All language subtitles for Beyond.the.Unknown.S03E20.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH

WILDMAN: A horrifying
haunting terrorizes a family.

It was making even the most
hardened skeptics believers.

WILDMAN: A series of bizarre
blazes baffles a fire chief.

PORGES: Everything he thought he
knew about the case

went up in flames.

WILDMAN: And an ice maiden’s
miracle survival.

Her skin was so frozen solid

that the needle
couldn’t pierce it.

WILDMAN: But first,
who was Jack the Ripper?

Could testing for DNA
finally reveal his identity?

STEEL: This is a story
of murder, mayhem,

and the manhunt
for a mysterious killer.

♪

WILDMAN: Amazing mysteries,

bizarre phenomena,

and chilling secrets.

I’m Don Wildman.

Join me on a journey
beyond the unknown.

♪

In the early hours
of August 31, 1888,

police are called to
the neighborhood of Whitechapel

in the East End of London,

where a gruesome scene
awaits them ‐‐

the body of a dead woman
is lying in the street.

STEEL: She’d had her throat cut
from ear‐to‐ear,

and her abdominal area was
repeatedly slashed and stabbed.

♪

WILDMAN: There are no witnesses
and no clues at the scene.

Although Londoners
don’t realize it yet,

she is the first of many victims
of a fearsome serial killer

who would become known
as Jack the Ripper.

♪

Over the next month, four more
women are savaged, as well.

Police undertake
a massive manhunt,

combing the streets for clues.

And although they dredge up
a number of suspects,

investigators are unable

to conclusively link
anyone to the killings.

♪

Many people were interviewed,
many leads were followed,

but it wasn’t going anywhere.

There seemed to be no hope.

The case just dragged on,
dragged on, dragged on

until it sort of fizzled out,

and there were no more murders.

♪

WILDMAN: The crime spree
of Jack the Ripper

turns into one of the most
famous cold cases in history.

Over the next century,

countless amateur investigators
try to unmask the killer,

and several popular
theories emerge.

♪

A rumor spreads
that the murderer

was actually a member
of the British royal family

driven insane by syphilis ‐‐

the grandson of Queen Victoria,
Prince Albert Victor.

Others think that Jack
may have been

an American serial killer
named H. H. Holmes,

whose diary entries place him in
London during the crime spree.

Some people even go as far
to think that Jack the Ripper

might have been the famed
children’s author Lewis Carroll,

a theory prompted by the fact
that police at the time

received a series
of cryptic anagrams

that boasted of the crimes.

But ultimately, the identity
of the killer remains a mystery.

There were tip‐offs,
there were men arrested,

but no one was ever charged.

WILDMAN: Then, in 2007,

a self‐proclaimed
"Ripperologist"

brings a new piece
of evidence to light.

STEEL:
He came across something

that he believed could help him
solve the mystery.

WILDMAN: Russell Edwards has
been obsessed with solving

the Jack the Ripper mystery.

For the last six years,

he has pored over every detail
of the case,

hoping to find a previously
overlooked connection.

And thanks to his
unyielding determination

and a little bit of luck,
he’s about to find a new clue.

Edwards attended an auction
where there was an item

which was believed to belong
to the fourth victim.

WILDMAN: Edwards buys a shawl

allegedly worn by
one of the Ripper’s targets

on the night of her murder ‐‐

a woman named Catherine Eddowes.

It was thought that the shawl
was taken from the mortuary

by a police officer and
passed down through his family.

WILDMAN: Edwards is convinced
that the piece of clothing

could be the key
to finally unlocking

the age‐old murder mystery.

So, hoping to find DNA evidence
of Jack the Ripper himself,

he takes it to the experts
for close examination.

The results are astounding.

The scientist managed to lift
extracts of DNA from the cloth.

WILDMAN: And through
various tests

that include looking at
familial medical records,

the trace amounts of DNA
connect the shawl

to a man named Aaron Kosminski.

STEEL:
Aaron Kosminski was Polish.

He was 23 years old in 1888.

He was a part‐time barber,

and he had a reputation for
being troublesome towards women.

WILDMAN: Not only that,
but back in 1888,

an eyewitness claimed
to have seen him

with one of the victims.

STEEL: The police thought they
had a case against him,

but the witness later
refused to testify,

and the case fell apart.

WILDMAN: Shortly after,

Kosminski’s family reportedly
admitted him

to an insane asylum
in northern England,

where he would live out
the remainder of his life.

Edwards’ astounding discovery

makes headlines
around the world.

Was the identity
of Jack the Ripper

at last revealed and solved?

WILDMAN: Despite the find, some
experts remain unconvinced.

The samples they were using for
DNA analysis came into question,

and the DNA extractive
was not unique enough.

WILDMAN: Whatever the truth,
one thing is for certain ‐‐

Jack the Ripper will continue
to haunt and horrify

for generations to come.

This mystery will endure,
and it’s highly likely

that the identity of the killer
will never be known.

♪

WILDMAN: Today, this
19th century police equipment

like those used on the case
sit within the collection

of the Jack The Ripper Museum
in London, England.

It recalls
the relentless pursuit

of history’s
most elusive serial killer.

♪

A hypodermic syringe
just like this

was used in one of the most
astonishing medical mysteries

of the 20th century.

DELGADO: This syringe recalls
the chilling tale

of a frozen woman’s
fight to survive.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s December 1980 in
Lengby, Minnesota.

A cattle rancher
named Wally Nelson

is heading outside
to start his day.

As he steps into

the bitter minus‐22‐degree
early‐morning temperatures,

he notices something strange
at the edge of his porch ‐‐

a large mound covered in snow.

At first, Wally thought
it was an animal.

WILDMAN: But as he approaches
the peculiar shape,

he is struck
by a shocking realization.

DELGADO:
It was actually a person,

and on closer inspection,
saw that it was a woman.

WILDMAN: Wearing only an
evening dress and cowboy boots,

the woman appears
to be frozen solid.

It was negative 22 degrees out.

In the most appropriate
clothes possible,

it would have been difficult
to survive an entire night

in weather like that.

WILDMAN: And as Nelson peers in
for a closer look,

he recognizes
her now‐icy features.

He knew this woman.

Her name was Jean Hilliard.

She had actually dated
a friend of his in the past.

WILDMAN:
Nelson is almost certain
the young woman must be dead.

DELGADO: She was in
horrible condition.

Her eyes were frozen.

It looked like
she had been there all night.

WILDMAN: But on the slim chance
that she can be saved,

Nelson rushes to his neighbor’s
house to get assistance.

Together, they move Hilliard’s
frozen body into a truck.

[ Engine revs ]
They drove as quickly as they
could to the nearest hospital

to try to save her life.

WILDMAN: When they arrive,
doctors examine the woman

and announce
she’s actually still alive ‐‐

but barely.

[ Flatline ]
STEEL: Her breath had slowed,

and it was almost imperceptible,

and her heartbeat had slowed
down to about a beat per minute.

WILDMAN: Doctors reason

that if they can nourish her
body through an I. V.,

then maybe they can save her.

They reach for a hypodermic
needle, but there’s a problem.

Her skin was so frozen solid

that the needle couldn’t
pierce it,

and eventually
the needle breaks.

WILDMAN:
The medical team doesn’t have
another line of recourse

and fears it’s only a matter
of minutes

before Hilliard’s heart
gives out.

Time was running out, and there
wasn’t much they could do.

♪

WILDMAN: In a desperate attempt
to warm her up,

they wrap Hilliard’s body
in heating pads and blankets.

This was a pretty low‐tech idea,
but they had nothing to lose,

and it was worth a shot.

WILDMAN: Minutes drag on

without the woman
showing any signs of change.

But then suddenly, Hilliard’s
entire body convulses violently.

[ Gasps ]
Right before the astonished
medical team,

her eyes flutter open.

♪

She sat up in bed
fully conscious.

It was like she’d just
come back from the dead.

WILDMAN: And as Jean Hilliard
slowly recovers,

she recounts the harrowing
events of the previous night.

♪

She had been driving home
from a local dance

wearing nothing more
than a party dress

when she crashed her car.

[ Glass shatters ]

[ Turn signal clicking ]

DELGADO: She wandered away
from the wreck.

Eventually, she saw Wally’s
house, and the lights were on,

so she struggled towards it.

WILDMAN: But overcome
by the subzero temperatures,

she passed out in the snow.

She had been lying
in the deep snow

for over six hours
when Nelson found her.

♪

WILDMAN: Doctors speculate that
as she lay in the snow,

her blood flow slowed and her
body started to use less oxygen.

This incredibly rare behavior
is a form of human hibernation.

♪

WILDMAN: Jean Hilliard spends
46 days in the hospital

before being discharged

and goes on
to make a full recovery.

And today, this hypodermic
syringe is on display

at the International Museum
of Surgical Science in Chicago.

It’s a reminder
of the frozen woman

and the sometimes miraculous
capabilities of the human body.

♪

The History Colorado Center
in Denver honors

many of the Centennial State’s
most notable residents.

Its collection includes
an ornate headdress

worn by the last hereditary
chief of the Ute tribe,

known as Buckskin Charlie,

a shirt worn by famed
frontiersman Davy Crockett,

and a desk used by author
Robert Louis Stevenson.

♪

But among these mementos
of illustrious figures

is an item connected
to an infamous character.

CHRISTOPHERSON: The artifact has
three paper tags hanging off it.

It is twisted and shredded,
with scorch marks,

and it’s part of
a much larger structure.

♪

WILDMAN: This airplane fragment

tells the story
of a devastating crash,

a dogged investigator,
and a holiday of horrors.

CHRISTOPHERSON:
This artifact recalls

the deadliest
Christmas gift in history.

♪

WILDMAN: November 1, 1955.

Outside of Denver, Colorado,
a tragic scene is unfolding.

United Airlines Flight 629
en route to Portland, Oregon,

has crashed
shortly after takeoff.

All 44 passengers
and crew are dead.

This was one of America’s
worst airline disasters.

The debris was spread
over five miles.

♪

WILDMAN: Federal investigators
descend upon the scene.

For the next few days,

they meticulously collect
every scrap of wreckage,

including what remains
of the passengers’ luggage.

Then they take it all
to a Denver airplane hangar

and begin to reassemble
the pieces.

CHRISTOPHERSON:
They put the plane together as
if it was a giant jigsaw puzzle.

This was a Herculean task.

WILDMAN: When completed,

the investigators notice
something curious.

♪

A large chunk of the fuselage
is missing.

And not just any section ‐‐
it’s the luggage compartment.

And it looks as if there was an
explosion inside the plane.

♪

Clearly, a blast had twisted
that metal.

WILDMAN: It leads authorities
to an alarming conclusion.

CHRISTOPHERSON: They were
confident that there had been

a bomb placed on this plane.

WILDMAN:
If so, this heinous act would
set a frightening precedent.

For the first time in commercial
U. S. aviation history,

someone had smuggled a bomb
onto a plane.

WILDMAN: So, who took down
this plane and why?

♪

♪

WILDMAN: It’s 1955.

United Airlines Flight 629
has just crashed

outside of Denver, Colorado,

killing all 44 people on board.

Evidence suggests the plane
was brought down by a bomb.

The FBI is called in
to investigate the bombing.

In charge of the inquiry
is Special Agent William Burke.

Special Agent Burke was a
very efficient, diligent agent,

one of the old school G‐men,

did a lot of
old‐fashioned flatfoot work.

♪

WILDMAN: Given the location
of the bomb cavity,

Burke concludes
that the explosive device

was likely hidden
in a piece of luggage.

So he examines the remains
of every suitcase and bag

recovered from the crash site.

Most are relatively intact.

But one looks like
it’s been blown to shreds.

According to
the passenger manifest,

it belonged to a 53‐year‐old
Denver businesswoman

named Daisy King.

At first glance, she hardly fits
the mold of a suicide bomber.

[ Camera shutter clicks ]
CHRISTOPHERSON: Mrs. King had no
apparent reason

for blowing up a plane.

She had no criminal history,

virtually no contacts
with the law whatsoever.

WILDMAN: So why would this
seemingly mild‐mannered woman

hide a bomb in her own luggage?

To find out, Burke interviews
her friends and relatives,

including her son, a 23‐year‐old
Denver native named John Graham.

♪

Initially, it seems
the young man

doesn’t have much to offer.

Burke questioned Graham
as to whether there was anything

suspicious in the luggage.

Graham responded that he had
no idea.

WILDMAN: The FBI agent is about
to leave,

when Graham’s wife chimes in.

She casually reminds her husband
that he did, in fact,

place something
in her mother’s suitcase ‐‐

a surprise Christmas gift.

CHRISTOPHERSON:
As a trained investigator,

FBI Agent Burke would
have realized that’s a clue.

♪

WILDMAN: The seasoned G‐man
brings Graham in

for further questioning.

And that’s when the suspect
makes a stunning admission ‐‐

inside the carefully
wrapped Christmas gift

was a powerful bomb
made of dynamite.

Graham gave his mother
what must have been

the deadliest Christmas gift
in U. S. history.

WILDMAN: Burke places Graham
under arrest.

And it doesn’t take long
to uncover his sinister motive.

CHRISTOPHERSON: Burke discovered
a life insurance policy

that Graham had taken out
on his mother for $38,000

purchased on the day
of the explosion.

WILDMAN: But money wasn’t
the only incentive.

Graham also reveals that his
mother abandoned him as a child.

She had placed in an orphanage,

and it wasn’t until
many years later

that she brought him
back into her life.

His resentment over
that was palpable.

♪

WILDMAN: To get revenge, Graham
says he figured out

how to wire the dynamite
to a simple timer and fuse.

Then, he planted it in order
to blow up his mother’s plane

and collect the insurance money.

CHRISTOPHERSON:
Everyone else was just
collateral damage to him.

There was something
definitely broken inside of him.

♪

WILDMAN: On January 11, 1957,

Graham is executed
for his crimes.

He becomes the first person
in U. S. history

to destroy a commercial airplane
with a bomb.

In the wake of his heinous act,

the Federal Aviation
Administration is established

to help safeguard
against further crimes.

It was truly a groundbreaking
case in many aspects.

♪

WILDMAN: Today, a piece of
United Airlines Flight 629

is on display at History
Colorado Center in Denver.

It recalls
a diligent investigator

who pieced together the puzzle

that brought a callous murderer
to justice.

♪

This model of a British bomber

recalls an unexplained encounter
in the skies

that spawned
decades of panic and fear.

STEEL: This artifact represents
a pilot’s routine night flight

which turned from ordinary
to out of this world.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s the 1950s.

The world is in the throes of
UFO mania.

In the United States,
thousands of flying saucers

are reported
from locations as far apart

as California, New Jersey,
and New Mexico.

And conspiracy theories about
alien experiments at Area 51,

the top‐secret military base
in the American Southwest,

only add fuel to the fire.

But one of the first and most
compelling accounts

of a possible
otherworldly encounter

comes almost a decade earlier

from a group of airmen
in World War II.

♪

November 1944.

American fighter pilot
Edward Schluter

and two crew members are on
a bombing raid over Germany

in a plane
known as a Bristol Beaufighter.

There’s three of them
in this plane,

and their mission is to engage
the enemy

and have combat with them.

♪

WILDMAN:
The skies are strangely calm,

when suddenly over
their left wing,

the men witness
a bone‐chilling sight ‐‐

[ Electrical buzzing ]
ten orange balls of light.

When these objects appeared,
they did not know what it was.

They were nothing
they’d ever seen before.

They would just vanish and
then reappear beside the plane.

[ Electrical buzzing ]

♪

WILDMAN:
Schluter radios back to base

to ask if the radar is picking
up any enemy aircraft.

[ Beeping ]

The answer sends shivers up
his spine.

The radar couldn’t pick up
anything.

They’re saying,
"There’s nothing beside you."

Clearly this was more cause for
concern.

"What are we dealing with here?"

WILDMAN: Schluter and his crew
return to base,

shaken by the eerie encounter.

And they soon learn
that they are not the only ones

to experience the phenomenon.

♪

Over the next month,
other pilots come forward,

all claiming that clusters of
orange, red, and even green orbs

tailed their planes
at up to 200 miles per hour.

STEEL: What was interesting
about their experience

was it was all identical.

WILDMAN: The perplexed pilots
nicknamed the bizarre bogeys

after an American publication.

The pilots referred to this
as "foo fighters,"

which was based on
a popular comic at the time.

WILDMAN:
It’s not long before reports
of the mysterious foo fighters

become front‐page news
around the world.

Some assume these strange lights
are hallucinations

caused by exhaustion.

But with so many
similar reports,

this doesn’t seem likely.

Many of these pilots
were fresh,

so battle fatigue
was not the cause.

WILDMAN:
Others believe the lights are
some sort of Nazi secret weapon.

But this, too, is debunked.

That didn’t make sense
because Allied intelligence

had recovered reports
that German pilots

had also seen
these lights in the sky.

♪

WILDMAN: The origin of the
foo fighters remains a mystery.

At this point, the world was
captivated by these visions,

and they wanted to know
once and for all

what these lights really were.

♪

♪

WILDMAN: 1944.

U. S. fighter pilots have
reported seeing

a bizarre phenomenon in the
skies above northern Germany ‐‐

mysterious,
glowing spheres of light

that appear and disappear
in the blink of an eye.

They are nicknamed foo fighters.

In 1945, as World War II
draws to a close,

the mystery
of the foo fighters lingers.

Then, in 1953, the U.S.
government puts a panel together

to finally identify the cause
of the bizarre orbs.

This group of experts was made
up of military personnel

and scientists.

WILDMAN: For three days, the
panel pores over photographs,

films, and detailed
eyewitness accounts.

Based on the evidence at hand,

they conclude that the
foo fighters were indeed real,

but they weren’t UFOs.

STEEL: These lights
were not out of this world.

They weren’t even dangerous.

♪

WILDMAN:
Gas particles that occur
naturally in the atmosphere

often come into contact
with an electrical charge.

This causes the surrounding air
to glow,

a phenomenon that has been
documented for centuries.

This had been recorded
as early as Magellan,

Christopher Columbus.

WILDMAN: It was so common to
sailors

that it was named after the
patron saint of ships ‐‐

St. Elmo’s Fire.

In short, electricity in the air
caused balls of light.

This can occur around
a sharp object,

like a ship’s mast,
like an airplane wing,

when there is
an intense electrical field.

[ Electricity buzzes ]

♪

[ Cheers and applause ]

WILDMAN: The case is closed
on this strange phenomenon,

and the expression is
long forgotten ‐‐

until 1994, when a Seattle band
headed up by Dave Grohl

names their group Foo Fighters
in honor

of the World War II pilots’
otherworldly experiences.

♪

This 20th century fire alarm box

recalls a bizarre series of
crimes

committed
by a most unlikely villain.

This is a story
about a blazing controversy

and a shocking disguise.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s summer 1960.

Ketchikan, Alaska, is in crisis.

[ Siren wailing ]
A series of devastating fires
has ravaged the area,

decimating countless
homes and businesses.

But the cause of the blazes
is unknown.

One man who is determined
to solve the mystery

is the city’s fire chief,
Ralph Bartholomew.

PORGES: Bartholomew was born
and raised in this town.

He started as a volunteer

and rose up the ranks
to become chief.

He wanted to put a stop
to these fires.

WILDMAN: Bartholomew and his
team dig through the ruins

of the most recent blaze.

And in what was
the laundry room,

they discover the potential
source of the fire ‐‐

the remnants of a melted candle.

This might not seem unusual,
except for one crucial fact.

PORGES:
These buildings had electricity.

Nobody was just leaving candles
burning in the laundry room.

That showed it was intentional.

♪

WILDMAN: Digging deeper,
Chief Bartholomew learns

that remnants of candles
were found at the sites

of all the other
suspicious fires, as well.

PORGES:
Bartholomew quickly realizes

this isn’t a bunch of
careless citizens causing fires.

Something bigger
is going on here.

WILDMAN: The fires must have
been started deliberately.

The chief draws up
a list of suspects

who stood to receive
big insurance payments

if their buildings
went up in flames.

But this line of inquiry
proves fruitless.

PORGES: By this point, there
were so many fires in this town

that insurance companies were
refusing to cover buildings,

meaning that property owners
were no longer benefiting.

WILDMAN: So Chief Bartholomew
takes a different tack.

He puts his suspects through
a series of lie detector tests.

PORGES: The polygraph gives them
nothing useful.

Everybody they hook up passes.

♪

WILDMAN:
But there’s one man in town
who refuses to take the test ‐‐

a volunteer fireman
named Bill Mitchell.

Bill Mitchell was handsome,
popular, married.

He was an active member
of the community.

WILDMAN:
When Bartholomew investigates
further, he finds another clue.

Mitchell was the first person
to arrive

at the scene
of all the recent blazes.

It was almost
as if Mitchell knew

where the fires
were going to be.

♪

WILDMAN: Not only that,
the chief also discovers

that the volunteer firefighter

has a curious connection
to the candles

that were used
to start the blazes.

It was the same type of candle
that was being sold

at the drugstore that Mitchell’s
family owned in town.

WILDMAN: Chief Bartholomew has
the authorities arrest Mitchell,

and in March of 1961,
he is indicted

and sent to his family’s home
in California to await trial.

Bartholomew must have
been relieved.

This guy had left the state

and could no longer set fire
to their town.

WILDMAN: But then, on July 3rd,

three more fires
erupt in downtown Ketchikan.

Bartholomew is baffled.

With Mitchell,
supposedly in California,

there seems to be no way he
could be behind these new fires.

Then reports come in that
a mysterious stranger ‐‐

a woman ‐‐ has been spotted
near the blazes.

Everything Chief Bartholomew
thought he knew about the case

went up in flames.

WILDMAN:
So, what’s the truth behind the
bizarre Ketchikan fires?

♪

WILDMAN: It’s the early 1960s

in the tiny town
of Ketchikan, Alaska.

Fire Chief Ralph Bartholomew
believes he’s finally caught

the man responsible for setting
a series of bizarre fires

that have devastated the area.

But when new blazes are lit

while the prime suspect
is supposedly on bail

far away in California,
the case is suddenly wide open.

♪

One key piece of evidence
seems to offer a clue ‐‐

a mysterious female was spotted

at the scene of the three
most recent fires.

Then Chief Bartholomew gets
a crucial call from the FBI.

♪

The feds have just detained
the prime suspect,

Bill Mitchell,
at the Seattle airport,

and there is something
unusual about his appearance.

He is dressed as a woman.

♪

PORGES: All the pieces suddenly
started to add up.

He was dressing as a woman
to go to Ketchikan

and set these fires.

Chief Bartholomew had the right
guy the whole time.

WILDMAN:
Mitchell eventually confesses to
setting as many as a dozen fires

and is sentenced
to 10 years in prison.

But one question remains ‐‐

why did he do it?

[ Flames crackle ]

PORGES:
He did it for the thrill of it,

and he did it so that he could
be treated like a hero

for putting out the very fires
he started.

♪

WILDMAN: Today, this
fire alarm box is on display

at the Tongass Historical Museum
in Ketchikan, Alaska.

It recalls the unlikely arsonist

and the desperate quest
to extinguish his crimes.

♪

The most eye‐popping building
in Boise, Idaho,

is the historic
Egyptian Theatre.

Opened in 1927,

this unique structure
is also the city’s most haunted.

[ Crackling ]

It’s said that a sinister figure
stalks the auditorium at night,

striking fear into the hearts
of all who gaze upon him.

And just a short drive away

is another institution
with a supernatural secret ‐‐

the Eagle Historical Museum.

Among its treasures
is an artifact

with a spine‐chilling
story to tell.

THE LADY AYE: It is comprised of
multiple sheets of paper.

The word "confidential"
is stamped on each page

in large capital letters.

And across its surface
are other noteworthy words,

like "knocking," "ghost,"
and "phenomenon."

WILDMAN:
This police report details
a bizarre and eerie case

that captivated the nation.

THE LADY AYE:
This object recalls

one of history’s
strangest ghost stories.

♪

WILDMAN:
It’s September 24, 1973,
in Boise, Idaho.

Police Lieutenant
Richard Moss

is responding to a report
of a disturbance

at a suburban home
on the edge of the city.

He is greeted by two women ‐‐

53‐year‐old Peggy Zimmerman

and her 12‐year‐old daughter,
Shelley.

The pair, clearly agitated,

relate the beginnings
of a bizarre tale.

The family was being tormented
by haunting sounds.

WILDMAN: Mrs. Zimmerman explains
that for several weeks,

they’ve been hearing a loud
knocking sound

that seems to be coming

from beneath the floorboards
in their home.

Mrs. Zimmerman couldn’t explain

why these knocks came and went
at seemingly random intervals.

WILDMAN: And there’s something
even more unnerving ‐‐

Mrs. Zimmerman claims
that the knocking sounds

also reply to her
when she speaks.

The knocking sounds
seem to respond to her questions

with answers only family members
or friends might know.

Of course, Mrs. Zimmerman was
completely freaked out by this.

WILDMAN:
She says that her daughter has
been so traumatized,

she’s been unable
to go to school.

And the frightened mother
believes there can be

only one explanation
for these strange sounds ‐‐

her house is haunted.

♪

But Lieutenant Moss
isn’t so sure.

Lieutenant Moss
was a no‐nonsense,

serious,
respected police officer.

His first assumption was

the sound
must have been an intruder.

WILDMAN: So the police officer
conducts a thorough inspection

of every room in the house.

But try as he might,
he finds no sign of an intruder

nor any indication of what
could be causing the noise.

♪

So to test whether there
could be someone

sneaking into the house
and making the noises,

the lieutenant devises a trap.

Moss set up trip wires
in the crawlspaces

and other hidden areas
of the house

so that if the knocker
did come back,

he or she would set off
the alarm and be caught.

♪

WILDMAN: But just as Moss is
about to leave the home,

something weird happens.

[ Knocking ]

Suddenly he heard
[ Imitates knocking ]

He was flabbergasted.

WILDMAN:
Moss rushes to check the traps,

but none of his wires
have been tripped.

Then he hears
even more tapping sounds.

[ Knocking ]

The knocks ‐‐ they had returned.

Moss was dumbfounded.

WILDMAN: The puzzled detective
returns to the station

and writes up a report
of the evening’s events,

a copy of which
is now on display

at the Eagle Historical Museum
in Idaho.

THE LADY AYE: He wrote, "Anyone
reading this report may think

the undersigned
are mental cases,

but I have no logical
explanation for the phenomenon."

WILDMAN: So, what’s the truth
behind these sinister sounds?

♪

WILDMAN:
It’s 1973 in Boise, Idaho.

Detective Richard Moss is
investigating

a spine‐tingling case ‐‐

apparently unexplained knocking
sounds heard inside the home

of Peggy Zimmerman
and her daughter, Shelley.

♪

As news of the alleged
haunting spreads around Boise,

TV reporter Garth Andrews
is sent to investigate.

It was a possible
real‐life haunting.

WILDMAN:
The seasoned journalist is
skeptical of Zimmerman’s claims.

THE LADY AYE:
As a longtime reporter,
Andrews was taught

to question
every story that came his way.

WILDMAN: Joining Andrews
on his hunt for the truth

is the police officer
who first encountered the case,

Lieutenant Moss.

Moss and Andrews wanted to find
the culprit behind the sounds.

WILDMAN: Once inside the
Zimmerman home,

Andrews sets up a microphone.

Moments later, the strange
tapping begins.

[ Knocking ]

As they continue, the reporter
takes careful stock of the room.

[ Knocking continues ]

And that’s when he makes
a key observation.

Suddenly, something stood out
to Andrews.

Shelley, Mrs. Zimmerman’s
daughter,

was standing a little weird.

WILDMAN:
Every time the sounds occur,

Shelley has one leg crossed
in front of the other.

[ Knock ]

THE LADY AYE:
Andrews began to wonder

if there was something
going on with her leg.

WILDMAN: Andrews shares his
hunch with Lieutenant Moss,

and when the lawman
confronts the girl,

she makes
a sheepish confession ‐‐

she’s the one

who has been making
the knocking noises all along.

She had a strange condition
in her ankle

that allowed her to make
a loud popping noise at will.

[ Knock ]
She would lean her foot
into the floor,

[ Knocking continues ]
and the popping noise
would resonate through the wood,

creating the ghostly
knocking noises.

WILDMAN:
Shelley says she never intended
to create such a sensation.

She was just doing it
to freak out her mom

and to avoid going to school.

WILDMAN: With the help
of a keen‐eyed reporter,

the mystery is finally solved.

Although Mrs. Zimmerman
is relieved

that her house is not haunted,

she’s also furious
with the mischievous Shelley.

THE LADY AYE:
Mrs. Zimmerman was pretty upset.

Her daughter had created chaos

all as a ruse
to get out of school.

WILDMAN:
Today, Lieutenant Richard Moss’
police report

about the alleged Zimmerman
haunting sits in the collection

of the Eagle Historical Museum
in Eagle, Idaho.

It recalls the little girl
who pranked the police

with a pretend poltergeist.

[ Knocking ]

A 19th century top hat,
just like this one,

is linked to an incredible
tale of chaos and confusion

and the murder of a president.

This is a story about
industrialization,

assassination,

and one of the most
misunderstood phrases today.

♪

WILDMAN: It’s April 14, 1865 ‐‐

a pivotal day in U. S. history.

John Wilkes Booth steps into

President Abraham Lincoln’s
box at the Ford Theatre...

[ Gunshot, screaming ]

...and shoots the 16th president
of the United States dead.

With the terrible deed done,
Booth flees,

sparking a massive manhunt
for the president’s killer.

It was a time of enormous
tension in the country.

Everyone was on edge.

WILDMAN: Hot on Booth’s heels
is the 16th New York Cavalry.

They have clear instructions
to track down the assassin

so he can be interrogated.

And 12 days later,
they find him hiding in a barn

on the outskirts
of Port Royal, Virginia.

The cavalry was under strict
orders to capture Booth alive.

So in an attempt to get Booth
out of the barn,

they set it on fire.

♪

WILDMAN: But then something
unexpected happens.

One member of the cavalry,

a 33‐year‐old sergeant
named Boston Corbett,

spies Booth through a crack
in the wood planks.

Corbett was seen as patriotic,

a bit eccentric,
and a deeply religious man.

WILDMAN:
Corbett raises his gun, aims,
and fires at John Wilkes Booth.

The shot paralyzes Booth,
who is dragged out of the barn

and later succumbs
to his wounds.

Corbett’s act of defiance

flies in the face
of the cavalry’ orders.

Everyone in the unit
was completely shocked.

Everyone knew the strict orders
they were under.

It made no sense that Corbett
would do such a thing.

WILDMAN: When the soldier is
taken in for questioning,

he claims that he was directed
by God to shoot Booth.

QUINONES:
Officials were outraged.

Americans would now never know
why they lost their president.

♪

WILDMAN:
Despite having defied orders,
officials decide

that Corbett has not
actually committed a crime,

and he is released.

Yet many people are left
to wonder

if there is more
than meets the eye

to Corbett’s
claims of divine vengeance.

In the years that follow,

Corbett’s behavior grows
increasingly erratic.

QUINONES: Corbett grew more
and more paranoid

that someone would avenge
Booth’s death

and he would be the target.

His behavior was becoming scary.

WILDMAN: On February 15, 1887,
he hits a breaking point.

While at work, he has a heated
exchange with some coworkers

and draws a gun.

This was the final straw.
Corbett crossed the line.

He turned into a danger
for himself and others.

WILDMAN:
After the explosive incident,

Corbett is confined
to the Kansas State Asylum,

only to escape
the following year.

Corbett is never seen again.

In the months
and years that follow,

a host of theories emerge
that attempt to explain

why he acted as he did.

He may have had post‐traumatic
stress disorder.

He may have had a genetic
proclivity to mental illness.

However, there was
something else.

WILDMAN:
So, what’s the secret of the man
who killed John Wilkes Booth?

♪

WILDMAN:
It’s 1888 in Topeka, Kansas.

Boston Corbett, the man who shot
John Wilkes Booth

after the Lincoln assassination,
has escaped from an asylum.

His fate, along with a motive
for that famous killing,

remains a mystery.

Before the Civil War, Corbett
made a living as a hatmaker.

QUINONES: He started working in
the hatmaking profession

as a boy.

Aside from serving in the Army,

it was the only profession
Corbett knew.

WILDMAN:
At that time, it was common

to treat the animal hides
used in hatmaking

with a substance known
as mercury nitrate,

and this may be the key
to Corbett’s undoing.

QUINONES: Mercury nitrate
was highly toxic,

and hatmaking had caused
more than one person

to behave erratically.

WILDMAN: It’s now known
that mercury poisoning can cause

irritability,
tremors, and mental instability.

It is thought that Corbett’s
long‐term exposure

to these chemicals

may have contributed
to his erratic behavior

during the pursuit
of John Wilkes Booth.

Corbett’s pre‐military
profession, hatmaking,

may have led to his downfall.

WILDMAN: In the 1940s,

the U. S. government bans
the use of mercury nitrate

in industrial processes,

but its reputation
for inducing insanity

lives on in a famous phrase.

Now it’s believed that the term
"Mad Hatter" was inspired

by those suffering from the
effects of using mercury nitrate

in the hatmaking profession.

WILDMAN:
The term becomes so widespread
that the writer Lewis Carroll

even includes a hatter gone mad
in his famous children’s novel

"Alice’s Adventures
in Wonderland."

Today, this 19th century
topper remains on display

at the John Dodd Hat Shop

at the Danbury Museum and
Historical Society

in Danbury, Connecticut.

It is a reminder of how one
mad hatter

may have had a profound effect
on American history.

♪