1 00:00:15,410 --> 00:00:26,570 Speaker 1: Pushkin. In October nineteen thirty two, a newspaper article landed 2 00:00:26,570 --> 00:00:29,130 Speaker 1: on doorsteps across the United States. 3 00:00:30,330 --> 00:00:34,250 Speaker 2: Modern Crusoe and his wife seek happiness on Lonely Isle. 4 00:00:35,490 --> 00:00:38,570 Speaker 1: The peace told of how a doctor and his wife 5 00:00:38,810 --> 00:00:42,730 Speaker 1: had traded life in Germany for a rocky outcrop six 6 00:00:42,930 --> 00:00:47,250 Speaker 1: hundred miles off the coast of Ecuador. The pair wanted 7 00:00:47,250 --> 00:00:50,970 Speaker 1: to be self sufficient, to live directly off the land, 8 00:00:51,330 --> 00:00:55,890 Speaker 1: close to nature, and without the luxury of modern conveniences. 9 00:00:56,850 --> 00:00:59,970 Speaker 1: Here in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, they spent 10 00:01:00,090 --> 00:01:04,810 Speaker 1: their days in philosophical contemplation, that is, when they weren't 11 00:01:04,810 --> 00:01:08,650 Speaker 1: tending to their foodstock or repairing their weather beaten shack. 12 00:01:09,690 --> 00:01:12,090 Speaker 2: When the Ritters first went to the island, they carried 13 00:01:12,130 --> 00:01:15,970 Speaker 2: with them eight hundred pounds of baggage. Afraid of captains 14 00:01:16,010 --> 00:01:18,170 Speaker 2: set them ashore with many misgivings. 15 00:01:19,770 --> 00:01:24,010 Speaker 1: The modern Crusoe and his wife were married, but not 16 00:01:24,050 --> 00:01:29,010 Speaker 1: to each other. Each had left a spouse behind in Germany. 17 00:01:29,770 --> 00:01:34,610 Speaker 1: Dora Strauch and Friedrich Ritter were starting afresh, free of 18 00:01:34,690 --> 00:01:40,210 Speaker 1: the fetters of civilization. According to the article, the lovers 19 00:01:40,490 --> 00:01:43,050 Speaker 1: planned to remain on their island. 20 00:01:43,810 --> 00:01:46,410 Speaker 2: Until death relieved them of their adventure. 21 00:01:48,370 --> 00:02:17,050 Speaker 1: I'm Tim Harford and you're listening to Cautionary Tales Spring 22 00:02:17,690 --> 00:02:22,290 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty seven. From her hospital bed in Berlin, Dora 23 00:02:22,410 --> 00:02:27,810 Speaker 1: Strouch watched the doctor move from patient to patient. There 24 00:02:27,850 --> 00:02:33,730 Speaker 1: was something intriguing about him. He was small and extraordinarily 25 00:02:33,890 --> 00:02:38,610 Speaker 1: lithe and she was struck by his steely blue gaze. 26 00:02:38,770 --> 00:02:42,970 Speaker 1: His forehead was ridged with furrows. This man was a 27 00:02:43,010 --> 00:02:49,170 Speaker 1: deep thinker. Dora recognized a kindred spirit. She was a 28 00:02:49,170 --> 00:02:52,770 Speaker 1: deep thinker too, and she had long felt herself to 29 00:02:52,810 --> 00:02:58,370 Speaker 1: be set apart different. As a child, she had preferred 30 00:02:58,410 --> 00:03:02,290 Speaker 1: the company of animals to people. That sense of her 31 00:03:02,370 --> 00:03:05,930 Speaker 1: own singularity only deepened over time. 32 00:03:07,650 --> 00:03:10,450 Speaker 3: A kind of conviction grew in me that there was 33 00:03:10,490 --> 00:03:13,690 Speaker 3: some task which I was born to fulfill, although I 34 00:03:13,730 --> 00:03:15,330 Speaker 3: had no notion what it could be. 35 00:03:17,690 --> 00:03:21,970 Speaker 1: In search of that essential task, Dora had trained as 36 00:03:22,010 --> 00:03:27,010 Speaker 1: a teacher, but she was disappointed this was not her vocation, 37 00:03:28,170 --> 00:03:33,690 Speaker 1: and so she turned next to philosophy. Reading. Schopenhauer convinced 38 00:03:33,810 --> 00:03:39,770 Speaker 1: Dora that the destruction of life for human nourishment was wrong. 39 00:03:40,970 --> 00:03:44,210 Speaker 1: So for a year and a half she subsisted on 40 00:03:44,250 --> 00:03:49,090 Speaker 1: a diet of figs alone. Her body grew weaker, but 41 00:03:49,450 --> 00:03:53,010 Speaker 1: it was really her soul, she said, that was starving. 42 00:03:53,810 --> 00:03:57,530 Speaker 1: She began to crave another project to feed it. By 43 00:03:57,570 --> 00:04:02,050 Speaker 1: twenty three, she believed she had found one. She accepted 44 00:04:02,090 --> 00:04:06,850 Speaker 1: the marriage proposal of a family friend. He was a schoolmaster, 45 00:04:07,570 --> 00:04:11,370 Speaker 1: quiet many years her senior. 46 00:04:12,650 --> 00:04:15,290 Speaker 3: I thought it would be our work worth doing to 47 00:04:15,450 --> 00:04:19,170 Speaker 3: thaw him out with sunshine. 48 00:04:19,570 --> 00:04:24,290 Speaker 1: Dora was positive that with her own bright disposition, she 49 00:04:24,370 --> 00:04:28,850 Speaker 1: would lure her husband to a life of youthful cheerfulness. 50 00:04:29,970 --> 00:04:35,810 Speaker 1: That confidence was misplaced. Once they were married, the schoolmaster's 51 00:04:35,930 --> 00:04:43,290 Speaker 1: sedate solemnity devolved into miserly gloom. Dora was miserable, and 52 00:04:43,330 --> 00:04:49,450 Speaker 1: she was also increasingly unwell. Walking became painful and difficult. 53 00:04:50,370 --> 00:04:53,650 Speaker 1: She wondered if her body was rebelling against her bleak 54 00:04:53,770 --> 00:04:55,810 Speaker 1: home life. 55 00:04:56,050 --> 00:05:00,730 Speaker 3: I broke down completely. The next seventeen months I spent 56 00:05:00,810 --> 00:05:05,970 Speaker 3: in a hospital where the doctors diagnosed me with multipus clerosis. 57 00:05:07,130 --> 00:05:13,130 Speaker 1: She also underwent, or perhaps was subjected to a hysterectomy. 58 00:05:13,970 --> 00:05:16,650 Speaker 3: I do not know whether this really had to be 59 00:05:16,930 --> 00:05:20,010 Speaker 3: or not, but I do know that when I learned 60 00:05:20,170 --> 00:05:24,370 Speaker 3: that I could never become a mother, something inside me 61 00:05:24,490 --> 00:05:27,370 Speaker 3: broke and gave up hope. 62 00:05:27,530 --> 00:05:32,970 Speaker 1: Dora was twenty six and grief stricken. She could never 63 00:05:33,170 --> 00:05:37,690 Speaker 1: carry a child, her marriage was a failure beyond repair, 64 00:05:38,570 --> 00:05:43,530 Speaker 1: and she was facing life with a painful, incurable illness. 65 00:05:44,530 --> 00:05:48,730 Speaker 1: It was then, at her lowest ebb that she crossed 66 00:05:48,770 --> 00:05:54,770 Speaker 1: paths with doctor Friedrich Ritter. Truth be told. Something about 67 00:05:54,850 --> 00:06:01,170 Speaker 1: him unnerved Dora. At first, his face was strangely absent 68 00:06:01,330 --> 00:06:06,170 Speaker 1: of any trace of amiability, but she quickly pushed this 69 00:06:06,410 --> 00:06:12,050 Speaker 1: daughter aside. The doctor started visiting Dora every day, speaking 70 00:06:12,050 --> 00:06:16,490 Speaker 1: of his faith in the power of thought. After examining her, 71 00:06:17,090 --> 00:06:17,810 Speaker 1: he told. 72 00:06:17,530 --> 00:06:22,090 Speaker 2: Her, you are not ill, but your desire. 73 00:06:21,730 --> 00:06:22,290 Speaker 4: To be ill. 74 00:06:24,610 --> 00:06:30,290 Speaker 1: Dora was impressed and exhilarated. Could accu really be a 75 00:06:30,490 --> 00:06:35,450 Speaker 1: simple question of mind over matter? Other patients had already 76 00:06:35,490 --> 00:06:40,610 Speaker 1: benefited from the doctor's unique outlook on disease, and those 77 00:06:40,730 --> 00:06:44,810 Speaker 1: that resisted the will to mend, he left them to 78 00:06:44,850 --> 00:06:50,010 Speaker 1: their own devices. Doctor Ritter didn't like sick people, and 79 00:06:50,090 --> 00:06:56,610 Speaker 1: he certainly wasn't going to nurse dead weight. As time 80 00:06:56,690 --> 00:07:01,130 Speaker 1: went on, the pair developed a friendship. They bonded over 81 00:07:01,170 --> 00:07:06,570 Speaker 1: their fervent admiration of nature, in particular his concept of 82 00:07:06,610 --> 00:07:13,010 Speaker 1: the ubermensh or superman who transcends society's conventions in favor 83 00:07:13,050 --> 00:07:18,330 Speaker 1: of self reliance. They liked the idea of thriving through 84 00:07:18,410 --> 00:07:22,650 Speaker 1: discipline and determination, no matter the challenges in their way. 85 00:07:23,850 --> 00:07:27,810 Speaker 1: In fact, doctor Ritter shunned much of what society had 86 00:07:27,810 --> 00:07:33,570 Speaker 1: to offer. He rejected the evil inventions of modern costume, 87 00:07:34,650 --> 00:07:41,170 Speaker 1: in particular the mass produced civilized shoe. He chose to 88 00:07:41,170 --> 00:07:46,090 Speaker 1: weir homemade leather slippers instead. He was convinced that a 89 00:07:46,210 --> 00:07:50,010 Speaker 1: carnivorous diet was the enemy of the nervous system, and 90 00:07:50,090 --> 00:07:56,290 Speaker 1: he was therefore a strict vegetarian. Dora was still in 91 00:07:56,410 --> 00:08:01,170 Speaker 1: pain and limped when she walked. The will to mend 92 00:08:01,610 --> 00:08:06,970 Speaker 1: proving elusive, but she was nevertheless full of admiration for 93 00:08:07,050 --> 00:08:07,610 Speaker 1: the doctor. 94 00:08:09,090 --> 00:08:12,170 Speaker 3: Some have thought him an eccentric I know that he 95 00:08:12,330 --> 00:08:14,250 Speaker 3: was one of the world's geniuses. 96 00:08:16,130 --> 00:08:22,570 Speaker 1: Friedrich, in turn, recognized Dora's potential as an acolyte. Soon 97 00:08:23,450 --> 00:08:24,170 Speaker 1: they were in love. 98 00:08:25,610 --> 00:08:30,330 Speaker 3: Our happiest hours together were spent in unforgettable and endless talks, 99 00:08:30,970 --> 00:08:33,370 Speaker 3: during which I sat at the feet of this man 100 00:08:33,530 --> 00:08:35,690 Speaker 3: who looked on me as his disciple. 101 00:08:39,650 --> 00:08:45,050 Speaker 1: Like Dora, Friedrich was unhappily married, and the pair dreamt 102 00:08:45,090 --> 00:08:50,050 Speaker 1: of running away together. Of fleeing civilization for solitude and 103 00:08:50,210 --> 00:08:55,290 Speaker 1: radical independence. Germany seemed to have little to offer them. 104 00:08:55,770 --> 00:08:59,130 Speaker 1: Not only did social mares dictate that they remain with 105 00:08:59,210 --> 00:09:04,370 Speaker 1: their spouses, but the early nineteen twenties had seen astronomical 106 00:09:04,410 --> 00:09:10,010 Speaker 1: inflation as the German mark became all but worthless. Many 107 00:09:10,050 --> 00:09:14,250 Speaker 1: people had found their life savings wiped out. Now the 108 00:09:14,290 --> 00:09:18,610 Speaker 1: forces of nationalism and fascism were on the rise. The 109 00:09:18,650 --> 00:09:23,130 Speaker 1: paramilitary wing of the growing Nazi Party, the thuggish Sturm 110 00:09:23,210 --> 00:09:26,650 Speaker 1: Up Thailand, had begun to attack its enemies on the 111 00:09:26,770 --> 00:09:37,490 Speaker 1: open streets. Germany seemed poised to descend into darkness. Dora 112 00:09:37,810 --> 00:09:42,730 Speaker 1: and Friedrich spent many secretive hours together pouring over maps 113 00:09:42,770 --> 00:09:46,170 Speaker 1: in the State Library of Berlin in search of an 114 00:09:46,170 --> 00:09:51,490 Speaker 1: island paradise. They agreed it should be tropical. 115 00:09:53,210 --> 00:09:55,610 Speaker 3: In not having to spend our energy in the rough 116 00:09:55,650 --> 00:10:00,210 Speaker 3: struggle against inclement weather, we should have the more left 117 00:10:00,250 --> 00:10:03,170 Speaker 3: for that higher struggle in which we were engaged. 118 00:10:05,010 --> 00:10:09,050 Speaker 1: Eventually they settled on the small Galapagos island of Flora. 119 00:10:10,650 --> 00:10:13,930 Speaker 1: They'd read about its diverse flora and fauna and its 120 00:10:13,970 --> 00:10:17,970 Speaker 1: fresh water spring in the work of naturalist William Beebe, 121 00:10:18,530 --> 00:10:20,930 Speaker 1: and they liked the fact that he had described the 122 00:10:21,050 --> 00:10:23,330 Speaker 1: archipelago as the world's end. 123 00:10:24,810 --> 00:10:28,810 Speaker 3: We had chosen a place where no one was for 124 00:10:28,890 --> 00:10:31,970 Speaker 3: we had learned that it is the contact with unlike 125 00:10:32,130 --> 00:10:37,410 Speaker 3: natures that destroys the inner harmony of lives. 126 00:10:39,690 --> 00:10:44,170 Speaker 1: They began to prepare for island life, choosing only the 127 00:10:44,210 --> 00:10:50,570 Speaker 1: most necessary of their possessions bedding, cooking utensils, carpenter's tools, 128 00:10:51,410 --> 00:10:57,850 Speaker 1: Nietzsche's Zarathustra, some Greek and Latin textbooks. Dora packed a 129 00:10:57,970 --> 00:11:02,890 Speaker 1: few simple dresses of artificial silk, believing the fabric would 130 00:11:03,010 --> 00:11:08,370 Speaker 1: keep her cool in the intense tropical heat. Anticipating dental 131 00:11:08,410 --> 00:11:12,810 Speaker 1: problems and committed to a life without the extravagance of 132 00:11:12,890 --> 00:11:17,690 Speaker 1: health care services, Friedrich had all of his teeth pulled out. 133 00:11:19,010 --> 00:11:22,810 Speaker 1: He was fitted with a set of steel dentures. Part 134 00:11:22,930 --> 00:11:26,290 Speaker 1: pragmatism and part experiment. 135 00:11:28,090 --> 00:11:31,690 Speaker 3: He had a scientific desire to find out whether gums 136 00:11:32,330 --> 00:11:35,170 Speaker 3: might be so far toughened as to become a substitute 137 00:11:35,170 --> 00:11:36,490 Speaker 3: for teeth in chewing. 138 00:11:38,050 --> 00:11:41,170 Speaker 1: There was one final problem for the couple to solve 139 00:11:41,490 --> 00:11:45,970 Speaker 1: before they left Germany. Their jilted spouses would no doubt 140 00:11:46,010 --> 00:11:50,370 Speaker 1: suffer grievously in their absence. It was Dora, who came 141 00:11:50,490 --> 00:11:54,050 Speaker 1: up with the solution their partners could simply set up 142 00:11:54,090 --> 00:12:01,290 Speaker 1: house together somehow. Perhaps fearing scandal, Dora's husband and Friedrich's 143 00:12:01,290 --> 00:12:05,570 Speaker 1: wife agreed to move in together, and in July nineteen 144 00:12:05,610 --> 00:12:14,810 Speaker 1: twenty nine, Dora and Friedrich sets for Ecuador. In her 145 00:12:14,850 --> 00:12:20,930 Speaker 1: book Eden Undone Abbot, Kayla describes how their ship cruised 146 00:12:20,970 --> 00:12:24,970 Speaker 1: through the Bay of Biscay and passed the dramatic cliffs 147 00:12:25,010 --> 00:12:30,130 Speaker 1: of the Azores. Eventually they crossed the Panama Canal and 148 00:12:30,210 --> 00:12:35,370 Speaker 1: landed on the mangrove fringed coast of Ecuador. Here they 149 00:12:35,410 --> 00:12:41,370 Speaker 1: bordered a boat of Floriana. From the deck of their schooner, 150 00:12:41,810 --> 00:12:46,610 Speaker 1: Dora and Friedrich watched the island they'd readabout draw closer, 151 00:12:48,170 --> 00:12:52,170 Speaker 1: its rugged volcanic mounds rising from the ocean. 152 00:12:53,730 --> 00:12:58,250 Speaker 3: We landed, our hopes as cloudless as the sky against 153 00:12:58,250 --> 00:13:01,610 Speaker 3: which the great extinct volcano darkly rose. 154 00:13:03,370 --> 00:13:07,850 Speaker 1: Night was already falling, and Dora observed how the red 155 00:13:07,970 --> 00:13:12,690 Speaker 1: rays of the sun gilded the ocean, where black shark 156 00:13:12,770 --> 00:13:16,930 Speaker 1: fins cut through the surface of the water. A cacophony 157 00:13:17,050 --> 00:13:22,050 Speaker 1: of unseen birds and insects mingled with the roar of the. 158 00:13:22,090 --> 00:13:28,850 Speaker 3: Surf Friederich and I forgetful of all matters, took each 159 00:13:28,890 --> 00:13:32,370 Speaker 3: other by the hand and started to go inland, the 160 00:13:32,370 --> 00:13:36,930 Speaker 3: two children of our German fairy tale, setting forth to 161 00:13:36,970 --> 00:13:39,850 Speaker 3: find the treasure at the Rainbow's End. 162 00:13:41,610 --> 00:13:47,330 Speaker 1: A German fairy tale, perhaps, so what awaited them was 163 00:13:47,370 --> 00:13:55,690 Speaker 1: a story worthy of the brother's grim cautionary tales will return. 164 00:14:05,970 --> 00:14:11,090 Speaker 1: In twenty sixteen, the British television network Channel four launched 165 00:14:11,250 --> 00:14:16,090 Speaker 1: a reality television experiment. Twenty three men and women were 166 00:14:16,090 --> 00:14:20,690 Speaker 1: dispatched to the remote reaches of the Scottish Highlands. They 167 00:14:20,730 --> 00:14:23,490 Speaker 1: were to remain there for a year, cut off from 168 00:14:23,530 --> 00:14:27,770 Speaker 1: the rest of society, building their own shelter, growing their 169 00:14:27,770 --> 00:14:32,730 Speaker 1: own vegetables, and racing their own livestock. The TV show, 170 00:14:32,890 --> 00:14:38,650 Speaker 1: which was called Eden, contemplated a simpler time, a world 171 00:14:38,970 --> 00:14:44,290 Speaker 1: untainted by civilization. It asked what if we could start again, 172 00:14:45,170 --> 00:14:50,610 Speaker 1: how would we create society from scratch. Many of the 173 00:14:50,650 --> 00:14:56,050 Speaker 1: participants felt disillusioned with twenty first century life. Among their 174 00:14:56,130 --> 00:15:01,010 Speaker 1: number was a doctor, a vet, a chef, a carpenter, 175 00:15:01,410 --> 00:15:05,610 Speaker 1: a shepherdess. You get the idea. But after just a 176 00:15:05,730 --> 00:15:10,850 Speaker 1: few installments, the show went dark. There were no more 177 00:15:10,890 --> 00:15:15,850 Speaker 1: dispatches for a year. Then it returned with a new name, 178 00:15:17,410 --> 00:15:25,530 Speaker 1: Eden Paradise Lost. Channel four's commissioning editor Ian Dunkley explained 179 00:15:25,650 --> 00:15:29,050 Speaker 1: how the experiment had taken on a life of its own. 180 00:15:30,090 --> 00:15:33,610 Speaker 1: I don't think anyone expected it to go as feral 181 00:15:33,770 --> 00:15:38,610 Speaker 1: and dark as it did. Faced with the physical hardship 182 00:15:38,690 --> 00:15:43,170 Speaker 1: of the experiment, the group had quickly fractured into cleats. 183 00:15:44,170 --> 00:15:48,090 Speaker 1: The women described being bullied by their peers for their 184 00:15:48,130 --> 00:15:53,250 Speaker 1: perceived physical weakness. They were advised to stick to trivial 185 00:15:53,370 --> 00:15:58,410 Speaker 1: tasks like washing, cleaning, and gardening, while the men chopped 186 00:15:58,450 --> 00:16:06,210 Speaker 1: wood and handled the hunting and fishing. Bickering about rations spiraled. Rath, 187 00:16:06,650 --> 00:16:10,650 Speaker 1: a carpenter from London, described how our hunger had eroded 188 00:16:10,690 --> 00:16:15,770 Speaker 1: any shred of group solidarity. I went in wanting to 189 00:16:15,810 --> 00:16:19,370 Speaker 1: help everyone and share my skills, but that turned into 190 00:16:19,810 --> 00:16:22,370 Speaker 1: if I do this for you, I can get that. 191 00:16:24,090 --> 00:16:28,410 Speaker 1: Like many of the women, Ali, a doctor, left the 192 00:16:28,490 --> 00:16:39,490 Speaker 1: experiment early. She said, I saw the darkness coming. Dora 193 00:16:39,650 --> 00:16:46,010 Speaker 1: and Friedrich gradually explored their island. Pirates and pioneers had 194 00:16:46,050 --> 00:16:49,970 Speaker 1: come and gone over the years, leaving their stamp on Floriana. 195 00:16:50,530 --> 00:16:54,490 Speaker 1: Some barrels at the main bay, A dilapidated hut, an 196 00:16:54,610 --> 00:16:59,810 Speaker 1: improvised bed in a cave, but at present it was uninhabited. 197 00:17:00,570 --> 00:17:03,690 Speaker 1: They built a small settlement on a lush acre of 198 00:17:03,770 --> 00:17:08,970 Speaker 1: land near the fresh water spring. Friedrich gave their new 199 00:17:09,210 --> 00:17:10,090 Speaker 1: home a name. 200 00:17:11,250 --> 00:17:15,810 Speaker 2: This is our place, Dora, and we shall call it Freedom. 201 00:17:17,610 --> 00:17:20,850 Speaker 1: It was a portmanteau of their own names, but it 202 00:17:21,210 --> 00:17:26,570 Speaker 1: also echoed the German word for peace. Freedom. 203 00:17:27,090 --> 00:17:30,810 Speaker 3: All my heart went out in happiness to our eden 204 00:17:31,010 --> 00:17:37,090 Speaker 3: found and to this man whose dream was my dream. 205 00:17:37,490 --> 00:17:41,610 Speaker 1: Friedrich salvaged an old pipe and managed to connect the 206 00:17:41,730 --> 00:17:46,850 Speaker 1: kitchen of their shack with running water. Dora rescued some 207 00:17:47,090 --> 00:17:51,570 Speaker 1: half starved chickens and kept them as her pets. Later, 208 00:17:51,690 --> 00:17:57,370 Speaker 1: she took an old donkey in, calling him Burrow. Friedrich disapproved, 209 00:17:58,610 --> 00:18:01,930 Speaker 1: your affection for these wild creatures is no more or 210 00:18:02,050 --> 00:18:06,610 Speaker 1: less than a flattering and cherishing of the animal in yourself. 211 00:18:08,050 --> 00:18:12,330 Speaker 1: Friedrich remained on a pedestal for Dora, but she also 212 00:18:12,370 --> 00:18:16,650 Speaker 1: began to feel a little uneasy in their relationship. As 213 00:18:16,690 --> 00:18:20,210 Speaker 1: they worked together on their new home. Friedrich seemed to 214 00:18:20,370 --> 00:18:25,610 Speaker 1: disregard her limited mobility. Everything Dora did was to his 215 00:18:26,330 --> 00:18:34,930 Speaker 1: eternal dissatisfaction. They survived mostly on eggs, fruit and vegetables. Friedrich, 216 00:18:35,290 --> 00:18:39,170 Speaker 1: who said he would not touch any food obtained through violence, 217 00:18:39,730 --> 00:18:44,490 Speaker 1: refused potato and beetroot on account of the brutal force 218 00:18:44,650 --> 00:18:48,970 Speaker 1: required to wrench them from the earth. Bananas and other 219 00:18:49,050 --> 00:18:52,610 Speaker 1: fruit were in plentiful supply on the island, but the 220 00:18:52,690 --> 00:18:56,170 Speaker 1: couple struggled to get their crops to flourish. 221 00:18:57,290 --> 00:19:00,970 Speaker 3: That is the odd thing about the Floriana soil. It 222 00:19:01,010 --> 00:19:04,050 Speaker 3: can be made to bear rich life, but it's so 223 00:19:04,210 --> 00:19:08,490 Speaker 3: shallow that nothing can take firm root in it. Perhaps 224 00:19:08,570 --> 00:19:13,010 Speaker 3: there was that an all men for us, but neither 225 00:19:13,050 --> 00:19:13,770 Speaker 3: of us knew it. 226 00:19:13,810 --> 00:19:14,010 Speaker 4: Then. 227 00:19:16,410 --> 00:19:20,890 Speaker 1: In fact, at times the island seemed rather hostile to them. 228 00:19:21,370 --> 00:19:27,810 Speaker 1: Cockroaches devoured Dora's artificial silk dresses, and ants attacked their 229 00:19:27,890 --> 00:19:34,690 Speaker 1: scant food stores. Friedrich railed against this disrespect of private property. 230 00:19:35,290 --> 00:19:39,210 Speaker 4: As the socialism of the ends is nothing more than 231 00:19:39,250 --> 00:19:45,050 Speaker 4: a systematic common robbery of all us a life. 232 00:19:45,250 --> 00:19:49,850 Speaker 1: The vampiric sand fleas borrowed into the souls of Dora's feet, 233 00:19:50,410 --> 00:19:56,890 Speaker 1: which erupted into painful, festering sores. Friedrich removed thirty two 234 00:19:56,930 --> 00:20:04,770 Speaker 1: of them. The operation was excruciating. Dora and Friedrich had 235 00:20:04,850 --> 00:20:08,970 Speaker 1: gone to pains to flee civilization. They had not reckoned 236 00:20:09,290 --> 00:20:14,450 Speaker 1: civilization following them. But when passing ships dropped off food 237 00:20:14,530 --> 00:20:18,210 Speaker 1: parcels and seeds for things like coffee and cabbages, they 238 00:20:18,250 --> 00:20:24,530 Speaker 1: weren't displeased. One wealthy American captain was a regular visitor. 239 00:20:25,410 --> 00:20:29,450 Speaker 1: A courier was also specially dispatched by the Ecuadorian post 240 00:20:29,450 --> 00:20:33,730 Speaker 1: office to deliver their mail. One day, a few months 241 00:20:33,770 --> 00:20:37,850 Speaker 1: into their adventure, they were astonished to receive a parcel 242 00:20:37,970 --> 00:20:43,930 Speaker 1: containing forty six letters and a newspaper. These missives were 243 00:20:43,930 --> 00:20:50,050 Speaker 1: from total strangers, complimenting the couple's courage and ingenuity. What 244 00:20:50,170 --> 00:20:56,210 Speaker 1: was going on? Hands trembling, Dora opened up the newspaper. 245 00:20:56,890 --> 00:21:01,090 Speaker 1: She'd been fearful to read of more political turmoil back home, 246 00:21:02,250 --> 00:21:06,250 Speaker 1: but what she found on those pages was much more disturbing. 247 00:21:07,570 --> 00:21:12,650 Speaker 1: A headline told of Dora and Friedrich's flight from human society. 248 00:21:13,410 --> 00:21:17,410 Speaker 1: It covered the breakup of their marriages in lurid detail. 249 00:21:18,530 --> 00:21:21,130 Speaker 3: I felt as though the things that Friedrich and I 250 00:21:21,250 --> 00:21:25,850 Speaker 3: held most sacred were being dragged mercilessly through the Maya. 251 00:21:27,370 --> 00:21:29,010 Speaker 3: I was inconsolable. 252 00:21:30,930 --> 00:21:35,410 Speaker 1: More letters followed. Friedrich and Dora tried to ignore them, 253 00:21:35,690 --> 00:21:40,770 Speaker 1: but more often than not, a horrible fascination compelled them 254 00:21:40,770 --> 00:21:45,530 Speaker 1: to open up the envelopes. Dora was filled with the 255 00:21:45,770 --> 00:21:51,490 Speaker 1: cold horror that some of these tactless intruders might come 256 00:21:51,530 --> 00:22:00,530 Speaker 1: and find them. She was right well. Free pleasure seekers, 257 00:22:00,570 --> 00:22:03,530 Speaker 1: intrigued by the German couple they'd read about in the 258 00:22:03,610 --> 00:22:07,970 Speaker 1: newspapers liked to pass by Floriana on their yachting trips. 259 00:22:09,250 --> 00:22:15,610 Speaker 1: Most were just passing through then the Vitmers arrived. Heines 260 00:22:15,690 --> 00:22:19,650 Speaker 1: and Margaret had also wanted to leave behind modern city 261 00:22:19,730 --> 00:22:23,050 Speaker 1: life in Germany and had been drawn to the Galapagus 262 00:22:23,050 --> 00:22:26,610 Speaker 1: Islands by the newspaper stories. They had brought with them 263 00:22:26,650 --> 00:22:31,530 Speaker 1: their thirteen year old son, Harry. This seemed to Dora 264 00:22:31,730 --> 00:22:38,050 Speaker 1: to be immensely irresponsible. Were still Margaret was five months pregnant. 265 00:22:38,930 --> 00:22:43,250 Speaker 1: Having read about Friedrich's medical training, the Vitmers were apparently 266 00:22:43,610 --> 00:22:46,090 Speaker 1: expecting him to assist in the delivery. 267 00:22:47,290 --> 00:22:49,930 Speaker 3: Friederich was anything but pleased. 268 00:22:51,090 --> 00:22:54,770 Speaker 1: But by and large the new neighbors rubbed along without 269 00:22:54,890 --> 00:23:00,010 Speaker 1: too much difficulty. Journalists continued to pitch up on Floriana, 270 00:23:00,610 --> 00:23:05,970 Speaker 1: casting Dora and Friedrich as modern crusoes and Adam and 271 00:23:06,090 --> 00:23:12,490 Speaker 1: Eve the newspaperman noted that Eve in particular Paradise seemed 272 00:23:12,490 --> 00:23:18,410 Speaker 1: a little disappointing. They commented on the couple's rustic abode. 273 00:23:18,530 --> 00:23:20,970 Speaker 2: I saw cracks and chinks in the walls through which 274 00:23:21,010 --> 00:23:22,250 Speaker 2: I could stick my arm. 275 00:23:22,490 --> 00:23:25,530 Speaker 1: And on Friedrich's glittering teeth. 276 00:23:25,770 --> 00:23:28,490 Speaker 2: Instead of toothpaste and a brush, he shined them up 277 00:23:28,530 --> 00:23:30,850 Speaker 2: once in a while with a ward of steel wool. 278 00:23:33,130 --> 00:23:38,370 Speaker 1: Abbot Kayla notes a central irony in her book Eden Undone. 279 00:23:39,010 --> 00:23:44,130 Speaker 1: Friedrich and Dora had fled civilization, only to become obsessed 280 00:23:44,170 --> 00:23:50,250 Speaker 1: with how civilization perceived them. One journalist, Rob Blomberg, thought 281 00:23:50,250 --> 00:23:54,010 Speaker 1: that Friedrich rather liked having his picture taken, although he 282 00:23:54,050 --> 00:23:58,730 Speaker 1: claimed he had no desire to make a sensation. In 283 00:23:58,810 --> 00:24:06,370 Speaker 1: nineteen thirty two, another tactless intruder arrived, the baroness Antonia 284 00:24:06,730 --> 00:24:14,370 Speaker 1: Wagner von Verborn Mosquiere. Dora watched through narrowed eyes as 285 00:24:14,370 --> 00:24:18,050 Speaker 1: she rode up to Fredo on a donkey. 286 00:24:19,010 --> 00:24:24,010 Speaker 3: She was platinum blonde, her eyes were hidden behind dark spectacles. 287 00:24:24,770 --> 00:24:28,010 Speaker 3: She wore a kind of workman's overalls with sandals on 288 00:24:28,010 --> 00:24:32,050 Speaker 3: her bare feet, and the bearer sat jauntily upon her head. 289 00:24:32,890 --> 00:24:37,130 Speaker 3: It was all obviously composed for effect, but not without 290 00:24:37,170 --> 00:24:40,410 Speaker 3: a certain artificial charm. 291 00:24:40,650 --> 00:24:44,810 Speaker 1: The baroness carried a whip and a revolver, and flanking 292 00:24:44,850 --> 00:24:49,850 Speaker 1: her on foot was her adoring retinue, Robert Phillipson, her lover, 293 00:24:50,370 --> 00:24:53,250 Speaker 1: and Rudolph Florence, who seemed to be a kind of 294 00:24:53,610 --> 00:24:57,330 Speaker 1: unpaid servant who was more than happy to have fawn 295 00:24:57,410 --> 00:25:03,010 Speaker 1: on her. The baroness hailed from Austria via Paris, or 296 00:25:03,290 --> 00:25:06,930 Speaker 1: so she said. Dora doubted her story. 297 00:25:08,290 --> 00:25:12,170 Speaker 3: If this were a mere baroness, she certainly behaved as 298 00:25:12,210 --> 00:25:13,890 Speaker 3: though she were at least a queen. 299 00:25:14,890 --> 00:25:18,050 Speaker 1: Dora was convinced that she meant to fight them for 300 00:25:18,250 --> 00:25:21,770 Speaker 1: conquest of the island, to subjugate them to her rule. 301 00:25:22,770 --> 00:25:27,250 Speaker 1: The imperious baroness did indeed have something up her sleeve. 302 00:25:28,290 --> 00:25:43,050 Speaker 1: We'll find out what after this short break. Before long, 303 00:25:43,370 --> 00:25:47,370 Speaker 1: the baroness had announced her plans. She was going to 304 00:25:47,410 --> 00:25:53,890 Speaker 1: build a luxury hotel on Floriana. Dora and Friedrich were 305 00:25:53,930 --> 00:25:59,970 Speaker 1: disgusted that Hacienda Paradiso would, no doubt draer deluge of 306 00:26:00,050 --> 00:26:03,690 Speaker 1: American millionaires, turning their island into. 307 00:26:03,930 --> 00:26:05,090 Speaker 3: A sort of Miami. 308 00:26:06,850 --> 00:26:12,010 Speaker 1: This wasn't the utopia that had in mind tall. Elsewhere, 309 00:26:12,570 --> 00:26:17,810 Speaker 1: cracks became craters. On one occasion, the Baroness took some 310 00:26:18,010 --> 00:26:21,970 Speaker 1: bags of rice that the Vitmars had ordered and held 311 00:26:22,010 --> 00:26:26,210 Speaker 1: them for ransom. On another, Dora was convinced that the 312 00:26:26,210 --> 00:26:31,370 Speaker 1: Baroness had stolen her donkey. When the elderly Burro was 313 00:26:31,610 --> 00:26:37,050 Speaker 1: finally returned home, he seemed dejected. Dora thought his skin 314 00:26:37,170 --> 00:26:42,610 Speaker 1: had been rubbed raw by ropes and heavy weights. Overall, 315 00:26:43,210 --> 00:26:49,010 Speaker 1: life was getting grimmer. One by one, Dora's teeth began 316 00:26:49,090 --> 00:26:53,850 Speaker 1: to rot. Friedrich seized the opportunity to criticize her love 317 00:26:53,930 --> 00:26:59,050 Speaker 1: of sugar and performed agonizing extractions on her without dental 318 00:26:59,050 --> 00:27:05,370 Speaker 1: equipment or painkillers. After that, they shared the notorious steel dentures. 319 00:27:05,610 --> 00:27:10,090 Speaker 1: Whenever they were in company, only the person wearing the 320 00:27:10,250 --> 00:27:16,130 Speaker 1: teeth would speak. Friedrich monopolized them for long stints, and 321 00:27:16,330 --> 00:27:25,090 Speaker 1: Dora grew ever more silent. The Baroness steamed ahead with 322 00:27:25,170 --> 00:27:29,610 Speaker 1: her plans for a luxury hotel. She gathered flamingos for 323 00:27:29,690 --> 00:27:33,250 Speaker 1: a Floriana zoo, and she ordered one hundred sheets of 324 00:27:33,370 --> 00:27:38,410 Speaker 1: corrugated iron to serve as the hotel walls. Soon, a 325 00:27:38,450 --> 00:27:43,890 Speaker 1: penciled sign appeared at the island's main bay. Friends. Two 326 00:27:44,130 --> 00:27:48,570 Speaker 1: hours from here lies the Hacienda Paradiso, where the weary 327 00:27:48,690 --> 00:27:53,970 Speaker 1: traveler can rejoice in Paradiso. You have only one name, friend. 328 00:27:56,210 --> 00:28:00,370 Speaker 1: Yet for all these promises of friendship, it was clear 329 00:28:00,490 --> 00:28:05,290 Speaker 1: that there was trouble at the Paradiso. The Baroness's servant, 330 00:28:05,610 --> 00:28:10,650 Speaker 1: Rudolph Florenz, became increasingly frail and unhappy. 331 00:28:11,610 --> 00:28:14,690 Speaker 3: His whole manner, expressed a terrible resignation. 332 00:28:16,690 --> 00:28:21,170 Speaker 1: Lorenz confided to Dora and Friedrich that the Baroness was 333 00:28:21,290 --> 00:28:26,770 Speaker 1: violent towards him and was holding him prisoner. Heinz Vitmer 334 00:28:26,850 --> 00:28:30,970 Speaker 1: agreed that the Baroness was a menace. Dora recorded his 335 00:28:31,330 --> 00:28:32,450 Speaker 1: raving fury. 336 00:28:33,250 --> 00:28:36,010 Speaker 2: We'll let her get away with everything. What I want 337 00:28:36,090 --> 00:28:38,850 Speaker 2: is for us to all get together now and put 338 00:28:38,890 --> 00:28:42,890 Speaker 2: an end to this rottenness. We are our own law 339 00:28:43,010 --> 00:28:44,530 Speaker 2: here on Floriana. 340 00:28:45,650 --> 00:28:55,250 Speaker 1: And then quite suddenly the Baroness disappeared. The Vitmas believed 341 00:28:55,290 --> 00:29:00,210 Speaker 1: that she and Robert Phillipson had sailed to Tahiti. Perhaps 342 00:29:00,290 --> 00:29:05,770 Speaker 1: they had. Strangely, though, they had left all their belongings behind, 343 00:29:06,370 --> 00:29:10,770 Speaker 1: including the Baroness's most prized person ession, her copy of 344 00:29:11,250 --> 00:29:13,330 Speaker 1: a portrait of Dorian Gray. 345 00:29:14,570 --> 00:29:17,010 Speaker 2: Good riddance to foul rubbish. 346 00:29:17,370 --> 00:29:22,370 Speaker 1: Said Lorentz. Then he calmed. He asked Dora if she'd 347 00:29:22,450 --> 00:29:24,970 Speaker 1: like to buy any of the Baroness's effects from him. 348 00:29:25,810 --> 00:29:28,730 Speaker 1: He too was about to leave the island, and he 349 00:29:28,810 --> 00:29:36,530 Speaker 1: needed the money. That year, nineteen thirty four, a punishing 350 00:29:36,770 --> 00:29:38,850 Speaker 1: drought blasted Floriana. 351 00:29:40,650 --> 00:29:45,250 Speaker 3: A strange wind rose like a vast fan of invisible fire. 352 00:29:46,490 --> 00:29:49,250 Speaker 3: Everything perished under its sweeping breath. 353 00:29:50,530 --> 00:29:54,450 Speaker 1: The earth burned as though a furnace blazed beneath the 354 00:29:54,570 --> 00:29:58,850 Speaker 1: rocky ground. Even at night. The leaves withered on the trees, 355 00:29:59,450 --> 00:30:03,410 Speaker 1: and the fresh water spring at Fredo dried to a 356 00:30:03,450 --> 00:30:06,250 Speaker 1: weak trickle, gathering. 357 00:30:06,410 --> 00:30:09,650 Speaker 3: Evil was closing in upon the eye. 358 00:30:10,650 --> 00:30:16,010 Speaker 1: Friedrich brooded over his philosophical writings. Dora tended to the 359 00:30:16,050 --> 00:30:21,730 Speaker 1: animals and the garden alone. Their relationship broke down even further. 360 00:30:22,650 --> 00:30:26,530 Speaker 1: Friedrich started whipping Dora, and she felt her passion for 361 00:30:26,610 --> 00:30:38,130 Speaker 1: him and turn to hate. From the Channel four television 362 00:30:38,210 --> 00:30:44,090 Speaker 1: series Eden Paradise Lost, things go from bad to worse. 363 00:30:44,850 --> 00:30:51,690 Speaker 1: Bullies deride, experts and moonshine fuels fistfights. The group hasn't 364 00:30:51,690 --> 00:30:55,490 Speaker 1: caught as many fish as hoped, and boatman Anton is 365 00:30:55,570 --> 00:31:00,650 Speaker 1: suspected of sabotage. Soon he becomes the focal point of 366 00:31:00,850 --> 00:31:04,010 Speaker 1: everyone's eyre. He goes off to live in a log 367 00:31:04,050 --> 00:31:08,290 Speaker 1: cabin he's built for himself in the woods. Later, Anton 368 00:31:08,410 --> 00:31:12,570 Speaker 1: is voted out of the community. Before he leaves, he 369 00:31:12,690 --> 00:31:17,410 Speaker 1: burns his carefully constructed cabin to the ground. If he 370 00:31:17,450 --> 00:31:23,130 Speaker 1: can't have it, no one else will either. Next, members 371 00:31:23,170 --> 00:31:26,970 Speaker 1: of an all male clique calling itself the Valley Boys 372 00:31:27,410 --> 00:31:31,530 Speaker 1: make fun of cameraman Matt because he dates men, not women. 373 00:31:32,850 --> 00:31:37,450 Speaker 1: Their language is obscene, but confronted, they dismiss it all 374 00:31:37,490 --> 00:31:42,330 Speaker 1: as mere banter. The Valley Boys embark on an all 375 00:31:42,410 --> 00:31:46,810 Speaker 1: meat diet and start slaughtering the communal livestock at an 376 00:31:46,890 --> 00:31:54,210 Speaker 1: alarming rate. Veterinarian Rob is horrified. Just before he leaves Eden, 377 00:31:54,690 --> 00:31:59,090 Speaker 1: he sees decomposing animal heads hanging from trees around the 378 00:31:59,170 --> 00:32:04,530 Speaker 1: Valley Boy's camp. The valley stinks of rotting meat. He says, 379 00:32:05,450 --> 00:32:19,450 Speaker 1: it's a muddy, dark, stinking hell. The idea that civilization 380 00:32:19,850 --> 00:32:24,250 Speaker 1: has corrupted us can be a tempting one. It's easy 381 00:32:24,250 --> 00:32:28,890 Speaker 1: to imagine that without the demands and complications of modern society, 382 00:32:29,570 --> 00:32:32,370 Speaker 1: life would be blissful. That if we could just shake 383 00:32:32,450 --> 00:32:37,930 Speaker 1: off the rules, a more authentic existence awaits us. But 384 00:32:37,970 --> 00:32:43,890 Speaker 1: the story of Floriana suggests that without the machinery of civilization, abuse, 385 00:32:44,370 --> 00:32:49,290 Speaker 1: opportunism and brute force can win out. The rules might 386 00:32:49,410 --> 00:32:54,730 Speaker 1: seem like shackles, but they can also help keep us safe. 387 00:32:55,010 --> 00:32:59,490 Speaker 1: So perhaps it's worth being wary of people who fantasize 388 00:32:59,490 --> 00:33:03,890 Speaker 1: about throwing off the rules. Perhaps we should question their motives. 389 00:33:04,850 --> 00:33:07,090 Speaker 1: What is it that they want to do once they're 390 00:33:07,130 --> 00:33:10,570 Speaker 1: cut off from the rest of society. How might they 391 00:33:10,650 --> 00:33:15,930 Speaker 1: treat other people? After all, the isolated setting of Eden 392 00:33:16,330 --> 00:33:26,370 Speaker 1: Paradise Lost amplified some of mankind's ugly traits selfishness, homophobia, bigotry, misogyny. 393 00:33:28,090 --> 00:33:31,330 Speaker 1: We had the opportunity to show some of humanity's strengths, 394 00:33:31,730 --> 00:33:37,330 Speaker 1: Carpenter Wrath reflected, Really, we showed a lot of society's weaknesses. 395 00:33:48,290 --> 00:33:52,850 Speaker 1: No one on or off Floriana ever saw or heard 396 00:33:52,890 --> 00:33:57,130 Speaker 1: from the baroness and her lover, Robert Phillipson. Again, perhaps 397 00:33:57,210 --> 00:34:02,690 Speaker 1: they did start afresh on Tahiti. Perhaps, but it seems unlikely. 398 00:34:03,090 --> 00:34:07,610 Speaker 1: When she was so excited about her new hotel, Rudolf 399 00:34:07,650 --> 00:34:13,010 Speaker 1: Florenz vanished too that his mummified body was eventually found. 400 00:34:14,170 --> 00:34:17,330 Speaker 1: In his haste to get away from Floriana, he had 401 00:34:17,370 --> 00:34:23,330 Speaker 1: blundered onto another island, one without any access to fresh water. 402 00:34:25,170 --> 00:34:34,010 Speaker 1: He died of thirst. In December nineteen thirty four, an 403 00:34:34,050 --> 00:34:38,730 Speaker 1: American captain landed on Floriana. It visited the island several 404 00:34:38,770 --> 00:34:42,010 Speaker 1: times before, and he was used to Friedrich coming to 405 00:34:42,050 --> 00:34:45,890 Speaker 1: greet him, asking if he had brought anything from the mainland, 406 00:34:46,610 --> 00:34:51,370 Speaker 1: But this time Friedrich was nowhere to be seen. Eventually, 407 00:34:51,730 --> 00:34:54,890 Speaker 1: he heard a woman shout, and then he saw Dora 408 00:34:55,210 --> 00:35:00,930 Speaker 1: stumbling towards him, gripping her cane. She was crying. She 409 00:35:01,050 --> 00:35:05,250 Speaker 1: told the captain a terrible tale. The long drought had 410 00:35:05,330 --> 00:35:11,090 Speaker 1: ruined Friedrich and Dora's crops, and actantly they decided they 411 00:35:11,130 --> 00:35:13,490 Speaker 1: must slaughter one of their pet chickens. 412 00:35:15,290 --> 00:35:17,890 Speaker 3: There was a certain degree of danger in this, we 413 00:35:18,050 --> 00:35:21,690 Speaker 3: very well knew, for our chickens had been decimated lately 414 00:35:21,770 --> 00:35:23,330 Speaker 3: by a curious sickness. 415 00:35:24,650 --> 00:35:28,010 Speaker 1: Friedrich thought they could neutralize whatever poison was in the 416 00:35:28,050 --> 00:35:32,770 Speaker 1: bird by cooking it thoroughly. When he was satisfied, they 417 00:35:32,770 --> 00:35:34,610 Speaker 1: took the chicken to their dining table. 418 00:35:35,690 --> 00:35:38,530 Speaker 3: We ate one spoonful of it each for the sake 419 00:35:38,610 --> 00:35:42,370 Speaker 3: of necessary nourishment, and made the rest of the meal 420 00:35:42,530 --> 00:35:44,050 Speaker 3: of our vegetarian fair. 421 00:35:45,250 --> 00:35:50,250 Speaker 1: Later, Friedrich began to complain that he felt ill. Dora 422 00:35:50,410 --> 00:35:53,690 Speaker 1: wondered if it could be the chicken, although she herself 423 00:35:53,770 --> 00:35:55,850 Speaker 1: felt fine. 424 00:35:56,170 --> 00:36:01,290 Speaker 4: It may be something else, but don't worry. I should 425 00:36:01,290 --> 00:36:01,770 Speaker 4: be all right. 426 00:36:03,050 --> 00:36:08,530 Speaker 1: Friedrich was not all right. Nausea set in, and then 427 00:36:09,090 --> 00:36:13,770 Speaker 1: aagonizing pain. It became clear to Dora that a tide 428 00:36:13,810 --> 00:36:17,850 Speaker 1: of poison was overwhelming him. 429 00:36:17,890 --> 00:36:22,250 Speaker 3: At last, an icy sweat broke out. It was the 430 00:36:22,330 --> 00:36:27,810 Speaker 3: sweat of death. He knew that he was lost, and 431 00:36:27,890 --> 00:36:33,410 Speaker 3: I could only look on, ignorant and helpless. 432 00:36:34,170 --> 00:36:39,450 Speaker 1: Never one to waste an opportunity for philosophical enlightenment, Friedrich 433 00:36:39,850 --> 00:36:45,170 Speaker 1: asked Dora to read to him from Nietzsch's Thus spake Zarathustra. 434 00:36:47,290 --> 00:36:54,330 Speaker 4: Mark these lines, Dora, and remembers them always in memory 435 00:36:54,370 --> 00:36:54,690 Speaker 4: of me. 436 00:36:57,730 --> 00:37:02,570 Speaker 1: Later, when Friedrich was too weak even to speak, Dora 437 00:37:02,690 --> 00:37:06,890 Speaker 1: brought him a pencil and paper. He managed to convey that, 438 00:37:07,010 --> 00:37:11,570 Speaker 1: in no circumstances should she go to their neighbors, the Victmas, 439 00:37:11,730 --> 00:37:15,490 Speaker 1: for help with her difficulty walking, she might not make 440 00:37:15,530 --> 00:37:20,410 Speaker 1: it on her own. Dora began to despair. What if 441 00:37:20,450 --> 00:37:24,530 Speaker 1: she were left at Fredo alone. Eventually she did go 442 00:37:24,650 --> 00:37:29,410 Speaker 1: for help, that there was nothing to be done. Dora, Margaret, 443 00:37:29,690 --> 00:37:37,290 Speaker 1: and Heintz watched as Friedrich convulsed and then passed away. Together, 444 00:37:38,050 --> 00:37:41,090 Speaker 1: they buried him in his favorite corner of the garden. 445 00:37:45,050 --> 00:37:49,250 Speaker 1: The American captain was deeply saddened by the news. He 446 00:37:49,250 --> 00:37:52,890 Speaker 1: had been fond of Friedrich. A few days later, he 447 00:37:52,890 --> 00:37:57,410 Speaker 1: helped Dora onto a boat bound for Germany. It was 448 00:37:57,490 --> 00:38:03,490 Speaker 1: now under the Nazi dictatorship of adult Hitler, but Dora 449 00:38:04,330 --> 00:38:11,530 Speaker 1: had nowhere else to go. At Vitma remembered Friedrich's demise 450 00:38:11,610 --> 00:38:15,930 Speaker 1: a little differently. She was perplexed by the fact that, 451 00:38:16,050 --> 00:38:19,690 Speaker 1: even though Dora and Friedrich had apparently eaten the same meat, 452 00:38:20,330 --> 00:38:23,050 Speaker 1: one of them was at death's door and the other 453 00:38:23,170 --> 00:38:27,570 Speaker 1: had suffered no ill effects. Nor could she understand why 454 00:38:27,690 --> 00:38:30,610 Speaker 1: Dora had waited so long to come to them for help. 455 00:38:32,290 --> 00:38:37,130 Speaker 1: She remembered something else too. Whenever Dora drew near Friedrich, 456 00:38:37,930 --> 00:38:41,530 Speaker 1: he would try to hit her, kick her, his eyes 457 00:38:41,730 --> 00:38:47,530 Speaker 1: filled with hate. Mustering all his effort, he had scrawled 458 00:38:47,570 --> 00:38:53,370 Speaker 1: his companion a final message with pencil and paper. Margaret 459 00:38:53,530 --> 00:38:56,330 Speaker 1: saw the note. 460 00:38:55,810 --> 00:38:59,170 Speaker 4: I curse you with my dying breath. 461 00:39:04,130 --> 00:39:08,090 Speaker 1: Heinz Vittmer and his older son carried Friedrich's body to 462 00:39:08,130 --> 00:39:12,530 Speaker 1: its final rest place in the garden, and Margaret decorated 463 00:39:12,530 --> 00:39:19,450 Speaker 1: the grave with flowers. Dora said Margaret did not attend 464 00:39:19,450 --> 00:39:32,570 Speaker 1: the funeral. The key sources for this episode are Dora 465 00:39:32,690 --> 00:39:38,290 Speaker 1: Streuch's memoir Satan Came to Eden and Abbott Kaylor's book 466 00:39:38,970 --> 00:39:44,010 Speaker 1: Eden Undone, A True Story of Sex, Murder and Utopia 467 00:39:44,370 --> 00:39:46,930 Speaker 1: at the Dawn of World War II. For a full 468 00:39:46,970 --> 00:39:54,210 Speaker 1: list of sources, see the show notes at Timharford dot com. 469 00:39:54,330 --> 00:39:57,370 Speaker 1: The Cautionary Tales is written by me Tim Harford with 470 00:39:57,450 --> 00:40:01,290 Speaker 1: Andrew Wright, Alice Fines, and Ryan Dilly. It's produced by 471 00:40:01,370 --> 00:40:05,450 Speaker 1: Georgia Mills and Marilyn Rust. The sound design and original 472 00:40:05,530 --> 00:40:09,250 Speaker 1: music are the work of Pascal Wise. Additional sound design 473 00:40:09,450 --> 00:40:13,250 Speaker 1: is by Carlos san Juan at Brain Audio. Bend A. 474 00:40:13,330 --> 00:40:17,370 Speaker 1: D Afhaffrey edited the scripts. The show features the voice 475 00:40:17,410 --> 00:40:22,890 Speaker 1: talents of Genevieve Gaunt, Melanie Guttridge, Stella Harford, Oliver Hembrough, 476 00:40:23,170 --> 00:40:28,250 Speaker 1: Sarah Jupp, the Saimunroe, Jamal Westman, and Rufus Wright. The 477 00:40:28,290 --> 00:40:31,130 Speaker 1: show also Wouldn't have been possible without the work of 478 00:40:31,210 --> 00:40:35,930 Speaker 1: Jacob Weisberg, Retta Cohene, Sarah Nix, Eric Sandler, Carrie Brody, 479 00:40:36,170 --> 00:40:41,290 Speaker 1: Christina Sullivan, Kira Posey, and Owen Miller. Cautionary Tales is 480 00:40:41,330 --> 00:40:45,810 Speaker 1: a production of Pushkin Industries. It's recorded at Wardhore Studios 481 00:40:45,850 --> 00:40:49,570 Speaker 1: in London, i Noria Barr and Lucy Rowe. If you 482 00:40:49,730 --> 00:40:53,010 Speaker 1: like the show, please remember to share, rate and review. 483 00:40:53,090 --> 00:40:54,810 Speaker 1: It really makes a difference to us and if you 484 00:40:54,850 --> 00:40:57,530 Speaker 1: want to hear the show, add free sign up to 485 00:40:57,570 --> 00:41:00,890 Speaker 1: Pushkin Plus on the show page on Apple Podcasts or 486 00:41:00,890 --> 00:41:03,650 Speaker 1: at pushkin dot fm, slash plus