It’s a lighthearted nightmare in here, weirdos! Morbid is a true crime, creepy history and all things spooky podcast hosted by an autopsy technician and a hairstylist. Join us for a heavy dose of research with a dash of comedy thrown in for flavor.
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Episode 598: “Weirdos’ Audiobook Club” presented by Audible – My Best Friend's Exorcism with Special Guest, Sabrina From 2 Girls 1 Ghost!
Episode 598
Friday, August 30, 2024 • Duration 59:04
Weirdos!! It’s our second SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE brought to YOU by our friends at Audible! Today we’re joined by one of our besties, Sabrina from 2 Girls 1 Ghost to chat about Grady Hendrix's, “My Best Friends Exorcism”! Join the “Weirdos’ Audiobook Club’ AND the conversation as we talk about our favorite characters, themes, and scenes! Haven’t listened yet? Don’t worry about it, friend! Go to Audible.com/weirdos for YOUR free trial! And don’t forget to click the episode post on Instagram to comment YOUR favorite part of the book, and discuss with other Weirdos who enjoyed the title, as well!
Weirdos! The Time has come for Listener Tales! We have a great batch of stories brought TO you, BY you, For you, FROM you, and ALLLLL about you! On today's episode, we tell tales of babysitting for a murderer, a story from our best friend (we're so sorry we accidentally speak over you in the car!! a story about being a ghost writer for an abusive ex, and a nephew who had tea parties with deceased relatives!
If you’ve got a listener tale please send it on over to Morbidpodcast@gmail.com with “Listener Tales” somewhere in the subject line :)
On July 6, 1944, an estimated 7,000 people, mostly women and children, gathered at the Barbour Street fairgrounds in Hartford, Connecticut to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Baily Circus. Inside the big top tent, the lion show had just ended, and the Flying Wallendas were getting ready to begin their performance when the tent caught fire, sending the large audience into a panic as the spectators and performers rushed to get to safety. The tent, which had been coated in paraffin wax, was quickly engulfed in flames and by the time the fire was put out, 139 people were dead and hundreds were badly injured. In the weeks that followed, another twenty-eight would die from their injuries. At the time, the Hartford circus fire was one of the worst fires in American history, and it remains one of the biggest tragedies in the state’s history.
Thank you to the incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research!
References
Cavanaugh, Jack. 1994. "The Hartford fire, 50 years later." New York Times, July 3: CN1.
Daily Boston Globe. 1945. "7 Ringling officials held responsible by coroner for Hartford circus fire." Daily Boston Globe, January 12: 12.
—. 1950. "Circus holocaust, 4 N.E. murders laid to N.H. man." Daily Boston Globe, Juky 1: 1.
—. 1950. "Psychiatrist to examine youth who thinks he set Hartford circus fire." Daily Boston Globe, May 21: C29.
Davis, John. 1944. "Circus Fire is described by witness." Hartford Courant, July 7: 3.
Ensworth, Bob. 1944. "Quick-witted show folks saved many, soldier declares." Daily Boston Globe, July 7: 1.
Glaberson, William. 1991. "Our towns." New York Times, August 2: B2.
Hartford Courant. 1944. "113 children, mothers not yet located." Hartford Courant, July 7: 1.
—. 1944. "'Flying Wallendas' on high wire when flames swept through tent." , July 7: 1.
Episode 497: The Haunting of Doris Bither
Episode 497
Monday, September 25, 2023 • Duration 52:35
In the summer of 1974, paranormal investigators and UCLA students Barry Taff and Kerry Gaynor were approached in a bookstore by a woman who’d overheard their conversation about the supernatural and said she had a friend who needed help from someone with their expertise. The friend in question was Doris Bither, a middle-aged single mother of four who claimed she and her family were under attack from unseen entities in their Culver City, California home.
According to Doris, the attacks began several months earlier and included, among other things, objects moving on their own, the presence of inexplicable foul odors in the house, unusual noises with no point of origin, and most distressingly, multiple physical and sexual assaults that were increasing in frequency and intensity.
Thank you to the lovely David White for research assistance :)
References
Biddle, Kenny. 2021. "A Closer Look at the Entity Photographs." Skeptical Inquirer 45 (6).
O'Keeffe, Ciaran, James Houran, Damian Houran, Neil Dagnall, Kenneth Drinkwater, Lorraine Sheridan, and Brian Laythe. 2019. "The Dr. John Hall story: a case study in putative “Haunted People Syndrome"." Mental Health, Religion & Culture 22 (9): 910-929.
2005. The Entity Files. Directed by Perry Martin. Produced by Anchor Bay Entertainment. Performed by Barry Taff.
Episode 496: Half-Hanged Mary
Episode 496
Thursday, September 21, 2023 • Duration 01:08:16
In the depths of American history there are few examples of mass hysteria that loom larger than the Salem witch trials of 1692. As horrific as it was, it was far from the only example of witch-hunting in Massachusetts’ history. In fact, ten years before hysteria over black magic gripped the village of Salem, similar accusations of witchcraft were aimed at Mary Webster of Hadley, a small village in Western Massachusetts.
Thank you to the incredible Dave White for Research assistance.
References
Clancy, Hal. 1977. "In good old days, wicthes would hang for a May snow." The Boston Globe, May 14: 1.
Judd, Sylvester. 1905. History of Hadley. Springfield, MA: H.R. Hunting.
Manning, Alice. 1976. "Witches in the Connecticut Valley: a historical perspective." Daily Hampshire Gazette, December 15: 35.
Marshall, Bridget. 2003. "Mary (Reeve) Webster, the "Witch" of Hadley." University of Massachusetts Lowell. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://faculty.uml.edu//bmarshall/Mary%20Webster.htm.
Mather, Cotton. 1967. Magnalia Christi Americana. New York, NY: Russell and Russell.
Perera, Lisa. 1992. "Before Salem, Valley had witch trials of its own." Daily Hampshire Gazette, May 16: 22.
Smith, Anna. 2019. The Witch of Hadley: Mary Webster, the Weird, and the Wired. October 15. Accessed August 28, 2023. https://www.massreview.org/node/7575.
Episode 495: The Horrific Murder of Jack Tupper- Part 2
Episode 495
Monday, September 18, 2023 • Duration 48:05
On August 6, 1978, the body of thirty-five-year-old bar owner Jack Tupper was found in a vacant lot in the Bronx, just across the street from the local firehouse. His face had been severely slashed, his head and body badly beaten, he had been shot seven times, and finally, he had been set on fire. Witnesses reported seeing a small group of men in the lot attempting to set fire to a box earlier that day, including three witnesses who identified former racehorse trainer Howard “Buddy” Jacobson as one of the men, and one who was able to provide detectives with the license plate number of the car they were driving.
Buddy Jacobson was quickly arrested for Tupper’s murder and the story quickly became New York’s latest scandal: Former horse trainer murders man in love triangle. Jacobson had indeed killed Tupper because the younger man was having an affair with Jacobson’s girlfriend but, while the motive may have been a classic, the story was far more sensational and salacious than anyone could have expected, and it turned out the arrest was just the beginning.
Thank you to David White for research assistance :)
Resources:
Allen, Joy. 1978. "Family is embittered in 'triangle' slaying." Newsday, August 9: 17.
Arnett, Peter, and Jane See White. 1978. "Life and death on fast track for a model." Newsday, August 21: 4.
Associated Press. 1979. "Jacobson defense alleges cocaine plot by victim." Newsday, October 11: 19.
—. 1979. "'Triangle' case hearing could clear defendant." The Journal News, October 24: 4.
Christine, Bill. 1988. "The odyssey of Buddy Jacobson: Horses, models and a murder sentence." Los Angeles Times, January 10.
Cummings, John, and Peggy Brown. 1980. "Buddy Jacobson escapes prison." Newsday, June 01: 3.
Cummings, Jophn, and Joy Allen. 1978. "'Triangle' murder probers hear horseman's ex-wife." , August 16: 17.
Episode 494: Jack Tupper Part 1
Episode 494
Thursday, September 14, 2023 • Duration 52:14
On August 6, 1978, the body of thirty-five-year-old bar owner Jack Tupper was found in a vacant lot in the Bronx, just across the street from the local firehouse. His face had been severely slashed, his head and body badly beaten, he had been shot seven times, and finally, he had been set on fire. Witnesses reported seeing a small group of men in the lot attempting to set fire to a box earlier that day, including three witnesses who identified former racehorse trainer Howard “Buddy” Jacobson as one of the men, and one who was able to provide detectives with the license plate number of the car they were driving.
Buddy Jacobson was quickly arrested for Tupper’s murder and the story quickly became New York’s latest scandal: Former horse trainer murders man in love triangle. Jacobson had indeed killed Tupper because the younger man was having an affair with Jacobson’s girlfriend but, while the motive may have been a classic, the story was far more sensational and salacious than anyone could have expected, and it turned out the arrest was just the beginning.
Thank you to David White for research assistance :)
Resources:
Allen, Joy. 1978. "Family is embittered in 'triangle' slaying." Newsday, August 9: 17.
Arnett, Peter, and Jane See White. 1978. "Life and death on fast track for a model." Newsday, August 21: 4.
Associated Press. 1979. "Jacobson defense alleges cocaine plot by victim." Newsday, October 11: 19.
—. 1979. "'Triangle' case hearing could clear defendant." The Journal News, October 24: 4.
Christine, Bill. 1988. "The odyssey of Buddy Jacobson: Horses, models and a murder sentence." Los Angeles Times, January 10.
Cummings, John, and Peggy Brown. 1980. "Buddy Jacobson escapes prison." Newsday, June 01: 3.
Cummings, Jophn, and Joy Allen. 1978. "'Triangle' murder probers hear horseman's ex-wife." , August 16: 17.
Episode 493: The Attempted Murder of Olga Rocco
Episode 493
Monday, September 11, 2023 • Duration 54:45
On the morning of December 31, 1946, nineteen-year-old Pearl Lusk boarded a crowded subway train in Brooklyn. A few days earlier, she’d met a man named Allen in a bar who offered her a very strange, yet simple job: she was to follow a young woman named Olga and take a photo to determine whether she was wearing any stolen jewelry.
That morning, as Pearl and Olga exited the crowded subway train, Pearl raised the camera in Olga’s direction and pulled the wire to take a photo, but what happened next would put into motion a series of events that rivals fiction.
Thank you to the wonderful Dave White for Research assistance!
References
Adams, Toni. 1947. "Troopers hunt and kill Alphonse Rocco." Kingston Daily Freeman, January 7: 1.
Brooklyn Daily Eagle. 1947. "Camera-gun suspect flees in stolen car." Brooklyn Daily Eagle, January 6: 2.
Buffalo Evening News. 1947. "'Camera' shooting victim asks N.Y. City to pay her $200,000." Buffalo Evening News, February 14: 1.
—. 1953. "Court frees city of liability for not averting shooting." Buffalo Evening News, April 22: 25.
—. 1947. "Police press quest for spouse of camera-gun victim." Buffalo Evening News, January 2: 9.
—. 1946. "Times Square Station is scene of shooting." Buffalo Evening News, December 31: 10.
International News Service. 1947. "Estranged wife and family glad Ruocco is dead." Buffalo Evening News, Janaury 7: 1.
Kingston Daily Freeman. 1947. "Victim of camera shooting guarded." Kingston Daily Freeman, January 2: 18.
In the spring of 2009, Edwin Gonzalez and his girlfriend, Lillian Otero, fled their house in Gardner, MA, less than one year after moving into what they believed was their dream home. Later, once they were safely away from the old Victorian, Gonzalez and Otero would explain to friends and family that they had been driven out by angry ghosts who had done everything—including possessing Lillian—in order to torment them, leaving them no other options than to abandon the house that had once held such promise.
Although they didn’t know it when they moved in, Gonzalez and Otero’s home, the S.K. Pierce Mansion, had long been considered by locals to be haunted. Indeed, in its more than one-hundred-year history, the Victorian home had seen more than its fair share of tragedies, including several deaths in the house as recent as the 1960s, as well as countless other unsavory myths and legends.
Thank you to Dave White for research assistance.
References
City of Gardner. n.d. History. Accessed August 1, 2023. https://www.gardner-ma.gov/316/History.
Discovery Channel. 2013. "Haunted Victorian." A Haunting. New York, NY: Discovery Channel, October 19.
Farragher, Thomas. 2022. "Want to be a ghost host? Come to Gardner." Boston Globe, August 20: B1.
Fiorentino, Alyssa. 2021. How the S.K. Pierce Mansion became one of the most haunted homes in Massachusetts. October 27. Accessed July 31, 2023. https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a38046654/sk-pierce-haunted-victorian-mansion/.
Fitchburg Sentinel. 1963. "Gardner man, 47, dies in room fire." Fitchburg Sentinel, April 9: 11.
—. 1891. "Notes." Fitchburg Sentinel, December 8: 2.
Gelinas, Brian. 2012. "Group of ghost hunting enthusiasts converge on Gardner mansion." Athol News, October 6: 1.
Gershon, Livia. 2006. Ghost hunters. July 28. Accessed August 1, 2023. https://www.thegardnernews.com/story/news/2006/07/28/ghost-hunters/11341583007/.
Episode 491: The Murder of Bridget Cleary
Episode 491
Monday, September 4, 2023 • Duration 01:19:31
On March 15, 1895, thirty-five-year-old Michael Cleary murdered his wife, twenty-six-year-old Bridget Cleary in their home in Ballyvadlea, County Tipperary. While terrible, the murder was just the last act in a series of bizarre atrocities committed against Bridget, whom her husband would later claim had been taken by malevolent fairy folk and replaced with a changeling.
More shocking, however, was that the barbaric act hadn’t been committed by one man alone, but by a group of rural men, including family.
Was Bridget Cleary really murdered out of fear of fairies? Or had Michael Cleary just convinced himself of as much in order to commit murder?
References
Bourke, Angela. 1999. The Burning of Bridget Cleary: A True Story. London, UK: Pimlico.
Freeman's Journal. 1895. "Strange death near Clonmel." Freeman's Journal, March 25.
Irish Times. 1999. "Burning Bridget." Irish Times, August 7: B24.
n.a. 1917. The Tipperary Witch Case. Toronto, ON: McGill University.
New York Times. 1895. "A with burner sentenced." New York Times, July 6: 5.
—. 1895. "Not witches, but fairies." New York Times, April 22: 4.
Ruxton, Dean. 2016. "The story of the last 'witch' bruned alive in Ireland." Irish Times, November 24.
—. 1944. "Negligence facts found says Alcorn." Hartford Courant, July 8: 1.
—. 1944. "Panic and blaze trap hundreds." Hartford Courant, July 7: 1.
—. 1944. "Thousands attracted by circus here." Hartford Courant, July 6: 1.
—. 1944. "Tossed cigarette blamed for fire by ushers, police." Hartford Courant, July 7: 1.
Kelley, Robert. 1945. "The strange case of Little Miss No. 1565 still baffles police." Daily Boston Globe, July 16: 1.
Linscott, Seymour. 1944. "136 die in circus fire." Daily Boston Globe, July 7: 1.
Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 1950. "Quiz firebug suspect in '44 circus tragedy." Los Angeles Evening Citizen News, May 19: 1.
Morning Edition. 2007. Remembering the Horror and Heroes of a Circus Fire. July 6. Accessed July 2, 2024. https://www.npr.org/2007/07/06/11768511/remembering-the-horror-and-heroes-of-a-circus-fire.
New York Times. 1950. "Arson killer sane, psychiatrists find." New York Times, November 2: 47.
—. 1950. "Arsonist imprisoned; admitted 172 deaths." New York Times, November 4: 34.
—. 1944. "Children caught in frenzied mass." New York Times, July 7: 11.
—. 1950. "Some doubts raised in arson confession." New York Times, July 2: 27.
Ross, Leonora. 1944. "Hartford tragedy leaves cricus artisits staggered." Daily Boston Globe, July 8: 2.
Skidgell, Michael. 2019. The Hartford Circus Fire. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing.
Smith, John Henry. 2024. 80 years ago, a gas-soaked roof and WWII created a perfect storm for the Hartford circus tragedy . July 1. Accessed July 1, 2024. https://www.ctpublic.org/news/2024-07-01/80-years-ago-a-gas-soaked-roof-and-wwii-created-a-perfect-storm-for-the-hartford-circus-tragedy.
Tuohy, Lynne. 2004. "Back to the circus." Hartford Courant, May 16: 69.
United Press. 1942. "Scores of animals killed in $125,000 circus fire." Brooklyn Citizen, August 4: 1.
Wallenfeldt, Jeff. 2024. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. May 31. Accessed July 1, 2024. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ringling-Bros-and-Barnum-and-Bailey-Combined-Shows/Ringling-Bros-and-Barnum-Bailey-Combined-Shows.
Ilinitch, Shawn. 2003. Psychic profiler detects spirits in South Gardner home. October 31. Accessed August 1, 2023. https://www.thegardnernews.com/story/news/2003/11/01/psychic-profiler-detects-spirits-in/11284159007/.
Landry, Stephen. 2021. "Debunking rumors about the S.K. Pierce Mansion." Gardner News, September 22.
—. 2020. "New book details history of S.K. Pierce Mansion." Gardner News, September 25.
Pelletiere, Nicole. 2016. Homeowner to turn 'haunted' mansion into scary attraction. September 2. Accessed August 1, 2023. https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/homeowner-turn-haunted-mansion-scary-attraction/story?id=41769810.
SK Haunted Victorian Mansion. 2023. The Mansion. Accessed August 2, 2023. https://www.skhauntedvictorianmansion.com/index.html.
Stanway, Eric. 2013. The Victorian. September: Independent.
—. 2013. "Gardner mansion shelters ghostly past." Worcester Telegram and Gazette, July 10.
Zillow. 2023. 4 West Broadway, Gardner, MA. Accessed August 1, 2023. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4-West-Broadway-Gardner-MA-01440/57587523_zpid/
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