
00:45:16.679 --> 00:45:21.599
you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the
631
00:45:21.679 --> 00:45:29.519
strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained
632
00:45:30.719 --> 00:45:34.639
coming up this hour. Many tales describe encounters with the
633
00:45:34.679 --> 00:45:39.320
Devil himself, yet not all are the same. Sometimes Satan
634
00:45:39.400 --> 00:45:43.679
approaches his prey, other times the lost soul goes seeking
635
00:45:43.800 --> 00:45:47.679
Lucifer to make a deal. Either way, the results are
636
00:45:47.880 --> 00:45:51.880
never favorable. If you're new here, welcome to the show.
637
00:45:52.039 --> 00:45:54.119
And if you're already a member of this Weirdo family,
638
00:45:54.159 --> 00:45:56.760
please take a moment and invite someone else to listen
639
00:45:56.800 --> 00:45:59.639
in with you. Recommending Weird Darkness to others helps make
640
00:45:59.679 --> 00:46:02.159
it pass for me to keep doing the show. And
641
00:46:02.239 --> 00:46:04.800
while you're listening, be sure to visit Weird Darkness dot
642
00:46:04.840 --> 00:46:08.519
com at click on contact Social to follow Weird Darkness
643
00:46:08.519 --> 00:46:11.320
on social media and also on the website. You can
644
00:46:11.320 --> 00:46:14.639
find the daily Weird Darkness podcast, which comes out seven
645
00:46:14.719 --> 00:46:18.400
days per week, along with my other podcasts like Retro Radio,
646
00:46:18.639 --> 00:46:21.599
Old Time Radio, in the Dark, Church of the Undead,
647
00:46:21.840 --> 00:46:25.360
and a classic nineteen fifties sci fi style podcast called
648
00:46:25.400 --> 00:46:30.119
Auditory Anthology. You can enter contests, find Weird Darkness, merchandise
649
00:46:30.440 --> 00:46:32.639
and more. You can even send in your own true
650
00:46:32.679 --> 00:46:35.480
story of something paranormal that has happened to you or
651
00:46:35.480 --> 00:46:37.840
someone you know. You can find all of that at
652
00:46:37.880 --> 00:46:43.800
Weird Darkness dot com. Now bult your doors, lock your windows,
653
00:46:44.159 --> 00:46:48.119
turn off your lights, and come with me into the
654
00:46:48.159 --> 00:47:13.199
Weird Darkness. Richard Cabell lived during the sixteen hundreds and
655
00:47:13.360 --> 00:47:16.639
was the local squire of brook Manor and Deaf in England.
656
00:47:17.360 --> 00:47:21.400
He was regarded as a monstrously evil man, a figure
657
00:47:21.440 --> 00:47:25.360
of darkness, who local legend records as having beaten and
658
00:47:25.480 --> 00:47:30.599
abused his wife until one night she escaped, fleeing across
659
00:47:30.639 --> 00:47:34.000
the moors with her husband in hot pursuit. It is
660
00:47:34.039 --> 00:47:37.239
said that he eventually caught up with the unfortunate woman,
661
00:47:37.880 --> 00:47:41.519
murdering her and her faithful dog. The ghost of this
662
00:47:41.639 --> 00:47:46.159
loyal canine haunted Cabelle for the rest of his life.
663
00:47:46.320 --> 00:47:49.360
The reason for the squire's darkness, it was said, lay
664
00:47:49.480 --> 00:47:53.199
in a deal he had made with the devil. Granted
665
00:47:53.199 --> 00:47:57.639
immortality by the beast, Cabell did as he pleased, creating
666
00:47:57.719 --> 00:48:00.880
such an infamous legacy that he would later go on
667
00:48:01.079 --> 00:48:04.719
to provide the inspiration for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Hound
668
00:48:04.760 --> 00:48:09.480
of the Baskervilles. However, eternal life was not to be his.
669
00:48:10.360 --> 00:48:13.920
Cabell died on the fifth of July sixteen seventy seven,
670
00:48:14.519 --> 00:48:17.559
with some saying that he was hunted to death by
671
00:48:17.599 --> 00:48:21.800
a pack of phantom hounds bent on revenge. On the
672
00:48:21.920 --> 00:48:25.079
night of his interment into the family tomb, it is
673
00:48:25.159 --> 00:48:29.280
said that this same pack of phantom hounds came baying
674
00:48:29.360 --> 00:48:33.480
across the moor to howl at his grave. From then on,
675
00:48:33.480 --> 00:48:36.679
on the anniversary of his death, the hellish phantom of
676
00:48:36.800 --> 00:48:40.719
Richard Cabbell could be seen stalking the moors and the
677
00:48:40.800 --> 00:48:45.639
area around his final resting place. Terrified of the dark
678
00:48:45.679 --> 00:48:50.400
figure and his diabolical connection, local people built iron bars
679
00:48:50.440 --> 00:48:54.000
around the squire's tomb and placed a huge slab of
680
00:48:54.079 --> 00:48:58.760
stone on top of the grave. However, even after taking
681
00:48:58.800 --> 00:49:04.800
such precautions, some still report a strange red glow emanating
682
00:49:04.920 --> 00:49:09.159
through the iron bars. Some even claim that on certain
683
00:49:09.280 --> 00:49:13.760
knights a whole host of demonic creatures gather at his grave,
684
00:49:14.360 --> 00:49:21.079
trying to retrieve the promised soul for their master. Saint Dunstan.
685
00:49:22.159 --> 00:49:25.239
In the tenth century, the religious fate of England was
686
00:49:25.239 --> 00:49:30.760
safeguarded by Saint Dunstan, a pious and charitable clergyman who
687
00:49:30.840 --> 00:49:35.639
held many important ecclesiastical positions throughout his life. By the
688
00:49:35.679 --> 00:49:39.000
time of his death in nine eighty eight, Dunstan had
689
00:49:39.039 --> 00:49:43.159
served as the Archbishop of Canterbury and had reformed monastic
690
00:49:43.239 --> 00:49:46.679
life in England, as well as being a skilled artist,
691
00:49:47.079 --> 00:49:51.440
harpist and metalsmith. Not only that, it was said that
692
00:49:51.559 --> 00:49:57.320
Dunstan had protected England from the Devil himself. According to legend,
693
00:49:57.719 --> 00:50:02.039
Dunstan encountered the Devil numerous times. The most famous of
694
00:50:02.079 --> 00:50:05.039
these encounters occurred whilst he was living as a hermit
695
00:50:05.280 --> 00:50:09.239
in a cell at Glastonbury. A talented metal smith as
696
00:50:09.280 --> 00:50:14.960
he was, Dunstan occasionally accepted commissions. One such commission came
697
00:50:15.000 --> 00:50:18.159
from an old man who appeared at his window, asking
698
00:50:18.199 --> 00:50:22.320
if Dunstan would make a chalice for him. Agreeing, Dunstan
699
00:50:22.400 --> 00:50:25.199
began work on the piece. However, when he looked up
700
00:50:25.239 --> 00:50:28.559
from his work, he noticed that his visitor had changed.
701
00:50:29.159 --> 00:50:31.719
One moment, he was the old man, the next a
702
00:50:31.840 --> 00:50:36.719
young boy, then a woman. It was then that Dunstan
703
00:50:36.840 --> 00:50:42.400
realized his visitor was the devil. Concealing his distress, Dunstan
704
00:50:42.519 --> 00:50:46.800
continued to craft the chalice. He picked up his blacksmith's
705
00:50:46.840 --> 00:50:50.119
tongs and moved them to the fire. Once they were
706
00:50:50.199 --> 00:50:53.159
red hot, he pulled them from the flames, turned on
707
00:50:53.199 --> 00:50:55.880
his heel, and seized the devil by the nose with
708
00:50:56.079 --> 00:51:00.000
the tongs. Despite the struggling and screams of the devil,
709
00:51:00.440 --> 00:51:05.679
Dunstan calmly cast the beast from his cell. On another occasion,
710
00:51:05.760 --> 00:51:09.119
Dunstan was sat in his cell playing as harp as
711
00:51:09.159 --> 00:51:13.719
the Saint sang his melodious tune. A tramping vagrant approached.
712
00:51:14.360 --> 00:51:18.000
This was the devil, once again, intent on deceiving the
713
00:51:18.039 --> 00:51:22.239
holy Man. However, Dunstan was a man of cunning. He
714
00:51:22.360 --> 00:51:26.480
once again seized the devil, this time grabbing his diabolic hoof.
715
00:51:27.079 --> 00:51:30.920
The saint proceeded to shoe the beast furiously, nailing a
716
00:51:30.960 --> 00:51:34.960
metal horseshoe to the devil's hoof. The devil pleaded and
717
00:51:35.199 --> 00:51:39.239
cried in pain as Dunstan hammered nail after nail into him.
718
00:51:39.920 --> 00:51:43.079
When he was done, Dunstan only agreed to remove the
719
00:51:43.119 --> 00:51:46.320
shoe and free the devil after he promised he would
720
00:51:46.360 --> 00:51:49.480
never pass through a door over which a horseshoe hangs,
721
00:51:50.320 --> 00:51:53.599
and from then on the hanging of a horseshoe outside
722
00:51:53.639 --> 00:51:57.840
wants home has been associated with good luck and protection.
723
00:51:59.119 --> 00:52:02.760
Over your threshold on your mast, be sure the horseshoes
724
00:52:02.880 --> 00:52:12.039
well nailed fast more diabolical dealings with the devil. When
725
00:52:12.079 --> 00:52:42.519
Weird Darkness returns, Welcome back to Weird Darkness. I'm Darren Marler.
726
00:52:42.960 --> 00:52:45.480
You can get more Weird Darkness seven days a week
727
00:52:45.599 --> 00:52:48.360
through the Weird Darkness podcast, which you can find wherever
728
00:52:48.400 --> 00:52:51.840
you listen to podcasts on YouTube, or visit Weirddarkness dot
729
00:52:51.840 --> 00:52:54.280
com slash listen and find a list of all the
730
00:52:54.320 --> 00:52:56.760
apps where you can listen to the show That's Weird
731
00:52:56.840 --> 00:53:02.079
Darkness dot Com slash Listen. We'll continue with more stories
732
00:53:02.119 --> 00:53:13.840
of those who've dealt directly with the devil. Almost every
733
00:53:13.840 --> 00:53:18.719
country possesses a legend of a devil's bridge. In this respect,
734
00:53:18.880 --> 00:53:24.159
the Tyrol region of Austria is no different. Legend reports
735
00:53:24.199 --> 00:53:27.119
that one day a village in the valley of Montaufen
736
00:53:27.599 --> 00:53:32.239
had their bridge swept away by an overwhelming torrent. The
737
00:53:32.320 --> 00:53:36.519
villagers were justifiably concerned, for they depended upon that passage
738
00:53:36.840 --> 00:53:40.039
to pass to and from Schreuns, on the other side
739
00:53:40.039 --> 00:53:43.840
of the river, from where they traded and purchased their supplies.
740
00:53:44.840 --> 00:53:48.880
Banding together, the villagers applied to the local carpenter, offering
741
00:53:48.960 --> 00:53:51.519
him a large sum of money if he would rebuild
742
00:53:51.679 --> 00:53:56.239
the vital bridge in three days time. The carpenter was
743
00:53:56.280 --> 00:53:59.559
in disbelief. The money being offered would make his large
744
00:53:59.599 --> 00:54:03.760
family rich. However, he saw that completing such a great
745
00:54:03.800 --> 00:54:08.079
amount of work in just three days was an impossibility.
746
00:54:08.920 --> 00:54:12.480
Before making a decision, he begged the villagers for one
747
00:54:12.599 --> 00:54:17.239
day of reflection. All that day, up to midnight, the
748
00:54:17.280 --> 00:54:21.559
carpenter studied and pondered frantically searching for a way to
749
00:54:21.679 --> 00:54:26.519
rebuild the bridge in a specified time. Angry and annoyed,
750
00:54:26.559 --> 00:54:30.320
he could find no solution. Just when he was about
751
00:54:30.360 --> 00:54:32.920
to give up and go to bed, a little man
752
00:54:33.000 --> 00:54:36.920
wearing a green hat entered the room. The strange man
753
00:54:37.039 --> 00:54:40.559
claimed that he could help the carpenter complete the task
754
00:54:40.800 --> 00:54:44.719
in the three days. He did, however, have one condition.
755
00:54:45.599 --> 00:54:48.840
Once the bridge was finished, the first soul out of
756
00:54:48.840 --> 00:54:52.159
the carpenter's house to pass over the bridge would belong
757
00:54:52.239 --> 00:54:56.440
to him. So enticed by the large sum of money
758
00:54:56.519 --> 00:55:00.880
was he, the carpenter agreed to the devil's terms, believing
759
00:55:00.920 --> 00:55:04.119
that when the time came, he could cheat the devil.
760
00:55:05.280 --> 00:55:08.880
Three days afterwards, the bridge was complete, and the devil
761
00:55:08.920 --> 00:55:13.199
stood in the middle awaiting his prey. After having remained
762
00:55:13.239 --> 00:55:18.079
there for many days, the carpenter at last appeared. Sensing
763
00:55:18.159 --> 00:55:22.719
his payment was close at hand, The devil jumped with joy. However,
764
00:55:22.760 --> 00:55:26.079
the carpenter was driving one of his goats, and as
765
00:55:26.119 --> 00:55:29.599
he approached the bridge, he pushed her on before him
766
00:55:29.719 --> 00:55:32.840
and called out, there you have the first soul out
767
00:55:32.840 --> 00:55:36.239
of my house. In a fit of rage at having
768
00:55:36.280 --> 00:55:39.920
been so deceived and humiliated, the devil seized the goat
769
00:55:39.960 --> 00:55:43.320
by the tail and dragged her across the bridge. So
770
00:55:43.639 --> 00:55:47.519
hard did the devil handle the creature, her tail came out,
771
00:55:48.480 --> 00:55:50.880
laughed at and mocked by all who saw him with
772
00:55:50.920 --> 00:55:54.800
the goat, the devil took off. It is said that
773
00:55:55.000 --> 00:55:58.639
since the day the carpenter outsmarted the devil, all goats
774
00:55:58.920 --> 00:56:05.360
now have short tales. Robert Johnson he was an American
775
00:56:05.480 --> 00:56:10.079
blues singer, songwriter, and musician. It was his guitar playing
776
00:56:10.119 --> 00:56:13.719
ability for which he is most remembered, and is still
777
00:56:13.800 --> 00:56:18.800
considered to be among the greatest guitarists of all time. Strangely,
778
00:56:19.280 --> 00:56:22.039
playing the guitar was not a skill which he was
779
00:56:22.119 --> 00:56:26.159
ever known for as a child. The story goes that
780
00:56:26.360 --> 00:56:29.559
although he did play it avidly in high school, he
781
00:56:29.679 --> 00:56:34.360
was not reported as having any real talent for the guitar. However,
782
00:56:34.760 --> 00:56:38.679
at the age of eighteen, Johnson displayed a mastery of
783
00:56:38.760 --> 00:56:43.199
guitar that seemed to come from nowhere. His rapid knowledge
784
00:56:43.239 --> 00:56:46.760
of the instrument was inexplicable. He played it with such
785
00:56:46.880 --> 00:56:50.960
intimate finesse that the only explanation for it was devilry.
786
00:56:52.039 --> 00:56:54.800
According to legend, as a young man living on a
787
00:56:54.840 --> 00:56:59.519
plantation in rural Mississippi. Johnson greatly desired to become a
788
00:56:59.559 --> 00:57:04.559
great blues musician. The desire was so great he took
789
00:57:04.599 --> 00:57:08.639
his guitar to a nearby crossroads. There he was met
790
00:57:08.679 --> 00:57:12.119
by the devil, who took his guitar and retuned it.
791
00:57:12.880 --> 00:57:15.800
Upon handing it back, Johnson was given mastering of the
792
00:57:15.800 --> 00:57:21.000
instrument for the small price of his soul. In the
793
00:57:21.079 --> 00:57:25.880
years that followed, Johnson became an itinerant musician, moving from
794
00:57:25.920 --> 00:57:29.719
place to place, playing his guitar for tips on street corners.
795
00:57:30.320 --> 00:57:34.559
He later went on to record several songs. Some say
796
00:57:34.639 --> 00:57:38.639
that allusions to Johnson's diabolical pact can be found in
797
00:57:38.760 --> 00:57:43.000
several of his own songs, including cross Road Blues and
798
00:57:43.320 --> 00:57:48.920
Me and the Devil. Somewhat Ominously, Johnson died under mysterious
799
00:57:48.960 --> 00:57:52.639
circumstances in nineteen thirty eight at the young age of
800
00:57:52.719 --> 00:57:57.360
twenty seven. One theory suggests that he was poisoned by
801
00:57:57.440 --> 00:58:00.000
the jealous husband of a woman he had flirted with.
802
00:58:00.840 --> 00:58:06.039
Another theory is he died of syphilis. Ultimately, no one knows.
803
00:58:06.639 --> 00:58:10.440
Not only that, Johnson's grave site is also a mystery,
804
00:58:10.760 --> 00:58:14.639
with at least three different locations having been marked out
805
00:58:14.719 --> 00:58:19.800
as possible sights. With Johnson's music now enshrined in the
806
00:58:19.880 --> 00:58:23.360
Blues Hall of Fame, one can only wonder if the
807
00:58:23.440 --> 00:58:27.639
devil came and collected his fee as agreed. After all,
808
00:58:28.079 --> 00:58:32.519
Johnson died at the legendary and possibly cursed age of
809
00:58:32.599 --> 00:58:37.719
twenty seven, meaning that he joined other great musicians in
810
00:58:37.800 --> 00:58:42.880
that infamous twenty seven club, including Jimmy Hendrix, Kurt Cobain
811
00:58:43.440 --> 00:58:51.599
and Jim Morrison. The Possession of George Lukens. On Saturday
812
00:58:51.800 --> 00:58:56.320
May thirty first, seventeen eighty eight, the Reverend Joseph Easterbrook
813
00:58:56.400 --> 00:59:00.199
was alerted to the strange case of George Lukens, a
814
00:59:00.199 --> 00:59:04.199
man who claimed to be possessed by the devil. It
815
00:59:04.280 --> 00:59:08.159
was one of the reverend's parishioners, Missus Sarah Barber, who
816
00:59:08.239 --> 00:59:12.440
told him of Lucan's affliction. Upon visiting the village of
817
00:59:12.519 --> 00:59:15.519
Yatton in Somerset, a place where she used to live.
818
00:59:15.719 --> 00:59:18.440
Missus Barber had been disturbed to find a man she
819
00:59:18.559 --> 00:59:22.920
once knew in a state of extraordinary illness. George Luken's,
820
00:59:23.360 --> 00:59:26.719
a tailor and common carrier by profession, had been a
821
00:59:26.840 --> 00:59:32.360
child of good character who constantly attended the church and sacrament. However,
822
00:59:32.840 --> 00:59:36.639
for the last eighteen years, his demeanor had shifted, his
823
00:59:36.840 --> 00:59:41.320
nature changed. During her stay in the village, she told
824
00:59:41.360 --> 00:59:45.599
the reverend she witnessed the unfortunate man have fits multiple
825
00:59:45.639 --> 00:59:49.239
times a day, during which he sang and screamed in
826
00:59:49.440 --> 00:59:54.679
various sounds, some of which did not resemble a human voice.
827
00:59:55.320 --> 00:59:58.119
George had been placed under the care of mister Smith,
828
00:59:58.400 --> 01:00:02.960
an eminent surgeon. Many other medical gentlemen had also lent
829
01:00:03.079 --> 01:00:06.559
their help to mister Smith and his patient. All was
830
01:00:06.599 --> 01:00:10.800
in vain. No cure could be found for the mysterious malady,
831
01:00:11.199 --> 01:00:14.239
with George himself declaring in the middle of his fits
832
01:00:14.639 --> 01:00:18.679
that no doctor could do him service. Many of the
833
01:00:18.719 --> 01:00:22.119
people of the village were convinced the man was bewitched.
834
01:00:22.760 --> 01:00:26.880
George himself declared that he was possessed of seven devils.
835
01:00:27.960 --> 01:00:33.119
Upon hearing mister Barber's recollections, Reverend Eastbrook requested George Lucan's
836
01:00:33.239 --> 01:00:37.519
visit him. In the reverence notes, he described how George
837
01:00:37.559 --> 01:00:42.400
made the most horrible noises as his body convulsed, experiencing
838
01:00:42.440 --> 01:00:45.440
as many as nine fits a day. The man was
839
01:00:45.519 --> 01:00:50.119
weak and emaciated. He was also unable to hear religious
840
01:00:50.159 --> 01:00:55.159
expressions without writhing in pain. Another witness, who published a
841
01:00:55.239 --> 01:00:58.400
letter in the local newspaper at the time, described how
842
01:00:58.440 --> 01:01:01.760
George would declare in a roaring voice that he is
843
01:01:01.800 --> 01:01:05.760
the devil, before singing a hunting song in a hoarse
844
01:01:05.800 --> 01:01:10.480
and frightful voice. They even detailed how, at certain periods
845
01:01:10.480 --> 01:01:13.599
of the fit, he was so violent that an assistant
846
01:01:13.760 --> 01:01:17.199
was always obliged to be at hand to restrain him
847
01:01:17.239 --> 01:01:22.800
from committing some injury to himself. On June thirteenth, Reverend
848
01:01:22.800 --> 01:01:25.800
Easterbrook and several of his friends and colleagues met with
849
01:01:25.920 --> 01:01:29.199
George in the vestry room of the church. They began
850
01:01:29.360 --> 01:01:34.679
by singing hymns, which immediately caused George to convulse in agitation.
851
01:01:35.679 --> 01:01:40.400
His fit became more violent until he spoke in deep, hoarse,
852
01:01:40.639 --> 01:01:44.599
hollow voice. The voice declared that it would never quit
853
01:01:44.760 --> 01:01:47.440
its hold of George, and that any attempt to help
854
01:01:47.480 --> 01:01:50.880
the man would cause him to suffer torment a thousand
855
01:01:50.920 --> 01:01:56.079
times worse. The voice then started singing in its usual manner,
856
01:01:56.480 --> 01:02:01.199
boasting of its power, blaspheming, and vowing vengeance on both
857
01:02:01.280 --> 01:02:06.079
the unfortunate George and all those who dared to oppose him.
858
01:02:06.639 --> 01:02:11.760
As the session continued, other voices manifested, all refusing to
859
01:02:11.840 --> 01:02:15.960
release George and warning against any and all attempts to
860
01:02:16.000 --> 01:02:20.320
help him. At one point, a voice possessed the man
861
01:02:20.360 --> 01:02:25.039
and declared I am the Great Devil, before causing George
862
01:02:25.039 --> 01:02:28.760
to have such violent convulsions that two men had to
863
01:02:28.800 --> 01:02:32.400
restrain him. When the voice, thought to be the devil
864
01:02:32.599 --> 01:02:36.360
was asked why he tormented George, it answered that I
865
01:02:36.480 --> 01:02:41.440
may show my power amongst men. All the while, George
866
01:02:41.519 --> 01:02:46.599
continued to suffer violent convulsions despite his small size and
867
01:02:46.800 --> 01:02:51.039
weakened body. As the session reached its climax, one of
868
01:02:51.079 --> 01:02:54.480
the clergymen commanded, in the name of the Father, the Son,
869
01:02:54.639 --> 01:02:58.639
and the Holy Spirit, the evil spirit depart from the man.
870
01:03:00.119 --> 01:03:03.679
For his deliverance were offered, and the clergyman's command repeated.
871
01:03:04.679 --> 01:03:09.159
George's convulsions and agonies grew stronger. He was by now
872
01:03:09.320 --> 01:03:15.960
crying out, howling in miserable pain. Then he was delivered.
873
01:03:16.760 --> 01:03:23.679
The convulsions stopped, the devil seemingly departed. George Luken's, previously
874
01:03:23.719 --> 01:03:34.360
declared by medical men as incurable, was cured up Next,
875
01:03:34.800 --> 01:03:38.320
I've already shared five stories of those who've had dealings
876
01:03:38.480 --> 01:03:42.119
with the Devil up. Next, I'll share a few cases
877
01:03:42.199 --> 01:03:46.960
for his existence when Weird Darkness returns. If you were
878
01:03:47.119 --> 01:03:50.679
someone you know struggles with depression or dark thoughts, I'd
879
01:03:50.719 --> 01:03:53.559
like to recommend the Hope in the Darkness page at
880
01:03:53.599 --> 01:03:57.719
Weird Darkness dot Com. There, I've gathered numerous free resources
881
01:03:57.760 --> 01:04:00.639
to help you fight depression, including the Seven Cups app,
882
01:04:00.960 --> 01:04:04.920
the Suicide in Crisis hotline, Ifread dot organ many more.
883
01:04:05.440 --> 01:04:08.400
These resources are absolutely free and they're there for you
884
01:04:08.559 --> 01:04:11.239
twenty four to seven whenever you need them. They're on
885
01:04:11.280 --> 01:04:14.840
the Hope in the Darkness page at Weird Darkness dot com.
886
01:04:14.960 --> 01:04:48.960
That's Weird Darkness dot com slash hope. Whatever religion you
887
01:04:49.119 --> 01:04:53.239
follow or do not follow, the existence of an archdemonic
888
01:04:53.440 --> 01:04:58.360
being in folklore across time, space and culture is undeniable.
889
01:05:00.000 --> 01:05:03.760
Devil's Bible made from more than one hundred sixty animal
890
01:05:03.800 --> 01:05:07.440
skins and eating two people to lift it. Kodex Gigas,
891
01:05:07.559 --> 01:05:11.039
also known as the Devil's Bible, was allegedly written in
892
01:05:11.320 --> 01:05:16.199
just one night. Hermann the Recluse was a twelfth century
893
01:05:16.199 --> 01:05:19.840
Bohemian monk. Legend has it that he was walled up
894
01:05:19.920 --> 01:05:23.519
inside of his cell, condemned to atone for his sins
895
01:05:23.559 --> 01:05:26.800
by inscribing holy texts for the rest of his days.
896
01:05:27.679 --> 01:05:31.480
To complete the great task more quickly and release himself
897
01:05:31.519 --> 01:05:34.920
from an early grave, the monk made a pact with
898
01:05:35.000 --> 01:05:39.280
the devil. With the devil's aid, the monk supposedly wrote
899
01:05:39.320 --> 01:05:43.199
the entire book in a single night. The first half
900
01:05:43.239 --> 01:05:47.800
of the tomb comprises the entire Latin Vulgate Bible. The
901
01:05:47.880 --> 01:05:54.519
remainder is a bizarre mixture of ancient medical treatises, encyclopedias, chronicles,
902
01:05:54.599 --> 01:05:59.840
and magical formulas. The colossal codex even contains a portrait
903
01:06:00.079 --> 01:06:05.360
of Lucifer, purportedly drawn by the fallen angel himself. In
904
01:06:05.440 --> 01:06:09.039
experiments conducted to recreate the work, it has been estimated
905
01:06:09.360 --> 01:06:14.559
that reproducing the calligraphy alone, without the illustrations or embellishments,
906
01:06:14.880 --> 01:06:19.639
would have taken five years of non stop writing. Most
907
01:06:19.639 --> 01:06:23.480
scholars believe that working at a regular pace, it should
908
01:06:23.480 --> 01:06:29.400
have taken the monk around thirty years to compose the codex. However,
909
01:06:29.719 --> 01:06:33.519
academics have remarked at the stability of the handwriting found
910
01:06:33.519 --> 01:06:37.400
throughout the book, the suggestion being that the Devil's Bible
911
01:06:37.840 --> 01:06:40.840
must have been written over a very short period of
912
01:06:40.880 --> 01:06:48.239
time the possession of Elizabeth Knapp. Born in Massachusetts around
913
01:06:48.280 --> 01:06:52.760
sixteen fifty five, Elizabeth Knapp worked as a household servant
914
01:06:52.880 --> 01:06:56.519
for the local reverend. To all who met her, Elizabeth
915
01:06:56.559 --> 01:06:59.960
was nothing more than an ordinary young woman. That was
916
01:07:00.480 --> 01:07:04.199
until the devil came calling. It was when she was
917
01:07:04.239 --> 01:07:08.039
sixteen years old that Elizabeth began to show signs of
918
01:07:08.079 --> 01:07:14.039
demonic possession. Samuel Willard, the reverend whom she served, documented
919
01:07:14.079 --> 01:07:18.199
the case in great detail. First, the girl experienced pains
920
01:07:18.280 --> 01:07:22.039
throughout her body. She would yell out, grabbing her leg,
921
01:07:22.199 --> 01:07:25.719
her breast, her neck. Often she would exclaim that she
922
01:07:25.800 --> 01:07:30.880
was being strangled. Elizabeth would suffer nighttime fits, reporting to
923
01:07:30.920 --> 01:07:34.760
have witnessed two persons walking around her as her body
924
01:07:34.880 --> 01:07:40.719
convulsed unnaturally. One day, Elizabeth confessed to the reverend that
925
01:07:40.760 --> 01:07:44.440
it was the devil himself who was stalking her. She
926
01:07:44.559 --> 01:07:48.880
claimed that he had promised her money, youth, ease from labor,
927
01:07:48.920 --> 01:07:52.079
and the ability to see the world. He had presented
928
01:07:52.119 --> 01:07:55.280
her with a book of blood covenants, which were signed
929
01:07:55.320 --> 01:07:58.880
by other women who had been unfortunate enough as to
930
01:07:58.960 --> 01:08:03.679
sign away their souls. However, Elizabeth exclaimed that she had
931
01:08:03.719 --> 01:08:06.760
been unable to do all that Satan had asked of her,
932
01:08:07.440 --> 01:08:12.079
namely to kill the Reverend Willard and his family. As
933
01:08:12.119 --> 01:08:17.119
winter approached, the possession escalated. During one of her violent fits,
934
01:08:17.119 --> 01:08:21.760
Elizabeth began talking in a strange, deep voice. Willard wrote
935
01:08:21.800 --> 01:08:25.039
in his journal how the girl's mouth remained closed as
936
01:08:25.079 --> 01:08:29.279
her throat swelled up. In his mind, the devil talked
937
01:08:29.560 --> 01:08:34.399
through her body. What makes this case particularly interesting is
938
01:08:34.439 --> 01:08:39.239
the detailed and scientific approach which the reverend employed. He
939
01:08:39.319 --> 01:08:43.880
called in medical doctors and learned men on several occasions
940
01:08:44.039 --> 01:08:47.159
in order to try and find a cure for Elizabeth's symptoms.
941
01:08:48.000 --> 01:08:51.560
Possession by the devil was a conclusion only reached after
942
01:08:51.720 --> 01:08:56.359
all other options were exhausted. In one of his concluding
943
01:08:56.439 --> 01:09:00.600
journal entries, Willard stated that Napp's temperament was on natural
944
01:09:00.840 --> 01:09:07.920
and therefore diabolic. The Devil's footprints. In February eighteen fifty five,
945
01:09:08.439 --> 01:09:11.840
the people of Xstuary in deaf In England awoke to
946
01:09:11.880 --> 01:09:16.920
discover the devil's hoof prints trodden in snow. The cloven
947
01:09:17.000 --> 01:09:20.560
shaped marks covered a distance of some forty to one
948
01:09:20.640 --> 01:09:27.039
hundred miles, houses, rivers, haystacks, and other obstacles. Were traversed
949
01:09:27.159 --> 01:09:31.640
straight over. The diabolical footprints even appeared on the tops
950
01:09:31.760 --> 01:09:35.560
of snow laden roofs and high walls, as well as
951
01:09:35.680 --> 01:09:39.520
leading up to and exiting drain pipes. News of the
952
01:09:39.680 --> 01:09:44.560
unexplainable event reached as far as Australia. An extract from
953
01:09:44.640 --> 01:09:48.680
a newspaper there exclaimed in confusion that the footprints were
954
01:09:48.680 --> 01:09:54.199
to be seen in all kinds of unaccountable places. Investigators
955
01:09:54.239 --> 01:09:57.680
have commented that if the tracks really extended for close
956
01:09:57.680 --> 01:10:01.039
to one hundred miles, no human being would have been
957
01:10:01.079 --> 01:10:04.079
able to follow their entire course in a single night.
958
01:10:05.279 --> 01:10:09.239
According to Truman's Exeter Flying Post, the case was an
959
01:10:09.239 --> 01:10:12.520
excitement worthy of the Dark Ages, and they published a
960
01:10:12.520 --> 01:10:15.239
piece on the foot tracks of a most strange and
961
01:10:15.359 --> 01:10:20.880
mysterious description. Others, however, thought little of the story's excitement
962
01:10:21.079 --> 01:10:24.880
and more of its infernal meaning. In the town of Dawlish,
963
01:10:25.039 --> 01:10:28.319
a group of tradesmen were so distressed that they armed
964
01:10:28.359 --> 01:10:32.039
themselves with guns and bludgeons. On the morning of the
965
01:10:32.119 --> 01:10:34.920
ninth of February, they took off in pursuit of the
966
01:10:35.000 --> 01:10:40.159
mysterious footprints. At the time, the bizarre theories were circulated
967
01:10:40.479 --> 01:10:43.840
in order to distract local parishioner's concerns about a visit
968
01:10:43.920 --> 01:10:47.760
from the devil. The local reverend Musgrave explained the event
969
01:10:47.800 --> 01:10:50.479
away by blaming the footprints on a couple of escaped
970
01:10:50.560 --> 01:10:55.239
kangaroos from a private zoo. However, he later recanted in
971
01:10:55.279 --> 01:10:58.840
a letter addressed to a London newspaper. I found a
972
01:10:58.920 --> 01:11:02.039
very apt opportunity to mention the name of kangaroo an
973
01:11:02.079 --> 01:11:05.319
allusion to the report then current. I certainly did not
974
01:11:05.399 --> 01:11:08.119
pin my faith to that version of the mystery, but
975
01:11:08.239 --> 01:11:11.119
the state of the public mind, the villagers, dreading to
976
01:11:11.159 --> 01:11:14.479
go out after sunset under the conviction that this was
977
01:11:14.520 --> 01:11:18.159
the devil's work, rendered it very desirable that a turn
978
01:11:18.199 --> 01:11:21.079
should be given to such a degraded and vited notion,
979
01:11:21.640 --> 01:11:25.479
and I was thankful that a kangaroo served to disperse
980
01:11:25.560 --> 01:11:31.000
ideas so derogatory. Until this day, nobody has been able
981
01:11:31.039 --> 01:11:35.079
to explain who or what visited the people of Xstuary
982
01:11:35.119 --> 01:11:41.119
that night. The Gateway to Hell in Hauska Castle in
983
01:11:41.159 --> 01:11:44.840
the Czech Republic. The castle was built with only one
984
01:11:44.880 --> 01:11:48.960
purpose to encase the gateway to Hell, but in the
985
01:11:49.000 --> 01:11:53.720
middle of nowhere, this imposing Gothic structure was constructed with
986
01:11:53.880 --> 01:11:59.279
no fortifications, no water, no kitchen. When it was completed
987
01:11:59.399 --> 01:12:04.000
in the thirteen century, it had no occupants. Instead, the
988
01:12:04.039 --> 01:12:08.479
castles fortified inwards, with its chapel built over a huge,
989
01:12:08.680 --> 01:12:13.079
bottomless pit, acclaimed to be the entrance to Hell. Its
990
01:12:13.159 --> 01:12:16.319
sole purpose is to keep the devil and his demons
991
01:12:16.439 --> 01:12:21.880
at bay. Historic witness reports attest to demonic half animal
992
01:12:21.960 --> 01:12:26.800
half man creatures dragging themselves out from its depths. Other
993
01:12:26.880 --> 01:12:31.399
reports describe dark winged creatures pouring out from the endless
994
01:12:31.479 --> 01:12:36.159
chasm in order to terrorize the local populace. According to
995
01:12:36.279 --> 01:12:40.880
local legend, when construction on the castle began, local prisoners
996
01:12:40.880 --> 01:12:44.239
who were sentenced to death were recruited to discover more
997
01:12:44.359 --> 01:12:48.119
about the mysterious whole. If they allowed themselves to be
998
01:12:48.159 --> 01:12:51.479
lowered by rope into the dark depths, they would receive
999
01:12:51.520 --> 01:12:55.439
a pardon. However, when the first of the inmates was lowered,
1000
01:12:55.760 --> 01:13:00.359
he began screaming. After just a few moments, those holding
1001
01:13:00.359 --> 01:13:03.399
the rope dragged him back to the surface. The man
1002
01:13:03.479 --> 01:13:07.199
had wrinkles, his hair had turned white. In a few
1003
01:13:07.359 --> 01:13:11.399
mere seconds, he had aged by over thirty years. The
1004
01:13:11.479 --> 01:13:15.880
unfortunate man died of unknown causes only a few days afterwards.
1005
01:13:17.720 --> 01:13:21.800
During the nineteen thirties, the Nazis supposedly occupied the castle
1006
01:13:22.159 --> 01:13:27.399
so as to conduct occult experiments with dimensional portals. Years later,
1007
01:13:27.560 --> 01:13:32.800
during renovations, several Nazi officer skeletons were found there. In
1008
01:13:32.840 --> 01:13:36.600
the modern day, the castle's ghostly as well as demonic
1009
01:13:36.680 --> 01:13:41.800
residents are well known and have attracted many paranormal enthusiasts.
1010
01:13:41.960 --> 01:13:46.800
Sightings include mysterious beasts, a headless black horse, and a
1011
01:13:46.840 --> 01:13:51.199
distressed spectral woman. Beneath the cellar, it is claimed that
1012
01:13:51.239 --> 01:13:54.600
there are non human remains of the demons who've managed
1013
01:13:54.600 --> 01:13:59.399
to claw their way out of Hell, and then there's
1014
01:13:59.439 --> 01:14:04.239
the Devil's handwriting itself. According to modern knowledge, there was
1015
01:14:04.279 --> 01:14:09.680
only one specimen of Satanic calligraphy in existence. This curious
1016
01:14:09.680 --> 01:14:14.319
extract first appeared in fifteen twenty three, taken from an
1017
01:14:14.359 --> 01:14:19.720
Italian text which describes an encounter between Lodovicio Spolutano and
1018
01:14:20.039 --> 01:14:25.279
the Devil. Spolutanio allegedly summoned Satan, requesting that he use
1019
01:14:25.399 --> 01:14:28.920
his body as a vessel to write clear and legible
1020
01:14:28.960 --> 01:14:32.760
answers to a series of questions asked of him. However,
1021
01:14:33.279 --> 01:14:37.760
the king of Hell refused to cooperate, and instead snatched
1022
01:14:37.760 --> 01:14:41.079
the pen into mid air so as to rapidly scrawl
1023
01:14:41.119 --> 01:14:46.600
the answers himself. What the devil wrote was indecipherable, a
1024
01:14:46.680 --> 01:14:50.000
series of diabolic scrawls that seem as though it should
1025
01:14:50.079 --> 01:14:53.800
read from left to right. After being passed on to
1026
01:14:54.000 --> 01:14:58.479
several learned men without success of decryption, the text disappeared
1027
01:14:58.600 --> 01:15:02.279
into abeyance. As of today, no one has been able
1028
01:15:02.319 --> 01:15:05.479
to decode the text or make a convincing case for
1029
01:15:05.560 --> 01:15:11.079
it being a hoax. However, academics have identified traces of
1030
01:15:11.119 --> 01:15:15.680
some of the manuscript's characters in Amoraic, a language spoken
1031
01:15:15.720 --> 01:15:20.199
in its purity in the province of Amhara, Ethiopia. According
1032
01:15:20.239 --> 01:15:24.399
to legend, this was the primeval language spoken in the
1033
01:15:24.439 --> 01:15:36.520
Garden of Eden. It wasn't until recently that I'd even
1034
01:15:36.640 --> 01:15:39.920
heard of the cryptid Ahol in case it's new to
1035
01:15:40.000 --> 01:15:43.119
you as well, It's a winged cryptid that some portray
1036
01:15:43.199 --> 01:15:47.840
as a giant bat, Others claim it's a flying primate. Personally,
1037
01:15:48.119 --> 01:15:50.359
I think it looks like a werewolf with bat wings.
1038
01:15:50.960 --> 01:15:53.880
Whatever it is, we'll learn a bit more about the
1039
01:15:54.000 --> 01:16:22.079
a Hool when weird Darkness returns we all want to
1040
01:16:22.119 --> 01:16:25.760
live up to the legacy of our parents. Doctor Ernest
1041
01:16:25.800 --> 01:16:30.479
Bartel's was doing just that, but in an unexpected way.
1042
01:16:31.079 --> 01:16:33.159
He was making his way through the jungles of nineteen
1043
01:16:33.239 --> 01:16:37.000
twenty five's Java Island, located in Indonesia, in search of
1044
01:16:37.039 --> 01:16:39.720
the next great discovery. He had a great deal to
1045
01:16:39.760 --> 01:16:43.760
live up to, being the son of noted ornithologist Meg Bartels,
1046
01:16:43.760 --> 01:16:47.039
who made a reputation for himself within the science world
1047
01:16:47.199 --> 01:16:51.359
having identified many previously unknown bird species. As for the
1048
01:16:51.359 --> 01:16:54.880
young naturalist, doctor Bartels had traded being in the classroom
1049
01:16:55.199 --> 01:16:58.960
for the wilderness, and Java certainly had plenty of that
1050
01:17:00.119 --> 01:17:03.640
d Java was the thirteenth largest island in the world,
1051
01:17:03.920 --> 01:17:07.319
formed from the results of past volcanic activity. It was
1052
01:17:07.359 --> 01:17:10.319
also the most populated island in the world, with one
1053
01:17:10.399 --> 01:17:15.840
hundred and twenty four million people. Overpopulation was unfortunately beginning
1054
01:17:15.920 --> 01:17:19.640
to have its effect on this Indonesian island. The rainforests
1055
01:17:19.680 --> 01:17:23.039
that were once all encompassing were beginning to dwindle. This
1056
01:17:23.279 --> 01:17:26.720
was pushing extinction for much of the wildlife, which included
1057
01:17:27.000 --> 01:17:30.840
twenty three mammal species, over two hundred bird species, and
1058
01:17:31.000 --> 01:17:34.119
five hundred forms of plant life. These figures do not
1059
01:17:34.239 --> 01:17:38.600
include species at the time still undocumented. Doctor Bartel's was
1060
01:17:38.600 --> 01:17:41.279
in a race against time to fully study the animals
1061
01:17:41.279 --> 01:17:44.760
of the region before they disappeared forever. Part of this
1062
01:17:44.840 --> 01:17:48.760
research would also lead to his own hopeful wildlife discoveries
1063
01:17:49.039 --> 01:17:51.560
and a police in the history books alongside his father,
1064
01:17:52.079 --> 01:17:55.640
so teamed with local guides and a notebook, he made
1065
01:17:55.640 --> 01:17:58.159
his way through the most remote parts of the island.
1066
01:17:58.640 --> 01:18:01.119
What are the many Trails within? In his trek was
1067
01:18:01.159 --> 01:18:04.279
with one of his most trusted guides from the local village,
1068
01:18:04.399 --> 01:18:07.199
where together they ventured to a waterfall on the slopes
1069
01:18:07.239 --> 01:18:10.880
of Sealk Mountains. It promised to provide everything that he
1070
01:18:10.920 --> 01:18:13.800
had been hoping for. The journey had been exhausting, but
1071
01:18:13.920 --> 01:18:17.079
the view of the cascading waterfall crashing into a pool
1072
01:18:17.119 --> 01:18:21.399
of water below was spectacular. At the site, the naturalist
1073
01:18:21.479 --> 01:18:23.960
retrieved his book from his pack to take notes on
1074
01:18:24.000 --> 01:18:27.159
the flora and fauna present around him. He was so
1075
01:18:27.199 --> 01:18:29.760
focused on his work that he failed to notice the
1076
01:18:29.800 --> 01:18:33.239
sound at first. It was a howling noise that started
1077
01:18:33.279 --> 01:18:38.199
off low but gradually increased with intensity. The village guides
1078
01:18:38.279 --> 01:18:41.279
heard it immediately and began looking around nervously. For the
1079
01:18:41.319 --> 01:18:44.159
source of the sound. Somewhere within the trees above them,
1080
01:18:44.560 --> 01:18:49.039
aho came ringing from above them. It was so loud
1081
01:18:49.079 --> 01:18:51.920
and clear that it completely drowned out the sounds of
1082
01:18:52.000 --> 01:18:56.840
rushing water from the waterfall. Suddenly, a large winged creature
1083
01:18:57.079 --> 01:18:59.920
leaped down from among the highest branches of the rainforest
1084
01:19:00.079 --> 01:19:03.279
canopy to come plummeting toward the ground below. At the
1085
01:19:03.399 --> 01:19:07.439
last possible second, it unfolded two enormous wings from its
1086
01:19:07.479 --> 01:19:10.720
body to divert its crash and launch itself into the air.
1087
01:19:11.039 --> 01:19:14.039
They were twelve feet wide and enabled the creature to
1088
01:19:14.119 --> 01:19:17.760
soar directly over doctor Bartell's head before it followed the
1089
01:19:17.760 --> 01:19:22.479
waterfall's course over the rocks and disappeared. The entire experience
1090
01:19:22.600 --> 01:19:26.119
only lasted for a moment before doctor Bartell's lost sight
1091
01:19:26.159 --> 01:19:29.199
of it. The shock left him too stunned to respond,
1092
01:19:29.520 --> 01:19:31.880
but he could still hear its call as it flew away.
1093
01:19:32.760 --> 01:19:35.680
He was in utter surprise and set to inquire with
1094
01:19:35.760 --> 01:19:38.359
the villagers as to what the creature was. It was
1095
01:19:38.520 --> 01:19:42.079
unlike anything he had seen before, and he was obsessed
1096
01:19:42.199 --> 01:19:46.359
with learning all he could about it. The villagers were
1097
01:19:46.479 --> 01:19:50.279
very informed about the creature. They called the Ahol, named
1098
01:19:50.279 --> 01:19:55.000
after its call along a who. The creature was bat like,
1099
01:19:55.359 --> 01:19:58.119
described as the size of a one year old child,
1100
01:19:58.279 --> 01:20:01.680
with a gigantic wing span of ti twelve feet. This
1101
01:20:01.800 --> 01:20:04.600
is twice the wingspan of the largest known bat in
1102
01:20:04.640 --> 01:20:08.600
the world, the common flying fox. Its dark gray fur
1103
01:20:08.840 --> 01:20:14.279
was noticeably short. It possessed large black eyes, flattened forearms
1104
01:20:14.279 --> 01:20:17.680
that supported its leathery red skinned wings, and a monkey
1105
01:20:17.920 --> 01:20:22.960
like head with a flattish humanoid face comprised with protruding fangs.
1106
01:20:24.279 --> 01:20:27.600
Villagers usually encountered its squatting on the forest floor, at
1107
01:20:27.600 --> 01:20:30.640
which time the a hool's wings were closed, pressed against
1108
01:20:30.680 --> 01:20:33.600
the creature's body, with its feet appearing two point backwards.
1109
01:20:34.560 --> 01:20:38.279
The villagers reported that the a Hool was a nocturnal creature.
1110
01:20:38.800 --> 01:20:42.439
The creature's days were spent concealed in caves located behind
1111
01:20:42.600 --> 01:20:46.960
or beneath waterfalls. Its nights were spent skimming across rivers
1112
01:20:47.000 --> 01:20:50.000
in search of large fish, using the claws on their
1113
01:20:50.039 --> 01:20:54.880
abnormal feet to capture and devour their prey. Jama Island
1114
01:20:55.000 --> 01:21:01.279
contains numerous volcanoes and some amazing cave systems. Unexplored resources
1115
01:21:01.600 --> 01:21:04.199
would be the perfect home for a creature or a
1116
01:21:04.199 --> 01:21:07.960
whole family of giant bats such as the a hool.
1117
01:21:08.159 --> 01:21:11.520
As the creature appeared to be very territorial, it never
1118
01:21:11.560 --> 01:21:15.079
traveled far from these caves or the rivers surrounding them.
1119
01:21:16.000 --> 01:21:19.880
Doctor Bartell's spent the next two years continuing his research
1120
01:21:20.000 --> 01:21:24.319
and exploration. The a hool became his quest and opportunity
1121
01:21:24.359 --> 01:21:27.399
for recognition in the field of natural science. He made
1122
01:21:27.439 --> 01:21:30.880
great progress while traversing every aspect of the island in
1123
01:21:30.960 --> 01:21:34.399
hopes of documenting his discoveries. He was able to find
1124
01:21:34.439 --> 01:21:38.800
a vast collection of Java's animal species to catalog. However,
1125
01:21:39.279 --> 01:21:43.199
the ahol continued to remain elusive, despite the tales of
1126
01:21:43.319 --> 01:21:46.920
encounters from the villagers. He was beginning to believe that
1127
01:21:47.039 --> 01:21:49.600
his encounter was set to become a once in a
1128
01:21:49.600 --> 01:21:54.279
lifetime experience. He was nineteen twenty seven when he had
1129
01:21:54.319 --> 01:21:56.880
taken up residence in a village close to the Jijnkoal
1130
01:21:57.039 --> 01:22:00.720
River in western Java. The house was not fancy, but
1131
01:22:00.800 --> 01:22:03.000
he had formed a close connection to the people and
1132
01:22:03.079 --> 01:22:07.159
the land during his expedition. One of his favorite pastimes
1133
01:22:07.199 --> 01:22:09.640
occurred during the late hours, when he would relax in
1134
01:22:09.680 --> 01:22:12.439
the darkness and listen to the sounds of the nearby jungle.
1135
01:22:13.319 --> 01:22:16.880
After his years studying the wildlife, it was a simple
1136
01:22:17.039 --> 01:22:19.439
personal game for him to match the animal to the
1137
01:22:19.520 --> 01:22:21.720
night calls that he would hear from time to time.
1138
01:22:23.079 --> 01:22:26.800
One night, around nearly eleven thirty pm, he heard a
1139
01:22:26.920 --> 01:22:30.359
vastly different sound just as he was about to drift
1140
01:22:30.359 --> 01:22:33.680
off to sleep. It was a flapping sound heard above him.
1141
01:22:34.079 --> 01:22:36.520
It was obvious to the naturalist expert that it was
1142
01:22:36.600 --> 01:22:42.039
exceptionally large, but unlike anything that he had identified before. Suddenly,
1143
01:22:42.199 --> 01:22:44.680
there was a heavy thud caused by the landing in
1144
01:22:44.720 --> 01:22:47.840
the creature, which was immediately followed by the clear cry
1145
01:22:48.039 --> 01:22:53.119
of the distinctive a whoo. Doctor Bartell's was in disbelief.
1146
01:22:53.680 --> 01:22:57.920
After searching for so long, the creature found him. He
1147
01:22:58.079 --> 01:23:01.159
was on his feet immediately. He grabbed the flashlight he
1148
01:23:01.239 --> 01:23:04.039
kept close by as he burst open the front door
1149
01:23:04.079 --> 01:23:06.439
and ran out of his hut. The creature had already
1150
01:23:06.479 --> 01:23:10.439
taken off. He raced off in almost complete darkness toward
1151
01:23:10.479 --> 01:23:14.319
the direction the sound was coming from. The naturalist stopped
1152
01:23:14.359 --> 01:23:17.479
on the path to catch his breath while constantly monitoring
1153
01:23:17.520 --> 01:23:20.920
the skies for the winged creature. At first, there was
1154
01:23:20.960 --> 01:23:25.079
nothing but stillness and darkness. Less than twenty seconds later,
1155
01:23:25.119 --> 01:23:29.560
he heard it again, a final ahol, which floated back
1156
01:23:29.600 --> 01:23:35.239
toward him from a considerable distance downstream. Any attempt to
1157
01:23:35.279 --> 01:23:37.560
follow the a hool along the dark waters of the
1158
01:23:37.640 --> 01:23:41.960
river was impossible. Doctor Bartell's had been so close to
1159
01:23:42.039 --> 01:23:45.159
catching sight of the creature again, but it was gone.
1160
01:23:45.640 --> 01:23:48.039
As he would recall many years later, he had focused
1161
01:23:48.079 --> 01:23:50.279
on the sound not because he did not know what
1162
01:23:50.399 --> 01:23:54.560
produced it, but rather because he did the a hool.
1163
01:23:56.039 --> 01:23:59.239
This was the last experience doctor Bartell's would have with
1164
01:23:59.359 --> 01:24:02.039
the a hool, as he eventually ended his research in
1165
01:24:02.119 --> 01:24:05.800
Java to return to Academia, where he published his research.
1166
01:24:06.760 --> 01:24:09.560
At the time, Bartel's had suggested that the creature was
1167
01:24:09.680 --> 01:24:13.399
not a bat but some type of bird, specifically an
1168
01:24:13.479 --> 01:24:17.359
exceptionally large owl, but his theory did not set well
1169
01:24:17.399 --> 01:24:22.119
with his peers. Instead, he was greeted with enthusiastic denials
1170
01:24:22.159 --> 01:24:24.920
by his friends, who assured him plainly that the evidence
1171
01:24:24.920 --> 01:24:29.439
he presented was that of a bat, regardless of the size.
1172
01:24:29.600 --> 01:24:32.560
Doctor Bartell's accounts of the a hool made the rounds
1173
01:24:32.600 --> 01:24:36.239
of academics, and eventually they were passed on to cryptozoologist
1174
01:24:36.359 --> 01:24:41.119
Ivan T. Sanderson By Bernard Huelman's Sanderson took a special
1175
01:24:41.199 --> 01:24:44.039
interest in the a Hool because he too had met
1176
01:24:44.039 --> 01:24:47.399
with such a creature, but not in Java. His encounter
1177
01:24:47.520 --> 01:24:51.039
took place in the Assemble Mountains of Cameroon, located in
1178
01:24:51.079 --> 01:24:55.680
western Africa. The cryptozoologist thought that the a Hool could
1179
01:24:55.680 --> 01:24:58.520
be an Asian form of the giant bat like creature
1180
01:24:58.600 --> 01:25:01.560
he witnessed in Africa, known by the African natives as
1181
01:25:01.600 --> 01:25:06.920
the Congamato. Research regarding the ahol continued long after doctor
1182
01:25:06.960 --> 01:25:11.680
Bartel's and Sanderson's investigations. Some researchers have suggested that the
1183
01:25:11.680 --> 01:25:15.399
creature may be a surviving population of pterosaur, a flying
1184
01:25:15.439 --> 01:25:17.800
reptile thought to have gone extinct around the time of
1185
01:25:17.840 --> 01:25:21.960
the dinosaurs some sixty five million years ago. The description
1186
01:25:22.079 --> 01:25:24.960
of the a Hool does match what science currently knows
1187
01:25:25.039 --> 01:25:29.960
about the pterosaur species, including large forearms supporting leathery wings.
1188
01:25:31.000 --> 01:25:34.119
Many investigators seem to agree, however, that the a Hool
1189
01:25:34.239 --> 01:25:38.000
is more likely a form of unknown giant bat, looking
1190
01:25:38.000 --> 01:25:41.359
to the creature's reported facial features as evidence against the
1191
01:25:41.399 --> 01:25:46.720
flying reptile theory. A third, less popular theory, also based
1192
01:25:46.760 --> 01:25:49.479
on the reported facial features of the a hool is
1193
01:25:49.520 --> 01:25:52.479
that this feast may be the world's first reported case
1194
01:25:52.640 --> 01:25:57.760
of a flying primate. As the population of Java continues
1195
01:25:57.800 --> 01:26:01.920
to grow and the rainforest dwindles, the territorial creature could
1196
01:26:02.000 --> 01:26:06.960
be rediscovered at any time or disappear due to deforestation,
1197
01:26:07.800 --> 01:26:10.640
the latter of which would be a tragedy to the
1198
01:26:10.760 --> 01:26:22.239
natural world and science everywhere. Thanks for listening. If you
1199
01:26:22.319 --> 01:26:23.960
missed any part of tonight's show, or if you'd like
1200
01:26:24.039 --> 01:26:26.399
to hear it again, you can subscribe to the podcast
1201
01:26:26.439 --> 01:26:29.880
in your favorite podcast app by searching for Weird Darkness.
1202
01:26:30.319 --> 01:26:32.279
Not only will you hear a copy of tonight's show,
1203
01:26:32.399 --> 01:26:35.600
you'll also receive daily episodes of the Weird Darkness podcast.
1204
01:26:35.960 --> 01:26:39.000
You'll find me wherever you listen to podcasts, even on YouTube.
1205
01:26:39.439 --> 01:26:41.800
You can follow the show on social media by visiting
1206
01:26:41.840 --> 01:26:45.359
the contact social page at Weirddarkness dot com. And please
1207
01:26:45.399 --> 01:26:48.079
tell others about the show who love the paranormal or
1208
01:26:48.119 --> 01:26:52.680
strained stories, true crime, monsters, or unsolved mysteries like you do.
1209
01:26:53.279 --> 01:26:55.479
Doing that helps make it possible for me to keep
1210
01:26:55.479 --> 01:26:57.520
doing a show. If you'd like to be a part
1211
01:26:57.560 --> 01:26:59.479
of the show, you can send in your own paranormal
1212
01:26:59.520 --> 01:27:03.359
experience by clicking on tell your Story at Weird Darkness
1213
01:27:03.439 --> 01:27:06.159
dot com. While there, you can also find by other
1214
01:27:06.239 --> 01:27:09.640
podcasts like Retro Radio, Old Time Radio, in the Dark,
1215
01:27:10.039 --> 01:27:13.000
Church of the Undead, in a classic nineteen fifties sci
1216
01:27:13.000 --> 01:27:17.439
fi style podcast called Auditory Anthology. All stories in Weird
1217
01:27:17.520 --> 01:27:20.800
Darkness are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and
1218
01:27:20.840 --> 01:27:23.079
you can find links to the stories or the authors
1219
01:27:23.119 --> 01:27:25.399
in the show notes, which I've already posted to the
1220
01:27:25.399 --> 01:27:29.359
Weird Darkness website. Diabolical Dealings with the Devil is by
1221
01:27:29.439 --> 01:27:33.279
Laura for Paranormal Scholar and Cry of the Ahols by
1222
01:27:33.279 --> 01:27:37.359
Gary Brandt for Paranormality Magazine. Weird Darkness is a production
1223
01:27:37.439 --> 01:27:42.159
and trademark of Marler House Productions, copyright Weird Darkness. Now
1224
01:27:42.159 --> 01:27:44.319
that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you
1225
01:27:44.399 --> 01:27:48.039
with a little light Mark twelve, verse thirty. Love the
1226
01:27:48.039 --> 01:27:50.159
Lord your God with all your heart, and with all
1227
01:27:50.159 --> 01:27:52.600
your soul, and with all your mind, and with all
1228
01:27:52.640 --> 01:27:57.039
your strength. And a final thought, train your mind and
1229
01:27:57.119 --> 01:27:59.880
heart to see the good in everything. There's all we
1230
01:28:00.239 --> 01:28:05.039
something to be thankful for. I'm Darren Marler. Thanks for
1231
01:28:05.119 --> 01:28:36.399
joining me in the Weird Darknesses on September twenty third,
1232
01:28:36.920 --> 01:28:41.159
nineteen thirty five, in the Kingsbury Run area of Cleveland, Ohio,
1233
01:28:41.640 --> 01:28:45.720
two male bodies were found in the bushes. Someone had
1234
01:28:45.800 --> 01:28:50.399
beheaded and emasculated both of them. The police arrived and
1235
01:28:50.439 --> 01:28:55.079
conducted a preliminary investigation, during which they found both heads.
1236
01:28:55.960 --> 01:28:59.319
One of the bodies bore additional evidence of chemical treatment,
1237
01:28:59.600 --> 01:29:03.800
which earned the skin leathery and red. This was the
1238
01:29:03.840 --> 01:29:08.439
beginning of the Cleveland Torso murders, the work of one
1239
01:29:08.439 --> 01:29:12.199
of the most heinous and brutal serial killers in US history,
1240
01:29:12.960 --> 01:29:17.760
also known as the Mad Butcher. There was no blood
1241
01:29:17.880 --> 01:29:21.000
at the scene, and this led detectives to conclude that
1242
01:29:21.079 --> 01:29:25.319
someone committed the murders elsewhere and transported the bodies to
1243
01:29:25.399 --> 01:29:29.640
the site. One of the bodies remained unidentified, but the
1244
01:29:29.680 --> 01:29:33.039
other body was that of Edward Andressy, who the police
1245
01:29:33.199 --> 01:29:37.960
already knew as a petty criminal. Curiously, police determined that
1246
01:29:38.079 --> 01:29:43.840
the other anonymous man died several weeks before Andressy. Police
1247
01:29:43.840 --> 01:29:47.159
work began in earnest and the workload increased when the
1248
01:29:47.159 --> 01:29:50.880
body of a female showed up in January nineteen thirty six.
1249
01:29:51.840 --> 01:29:54.439
Her murder had occurred in a similar manner as the
1250
01:29:54.439 --> 01:29:57.800
two men. It was surprising to the detectives that the
1251
01:29:57.920 --> 01:30:02.279
killer had changed the gender of his victims, which was unusual.
1252
01:30:03.159 --> 01:30:07.600
Someone soon identified the body as Flow Pallilo, a frequent
1253
01:30:07.720 --> 01:30:11.399
patron of bars in the area. At this point, the
1254
01:30:11.439 --> 01:30:15.520
famous Elliot Ness became involved, as he was Cleveland's chief
1255
01:30:15.560 --> 01:30:19.079
of public Safety. He added himself to the growing number
1256
01:30:19.159 --> 01:30:23.199
of law enforcement working on the case. In June nineteen
1257
01:30:23.239 --> 01:30:27.119
thirty six, a male body surfaced that featured six notable
1258
01:30:27.159 --> 01:30:31.760
tattoos strown across his body. Police displayed the Morgue reports
1259
01:30:32.119 --> 01:30:35.039
and the victim's death mask at the Great Lakes Exposition
1260
01:30:35.159 --> 01:30:39.239
that year to thousands of people. However, not a single
1261
01:30:39.279 --> 01:30:45.359
person knew the tattooed man. His identity is still unknown today.
1262
01:30:46.159 --> 01:30:49.399
In September, a partial body lay with a hat nearby
1263
01:30:49.840 --> 01:30:53.159
that authorities later identified as one given to a homeless
1264
01:30:53.199 --> 01:30:57.119
man by a local woman. This reinforced the theory that
1265
01:30:57.159 --> 01:31:00.880
the Cleveland Torso murders involved only people from the lowest
1266
01:31:01.000 --> 01:31:05.319
rungs of society. There was a slight lull in the murders,
1267
01:31:05.680 --> 01:31:09.479
although the investigation continued at a frantic pace. The mad
1268
01:31:09.520 --> 01:31:14.800
Butcher of Kingsbury Run remained at large. Cleveland's serial killer
1269
01:31:15.079 --> 01:31:19.199
apparently took six more lives before the last canonical victim
1270
01:31:19.239 --> 01:31:23.199
emerged in August of nineteen thirty eight. Like Jack the Ripper,
1271
01:31:23.520 --> 01:31:26.479
there was some disagreement among law enforcement as to the
1272
01:31:26.560 --> 01:31:29.479
number of murders the mad butcher committed, and he had
1273
01:31:29.479 --> 01:31:35.079
surgically decapitated all of them. The Kingsbury Run shantytown emerged
1274
01:31:35.119 --> 01:31:38.880
as a result of the thirties Great Depression. During this time,
1275
01:31:39.000 --> 01:31:43.479
many people lost their jobs and suffered major economic hardships,
1276
01:31:43.600 --> 01:31:49.199
especially immigrants and minorities. Vacant areas within the industrial zone
1277
01:31:49.239 --> 01:31:54.199
of Kingsbury Run provided homeless and downtrodden individuals a place
1278
01:31:54.239 --> 01:31:58.159
to set up makeshift residences. A number of the Cleveland
1279
01:31:58.279 --> 01:32:03.479
murders serviced in the Caseingsbury Ron shantytown. In nineteen thirty eight,
1280
01:32:03.840 --> 01:32:07.560
Eliot Ness headed the raids of Kingsbury Run. He evicted
1281
01:32:07.600 --> 01:32:11.560
about three hundred individuals and burned down roughly one hundred
1282
01:32:11.680 --> 01:32:15.760
shanty homes. The hunt for the murderer hit one dead
1283
01:32:15.920 --> 01:32:19.960
end after another. Investigators were hopeful when they identified a
1284
01:32:20.000 --> 01:32:23.760
man named Frank Dolozol, who frequented a bar that several
1285
01:32:23.760 --> 01:32:28.199
of the victims also patronized people described him as prone
1286
01:32:28.199 --> 01:32:33.039
to anger and threatening when drunk. Police took dolazol into custody,
1287
01:32:33.239 --> 01:32:37.880
and after some time he confessed to one murder. Unfortunately,
1288
01:32:37.920 --> 01:32:40.800
he hanged himself before they fully questioned him about the
1289
01:32:40.840 --> 01:32:46.199
other murders. Suspiciously, after his death, his autopsy revealed several
1290
01:32:46.239 --> 01:32:49.479
broken ribs, which acquaintances of the man said he didn't
1291
01:32:49.520 --> 01:32:52.600
have when police took him into custody. This led the
1292
01:32:52.600 --> 01:32:56.720
press and general populace to believe his confession was worthless
1293
01:32:57.119 --> 01:33:01.800
because it appeared that police had obtained it under physical force. Later,
1294
01:33:01.920 --> 01:33:06.159
Ness himself oversaw the pursuit of doctor Francis E. Sweeney,
1295
01:33:06.479 --> 01:33:09.279
who had served as a military doctor in World War I.
1296
01:33:10.640 --> 01:33:13.680
During his time in the war, he conducted amputations of
1297
01:33:13.800 --> 01:33:18.880
wounded soldiers. He later developed mental Illness. Police brought him
1298
01:33:18.920 --> 01:33:22.479
in and the doctor failed a lie detector test. Ness
1299
01:33:22.560 --> 01:33:24.800
felt he was finally on the path to the killer
1300
01:33:25.199 --> 01:33:29.960
and continued to press the medical man. Unfortunately, Francis Sweeney
1301
01:33:30.000 --> 01:33:34.159
was related to the US Representative Martin Sweeney, which complicated
1302
01:33:34.159 --> 01:33:38.239
matters for Ness. The suspect volunteerily committed himself to a
1303
01:33:38.279 --> 01:33:41.720
mental institution. Which placed him out of legal reach of
1304
01:33:41.840 --> 01:33:45.359
Ness and his team. Had Ness pursued the doctor further,
1305
01:33:45.800 --> 01:33:51.319
the doctor had an insanity defense virtually locked in place. Coincidentally,
1306
01:33:51.359 --> 01:33:55.079
the Cleveland Torso murders appeared to stop after the doctor
1307
01:33:55.159 --> 01:33:59.920
went into the mental hospital. Cleveland police continued to investigate
1308
01:34:00.079 --> 01:34:03.880
the crimes. However, they made no convictions and the murders
1309
01:34:04.000 --> 01:34:09.039
remain a cold case today. Perhaps with new evidence or technology,
1310
01:34:09.479 --> 01:34:13.319
police may solve these burders in the future, or they
1311
01:34:13.359 --> 01:34:16.840
may remain a puzzle from the realm of twentieth century
1312
01:34:16.960 --> 01:34:31.760
true crime. An ice storm, the flu, and a computer
1313
01:34:31.880 --> 01:34:34.600
virus have kept me out of the blogosphere for a while.
1314
01:34:35.439 --> 01:34:38.239
When it rains, it pours, and in this case, it
1315
01:34:38.399 --> 01:34:42.199
rains ice. But one good thing came out of Trekking
1316
01:34:42.319 --> 01:34:45.039
twice a day to the only outlet still serving food.
1317
01:34:45.720 --> 01:34:48.319
About two days into the storm, one of my fellow
1318
01:34:48.359 --> 01:34:52.520
refugees approached me during dinner with a very strange story.
1319
01:34:53.840 --> 01:34:57.560
Adam Myers of Kansas, Oklahoma, another in a long line
1320
01:34:57.600 --> 01:35:01.600
of creative oak names, had an counter of the slithery
1321
01:35:01.760 --> 01:35:06.800
kind in the summer of two thousand and five. Kansas, Oklahoma,
1322
01:35:06.880 --> 01:35:10.039
is a small town in Delaware County, just off the
1323
01:35:10.159 --> 01:35:14.079
Cherokee Turnpike. It has a population of six hundred eighty
1324
01:35:14.119 --> 01:35:18.119
five according to the last census. Myers said, I was
1325
01:35:18.199 --> 01:35:21.520
riding my four wheeler at dusk behind my uncle's house
1326
01:35:21.840 --> 01:35:24.520
where there's a lot of trees. Back behind his house
1327
01:35:24.920 --> 01:35:27.319
there is a dip that leads to a pond that
1328
01:35:27.359 --> 01:35:29.840
he also owns, and before you reach the pond, there
1329
01:35:29.920 --> 01:35:34.680
is a turnaround point. It was dusk, and Myers began
1330
01:35:34.760 --> 01:35:39.640
to get spooked. He continues, I turned around and right
1331
01:35:39.760 --> 01:35:43.600
at the dip, my four wheeler immediately shuts off. I'm
1332
01:35:43.640 --> 01:35:45.840
trying to pull start it, and I started getting a
1333
01:35:45.840 --> 01:35:48.399
little more freaked out because I heard some rustling off
1334
01:35:48.439 --> 01:35:51.399
to the side. I look over and see a human
1335
01:35:51.640 --> 01:35:54.880
like shadow standing off to the side, but instead of
1336
01:35:54.920 --> 01:35:59.760
being a normal human, he had a snakelike head. The
1337
01:35:59.800 --> 01:36:03.520
being approached Myers, who struggled more and more frantically to
1338
01:36:03.560 --> 01:36:07.039
start his vehicle. I gave one final poll on the
1339
01:36:07.039 --> 01:36:09.479
starter while pressing on the gas at the same time,
1340
01:36:09.800 --> 01:36:12.239
and my four wheeler starts and I haul out of
1341
01:36:12.279 --> 01:36:14.359
there and go tell my friend Joe what I seen.
1342
01:36:15.920 --> 01:36:18.560
Joe took the four wheeler and returned to the site,
1343
01:36:19.000 --> 01:36:21.399
but headed back to the house after hearing a noise
1344
01:36:21.479 --> 01:36:25.840
that did not seem normal. The most interesting thing about
1345
01:36:25.880 --> 01:36:29.560
Meyers snake headed humanoid is the resemblance it bears to
1346
01:36:29.680 --> 01:36:35.359
the Seminole Tribe's human snakes, legendary malevolent creatures that lived
1347
01:36:35.439 --> 01:36:39.720
in dens full of giant snakes. I asked Myers if
1348
01:36:39.760 --> 01:36:42.000
he was familiar with the legend, and he said he
1349
01:36:42.079 --> 01:36:46.039
was not. Human snakes are either half snake, half human,
1350
01:36:46.680 --> 01:36:50.840
or can shape shift between the two. Human snakes aren't
1351
01:36:50.840 --> 01:36:54.479
the only breed of strange snake. The Native Americans believe in.
1352
01:36:55.279 --> 01:36:59.960
The Cherokee tribe tells of Ukana, a giant horned reptile
1353
01:37:00.119 --> 01:37:03.119
that lives in the water, and perhaps most interesting are
1354
01:37:03.159 --> 01:37:07.119
the Creek's tie snakes, strong dark snakes that live in
1355
01:37:07.199 --> 01:37:11.880
caves alongside riverbanks and are capable of pulling unsuspecting humans
1356
01:37:11.920 --> 01:37:16.279
to a watery death. Of the forty six species of
1357
01:37:16.399 --> 01:37:20.640
known snake native to Oklahoma, only a few are aquatic,
1358
01:37:20.920 --> 01:37:24.439
and none are powerful enough to prey on humans. The
1359
01:37:24.439 --> 01:37:28.560
Western diamondbacked rattlesnake and the coach whip hold the title
1360
01:37:28.600 --> 01:37:32.680
of Oklahoma's largest snakes. Both clocking and just shy of
1361
01:37:32.760 --> 01:37:36.800
seven feet long. But could there be monsters hiding in
1362
01:37:36.840 --> 01:37:41.000
the forests and lakes as the Native legends hold. Snake
1363
01:37:41.119 --> 01:37:44.279
Creek near ten Killer Lake appears to have been named
1364
01:37:44.359 --> 01:37:49.039
for a good reason. Edna Stubblefield recalls in the Stubblefield
1365
01:37:49.079 --> 01:37:52.439
Memoirs that sometime in the eighteen nineties she and her
1366
01:37:52.479 --> 01:37:55.720
family spotted a snake at the creek that looked like
1367
01:37:55.760 --> 01:38:00.279
a big old fence post crawling across the road. Nine
1368
01:38:00.279 --> 01:38:04.159
foot Burmese python turned up in a Tulsa driveway, and
1369
01:38:04.279 --> 01:38:07.880
on October twenty fifth, two thousand and one, another burmese python,
1370
01:38:07.960 --> 01:38:11.760
this one seven feet long, appeared in the still Water neighborhood.
1371
01:38:12.359 --> 01:38:15.079
While we're on the subject of out of place reptiles,
1372
01:38:15.600 --> 01:38:20.039
how about rampaging alligators. The official range of the American
1373
01:38:20.079 --> 01:38:26.399
alligator is restricted to extreme southeastern Oklahoma, particularly Choctaw and
1374
01:38:26.560 --> 01:38:30.119
McCurtain Counties, and yet they seem to keep turning up
1375
01:38:30.199 --> 01:38:33.880
in other parts of the state. In August two thousand
1376
01:38:33.880 --> 01:38:37.000
and two, a South American cayman of all things, was
1377
01:38:37.039 --> 01:38:40.920
netted in Lake ten Killer. Another cayman, this one two
1378
01:38:40.920 --> 01:38:43.680
to four feet long, appeared in a Tulsa backyard in
1379
01:38:43.720 --> 01:38:47.199
February two thousand and four, and in July two thousand
1380
01:38:47.239 --> 01:38:51.159
and six, animal control officers spent two days trying to
1381
01:38:51.199 --> 01:38:54.199
capture a four foot long alligator that appeared in the
1382
01:38:54.239 --> 01:38:58.119
Battle Creek golf course in Tulsa. The gator was never
1383
01:38:58.159 --> 01:39:02.560
caught and apparently van note of interest. The Battle Creek
1384
01:39:02.640 --> 01:39:06.159
Housing addition was also home to another out of place creature.
1385
01:39:06.159 --> 01:39:09.680
In two thousand and five, a mountain lion reportedly terrorized
1386
01:39:09.680 --> 01:39:13.840
the neighborhood, preying on household pets. It too, was never
1387
01:39:13.920 --> 01:39:17.880
caught and eventually just faded away. And then, of course,
1388
01:39:17.920 --> 01:39:22.000
the strange case of the fugitive gator. In the summer
1389
01:39:22.039 --> 01:39:24.279
of two thousand and three, a three hundred and fifty
1390
01:39:24.319 --> 01:39:28.800
pound reptile dubbed the truck Traveling Alligator was caught in
1391
01:39:28.840 --> 01:39:32.319
a pond, sent to a breeder, and then sent to
1392
01:39:32.399 --> 01:39:36.640
Safari Joe's, a wildlife sanctuary in a dare. The gator
1393
01:39:36.680 --> 01:39:40.000
promptly vanished from its pen and reappeared in a pond
1394
01:39:40.279 --> 01:39:43.600
just south of Interstate forty four, and then turned up
1395
01:39:43.640 --> 01:39:46.720
in yet another pond, this one behind the Big Cabin
1396
01:39:46.800 --> 01:39:51.000
Truck Plaza, where he was finally recaptured. He was relocated
1397
01:39:51.079 --> 01:39:56.600
to Prime Gator Habitat in McCurtain County. Granted, giant reptiles
1398
01:39:56.640 --> 01:40:00.439
are nothing new to Oklahoma. A Sam Noble Music and
1399
01:40:00.479 --> 01:40:04.399
Norman hosts the world's largest patosaurus ninety three feet long,
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found in the Panhandle, And if that's not big enough
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for you, the world's largest dinosaur to date also once
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called Oklahoma home. In nineteen ninety four, fossils that were
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first thought to be tree trunks were discovered. The trunks
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turned out to be the neck bones, each four feet long.
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The sauropod the bones belonged to stood an estimated sixty
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feet and weighed sixty tons, and was dubbed Sara Poseidon,
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the earthquake god Lizard. This monster went extinct one hundred
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ten million years ago, but perhaps some of the god
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Lizard's smaller cousins stuck around. Sudn't overtime wear darkness