1 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of 2 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:14,440 Speaker 1: iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of 3 00:00:14,480 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: of these amazing tales are right there on display, just 5 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:28,840 Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. 6 00:00:36,400 --> 00:00:40,239 Speaker 1: Violets sat in the parlor of Welsh doctor Edward Hughes Jones. 7 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:43,199 Speaker 1: He was twice her age, but she was professing her 8 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,400 Speaker 1: love for him. He was so kind and so generous. 9 00:00:46,760 --> 00:00:49,840 Speaker 1: She was an heiress. Her first husband was a soldier 10 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:52,600 Speaker 1: who died at sea, but his fortune wouldn't become hers 11 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 1: until her twenty fifth birthday, which was still years away. 12 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: In the meantime, doctor Jones was offering to support Violet financially. 13 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: They would become engaged and she would pay him back 14 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: tenfold in just a few years. She was so grateful 15 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,480 Speaker 1: she burst into tears and embraced him. With the help 16 00:01:11,560 --> 00:01:15,119 Speaker 1: of doctor Jones and other generous locals, Violet was able 17 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: to live the life befitting an heiress. In the early 18 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: twentieth century, she stayed in a manor home in Wales 19 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,759 Speaker 1: and wore fined for coats and expensive jewelry, when appraiser 20 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: remarked that she had the finest collection of diamonds he 21 00:01:27,880 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: had ever seen, more than anything. Violet loved fast cars, 22 00:01:32,400 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: and she acquired a collection of top of the line automobiles. 23 00:01:35,880 --> 00:01:38,919 Speaker 1: She raced them through the countryside, and her maintenance bills 24 00:01:38,959 --> 00:01:42,080 Speaker 1: grew to thousands of pounds each year, the equivalent to 25 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:46,720 Speaker 1: hundreds of thousands of dollars today. But happiness is always fleeting, 26 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,360 Speaker 1: isn't it ed In Violet's case, her lavish lifestyle was 27 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: destined to have an expiration date. On January tewod of 28 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,360 Speaker 1: nineteen oh nine, Violet was driving one of her cars 29 00:01:57,360 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: on a narrow seaside road just above the wall. She 30 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: lost control and crashed, being thrown from the driver's seat 31 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,800 Speaker 1: and into the ocean. All that was left of her 32 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: was her hat sitting on the road. She was just 33 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:14,919 Speaker 1: shy of her twenty fifth birthday. Violet's mother was filled 34 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: with grief. She spread the news far and wide of 35 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: her daughter's death, except the police weren't quite as moved 36 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:24,000 Speaker 1: as she was. There were a few things about the 37 00:02:24,040 --> 00:02:26,520 Speaker 1: car wreck that didn't add up. For one, there was 38 00:02:26,639 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: no damage to the car other than the driver's side 39 00:02:28,919 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 1: window being broken. That was supposedly where Violet had been 40 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:35,200 Speaker 1: thrown from the car. But that was the other odd thing. 41 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: There was no blood anywhere. If Violet had really gone 42 00:02:38,600 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: through the window, there should have been blood everywhere. This 43 00:02:42,280 --> 00:02:46,200 Speaker 1: all led investigators to look deeper into Violet herself. They 44 00:02:46,200 --> 00:02:49,440 Speaker 1: found that she was seventeen thousand pounds in debt. That 45 00:02:49,480 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: amount was about a million dollars today, and there was 46 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: no record of her ever having a rich soldier husband 47 00:02:55,480 --> 00:02:59,080 Speaker 1: who died at sea. Violet Charlesworth, you see, was not 48 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,480 Speaker 1: an heiress, but a prolific con artist who had scammed 49 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:04,880 Speaker 1: dozens of people out of their money and then faked 50 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:07,160 Speaker 1: her own death when it came time to pay up. 51 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: As investigators searched for her, she became a global folk hero. 52 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,160 Speaker 1: Although she was a criminal, her ability to successfully pose 53 00:03:15,240 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: as a member of the upper class and then con 54 00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:20,200 Speaker 1: many of them out of their money was looked upon 55 00:03:20,400 --> 00:03:25,080 Speaker 1: with admiration. Violet was ironically known for wearing a red cloak. 56 00:03:25,400 --> 00:03:27,800 Speaker 1: Many women in the United Kingdom were wearing one in 57 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 1: her honor, although they stopped once police started to question them, 58 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: thinking that they were potentially Violet, but soon enough they 59 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: would get a much more promising lead. A woman who 60 00:03:37,560 --> 00:03:39,800 Speaker 1: looked like Violets and was going by the name Margaret 61 00:03:39,880 --> 00:03:43,120 Speaker 1: MacLeod was spotted in Scotland and she'd skipped out on 62 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:47,800 Speaker 1: a hotel bill which definitely sounded like Violet. Reporters found 63 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:50,880 Speaker 1: her first traveling south by train with a swarm of 64 00:03:50,920 --> 00:03:53,880 Speaker 1: press taking her picture. She had to admit that she was, 65 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:57,960 Speaker 1: in fact Violet Charlesworth. Over the next several months, Violet's 66 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: celebrity only grew. She can now make her own money 67 00:04:00,960 --> 00:04:04,080 Speaker 1: honestly by giving interviews to the press. She wrote a 68 00:04:04,200 --> 00:04:06,960 Speaker 1: song about her life, she starred in a stage show. 69 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 1: Producers from Hollywood reached out about a silent film deal, 70 00:04:11,240 --> 00:04:15,320 Speaker 1: but by nineteen ten, investigators had completed their investigation and 71 00:04:15,440 --> 00:04:18,680 Speaker 1: charged both Violets and her mother with fraud. They were 72 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,200 Speaker 1: found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison. However, 73 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:26,320 Speaker 1: they only served three of those years. Once free, Violet 74 00:04:26,360 --> 00:04:28,720 Speaker 1: is said to have moved to Scotland, and after that 75 00:04:28,960 --> 00:04:32,839 Speaker 1: she disappears from history. It's possible that she finally decided 76 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:35,520 Speaker 1: to live a quiet life, or it's possible that she 77 00:04:35,560 --> 00:04:38,479 Speaker 1: took on a new identity and scammed her way into 78 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: another fabulous existence. Ultimately, though we will never know, The 79 00:04:43,200 --> 00:04:45,599 Speaker 1: press moved on pretty quickly with the sinking of the 80 00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:49,080 Speaker 1: Titanic in nineteen twelve, arguably the biggest news story of 81 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:51,960 Speaker 1: all time up to that point. The Violet story has 82 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:54,880 Speaker 1: survived to the modern day for those curious enough to 83 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:57,960 Speaker 1: learn about it. Although she was a criminal, we can 84 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: all sympathize with her desire to live life among societies elites. 85 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 1: Her schemes were always creative, although if she could do 86 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:08,520 Speaker 1: it all over again, maybe she would throw just a 87 00:05:08,560 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 1: little bit more creativity behind faking that car wreck. Perhaps 88 00:05:25,960 --> 00:05:28,400 Speaker 1: one of the most tense places on Earth is the 89 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:32,440 Speaker 1: Demilitarized Zone or the DMZ, that separates North and South 90 00:05:32,520 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: Korea and acts as a buffer between the two countries. 91 00:05:36,040 --> 00:05:39,400 Speaker 1: It was created through the Armist Disagreement of nineteen fifty three, 92 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,719 Speaker 1: ending the Bloody Korean War, which had caused the collective 93 00:05:42,760 --> 00:05:47,480 Speaker 1: death of nearly three million people. The agreement also created 94 00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:50,839 Speaker 1: a joint security area at panmud Jam, where North Korean 95 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:54,800 Speaker 1: officials and the United Nations Command would meet to conduct diplomacy. 96 00:05:55,200 --> 00:05:59,320 Speaker 1: It was, however, an uneasy piece. Numerous clashes still took 97 00:05:59,320 --> 00:06:02,400 Speaker 1: place between North Korea and the UN Command throughout the 98 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:06,160 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties and seventies, but these skirmishes were generally small 99 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: enough to keep tensions high, but not to inflame larger conflict. 100 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 1: That is, until the Poplar Tree. The tree had grown 101 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: too large for the UN Command's taste, as it blocked 102 00:06:16,960 --> 00:06:19,560 Speaker 1: the line of sight between a checkpoint and a nearby 103 00:06:19,640 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 1: observation post. It was decided that this was unacceptable, and 104 00:06:23,560 --> 00:06:26,960 Speaker 1: so a team of UNC and Korean Service Corps were 105 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 1: ordered to prune the tree to create a more direct 106 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,840 Speaker 1: line of sight. It would take four attempts to complete. 107 00:06:33,360 --> 00:06:36,640 Speaker 1: The first attempt was halted when North Korea objected, stating 108 00:06:36,720 --> 00:06:39,000 Speaker 1: both sides would have to agree on whether or not 109 00:06:39,080 --> 00:06:42,279 Speaker 1: to cut back the tree. The second attempt was canceled 110 00:06:42,320 --> 00:06:46,239 Speaker 1: due to heavy rain, the third would be deadly. After 111 00:06:46,279 --> 00:06:48,479 Speaker 1: the first two failed attempts, it was decided that two 112 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:53,360 Speaker 1: US Army officers, Captain Arthur Boniface and First Lieutenant Mark Barrett, 113 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 1: as well as a Korean Army Captain Kim, would escort 114 00:06:57,120 --> 00:07:01,200 Speaker 1: engineers to the tree in question as security. At first, 115 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: North Korean soldiers merely observed the work, but at eight 116 00:07:04,720 --> 00:07:08,400 Speaker 1: thirty am, a mere fifteen minutes into the job. Opposing 117 00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:11,960 Speaker 1: soldiers approached the site demanding that the work stop, claiming 118 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:14,560 Speaker 1: that the poplar had been planted by none other than 119 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:17,880 Speaker 1: the leader of North Korea, Kim Il sung. But when 120 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: that work did not stop, North Korean soldiers seized the 121 00:07:21,120 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 1: axes from the workers. In the ensuing brawl, Boniface was 122 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: struck down with confiscated axe handles, and a wounded Barrett 123 00:07:28,960 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 1: managed to escape to hide in a nearby ditch. Neither 124 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:35,880 Speaker 1: man would survive his injuries. Of the three security officers, 125 00:07:36,160 --> 00:07:39,840 Speaker 1: only Captain Kim had survived. Things moved quickly in the 126 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: aftermath of what became known as the Korean axe murder incident. 127 00:07:43,760 --> 00:07:47,720 Speaker 1: American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger suggested bombing barracks on 128 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:50,840 Speaker 1: the North Korean side, and President Gerald Ford called the 129 00:07:50,880 --> 00:07:54,680 Speaker 1: event a callous and unprovoked murder, but refused to order 130 00:07:54,720 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: an outright attack. After America's stinging recent loss in Vietnam, 131 00:07:58,560 --> 00:08:01,640 Speaker 1: there was little stomach in the administration for another war. 132 00:08:02,080 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: A different plan would have to be made. There had 133 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 1: to be a response that was both adequate for the 134 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,400 Speaker 1: gravity of the moment, but that would stop short of 135 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:13,760 Speaker 1: inciting violence, and so South Korean and American forces created 136 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:16,520 Speaker 1: a plan prune the poplar tree in the center of 137 00:08:16,560 --> 00:08:20,200 Speaker 1: the conflict once in for all, using American and Korean 138 00:08:20,240 --> 00:08:23,560 Speaker 1: military assets in a show of force that would discourage 139 00:08:23,560 --> 00:08:28,160 Speaker 1: North Korean violence, and so Operation Paul Bunyan was launched. 140 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: The mission was to be non lethal unless North Korea 141 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: made it otherwise. Of course, that tree would be trimmed, 142 00:08:35,200 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 1: and so three days after the attack, a massive convoy 143 00:08:38,480 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: of South Korean and American trucks arrived at the JSA 144 00:08:42,360 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: as helicopters circled overhead. They were backed in turn by 145 00:08:46,200 --> 00:08:49,920 Speaker 1: gunships and an aircraft carrier battlegroup in the Sea of Japan. 146 00:08:50,600 --> 00:08:53,880 Speaker 1: Out of the military trucks came two security platoons, who 147 00:08:53,880 --> 00:08:57,440 Speaker 1: were there to guard teams of military engineers, each armed 148 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:01,000 Speaker 1: with chainsaws, who immediately got to work trimming the poplar 149 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:04,960 Speaker 1: at the center of everything. Although the North Korean military 150 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:08,480 Speaker 1: deployed troops with machine guns, they did not act, likely 151 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:11,560 Speaker 1: cowed by the massive show of force. When the engineers 152 00:09:11,559 --> 00:09:13,840 Speaker 1: were done trimming, they had trimmed away all of the 153 00:09:13,880 --> 00:09:17,600 Speaker 1: branches entirely, leaving a twenty foot tall stump as a 154 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:21,320 Speaker 1: stark reminder. The event also ended a series of small 155 00:09:21,360 --> 00:09:24,120 Speaker 1: but deadly clashes that had dogged the JSA since the 156 00:09:24,200 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty three Armistice. Occasional deaths would still occur, but 157 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,200 Speaker 1: compared to the decades before the incident, they were few 158 00:09:31,320 --> 00:09:34,120 Speaker 1: and far between. A plaque was placed at the site 159 00:09:34,200 --> 00:09:38,200 Speaker 1: of Boniface and Barrett's murders to honor their sacrifice. In 160 00:09:38,240 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: the end, the poplar's removal was more than a simple 161 00:09:41,040 --> 00:09:44,680 Speaker 1: pruning job. By wielding chainsaws under the watchful eyes of 162 00:09:44,720 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 1: a formidable yet non lethal show of force, the Allies 163 00:09:48,520 --> 00:09:51,720 Speaker 1: sent a clear message aggression would be met with strength, 164 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:55,480 Speaker 1: but not with renewed war. It was a measured display 165 00:09:55,520 --> 00:09:58,920 Speaker 1: of resolve that turned a flash point of bloodshed into 166 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:06,280 Speaker 1: a lasting symbol of restraint. I hope you've enjoyed today's 167 00:10:06,280 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 1: guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free 168 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:12,679 Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by 169 00:10:12,760 --> 00:10:17,760 Speaker 1: visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by 170 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:21,400 Speaker 1: me Aaron Mankey in partnership with How Stuff Works. I 171 00:10:21,480 --> 00:10:25,280 Speaker 1: make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 172 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:28,360 Speaker 1: book series, and television show and you can learn all 173 00:10:28,400 --> 00:10:32,440 Speaker 1: about it over at the worldoflore dot com. And until 174 00:10:32,480 --> 00:10:36,200 Speaker 1: next time, stay curious.