1 00:00:10,520 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: Yea, oh Man, oh Man, oh Man, Friends and neighbors, 2 00:00:27,560 --> 00:00:32,240 Speaker 1: fellow Ridiculous historians, Welcome to the show. I for one, 3 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:37,240 Speaker 1: am excited because today's episode concerns one of our favorite 4 00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:42,680 Speaker 1: genres of historical individuals, the con artist flim flam Man, 5 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,159 Speaker 1: which our last episode did as well. We have we 6 00:00:46,240 --> 00:00:50,600 Speaker 1: have a preponderance of con artists in the show, and 7 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:52,800 Speaker 1: I have no regrets about it. Who am I? I'm Ben? 8 00:00:53,120 --> 00:00:55,840 Speaker 1: Who you are I'm Noel? This ridiculous history? And who's 9 00:00:55,880 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: that handsome man outside of the booth? Why that devil 10 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:04,720 Speaker 1: as I live and breathe? That's super producer Casey Pegrom. 11 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: Oh my goodness, gracious, I love what people say as 12 00:01:07,400 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: I love a breathe. Well, it's funny too, because when 13 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 1: you said that sound, yes, I do allow that expression. 14 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,000 Speaker 1: When you said that, and then the sound happened, a 15 00:01:13,040 --> 00:01:17,400 Speaker 1: beautiful glint on Casey's pearly white, very straight teeth lit 16 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:21,080 Speaker 1: up the room. That's true. It's true. We Uh off 17 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,800 Speaker 1: Air Nolan. I spend uh a lot of time just 18 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,240 Speaker 1: sort of staring and Casey when we think he's not looking, 19 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: you know, he always sees. Though. Yeah, I'm sorry I 20 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,759 Speaker 1: had to find out on air casey. You know it's 21 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:36,960 Speaker 1: fine though, it's fine. It's endearing, not creepy at all, 22 00:01:37,080 --> 00:01:40,679 Speaker 1: not creepy at all. Let's make that a T shirt. 23 00:01:41,600 --> 00:01:46,840 Speaker 1: We have so many ways to begin today's story to 24 00:01:47,319 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: I guess one of the easiest ways to begin it 25 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:55,880 Speaker 1: would be to give a brief shout out to the 26 00:01:55,960 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: king of gravity, Isaac Newton. Can we have an air horn? 27 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:08,320 Speaker 1: There we go? Yes, a boy, Isaac Newton, uh invented gravity. 28 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,560 Speaker 1: Beforehand it was pandemonium, and now it was nuts. Isaac 29 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: Newton was an English mathematician and astronomer, a theologian uh. 30 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: He was described in his day as a natural philosopher, 31 00:02:21,560 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: one of the predecessors to what we would call a 32 00:02:24,240 --> 00:02:29,160 Speaker 1: scientist today. He was born in December of sixteen forty 33 00:02:29,160 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: two December, and he lived until uh the seventeen twenties 34 00:02:36,720 --> 00:02:43,560 Speaker 1: seventy seventy seven. Today's episode does not concern his many 35 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:50,600 Speaker 1: many innovations and his scientific pursuits. It concerns something much 36 00:02:50,639 --> 00:02:53,040 Speaker 1: more noir can I also point out that in his 37 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:57,079 Speaker 1: day he was a dead sexy s o B a 38 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: sexual no way, He's like some of a Morrissey figure, 39 00:03:00,480 --> 00:03:06,760 Speaker 1: a less problematic Morrissey figure. It's it's not too controversial 40 00:03:07,160 --> 00:03:09,639 Speaker 1: to say that a lot of people are less problematic, 41 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: uh than Morrissey, Right, I think that's very fair. So 42 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,280 Speaker 1: he did. He did, by all accounts, die a virgins, 43 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:21,320 Speaker 1: So maybe it's unfair to give him that term a 44 00:03:21,440 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: sexual or ace, but he did die virgin. I put 45 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: forth that he just didn't have time for that kind 46 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:33,200 Speaker 1: of shenanigans. He was occupying his time with more important pursuits, 47 00:03:34,440 --> 00:03:40,200 Speaker 1: celestial pursuits and terrestrial pursuits. Yeah, it's it's true. Maybe 48 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:44,400 Speaker 1: he was just busy, sort of a tesla figure. We 49 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:49,480 Speaker 1: often hear about Isaac Newton in relation to his many 50 00:03:49,640 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: many scientific pursuits as well as some of his more 51 00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:58,760 Speaker 1: spiritual or esoteric pursuits. But what many of us may 52 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: not know, I'll come clean what I did not know 53 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 1: before we began researching this episode. He also Uh, he 54 00:04:08,560 --> 00:04:12,800 Speaker 1: also worked as a lawman of sorts. Yeah. Now, not 55 00:04:12,920 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: only allowment like a like a sleuth, like like a 56 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:20,960 Speaker 1: Batman level detective. Yeah. Yeah, that's where you put it. 57 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:25,840 Speaker 1: He took his scientific acumen and his cognitive prowess and 58 00:04:25,960 --> 00:04:29,600 Speaker 1: he applied it to the problem of crime. Journey with 59 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: us back to sixteen nine five, England's Royal Mint found 60 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:39,880 Speaker 1: out that they had a very very alarming problem. They 61 00:04:39,920 --> 00:04:43,360 Speaker 1: had a bunch of currency in circulation, right, A large 62 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: portion of that currency was fake. It was counterfeit, it 63 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:52,040 Speaker 1: was phony, and this is not a good look for 64 00:04:52,279 --> 00:04:54,160 Speaker 1: the Royal meant it's not a good look for the 65 00:04:54,240 --> 00:05:02,160 Speaker 1: economy at large. And the counterfeiting operations were growing increasingly sophisticated, 66 00:05:02,279 --> 00:05:05,880 Speaker 1: sort of like in the Terminator franchise, when the original 67 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:10,320 Speaker 1: robots are easily distinguishable from humans, but then they get 68 00:05:10,600 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: better and better and better and increasingly difficult to identify, 69 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 1: unless we forget to mention that the man who discovered 70 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:24,000 Speaker 1: this problem of counterfeit coin was Isaac Newton himself after 71 00:05:24,160 --> 00:05:27,800 Speaker 1: he was made the Warden of the Royal Mint. Not 72 00:05:27,920 --> 00:05:29,800 Speaker 1: to be confused with like the Warden of the North 73 00:05:29,920 --> 00:05:32,960 Speaker 1: or something, but it really does carry quite a weighty 74 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: aura the term warden, you know. Yeah, yeah, oh, And 75 00:05:36,480 --> 00:05:39,000 Speaker 1: we just got new business cards, and I'm kicking myself. 76 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,040 Speaker 1: We could have chosen some times. Do you think they 77 00:05:41,040 --> 00:05:46,960 Speaker 1: would have led us to supervising warden of production? Sounds 78 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: very Yeah. When I first got business cards here way 79 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: way back in the day. Because I've been here forever. 80 00:05:53,440 --> 00:05:56,680 Speaker 1: They allowed me to choose my own job title. Casey, 81 00:05:56,800 --> 00:05:59,760 Speaker 1: you remember this because I was I was pulling everybody, 82 00:06:00,279 --> 00:06:04,920 Speaker 1: and I got very close to changing my job title 83 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:11,880 Speaker 1: to a life coach or the experience like the Edge. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, 84 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:16,720 Speaker 1: but good. His guitar tone is very influential. I just 85 00:06:16,800 --> 00:06:20,880 Speaker 1: think meeting someone and having to call them the Edge, 86 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:24,920 Speaker 1: it's a it's a preposterous expectation. He also seems like 87 00:06:25,040 --> 00:06:27,840 Speaker 1: a pretty boring dude, does he just does? He's got 88 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 1: like he is this lizz whole look. He just doesn't 89 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: seem I could be wrong. I'm sure he's a great guy, 90 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,000 Speaker 1: but he seems like the least edgy type of dude, 91 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 1: especially when you go by the name of the Edge. 92 00:06:37,440 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: You know, nicknames are weird. And he's not hurt in anyone. 93 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:43,800 Speaker 1: I'm glad he's happy. I hope he's happy with the name. 94 00:06:43,880 --> 00:06:46,160 Speaker 1: I hope he doesn't feel trapped in that Moniker. Well, 95 00:06:46,160 --> 00:06:48,600 Speaker 1: I'll tell you who wasn't happy. It was Warden of 96 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 1: the Royal Mint, Sir Isaac Newton, in the year of 97 00:06:51,640 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 1: six when he made that shocking discovery that twenty percent 98 00:06:56,320 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: of the coins that the mint was circulating were in 99 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:04,440 Speaker 1: fact at counterfeits, and he decided to set out on 100 00:07:04,880 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: a fact finding expedition. Dare we say an investigation? Yes, 101 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: yes we dare, because you see Newton. It turns out 102 00:07:12,760 --> 00:07:17,120 Speaker 1: was quite talented as warden of the Mint, and he 103 00:07:18,080 --> 00:07:22,080 Speaker 1: was able to catch quite a few counterfeiters. Yet there 104 00:07:22,240 --> 00:07:26,040 Speaker 1: was one fellow very high in the world of forgery 105 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:31,280 Speaker 1: and counterfeiting, a man named William Chaloner, who kept escaping 106 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:37,960 Speaker 1: Newton's grasped time after time. William Chaloner is someone who 107 00:07:38,040 --> 00:07:44,760 Speaker 1: could be the subject of Gosh, a multiple episode series 108 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:48,640 Speaker 1: all his own, and much like our friend Mr Fritz 109 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: Dufkine in the previous episode, this gentleman was also something 110 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:56,600 Speaker 1: of a villainous figure um a villainous renaissance man if 111 00:07:56,640 --> 00:08:00,800 Speaker 1: you will, yeah yeah, A grifter. Will Iam Challoner was 112 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:04,720 Speaker 1: born sometime in sixteen fifty to a poor family in Warwickshire, 113 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: but he eventually attained great financial success through his career 114 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:15,360 Speaker 1: in counterfeiting and through his career in con artistry. He 115 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: started by forging Birmingham Groats that was a English and 116 00:08:21,800 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 1: Irish silver coin that was worth four pence, or it 117 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: could also be a Scottish coin originally worth fourpence. And 118 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:32,880 Speaker 1: from that point he moved on to creating counterfeit Guinea's crowns, 119 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:38,000 Speaker 1: half crowns, bank notes, even lottery tickets. There there's one 120 00:08:38,120 --> 00:08:40,280 Speaker 1: side note that we we have to get out of 121 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:45,480 Speaker 1: the way. He didn't just uh make counterfeit currency for 122 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: a time. Uh, he also made and sold uh sexual aids. 123 00:08:53,720 --> 00:08:56,719 Speaker 1: I'm sorry, sexual coming aids. Can we say it on 124 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,319 Speaker 1: the show? Come a third time? Can we say it 125 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 1: on the show? You think dildos here? Dildos? Yeah? See, 126 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:06,920 Speaker 1: dildo was such a funny word because to too many 127 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,720 Speaker 1: it would be considered a swear. But it is such 128 00:09:09,800 --> 00:09:12,960 Speaker 1: a silly, silly word. Yeah, it's you know, it's still 129 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:18,400 Speaker 1: somehow sounds less dirty than the phrase dongle, dongles way worse. 130 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:27,120 Speaker 1: It's so bad. But yeah, am a false thallus. Yes, 131 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:31,319 Speaker 1: there we go, Yes, a counterfeit phallus. You know what 132 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:33,920 Speaker 1: we got there. We talked about this off air, we did, 133 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,040 Speaker 1: and it's totally true. So he was counter Not only 134 00:09:36,120 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 1: was he counterfeiting money, he was also a counterfeiting penis. 135 00:09:39,679 --> 00:09:43,880 Speaker 1: So this is this is a funny episode for us 136 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:48,760 Speaker 1: because we had intended to record it earlier before we 137 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:51,559 Speaker 1: had to before I had to leave town for a second. 138 00:09:51,679 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 1: And when we got back together after I came back, 139 00:09:56,960 --> 00:10:00,640 Speaker 1: we had an extensive, I think what over over an 140 00:10:00,720 --> 00:10:03,839 Speaker 1: hour and a half kind of quest to figure out 141 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:06,839 Speaker 1: if we had recorded this episode or not. And I 142 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:10,760 Speaker 1: think it was because of the false fallace discussion, because 143 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:12,559 Speaker 1: we talked about it so much off air that we 144 00:10:12,640 --> 00:10:15,480 Speaker 1: were like, I think we maybe did do it, you know, 145 00:10:15,600 --> 00:10:18,199 Speaker 1: oh yeah that And then Casey, you know, on the 146 00:10:18,320 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 1: case to the rescue, Uh, let let us know, to 147 00:10:21,040 --> 00:10:24,000 Speaker 1: our delight in fact, that we had not recorded this yet. 148 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 1: And this is what you hear before your very ears. 149 00:10:27,120 --> 00:10:31,439 Speaker 1: It was. It was hilarious because, as we do so often, Uh, 150 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,199 Speaker 1: the two of us couldn't figure out what we were 151 00:10:35,320 --> 00:10:40,880 Speaker 1: supposed to be doing, and so we basically flamed Casey, say, 152 00:10:41,480 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: please tell us what we have or have not done 153 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:46,400 Speaker 1: in Casey, by the way, thank you so much for 154 00:10:46,520 --> 00:10:49,319 Speaker 1: keeping the ship on course my pleasure. Casey always on 155 00:10:49,360 --> 00:10:58,760 Speaker 1: the case, always perpetually on the case. So here we are, uh. 156 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:04,599 Speaker 1: William Challenger. He is described as a willful youth with 157 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:10,000 Speaker 1: dishonest tendencies. He is originally apprenticed as a nail maker 158 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:16,480 Speaker 1: before he begins working in the thriving counterfeit industry of London. 159 00:11:17,440 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: In the sixteen seventies, he purchased a largest state in 160 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:25,720 Speaker 1: the country so he could move his minting process away 161 00:11:25,840 --> 00:11:29,480 Speaker 1: from the heat, away from the heat of London's law enforcement, 162 00:11:29,920 --> 00:11:34,559 Speaker 1: and he had a pretty good workflow set down. He 163 00:11:34,640 --> 00:11:39,080 Speaker 1: would hire middlemen who would pass the fake coins into circulation, 164 00:11:39,440 --> 00:11:43,439 Speaker 1: and those guys had the tough gig in his operation 165 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:46,600 Speaker 1: because the middlemen were the ones who were often caught, 166 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:52,000 Speaker 1: and when they were caught, they were hanged yikes, yikes. Indeed, 167 00:11:52,480 --> 00:11:56,880 Speaker 1: and because this was such a risky business, he garnered 168 00:11:56,960 --> 00:12:01,959 Speaker 1: a reputation um sort of a Moriarty of finance, you know, 169 00:12:02,640 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: shadowy kingpin. Holy crap, No, you're you're you're dead on 170 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:08,400 Speaker 1: because there is like this kind of Batman and Joker 171 00:12:09,040 --> 00:12:13,319 Speaker 1: or Sherlock and Moriarty relationship between these two men. He's 172 00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:15,840 Speaker 1: sort of like the one that got away the white whale, 173 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:19,599 Speaker 1: you know, for um our buddy Isaac Newton, who this 174 00:12:19,720 --> 00:12:21,920 Speaker 1: guy was a thorn in his side because, like you said, 175 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:24,480 Speaker 1: he did a pretty good job of cleaning up the 176 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:29,480 Speaker 1: counterfeit scene. Um, but this this gentleman continued to slip 177 00:12:30,080 --> 00:12:32,240 Speaker 1: through his fingers. Yeah. And a big part of this 178 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:37,760 Speaker 1: comes about because in the sixteen nineties English currency was 179 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 1: moving away from purely coin based stuff two notes, bank 180 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:48,599 Speaker 1: notes and paper money. And Chaloner, although he had a 181 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:52,000 Speaker 1: lot of close calls for a long time, he avoided 182 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,000 Speaker 1: the law or the punishment for his crimes because the 183 00:12:55,080 --> 00:12:59,600 Speaker 1: development of paper money was in advance of the laws. 184 00:12:59,720 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 1: Cree aided to ban forging paper money. Which sounds a 185 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:07,360 Speaker 1: little bit word sality. A better way to say it 186 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: is that technology will typically outpaced legislation. We're running into 187 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,240 Speaker 1: it in, will be running into it in the year 188 00:13:16,320 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: three thousands, totally six nineties, no different, because the wheels 189 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,120 Speaker 1: of justice grind ever so slowly, while the wheels of 190 00:13:23,200 --> 00:13:27,840 Speaker 1: commerce and progress tend to be a little more lightning quick. Yeah. 191 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:32,280 Speaker 1: And his success became his undoing because he got squarely 192 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:39,280 Speaker 1: in the crosshairs of Sir Isaac the Warden himself and Chaloner. 193 00:13:39,880 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: Although he had escaped jail for numerous years and had 194 00:13:46,360 --> 00:13:50,880 Speaker 1: never had to serve time, he had not escaped unscathed. 195 00:13:51,280 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 1: He had a long paper trail of arrest and accusations, 196 00:13:56,160 --> 00:13:58,839 Speaker 1: and this helped paint a picture of a guy who 197 00:13:58,960 --> 00:14:01,679 Speaker 1: spent a lot of time on the wrong side of 198 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:06,920 Speaker 1: the law, and he was also a rat. Did you 199 00:14:07,000 --> 00:14:08,760 Speaker 1: hear about this? No? I No, I didn't, But nobody 200 00:14:08,840 --> 00:14:12,040 Speaker 1: likes a rat. Yeah. He He managed to get out 201 00:14:12,160 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 1: of legal trouble multiple times by selling out other counterfeiters, 202 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:20,680 Speaker 1: and so of the counterfeiters that he had sold out 203 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:25,440 Speaker 1: who had been imprisoned or punished and not killed or 204 00:14:25,480 --> 00:14:29,640 Speaker 1: not executed, Sir Isaac was able to question these guys 205 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:34,200 Speaker 1: and gather many people who would say, yeah, I'll go 206 00:14:34,360 --> 00:14:37,840 Speaker 1: to court. I will point out that dirty rat Billy 207 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:42,360 Speaker 1: Chaloner because I want my revenge, to which Isaac said, 208 00:14:42,800 --> 00:14:45,480 Speaker 1: all right, let's make it, let's make it official, let's 209 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:47,680 Speaker 1: do it. Let's make a deal. Um. He may have 210 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:50,640 Speaker 1: slipped the noose spend, but he did not slip the 211 00:14:50,800 --> 00:14:54,720 Speaker 1: clink because Um Newton was able to amass enough evidence 212 00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:58,760 Speaker 1: and these witness testimonies to get him locked up. But 213 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:02,200 Speaker 1: it didn't really eight could did it? No? No, he 214 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,960 Speaker 1: bribed the prosecution star witness, paid the witness enough money 215 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,600 Speaker 1: to flee to Scotland and then Chaloner was released and 216 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: he accused Newton of framing an innocent man. We should 217 00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:18,320 Speaker 1: step back for a second and say that Newton knows 218 00:15:18,800 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 1: and despises Challenger at this point, because earlier Challenger had 219 00:15:24,040 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: appeared before Parliamentary committee and he said that Newton was incompetent, 220 00:15:29,880 --> 00:15:32,560 Speaker 1: terrible at his job, and that the ment employees were 221 00:15:32,560 --> 00:15:36,000 Speaker 1: the ones responsible for the epidemic of counterfeit currency. So 222 00:15:36,640 --> 00:15:39,400 Speaker 1: this is two strikes against the guy in Newton's mind, 223 00:15:39,880 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 1: and this attack on his integrity enrages him. So he 224 00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 1: decides that he is going to play dirty as well 225 00:15:49,200 --> 00:15:51,800 Speaker 1: as you would call it an old dirty pool. Uh. 226 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:57,360 Speaker 1: He began bribing crooks for information, He started making threats. 227 00:15:57,840 --> 00:16:02,200 Speaker 1: He found not only challengers associates, but the wives and 228 00:16:02,360 --> 00:16:06,720 Speaker 1: mistresses of his associates and started intimidating and threatening them. 229 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:11,400 Speaker 1: In short, as Judy Dutton says in an excellent article 230 00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:16,400 Speaker 1: of mental Floss, Newton became the dirty Harry of his time. 231 00:16:16,440 --> 00:16:19,240 Speaker 1: I don't understand that reference. Dirty Harry. Are you serious? 232 00:16:19,320 --> 00:16:21,480 Speaker 1: What is he like? Isn't it? Is he a cop? 233 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:23,680 Speaker 1: I don't know what dirty Harry is, Casey, He's a 234 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:25,920 Speaker 1: cop that doesn't follow the rules. It doesn't like a 235 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: lot of red tape, So he's sort of like a 236 00:16:27,640 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: Serpico type figure. He asked punks if they're feeling lucky? Ye? Did? 237 00:16:32,400 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: He had to be at a big giant gun, didn't Heah? Yeah? Okay, 238 00:16:36,920 --> 00:16:40,560 Speaker 1: all right, casey on the case? Can we get Do 239 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: you feel lucky? Punk? I know what you're thinking, Punk? 240 00:16:45,360 --> 00:16:49,800 Speaker 1: You're thinking diddy fire? Six shots are only five? How 241 00:16:49,880 --> 00:16:51,760 Speaker 1: to tell you the truth? If about myself and all 242 00:16:51,800 --> 00:16:55,920 Speaker 1: this excitement, but being this is a forty four magnum, 243 00:16:55,960 --> 00:16:58,280 Speaker 1: the most powerful handgun in the world, and we'll blow 244 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: your head clean off? You could ask yourself question, do 245 00:17:04,640 --> 00:17:15,720 Speaker 1: I feel lucky? Well? Do you? Punk? Perfect? So yes, 246 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:20,040 Speaker 1: the comparison does hold because he was operating outside of 247 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:24,080 Speaker 1: the law, and he spent two more years chasing down 248 00:17:24,280 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 1: Chaloner and eventually his ethically questionable methods give him enough 249 00:17:31,359 --> 00:17:35,199 Speaker 1: evidence to put Chaloner away for good. I picture Isaac 250 00:17:35,280 --> 00:17:40,600 Speaker 1: Newton with his um, you know, very expertly quaffed ringlets, 251 00:17:40,960 --> 00:17:44,119 Speaker 1: you know, and his uh kind of ruffle shirt, you know, 252 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:46,520 Speaker 1: and some sort of velvet what would you call that 253 00:17:46,560 --> 00:17:49,399 Speaker 1: a doublet or something like that, like water boarding dudes, 254 00:17:49,840 --> 00:17:53,040 Speaker 1: and background you know, ducking their heads and toilets and 255 00:17:53,119 --> 00:17:55,800 Speaker 1: stuff like that, just to get to this guy Chaloner, 256 00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:58,639 Speaker 1: you know, and who knows it could have happened just 257 00:17:58,880 --> 00:18:02,119 Speaker 1: like that. This is so. But for some reason, I 258 00:18:02,640 --> 00:18:05,719 Speaker 1: see you see a tildo with the intimidation tactics. Can 259 00:18:05,800 --> 00:18:09,359 Speaker 1: we we should probably cut that? No, no, no, okay, 260 00:18:09,760 --> 00:18:11,680 Speaker 1: let's let's let's get your mind out of the of 261 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:14,159 Speaker 1: the gutter. He clearly would have used it as more 262 00:18:14,200 --> 00:18:16,320 Speaker 1: of a blackjack kind of That's what I'm thinking, because 263 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:18,320 Speaker 1: he can probably beat somebody with a tildo and it 264 00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:22,200 Speaker 1: wouldn't leave a mark. I'm not like a sack of oranges. Yeah, 265 00:18:22,280 --> 00:18:24,320 Speaker 1: I'm not. I mean, I'm not thinking of something sexual. 266 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:26,840 Speaker 1: I'm thinking of just an I know I was helping 267 00:18:26,880 --> 00:18:33,960 Speaker 1: you out to thank you, thanks for the same. On 268 00:18:34,119 --> 00:18:39,560 Speaker 1: March third, Challenger has found guilty of high treason and 269 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:44,760 Speaker 1: he is sentenced to hang the very next day. Before 270 00:18:44,920 --> 00:18:49,399 Speaker 1: his sentence is carried out, several days before, Challenger has 271 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:55,280 Speaker 1: written Newton a long letter proclaiming his innocence, and we 272 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:58,080 Speaker 1: we have a little bit. We can read an excerpt, 273 00:18:58,160 --> 00:18:59,920 Speaker 1: but we're not going to read the whole letter, because 274 00:19:00,040 --> 00:19:03,040 Speaker 1: he writes him a series of letters that go on. 275 00:19:03,720 --> 00:19:07,399 Speaker 1: And here's one example. I have been close prisoner in 276 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:10,280 Speaker 1: eleven weeks, and new friends suffered to come near me, 277 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:13,159 Speaker 1: but my little child, and I am not guilty of 278 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,680 Speaker 1: any crime. And why am I so strictly confined? I 279 00:19:16,880 --> 00:19:20,679 Speaker 1: do not know. I doubt sir you are greatly displeased 280 00:19:20,760 --> 00:19:23,760 Speaker 1: with me about the late business in parliament. But if 281 00:19:23,840 --> 00:19:26,720 Speaker 1: you knew that truth, you would not be angry with me, 282 00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,200 Speaker 1: for it was brought in by some persons against my desire. 283 00:19:30,760 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 1: My favorite line ex or that was wonderful read Ben, 284 00:19:33,720 --> 00:19:37,960 Speaker 1: is I am going to be method? It says m 285 00:19:38,040 --> 00:19:39,840 Speaker 1: U r t h e r e D, but then 286 00:19:39,960 --> 00:19:42,159 Speaker 1: later spells it correctly. I'm not sure this is a 287 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:44,879 Speaker 1: typo on this website, the Newton Project dot X dot 288 00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,119 Speaker 1: a C dot UK, but I like to believe that 289 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:50,320 Speaker 1: he chose to spell murdered method. So he says I 290 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:54,080 Speaker 1: AM going to be method, although perhaps you may think not, 291 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 1: but tis true. I shall be maddad, the worse of 292 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:02,639 Speaker 1: all murders, that is, in the face of justice with 293 00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:06,200 Speaker 1: an eye. So it's like if and unless I am 294 00:20:06,280 --> 00:20:10,480 Speaker 1: rescued by your merciful hands. Yes, yeah, one of the 295 00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:15,360 Speaker 1: very last lines he has is braiser, consider that these persons, 296 00:20:15,440 --> 00:20:19,400 Speaker 1: that those accused me, are those formerly convicted for crimes, 297 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:22,639 Speaker 1: and hope your worship nor the court will believe the 298 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:26,800 Speaker 1: suggestions of such evil persons against me. That's a very 299 00:20:26,880 --> 00:20:28,840 Speaker 1: similar argument to what's going on right now. In the 300 00:20:28,920 --> 00:20:33,399 Speaker 1: trial of drug kingpin el Chappo. Apparently, you know, the 301 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:38,560 Speaker 1: prosecution um had dozens and dozens of witnesses, and el 302 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: Chappo's lawyer had I think, no witnesses, and el Chappo 303 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:45,600 Speaker 1: didn't even take the stand, and his lawyer's whole defense was, 304 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:49,440 Speaker 1: all of these witnesses are scum, and they're just trying to, 305 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:52,359 Speaker 1: you know, get out of their own problems. Right. The 306 00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:56,200 Speaker 1: plea deals and he signs this letter. You're near murdered, 307 00:20:56,320 --> 00:21:00,959 Speaker 1: humble servants, w Challoner. It's quite pitiful because he's literally 308 00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:03,600 Speaker 1: begging this man for his life. He's been bested by 309 00:21:03,720 --> 00:21:08,160 Speaker 1: his nemesis. Uh, and now he's behind bars awaiting the news. Yep, 310 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:13,720 Speaker 1: this did not work. No, Newton felt no pity. He 311 00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:19,200 Speaker 1: even adding insult to injury. Did the ultimate snub. He 312 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:23,520 Speaker 1: did not attend the hanging. He stayed home. I guess 313 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:27,480 Speaker 1: he was busy. Maybe something was on the seventeenth century netflix. 314 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:30,480 Speaker 1: Maybe he was you know, it was probably the crown, 315 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:34,359 Speaker 1: it was probably the crowd. Maybe he was at home, uh, 316 00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 1: nursing his ego. But everybody knew his guilty. Quick correction. 317 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:42,480 Speaker 1: I said that he was supposed to be hanged the 318 00:21:42,560 --> 00:21:45,480 Speaker 1: next day. He was sentenced the day after the trial, 319 00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:48,439 Speaker 1: and he had a fortnight in which he wrote those letters. 320 00:21:48,680 --> 00:21:50,720 Speaker 1: What is that two weeks time? Yeah, it's a period 321 00:21:50,760 --> 00:21:54,080 Speaker 1: of two weeks. And over these two weeks, that's when 322 00:21:54,119 --> 00:21:57,159 Speaker 1: he he writes these series of increasingly desperate letters, not 323 00:21:57,280 --> 00:22:00,240 Speaker 1: just in Newton, but to Justin Railton, who is the 324 00:22:00,320 --> 00:22:05,879 Speaker 1: supervising magistrate. And you can see the stages of grief. 325 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:10,080 Speaker 1: They are apparent in these letters. Of course, there are 326 00:22:10,119 --> 00:22:14,359 Speaker 1: five stages. Uh. The first is denial, which he was 327 00:22:14,760 --> 00:22:17,840 Speaker 1: he was obviously doing. Then there's anger, he was aggressive 328 00:22:17,880 --> 00:22:20,160 Speaker 1: in these letters. Then there's bargaining, which he had done 329 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:22,840 Speaker 1: before by you know, saying he would name other people. 330 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:26,159 Speaker 1: Then there's depression, which was probably a personal thing for him, 331 00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:30,399 Speaker 1: and acceptance, which I don't think he really reached. So 332 00:22:31,040 --> 00:22:34,000 Speaker 1: Newton had written during Chaloner's first trial, the one where 333 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:37,719 Speaker 1: he got away that the counterfeiter had formed a quote 334 00:22:38,119 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: confederacy against the warden, and Chaloner could have lived a long, 335 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:46,400 Speaker 1: honest life had he let the money and the government alone. 336 00:22:47,480 --> 00:22:51,080 Speaker 1: After this is very interesting, and this is kind of sketchy. 337 00:22:51,520 --> 00:22:56,280 Speaker 1: After Chaloner is executed, Newton takes all the records of 338 00:22:56,440 --> 00:23:02,040 Speaker 1: his investigation and burns them. He destroys all records of 339 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:07,720 Speaker 1: his involvement in the investigation, and nowadays scholars believe that 340 00:23:08,080 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 1: is solely to cover up the ways that he broke 341 00:23:11,880 --> 00:23:17,000 Speaker 1: the law in pursuit of this counterfeitterez. So he definitely 342 00:23:17,160 --> 00:23:21,880 Speaker 1: did some dirty cop tactics. He continues working in law 343 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:28,000 Speaker 1: enforcement until seventeen o three, when he turns in his 344 00:23:28,119 --> 00:23:32,879 Speaker 1: badge figuratively speaking and becomes President of the Royal Society, 345 00:23:33,000 --> 00:23:37,280 Speaker 1: returning to the world of academia. Yeah, live out his 346 00:23:37,400 --> 00:23:40,520 Speaker 1: twilight years. But man, he had a stretch there for 347 00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:43,800 Speaker 1: a while where he was something of a bad cop. Badass, 348 00:23:43,920 --> 00:23:47,280 Speaker 1: wasn't he? Absolutely, And there ends the story of the 349 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:52,679 Speaker 1: counterfeit Kingpin William Chaloner, who was hanged on the twenty 350 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:58,159 Speaker 1: two March sixteen nine. The Physicist and the fat the 351 00:23:58,320 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: physicist in the forger. That's wonderful. This also reminds me 352 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:05,920 Speaker 1: of a great book I would like to recommend, called 353 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:08,840 Speaker 1: The Professor and the Madman. Did we ever talk about 354 00:24:08,880 --> 00:24:10,840 Speaker 1: this on on air? We had to. We did an 355 00:24:10,880 --> 00:24:15,240 Speaker 1: episode related to this guy, The Oxford English Dictionary. Okay, 356 00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:17,640 Speaker 1: it doesn't ring about Bennett. It's it's all a blur 357 00:24:17,880 --> 00:24:21,959 Speaker 1: for me. It's it's the Professor and the Madman. Tale 358 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:27,240 Speaker 1: of murder, insanity and the making of the Oxford English Dictionary. 359 00:24:28,040 --> 00:24:31,359 Speaker 1: Reminds me of the strange pairing we have here with 360 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:36,320 Speaker 1: Newton and Chalon Or and would you know what it 361 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,520 Speaker 1: inspires me to think about? Would be other stories of 362 00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:42,680 Speaker 1: these great rivalries, you know what I mean, like the 363 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:48,600 Speaker 1: Untouchables and organized Crime. I wonder what other stories are 364 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:53,359 Speaker 1: out there. There's something so compelling, so um, there's a 365 00:24:53,480 --> 00:24:56,120 Speaker 1: high drama to it, you know. I'd love to see 366 00:24:56,400 --> 00:24:59,920 Speaker 1: a film adaptation of this rivalry. Who would play Newton? 367 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:07,040 Speaker 1: I'm going to say, Um, I don't know, maybe Benedict Cumberbatch, 368 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:14,200 Speaker 1: are you are you? Are you getting a Sherlock? I 369 00:25:14,280 --> 00:25:17,080 Speaker 1: would be interested to see Steve Bushemy play either of 370 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:20,600 Speaker 1: these characters. I think he would make a fantastic Newton. 371 00:25:20,680 --> 00:25:22,760 Speaker 1: I think you're right, but I honestly think he might 372 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: do better as the weird, twitchy villain guy because of 373 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:32,720 Speaker 1: his eyes, uh, those Bouchemy eyes. Let us know what 374 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:38,480 Speaker 1: stories of personal crime rivalries have captured your attention, and 375 00:25:38,600 --> 00:25:40,880 Speaker 1: don't just let us know. You can also let your 376 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:44,720 Speaker 1: fellow listeners know by finding us on Instagram, by finding 377 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:47,480 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, or by finding us on our Facebook 378 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:52,680 Speaker 1: community page. Ridiculous Historians. Big thanks to super producer Casey Pegram, 379 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:56,200 Speaker 1: to Alex Williams, who composed our theme, to Gabe are 380 00:25:56,359 --> 00:26:01,000 Speaker 1: delightful and talented research associate, and to you Ridiculous Historians 381 00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:04,520 Speaker 1: for checking out the show. Speaking of checking out, if 382 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:08,240 Speaker 1: you want to see our off air, sometimes non ridiculous 383 00:26:08,320 --> 00:26:11,680 Speaker 1: history related adventures, you can follow us on our very 384 00:26:11,760 --> 00:26:15,119 Speaker 1: own instagrams. I am in a burst of creativity at 385 00:26:15,200 --> 00:26:18,440 Speaker 1: ben Bulan and I am at Embryonic Insider, which I 386 00:26:18,760 --> 00:26:20,880 Speaker 1: don't think I've ever said this on aerror. I don't 387 00:26:20,960 --> 00:26:22,920 Speaker 1: think i've said this to you in person ever. We've 388 00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:24,840 Speaker 1: known each other for years, But I think that's a 389 00:26:24,880 --> 00:26:27,280 Speaker 1: cool name. Thanks man. It's actually it was the name 390 00:26:27,359 --> 00:26:29,240 Speaker 1: of a song in a band that I was in 391 00:26:29,359 --> 00:26:33,479 Speaker 1: a kind of uh, a little bit embarrassing tidbit from 392 00:26:33,520 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 1: my youth, kind of like a new metal type band 393 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: that you cannot find anywhere, so don't even look around 394 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:41,960 Speaker 1: for We had a song called Embryonic Inside, and so 395 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:45,600 Speaker 1: I changed it to Ambryonic in that's the inside scoop. 396 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:50,919 Speaker 1: Peek behind the curtain for more inside scoops on the Ridiculous, 397 00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:55,200 Speaker 1: Bizarre and hilarious Tales of Human History. Stay tuned for 398 00:26:55,440 --> 00:27:01,320 Speaker 1: our upcoming episodes, and uh, swing by our website, Ridiculous 399 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:05,720 Speaker 1: History Show dot com. We're in the t shirt business, 400 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:08,960 Speaker 1: as I think we've mentioned before, and you know it's 401 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,119 Speaker 1: probably time for us to add some new T shirts 402 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,639 Speaker 1: and all. My favorite and our newest is casey on 403 00:27:13,720 --> 00:27:16,680 Speaker 1: the Case. Does it exist? Yeah, yeah, it's there. It's 404 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:19,960 Speaker 1: really cool. PC. I don't think I didn't hear you 405 00:27:20,080 --> 00:27:24,200 Speaker 1: slip in that other Casey on the case sound cute? No, seriously, man, 406 00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:26,120 Speaker 1: you don't have to do it every time we say 407 00:27:26,160 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: the phrase, but it's fine when he does. It's so good. 408 00:27:29,640 --> 00:27:30,560 Speaker 1: See you next time. Fox