YESTERDAY’S NEWS-

A reading from America’s historic newspapers in the golden age of yellow journalism.

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King Ben and the Curse of the House of David

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In this episode, I want to explore portions of a five-part investigative expose that the Detroit Free Press on the cult House of David, which operated a commune near Benton Harbor Michigan in the 1920s.

The leader of the cult was Benjamin Franklin Purnell, in these articles confronted with allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct among young members of his flock.

Much of the expose, the parts that we’ll be examining, are based on a sworn deposition by one of these young ladies.

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Musical direction by Dave Sams

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www.truecrimehistorian.com/1923purnell