WEBVTT - Famed Pirate Executed Because She Stole A Bonnet

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<v Speaker 1>School of Humans. Huge announcement for American Filth.

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<v Speaker 2>October fifteenth at apm at the Bedford Pub And if

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<v Speaker 2>Filth Instagram, or you can visit the Cheerful Earful website

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<v Speaker 2>at Cheerfulearful dot co dot uk. It's going to be

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<v Speaker 2>really fun and also it's very cheap. Wow but blah

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<v Speaker 2>blah blah live events. You guys are probably wondering what's

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<v Speaker 2>today's episode about. Well, it's about a very bizarre incident

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<v Speaker 2>in Boston where a woman got hanged for stealing a bonnet.

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<v Speaker 2>Cue the theme song. This is American Filth and I'm

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<v Speaker 2>Gabby Watts. Every week I tell you a filthy story

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<v Speaker 2>from American history. Today's episode executed for stealing a bonnet

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<v Speaker 2>so in Boston on October ninth, seventeen eighty nine, several

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<v Speaker 2>newspapers reported on a woman named Rachel Wall, who had

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<v Speaker 2>been executed the day before for quote, snatching a bonnet

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<v Speaker 2>off from another woman's head. This is pretty unbelievable that

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<v Speaker 2>a woman would be hanged for merely stealing a bonnet.

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<v Speaker 3>Like.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, at the time seventeen eighty nine people were hanged

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<v Speaker 2>for theft, but that wasn't happening every day, and also

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<v Speaker 2>women were generally given more lenient sentences. But this hat

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<v Speaker 2>stealing woman, Rachel Wall, was hanged alongside three other men,

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<v Speaker 2>all convicted of highway robbery, but again still a bonnet

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<v Speaker 2>that was worth a mere seven shillings. The punishment seems

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<v Speaker 2>a bit outsized for the crime, does it not. If

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<v Speaker 2>this is what happens when you steal a bonnet, just

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<v Speaker 2>imagine what they would have done to Winona Wrider. The

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<v Speaker 2>young woman who had her bonnet snatched was named Margaret Bender.

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<v Speaker 2>She was about seventeen years old, and even she didn't

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<v Speaker 2>want the thief, Rachel.

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<v Speaker 1>Wall, to be hanged.

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<v Speaker 2>Her granddaughter wrote about it and said, it was said

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<v Speaker 2>that my grandmother never ceased to deplore the fact that

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<v Speaker 2>a life was forfeited.

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<v Speaker 1>On her account.

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<v Speaker 2>And so yes, stealing a bonnet being executed for it

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<v Speaker 2>seems crazy. So I did some further investigation wow, and

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<v Speaker 2>found that these newspaper pas that reported on Rachel Wall

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<v Speaker 2>were being a bit hyperbolic, as it was not just

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<v Speaker 2>a bonnet that this lady stole. So what actually happened.

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<v Speaker 2>Here's what one Boston newspaper wrote on April second, seventeen

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<v Speaker 2>eighty nine, a couple weeks after the original theft quote.

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<v Speaker 2>A singular kind of robbery for this part of the

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<v Speaker 2>world took place on Friday evening last as a woman

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<v Speaker 2>was walking alone. She was met by another woman who

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<v Speaker 2>seized hold of her and stopped her mouth with her

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<v Speaker 2>handkerchief and tore from her head her bonnet and cushion,

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<v Speaker 2>after which she flung her down, took her shoes and buckles,

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<v Speaker 2>and then fled. She was soon after overtaken and then

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<v Speaker 2>committed to jail. So Wow, Clearly Rachel Wall did more

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<v Speaker 2>than steal a bonnet. She also stole some shoes and buckles.

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<v Speaker 2>And not only that, she also violently assaulted Margaret Bender.

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<v Speaker 2>You might be wondering what does it mean A seized

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<v Speaker 2>hold of Margaret Bender and stopped her mouth. Well, according

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<v Speaker 2>to Margaret Bender's granddaughter, Rachel Wall pulled out Margaret's tongue

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<v Speaker 2>and seemed.

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<v Speaker 1>Like she was going to rip it out, which she

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<v Speaker 1>did not.

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<v Speaker 2>But still, even with that added to Rachel's crimes, Margaret

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<v Speaker 2>did not want Rachel hanged, and so shoes, buckle's bonnet,

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<v Speaker 2>violent assault. Those are the crimes, but that's not the

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<v Speaker 2>end of them. If we look at the actual arrest

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<v Speaker 2>record of Rachel Wall, it alludes to her having an

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<v Speaker 2>extensive criminal past. In the arrest record, it says that

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<v Speaker 2>Rachel committed a quote sundry of other thefts, a sundry

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<v Speaker 2>heaven forbid. Some of Rachel Wall's previous hijinks were described

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<v Speaker 2>on April twenty fifth, seventeen eighty nine in the record

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<v Speaker 2>of the Supreme Judicial Court. At this point, Rachel Wall

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<v Speaker 2>has just been sitting in jail for months. First, in

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<v Speaker 2>the record, it identifies Rachel Wall as of Boston and

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<v Speaker 2>a spinster rude.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't know why they need to say that.

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<v Speaker 2>And then the record outlines some of Wall's previous encounters

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<v Speaker 2>with the law, like, for example, she quote was duly

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<v Speaker 2>convicted of feloniously stealing, taking and carrying away the goods

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<v Speaker 2>and chattels of Perez Morton, Okay, and now we're getting

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<v Speaker 2>about spicyer. You guys remember Perez Morton, right, He was

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<v Speaker 2>that lawyer and politician in Boston who had an affair

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<v Speaker 2>with his wife's younger sister, and then that younger sister

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<v Speaker 2>killed herself, and then their neighbor wrote a book about

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<v Speaker 2>the whole thing, hoping to make a lot of money,

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<v Speaker 2>but then it was a flop.

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<v Speaker 1>You guys remember him well.

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<v Speaker 2>The same year that that scandal broke, Rachel Wall apparently

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<v Speaker 2>stole his stuff. At the time, Perez was spending a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of money and time trying to get that book

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<v Speaker 2>about his family off the shelves, so he was in

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<v Speaker 2>a litigious mood. Rachel really had no chance of getting

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<v Speaker 2>away with her crimes against him, But Perez wasn't the

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<v Speaker 2>only person she stole from. The court record continues on

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<v Speaker 2>the last Tuesday of August in the year of our

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<v Speaker 2>Lord seventeen eighty eight, that said Rachel Wall was duly

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<v Speaker 2>convicted of breaking and entering the dwelling house of one

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<v Speaker 2>Lumiel Ludden, and feloniously stealing, taking and carrying away the

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<v Speaker 2>goods and chattels of said Loumiel.

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<v Speaker 1>Who is that guy? Unclear?

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<v Speaker 2>But he was probably a merchant in Boston, but what

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<v Speaker 2>is clear is that Rachel had a thirst for theft

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<v Speaker 2>hashtag theft thirsty. At Wall's trial for the stolen bonnet,

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<v Speaker 2>the jury found her guilty and then the Attorney general

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<v Speaker 2>moved that she be executed for highway robbery. The governor

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<v Speaker 2>of Massachusetts at the time was John Hancock. He's the

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<v Speaker 2>dude who signed the Declaration of Independence and really big handwriting,

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<v Speaker 2>and he's the one who signed her execution notice. So

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<v Speaker 2>on October eighth, seventeen eighty nine, Rachel Wall, along with

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<v Speaker 2>those three men who were also accused of highway robbery,

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<v Speaker 2>were brought to the Boston Common where thousands of people

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<v Speaker 2>had gathered to watch, and they were hanged until dead.

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<v Speaker 2>Rachel Wall was twenty nine, but still to be hanged

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<v Speaker 2>for stealing a bonnet is extreme. To be hanged for

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<v Speaker 2>stealing the bonnet and then also two previous thefts, that

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<v Speaker 2>also seems extreme, But perhaps the Bostonians of.

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<v Speaker 1>The law were eager to hang her.

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<v Speaker 2>Because she was in fact guilty of other crimes, crimes

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<v Speaker 2>that they didn't have enough evidence to prosecute. Because Rachel

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<v Speaker 2>Wall might have been responsible for killing twenty four people

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<v Speaker 2>because Wall was a pirate. We'll be right back after

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<v Speaker 2>these soothing advertisements. In colonial America, there was a fair

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<v Speaker 2>amount of pirate stuff going on. You know, you guys

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<v Speaker 2>have seen the pirates of the Caribbee and you get it.

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<v Speaker 2>Because just as the founders of this United States wanted

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<v Speaker 2>freedom from mommy England, other people wanted freedom from everyone

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<v Speaker 2>to pillage and plunder as much as they wanted in

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<v Speaker 2>the relatively lawless oceans of the Americas. Along with pirates,

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<v Speaker 2>there are also privateers, people who privately owned ships and

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<v Speaker 2>worked on commission Sometimes they'd run slave ships, or they'd

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<v Speaker 2>get commissioned by governments to fight, kind of like seafaring mercenaries.

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<v Speaker 2>A lot of privateers were hired by the Continental Congress

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<v Speaker 2>during the American Revolution to duke it out with Britain's

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<v Speaker 2>powerful navy. Britain also hired privateers, and so while privateers

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<v Speaker 2>aren't pirates, sometimes pirates would become privateers. You know, sometimes

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<v Speaker 2>it makes business sense to work with the law, sometimes

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<v Speaker 2>it doesn't. But Rachel Wall, for about a year of

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<v Speaker 2>her life, was pretty much a straight up pirate. So

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<v Speaker 2>let's hear directly from Rachel Wall. The evening before her execution,

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<v Speaker 2>Boston Newspapers published her last words. It's basically the only

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<v Speaker 2>source about her life. And while I want to believe women,

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<v Speaker 2>Rachel does seem to exaggerate and law just a little bit.

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<v Speaker 2>So here's how the last words began, read by one

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<v Speaker 2>of our producers, Julia christgau.

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<v Speaker 3>I. Rachel Wall was born in the town of Carlisle

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<v Speaker 3>in the state of Pennsylvania in the year seventeen sixty,

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<v Speaker 3>of honest and reputable parents who were alive and in

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<v Speaker 3>good health. Not long since. I had three brothers and

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<v Speaker 3>two sisters alive and will My father was a farmer,

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<v Speaker 3>and my parents gave me a good education and instructed

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<v Speaker 3>me in the fundamental principles of the Christian religion and

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<v Speaker 3>taught me the fear of God. And if I had

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<v Speaker 3>followed the good advice, I should never have come to

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<v Speaker 3>this untimely fate.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh wow, isn't she a godly gal. I'm sure she's

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<v Speaker 2>presenting herself as a God fearing woman because that's what

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<v Speaker 2>she is, not because she's trying to garner sympathy before

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<v Speaker 2>her execution aka incite a wild Christian mob that prevents

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<v Speaker 2>her death. But anyway, most scholars agree with this account.

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<v Speaker 2>At the beginning, Rachel was born in seventeen sixty in Carlisle.

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<v Speaker 1>Her last name was Schmidt.

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<v Speaker 2>And though she's saying these nice things about her parents,

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<v Speaker 2>she didn't seem that happy as a farmer's daughter. She

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<v Speaker 2>would spend a lot of time by the waterfront and

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<v Speaker 2>even ran away a few times.

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<v Speaker 3>I left my parents without their consent when I was

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<v Speaker 3>very young, and returning again was received by them, but

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<v Speaker 3>could not be contented. Therefore I tarried with them. But

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<v Speaker 3>two years before I left them again, and I've never

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<v Speaker 3>seen him since.

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<v Speaker 2>And what was the reason that Rachel left her parents

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<v Speaker 2>this last.

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<v Speaker 1>Time, Well, she met a man. One day.

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<v Speaker 2>She was down by the waterfront and she was getting

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<v Speaker 2>harassed by some other young women. They were beating her up,

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<v Speaker 2>but the fight got broken up by a man named

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<v Speaker 2>George Wall.

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<v Speaker 1>Not much is known about George.

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<v Speaker 2>But Rachel Smith fell in love with this dastardly man immediately.

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<v Speaker 2>Well he might have not been dastardly at the time,

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<v Speaker 2>but he seemed like a roguish type, a rambling man, much.

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<v Speaker 1>Unlike her family, who were all farmers.

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<v Speaker 2>But eventually George and Rachel got married and they left

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<v Speaker 2>Carlyle forever.

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<v Speaker 3>If I had never seen him, I should not have

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<v Speaker 3>left my parents. I went with him to Philadelphia. We

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<v Speaker 3>tarried there sometime, but left that place and went to

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<v Speaker 3>New York, where we stayed about three months. From thence

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<v Speaker 3>we came to Boston, where he tarried with me sometime

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<v Speaker 3>and then went off, leaving me an entire stranger.

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<v Speaker 2>See, George becomes pretty dastardly soon after their marriage, but

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<v Speaker 2>Rachel's making it seem that he up and.

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<v Speaker 1>Left her for no good reason.

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<v Speaker 2>But it's likely what happened is that he got a

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<v Speaker 2>job as a fisherman and went out to sea to work.

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<v Speaker 2>But still Rachel was all alone in Boston and she

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<v Speaker 2>needed to make some money, so she entered the workforce

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<v Speaker 2>as a servant. She was, according to her last words,

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<v Speaker 2>perfectly happy with that honest profession. I'm sure what seems

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<v Speaker 2>to have happened is during his fishermen job, George met

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<v Speaker 2>five sailors, and he and those sailors concocted a plan.

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<v Speaker 2>Why continue sailing the ocean blue working for the man

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<v Speaker 2>when they could commandeer their own vessel and make more

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<v Speaker 2>money by stealing. Obviously, so the sailors and George came

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<v Speaker 2>home and convinced their lovers to come along and join

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<v Speaker 2>them in a life of piracy. That's why, ladies, if

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<v Speaker 2>you ever match with a guy on tender, you need

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<v Speaker 2>to make sure whether or not he's going to try

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<v Speaker 2>to convince you to be a pirate with him.

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<v Speaker 1>Okay, just check that, see if they have anything written

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<v Speaker 1>about it in their bio.

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<v Speaker 2>But also, if you and your couple friends are looking

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<v Speaker 2>to spice up your life, why not try to find

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<v Speaker 2>a boat and become pirates. So in seventeen eighty one,

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<v Speaker 2>this band of fishermen's sailors and their lovers commandeered a

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<v Speaker 2>boat called the Essex and sailed to the Isle of Shoals,

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<v Speaker 2>a group of islands near the coast of New Hampshire

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<v Speaker 2>and Maine. This is where they devised a piracy scheme.

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<v Speaker 2>What they would do is after a storm, they would

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<v Speaker 2>pretend their boat was broken and they needed help. While

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<v Speaker 2>the rest of the crew hid. Rachel posed as a

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<v Speaker 2>lady in distress and yelled out to passing boats being like, oh, please.

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<v Speaker 1>Help me, I'm a sad shipwrecked lady.

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<v Speaker 2>And then and the well meaning crews of the other

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<v Speaker 2>boats came and range to help Rachel and the.

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<v Speaker 1>Others would attack.

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<v Speaker 2>That's why it's important never to help anyone. After the tussle,

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<v Speaker 2>the Essex crew would steal the goods and money on

0:14:20.365 --> 0:14:23.685
<v Speaker 2>board the other ship, and then they would murder everyone

0:14:24.925 --> 0:14:27.805
<v Speaker 2>over their brief stent as pirates. From seventeen eighty one

0:14:27.885 --> 0:14:31.925
<v Speaker 2>to seventeen eighty two, the Essex robbed about a dozen ships,

0:14:32.085 --> 0:14:35.565
<v Speaker 2>pilfering about six thousand dollars worth of goods and killing

0:14:35.805 --> 0:14:40.325
<v Speaker 2>probably around twenty four people. But Rachel, remember she's a good,

0:14:40.325 --> 0:14:44.605
<v Speaker 2>god fearing woman. She denied ever murdering anyone.

0:14:44.685 --> 0:14:46.925
<v Speaker 3>I acknowledge myself to have been guilty of a great

0:14:47.005 --> 0:14:52.005
<v Speaker 3>many crimes, including sabbath breaking, stealing, lying, disobedience to parents,

0:14:52.045 --> 0:14:55.485
<v Speaker 3>and almost every other sin a person could commit except murder.

0:14:56.285 --> 0:14:57.885
<v Speaker 3>And I have not lived in the fear of God,

0:14:57.925 --> 0:15:02.125
<v Speaker 3>nor regarded the kind admonitions and counsels of men. In short,

0:15:02.205 --> 0:15:05.365
<v Speaker 3>the many small crimes I've committed are too numerous to mention,

0:15:05.525 --> 0:15:06.085
<v Speaker 3>and is sheep.

0:15:07.085 --> 0:15:10.005
<v Speaker 2>But Rachel's pirate life would quickly come to an end.

0:15:11.925 --> 0:15:14.845
<v Speaker 2>In seventeen eighty two, the Essex got caught in a

0:15:14.885 --> 0:15:19.085
<v Speaker 2>storm and shipwrecked off the coast. Several of the crew

0:15:19.085 --> 0:15:22.325
<v Speaker 2>members died, but it's not clear what happened to George.

0:15:22.445 --> 0:15:25.645
<v Speaker 2>Rachel survived, and after the shipwreck she headed back to

0:15:25.685 --> 0:15:28.645
<v Speaker 2>Boston to get back to her happy life as a servant,

0:15:29.685 --> 0:15:31.365
<v Speaker 2>you know, the life she would have been happy to

0:15:31.445 --> 0:15:35.965
<v Speaker 2>lead without that dastardly husband of hers. In her job interviews,

0:15:35.965 --> 0:15:38.525
<v Speaker 2>I imagine she was quite careful about the question, what's

0:15:38.565 --> 0:15:39.965
<v Speaker 2>this blank year in your resume?

0:15:40.085 --> 0:15:40.685
<v Speaker 1>What were you do?

0:15:40.765 --> 0:15:43.285
<v Speaker 2>When people hate when they have a servant who is

0:15:43.325 --> 0:15:47.525
<v Speaker 2>also a pirate. But even though Rachel had given up

0:15:47.605 --> 0:15:52.165
<v Speaker 2>piracy technically, she continued to steal stuff as a side hustle.

0:15:52.885 --> 0:15:54.845
<v Speaker 2>But it's not her fault that crime is so much

0:15:54.845 --> 0:16:00.405
<v Speaker 2>more profitable than honest labor. Honestly, in the middle of

0:16:00.485 --> 0:16:03.605
<v Speaker 2>the night, Rachel started sneaking on board ships docked in

0:16:03.645 --> 0:16:08.245
<v Speaker 2>the harbor and stealing stuff, calling these evenings of thieving.

0:16:08.245 --> 0:16:10.445
<v Speaker 1>Her nocturnal excursions.

0:16:11.565 --> 0:16:14.005
<v Speaker 2>Like one time in seventeen eighty seven she crept on

0:16:14.045 --> 0:16:17.165
<v Speaker 2>board a ship captained by a Frenchman, Yuck the French.

0:16:17.885 --> 0:16:20.645
<v Speaker 2>She found that the door to the captain's cabin wasn't locked,

0:16:20.885 --> 0:16:22.965
<v Speaker 2>so she snuck in and saw the captain and his

0:16:23.085 --> 0:16:26.045
<v Speaker 2>mate asleep in their beds. I mean, come on, it

0:16:26.125 --> 0:16:28.525
<v Speaker 2>was unlocked. It's as if they were asking for it.

0:16:29.565 --> 0:16:32.165
<v Speaker 2>In the cabin, Rachel found a black silk bag that

0:16:32.245 --> 0:16:36.445
<v Speaker 2>contained more than thirty pounds like the money, not like

0:16:36.565 --> 0:16:39.805
<v Speaker 2>just thirty pounds of random pounds. And guess where it

0:16:39.965 --> 0:16:43.285
<v Speaker 2>was under the captain's head. Literally, he was snoozing on

0:16:43.325 --> 0:16:46.085
<v Speaker 2>top of his money. But Rachel is so good at stealing,

0:16:46.165 --> 0:16:48.165
<v Speaker 2>she was just able to get that thing right out

0:16:48.165 --> 0:16:51.485
<v Speaker 2>of there and scud daddle off the ship. When she

0:16:51.525 --> 0:16:54.805
<v Speaker 2>saw that bounty, she quote immediately sees the booty and

0:16:54.885 --> 0:16:59.645
<v Speaker 2>decamped therewith as soon as possible. She then obviously spent

0:16:59.685 --> 0:17:04.805
<v Speaker 2>her money very responsibly by partying. She quote spent it

0:17:04.845 --> 0:17:10.405
<v Speaker 2>freely in company as wicked as myself. Another time, Rachel

0:17:10.445 --> 0:17:12.645
<v Speaker 2>went on board another ship and found the captain and

0:17:12.725 --> 0:17:16.725
<v Speaker 2>the entire crew asleep. A silver watch was dangling from

0:17:16.765 --> 0:17:20.325
<v Speaker 2>the ceiling above the captain's head. She took that, obviously,

0:17:20.805 --> 0:17:23.325
<v Speaker 2>and then also took the silver buckles of his shoes.

0:17:24.685 --> 0:17:27.765
<v Speaker 2>She then went through everybody else's stuff and pocketed all

0:17:27.805 --> 0:17:30.645
<v Speaker 2>their money. Again, she needed to hang out with some

0:17:30.765 --> 0:17:34.045
<v Speaker 2>wicked company. She took all this stuff to quote make

0:17:34.085 --> 0:17:42.045
<v Speaker 2>myself merry among my evil companions. Along with detailing these

0:17:42.125 --> 0:17:46.285
<v Speaker 2>thefts and her final words, Rachel Wall relayed another tale

0:17:46.325 --> 0:17:51.365
<v Speaker 2>that concerned the fate of her husband George Wall after

0:17:51.405 --> 0:17:53.805
<v Speaker 2>the shipwreck in seventeen eighty two. As I said, it

0:17:53.885 --> 0:17:58.085
<v Speaker 2>wasn't clear what happened to George, but Rachel knew his whereabouts.

0:17:58.125 --> 0:18:01.565
<v Speaker 2>In seventeen eighty five, he was in the same jail

0:18:01.725 --> 0:18:05.485
<v Speaker 2>where she gave her last words. At that time, Rachel

0:18:05.605 --> 0:18:08.965
<v Speaker 2>was going to help him escape. How well, she had

0:18:08.965 --> 0:18:12.085
<v Speaker 2>some tools, including a saw and a file, which he

0:18:12.125 --> 0:18:15.565
<v Speaker 2>could use to escape the jail from the inside. But

0:18:15.645 --> 0:18:17.965
<v Speaker 2>obviously she had to sneak those tools in. You can't

0:18:18.005 --> 0:18:20.645
<v Speaker 2>just give a prisoner a saw and a file. You

0:18:20.725 --> 0:18:24.205
<v Speaker 2>can't be like, well, these are my husband's emotional support tools.

0:18:24.205 --> 0:18:28.045
<v Speaker 2>He needs them. So what she did is she baked

0:18:28.045 --> 0:18:30.805
<v Speaker 2>the tools into a loaf of bread, and then she

0:18:30.885 --> 0:18:32.965
<v Speaker 2>had someone give that bread to the prison guard to

0:18:33.005 --> 0:18:36.045
<v Speaker 2>give to George. And luckily the prison guard did not

0:18:36.165 --> 0:18:38.965
<v Speaker 2>chomp on the loaf himself, otherwise he would have found

0:18:39.005 --> 0:18:42.885
<v Speaker 2>it nutritiously dense with iron. But the prison guard gave

0:18:42.885 --> 0:18:45.485
<v Speaker 2>it to George, and George quickly said about trying to

0:18:45.605 --> 0:18:50.405
<v Speaker 2>escape from his cell. But Unfortunately, Rachel said that as

0:18:50.405 --> 0:18:53.245
<v Speaker 2>he employed the tools on the door, he was discovered

0:18:53.605 --> 0:18:56.085
<v Speaker 2>and his fate may be the same as his wife's.

0:18:56.805 --> 0:19:00.285
<v Speaker 2>She does not give the resolution to the story. Come on, Rachel,

0:19:00.325 --> 0:19:04.045
<v Speaker 2>we're curious. I don't want to go dig through court records.

0:19:06.605 --> 0:19:07.125
<v Speaker 1>So yes.

0:19:07.285 --> 0:19:10.605
<v Speaker 2>In this last testament, Rachel Wall admitted she was guilty

0:19:10.685 --> 0:19:14.085
<v Speaker 2>of many crimes, but when it came to the bonnet,

0:19:14.925 --> 0:19:16.485
<v Speaker 2>this is what Rachel said.

0:19:18.005 --> 0:19:20.365
<v Speaker 3>With regard to the above robbery, I would beg permission

0:19:20.405 --> 0:19:23.525
<v Speaker 3>to relate a few particulars. I had been at work

0:19:23.845 --> 0:19:26.285
<v Speaker 3>all the preceding day and was on my way home

0:19:26.365 --> 0:19:29.765
<v Speaker 3>in the evening without design to injure any person. I

0:19:29.845 --> 0:19:32.685
<v Speaker 3>never saw miss Bender, the person i'm charged with robbing,

0:19:32.685 --> 0:19:34.805
<v Speaker 3>that evening, and was quite surprised when the crime is

0:19:34.885 --> 0:19:35.805
<v Speaker 3>laid to my charge.

0:19:37.165 --> 0:19:40.645
<v Speaker 2>Yep, she's saying she is innocent. She didn't steal that bonnet.

0:19:41.445 --> 0:19:45.125
<v Speaker 3>The witnesses who swore against me are certainly mistaken, but

0:19:45.485 --> 0:19:48.165
<v Speaker 3>as a dying person, I freely forgive them.

0:19:50.645 --> 0:19:52.805
<v Speaker 1>Wow, isn't Rachel a wonderful person.

0:19:53.045 --> 0:19:55.445
<v Speaker 2>She's like, Hey, these people are accusing me of something

0:19:55.445 --> 0:19:57.805
<v Speaker 2>I'm innocent of, but I forgive you.

0:20:00.045 --> 0:20:01.605
<v Speaker 1>She ended, her last words, with.

0:20:01.645 --> 0:20:05.525
<v Speaker 3>This and now into the hands of Almighty God, I

0:20:05.565 --> 0:20:08.925
<v Speaker 3>commit my soul, relying on His mercy through the merits

0:20:08.965 --> 0:20:13.045
<v Speaker 3>and meditation of my Redeemer, and die an unworthy member

0:20:13.085 --> 0:20:16.285
<v Speaker 3>of the Presbyterian Church in the twenty ninth year of

0:20:16.325 --> 0:20:20.365
<v Speaker 3>my age.

0:20:20.605 --> 0:20:24.805
<v Speaker 2>Unfortunately, even with these last words, Rachel did not endear

0:20:24.885 --> 0:20:28.445
<v Speaker 2>herself to the Bostonian public or the judicial system.

0:20:29.405 --> 0:20:32.765
<v Speaker 1>As we all know, she was hanged, and this.

0:20:32.725 --> 0:20:36.245
<v Speaker 2>Execution is historically significant because it was the last time

0:20:36.285 --> 0:20:40.485
<v Speaker 2>the state of Massachusetts executed a woman. But clearly she

0:20:40.645 --> 0:20:45.085
<v Speaker 2>wasn't executed just for stealing a bonnet. The bonnet stealing

0:20:45.165 --> 0:20:46.925
<v Speaker 2>was just what they used to pin her down for

0:20:47.005 --> 0:20:51.005
<v Speaker 2>her numerous crimes. But if this had happened a few

0:20:51.045 --> 0:20:53.685
<v Speaker 2>years later, they wouldn't have been able to get her

0:20:53.685 --> 0:20:57.405
<v Speaker 2>for that either, because the laws were updated and you

0:20:57.445 --> 0:21:01.765
<v Speaker 2>could no longer get executed for an unarmed robbery or

0:21:01.845 --> 0:21:09.965
<v Speaker 2>even an unarmed robbery. Sorry, every week we learn a

0:21:10.005 --> 0:21:12.285
<v Speaker 2>lesson from American Filth, and I think the lesson from

0:21:12.285 --> 0:21:14.845
<v Speaker 2>this week's episode is if.

0:21:14.725 --> 0:21:17.165
<v Speaker 1>You want to bond it, just buy one. It's not

0:21:17.245 --> 0:21:21.365
<v Speaker 1>that expensive. Talk to you guys next time.

0:21:37.445 --> 0:21:39.525
<v Speaker 2>American Filth is a production of School of Humans and

0:21:39.605 --> 0:21:42.325
<v Speaker 2>iHeart Podcast. This episode was written and hosted by me

0:21:42.445 --> 0:21:46.285
<v Speaker 2>Gabby Watts. Julia Chris Gal played Rachel wall Our. Executive

0:21:46.285 --> 0:21:49.685
<v Speaker 2>producers are Brandon Barr, Virginia Prescott, and Elsie Crowley. And

0:21:49.765 --> 0:21:51.845
<v Speaker 2>you can follow along with the show on Instagram at

0:21:51.925 --> 0:21:56.725
<v Speaker 2>American Filth Pod. Please also subscribe, like, leave a review,

0:21:57.245 --> 0:22:01.565
<v Speaker 2>share the pod with your friend's enemies, families, etc. Also,

0:22:01.605 --> 0:22:05.165
<v Speaker 2>if you're in London, please come to the show October fifteenth,

0:22:05.205 --> 0:22:08.365
<v Speaker 2>eight pm. It's gonna be so fun. Tickets are in

0:22:08.365 --> 0:22:23.925
<v Speaker 2>the show notes. Bye School of Humans.