1 00:00:01,160 --> 00:00:04,120 Speaker 1: Welcome to steph you missed in history class from how 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: Stuff Works dot Com. Hello, and welcome to the podcast. 3 00:00:13,480 --> 00:00:17,599 Speaker 1: I'm Holly Frying and I'm Tracy V. Wilson. It's still October. 4 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:21,639 Speaker 1: It is still which means this is a perfect time 5 00:00:21,680 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: for what is a haunting episode? Or is it? But 6 00:00:25,680 --> 00:00:28,320 Speaker 1: I feel like that could be all of our haunting episodes. 7 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,919 Speaker 1: And yes, for sure, this episode is all about an 8 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 1: alleged haunting that took place in Amherst, Nova, Scotia in 9 00:00:35,880 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: the eighteen seventies, so Canadian haunting. And as we've done 10 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:41,800 Speaker 1: in haunting stories in the past, we're first going to 11 00:00:41,880 --> 00:00:43,959 Speaker 1: tell it more or less as it is relayed, from 12 00:00:43,960 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: a believer's point of view, and then we're going to 13 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: discuss it from a more skeptical side. So I witnessed 14 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,720 Speaker 1: to this haunting Walter Hubble, and we're going to get 15 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:56,440 Speaker 1: into his involvement in the story later because it's pretty important. 16 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: Wrote a book detailing a six week period in which 17 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: he lived in the house with Esther, who is the 18 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:06,200 Speaker 1: young woman who allegedly all of this this haunting activity 19 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,080 Speaker 1: took place around and the introduction to Hubble's book reads 20 00:01:09,160 --> 00:01:13,520 Speaker 1: quote the manifestations described in this story commenced one year ago. 21 00:01:14,280 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: No person has yet been able to ascertain their cause. 22 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,119 Speaker 1: Scientific men from all parts of Canada and the United 23 00:01:21,160 --> 00:01:25,039 Speaker 1: States have investigated them in vain. Some people think that 24 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: electricity is the principal agent, others mesmerism, while others again 25 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:33,319 Speaker 1: are sure they are produced by the Devil. Of the 26 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:37,760 Speaker 1: three supposed causes, the latter is certainly the most plausible theory, 27 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 1: for some of the manifestations are remarkably devilish in their 28 00:01:41,560 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: appearance and effect. So that's what we're in for here, uh, 29 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: And just a quick heads up before we get into 30 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:51,160 Speaker 1: this story. There is a very brief discussion of attempted 31 00:01:51,200 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: sexual assault in this episode. There's not a lot of 32 00:01:53,560 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: detail about it. It comes up two times and they're 33 00:01:55,920 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 1: both quite quick. But if that is something that is 34 00:01:58,520 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: potentially troubling for you, you might want to skip this one. 35 00:02:01,440 --> 00:02:03,640 Speaker 1: But we're going to get into esther Cox in the 36 00:02:03,680 --> 00:02:08,680 Speaker 1: Great Amherst Mystery. Esther Cox was born on March eighteen 37 00:02:08,760 --> 00:02:13,040 Speaker 1: sixty in Nova Scotia. Her parents were Archibald T and 38 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:16,360 Speaker 1: Esther Cox, and the family had a farm. She was 39 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: really really tiny when she was born, According to Hubble's 40 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:23,600 Speaker 1: recounting of Esther's childhood, she only weighed five pounds by 41 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:26,839 Speaker 1: the time she was nine months old. Her grandmother had 42 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:29,400 Speaker 1: to keep her on a pillow to wash and dress 43 00:02:29,400 --> 00:02:33,120 Speaker 1: her because she was just so delicate. Esther's mother also 44 00:02:33,320 --> 00:02:37,920 Speaker 1: died just a few weeks before Esther was born. I 45 00:02:37,919 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: immediately was incredulous when reading that account, and like a 46 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:43,160 Speaker 1: nine month old that weighs five pounds seems very weird 47 00:02:43,240 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: to me. I'm sure we will get a flood of 48 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,360 Speaker 1: people who say no, no, I have evidence, um, just 49 00:02:48,440 --> 00:02:51,720 Speaker 1: having known a number of very early premise, I think 50 00:02:51,720 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: most of them had passed five pounds by the time 51 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:57,240 Speaker 1: they were nine months But that immediately kind of red 52 00:02:57,240 --> 00:02:59,040 Speaker 1: flag to me. Just f y I in case you 53 00:02:59,080 --> 00:03:02,800 Speaker 1: heard that went what. Esther was described by Hubble as 54 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:07,040 Speaker 1: a young woman as short quote inclined to be stout, earnest, 55 00:03:07,080 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: and honest. She was also strong willed, and she would 56 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 1: sometimes sulk, but the writer assures the reader of her goodness. 57 00:03:14,080 --> 00:03:16,320 Speaker 1: By the time she was a young woman. Esther, her 58 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,919 Speaker 1: sister Jane, and their brother William all lived with their 59 00:03:19,960 --> 00:03:24,000 Speaker 1: older sister Olive and her family. Daniel and Olive Teed 60 00:03:24,360 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: had two sons named William George. Willie was five when 61 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:30,520 Speaker 1: Esther moved in with the family, and George had just 62 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:35,080 Speaker 1: passed his first birthday. Daniel's brother John lived with the 63 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,720 Speaker 1: family as well. Hubble described the Teed cottage as pleasant 64 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: with its interior adornments quote so tastefully arranged, so scrupulously clean, 65 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:48,280 Speaker 1: and so comfortable that the visitor feels at home in 66 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:51,520 Speaker 1: a moment, being confident that everything is looked after by 67 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:57,680 Speaker 1: a thrifty housewife. On auguste eight, Esther, he was eighteen, 68 00:03:57,920 --> 00:04:00,760 Speaker 1: started her day as normal with breakfast with the family, 69 00:04:01,200 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: and then she did her chores around the house. That evening, 70 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: her boyfriend Bob McNeil came to call and asked her 71 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: to go for a ride with him. He had missed 72 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:12,520 Speaker 1: a date to visit her the night before, and he 73 00:04:12,600 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: promised to explain what had happened during their ride. Allegedly, 74 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,919 Speaker 1: as the pair were riding through a wooded area, Bob's 75 00:04:20,920 --> 00:04:25,200 Speaker 1: demeanor changed abruptly. He jumped down from the buggy, pulled 76 00:04:25,240 --> 00:04:27,960 Speaker 1: a gun and ordered Esther to do the same that 77 00:04:28,080 --> 00:04:30,960 Speaker 1: his exit the buggy, or he would kill her. She 78 00:04:31,040 --> 00:04:33,360 Speaker 1: did not do as he ordered, and instead told him 79 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:35,840 Speaker 1: to stop acting like a crazy man and drive her home, 80 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:39,640 Speaker 1: and this incensed Bob, and he was allegedly about to 81 00:04:39,640 --> 00:04:43,120 Speaker 1: shoot Esther point blank when they heard another buggy approaching, 82 00:04:43,640 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: and at that point Bob jumped back into the driver's 83 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,960 Speaker 1: seat and raced back to the teed home. As Esther 84 00:04:49,120 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: ran into the house, Bob and the buggy raced away. 85 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: This incident, as it's related in the Walter Hubble account, 86 00:04:57,120 --> 00:05:00,400 Speaker 1: is like it's described above, although there's all so then 87 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:05,159 Speaker 1: mentioned that Bob quote uttered several terrible oaths. Often though, 88 00:05:05,160 --> 00:05:08,359 Speaker 1: this incident is characterized as an attempted sexual assault, and 89 00:05:08,360 --> 00:05:11,760 Speaker 1: it's not clear due to the possibility that it was 90 00:05:11,800 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 1: sanitized and publication for the sake of propriety. But as 91 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:18,839 Speaker 1: we're about to discuss, whatever took place on that ride 92 00:05:18,920 --> 00:05:23,479 Speaker 1: was very traumatic for Ester. This incident really did take 93 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,279 Speaker 1: a severe toll on her and Esther's family, none of 94 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,679 Speaker 1: whom who had ever really particularly approved of Bob McLean 95 00:05:30,240 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 1: presumed that the pair had gotten into an argument and 96 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: broken up. Esther did not reveal to them what had 97 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:38,880 Speaker 1: happened in terms of him threatening her, and they didn't 98 00:05:38,880 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: pry into what they thought was a basic lover's quarrel. 99 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,839 Speaker 1: But not long after McNeil's attack, a series of unusual 100 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,880 Speaker 1: things began happening. For the next week, Esther was quite 101 00:05:49,960 --> 00:05:53,920 Speaker 1: understandably distraught. She cried a lot. She had trouble sleeping 102 00:05:54,520 --> 00:05:57,080 Speaker 1: on the night of September four, as their believed that 103 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:00,240 Speaker 1: there was a mouse in her bed. She felt thing 104 00:06:00,320 --> 00:06:03,599 Speaker 1: rustling under the sheet. Her sister Jane, who slept in 105 00:06:03,600 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: the same room with her, assured her that even if 106 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:07,960 Speaker 1: it was a mouse, it wouldn't hurt them, that they 107 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:11,599 Speaker 1: should just try to get some rest. The following night, 108 00:06:11,800 --> 00:06:15,200 Speaker 1: what they believed was a mouse once again disrupted their sleep. 109 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:18,440 Speaker 1: This time they heard what they thought were mouse noises 110 00:06:18,480 --> 00:06:22,200 Speaker 1: from within a box of patchwork. Esther resolved that they 111 00:06:22,200 --> 00:06:23,840 Speaker 1: were going to kill the mouse so that they would 112 00:06:23,839 --> 00:06:26,040 Speaker 1: not have the same problem of poor sleep night after 113 00:06:26,160 --> 00:06:28,800 Speaker 1: night after night. So the two young women removed the 114 00:06:28,839 --> 00:06:31,000 Speaker 1: box from its place under the bed and they put 115 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,960 Speaker 1: it in the center of the floor, preparing to deal 116 00:06:34,040 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 1: with this mouse. While they were watching, the box rose 117 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:40,760 Speaker 1: up into the air, roughly a foot off the floor, 118 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:42,880 Speaker 1: and then it tipped onto its side. As it fell 119 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:45,919 Speaker 1: back down, Jane put the box in the center of 120 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:51,120 Speaker 1: the room, and the same thing happened again. They started screaming, 121 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: not surprisingly, and their screams drew their brother in law 122 00:06:54,240 --> 00:06:57,240 Speaker 1: Daniel into the room, but he laughed off the account 123 00:06:57,240 --> 00:07:01,719 Speaker 1: of the levitating box, insisting that they had just dreamed 124 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:05,279 Speaker 1: it or they had shared some moment of delusion. The 125 00:07:05,360 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 1: next day, everyone went about their usual routine, but that 126 00:07:08,800 --> 00:07:11,600 Speaker 1: evening Esther felt ill and she went to bed early. 127 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:14,840 Speaker 1: Jane went to bed later, but she was awakened in 128 00:07:14,880 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: the night by Esther, who had jumped out of bed 129 00:07:17,560 --> 00:07:21,600 Speaker 1: and exclaimed that she was dying. Jane little lamp, and 130 00:07:21,680 --> 00:07:25,040 Speaker 1: she saw that Esther's appearance was changed in really upsetting ways. 131 00:07:25,160 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 1: Esther's face was bright red, her hair was standing on end, 132 00:07:29,640 --> 00:07:32,960 Speaker 1: and she was shaking and gripping a chair so tightly 133 00:07:33,000 --> 00:07:35,560 Speaker 1: that her fingernails had sunk down into the woods. So 134 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: Jane called for help. After the adult members of the 135 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:43,480 Speaker 1: household rushed into the room, Esther's color went pale, and 136 00:07:43,560 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: she became very, very weak. She was assisted to her bed, 137 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:49,800 Speaker 1: where she sat for a moment before jumping up and 138 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:53,000 Speaker 1: yelling that she thought she was going to burst. Jane 139 00:07:53,080 --> 00:07:56,000 Speaker 1: soothed her. She got into her bed, but Esther kept 140 00:07:56,040 --> 00:07:58,360 Speaker 1: saying that she was going to burst and that she 141 00:07:58,520 --> 00:08:01,680 Speaker 1: was swelling. Her family looked at her, and she was 142 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:04,760 Speaker 1: swelling and turning red once again. She was also hot 143 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,160 Speaker 1: to the touch. And then they all heard a loud 144 00:08:07,240 --> 00:08:11,360 Speaker 1: sound that Olive initially thought was lightning striking the house. 145 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:14,440 Speaker 1: It scared all of so much that she actually went 146 00:08:14,480 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 1: to check on her two little boys. She was worried 147 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:18,680 Speaker 1: that something might have happened to them, but they were 148 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,400 Speaker 1: both fast asleep peacefully, and they appeared to have not 149 00:08:21,520 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: heard this sound that everyone in Esther's room had heard. 150 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:29,040 Speaker 1: There was absolutely no storm outside. There were three more 151 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:31,840 Speaker 1: loud noises, which all seemed to come from under the bed, 152 00:08:32,280 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: and then Esther's swelling vanished, her temperature returned to normal. 153 00:08:36,480 --> 00:08:39,400 Speaker 1: She fell deeply asleep until nine o'clock the next morning. 154 00:08:40,040 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 1: The family discussed the oddness of the previous night, but 155 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:47,199 Speaker 1: because there was no discernible cause and Esther seemed to 156 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:50,720 Speaker 1: be okay other than having a slightly reduced appetite, they 157 00:08:50,800 --> 00:08:53,680 Speaker 1: let them matter drop. We're going to talk about the 158 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:57,600 Speaker 1: odd happenings around Esther intensifying after this, but before we do, 159 00:08:57,640 --> 00:08:59,520 Speaker 1: we're gonna take a little break and pause for a 160 00:08:59,559 --> 00:09:07,800 Speaker 1: word for one of our sponsors. Things at the Teed 161 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: house were normal for four nights, and then another swelling 162 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: incident happened. This time Esther was just getting into bed 163 00:09:14,920 --> 00:09:17,280 Speaker 1: when it started, and Jane advised her to just lie 164 00:09:17,360 --> 00:09:20,400 Speaker 1: still and be quiet and hope that the attack would 165 00:09:20,400 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: just pass. But as they waited for the swelling and 166 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,079 Speaker 1: the fever to subside, all of the bedclothes flew off 167 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:30,319 Speaker 1: the bed and landed in a corner. Jane, terrified, screamed 168 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:33,240 Speaker 1: and fainted. When the rest of the family rested into 169 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:35,920 Speaker 1: the room, having heard all the screaming, at first, they 170 00:09:35,920 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: were afraid that Jane was dead. Olive quickly gathered up 171 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:42,200 Speaker 1: the bed coverings and put them back on our sisters, 172 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:45,559 Speaker 1: but once again they flew into the corner and a ball. 173 00:09:47,040 --> 00:09:51,520 Speaker 1: The bed covers were replaced once more, and this time Olive, Daniel, William, 174 00:09:51,559 --> 00:09:53,880 Speaker 1: and John sat on the edges of the bed to 175 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:58,040 Speaker 1: keep the covers in place. Esther's pillow shot out from 176 00:09:58,120 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 1: under her head and it hit John in the face, 177 00:10:00,520 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 1: which frightened him out of the room. As Esther's brother, 178 00:10:03,760 --> 00:10:06,480 Speaker 1: William brought a bucket of cold water to try to 179 00:10:06,559 --> 00:10:10,120 Speaker 1: soothe her aching and feverish head. There were, as in 180 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:14,120 Speaker 1: the first swelling incident, several loud noises from under the bed, 181 00:10:14,640 --> 00:10:19,800 Speaker 1: after which Esther's swelling vanished and she once again slept peacefully. 182 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:22,720 Speaker 1: But the next day, as the family conferred on what 183 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,600 Speaker 1: had happened, it was decided that they absolutely needed a 184 00:10:25,679 --> 00:10:29,280 Speaker 1: doctor to check on Esther. Daniel visited the family doctor, 185 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:33,080 Speaker 1: doctor Curit, and he described to him all that had happened, 186 00:10:33,200 --> 00:10:35,960 Speaker 1: and while the doctor thought it sounded like utter nonsense, 187 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 1: he did agree that he would go to the house 188 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:39,959 Speaker 1: in the evening and that he would stay until one 189 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:44,679 Speaker 1: am and observe. He initially examined Esther and said that 190 00:10:44,760 --> 00:10:47,080 Speaker 1: she appeared to have had a shock and she was 191 00:10:47,120 --> 00:10:51,959 Speaker 1: experiencing nervous excitement. Then he saw the pillow under her 192 00:10:51,960 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: head move on its own. As before, the pillow shot 193 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: out then from under Esther's head, and this time John 194 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,400 Speaker 1: tried to grab it, but it felt as though some 195 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:07,080 Speaker 1: other force was pulling it in opposition. Loud sounds once 196 00:11:07,120 --> 00:11:10,440 Speaker 1: again came, initially from under the bed, but then as 197 00:11:10,480 --> 00:11:12,800 Speaker 1: the doctor, who seemed to keep a pretty cool head 198 00:11:12,800 --> 00:11:15,600 Speaker 1: through all of this, started walking around the room. Those 199 00:11:15,640 --> 00:11:20,240 Speaker 1: noises seemed to follow him under the floorboards. Then words 200 00:11:20,320 --> 00:11:23,160 Speaker 1: appeared to be etched into the wall over the bed 201 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:28,640 Speaker 1: that said Esther Cox, you are mine to kill. Next, 202 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:31,120 Speaker 1: a piece of plaster came loose from the wall and 203 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:35,440 Speaker 1: flew across the room. Then the banging sounds again, and 204 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,439 Speaker 1: the noise continued for two full hours and then stopped abruptly. 205 00:11:40,320 --> 00:11:42,880 Speaker 1: The doctor left, promising that he would visit again in 206 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:47,240 Speaker 1: the morning to check on Esther. When Dr Kat was 207 00:11:47,360 --> 00:11:49,640 Speaker 1: in the house the next day, Esther was up. She 208 00:11:49,760 --> 00:11:53,000 Speaker 1: was feeling fairly normal and going about her stores. She 209 00:11:53,080 --> 00:11:56,040 Speaker 1: went into the cellar, but soon she ran back upstairs, 210 00:11:56,400 --> 00:12:00,120 Speaker 1: convinced that someone was hiding there and had thrown as 211 00:12:00,160 --> 00:12:04,920 Speaker 1: of wood planking at her. The doctor investigated, but he 212 00:12:04,960 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: found nothing. He asked Esther to come down into the 213 00:12:08,120 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 1: cellar with him, and once she was there, the pair 214 00:12:11,120 --> 00:12:14,760 Speaker 1: were pelted with potatoes, uh and they both immediately ran 215 00:12:14,800 --> 00:12:18,960 Speaker 1: back upstairs. That evening, the doctor gave Esther several sedatives 216 00:12:18,960 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: at bedtime and the hopes that she would be able 217 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:24,160 Speaker 1: to rest, but the pounding took place once again, this 218 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:28,800 Speaker 1: time louder and faster than on previous occasions. Eventually it 219 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,319 Speaker 1: shifted so that it sounded like it was coming from 220 00:12:31,360 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 1: the roof. And up to this point, the family had 221 00:12:35,360 --> 00:12:37,960 Speaker 1: kept all of these strange events from their neighbors, but 222 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,720 Speaker 1: words soon began to spread this something very unusual was happening, 223 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,120 Speaker 1: and this was due in part to the fact that 224 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:46,960 Speaker 1: the pounding sounds started going on all throughout the day 225 00:12:46,960 --> 00:12:49,280 Speaker 1: and night, and they were so loud that people simply 226 00:12:49,320 --> 00:12:52,520 Speaker 1: heard them. A few weeks after the doctor's first visit, 227 00:12:52,840 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: Esther had a spasm or a seizure while he was there. 228 00:12:55,840 --> 00:12:59,200 Speaker 1: One night. She went quite still and then relayed what 229 00:12:59,280 --> 00:13:03,040 Speaker 1: had taken play between her and Bob McNeil. Yeah, there 230 00:13:03,040 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: are a few instances where she sort of goes into 231 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:11,480 Speaker 1: this almost trance like state and has discussions that she 232 00:13:11,520 --> 00:13:14,560 Speaker 1: doesn't really recall. It comes up again later. And it 233 00:13:14,640 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: was at this same time that esther sister Jane put 234 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,280 Speaker 1: forth the idea that whatever the entity was that was 235 00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: making these noises could also she thought, here and understand 236 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:27,880 Speaker 1: the family, and so they decided to test this idea. 237 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 1: So they started to ask questions of whatever it was, 238 00:13:32,200 --> 00:13:35,240 Speaker 1: things like can you hear us? Three knocks? In response, 239 00:13:35,440 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: and then they asked how many people are in this room, 240 00:13:38,080 --> 00:13:40,800 Speaker 1: and five knocks came in response, which was a correct answer. 241 00:13:41,320 --> 00:13:44,559 Speaker 1: The family also started to realize that what was happening 242 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:47,880 Speaker 1: was centered around Esther. None of these things were happening 243 00:13:47,920 --> 00:13:51,280 Speaker 1: whenever she was out of the house. A well known 244 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:55,040 Speaker 1: Baptist minister named Dr. Edwin Clay had heard stories of 245 00:13:55,080 --> 00:13:58,439 Speaker 1: the happenings at the Teed house and he came to investigate, 246 00:13:58,760 --> 00:14:01,520 Speaker 1: and after spending a brief time there and hearing the 247 00:14:01,600 --> 00:14:05,280 Speaker 1: knocking in response to questions and seeing the writing appearing 248 00:14:05,280 --> 00:14:07,160 Speaker 1: on the walls, he was convinced that it was not 249 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:10,240 Speaker 1: a hoax. But he thought that the shock of being 250 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,280 Speaker 1: held at gunpoint by her boyfriend had actually caused Esther 251 00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: to manifest a sort of electrical charge. If you remember 252 00:14:16,640 --> 00:14:19,120 Speaker 1: the intro at the top of the episode said that 253 00:14:19,160 --> 00:14:21,520 Speaker 1: electricity might have been the cause. And Clay was really 254 00:14:21,560 --> 00:14:24,320 Speaker 1: the proponent of this, and he actually toured and gave 255 00:14:24,440 --> 00:14:28,080 Speaker 1: lectures on this theory, and in the process of those lectures, 256 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,440 Speaker 1: he defended Esther against those who believed she was perpetrating 257 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 1: a hoax. As the story ballooned and more and more 258 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:39,560 Speaker 1: respected members of the community attested to seeing strange things 259 00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 1: like water boiling in a bucket on its own. The 260 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 1: Ted's home became overrun with curious onlookers. There was a 261 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:51,840 Speaker 1: constant stream of visitors and a steady throng of people outside. 262 00:14:52,800 --> 00:14:56,160 Speaker 1: There was ongoing debate about whether this was really happening, 263 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,440 Speaker 1: or whether it was an elaborate theatricality, or even if 264 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:04,800 Speaker 1: Esther somehow exerting mind control over people. Yeah. One of 265 00:15:04,840 --> 00:15:07,760 Speaker 1: the theories was that she was planting these ideas in 266 00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: people's heads, that they weren't actually seeing any of these things, 267 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:14,960 Speaker 1: but they believed that they had. In December of eighteen 268 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 1: seventy eight, all of the poltergeist, which is what it 269 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:20,320 Speaker 1: was being called at this point, activity stopped when Esther 270 00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: was ill with dip syria. She was on bed rest 271 00:15:23,400 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: for two weeks, and when she had recovered, she went 272 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:29,160 Speaker 1: to visit another sister of theirs in Sackville, New Brunswick 273 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:31,880 Speaker 1: for another two weeks, and no events happened while she 274 00:15:31,920 --> 00:15:36,320 Speaker 1: was in Sackville. Well Esther was away, the family shuffled rooms. 275 00:15:36,960 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: They moved Esther in Jane's room to a different part 276 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: of the house to see if it would stop all 277 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: these weird problems. On our first night back, Esther told 278 00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:47,800 Speaker 1: Jane that a voice had told her it was someone 279 00:15:47,840 --> 00:15:51,440 Speaker 1: who had once been alive, but he had been dead 280 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: for some time, and that was going to set the 281 00:15:53,520 --> 00:15:57,680 Speaker 1: house on fire. Jane called everyone in and relayed this 282 00:15:57,720 --> 00:16:01,720 Speaker 1: odd conversation that Esther said she had had with a ghost, presumably, 283 00:16:01,840 --> 00:16:05,000 Speaker 1: And while they were discussing all of this, a lighted 284 00:16:05,080 --> 00:16:07,920 Speaker 1: match was said to fall from the ceiling onto the bed. 285 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:11,400 Speaker 1: Jane quickly put this match out, but it was followed 286 00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:13,200 Speaker 1: by eight to ted more that the rest of the 287 00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 1: family also put out, and then one of Esther's dresses 288 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:21,280 Speaker 1: caught fire. The family was again able to extinguish it quickly. 289 00:16:22,120 --> 00:16:24,360 Speaker 1: Up to this point, the family had been pretty keen 290 00:16:24,440 --> 00:16:28,560 Speaker 1: on Dr Clay's theory that Esther was somehow hyper electrical, 291 00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:32,360 Speaker 1: but this fire event made them a question whether something 292 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,160 Speaker 1: of a darker spirit nature was going on. According to 293 00:16:36,240 --> 00:16:40,640 Speaker 1: Hubble's account, Daniel said of the phenomenon, quote lightning oftensets 294 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:43,560 Speaker 1: fire to houses and barns, but it has never yet 295 00:16:43,600 --> 00:16:46,680 Speaker 1: been known to roam about a man's house as this 296 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:51,800 Speaker 1: strange power does. Several days later, a fire started in 297 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,800 Speaker 1: the cellar when only Esther and Olive were home. The 298 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:57,040 Speaker 1: two young boys were home, but they were outside playing. 299 00:16:57,760 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: The women tried to put it out the cellar fire 300 00:17:00,840 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 1: with the water bucket from the kitchen, but they were unsuccessful, 301 00:17:04,080 --> 00:17:06,119 Speaker 1: and so they ran out into the street and yelled 302 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:09,879 Speaker 1: for help. People began rushing to them, But it was apparently, 303 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 1: and this all stood out as very odd to me, 304 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:14,520 Speaker 1: a stranger who just showed up out of nowhere off 305 00:17:14,560 --> 00:17:16,840 Speaker 1: the street and put out the blaze and then left 306 00:17:16,840 --> 00:17:19,560 Speaker 1: the house without speaking to anyone. He does not appear 307 00:17:19,600 --> 00:17:23,119 Speaker 1: again in any of the Esther stories. We'll talk about 308 00:17:23,160 --> 00:17:25,879 Speaker 1: how the village reacted to the fires in a moment, 309 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: but we're going to take a quick break first for 310 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: a word from a sponsor. So the family attributed these 311 00:17:37,040 --> 00:17:40,639 Speaker 1: fires to a ghost. The fire marshals of Amherst, on 312 00:17:40,680 --> 00:17:43,040 Speaker 1: the other hand, thought it was Esther starting the fires. 313 00:17:43,800 --> 00:17:46,439 Speaker 1: But regardless, the whole thing made everyone in the village 314 00:17:46,480 --> 00:17:49,680 Speaker 1: nervous because, no matter what the cause, if the teed 315 00:17:49,720 --> 00:17:52,600 Speaker 1: house were to catch fire, it could spread, and so 316 00:17:52,760 --> 00:17:55,359 Speaker 1: everyone in the area had a keen awareness of the 317 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:59,879 Speaker 1: danger that this situation posed. One evening in January eighteen 318 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:04,000 Speaker 1: seventy nine, the ghost appeared in the family's parlor, and 319 00:18:04,040 --> 00:18:07,680 Speaker 1: it told Esther that if she didn't leave, would burn 320 00:18:07,720 --> 00:18:11,439 Speaker 1: the house down. Daniels, who was desperate, told Esther she 321 00:18:11,480 --> 00:18:13,560 Speaker 1: would have to go, and then it was the ghost's 322 00:18:13,600 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 1: fault and not his. But the problem was that no 323 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:19,639 Speaker 1: one wanted to take in a young woman who either 324 00:18:19,720 --> 00:18:22,920 Speaker 1: set fires herself or had a ghost that did so 325 00:18:22,960 --> 00:18:26,720 Speaker 1: that was chasing her. Uh. There was one neighbor, John White, 326 00:18:27,080 --> 00:18:30,919 Speaker 1: who had been both fascinated by and sympathetic to Esther's plate, 327 00:18:31,359 --> 00:18:33,480 Speaker 1: and so Daniel went to White and he asked if 328 00:18:33,640 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 1: Esther could stay in the White home, and John and 329 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,240 Speaker 1: his wife agreed. For the next two weeks, Esther actually 330 00:18:39,280 --> 00:18:41,840 Speaker 1: seemed a lot better. There had been no incidence while 331 00:18:41,840 --> 00:18:44,359 Speaker 1: she stayed with the Whites. The couple treated her as 332 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:47,280 Speaker 1: one of their own children. But in the third week, 333 00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,639 Speaker 1: a scrub brush banished out of Esther's hand as she 334 00:18:50,760 --> 00:18:53,520 Speaker 1: was cleaning, and then it fell from the ceiling onto 335 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:57,960 Speaker 1: her head. For the next few weeks, odd things continued 336 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,159 Speaker 1: to happen, and Esther could once again communicate with this 337 00:19:01,320 --> 00:19:05,200 Speaker 1: entity call and response style, and it would respond with pounding. 338 00:19:05,880 --> 00:19:08,320 Speaker 1: But all of the various things that were happening there 339 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:12,800 Speaker 1: at the White House. Uh seemed fairly harmless, really, but 340 00:19:12,880 --> 00:19:17,399 Speaker 1: after six weeks fires began at the White household. John 341 00:19:17,400 --> 00:19:19,840 Speaker 1: White was afraid to leave Esther at the house when 342 00:19:19,840 --> 00:19:21,879 Speaker 1: he wasn't there, so we started to take her to 343 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 1: his dining saloon During the day. She worked in the 344 00:19:25,040 --> 00:19:27,879 Speaker 1: kitchen and behind the counter, and it seemed like the 345 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:32,800 Speaker 1: Poulter geist followed her there. Esther's ghost opened up the 346 00:19:32,920 --> 00:19:35,920 Speaker 1: large stove in the saloon's kitchen and through an axe 347 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:38,359 Speaker 1: handle that had been used to prop the stove closed. 348 00:19:38,600 --> 00:19:42,040 Speaker 1: It was allegedly quite heavy, and then the spirit snatched 349 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,480 Speaker 1: a pocket knife from the hand of Mr White's sun 350 00:19:44,680 --> 00:19:49,680 Speaker 1: and drove the blade into Esther's back furniture and boxes. 351 00:19:50,160 --> 00:19:53,560 Speaker 1: One box weighing a reported fifty pounds began to move 352 00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:56,440 Speaker 1: about the saloon without any obvious source for the motion. 353 00:19:57,160 --> 00:20:01,000 Speaker 1: Many witnesses were said to have seen these events. At 354 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:04,359 Speaker 1: the end of March eighteen seventy nine, Esther traveled once again, 355 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:07,280 Speaker 1: this time to St John, New Brunswick. She stayed at 356 00:20:07,280 --> 00:20:10,080 Speaker 1: the house of Captain James Beck and his wife for 357 00:20:10,200 --> 00:20:14,159 Speaker 1: three weeks, and her particular problem was observed and examined 358 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:19,640 Speaker 1: by a group of science minded men. Hubble's account reports 359 00:20:19,640 --> 00:20:23,479 Speaker 1: that when the men investigating Esther's poltergeist made contact with 360 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,760 Speaker 1: it and conversed with it. By means of this knocking 361 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:30,520 Speaker 1: and response that had been established by Ester's family, other 362 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:34,320 Speaker 1: ghost entities also came forth, although the others were all 363 00:20:34,359 --> 00:20:38,200 Speaker 1: weaker than Esther's preliminary ghost, who claimed to be someone 364 00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:42,480 Speaker 1: named Bob Nichol. Rather than going directly back to Amherst, 365 00:20:42,680 --> 00:20:46,040 Speaker 1: Esther stayed for two months with the Van Amberg's, who 366 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:48,359 Speaker 1: lived in the woods several miles from the village and 367 00:20:48,400 --> 00:20:51,160 Speaker 1: had invited her to stay as a guest. Those weeks 368 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:54,960 Speaker 1: passed uneventfully, and Esther was allowed something of arrest from 369 00:20:54,960 --> 00:20:58,480 Speaker 1: the tumult of her recent life. When she got back 370 00:20:58,520 --> 00:21:01,040 Speaker 1: to Amherst, she moved back in with her sister and 371 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,840 Speaker 1: brother in law, but she continued to work for Mr 372 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: White during the day, so someone always had an eye 373 00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:11,679 Speaker 1: on her. Almost immediately, unexplainable things began happening again. It 374 00:21:11,760 --> 00:21:15,119 Speaker 1: was actually during this time that Walter Hubbell entered Esther's life. 375 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:17,879 Speaker 1: He was an actor by trade and wanted to travel 376 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:22,960 Speaker 1: to Amherston determine whether all this news making poultergeist activity 377 00:21:23,080 --> 00:21:26,639 Speaker 1: was real or a hoax. He felt that his experience 378 00:21:26,720 --> 00:21:30,560 Speaker 1: in creating stage illusions gave him enough knowledge to expose 379 00:21:30,600 --> 00:21:33,400 Speaker 1: a hoax if there was one. He arrived on June 380 00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:37,240 Speaker 1: twenty one, eighteen seventy nine. We'll talk about it later, 381 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:39,800 Speaker 1: but there's an interesting critical essay about all of this. 382 00:21:39,920 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 1: It's like, really, that's what an actor thinks he needs 383 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:46,760 Speaker 1: to become like a paranormal investigator. Like I've been in 384 00:21:46,800 --> 00:21:49,320 Speaker 1: the theater. I've seen people make things look like they're 385 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,200 Speaker 1: happening when they're not. I can super figure out if 386 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,119 Speaker 1: this is a real deal or not. Um So, this 387 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,720 Speaker 1: actor turned paranormal investigator was in the home for roughly 388 00:21:58,800 --> 00:22:02,640 Speaker 1: five minutes, according to his account, before he witnessed objects, 389 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,520 Speaker 1: specifically his umbrella and a carving knife, moving through the 390 00:22:06,560 --> 00:22:10,200 Speaker 1: air with no explanation. After moving to a different room, 391 00:22:10,359 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 1: this activity continued, amplifying to the point that a large 392 00:22:14,280 --> 00:22:17,439 Speaker 1: chair was hurdled at him. He at that point decided 393 00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:19,920 Speaker 1: to leave the house for a brief walk before returning. 394 00:22:21,280 --> 00:22:23,159 Speaker 1: I'm out of here just for a bit. I'll be 395 00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,640 Speaker 1: back and go for a quick stroll. There. My head 396 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:29,399 Speaker 1: of these objects being thrown so Hubble began to ask 397 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,880 Speaker 1: questions of the spirits that seems the ones who revealed 398 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:35,680 Speaker 1: themselves when Esther was in St. John had stuck with her, 399 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 1: They answered by a knocking, as had become a habit 400 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:42,840 Speaker 1: for everybody involved. Yes, so when she came back from St. John, 401 00:22:42,920 --> 00:22:45,240 Speaker 1: just to be clear, all of those other ones that 402 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:49,879 Speaker 1: suddenly made themselves apparent, in addition to Bob Nichol, came 403 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:52,919 Speaker 1: along with her, um like they were suddenly part of 404 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:57,200 Speaker 1: the story. At this point. Later, Hubble spied on Esther 405 00:22:57,320 --> 00:22:59,560 Speaker 1: by pretending to be asleep on the sofa in the 406 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:01,480 Speaker 1: parlor her while she was doing some other things in 407 00:23:01,520 --> 00:23:04,320 Speaker 1: the parlor herself, but he was secretly watching her through 408 00:23:04,359 --> 00:23:07,560 Speaker 1: one eye, and he said that he witnessed a paperweight 409 00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:12,240 Speaker 1: fly through the air that Esther clearly had not thrown herself. Apparently, 410 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,920 Speaker 1: the apparitions were not fond of Hubble, and they were 411 00:23:15,040 --> 00:23:19,200 Speaker 1: especially active and belligerent when he was near. He cataloged 412 00:23:19,359 --> 00:23:21,760 Speaker 1: dozens of events that seemed to be focused on getting 413 00:23:21,840 --> 00:23:25,760 Speaker 1: him to leave and or causing him harm. Hubble wrote 414 00:23:25,800 --> 00:23:28,800 Speaker 1: that he quote made the acquaintance of all the ghosts 415 00:23:29,200 --> 00:23:32,600 Speaker 1: in the home. There were six altogether, and he asked 416 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:35,840 Speaker 1: them a series of questions. They answered and the affirmative 417 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:38,040 Speaker 1: when he asked us to whether they were in hell 418 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,280 Speaker 1: and whether they had seen the devil, apparently they were 419 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:46,119 Speaker 1: very affirmative that they had seen the devil. Devil in particular, 420 00:23:46,920 --> 00:23:49,680 Speaker 1: Hubble describes having to pull pins at one point from 421 00:23:49,760 --> 00:23:52,360 Speaker 1: Esther's body, as the ghost would stick her with them 422 00:23:52,400 --> 00:23:55,960 Speaker 1: throughout the day, and they also obliged when he asked 423 00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,560 Speaker 1: for them to throw him a lighted match, although they 424 00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:01,800 Speaker 1: overdid it by throwing several a dozen. It just seems 425 00:24:01,920 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 1: like a very risky thing to a match from a 426 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:12,320 Speaker 1: pipe and specifically throw it to me. After a week 427 00:24:12,320 --> 00:24:14,760 Speaker 1: in the house, Hubble and members of the household started 428 00:24:14,800 --> 00:24:17,720 Speaker 1: to hear a trumpet being played loudly all day long. 429 00:24:18,359 --> 00:24:21,600 Speaker 1: Hubble also claimed that the trumpet materialized from the spirit 430 00:24:21,640 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: realm and fell to the floor, and that then he 431 00:24:23,680 --> 00:24:26,360 Speaker 1: kept it. Yeah he planned to put it in a museum. 432 00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:30,000 Speaker 1: Walter Hubbell stayed at the Teed house for six weeks, 433 00:24:30,080 --> 00:24:33,480 Speaker 1: during which he watched the ghosts hurt Esther by cutting 434 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,439 Speaker 1: her with a bone found in the yard and stab 435 00:24:36,480 --> 00:24:39,760 Speaker 1: at her face with a fork. He also witnessed Esther 436 00:24:39,920 --> 00:24:42,879 Speaker 1: falling into the trance like states that we mentioned before, 437 00:24:43,520 --> 00:24:46,440 Speaker 1: in which she spoke with the dead Uh he saw 438 00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:50,960 Speaker 1: firsthand the painful nighttime swelling incidents that had continued since 439 00:24:51,000 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 1: the first manifestation. As the summer war on the fire 440 00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,639 Speaker 1: problem became more intense and Esther once again was moved 441 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,800 Speaker 1: from the house. He returned back to the woods to 442 00:25:01,840 --> 00:25:05,000 Speaker 1: the home of Mr. And Mrs Van Amberg, where things 443 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:09,520 Speaker 1: were relatively quiet. Once Esther left the teed home, all 444 00:25:09,600 --> 00:25:13,679 Speaker 1: the company there came to an end as well. But 445 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:17,199 Speaker 1: in November of eighteen seventy nine, Esther was found guilty 446 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:19,600 Speaker 1: of arson for the burning of a barn at another 447 00:25:19,680 --> 00:25:22,240 Speaker 1: home that she was staying at, briefly that of the 448 00:25:22,359 --> 00:25:26,280 Speaker 1: Davison family, and she claimed that the ghost Bob had 449 00:25:26,320 --> 00:25:29,679 Speaker 1: set the fire, that the activity had started up once again, 450 00:25:29,760 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 1: but the jury was not convinced of this whole Poultergeist story, 451 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:36,560 Speaker 1: but after public outcry, she served only one month of 452 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:41,640 Speaker 1: her four months sentence. In nineteen nine, forty years after 453 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:46,000 Speaker 1: the events surrounding Esther and her possible Poultergeist, Dr Walter F. 454 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:49,920 Speaker 1: Prince published a critical study of the Great Amherst mystery 455 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:54,400 Speaker 1: in the Proceedings of the American Society for Psychical Research, 456 00:25:55,720 --> 00:25:59,680 Speaker 1: and in this paper Prince makes pretty clear a case 457 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:04,159 Speaker 1: that Hubble exaggerated the details of Esther's case. Houbble, he 458 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:07,359 Speaker 1: pointed out, first published his notes on the Estercox case 459 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:10,600 Speaker 1: in eighteen seventy nine, so the year after it began 460 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:12,320 Speaker 1: and the same year that some of this was still 461 00:26:12,359 --> 00:26:16,200 Speaker 1: going on. He then published a total of ten editions 462 00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:19,600 Speaker 1: of these notes, augmenting them with each printing and making 463 00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:22,480 Speaker 1: quite a happy sum of money in the process. The 464 00:26:22,520 --> 00:26:26,040 Speaker 1: summer after the alleged Poulter guy started its disruption of 465 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:29,640 Speaker 1: Esther's life, while the haunting was still happening, she went 466 00:26:29,680 --> 00:26:33,520 Speaker 1: on a tour to talk about the phenomena. Walter Hubbell 467 00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:36,359 Speaker 1: and John White went with her. But this tour was 468 00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:39,520 Speaker 1: really a bust. In the first two stops, the audiences 469 00:26:39,520 --> 00:26:42,520 Speaker 1: were really belligerent and heckled them. All of the other 470 00:26:42,600 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 1: dates were canceled, and the tour abruptly ended. So, as 471 00:26:46,359 --> 00:26:50,040 Speaker 1: you recall, John White was the person that her brother 472 00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:52,159 Speaker 1: in law Daniel went to desperate and said will you 473 00:26:52,200 --> 00:26:55,080 Speaker 1: please take her in? And this is where we mentioned 474 00:26:55,080 --> 00:26:58,280 Speaker 1: that that lecture tour was actually agreed upon as a 475 00:26:58,320 --> 00:27:01,960 Speaker 1: business venture by those two men before Hubble had even 476 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,520 Speaker 1: set foot in Amherst h It begins to be very 477 00:27:05,560 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 1: obvious that from the beginning Walter Hubble saw esther Cox 478 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:13,280 Speaker 1: as a money making opportunity. Prince wrote of Hubble quote, 479 00:27:13,320 --> 00:27:16,640 Speaker 1: we are disposed to put the most favorable construction upon 480 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,959 Speaker 1: this tendency to dramatize, embellish and use paint. It's merely histrionic, 481 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:25,080 Speaker 1: a projection of the habitudes of the stage. But when 482 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:28,880 Speaker 1: the actor becomes investigator and recorder, this tendency will trip 483 00:27:28,960 --> 00:27:33,399 Speaker 1: him up, especially if it be stimulated by the mercenary lure. 484 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:38,119 Speaker 1: One of the interesting distinctions made by Prince is the 485 00:27:38,119 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: difference between witnesses and spectators. Uh And while many people 486 00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:44,720 Speaker 1: are said to have seen the phenomena of the Teed 487 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:48,560 Speaker 1: House and other places that esther was, in Hubble's first 488 00:27:48,760 --> 00:27:51,639 Speaker 1: edition of his notes, there's merely the assurance that all 489 00:27:51,680 --> 00:27:55,000 Speaker 1: of these claims have been corroborated, but no actual statements 490 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:58,240 Speaker 1: from anyone else. In a later edition of the book, 491 00:27:58,560 --> 00:28:02,320 Speaker 1: Hubble added a statement that was signed by sixteen witnesses, 492 00:28:03,040 --> 00:28:06,639 Speaker 1: and Hubble himself wrote this so called testamentary document, but 493 00:28:06,760 --> 00:28:09,560 Speaker 1: Prince points out that the wording only says that the 494 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:13,720 Speaker 1: signatories believe what Hubble has written, not that they necessarily 495 00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:18,679 Speaker 1: saw any of this themselves. As for olive Teed, she 496 00:28:18,760 --> 00:28:23,000 Speaker 1: apparently said some contradictory things during Hubble's account while she 497 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:26,800 Speaker 1: is a signer of the testamentary document. She is said 498 00:28:26,800 --> 00:28:29,320 Speaker 1: to have told an investigator later that Hubble had not 499 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:32,480 Speaker 1: given an accurate account, but then some years later wrote 500 00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:36,720 Speaker 1: that everything in the book was true. Also, she inadvertently 501 00:28:36,920 --> 00:28:40,600 Speaker 1: contradicted the Hubble account on a number of different occasions 502 00:28:40,600 --> 00:28:43,720 Speaker 1: while relaying her own version of events. The details and 503 00:28:43,760 --> 00:28:46,720 Speaker 1: a lot of instances just don't match up, including the 504 00:28:46,760 --> 00:28:49,400 Speaker 1: fact that she later told an investigator that she had 505 00:28:49,440 --> 00:28:54,000 Speaker 1: never actually seen anything fly through the air. Prince also 506 00:28:54,080 --> 00:28:56,560 Speaker 1: points out that a lot of the stories running in 507 00:28:56,600 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 1: newspapers about Esther's paranormal situation cited a common source, and 508 00:29:01,760 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 1: that source is Walter Hubble. Hubble in his writing mentioned 509 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:08,560 Speaker 1: stories in the paper from before he became involved, but 510 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:12,040 Speaker 1: there's no actual citations for any of those once he 511 00:29:12,120 --> 00:29:14,760 Speaker 1: became part of the story, though there's an abundance of 512 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:20,600 Speaker 1: citable newspaper articles. Prince's writing also addresses the possible completely 513 00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:23,720 Speaker 1: mundane cause if many of the phenomena that we're reported 514 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:27,760 Speaker 1: around Esther matches, he points out, can be easily hidden 515 00:29:27,760 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 1: on somebody's person. There's never any mention of Esther being 516 00:29:31,360 --> 00:29:34,800 Speaker 1: searched during any of these accounts. He also pokes holes 517 00:29:34,800 --> 00:29:37,600 Speaker 1: and Hubble's account based on its lack of detail, and 518 00:29:37,640 --> 00:29:40,640 Speaker 1: points out that often no specifics are offered as to 519 00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:44,640 Speaker 1: the position of Esther during various moments of this seeming 520 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,760 Speaker 1: paranormal phenomena. Yeah, there's not really a breakdown of like 521 00:29:49,320 --> 00:29:52,200 Speaker 1: Esther couldn't have done it. Here's why. There just aren't 522 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:55,400 Speaker 1: hard details about where she was and how things were 523 00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 1: playing out. It's kind of like the thing I brought 524 00:29:56,960 --> 00:30:00,080 Speaker 1: up earlier about this mysterious stranger that shows up and 525 00:30:00,120 --> 00:30:02,600 Speaker 1: puts out a fire and then vanishes and no one 526 00:30:02,680 --> 00:30:05,880 Speaker 1: knows who it was, so we can't question him. Uh. 527 00:30:05,960 --> 00:30:07,920 Speaker 1: There's a lot of that that goes on in the 528 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:10,360 Speaker 1: book and the next part. Keep in mind this was 529 00:30:10,400 --> 00:30:13,440 Speaker 1: written in nineteen nine, so really at a time when 530 00:30:13,480 --> 00:30:17,440 Speaker 1: psychiatry and psychology was still in its infancy compared to 531 00:30:17,480 --> 00:30:20,360 Speaker 1: what we know today. But Prince makes a case that 532 00:30:20,520 --> 00:30:22,920 Speaker 1: Esther was probably a young woman in a great deal 533 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:26,280 Speaker 1: of shock after that incident with Bob McClean, which he 534 00:30:26,720 --> 00:30:30,040 Speaker 1: felt was almost certainly an instance of attempted sexual assault, 535 00:30:31,000 --> 00:30:33,520 Speaker 1: and in that state where her mental health may have 536 00:30:33,560 --> 00:30:38,160 Speaker 1: been compromised, she embarked, likely subconsciously, upon the strange behavior 537 00:30:38,280 --> 00:30:41,480 Speaker 1: that came to be known as the Amherst Poltergeist. After 538 00:30:41,680 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: Esther's brief incarceration for arson, the Poltergeist, Bob seems to 539 00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:49,880 Speaker 1: have disappeared, as there went on to Mary twice, first 540 00:30:49,880 --> 00:30:54,040 Speaker 1: to Adam Porter on March third, eighty two in spring Hill, Nova, Scotia, 541 00:30:54,480 --> 00:30:59,840 Speaker 1: and then again to Peter Shanahan on July in Amherst. 542 00:31:01,080 --> 00:31:05,400 Speaker 1: Esther died in Brockton, Massachusetts, on November eight, at the 543 00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:08,040 Speaker 1: age of fifty two. This is still one of those 544 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:12,240 Speaker 1: cases that people UM like to point to and talk about, 545 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:16,520 Speaker 1: you know how, how very uh realistic. It all seems 546 00:31:16,520 --> 00:31:19,560 Speaker 1: that clearly this is a real haunting um And of 547 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:22,840 Speaker 1: course there are plenty of skeptics as well. I don't 548 00:31:22,840 --> 00:31:24,400 Speaker 1: think it's a secret that I tend to fall on 549 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:30,000 Speaker 1: the skeptic side of things. Well, especially this is this 550 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,720 Speaker 1: is not the first haunting story we've had on the show. 551 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:40,040 Speaker 1: Where haunting was purportedly happening, and mostly the family where 552 00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:42,600 Speaker 1: the people who know about it, and then another person 553 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:47,200 Speaker 1: arrives on the scene and later writes a book. Yeah, 554 00:31:47,240 --> 00:31:52,800 Speaker 1: that's definitely a pattern. Uh. And as the Prince Essay 555 00:31:53,040 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: and Examination points out, like that, there were business dealings 556 00:31:56,680 --> 00:32:00,320 Speaker 1: going on around this that clearly were intended to make 557 00:32:00,360 --> 00:32:04,240 Speaker 1: money off of the situation, which automatically throws any accounts 558 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:08,560 Speaker 1: relaid by those people into some serious doubt. So, uh, 559 00:32:08,600 --> 00:32:13,520 Speaker 1: that is a scoop. Don't be scared of hauntings. Uh. 560 00:32:13,560 --> 00:32:18,800 Speaker 1: Probably it's just somebody wanting to make a dollar. Uh. 561 00:32:19,440 --> 00:32:23,920 Speaker 1: I have though a lot of mail about another history history. 562 00:32:23,960 --> 00:32:27,480 Speaker 1: I have really been enjoying that mail. We've gotten so 563 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,120 Speaker 1: much male about the Devil's footprints and theories about what 564 00:32:31,240 --> 00:32:34,560 Speaker 1: could have caused them. If you recall, that was the 565 00:32:35,280 --> 00:32:38,200 Speaker 1: situation that happened in England where a bunch of strange 566 00:32:38,200 --> 00:32:42,480 Speaker 1: footprints appeared overnight in the winter, in the ice and snow, 567 00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:45,840 Speaker 1: and no one has ever been able to successfully figure 568 00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:48,800 Speaker 1: out what caused them. Uh. So I'm going to read 569 00:32:48,840 --> 00:32:51,240 Speaker 1: a few of them, because we've gotten a few. First 570 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:53,400 Speaker 1: one is from Catherine and it says I've been listening 571 00:32:53,400 --> 00:32:55,360 Speaker 1: to your podcast for the past year, and I've always 572 00:32:55,400 --> 00:32:57,720 Speaker 1: loved them. Before I could never listen to the radio 573 00:32:57,760 --> 00:32:59,840 Speaker 1: without getting a headache, but your voices are so relaxing 574 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:03,720 Speaker 1: you Not everyone agrees, but that's cool. Um. Your podcast 575 00:33:03,800 --> 00:33:07,200 Speaker 1: always refreshes my desire to learn, which is especially useful 576 00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:09,600 Speaker 1: while in college. Recently, I listened to your podcast on 577 00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:11,840 Speaker 1: the mystery of the Devil's sweat prints, and it got 578 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:15,200 Speaker 1: me thinking, what about goats? Some species of goats are 579 00:33:15,240 --> 00:33:18,440 Speaker 1: able to jump high enough, surprisingly, and they have hooves. 580 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 1: Just an idea that I had that wasn't mentioned. Give 581 00:33:21,400 --> 00:33:24,600 Speaker 1: it a second thought. Goats makes some sense. I don't 582 00:33:24,640 --> 00:33:26,960 Speaker 1: know why goats never appeared in any of the stuff 583 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:30,400 Speaker 1: that I red. Goats make so much sense that I 584 00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:34,480 Speaker 1: was immediately like, obviously, goats. Why why did no one 585 00:33:34,560 --> 00:33:37,680 Speaker 1: think of goats? I wonder if it's the size of 586 00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: the prints, but some goats get quite large. But then 587 00:33:41,040 --> 00:33:42,720 Speaker 1: it brings up the question of like, why did no 588 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:47,000 Speaker 1: one here goats jumping on their roofs. There's there's there's 589 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:50,520 Speaker 1: no one satisfactory solution. M our listener, ari, I hope 590 00:33:50,520 --> 00:33:55,160 Speaker 1: I'm pronouncing that correctly. Also suggested goats their notorious climbers 591 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:58,480 Speaker 1: and they've got hooves. Ari says, one or two could 592 00:33:58,480 --> 00:34:01,000 Speaker 1: have made many prints on the ground and on roofs. 593 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:04,080 Speaker 1: It's possible more plausible than kangaroos. Ha ha Hey, I 594 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:07,160 Speaker 1: still like the kangaroo theory. This one is really really 595 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:12,359 Speaker 1: interesting to me. This one comes from our listener Hillary Um. 596 00:34:12,480 --> 00:34:14,600 Speaker 1: She says, I recently listened to the podcast episode on 597 00:34:14,600 --> 00:34:17,880 Speaker 1: the Devil's Footprints, and I found it really interesting. After listening, 598 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:20,040 Speaker 1: I started wondering if you came across any twenty one 599 00:34:20,080 --> 00:34:23,360 Speaker 1: century theories that named micro organisms living under the snow 600 00:34:23,440 --> 00:34:27,040 Speaker 1: as the cause. Living organisms radiate heat, and when they 601 00:34:27,120 --> 00:34:29,040 Speaker 1: stay in one place for a long time, that heat 602 00:34:29,080 --> 00:34:32,360 Speaker 1: can melt the snow around the organism. For instance, the 603 00:34:32,400 --> 00:34:35,960 Speaker 1: trees in this picture which she has attached but I 604 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:38,279 Speaker 1: cannot show you because it's audio. The trees in this 605 00:34:38,360 --> 00:34:41,719 Speaker 1: picture have melted the snow around their trunks. Something like 606 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:44,200 Speaker 1: this could happen with a fungus living in the soil. 607 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:46,920 Speaker 1: The fungus could melt the snow from beneath, causing it 608 00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:51,160 Speaker 1: to look like prints in the snow. Fungus can spread 609 00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:55,120 Speaker 1: two walls and rooftops and fit in small narrow places. Also, 610 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:58,319 Speaker 1: some fungi can grow for miles underground, and this would 611 00:34:58,320 --> 00:35:00,880 Speaker 1: explain why the prints seemed to move through objects and 612 00:35:00,960 --> 00:35:03,239 Speaker 1: how they covered such a large area in such a 613 00:35:03,280 --> 00:35:05,959 Speaker 1: short amount of time. I'm not sure why this would 614 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:08,240 Speaker 1: only happen once in that area, but it is possible 615 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:11,600 Speaker 1: that the unusually cold winter triggered some unique behavior in 616 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:14,120 Speaker 1: the fungus that hasn't been seen since I'm not on 617 00:35:14,200 --> 00:35:15,880 Speaker 1: my college. As those who take what I say with 618 00:35:15,920 --> 00:35:19,040 Speaker 1: a grain of salt, Hillary, that is a fascinating theory, 619 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:22,640 Speaker 1: and I kind of love it. Um that one is 620 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:25,680 Speaker 1: pretty great. I also went from listener Meg, who writes, 621 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:27,600 Speaker 1: I listened to the episode on the Devil's foot Prints 622 00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:29,600 Speaker 1: just now, and I have a theory to put forth 623 00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:35,080 Speaker 1: salt moldings. Perhaps pranksters coordinated to create many casts of 624 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:37,640 Speaker 1: salt formed into the hoof shape, which were laid out 625 00:35:37,640 --> 00:35:40,080 Speaker 1: the night of the snowfall, or even perhaps depending on 626 00:35:40,120 --> 00:35:44,719 Speaker 1: the weather conditions and groundcover, several nights before with heavy snowfall, 627 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:47,319 Speaker 1: any telltale human prints in the snow may have been 628 00:35:47,400 --> 00:35:51,400 Speaker 1: unnoticeable by morning. With earlier placement of salt, there mightn't 629 00:35:51,440 --> 00:35:55,200 Speaker 1: have been human footprints at all, with different people executing 630 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:57,880 Speaker 1: the plan in different locations. That might also explain the 631 00:35:57,960 --> 00:36:01,800 Speaker 1: variation in presentation, one straight print line in some places 632 00:36:01,840 --> 00:36:05,360 Speaker 1: to parallel print lines elsewhere. Mag That is also a 633 00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:08,040 Speaker 1: fascinating theory. I feel like our listeners could perpetrate some 634 00:36:08,120 --> 00:36:11,600 Speaker 1: of the best hoaxes mankind have ever seen. Our listener, 635 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:15,120 Speaker 1: am Rights, I wanted to talk about your Devil's Footprint episode, 636 00:36:15,120 --> 00:36:17,080 Speaker 1: which I just listened to. I really enjoyed it and 637 00:36:17,080 --> 00:36:19,880 Speaker 1: found it to be rather comical at times. Mysteries that 638 00:36:19,920 --> 00:36:22,120 Speaker 1: no one has ever solved just get to me. However, 639 00:36:22,280 --> 00:36:24,360 Speaker 1: I have a theory, and it might be far fetched, 640 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,960 Speaker 1: but what theory surrounding this folk tale isn't I think 641 00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:31,799 Speaker 1: it's possible that a group of people got together and 642 00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:36,799 Speaker 1: put hoof boot booties on a bunch of cats. I 643 00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:39,480 Speaker 1: would love this. I think this may explain how the 644 00:36:39,520 --> 00:36:42,319 Speaker 1: footprints were found in so many odd places, as well 645 00:36:42,320 --> 00:36:44,360 Speaker 1: as how they are described to follow each other in 646 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,960 Speaker 1: a narrow line. This would mean that there were a 647 00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:49,200 Speaker 1: lot of cats involved, but I'm supposing that it could 648 00:36:49,200 --> 00:36:52,279 Speaker 1: be a relatively low number of people. You did point 649 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:54,719 Speaker 1: out that cats are not always graceful and probably would 650 00:36:54,719 --> 00:36:57,360 Speaker 1: have left other marks in the snow, like lying down, etcetera. 651 00:36:57,440 --> 00:36:59,200 Speaker 1: So it's certainly not a perfect theory, but it's the 652 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:02,080 Speaker 1: best I could come up with. I just like the 653 00:37:02,160 --> 00:37:04,879 Speaker 1: idea that someone took the time to make tiny hoof 654 00:37:04,880 --> 00:37:08,560 Speaker 1: booties for kiddies and then successfully managed to apply them 655 00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:11,960 Speaker 1: to kitties and then had the kitties successfully run around 656 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,520 Speaker 1: in them and not do the thing where they just 657 00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:19,799 Speaker 1: shake their paws right, um, I mean I um. I 658 00:37:19,800 --> 00:37:22,279 Speaker 1: don't think my cats would enjoy hoof booties at all, 659 00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:24,959 Speaker 1: but they're very spoiled, so maybe less spoiled cats would 660 00:37:25,000 --> 00:37:30,360 Speaker 1: do it. I don't know. Uh, And then are our listener. 661 00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:34,120 Speaker 1: Gavin wrote one that made us both giggle with delight, 662 00:37:34,400 --> 00:37:37,440 Speaker 1: and he writes, my belief is that the Reverend kidnapped 663 00:37:37,440 --> 00:37:40,600 Speaker 1: the kangaroos, put sweaters on them because kangaroos don't like 664 00:37:40,640 --> 00:37:44,480 Speaker 1: the cold, strapped, cloven kangaroo shoes on them, and turned 665 00:37:44,520 --> 00:37:47,200 Speaker 1: them loose into the night. Though this is probably not 666 00:37:47,239 --> 00:37:49,520 Speaker 1: what happened, is funny thinking about someone trying to put 667 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:53,680 Speaker 1: a sweater and shoes on a kangaroo. I agree. I 668 00:37:54,280 --> 00:37:57,640 Speaker 1: like these ideas of someone trying to address an animal, 669 00:37:58,239 --> 00:38:01,279 Speaker 1: even though probably it's cruel most animals do not enjoy it, 670 00:38:01,280 --> 00:38:03,280 Speaker 1: but it's funny in a cartoon way to think about. 671 00:38:03,640 --> 00:38:05,640 Speaker 1: So those are many, many theories. We've got a couple 672 00:38:05,640 --> 00:38:07,960 Speaker 1: of others. Uh and thank you for everyone who has 673 00:38:07,960 --> 00:38:09,600 Speaker 1: written in with your ideas. Like I said, I think 674 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:11,680 Speaker 1: our listeners could perpetrate a pretty great hoax if we 675 00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:14,480 Speaker 1: wanted to, because they all have very creative minds. It 676 00:38:14,520 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 1: turns out if you would like to write to us, 677 00:38:16,719 --> 00:38:18,600 Speaker 1: you can do so at History Podcast at house to 678 00:38:18,680 --> 00:38:21,000 Speaker 1: works dot com. You can also find us across the 679 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:23,960 Speaker 1: spectrum of social media as missed in History and at 680 00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:27,239 Speaker 1: our website missed in History dot com. If you would 681 00:38:27,239 --> 00:38:29,160 Speaker 1: like to visit missed in History dot com, you will 682 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,640 Speaker 1: find an archive of every episode of this show that 683 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:34,279 Speaker 1: has ever existed, and show notes for any of the 684 00:38:34,320 --> 00:38:36,600 Speaker 1: episodes Tracy and I have worked on in the last 685 00:38:37,239 --> 00:38:39,600 Speaker 1: several years that we've been on the show. UH. So 686 00:38:39,640 --> 00:38:41,640 Speaker 1: we encourage you come and visit us at missed in 687 00:38:41,760 --> 00:38:50,160 Speaker 1: History dot com. For more on this a thousands of 688 00:38:50,160 --> 00:39:00,799 Speaker 1: other topics, visit host works dot com.