1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of I Heart Radio. Welcome 2 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,000 Speaker 1: back to the show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you so much 3 00:00:31,120 --> 00:00:36,639 Speaker 1: for tuning in now. Before we begin this episode, you 4 00:00:36,680 --> 00:00:39,600 Speaker 1: should make sure that you've listened to the preceding episode, 5 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: Part one of the Great Diamond Hoax of eighteen seventy two. Hi, 6 00:00:44,720 --> 00:00:47,640 Speaker 1: I'm Ben, I'm Noel. And this is super producer Casey Pegram. 7 00:00:49,159 --> 00:00:52,000 Speaker 1: That's that's him in in sound effect for him. There 8 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:55,680 Speaker 1: he is, there's his his lilting laugh. It's it warms 9 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:57,960 Speaker 1: my heart. But hey, let's not preamble this too much. 10 00:00:58,040 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: Let's just jump right back into the Great Diamond Sounds. Good. 11 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: Arnold is still in the game. He gets another one 12 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:08,000 Speaker 1: fifty grand because he was promised that if the mining 13 00:01:08,120 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: engineer was impressed, they would get that payments like a bonus. 14 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 1: And so he sells another three hundred thousand dollars worth 15 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: of stock to Harpending, meaning that uh minus is expenses. 16 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: He has made over uh five hundred thousand dollars. And 17 00:01:27,080 --> 00:01:29,440 Speaker 1: how much is that in today's money. Well, I've been 18 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:33,640 Speaker 1: in today's dollars, that would be close to eight million 19 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:37,399 Speaker 1: dollars um. And he was do more like I mean, 20 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 1: based on this arrangement, he had more coming his way. Uh. 21 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:45,000 Speaker 1: It was just an absolute stroke of luck that he 22 00:01:45,040 --> 00:01:46,800 Speaker 1: had not been found out. And it just goes to 23 00:01:46,800 --> 00:01:48,560 Speaker 1: show people kind of see what they want to see, 24 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 1: especially when greed is concerned. You know, you might think 25 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: you're doing your due diligence, but you you want it 26 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: so bad to be real that you're willing to kind 27 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,720 Speaker 1: of suspend your disbelief almost And that's exactly what these 28 00:02:00,760 --> 00:02:06,360 Speaker 1: suckers did. That's exactly what happened. So he was smart, right, 29 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,040 Speaker 1: he was also the brains of the operation. Uh, if 30 00:02:10,120 --> 00:02:15,079 Speaker 1: this is a movie, then what happens next? Has the 31 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: song take the Money and Run playing in the background. 32 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:23,000 Speaker 1: That's the soundtrack? Who who did that song? Casey? Do 33 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:27,080 Speaker 1: you know Steve Miller? Right? Yeah, okay, so picture that 34 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: Steve Miller take the Money and Run. He says, look, 35 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,839 Speaker 1: I could probably sell more shares, but you can only 36 00:02:32,880 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 1: get lucky for so long. He already moved his family 37 00:02:36,360 --> 00:02:40,040 Speaker 1: back to Kentucky from San Francisco in eighteen seventy two, 38 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:45,080 Speaker 1: and by the time people found out this was a sham, 39 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: he's left town. How did they figure out that this 40 00:02:48,040 --> 00:02:51,440 Speaker 1: diamond field it seemed too good to be true, was 41 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:55,080 Speaker 1: in fact a hoax. It was yet another piece of 42 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: happenstance in a story just chuck full of seventy two. 43 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:04,000 Speaker 1: On a train heading for Oakland from San Francisco, Jane 44 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: and the mining engineer encountered some folks from a government 45 00:03:07,840 --> 00:03:11,960 Speaker 1: survey team led by one Clarence King, who was uh 46 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,320 Speaker 1: something of an adventurer, an ivy league man from Yale, 47 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:19,080 Speaker 1: uh and a cracker jack geologists. Um. He would actually 48 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: become one of the most well known scientists in California 49 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: at the time. See, he began to suspect that the 50 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:30,880 Speaker 1: the the guy heading up Clarence King, guy heading up 51 00:03:30,919 --> 00:03:35,560 Speaker 1: the the government survey team that uh Janeen's jewels came 52 00:03:35,640 --> 00:03:39,320 Speaker 1: from this mind that they had just surveyed this two 53 00:03:39,160 --> 00:03:43,840 Speaker 1: d square kilometer area um. And he was concerned that 54 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:49,040 Speaker 1: a big discovery like that would call himTo question the 55 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: thoroughness with which he and his colleagues surveyed the land 56 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: for the government. So they decided they were going to 57 00:03:58,080 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: go back and check it out again. Yeah, because again 58 00:04:00,400 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: they say, it sounds too good to be true, and 59 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:03,720 Speaker 1: if it is true, that means that we're bad at 60 00:04:03,720 --> 00:04:07,000 Speaker 1: our jobs. That's the problem. They don't want to look bad. 61 00:04:07,040 --> 00:04:09,240 Speaker 1: They're not trying to make money, they're trying to defend 62 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:14,960 Speaker 1: their credibility. So they sniff around, they find the whereabouts 63 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: of the mine there on the Colorado Wyoming border. They 64 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: start digging and they find gems. So the guys must 65 00:04:22,160 --> 00:04:25,279 Speaker 1: have slacking Arnold must have at least put the gems 66 00:04:25,279 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: a little bit in the ground, right somewhere shallow grave exactly. 67 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:32,360 Speaker 1: And these are geologists that we have to remember. So 68 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: they find a ton of gems, but the pattern in 69 00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:41,160 Speaker 1: which they are found doesn't make sense. Every time King 70 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: finds a diamond, he sees twelve rubies. But when people 71 00:04:44,720 --> 00:04:48,520 Speaker 1: dig deeper, they don't find any gems at all. And 72 00:04:48,920 --> 00:04:52,480 Speaker 1: because these guys are geologists, they know that certain gems 73 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: are not found in the same place. They don't naturally 74 00:04:55,480 --> 00:04:58,919 Speaker 1: occur together. And they found these things that would normally, 75 00:04:59,040 --> 00:05:01,280 Speaker 1: if you're just digging them out of the ground, you 76 00:05:01,320 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 1: would you would never find in the same mind. And 77 00:05:04,560 --> 00:05:09,599 Speaker 1: then they said, okay, we're seeing more stuff that doesn't fit. 78 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:13,479 Speaker 1: They're ant hills that have rubies inside them, but they're 79 00:05:13,480 --> 00:05:16,279 Speaker 1: also holes in the side of these aunt hills where 80 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,599 Speaker 1: stones have been shoved in with a stick. Also, it 81 00:05:19,640 --> 00:05:22,040 Speaker 1: doesn't make sense that rubies and diamonds will be found 82 00:05:22,080 --> 00:05:26,479 Speaker 1: so closely together. Hang on, guys, stop the presses, says 83 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: Clarence King. This is a scam. Yes, that aha moment 84 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: for sure, the whole thing is revealed to be a 85 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:36,800 Speaker 1: massive fraud. King books it for San Francisco to get 86 00:05:37,040 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: with his investors, his his fellow built investors, to let 87 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:45,159 Speaker 1: them know they had all been totally screwed. So all 88 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,640 Speaker 1: of them in a tizzy. They find a group in 89 00:05:48,800 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: town and they I didn't understand that's been They deputized 90 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:54,039 Speaker 1: them to kind of back them up and and go 91 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: to the fields. What's that? Those were the days? Okay, 92 00:05:56,720 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: so back then certain people in society imagine this having 93 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,560 Speaker 1: no certain people in society, usually like sheriff's or marshals, 94 00:06:03,800 --> 00:06:08,039 Speaker 1: can deputize citizens in the event of a crisis. You 95 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 1: need you you need to gang the men to fight 96 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:14,040 Speaker 1: back against another gang of bad people. Then you just 97 00:06:14,160 --> 00:06:17,719 Speaker 1: find some civilians you trust and you deputize them. Uh 98 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:21,039 Speaker 1: temporarily the best way to say that as like, imagine 99 00:06:21,200 --> 00:06:26,120 Speaker 1: if uh in Atlanta City police officer or a Fulton 100 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:31,359 Speaker 1: County sheriff burst into our podcast studio and said, you, 101 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:34,159 Speaker 1: Casey Pegram, I need you on the case with me. 102 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:37,360 Speaker 1: Something bad's going down here. How are you with a gun? 103 00:06:37,800 --> 00:06:41,040 Speaker 1: And he tosses you a badge and a gun, Casey, 104 00:06:41,080 --> 00:06:43,359 Speaker 1: and then he says he's deputizing you. Would you what 105 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:45,880 Speaker 1: would you do? I guess I have to accept, Yeah, 106 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,960 Speaker 1: you're not Amanda Shirt. Uh your civic duty right? None 107 00:06:48,960 --> 00:06:52,000 Speaker 1: of that's right. And um, I'm not much of a marksman, 108 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: but you know, I've been to target practice like once 109 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,000 Speaker 1: or twice in my life, So I guess I do 110 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,480 Speaker 1: what I could. I have only ever held the twenty 111 00:06:58,520 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: two when I was a little I really want to 112 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:02,680 Speaker 1: shoot a ham gun on one of these days, but 113 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,360 Speaker 1: I don't know if I ever will get to it. 114 00:07:04,440 --> 00:07:06,279 Speaker 1: I did not like the experience, I have to say, 115 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,040 Speaker 1: but I was like, you know, pretty young at the time, 116 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:12,320 Speaker 1: and my dad was like insistent on, you know, teaching me, 117 00:07:12,520 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 1: uh firearm stage you want to make you a man? Yeah, yeah, 118 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:18,160 Speaker 1: I just you know, not to not to do dumb 119 00:07:18,160 --> 00:07:21,280 Speaker 1: stuff with guns. Basically, yeah's smart, that's smart. Yeah, yeah, 120 00:07:21,480 --> 00:07:23,560 Speaker 1: it makes sense. And also I want to tell you guys, 121 00:07:23,640 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: if you ever want to hang out, there are some 122 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 1: pretty cool indoor ranges not far from here at all. 123 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 1: We can go. We can you can rent some firearms 124 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: if you want, and then we can you know, I 125 00:07:35,400 --> 00:07:38,680 Speaker 1: don't know, we can practice marksman chip and then we 126 00:07:38,680 --> 00:07:43,200 Speaker 1: can go get lunch somewhere. No no takers. I'll go 127 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: by myself. I'm just you guys could go with you 128 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,000 Speaker 1: like to go. So it's it's good practice for a 129 00:07:49,080 --> 00:07:52,960 Speaker 1: zombie apocalypse, right. Actually, one of the indoor ranges does 130 00:07:53,040 --> 00:07:56,440 Speaker 1: have some of the shooting targets or zombies. That's that's 131 00:07:56,480 --> 00:07:58,120 Speaker 1: kind of fun. Have you seen this thing that's all 132 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: the rage now that the kids are doing it? Acts throwing? Yeah, 133 00:08:00,840 --> 00:08:03,960 Speaker 1: we've got three acts throwing bars and the bars though, 134 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 1: that's the kicker. You get drunk and throw axes terrifying. 135 00:08:07,360 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: I don't seem like a really bad idea. They don't 136 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: think they let you throw the axes drinking heavily or anything. 137 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: I mean, if it's a bar, I think it's like 138 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:19,360 Speaker 1: you can hang out at the bar if they serve alcohol. 139 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:21,880 Speaker 1: One of them probably doesn't, but if they serve alcohol, 140 00:08:21,920 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 1: you can hang out at the bar. And then the 141 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: peep axe throwing is a separate thing, you know what 142 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:28,440 Speaker 1: I mean? I don't know how you could keep the 143 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:31,240 Speaker 1: two apart. Is it a separate space? Like? Are their 144 00:08:31,280 --> 00:08:33,720 Speaker 1: axes like flying over towards the bar from people who 145 00:08:33,760 --> 00:08:36,559 Speaker 1: have poor aim? Hang on, No, by the way, keep 146 00:08:36,600 --> 00:08:40,120 Speaker 1: all this in the episode let's check. Can you drink 147 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:44,760 Speaker 1: alcohol and throw axes? Where there's a will, there's a way. 148 00:08:45,160 --> 00:08:49,720 Speaker 1: It's oddly inspirational. Um, I wouldn't see if there's a 149 00:08:49,720 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: specific uh law? Is it like a cat cafe where 150 00:08:53,480 --> 00:08:56,480 Speaker 1: there's like a delineation between the cafe part and the 151 00:08:56,480 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 1: cat part. Never the twain shall meet kind of thing? 152 00:08:59,200 --> 00:09:01,360 Speaker 1: But again, I think you have a hard time having 153 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:05,920 Speaker 1: those twains not me. Okay, So there are a couple 154 00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:11,040 Speaker 1: There are a couple of different answers at kick ax throwing. 155 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:16,440 Speaker 1: Think about it. Uh. The owner says, patrons can drink beer, 156 00:09:16,600 --> 00:09:19,280 Speaker 1: wine and malt beverages, but they can only get a 157 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: maximum of three and there's some safeguards. Hardly they're looking 158 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:26,520 Speaker 1: out for the looking out for the people. I don't know, man, 159 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:30,080 Speaker 1: I don't want someone three drinks deep throw at acts 160 00:09:30,160 --> 00:09:32,880 Speaker 1: is absolutely not No. I don't think anybody wants that ben, 161 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:42,360 Speaker 1: so what ended up happening to to our our hoaxters. 162 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:47,760 Speaker 1: So they are persuaded to return to the fields with 163 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 1: their deputized party and general David Colton is the company's 164 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: general manager in addition to being a actual general, he's 165 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:00,480 Speaker 1: leading this party. In this posse. He finds some rubies 166 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:03,079 Speaker 1: on top of a rock, and he says it would 167 00:10:03,080 --> 00:10:06,960 Speaker 1: have been as impossible for nature to have deposited them 168 00:10:07,120 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: as for a person standard in San Francisco to toss 169 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:13,360 Speaker 1: a moble in the air and have it fall on 170 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:18,040 Speaker 1: Bunker Hill Monument, which was a very specific disc for 171 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:21,480 Speaker 1: him and UH. And so when they get this evidence, 172 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,560 Speaker 1: these investors say, all right, this is terrible. We fell 173 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:29,880 Speaker 1: for it. We are dissolving our company. Everybody in San Francisco, 174 00:10:30,400 --> 00:10:33,079 Speaker 1: UH makes fun of them because this has already been 175 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 1: in the news. It also like, imagine doing something that 176 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,599 Speaker 1: makes you look so dumb that every media outlet in 177 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,880 Speaker 1: the country spends a week making fun of you. Yeah, 178 00:10:42,920 --> 00:10:45,839 Speaker 1: it's true. There was there. There was even an article 179 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:49,800 Speaker 1: in the New York Times UM, which apparently had already 180 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:51,920 Speaker 1: been reporting on this and thought it was fraud the 181 00:10:51,920 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 1: whole time. So there was a real self righteous kind 182 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 1: of I told you so. Article published on December six, 183 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:03,080 Speaker 1: or reporters wrote the most remarkable part of the scam 184 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:07,559 Speaker 1: was that the perpetrators had succeeded in deceiving businessmen and 185 00:11:07,640 --> 00:11:12,640 Speaker 1: capitalists so proverbially shrewd as those of San Francisco, and 186 00:11:12,640 --> 00:11:17,760 Speaker 1: then several years after the hoax was uncovered, Ralston unfortunately 187 00:11:17,800 --> 00:11:19,800 Speaker 1: took his own life. I mean, this was the kind 188 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: of This wasn't just some mean spirited Josh and I mean, 189 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:27,920 Speaker 1: this was basically like ruined his reputation. In eighteen seventy nine, 190 00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:30,280 Speaker 1: King who was already on his way to becoming a 191 00:11:30,400 --> 00:11:37,680 Speaker 1: legendary adventurer and geologists he founded the U S Geological Survey. So, 192 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:42,320 Speaker 1: you know, pretty interesting trajectory for some of these characters. Um, 193 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:45,800 Speaker 1: some sadder than others. Yeah, but we know the question 194 00:11:45,800 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 1: on everybody's mind. What happened to Slack and Arnold, the 195 00:11:49,000 --> 00:11:54,160 Speaker 1: original hoaxters themselves, We have a story for you. John 196 00:11:54,280 --> 00:11:57,880 Speaker 1: Slack was assumed to have disappeared from the historical record. 197 00:11:57,960 --> 00:12:00,560 Speaker 1: He fled the country, or some people if he died 198 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:03,240 Speaker 1: soon after leaving the mining fields, at least at the time, 199 00:12:03,880 --> 00:12:06,480 Speaker 1: but in nineteen sixty seven, a guy named Bruce A. 200 00:12:06,760 --> 00:12:10,679 Speaker 1: Woodard is an accountant that's obsessed with this hoax. Says 201 00:12:10,760 --> 00:12:14,120 Speaker 1: that Slack took a job building caskets in St. Louis 202 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:17,120 Speaker 1: and eventually moved to White Oaks, New Mexico, where he 203 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:21,720 Speaker 1: became an undertaker, lived alone, died in eighteen ninety six, 204 00:12:21,800 --> 00:12:24,000 Speaker 1: and left behind in a state of only one thousand, 205 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:27,560 Speaker 1: six hundred dollars. That's a Woodard's book, Diamonds and the Salt. Again, 206 00:12:27,600 --> 00:12:29,880 Speaker 1: the guy's not a historian, he's an accountant, but he 207 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:36,760 Speaker 1: dug into this pretty pretty tenaciously. He mind the primary sources. Uh. 208 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:41,679 Speaker 1: And then another article uh in eighteen seventy two that 209 00:12:41,679 --> 00:12:45,040 Speaker 1: wood are dug up seems to say that Philip Arnold 210 00:12:45,080 --> 00:12:48,440 Speaker 1: bought a two story brick house in Kentucky and he 211 00:12:48,520 --> 00:12:51,600 Speaker 1: moved to his family there. He got five hundred acres 212 00:12:51,600 --> 00:12:54,960 Speaker 1: of property, all in his wife's name, and then became 213 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:59,240 Speaker 1: a horse breeder who also raised sheeps and pigs. Even 214 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:05,000 Speaker 1: though Arnold and Slack were indicted in San Francisco for fraud, um, 215 00:13:05,120 --> 00:13:08,319 Speaker 1: nothing came of it. And again, what are the author 216 00:13:08,360 --> 00:13:12,920 Speaker 1: of Diamonds and in the Salt thinks that maybe the 217 00:13:13,040 --> 00:13:17,880 Speaker 1: investors squashed the legal proceedings because they didn't want to 218 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,080 Speaker 1: keep getting clowned in the news. I can see that, 219 00:13:21,200 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 1: like they're not getting that money back. It's ober for them. 220 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:26,560 Speaker 1: They just want to like move on with their lives. 221 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:30,760 Speaker 1: But here's the thing. This, this entire debacle really had 222 00:13:30,840 --> 00:13:35,040 Speaker 1: some serious, like societal implications. It was just kind of 223 00:13:35,080 --> 00:13:40,480 Speaker 1: a sign that this whole prospecting gold rush mentality, you know, 224 00:13:40,720 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: had a clock on it, you know, that it was 225 00:13:43,480 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 1: in fact a bubble, right because California had experienced so 226 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:51,440 Speaker 1: many of these frauds. Think about it, Think about all 227 00:13:51,480 --> 00:13:53,679 Speaker 1: of the frauds that would go with, uh, you know, 228 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,520 Speaker 1: the gold rush itself, and of faking reports of oil. 229 00:13:57,920 --> 00:14:01,720 Speaker 1: For example, UM defraud investors of millions of dollars in 230 00:14:01,760 --> 00:14:05,360 Speaker 1: the eighteen sixties. UM. This is from an article from 231 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,719 Speaker 1: Smithsonian mag that goes into all of the implications with 232 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:12,960 Speaker 1: the Great Diamond Hoax. And in that article, Patricia O'Toole, 233 00:14:13,280 --> 00:14:17,160 Speaker 1: the author of Money and Morals in America History, has 234 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:19,920 Speaker 1: some great quotes that sums this idea. I see the 235 00:14:19,960 --> 00:14:22,200 Speaker 1: diamond hoax as one of a long line of scams 236 00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:24,520 Speaker 1: made possible by the fact that the United States truly 237 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,720 Speaker 1: was a land of opportunity. Many a legitimate fortune seemed 238 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 1: to be made overnight, so it was particularly easy for 239 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:34,560 Speaker 1: a con artist to convince a gullible American that he 240 00:14:34,720 --> 00:14:39,440 Speaker 1: too could wake up a millionaire. Yeah. Yeah, I want 241 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:43,320 Speaker 1: to point out too that Arnold was aware of this 242 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:47,240 Speaker 1: indictment and had a had a crazy quote he told 243 00:14:47,600 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 1: the paper in Louisville when when they asked him to 244 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,880 Speaker 1: go on record about these indictments, he said this. He said, 245 00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:59,720 Speaker 1: I've employed counsel myself a good Henry rifle, So he 246 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,080 Speaker 1: basically that's such a Kentucky thing to say. Eventually does 247 00:15:03,160 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 1: he does settle out of court with William Lentz, specifically 248 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:10,680 Speaker 1: for a hundred and fifty grand. That's the only time 249 00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 1: he ever did something like admitting he had anything to 250 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:17,240 Speaker 1: do with his diamond hoax. Eighteen seventy three, he becomes 251 00:15:17,240 --> 00:15:20,360 Speaker 1: a banker, and then he gets in a fight with 252 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:24,200 Speaker 1: another banker in eighteen seventy eight that leads to a shootout. 253 00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,200 Speaker 1: Three people are injured. Arnold gets a shotgun blast to 254 00:15:28,240 --> 00:15:31,680 Speaker 1: the shoulder. This is back when banking disagreements were much 255 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:35,920 Speaker 1: more heated. Oh yeah, stuff in the streets, um, and 256 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 1: then I'm sorry, and then what happens, Oh, he just 257 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: gets pneumonia and dies. Okay, that's a little enticlimactic, but 258 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:45,280 Speaker 1: it happens. It comes for us all. Yeah, well, uh, 259 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,280 Speaker 1: there is a mystery because we still don't know what 260 00:15:48,400 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 1: happened to some of those hundreds of thousands of dollars. 261 00:15:52,080 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: There's a treasure story buried in here somewhere them. Well, 262 00:15:55,280 --> 00:15:58,200 Speaker 1: they definitely weren't reporting it on their taxes. You know. 263 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:08,160 Speaker 1: That's the end of the diamond hoax. I think you're 264 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:12,400 Speaker 1: I think you're right that this was the the tipping 265 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:16,200 Speaker 1: point or watershed moment that that it kind of took 266 00:16:16,240 --> 00:16:19,720 Speaker 1: the rose tendant glasses off people's eyes. There was one 267 00:16:19,720 --> 00:16:21,400 Speaker 1: scam too many, and I think it was you know 268 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:25,080 Speaker 1: again like like we like we quoted from that Smithsonian article. 269 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:29,000 Speaker 1: These types of scams were wide rife, as they say 270 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,880 Speaker 1: in brass I, a British comedy show that I love 271 00:16:31,960 --> 00:16:35,440 Speaker 1: very much, But they weren't to this degree. They weren't 272 00:16:35,720 --> 00:16:39,120 Speaker 1: this magnitude of hoax that just kept going and kept 273 00:16:39,120 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: pulling more people in. And all of the perfect storm 274 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:46,320 Speaker 1: of circumstances that led to this being perpetrated for as 275 00:16:46,400 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 1: long as it was and to just builk so many 276 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: people have so much money. Uh, that really opened some 277 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: people's eyes. Agreed, Yeah, agreed. And uh, you know, I 278 00:16:57,440 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: think the big lesson that we can all take away 279 00:17:01,160 --> 00:17:05,400 Speaker 1: from this while we listen here today in is that, 280 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:10,159 Speaker 1: by God, if you're starting a posse deputy, pegram is 281 00:17:10,359 --> 00:17:12,680 Speaker 1: uh is the guy you just can't go wrong with, 282 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: you know? Uh, Casey, I have this vision of you 283 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,680 Speaker 1: being in like a director's cut of Tombstone. You guys 284 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:25,480 Speaker 1: remember Tombstone. I'm your Huckleberry? Yeah yeah, Casey, pegram is 285 00:17:25,640 --> 00:17:28,920 Speaker 1: our is the new Huckleberry You? Okay? With that? Noll 286 00:17:29,880 --> 00:17:31,640 Speaker 1: I always wanted to be the Val Kilmer too. It's 287 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:33,639 Speaker 1: like the best one. Who's Who's what what is he 288 00:17:33,720 --> 00:17:36,000 Speaker 1: referring to? And he says, I'm your huckleberries. I mean 289 00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:39,359 Speaker 1: like the pie. He's like, I'm I'm Finn. Yeah, it's 290 00:17:39,359 --> 00:17:42,800 Speaker 1: probably a referenced the Huckleberry Finn. He's He's saying, yeah, 291 00:17:42,920 --> 00:17:46,320 Speaker 1: I'm the guy will hang out with you. That makes sense? Okay, Casey. 292 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:49,200 Speaker 1: I I'd love it if you would be our collective huckleberry. 293 00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:52,800 Speaker 1: You are kind of I'd be honored now, which one 294 00:17:52,920 --> 00:17:56,119 Speaker 1: am I Wyatt? Or Who's who? Who? Val Kilmer? He 295 00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:58,960 Speaker 1: was Doc Holiday? Or yeah, yeah he's so h oh 296 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:02,160 Speaker 1: wait then that with me, Casey the dotic, I would 297 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:04,199 Speaker 1: only want to be Doc. It's the best character. In 298 00:18:04,200 --> 00:18:06,080 Speaker 1: my opinion, I gotta cut down on my drinking if 299 00:18:06,080 --> 00:18:08,879 Speaker 1: I'm Doc Holiday. That's true. You know, don't you have 300 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:13,480 Speaker 1: the consumption? Yeah? Yeah, you also have a very complex 301 00:18:14,040 --> 00:18:18,959 Speaker 1: romantic situation. Yeah. Doc Holiday had some had some. Uh. 302 00:18:19,560 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: He's a very interesting character. He's the most fleshed out 303 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:24,359 Speaker 1: in my opinion. Not to be confused with the Michael J. 304 00:18:24,560 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 1: Fox vehicle Doc Hollywood, right, And not to be confused 305 00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 1: with uh, what was it Kurt Russell in Tombstone he 306 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:36,520 Speaker 1: was Yeah, okay. Not not to be confused with his 307 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,760 Speaker 1: other Western bone Tomahawk, which is a whole different vibe 308 00:18:40,200 --> 00:18:42,720 Speaker 1: that one gets a little, uh gets a little grizzly 309 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:47,360 Speaker 1: a bit yes, um, but but check it out. It's 310 00:18:47,359 --> 00:18:51,880 Speaker 1: definitely not for everyone. It's it's very it's like it's 311 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:58,000 Speaker 1: like a green Inferno level violence. But it's strange, isn't it. 312 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:01,560 Speaker 1: Did Arnold learn anything? He got out weigh clean pretty much. 313 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 1: He didn't even have to give that a hundred and 314 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:07,680 Speaker 1: fifty thou dollars back. We're not condoning his actions, folks, 315 00:19:07,880 --> 00:19:10,000 Speaker 1: but we have to admit that these scams and these 316 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 1: cons are historically fascinating. Thank you so much for tuning in. 317 00:19:14,800 --> 00:19:18,480 Speaker 1: Let us know some of your favorite lesser known scams 318 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:22,919 Speaker 1: or cons throughout world's history. We are all ears, the 319 00:19:23,040 --> 00:19:26,160 Speaker 1: as usual. The more ridiculous, the better. Uh. If you 320 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:29,440 Speaker 1: want to join the conversation, you can talk to us 321 00:19:29,440 --> 00:19:32,720 Speaker 1: on Facebook. We've got a group called Ridiculous Historians. It's 322 00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,320 Speaker 1: gonna ask you a question when you when you click 323 00:19:35,359 --> 00:19:37,720 Speaker 1: on the link to join, you have to name either 324 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:40,600 Speaker 1: Noel or Casey or myself or all three of us, 325 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 1: or just say something that made us laugh. I think 326 00:19:43,320 --> 00:19:46,560 Speaker 1: somebody recently when it said name one of the hosts, 327 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:49,200 Speaker 1: they say cookie monster, and I was like, that's fine. 328 00:19:49,359 --> 00:19:51,199 Speaker 1: You know we've all been a cookie monster at one 329 00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:53,920 Speaker 1: point in our lives. Yeah. He probably referring to me, though, 330 00:19:54,119 --> 00:19:56,119 Speaker 1: I think so. I think you're being unfair to yourself. 331 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:58,680 Speaker 1: I eat more cookies than you. Yeah, but I don't 332 00:19:58,680 --> 00:20:00,439 Speaker 1: really have a sweet tooth. Nope. Wait, I ate a 333 00:20:00,480 --> 00:20:03,160 Speaker 1: cookie a week and a half ago. Okay, was it good? 334 00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:07,080 Speaker 1: What kind of cookie was. It was like oatmeal chocolate chip. 335 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,680 Speaker 1: It just wasn't my You know, hey, if you want 336 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: to check us out outside of the Facebook, you can 337 00:20:12,840 --> 00:20:15,360 Speaker 1: do so on Instagram. For me, I am at how 338 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,280 Speaker 1: Now Noel Brown, and I am at Ben Bolan on 339 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:23,760 Speaker 1: Instagram I see some of my recent misadventures. And I 340 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:27,760 Speaker 1: am at Ben Bolan hs W on Twitter, where I 341 00:20:28,040 --> 00:20:31,840 Speaker 1: recently recently learned I've been studying Mandarin off and on. 342 00:20:32,320 --> 00:20:35,600 Speaker 1: I recently learned on the Internet that the characters and 343 00:20:35,720 --> 00:20:40,439 Speaker 1: Mandarin for Penguin translate to something like business goose. So 344 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:42,520 Speaker 1: that's the level of discourse you'll find on my Twitter. 345 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: I just want to keep everybody's expectations low. Huge thanks 346 00:20:45,640 --> 00:20:48,560 Speaker 1: to super producer Casey Pegram, Alex Williams, who composed our theme, 347 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:51,960 Speaker 1: Christopher Hascio is always here in Spira and that devious 348 00:20:52,040 --> 00:20:54,280 Speaker 1: quister who are you here from him again one of 349 00:20:54,320 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: these days? Oh yeah. Huge Thanks to Eve's Jeff Cote. 350 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:02,800 Speaker 1: Huge thanks to Gabe you see out our research associate 351 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: who you know. Obviously you'd be cool to have Gabe 352 00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:07,119 Speaker 1: on the show at some point. I would love that. 353 00:21:07,359 --> 00:21:19,160 Speaker 1: Let's do that. We'll see the folks. For more podcasts 354 00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,160 Speaker 1: from My heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, 355 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:24,280 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.