Strange Country

If only Evelyn Nesbit were alive today, she may have really appreciated the Me Too movement, good therapy, and the songs of Aimee Mann. But her life happened during the turn of the Century- not this one- the last one. And guess what? She also was part of the first actual Trial of the Century! Full of misogyny, murder, and velvet red swings. Beth and Kelly of the century's most famous Strange Country podcast love that term - Trial of the Century-and use it rather loosely. But in today's episode we tightened things up, researched our brains out, like always, and bring to you a story from the past you are sure to enjoy. Read on listeners. Or listen on readers.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite Your Sources Dude:

Bellafonte, Ginia. "The 100 Foot Gibson Girl." New York Times, 10 May 2019, www.nytimes.com/2019/05/10/nyregion/evelyn-nesbit-stanford-white.html.

"Evelyn Nesbit." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 22 July 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Nesbit.

"Harry Kendall Thaw." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Aug. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Kendall_Thaw.

Phillips, Mark, and Aryn Z. Phillips. Trials of the Century a Decade-by-Decade Look at Ten of America's Most Sensational Crimes. Prometheus Books, 2016.

"Trial of the Century." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Aug. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trial_of_the_century.

Around midnight on Dec. 6, someone took an ax to John Hossack's head twice. Ten hours later the farmer and father of nine was dead. His wife Margaret claimed she heard an intruder, but she and the children were immediately viewed with suspicion. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss another "trial of the century" that took place in Iowa in 1900 that rattled the notion of what women were capable of.

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Cite your sources:

Bryan, Patricia L., et al. Midnight Assassin: a Murder in Americas Heartland. Notable Trials Library, 2007.

Papa Pilgrim brought his giant family to McCarthy, AK to live a simple life, love the lord and escape vice and sin. Or that's what he told the residents who eagerly embraced this new, strange family. What he did in the isolated wilderness was much, much worse. Another gross one for Strange Country fans.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

Kirby, Mark. "Papa Pilgrim's Progress." Outside Online, 29 July 2019, https://www.outsideonline.com/1928141/papa-pilgrims-progress-dark-tale-alaskan-frontiersman.

Kizzia, Tom. Pilgrims Wilderness: a True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier. Broadway Books, 2014.

When Jemima Wilkinson woke up from a fever in October 1776, she was no longer Jemima, she was a Christ vessel sent by God to warn humanity that the end is nigh. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about the first American-born female messiah and this one isn't murdery or gross as some of the others they've profiled.

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Cite your sources of face my wrath:

"Driving Tour Follows the Footsteps of Religious Pioneer Jemima Wilkinson." Life in the Finger Lakes, 23 Feb. 2015, www.lifeinthefingerlakes.com/driving-tour-follows-footsteps-religious-pioneer-jemima-wilkinson/.

Morris, Adam. American Messiahs: False Prophets of a Damned Nation. Liveright Publishing Corporation, a Division of W. W. Norton & Company, 2019.

Moyer, Paul Benjamin. The Public Universal Friend: Jemima Wilkinson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary America. Cornell University Press, 2015.

After WW2, Americans were not fans of Nazis. It was a time that if someone were to remark there were fine Nazis, that person would get a fist in the face. That's why it was imperative that the military not let it get out that it was hiring a bunch of Nazi scientists, doctors and technologist who had just committed crimes against humanity to work for us. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly talk about Operation Paperclip and how the drumbeat to best the Soviet Union led America to give some shitty Nazis citizenship. Just another show to remind you that nothing has meaning and everything is awful. Enjoy!

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources:

10 Nazi War Criminals Who Escaped Justice Because They Were Useful to the US." History Collection, 18 Apr. 2018, historycollection.co/10-nazi-war-criminals-who-escaped-justice-because-they-were-useful-to-the-us/6/.

Harnden, Toby. "Secret Papers Reveal Nazis Given 'Safe Haven' in US." The Telegraph, 14 Nov. 2010, www.telegraph.co.uk/history/world-war-two/8132550/Secret-papers-reveal-Nazis-given-safe-haven-in-US.html.

Jacobsen, Annie. Operation Paperclip the Secret Intelligence Program That Brought Nazi Scientists to America. Little Brown and Company, 2014.

Lewis, Danny. "Why the U.S. Government Brought Nazi Scientists to America After World War II." Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 16 Nov. 2016, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-us-government-brought-nazi-scientists-america-after-world-war-ii-180961110/.

Lipstadt, Deborah E. "'The Nazis Next Door' by Eric Lichtblau." The New York Times, 31 Oct. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/books/review/the-nazis-next-door-by-eric-lichtblau.html?searchResultPosition=14.

Lower, Wendy. "Willlkommen." The New York Times, 28 Feb. 2014, www.nytimes.com/2014/03/02/books/review/operation-paperclip-by-annie-jacobsen.html.

"Picture of Stephen Miller Briefly Illustrates Wikipedia Entry on Kapos." The Times Of Israel, 9 Apr. 2019, www.timesofisrael.com/picture-of-stephen-miller-briefly-illustrates-wikipedia-page-on-kapos/.

"The Secret Operation To Bring Nazi Scientists To America." NPR, 15 Feb. 2014, www.npr.org/2014/02/15/275877755/the-secret-operation-to-bring-nazi-scientists-to-america.

"Strughold Award." Space Medicine Association, spacemedicineassociation.org/strughold-award/.

Readers, you know it's true. We love you. In case you are wondering how we came up with that amazing poem, just ask some German man who really is in charge of what you hear each week on Strange Country. That's right we are all smoke and mirrors. No, that isn't true. Because if we were lying to you about our identity and our script writing skills, Kelly and Beth would be throwing up on air and that really isn't something you want to hear. Ladies and Gentlemen we are bringing you the strange story of Milli Vanilli. Yes it is a story from the 1990's. Yes it is all about pop music. And yes, it includes German dance moves that can't be beat. But it is also a story like all the others that you have grown to love on our weekly podcast; depression, deceit, poverty and power.

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Cite your sources, girl:

Hindmann, Chiccecheto, Jessica. Sounds Like Titanic.

https://people.com/music/milli-vanilli-lip-sync-scandal-anniversary/

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/13/693532490/aspirations-come-up-against-economic-hardship-in-sounds-like-titanic

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/milli-vanilli_n_4860222

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ys9mfYrybPo

Make sure to grab some five-finger grass (whatever that might be) for this episode because you are in for a primer on powwow healing. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss the hex murder of 1928--yes, you read that right--when one powwow healer killed another powwow healer he thought was cursing him. So add some dust to your coffee and find that pig's bladder and get ready for some magical thinking.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite Your Sources:

"Boy Denies Joining In 'Witch Killing'." The New York Times, 11 Jan. 1929, pp. 28–28. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/01/11/95707956.html?pageNumber=28

"Death of 5 Babies Laid to Witch Cult." The New York Times, 4 Dec. 1928, pp. 14–14, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/12/04/95856757.html?pageNumber=14.

Dugan, Patrick James. "The Origin and Practition of Pow-Wow." Berks History Center, www.berkshistory.org/multimedia/articles/pow-wow/.

Editors, History.com. "Thirty Years' War." History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/reformation/thirty-years-war.

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America. Metropolitan Books, 2009.

Hohmann, John George. Pow-Wows, or Long Lost Friend: A Collection of Mysterious and Invaluable Arts and Remedies, for Man as Well as Animals. Wildside Press, 2010.

"Fear of Witchcraft Led to Murder." The New York Times, 1 Dec. 1928, pp. 3–3, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/12/01/95853462.html?pageNumber=3.

Frank, Megan. "Tales of Witchcraft, Spells, Murder Surround Rehmeyer's Hollow." WGAL, WGAL, 8 Oct. 2017, www.wgal.com/article/tales-of-witchcraft-spells-murder-surround-rehmeyer-s-hollow/6239526.

Free, Shane, director. Hex Hollow: Witchcraft and Murder in Pennsylvania. 2015, www.amazon.com/Hex-Hollow-Witchcraft-Murder-Pennsylvania/dp/B01HBYJ3TG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hex hollow&qid=1562165992&s=instant-video&sr=1-1

Glenn, Joralyn. "'Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Healing Rituals of the Dutch Country.'" Glencairn Museum, 9 Mar. 2017, glencairnmuseum.org/newsletter/2017/3/2/powwowing-in-pennsylvania.

Kriebel, David. Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice In Pennsylvania. Penn State University Press, 2016.

McClure, Jim. "Murder and Witchcraft: The Incredible Story of York County's Hex Murder." York Daily Record, 14 Oct. 2017, www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/york-town-square/2017/10/14/murder-and-witchcraft-incredible-story-york-countys-hex-murder/764018001/.

"The Nine Years' War, 1689-1697." Heritage, www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/exploration/9-years-war.php.

"Prisoner Told Him, 'I Got the Witch'." The New York Times, 8 Jan. 1929, pp. 3–3, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/01/08/95704835.html?pageNumber=3.

"'Witch' Killer Guilty, Sentenced for Life." The New York Times, 10 Jan. 1929, pp. 1 & 20, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/01/10/95706636.html?pageNumber=1.

Dearest Readers: Imagine you are having a typical day in your life when the phone rings (right there, we know, we just dated ourselves) and you pick it up (again with the old) and the woman on the line informs you that you have had a twin all your life. You were separated at birth, for the reasons only mad scientists from Nazi Germany can conjure up, and told a lie your whole life until now. It is time to hear the story of Paula and Elyse of NYC and many others born in NYC put up for adoption in the 60's at the Louise Wise Agency. Can you even imagine what that did to these women and other adults in their 30's, 40's, and 50's? Fucked them up. Welcome to Strange Country number 102...the hits just keep on coming. We welcome you each episode to hear about the crazy and remind you, it isn't you who is crazy...the rest of the world is nutso! Happy Reading Dashhounds😘

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Cite Your Sources Man:

McCormick, William. Records from Controversial Twin Study Sealed at Yale until 2065. https://yaledailynews.com/blog/2018/10/01/records-from-controversial-twin-study-sealed-at-yale-until-2065/

Schien, Elyse, Bernstein, Paula. Identical Strangers: A Memoir of Twins Separated and United. Random House, Trade Paperback, New York. 2007.

Than, Ker. A Brief History of Twin Studies. Smithsonian. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/brief-history-twin-studies-180958281/

Shensiki, Lorii, The Twinning Reaction. Movie

Quercia, Jacopa della. Unsolved. Readers Digest, April 2019.

Harry Anslinger wanted to save his bureaucratic machine and he needed an enemy fast--enter marijuana. Thanks to policies he put into place, we've been fighting a futile War on Drugs for nearly 80 years. Strange Country cohosts Beth and Kelly try to stave off their reefer madness as they talk about the impact of Anslinger's life work.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite Your Sources:

Adams, Cydney. "The Man behind the Marijuana Ban for All the Wrong Reasons." CBS News, CBS Interactive, 17 Nov. 2016, www.cbsnews.com/news/harry-anslinger-the-man-behind-the-marijuana-ban/.

Anslinger, Harry, and Courtney Riley Cooper. "Marijuana: Assassin of Youth." Red House Books, www.redhousebooks.com/galleries/assassin.htm.

Blum, Deborah. "The Little-Told Story of How the U.S. Government Poisoned Alcohol during Prohibition." Slate Magazine, Slate, 19 Feb. 2010, slate.com/technology/2010/02/the-little-told-story-of-how-the-u-s-government-poisoned-alcohol-during-prohibition.html.

Chasin, Alexandra. Assassin of Youth: a Kaleidoscopic History of Harry J. Anslingers War on Drugs. The University of Chicago Press, 2016.

Cottle, Michelle. "Well, At Least Sheriff Joe Isn't Going to Congress." The New York Times, 29 Aug. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/08/29/opinion/sheriff-joe-arpaio-congress.html?searchResultPosition=16.

Gladstone, Brooke. "The Man Who Declared War On Drugs | On the Media." WNYC Studios, On the Media, 14 Aug. 2017, www.wnycstudios.org/story/man-who-declared-war-drugs.

Guzzo, Paul. "Mental Illness or Mob Hit? Questions Arise as Man Moves Into Home Where Family Was Slaughtered." Tampa Bay Times, 18 Apr. 2019, www.tampabay.com/hillsborough/mental-illness-or-mob-hit-questions-arise-as-man-moves-into-home-where-family-was-slaughtered-20190418/.

Hari, Johann. Chasing the Scream: The First and the Last Days of the War on Drugs. Bloomsbury, 2016.

Harvey, Matt. "Did America's First Drug Czar Secretly Supply Dope to Sen. Joe McCarthy?" Alternet.org, 14 May 2013, www.alternet.org/2013/05/did-americas-first-drug-czar-secretly-supply-dope-sen-joe-mccarthy/.

"H.J. Anslinger Papers, 1835-1975 1875." H.J. Anslinger Papers, 1835-1975 1875, www.libraries.psu.edu/findingaids/1875.htm.

Lesser, Jeremy. "Today Is the 100th Anniversary of the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act." Drug Policy Alliance, 16 Dec. 2014, www.drugpolicy.org/blog/today-100th-anniversary-harrison-narcotics-tax-act.

Schmidlin, Kyle. "Column: 'War On Drugs' Merely Fights The Symptoms Of A Faulty System." CBS News, CBS Interactive, 13 Sept. 2008, www.cbsnews.com/news/column-war-on-drugs-merely-fights-the-symptoms-of-a-faulty-system/.

"STATEMENT OF H. J. ANSLINGER." Statement of Harry J. Anslinger, www.druglibrary.org/SCHAFFER/hemp/taxact/anslng1.htm.

Weinreb, Michael. "The Complicated Legacy of Harry Anslinger." Penn Stater, Jan./Feb. 2018, pp. 32–41, www.case.org/system/files/media/file/Penn Stater Harry Anslinger.pdf.

Weirde, Dr. "Chinatown's Opium Dens." FoundSF, www.foundsf.org/index.php?title=Chinatown's_Opium_Dens.

Well, well, well, readers Strange Country is now Centenarians in the podcast world! We have made it to our 100th episode. Beth and Kelly pull out all the stops for you Dear Readers as we tell the tale of D.B. Cooper the man who jumped into oblivion in 1971 with $200,000 in a knapsack from a 727 Boeing. Of course we talk about our periods and our dislike of POTUS SCROTUS- it is all related! What makes this tale strange is that yes, Dan, D.A., D.B. hijacked an airplane pretty successfully, but his identity has never been solved and many people over the years claimed to be D.B. What is your take on the culprit? Also what is your favorite memory over the past 100 episodes? Beth and Kelly would love to hear! We need a little boost this summer. Now is the perfect time to post on Facebook, or twat us, or write to us at [email protected]

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.