WEBVTT - A Grave Escape

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<v Speaker 1>This is our American Stories, and today we bring you

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<v Speaker 1>the story of Tom Ryan. And Tom is a ninety

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<v Speaker 1>five year old listener of our show in Los Angeles.

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<v Speaker 1>Tom had an unusual upbringing. He grew up on Long

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<v Speaker 1>Isle in New York, living behind a funeral parlor run

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<v Speaker 1>by his family. Here's Tom.

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<v Speaker 2>I was there on Saturday morning when the sheriff arrived

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<v Speaker 2>to talk to Grandma. It was the day after the

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<v Speaker 2>big snowstorm. My folks were away and I had stayed

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<v Speaker 2>with Grandma overnight. At age ten, I was too young

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<v Speaker 2>to stay home alone, but staying at Grandma's was not

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<v Speaker 2>too cool either, because you see, she ran a funeral home.

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<v Speaker 2>Sometimes there were dead bodies only a few steps from

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<v Speaker 2>the living room at the back of the house where

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<v Speaker 2>we watched TV. It was hard to get too relaxed

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<v Speaker 2>when I looked over at the dark doorway leading to

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<v Speaker 2>the bodies. That Friday night, there was a very old

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<v Speaker 2>lady being waked in one of the chapels, Missus Jackson,

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<v Speaker 2>a friend of Grandma's who had died of cancer. The

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<v Speaker 2>sheriff sat at the kitchen table with his notebook in

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<v Speaker 2>front of him. He asked Grandma if anything unusual that

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<v Speaker 2>happened the last night because they were searching for an

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<v Speaker 2>escaped convict from a prison two towns away. He is

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<v Speaker 2>a murderer and very dangerous. The sheriff said they were

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<v Speaker 2>setting up roadblocks to try to catch him. Grandma didn't

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<v Speaker 2>answer directly, but said, we have a few un going

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<v Speaker 2>out this morning, old missus Jackson. We had to put

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<v Speaker 2>her in a closed casket because the cancer was so bad.

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<v Speaker 2>Will the hears and a limos to be able to

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<v Speaker 2>get to the cemetery? Grandma asked yes. The sheriff replied,

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<v Speaker 2>the road is open to the cemetery. What about anything

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<v Speaker 2>happening last night? Grandma gave me a stern look that

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<v Speaker 2>he couldn't see and told him nothing had happened. It

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<v Speaker 2>was real quiet, she said. I didn't say a word,

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<v Speaker 2>but as soon as the sheriff left, I asked her

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<v Speaker 2>what was going on. It wasn't like Grandma to lie.

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<v Speaker 2>She just shook her head and started to cry. I

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<v Speaker 2>thought back about last night and remembered that shortly before dark,

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<v Speaker 2>Grandma kept walking out the side window on the driveway

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<v Speaker 2>every few minutes since she was expecting a delivery of

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<v Speaker 2>new casket. Suddenly, there were yellow headlights shining on the

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<v Speaker 2>snow outside the window, and a loud knocking came on

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<v Speaker 2>the side door where the caskets were brought in. Fred

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<v Speaker 2>the driver, shouted, I have to hurry before I get

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<v Speaker 2>snowed in. He had unloaded two caskets and started on

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<v Speaker 2>another one. Wait, Grandma said, I only ordered two, not three.

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<v Speaker 2>I have to leave this one too. Fred said, I'll

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<v Speaker 2>never get to the funeral home in the next town,

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<v Speaker 2>and I don't want to weight on my truck. Okay,

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<v Speaker 2>Grandma said, if it helps you out. After he was gone,

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<v Speaker 2>Grandma closed up tight. My folks were supposed to call

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<v Speaker 2>to see how things were, but the phone wasn't working.

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<v Speaker 2>The TV weather man said the lines were down all

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<v Speaker 2>over and roads were closed, so we were all by ourselves.

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<v Speaker 2>After a while, I stopped. I had to fall asleep,

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<v Speaker 2>and Grandma helped me upstairs and put me into a

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<v Speaker 2>soft feather bed. She left the door open a little

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<v Speaker 2>so some light came in. I remember that I fell asleep,

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<v Speaker 2>but woke up later when I thought I heard voices downstairs.

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<v Speaker 2>I had started to get out of bed, but it

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<v Speaker 2>was so cold I crawled back in the Next morning,

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<v Speaker 2>I asked Grandma about it, but she said I must

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<v Speaker 2>have dreamed it. Later in the morning, the men who

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<v Speaker 2>worked for Grandma came in and then loaded the casket

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<v Speaker 2>into the hearse. When my folks came to pick me up,

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<v Speaker 2>I saw Grandma holding onto my father's arm and talking

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<v Speaker 2>to him. I heard her say, I need your help.

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<v Speaker 2>She took him into the office and closed the door.

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<v Speaker 2>I thought I heard her crying. It was five years later,

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<v Speaker 2>when Grandma died that my folks told me the real

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<v Speaker 2>story of what had happened that Friday night. It seemed

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<v Speaker 2>that the voices I thought I had heard with those

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<v Speaker 2>of Grandma and the escaped convict. The caskets that were

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<v Speaker 2>delivered that night were made by prison labor, and the

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<v Speaker 2>convict with the nickname of Rabbit had hidden in one

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<v Speaker 2>of those empty caskets. When the delivery man had left,

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<v Speaker 2>Rabbit had opened the inside latch and let himself out

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<v Speaker 2>of the casket. He didn't know, however, that Grandma had

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<v Speaker 2>fallen asleep in her big chair in the living room,

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<v Speaker 2>and she woke up, startled and scared to see him

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<v Speaker 2>standing in the fireplace holding a large knife he had

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<v Speaker 2>taken from the embalming room, threatening her to silence by

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<v Speaker 2>holding the knife under her throat. He asked for car

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<v Speaker 2>keys and money, but Grandma didn't have a car and

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<v Speaker 2>didn't drive. When he realized that the storm had blocked

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<v Speaker 2>the roads and there was no phone service, he asked

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<v Speaker 2>Grandma when someone was coming with a car. She told

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<v Speaker 2>him that there was one funeral schedule for the next

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<v Speaker 2>morning if the roads were open and men coming with

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<v Speaker 2>a hearse and limiting. When he saw some of my

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<v Speaker 2>things on the couch and found out that I was upstairs,

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<v Speaker 2>Grandma pleaded with him to let me sleep. She would

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<v Speaker 2>help him get in the casket with Missus Jackson and

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<v Speaker 2>be taken away in the hearst the next morning to

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<v Speaker 2>the cemetery. He could then sneak out of the casket

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<v Speaker 2>when it was left in the cemetery storeroom for a

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<v Speaker 2>few minutes until the family arrived. Rabbit didn't like to

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<v Speaker 2>head deer at all, especially getting into the coffin with

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<v Speaker 2>a dead lady. He decided that they had no other choice,

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<v Speaker 2>but he made it very clear to Grandma that if

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<v Speaker 2>she was fooling him and he was caught, he would

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<v Speaker 2>escape again and kill not only her but also all

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<v Speaker 2>of her family. Grandma I was terrified by this evil man.

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<v Speaker 2>It was arrangedent early on Saturday morning, Rabbit would get

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<v Speaker 2>into the casket and then Grandma would close it and

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<v Speaker 2>letch it shut. He was very hesitant, especially when he

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<v Speaker 2>saw and smelled old Missus Jackson, but finally he climbed in,

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<v Speaker 2>holding his nose and threatening Grandma with a painful death

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<v Speaker 2>if things didn't work out. He also wanted Grandma to

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<v Speaker 2>get him some hot coffee in a thermos so they

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<v Speaker 2>could drink it when they got cold in the casket,

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<v Speaker 2>and she did so just before closing the lid. The

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<v Speaker 2>plan did work when the man came and took the

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<v Speaker 2>casket away and loaded it into the hearse Grandma hadn't

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<v Speaker 2>said anything about Rabbit being in the casket his private

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<v Speaker 2>meeting with Grandma. My Dad had immediately called the sheriff

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<v Speaker 2>and arranged to stop in and see him. The police

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<v Speaker 2>still hadn't found Rabbit, despite the roadbox and searches of

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<v Speaker 2>the nearby forests. They were mystified as to how he

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<v Speaker 2>could have disappeared so completely. Sheriff my Dad said, as

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<v Speaker 2>you know, this man was a murderer who would stop

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<v Speaker 2>at nothing to escape. He told the sheriff how Rabbit

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<v Speaker 2>had hidden in the casket at the prison and had

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<v Speaker 2>ended up in grandma's funeral home. He also explained how

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<v Speaker 2>Rabbit had threatened Grandma and her family, so she was

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<v Speaker 2>forced to help him escape in missus Jackson's casket. What,

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<v Speaker 2>said the sheriff, Why didn't she call me as soon

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<v Speaker 2>as he was in the casket? I could have nabbed

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<v Speaker 2>him right then and there. She was too scared, sheriff.

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<v Speaker 2>But my dad continued a little smile playing around his

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<v Speaker 2>lips and pride in his voice. She was also smart

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<v Speaker 2>enough to have slipped the large amount of sleeping pills

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<v Speaker 2>into the coffee she gave him the drink in the casket.

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<v Speaker 2>The sheriff thought for a moment and said, wait, if

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<v Speaker 2>rabbit drank that coffee, heck, he might have been buried

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<v Speaker 2>alive in the casket with missus Jackson. The sheriff almost

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<v Speaker 2>shouted as he got his phone out. We'll have to

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<v Speaker 2>dig up the casket immediately. If we find him in

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<v Speaker 2>the casket, I may have to take Grandma into custody.

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<v Speaker 2>She could be in a lot of trouble. Wait, my

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<v Speaker 2>dad said, wait a minute, sheriff, before you do anything. Wait, no, no,

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<v Speaker 2>we can't lose any more time. That man may still

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<v Speaker 2>be alive if there was enough air in the casket.

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<v Speaker 2>Maybe he is. The sheriff was now calling to his

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<v Speaker 2>assistance as he rose from his share, Get the car ready,

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<v Speaker 2>ready to roll, and call the coroner. No, sheriff, please listen,

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<v Speaker 2>my father replied, quietly, Sit down, and man, you see

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<v Speaker 2>there is no casket. No casket. The sheriff look confused.

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<v Speaker 2>Of course there was a casket. They had the funeral

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<v Speaker 2>and it was buried this morning. No, my father replied, quietly.

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<v Speaker 2>You see, Sheriff, missus Jackson's last wishes would actually be cremated.

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<v Speaker 1>My goodness, it does not get better than that. Folks,

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<v Speaker 1>Tom Ryan's story, his grandma's story, My goodness, poor rabbit story.

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<v Speaker 1>Here on our American story