1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:05,519 Speaker 1: Hello, This is Richard mc lean smith, host of Unexplained. Unexplained. 2 00:00:05,600 --> 00:00:08,840 Speaker 1: Season seven has now finished, but will be back on Friday, 3 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: September sixth to begin season eight. In the meantime, I'm 4 00:00:13,039 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: going to be replaying some of my favorite episodes from 5 00:00:16,000 --> 00:00:19,200 Speaker 1: the archives. This week, we're heading back to Sussex, in 6 00:00:19,239 --> 00:00:22,479 Speaker 1: the south of England to explore the dark mysteries of 7 00:00:22,640 --> 00:00:26,159 Speaker 1: Chanctonbury Ring, long thought to be a hot bed of 8 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:30,680 Speaker 1: strange and peculiar activity in the nineteen seventies, One local 9 00:00:30,760 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 1: resident set out to dig a little deeper into the mystery, 10 00:00:34,640 --> 00:00:37,239 Speaker 1: only to find a little more than he bargained for. 11 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:40,559 Speaker 1: As some of you may guess, the title of the 12 00:00:40,600 --> 00:00:44,560 Speaker 1: episode is a reference to The Lark Ascending, a stunningly 13 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: beautiful and stirring piece of music written by the magnificent 14 00:00:48,520 --> 00:00:52,559 Speaker 1: Rape Vaughn Williams. The piece was very much inspired by 15 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:56,720 Speaker 1: the region of Sussex where Vaughan Williams grew up, although 16 00:00:57,040 --> 00:01:01,200 Speaker 1: judging by the sweet nature of his composition, ours wasn't 17 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: the kind of story he had in mind when he 18 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:09,960 Speaker 1: wrote it. So without further ado, here is Unexplained Season four, 19 00:01:10,080 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: Episode eighteen, The Dark Ascending Ambling across the South Downs, 20 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:31,440 Speaker 1: a large stretch of chalk hills, valleys and woodland just 21 00:01:31,480 --> 00:01:34,319 Speaker 1: to the north of the south coast of England, you 22 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:38,440 Speaker 1: might chance upon a peculiar collection of beech trees perched 23 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 1: atop a prominent spot on its northern edge. The trees, 24 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:48,080 Speaker 1: first planted by local landowner Charles Goring in seventeen sixty, 25 00:01:48,680 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 1: but later replaced after being destroyed by a hurricane in 26 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:55,920 Speaker 1: nineteen eighty seven, marked the spot of an ancient circular 27 00:01:55,960 --> 00:02:01,040 Speaker 1: structure believed to date back to the Bronze Age, known 28 00:02:01,040 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: to day as Changtonbury Ring. The original purpose of the 29 00:02:04,800 --> 00:02:10,000 Speaker 1: site remains unknown, with suggestions ranging from the mundane, such 30 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: as it having been first used as little more than 31 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:17,800 Speaker 1: a livestock enclosure, to the sublime, with others believing instead 32 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: that it may well have been some kind of religious 33 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:25,160 Speaker 1: or mystical shrine. Some, however, have claimed it to have 34 00:02:25,160 --> 00:02:28,880 Speaker 1: been used for an altogether different purpose, and that the 35 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: ring had in fact been created by the devil. A 36 00:02:33,760 --> 00:02:37,120 Speaker 1: worthy feature, you might say, for an area of England 37 00:02:37,639 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: long thought to have hosted more than its fair share 38 00:02:40,320 --> 00:02:45,519 Speaker 1: of unexplained phenomena. Some have put the bizarre activity that 39 00:02:45,680 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: seems to plague this quiet part of the countryside in 40 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:52,240 Speaker 1: the County of Sussex to a curse placed on the 41 00:02:52,280 --> 00:02:55,880 Speaker 1: local village of Clapham by a disgruntled resident back in 42 00:02:55,919 --> 00:02:59,360 Speaker 1: twelve eighty eight, after losing a legal case against a 43 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:04,240 Speaker 1: local part Robert Lafulconer was said to have damned the 44 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 1: accursed village and all its meager holdings, stating that the 45 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: priesthood of a false god would soon come to know 46 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: its fate. Others, however, argue it had begun a long 47 00:03:16,360 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: time before, with Changdonbury believed to be the site of 48 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:23,080 Speaker 1: an otherworldly power, being thought to have once been the 49 00:03:23,120 --> 00:03:27,200 Speaker 1: location of a former Druidic temple used for ancient and 50 00:03:27,320 --> 00:03:32,400 Speaker 1: mysterious rituals. Back in the nineteen twenties, local resident and 51 00:03:32,480 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: famed occultist Victor Neuberg, along with his cohort and sometime 52 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: lover Alister Crowley, was said to have taken a keen 53 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:45,640 Speaker 1: interest in the area. According to local law, if one 54 00:03:45,680 --> 00:03:47,880 Speaker 1: were to venture to the ring at midnight on a 55 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:53,120 Speaker 1: Midsummer's Eve and walk its circumference twelve times, the midnight drew, 56 00:03:53,200 --> 00:03:58,800 Speaker 1: it would appear or even the devil themselves Other local 57 00:03:58,880 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: tales speak of a white bearded Saxon soldier believed to 58 00:04:03,120 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: have been killed at the Battle of Hastings in ten 59 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:09,440 Speaker 1: sixty six, seen scrabbling about the floor looking for something, 60 00:04:10,160 --> 00:04:13,800 Speaker 1: while some report the sightings of hazy lights and strange 61 00:04:13,800 --> 00:04:18,240 Speaker 1: apparitions seen in the area at night, with some suggesting 62 00:04:18,360 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: that they might have something to do with a nearby 63 00:04:21,080 --> 00:04:25,479 Speaker 1: plague pit. Perhaps the most romantic of all the ghost 64 00:04:25,520 --> 00:04:28,440 Speaker 1: stories that shroud the area is that of the ghost 65 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: of Prince Agasaclis cyanesis a famed astrologer from Carrier in 66 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:37,960 Speaker 1: western Anatolia. As legend goes, it was in the early 67 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: seventeenth century that the prince began using Changdonbury Ring to 68 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:46,560 Speaker 1: observe the stars, when one night, after writing the words 69 00:04:46,880 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 1: Sir Pelli Ubi kakidi bury me wherever I have fallen, 70 00:04:51,560 --> 00:04:55,080 Speaker 1: he fell down dead. It is said that to this 71 00:04:55,200 --> 00:04:59,520 Speaker 1: day the astrologer can still be seen wandering the ring 72 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:04,479 Speaker 1: of trees at night. You're listening to Unexplained and I'm 73 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:14,920 Speaker 1: Richard mc lean smith. It was the morning of all 74 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: Hallow's Eve back in nineteen seventy eight, when Reverend Harry 75 00:05:19,040 --> 00:05:21,920 Speaker 1: Snelling made his way to the town of Goring in 76 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:26,880 Speaker 1: West Sussex for a routine dental operation. Riding the bus 77 00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: into town, the sixty five year old recently retired vicer 78 00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:35,000 Speaker 1: chatted amiably with his former parishioners before arriving at the 79 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: dentist just in time for his appointment later that afternoon. 80 00:05:40,320 --> 00:05:43,760 Speaker 1: Having arrived in Findon, four miles from the town of Stenning, 81 00:05:43,880 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 1: where he lived, Snelling called his wife from a phone 82 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: box and asked if she could pick him up. However, 83 00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,640 Speaker 1: since their car had broken down recently and was still 84 00:05:54,680 --> 00:05:57,960 Speaker 1: in need of servicing, Snelling had no other choice but 85 00:05:58,040 --> 00:06:01,919 Speaker 1: to make the journey on foot. A short time later, 86 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,320 Speaker 1: with dusk descending, Snelling was seen heading off the main 87 00:06:06,400 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: road and striking out across the downs in the direction 88 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:15,520 Speaker 1: of his home. As evening turned to night, Snelling's wife 89 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:20,320 Speaker 1: waited anxiously for her husband's return, but Harry never made 90 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:25,440 Speaker 1: it home. The next day, after he was reported missing, 91 00:06:26,120 --> 00:06:29,839 Speaker 1: twenty five police officers from the surrounding area were immediately 92 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:34,039 Speaker 1: dispatched to search for him, focusing their attention on the 93 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:36,719 Speaker 1: most likely route he would have taken to get home. 94 00:06:37,480 --> 00:06:40,599 Speaker 1: For the best part of a week, the police, assisted 95 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: by search dog teams, a raft of volunteers, and even 96 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:48,040 Speaker 1: a light aircraft tried desperately to find any sign of 97 00:06:48,080 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: the man, but in the end found nothing. A few 98 00:06:52,520 --> 00:06:56,920 Speaker 1: days later, the search was called off, with no reason 99 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: to suspect anything otherwise. It was assumed at Snelling had 100 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,600 Speaker 1: either tragically ended his own life or had collapsed and 101 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 1: died somewhere and was yet to be found. At the 102 00:07:08,880 --> 00:07:12,880 Speaker 1: time of the reverend's disappearance, Charles Walker worked as a 103 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: sales assistant in Worthing, just five miles south of where 104 00:07:16,480 --> 00:07:21,480 Speaker 1: the retired clergyman was last seen alive. In his spare time, however, 105 00:07:22,120 --> 00:07:25,360 Speaker 1: Walker had become somewhat of an expert on the peculiar 106 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: history of his local area, collecting and documenting evidence that 107 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:33,520 Speaker 1: seemed to suggest that something very sinister had been brewing 108 00:07:33,560 --> 00:07:37,679 Speaker 1: there for quite some time. Could it be he thought 109 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: that there was a little more to the reverend's disappearance 110 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:54,280 Speaker 1: than first met the eye. Having always been fascinated by 111 00:07:54,320 --> 00:07:57,679 Speaker 1: the possibility of the paranormal, it was back in April 112 00:07:57,800 --> 00:08:02,080 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy two that Charles W. Walker's interest was really piqued. 113 00:08:02,960 --> 00:08:07,240 Speaker 1: It was then that the region's numerous apparent mysterious happenings 114 00:08:07,640 --> 00:08:12,640 Speaker 1: were given a thoroughly modernized slant. Three friends from Walker's 115 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:16,880 Speaker 1: hometown had ventured up toward Chantonbury Ring late one night 116 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: when they noticed a soft light flickering from within it. 117 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,280 Speaker 1: Having assumed it to be nothing more than a bonfire, 118 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:27,240 Speaker 1: they were surprised to find when they arrived at the 119 00:08:27,280 --> 00:08:31,800 Speaker 1: trees moments later, that the light had gone out and 120 00:08:31,840 --> 00:08:35,640 Speaker 1: there was no sign of anyone else around. It was 121 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:39,480 Speaker 1: only then, as one of the group later recounted, that 122 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:42,720 Speaker 1: a sudden wish from above drew their attention to the 123 00:08:42,760 --> 00:08:46,120 Speaker 1: dim red glow of some kind of object that was 124 00:08:46,160 --> 00:08:49,800 Speaker 1: hovering just above the tree tops in front of them. 125 00:08:50,160 --> 00:08:53,360 Speaker 1: A moment later, they watched it as it shot up 126 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:58,440 Speaker 1: into the sky, though its possible significance to the wider 127 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:01,719 Speaker 1: story was not yet a pass to Walker. It was 128 00:09:01,760 --> 00:09:06,679 Speaker 1: around the same time that local police officer Peter Goldsmith disappeared. 129 00:09:07,840 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 1: It was in June of that year that Goldsmith, who 130 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:16,079 Speaker 1: like Harry Snelling, also lived in Stenning, left work after 131 00:09:16,120 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: completing his shift for the day, but never made it 132 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:23,680 Speaker 1: back home. It wasn't until six months later that a 133 00:09:23,720 --> 00:09:27,360 Speaker 1: local farmer, helping to coordinate a hunting party at a 134 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:32,280 Speaker 1: nearby farm just west of Stenning discovered Goldsmith's dead body 135 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: hidden under a thick growth of brambles at the edge 136 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:39,800 Speaker 1: of the farmland. The body was found curled up on 137 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:43,920 Speaker 1: its left side, as if Goldsmith had merely gone to sleep. 138 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:47,600 Speaker 1: A bottle of brown liquid was also found next to 139 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: the body. While curiously clutched in the hand, police found 140 00:09:52,679 --> 00:09:56,080 Speaker 1: what was described as some kind of metal disk like 141 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:59,760 Speaker 1: a token, With many assuming the liquid had been some 142 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,439 Speaker 1: of poison, the coroner was stumped when it was in 143 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:07,559 Speaker 1: fact found not to have been poisonous at all. With 144 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,720 Speaker 1: no definitive cause of death, there was no choice but 145 00:10:10,800 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: to record an open verdict, with some form of suicide 146 00:10:14,360 --> 00:10:19,160 Speaker 1: thought to be most likely. However, many were left wondering 147 00:10:19,679 --> 00:10:22,880 Speaker 1: not only how search teams had failed to spot Goldsmith's 148 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:28,440 Speaker 1: body despite investigating that area extensively, but also how on 149 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,319 Speaker 1: earth he managed to place himself under such a thick, 150 00:10:31,559 --> 00:10:35,000 Speaker 1: impenetrable mesh of brambles, which had to be cut away 151 00:10:35,360 --> 00:10:39,240 Speaker 1: in order to extract the body. Though brambles can grow 152 00:10:39,320 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: up to three inches in a day, the extent to 153 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:45,600 Speaker 1: which the body had been hidden was something of a surprise. 154 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:56,160 Speaker 1: Over the next few years, Walker, having joined a local 155 00:10:56,240 --> 00:10:59,720 Speaker 1: paranormal research group, continued to keep an ear out for 156 00:10:59,720 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: any peculiar activity, but what he craved most was to 157 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:07,520 Speaker 1: experience something himself, and he wouldn't have long to wait. 158 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,920 Speaker 1: It was in August nineteen seventy four that Walker, then 159 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:16,400 Speaker 1: in his early twenties, along with three others, made a 160 00:11:16,480 --> 00:11:21,520 Speaker 1: late night research trip to Chantonbury Ring. Walker would later 161 00:11:21,600 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: claim that it was sometime around eleven PM when one 162 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:28,839 Speaker 1: of the group, William Lincoln, stepped into the center of 163 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:32,080 Speaker 1: the ring, only to be suddenly snatched up by an 164 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 1: invisible force and thrust five feet into the air, and 165 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: there he would stay for the best part of a minute, 166 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:43,800 Speaker 1: seemingly levitating in mid air as he screamed to be released, 167 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:50,000 Speaker 1: before finally being sent sprawling to the ground. It wasn't 168 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,600 Speaker 1: long after that that the dogs started to go missing. 169 00:11:55,640 --> 00:11:59,200 Speaker 1: The reports began appearing in local papers in spring of 170 00:11:59,280 --> 00:12:03,440 Speaker 1: nineteen seventy, though many believe it had been happening for 171 00:12:03,480 --> 00:12:08,200 Speaker 1: some time. The first to be reported was a three 172 00:12:08,280 --> 00:12:11,440 Speaker 1: year old and well trained chowdog that was walking with 173 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,560 Speaker 1: its family in Clapham Wood, just to the north of 174 00:12:14,559 --> 00:12:18,839 Speaker 1: Clapham village in an area known as the Chestnuts, when 175 00:12:18,880 --> 00:12:22,200 Speaker 1: it suddenly bolted off into the trees, never to return. 176 00:12:23,800 --> 00:12:27,120 Speaker 1: Only a week later, a two year old Collie, an 177 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: intelligent working farm dock, was being walked near the same 178 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,920 Speaker 1: spot when it too shot off into the undergrowth, never 179 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:39,920 Speaker 1: to be seen again. Not long after, a golden labrador, 180 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,880 Speaker 1: while walking in the same woods, became distracted by something 181 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:47,400 Speaker 1: unseen in the trees, before darting off in search of it. 182 00:12:48,960 --> 00:12:52,600 Speaker 1: The dog's companions, alerted to its location by the sound 183 00:12:52,679 --> 00:12:56,120 Speaker 1: of its desperate whimpers, were devastated to find it in 184 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 1: some distress and unable to walk, which it was later 185 00:13:00,720 --> 00:13:04,760 Speaker 1: found to have somehow been paralyzed. The dog was unfortunately 186 00:13:05,080 --> 00:13:09,960 Speaker 1: put down, and soon more people came forward to report 187 00:13:10,000 --> 00:13:13,160 Speaker 1: their own experiences walking with their dogs at the same location, 188 00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:18,200 Speaker 1: describing how they or their dog had clearly felt an uneasy, 189 00:13:18,480 --> 00:13:23,920 Speaker 1: ominous atmosphere in those woods. Back at his home in Worthing, 190 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:28,320 Speaker 1: Charles Walker, as ever, followed the stories with the keen interest, 191 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:33,600 Speaker 1: keeping copies of the articles for future reference. A few 192 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:45,080 Speaker 1: months later, a body was found in the woods. Sixty 193 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:48,640 Speaker 1: six year old Leon Foster had been missing for three 194 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:52,040 Speaker 1: weeks when a couple out looking for a horse that 195 00:13:52,120 --> 00:13:56,120 Speaker 1: had escaped a nearby paddock, noticed a pair of boots 196 00:13:56,280 --> 00:14:00,880 Speaker 1: sticking out from the undergrowth. When police arrive soon after, 197 00:14:01,640 --> 00:14:05,959 Speaker 1: they found it to be the body of Leon Foster Straw. 198 00:14:06,080 --> 00:14:09,559 Speaker 1: Discovered under and around his body and the remains of 199 00:14:09,600 --> 00:14:13,559 Speaker 1: a makeshift shelter tied around the trunk of a nearby tree, 200 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,760 Speaker 1: suggested that he'd been living in the woods for some time, 201 00:14:17,840 --> 00:14:21,160 Speaker 1: with most assuming that he'd simply died of hunger or 202 00:14:21,240 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 1: exposure while living outside. However, with the coroner once again 203 00:14:27,400 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: unable to ascertain a precise cause of death, an open 204 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:36,120 Speaker 1: verdict was recorded. It was around this time that Walker 205 00:14:36,280 --> 00:14:40,400 Speaker 1: began to wonder if all these mysterious incidences, from the 206 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:44,560 Speaker 1: disappearances to the UFO sightings, not to mention the area's 207 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:51,480 Speaker 1: apparent supernatural history stretching back centuries, might somehow be linked. 208 00:14:52,240 --> 00:14:55,680 Speaker 1: Over the next few years, drawing on the various reports 209 00:14:55,720 --> 00:14:59,960 Speaker 1: of peculiar activity and the litany of local folklore, claimed 210 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: that Shanktonbury Ring and the surrounding area was somehow a 211 00:15:04,120 --> 00:15:07,480 Speaker 1: focal point of a cult activity. He wondered if it 212 00:15:07,560 --> 00:15:11,800 Speaker 1: might be possible that perhaps an occult organization was using 213 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:17,200 Speaker 1: the area for nefarious purposes. In October nineteen seventy eight, 214 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: Walker wrote to the local paper asking its readers for 215 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:25,720 Speaker 1: any information they might have on such a group. Within days, 216 00:15:26,160 --> 00:15:30,720 Speaker 1: he was inundated with replies from the mundane to the outlandish. 217 00:15:31,280 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 1: None of it, however, warranted following up to flate it. 218 00:15:36,600 --> 00:15:40,560 Speaker 1: Walker had resigned himself to having found nothing useful when 219 00:15:40,640 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: one night in early November, having just settled down to 220 00:15:44,520 --> 00:15:50,880 Speaker 1: watch TV, his phone rang. Answering the call, Walker was 221 00:15:50,920 --> 00:15:54,280 Speaker 1: greeted by an assertive sounding man with a low voice 222 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:59,200 Speaker 1: and an RP accent. Though the man wouldn't identify himself, 223 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:03,200 Speaker 1: he claimed to have the information that Walker was looking for, 224 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:06,560 Speaker 1: and suggested the pair of them meet up to discuss 225 00:16:06,560 --> 00:16:10,800 Speaker 1: it further. Though Walker couldn't say exactly why, it was, 226 00:16:11,560 --> 00:16:15,000 Speaker 1: unlike all of the other responders to his request, something 227 00:16:15,040 --> 00:16:20,440 Speaker 1: about this caller seemed genuine. Walker duly agreed to meet 228 00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:23,520 Speaker 1: up with him, assuming they would set a date to meet, 229 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:27,720 Speaker 1: either at his home or somewhere neutral. But the man 230 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:35,360 Speaker 1: had something else in mind. Tonight, he said At nine pm. 231 00:16:35,560 --> 00:16:38,400 Speaker 1: Walker looked at the clock on his wall, the hands 232 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 1: now pointing to eight thirty. I'll be waiting for you 233 00:16:42,880 --> 00:16:47,240 Speaker 1: in Clapham Woods, by the crossroads and the chestnuts, he said, 234 00:16:47,880 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 1: and then he hung up. It was pitch black when 235 00:17:01,880 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 1: Walker arrived twenty minutes later at the top of Titnaw Lane, 236 00:17:06,520 --> 00:17:11,280 Speaker 1: a small rise overlooking the forest beyond. Making his way 237 00:17:11,320 --> 00:17:14,560 Speaker 1: toward the entrance road, he noticed the car park to 238 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:19,680 Speaker 1: the woods was completely empty, with only the sound of 239 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 1: an occasional car passing along the road behind him. Walker 240 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:28,320 Speaker 1: pushed on through a gate and into the trees behind. 241 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:32,600 Speaker 1: With the gentle roar of distant traffic having disappeared altogether 242 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,040 Speaker 1: and only the sound of his own footsteps for company, 243 00:17:36,720 --> 00:17:40,720 Speaker 1: Walker pressed on toward the cross roads, anxiously listening out 244 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:45,040 Speaker 1: for any hint of some one else approaching. Arriving at 245 00:17:45,040 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 1: the meeting point at nine on the dot, Walker called 246 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:53,439 Speaker 1: out for a response, but heard nothing in return. The 247 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:59,760 Speaker 1: place was deserted. Only then did Walker realize his hands 248 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 1: were shaking, but not from the cold night air. Lighting 249 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:07,920 Speaker 1: a cigarette to calm his nerves, Walker began to pace 250 00:18:08,000 --> 00:18:10,760 Speaker 1: up and down, trying to keep warm as he waited. 251 00:18:11,800 --> 00:18:15,040 Speaker 1: By the end of a second cigarette, Walker was beginning 252 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:18,000 Speaker 1: to suspect that it had been nothing but a practical joke, 253 00:18:18,920 --> 00:18:21,439 Speaker 1: But just as he started to make his way back out, 254 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,840 Speaker 1: he heard some one whisper out from behind some nearby trees. 255 00:18:27,320 --> 00:18:31,080 Speaker 1: Don't attempt to look for me, the voide said, for 256 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,240 Speaker 1: your safety and mine, it is imperative you do not 257 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:40,600 Speaker 1: see who I am. Walker froze, immediately recognizing it as 258 00:18:40,640 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: the man he had spoken to earlier. After Walker agreed 259 00:18:45,080 --> 00:18:47,960 Speaker 1: to keep looking the way he was facing, the man 260 00:18:48,359 --> 00:18:53,040 Speaker 1: began to talk. I am an initiate of the Friends 261 00:18:53,040 --> 00:18:58,440 Speaker 1: of her CARTI, named after the Greek goddess of magic, witchcraft, 262 00:18:58,600 --> 00:19:02,600 Speaker 1: and the Night. We are the group you've been looking for, 263 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:05,840 Speaker 1: he said, and it would be in your best interests 264 00:19:06,200 --> 00:19:12,159 Speaker 1: to stop looking. Unperturbed, Walker asked the man if the 265 00:19:12,160 --> 00:19:16,399 Speaker 1: group had anything to do with the recent disappearances, without 266 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:20,040 Speaker 1: going into too much detail, the man replied that their 267 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:24,679 Speaker 1: rituals occasionally required a blood sacrifice, if that was the 268 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:30,480 Speaker 1: answer he was looking for. And so it continued as 269 00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:34,720 Speaker 1: the increasingly nervous Walker listened carefully as the man explained 270 00:19:35,400 --> 00:19:37,840 Speaker 1: how the group had been operating in that area for 271 00:19:37,880 --> 00:19:41,240 Speaker 1: at least ten years because the atmosphere of the woods, 272 00:19:41,359 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 1: as he described it, was perfect for their purposes, but 273 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: when Walker inquired as to what that purpose was exactly, 274 00:19:50,560 --> 00:19:55,399 Speaker 1: the man fell silent. He then explained to Walker that 275 00:19:55,480 --> 00:19:59,120 Speaker 1: they had friends in very high places, before warning him 276 00:19:59,119 --> 00:20:02,120 Speaker 1: again to buy cough and that they would stop at 277 00:20:02,119 --> 00:20:06,800 Speaker 1: nothing to ensure the safety of their cult. Then there 278 00:20:06,880 --> 00:20:12,560 Speaker 1: was another silence. When Walker called out moments later, it 279 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 1: was clear he was once again alone. Hurrying out of 280 00:20:16,840 --> 00:20:20,640 Speaker 1: the forest, Walker was relieved to finally make it back home. 281 00:20:22,720 --> 00:20:27,199 Speaker 1: A few days later, while cycling home from work, Walker 282 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:31,320 Speaker 1: heard a car pull up close behind him. He barely 283 00:20:31,320 --> 00:20:34,640 Speaker 1: felt the bump before finding himself sprawled on his back 284 00:20:34,880 --> 00:20:38,239 Speaker 1: in the middle of the road, watching aghast as the 285 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,440 Speaker 1: car sped off into the distance before he could make 286 00:20:41,520 --> 00:20:51,400 Speaker 1: note of its details. After lying low for the next 287 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:55,040 Speaker 1: six months, in the spring of the following year, Walker 288 00:20:55,080 --> 00:20:57,639 Speaker 1: renewed his search for evidence of the Friends of her 289 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:03,159 Speaker 1: Cart's activities. One morning, whilst walking through the grounds of 290 00:21:03,240 --> 00:21:06,040 Speaker 1: the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, just south of 291 00:21:06,080 --> 00:21:09,800 Speaker 1: Clapham Woods, Walker was distracted by the site of the 292 00:21:09,840 --> 00:21:14,239 Speaker 1: town's manor house next door, but more specifically by the 293 00:21:14,280 --> 00:21:18,639 Speaker 1: medieval barn that still stood on its grounds. The house 294 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: had been occupied for some time, but seeing that the 295 00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:27,680 Speaker 1: barn door was open, Walker began to wander. Quickly checking 296 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:31,680 Speaker 1: that no one was around, Walker leaped over the church wall, 297 00:21:32,040 --> 00:21:37,360 Speaker 1: scooted up the driveway and ducked into the barn. Looking up, 298 00:21:37,760 --> 00:21:40,359 Speaker 1: he gasped at the sight of a bizarre mural on 299 00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:45,440 Speaker 1: the wall, about three foot high in size. It was 300 00:21:45,480 --> 00:21:50,119 Speaker 1: apparently composed primarily of a demonic looking entity with a 301 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:56,640 Speaker 1: huge horned head, scaly body, and forked tail. In its hands, 302 00:21:57,000 --> 00:22:00,840 Speaker 1: it held a sword and chalice, ancient symbols of fertility, 303 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,680 Speaker 1: and behind it a bank of flames licked up from 304 00:22:04,680 --> 00:22:10,399 Speaker 1: the ground. Hearing a sound outside, Walker looked out to 305 00:22:10,440 --> 00:22:14,480 Speaker 1: see a man running toward him. In panic, he bolted 306 00:22:14,520 --> 00:22:17,880 Speaker 1: away as the man gave chase, before managing to lose 307 00:22:17,920 --> 00:22:22,760 Speaker 1: him in the woods. Over the next few years, Charles 308 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,360 Speaker 1: Walker continued hunting for evidence not only of the apparent 309 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:30,159 Speaker 1: occult group's existence, but also of their connection to the 310 00:22:30,200 --> 00:22:32,879 Speaker 1: many strange events that had taken place in the area 311 00:22:33,480 --> 00:22:37,280 Speaker 1: over the last few years, but the group and its 312 00:22:37,320 --> 00:22:45,200 Speaker 1: members remained elusive. In August nineteen eighty one, officers at 313 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,879 Speaker 1: Worthing Police station received a package with a battered and 314 00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:53,600 Speaker 1: disheveled wallet inside, along with a crudely drawn map of 315 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:57,440 Speaker 1: some woods located on the Sussex Downs, about a mile 316 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:01,840 Speaker 1: to the northwest of Stenning. Examining the bank cards in 317 00:23:01,920 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 1: the wallet, police found the name Harry Snelling embossed on 318 00:23:06,600 --> 00:23:10,960 Speaker 1: the front of them, as an accompanying letter explained the 319 00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:14,679 Speaker 1: center of the package. A tourist from Canada named Michael 320 00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: Rain had found a human skeleton while walking across the 321 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:21,320 Speaker 1: Downs the previous week, which he believed to be the 322 00:23:21,359 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: remains of Reverend Snelling. Since he had an important flight 323 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:28,399 Speaker 1: to catch, Worried that he would be dragged into a 324 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 1: lengthy police investigation, Rain decided instead to send the wallet 325 00:23:33,280 --> 00:23:36,600 Speaker 1: as evidence of his find and a map to explain 326 00:23:36,640 --> 00:23:41,800 Speaker 1: where the remains could be located. Following the instructions, later 327 00:23:41,840 --> 00:23:45,400 Speaker 1: that day, police found the skeleton at the north edge 328 00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:49,240 Speaker 1: of some woodland close to a property known as Whiston House. 329 00:23:51,040 --> 00:23:53,520 Speaker 1: Not only were they surprised to find that the bones, 330 00:23:53,960 --> 00:23:58,120 Speaker 1: despite having supposedly been there for almost three years, had 331 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:02,959 Speaker 1: not been much obscured by surrounding vegetation, but also that 332 00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: the area in which they were found had been thoroughly 333 00:24:06,160 --> 00:24:17,639 Speaker 1: searched numerous times before. It wasn't long after the discovery 334 00:24:17,680 --> 00:24:21,840 Speaker 1: of Snelling's remains that others began to notice the suspicious 335 00:24:21,920 --> 00:24:25,399 Speaker 1: number of unexplained deaths and other events that seemed to 336 00:24:25,440 --> 00:24:29,440 Speaker 1: be plaguing this quiet, unassuming area of the English countryside. 337 00:24:31,359 --> 00:24:36,479 Speaker 1: Writing in the paranormal magazine unexplained that year, Toy Newton, 338 00:24:37,040 --> 00:24:41,040 Speaker 1: without any reference to the Friends of Herkati, made his 339 00:24:41,080 --> 00:24:45,960 Speaker 1: own effort to document the bizarre collection of events. A 340 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:49,840 Speaker 1: few months later, he received a curious letter from a reader. 341 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:56,280 Speaker 1: Dear Sirs, it began in your article on Clapham Woods. 342 00:24:56,920 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: You ask of the mysterious events a link to a 343 00:24:59,600 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: black coven. I can tell you they are, but it's 344 00:25:04,200 --> 00:25:09,119 Speaker 1: much more than that. They are called the Friends of Hakati, 345 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:12,720 Speaker 1: and they meet in the woods and the barn up 346 00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:17,120 Speaker 1: by the church and make ritual sacrifices. At the time 347 00:25:17,160 --> 00:25:22,400 Speaker 1: of Orion. The Archer people get headaches and strange feelings 348 00:25:22,440 --> 00:25:26,439 Speaker 1: at Clapham because the place is building up vibrations so 349 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:30,520 Speaker 1: they can get the force that they want. Sometimes this 350 00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:35,240 Speaker 1: strange force has even started fires, but everything is hushed up. 351 00:25:36,480 --> 00:25:40,800 Speaker 1: They can make people do what they want. I can't 352 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:44,680 Speaker 1: sign my name, but be warned they are much more 353 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:55,040 Speaker 1: powerful than a black coven. If you enjoy Unexplained and 354 00:25:55,040 --> 00:25:57,439 Speaker 1: would like to help supporters, you can now do so 355 00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:01,840 Speaker 1: via Patreon. To receive access to add free episodes, discount 356 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:04,639 Speaker 1: or merchandise, as well as brand new video and audio 357 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:09,080 Speaker 1: content exclusive to Patreon members. 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All elements of Unexplained, including 366 00:26:39,880 --> 00:26:43,000 Speaker 1: the show's music, are produced by me Richard mclin smith. 367 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,520 Speaker 1: Please subscribe and rate the show wherever you listen to podcasts, 368 00:26:46,800 --> 00:26:49,000 Speaker 1: and feel free to get in touch with any thoughts 369 00:26:49,040 --> 00:26:51,639 Speaker 1: or ideas regarding the stories you've heard on the show. 370 00:26:52,240 --> 00:26:54,359 Speaker 1: Perhaps you have an explanation of your own you'd like 371 00:26:54,400 --> 00:26:57,720 Speaker 1: to share. You can reach us online at Unexplained podcast 372 00:26:57,800 --> 00:27:02,680 Speaker 1: dot com or Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at 373 00:27:02,680 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: Facebook dot com Orward Slash Unexplained Podcast. This episode was 374 00:27:13,040 --> 00:27:17,880 Speaker 1: written by Richard McLain smith Unexplained as an AV Club 375 00:27:17,920 --> 00:27:23,120 Speaker 1: Productions podcast created by Richard McClain Smith. All other elements 376 00:27:23,119 --> 00:27:26,520 Speaker 1: of the podcast, including the music, are also produced by 377 00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:31,280 Speaker 1: me Richard McClain smith Unexplained. The book and audiobook, with 378 00:27:31,480 --> 00:27:34,879 Speaker 1: stories never before featured on the show, is now available 379 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:40,359 Speaker 1: to buy worldwide. You can purchase from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Waterstones, 380 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:44,240 Speaker 1: and other bookstores. Please subscribe to and rate the show 381 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:47,440 Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts, and feel free to get 382 00:27:47,480 --> 00:27:50,880 Speaker 1: in touch with any thoughts or ideas regarding the stories 383 00:27:50,920 --> 00:27:53,719 Speaker 1: you've heard on the show. Perhaps you have an explanation 384 00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:56,400 Speaker 1: of your own you'd like to share. You can find 385 00:27:56,400 --> 00:27:59,920 Speaker 1: out more at Unexplained podcast dot com and reaches of 386 00:28:00,160 --> 00:28:04,800 Speaker 1: line through Twitter at Unexplained Pod and Facebook at Facebook 387 00:28:04,840 --> 00:30:05,479 Speaker 1: dot com, Forward Slash Unexplained Podcast, assass