WEBVTT - S03 Episode 2 Extra: The Ring

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Unexplained Extra with me Richard McClean smith. For

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<v Speaker 1>the weeks in between episodes, we look at the stories that,

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<v Speaker 1>for one reason or other, didn't make it into the show.

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<v Speaker 1>For the last episode, Lex Talionis, we took an in

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<v Speaker 1>depth look into the tragic and strange story of Johnny

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<v Speaker 1>Frank Garrett. In nineteen eighty two, Garrett was sentenced to

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<v Speaker 1>death for the rape and murder of Sister to day

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<v Speaker 1>A Benz, a gentle and selfless nun of Saint Francis

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<v Speaker 1>Convent in Amarillo, Texas. He was eventually executed for the

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<v Speaker 1>crime ten years later. In recent years, Garrett's execution has

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<v Speaker 1>begun to look increasingly like a terrible miscarriage of justice,

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<v Speaker 1>with Jesse Quackenbush's two thousand and eight documentary The Last

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<v Speaker 1>Word doing much to raise awareness and expose a number

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<v Speaker 1>of inconsistencies that undermine the state's case against Johnny. Perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>more than anything, however, what grips many people about the

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<v Speaker 1>case is the revelation that shortly before Garret's execution, he

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<v Speaker 1>had written a visceral and passionate final letter placing a

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<v Speaker 1>curse on all those who had helped to secure his conviction.

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<v Speaker 1>In the years following Garrett's death, incredibly, it seems many

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<v Speaker 1>of those seemingly targeted in the letter appear to have

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<v Speaker 1>succumbed to the hex Like a film from the Final

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<v Speaker 1>Destination franchise. The apparent curse took no prisoners from news

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<v Speaker 1>reporter Cathy Jones, who, after reporting on the Garret case,

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<v Speaker 1>died two years later in a freak plane crash, to

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<v Speaker 1>the daughter of Jura Nathan Shackelford, who reportedly died after

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<v Speaker 1>a mysterious accidental gunshot wound to the head. Although many

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<v Speaker 1>deaths supposedly related to the curse happened many years after

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<v Speaker 1>Johnny's execution and under regular and mundane circumstances, the scenes

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<v Speaker 1>little getting away from the enduring, lingering sense of the

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<v Speaker 1>Garret Curse. Perhaps one of the most famous curses of

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<v Speaker 1>recent times is that attributed to the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun,

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<v Speaker 1>of which we will be looking into in a bit

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<v Speaker 1>more detail later on in the series. The rediscovery of

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<v Speaker 1>Tutankarman's tomb in November nineteen twenty two by a team

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<v Speaker 1>led by British archeologist Howard Carter is considered by many

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<v Speaker 1>in the field to be one of the greatest archeological

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<v Speaker 1>finds of all time. A series of subsequent deaths and

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<v Speaker 1>strange events afflicting members of Carter's team had others suggesting

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<v Speaker 1>the famed archeologist might have been better leaving the tomb

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<v Speaker 1>well alone. Surely one of the more unexpected curse stories

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<v Speaker 1>I have come across, However, is that relating to silent

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<v Speaker 1>movie star and one of Hollywood's first great heartthrops, Rudolph Valentino.

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<v Speaker 1>Regardless of the curse that some believed took Valentino's life,

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<v Speaker 1>his is, by all accounts, one of the more extraordinary

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<v Speaker 1>life stories in Hollywood movie industry history. Valentino was born

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<v Speaker 1>Rudolfo in eighteen ninety five in the Italian city of Castellanetta.

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<v Speaker 1>After leaving school, Rudolfo struggled to find work in Italy, and,

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<v Speaker 1>lured by the glittering promise of the United States of America,

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<v Speaker 1>decided to seek his fortune there instead. With what little

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<v Speaker 1>money he had, an eighteen year old Valentino arrived at

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<v Speaker 1>New York's Ellis Island in December thirteen. After working a

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<v Speaker 1>series of low paid jobs bussing tables at restaurants, occasionally

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<v Speaker 1>living on the streets, The charismatic Valentino found work as

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<v Speaker 1>a taxi dancer, being paid to act as a dancing

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<v Speaker 1>partner to customers at a venue known as Maxim's Restaurant

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<v Speaker 1>and Cabaret. While working at Maxim's, Valentino became romantically involved

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<v Speaker 1>with wealthy heiress Blanca de Soletz, who would later murder

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<v Speaker 1>her ex husband in the aftermath of a messy and

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<v Speaker 1>complicated divorce. Having suffered through the publicity of Blanca's divorce

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<v Speaker 1>hearing and fearing he might be called as a witness

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<v Speaker 1>to her murder trial, Valentino found work with a traveling

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<v Speaker 1>operetta company and promptly left town. The young dancer would

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<v Speaker 1>eventually wind up in Los Angeles, his attention soon turning

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<v Speaker 1>to the silver screen, where he quickly began securing a

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<v Speaker 1>number of bit part roles the booming silent film industry.

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<v Speaker 1>By nineteen twenty one, with the release of his most

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<v Speaker 1>popular film, The Shake, Valentino had become one of Hollywood's

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<v Speaker 1>biggest stars. It was the year before. While in San Francisco,

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<v Speaker 1>shortly after completing filming on The Shake, Valentino was out

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<v Speaker 1>shopping one afternoon when he was strangely drawn to a

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<v Speaker 1>peculiar looking ring in a jeweler's window. It is said that,

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<v Speaker 1>having recognized the young star, the shopkeeper made attempt to

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<v Speaker 1>dissuade Valentino from buying the item, since he had come

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<v Speaker 1>to believe it was cursed, but Valentino would not be

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<v Speaker 1>put off. Known as a tiger's eye, the ring was

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<v Speaker 1>comprised of a thick gold band in set with a

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<v Speaker 1>large brown and amber quartz crystal. Valentino was so taken

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<v Speaker 1>by the item that he wore it as part of

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<v Speaker 1>his costume on his next feature, The Young Rajah. As

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<v Speaker 1>it would happen, the film was a complete disaster, performing

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<v Speaker 1>dreadfully at theaters and much derided by the critics. Perhaps

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<v Speaker 1>heeding the shopkeeper's advice, Valentino decided not to wear the

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<v Speaker 1>ring any longer and kept it hidden away in a

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<v Speaker 1>jewelry box. That was until five years later, when he

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<v Speaker 1>reprised his role as the Shaik in the nineteen twenty

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<v Speaker 1>six film Son of Shaik and decided to use the

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<v Speaker 1>ring again as part of his costume. A few months

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<v Speaker 1>after the film was completed, the thirty one year old

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<v Speaker 1>Valentino collapsed at the Hotel Ambassador on Park Avenue in Manhattan.

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<v Speaker 1>What was first thought to be appendicitis was in fact

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<v Speaker 1>a series of perforated gastric ulcers. The condition was worsened

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<v Speaker 1>when Valentino soon after contracted peritonitis and pleuritis. After spending

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<v Speaker 1>eight days in hospital, he died on August the twenty third,

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen twenty six. Are you always taking care of your family?

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<v Speaker 1>Do you often take care of others and not yourself?

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<v Speaker 1>Now it's time to take care of yourself, to make

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<v Speaker 1>time for you. You deserve it. Teledoc gives you access

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<v Speaker 1>to a licensed therapist to help you get back to

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<v Speaker 1>feeling your best, to feeling like yourself again. With teledoc,

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<v Speaker 1>you can speak to a licensed therapist by phone or video.

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<v Speaker 1>Therapy appointments are available seven days a week from seven

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<v Speaker 1>am to nine pm local time. If you feel overwhelmed

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<v Speaker 1>sometimes maybe you feel stressed or anxious, depressed or lonely,

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<v Speaker 1>or you might be struggling with a personal or family issue,

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<v Speaker 1>teledoc can help. TELEDOC is committed to facilitating great therapeutic matches,

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<v Speaker 1>so they make it easy to change counselors if needed.

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<v Speaker 1>For free teledoc therapy is available through most insurance or

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<v Speaker 1>employee download the app, or visittelldoc dot com Forward slash

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<v Speaker 1>Unexplained podcast Today to get started. That's t e LA

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<v Speaker 1>DC dot com Slash Unexplained podcast. Valentino was thought to

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<v Speaker 1>have been involved with a number of women prior to

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<v Speaker 1>his death, one of whom was the Polish born film

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<v Speaker 1>star Poland Negri. After being given the opportunity to claim

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<v Speaker 1>some of Valentino's possessions, Negri elected to take the peculiar

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<v Speaker 1>signet ring he had bought six years previously while shopping

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<v Speaker 1>in San Francisco. The following year, Negri married the Georgian

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<v Speaker 1>aristocrat Sergey M. Devani and became pregnant shortly after, but

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<v Speaker 1>sadly lost the baby when she suffered a sudden miscarriage.

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<v Speaker 1>After a long absence from acting due to a series

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<v Speaker 1>of illnesses, Negri returned to work in nineteen thirty two

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<v Speaker 1>when she met and became involved with the young actor

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<v Speaker 1>Russ Columbo while working with him on a show in

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<v Speaker 1>New York. Negri was so taken with the young Columbo,

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<v Speaker 1>who she thought bore a striking resemblance to her old

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<v Speaker 1>flame Valentino, she gave him the tiger eye ring as

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<v Speaker 1>a present. Two years later, Russ Columbo was visiting the

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<v Speaker 1>home of his friend, photographer Lancing brown when Browne decided

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<v Speaker 1>to show Columbo his large collection of firearms. While fooling

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<v Speaker 1>around with one of the guns, an antique jeweling pistol,

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<v Speaker 1>Browne supposedly triggered it accidentally. The ball in the chamber

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<v Speaker 1>ricocheted off a nearby table and struck Columbo in the head,

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<v Speaker 1>just above the left eye. He died in hospital six

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<v Speaker 1>hours later. Incredibly, many miles away and completely unaware of

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<v Speaker 1>the event, Columbo's mother suffered a heart attack at almost

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<v Speaker 1>exactly the same time that her son was shot. The

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<v Speaker 1>ring was then said to have been given to a

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<v Speaker 1>friend of Columbo's named Joe Casino. Wary of the ring's history,

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<v Speaker 1>Casino is believed to have kept it in a glass

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<v Speaker 1>cabinet as a memento to his dear departed friend. Some

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<v Speaker 1>time later, deciding that the curse would by now have

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<v Speaker 1>been lifted, Casino removed the ring from the cabinet and

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<v Speaker 1>placed it on his finger. A week later, Casino was

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<v Speaker 1>hit by a heavy goods vehicle and killed instantly, but

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<v Speaker 1>it doesn't end there. After Casino's death, the ring passed

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<v Speaker 1>into the hands of his brother, Del. Not one for

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<v Speaker 1>super stition, Dell proudly wore the ring for a considerable time,

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<v Speaker 1>suffering no ill effects whatsoever. It was sometime in early

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<v Speaker 1>nineteen thirty eight that Del Casino's home was broken into.

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<v Speaker 1>With the police having been alerted to the break in,

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<v Speaker 1>one officer caught sight of the assailant running away from

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<v Speaker 1>the building. The officer fired a warning shot which inavertibly

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<v Speaker 1>struck the man in the stomach, who died minutes later

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<v Speaker 1>at the scene. Amongst the pieces he had stolen from

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<v Speaker 1>the property was the large tiger eye signet ring that

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<v Speaker 1>had once belonged to Rodolfo Valentino. Dell remained unmoved by

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<v Speaker 1>the ring sinister reputation and thought little of lending it

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<v Speaker 1>to his friend Edward Small. A few months later, Small,

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<v Speaker 1>a Hollywood film producer, was developing a film about Valentino's life,

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<v Speaker 1>and had just invited British ice skater Jackie Done to

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<v Speaker 1>try out for the leading role. Small encouraged Done to

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<v Speaker 1>dress up in Valentino's old clothes for the screen test,

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<v Speaker 1>also suggesting that he wear the tiger eye ring to

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<v Speaker 1>complete the outfit within ten days. The twenty one year

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<v Speaker 1>old Done would be dead after contracting to laremia, an

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<v Speaker 1>extremely rare blood disease, which he is thought to have

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<v Speaker 1>caught after handling rabbit carcasses on a hunting trip. At

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<v Speaker 1>some point, the ring was placed in storage in a

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<v Speaker 1>safety deposit box in the vault of a Los Angeles bank.

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<v Speaker 1>The following year, a team of robbers led by a

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<v Speaker 1>man named Alfred Hahn apparently raided the bank, making off

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<v Speaker 1>with over two hundred thousand dollars. A few days later,

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<v Speaker 1>the police ambushed the robbers, resulting in the capture of

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<v Speaker 1>two of them, including the team's leader, Alfred Hahn. At

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<v Speaker 1>his subsequent trial, Hahn was said to have regretted his

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<v Speaker 1>choice of bank, insisting that had he known it was

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<v Speaker 1>also the home to Valentino's ring, he would have picked

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<v Speaker 1>himself another one. Today, the precise whereabouts of Valentino's ring

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<v Speaker 1>remains a mystery. If you enjoy listening to Unexplained and

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<v Speaker 1>would like to help supporters, you can now go to

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<v Speaker 1>Unexplained podcast dot com forward slash support. All donations, no

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<v Speaker 1>matter how large or small, are massively appreciated. All elements

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<v Speaker 1>of Unexplained are produced by me, Richard McClain smith. Please

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<v Speaker 1>subscribe and rate the show on iTunes. Feel free to

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<v Speaker 1>get in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the

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<v Speaker 1>stories you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an

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<v Speaker 1>explanation of your own you'd like to share. You can

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<v Speaker 1>reach us online at Unexplained podcast dot com or on

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<v Speaker 1>Twitter at Unexplained Pod. Now. It's time to take care

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<v Speaker 1>of yourself. To make time for you, teledoc gives you

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<v Speaker 1>access to a licensed therapist to help you get back

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<v Speaker 1>to feeling your best. Speak to a licensed therapist by

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<v Speaker 1>phone or video anytime between seven am to nine pm

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<v Speaker 1>local time, seven days a week. Teledoc Therapy is available

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<v Speaker 1>That's t e l a DC dot com Slash Unexplained

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