1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,400 Speaker 1: Ridiculous crime is a production of iHeartRadio. 2 00:00:05,160 --> 00:00:07,360 Speaker 2: Not much. You know what's ridiculous? 3 00:00:07,520 --> 00:00:11,320 Speaker 3: Yes, stop right there, I do. Yeah, Okay, global warming 4 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,239 Speaker 3: climate change is not good, right, okay, but this will 5 00:00:14,240 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 3: sound crazy, but just wait stick with what if it's 6 00:00:16,880 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 3: not all bad? 7 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:19,280 Speaker 4: Wildcat? 8 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:21,600 Speaker 3: Okay. What I'm saying is, look, hear me out. Okay. 9 00:00:21,640 --> 00:00:23,720 Speaker 3: You know how sea ice is melting and polar bears 10 00:00:23,720 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 3: live on ice flows. Yeah okay, and you know how 11 00:00:25,920 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 3: that as the ice melts, they've had to move inland 12 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,560 Speaker 3: so they don't drown. Yeah right, and that's bad, right. 13 00:00:30,640 --> 00:00:30,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. 14 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 3: But once they got in and they started to bumping 15 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 3: into like grizzly bears and being mammals, well they started 16 00:00:35,680 --> 00:00:38,320 Speaker 3: like getting busy with grizzly bears. Right, So now there's 17 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:41,319 Speaker 3: this new half polar bear, half grizzly bear species. It's 18 00:00:41,360 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 3: being created. Do you know what they call them? No, 19 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:51,600 Speaker 3: pizzly bears. No, I really want to see they also 20 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:55,040 Speaker 3: some scientists, hearing how silly that sounds, they prefer to 21 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:57,280 Speaker 3: call them zebra bears, which makes no sense. Or the 22 00:00:57,320 --> 00:00:59,680 Speaker 3: other one is grizzlar bears, which just sounds like you're 23 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:01,440 Speaker 3: trying to prove a point or that you just. 24 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 2: Like you didn't speak. I like a grizzl. 25 00:01:03,720 --> 00:01:08,080 Speaker 3: Bear, exactly large bruise lar bear to go. 26 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 2: I like pisly bears. I mean it's it's actually heartbreaking, but. 27 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,560 Speaker 3: But there you got adorable silver lining in the heartbreak. 28 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:21,160 Speaker 2: That is ridiculous. You want to know what else is ridiculous? 29 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:24,920 Speaker 2: I'm faking your death to become a swinging bachelor living 30 00:01:24,959 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 2: the wildlife in Omaha, Nebraska. 31 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:29,280 Speaker 3: Okay, until you said, Omaha thought this was me? 32 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 2: Hey, no offense, Omaha, this is ridiculous crime A podcast 33 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:56,800 Speaker 2: about absurd and outrageous capers, heists and cons. It's always 34 00:01:56,880 --> 00:02:01,680 Speaker 2: ninety nine percent murder free and one hunder ridiculous. Saren, 35 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 2: you can't prove that we've had a guy disappearing resurface 36 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,799 Speaker 2: on here before. What was his name? Don le Rose? 37 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:09,799 Speaker 3: Yes, Don Rose? 38 00:02:09,880 --> 00:02:12,280 Speaker 2: Mayor he ran off? Are you an an o ft? 39 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:16,519 Speaker 2: He became a radio DJ and the mayor popular Dose 40 00:02:16,840 --> 00:02:19,040 Speaker 2: And if you want to believe in happy endings, we 41 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:22,359 Speaker 2: can say that that maybe Bumfardo ran off and is 42 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:23,880 Speaker 2: living his best life somewhere. 43 00:02:24,280 --> 00:02:25,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, sure, I'm not that much. 44 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:27,840 Speaker 2: Jay. We love you, bum Yeah fly high with the 45 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:33,480 Speaker 2: Eagles never stops upping k T too good to be forgotten. 46 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:36,079 Speaker 2: Have a great summer, Well, Champ, I got another one 47 00:02:36,080 --> 00:02:36,320 Speaker 2: for you. 48 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:37,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, I love to call me Champ. 49 00:02:37,960 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 2: This guy, I mean this guy, this guy over here. 50 00:02:40,720 --> 00:02:45,760 Speaker 2: His name Lawrence Joseph Batter ah l J. Batter. Okay, 51 00:02:46,080 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 2: Larry Joe Batter. 52 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:49,079 Speaker 3: Larry Joe Madu the Baiter LJ. 53 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 2: When was he born? You must be wondering. 54 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:52,960 Speaker 3: I was. I was about asked that Sarah was this 55 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 3: man born Elizabeth Saren? 56 00:02:54,320 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 2: He he was born? 57 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 4: Okay? 58 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,480 Speaker 2: When and that happened? December second, nineteen twenty six. Where 59 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:00,280 Speaker 2: did this happen? 60 00:03:00,840 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 3: Probably near his mother, Yes, adjacent to. 61 00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 2: Her, Akron, Ohio. A. His dad was a big wig 62 00:03:10,040 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 2: in town. I don't think he wore a wig, but 63 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:13,520 Speaker 2: he was a big wig. He was a dentist. 64 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 3: Oh back in the day. That was a big wig. 65 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:16,760 Speaker 2: You can call him doctor Bater. 66 00:03:17,160 --> 00:03:17,880 Speaker 3: I ever met him. 67 00:03:17,960 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 2: Will you know what his first name. 68 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:25,000 Speaker 3: Was, Bob Bob Batter Darth Town. No, it was so. 69 00:03:25,040 --> 00:03:28,360 Speaker 2: He was actually one of the leading dentists in Akron, Ohio. 70 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,080 Speaker 3: Doctor Darth Baterers, Darth Baders. 71 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,800 Speaker 2: The whole Bader family was well respected in the community. 72 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:36,840 Speaker 2: That's a lot of pressure to be from a straight laced, 73 00:03:36,880 --> 00:03:39,040 Speaker 2: well known family, Like what if you don't fit in. 74 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 3: And that's a lot of cloud for cleaning teeth. 75 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,280 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, there's that. But if you don't think that's 76 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 2: kind of what happened to Larry Joe. 77 00:03:45,600 --> 00:03:46,160 Speaker 3: Yeah, I reat. 78 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 2: He dropped out of high school and he joined the 79 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 2: Navy in nineteen forty four, and that was the time 80 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:52,520 Speaker 2: to do it, though I don't know about that. He 81 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:58,040 Speaker 2: gets swept up in the excite forty eight but it's 82 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 2: like it's so exciting as a sense of dude, it's 83 00:04:00,800 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 2: like growing a victory. 84 00:04:01,880 --> 00:04:03,280 Speaker 3: There's the time if you're going to join, you want 85 00:04:03,280 --> 00:04:06,119 Speaker 3: to join the war exactly. 86 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:08,320 Speaker 2: So he served two years and then he returned to 87 00:04:08,360 --> 00:04:13,240 Speaker 2: Akron and graduated from high school. Okay him, he enrolled 88 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:16,160 Speaker 2: at the University of Akron. He made it through one 89 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,480 Speaker 2: semester and then he flunked out. Okay, it's kind of 90 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 2: hard to do, is it. Well, they don't, don't. They 91 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:22,839 Speaker 2: usually give you like a semester to turn it around, 92 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 2: like write the ship. 93 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 3: Well, it depends what you mean by flunked out. Sometimes, 94 00:04:25,320 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 3: like your parents say, like you're coming home and that's. 95 00:04:27,080 --> 00:04:28,479 Speaker 2: Where you all funked out. 96 00:04:28,480 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 3: So they said your grades are so bad, you're. 97 00:04:31,080 --> 00:04:32,680 Speaker 2: I thought that they gave you time to fix it. 98 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:34,320 Speaker 2: That's what they did for me my first. 99 00:04:34,400 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 3: Yeah, well, I can definitely say for me, they definitely 100 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 3: give you like, hey, look man, you don't seem to 101 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:39,839 Speaker 3: realize where you are. You're in college. 102 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,320 Speaker 2: You know, figure this out, get some good grades for once. 103 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:45,760 Speaker 2: It was a disaster for me, but you know, it 104 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 2: wound up not being so much of a disaster for Lawrence. 105 00:04:49,320 --> 00:04:51,480 Speaker 2: He dropped out of school and he got a job 106 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 2: at a campus restaurant. 107 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:54,040 Speaker 3: Okay, so he still want to be a part of 108 00:04:54,040 --> 00:04:55,279 Speaker 3: campus life exactly. 109 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 2: But his college instructors remembered him. They said that he 110 00:04:58,920 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 2: always had some new money making scheme, but it would 111 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:02,719 Speaker 2: never pan out. 112 00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:04,919 Speaker 3: Maybe that's how he flunked out. He got caught in 113 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:06,040 Speaker 3: the dorm. But where's the thing. 114 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:08,240 Speaker 2: It's like one thing for high school teachers to be 115 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:11,200 Speaker 2: aware of students having schemes in machinesis oh, yeah, totally, 116 00:05:11,240 --> 00:05:13,559 Speaker 2: But it's another for your college professors to notice. 117 00:05:13,560 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 3: They barely noticed the students. 118 00:05:15,200 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 2: It's the University of Akrons, not a small school. 119 00:05:17,520 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 3: No, And they got a lot of students to keep 120 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:20,680 Speaker 3: track of. So if you were only there for one 121 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:24,240 Speaker 3: semester and in that time multiple ones that all remember 122 00:05:24,279 --> 00:05:24,920 Speaker 3: you as a stame. 123 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:27,080 Speaker 2: This said. One of the reasons that he fell behind 124 00:05:27,080 --> 00:05:29,200 Speaker 2: in his grades is because he spent so much time 125 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 2: running a small hamburger stand that he had set up 126 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,039 Speaker 2: across the street from the school. He's like taking a 127 00:05:35,040 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 2: test hold on, It'll be right back. I got like 128 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:37,240 Speaker 2: four customers. 129 00:05:37,320 --> 00:05:39,160 Speaker 3: So he's got like his own little whimpy stand and 130 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:40,880 Speaker 3: he's sitting there auditioning out burger. 131 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 2: Hecuyse, where's the little paper hat? 132 00:05:42,240 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 3: Uh? 133 00:05:43,160 --> 00:05:44,800 Speaker 2: So it may mean it makes sense that he bailed 134 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,120 Speaker 2: on school to go work in a restaurant. But I 135 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,599 Speaker 2: don't think they had hospitality degrees then. But during this 136 00:05:50,680 --> 00:05:53,480 Speaker 2: time he met his first wife, Mary Lou Nap, and 137 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:56,240 Speaker 2: on April nineteenth, nineteen fifty two, they were married. 138 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 3: That's what people did back, so happy for them. Good job. 139 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:01,640 Speaker 2: In nineteen fifty seven, they had three kids a fourth 140 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 2: on the way. They lived in the West Hills. 141 00:06:04,080 --> 00:06:05,840 Speaker 3: They had three kids in one year. That's a lot 142 00:06:05,839 --> 00:06:06,120 Speaker 3: of kids. 143 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,719 Speaker 2: Fifty two they were married, oh, for two years. 144 00:06:10,720 --> 00:06:12,760 Speaker 3: He said. They had three kids in nineteen fifty seven. 145 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:14,920 Speaker 3: They had three kids. Oh I'm sorry. 146 00:06:15,480 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 2: So they lived in the West Hills neighborhood of Akron. 147 00:06:19,440 --> 00:06:22,960 Speaker 2: Larry was described by his friend to United Press International 148 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 2: as a quote red blooded, beer drinking, all around nice guy. 149 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:28,919 Speaker 2: He could talk your ear off and you'd love to 150 00:06:28,920 --> 00:06:31,919 Speaker 2: sit and listen. He was a family man too. It 151 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:34,320 Speaker 2: was just like salt of the earth. He was also 152 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:39,560 Speaker 2: an excellent archer. He won a tri state archery contest. 153 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:42,320 Speaker 2: He loved to do weird things to shock his friends, 154 00:06:42,360 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 2: Like what you ask, what Elizabeth like devouring a chicken 155 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:46,800 Speaker 2: hole bones and. 156 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,360 Speaker 3: All, wait, what I'm going to need you to back 157 00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:50,159 Speaker 3: that up again? 158 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:52,320 Speaker 2: He would just he would just be running a scene 159 00:06:52,320 --> 00:06:56,760 Speaker 2: on the Costco deli side. I mean, let's just stop 160 00:06:56,800 --> 00:07:00,719 Speaker 2: for a second, Maryland. I mean, I'm going to presume 161 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:05,160 Speaker 2: it's cooked. So he goes and he gets a rotisserie chicken. Okay, 162 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,080 Speaker 2: gathers his friends around. I have to assume there's alcohol 163 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,360 Speaker 2: and follow to the show. Well, he like takes the 164 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:13,440 Speaker 2: chicken from the paper wrapping, like I imagine. I don't 165 00:07:13,480 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 2: know how he did it, but how do you imagine? 166 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:18,920 Speaker 2: I imagined he shoves his fist in the cavity and 167 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:20,800 Speaker 2: then he just starts going to town on it like 168 00:07:20,840 --> 00:07:25,680 Speaker 2: it's a candy apple. All that jubbly juice from the 169 00:07:25,720 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 2: skin in the bottom tumbles down his chin in his arm. 170 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:29,559 Speaker 3: Just spin it on his hand. 171 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:32,400 Speaker 2: I should have made this into the picture it anyway, 172 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 2: He's just like tearing into it. His friends look on 173 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,160 Speaker 2: in horror. And by friends, I mean his packistray dogs 174 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,760 Speaker 2: in an alley like he's crushing the bones, grinding them 175 00:07:41,800 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 2: down to swallow them. Shard a chicken leg bone pokes 176 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,400 Speaker 2: through his esausague and out the skin on his neck. 177 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:52,200 Speaker 2: He's sweating. I mean, come on, friends are crying. He 178 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:54,480 Speaker 2: eats so fast and so hard he almost takes off 179 00:07:54,480 --> 00:07:56,960 Speaker 2: one of his fingers. That's how I like to picture it. 180 00:07:57,040 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 2: Pee blooms across the front of his pants. 181 00:07:59,320 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 3: So you're not taking back. 182 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,920 Speaker 2: No, he's doing this in like less than five five minutes. 183 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 3: Yeah, in my mind, this is fast speedy. 184 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:09,560 Speaker 2: He gets to the very last joint at the end 185 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:12,920 Speaker 2: of the chicken leg, he swallows, burps, throws his head. 186 00:08:12,800 --> 00:08:14,160 Speaker 3: Back and howls championship. 187 00:08:14,760 --> 00:08:17,960 Speaker 2: Just run for their lives. Yeah, so Larry did weird stuff? 188 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 2: I got you like going to town on a whole chicken. 189 00:08:20,640 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 2: That's andre the giant kind of behavior. Oh hell, wrecking shop. Anyway, 190 00:08:25,720 --> 00:08:28,120 Speaker 2: he gets a job not as a at a carnival 191 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 2: side show, but as a cookwear salesman for Reynolds Medals Corporation, 192 00:08:33,240 --> 00:08:36,199 Speaker 2: Reynolds Rep. Yeah, that's sweet Reynolds wrap baby good stuff. 193 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,320 Speaker 2: He was making good money. He brought home ten thousand 194 00:08:39,360 --> 00:08:41,840 Speaker 2: dollars a year and that's the equivalent of one hundred 195 00:08:41,840 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 2: and seven thousand dollars today. 196 00:08:43,800 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 3: Then good money. 197 00:08:44,559 --> 00:08:47,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, there's no way a cookwear salesman could make that today. 198 00:08:47,960 --> 00:08:49,400 Speaker 2: And that's what's wrong with America's here. 199 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:53,720 Speaker 3: You got to stand up for the cookwear sales the world. 200 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 2: So, despite bringing home significant cabbage, it wasn't enough. He 201 00:08:57,440 --> 00:08:59,440 Speaker 2: had a lot of household bills. He had a car payment, 202 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,080 Speaker 2: and he had to pay the interest on a seventeen 203 00:09:02,120 --> 00:09:05,679 Speaker 2: thousand dollars mortgage. So when I take a step back, 204 00:09:05,720 --> 00:09:09,280 Speaker 2: like imagine like we're almost to double his salary for 205 00:09:09,320 --> 00:09:11,520 Speaker 2: the cost of the home. Right, it's a seventeen thousand more, 206 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 2: you'll say twenty. So if we today take your salary, 207 00:09:15,080 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 2: double it and imagine that's what your house would be worth. 208 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:18,839 Speaker 3: I couldn't get anything. 209 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:19,800 Speaker 2: It doesn't operate like that. 210 00:09:19,880 --> 00:09:21,840 Speaker 3: No I get like a car. I think I wouldn't 211 00:09:21,840 --> 00:09:22,120 Speaker 3: get that. 212 00:09:23,600 --> 00:09:26,640 Speaker 2: He tried to save money, He clipped coupons, he bought 213 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:29,120 Speaker 2: bargain brand goods. He didn't and then he also just 214 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:32,480 Speaker 2: didn't file his income tax returns between nineteen fifty two 215 00:09:32,480 --> 00:09:35,040 Speaker 2: and nineteen fifty seven. That's one way to say, that's 216 00:09:35,040 --> 00:09:36,960 Speaker 2: a way to say, you know, pinch pennies. 217 00:09:37,000 --> 00:09:38,600 Speaker 3: But also, yeah, in. 218 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:41,520 Speaker 2: Nineteen fifty seven he was twenty thousand dollars in debt, 219 00:09:41,760 --> 00:09:43,960 Speaker 2: so that's like two hundred and fifteen thousand today. 220 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:44,680 Speaker 4: Damn. 221 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:48,679 Speaker 2: He couldn't even pay the milkman. Yeah, they stopped, they 222 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:49,800 Speaker 2: stopped delivering the milk. 223 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:52,080 Speaker 3: That's a sad moment man, Like looks your house has. 224 00:09:52,320 --> 00:09:53,959 Speaker 2: Keeps going and then the kids like run out in 225 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:56,239 Speaker 2: the back and milk an alley cat for sustenance. 226 00:10:00,480 --> 00:10:02,560 Speaker 4: Anyway, So why did you deal with your hands? 227 00:10:03,160 --> 00:10:07,960 Speaker 3: Why did you have to act it out? Little little teast? 228 00:10:07,760 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 2: Little Yeah, I'm never going to get tiny hands. That's 229 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 2: why we use child labors. 230 00:10:13,520 --> 00:10:15,400 Speaker 3: Erin it's burned in Elizabeth. 231 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 2: Anyway, May nineteen fifty seven, Larry Lawrence. He's thirty years 232 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:21,960 Speaker 2: all at the time, Baiter. He packed his car with 233 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:24,440 Speaker 2: fishing gear. He told Mary Lou he was gonna go 234 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:26,439 Speaker 2: look into some bad checks he'd been dealing with. 235 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:28,320 Speaker 3: Farewell, Mary Lou. 236 00:10:28,600 --> 00:10:32,079 Speaker 2: And then maybe it's gonna go fishing. Okay, Uh yeah, 237 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:34,880 Speaker 2: He's like people, I can't pay anyone because people are 238 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:35,719 Speaker 2: writing me bad check. 239 00:10:35,800 --> 00:10:37,720 Speaker 3: That's the problem, Mary Well, totally the problem. 240 00:10:37,880 --> 00:10:39,600 Speaker 2: It was a beautiful day when he left, but the 241 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:42,640 Speaker 2: news said a storm was coming. Mary Lou pointed this 242 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:44,920 Speaker 2: out to him, like, maybe fishing isn't the best choice 243 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,679 Speaker 2: right now. Eh, Larry tells her I might going, I 244 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,000 Speaker 2: might not. Who knows. You know, he's breezy. 245 00:10:50,040 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 3: I'm a carefree man, Mary Lou. 246 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 2: So off he goes. Bater cashed a check for four 247 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:56,840 Speaker 2: hundred dollars, which is about forty three hundred dollars today. 248 00:10:57,080 --> 00:10:57,400 Speaker 3: Wow. 249 00:10:57,640 --> 00:11:01,040 Speaker 2: Used it to pay a few bills, including one quarterly 250 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 2: life insurance premium. Okay, got to make sure that's taken 251 00:11:04,040 --> 00:11:06,920 Speaker 2: care of. He had almost forty thousand dollars in life insurance. 252 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,120 Speaker 2: That's like a four hundred and thirty thousand today. He'd 253 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,800 Speaker 2: recently upgraded the policy clause in case of accidental death. 254 00:11:14,760 --> 00:11:16,080 Speaker 3: Just within like weeks. 255 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:19,320 Speaker 2: Five minutes before, he rented a boat at Eddie's boat 256 00:11:19,320 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 2: House at the Rocky River near Cleveland. 257 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,360 Speaker 3: Nice crazy Eddies, Crazy Eddy steals on the river. 258 00:11:24,559 --> 00:11:27,840 Speaker 2: Lawrence Cottler, who ran the place, told Larry not to 259 00:11:27,840 --> 00:11:29,600 Speaker 2: go out because of the impending storm. 260 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:31,040 Speaker 3: Lawrence Cutler, who runs Eddies. 261 00:11:31,120 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 2: Okay, yeah, these aren't important names, no, said Larry. 262 00:11:35,200 --> 00:11:37,840 Speaker 3: No, no, no, bad bad. 263 00:11:38,120 --> 00:11:41,200 Speaker 2: Stomped his foot. I got a fish. He wanted to 264 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:45,559 Speaker 2: be a carp dressed man, sarin free. He was feeling crappy. 265 00:11:46,440 --> 00:11:48,880 Speaker 2: He wanted to call himself a man of steel head. 266 00:11:49,800 --> 00:11:52,320 Speaker 2: He wanted to get He wanted wall the Walleye action. 267 00:11:53,920 --> 00:11:56,559 Speaker 2: He was gonna he wanted to walk Pike an Egyptian. 268 00:11:57,800 --> 00:11:58,600 Speaker 2: They could stop. 269 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:01,840 Speaker 3: I'm gonna put down a baseline for this waite, a 270 00:12:01,880 --> 00:12:02,760 Speaker 3: bass line. Dark. 271 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:07,960 Speaker 2: Well, he did promise he'd be back before dark. So 272 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 2: he looked at Cotler, and he pulled out a large 273 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:13,000 Speaker 2: roll of cash, peeled off fifteen dollars to pay for 274 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:15,880 Speaker 2: the deposit. Then he asked for a set of running 275 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 2: lights to be installed on the boat. I'll be back 276 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:21,439 Speaker 2: before dark, but just put a bunch of lights on here. 277 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:22,560 Speaker 3: Just in case really quickly. 278 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 2: So Cottler's like, you know what, It's going to be 279 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:27,920 Speaker 2: dark in four hours, and that's when the storm is 280 00:12:27,920 --> 00:12:33,360 Speaker 2: supposed to hit. Please Larry Lawrence, mister bad, do not 281 00:12:33,520 --> 00:12:37,559 Speaker 2: go out there. Larry goes four point thirty in the evening. 282 00:12:37,720 --> 00:12:39,439 Speaker 2: Off he goes, he headed out. 283 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 3: On the rock evening. 284 00:12:40,480 --> 00:12:44,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, great time with a storm coming. So he goes 285 00:12:44,559 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 2: out on the Rocky River toward Lake Erie in a 286 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,920 Speaker 2: fourteen foot boat with a small outboard motor in a prayer. 287 00:12:50,960 --> 00:12:56,160 Speaker 2: Because Larry motored away, Coytler noticed that among like his 288 00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:00,280 Speaker 2: fishing gear, he sees a small suitcase. Wait what yeah, 289 00:13:00,400 --> 00:13:01,200 Speaker 2: let's take a break. 290 00:13:01,240 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 3: Why does Darth Vader Junior nit a small suitcase of 291 00:13:04,080 --> 00:13:04,640 Speaker 3: go fishing? 292 00:13:05,040 --> 00:13:07,520 Speaker 2: Well, we come back, we'll learn more about this mysterious 293 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:32,080 Speaker 2: fishing trip deal Zarin, Yes, welcome. I've decided I'm gonna 294 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:34,400 Speaker 2: start pronouncing bass fish as bass fish. 295 00:13:34,559 --> 00:13:36,640 Speaker 3: Okay, you like that, just run with it well, and 296 00:13:36,640 --> 00:13:37,079 Speaker 3: then I'm going. 297 00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 2: To go become like an expert bass fisher woman and 298 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,040 Speaker 2: enter contest and win like the World Grand prize, all 299 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 2: while mispronouncing the word I'm really good at that. Champion 300 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,400 Speaker 2: base Champion Larry the chicken pounding impromptu fishermen. 301 00:13:52,440 --> 00:13:54,320 Speaker 3: Wait, dam weren't you sponsored by bass Pro. 302 00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:55,720 Speaker 2: Bass Pro Shop? 303 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:56,040 Speaker 3: Yeah? 304 00:13:56,800 --> 00:13:58,200 Speaker 2: Hey, can you tell me how to get to bass 305 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:03,400 Speaker 2: Pro Shop? That just gonna drive people in nuts. May fifteenth, 306 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:04,280 Speaker 2: nineteen fifty seven. 307 00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:05,240 Speaker 4: Yeah, that's where we were. 308 00:14:05,760 --> 00:14:09,760 Speaker 2: Lawrence Joseph Bader just rented a fishing boat just ahead 309 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:12,640 Speaker 2: of nightfall, just ahead of a large storm. So after 310 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:15,679 Speaker 2: the sun went down, the coast guards spotted Larry out 311 00:14:15,720 --> 00:14:19,800 Speaker 2: on Lake Erie and they're like, heypes, buddy, get over here, 312 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaker 2: there's a storm coming. He's like, yeah, yeah, I know's 313 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:24,840 Speaker 2: we'll escort you back to shore. He is, you know, 314 00:14:24,960 --> 00:14:27,120 Speaker 2: Larry with a live chicken dangling out of his mouth. 315 00:14:27,560 --> 00:14:30,240 Speaker 2: Refuses him. He's like, no, I'm good, come on, good alone, 316 00:14:30,360 --> 00:14:33,520 Speaker 2: I'm good, leave me alone, So mind your own business. 317 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:36,080 Speaker 2: The next morning, the boat was discovered washed ashore on 318 00:14:36,200 --> 00:14:38,960 Speaker 2: the rocks of Perkins Beach, was about six miles away 319 00:14:38,960 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 2: from Murray started. That's five point two nautical miles. Okay, 320 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 2: there's There was just a little damage to the boat, 321 00:14:45,440 --> 00:14:48,560 Speaker 2: a scratch on the hull, a bent propeller, an ore 322 00:14:48,800 --> 00:14:52,800 Speaker 2: was missing, but no Larry chicken feathers everywhere. No Larry, 323 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 2: No Larry. So the coast guard towed the boat back 324 00:14:56,240 --> 00:14:58,960 Speaker 2: to Cotler. At Eddie's boat house, Cadler took a look 325 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,560 Speaker 2: at it, and he's wondering if the fifteen dollars deposit 326 00:15:01,720 --> 00:15:04,200 Speaker 2: is going to cover these damages. But then he noticed something, 327 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:09,240 Speaker 2: something very wrong. The gas line had been disconnected. And 328 00:15:09,360 --> 00:15:15,120 Speaker 2: according to Cutler quote, gas lines do not accidentally become disconnected. 329 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:17,880 Speaker 3: This is very true, very true. And they also don't 330 00:15:17,920 --> 00:15:20,520 Speaker 3: disconnect themselves. No, your honor. 331 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,480 Speaker 2: Case closed. The coast guard said the water had been 332 00:15:24,560 --> 00:15:26,920 Speaker 2: so rough during the storm that no man could have 333 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,120 Speaker 2: survived falling overboard. The life jacket was still in the boat, 334 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 2: so was his fishing gear, but there was no Baiter. 335 00:15:33,200 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 2: There was no small suitcase. 336 00:15:34,920 --> 00:15:35,160 Speaker 3: Uh oh. 337 00:15:36,400 --> 00:15:38,960 Speaker 2: So it appeared to Cutler and the investigators that the 338 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 2: boat hadn't capsized during Bater's adventure. There's no evidence of that. 339 00:15:43,320 --> 00:15:46,040 Speaker 2: And everyone was puzzled as to how someone so athletic 340 00:15:46,160 --> 00:15:49,520 Speaker 2: and powerful a swimmer as Baiter could have been separated 341 00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:53,080 Speaker 2: from the boat and taken the suitcase. Maybe it fell over, 342 00:15:53,120 --> 00:15:56,280 Speaker 2: who knows. Some thought that maybe Baiter had been hijacked 343 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:00,640 Speaker 2: and robbed suitcase well like the scourge of Lake Erie pirates. 344 00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,640 Speaker 2: Of course you know about pirates Sandusky sailing out of Toledo, 345 00:16:06,360 --> 00:16:09,160 Speaker 2: hiding out in one of the Canadian sides to bird 346 00:16:09,240 --> 00:16:12,480 Speaker 2: name points. They have Peacock Point, Turkey Point. Nothing came in. 347 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,680 Speaker 2: Listen the Google street View investigations. I did, Yes, lots 348 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:19,320 Speaker 2: of cool places along the Canadian shore of Lake Erie. 349 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 3: By the way, dude, that's a good part of the world. Actually, 350 00:16:21,480 --> 00:16:22,320 Speaker 3: it kind of picts your asque. 351 00:16:22,360 --> 00:16:24,960 Speaker 2: It's gorgeous. My work here is brought to you courtesy 352 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 2: of newspapers dot Com. I'm still looking for that sponsorship 353 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:32,840 Speaker 2: that includes a cool logo, bomber jacket and Google street View. There's, 354 00:16:32,840 --> 00:16:35,080 Speaker 2: as you talk about, all I have in my life. Anyway. 355 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,560 Speaker 2: The search for Larry Batter went on for two months. 356 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:40,440 Speaker 2: They just stood out on the shore with their hand 357 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:41,120 Speaker 2: over tom. 358 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:44,280 Speaker 3: Nope, nope, nope. 359 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:47,440 Speaker 2: Let's check again. In ten hours after Bader disappeared, his 360 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 2: father had this to say to the police searching for him, quote, 361 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:54,120 Speaker 2: I can't put my finger on it, but there's something 362 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:59,640 Speaker 2: about this that stinks. Stinks. 363 00:17:00,200 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 3: You made him sound extra weirdess. 364 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:06,840 Speaker 2: That was good, Doctor Bater. In nineteen sixty three years 365 00:17:06,880 --> 00:17:10,400 Speaker 2: after his disappearance, he was declared dead. Mary Lou petitioned 366 00:17:10,440 --> 00:17:12,400 Speaker 2: to make that. So, so now she's a widow. She's 367 00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:15,879 Speaker 2: a widow with four children and a monthly Social Security payment. 368 00:17:16,040 --> 00:17:17,960 Speaker 2: And those checks weren't as much as they should have 369 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:22,040 Speaker 2: been because Bader had those income tax issues. Oh, so 370 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 2: the IRS garnished some of the checks to pay down 371 00:17:24,359 --> 00:17:27,280 Speaker 2: the debt. Good news for the widow Bater was that 372 00:17:27,680 --> 00:17:30,440 Speaker 2: the one bill her late husband always made sure to 373 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:32,560 Speaker 2: pay was the life insurance policy. 374 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:34,120 Speaker 3: But was she the beneficiary. 375 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:36,320 Speaker 2: Yes, she got a pretty good chunk of change. 376 00:17:36,480 --> 00:17:36,960 Speaker 3: Good So. 377 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:39,879 Speaker 2: Meanwhile, back in nineteen fifty seven, just a few days 378 00:17:39,960 --> 00:17:44,280 Speaker 2: after Lawrence Bader disappeared, a newcomer arrived in Omaha, Nebraska. 379 00:17:45,320 --> 00:17:48,119 Speaker 2: Now Omaha is seven hundred and forty miles west of 380 00:17:48,200 --> 00:17:50,440 Speaker 2: the Rocky River by the ways erin Okay. 381 00:17:50,440 --> 00:17:51,880 Speaker 3: I'm keep that in mind, seven hundred. 382 00:17:51,640 --> 00:17:52,120 Speaker 4: And forty miles. 383 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:54,760 Speaker 2: So a guy walked into the round Table bar looking 384 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:57,040 Speaker 2: for a bartending job. He said he'd been in the 385 00:17:57,160 --> 00:17:59,680 Speaker 2: Navy for the last fourteen years and he was just 386 00:18:00,240 --> 00:18:02,920 Speaker 2: because he had a bad back. I have to say 387 00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 2: that if you have a bad back, bartending is not 388 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 2: for you. 389 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:07,159 Speaker 3: Yeah, a lot of lifting and bending. 390 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:09,080 Speaker 2: Oh, standing, lifting, twisting, you know. 391 00:18:09,359 --> 00:18:11,640 Speaker 3: Wait, to carry liquid is always weird. 392 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:12,800 Speaker 2: To carry you're covered in liquid. 393 00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:13,440 Speaker 4: Yeah. 394 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 2: Whatever. So this stranger he had a pencil mustache like 395 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:23,320 Speaker 2: John Waters Get Out. Yeah, and a Boston accent. 396 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 3: Wait, that's not an Elizabeth detail. 397 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:27,120 Speaker 2: That's a real thing. You have a little pencil that's 398 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 2: just disguise mustache Boston accent. So he's like, I just 399 00:18:36,080 --> 00:18:37,160 Speaker 2: went and packed my car. 400 00:18:38,840 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 3: Yeah. 401 00:18:39,840 --> 00:18:42,440 Speaker 2: All he had with him was a small suitcase, a 402 00:18:42,560 --> 00:18:45,960 Speaker 2: navy sea bag, and a bartender's guide. So as he's 403 00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,080 Speaker 2: like walking the seven hundred and forty miles, he picks 404 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,880 Speaker 2: up the bartender's guide. A woman named Betty was working 405 00:18:51,920 --> 00:18:54,440 Speaker 2: at the bar that evening when the stranger appeared. She 406 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:55,639 Speaker 2: this is what she said about it. 407 00:18:55,840 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 3: Quote. 408 00:18:56,640 --> 00:19:01,440 Speaker 2: He was fascinating Debonair, well dressed and not broke. He 409 00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:06,800 Speaker 2: asked me out everything going for him? Fascinating devn Air, 410 00:19:06,840 --> 00:19:07,480 Speaker 2: well dressed, not. 411 00:19:07,560 --> 00:19:09,520 Speaker 3: Broke, not broke. It is whose are the top four? 412 00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:11,879 Speaker 2: So two days later he lands a job. He started 413 00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:17,080 Speaker 2: bartending at Ross's Steakhouse. This place was the steakhouse in Omaha. A. 414 00:19:17,119 --> 00:19:18,359 Speaker 3: You're telling me, sister, that's. 415 00:19:18,240 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 2: Saying a lot and Omaha Steakhouse. 416 00:19:20,440 --> 00:19:22,240 Speaker 3: R Chris can blow this place is the. 417 00:19:22,880 --> 00:19:26,200 Speaker 2: Esquire magazine once called it the King of Omaha steakhouses. 418 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:28,959 Speaker 3: Yeah, and there's an Omaha steakhouse place and they call 419 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:30,440 Speaker 3: themselves the king and they're like, we're not. 420 00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:34,640 Speaker 2: No Ross's. It was owned by Ross Lorello. He opened 421 00:19:34,640 --> 00:19:36,200 Speaker 2: it in nineteen fifty six, so it was sort of 422 00:19:36,280 --> 00:19:38,920 Speaker 2: new on the scene when the stranger arrived. The Lorello 423 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,480 Speaker 2: family actually shut it down in nineteen ninety six rather 424 00:19:41,560 --> 00:19:43,680 Speaker 2: than selling it out of the family a respect, So 425 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:44,440 Speaker 2: it's just a legend. 426 00:19:44,520 --> 00:19:45,600 Speaker 3: Oh, I do like that. 427 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,199 Speaker 2: There's a great ad for the place that I found online. 428 00:19:48,200 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 2: It reads Rosses has purchased the Axar Bend four h 429 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:56,080 Speaker 2: Grand Champion Beef six times in recent years. Ross's Steakhouse 430 00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:59,240 Speaker 2: is famous. That's all caps for serving the ultimate and 431 00:19:59,320 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 2: exquisite because including Omaha's finest steaks, chicken see food Italian Fair, 432 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 2: Seafoods Tour. 433 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 3: I mean, need you to read that all again. That 434 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:10,200 Speaker 3: was a lot of fun. We just do that again 435 00:20:10,240 --> 00:20:10,600 Speaker 3: from the top. 436 00:20:10,680 --> 00:20:12,840 Speaker 2: You know. They also had a place in the restaurant 437 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:14,919 Speaker 2: called the Cleopatra Piano Lounge. 438 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:18,359 Speaker 3: Oh, my god, are you serious. Yeah, meet me and 439 00:20:18,400 --> 00:20:19,520 Speaker 3: the Cleopatra Piano. 440 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:24,560 Speaker 2: Nineteen fifties, Omaha Steakhouse, the Cleopatra Piano, l Piano Land. 441 00:20:25,600 --> 00:20:27,920 Speaker 2: It's just melting my face thinking about it. Back to 442 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 2: the Stranger, I want to stay there for a second. 443 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:33,960 Speaker 2: I want to be in the Cleopatra Lounge. As he 444 00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,760 Speaker 2: attended bar, he would tell stories about how he grew 445 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,000 Speaker 2: up in an orphanage in Boston. He was one of 446 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 2: twenty two orphans there and apparently, according to him, everyone 447 00:20:44,400 --> 00:20:46,320 Speaker 2: there was named John Johnson because he. 448 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:48,399 Speaker 3: Couldn't remember anything and he didn't want to do that 449 00:20:48,520 --> 00:20:50,600 Speaker 3: goodwill hunting where he had to remember all the names. 450 00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:54,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, John Johnson, the George Foreman. Totally orphanage. 451 00:20:54,720 --> 00:20:57,000 Speaker 3: There's like one nun who just knew a guy back 452 00:20:57,040 --> 00:20:57,520 Speaker 3: in the day. 453 00:20:57,440 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 2: And the kids John Johnson. Well, this John Johnson was 454 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:02,200 Speaker 2: given the nickname Fritz. 455 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,440 Speaker 3: I mean John John's son, a little Fritzy Fritz. 456 00:21:06,200 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 2: He joined the Navy, he said, he joined the Navy 457 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:10,920 Speaker 2: at seventeen, and he's served in World War two in 458 00:21:10,960 --> 00:21:13,399 Speaker 2: the Korean War. Thank you for your service, even if 459 00:21:13,440 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 2: it's fake. 460 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:15,000 Speaker 3: And he was. 461 00:21:15,040 --> 00:21:19,840 Speaker 2: Hospitalized for a back injury in fifty seven after before 462 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:24,240 Speaker 2: being officially discharged. So now here he is slinging gimlets 463 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:26,200 Speaker 2: and old fashions with the smell of seared beef in 464 00:21:26,200 --> 00:21:29,119 Speaker 2: the air. Here he is pretty soon. Fritz was a 465 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:34,719 Speaker 2: local celebrity to raise money for polio. He liked fighting polio, 466 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:35,760 Speaker 2: not like encouraging. 467 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:40,320 Speaker 3: I thought, he's everyone to have polico, some of the 468 00:21:40,480 --> 00:21:44,159 Speaker 3: rare people who was immunity. I want everyone to get it. 469 00:21:44,760 --> 00:21:47,320 Speaker 2: So I'm raising money. So he raised money to fight 470 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:51,360 Speaker 2: polio or just polio awareness. You know those aware, what's 471 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:53,560 Speaker 2: up with an awareness campaign? Like, I'm aware of it. 472 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,520 Speaker 2: I know, let's do something about it. My awareness doesn't 473 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:01,440 Speaker 2: help anyway. He competed in a flagpole sitting contest. 474 00:22:01,760 --> 00:22:02,960 Speaker 3: Yes, I love it. 475 00:22:03,080 --> 00:22:04,639 Speaker 2: It used to be a thing like you'd sit at 476 00:22:04,640 --> 00:22:06,640 Speaker 2: the top of a flagpole and I guess like people 477 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:08,800 Speaker 2: would make a pledge to donate a certain amount for 478 00:22:08,880 --> 00:22:09,359 Speaker 2: every year. 479 00:22:11,040 --> 00:22:13,720 Speaker 3: It's like loading college kids in a in a phone boot. 480 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:14,960 Speaker 3: Get in there. 481 00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:18,399 Speaker 2: Yes, he sat on a flagpole for thirty days. What 482 00:22:19,080 --> 00:22:19,840 Speaker 2: thirty days? 483 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:21,639 Speaker 3: If he would have done that like one hundred years earlier, 484 00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:23,840 Speaker 3: they would have called him a saint or a witch. 485 00:22:25,160 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 2: Thirty days sarin past September. While he was up there, 486 00:22:31,119 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 2: his friends would send up milk bottles twice a day. 487 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:37,160 Speaker 2: And you know it was in those milk bottles chocolate martinis, 488 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:40,400 Speaker 2: which I means, like I guess that means. 489 00:22:40,320 --> 00:22:42,040 Speaker 3: Just like he's just getting liquered on top of the 490 00:22:42,080 --> 00:22:43,120 Speaker 3: flag vodka. 491 00:22:42,840 --> 00:22:44,760 Speaker 2: And a splash of remooth, like just send them up 492 00:22:44,800 --> 00:22:45,479 Speaker 2: vodka bottles. 493 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:46,320 Speaker 3: It's heavier. 494 00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,680 Speaker 2: There's just like like one olive floating in it, and 495 00:22:49,040 --> 00:22:49,320 Speaker 2: they're just. 496 00:22:49,320 --> 00:22:51,480 Speaker 3: Making drinks at the bottom of flagpole, sending them up. 497 00:22:51,840 --> 00:22:54,200 Speaker 2: When he came down from the pole after a month 498 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:57,320 Speaker 2: he was working the poles arin, he had a long 499 00:22:57,400 --> 00:22:59,120 Speaker 2: beard and it took him a while to get used 500 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:01,520 Speaker 2: to walking again. I bet where did he go to 501 00:23:01,560 --> 00:23:02,120 Speaker 2: the bathroom? 502 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:05,960 Speaker 3: Down the pole? Just gravity took care of it and 503 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:06,639 Speaker 3: he held it in. 504 00:23:06,680 --> 00:23:09,640 Speaker 2: And they had to hospitalize him. So he got down 505 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:10,080 Speaker 2: from the pole. 506 00:23:10,160 --> 00:23:11,680 Speaker 3: You didn't have a bedpen. He has a flagpole. 507 00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:16,119 Speaker 2: He says, like a balloon, and then he drops some 508 00:23:16,200 --> 00:23:21,960 Speaker 2: of the people. Mom Zo. So he got down from 509 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,600 Speaker 2: the pole and then he has like a balloon in 510 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:30,400 Speaker 2: a funnel. So so he gets down from the pole, 511 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,800 Speaker 2: he hobbles around and then they push him into a 512 00:23:32,880 --> 00:23:36,120 Speaker 2: convertible stuff with bonaceous babes, and he was escorted away 513 00:23:36,160 --> 00:23:36,760 Speaker 2: to a parade. 514 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:38,800 Speaker 3: Wait are you kidding me? Like a ticker day. 515 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, they're like, hooray, you sat up there for a month. 516 00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:45,639 Speaker 3: You really helped the fight for polio against from. 517 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:47,840 Speaker 2: An orphanage A full full of John Johnson's to. 518 00:23:47,880 --> 00:23:50,199 Speaker 3: This man start at the bottom, now we hear. 519 00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,160 Speaker 2: So he had other jobs through the years beyond bartending. 520 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:56,200 Speaker 2: He got a job in radio like Don the Rose, 521 00:23:56,640 --> 00:23:59,600 Speaker 2: and he became a disc jockey for a local radio 522 00:23:59,640 --> 00:24:03,080 Speaker 2: show on AM station KBON, just like k b O. 523 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:06,280 Speaker 2: By the way, the call letters KBON have subsequently been 524 00:24:06,359 --> 00:24:08,760 Speaker 2: assigned to a Cajun radio station in Louisiana. 525 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:11,760 Speaker 3: Come on, I like that. 526 00:24:12,560 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 2: He also got a gig as the sports director for 527 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:18,960 Speaker 2: television station k E t V k E TV, Omaha's 528 00:24:18,960 --> 00:24:19,680 Speaker 2: favorite news source. 529 00:24:19,760 --> 00:24:21,280 Speaker 3: It feels like that's missing a letter. I know that 530 00:24:21,359 --> 00:24:23,840 Speaker 3: it's k EV's four letters, but it just sounds like 531 00:24:23,880 --> 00:24:24,640 Speaker 3: it's missing a letter. 532 00:24:24,720 --> 00:24:28,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't know. He wasn't just behind the scenes there, 533 00:24:28,320 --> 00:24:30,680 Speaker 2: though he made announcements on it on our talent. Yeah, 534 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:34,000 Speaker 2: Fritz was basically the most popular and most flamboyant citizen 535 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:34,520 Speaker 2: in Omaha. 536 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,080 Speaker 3: So he's going as Fritz at this point with the pencils. 537 00:24:37,119 --> 00:24:41,560 Speaker 3: There mustache just swunging around being like Omaha, just enjoy. 538 00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:46,080 Speaker 2: Feasting in he he had this swinging bachelor pad. It 539 00:24:46,160 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 2: was filled with dozens of pillows, but no furniture. 540 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:50,000 Speaker 4: You're kidding, No, I'm not kidding. 541 00:24:50,080 --> 00:24:51,399 Speaker 3: He is so fifties dream like. 542 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,359 Speaker 2: Yes, he hosted wild champagne parties, like right there in 543 00:24:55,400 --> 00:24:59,879 Speaker 2: the pillows, a messy. He kept tropical fish as pas. 544 00:25:00,480 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 3: Yeah, you have Irish poets. His best friends he had. 545 00:25:02,800 --> 00:25:06,400 Speaker 2: They were simes fighting fish who eventually ate each other. 546 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:07,639 Speaker 3: This is amazing. 547 00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:11,560 Speaker 2: So he's like swamming around town. He wore a leather beret, 548 00:25:11,840 --> 00:25:13,959 Speaker 2: of course, is that amazing. He was a real ladies man. 549 00:25:14,000 --> 00:25:15,800 Speaker 3: Oh, does he have like a sidecar motorcycle? 550 00:25:16,119 --> 00:25:19,280 Speaker 2: Probably no, you're gonna hear what he has. He said 551 00:25:19,320 --> 00:25:22,520 Speaker 2: that he dated every beautiful girl he met. He's like you, 552 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:25,199 Speaker 2: you're going out on a date and the same thing. 553 00:25:25,560 --> 00:25:29,040 Speaker 2: Probably not okay. So you wanted to know about his transportation, 554 00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:30,160 Speaker 2: suggest what's his ride? 555 00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 3: He bought a. 556 00:25:31,040 --> 00:25:34,320 Speaker 2: Hearse from an undertaker in Kansas for one hundred and 557 00:25:34,359 --> 00:25:37,760 Speaker 2: fifty bucks. It gets better, it gets better. 558 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:38,119 Speaker 4: Hold on. 559 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:41,359 Speaker 2: So he and a friend customized it with a wrought 560 00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:45,920 Speaker 2: iron table, a coffee bar, pillows of course, and a 561 00:25:46,000 --> 00:25:47,600 Speaker 2: Buddhist statue incense burner. 562 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:50,240 Speaker 3: So is John Waters. He's doing an impression of this man. 563 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:53,280 Speaker 3: I think we found the John Water source materials. He 564 00:25:53,440 --> 00:25:55,200 Speaker 3: was like a boy in the fifties, right. He saw 565 00:25:55,320 --> 00:25:57,840 Speaker 3: this guy again the news. He's like, I want that life, 566 00:25:57,880 --> 00:25:58,679 Speaker 3: but I'll make films. 567 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 2: Is the city lice? This is the hearse is a 568 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:02,240 Speaker 2: quote hunting vehicle? 569 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:03,520 Speaker 4: What this is? 570 00:26:03,600 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 2: So Austin Towers. Oh yeah, he's on the prowl. One 571 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 2: day he told everyone that he decided to take up 572 00:26:11,200 --> 00:26:13,199 Speaker 2: archery and he thought it would be like a good 573 00:26:13,240 --> 00:26:14,879 Speaker 2: way to strengthen up his back muscles. 574 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,359 Speaker 3: Oh he hasn't shown. Nobody knows he's an archery champion. 575 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:19,000 Speaker 2: Like, I want to get into a fight and shape. 576 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:19,959 Speaker 3: I want to try this new thing. 577 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 2: Five weeks later, he won the Nebraska state championship. He's 578 00:26:24,160 --> 00:26:27,320 Speaker 2: just all, hey, I don't know. He loved to be 579 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:30,080 Speaker 2: the life of the party and amuse his friends. One 580 00:26:30,119 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 2: day they're all hanging out. I'm going to assume, like 581 00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:34,600 Speaker 2: in the pillow pile at Schaefritz. 582 00:26:34,080 --> 00:26:35,520 Speaker 3: And he's like juggling circus monkeys. 583 00:26:35,520 --> 00:26:38,080 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, No, he reaches over, pulls out an entire 584 00:26:38,200 --> 00:26:42,720 Speaker 2: chicken and he ate it, bones and all. He's back baby, 585 00:26:43,800 --> 00:26:46,840 Speaker 2: living his best life. Too bad, So sad, Mary Lou. 586 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:49,440 Speaker 3: You never appreciated Marry Lou. 587 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:53,720 Speaker 2: Even though he ate chickens whole, probably while lying on 588 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,040 Speaker 2: the ground so everyone could watch the chicken move through 589 00:26:56,080 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 2: his digestive system like a snake devouring a small toe. 590 00:26:58,840 --> 00:27:00,960 Speaker 3: Oh oh my god, Shirtlet so the grease runs through 591 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:02,000 Speaker 3: the fur on his chair. 592 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:04,679 Speaker 2: You see, you see the chicken moving along his county. 593 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,359 Speaker 2: Even though he drove around in a hearse that was 594 00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:10,600 Speaker 2: repurposed as a love done. 595 00:27:10,680 --> 00:27:12,520 Speaker 3: I'm picturing it's like painted purple or something. 596 00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:12,840 Speaker 4: Yeah. 597 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,080 Speaker 2: Probably. And even though he won archery championships after just 598 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:19,080 Speaker 2: learning the way of the bow, no one thought he 599 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:20,400 Speaker 2: was a show offer, a braggart. 600 00:27:20,600 --> 00:27:23,040 Speaker 3: What he's quoted is the Midwest. 601 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:26,640 Speaker 2: Yeah, he has quoted as one saying all my life 602 00:27:26,760 --> 00:27:28,840 Speaker 2: I've had people tell me what to do in the 603 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:31,680 Speaker 2: Navy and the Orphanage. Well now I'm going to do 604 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:32,399 Speaker 2: what I like to do. 605 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:33,679 Speaker 3: We heard this come up a lot. 606 00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:38,479 Speaker 2: Yeah right. He avoided using his last name Johnson. All 607 00:27:38,560 --> 00:27:40,920 Speaker 2: his bills were made out simply to Fritz. 608 00:27:41,400 --> 00:27:44,399 Speaker 3: Just care of the city, Fritz, Yeah, Fritz. 609 00:27:44,480 --> 00:27:47,720 Speaker 2: And that's also how he signed everything, just Fritz. He 610 00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:50,480 Speaker 2: never dated his checks. He would fill in the dateline 611 00:27:50,520 --> 00:27:53,240 Speaker 2: with the season spring, summer, winterfall. 612 00:27:53,680 --> 00:27:54,720 Speaker 3: That works well. 613 00:27:54,760 --> 00:27:57,440 Speaker 2: The tellers at the bank would call him a couple 614 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,399 Speaker 2: days prior to the seasons changing and remind him of 615 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:06,280 Speaker 2: that impending change, like, hey, Fritz, people be Fritz Hello. 616 00:28:07,040 --> 00:28:09,240 Speaker 2: They get him on the Fritz is that you It's 617 00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:15,640 Speaker 2: going to be summer tomorrow. He's all exactly he even 618 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:17,880 Speaker 2: though he's like a big local media guy, he made 619 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:20,880 Speaker 2: it a point to never watch the news or read papers. 620 00:28:21,359 --> 00:28:23,800 Speaker 3: I'm learning that he may be right about. 621 00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:31,200 Speaker 2: Adopt this very tempting. He came across as really carefree 622 00:28:31,240 --> 00:28:36,000 Speaker 2: and happy. People loved him. Everyone loves him. He's just 623 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:38,160 Speaker 2: oblivious and happy, and he was fun to be around. 624 00:28:38,200 --> 00:28:39,760 Speaker 3: He's just a child in an adult's body. 625 00:28:39,920 --> 00:28:42,239 Speaker 2: People would come to him for guidance when they were 626 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:43,000 Speaker 2: having a tough time. 627 00:28:43,320 --> 00:28:44,160 Speaker 3: He's the village idiot. 628 00:28:44,280 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 2: Well this no, this is what a friend said. The 629 00:28:45,880 --> 00:28:47,960 Speaker 2: only time I ever saw him depressed were when his 630 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:49,040 Speaker 2: friends were in a jam. 631 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:49,680 Speaker 4: Yeah. 632 00:28:49,840 --> 00:28:50,920 Speaker 2: So he's yeah, he's just. 633 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,280 Speaker 3: He's like the guy who's just like a chance the gardener, 634 00:28:53,560 --> 00:28:55,800 Speaker 3: you know, the he's a holy fool, the holy fool 635 00:28:55,840 --> 00:28:57,800 Speaker 3: than you, more so than a villagitia, a holy fool. 636 00:28:57,880 --> 00:29:00,960 Speaker 2: Yeah. Another thing he hated more than the news was 637 00:29:01,040 --> 00:29:05,280 Speaker 2: the institution of marriage. Oh and his roommate is quoted 638 00:29:05,320 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 2: as saying he was death on it. Whenever people told 639 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:10,960 Speaker 2: him he was getting married, he would exclaim. 640 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 4: Oh, you fool, you fool. 641 00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:17,320 Speaker 2: Okay, when we come back from this break, I'll tell 642 00:29:17,360 --> 00:29:19,240 Speaker 2: you about Fritzie and his stance on marriage. 643 00:29:19,680 --> 00:29:44,320 Speaker 4: Oh Fritz, Yeah, Fritz my du beata. 644 00:29:44,360 --> 00:29:47,760 Speaker 2: Mystery, Omaha beatnik raising hell and eyebrows. 645 00:29:47,800 --> 00:29:50,479 Speaker 3: I love that. Omaha loves this beatnik with the pencil 646 00:29:50,520 --> 00:29:52,920 Speaker 3: than mustache, just going around going, Oh, come remember my 647 00:29:53,040 --> 00:29:54,000 Speaker 3: furniture list. 648 00:29:53,880 --> 00:29:56,800 Speaker 2: Home embodying late fifties early sixties Nebraska. 649 00:29:56,920 --> 00:29:59,640 Speaker 3: Quite frankly, it just blowing my mind. Like I have 650 00:29:59,760 --> 00:30:03,320 Speaker 3: fans in the Midwest and they don't from Nebraska. 651 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:04,120 Speaker 2: From Almaha. 652 00:30:04,280 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 3: Yeah, it's a tall grass, kids cut kind of culture. 653 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:09,760 Speaker 2: Huh. He thought people who got married were idiots. Okay, 654 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:12,520 Speaker 2: So in nineteen sixty one, he married Nancy Zimmer. 655 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:16,840 Speaker 3: She disapproved the point. It was like, watch how bad 656 00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:17,360 Speaker 3: this is. 657 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:20,320 Speaker 2: Twenty one year old photographer's model dev orse. 658 00:30:20,920 --> 00:30:23,280 Speaker 3: Now watch what happens to the man you all love watches? 659 00:30:23,320 --> 00:30:24,920 Speaker 3: I am broken by this institution. 660 00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:28,600 Speaker 2: She's from Chicago. Okay, this is what a friend of 661 00:30:28,640 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 2: his said. 662 00:30:29,080 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 3: So she was a divorcee, like he is a. Well 663 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:35,200 Speaker 3: he's a she's a don't give me the expose exactly. 664 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:38,800 Speaker 2: Quote. We really kidded him about it, but he didn't 665 00:30:38,840 --> 00:30:41,680 Speaker 2: say anything at all. He just smiled. So when people 666 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:44,680 Speaker 2: are like, oh, you said you're an idiot to get married, yeah, grin. 667 00:30:45,320 --> 00:30:48,960 Speaker 3: Okay, so she's probably a little tea. She wealthy, No, 668 00:30:49,240 --> 00:30:50,040 Speaker 3: she was a model. 669 00:30:51,160 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 2: Maybe maybe she got money in the divorce. 670 00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:56,720 Speaker 3: Okay, but he's not marrying her for money obviously. 671 00:30:56,880 --> 00:30:58,880 Speaker 2: No. I mean she's a little bit younger than he is. 672 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:00,760 Speaker 3: But I kind of guess that part. And you said 673 00:31:00,760 --> 00:31:01,800 Speaker 3: the model, Oh, Nancy. 674 00:31:03,240 --> 00:31:08,080 Speaker 2: He adopted her daughter from a previous marriage. Two years later, 675 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:09,840 Speaker 2: the couple had a son of their own. So he's 676 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 2: just building this family. Along with working at k ETV, 677 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:15,680 Speaker 2: he also got a part time job as an advisor 678 00:31:15,800 --> 00:31:16,960 Speaker 2: to archery companies. 679 00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:18,640 Speaker 3: He's a state champion. 680 00:31:18,880 --> 00:31:19,080 Speaker 4: Yeah. 681 00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:22,120 Speaker 2: Oh, he's a total champ. In nineteen sixty four, a 682 00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:25,520 Speaker 2: malignant tumor was discovered behind his left eye and he 683 00:31:25,800 --> 00:31:28,320 Speaker 2: lost the eye and had to wear an eye patch, 684 00:31:28,640 --> 00:31:30,240 Speaker 2: which only made him look cool. 685 00:31:30,200 --> 00:31:31,760 Speaker 3: Totally, just cultivates more of his image. 686 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:37,160 Speaker 2: So and I's got the mustache, the ipatch. He's mysterious Zarin. Yeah, 687 00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:40,960 Speaker 2: close your eyes. Oh yes, I want you to picture it. 688 00:31:42,520 --> 00:31:45,760 Speaker 2: It's February second, nineteen sixty five. You are at a 689 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,720 Speaker 2: sports sales convention at McCormick Place in Chicago. A guys, 690 00:31:50,200 --> 00:31:53,080 Speaker 2: You've come from Akron, Ohio to check out the sports show. 691 00:31:53,520 --> 00:31:56,160 Speaker 2: You own a sporting goods store and you're really interested 692 00:31:56,240 --> 00:31:58,680 Speaker 2: to see what new products you could stock for your customers. 693 00:31:58,760 --> 00:32:00,840 Speaker 2: You know, if you have got them in mind. The 694 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:04,560 Speaker 2: convention hall is packed. People stroll from booth to booth, 695 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:08,000 Speaker 2: chattering over the easy listening playing over the speakers. You 696 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:10,480 Speaker 2: walk past a booth where a guy is bouncing a basketball, 697 00:32:10,640 --> 00:32:13,400 Speaker 2: waxing on about the superior new materials in the thing. 698 00:32:14,120 --> 00:32:16,520 Speaker 2: At the next booth, two young women play ping pong 699 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:19,160 Speaker 2: while a salesman lists the benefits of having table tennis 700 00:32:19,200 --> 00:32:22,200 Speaker 2: for America's youth. You reach the end of the row 701 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:24,440 Speaker 2: of booths and you're now standing in front of a 702 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:27,640 Speaker 2: large display area. There's a wall of hay bales with 703 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,040 Speaker 2: a bullseye target on it and a man standing in 704 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:34,440 Speaker 2: position with his bow drawn, arrow aimed. You think adding 705 00:32:34,560 --> 00:32:36,520 Speaker 2: archery equipment to your store might be a good idea. 706 00:32:36,600 --> 00:32:39,720 Speaker 2: See step closer. The man releases his zero from the 707 00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:43,600 Speaker 2: taut bowstring and it whizzes to the target, dead center bullseye. 708 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:47,400 Speaker 2: The crowd responds with polite applause. What's remarkable is that 709 00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:49,880 Speaker 2: the guy wears an eye patch. You marvel at his 710 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:53,960 Speaker 2: depth perception in the face of ocular limitation. You look 711 00:32:53,960 --> 00:32:55,640 Speaker 2: at the face of the man holding the bow as 712 00:32:55,680 --> 00:32:58,560 Speaker 2: the sales rep for the archery company details the features 713 00:32:58,640 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 2: in their equipment. You can't put your finger on it, 714 00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:04,600 Speaker 2: but the guy looks familiar. You stare and stare, and 715 00:33:04,680 --> 00:33:06,800 Speaker 2: then the guy lets out a chuckle and you see 716 00:33:06,880 --> 00:33:10,080 Speaker 2: that familiar grin. You look again, just to be sure, 717 00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:12,040 Speaker 2: and then you dart off to the bank of payphones 718 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 2: in the lobby. You fish a bunch of change from 719 00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 2: your pocket and pour it into the phone. You dial 720 00:33:16,720 --> 00:33:22,280 Speaker 2: a number it rings. You wait, A woman answers, Suzanne. 721 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:26,280 Speaker 2: You say you've called your friend Suzanne Pika. She lives 722 00:33:26,320 --> 00:33:29,200 Speaker 2: here in Chicago, but she's originally from Akron. You tell 723 00:33:29,280 --> 00:33:32,120 Speaker 2: Suzanne you think you've seen her missing uncle, Lawrence Baiter. 724 00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:34,360 Speaker 2: You ask her to come down to the show. She says, 725 00:33:34,400 --> 00:33:37,120 Speaker 2: she's on her way. A little while later, Suzanne arrives. 726 00:33:37,560 --> 00:33:40,200 Speaker 2: She looks at Fritz and asks, pardon me, but aren't 727 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 2: you my uncle Larry Bater, who disappeared seven years ago. 728 00:33:44,640 --> 00:33:47,200 Speaker 2: Fritz just laughed it off. No way, he said, I 729 00:33:47,240 --> 00:33:50,600 Speaker 2: don't know what you're talking about. Suzanne knew he was lying. 730 00:33:51,320 --> 00:33:53,840 Speaker 2: She knew her own kin. So she ran out to 731 00:33:53,920 --> 00:33:57,040 Speaker 2: the lobby and called two more people, John and Dick Baiter, 732 00:33:57,280 --> 00:34:01,840 Speaker 2: Larry's brothers. Yes, they immediately boarded a private plane from 733 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:05,000 Speaker 2: Akron to Chicago. Remember, the family was well known in town. 734 00:34:05,040 --> 00:34:09,600 Speaker 2: I'm guessing that cavity cash, So I'm going to guess 735 00:34:10,200 --> 00:34:12,400 Speaker 2: that this happened in the morning and that the brothers 736 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:15,400 Speaker 2: were able to arrive that afternoon, like yeah, yeah, the 737 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,200 Speaker 2: little skipper. Otherwise, I can't believe that Fritz would stick 738 00:34:19,239 --> 00:34:21,799 Speaker 2: around for day two of the event after possibly being 739 00:34:21,840 --> 00:34:24,799 Speaker 2: made anyway, John and Dick they take one look at 740 00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:28,000 Speaker 2: Larry slash Fritz and they said it was without a doubt, 741 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:28,719 Speaker 2: they're missing brother. 742 00:34:28,840 --> 00:34:30,040 Speaker 4: Oh yeah yeah. 743 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:33,080 Speaker 2: Fritz still refuses to admit it. He said he had 744 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:36,279 Speaker 2: never even been to Akron, had no idea who these 745 00:34:36,320 --> 00:34:39,160 Speaker 2: men were claiming to be his brother. So to let 746 00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:41,000 Speaker 2: them know that they were making a mistake, he said, 747 00:34:41,040 --> 00:34:42,759 Speaker 2: you know what, I'm going to go with, you fingerprint me. 748 00:34:42,920 --> 00:34:43,959 Speaker 2: Let's go to the police station. 749 00:34:44,120 --> 00:34:44,359 Speaker 3: Wow. 750 00:34:44,560 --> 00:34:47,719 Speaker 2: Yeah, So the police took his prints. The cops sent 751 00:34:47,800 --> 00:34:50,800 Speaker 2: the Prince to the FBI. The FBI compared them to 752 00:34:50,840 --> 00:34:53,000 Speaker 2: prints on file with the Navy, and the prints matched 753 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:54,879 Speaker 2: this Ding dong. 754 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 3: So the next day I was assuming there was going 755 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,440 Speaker 3: to be something he had done to falsify the record. 756 00:35:01,640 --> 00:35:01,680 Speaker 5: No. 757 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:06,400 Speaker 2: The next day, Chicago Police Lieutenant Emil Geiss called Fritz 758 00:35:06,520 --> 00:35:09,040 Speaker 2: and said, the Prince, I took off your fingers and 759 00:35:09,120 --> 00:35:12,359 Speaker 2: the fingerprints of the missing Larry Baiter are identical. Either 760 00:35:12,480 --> 00:35:15,440 Speaker 2: you are or this is something from outer space or beyond. 761 00:35:15,960 --> 00:35:17,440 Speaker 2: You know, those are your choices. It's like you it's 762 00:35:17,480 --> 00:35:19,279 Speaker 2: either this or a ghost. Well for him, it's like 763 00:35:19,719 --> 00:35:23,360 Speaker 2: you're either him or aliens exactly. Someone I respect that 764 00:35:23,480 --> 00:35:27,920 Speaker 2: logic exactly. So Fritz, now confirmed as being the missing, 765 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:31,800 Speaker 2: presumed dead, Baiter said of this moment, quote, it was 766 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:34,719 Speaker 2: like a physical shock. Up until that moment, I had 767 00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,680 Speaker 2: no doubt that I was not Larry Bater. But when 768 00:35:37,719 --> 00:35:39,720 Speaker 2: I heard that, it was like a door it slammed 769 00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:41,040 Speaker 2: and someone had hit me in the face. 770 00:35:42,080 --> 00:35:44,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, I'm not buying it. Bro Well. 771 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:48,759 Speaker 2: Bader would spend the next ten days under medical observation 772 00:35:49,200 --> 00:35:54,080 Speaker 2: run by a special team of psychologists and neurologists. He 773 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:57,000 Speaker 2: hired a lawyer. The lawyer advised him to say that 774 00:35:57,080 --> 00:35:59,279 Speaker 2: he had recently had a tumor removed and maybe that 775 00:35:59,400 --> 00:36:01,640 Speaker 2: had an impact on his memory. Good, but like that 776 00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:02,240 Speaker 2: was recent. 777 00:36:02,400 --> 00:36:04,600 Speaker 3: Yeah, I think the doctors could probably backtrack and be like, 778 00:36:04,680 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 3: that wouldn't. 779 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:09,520 Speaker 2: Have been Yeah anyway, Fritz slash Baiter at one point 780 00:36:09,600 --> 00:36:12,160 Speaker 2: was put under hypnosis, but he was so worked up 781 00:36:12,239 --> 00:36:16,760 Speaker 2: that the investigators decided not to use sodium penthanol true ceremonial. 782 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:20,400 Speaker 2: So it was determined that there was quote no indication 783 00:36:20,520 --> 00:36:23,120 Speaker 2: that mister Johnson has any recollection of his life as 784 00:36:23,160 --> 00:36:26,480 Speaker 2: Larry Bater, nor did we find any neurotic or psychotic 785 00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:28,520 Speaker 2: tendencies to explain this loss of memory. 786 00:36:28,640 --> 00:36:30,680 Speaker 3: Hypnotism only works if you want it to work, right. 787 00:36:30,840 --> 00:36:33,600 Speaker 3: It's not something that like you can just automatically hypnotize 788 00:36:33,600 --> 00:36:36,239 Speaker 3: the person against their will. It's literally they hand their 789 00:36:36,280 --> 00:36:38,759 Speaker 3: will over to you exactly if you don't hand it over. 790 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:40,960 Speaker 2: And he I don't know what's going on with him, 791 00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:42,640 Speaker 2: but either way, so they figure out. 792 00:36:42,560 --> 00:36:44,320 Speaker 3: Helpful man, and I would I know that you couldn't 793 00:36:44,360 --> 00:36:46,400 Speaker 3: hyptize me unless I mean, honestly, people have tried to 794 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:47,759 Speaker 3: be like, it ain't gonna work. I don't believe in it. 795 00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:49,200 Speaker 3: Not that I don't believe it can happen. I believe 796 00:36:49,239 --> 00:36:51,239 Speaker 3: it can happen, and I believe that you can't hypnotize me. 797 00:36:51,520 --> 00:36:53,480 Speaker 3: And as long as I believe that it won't work, 798 00:36:53,560 --> 00:36:54,560 Speaker 3: I believe this dude. 799 00:36:56,400 --> 00:36:59,120 Speaker 2: Because they decided that there's nothing wrong with his brain. 800 00:36:59,239 --> 00:37:04,560 Speaker 2: There's nothing wrong with him psychologically, but he's just he 801 00:37:04,760 --> 00:37:08,480 Speaker 2: obviously doesn't remember this. They didn't charge him with fraud 802 00:37:08,640 --> 00:37:12,759 Speaker 2: or bigamy. Isn't that unreal? I mean I thinking too, 803 00:37:12,960 --> 00:37:15,879 Speaker 2: like the you know, getting the life insurance all paid 804 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:16,719 Speaker 2: the insurance. 805 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:18,680 Speaker 3: In the suit can't pay for milk, but the suitcase. 806 00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:22,960 Speaker 2: Yeah, so he had this doctor who said of his 807 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:26,240 Speaker 2: reinvention of a life quote, it could be a mixture 808 00:37:26,360 --> 00:37:31,920 Speaker 2: of some hysterical reaction or unconscious wish fulfillment. He remembered, give. 809 00:37:31,760 --> 00:37:33,959 Speaker 3: Me a I'm sorry, I was silently rolling my eyes 810 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:34,400 Speaker 3: over here. 811 00:37:35,320 --> 00:37:38,600 Speaker 2: Well, whether Bader had some medical condition or it was 812 00:37:38,719 --> 00:37:41,239 Speaker 2: just an amazing liar, people wanted their money back. 813 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:42,040 Speaker 3: I bet they did. 814 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:42,480 Speaker 4: So. 815 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:44,800 Speaker 2: There was Eddie's boat House, which wanted money for the 816 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:47,319 Speaker 2: damages incurred to the boat he rented seven years ago. 817 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:49,480 Speaker 3: I'll tell you one thing, a rental boat house is 818 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:51,120 Speaker 3: going to get it to money to get their money. 819 00:37:51,920 --> 00:37:54,400 Speaker 2: There was Social Security they wanted its two hundred and 820 00:37:54,440 --> 00:37:57,320 Speaker 2: fifty four dollars a month back. There was the insurance 821 00:37:57,400 --> 00:37:59,719 Speaker 2: company that paid out his quote widow to the tune 822 00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:01,040 Speaker 2: of them at forty thousand dollars. 823 00:38:01,120 --> 00:38:02,799 Speaker 3: Oh, another company's going to get his money back. 824 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:07,160 Speaker 2: And he had another inevitable the irs. He had unpaid taxes. 825 00:38:08,160 --> 00:38:11,440 Speaker 2: Then there was his marriage. Yeah, once his declaration of 826 00:38:11,520 --> 00:38:13,920 Speaker 2: death was reversed, he was once again married to Mary Lou. 827 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:19,480 Speaker 2: Sucks to be you, marylu All this so she started 828 00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 2: dating someone after he disappeared. She was a really strict Catholic, 829 00:38:23,440 --> 00:38:25,960 Speaker 2: she could only remarry as a widow, not a divorcee, 830 00:38:26,840 --> 00:38:29,000 Speaker 2: and that's why she had the whole declared dead thing. 831 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:32,439 Speaker 2: So she got remarried. She had just married her bow 832 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,919 Speaker 2: when bade her surface. I know. So now she's married 833 00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:37,440 Speaker 2: de Larry. 834 00:38:37,280 --> 00:38:39,080 Speaker 3: Again and now she's got to get it annulled or something. 835 00:38:39,680 --> 00:38:41,960 Speaker 2: So this is what she said to the Akron Beacon Journal. 836 00:38:42,160 --> 00:38:44,960 Speaker 2: The news was quote like shell shock and quote I 837 00:38:45,040 --> 00:38:46,879 Speaker 2: haven't been able to think clearly since then. 838 00:38:47,280 --> 00:38:49,440 Speaker 3: Yeah, she's the one who could have an actual reaction. 839 00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:53,920 Speaker 2: So she she's still married to Larry. Her her current 840 00:38:54,000 --> 00:38:57,080 Speaker 2: marriage is voided, and because she's Catholic, she can't get 841 00:38:57,120 --> 00:38:57,520 Speaker 2: a divorce. 842 00:38:57,920 --> 00:38:59,520 Speaker 3: Her husband's Catholic, so he may not be cool with 843 00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:00,399 Speaker 3: all this, right. 844 00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:06,000 Speaker 2: So she's poor Mary. Friends from Fritz's past life, as 845 00:39:06,120 --> 00:39:09,239 Speaker 2: Bader thought, maybe he just wanted like a change in 846 00:39:09,600 --> 00:39:14,239 Speaker 2: oh mah. His you know friends were TV personalities. The 847 00:39:14,239 --> 00:39:17,960 Speaker 2: friends of Fritz barflies, models, pr men, free spirits, right 848 00:39:18,040 --> 00:39:22,480 Speaker 2: and nonconformists. Back in Akron, his friends were ultra conservative, 849 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:25,920 Speaker 2: content conformists, except for when they watched him put the 850 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:29,520 Speaker 2: herd on an entire chicken. Can I circle back to 851 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:33,600 Speaker 2: that again, I'm still having problems with it. I've forgotten it, 852 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:37,480 Speaker 2: like it's the eating of the bones sticks in. It 853 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:39,319 Speaker 2: makes me think of a disobedient dog. 854 00:39:39,719 --> 00:39:42,880 Speaker 3: Okay, that's not what I picture, but go on, well anyway, no, 855 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:44,840 Speaker 3: how do you picture a disobedient It's like, you know, 856 00:39:44,960 --> 00:39:45,440 Speaker 3: we win, like. 857 00:39:45,560 --> 00:39:48,400 Speaker 2: Dogs grab food off accounter and then you can't get 858 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:49,880 Speaker 2: it away from him and they just start eating it. 859 00:39:50,200 --> 00:39:52,400 Speaker 2: You imagine he was eating Yeah, okay, he climbed up 860 00:39:52,440 --> 00:39:53,360 Speaker 2: onto a counter. 861 00:39:55,239 --> 00:39:55,479 Speaker 3: Chicken. 862 00:39:55,640 --> 00:39:57,200 Speaker 2: He's Fritzy the chicken appreciated. 863 00:39:57,200 --> 00:39:58,759 Speaker 3: He's running around the backyard eating it. 864 00:40:00,080 --> 00:40:03,640 Speaker 2: Chicken appreciator has entered the chat. A friend of his 865 00:40:03,920 --> 00:40:06,680 Speaker 2: was quoted as saying, in our group, if anyone had 866 00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:09,759 Speaker 2: done some of the things Fritz Johnson did, the flagpole, 867 00:40:09,920 --> 00:40:12,520 Speaker 2: the hearse, why no one would have even talked to you. 868 00:40:13,400 --> 00:40:15,160 Speaker 2: So those like the friends back home year. 869 00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:17,520 Speaker 3: I can. I get why he left. I get why 870 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:19,480 Speaker 3: he faked it, but I don't get why he tried 871 00:40:19,520 --> 00:40:21,640 Speaker 3: to pull the two dumb moves of being like I'm 872 00:40:21,680 --> 00:40:23,480 Speaker 3: not that guy to his own brothers, then being like 873 00:40:23,560 --> 00:40:26,080 Speaker 3: you don't believe me, fingers me right. 874 00:40:26,280 --> 00:40:28,400 Speaker 2: And I think that's actually kind of genius. Though, is 875 00:40:28,440 --> 00:40:30,279 Speaker 2: if you know your cop like fingerprint me, and then 876 00:40:30,280 --> 00:40:32,880 Speaker 2: you can be like something happen, I don't know, but 877 00:40:32,960 --> 00:40:34,520 Speaker 2: if you try and avoid it, then it's like you 878 00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:36,200 Speaker 2: have knowledge of the fact that you're lying. 879 00:40:36,360 --> 00:40:38,719 Speaker 3: Well, okay, you know the actor Richard Harris, Yes, okay, 880 00:40:38,800 --> 00:40:40,640 Speaker 3: So one time he's a known drinker and he was 881 00:40:40,640 --> 00:40:42,640 Speaker 3: at with Peter O'Toole and he went up on a 882 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:45,040 Speaker 3: bad bender, right, Like, he flew to a different country, 883 00:40:45,480 --> 00:40:47,920 Speaker 3: got drunk, stayed there for like a month. He's married, right, 884 00:40:48,480 --> 00:40:50,279 Speaker 3: his wife's worried to hell, doesn't know where he is. 885 00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:52,319 Speaker 3: He's not contacting her, right, doesn't say anything to her. 886 00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:54,120 Speaker 3: His wife bind you. By the way, his named Elizabeth 887 00:40:54,160 --> 00:40:56,279 Speaker 3: at this time, so poor Elizabeth is all worried about 888 00:40:56,320 --> 00:40:59,160 Speaker 3: Richard Harris. And then finally he decides it alsover after 889 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:01,160 Speaker 3: this month long drinking, like I'd have to go see 890 00:41:01,200 --> 00:41:04,359 Speaker 3: my rugby team, the type of bender. Right, gets back home, 891 00:41:04,680 --> 00:41:06,399 Speaker 3: knocks on the door. He does not know what he's 892 00:41:06,400 --> 00:41:07,759 Speaker 3: going to tell his wife that he's been gone for 893 00:41:07,880 --> 00:41:10,000 Speaker 3: a month, and so what does he do? Boom the 894 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:12,000 Speaker 3: door opens. She looks up at him with her like 895 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:15,440 Speaker 3: loving eyes but also terrified and somewhat angry and somewhat scared, 896 00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:17,480 Speaker 3: and just a mix of emotions. He looks down at her, 897 00:41:17,680 --> 00:41:20,480 Speaker 3: takes a moment and goes, why didn't you pay the ransom? 898 00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:24,680 Speaker 3: Oh my god, that's what he reminds me of. 899 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:29,080 Speaker 2: That's exactly That's just what he should have said. 900 00:41:29,400 --> 00:41:30,880 Speaker 3: That would have been the smart one. He's a professional, 901 00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:31,680 Speaker 3: he's an actor. 902 00:41:31,560 --> 00:41:34,040 Speaker 2: Hester towards the archery sales. 903 00:41:35,719 --> 00:41:35,919 Speaker 4: Yeah. 904 00:41:36,200 --> 00:41:40,759 Speaker 2: So another old neighbor of his said quote, Larry wanted 905 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:43,719 Speaker 2: to be a high liver and a swinger, but the 906 00:41:43,840 --> 00:41:46,520 Speaker 2: wife and kids and all the debts cramped his style. 907 00:41:46,920 --> 00:41:50,120 Speaker 2: Maybe he just packed up and took off. So, you know, 908 00:41:50,360 --> 00:41:52,719 Speaker 2: I think it's pretty much the old neighbors got it. 909 00:41:53,719 --> 00:41:56,520 Speaker 2: Bader kept his job with the TV station and he 910 00:41:56,600 --> 00:42:00,680 Speaker 2: began sending half of his paycheck to Mary Lou. Despite 911 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:03,880 Speaker 2: his marriage to Zimmer becoming Nolan void, she stayed and 912 00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:06,640 Speaker 2: said she would stay with him no matter what right, right, 913 00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:07,040 Speaker 2: or die? 914 00:42:07,360 --> 00:42:08,880 Speaker 3: Did marry Lu's husband stay? Do we know? 915 00:42:09,120 --> 00:42:11,960 Speaker 2: I don't know. Eventually, the TV station fired him and 916 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:14,239 Speaker 2: he got a new job working as a bartender again. 917 00:42:14,840 --> 00:42:16,839 Speaker 2: So he passed away at the age of thirty nine 918 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:22,040 Speaker 2: on September sixteenth, nineteen sixty six. H Well, his tumor resurface, 919 00:42:22,080 --> 00:42:24,200 Speaker 2: but this time in his liver. Oh so he had 920 00:42:24,239 --> 00:42:27,600 Speaker 2: a short time. He used every moment. Oh yeah, he 921 00:42:28,000 --> 00:42:30,480 Speaker 2: squeezed out all the life, he said, Johnson, you know 922 00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:33,440 Speaker 2: he Baterer refused to go to go back to being 923 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,000 Speaker 2: addressed as Baiter. He wanted to always be Johnson. He 924 00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:39,200 Speaker 2: was open and frank when speaking about the events that 925 00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:43,160 Speaker 2: occurred surrounding this revelation of being someone else, but he 926 00:42:43,440 --> 00:42:46,400 Speaker 2: absolutely refused to even make an attempt to recall his 927 00:42:46,560 --> 00:42:49,680 Speaker 2: past life. He said, quote, I'm very sorry, but my 928 00:42:49,800 --> 00:42:51,560 Speaker 2: doctors have warned me not to try and figure it 929 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:53,440 Speaker 2: out by myself. They say it might hurt me. 930 00:42:54,360 --> 00:42:57,959 Speaker 3: Wow, So like it caused like a psychic schism or something. 931 00:42:58,080 --> 00:43:00,359 Speaker 2: Yeah, but isn't that a great doctor's note that all 932 00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:01,120 Speaker 2: telling the truth. 933 00:43:01,719 --> 00:43:03,600 Speaker 3: I don't mean, I haven't I'm saw on the fence, 934 00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:06,320 Speaker 3: Like could it be that his mind? Actually? You know? 935 00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:08,280 Speaker 3: Did you know like if you go through enough trauma, 936 00:43:08,360 --> 00:43:11,080 Speaker 3: you'll have like these periods of people they cannot remember things. 937 00:43:11,920 --> 00:43:13,920 Speaker 3: Your brain will literally forget a thing to protect you. 938 00:43:14,000 --> 00:43:17,800 Speaker 3: So psychologically, he's correct that we know that that occurs 939 00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:20,480 Speaker 3: do you think that living in you know, in Ohio 940 00:43:20,680 --> 00:43:23,160 Speaker 3: was so bad for him that it was they reached 941 00:43:23,160 --> 00:43:25,320 Speaker 3: the level of trauma so that way he could actually, 942 00:43:25,760 --> 00:43:28,080 Speaker 3: as a married man, have like a blackout, create a 943 00:43:28,120 --> 00:43:30,200 Speaker 3: new life for himself, go do that, and then erase 944 00:43:30,280 --> 00:43:32,120 Speaker 3: his entire past just to protect himself. 945 00:43:32,160 --> 00:43:34,719 Speaker 2: I find that that's a lot of planning that tests. 946 00:43:34,560 --> 00:43:37,640 Speaker 3: My ability to believe that what the mind can forget 947 00:43:38,239 --> 00:43:38,919 Speaker 3: true true. 948 00:43:39,239 --> 00:43:41,879 Speaker 2: Because he had to keep the he went and paid 949 00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:42,760 Speaker 2: the life. 950 00:43:42,560 --> 00:43:43,960 Speaker 3: And show all this stuff is so wilful. 951 00:43:44,080 --> 00:43:46,880 Speaker 2: You got four kids and your milk delivery gets cut 952 00:43:46,920 --> 00:43:49,160 Speaker 2: off life insurance, That's what I'm saying. Then you go 953 00:43:49,239 --> 00:43:51,279 Speaker 2: and you rent a boat and everyone's telling you no, no, no. 954 00:43:51,600 --> 00:43:54,080 Speaker 3: Exactly everybody. And then also like the whole thing with 955 00:43:54,160 --> 00:43:56,239 Speaker 3: the suitcase and then the no no no. Those two 956 00:43:56,280 --> 00:43:57,880 Speaker 3: things together it's like, man. 957 00:43:57,800 --> 00:44:01,000 Speaker 2: Come on, yeah, he's not just cut I don't buy it. 958 00:44:01,239 --> 00:44:02,719 Speaker 3: I wanted to be who he is. I wanted to 959 00:44:02,760 --> 00:44:05,000 Speaker 3: have his life in Omaha. I wanted to go be free, willing, 960 00:44:05,200 --> 00:44:07,320 Speaker 3: pillow loving Larry. But at the same time, like you 961 00:44:07,400 --> 00:44:09,359 Speaker 3: got four kids, man, you got to like handle your 962 00:44:09,400 --> 00:44:10,080 Speaker 3: business too. 963 00:44:10,120 --> 00:44:14,440 Speaker 2: Exactly, So what's your ridiculous takeaway? Was that your ridiculous takeaway? 964 00:44:14,480 --> 00:44:16,839 Speaker 3: Oh, my ridiculous takeaways. I had no idea how swing 965 00:44:16,920 --> 00:44:19,400 Speaker 3: in Omaha was in the fifties. If you would have 966 00:44:19,680 --> 00:44:22,040 Speaker 3: gone to my head is there? Can you imagine this 967 00:44:22,120 --> 00:44:24,400 Speaker 3: party and Omaha, I'd be like, I guess you're ventilating 968 00:44:24,480 --> 00:44:25,880 Speaker 3: my head. No, I can't imagine that. 969 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:31,640 Speaker 5: It was shocking, dude. Honestly, I'm happy for them. The 970 00:44:31,760 --> 00:44:33,600 Speaker 5: parties that you see like in like you know, like 971 00:44:33,719 --> 00:44:36,440 Speaker 5: the fictitious like New York of the fifties and movies 972 00:44:36,560 --> 00:44:38,320 Speaker 5: like that. They would try to capture these bone vivone 973 00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:40,239 Speaker 5: kind of parties. Yeah, that's why I mentioned the whole 974 00:44:40,239 --> 00:44:42,160 Speaker 5: Irish poet like do you have best friends Irish posts. 975 00:44:42,160 --> 00:44:44,120 Speaker 3: I've seen these scenes play out in these movies. I 976 00:44:44,239 --> 00:44:46,719 Speaker 3: just never had them in Omaha and that they were real. 977 00:44:48,800 --> 00:44:51,760 Speaker 2: That's it for today. I'm gonna go eat a whole chicken. 978 00:44:52,440 --> 00:44:55,040 Speaker 2: You can find us online at ridiculous Crime dot com. 979 00:44:56,440 --> 00:44:59,280 Speaker 2: We're also at Ridiculous Crime on both Twitter and Instagram. 980 00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:02,080 Speaker 2: You can email at ridiculous Crime at gmail dot com. 981 00:45:02,239 --> 00:45:04,719 Speaker 2: You can download the iheartapp and leave a talk back 982 00:45:05,280 --> 00:45:08,680 Speaker 2: reach out baby tune in next Time My rud Dudes. 983 00:45:14,160 --> 00:45:17,000 Speaker 2: Ridiculous Crime is hosted by Elizabeth Dutton and Sarah Burnett, 984 00:45:17,160 --> 00:45:22,040 Speaker 2: produced and edited by Omaha's favorite drivetime radio personality, Dave Cousten. 985 00:45:22,320 --> 00:45:25,080 Speaker 2: Research is by host of MTV eight's Pimp My Hearst 986 00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:28,200 Speaker 2: Marissa Brown and nineteen fifty eight's Archer of the Year 987 00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:31,320 Speaker 2: Andrea Song Sharpened hear The theme song is by Opening 988 00:45:31,400 --> 00:45:34,879 Speaker 2: Shift bartender Thomas Lee and Wizened Lake Erie lighthouse Keeper 989 00:45:34,960 --> 00:45:39,600 Speaker 2: Travis Dutton. Executive producers are John Johnson, Ben Bollen, John Johnson, 990 00:45:39,880 --> 00:45:42,520 Speaker 2: John Johnson, Noel Brown, and John Johnson. 991 00:45:47,640 --> 00:45:53,000 Speaker 4: D Crime Say It One More Time Crime. 992 00:45:54,120 --> 00:45:57,480 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Crime is a production of iHeartRadio four more podcasts 993 00:45:57,600 --> 00:46:01,040 Speaker 1: my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, podcasts, or wherever 994 00:46:01,080 --> 00:46:02,520 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.