1 00:00:03,760 --> 00:00:07,840 Speaker 1: Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: is an open book, all of these amazing tales are 3 00:00:11,320 --> 00:00:14,680 Speaker 1: right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. 4 00:00:16,200 --> 00:00:28,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. As the conflict between 5 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,040 Speaker 1: the North and the South boiled during the mid nineteenth century, 6 00:00:32,280 --> 00:00:35,000 Speaker 1: Southern slaves did all they could to flee their captors 7 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,839 Speaker 1: and rebuild their lives up north. Many ended up in Canada, 8 00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: while others settled in states like New York, Connecticut, and 9 00:00:42,520 --> 00:00:45,560 Speaker 1: New Jersey. It was in New Jersey, in the town 10 00:00:45,600 --> 00:00:49,280 Speaker 1: of Quentin, to be exact, where John Barry lived. John 11 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: was a bit of a loner, living by himself in 12 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,600 Speaker 1: the Quentin Woods, away from the rest of the community, 13 00:00:54,640 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: which had scattered itself into clusters of homes all over 14 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:02,120 Speaker 1: the area, tiny individual neighborhoods that mostly kept to themselves. 15 00:01:03,760 --> 00:01:06,959 Speaker 1: He was a spiritual man too, a Methodist, and he 16 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: had a divine revelation to bring everyone closer. They had 17 00:01:11,040 --> 00:01:14,400 Speaker 1: come so far and risk so much, and John Barry 18 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:16,559 Speaker 1: believed that the only way they would survive the war 19 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:20,600 Speaker 1: raging in the South was together. They needed a meeting place, 20 00:01:20,959 --> 00:01:25,360 Speaker 1: a symbol of unity, faith, and strength. In short, they 21 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: needed a church. John erected a log cabin in the 22 00:01:29,640 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: Quentin Woods, as well as a small cemetery next door. 23 00:01:33,319 --> 00:01:36,080 Speaker 1: He called his new house of worship Barry's Chapel, and 24 00:01:36,160 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 1: it seemed that his hard work didn't go unnoticed. Barry's 25 00:01:39,680 --> 00:01:42,399 Speaker 1: Chapel became such a hit with the community that African 26 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,600 Speaker 1: American Methodists flocked from all over to hear John lead 27 00:01:45,640 --> 00:01:49,320 Speaker 1: them in prayer and song. As the war progressed, Barry's 28 00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: Chapel became a popular stop on the underground railroad. The 29 00:01:53,120 --> 00:01:57,120 Speaker 1: Quentin Woods provided substantial cover as former slaves made their 30 00:01:57,120 --> 00:02:01,160 Speaker 1: way north to other territories. But there were some other 31 00:02:01,240 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 1: individuals who weren't thrilled about Barry's Chapel nor the services 32 00:02:05,800 --> 00:02:09,360 Speaker 1: it provided to the community. White men, members of what 33 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:12,800 Speaker 1: would eventually become the Ku Klux Klan began harassing the 34 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:17,120 Speaker 1: members of Berry's Chapel on a regular basis. You might 35 00:02:17,160 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: not know this today, but long after the Civil War ended, 36 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:23,400 Speaker 1: New Jersey became home to a very active branch of 37 00:02:23,440 --> 00:02:26,120 Speaker 1: the k k k. In fact, a meeting held in 38 00:02:26,200 --> 00:02:29,520 Speaker 1: nineteen twenty three once garnered a crowd of twelve thousand 39 00:02:29,520 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: members who surrounded another church in order to tell the 40 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:37,800 Speaker 1: congregation that they weren't welcome there. Town historians still regard 41 00:02:37,840 --> 00:02:40,880 Speaker 1: the clan as the chief harassers of Barry's Chapel during 42 00:02:40,919 --> 00:02:44,639 Speaker 1: the nineteen twenties. They broke up meetings and harassed members 43 00:02:44,960 --> 00:02:48,760 Speaker 1: until another church opened up not too far away. Berry's 44 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 1: congregation moved en massed to the other church almost immediately, 45 00:02:53,160 --> 00:02:57,120 Speaker 1: and the original chapel fell into disrepair, eventually burning down. 46 00:02:58,760 --> 00:03:01,800 Speaker 1: That's not how the locals with though. Ask them and 47 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,560 Speaker 1: they'll tell you what really happened to Barry's Chapel. According 48 00:03:05,560 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: to people who lived in Quentin their entire lives, the 49 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: church never made it to the twentieth century. It didn't 50 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:15,120 Speaker 1: even make it to the eighteen seventies. Someone had wanted 51 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:17,440 Speaker 1: to send a message and they burned the church to 52 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:21,360 Speaker 1: ash one night. No one had been inside at the time, 53 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: and the members got to work building a new chapel. 54 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 1: It was bigger, better, and able to fit more worshipers inside. 55 00:03:29,040 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: But grudges die hard, and so it is bigotry, and 56 00:03:32,440 --> 00:03:36,400 Speaker 1: not long after its completion, another fire was started. It's 57 00:03:36,440 --> 00:03:38,640 Speaker 1: not known whether the second fire was set by the 58 00:03:38,680 --> 00:03:41,320 Speaker 1: same person who had burned down the first What we 59 00:03:41,360 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 1: do know is that the church was full that night 60 00:03:44,920 --> 00:03:48,000 Speaker 1: as they worshiped in their pews, John reading from his 61 00:03:48,080 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: Bible at the altar. Every single member of the buried 62 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 1: chapel congregation perished. The church went up in flames, and 63 00:03:55,560 --> 00:03:58,840 Speaker 1: John Barry was taken along with it. He was buried 64 00:03:58,840 --> 00:04:00,960 Speaker 1: deep in the woods, and a rave no one can 65 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: find today. The stone marking his final resting place has 66 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:11,320 Speaker 1: long disappeared. What hasn't disappeared, though, is Barry or his church. 67 00:04:12,680 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: If you venture out into Quentin Woods on most nights, 68 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: you might see it ablaze in the dark as the 69 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:24,000 Speaker 1: fire consumes its wooden frame and surrounding the smoldering chapel. Well. 70 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: The people who live in Quentin today swear they've witnessed 71 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: John Barry and his congregation singing and dancing around the 72 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,760 Speaker 1: burning church. Wait long enough, and you might also hear 73 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:39,159 Speaker 1: the sound of scraping metal and people screaming. John Barry 74 00:04:39,240 --> 00:04:42,400 Speaker 1: built his church hoping it would bring people together, and 75 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,680 Speaker 1: it did. The work he did to unite his community 76 00:04:45,839 --> 00:04:49,400 Speaker 1: was nothing short of a miracle. His congregation knew the 77 00:04:49,480 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 1: value of what he'd done, and they stood by him 78 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:57,799 Speaker 1: through the worst event even according to the story in death, 79 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:14,600 Speaker 1: Theodore Roosevelt is remembered today as an icon of strength, 80 00:05:14,880 --> 00:05:18,359 Speaker 1: and for good reason. He was a cowboy, a hunter, 81 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:21,440 Speaker 1: and a soldier before he ever stepped foot in the 82 00:05:21,440 --> 00:05:24,479 Speaker 1: White House. But not everyone knows the truth behind the 83 00:05:24,520 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: bull moose is tough demeanor. Growing up, Teddy was sick 84 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,200 Speaker 1: a lot. He battled asthma for most of his childhood 85 00:05:33,240 --> 00:05:36,560 Speaker 1: and woke up many nights suffering from severe breathing problems, 86 00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: a feeling he compared to being smothered to death. As 87 00:05:40,080 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: he got older, joining his father on hikes and camping trips, 88 00:05:43,720 --> 00:05:47,240 Speaker 1: the attacks lessened. Teddy realized the secret to beating his 89 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,680 Speaker 1: asthma was in physically strengthening his body. He took up 90 00:05:51,680 --> 00:05:56,719 Speaker 1: boxing and studied biology. Hunting became a beloved pastime, especially 91 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,760 Speaker 1: on his ranches in North Dakota. His resilient carried him 92 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:04,880 Speaker 1: through college, where he studied naval history and strategy. Even 93 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: as he worked his way up through the New York 94 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:11,800 Speaker 1: State Assembly, governor's office, vice presidency, and then finally the 95 00:06:11,839 --> 00:06:16,960 Speaker 1: White House. Teddy had grand plans for his presidency, and 96 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:20,719 Speaker 1: one of those plans included an unprecedented third term in office. 97 00:06:21,240 --> 00:06:24,599 Speaker 1: It was the fall of nineteen twelve in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 98 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: when he left his hotel to deliver one of the 99 00:06:27,080 --> 00:06:30,440 Speaker 1: last speeches of his grueling campaign. He'd been on the 100 00:06:30,480 --> 00:06:34,400 Speaker 1: road for weeks, shaking hands and talking before crowds of hundreds, 101 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,800 Speaker 1: even thousands of voters at a time, his voice had 102 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: all but disappeared, but Teddy pressed on. There were bigger 103 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:44,680 Speaker 1: issues at stake, and by this time Teddy was known 104 00:06:44,760 --> 00:06:49,640 Speaker 1: for speaking softly. Clad in his thick army overcoat, he 105 00:06:49,680 --> 00:06:52,120 Speaker 1: stepped into a waiting car ready to whisk him off 106 00:06:52,120 --> 00:06:55,960 Speaker 1: to the auditorium. Inside his breast pocket, Teddy had placed 107 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:59,560 Speaker 1: his folded up speech, about fifty pages in total, and 108 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,680 Speaker 1: his metal eyeglasses case. The crowd cheered when they saw him, 109 00:07:03,760 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: and Theodore Roosevelt, not one to disappoint his adoring constituents, 110 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 1: stood to wave back at them. He never saw John Shrink. 111 00:07:12,680 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: The out of work bar keep raised the Colt forty 112 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:18,400 Speaker 1: five to his chest. The shot rang out, and Shrank 113 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:22,440 Speaker 1: was quickly tackled and arrested by Roosevelt's bodyguards. There would 114 00:07:22,440 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: be assassin claimed that the ghost of William McKinley had 115 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:27,760 Speaker 1: visited him in a dream one night and told him 116 00:07:27,800 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: to avenge McKinley's assassination by killing President Roosevelt. Teddy pale 117 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:37,520 Speaker 1: but calm, touched his fingers to his lips. If the 118 00:07:37,520 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 1: bullet had pierced his lung, he would have blood coming 119 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:42,840 Speaker 1: out of his mouth. When his fingers came back clean, 120 00:07:43,240 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 1: he instructed the driver to get him to the auditorium 121 00:07:45,880 --> 00:07:50,560 Speaker 1: right away. Once they're three doctors examined the severity of 122 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: the President's wounds. The bullet had, in fact pierced his 123 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:56,760 Speaker 1: skin and lodged itself in the right side of his chest. 124 00:07:57,360 --> 00:07:59,720 Speaker 1: It had been slowed, though, by the thick wad of 125 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:02,840 Speaker 1: pay for and the metal case in his pocket, so 126 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:07,280 Speaker 1: much so that the damage was only superficial. Teddy pressed on, 127 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:12,080 Speaker 1: determined to deliver this important speech. He sent one of 128 00:08:12,120 --> 00:08:15,000 Speaker 1: his bodyguards out on stage to explain to the audience 129 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:17,840 Speaker 1: what had happened. Some of them, though, didn't buy it. 130 00:08:18,320 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: One man shouted in all too familiar refrain. Fake Teddy 131 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: took to the stage, the blood stained shirt on display 132 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:29,320 Speaker 1: for all to see. He held up the speech with 133 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:32,600 Speaker 1: the whole going straight through, all fifty pages, and just 134 00:08:32,679 --> 00:08:36,240 Speaker 1: like that, the crowd fell silent. He spoke for an 135 00:08:36,240 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 1: hour and a half before finally heading to the hospital. 136 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,960 Speaker 1: Doctors were unable to remove the bullet, but Teddy lived 137 00:08:43,000 --> 00:08:45,080 Speaker 1: on with it inside his chest for the rest of 138 00:08:45,120 --> 00:08:49,559 Speaker 1: his life. His valiant efforts didn't win him any points 139 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:53,120 Speaker 1: with the voters, though. One month later, Woodrow Wilson won 140 00:08:53,160 --> 00:08:56,680 Speaker 1: the election and became the President of the United States. 141 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,400 Speaker 1: But Teddy wasn't phazed by the attempt on his life. 142 00:09:00,800 --> 00:09:03,360 Speaker 1: He'd been expecting something like that to happen for a while. 143 00:09:04,160 --> 00:09:06,680 Speaker 1: When asked how he was able to remain so calm 144 00:09:06,840 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 1: and deliver his entire speech even after being shot in 145 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:14,960 Speaker 1: the chest, this was his reply, in the very unlikely 146 00:09:15,000 --> 00:09:18,800 Speaker 1: event of the wound being mortal, I wish to die 147 00:09:19,559 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: with my boots on. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided 148 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:29,560 Speaker 1: tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on 149 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,600 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting 150 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:37,320 Speaker 1: Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me 151 00:09:37,480 --> 00:09:41,160 Speaker 1: Aaron Manky in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make 152 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, 153 00:09:44,840 --> 00:09:47,800 Speaker 1: book series, and television show, and you can learn all 154 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:51,360 Speaker 1: about it over at the World of lore dot com, 155 00:09:51,400 --> 00:09:53,800 Speaker 1: and until next time, stay curious.