Coffee With Jeff

This episode 225, I talk about a possible alien visitation witnessed by 100s of Australian students and a few teachers back in the spring of 1966. Not only was there a UFO sighting, but also a large government cover-up and even one child’s disappearance. To the best of my understanding, this is the story that happened more than 50 years ago, 20 minutes or so, that would change many people's lives forever.

The links to the sources I used to write this show!

Phenomena Magazine - Issue 024 - April 2011
PROJECT 1947
Skeptoid by Brian Dunning - The Westall '66 UFO
The Westall ‘UFO’ incident still remains a mystery 50 years after it occurred
Westall UFO Encounter 1966 Australia NSW
Melbourne UFO Mystery: 50 Years On | Studio 10

The year was 1872, more than two decades after the start of the California gold rush! The nation was just waiting for the next big wonderful thing. Two uneducated miners, Philip Arnold and John Slack gave the people just what they were hoping. Today I bring you the astonishing story of the great diamond hoax!

Link to the sources I used to write this adventure:
Diamonds in the Salt by Bruce Albert Woodard
Wyoming State Historical Society - The Diamond Hoax: a Bonanza That Never Was
Smithsonian Magazine - The Great Diamond Hoax of 1872
Great Diamond Hoax - Wikipedia
November 26, 1872: Great Diamond Hoax Exposed

This podcast is the story of a man who wrote and directed three films in the 1960s, and, unfortunately, all three are considered some of the worse films ever made. Yes, today I tell you the very incomplete story of a man who came from a small town in Oklahoma to make it as an actor in Hollywood. His name was Coleman Francis.

Links to the Sources I used to write this amazing show:
Coleman Francis - Wikipedia
The Astounding B Monster Archive - Interview with Anthony Cardoza by Tom Weaver

This podcast is the yarn of an Arizona stagecoach robbery in 1899 by a woman named may or may not have been Pearl Hart, who may or may not have been from Canada. A story that asked a lot of questions that have no answers, and for that, I apologize in advance. Enjoy!

Links to the sources I used to write this episode.
Legends of America - Pearl Hart – Lady Bandit of Arizona
Chronicle of the Old West - Pearl Hart (Video)
Pearl Hart - Wikipedia
Pearl Hart: Smooth-talking card shark led Pearl's slide to perdition
Arizona Territory, 1863-1912: A Political History by Jay J. Wagoner

This is episode 221. In 1962, Herk Harvey saw a strange sight in Salt Lake City and was inspired to make a film called Carnival of Souls. It was a film made with a micro-budget, mostly filmed in Lawrence, Kansas with a little more in Utah. After being ripped off by a distribution company, the film fell into obscurity only to become a cult classic in the late 1980s.

LInks to the Sources I used to write this exciting episode:
Interview with Carnival of Souls' director Herk Harvey (YouTube)
Centron Films Camera - Kansaspedia
It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror By Tom Weaver
I Was a Monster Movie Maker By Tom Weaver
Herk Harvey 1983 (YouTube)
Carnival of Souls (Wikipedia)
Herk Harvey (Wikipedia)

This is episode 220. Today I bring you the story of the Salem Witch Trials.  There are so many things I found that I didn’t know about these dark moments in history. The events began in 1692 by an 8 and 11-year-old but the seeds of this injustice began years earlier. What could possibly cause people to hang so many people of their own community!

Links to the Sources I used to write this episode
Giles and Martha Corey Memorial
The Witchcraft Trial of Giles Corey
Famous Trials - George Burroughs
The Witchcraft Trial of Reverend George Burroughs
A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Witch Trials - Video
Bewitchment in Salem: The Real Story - Video
Salem Witch Trial Full Documentary The Geographic Channel
History Professor Emerson "Tad" Baker at the Dyer Library in Saco, Maine.

This is episode 219 and today I bring you the story of the Amazing Ruth Gordon.  Most know were from the films she was in in the late 60s and 1970s. The thing is, Ruthie had an over 50-year acting career before most moviegoers heard of her. She was a writer as well. Oh, did I mention she asked to have both her legs broken and they were?

Links to the sources I used to write today's story
The Broadcast 41 - GORDON, RUTH
Encyclopedia.com - Gordon, Ruth (1896–1985)
Ruth Gordon - Wikipedia
And Newspapers.com

This is episode 218 and today I bring you the story of the Amazing Texas Guinan, a woman born in 1884 that was a stage and film star but really became known as a highly popular nightclub hostess during the Prohibition era. Oh, and one thing about Texas, you can’t believe a thing she said about herself. What is the truth about her life? Maybe I got some of it right.

Links to the sources I used to write today's story
Texas Guinan danced her way through Chicago — until it killed her
Texas Guinan - Wikipedia
Texas Guinan: Queen of the Night
Guinan, Mary Louise Cecilia [Texas] (1884–1933)
Texas Guinan - Video

In this episode, I bring you two older shows, both from 2015. The shows were a lot shorter back then. The first part is the tale of Elsie Wright, Frances Griffiths, and The Cottingley Fairies. These were photos two young girls took of fairies. The second part is the story of William H. Mumler who took pictures of the ghost of Abraham Lincoln and well as many dead American Civil War soldiers.

Links to the Cottingley Fairies Story

Geoffrey Crawley, 83, Dies; Gently Deflated a Fairy Hoax
The Cottingley Fairies - Museum of Hoaxes
Cottingley Fairies - Wikipedia
James Randi and the Cottingley Fairies - Video
Fadas de Cottingley - Confissão - Video

Links to The Mumler Spirit Photos

The Ghost and Mr. Mumler - History.net
A Brief History of Paranormal Photography
Photos Of Ghosts: The Burden Of Believing The Unbelievable
Of Spooks, Proofs, and Truths: Reflections on the Mumler Spirit Photograph Case
Camera Clues: A Handbook for Photographic Investigation By Joe Nickell

This is episode 216 and today I bring you The legend of the death of Paul McCartney. Yes, there are people even today that believe the man died back in 1966 or 1967. They say he was replaced by a look-a-like and that the surviving Beatles began leaving clues to what they had done. Why would they leave clues? Maybe we can find out. So, is Pau McCartney l dead? Find out!

Link to the sources I used. (Nothing I say in original)
“Paul Is Dead” Clues on Abbey Road
Beatles recall all out yesterdays
Paul is Dead-Wikipedia
‘Paul Is Dead’: The Bizarre Story of Music’s Most Notorious Conspiracy Theory
The Man Who Killed Paul McCartney 
Michigan Today - 'Paul is Dead!' (said Fred)
Radio X - "Paul Is Dead": Inside music's weirdest hoax
McCartney; OPD Newspaper
The Beatles Bible - The ‘Paul is dead’ myth
Who Buried Paul McCartney? - Video