WEBVTT - Season 06 Episode 33 Extra: Hungry Like the Wolf

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<v Speaker 1>The following episode includes graphic scenes of murder and torture

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<v Speaker 1>that some may find disturbing. Parental discretion is advised. Welcome

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<v Speaker 1>to Unexplained Extra with Me Richard mclin Smith, where for

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<v Speaker 1>the weeks in between episodes to look at stories and

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<v Speaker 1>ideas that, for one reason or other, didn't make it

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<v Speaker 1>into the previous show. In last week's episode, An American

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<v Speaker 1>Werewolf in America, we covered the intriguing tale of the

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<v Speaker 1>Beast of Brave Road, a strange, apparent dog like humanoid

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<v Speaker 1>that is said to stalk a quiet stretch of road

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<v Speaker 1>just outside of Elkhorn in Wisconsin, USA. Linda Godfrey, who

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<v Speaker 1>first brought the tale to the world, was reluctant to

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<v Speaker 1>use the term werewolf to describe the supposed creature, since

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<v Speaker 1>she considered it to be more of a cryptis than

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<v Speaker 1>a human wolf hybrid. The clue is in the name.

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<v Speaker 1>The term werewolf in most languages is comprised at the

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<v Speaker 1>cognate of man and wolf, where is the Old Teutonic

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<v Speaker 1>for man and wolf is well wolf. The Greek term leacanthropis,

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<v Speaker 1>from which is derived the termlycanthropy, the psychiatric disorder in

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<v Speaker 1>which an individual believes they are a wolf is likewise

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<v Speaker 1>taken from the Greek words for wolf and man. Some

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<v Speaker 1>argue that the notion of a werewolf was first explored

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<v Speaker 1>in the ancient poem the Epic of Gilgamesh from twenty

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<v Speaker 1>one hundred BCE, in which the titular Gilgamesh spurns a

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<v Speaker 1>woman after learning that she'd previously turned a lover into

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<v Speaker 1>a wolf. However, generally speaking, the idea of the werewolf

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<v Speaker 1>was born from much darker beginnings, much of it to

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<v Speaker 1>do with cannabi. From ancient Greek mythology comes the story

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<v Speaker 1>of lie Chaon, one of the first kings of Arcadia.

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<v Speaker 1>In an effort to gain favour from the god Zeus,

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<v Speaker 1>like Chaon made a series of increasingly extreme offerings in

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<v Speaker 1>his honour, culminating in the sacrificing of people, a practice

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<v Speaker 1>that by then had been long rejected by the gods.

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<v Speaker 1>When Zeus decided to visit lye Chaon in disguise to

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<v Speaker 1>try and uncover the truth, he was invited to participate

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<v Speaker 1>in a banquet that included human flesh. In anger and disgust,

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<v Speaker 1>Zeus turned like Chaon and his son into wolves as

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<v Speaker 1>a punishment for what they'd done. It's a short step

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<v Speaker 1>from here to the mythology of the werewolf as it

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<v Speaker 1>would later evolve. Crucially, despite the human having turned wolf,

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<v Speaker 1>it is always maintained that the creature retains something of

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<v Speaker 1>the human it. As such, when a werewolf kills and

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<v Speaker 1>eats a human, it is ultimately a cannibalistic act. There

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<v Speaker 1>have been surprisingly many supposedly true tales of werewolves over

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<v Speaker 1>the years, though perhaps none are more infamous, more wicked,

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<v Speaker 1>or more disturbing than that which appeared in a pamphlet

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<v Speaker 1>in London in June fifteen ninety. The story was brought

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<v Speaker 1>over by one George Bores, of which there is little known,

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<v Speaker 1>who is said to have translated it from its original

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<v Speaker 1>German text, titled The Damnable Life and Death of stub Peter.

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<v Speaker 1>It is not for the faint hearted. It was out

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<v Speaker 1>in the quiet countryside of West Germany, close to what

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<v Speaker 1>was then the Electorate of Cologne, where it all began.

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<v Speaker 1>A slain and mutilated sheep carcass is found out in

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<v Speaker 1>the fields surrounding Eprath, a small community on the outskirts

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<v Speaker 1>of Bedburg, with its flesh ripped by sharp claws and

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<v Speaker 1>its meat torn from the bones by ravenous, sharp toothed jaws.

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<v Speaker 1>It was clear that a wolf was now in their mist.

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<v Speaker 1>Then the sheep became a cow, but not just one,

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<v Speaker 1>multiple all with the same violent injuries. Evidently the wolf

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<v Speaker 1>was a big one. Then one day, a farmer, while

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<v Speaker 1>out scything wheat, made a horrifying discovery a small child's pale,

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<v Speaker 1>lifeless body staring up at him from the dirt, its

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<v Speaker 1>throat and stomach torn open, and its entrails showing the

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<v Speaker 1>signs of having been feasted on. Some time later, three

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<v Speaker 1>friends went missing in a nearby forest. As the story goes,

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<v Speaker 1>two men and a woman were said to have been

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<v Speaker 1>taking a walk together when one of the men was

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<v Speaker 1>distracted by someone whispering his name from deep inside the woods.

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<v Speaker 1>After peeling off from the group to investigate, the man

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<v Speaker 1>failed to return. When the other man went looking for him,

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<v Speaker 1>he too failed to return. Suddenly, fearing for her life,

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<v Speaker 1>the woman turned to run, only to find herself being

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<v Speaker 1>chased by a large fur creature with snarling jaws. Before

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<v Speaker 1>she could raise the alarm, the creature is said to

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<v Speaker 1>have pinned her to the ground before raping her and

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<v Speaker 1>making off with her. Body. The bodies of the men

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<v Speaker 1>were later found, each with their heads bashed in, but

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<v Speaker 1>the woman's body was now found. Another time, some children

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<v Speaker 1>were playing in a field close to a herd of

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<v Speaker 1>cattle when a huge wolf like creature burst out suddenly

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<v Speaker 1>from some nearby bushes and grabbed one of the children

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<v Speaker 1>by the neck. As the creature tore wildly at the

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<v Speaker 1>child's throat, Thankfully, her stiff and high collar gave her

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<v Speaker 1>enough time to scream for help. The sound of her

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<v Speaker 1>screams caused a stampede of the cattle, who inadvertently chased

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<v Speaker 1>the creature away. As news of the terrifying attacks spread

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<v Speaker 1>through the area, people became more vigilant. Patrols even began

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<v Speaker 1>scaring the countryside with packs of dogs on the hunt

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<v Speaker 1>for the mysterious merciless creature that was terrorizing their community.

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<v Speaker 1>It was all autumn in fifteen eighty nine when one

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<v Speaker 1>such patrol spotted a huge wolf like creature moving through

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<v Speaker 1>a distant field. As the dogs chased after it, the

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<v Speaker 1>men raced to catch up, only to see the strange

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<v Speaker 1>creature suddenly transform into a man right in front of

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<v Speaker 1>their eyes. The man was promptly arrested and taken immediately

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<v Speaker 1>to a prison cell, where he was shortly after placed

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<v Speaker 1>on the rack with his feet and hands bound. The

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<v Speaker 1>rack was then steadily turned, stretching every sinew in the

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<v Speaker 1>man's limbs, until finally he confessed. The man was thirty

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<v Speaker 1>seven year old Peter Stubb, though others have suggested he

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<v Speaker 1>may in fact have been named Abel Grizzled. Some have

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<v Speaker 1>also suggested his name was in fact Stump, the German

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<v Speaker 1>word for stump. However, it's possible this was merely a

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<v Speaker 1>nickname given to him on account of him apparently only

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<v Speaker 1>having one hand. Stubb was known to be a relatively

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<v Speaker 1>wealthy farmer and a widower with two adolescent children. It

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<v Speaker 1>had all begun when he was twelve years old, he said,

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<v Speaker 1>having fantasized about meeting the devil. One day, he was

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<v Speaker 1>granted his wish, and in return was given a belt

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<v Speaker 1>made of wolf fur. From that day on, whenever he

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<v Speaker 1>put on the belt, he was transformed instantly into a greedy,

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<v Speaker 1>devouring wolf with a great, wide mouth full of sharp

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<v Speaker 1>and cruel teeth. His body became strong and mighty, and

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<v Speaker 1>his eyes sparkled as though they were made of fire.

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<v Speaker 1>The moment he removed the belt, he said he became

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<v Speaker 1>a man again. His reign of terror had started modestly

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<v Speaker 1>with lambs and calm, before graduating to young children and

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<v Speaker 1>then adults. He did not discriminate. He even confessed to

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<v Speaker 1>murdering and eating two pregnant women, ripping their fetuses out

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<v Speaker 1>with his bare hands before devouring them to eating their

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<v Speaker 1>hearts as he panted with heat and exhaustion. He confessed

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<v Speaker 1>also to raping most of his victims and his own daughter.

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<v Speaker 1>His son was led out to the forest one morning,

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<v Speaker 1>where Stub then claimed to have bludgeoned him to death

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<v Speaker 1>before eating the brains right out of his head. All

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<v Speaker 1>in all, it was said that Starb killed sixteen people,

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<v Speaker 1>and on October twenty eighth, fifteen eighty nine, he was

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<v Speaker 1>convicted of his crimes. Both his daughter and his girlfriend

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<v Speaker 1>at the time, a woman named Catharine Trompin, were also

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<v Speaker 1>convicted alongside him, accused of being accessories to his heinous crimes.

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<v Speaker 1>They were all sentenced to death on October thirty first

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<v Speaker 1>all Hallow's eve, Trompin, and Stubb's daughter were burned alive.

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<v Speaker 1>For his punishment, Stubb had his body tied to a

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<v Speaker 1>large wooden wagon wheel. Next, a heavy set of iron

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<v Speaker 1>pincers were heated up in a fire before being used

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<v Speaker 1>to deafly tear ten hunks of flesh from his bones,

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<v Speaker 1>piece by piece. But this was only the beginning. Careful

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<v Speaker 1>not to do so much that he would die or

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<v Speaker 1>bleed to death, Stubb's torturers then moved on to the axe,

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<v Speaker 1>not to cut him up, but to use the head

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<v Speaker 1>of it to break every one of his limbs. With

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<v Speaker 1>Stubb still clinging on to life, he was then finally

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<v Speaker 1>beheaded and his body thrown onto the fire and burned

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<v Speaker 1>to ash. In the days following his execution, a strange

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<v Speaker 1>monument was constructed, comprised of the wheel that Stubb was

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<v Speaker 1>executed on, as well as sixteen yard long pieces of

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<v Speaker 1>wood to signify each of the sixteen victims he murdered,

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<v Speaker 1>and in the middle was a large pole on which

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<v Speaker 1>Stubb's head was placed a little warning to anyone else

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<v Speaker 1>who might be planning to make a pact with the devil,

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<v Speaker 1>or so George Bow's fifteen ninety pamphlet says. At least today,

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<v Speaker 1>researchers have speculated that though Peter Stubb may have been

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<v Speaker 1>real and his execution was real. It's possible his true

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<v Speaker 1>crime was simply being a Protestant at a time of

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<v Speaker 1>intense religious rivalry between local Catholic and Protestant factions. Perhaps,

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<v Speaker 1>as has been suggested, his crimes were simply made up

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<v Speaker 1>to make an example of him. Others have suggested that

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<v Speaker 1>Stubb was indeed a murderer, but one of a more

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<v Speaker 1>distinctly human variety whose crimes were later portrayed as being

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<v Speaker 1>the result of some wicked supernatural act because they were

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<v Speaker 1>just too appalling to be comprehended in any other way.

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<v Speaker 1>Or maybe it really was all true. This episode was

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<v Speaker 1>written by Richard McLain Smith Unexplained as an AV Club

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<v Speaker 1>Productions podcast created by Richard McLain Smith. All other elements

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<v Speaker 1>of the podcast, including the music, are also produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Richard McLain Smith Unexplained. The book and audiobook, featuring stories

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<v Speaker 1>that have never before been featured on the show, is

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<v Speaker 1>now available to buy worldwide. You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes,

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<v Speaker 1>the show wherever you listen to podcasts, and feel free

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<v Speaker 1>to get in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding

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<v Speaker 1>the stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have

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<v Speaker 1>an explanation of your own you'd like to share. You

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<v Speaker 1>can reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com or

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