1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,240 Speaker 1: Hey there, history fans. We're off through the end of November, 2 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 1: but we've got plenty of classic shows to tide you over. 3 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,879 Speaker 2: Hey, y'all, I'm Eves and welcome to this day in 4 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:14,520 Speaker 2: History class, where we uncover a new layer of history 5 00:00:14,600 --> 00:00:27,840 Speaker 2: every day. The day was November twenty seventh, eighteen ten. 6 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,879 Speaker 2: English writer Theodore Hook sent hundreds of service providers and 7 00:00:32,960 --> 00:00:37,120 Speaker 2: products to number fifty four Berner Street in London as 8 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 2: a prank. Fifty four Berner Street was located in a 9 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:42,960 Speaker 2: wealthy part of London. It was the home of a 10 00:00:42,960 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 2: woman referred to as Miss Tottenham, who herself was wealthy 11 00:00:46,400 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 2: and lived near a bunch of influential people. At about 12 00:00:49,880 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 2: five in the morning, a chimney sweep arrived at number 13 00:00:52,680 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 2: fifty four, saying that he had been called to the address. 14 00:00:56,440 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 2: The maid who answered the door told the chimney sweep 15 00:00:59,080 --> 00:01:01,960 Speaker 2: that no chimney sweep was needed there and turned him away. 16 00:01:03,240 --> 00:01:06,120 Speaker 2: But soon after another jimney sweep showed up at the 17 00:01:06,120 --> 00:01:10,039 Speaker 2: house saying that he had also been called there. She 18 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 2: sent him away too, But people kept showing up at 19 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:17,480 Speaker 2: Miss Tottenham's doorsteps, claiming their services had been ordered, and 20 00:01:17,520 --> 00:01:20,920 Speaker 2: they came with all kinds of goods. There were cake 21 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:26,760 Speaker 2: makers carrying wedding cakes, doctors, apothecaries, surgeons, lawyers and vicars, 22 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,600 Speaker 2: and priests who had been told that someone inside the 23 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:34,400 Speaker 2: house was dying. Six men delivered an organ, butchers came 24 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,360 Speaker 2: with legs of mutton. Fishmongers, boot makers and hat makers 25 00:01:38,440 --> 00:01:42,199 Speaker 2: showed up. Pianos and coal wagons were delivered to the house. 26 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 2: The Lord Mayor of London even showed up at number 27 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 2: fifty four with a couple of his servants, saying that 28 00:01:48,480 --> 00:01:51,320 Speaker 2: Missus Tottenham had written saying she was sick and would 29 00:01:51,360 --> 00:01:55,080 Speaker 2: appreciate his visit. Other big names showed up to enjoy 30 00:01:55,120 --> 00:01:57,720 Speaker 2: the spectacle, like the Governor of the Bank of England, 31 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:01,200 Speaker 2: the chairman of the East India Company, and the Duke 32 00:02:01,280 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 2: of Gloucester and more. Random tradespeople were making an appearance 33 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 2: at the house. There were artists, auctioneers, grocers, barbers with whigs, 34 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 2: and an undertaker with a coffin. A crowd gathered in 35 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:18,000 Speaker 2: the area to watch all the commotion. The police blocked 36 00:02:18,040 --> 00:02:20,120 Speaker 2: off the street, but it took a while for the 37 00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,720 Speaker 2: crowd to thin out. Many newspapers reported on the incident. 38 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 2: The morning posts even included some of the letters sent 39 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:31,200 Speaker 2: in the name of Miss Tottenham. One read Miss Tottenham 40 00:02:31,240 --> 00:02:34,360 Speaker 2: requests mister Blank will call upon her at two tomorrow 41 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 2: as she wishes to consult him about the sale of 42 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:41,680 Speaker 2: an estate fifty four Berner Street, Monday. At that point, 43 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:44,280 Speaker 2: the perpetrator of the hoax was a mystery, and the 44 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,480 Speaker 2: police offered a reward for finding them. But within a 45 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 2: couple of years, Theodora Hooke, known for his jokes, had 46 00:02:50,960 --> 00:02:54,960 Speaker 2: emerged as a suspect. Later accounts of the debacles said 47 00:02:54,960 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 2: that Hook and a couple of his friends had spent 48 00:02:57,680 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 2: weeks writing anywhere between one thousand and four thousand letters 49 00:03:01,200 --> 00:03:04,040 Speaker 2: to people asking them to show up at number fifty 50 00:03:04,080 --> 00:03:07,799 Speaker 2: four on that day. It's not completely clear why Hook 51 00:03:07,880 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 2: singled out Miss Tottenham. Some said it was a bet 52 00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,760 Speaker 2: between him and a friend, perhaps the architect Samuel Beasley, 53 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,680 Speaker 2: to make the house the most famous one in London. 54 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 2: It could have been just for fun, as other hoaxers 55 00:03:20,720 --> 00:03:24,960 Speaker 2: have pulled similar stunts before. Either way, no criminal charges 56 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:27,639 Speaker 2: were brought against Hook, and the story of the hoax 57 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:32,079 Speaker 2: lived on in popular culture. I'm Eaves Chefcote and hopefully 58 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:34,440 Speaker 2: you know a little more about history today than you 59 00:03:34,480 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 2: did yesterday. Thank you for listening to today's episode. We'll 60 00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:43,119 Speaker 2: see you again tomorrow with another one. 61 00:03:44,760 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to This Day in History Class, a 62 00:03:48,520 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: show that pays tribute to people of the past by 63 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:57,280 Speaker 1: telling their stories. Today I'm Gabe Lucier, and in this episode, 64 00:03:57,520 --> 00:04:00,680 Speaker 1: we're reflecting on one of the great shames of American 65 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: military history, the time when a group of soldiers made 66 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:13,840 Speaker 1: no distinction between friend and foe. The day was November 67 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: twenty seventh, eighteen sixty eight. At dawn, Lieutenant Colonel George 68 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: Armstrong Custer led a surprise attack on a peaceful Cheyenne 69 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: village along the banks of the Washataw River in what 70 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: is now Oklahoma. Heralded as the first notable victory of 71 00:04:33,120 --> 00:04:37,000 Speaker 1: the American Indian Wars, the so called Battle of the 72 00:04:37,120 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: Washata would be more accurately described as a massacre. If 73 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:46,160 Speaker 1: Custer and his troops had bothered to do any reconnaissance, 74 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,160 Speaker 1: they would have found that the village was on reservation 75 00:04:49,440 --> 00:04:53,159 Speaker 1: soil and that the inhabitants were not hostile. There was 76 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:56,920 Speaker 1: even a white flag flying above the dwellings, a sign 77 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 1: that the tribe was not inclined or prepared to fight. 78 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,400 Speaker 1: The roots of the massacre can be traced back to 79 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:08,360 Speaker 1: just after the Civil War, when white settlers headed west 80 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:13,680 Speaker 1: and began forcing Native American tribes onto reservations. Many of 81 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: the Great Plains tribes fought back against the encroaching settlers 82 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:22,839 Speaker 1: by attacking wagon trains as well as isolated farms and homesteads. 83 00:05:23,720 --> 00:05:27,599 Speaker 1: In October eighteen sixty seven, the U. S. Army tried 84 00:05:27,640 --> 00:05:30,440 Speaker 1: to put an end to the raids by negotiating peace 85 00:05:30,560 --> 00:05:35,440 Speaker 1: with several Native American chiefs from the Cheyenne and Arapaho nations. 86 00:05:36,160 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: As part of the proposed Medicine Lodge Treaty, the various 87 00:05:40,279 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: tribes would be provided with food and equipment and would 88 00:05:43,560 --> 00:05:47,440 Speaker 1: be relocated to reservations and what was called the Indian 89 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: Territory now the state of Oklahoma. One of the Cheyenne 90 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:55,679 Speaker 1: chiefs present at the meeting was Black Kettle, a peace 91 00:05:55,720 --> 00:05:58,240 Speaker 1: inclined elder who had led a group of about two 92 00:05:58,360 --> 00:06:02,680 Speaker 1: hundred and fifty people. Black Kettle's village had been attacked 93 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: by the U. S. Army before, and he believed the 94 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,640 Speaker 1: Cheyenne did not have the numbers or the fire power 95 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,680 Speaker 1: to stand up to them for long. He signed the 96 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,640 Speaker 1: treaty and agreed to move his people to a reservation 97 00:06:15,000 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: on the Washita River in what is now western Oklahoma. 98 00:06:19,400 --> 00:06:24,080 Speaker 1: Several other Cheyenne chiefs refused to sign and continued raiding 99 00:06:24,120 --> 00:06:27,919 Speaker 1: White settlements well into the next year. This put Black 100 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: Kettle in a tough spot, trying to live in peace 101 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:35,680 Speaker 1: while American forces and other Cheyenne tribes waged war all 102 00:06:35,720 --> 00:06:41,039 Speaker 1: around him. Finally, on November twentieth, eighteen sixty eight, Black 103 00:06:41,120 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: Kettle paid a visit to the American commander at nearby 104 00:06:44,520 --> 00:06:48,360 Speaker 1: Fort Cobb. He was concerned his village might be caught 105 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:51,039 Speaker 1: in the cross fire and requested that the U. S. 106 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:55,039 Speaker 1: Army stationed troops to protect them, but the chief left 107 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,960 Speaker 1: empty handed that day after being told that only General 108 00:06:59,040 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: Phillips Sheridan could grant that kind of protection, and he 109 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: wasn't there. When Black Kettle arrived back at his village 110 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,720 Speaker 1: four days later, he did what he could to make 111 00:07:09,760 --> 00:07:12,160 Speaker 1: it clear that he and his people weren't part of 112 00:07:12,200 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 1: the fighting. He flew a white flag from the top 113 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: of his dwelling and made plans to try to meet 114 00:07:18,520 --> 00:07:22,960 Speaker 1: with General Sheridan in the coming days. However, unbeknownst to 115 00:07:23,040 --> 00:07:27,520 Speaker 1: Black Kettle, General Sheridan had already sent troops into that 116 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:30,960 Speaker 1: part of the Indian territory, not to protect the people 117 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 1: on the reservations, but to attack the hostile native forces 118 00:07:35,120 --> 00:07:39,440 Speaker 1: who also lived in the region. Sheridan ordered his troops 119 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:44,480 Speaker 1: quote to destroy villages and ponies, to kill or hang 120 00:07:44,640 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 1: all warriors, and to bring back all women and children's survivors. 121 00:07:50,600 --> 00:07:54,800 Speaker 1: He made sure his soldiers understood that cruelty was the point, 122 00:07:55,240 --> 00:07:59,320 Speaker 1: adding that he wanted quote all segments of Indian society 123 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:03,120 Speaker 1: to expel experience the horrors of war as fully as 124 00:08:03,160 --> 00:08:07,200 Speaker 1: the warriors. The first group of soldiers to reach the 125 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: Indian territory was the US seventh Cavalry led by George Custer. 126 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: On November twenty sixth, his scouts came across Black Kettle's village. 127 00:08:18,080 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: They reported the findings to Custer, and he immediately ordered 128 00:08:21,640 --> 00:08:25,520 Speaker 1: an attack the next morning. It's unclear whether he and 129 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: his troops knew the village wasn't hostile and chose to 130 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,400 Speaker 1: attack anyway, or if they just didn't care enough to 131 00:08:32,480 --> 00:08:35,600 Speaker 1: check in the first place. What we do know is 132 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: the Custer chose to attack unprovoked while most of the 133 00:08:39,480 --> 00:08:43,760 Speaker 1: village was sleeping. He offered no warning to the inhabitants 134 00:08:43,960 --> 00:08:48,559 Speaker 1: and made no offer of peace prior to opening fire. Instead, 135 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,640 Speaker 1: at dawn on the twenty seventh, Custer divided his seven 136 00:08:52,720 --> 00:08:56,959 Speaker 1: hundred troops into two units and began the attack. The 137 00:08:57,000 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 1: first group of soldiers was sent to the far side 138 00:08:59,720 --> 00:09:02,480 Speaker 1: of the village in order to lure all the armed 139 00:09:02,520 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 1: warriors to one position. Custer then led the remaining soldiers 140 00:09:07,240 --> 00:09:10,200 Speaker 1: to the opposite end of the village, which was unguarded. 141 00:09:10,880 --> 00:09:15,400 Speaker 1: After just fifteen minutes, the fighting, such as it was, 142 00:09:15,400 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 1: was over. According to Custer, he and his men killed 143 00:09:19,679 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: over one hundred Cheyenne warriors, though other accounts report losses 144 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:27,839 Speaker 1: ranging from thirty to one hundred and fifty, with many 145 00:09:27,880 --> 00:09:32,960 Speaker 1: casualties being women, children, and elders, including Black Kettle and 146 00:09:33,000 --> 00:09:37,160 Speaker 1: his wife. An additional fifty or so women and children 147 00:09:37,240 --> 00:09:41,320 Speaker 1: were taken prisoner, and roughly eight hundred horses and mules 148 00:09:41,400 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: were killed. Custer also burned all the dwellings and the 149 00:09:46,160 --> 00:09:49,720 Speaker 1: village food supply to ensure the village no longer posed 150 00:09:49,720 --> 00:09:52,960 Speaker 1: a threat, though of course it never had in the 151 00:09:52,960 --> 00:09:58,120 Speaker 1: first place. Custer's attack along with the rest of Sheridan's campaign, 152 00:09:58,640 --> 00:10:02,559 Speaker 1: shook the confidence of the w warring Cheyenne tribes. Their 153 00:10:02,720 --> 00:10:06,040 Speaker 1: armed resistance soon came to an end, and they gradually 154 00:10:06,120 --> 00:10:11,000 Speaker 1: moved to the reservations. As for Custer, his hollow victory 155 00:10:11,200 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 1: won him acclaim among the undiscerning, ensuring that he wouldn't 156 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:19,120 Speaker 1: learn anything from what had happened. Eight years later, in 157 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:23,440 Speaker 1: eighteen seventy six, Custer's recklessness caught up with him at 158 00:10:23,480 --> 00:10:26,800 Speaker 1: the famous Battle of the Little Big Horn. Once again, 159 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,440 Speaker 1: he charged into a Native American camp without checking to 160 00:10:30,480 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: see who exactly he was fighting. This time, he found 161 00:10:34,559 --> 00:10:39,319 Speaker 1: himself vastly outnumbered and was killed on the battlefield. At 162 00:10:39,360 --> 00:10:43,600 Speaker 1: the time, the quote unquote Battle of the Washita was 163 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: viewed by many as a great American victory, but the 164 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: civil servants of the Indian Bureau saw through the patriotic spin. 165 00:10:52,280 --> 00:10:56,320 Speaker 1: Even then, they called it a quote massacre of the 166 00:10:56,360 --> 00:11:02,440 Speaker 1: innocent and cold blooded butchery. Even today, the Cheyenne people 167 00:11:02,559 --> 00:11:06,200 Speaker 1: continue to campaign for the battle to be called what 168 00:11:06,240 --> 00:11:12,720 Speaker 1: it really was, the massacre of Washitaw River. I'm Gabeluesier, 169 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: and hopefully you now know a little more about history 170 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:19,760 Speaker 1: today than you did yesterday. If you'd like to keep 171 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:22,959 Speaker 1: up with the show, you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, 172 00:11:23,040 --> 00:11:27,720 Speaker 1: and Instagram at TDI HC Show, and if you have 173 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: any comments or suggestions, you can send them my way 174 00:11:30,960 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 1: at this Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler 175 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:38,640 Speaker 1: Mays for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 176 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:42,080 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another day 177 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 1: in History class. 178 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:56,640 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 179 00:11:56,720 --> 00:11:58,440 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.