1 00:00:00,400 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker 1: Hey, just a heads up. This episode contains topics of 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:07,800 Speaker 1: suicide and violence that may be disturbing to some. Please 3 00:00:07,880 --> 00:00:10,640 Speaker 1: take care while listening. If you were someone you know 4 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:14,840 Speaker 1: is struggling with suicidal ideations, please call the suicide Prevention 5 00:00:14,880 --> 00:00:20,640 Speaker 1: lifeline at three eight to five. And thanks for listening. 6 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:27,920 Speaker 1: Take care of yourself. Okay, you're listening to American Shadows, 7 00:00:27,960 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: a production of I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild 8 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: from Aaron Mankey. It was dinner time when Dr Herbert 9 00:00:44,800 --> 00:00:48,360 Speaker 1: Simmons received the call. The woman on the other end 10 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,160 Speaker 1: calmly asked him to come to her home on West 11 00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,760 Speaker 1: fourteenth Street. A girl in the house had killed herself 12 00:00:54,800 --> 00:00:58,560 Speaker 1: in the bathtub. The same woman had called the police 13 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: a half hour before, asking for the corner in the 14 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,360 Speaker 1: town of East Orange, New Jersey. Didn't have a corner, 15 00:01:05,520 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: and the officer told her to call the doctor. Simmons 16 00:01:08,680 --> 00:01:11,800 Speaker 1: arrived at the dilapidated house and double checked the address. 17 00:01:12,440 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: Although he doubted that anyone could possibly live there, he 18 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: knocked and waited. A woman holding a candle and dressed 19 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: in black answered. She led him to the darkened house, 20 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,720 Speaker 1: up the stairs and to the bathroom. In the flickering 21 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:30,080 Speaker 1: candle light. Simmons noted the odd position of the body 22 00:01:30,120 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: in the tub. The girl's legs were folded underneath her, 23 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,000 Speaker 1: and her left hand still clutched a washcloth. Her torso 24 00:01:38,120 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: slumped forward. Long strands of auburn hair floated in the water. 25 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: He knelt and raised her head. Large unseeing brown eyes 26 00:01:48,280 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: stared outward from an emaciated face. Simmons turned his attention 27 00:01:52,680 --> 00:01:56,280 Speaker 1: to the clothes stacked next to the tub. A suicide 28 00:01:56,320 --> 00:02:00,000 Speaker 1: note lay on top. She had apparently taken her life 29 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:03,200 Speaker 1: to be reunited with her daughter, and the doctor looked 30 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: at the woman in black. He asked when the tragedy 31 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,240 Speaker 1: had occurred. The woman replied that she didn't really know 32 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:11,800 Speaker 1: that she had just discovered the corpse minutes before. She 33 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: called him. Who is she and who are you? Simmons asked. 34 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: The woman tersely answered that he had learned that soon enough. 35 00:02:21,320 --> 00:02:25,639 Speaker 1: Confused and a bit alarmed, Simmons asked a barrage of questions. 36 00:02:26,320 --> 00:02:30,600 Speaker 1: The woman, still resolved, turned to nervousness. She claimed the 37 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: last time she had seen the girl was earlier that morning. 38 00:02:34,200 --> 00:02:36,839 Speaker 1: Simmons got to his feet. The girl had been dead 39 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,240 Speaker 1: for at least a day, He immediately summoned the police. 40 00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:45,519 Speaker 1: Detective William O'Neill questioned the woman in black. She gave 41 00:02:45,560 --> 00:02:49,280 Speaker 1: her name as Virginia Oceana Wardlaw, a former co owner 42 00:02:49,320 --> 00:02:53,200 Speaker 1: of the Montgomery College in Christiansburg, Virginia. The girl in 43 00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: the tub was her niece, Ossie Snead. Although Ossie had 44 00:02:57,280 --> 00:03:01,080 Speaker 1: written a suicide note, Wardlaw couldn't explain why there was 45 00:03:01,120 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: no pen or ink in the home. His questioning began 46 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: to unraffle the dark truth that ward Law and her 47 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:11,360 Speaker 1: sisters had kept for decades. When Ossie's brother died as 48 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:15,400 Speaker 1: a child, her parents received twenty two thousand dollars in insurance. 49 00:03:16,120 --> 00:03:20,160 Speaker 1: In nineteen o one, her father died, Ossie's mother, Caroline, 50 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: cashed in another policy and moved in with her sisters 51 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:28,360 Speaker 1: Mary in Virginia. All three took to wearing black dresses, hats, 52 00:03:28,400 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: and veils. Mary's son John died when his night shirt 53 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: accidentally caught fire while he slept. The sisters split the 54 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:42,080 Speaker 1: eighteen thousand dollar insurance policy. Ossie married her cousin Fletcher, 55 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:47,080 Speaker 1: and the two had a daughter named after Fletcher's mother Mary. Unfortunately, 56 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: the child died two days later. Fletcher disappeared, and the 57 00:03:51,480 --> 00:03:55,960 Speaker 1: sisters claimed had killed himself. Fletcher's insurance policy named his 58 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: mother and aunts as beneficiaries, but without a body, the 59 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: insurance company refused to pay. They tried forcing Osi to 60 00:04:04,080 --> 00:04:08,080 Speaker 1: write a will naming them as beneficiaries. They've also tried 61 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:10,760 Speaker 1: to bribe a doctor, the milkman, and a plumber to 62 00:04:10,800 --> 00:04:16,039 Speaker 1: help them end Osie's life, all refused. The autopsy revealed 63 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:19,799 Speaker 1: o c had been nearly starved to death, overdosed with morphine, 64 00:04:19,960 --> 00:04:24,359 Speaker 1: and placed in the tub to drown. O'Neill also discovered 65 00:04:24,400 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: small bones in the oven belonging to an infant. But 66 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:32,240 Speaker 1: the most shocking detail came when investigators learned that Ossie's 67 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:36,719 Speaker 1: mother had masterminded at all. Sometimes the monsters are the 68 00:04:36,760 --> 00:04:42,880 Speaker 1: ones closest to us. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, Welcome to American Shadows. 69 00:04:51,040 --> 00:04:55,760 Speaker 1: William Beadle had good looks, expressive features, and the clear intelligence. 70 00:04:56,480 --> 00:04:58,840 Speaker 1: Those who met him said he possessed an easy going 71 00:04:58,839 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: disposition on commonly good sense and the manners of a 72 00:05:02,200 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: true gentleman. Historians believe William might have been born to 73 00:05:06,600 --> 00:05:09,640 Speaker 1: a man of means and his mistress sometime in seventeen 74 00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:13,120 Speaker 1: thirty in London, he spent time around the court and 75 00:05:13,240 --> 00:05:16,719 Speaker 1: suggesting he had been well provided for. William and his 76 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:19,919 Speaker 1: sister grew up well liked and honest, by Ball accounts. 77 00:05:20,640 --> 00:05:23,360 Speaker 1: For a short time he met with a group of deists. 78 00:05:23,960 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: A Deism had become the religion of free thinkers in England. 79 00:05:27,880 --> 00:05:31,159 Speaker 1: They believed God revealed himself through human reasoning instead of 80 00:05:31,160 --> 00:05:36,000 Speaker 1: divine intervention as written in Christian Bibles. In seventeen fifty five, 81 00:05:36,240 --> 00:05:38,960 Speaker 1: William moved to Barbados, where he lived with the governor 82 00:05:39,000 --> 00:05:41,880 Speaker 1: and his family for the next six years. When he 83 00:05:41,920 --> 00:05:45,560 Speaker 1: returned to London, he established a merchant business. He sailed 84 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:48,080 Speaker 1: to New York to take advantage of the growing mercantile 85 00:05:48,120 --> 00:05:52,560 Speaker 1: opportunities there. Eventually he settled in Fairfield, Connecticut, where he 86 00:05:52,600 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: met Lyddia Lothrop. The two married on April fifteenth of 87 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:00,320 Speaker 1: seventeen seventy. The following year, they welcomed his son and soul. 88 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,760 Speaker 1: Their second child, Elizabeth, arrived in seventeen seventy two. William's 89 00:06:05,760 --> 00:06:09,120 Speaker 1: business easily provided a comfortable living for his growing family. 90 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:13,960 Speaker 1: After having amassed a considerable fortune, William moved his business 91 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: and family to Weathersfield, Connecticut in seventeen seventy three. Nestled 92 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:22,440 Speaker 1: along the Connecticut River and brick paver streets, colonial homes 93 00:06:22,520 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: completed a picturesque landscape. The town, founded in the mid 94 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: sixteen sixties, was one of the oldest in the colony. 95 00:06:30,040 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 1: William and Lydia became well known, William for his wealth 96 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: and integrity in his business, and Lydia for her sweet 97 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,679 Speaker 1: and kind nature. They welcomed little Lydia in seventeen seventy 98 00:06:40,680 --> 00:06:44,960 Speaker 1: four and Mary in seventeen seventy six. They seemed the 99 00:06:45,000 --> 00:06:49,480 Speaker 1: perfect family and doated on their children. William proudly told 100 00:06:49,520 --> 00:06:54,120 Speaker 1: neighbors about his children's endeavors and accomplishments. More success followed, 101 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:57,640 Speaker 1: earning William more wealth than most other New England merchants. 102 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:00,120 Speaker 1: He and Lydia enjoyed the company of the town is 103 00:07:00,160 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: most elite. Life in Weathersfield seemed as perfect as the 104 00:07:03,560 --> 00:07:07,960 Speaker 1: scenery itself. William was happy everything had turned out just 105 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:11,880 Speaker 1: the way he had imagined in his youth. Times were changing, though. 106 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:16,400 Speaker 1: In seventeen seventy six, anger toward the British swept across 107 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 1: the colonies following the Boston Tea Party, Parliament had Boston 108 00:07:20,760 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 1: Harbor blocked, which cut off supplies to the city and 109 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: the revolutionaries. As you might imagine, merchants lost a lot 110 00:07:28,360 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 1: of business, but a blockade proved to be just one 111 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 1: misfortune for the Beadle family. In seventeen seventy seven, the 112 00:07:36,760 --> 00:07:41,360 Speaker 1: value of continental paper currency began to plummet. At the time, 113 00:07:41,480 --> 00:07:44,280 Speaker 1: it took a dollar twenty five and continental currency to 114 00:07:44,320 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: purchase a dollar worth of gold or silver coins. A 115 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,720 Speaker 1: Congress stopped issuing the bills by seventeen seventy nine, and 116 00:07:52,000 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 1: by seventeen eighty one it took a hundred dollars continental 117 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,480 Speaker 1: to buy one dollar, where the gold or silver coupled 118 00:07:58,480 --> 00:08:01,120 Speaker 1: with the blocked ports and rye inflation due to a 119 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:05,040 Speaker 1: lack of goods, shops preferred British pounds over the nearly 120 00:08:05,120 --> 00:08:09,200 Speaker 1: worthless colonial currency. A Congress had printed so many of 121 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: the bills to pay for the war that the value 122 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:16,200 Speaker 1: continued to fall for five years. This greatly affected everyone 123 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 1: in Wethersfield, including William Beadle. A. Most businesses stayed afloat 124 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: by either charging more for goods and services or taking 125 00:08:24,320 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 1: only the British pound. William did neither. It was illegal 126 00:08:28,960 --> 00:08:32,640 Speaker 1: to not accept continental currency at face value. Obeying the 127 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: law and sticking to his code of integrity would be 128 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: William's downfall. It didn't take long for him to lose 129 00:08:39,040 --> 00:08:43,439 Speaker 1: much of his fortune. The Beatles slid into middle class status, 130 00:08:43,480 --> 00:08:45,720 Speaker 1: and for William, who had been one of the town's 131 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:49,840 Speaker 1: wealthiest men, this wouldn't do. He wrote to a friend, 132 00:08:50,080 --> 00:08:53,920 Speaker 1: lamenting that he could no longer adequately provide for his family. 133 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: It wasn't exactly true. Although no longer exceptionally wealthy, the 134 00:08:59,400 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: family had plenty of food and could even keep the 135 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:06,640 Speaker 1: services of a maid. Still, William ended the letter asking 136 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: if it were time for him to die. The Revolutionary 137 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:14,880 Speaker 1: War dragged on, further reducing his wealth. To William, things 138 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: looked very bleak for him and his family. Had once 139 00:09:18,880 --> 00:09:22,640 Speaker 1: been wealthy and enjoyed the company of society's elite. Now 140 00:09:22,679 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: he stared down poverty. Soon afterward, William began carrying an 141 00:09:27,240 --> 00:09:37,800 Speaker 1: axe and a carving knife to bed. In William's mind, 142 00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:41,440 Speaker 1: without his fortune and social standing, the town would surely 143 00:09:41,559 --> 00:09:45,560 Speaker 1: mock and ridicule them. He reasoned that the lowest of 144 00:09:45,600 --> 00:09:48,040 Speaker 1: wretches on the street would despise them if they fell 145 00:09:48,040 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: into poverty. He worried that without his fortune, his family 146 00:09:51,800 --> 00:09:54,839 Speaker 1: would fall victim to the vilest and most vicious people 147 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:58,320 Speaker 1: in all of Weathersfield. He thought of their friends and 148 00:09:58,440 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: social circles. Surely prominent men like Theadeus Burr, Colonel John Chester, 149 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:07,440 Speaker 1: and Stephen Mitchell would no longer socialize with him. William 150 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 1: imagined people talking about him behind his back and laugh 151 00:10:10,400 --> 00:10:13,440 Speaker 1: ad met his family's misfortune. Though he continued to dress 152 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:16,200 Speaker 1: and act as a well to do gentleman, he reasoned 153 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:19,640 Speaker 1: there was only one thing to do, become meaner than 154 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:23,199 Speaker 1: all of them. Had been an affectionate and devoted husband, 155 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:26,960 Speaker 1: and took great pleasure in indulging his children. His family 156 00:10:27,000 --> 00:10:29,959 Speaker 1: had been one of his greatest joys. Yet for a 157 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:34,560 Speaker 1: couple of years William contemplated ending his life. By seventeen eighty, 158 00:10:34,720 --> 00:10:39,360 Speaker 1: thoughts of suicide turned to homicide. Over the years, William 159 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:42,559 Speaker 1: had remained a deist. He firmly believed in the right 160 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: to take his own life without consequences, even in the hereafter, 161 00:10:46,720 --> 00:10:50,679 Speaker 1: and in an extreme interpretation of the era's view of masculinity, 162 00:10:51,040 --> 00:10:53,200 Speaker 1: he felt that he had the same privileges over the 163 00:10:53,240 --> 00:10:57,480 Speaker 1: lives of his family members a Deists believed divine revelations 164 00:10:57,559 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: came from logic and rejected the writings Christianity as superstition. 165 00:11:02,640 --> 00:11:06,800 Speaker 1: In an enlightened age, free thinkers like the Deists chastised 166 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:11,120 Speaker 1: those who believed literally in Christ's resurrection. The religion remained 167 00:11:11,160 --> 00:11:14,119 Speaker 1: more popular with the wealthy than with the lower classes. 168 00:11:15,040 --> 00:11:19,080 Speaker 1: Men spent time debating certain philosophies and opinions regarding Deism, 169 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:23,840 Speaker 1: though they kept relatively quiet outside their circles, The Puritans 170 00:11:23,840 --> 00:11:28,360 Speaker 1: often took to violence against Deists. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Payne, 171 00:11:28,480 --> 00:11:32,520 Speaker 1: and other Founding fathers practiced Deism, making the religion even 172 00:11:32,520 --> 00:11:36,839 Speaker 1: more appealing to William Beadle. With his beliefs intact and 173 00:11:36,960 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: his status and manhood at perceived risk, William wrestled with 174 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: a solution. If he killed himself, his family would suffer. 175 00:11:45,000 --> 00:11:47,840 Speaker 1: If he killed the children, his wife, being as attached 176 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:51,320 Speaker 1: to the children as she was, would suffer. William tried 177 00:11:51,360 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 1: to resolve a way to spare his family, but in 178 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:58,360 Speaker 1: his mind, the world had conspired against him and his children. 179 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:02,400 Speaker 1: If he died, they would need to die too. He 180 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,880 Speaker 1: came to an answer that made perfect sense, or at 181 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:10,240 Speaker 1: least an answer he liked. His religious beliefs required only 182 00:12:10,280 --> 00:12:13,840 Speaker 1: that he seek the solution from within, and whatever sense 183 00:12:13,880 --> 00:12:18,080 Speaker 1: of morality came from his reasoning was the indisputable truth. 184 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:21,800 Speaker 1: He saw his children as an extension of himself, so 185 00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:26,280 Speaker 1: killing them was his right. However, his wife presented a 186 00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:31,480 Speaker 1: different problem. At first, she wasn't his flesh and blood. However, 187 00:12:31,640 --> 00:12:34,600 Speaker 1: she belonged to him by marriage. Therefore she was his 188 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: to do with as he wished. In seventeen seventy two, 189 00:12:38,120 --> 00:12:42,040 Speaker 1: he struggled with how and when to spare his family 190 00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:46,720 Speaker 1: from poverty. That November, Lydia announced she wanted to visit 191 00:12:46,760 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: relatives in Fairfield for a while. William breathed a sigh 192 00:12:50,160 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: of relief. It was a sign that he wouldn't have 193 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,920 Speaker 1: to kill his wife. He drafted a will and a note, 194 00:12:56,280 --> 00:12:58,760 Speaker 1: fully explaining what he planned to do to the children. 195 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:05,280 Speaker 1: When he finished, he set a date November. Lydia returned early, though, 196 00:13:06,080 --> 00:13:09,400 Speaker 1: and on November seventeenth, Lydia told him of a terrible 197 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,440 Speaker 1: dream she had had the night before. A man had 198 00:13:12,480 --> 00:13:15,920 Speaker 1: injured himself beyond recovery, and William had written her a letter. 199 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,160 Speaker 1: Those spots of blood had covered the note. She could 200 00:13:19,200 --> 00:13:22,720 Speaker 1: make out that he was concerned for her. William wrote 201 00:13:22,760 --> 00:13:26,240 Speaker 1: another note to accompany his will. He felt terrible for 202 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:30,079 Speaker 1: his wife, but her fear left him unfazed. Her early 203 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: return had been another sign he'd have to kill her too. 204 00:13:34,679 --> 00:13:37,960 Speaker 1: He loved his wife, she had a good heart and 205 00:13:38,120 --> 00:13:41,760 Speaker 1: wanted only to bring happiness to those around her. But 206 00:13:41,840 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: he reasoned that a woman without a husband stood little 207 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:48,480 Speaker 1: chance of employment, much less the ability to support four children. 208 00:13:49,280 --> 00:13:52,240 Speaker 1: Having married before, she was also less likely to find 209 00:13:52,240 --> 00:13:56,920 Speaker 1: a suitable partner. After much internal debate, he felt at peace. 210 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,120 Speaker 1: He interpreted that sense of well being God's support for 211 00:14:01,240 --> 00:14:05,439 Speaker 1: his plan. He jotted down one last entry, the hand 212 00:14:05,520 --> 00:14:10,800 Speaker 1: of Heaven is with us. Only one question remained, should 213 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:22,720 Speaker 1: he kill his children first or his wife? On November, 214 00:14:23,640 --> 00:14:26,040 Speaker 1: William sent the maid on an errand to a neighbor's 215 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:29,160 Speaker 1: house some distance away. We had written a letter and 216 00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: asked her to wait for a written reply, regardless of 217 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: how long it would take. William made sure the answer 218 00:14:34,440 --> 00:14:37,800 Speaker 1: would require some thought, preventing the maid from returning until 219 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 1: after he carried out his plan. She wasn't family and 220 00:14:41,200 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: he had no right to harm or scare her. However, 221 00:14:44,640 --> 00:14:48,240 Speaker 1: the maid returned much sooner than he expected, and now 222 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 1: William could have taken his wife's early return, her dreams, 223 00:14:52,080 --> 00:14:54,320 Speaker 1: and the maid's return as a sign that he shouldn't 224 00:14:54,440 --> 00:14:57,880 Speaker 1: kill them. None of that dissuaded him, though it only 225 00:14:57,960 --> 00:15:02,080 Speaker 1: delayed his action. Let You continued to dream that terrible 226 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,480 Speaker 1: things were about to happen to the family. The nightmares 227 00:15:05,520 --> 00:15:07,920 Speaker 1: frightened her so much that she told her friends when 228 00:15:07,960 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: they gathered to catch up with each other. William remained 229 00:15:11,040 --> 00:15:15,640 Speaker 1: convinced that Lydia's dreams were premonitions and therefore a sign 230 00:15:15,720 --> 00:15:19,920 Speaker 1: from the heavens. Clearly, God agreed with his plan. It 231 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:22,000 Speaker 1: never occurred to him that she had picked up on 232 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:24,680 Speaker 1: his paranoia that people were out to get him, or 233 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,200 Speaker 1: that his taking weapons to bed might have frightened her. 234 00:15:27,520 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: On November twenty eight, Lydia told him she had dreamed 235 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: that their children lay dead and that she was also killed. 236 00:15:35,040 --> 00:15:38,080 Speaker 1: She recalled that she was free and happy after they 237 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:41,240 Speaker 1: were all dead. To some the dream would have been 238 00:15:41,440 --> 00:15:47,040 Speaker 1: very telling in a different way, but Lydia's dream excited him. 239 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,440 Speaker 1: He thought God was directing him to end his family's suffering. 240 00:15:50,960 --> 00:15:54,000 Speaker 1: He had failed his wife and children. William vowed not 241 00:15:54,080 --> 00:15:58,640 Speaker 1: to fail God. On December six, while his family slept, 242 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:03,000 Speaker 1: he rose and took the axe he kept with him. Quietly, 243 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:06,760 Speaker 1: he stood over his wife, axe poised, then he turned 244 00:16:06,800 --> 00:16:09,840 Speaker 1: and left the room. He entered the children's room next. 245 00:16:10,600 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 1: One by one, he stood over them and watched them sleep, 246 00:16:13,840 --> 00:16:17,280 Speaker 1: still gripping the axe and contemplating each of their deaths. 247 00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:21,680 Speaker 1: This practice run pleased him. It was the final proof 248 00:16:21,720 --> 00:16:24,640 Speaker 1: he needed. As he had imagined swinging the axe, he 249 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:26,960 Speaker 1: had remained confident that he was doing the right thing. 250 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:32,160 Speaker 1: He journaled, marveling at his restraint. The Christmas season was 251 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:35,560 Speaker 1: in full swing, and on December ten, the Beatles hosted 252 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:39,200 Speaker 1: a party for friends and family. Prominent guest Stephen mix 253 00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:44,320 Speaker 1: Mitchell noted William's cheerful and upbeat mood. William doated on 254 00:16:44,440 --> 00:16:48,200 Speaker 1: his family. After dinner and celebrations, guests began to leave 255 00:16:48,280 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: around nine pm. He asked them to stay, but all declined, 256 00:16:52,560 --> 00:16:54,880 Speaker 1: leaving the Beetle family to settle in for the night. 257 00:16:55,440 --> 00:16:58,160 Speaker 1: The children were exhausted and didn't need coaxing to go 258 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,880 Speaker 1: to bed. Lydia was all so tired, and after tucking 259 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: her children in, she put out the candles and headed 260 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:08,879 Speaker 1: to bed for some much needed rest. Some time before dawn, 261 00:17:09,160 --> 00:17:12,040 Speaker 1: William woke the maid and handed her a sealed note 262 00:17:12,160 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: addressed to doctor Joseph Farnsworth. Lydia was not well. He 263 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:19,480 Speaker 1: said he needed the maid to dress quickly without waking 264 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,440 Speaker 1: the children, delivered the letter to the doctor and bring 265 00:17:22,520 --> 00:17:25,159 Speaker 1: him back to the house. The maid did as she 266 00:17:25,160 --> 00:17:28,280 Speaker 1: had been told, though her employer's last words as she 267 00:17:28,320 --> 00:17:32,480 Speaker 1: headed down the path confused her. Don't rush, he called 268 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:36,360 Speaker 1: after her. William watched her until she disappeared into the night. 269 00:17:37,160 --> 00:17:41,680 Speaker 1: He wouldn't have long. The doctor lived close. As Dr 270 00:17:41,720 --> 00:17:44,960 Speaker 1: Farnsworth read the letter, the maid noted the horror on 271 00:17:45,080 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 1: his face. She might have asked, though there's no record 272 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,000 Speaker 1: that he told her what the letter said. Instead, the 273 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:57,280 Speaker 1: doctor summoned Colonel John Chester and Stephen Mitchell. Still unsure 274 00:17:57,320 --> 00:17:59,600 Speaker 1: of what had happened, the maid accompanied the men back 275 00:17:59,640 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: to the Dolls home. She entered first. When they reached 276 00:18:03,800 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 1: the children's room and opened the door, she fainted. The 277 00:18:08,080 --> 00:18:11,160 Speaker 1: scene was so dreadful that Mitchell ran outside to catch 278 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:16,120 Speaker 1: his breath. Farnsworth found Lydia in the couple's bedroom. William 279 00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:19,200 Speaker 1: had taken the axe to her twice then slit her throat. 280 00:18:20,080 --> 00:18:22,840 Speaker 1: The doctor followed a trail of bloody footprints out of 281 00:18:22,880 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 1: the room and down the hall. William was slumped forward 282 00:18:26,520 --> 00:18:29,399 Speaker 1: in a chair, the bloody knife on the end table. 283 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:33,280 Speaker 1: He had taken two pistols, raised them to each side 284 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: of his head, and pulled the triggers. The bullets had 285 00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:41,919 Speaker 1: ended his life. Regardless of their religion, the townsfolk hoped 286 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:56,440 Speaker 1: it had not ended his perceived suffering. The murders outraged 287 00:18:56,480 --> 00:19:00,359 Speaker 1: everyone in town and across the state as ours. The 288 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:04,600 Speaker 1: residents in Weathersfield were concerned William Beadle didn't deserve a burial. 289 00:19:05,119 --> 00:19:07,840 Speaker 1: They strapped the knife to his chest and bound his 290 00:19:07,920 --> 00:19:10,919 Speaker 1: body to a sled. Residents lined the street while a 291 00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,560 Speaker 1: horse pulled the sled towards the Connecticut River. They spat 292 00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,879 Speaker 1: on his corpse and cursed his soul. Once the sled 293 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:21,520 Speaker 1: reached its destination, men dumped his body into a shallow grave. 294 00:19:22,280 --> 00:19:24,359 Speaker 1: As satisfied that they were done with the likes of 295 00:19:24,359 --> 00:19:27,959 Speaker 1: William Beadle, they returned home and prepared to bury Lydia 296 00:19:28,080 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: and the children. Lydia was thirty two at the time 297 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:35,120 Speaker 1: of her death. The oldest Beetle child Ansel was eleven, 298 00:19:35,760 --> 00:19:40,800 Speaker 1: the youngest Mary was just six. Oncember thirteenth, the townsfolk 299 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: carried the bodies to their final resting place. Attendees wept 300 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:48,560 Speaker 1: as mother and children were laid together, and the marker 301 00:19:48,720 --> 00:19:52,080 Speaker 1: covering their grave told their story, their destruction at the 302 00:19:52,119 --> 00:19:55,280 Speaker 1: hands of the husband and father they loved and trusted. 303 00:19:56,040 --> 00:19:58,920 Speaker 1: After the funeral, the townsfolk hoped to put the tragedy 304 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:03,800 Speaker 1: behind them. Instead, they wrestled with William's actions. How could 305 00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 1: any one kill their whole family. Heavily religious, the people 306 00:20:07,600 --> 00:20:10,480 Speaker 1: there commonly thought of deeds as guided by either God 307 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:14,920 Speaker 1: or the devil A William's act was unspeakable even for Satan. 308 00:20:15,640 --> 00:20:19,920 Speaker 1: Christian ministers took the pulpit warning congregations of the dangers 309 00:20:19,960 --> 00:20:24,320 Speaker 1: of deism. But even the most devoted churchgoers were faced 310 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:28,800 Speaker 1: with something other than religion, the dark side of human nature. 311 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:32,720 Speaker 1: Workers at a dock on the Connecticut River complained about 312 00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:36,240 Speaker 1: the smell of William's decaying body. A few men dragged 313 00:20:36,280 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: the corpse to another location away from the docks. The 314 00:20:39,359 --> 00:20:42,960 Speaker 1: next day, children came across the body, forcing the residence 315 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 1: to deal with dumping it once more. This time, they 316 00:20:46,040 --> 00:20:49,920 Speaker 1: hoped to be done with William Beadle. Congress eventually paid 317 00:20:49,960 --> 00:20:53,920 Speaker 1: off its war debts, Treasury notes replaced the once worthless 318 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:57,680 Speaker 1: continental currency, and William waited another couple of years. He 319 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:02,160 Speaker 1: might have recovered financially. Instead of a desperate and misguided man, 320 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,639 Speaker 1: the townsfolk saw him as a monster who acted on 321 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:09,720 Speaker 1: his worst fears and impulses. People began to look at 322 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:13,440 Speaker 1: the narratives of such crimes, piecing together trails of clues 323 00:21:13,560 --> 00:21:17,879 Speaker 1: leading up to the offense itself. Williams heinous actions paved 324 00:21:17,920 --> 00:21:21,440 Speaker 1: the way for the true crime and horror genres. No 325 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:25,240 Speaker 1: one had seen the murders coming until then. William seemed 326 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:29,399 Speaker 1: like a devoted husband, doating father, and kind man. His 327 00:21:29,520 --> 00:21:33,479 Speaker 1: will and journals chilled them for years, something worse than 328 00:21:33,520 --> 00:21:38,960 Speaker 1: the devil had walked among them. William Beatle methodically, almost enthusiastically, 329 00:21:39,160 --> 00:21:42,920 Speaker 1: planned the murders of his family. In his neighbors minds, 330 00:21:42,960 --> 00:21:46,360 Speaker 1: William had done what the devil could not. His actions 331 00:21:46,400 --> 00:21:48,560 Speaker 1: whispered to them in the dark as they blew out 332 00:21:48,560 --> 00:21:52,960 Speaker 1: the candles before bed. Some couldn't help but wonder who 333 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:58,320 Speaker 1: the people in their house really and truly were. There's 334 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:01,680 Speaker 1: more to this, story. Dick around after this brief sponsored 335 00:22:01,720 --> 00:22:13,120 Speaker 1: break to hear all about it. Today, you'll still find 336 00:22:13,160 --> 00:22:16,040 Speaker 1: the Tuttle name in several places along the east side 337 00:22:16,080 --> 00:22:20,400 Speaker 1: of the Quinnipiac River. There's Tuttle Road, Tuttle Place, and 338 00:22:20,520 --> 00:22:24,119 Speaker 1: even Tuttle Elementary and the family had roots in the 339 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,760 Speaker 1: area of dating back to the mid sixteen hundreds. William, 340 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,520 Speaker 1: his wife, and their children arrived in the New World 341 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,800 Speaker 1: along with his widowed mother, two brothers, and their families 342 00:22:33,960 --> 00:22:38,640 Speaker 1: in sixteen thirty five. The family were successful merchants in England, 343 00:22:38,760 --> 00:22:42,719 Speaker 1: but were excited about greater trade opportunities in the American colonies, 344 00:22:43,440 --> 00:22:46,240 Speaker 1: and they were not the only ones heading across the Atlantic. 345 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:50,879 Speaker 1: Many families left England to avoid religious persecution, and the 346 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:54,360 Speaker 1: Tuttles were strongly Protestant in a time when England was not. 347 00:22:55,040 --> 00:22:59,959 Speaker 1: History calls them Puritans, so when they're Minister John Davenport 348 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:02,679 Speaker 1: set sail for the New World, and most of his 349 00:23:02,760 --> 00:23:07,120 Speaker 1: congregation followed. The brothers, John and Richard stayed in Boston, 350 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 1: while William settled in New Haven, Connecticut. He re established 351 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,000 Speaker 1: his business, setting up ventures along the New England coast 352 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:17,960 Speaker 1: and down into Delaware. In addition to his trade business, 353 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:22,679 Speaker 1: William was named a commissioner, arbitrator and constable. The money 354 00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:25,359 Speaker 1: wasn't an issue for the Tuttles, and William and his 355 00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:29,000 Speaker 1: wife purchased a considerable amount of land In sixteen fifty six. 356 00:23:29,800 --> 00:23:32,159 Speaker 1: They lived in a mansion with their growing family of 357 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:37,119 Speaker 1: eleven children. From there, drama followed the Tuttle family like 358 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:40,879 Speaker 1: a loyal dog. By many accounts, at least one of 359 00:23:40,880 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: the children was deemed insane, another had been branded in adulteress, 360 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:52,000 Speaker 1: and two became murderers. William died in sixteen seventy three 361 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: without leaving a proper will, throwing the family into chaos 362 00:23:55,920 --> 00:24:00,920 Speaker 1: over their father's accumulated wealth. They fought constantly. On November 363 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:05,359 Speaker 1: eighteenth of sixteen seventy six, Benjamin Tuttle visited his sister Sarah, 364 00:24:05,520 --> 00:24:09,040 Speaker 1: who lived in Stamford. As Sara's husband left the house 365 00:24:09,080 --> 00:24:12,200 Speaker 1: one night without eating dinner, setting off a quarrel between 366 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:16,680 Speaker 1: the siblings. Benjamin left in a rage, and Sara instructed 367 00:24:16,720 --> 00:24:19,800 Speaker 1: her daughter to shut the door behind him. Moments later, 368 00:24:19,880 --> 00:24:23,320 Speaker 1: Benjamin burst back in wielding an axe. He shouted that 369 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:27,320 Speaker 1: he intended to take Sara to God after striking her 370 00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:29,840 Speaker 1: in the head, he pushed her body into the fireplace 371 00:24:29,920 --> 00:24:34,399 Speaker 1: and continued striking her with the axe. Upon his arrest, 372 00:24:34,480 --> 00:24:36,639 Speaker 1: he claimed had killed his sister because she might have 373 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:40,320 Speaker 1: killed him first if he hadn't. Benjamin's niece and nephew 374 00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,400 Speaker 1: testified against him, and the court sentenced him to hang. 375 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:48,840 Speaker 1: Before's execution, Benjamin willed his entire estate to another sister, Elizabeth, 376 00:24:49,119 --> 00:24:52,159 Speaker 1: who had her own issues. When it came out that 377 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:54,639 Speaker 1: one of her seven children had been fathered during one 378 00:24:54,680 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: of her many affairs, Elizabeth's husband, Richard, filed for divorce. 379 00:24:59,440 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: The Richard had had his own affairs. One of his 380 00:25:02,000 --> 00:25:06,160 Speaker 1: mistresses was fined for her part. When Elizabeth and Richard divorced, 381 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:10,199 Speaker 1: he married his mistress. Another sibling, Mercy Tuttle, took an 382 00:25:10,240 --> 00:25:14,080 Speaker 1: axe to one of her sons in and blamed the devil. 383 00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:16,760 Speaker 1: Her husband told the court his wife had not been 384 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:20,680 Speaker 1: acting right lately, and just days before his son's death, 385 00:25:20,960 --> 00:25:23,560 Speaker 1: Mercy told him should have the children buried in the barn. 386 00:25:24,320 --> 00:25:27,800 Speaker 1: Her comment had puzzled him. The children were healthy, after all, 387 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:30,520 Speaker 1: and when he questioned why she thought the children would 388 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:34,439 Speaker 1: need to be buried, she replied that dreadful days were coming. 389 00:25:35,080 --> 00:25:38,520 Speaker 1: Sam Jr. Overheard the conversation and asked his mother if 390 00:25:38,520 --> 00:25:41,040 Speaker 1: she would do such a thing. She responded that she 391 00:25:41,080 --> 00:25:44,440 Speaker 1: certainly would, as long as it didn't hurt him. Other 392 00:25:44,480 --> 00:25:49,480 Speaker 1: neighbors also testified that Mercy was insane. The court found 393 00:25:49,480 --> 00:25:53,120 Speaker 1: her not guilty due to insanity, and Mercy returned home 394 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:58,320 Speaker 1: to her husband and daughter. Psychologists remain curious about people 395 00:25:58,359 --> 00:26:02,560 Speaker 1: they call family and I leaders like William Beadle and 396 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:06,399 Speaker 1: the Tuttles. Those who commit familiar side often seem to 397 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:10,600 Speaker 1: believe that killing their family, even pets, will spare them 398 00:26:10,640 --> 00:26:15,400 Speaker 1: from humiliation or some other negative outcome. Experts believe there 399 00:26:15,440 --> 00:26:20,040 Speaker 1: are three reasons people commit familiar side. Sometimes they suffer 400 00:26:20,080 --> 00:26:23,840 Speaker 1: from a mental break or psychosis. Often they think God 401 00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 1: or the devil guided them. The second is financial distress. 402 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:31,639 Speaker 1: Nearly a third of familiar sides are due to financial strain. 403 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:35,920 Speaker 1: The killers are otherwise upstanding members of society and are 404 00:26:35,960 --> 00:26:39,320 Speaker 1: seen as respectable. The last is the feeling of being 405 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:44,640 Speaker 1: trapped in an intolerable situation. These cases typically involve divorce 406 00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: affairs or the fear that children will be taken from them. 407 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:53,800 Speaker 1: According to mental health professionals, men commit of familiar sides. 408 00:26:53,840 --> 00:26:57,400 Speaker 1: Out of deep shame or fear of losing control over 409 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 1: their family. From O. C. Snee into the Beatles and Tuttles, 410 00:27:01,960 --> 00:27:05,360 Speaker 1: a couple of things are certain. Though familiar side has 411 00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:10,040 Speaker 1: happened for centuries, studies regarding family annihilators are still new, 412 00:27:11,000 --> 00:27:14,640 Speaker 1: and it's one of the most horrifying types of homicides. 413 00:27:20,680 --> 00:27:24,840 Speaker 1: American Shadows is hosted by Lauren Vogelbaum. This episode was 414 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:29,000 Speaker 1: written by Michelle Muto, researched by Ali Steed, and produced 415 00:27:29,040 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: by Miranda Hawkins and Trevor Young, with executive producers Aaron Mankey, 416 00:27:33,640 --> 00:27:37,600 Speaker 1: Alex Williams, and Matt Frederick. To learn more about the show, 417 00:27:37,720 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 1: visit grim and Mild dot com. From more podcasts from 418 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:44,760 Speaker 1: iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or 419 00:27:44,800 --> 00:28:24,440 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts.