1 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: Diversion audio. In October of nineteen oh two, Missus doctor 2 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:25,040 Speaker 1: Cassie Chadwick was in her suite at the Fifth Avenue Hotel. 3 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:29,319 Speaker 1: It was just a short stay before she made the 4 00:00:29,360 --> 00:00:32,520 Speaker 1: trip across the Atlantic to tend to her husband, doctor 5 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: Leroy Chadwick. He was convalescing from Roman fever in Europe. 6 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: Cassie was resting in the parlor, wrapped in a silk 7 00:00:41,800 --> 00:00:45,680 Speaker 1: kimono when her maiden knocked. There was a man at 8 00:00:45,680 --> 00:00:49,640 Speaker 1: the door who demanded to speak to her. She handed 9 00:00:49,680 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 1: Cassie his calling card. It read w. H. Theobald, United 10 00:00:55,440 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 1: States Treasury Department, Custom House, New York, a customs agent 11 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:09,160 Speaker 1: here for her at the finest hotel in New York City, 12 00:01:09,440 --> 00:01:13,760 Speaker 1: just as she was about to leave the country. Well, 13 00:01:13,959 --> 00:01:17,399 Speaker 1: whoever he thought he was, he had to know that 14 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:22,640 Speaker 1: calling on a woman unannounced was bad manners. She came 15 00:01:22,680 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: to the cracked door and jerked it open. She opened 16 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: the conversation by saying, how dare you intrude upon my 17 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 1: privacy without being announced? He reacted just as she wanted. 18 00:01:35,959 --> 00:01:40,399 Speaker 1: He was shocked, and then William Theobald regained his composure. 19 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 1: He was here to retrieve the necklace that she smuggled 20 00:01:44,440 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: into the country on June seventeenth, nineteen oh two. She 21 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:53,760 Speaker 1: knew the one, a delicate Art Nouveau piece with diamonds 22 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: and rubies. But Cassie scoffed at him. She said she 23 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:01,760 Speaker 1: didn't know what he was talking about. She hadn't smuggled 24 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,080 Speaker 1: any necklace, and she wasn't giving him anything. She went 25 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:09,680 Speaker 1: on to say she'd have him arrested. She didn't know 26 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:14,720 Speaker 1: who he really was, and besides, to seize property, well, 27 00:02:14,760 --> 00:02:17,240 Speaker 1: he would need a warrant for that. Did he have 28 00:02:17,320 --> 00:02:22,080 Speaker 1: a warrant? Could she see it? William was kind of impressed. 29 00:02:23,200 --> 00:02:27,080 Speaker 1: Usually people caved when a federal officer came to call, 30 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:34,440 Speaker 1: especially women, especially rich women. This Cassie Chadwick was holding 31 00:02:34,440 --> 00:02:37,839 Speaker 1: her own. William said that if she didn't fork over 32 00:02:37,880 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: the necklace, he'd get a warrant, and he'd park his 33 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 1: ass right outside her hotel room in the corridor for 34 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: everyone to see until the warrant arrived the next morning. 35 00:02:49,440 --> 00:02:53,600 Speaker 1: Cassie couldn't have that a federal agent stalking her could 36 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:57,440 Speaker 1: kill her reputation, so she conceded that she knew what 37 00:02:57,600 --> 00:03:00,920 Speaker 1: necklace he meant, even though she did and owe duties 38 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:04,720 Speaker 1: on it. Obviously, she didn't have that fantastic piece of 39 00:03:04,800 --> 00:03:08,240 Speaker 1: jewelry on her person at the moment, so she couldn't 40 00:03:08,240 --> 00:03:10,280 Speaker 1: give it to him then, even if she wanted to. 41 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:16,000 Speaker 1: That piece was in a safety deposit box downtown. If 42 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,079 Speaker 1: William really wanted to see that piece of her collection, 43 00:03:19,880 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 1: she could meet him at the Collector of Customs office 44 00:03:22,560 --> 00:03:26,560 Speaker 1: the following morning, assuming he could get a warrant by then, 45 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,799 Speaker 1: she would temporarily surrender the necklace for him to investigate. 46 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: William left in a huff, irritated that she'd known her 47 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,200 Speaker 1: rights and exercised them. Even when she surrendered the necklace, 48 00:03:39,920 --> 00:04:01,200 Speaker 1: he would still feel like Cassie Chadwick had won. Welcome 49 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: to the greatest true crime stories ever told. I'm Mary 50 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:10,120 Speaker 1: Kay mcbraer. Today's episode we're calling the Great Conwoman of 51 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:14,000 Speaker 1: the Gilded Age. It's part one of a two part 52 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:17,320 Speaker 1: series about the story of a woman who wanted into 53 00:04:17,360 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: East Coast high society and got there. I grew up 54 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:52,359 Speaker 1: middle class, so it took me until fairly recently, after 55 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:57,480 Speaker 1: pouring over hundreds of episodes of financial podcasts, to finally 56 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:00,520 Speaker 1: realize if you have enough money to begin with you 57 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,320 Speaker 1: can live straight off dividends and then theoretically you just cruise. 58 00:05:06,080 --> 00:05:09,080 Speaker 1: The best illustration I have of this in popular culture 59 00:05:09,720 --> 00:05:13,960 Speaker 1: is The Adult Kids on Succession. If you're not familiar 60 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:17,480 Speaker 1: with that show in broad strokes, it features a Scottish 61 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:23,440 Speaker 1: immigrant patriarch who bootstrapped himself into huge media conglomerate success 62 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,720 Speaker 1: and now has more money than God. Logan Roy's four 63 00:05:27,839 --> 00:05:34,320 Speaker 1: kids are, though, as he says, not serious people. It 64 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:37,520 Speaker 1: sounds cruel for a father to say that, but any 65 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,160 Speaker 1: regular non blue blood watching the show would have burst 66 00:05:41,160 --> 00:05:45,680 Speaker 1: out laughing with me, because he's exactly right. They're completely 67 00:05:45,720 --> 00:05:48,479 Speaker 1: out of touch with reality and they've never done a 68 00:05:48,480 --> 00:05:52,159 Speaker 1: lick of work in their lives. Money is an abstract 69 00:05:52,240 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 1: concept to them. People don't matter. The whole family is decadent, 70 00:05:59,160 --> 00:06:03,040 Speaker 1: and that's the type of rich that Cassie Chadwick wanted 71 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:07,479 Speaker 1: to get to. By the way, if you've watched Julian 72 00:06:07,520 --> 00:06:11,359 Speaker 1: Fellow's HBO show The Gilded Age, you might already be 73 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:15,280 Speaker 1: a little familiar with a fictionalized version of this story. 74 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:19,920 Speaker 1: Remember the character of the heiress Maud Beaten. That character 75 00:06:20,200 --> 00:06:24,960 Speaker 1: was inspired by Cassie Chadwick and Honestly, the source material 76 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: is just as interesting, if not more so, than the 77 00:06:27,800 --> 00:06:31,239 Speaker 1: dramatized version. I want to take a second to cite 78 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 1: our main source for this article, Annie Reid's book The 79 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:40,599 Speaker 1: Impostor Airess Cassie Chadwick, The Greatest Grifter of the Gilded Age. 80 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: There are a lot more details about how Cassie got 81 00:06:43,839 --> 00:06:46,479 Speaker 1: to be so rich in that book. So if you 82 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: like what you hear here, and I think you will, 83 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: you might want to check out Impostor Airas and we 84 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:55,279 Speaker 1: will link to the book in the show notes. And 85 00:06:55,880 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: at the end of part two, I get to interview 86 00:06:58,440 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: the author, Anny Reid, all about her process of writing 87 00:07:01,680 --> 00:07:04,480 Speaker 1: the book and just how difficult it was to track 88 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:07,840 Speaker 1: down a woman who didn't want her name known over 89 00:07:07,880 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 1: a century ago. Elizabeth Betty Bigley, that was her original name. 90 00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:18,080 Speaker 1: She started off as a farmer's daughter in Ontario, Canada. 91 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:24,800 Speaker 1: She was the fifth of eight children. She wasn't especially pretty, 92 00:07:24,880 --> 00:07:27,240 Speaker 1: and when she was a kid she lost hearing in 93 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: one ear, so she spoke with a lisp, and her 94 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: classmates loved to pick on her for that. But Betty 95 00:07:34,520 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: had big dreams and she had a plan to get there. 96 00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,640 Speaker 1: She ventured into her first con when she was just 97 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:55,120 Speaker 1: thirteen years old. Let's talk about promisory notes. It's relevant, 98 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,280 Speaker 1: I promise if you're like I was until I started 99 00:07:59,320 --> 00:08:02,600 Speaker 1: researching for the episode, you might have heard that term 100 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 1: and equated it with a money thing. That's about all 101 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: I knew. I knew I needed one for a mortgage, 102 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:14,840 Speaker 1: and although I understood how to get one, I wasn't 103 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:20,440 Speaker 1: super clear on how it manifested. Now I know that 104 00:08:20,560 --> 00:08:25,559 Speaker 1: promissory notes are basically statements of loans. Chase Bank says 105 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:29,920 Speaker 1: that currently promissory notes are agreements that include terms like 106 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:34,600 Speaker 1: the amount you owe, your interest rate, your payment schedule, 107 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:38,280 Speaker 1: the total amount you will pay, the length of your 108 00:08:38,280 --> 00:08:42,079 Speaker 1: repayment schedule, if and how the payments will change as 109 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:46,000 Speaker 1: time goes on, and where your payments should be sent. 110 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:50,120 Speaker 1: In the case of a personal loan, which is more 111 00:08:50,120 --> 00:08:54,120 Speaker 1: relevant to this story, the note will also include a 112 00:08:54,200 --> 00:08:57,920 Speaker 1: signature from the person lending the money. It was a 113 00:08:57,960 --> 00:09:02,600 Speaker 1: sort of assurance. So, for instance, if a person came 114 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:05,760 Speaker 1: into your store and wanted to buy groceries on credit, 115 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:10,880 Speaker 1: they'd show you this paper. That's because you, an astute 116 00:09:11,080 --> 00:09:15,200 Speaker 1: store owner, would not let just anyone buy on credit, 117 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,199 Speaker 1: so you would give the note a lookover. And more 118 00:09:19,240 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 1: important than any of the information I just said, was 119 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:27,520 Speaker 1: that signature. Depending on the reliability of the person who 120 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:31,439 Speaker 1: loaned your customer the money, you would consider running a 121 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,680 Speaker 1: tab for them, because if the guy standing in front 122 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:37,439 Speaker 1: of you didn't pay you, the loaner was good for it. 123 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,640 Speaker 1: I'm so grateful for credit cards, man, I mean, imagine 124 00:09:41,679 --> 00:09:44,800 Speaker 1: having to keep that form on your person and present 125 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:49,080 Speaker 1: it anytime you wanted to buy something super inconvenient. Plus, 126 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: what if the shop owner wasn't familiar with that name? 127 00:09:52,040 --> 00:09:54,760 Speaker 1: What if he turned you down? What then? It's not 128 00:09:54,800 --> 00:09:56,800 Speaker 1: like you could just pull a different card out of 129 00:09:56,800 --> 00:10:08,480 Speaker 1: your pocket. Probably Betty, whom I'm now going to reference 130 00:10:08,520 --> 00:10:11,320 Speaker 1: as Cassie just to ease the telling of the story, 131 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 1: even though Cassie wasn't what she went by yet. Cassie 132 00:10:15,040 --> 00:10:18,680 Speaker 1: learned about these notes as an adolescent, and she also 133 00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:22,679 Speaker 1: learned that the best way to get money is to 134 00:10:22,720 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: convince people you already have a lot of it. Cassie 135 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:30,599 Speaker 1: wrote a letter declaring herself an inheritor of a mysterious 136 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:36,320 Speaker 1: uncle who had died. That uncle did not exist, but 137 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,000 Speaker 1: she took it to the local bank, and it turns 138 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: out she had created a good enough forgery to fool them. 139 00:10:43,520 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: Cassie asked for checks so that she could use the 140 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 1: money before it sort of hit her account, and she 141 00:10:51,160 --> 00:10:55,720 Speaker 1: got them. The banker signed off on her checks, so 142 00:10:55,840 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: basically the checks were real, but the accounts were fake. 143 00:11:00,720 --> 00:11:03,880 Speaker 1: So when she wanted to buy something, she bypassed that 144 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:09,200 Speaker 1: promissory note situation and wrote a personal check. Store owners 145 00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:11,599 Speaker 1: would have been pretty familiar with checks, so there was 146 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:15,559 Speaker 1: a lot less risk for her. I need to take 147 00:11:15,600 --> 00:11:20,680 Speaker 1: a second to remind y'all, she's thirteen years old, tricking 148 00:11:20,720 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: bankers who had been banking their whole lives. If that 149 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:28,080 Speaker 1: was my daughter, I wouldn't know whether to be super 150 00:11:28,240 --> 00:11:32,040 Speaker 1: upset at her lack of integrity or very impressed at 151 00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 1: her ingenuity. The bank was upset, understandably. After just a 152 00:11:47,120 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: few months, Cassie got arrested and they warned her to 153 00:11:50,320 --> 00:11:55,040 Speaker 1: never do it again. What Cassie heard was this way 154 00:11:55,559 --> 00:11:58,800 Speaker 1: won't work again, so she took stock of the situation. 155 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:04,440 Speaker 1: Why had she failed, Well, she'd been faking her identity 156 00:12:04,480 --> 00:12:07,360 Speaker 1: as an heiress in her hometown, which was full of 157 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:10,560 Speaker 1: people who knew her and had known her family since 158 00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 1: before she was born. People knew she was the fifth child, 159 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:19,199 Speaker 1: and they knew her siblings weren't heirs. It was your 160 00:12:19,240 --> 00:12:24,600 Speaker 1: simple big fish, small pond scenario. She was simply too 161 00:12:24,679 --> 00:12:29,520 Speaker 1: recognizable there. Plus, she'd put all her eggs in one basket. 162 00:12:30,280 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 1: When that one bank learned her one benefactor was fake, 163 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 1: the con collapsed. She'd have to go around Lake Erie 164 00:12:39,240 --> 00:12:41,480 Speaker 1: to meet some new people for a scheme like this 165 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: to work again, and of course, diversify, So that's what 166 00:12:46,559 --> 00:13:04,439 Speaker 1: she did. Cassie learned from her failure. At thirteen years old, 167 00:13:05,360 --> 00:13:07,680 Speaker 1: she once tried to dress as a man to pawn 168 00:13:07,679 --> 00:13:10,400 Speaker 1: a gold watch, and she had deduced that it was 169 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: easier for men to acquire money than women. But that 170 00:13:13,440 --> 00:13:16,560 Speaker 1: didn't work either. She was immediately bounced from the shop. 171 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,199 Speaker 1: She realized that her first idea had been a good foundation, 172 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:26,000 Speaker 1: so she revisited that. At twenty two, she walked into 173 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,760 Speaker 1: a drag goods store, made her selections, and at the counter, 174 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:34,679 Speaker 1: she showed the cashier a small card. Cassie got printed 175 00:13:34,720 --> 00:13:39,400 Speaker 1: cards made that announced her as Miss Bigley, heiress to 176 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 1: eighteen thousand dollars. She explained to the store proprietor that 177 00:13:44,280 --> 00:13:48,000 Speaker 1: her relative had recently died and the funds were temporarily 178 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:53,120 Speaker 1: tied up in legalities. Then she produced a promissory note. 179 00:13:53,280 --> 00:13:56,440 Speaker 1: It was signed by a farmer in Brantford. Could she 180 00:13:56,480 --> 00:14:01,600 Speaker 1: pay with this? It worked, Even though the checks seemed 181 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:05,199 Speaker 1: a little more secure, Promissory notes worked better for her, 182 00:14:05,679 --> 00:14:09,680 Speaker 1: at least back then, because they sweetened the pot. Not 183 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:13,600 Speaker 1: only would the proprietor receive payment for what he was owed, 184 00:14:14,600 --> 00:14:18,360 Speaker 1: but he'd get that interest percentage as well. So she 185 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:22,600 Speaker 1: also learned that the greed of other people could play 186 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:26,320 Speaker 1: out in her favor too. Cassie also ran a little 187 00:14:26,360 --> 00:14:30,640 Speaker 1: cash back scheme. Whatever she bought wouldn't total the amount 188 00:14:30,640 --> 00:14:33,920 Speaker 1: on the promissory note, so she'd receive that extra back 189 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: in cash, which was even better for her since you know, 190 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 1: cash don't bounce. And she went hard. It started with 191 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:46,640 Speaker 1: Sundry's at the dry goods store, and then it escalated 192 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:51,720 Speaker 1: into buying big things like custom organs the musical instruments. 193 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:57,480 Speaker 1: It worked until it didn't. People couldn't get their banks 194 00:14:57,520 --> 00:15:02,120 Speaker 1: to cash the promissory notes. Cassie didn't cave under the pressure, though, 195 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:06,520 Speaker 1: She just explained that this new inheritance was still tied up. 196 00:15:07,320 --> 00:15:09,560 Speaker 1: I mean, you know how the court likes to drag 197 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 1: their feet. This time her arrest ended in the courtroom. 198 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: The witnesses were endless. Not only were all of the 199 00:15:30,440 --> 00:15:33,880 Speaker 1: proprietors whom she duped trotted out to testify against her, 200 00:15:34,680 --> 00:15:37,400 Speaker 1: but the men whose signatures she forged were brought into 201 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:42,400 Speaker 1: court too. They shrugged, amused and said this was the 202 00:15:42,440 --> 00:15:46,800 Speaker 1: first they'd ever heard of her. After two hours of deliberation, 203 00:15:47,560 --> 00:15:51,960 Speaker 1: the all male jury ruled her not guilty. They said 204 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: she was insane. So Cassie went back to her parents' 205 00:15:55,600 --> 00:15:58,680 Speaker 1: house and I couldn't find any information on how they 206 00:15:58,760 --> 00:16:01,320 Speaker 1: reacted to her scheme, So I'm going to ask the 207 00:16:01,360 --> 00:16:03,720 Speaker 1: author Annie read about it when I interview her in 208 00:16:03,760 --> 00:16:08,960 Speaker 1: part two. Anyway, Cassie started to revise her plan, and 209 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:26,360 Speaker 1: I'll tell you all about it after the break. We 210 00:16:26,480 --> 00:16:29,880 Speaker 1: left Cassie regrouping from that arrest and not guilty ruling 211 00:16:29,920 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 1: at her parents' house. Three years later, in eighteen eighty two, 212 00:16:35,040 --> 00:16:38,320 Speaker 1: Cassie moved to Cleveland to live with her sister Alice 213 00:16:38,360 --> 00:16:42,280 Speaker 1: and Alice's new husband. She didn't want to impose, She 214 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:44,840 Speaker 1: just needed to get her feet up under her, so 215 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:48,360 Speaker 1: Alice agreed, and while Alice thought she was walking the 216 00:16:48,360 --> 00:16:52,640 Speaker 1: beat to find work, Cassie was actually taking stock of 217 00:16:52,720 --> 00:16:57,120 Speaker 1: their house. She went to the bank and took out alone, 218 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:03,560 Speaker 1: using her sister's furniture as collateral. Not cool. Alice and 219 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:05,920 Speaker 1: her husband didn't think it was cool either, and they 220 00:17:06,000 --> 00:17:11,119 Speaker 1: kicked Cassie out, which was actually fine. Cassie had gotten 221 00:17:11,160 --> 00:17:13,520 Speaker 1: her feet under her, and she moved to a different 222 00:17:13,520 --> 00:17:16,760 Speaker 1: neighborhood in the same city, and she got a new game. 223 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,520 Speaker 1: At this point in time, we're leaning into the age 224 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:33,560 Speaker 1: of spiritualism, and Cassie was all about that. What a 225 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:37,600 Speaker 1: fantasy that people would pay you money to tell them 226 00:17:37,640 --> 00:17:41,160 Speaker 1: lies about themselves. All she had to do was change 227 00:17:41,200 --> 00:17:44,439 Speaker 1: her name to something exotic and talking riddles, and she 228 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:48,920 Speaker 1: could call herself a clairvoyant and charge for it. That's 229 00:17:48,960 --> 00:17:53,400 Speaker 1: when Madame Lyly LaRose, that's Cassie, by the way, met 230 00:17:53,400 --> 00:17:58,320 Speaker 1: doctor Wallace Springsteen. By now she knew that doctors were 231 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:03,439 Speaker 1: always a good investment, and Wallace was enthralled by Lilly. 232 00:18:04,600 --> 00:18:08,120 Speaker 1: The papers called her the Lady of the Hypnotic Eye, 233 00:18:08,920 --> 00:18:12,280 Speaker 1: and he fell for her hard. They were married in 234 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: December of eighteen eighty three, As was standard at the time, 235 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:20,520 Speaker 1: their marriage was announced in the Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper, 236 00:18:21,960 --> 00:18:27,280 Speaker 1: and then the creditors came calling. Literally, merchants saw her 237 00:18:27,359 --> 00:18:30,520 Speaker 1: photo in the paper, and they showed up at Wallace's 238 00:18:30,600 --> 00:18:35,600 Speaker 1: front door furious, demanding to be paid. Wallace thought the 239 00:18:35,640 --> 00:18:40,360 Speaker 1: debts could damage his credit note because she accumulated them 240 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:43,239 Speaker 1: before their marriage. I don't think they would have, at 241 00:18:43,280 --> 00:18:46,679 Speaker 1: least not now. But she was his wife, so he 242 00:18:46,760 --> 00:18:51,400 Speaker 1: paid them off for twelve days, which is when Wallace 243 00:18:51,480 --> 00:18:54,679 Speaker 1: ended the marriage. He also published a note in the 244 00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:59,680 Speaker 1: Cleveland Dealer which said quote, I hereby forbid any person 245 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,640 Speaker 1: from trusting or harboring my wife is I will pay 246 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:16,560 Speaker 1: no bills of her contracting after this date. Cassie was 247 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:20,960 Speaker 1: not deterred, at least not much. She reinvented herself again. 248 00:19:22,200 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 1: Cassie became Madame Marie Rosa. She scammed her way through Erie, Pennsylvania, 249 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: until she gathered enough to get her back to Cleveland. 250 00:19:32,359 --> 00:19:35,960 Speaker 1: When the people who loaned her money wrote asking for repayment, 251 00:19:36,640 --> 00:19:41,080 Speaker 1: Cassie sent letters saying that Marie had died. She even 252 00:19:41,119 --> 00:19:46,280 Speaker 1: included a falsified obituary Cassie married two of her clients 253 00:19:46,320 --> 00:19:49,960 Speaker 1: while she was a psychic. First was a farmer, and 254 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 1: second was businessman C. L. Hoover, whom she claimed as 255 00:19:54,080 --> 00:19:57,879 Speaker 1: the father to her child, Emal Hoover. She sent Emial 256 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:00,000 Speaker 1: to live with her family in Canada for a while. 257 00:20:01,320 --> 00:20:05,720 Speaker 1: When Hoover died in eighteen eighty eight, Cassie inherited his 258 00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:10,280 Speaker 1: estate worth fifty thousand dollars. It was enough to reinvent 259 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 1: herself again. This time she went to Toledo and she 260 00:20:14,640 --> 00:20:19,840 Speaker 1: told fortunes as Madame Lydia de Vere. She even scammed 261 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 1: one client, Joseph Lamb, out of ten thousand dollars by 262 00:20:23,040 --> 00:20:28,560 Speaker 1: becoming his financial adviser. She was getting sloppy again. She 263 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: had Joseph cash promissory notes on her behalf. She'd forged 264 00:20:33,240 --> 00:20:36,800 Speaker 1: the signature on them. When the first interaction went off 265 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,760 Speaker 1: without a hitch, she had him cash several more, over 266 00:20:40,840 --> 00:20:45,359 Speaker 1: forty thousand dollars worth. Before long, Cassie and Joseph were 267 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:49,879 Speaker 1: both arrested. Joseph was acquitted soon after, since the court 268 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:55,520 Speaker 1: regarded him as her victim. Cassie, though again she refused 269 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:59,359 Speaker 1: to cave. She told the prison guard that he'd lose 270 00:20:59,520 --> 00:21:03,080 Speaker 1: five thousand dollars in a business deal, which he did, 271 00:21:04,040 --> 00:21:07,160 Speaker 1: and then she told him he'd die of cancer, which 272 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:10,520 Speaker 1: he also did. And this is why I don't mess 273 00:21:10,560 --> 00:21:14,160 Speaker 1: with fortune tellers. You start to wonder was it gonna 274 00:21:14,160 --> 00:21:18,040 Speaker 1: happen anyway, or did it happen because they incepted this idea. 275 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:22,600 Speaker 1: I mean, Cassie is a fraud, but she was also right. 276 00:21:23,720 --> 00:21:28,520 Speaker 1: She maintained her clairvoyance during her whole prison sentence. She 277 00:21:28,600 --> 00:21:32,320 Speaker 1: started a letter writing campaign to Governor and future President 278 00:21:32,400 --> 00:21:38,919 Speaker 1: William McKinley, declaring her remorse and willingness to change. Although 279 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:42,159 Speaker 1: she had been sentenced to nine and a half years originally, 280 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,240 Speaker 1: she was so convincing in her letters that she only 281 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:55,680 Speaker 1: served three and a half. Cassie and Emil moved back 282 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:59,000 Speaker 1: in with her sister Alice, but she already had a 283 00:21:59,040 --> 00:22:03,280 Speaker 1: reputation around Alice's friends, and her husband didn't want Cassie 284 00:22:03,280 --> 00:22:08,520 Speaker 1: there to begin with. Enough was enough time to find 285 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:13,359 Speaker 1: another doctor. Cassie met doctor Leroy Chadwick when he was 286 00:22:13,400 --> 00:22:17,880 Speaker 1: forty four and she was thirty nine in eighteen ninety six. 287 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,720 Speaker 1: He was a wealthy widower, sole provider for his eleven 288 00:22:22,800 --> 00:22:27,480 Speaker 1: year old daughter Mary, his elderly mother, and his elder sister, Clara, 289 00:22:27,600 --> 00:22:31,960 Speaker 1: who was partially paralyzed. Leroy was born into high society. 290 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:36,120 Speaker 1: His family home was a brick mansion on Millionaire's Row 291 00:22:36,320 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaker 1: in Cleveland. On top of all that, Leroy had rheumatism. 292 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:46,160 Speaker 1: That's the point that Cassie seized on. When she met him. 293 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:50,240 Speaker 1: She was going by the name Cassie Hoover. She offered 294 00:22:50,240 --> 00:22:55,680 Speaker 1: a massage and it worked. Wonders. He was smitten almost immediately. 295 00:23:02,440 --> 00:23:05,560 Speaker 1: But Leroy was no fool. He'd only been single for 296 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,520 Speaker 1: two years, and he knew both that he was a 297 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:13,040 Speaker 1: catch and that he might be a little vulnerable. So, 298 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:17,040 Speaker 1: like any sensible person, he introduced this new woman to 299 00:23:17,080 --> 00:23:21,720 Speaker 1: his best friend as a sort of character assessment. Y'all 300 00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:24,720 Speaker 1: know how it goes. A new broom sweeps clean. When 301 00:23:24,720 --> 00:23:27,560 Speaker 1: you get excited over a new crush, you tend to 302 00:23:27,560 --> 00:23:31,359 Speaker 1: only see the positives. Cassie's former husband was a doctor, 303 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:35,600 Speaker 1: so she understood the life. She was charming and perceptive, 304 00:23:36,080 --> 00:23:39,720 Speaker 1: and she was so easy to talk to. Leroy knew 305 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:43,919 Speaker 1: this slippery slope, or at least he was wary that 306 00:23:44,000 --> 00:23:46,959 Speaker 1: it might be the case. So, like a sensible person. 307 00:23:47,640 --> 00:23:51,919 Speaker 1: He introduced this new woman to his best friend listeners. 308 00:23:51,960 --> 00:23:54,840 Speaker 1: If y'all aren't doing this, if you don't have your 309 00:23:54,960 --> 00:23:58,439 Speaker 1: viper's den of selected friends who will vet your dates 310 00:23:58,520 --> 00:24:03,720 Speaker 1: and then be brutally honest with you, you should. You 311 00:24:03,920 --> 00:24:06,840 Speaker 1: need the friend that you kind of don't want to 312 00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 1: introduce to your new significant other because you know they're 313 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:13,960 Speaker 1: going to give it to you straight. For Leroy, that 314 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:18,880 Speaker 1: was West Park banker Erie Reynolds. Cassie must have known 315 00:24:19,320 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: that meeting Erie was a test, so she turned on 316 00:24:22,560 --> 00:24:28,000 Speaker 1: the charm. She asked him all about his work, and 317 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: she learned that he was as proud of his bank 318 00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 1: as he might have been of his own child. He'd 319 00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:38,240 Speaker 1: built the business himself, started it in his own home. 320 00:24:39,480 --> 00:24:41,720 Speaker 1: Now it was one of the best banks in town. 321 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:46,800 Speaker 1: Cassie admired him aloud, and that's how she won Erie, 322 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:53,760 Speaker 1: which in turn let her win Leroy. True. Leroy had 323 00:24:53,840 --> 00:24:57,199 Speaker 1: other friends who tried to warn him about Cassie, but 324 00:24:57,440 --> 00:25:02,720 Speaker 1: those weren't his best friends. He ignored them, and he proposed. 325 00:25:04,160 --> 00:25:06,840 Speaker 1: As soon as her name was cleared from her parole board, 326 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:13,199 Speaker 1: Cassie married Leroy Chadwick. He knew nothing about her criminal record, 327 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:18,120 Speaker 1: and he wouldn't not for a long time. Coming up 328 00:25:18,400 --> 00:25:37,640 Speaker 1: here about Cassie's longest con stay with us, you might 329 00:25:37,680 --> 00:25:42,080 Speaker 1: remember both Cassie herself and her new husband, Leroy Chadwick, 330 00:25:42,480 --> 00:25:47,280 Speaker 1: both had children from prior marriages. Honestly, the blending of 331 00:25:47,320 --> 00:25:51,440 Speaker 1: the families couldn't have gone better. Cassie and Mary loved 332 00:25:51,440 --> 00:25:55,520 Speaker 1: each other, and Leroy thought Emil was an exceptionally well 333 00:25:55,520 --> 00:25:59,119 Speaker 1: behaved boy. He said, I love him as if he 334 00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:03,840 Speaker 1: were my own. It actually seems like Leroy and Cassie 335 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:07,199 Speaker 1: were a good partnership. They each provided the other with 336 00:26:07,280 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: their needs and wants, and their families got along well. 337 00:26:11,240 --> 00:26:16,040 Speaker 1: Everything seemed perfect, especially to Cassie. Her social calendar filled 338 00:26:16,080 --> 00:26:20,600 Speaker 1: up with balls, luncheons, and trips to the theater, and 339 00:26:20,720 --> 00:26:24,360 Speaker 1: society mostly welcomed her, even if they were surprised at 340 00:26:24,359 --> 00:26:29,199 Speaker 1: her sudden appearance. Cassie fit herself right in among the 341 00:26:29,200 --> 00:26:34,360 Speaker 1: wealthiest society women. And what's even more exciting, in my opinion, 342 00:26:35,400 --> 00:26:39,119 Speaker 1: was that she redecorated and it was luxurious. Let me 343 00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:51,120 Speaker 1: describe it to you in detail. First, she decorated herself. 344 00:26:52,400 --> 00:26:55,439 Speaker 1: She took notes at the galas she attended, and she 345 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,600 Speaker 1: stormed the doors of all the stores the ladies mentioned. 346 00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:07,600 Speaker 1: She bought gowns black velvet, pink, taffeta, silk chiffon. Cassie 347 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:10,639 Speaker 1: told the salespeople not to bother measuring the fabric, just 348 00:27:10,720 --> 00:27:14,640 Speaker 1: send the whole bolt. And she spared no detail when 349 00:27:14,680 --> 00:27:18,240 Speaker 1: it came to embroidery and lace, especially the decorative collars. 350 00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:24,080 Speaker 1: She bought hats with braids and feathers, marvelous shoes, plush 351 00:27:24,240 --> 00:27:29,560 Speaker 1: fur coats, petticoats to give her skirts that coveted bell shape, 352 00:27:29,720 --> 00:27:35,679 Speaker 1: and my favorite part the jewels. She put jewels on everything. 353 00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:41,480 Speaker 1: She bought silver plates with embedded rubies, pearl dog collars, 354 00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 1: and sometimes, y'all, this is a true flex she just 355 00:27:46,000 --> 00:27:50,840 Speaker 1: bought loose gems by the tray. Next came the house. 356 00:27:51,400 --> 00:27:54,240 Speaker 1: It was gorgeous, to be sure. It wasn't the biggest 357 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,760 Speaker 1: mansion on Millionaire's row, but Cassie made it up like 358 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:02,560 Speaker 1: her own, covering the walls with whimsical landscapes, filling the 359 00:28:02,640 --> 00:28:07,719 Speaker 1: corners with mahogany cabinets, lamps and cut glass figurines and 360 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:12,760 Speaker 1: marble busts. On every surface. She had mastered the right 361 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:16,320 Speaker 1: ways to show off, and so she started to host 362 00:28:16,359 --> 00:28:20,040 Speaker 1: soires in their own home. It was fashionable at the 363 00:28:20,080 --> 00:28:23,520 Speaker 1: time to decorate with flowers, so she raided the florist 364 00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:27,439 Speaker 1: and she threw theme parties, which is exactly what I 365 00:28:27,440 --> 00:28:29,600 Speaker 1: would do if I could spend big money on one 366 00:28:29,680 --> 00:28:35,200 Speaker 1: dumb thing. One theme imitated a steamship trip to Europe. 367 00:28:35,240 --> 00:28:39,080 Speaker 1: She had custom menus printed with their children's faces on them. 368 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 1: The staff molded ice cream into the shapes of ships. 369 00:28:43,280 --> 00:28:46,680 Speaker 1: It was a perfect way to display the Chadwick's wealth, 370 00:28:47,840 --> 00:28:51,320 Speaker 1: and she knew the neighbors were counting their money. The 371 00:28:51,400 --> 00:28:54,400 Speaker 1: society pages even rode up that party the next day, 372 00:28:54,480 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: saying the whole affair was carried out in perfect taste. 373 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,000 Speaker 1: It seemed like Cassie had gotten everything she ever wanted, 374 00:29:12,680 --> 00:29:16,800 Speaker 1: and this time she'd done it pretty legitimately. But of 375 00:29:16,880 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 1: course the story doesn't end here. In eighteen ninety eight, 376 00:29:22,240 --> 00:29:26,080 Speaker 1: LeRoy's mother died. The whole house went into mourning for 377 00:29:26,120 --> 00:29:30,080 Speaker 1: the spring, but then by the summer, the Chadwicks decided 378 00:29:30,120 --> 00:29:33,760 Speaker 1: to travel to Europe as a family of four. LeRoy's 379 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:38,600 Speaker 1: sister Clara stayed behind. It was Cassie's first trip abroad. 380 00:29:38,680 --> 00:29:41,520 Speaker 1: Despite the theme of the dinner party, and it felt 381 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:45,200 Speaker 1: like a rite of passage. Wealthy people went every summer, 382 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:49,240 Speaker 1: sure as the season would happen, and the ship itself 383 00:29:49,400 --> 00:29:53,640 Speaker 1: was as luxurious as one can imagine, full of smoking rooms, 384 00:29:53,840 --> 00:29:58,320 Speaker 1: drawing rooms, and music rooms. In Europe, they skipped from 385 00:29:58,400 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: luxury hotels in London to Paris, to Brussels to Rome, 386 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: and the best part about it, at least for Cassie, 387 00:30:07,080 --> 00:30:12,200 Speaker 1: was the shopping. The clothes there were totally different. There 388 00:30:12,280 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: was art everywhere, and she bought it at every stop. 389 00:30:16,800 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 1: She also noticed that Brussels specialized in diamonds. That's where 390 00:30:22,040 --> 00:30:26,720 Speaker 1: she discovered that she could have jewelry melted down and remade, 391 00:30:26,840 --> 00:30:30,920 Speaker 1: though really France had the best lapidaries. By the way, 392 00:30:31,040 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 1: this is the best way to get jewelry in my opinion. 393 00:30:34,000 --> 00:30:36,200 Speaker 1: If you have a very clever jeweler who knows what 394 00:30:36,240 --> 00:30:38,840 Speaker 1: they're doing, and I do so dm me. If you 395 00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:41,440 Speaker 1: need a guy in Atlanta, then you can get some 396 00:30:41,480 --> 00:30:45,640 Speaker 1: beautiful custom pieces for a very fair price. And you 397 00:30:45,720 --> 00:30:49,280 Speaker 1: can reuse, melt down, or trade in any jewelry that 398 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:51,600 Speaker 1: might have been passed down to you and it's just 399 00:30:51,600 --> 00:30:54,120 Speaker 1: not your taste or given to you by a shitty 400 00:30:54,160 --> 00:30:58,600 Speaker 1: ex for example. Cassie is not like me in that way. 401 00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:03,440 Speaker 1: Though he didn't want a good, fair deal. She wanted more. 402 00:31:04,480 --> 00:31:09,000 Speaker 1: Extravagance was the thing for Cassie. The thing was, at 403 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:14,600 Speaker 1: this time, customs duties were ten percent from Europe to America. 404 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:17,520 Speaker 1: I don't know if that's still the case, but Columbia 405 00:31:17,640 --> 00:31:20,680 Speaker 1: reimburses twelve percent at the border for luxury items. But 406 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:25,320 Speaker 1: that's there. And now, what I do know is that 407 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,959 Speaker 1: ten percent ate into Cassie's funds. So she hid her 408 00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,600 Speaker 1: jewels and she didn't declare them at the border. I 409 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:35,120 Speaker 1: also know that even at that time, there were no 410 00:31:35,240 --> 00:31:41,560 Speaker 1: customs duties on melted down jewelry, so this con seems unnecessary. 411 00:31:41,760 --> 00:31:44,000 Speaker 1: Leroy had told her to slow down her spending, but 412 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 1: he wasn't really holding her to it. He had money. 413 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:49,240 Speaker 1: Kind of seems like she just carried this one out 414 00:31:49,280 --> 00:32:00,360 Speaker 1: for the hell of it. If you remember we're from 415 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:03,920 Speaker 1: the top of the episode, one of those smuggled necklaces 416 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:08,040 Speaker 1: is what brought that customs agent wh Theobald to her 417 00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:12,760 Speaker 1: hotel room. Is not clear who snitched on her, nor 418 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:17,240 Speaker 1: how they even knew it had been smuggled. Still, she 419 00:32:17,320 --> 00:32:21,320 Speaker 1: got busted. William Theobald was pissed at Cassie when he 420 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:24,280 Speaker 1: left her sweet, but he was also a little impressed, 421 00:32:25,360 --> 00:32:29,600 Speaker 1: very impressed. She handled herself well. Most rich women were 422 00:32:29,680 --> 00:32:32,880 Speaker 1: kind of airheads, and if they weren't actually dumb, they 423 00:32:32,920 --> 00:32:37,000 Speaker 1: played dumb when stacked up against his authority. The fact 424 00:32:37,160 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: was he wasn't used to being stood up to. Cassie 425 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:44,560 Speaker 1: did relinquish the necklace, but only because it meant next 426 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:48,920 Speaker 1: to nothing to her. She had jules galore, and this 427 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:54,040 Speaker 1: little federal agent had only grazed the surface. He didn't 428 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:58,120 Speaker 1: even know that she was the secret, illegitimate daughter of 429 00:32:58,200 --> 00:33:18,640 Speaker 1: the Great Andrew Carnegie. Join me next week on the 430 00:33:18,640 --> 00:33:22,440 Speaker 1: Greatest true crime Stories ever told. For our second part 431 00:33:22,760 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 1: of two about Cassie Chadwick, the great con Woman of 432 00:33:26,840 --> 00:33:30,720 Speaker 1: the Gilded Age, I'd like to shout out a few 433 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:33,360 Speaker 1: key sources that made it possible for me to tell 434 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:38,800 Speaker 1: this week's story, especially Annie Reid's book The Impostor Heiress 435 00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:44,200 Speaker 1: Cassie Chadwick, The Greatest Grifter of the Gilded Age. Also 436 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:49,240 Speaker 1: Karen Abbott's article in Smithsonian Magazine, The High Priestess of 437 00:33:49,320 --> 00:33:54,440 Speaker 1: Fraudulent Finance, and of course all The other sources I 438 00:33:54,560 --> 00:34:03,800 Speaker 1: used are cited in the show notes. The Greatest True 439 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:07,479 Speaker 1: Crime Stories Ever Told is a production of Diversion Audio. 440 00:34:08,320 --> 00:34:12,000 Speaker 1: I'm Mary Kay McBrayer, and I hosted this episode. I 441 00:34:12,080 --> 00:34:16,719 Speaker 1: also wrote this episode. Our show is produced by Emma 442 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:24,040 Speaker 1: Dumouth and edited by Antonio Enriquez. Theme music by Tyler Cash. 443 00:34:24,400 --> 00:34:26,560 Speaker 1: Executive produced by Scott Waxman.