WEBVTT - S03 Episode 3 Extra: The Brockley Spectre

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McLane Smith. For

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<v Speaker 1>the weeks in between episodes, we look at the stories that,

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<v Speaker 1>for one reason or other, didn't make it into the show.

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<v Speaker 1>In last week's episode, Under the Asphalt, we came across

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<v Speaker 1>some strange goings on taking place inside a South London

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<v Speaker 1>housing estate in the nineteen seventies, in particular a section

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<v Speaker 1>of the estate known as Frankom House. Some believe the

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<v Speaker 1>building has been haunted ever since its construction in the

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen thirties, having been built on the site of Christ

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<v Speaker 1>Church Cemetery, the church being knocked down to make way

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<v Speaker 1>for the estate. Interestingly, many of the occupants who claimed

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<v Speaker 1>to have experienced the hauntings often spoke of seeing the

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<v Speaker 1>figure of a tall man moving around their apartments. It

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<v Speaker 1>brought to mind another South London ghost that is alleged

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<v Speaker 1>to have plagued a property in neighboring Broccoley, not more

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<v Speaker 1>than a kilometer from Frankham House. In the summer of

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen ten, the journalist and writer Elliott O'Donnell relayed a

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<v Speaker 1>peculiar story in the London based newspaper The Weekly Dispatch.

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<v Speaker 1>As a writer of apparent true life hauntings. He had

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<v Speaker 1>got word of a terrifying apparition that had been stalking

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<v Speaker 1>a house at the northern end of Broccoley Road in London.

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<v Speaker 1>After some diligent work, he managed to track down the

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<v Speaker 1>house's former owners, a Missus and mister Evans. As O'Donnell maintained,

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<v Speaker 1>both were well educated, mister Evans being a solicitor, and

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<v Speaker 1>both were perfectly sane and rational in their outlook. Neither

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<v Speaker 1>had the slightest hesitation in relaying their experiences to the writer,

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<v Speaker 1>so convinced were they of what they had heard and seen.

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<v Speaker 1>The disturbances had begun shortly after the couple had moved

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<v Speaker 1>in to the Broccoli Road house. Missus Evans had been

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<v Speaker 1>preparing dinner when she heard the rattling of a key

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<v Speaker 1>in the front door lock. The sound of the door

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<v Speaker 1>being opened and shut was then followed by the sound

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<v Speaker 1>of footsteps running up the stairs. She called out to

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<v Speaker 1>her husband, but received no reply. After a quick search

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<v Speaker 1>of the house, she found that she was completely alone.

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<v Speaker 1>Mister Evans would not return back from work till late

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<v Speaker 1>that evening. This strange sonic episode would continue to repeat

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<v Speaker 1>itself on a fairly regular basis throughout mister and Missus

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<v Speaker 1>Evans's occupancy. Although somewhat disturbed by the phenomena, they seemed

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<v Speaker 1>little affected by it until one evening, Having heard the

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<v Speaker 1>sound at the front door again, mister Evans caught sight

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<v Speaker 1>of a tall figure standing in the hallway just in

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<v Speaker 1>front of the door. Though he couldn't see it clearly,

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<v Speaker 1>it looked to be wearing a frock coat and top hat.

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<v Speaker 1>Unsure quite what he was seeing, mister Evans approached the figure,

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<v Speaker 1>only for it to vanish immediately. A few months later,

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<v Speaker 1>due in part to the apparent hauntings, an unsettled Missus

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<v Speaker 1>and mister Evans moved out of the property. Intrigued by

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<v Speaker 1>their story, O'Donnell made his way to their old home,

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<v Speaker 1>hoping to scope it out for himself. He arrived outside

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<v Speaker 1>the three story, semi detached town house one afternoon, but

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<v Speaker 1>was disappointed to find it already occupied. After knocking on

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<v Speaker 1>the door, he was greeted by a gaunt, elderly woman,

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<v Speaker 1>who had turned out was only a caretaker looking after

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<v Speaker 1>the house while the owner searched for another tenant. It

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<v Speaker 1>seemed missus and mister Evans's story may have been putting

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<v Speaker 1>off prospective buyers. O'Donnell spotted an opportunity and offered the

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<v Speaker 1>woman a small fee to let him stay a couple

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<v Speaker 1>of nights in the house. The caretaker gladly took the

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<v Speaker 1>money and agreed to let the writer stay for two nights.

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<v Speaker 1>A few hours later, O'Donnell returned to the property, escorted

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<v Speaker 1>by his Irish terrier, whom he had named Ghoul. The

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<v Speaker 1>caretaker explained that she had kept a small fire burning

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<v Speaker 1>for him in the kitchen and that she would be

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<v Speaker 1>back at seven am the next morning. O'Donnell asked her

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<v Speaker 1>if she had ever noticed anything strange there herself. Only

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<v Speaker 1>the odd scratching sound on the stairs, she replied, which

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<v Speaker 1>she put down to nothing more than mice sky about

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<v Speaker 1>in the wainscotting. After setting down his things in the kitchen,

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<v Speaker 1>with the last of the day's light all but gone,

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<v Speaker 1>o'donald bent down and let Gul off his leash. Taking

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<v Speaker 1>the candle left out by the caretaker, he lit the

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<v Speaker 1>wick and proceeded to make his way throughout the house

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<v Speaker 1>in search of the tall apparition in the top hat.

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<v Speaker 1>Are you always taking care of your family? Do you

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<v Speaker 1>often take care of others and not yourself. Now it's

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<v Speaker 1>time to take care of yourself, to make time for you.

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<v Speaker 1>slash Unexplained Podcast. As O'Donnell went from room to room

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<v Speaker 1>with only the flickering light of the candle's flame to

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<v Speaker 1>guide him, it was hard to ignore the growing sense

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<v Speaker 1>of anxiety accompanying his every move. Thankfully, gool provided enthusiastic company,

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<v Speaker 1>excitedly sniffing out the darker corners on his behalf. Having

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<v Speaker 1>scoped out all ten of the rooms, O'Donnell proceeded to

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<v Speaker 1>close all the window blinds and shut every door in

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<v Speaker 1>the house. At the sound of eleven muffled gongs from

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<v Speaker 1>a neighboring clock, the writer and Ghoul returned to the

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<v Speaker 1>bottom of the stairs to begin their vigil. With the

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<v Speaker 1>dog having finally settled down beside him, O'Donnell held up

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<v Speaker 1>the candle and blew it out. Engulfed in perfect darkness,

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<v Speaker 1>the pair sat and waited. Six hours later, apart from

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<v Speaker 1>the usual cracks and creeks of any old house, O'Donnell

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<v Speaker 1>heard and saw nothing untoward. The following morning, shortly after

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<v Speaker 1>seven am, the caretaker returned, and O'Donnell and ghoul left

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<v Speaker 1>the property arrayed, anging to return at ten pm that evening.

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<v Speaker 1>Later that night, arriving again at the front door of

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<v Speaker 1>the dimly lit house on Broccoli Road, something was different.

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<v Speaker 1>Though he couldn't quite put a finger on what it

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<v Speaker 1>was himself, gul certainly felt it too. Where before he

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<v Speaker 1>had raced keenly into the house that night when the

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<v Speaker 1>caretaker opened the front door. The dog became suddenly subdued

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<v Speaker 1>and sat stubbornly on the front step, refusing to budge.

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<v Speaker 1>It was only after O'Donnell gave him a few gentle

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<v Speaker 1>nudges that he finally relented and made his way into

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<v Speaker 1>the house. After seeing off the caretaker, O'Donnell proceeded to

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<v Speaker 1>make the rounds again with Gul in tow, only this time,

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<v Speaker 1>rather than bound on ahead enthusiastically into each room, the

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<v Speaker 1>dog refused to leave O'Donnell's side, though he had no

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<v Speaker 1>obvious reason to claim it, so the writer couldn't help

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<v Speaker 1>feeling that on this occasion they were not alone, just

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<v Speaker 1>like the previous night. He closed the blinds and shut

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<v Speaker 1>all the doors, before taking a seat at the bottom

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<v Speaker 1>of the stairs. Gool refused to stay, still, whining and

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<v Speaker 1>scratching irritably at the floor. Trying to ignore the dog's

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<v Speaker 1>obvious discomfort, O'Donnell held up the candle once more and

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<v Speaker 1>snuffed out its flame. It wasn't long after that the

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<v Speaker 1>writer claimed to have heard the unmistakable sound of a

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<v Speaker 1>key being placed inside the front door lock. O'Donnell called out,

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<v Speaker 1>but there was no reply. Straining to see in the dark.

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<v Speaker 1>He listened in terror at the sound at the front

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<v Speaker 1>door opening. Only not for a moment did he see

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<v Speaker 1>the street revealed to him from outside. The sound was

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<v Speaker 1>followed by the slamming shut of an unseen door and

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<v Speaker 1>the sensation of something rushing past him and tearing up

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<v Speaker 1>the stairs. Next, Staring up into the darkness behind him,

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<v Speaker 1>O'Donnell heard a long and mournful sigh. Turning to look

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<v Speaker 1>again towards the front door, he drew a sharp breath.

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<v Speaker 1>There in the hallway stood a large figure dressed in

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<v Speaker 1>what looked like a top hat and frock coat. Terrified

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<v Speaker 1>and excited in equal measure, O'Donnell dared not move for

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<v Speaker 1>fear that the apparition might suddenly vanish, feeling as if

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<v Speaker 1>time were no longer in motion. Eventually, he drew himself

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<v Speaker 1>up and approached the figure. Convinced he was witnessing something

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<v Speaker 1>not of this world. It was his primary objective to

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<v Speaker 1>ascertain if the ghost, if that's what it was, was

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<v Speaker 1>aware of him. O'Donnell would later claim that as he

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<v Speaker 1>drew nearer, he was able to see the figure in

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<v Speaker 1>more detail. At over six foot tall, it looked as

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<v Speaker 1>though it were leaning against the front door, its skin

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<v Speaker 1>pale and luminous, and its eyes betraying a deep sorrow.

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<v Speaker 1>My friend, he asked as he crept ever closer, Is

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<v Speaker 1>there anything I can do for you? But there was

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<v Speaker 1>no reply. Finally close enough to touch it, O'Donnell reached

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<v Speaker 1>out for its hand, and the figure completely disappeared. The

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<v Speaker 1>following morning, a deeply shaken O'Donnell made a visit to

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<v Speaker 1>the local milkman, mister Johnson, who he had been told

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<v Speaker 1>might know more about the history of the house. According

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<v Speaker 1>to Johnson, who was all too familiar with its haunted reputation,

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<v Speaker 1>the place had once been rented by a mister Perry Stephens.

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<v Speaker 1>At some point, the man's son, John Stephens, who worked

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<v Speaker 1>for a city bank, had got into trouble with gambling

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<v Speaker 1>debts and attempted to cover them by committing forgery at

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<v Speaker 1>the bank. After being found out for the crime, he

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<v Speaker 1>had apparently sought refuge in his father's house for days.

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<v Speaker 1>Perry Stevens kept an eye out for police while his

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<v Speaker 1>son lay hiding inside the building under the floorboards. The

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<v Speaker 1>police would eventually discover John's hiding place, and he would

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<v Speaker 1>be convicted and sentenced to jail for seven years. Embarrassed

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<v Speaker 1>and disgraced by the ordeal. Perry Stephens, who was often

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<v Speaker 1>seen walking the local streets dressed in his frock and

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<v Speaker 1>top hat. Soon after travel to the town of Ramsgate

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<v Speaker 1>on the south coast of England. It is there that

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<v Speaker 1>he is said to have made his way to the

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<v Speaker 1>top of the nearby cliffs and jumped to his death.

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<v Speaker 1>If you enjoy listening to Unexplained and would like to

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<v Speaker 1>help supporters, you can now go to Unexplained podcast dot

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<v Speaker 1>com forward Slash support. All donations, no matter how large

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<v Speaker 1>or small, are massively appreciated. All elements of Unexplained are

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<v Speaker 1>produced by me, Richard McClain smith. Please subscribe and rate

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<v Speaker 1>the show on iTunes and feel free to get in

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<v Speaker 1>touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories you've

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<v Speaker 1>heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation of

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<v Speaker 1>your own you'd like to share. You can reach us

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<v Speaker 1>online at Unexplained podcast dot com or on Twitter at

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<v Speaker 1>Unexplained Pod. Now it's time to take care of yourself.

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<v Speaker 1>To make time for you, teledoc gives you access to

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<v Speaker 1>a licensed therapist to help you get back to feeling

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<v Speaker 1>your best speak to a licensed therapist by phone or

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<v Speaker 1>video anytime between seven am to nine pm local time,

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<v Speaker 1>seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available through most

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<v Speaker 1>insurance or employers, Download the app, or visit teledoc dot

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<v Speaker 1>com Forward slash Unexplained podcast Today to get started. That's

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<v Speaker 1>t e l a d oc dot com slash Unexplained

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<v Speaker 1>podcast