1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,800 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of I Heart 2 00:00:05,880 --> 00:00:19,480 Speaker 1: Radio and Grim and Mild from Aaron Manky. Eduard de 3 00:00:19,560 --> 00:00:23,680 Speaker 1: Laboulay had long been one of America's most impassioned supporters. 4 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: Considered one of the most notable political thinkers of his time, 5 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:31,120 Speaker 1: he fully endorsed the idea that people were born with 6 00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: the right to freedom and spent his life working toward 7 00:00:34,440 --> 00:00:39,760 Speaker 1: democratic rule instead of monarchy. After the American Civil War 8 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:43,239 Speaker 1: ended in eighteen sixty five, Edward wanted to show his 9 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: appreciation for Abraham Lincoln and the Constitution. During a meeting 10 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:51,040 Speaker 1: with his fellow countrymen, he proposed that the people of 11 00:00:51,080 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: France should send America a gift, a symbol of their 12 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:59,120 Speaker 1: newly cemented ideology of freedom and democracy. He hoped the 13 00:00:59,200 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: gesture wouldn't be lost on the people of France and 14 00:01:02,200 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: that they too might embrace democracy. It took some time 15 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 1: before France approved his suggestion. In September of eighteen seventy five, 16 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,440 Speaker 1: Edward announced his idea had become a reality, with the 17 00:01:15,480 --> 00:01:20,720 Speaker 1: French public financing the project. Sculptor Frederic August Bortoldi would 18 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:26,600 Speaker 1: create a magnificent bronze statue representing America Project Liberty Enlightening 19 00:01:26,640 --> 00:01:31,960 Speaker 1: the World had commenced. In eighty three, Emma Lazarus wrote 20 00:01:31,959 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: the poem The New Colossus to raise money from the 21 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: American public for the statue of Liberty's pedestal. To this day, 22 00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:43,560 Speaker 1: one line stands out perhaps the most. Give me. You're tired, 23 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:49,080 Speaker 1: your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The 24 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:52,160 Speaker 1: Roman goddess Libertas served as the model for the neo 25 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:56,000 Speaker 1: classical sculpture torch held high in one hand, the other 26 00:01:56,040 --> 00:01:59,160 Speaker 1: would hold a tablet in Roman numerals for July four, 27 00:01:59,280 --> 00:02:04,000 Speaker 1: seventeen seven d six. After another eleven years, the project 28 00:02:04,080 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 1: was finished. On October eighteen eighty six. President Grover Cleveland 29 00:02:09,320 --> 00:02:12,320 Speaker 1: watched as bands from all over America took part in 30 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,200 Speaker 1: a parade for the statues dedication. Later that evening, the 31 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:21,800 Speaker 1: torch was lit, shining over New York Harbor. While America 32 00:02:21,919 --> 00:02:25,240 Speaker 1: had seemingly united, the rest of the world struggled with 33 00:02:25,280 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 1: their own internal wars, revolutions, and upheavals. Seeing the New 34 00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: World as a safe haven, citizens across Europe began to 35 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:37,200 Speaker 1: flee their homelands. Many saw America as a place to 36 00:02:37,280 --> 00:02:42,080 Speaker 1: rebuild their shattered lives. As letters returned home with tales 37 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:45,520 Speaker 1: of opportunities for a better life, more people left their 38 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: homelands and made their way to New York's Ellis Island. 39 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: The first immigrant to pass through the station was seventeen 40 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: year old Annie Moore from Cork, Ireland. She and her 41 00:02:56,320 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 1: two brothers were among the seven hundred people who arrived 42 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:03,000 Speaker 1: on the station's opening day, January first, eight nine two. 43 00:03:03,800 --> 00:03:06,359 Speaker 1: By the year's end, the station had processed over four 44 00:03:06,480 --> 00:03:11,919 Speaker 1: hundred thousand immigrants. From eighteen ninety two to nineteen twenty four, 45 00:03:12,160 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: it's estimated that over twelve million immigrants arrived at Alis Island. 46 00:03:17,280 --> 00:03:19,600 Speaker 1: In an attempt to keep up with the flow, the 47 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,440 Speaker 1: state built a medical facility to house the sick and 48 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 1: the quarantine. Those who passed a physical were sent to 49 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:30,440 Speaker 1: stand in processing lines. While most were accepted, about one 50 00:03:30,480 --> 00:03:33,640 Speaker 1: percent of all immigrants failed health exams or didn't have 51 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:38,600 Speaker 1: the appropriate paperwork and were deported. And there are countless 52 00:03:38,600 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: success stories from those who have sailed past the Statue 53 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: of Liberty and made it through Ellis Island. Bob Hope, 54 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:49,600 Speaker 1: Charlie Chaplin, Albert Einstein, carry Grant Houdini, and my own 55 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:55,600 Speaker 1: great grandparents, among others. While Edward's original message had been 56 00:03:55,680 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: for freedom and liberty, the statue became a symbol to 57 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:02,800 Speaker 1: all who sailed on immigrant ships. She became the official greeter, 58 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: a welcoming mother image to all. Lazarus's famous poem quickly 59 00:04:08,080 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 1: became synonymous with immigration. Though established immigrants sometimes met incoming family, 60 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,200 Speaker 1: others were on their own. Upon his arrival, one lone 61 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 1: immigrants stared at Lady Liberty moved to tears as though 62 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:25,640 Speaker 1: he were talking to a person. He stood on the 63 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:28,359 Speaker 1: deck of his ship and pulled Liberty. How beautiful she 64 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: was for welcoming so many foreigners with open arms. As 65 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,680 Speaker 1: the ship continued past, he asked for just one thing, 66 00:04:36,320 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: the opportunity to prove himself worthy, to do good and 67 00:04:40,080 --> 00:04:45,400 Speaker 1: be someone in America. To him and others who no 68 00:04:45,560 --> 00:04:49,680 Speaker 1: longer felt welcome or safe in their homelands, Liberty became 69 00:04:49,960 --> 00:04:53,960 Speaker 1: the mother of exiles. America gave them a fresh start 70 00:04:54,320 --> 00:04:58,920 Speaker 1: a new life, and for many it was. For some, 71 00:04:59,160 --> 00:05:02,039 Speaker 1: though the sight of Lady Liberty would be the last 72 00:05:02,080 --> 00:05:09,680 Speaker 1: welcome they'd receive. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, Welcome to American shadows. 73 00:05:18,640 --> 00:05:21,600 Speaker 1: He never talked about why had been sent to America 74 00:05:21,680 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: when he turned thirteen. The practice wasn't uncommon, though, parents 75 00:05:26,960 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: often sent their children to America in hopes for a 76 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:33,640 Speaker 1: better life. For Georgio so Do and his older brother, 77 00:05:34,160 --> 00:05:39,239 Speaker 1: poverty in Sardinia, Italy was likely to blame. In eight 78 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: he and his brother arrived at Alice Island. It was 79 00:05:41,960 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: an error known as the Great Arrival, the term used 80 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:49,040 Speaker 1: to describe the influx of Italian immigrants. From eighteen seventy 81 00:05:49,080 --> 00:05:55,120 Speaker 1: six to nineteen twenty three million left Italy due to war, poverty, violence, disease, 82 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: and natural disasters. The new government in Sicily had no 83 00:05:59,800 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: means to give aid to their people. Word traveled to 84 00:06:03,160 --> 00:06:07,279 Speaker 1: the region of American prosperity, and labor recruiters promised work. 85 00:06:08,200 --> 00:06:11,760 Speaker 1: Some left Italy only to return later. For them, the 86 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:16,120 Speaker 1: American dream had been anything but the cost of transatlantic 87 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: travel had become more affordable, but for many families that 88 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,040 Speaker 1: only managed to save enough to buy one or two tickets, 89 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: separating some families forever. The so Do brothers traveled in 90 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:32,359 Speaker 1: the steerage class, the poorest section of the ship. First 91 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:36,440 Speaker 1: class passengers weren't subjected to the inspection required of second 92 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,920 Speaker 1: and steerage class. As they could afford a first class ticket, 93 00:06:40,040 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: they were seen as less of a financial and health risk, 94 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:46,440 Speaker 1: though any ill or sick passenger was sent for further 95 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: inspection or quarantine. The conditions in the steerage class were 96 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:56,039 Speaker 1: crowded and unsanitary. These passengers were subjected to a more 97 00:06:56,120 --> 00:07:01,080 Speaker 1: thorough inspection to prevent spreading contagious disease, though doctors sometimes 98 00:07:01,080 --> 00:07:05,560 Speaker 1: spent as little as six seconds on any given individual. Afterward, 99 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 1: the passenger's paperwork was inspected for one reason or another. 100 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: Georgio was cleared, but his brother boarded a ship heading 101 00:07:13,800 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: back to Italy, leaving his younger brother alone in a 102 00:07:16,680 --> 00:07:20,640 Speaker 1: new country. Sadly, he never heard from his brother or 103 00:07:20,680 --> 00:07:24,680 Speaker 1: his family again. At a young age, Georgio was on 104 00:07:24,760 --> 00:07:29,520 Speaker 1: his own. He found work carrying supplies and water to 105 00:07:29,680 --> 00:07:33,080 Speaker 1: railroad workers. When he was old enough to drive, he 106 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:36,600 Speaker 1: took a job as a driver in West Virginia. Sadly, 107 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: many saw Italians as lazy, unethical, and as cheap labor. 108 00:07:41,840 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: Georgio proved otherwise. He worked tirelessly, was exceptionally smart and 109 00:07:46,840 --> 00:07:51,800 Speaker 1: highly ambitious. Eventually he changed his name to George Sodder 110 00:07:51,840 --> 00:07:56,160 Speaker 1: to become more Americanized. His hard work paid off after 111 00:07:56,200 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: a few years, and he started his own trucking company, 112 00:07:59,000 --> 00:08:03,480 Speaker 1: hauling dirt, eight and cole. After one long day of driving, 113 00:08:03,720 --> 00:08:06,360 Speaker 1: George happened to walk into a local store called the 114 00:08:06,440 --> 00:08:10,680 Speaker 1: Music Box. A young woman caught his eye. Jenny Cipriani, 115 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:15,040 Speaker 1: the shopkeeper's daughter, was also an Italian immigrant, having come 116 00:08:15,080 --> 00:08:17,640 Speaker 1: over with her parents when she was just three years old. 117 00:08:18,200 --> 00:08:21,960 Speaker 1: The two dated and soon wed. They settled down Fayetteville, 118 00:08:22,000 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 1: West Virginia, in a two story frame home in a 119 00:08:24,880 --> 00:08:29,680 Speaker 1: middle class neighborhood. Although not widely accepted due to their 120 00:08:29,800 --> 00:08:33,120 Speaker 1: race and status as immigrants, the family found a home 121 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:37,360 Speaker 1: among other Italian families in the area. The small Appalachian 122 00:08:37,360 --> 00:08:40,880 Speaker 1: community was close knit, and the Solder family soon became 123 00:08:40,920 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: one of the most respected in the area. George finally 124 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:49,040 Speaker 1: felt it achieved the American dream. A lovely partner, his 125 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: own company, a nice home in a middle class neighborhood. 126 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:56,160 Speaker 1: To add to their joy, they had a son, Joseph 127 00:08:56,240 --> 00:09:01,960 Speaker 1: in Marian came after that in ninety eight, followed by John, 128 00:09:02,160 --> 00:09:07,880 Speaker 1: George Junior, Maurice, Martha, Louis, Jenny, Betty, and finally Sylvia 129 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:12,880 Speaker 1: in Joseph had left home by the time the youngest 130 00:09:12,920 --> 00:09:15,640 Speaker 1: of the Satter children were born, choosing to serve in 131 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:19,720 Speaker 1: the military during World War Two. The Sauters were proud 132 00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:23,160 Speaker 1: of their son's service to their new country. George had 133 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:26,800 Speaker 1: a strong dislike of Benito Mussolini, who not only had 134 00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:31,319 Speaker 1: risen to power after a but had embraced Hitler's philosophies. 135 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,199 Speaker 1: Because of Mussolini and those who supported him, some Americans 136 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:38,640 Speaker 1: believed Italians in the U S were a threat to 137 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:43,320 Speaker 1: national security. The Italian American community had become accustomed to 138 00:09:43,480 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 1: threats and derovatory slurs. President Roosevelt signed executive orders allowing 139 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:53,160 Speaker 1: that enemy aliens suspected of terrorists or treasonous acts could 140 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:57,680 Speaker 1: be imprisoned, their homes or businesses ceased. They were forced 141 00:09:57,720 --> 00:10:01,439 Speaker 1: to abide by a curfew from eight pm to six am, 142 00:10:01,679 --> 00:10:05,080 Speaker 1: like the Japanese. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, thousands 143 00:10:05,120 --> 00:10:08,719 Speaker 1: of Italian Americans lost their homes and were either detained 144 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:14,000 Speaker 1: or deported. Other families endured government raids. No one of 145 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 1: Italian descent was safe. Even Joe DiMaggio's family experienced continual 146 00:10:18,960 --> 00:10:24,439 Speaker 1: harassment and threats of arrest. George had witnessed discrimination soon 147 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: after arriving at Ellis Island, but had hoped that over 148 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,480 Speaker 1: time things would get better. He had done everything possible 149 00:10:31,520 --> 00:10:35,960 Speaker 1: to fit in and dispel stereotypes. To him, Mussolini was 150 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: not only a monster, but had also set back any 151 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:43,040 Speaker 1: progress Italian Americans had made, and he remained quite vocally 152 00:10:43,040 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 1: opinionated about that. Finally, the curfew ended in the next year. 153 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: Mussolini was removed from power and imprisoned, but German forces 154 00:10:54,440 --> 00:10:59,960 Speaker 1: freed him. Mussolini served under Hitler, creating the Italian Social Republic, 155 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:03,720 Speaker 1: which led to the extermination of countless Jewish people living 156 00:11:03,720 --> 00:11:09,040 Speaker 1: in the region. George wasn't shy about his immense dislike 157 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:14,960 Speaker 1: of Mussolini, a sentiment most of his fellow Italian immigrants shared. Some, however, 158 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: showed fierce loyalty to their homeland's former prime minister, dividing 159 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:25,240 Speaker 1: the once unified community. Even after Mussolini's execution in nineteen 160 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:31,679 Speaker 1: forty five, his staunch loyalists defended him, sometimes violently. In 161 00:11:31,960 --> 00:11:35,800 Speaker 1: late October of nineteen forty five, a life insurance salesman 162 00:11:35,920 --> 00:11:39,640 Speaker 1: solicited the Sodder household. George recognized the man as a 163 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: Mussolini supporter and sent him on his way. As you 164 00:11:43,400 --> 00:11:47,800 Speaker 1: might guess, the salesman didn't take the rejection well. In 165 00:11:47,840 --> 00:11:50,440 Speaker 1: a fit of anger, the salesman told the Sodders that 166 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: their house would catch fire. More ominously, though, he uttered 167 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: another warning, your children are going to be destroyed. You'll 168 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:04,280 Speaker 1: pay for dirty remarks you've been making about Mussolini. George 169 00:12:04,320 --> 00:12:08,280 Speaker 1: watched the man storm away. He dismissed the threats as 170 00:12:08,320 --> 00:12:12,400 Speaker 1: nothing more than pettiness. Like his fellow citizens had also 171 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: become accustomed to harsh words and threats. Later, George would 172 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:29,000 Speaker 1: wish had taken the threat more seriously. Soon after the 173 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:33,800 Speaker 1: insurance salesman's visit, George found a man wandering around the backyard. 174 00:12:34,559 --> 00:12:37,000 Speaker 1: The man claimed he was only looking for work, that 175 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 1: maybe he could haul coal. After learning there weren't any openings, 176 00:12:41,480 --> 00:12:44,760 Speaker 1: the man pointed to the fuse boxes and said this 177 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:48,480 Speaker 1: is going to cause a fire someday. What a strange comment, 178 00:12:48,640 --> 00:12:52,680 Speaker 1: George thought, as the man walked away. Just days before, 179 00:12:52,880 --> 00:12:55,280 Speaker 1: he and Jenny had had a new stove installed and 180 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:58,840 Speaker 1: the power company checked all the wiring that assured them 181 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:03,000 Speaker 1: everything was in perf picked working order. Odd occurrences like 182 00:13:03,160 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 1: these tapered off by the beginning of December, but just 183 00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:10,679 Speaker 1: before Christmas, John and George Junior saw a man they 184 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:13,760 Speaker 1: didn't know sitting in a car they didn't recognize off 185 00:13:13,760 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: of Highway twenty one near the school. They might not 186 00:13:17,320 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: have paid him too much attention, except that he seemed 187 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:24,760 Speaker 1: intently focused on their younger siblings. But the men didn't 188 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:27,160 Speaker 1: get out of the car and he didn't follow them home, 189 00:13:27,480 --> 00:13:31,520 Speaker 1: so the boys let the matter go. The family had 190 00:13:31,559 --> 00:13:35,720 Speaker 1: forgotten about the threats. On Christmas Eve, they sat down 191 00:13:35,760 --> 00:13:39,319 Speaker 1: to a special dinner later that evening. The younger children, 192 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 1: excited by the tree lights and presents, begged to open 193 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:47,080 Speaker 1: just one gift. After each child opened a present, the 194 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:51,160 Speaker 1: younger children were sent to bed, while Marian helped with 195 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: the dishes. Maurice and nine year old Lewis put the 196 00:13:53,760 --> 00:13:57,319 Speaker 1: cows in and fed the chickens. Once all the children 197 00:13:57,360 --> 00:13:59,760 Speaker 1: had gone to bed, George and Jenny set out the 198 00:13:59,760 --> 00:14:02,600 Speaker 1: rest to the presence and called night. An hour or 199 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:06,760 Speaker 1: so later, a ringing phone woke Jenny from a sound 200 00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,640 Speaker 1: sleep just after midnight. Worried it might be news about 201 00:14:10,640 --> 00:14:13,640 Speaker 1: their eldest son, still away in the army, she hurried 202 00:14:13,679 --> 00:14:16,720 Speaker 1: to the kitchen to answer. A woman on the other 203 00:14:16,840 --> 00:14:20,920 Speaker 1: end asked for someone Jenny didn't know. In the background, 204 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:26,120 Speaker 1: china and glasses clinked and people laughed. Wrong number, Jenny said, 205 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:29,480 Speaker 1: and she hung up, relieved the caller had been a 206 00:14:29,520 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 1: dinner guest somewhere and not the army calling with bad news. 207 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: She was walking back to the bedroom when she noticed 208 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:39,880 Speaker 1: several lights were still on. Thinking one of them had 209 00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: forgotten to turn the lights out amid the celebration, she 210 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:45,960 Speaker 1: turned them off. As she reached the foot of the stairs, 211 00:14:46,000 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: she noticed the curtains were open and the front door 212 00:14:49,200 --> 00:14:53,320 Speaker 1: was unlocked. She breathed a sigh of relief that they 213 00:14:53,360 --> 00:14:56,880 Speaker 1: lived in such a small, close knit community, locked the door, 214 00:14:57,120 --> 00:15:01,080 Speaker 1: closed the curtains, and went back to bed. No sooner 215 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:04,480 Speaker 1: had she drifted to sleep than a loud bang woke her, 216 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:07,840 Speaker 1: followed by the sound of something rolling from the roof. 217 00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 1: She listened for a while in the dark, finally thinking 218 00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:15,320 Speaker 1: should imagine the whole thing, She drifted back to sleep 219 00:15:15,360 --> 00:15:19,280 Speaker 1: once more. An hour later, she awoke to a strong 220 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:23,680 Speaker 1: acrid smell and turned on the light. Ribbons of smoke 221 00:15:23,880 --> 00:15:27,040 Speaker 1: swirled in from under the bedroom door, rising in dark 222 00:15:27,120 --> 00:15:31,720 Speaker 1: gray wisps. She jumped out of bed, yelling fire. George 223 00:15:31,760 --> 00:15:34,000 Speaker 1: scrambled out of bed. They had to warn the children. 224 00:15:34,480 --> 00:15:37,000 Speaker 1: He threw the door open, only to find dense smoke 225 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: had filled the hallway. Coughing, he shouted for the children 226 00:15:40,600 --> 00:15:44,400 Speaker 1: to get out of the house. Doors flew open, shouts, 227 00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:47,000 Speaker 1: and the echo of the children's footsteps filled the air. 228 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:51,560 Speaker 1: Jenny raced to little Sylvia's room, snatching the child from 229 00:15:51,560 --> 00:15:54,400 Speaker 1: her bed, and hurried downstairs to get the baby out 230 00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,560 Speaker 1: of the smoke. Marian and the two boys stood on 231 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: the front lawn. George and Jenny changed panicked glances. Five 232 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,960 Speaker 1: children were still in the burning house. George tried to 233 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,280 Speaker 1: re enter through the front door. Flames had overtaken the stairwell. 234 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 1: He shouted for the children, but none answered. Remembering the 235 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,200 Speaker 1: ladder at the side of the house, he raced around 236 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: the corner to find it gone. A search of the 237 00:16:20,760 --> 00:16:23,640 Speaker 1: back of the home on the other side turned up empty. 238 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 1: The trucks he used to hull coal caught his eye. 239 00:16:27,120 --> 00:16:28,880 Speaker 1: He had drive one of them around to the side 240 00:16:28,920 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: of the house, stand on top, break the window and 241 00:16:31,760 --> 00:16:34,920 Speaker 1: called to the children there. He raced back into the 242 00:16:34,920 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 1: house through the kitchen, grabbed the keys, and jumped into 243 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:41,200 Speaker 1: one of the trucks. Though he tried several times, it 244 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 1: wouldn't start. The frantic he tried the second truck, which 245 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:48,760 Speaker 1: also refused to start. Jenny went inside to try calling 246 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:53,040 Speaker 1: the fire department. The phone line was dead. Marion ran 247 00:16:53,160 --> 00:16:55,480 Speaker 1: next door to call from there, but their phone line 248 00:16:55,560 --> 00:16:58,760 Speaker 1: was also dead. The neighbor got in their car and 249 00:16:58,840 --> 00:17:01,680 Speaker 1: sped to the nearest open tavern to call the fire chief. 250 00:17:02,440 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: The two boys thought of the rain barrels, but the 251 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:09,480 Speaker 1: water had frozen. Horrified, the family clung together and cried. 252 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:13,479 Speaker 1: They were helpless to do anything to save Betty, Martha, 253 00:17:13,720 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: Maurice Lewis, and little Jenny, who remained trapped somewhere inside. 254 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,919 Speaker 1: For forty five minutes. That early Christmas morning, the family 255 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:27,439 Speaker 1: stood outside, barefoot and coatless, watching their home burn, the 256 00:17:27,480 --> 00:17:32,280 Speaker 1: fire department still nowhere in sight. Flames lapped at the house, 257 00:17:32,600 --> 00:17:36,959 Speaker 1: burning through beams and posts, leaving nothing but charred timbers 258 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:41,159 Speaker 1: until the roof buckled and caved in. The house collapsed, 259 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:45,840 Speaker 1: and with it the sadders. That Christmas morning, five of 260 00:17:45,880 --> 00:17:50,399 Speaker 1: their children were dead. At least that's what George and 261 00:17:50,480 --> 00:18:01,760 Speaker 1: Jenny thought. By eight o'clock morning, the Solder home had 262 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:05,959 Speaker 1: been reduced to smoldering rubble and hot ash, and that's 263 00:18:06,119 --> 00:18:10,159 Speaker 1: when the fire department showed up. We can't speak for 264 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 1: George or Jenny, but we can only imagine the verbal 265 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:17,200 Speaker 1: exchange between them and the fire chief, One F. J. Morris. 266 00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:20,760 Speaker 1: What we do know is that the chief claimed he 267 00:18:20,840 --> 00:18:24,720 Speaker 1: had no idea how to drive the fire truck. He 268 00:18:24,760 --> 00:18:27,440 Speaker 1: had been the chief for eight years and he wasn't 269 00:18:27,560 --> 00:18:31,200 Speaker 1: the only firefighter on the force. Morris claimed he had 270 00:18:31,240 --> 00:18:33,480 Speaker 1: called the other men and not one of them had 271 00:18:33,520 --> 00:18:37,360 Speaker 1: responded until the morning. He told the grieving parents that 272 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:42,440 Speaker 1: it was a holiday Christmas after all. The fireman set 273 00:18:42,480 --> 00:18:46,080 Speaker 1: to work posing down embers and began the search, if 274 00:18:46,119 --> 00:18:49,840 Speaker 1: anyone could call it that for human remains. It was 275 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,760 Speaker 1: cursory at best. I suppose they didn't expect to find 276 00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:58,639 Speaker 1: any survivors. Around ten am, Morris told the Sadders that 277 00:18:58,680 --> 00:19:01,720 Speaker 1: they hadn't found any remain means, and he expected that 278 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: the intensity of the fire had cremated their children. As 279 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:09,440 Speaker 1: the fireman packed up the trucks, he informed the Sawders 280 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,960 Speaker 1: to leave everything as it was. The fire Marshal would 281 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: want to take a look. Five days later, when no 282 00:19:16,840 --> 00:19:21,000 Speaker 1: one had showed up, George bulldozed the site. Neither he 283 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:24,800 Speaker 1: nor Jenny could look at it anymore. Jenny wanted a 284 00:19:24,840 --> 00:19:28,919 Speaker 1: flower garden a memorial to her children, and he intended 285 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: to give it to her. Investigators arrived days later, and, 286 00:19:33,800 --> 00:19:38,320 Speaker 1: after briefly questioning the family and neighbors, determined faulty wiring 287 00:19:38,440 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 1: was to blame. The local paper ran the story, first 288 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,800 Speaker 1: claiming the bodies had been found, then contradicting themselves and 289 00:19:45,840 --> 00:19:49,399 Speaker 1: saying that no remains had been found. After all, the 290 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:53,480 Speaker 1: sawders were too grief stricken to notice the stories even 291 00:19:53,520 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: without a trace of remains. The death certificates for the 292 00:19:56,359 --> 00:20:02,879 Speaker 1: five children came in on decemb January second nine. A 293 00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:08,679 Speaker 1: service was held for the children and life continued. People 294 00:20:08,760 --> 00:20:12,520 Speaker 1: paid their respects. A bus driver told Jenny that had 295 00:20:12,560 --> 00:20:16,120 Speaker 1: seen something resembling fireballs landing on the roof of their 296 00:20:16,119 --> 00:20:19,600 Speaker 1: house that night. Jenny recalled the banging noise and the 297 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:24,119 Speaker 1: sound of something rolling off the roof. Another woman claimed 298 00:20:24,160 --> 00:20:26,520 Speaker 1: to have seen five children ride past her in a 299 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:30,480 Speaker 1: car that night, and even stranger, a waitress and a 300 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:34,040 Speaker 1: diner fifty miles away said she'd served breakfast to five 301 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:37,160 Speaker 1: kids that morning, but couldn't recall if it was two 302 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:42,480 Speaker 1: adults or four with them. Jenny told George about the sounds, 303 00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 1: and their sons told them about the strange man in 304 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:47,520 Speaker 1: the car who had been watching the younger children that 305 00:20:47,640 --> 00:20:53,160 Speaker 1: day before Christmas. The Sauders started asking questions, especially why 306 00:20:53,200 --> 00:20:56,120 Speaker 1: no one had found a single bone. After that night, 307 00:20:57,600 --> 00:21:01,920 Speaker 1: the paper reported another fire where ellatons were found. The 308 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,000 Speaker 1: Sawders went to a nearby prematorium to ask why remains 309 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:08,480 Speaker 1: hadn't been found when their house had burned. The owner 310 00:21:08,560 --> 00:21:11,159 Speaker 1: assured them that for the children to have been cremated, 311 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:13,399 Speaker 1: the heat inside would have had to have been a 312 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:18,600 Speaker 1: lot hotter than any house fire. Curious, Jenny experimented with 313 00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:21,399 Speaker 1: chicken bones, burning them in an oven to determine if 314 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:23,919 Speaker 1: they had become ash within the forty five minutes it 315 00:21:23,960 --> 00:21:27,440 Speaker 1: had taken their house to burn. Even at the highest temperature, 316 00:21:27,680 --> 00:21:33,439 Speaker 1: the bones remained. More people reported seeing the children. A 317 00:21:33,480 --> 00:21:36,359 Speaker 1: woman spotted them at a hotel in South Carolina with 318 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 1: four adults. The Sawders went back to the chief of 319 00:21:39,080 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: police and the fire department, demanding answers and a reopening 320 00:21:42,800 --> 00:21:48,480 Speaker 1: of the investigation. Both refused. It didn't make sense to them. 321 00:21:48,520 --> 00:21:50,840 Speaker 1: If there had been faulty wiring, why had the man 322 00:21:50,880 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 1: installing the oven claimed everything was working perfectly. Of course, 323 00:21:55,560 --> 00:21:58,080 Speaker 1: there was that man in the backyard that day and 324 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:02,600 Speaker 1: the threat from the insurance sales men. A telephone repairman 325 00:22:02,640 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 1: told George the phone lines had been cut before the 326 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:09,880 Speaker 1: fire started. Jenny recalled the odd wrong number, and there 327 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:13,560 Speaker 1: were too many coincidences, too many odd things that didn't 328 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:17,119 Speaker 1: add up. And that was before the latter showed up 329 00:22:17,359 --> 00:22:21,760 Speaker 1: miles away in a ditch. One of their daughters found 330 00:22:21,800 --> 00:22:25,639 Speaker 1: an odd green ball of sorts in the backyard. George 331 00:22:25,640 --> 00:22:28,439 Speaker 1: thought it might be some sort of bomb. Getting no 332 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:32,480 Speaker 1: help from local authorities, George wrote to the FBI. J 333 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:35,640 Speaker 1: Edgar Hoover wrote them personally, stating that he had send 334 00:22:35,680 --> 00:22:41,240 Speaker 1: agents to assist, but needed permission from the Fayetteville Police first. Oddly, 335 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:46,560 Speaker 1: the chief refused. The Sauders knew something was wrong. What 336 00:22:46,680 --> 00:22:49,000 Speaker 1: had happened to their children if they hadn't died in 337 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:52,479 Speaker 1: the fire. George recalled shouting for them, and not one 338 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:56,120 Speaker 1: of them had answered. Since the police wouldn't help, they 339 00:22:56,200 --> 00:23:00,960 Speaker 1: hired a private investigator, One C. C. Tinsley. The more 340 00:23:01,040 --> 00:23:05,639 Speaker 1: digging the investigator did, the more oddities he uncovered. The 341 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,240 Speaker 1: insurance salesman who had threatened George, a man named Russer Long, 342 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:13,240 Speaker 1: had also served as a juryman on the fire inquest panel, 343 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: and perhaps oddest of all, fire Chief Morris claimed to 344 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 1: not only have found a heart among the ashes, but 345 00:23:22,119 --> 00:23:24,560 Speaker 1: that had also put it in a metal box and 346 00:23:24,640 --> 00:23:29,240 Speaker 1: buried it. Apparently, the chief confessed to the local minister, 347 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:33,560 Speaker 1: who confirmed the story. Confronted with the information and a 348 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:36,800 Speaker 1: very angry father, the fire chief agreed to show them 349 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,879 Speaker 1: where he had buried the box. After recovering the box 350 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:45,800 Speaker 1: and looking inside, a mortician inspected the contents. He determined 351 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,119 Speaker 1: it was a beef liver, not a heart, not human, 352 00:23:49,359 --> 00:23:54,560 Speaker 1: and it certainly hadn't been in any fire. George began 353 00:23:54,640 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: to rethink the night that the salesman Long had threatened him. 354 00:23:58,920 --> 00:24:01,960 Speaker 1: Despite telling the lease no one had followed up on 355 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:06,240 Speaker 1: the lead, and then Long participated in the inquest. But 356 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 1: the more the Sauters thought about it, the more they 357 00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:15,480 Speaker 1: believed the Mussolini supporting salesman hadn't acted alone. Tinsley learned 358 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:18,520 Speaker 1: that fire Chief Morris had worked as a bookkeeper for 359 00:24:18,600 --> 00:24:21,560 Speaker 1: Fiorenzo John U Tolo, who had co signed a loan 360 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:26,560 Speaker 1: for George's trucking company. Equally suspicious, John U Tolo received 361 00:24:26,560 --> 00:24:29,639 Speaker 1: a small payout from an insurance company after the fire, 362 00:24:30,560 --> 00:24:32,640 Speaker 1: and there was another man on the jury who had 363 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 1: been a suspect. Johnny Tolo's cousin Tinsley, found one more 364 00:24:38,119 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: thing that the men had ties to the mafia. He 365 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:45,640 Speaker 1: suggested that the fire could have been started for any 366 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:50,400 Speaker 1: number of reasons, revenge, insurance money, or George's blatant dislike 367 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:54,280 Speaker 1: of Mussolini, but none of it answered the biggest question 368 00:24:54,320 --> 00:25:04,040 Speaker 1: of all, what had happened to their children. Reports of 369 00:25:04,080 --> 00:25:08,520 Speaker 1: sightings states away continued to pour in. George and Jenny 370 00:25:08,720 --> 00:25:11,720 Speaker 1: began to really think their children hadn't died that night 371 00:25:11,760 --> 00:25:15,280 Speaker 1: in the fire. Instead, someone had taken them and the 372 00:25:15,320 --> 00:25:18,680 Speaker 1: fire had been a cover up. To Jenny, too many 373 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:23,159 Speaker 1: things pointed to kidnapping. They had learned it took a 374 00:25:23,200 --> 00:25:26,560 Speaker 1: fire hotter than two thousand degrees to cremate a body. 375 00:25:27,520 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: The older boys had seen a man watching the younger children. 376 00:25:30,840 --> 00:25:32,760 Speaker 1: A woman saw five kids in the back of a 377 00:25:32,800 --> 00:25:35,199 Speaker 1: car the night of the fire. The waitress who had 378 00:25:35,240 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: served them breakfast were called one more detail Florida tacks, 379 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,560 Speaker 1: and there were more red flags. The woman at the 380 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:46,400 Speaker 1: hotel reported that the two adult couples with the children 381 00:25:46,440 --> 00:25:49,679 Speaker 1: were also of Italian descent. When she had tried to 382 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:52,359 Speaker 1: talk to the children, the men became angry and began 383 00:25:52,440 --> 00:25:56,800 Speaker 1: speaking loudly in Italian. Despite the sightings and the information 384 00:25:56,920 --> 00:26:02,600 Speaker 1: Tinsley collected, the local officials determined the case closed. George 385 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,639 Speaker 1: and Jenny hired pathologist Oscar Hunter in the summer of 386 00:26:05,720 --> 00:26:10,159 Speaker 1: nineteen forty nine. Upon excavation of the area, he uncovered 387 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:14,640 Speaker 1: a charred dictionary, coins, and a few bones. Hunter sent 388 00:26:14,680 --> 00:26:19,080 Speaker 1: the fragments to the Smithsonian for testing. The bones were human, 389 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 1: belonging to just one individual. They determined the age of 390 00:26:23,880 --> 00:26:27,960 Speaker 1: the deceased to be between sixteen and seventeen years. That 391 00:26:28,160 --> 00:26:31,760 Speaker 1: ruled out any of the missing soldered children. The report 392 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:35,159 Speaker 1: also concluded that the fragments had never been in a fire. 393 00:26:36,840 --> 00:26:40,600 Speaker 1: In the end, Hunter determined that when George bulldozed the site, 394 00:26:41,000 --> 00:26:44,600 Speaker 1: the earth had pushed over the area already contained the fragments. 395 00:26:45,560 --> 00:26:48,840 Speaker 1: No one knows where the other bones originated from, though 396 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 1: he suspected the nearby cemetery years later, a letter arrived 397 00:26:54,640 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 1: stating that Martha had been spotted in a convent in St. Louis. 398 00:26:59,320 --> 00:27:01,159 Speaker 1: A woman in New York sent the cover of a 399 00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:06,040 Speaker 1: ballet magazine showing a young girl who looked exactly like Betty. 400 00:27:06,840 --> 00:27:09,920 Speaker 1: When George trapped down the parents, they refused to allow 401 00:27:10,000 --> 00:27:13,800 Speaker 1: him to see the girl. The Sawders never gave up. 402 00:27:14,480 --> 00:27:17,199 Speaker 1: Without anything more to go on, they paid for a 403 00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:20,360 Speaker 1: billboard on Root sixteen in West Virginia, with the children's 404 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:24,400 Speaker 1: photos and the offer of a cash reward. The billboard read, 405 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:28,480 Speaker 1: after thirty years, it is not too late to investigate. 406 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:35,080 Speaker 1: George Solder died in nineteen sixty nine. Jenny continued to 407 00:27:35,119 --> 00:27:38,240 Speaker 1: live in the home they rebuilt on the property. She 408 00:27:38,359 --> 00:27:40,680 Speaker 1: tended to the memorial garden for the rest of her life. 409 00:27:41,720 --> 00:27:45,760 Speaker 1: When she passed away in nine the family finally took 410 00:27:45,800 --> 00:27:50,919 Speaker 1: down the billboard. Except for John, every one of the 411 00:27:50,960 --> 00:27:55,280 Speaker 1: Sadder children believed that their siblings survived that night, possibly 412 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:59,280 Speaker 1: even taken to Italy. The truth of what happened, though, 413 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:03,919 Speaker 1: remains a mystery, and after all this time, it's clear 414 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:08,639 Speaker 1: that while the children disappeared, something else took their place. 415 00:28:09,920 --> 00:28:17,520 Speaker 1: Questions there's more to this story stick around after this 416 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:29,720 Speaker 1: brief sponsor break to hear all about it. His last 417 00:28:29,920 --> 00:28:33,280 Speaker 1: childhood memory of his homeland was watching the house he 418 00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 1: had shared with his parents and seven siblings burned to 419 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:40,880 Speaker 1: the ground. The fire hadn't been accidental, no, it had 420 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:45,959 Speaker 1: been deliberately set in the families specifically targeted. You see, 421 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:49,760 Speaker 1: Israel known simply as Izzy, and his family lived in 422 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:53,960 Speaker 1: Russia during a dangerous time, the persecution and slaughter of 423 00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 1: Jewish people living in the country. Like many other Jewish families, 424 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:02,920 Speaker 1: the Bailin's had been apt intensely poor, often without proper 425 00:29:02,960 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 1: food or heating for their meager home with a dirt floor. 426 00:29:06,960 --> 00:29:11,920 Speaker 1: Two children had died from pneumonia. Now homeless, Moses and 427 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:15,280 Speaker 1: Leah knew that if they stayed, they risked their lives 428 00:29:15,320 --> 00:29:18,080 Speaker 1: and those of their remaining children. They had escaped a 429 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:21,600 Speaker 1: fire designed to kill them, after all, But for the family, 430 00:29:21,800 --> 00:29:26,560 Speaker 1: there was only one place to go, America. With a 431 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:29,040 Speaker 1: family of seven, and given they had fled with the 432 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,800 Speaker 1: clothes on their backs, the Balin's likely could only afford 433 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:37,720 Speaker 1: steering class. While the conditions weren't great, it wasn't too 434 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,000 Speaker 1: different from the conditions they had been forced to live 435 00:29:40,000 --> 00:29:43,760 Speaker 1: in back in Russia. With papers in hands, they boarded 436 00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:47,520 Speaker 1: the Red Star Line from Antwerp and on September four 437 00:29:49,360 --> 00:29:54,200 Speaker 1: passed Lady Liberty en route to Ellis Island. Izzy and 438 00:29:54,320 --> 00:29:56,760 Speaker 1: his siblings caught a cold during the trip and were 439 00:29:56,840 --> 00:29:59,800 Speaker 1: kept at Ellis until doctors determined that they weren't contagious 440 00:29:59,840 --> 00:30:03,760 Speaker 1: with something more nefarious. After a few days, they joined 441 00:30:03,800 --> 00:30:06,680 Speaker 1: their parents in New York City, a place Izzie would 442 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:10,400 Speaker 1: live for the rest of his life. Putting the horrors 443 00:30:10,440 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 1: of Russia behind them. America became their homeland and they 444 00:30:14,160 --> 00:30:18,040 Speaker 1: changed their surname to Balin. Moses found a job in 445 00:30:18,040 --> 00:30:21,160 Speaker 1: a kosher meat market and supplemented the family income by 446 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:24,760 Speaker 1: giving Hebrew lessons. The family moved into a three room 447 00:30:24,800 --> 00:30:28,520 Speaker 1: tenement on Cherry Street. The children went to school, and 448 00:30:28,760 --> 00:30:32,920 Speaker 1: life was good for the next eight years. Sadly, when 449 00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:36,280 Speaker 1: Izzie was just thirteen, his father died of a heart attack. 450 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:41,200 Speaker 1: With their income gone, Izzie's mother became a midwife. The 451 00:30:41,280 --> 00:30:44,920 Speaker 1: children left school and went to work. His sisters wrapped 452 00:30:44,960 --> 00:30:49,360 Speaker 1: cigars while his brother labored in a clothing sweatshop. Izzie 453 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:52,400 Speaker 1: earned money selling papers on street corners for five cents 454 00:30:52,440 --> 00:30:56,240 Speaker 1: a day. Each night, the children deposited their day's pay 455 00:30:56,320 --> 00:31:00,560 Speaker 1: into their mother's apron before sitting down to eat. No 456 00:31:00,600 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: matter the whether, Izzie stood on the corner selling papers, 457 00:31:04,360 --> 00:31:07,760 Speaker 1: he didn't entirely mind. He had fallen for the sounds 458 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:11,720 Speaker 1: of the street musicians. Seeing people toss coins into the 459 00:31:11,760 --> 00:31:14,520 Speaker 1: hats at their feet, Izzie began to sing some of 460 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 1: those songs, which sold more papers. One evening, he confided 461 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,000 Speaker 1: to his mother that one day he knew he'd be 462 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: a singing waiter in a New York saloon. Despite the 463 00:31:26,120 --> 00:31:29,360 Speaker 1: extra income from singing, Izzie made the least amount of 464 00:31:29,360 --> 00:31:33,920 Speaker 1: money of the family. Feeling worthless, he ran away, joining 465 00:31:33,920 --> 00:31:38,600 Speaker 1: other young emigrants living in the Bowery. The conditions were deplorable. 466 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: Without formal education or meaningful skills, Izzie sang to passers 467 00:31:44,000 --> 00:31:47,400 Speaker 1: by for money. He learned which types of songs people 468 00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:51,840 Speaker 1: loved the most. Discovering lyrics with simple sentiments paid better. 469 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,000 Speaker 1: By eighteen, he achieved his goal. As a singing waiter 470 00:31:56,160 --> 00:32:00,480 Speaker 1: at the Pelham Cafe. He improved famous song is, often 471 00:32:00,560 --> 00:32:04,160 Speaker 1: changing the words in tune, earning him praise and applause 472 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,760 Speaker 1: from his customers. In the evenings, he taught himself to 473 00:32:07,800 --> 00:32:11,120 Speaker 1: play the bar's piano by ear he had no idea 474 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:15,400 Speaker 1: how to read sheet music. Together with the saloon's pianist, 475 00:32:15,560 --> 00:32:18,400 Speaker 1: he wrote a song for which he earned thirty seven 476 00:32:18,480 --> 00:32:22,360 Speaker 1: cents in royalties, the publisher crediting him as the writer 477 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:27,120 Speaker 1: spelled his name wrong. The misspelling and low earnings didn't 478 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:30,760 Speaker 1: phase him. He continued to alter songs and write new ones. 479 00:32:31,720 --> 00:32:34,240 Speaker 1: One night, he altered the rhythm of a popular tune, 480 00:32:34,360 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: and the entire saloon applauded wildly. By the time he 481 00:32:38,280 --> 00:32:41,040 Speaker 1: turned twenty, Izzie took a better paying job as a 482 00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:44,480 Speaker 1: singing waiter at a saloon and Union Square. From there, 483 00:32:44,680 --> 00:32:49,480 Speaker 1: he landed a job with a production company in nineteen eleven. 484 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:53,480 Speaker 1: He became an instant celebrity on Tin Pan Alley and Broadway. 485 00:32:53,880 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: His performances often brought in hundreds of fans. The crowds 486 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:02,080 Speaker 1: humbled him, and Izzie's sometimes cried tears of joy as 487 00:33:02,080 --> 00:33:06,360 Speaker 1: he sang. She went on to write the song Alexander's 488 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:11,280 Speaker 1: Ragtime Band, which became an international success. Even Izzy was 489 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:15,640 Speaker 1: taken aback by the dance craze. His song inspired over 490 00:33:15,680 --> 00:33:19,400 Speaker 1: the years, musical greats like Bing Crosby, Johnny Mercer and 491 00:33:19,480 --> 00:33:22,480 Speaker 1: Louis Armstrong also reached the top of the charts with 492 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:27,560 Speaker 1: the tune. By nineteen twelve, izz He became so successful 493 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:30,800 Speaker 1: that he wrote a musical and a new song. Variety 494 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: magazine gave the show blowing reviews, and izz He found 495 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:38,200 Speaker 1: instant success of a different sort. Even back in Russia, 496 00:33:38,400 --> 00:33:42,080 Speaker 1: people danced to his songs. He wrote his first ballad 497 00:33:42,120 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 1: when his wife of just six months died after contracting 498 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:49,840 Speaker 1: typhoid during their honeymoon in Havana. The song sold over 499 00:33:49,880 --> 00:33:54,040 Speaker 1: a million copies. When World War One started, is he 500 00:33:54,120 --> 00:33:58,560 Speaker 1: wrote several patriotic songs to honor those in service. In 501 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:02,280 Speaker 1: nineteen seventeen, he was drafted. While serving in the army, 502 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: he wrote another musical and one more song, though he 503 00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:10,560 Speaker 1: wouldn't release it for twenty more years. He remarried in 504 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 1: nineteen five, and it would be a love affair that 505 00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:17,680 Speaker 1: lasted a lifetime. The couple welcomed their first daughter in 506 00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:20,840 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty six, and Izzie wrote a song about fatherhood. 507 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:24,560 Speaker 1: It became an instant hit, and fifty two years later, 508 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:27,719 Speaker 1: in nineteen seventy eight, Willie Nelson's version made it to 509 00:34:27,760 --> 00:34:31,400 Speaker 1: the top of the charts once more, never losing his 510 00:34:31,480 --> 00:34:33,799 Speaker 1: love of America is He wrote songs for the Red 511 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:37,800 Speaker 1: Cross and the United States Treasury. During World War Two, 512 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:41,280 Speaker 1: he wrote another patriotic play that Hollywood adapted to film 513 00:34:41,320 --> 00:34:46,480 Speaker 1: in nineteen forty three, starring future President Ronald Reagan. He 514 00:34:46,560 --> 00:34:49,400 Speaker 1: retired in the nineteen sixties, though he kept in the 515 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:53,400 Speaker 1: public eye. His beloved wife died in ninety eight, and 516 00:34:53,520 --> 00:34:57,360 Speaker 1: Izz he never remarried. He lived to the wonderful age 517 00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:01,320 Speaker 1: of a hundred and one. His songs and style remain 518 00:35:01,560 --> 00:35:06,239 Speaker 1: iconic well after his death. Every Christmas, millions watch Bing 519 00:35:06,320 --> 00:35:09,840 Speaker 1: Crosby and Companies saying White Christmas, a tune Izzy wrote. 520 00:35:10,600 --> 00:35:15,000 Speaker 1: All told, he wrote fifteen movie scripts, twenty Broadway shows, 521 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:20,040 Speaker 1: and one thousand, five hundred songs. By now you might 522 00:35:20,120 --> 00:35:24,520 Speaker 1: guess he wasn't only known as Izzy. That misspelling on 523 00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 1: his first published song ended up following him for the 524 00:35:27,600 --> 00:35:31,680 Speaker 1: rest of his life. He was no other than Irving Berlin. 525 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:38,440 Speaker 1: On Irving's one birthday, Walter Cronkite said Berlin had helped 526 00:35:38,480 --> 00:35:41,680 Speaker 1: write the story of this country, capturing the best of 527 00:35:41,719 --> 00:35:44,520 Speaker 1: who we are and the dreams that shape our lives. 528 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:49,600 Speaker 1: One more thing the song Irving Berlin wrote during World 529 00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:53,520 Speaker 1: War One that didn't surface for twenty years. His daughter 530 00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:56,520 Speaker 1: said her father's love of a country that welcomed him 531 00:35:56,680 --> 00:36:01,000 Speaker 1: had moved him to write it, and that song God 532 00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:13,359 Speaker 1: Bless America. American Shadows is hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. This 533 00:36:13,400 --> 00:36:17,360 Speaker 1: episode was written by Michelle Muto, researched by Ali Steed, 534 00:36:17,600 --> 00:36:21,160 Speaker 1: and produced by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive 535 00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:25,919 Speaker 1: producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn 536 00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:28,839 Speaker 1: more about the show, visit Grim and Mild dot com. 537 00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:32,240 Speaker 1: From more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 538 00:36:32,480 --> 00:36:35,680 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts