1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:06,600 Speaker 1: You're listening to American Shadows, a production of iHeartRadio and 2 00:00:06,640 --> 00:00:22,480 Speaker 1: Grimm and Mild from Ahar and Manky. Like most American 3 00:00:22,480 --> 00:00:25,720 Speaker 1: women in the eighteen hundreds, Rachel Baker didn't have a 4 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:29,440 Speaker 1: lot of autonomy. Her fate rested in the hands of men, 5 00:00:29,800 --> 00:00:34,600 Speaker 1: of both her fathers and others within society. Her father, Ezekiel, 6 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:38,440 Speaker 1: was deeply religious and raised his daughter with strong views 7 00:00:38,479 --> 00:00:41,720 Speaker 1: about sin and sinners, but little else in the way 8 00:00:41,720 --> 00:00:46,479 Speaker 1: of education. Rachel was seventeen when the sleepwalking began in 9 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: November of eighteen eleven. At first, these episodes of somnambulism 10 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: horrified her, and she became despondent. When the rate of 11 00:00:54,720 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: incidents increased to nearly every night, she gave her parents 12 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: a solemn warning she'd be dead and would go straight 13 00:01:02,440 --> 00:01:07,000 Speaker 1: to Hell. She even seemed unhappy during the incidents, becoming 14 00:01:07,120 --> 00:01:11,280 Speaker 1: agitated in her sleep. These fits of despair lasted until 15 00:01:11,360 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: January of eighteen twelve. One night, Rachel said God had 16 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,520 Speaker 1: spoken to her and forgave her sins. From then on, 17 00:01:19,720 --> 00:01:24,199 Speaker 1: she remained calmer during the episodes. Seeing their daughter's mood 18 00:01:24,200 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: had significantly improved. Her parents no longer hid Rachel's affliction. Instead, 19 00:01:29,720 --> 00:01:34,960 Speaker 1: they invited others to investigate her nightly activities. Observers witnessed 20 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:38,680 Speaker 1: the snambulism for themselves. Rachel got out of bed and 21 00:01:38,760 --> 00:01:42,680 Speaker 1: started with a half hour of prayer. Still asleep, her 22 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:46,760 Speaker 1: breathing became labored, and she gnashed her teeth. Everyone waited 23 00:01:48,000 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: As her eyes met at church elder, she warned him 24 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:54,520 Speaker 1: of the dangers of eternal damnation. The witnesses gasped the 25 00:01:54,560 --> 00:01:58,520 Speaker 1: short tirade. Then Rachel regained her composure and spoke about 26 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: the scriptures she had learned. Finally, she shook violently and 27 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,680 Speaker 1: collapsed back onto her bed. Locals thought God had made 28 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: Rachel a vessel for his teachings and possibly a prophet. 29 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:16,320 Speaker 1: Her words and pronunciations contrasted with her blesser education. Outsiders 30 00:02:16,320 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 1: were more skeptical and suggested she might be faking the 31 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:24,520 Speaker 1: episodes to garner attention. As word of Rachel's midnight sermons spread, 32 00:02:24,720 --> 00:02:27,400 Speaker 1: people traveled from all across the state of New York 33 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: to meet her. Aside from the fact that Rachel gave 34 00:02:30,560 --> 00:02:33,160 Speaker 1: sermons in her sleep, what made her stand out from 35 00:02:33,200 --> 00:02:37,480 Speaker 1: other preachers was her gender. Women were not permitted to preach, 36 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:42,800 Speaker 1: and those who dared caused scandals. Rachel spent her days 37 00:02:42,800 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: recovering from her knightly sermons, which left her emotionally and 38 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:50,240 Speaker 1: physically exhausted. To give her a short break, a Baptist 39 00:02:50,280 --> 00:02:53,080 Speaker 1: minister and his wife offered Rachel the opportunity to travel 40 00:02:53,120 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: with them to New York City. Than she accepted, the 41 00:02:56,760 --> 00:03:00,560 Speaker 1: trip was hardly a vacation. They introduced her to doctor 42 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:04,800 Speaker 1: John Douglas. He and other doctors studied her, hoping to 43 00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: find a cure for her sleep walking. Rachel submitted to 44 00:03:08,400 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: every test. Her episodes intensified, causing her to jerk, flail, 45 00:03:13,680 --> 00:03:17,960 Speaker 1: and cry. The only relief came when she preached the 46 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: following days. She acted as though nothing unusual had happened. 47 00:03:22,400 --> 00:03:25,960 Speaker 1: Skeptics flocked to her bedside, though the doctors defended her 48 00:03:25,960 --> 00:03:29,919 Speaker 1: as the real thing. Rachel showed strong similarities to other 49 00:03:29,960 --> 00:03:34,160 Speaker 1: cases of sleepwalking, where people remained unaware of their nocturnal actions. 50 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:38,840 Speaker 1: The ministers grilled her, other doctors tried bleeding her or 51 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: gave her opium to sedate her. They had no effect. 52 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,400 Speaker 1: After a while, Rachel had enough of the examinations and 53 00:03:46,560 --> 00:03:49,920 Speaker 1: returned home. She hadn't been back long. When her father 54 00:03:50,000 --> 00:03:53,600 Speaker 1: received a letter from doctor Douglas, several colleagues wanted to 55 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:58,240 Speaker 1: sponsor Rachel's formal education at Missus Bowering's Seminary for Young Ladies. 56 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 1: Her parents agreed. Rachel's classmates, doctors, and various religious officials 57 00:04:04,320 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: attended her sleepwalking sermons with rapt attention. After graduation, Rachel 58 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:14,560 Speaker 1: went on to lead a quiet life. Skeptics and believers 59 00:04:14,560 --> 00:04:17,839 Speaker 1: alike watched her case transition from a weakness of a 60 00:04:17,839 --> 00:04:22,280 Speaker 1: woman's nerves to a medical and religious oddity, but she 61 00:04:22,320 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 1: wouldn't be the last sleepwalking curiosity. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum. Welcome 62 00:04:28,640 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: to American Shadows. We've all heard the advice get plenty 63 00:04:42,960 --> 00:04:46,440 Speaker 1: of sleep. How much depends on our age and health, 64 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,440 Speaker 1: among other factors. The message is clear, though we don't 65 00:04:50,480 --> 00:04:55,880 Speaker 1: always get enough sleep restores our body and brain. Along 66 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:58,440 Speaker 1: with the advice to get plenty of rest, we've probably 67 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 1: heard adages to follow circadian rhythm. With this method, people 68 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: go to bed sometime after dark and rise with the sun. 69 00:05:06,720 --> 00:05:09,800 Speaker 1: Usually we try to sleep straight through the night, but 70 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: that hasn't always been the case. The how and when 71 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,960 Speaker 1: of how we sleep has changed during the Renaissance era, 72 00:05:18,080 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: people slept for short periods, waking during the night, briefly 73 00:05:21,640 --> 00:05:25,360 Speaker 1: followed by a second sleep cycle. Often people used the 74 00:05:25,400 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: waking cycle in between for prayer, chores, or other activities. 75 00:05:29,880 --> 00:05:32,920 Speaker 1: Sixteenth century doctors told couples that they were most likely 76 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:37,840 Speaker 1: to conceive during this time. During the Industrial Revolution, long 77 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: work hours and strict schedules changed when people slept. With 78 00:05:42,279 --> 00:05:46,040 Speaker 1: the invention of electricity, came lighted streets, businesses, and homes. 79 00:05:47,160 --> 00:05:50,240 Speaker 1: In the eighteen twenties, doctors commonly told parents to break 80 00:05:50,279 --> 00:05:53,719 Speaker 1: their children from sleeping in shifts called bi phasic sleep 81 00:05:53,760 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 1: and sleep through the night instead. Some researchers speculate that 82 00:05:57,800 --> 00:06:01,479 Speaker 1: by phasic sleep might be more natural than one long segment. 83 00:06:02,200 --> 00:06:05,159 Speaker 1: They point to nineteenth century medical journals where cases of 84 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:10,040 Speaker 1: insomnia first appear. By the nineteen twenties, medical records discussing 85 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:15,640 Speaker 1: by phasic sleep vanished altogether. Insomnia did not. Many of 86 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: us toss and turn from dark till dawn, and some 87 00:06:19,279 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 1: of us enjoy the night until we're out to sea 88 00:06:22,800 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: or in another remote location. It's hard to fathom how 89 00:06:26,520 --> 00:06:30,160 Speaker 1: different the night sky looks without city or neighborhood lights. 90 00:06:31,160 --> 00:06:34,719 Speaker 1: No longer do a thousand stars glitter like diamonds on velvet. 91 00:06:35,880 --> 00:06:38,520 Speaker 1: Though some of us would prefer such a sight, we 92 00:06:38,600 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: once longed for a means to illuminate the shadows. Paris 93 00:06:43,160 --> 00:06:45,839 Speaker 1: became the first city to use candles and glass lamps 94 00:06:45,880 --> 00:06:50,120 Speaker 1: to light streets in sixteen sixty seven. As technology evolved, 95 00:06:50,160 --> 00:06:53,840 Speaker 1: cities used oil and gas lamps at night. The invention 96 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:57,360 Speaker 1: of electricity for lighting our homes altered how we viewed sleep. 97 00:06:58,080 --> 00:07:01,480 Speaker 1: Light on demand shifted our awareness of our available time. 98 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,159 Speaker 1: In eighteen eighty two, Edison's electric light became the miracle 99 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,480 Speaker 1: technology of its day, though getting it to just half 100 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:14,360 Speaker 1: of America's homes took another twenty five years. We've come 101 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:17,480 Speaker 1: to view light as a sense of safety. The night 102 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:22,240 Speaker 1: and darkness are places of danger and uncertainty. Criminals have 103 00:07:22,280 --> 00:07:25,600 Speaker 1: often used the cloak of darkness to commit unspeakable acts. 104 00:07:26,440 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: People associated those who went out into the night with 105 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:34,480 Speaker 1: crime and immoral behavior. Such nighttime activity caused the early 106 00:07:34,560 --> 00:07:39,160 Speaker 1: colonists a good deal of anxiety. People expressed their secret 107 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:43,240 Speaker 1: desires at night and took part in lawlessness and sinful behavior. 108 00:07:44,040 --> 00:07:47,200 Speaker 1: Working women and their male clients were called night walkers. 109 00:07:47,960 --> 00:07:52,480 Speaker 1: Adulterers met their lovers at unreasonable hours. Thieves, according to 110 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 1: court records, behaved in unbecoming ways. People called the time 111 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: after dark the night season, a time of danyer, depravity 112 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:06,280 Speaker 1: and great sorrow. In seventeen oh three, authorities created the 113 00:08:06,320 --> 00:08:10,280 Speaker 1: Act to prevent disorders in the night. Anyone wandering the 114 00:08:10,320 --> 00:08:13,440 Speaker 1: streets past nine pm had to have a legitimate reason 115 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:16,559 Speaker 1: to be out of the Townfolk lit streets with oil 116 00:08:16,640 --> 00:08:21,280 Speaker 1: lamps to help prevent crimes and carousing. Night watchmen monitored 117 00:08:21,280 --> 00:08:25,840 Speaker 1: town squares and certain alleys in urban areas. Of all 118 00:08:25,880 --> 00:08:28,800 Speaker 1: the people who ventured into the night, one alarmed the 119 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:34,959 Speaker 1: colonists the most. Sleepwalkers, otherwise calleds and ambulists. No one 120 00:08:35,040 --> 00:08:38,560 Speaker 1: understood what caused the disorder, but many thought that anyone 121 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,960 Speaker 1: who could wander around at night while sleeping was capable 122 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,880 Speaker 1: of anything. A Witnesses said that watching as anambulist was 123 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 1: like seeing a dead person come to life. Sleepwalkers often 124 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:53,480 Speaker 1: said they had no recollection of their actions, spurring people 125 00:08:53,520 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 1: to wonder about the boundaries between life and death. With 126 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,720 Speaker 1: the association between wicked behavior and the night, sleepwalkers found 127 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:05,040 Speaker 1: themselves lumped into the same category as those participating in 128 00:09:05,160 --> 00:09:11,199 Speaker 1: illicit activities. The weaf made strides towards understanding sleepwalking. We've 129 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:13,920 Speaker 1: learned that the disorder can be genetic, caused by a 130 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,360 Speaker 1: lack of quality sleep, a side effect of drugs or alcohol, 131 00:09:17,520 --> 00:09:22,200 Speaker 1: and certain illnesses. Yet even today we can't help but 132 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:33,320 Speaker 1: wonder how much control sleepwalkers have over their actions. Night 133 00:09:33,440 --> 00:09:36,319 Speaker 1: had barely given way to morning on October twenty seventh 134 00:09:36,360 --> 00:09:40,320 Speaker 1: of eighteen forty five, when screams woke Joel Lawrence and 135 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:45,200 Speaker 1: his wife. They lay in bed listening. The screams stopped, 136 00:09:45,480 --> 00:09:50,319 Speaker 1: and a loud thought followed. The sounds had come from upstairs, 137 00:09:50,440 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: the room they had rented out to Mary Bickford. Undoubtedly, 138 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:57,360 Speaker 1: she and Albert had gotten into another fight. This one 139 00:09:57,520 --> 00:10:01,280 Speaker 1: sounded a little more serious than the others, though after 140 00:10:01,320 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: a moment of silence, someone ran down the stairs and 141 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:07,240 Speaker 1: out the front door. In a hurry. The couple climbed 142 00:10:07,240 --> 00:10:10,880 Speaker 1: the stairs to check on Mary. Joel pushed the door open. 143 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: Smoke hung in the air, though they barely noticed, and 144 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:17,360 Speaker 1: Mary lay in a pool of blood on the floor 145 00:10:18,120 --> 00:10:20,520 Speaker 1: next to her. Wisps of smoke drifted from her bed. 146 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: Some one had killed her, and then tried to set 147 00:10:23,400 --> 00:10:27,480 Speaker 1: her mattress on fire. The brutal death shocked the Lawrences, 148 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: though the fights leading up to them at Knock. Mary 149 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:33,679 Speaker 1: had been renting from them since June, though she had 150 00:10:33,679 --> 00:10:37,000 Speaker 1: lived in Boston for a while. A couple of years earlier. 151 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:38,920 Speaker 1: She had come to Boston with a few girl friends 152 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 1: after a bout of depression, as she and her husband 153 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:44,160 Speaker 1: had lost a child, and her family and friends thought 154 00:10:44,200 --> 00:10:47,360 Speaker 1: the bustling city would do her good. And it did, 155 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 1: and Mary couldn't get enough of it. She had fallen 156 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,360 Speaker 1: in love. She wanted to move to Boston permanently and 157 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: live like the rich people on Beacon Hill. Her husband, James, 158 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:02,280 Speaker 1: a poor shoemaker, was less than thrilled, and Mary returned 159 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 1: without him. It wasn't the city alone that she had 160 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,760 Speaker 1: fallen in love with. During her first visit, she had 161 00:11:08,800 --> 00:11:10,920 Speaker 1: met a handsome man with whom she had carried on 162 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 1: a flirtatious relationship. Upon her return, the two continued their 163 00:11:15,080 --> 00:11:19,160 Speaker 1: whirlwind romance. Her new bows swept her off her feet 164 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 1: and whisked her away to Newburyport, Massachusetts. Mary never divorced James, 165 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:26,520 Speaker 1: though she had put the days of being a poor 166 00:11:26,559 --> 00:11:31,400 Speaker 1: shoemaker's wife behind her, or so she thought. Her new 167 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:35,160 Speaker 1: boyfriend dumped her shortly afterward, and Mary returned to Boston. 168 00:11:36,120 --> 00:11:39,280 Speaker 1: She wrote to James, consenting to return, but only if 169 00:11:39,280 --> 00:11:42,960 Speaker 1: she could do as she pleased. James tracked her down, 170 00:11:43,200 --> 00:11:47,360 Speaker 1: hoping to bring Mary home. However, hope turned to anger 171 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:50,760 Speaker 1: when he found her working in a brothel. James had 172 00:11:50,800 --> 00:11:54,640 Speaker 1: had enough. He promptly returned to Maine, washing his hands 173 00:11:54,640 --> 00:11:59,480 Speaker 1: of his marriage. Mary was less upset. She hopped from 174 00:11:59,480 --> 00:12:03,920 Speaker 1: brothel toroel, finally finding one with more league clientell. Her 175 00:12:03,920 --> 00:12:06,960 Speaker 1: beauty made her popular with the men. One of those 176 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 1: men was Albert Terrell, whose father was a wealthy merchant 177 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:15,520 Speaker 1: and former state legislator. Mary and Albert began a passionate relationship, 178 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:19,160 Speaker 1: and he showered her with gifts. Albert soon abandoned his 179 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:23,000 Speaker 1: wife and children. Mary thought she'd hit the jackpot. In 180 00:12:23,040 --> 00:12:26,040 Speaker 1: her mind, leaving his family was the ultimate proof of 181 00:12:26,080 --> 00:12:31,079 Speaker 1: his devotion. Albert's father died in eighteen forty four, leaving 182 00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,439 Speaker 1: him with what would amount to over three hundred thousand 183 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:38,679 Speaker 1: dollars today. Albert immediately began spending that inheritance on Mary. 184 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: They dined on the finest food and stayed in the 185 00:12:41,960 --> 00:12:46,680 Speaker 1: poshest hotels. He bought her expensive clothes and jewelry. Albert 186 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,720 Speaker 1: flaunted his affair. Those who knew him called the relationship 187 00:12:50,760 --> 00:12:54,520 Speaker 1: scandalous and without a hint of decency. But as much 188 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:57,959 Speaker 1: as Albert devoted himself to Mary, the same was not 189 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:01,080 Speaker 1: true of her. Refused used to give up working in 190 00:13:01,120 --> 00:13:05,960 Speaker 1: the brothel. Cozy dinners turned into fights, both in public 191 00:13:06,040 --> 00:13:10,600 Speaker 1: and private. At first, Mary shrugged off the arguments, claiming 192 00:13:10,679 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: she enjoyed making up with him and still kept her clientele. Eventually, 193 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:19,760 Speaker 1: Albert began escalating his demands that she quit, and Mary 194 00:13:19,800 --> 00:13:24,720 Speaker 1: wrote to James complaining about her poor treatment. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 195 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:29,240 Speaker 1: James did not come to her rescue. Mary broke up 196 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:32,520 Speaker 1: with Albert in June and moved to the Lawrence's boarding house. 197 00:13:33,160 --> 00:13:36,000 Speaker 1: The breakup was temporary, and the two resumed where they 198 00:13:36,000 --> 00:13:40,040 Speaker 1: had left off. On September twenty ninth, Albert was indicted 199 00:13:40,120 --> 00:13:44,320 Speaker 1: on charges of adultery. He evaded capture for weeks. The 200 00:13:44,360 --> 00:13:47,920 Speaker 1: press gleefully took to reporting Albert and Mary's sordid love affair. 201 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:52,720 Speaker 1: Though humiliated, his wife and family pleaded with prosecutors to 202 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:57,440 Speaker 1: postpone the proceedings while they helped him reform. The prosecutors 203 00:13:57,440 --> 00:14:01,640 Speaker 1: gave them six months, and Albert immediately left for Mary's 204 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:11,640 Speaker 1: side once more. If the press didn't have enough to 205 00:14:11,679 --> 00:14:15,319 Speaker 1: print before October twenty seventh, they certainly did after the 206 00:14:15,400 --> 00:14:20,160 Speaker 1: Lawrence's discovery of Mary's body and their statement to the police. 207 00:14:20,480 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: And not only had the Lawrences found Mary on the 208 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:26,240 Speaker 1: floor with a severed windpipe and jugular vein, but they'd 209 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:29,320 Speaker 1: also found the murder weapon, a blood stained razor, at 210 00:14:29,320 --> 00:14:32,040 Speaker 1: the foot of the bed. They also found a man's 211 00:14:32,080 --> 00:14:37,160 Speaker 1: cane and vest, along with several items belonging to Albert. Furthermore, 212 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:39,960 Speaker 1: they'd seen Albert enter the house the previous evening, and 213 00:14:40,120 --> 00:14:43,000 Speaker 1: just as Mary had finished with a client, the case 214 00:14:43,160 --> 00:14:46,120 Speaker 1: seemed open and shut, Albert had killed her in a 215 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:50,320 Speaker 1: fit of rage and jealousy. That morning, Albert fled the 216 00:14:50,360 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 1: house and headed for a livery stable. He told the 217 00:14:53,440 --> 00:14:56,600 Speaker 1: stable hand that he was having some difficulties and demanded 218 00:14:56,640 --> 00:15:00,480 Speaker 1: a horse. After briefly stopping at home, he fled again, 219 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,240 Speaker 1: making his way to Vermont and Canada for a couple 220 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:06,360 Speaker 1: of days. He wrote to his family that he intended 221 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:09,320 Speaker 1: to go to Liverpool. He might have made it too, 222 00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:12,080 Speaker 1: except for the storm that forced the ship to dock 223 00:15:12,160 --> 00:15:15,920 Speaker 1: in New York. On December fifth, he boarded another ship 224 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: heading to New Orleans. Authorities were waiting for him when 225 00:15:19,520 --> 00:15:22,920 Speaker 1: he arrived and took him back to Boston. The press 226 00:15:22,960 --> 00:15:27,120 Speaker 1: reported every move and readers awaited the trial. As far 227 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: as Boston residents were concerned, the guilty verdict couldn't come 228 00:15:30,760 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 1: fast enough, except Albert's lawyer had a plan every bit 229 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:39,680 Speaker 1: as devious as his client, and taking a queue from 230 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: Daniel Webster's claim that the best defense is an offense, 231 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 1: Attorney Rufus Choke began building his case, calling into question 232 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: Mary's character. It was victim blaming, for sure, and even 233 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:55,080 Speaker 1: though Mary had been brutally murdered, a public opinion of 234 00:15:55,120 --> 00:15:58,320 Speaker 1: her was only slightly more favorable than that of Albert, 235 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,360 Speaker 1: and people had little sympathy for a woman who had 236 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:04,520 Speaker 1: abandoned her husband, engaged in an affair with a married man, 237 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 1: and become a sex worker. But while victim shaming is 238 00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:11,520 Speaker 1: daring enough, Choate took it to a whole new level. 239 00:16:12,440 --> 00:16:14,640 Speaker 1: He based his case on an idea that came to 240 00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: him at the office. He noted the title of a 241 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:23,600 Speaker 1: book on an intern's desk, Sylvester Sound, the Snambulist. Choate 242 00:16:23,720 --> 00:16:26,320 Speaker 1: kept his strategy as secret until the trial began on 243 00:16:26,360 --> 00:16:30,320 Speaker 1: March twenty fourth of eighteen forty six. Before the big reveal, 244 00:16:30,720 --> 00:16:34,640 Speaker 1: Choate started with a different tactic. He pushed one of 245 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 1: the physicians at the coroner's office to concede that Mary's 246 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:41,360 Speaker 1: three inch deep and six inch wide neck wound could 247 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:45,760 Speaker 1: have been self inflicted. Then he brought another witness to 248 00:16:45,800 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 1: the stand. A woman who lived near the Lawrence's boarding 249 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 1: house testified that Albert had arrived on her doorstep that morning. 250 00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 1: She said he had acted strangely and asked if there 251 00:16:55,720 --> 00:16:59,000 Speaker 1: was anything in the house for him. A brother in 252 00:16:59,080 --> 00:17:01,640 Speaker 1: law admitted that al Albert had arrived home and said 253 00:17:01,680 --> 00:17:05,240 Speaker 1: he was fleeing the adultery indictment. O When confronted with 254 00:17:05,280 --> 00:17:09,680 Speaker 1: the murder, the news seemed to surprise Albert. Choate's junior 255 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:13,600 Speaker 1: council then stated that Mary might certainly have committed suicide, 256 00:17:13,760 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: since that was the natural progression for women of her character. 257 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,959 Speaker 1: The coroner took the stand, disagreeing with the earlier doctor's testimony, 258 00:17:23,240 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: and stated that Mary's wounds were impossible to self inflict. 259 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:31,720 Speaker 1: In response, Choate diverted the court to another possibility, the 260 00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:35,520 Speaker 1: Lawrences had committed the crime. He brought in a fireman 261 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,000 Speaker 1: to confirm that mister Lawrence had tried to keep him 262 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:42,080 Speaker 1: from entering the room. Choate insisted that the Lawrences had 263 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:45,080 Speaker 1: made up the story about seeing Albert arrive the night before, 264 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:49,480 Speaker 1: and finally he told the court that Albert hadn't tried 265 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,440 Speaker 1: to flee a murder charge. He had simply fled due 266 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:56,520 Speaker 1: to his shame as part of the adultery charges. Albert 267 00:17:56,600 --> 00:17:59,440 Speaker 1: was a good man of honorable character and good breeding. 268 00:17:59,680 --> 00:18:03,520 Speaker 1: Choate told the court Mary had been the aggressor, seducing 269 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,800 Speaker 1: him with her lewde behavior and indecent ways, and she 270 00:18:06,840 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: had kept him spellbound, he argued. Choate told them that 271 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:14,320 Speaker 1: Alexander the Great had once penned an entire battle plan 272 00:18:14,400 --> 00:18:17,720 Speaker 1: in his sleep, and that writers and philosophers had also 273 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:22,359 Speaker 1: done their best work while sleepwalking. Albert, he went on, 274 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:25,720 Speaker 1: was a sleepwalker. He brought in the dean of Harvard's 275 00:18:25,720 --> 00:18:29,000 Speaker 1: medical school to testify that it was possible that someone 276 00:18:29,040 --> 00:18:35,359 Speaker 1: could dress, murder, light fires, and escape while sleepwalking. Choke 277 00:18:35,400 --> 00:18:39,080 Speaker 1: claimed the prosecutor's case was shaky. No one had seen 278 00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:43,200 Speaker 1: Albert kill Mary or flee the scene, but if they had, well, 279 00:18:43,480 --> 00:18:48,480 Speaker 1: then Albert had been sleepwalking. Two hours later, the jury 280 00:18:48,520 --> 00:19:05,919 Speaker 1: returned to the verdict not guilty. Unsuccessful at bringing Albert 281 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:09,639 Speaker 1: Terrell to justice for murder, the prosecution tried again with 282 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:14,199 Speaker 1: a lesser charge arson. Once more, the jury returned a 283 00:19:14,280 --> 00:19:17,680 Speaker 1: not guilty verdict, agreeing with the defense that Albert could 284 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:23,040 Speaker 1: not be held accountable for actions during episodes of sleepwalking. However, 285 00:19:23,200 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: he hadn't been sleepwalking during his affair and stood before 286 00:19:26,720 --> 00:19:30,560 Speaker 1: the court again, this time for adultery. The jury found 287 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,760 Speaker 1: him guilty and sentenced him to three years of hard labor. 288 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:37,399 Speaker 1: He lived the remainder of his life in relative obscurity, 289 00:19:37,840 --> 00:19:42,720 Speaker 1: though the case lived in infamy. It seems ridiculous that 290 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:46,080 Speaker 1: anyone could claim sleepwalking as a defense in a murder trial. 291 00:19:46,720 --> 00:19:49,160 Speaker 1: Yet if we thought this case would be the last 292 00:19:49,160 --> 00:19:53,359 Speaker 1: of its kind, would be very wrong. There have been 293 00:19:53,400 --> 00:19:57,200 Speaker 1: sixty eight murder cases where sleepwalking was used as a defense. 294 00:19:58,200 --> 00:20:00,880 Speaker 1: In the eighteen seventies, a hotel goes asked in Kentucky, 295 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: drew his gun and shot the clerk sent to wake 296 00:20:03,240 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: him up. A witnesses testified that during the incident, the 297 00:20:06,760 --> 00:20:11,360 Speaker 1: man whooped and yelled excitedly. When he awoke, he seemed 298 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: confused and immediately apologized. He admitted his guilt, and the 299 00:20:15,920 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 1: court found him guilty of manslaughter. Later, a higher court 300 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:24,360 Speaker 1: repealed the decision and in Texas during the nineteen twenties, 301 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:27,280 Speaker 1: esaum Bradley was anxious as he went to bed with 302 00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:30,840 Speaker 1: his mistress one night. He slid a pistol under his pillow, 303 00:20:30,960 --> 00:20:33,240 Speaker 1: which he later claimed was due to a death threat 304 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:36,600 Speaker 1: he had received earlier in the day. During the night, 305 00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:39,199 Speaker 1: he awoke to a noise in the room, He grabbed 306 00:20:39,200 --> 00:20:42,160 Speaker 1: the pistol and shot into the dark. When he turned 307 00:20:42,160 --> 00:20:44,600 Speaker 1: on the light, he discovered the body of his mistress. 308 00:20:45,359 --> 00:20:48,879 Speaker 1: Initially convicted of murder, a higher court overturned the verdict 309 00:20:49,040 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 1: due to a sleepwalking defense. Certain prescription sleep medications have 310 00:20:54,080 --> 00:20:56,520 Speaker 1: come into the spotlight over the years for causing some 311 00:20:56,680 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: patients to sleepwalk, but thankfully, eating has seemed to be 312 00:21:00,880 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 1: the most prominent side effect. Since Albert Terrell's case, sleepwalking 313 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:10,080 Speaker 1: is a murder defense has been relatively rare. While we 314 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 1: have plenty of new medications to help insomniacs. We still 315 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:16,520 Speaker 1: have a lot of unanswered questions when it comes to sleepwalking, 316 00:21:17,160 --> 00:21:21,480 Speaker 1: though there have been numerous studies. The disorder affects children 317 00:21:21,560 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 1: more often than adults, roughly twenty nine percent between the 318 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,080 Speaker 1: ages of two and thirteen, with the most incidences occurring 319 00:21:28,119 --> 00:21:31,919 Speaker 1: in those between ten and thirteen. A few adult sleepwalk 320 00:21:32,200 --> 00:21:36,320 Speaker 1: just four percent. A study in France concluded that fifty 321 00:21:36,320 --> 00:21:41,119 Speaker 1: eight percent of adult sleepwalkers displayed violent behavior, while thirty 322 00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:44,720 Speaker 1: one percent of those harmed themselves. Forty six percent became 323 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:49,199 Speaker 1: violent with their sleeping partner. Most sleepwalkers say they have 324 00:21:49,280 --> 00:21:52,399 Speaker 1: no recollection of sleepwalking or the events that took place 325 00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:56,600 Speaker 1: during an episode, So despite our advances in medical technology, 326 00:21:56,920 --> 00:22:00,720 Speaker 1: were not much closer to understanding what's going through someone's head, 327 00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 1: even temporarily while sleep walking. Creepy stuff for both the 328 00:22:06,640 --> 00:22:16,359 Speaker 1: person afflicted and those sleeping next to them. There's more 329 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:19,320 Speaker 1: to this story. Stick around after this brief sponsor break 330 00:22:19,400 --> 00:22:29,320 Speaker 1: to hear all about it. Famous Impressionist artist Jeanne Louis 331 00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:32,720 Speaker 1: Boudin is said to have painted in the colors of Lavre, 332 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:36,840 Speaker 1: a port in France, the vivid mix of cobalt and 333 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:39,880 Speaker 1: ultramarine is seen in a few of his paintings, and 334 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: his pastel works are said to have captured the skies. 335 00:22:43,720 --> 00:22:46,920 Speaker 1: Visitors say the area is beautiful and full of light. 336 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:51,359 Speaker 1: In eighteen eighty seven, a vacation to take in the 337 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,360 Speaker 1: scenery was the furthest thing from thirty five year old 338 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,320 Speaker 1: Robert l Dru's mind. By all accounts and his own 339 00:22:58,320 --> 00:23:02,800 Speaker 1: admission he was married to his considered one of France's 340 00:23:02,800 --> 00:23:06,439 Speaker 1: most outstanding police detectives, all nighters while working on a 341 00:23:06,480 --> 00:23:11,280 Speaker 1: case were more the norm than the exception. Three years earlier, 342 00:23:11,359 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 1: he had been the lead investigator on a case where 343 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:18,120 Speaker 1: anarchists sought to overthrow the government. His tireless work helped 344 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:21,159 Speaker 1: crack the case, resulting in the capture and imprisonment of 345 00:23:21,160 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: the rebels. He solved the unsolvable, Even in murder cases. 346 00:23:27,160 --> 00:23:30,080 Speaker 1: L Drew often worked until he passed out from exhaustion, 347 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:32,720 Speaker 1: sometimes at his desk or en route to his bed. 348 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:37,359 Speaker 1: All this lack of sleep made him both nervous and irritable, 349 00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:41,320 Speaker 1: So when he left to investigate the disappearance of several 350 00:23:41,359 --> 00:23:44,960 Speaker 1: sailors in Lavre that summer, his coworkers hoped l Drew 351 00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,359 Speaker 1: might also get some much deserved rest. Once he solved 352 00:23:48,359 --> 00:23:52,960 Speaker 1: the case, he dove right into work the moment he arrived. 353 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:57,240 Speaker 1: Exhausted and making little progress, L Drew went to bed early. 354 00:23:58,560 --> 00:24:01,680 Speaker 1: When he arrived at the police station next morning, detectives 355 00:24:01,720 --> 00:24:03,800 Speaker 1: asked him to work on a different case that had 356 00:24:03,840 --> 00:24:08,480 Speaker 1: taken priority. A prominent businessman, Andre Monette, had gone for 357 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:11,520 Speaker 1: a swim the previous evening and someone had shot him 358 00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,600 Speaker 1: in the chest. The lack of evidence that the scene 359 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 1: stumped the local detectives. La Drew interviewed Monet's wife. They 360 00:24:20,119 --> 00:24:23,040 Speaker 1: hadn't named any heirs to his estate, and he didn't 361 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 1: have a single enemy. He had simply gone to the 362 00:24:25,720 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 1: beach for a night swim to cool off from the 363 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:31,760 Speaker 1: summer heat, and never came home. La Drew headed to 364 00:24:31,760 --> 00:24:35,199 Speaker 1: the scene not far from his hotel. He understood the 365 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:39,159 Speaker 1: detective's confusion. None of Monette's possessions had been taken, there 366 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:42,760 Speaker 1: had been no signs of a struggle. Yet the scene 367 00:24:42,840 --> 00:24:47,679 Speaker 1: bothered him greatly, especially the footprints around the body. He 368 00:24:47,840 --> 00:24:51,720 Speaker 1: ordered a plaster cast be made. After reviewing the cast, 369 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,960 Speaker 1: he sat on the beach for hours. One detective observed 370 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,160 Speaker 1: that l Drew seemed as though he were in some 371 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:02,600 Speaker 1: sort of trance. He sat in the same position without moving, 372 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 1: impervious to the glaring sun and heat. Suddenly he stood 373 00:25:08,520 --> 00:25:11,399 Speaker 1: and walked over to the police chief they could stop 374 00:25:11,440 --> 00:25:14,640 Speaker 1: the investigation. He said he knew without a doubt who 375 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:18,520 Speaker 1: the killer was. Before the chief could ask who, the 376 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:23,520 Speaker 1: Drew walked back to his hotel and waited. The following morning, 377 00:25:23,760 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: the chief informed him they had uncovered a bullet from 378 00:25:26,280 --> 00:25:29,560 Speaker 1: a German luger pistol, which is quite common in France. 379 00:25:30,359 --> 00:25:33,040 Speaker 1: The Drew returned to Paris and went straight to the 380 00:25:33,080 --> 00:25:36,720 Speaker 1: police station where he worked. He showed his boss the 381 00:25:36,760 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: plaster cast and told him that while he knew who 382 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:43,439 Speaker 1: the killer was and he had no motive, then he 383 00:25:43,560 --> 00:25:49,359 Speaker 1: said I killed Monette. His superior wouldn't believe it. But 384 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:51,359 Speaker 1: then Le Drew told him how he had gone to 385 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:53,879 Speaker 1: bed early and how he woke the next morning with 386 00:25:54,040 --> 00:25:57,960 Speaker 1: wet socks. Then he pointed out that the cast revealed 387 00:25:57,960 --> 00:26:00,639 Speaker 1: the killer was missing their big toe on their right foot, 388 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:04,320 Speaker 1: just like him. He also owned the same make of 389 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:08,239 Speaker 1: gun used to kill Monette. To prove had done it, 390 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:10,639 Speaker 1: l Drew had a cast made of his right foot 391 00:26:10,680 --> 00:26:14,880 Speaker 1: for comparison. He insisted that his colleagues arrest him, even 392 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:17,000 Speaker 1: though he knew he had killed Monette in his sleep, 393 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,280 Speaker 1: to test out Ledru's sleepwalking theory. They kept him in 394 00:26:21,359 --> 00:26:25,640 Speaker 1: jail and under constant watch. They handed him a revolver, 395 00:26:25,960 --> 00:26:30,320 Speaker 1: but this one contained only blanks, and sure enough, one night, 396 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:32,760 Speaker 1: l Drew got out of bed and took the pistol 397 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,760 Speaker 1: and coldly fired upon a guard. L Drew was sentenced 398 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:41,879 Speaker 1: to a lifetime confinement, but not in jail. It was 399 00:26:41,960 --> 00:26:44,480 Speaker 1: ruled that such a punishment would be too harsh for 400 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:49,800 Speaker 1: someone who couldn't control their sleepwalking tendencies. Instead, he spent 401 00:26:49,840 --> 00:26:52,280 Speaker 1: the rest of his life at a secluded farm outside 402 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:56,080 Speaker 1: of Paris, and although a host of doctors and guards 403 00:26:56,119 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 1: watched over him, l Drew never had another sleepwalking episode 404 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:03,639 Speaker 1: and lived a peaceful life until his death in nineteen 405 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:15,920 Speaker 1: thirty seven. American Shadows is hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. This 406 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,919 Speaker 1: episode was written by Michelle Muteau, researched by Ali Stead, 407 00:27:20,160 --> 00:27:23,760 Speaker 1: and produced by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive 408 00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:28,520 Speaker 1: producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn 409 00:27:28,520 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 1: more about the show. Visit grimminmile dot com. For more 410 00:27:31,840 --> 00:27:36,560 Speaker 1: podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or 411 00:27:36,560 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts.