Chambers of the Occult - EP# 29 False Sirens and the Castle of Shadows: Caryl Chessman, the Red Light Bandit and Leap Castle’s Haunted History

Episode Date: February 13, 2025

Send us a textIn this gripping episode, J and Kai take listeners from a controversial true crime case to one of Ireland’s most haunted castles.Have you ever heard the saying, “Justice is blind”? Well… sometimes, justice isn’t just blind—it’s bound, gagged, and shoved into the backseat of a moving car with no idea how it got there. J unpacks the chilling case of Caryl Chessman, the so-called Red Light Bandit, who terrorized post-war Los Angeles by impersonating a police officer, using a flashing red light to pull over unsuspecting couples before robbing—and, in some cases, assaulting—his victims. His arrest in 1948 led to one of the most controversial legal battles in U.S. history, as he was sentenced to death under California’s Little Lindbergh Law, a statute that classified even brief abductions as capital offenses.But Chessman’s story didn’t end with his conviction. Representing himself in court, he fought to delay his execution eight times, becoming a bestselling author and an international symbol in the fight against the death penalty. His case ignited protests worldwide, with figures like Eleanor Roosevelt and Marlon Brando advocating for clemency. Yet, in a tragic twist, a last-minute attempt to halt his execution was lost due to a misdialed phone call. J explores the evidence, the trial, and the haunting question that lingers to this day—was Chessman truly guilty, or did America execute the wrong man?Kai then takes us deep into the chilling halls of Leap Castle, a fortress soaked in blood and shadow, where history and horror intertwine. Once home to the brutal O’Carroll clan, this stronghold witnessed treachery, fratricide, and mass executions, earning its place as one of the most haunted locations in the world. At its heart lies the infamous Bloody Chapel, where a priest was murdered mid-mass by his own brother, his spirit doomed to linger within the stone walls. Below the chapel, a hidden oubliette was discovered, filled with hundreds of human remains, victims left to die in agony.Yet the most chilling presence in Leap Castle is the Elemental, a malevolent entity with glowing red eyes and the stench of rotting flesh. Thought to predate the castle itself, this shadowy force is believed to have been awakened by violent history or ancient curses. Those who have encountered it speak of an oppressive dread, a force that watches from the darkness, waiting. Could this be a lingering remnant of Ireland’s ancient past, or something far more sinister?Join J and Kai as they dive into these unsettling tales of deception, terror, and the unexplained. Whether it’s a man condemned to die or a castle that refuses to rest, some stories refuse to be forgotten.

Have you ever heard the saying, justice is blind? Well, sometimes justice isn't just blind. It's bound, gagged, and shoved in the back of a moving car with no idea how it got there. Chambers of the Occult may contain content that might not be suitable for all listeners. Listener discretion is advised. Oh Not how I expected this to start welcome back everyone Good oh My god, oh you just like rolled through that too now that I got your attention Hi welcome back to

Chambers of the occult I am Currently shocked otherwise known as Kai I am Jay Enjoying the shock Yeah, no that was good. Okay, and welcome back to chambers Occult. Hey everybody. How ya doin'? How's it going? How ya doin'? Episode 29. Episode... Wow, we're almost like 30 episodes. I remember when we thought it was crazy that we were at 12. Yeah, and now we're like at 29. Well, cuz I think episode 12 is when we really were like invested into Yeah. And now we're like at 29.

Well, cause I think episode 12 is when we really were like invested into it. Like around that, it was like, well, like we've got a bunch of episodes out now. Like we're doing this thing, right? Yeah. We got to like look back and be like, oh, like we've been committed to this thing.

Yeah. Like the first like three or four episodes were like, okay, it was fun. But then we hit like 10 episodes and we were like, whoa, we've got a lot of these out. Yeah. And now we got even more of them out. Got like triple that, so that's cool.

So if you stuck around, welcome. If you're new, welcome. If you're a returning listener, welcome back. And if you're being forced to listen by a friend during a long car ride, thank them later or, you know, yeah, thank them later. I mean, there's a lot of things you could do. If you really were like a true fan after listening to this, what you could do is you could like grab the steering wheel and just whip it around and then give us a new true crime case to investigate.

Yeah, yeah. I would just say that send us an email before you do that and be like, keep an eye out for the local news on this highway and then grab the steering wheel. Yeah. And the. Yeah. Just call the police before you do it so that they get there. Yeah.

Like immediately. And then where are we going with this? Don't commit crimes. I think that's we're doing the complete opposite. Yeah, don't commit crime. Commit crimes. I mean, if any of you out there who are listening have committed a crime before, let us know. We want to hear about it. And we'll keep it anonymous. Unless, you know, we get like a warrant from like the FBI or

something. We can totally get that. Yeah. No, I was like, we'll keep the story of your crime anonymous and less. We're like Contacted by like a local authority We'll bring them on the show like in like a documentary and we'll have their like face dark and blurred and their voice like Modulated so it sounds like this like or something like that. We should have like a dramatic reenactment as well. Yeah Yeah, yeah, we can produce our own little

Crime documentary I was like, what's the word? Yeah. Yeah But anyway, I am I assume all the listeners are here for a story and so are you? Mm-hmm. So I have a story for y'all Let's and sorry if you just heard me smacking a bunch. I'm drinking a monster ASMR All right, go ahead Jim you got me real then okay. Yeah. Yeah, so once again You know we've all heard the saying justice is blind. It's a little different for this case. Or is it?

For this case, I wanted to take us out of the country. I was not very successful. Okay. Because, full disclosure, for some reason, I started with paranormal. And after like one page, I was like, wait, this doesn't feel right. And I was like, I'm not doing paranormal this time.

Switch to true crime. Valid. And then I started researching a story and I was like. Well, don't worry because I will be taking us away from home. So. Okay, cool. Yeah, cause my original true crime was gonna be out of the country and then for some

reason something happened that I ended up being deviated into another true crime. But for this case, we're just heading to South California to Los Angeles, California. All right. All right. Where nothing good ever happened. I don't know. Disney's down there, isn't it? Maybe one good thing happened.

Okay, anyway, the year was 1948, and it was a city that was buzzing with post-war optimism. Neon lights were flickering against the pavement. Jazz was spilling out of the bars. And of course, young lovers sneak off to lovers' lane for a little privacy. Oh, of course. But of course, beneath this glamour and romance, a shadow lurk, because otherwise I wouldn't be sharing this story. A cunning individual who turned the city's own symbol of authority into tools for terror. What? Yeah. So, Kye, what do you think would be the most unexpected item to find in a criminal's toolkit? In a criminal's toolkit? Yeah. Um, a toothbrush.

toolkit. In a criminal's toolkit? Yeah. Um, a toothbrush. Okay fair. And if you were a criminal mastermind, what unconventional methods would you use to stop unsuspecting victims? To stop them? Like to lure them in? Mmhmm. Um, I would, I don't know. I'd probably be like, help, like my daughter needs help. And I'd have like a little like bundle in my arms that like looks like a kid, but it's really not. And then once they like come over, I'd like strangle them or something. So the typical like TV or like documentary thing that, yeah, someone does.

Okay. I mean, it's worked in the past for, you know, clear reasons that people have, like, a weakness to helping, like, innocent people or people in need. But anyway, our story, you'll find out why I'm asking these questions. Our story begins on the night of January 3rd, 1948, a quiet evening in Pasadena in a local man furnishing store. The name of the store was Carl Hultures and the clerk, Mr. McCullen, was tidying up. He was preparing to close for the night when he heard the chime of the doorbell ring. You know, two men walked in,

and at first glance they appeared to be typical late hour shoppers, but the atmosphere quickly shifted. One of the men stretched into his coat, and he produced a 49 caliber semi-automatic pistol. Oh shit. The barrel was leveled directly up Mr. McCullin, whose heart started to race with adrenaline, and he heard them say, empty the register.

The gunman demanded, his voice was just steady and devoid of any emotion. Mr. McCullin, with his hands trembling, he complied, he gathered the day's earnings, and he handed them over $800 in cash and checks. The second man moved swiftly, collecting additional valuables. Their movements were practiced and efficient. And within moments, the men had fled into the night, leaving Mr. McCullen shaken but unharmed. Wow.

I wonder how, like, but unharmed. Wow. I wonder how, like, how scary that must be, right? Yeah. I mean, I can't, I have never been in that situation. I hope I'm never in that situation. I hope not, yeah. And I can only imagine the fear that people feel during those moments. I think one of my exes, they told me how one time when they were in high school, they went to Subway after school,

and they were just getting a Subway sandwich, and then somebody came in and robbed the Subway with a gun while they were in the Subway. While my ex was in the Subway. And I was like, what the fuck? And they talked so casually of it. I was like, what the hell? You were just part of like an armed robbery. Like, what? And they were like, yeah, you know, I didn't really think about it, but I was like really scared and I feel like there's some trauma because of it. I was like, yeah, dude, what? Yeah. You were in a close quarters in a room with someone holding a gun, of course.

Yeah. Yeah. Now, this robbery was the first of a series of crimes that would soon grip the greater Los Angeles area in fear. So then, on January 13th, just 10 days after the first robbery, parked along a dimly lit street sat a pristine 1948 1946 Ford coupe the vehicle was a symbol of war prosperity war prospect post-war prosperity prosperity wow English the thief approached tools in hands and within moments the car's door popped open and the engine roared to life as the thief sped away with the stolen Ford, disappearing into the streets of Pasadena.

Wow. So they just got away with it? Yep. Now on January 18th, 1948, as dust settled over California coastlines near the Malibu beach. There was a couple that was seeking a peaceful evening by the sea and they noticed a set of red flashing lights in their rear view mirror. Believing it was a police officer, they pulled over. Approaching their vehicle was a man driving a 1947 Ford coupe. Oh shit. That's right. That same 1947 coupe that got stolen just a few days before.

The car was equipped with a police siren and he approached the car with a 49 caliber pistol. He demanded that they're valuables, instilling fear and confusion. And after taking their possessions, he vanished into the night, leaving the couple unharmed, but of course, shaken. Later that same day, near the Rose Bowl, another couple experienced a very similar incident. They too were signaled to stop by a red light and they were robbed at gunpoint. The man also fit the same description.

So the audacity and the precision of the crimes just left both victims, of course, alarmed and in fear. Yeah, of course. They were robbed and probably thought they were gonna die. And they're now thinking, why didn't I get killed? Why didn't he kill me? Now I have a newspaper clipping that talks about these victims and it's from the independent Pasadena, California Wednesday 21st 1948 and

This is when they gave This a silent this robber a nickname Care to guess what the nickname was? The the cop robber You're not far off You're not you I feel like you're like under the same umbrella. They called him their red light bandit. Oh That's way cooler Bandit is such a cool name

And I was like why do like bad people always get like such cool like names? No, seriously But it starts by the red light bandit struck again early yesterday robbing a third couple on Hollywood's famed lovers Lane His latest foray came only two hours after he pounced on couple number two near the Sacred Heart Academy in F— and it continues by saying, Gerald Stone and Esther Panskul of Los Angeles were accosted by the pseudo-cop as they were parked on Molehound Drive and robbed of $2.08. Yes. Diss for times. Earlier, the bandaid obtained $51 from Jorgen, Leah, and Regina Johnson of Los Angeles at Panama Point in the hills south of Flintridge. Couple number one were held up last Sunday while parked along the streets of Rose Bowl.

The band at about 35 first flashes a red spotlight on his victims and asks for identification cards. The three couples said that he was driving a tan color sedan, possibly a 1942 Ford or Mercury with a red spotlight on the left side. They said the radio in his car was turned to police calls. Monroe's sheriff deputy said the bandit took Ms. Johnson into his car and tried to force his intentions on her. She managed to get out of the car after a short struggle and the bandit drove off. Neither of the other women were molested according to the police.

Okay, good. Yeah. So that was from January 21st. And then January 19th, it's a little bit more details on that couple, because once again, they were looking for a quiet refuge. They parked the car on the hill, and then their intimate moment was abruptly shattered when those red lights came on It signaled them to stop and believing there was a police officer they complied. Oh shit only to be confronted with a 49 caliber pistol I'm reminds me of The zodiac killer like

How in San Francisco how like some of his first victims were you know this that couple that was yeah you know the young couple in their car you know a lot of them yeah and he'd just roll up and anyway nope we'll have to cover that at some point. For sure yeah yeah but yeah so he pulled them over he took their valuables, and then he turned his attention to the female victim, Regina Johnson. And under the threat of his weapon,

he forced her to perform oral sex. Oh my God, bro. Yeah. So this assault just marked, this assault just marked the escalation of the crimes. He was no longer just taking their valuables. He was doing as much as he could to like- He was, yeah, assaulting them, asserting his power.

He was no longer content with just robbery. Yeah, it's escalating. Yep. And that's never a good sign. And then on the night of January 22nd, a young couple was returning home from church. As they navigated the secluded stretches of the drive, red lights flashed in their rearview mirror. Oh, shit.

Once again, they believed it was law enforcement because why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you? I would. Yep. Um, they pulled over without hesitation and the man approached them with the 49 caliber pistol. He robbed a couple of their possessions and this is when he forcibly removed 17 year old Mary Louise from the vehicle. He dragged her to his own car.

And that's when her companion, in a desperate... attempt to seek help, he fled. But the Redland Band-Aid pursued the man. Oh, shit, there was a foot pursuit. Yep. Uh... So, he eventually, he failed to force the young man Oh shit, there was a foot pursuit. Yup. I'm chased. So he eventually, he failed to force the young man off the road.

So the attacker returned his focus to Mary Louise. She was in the back of his car, bound, gagged, and he drove for around an hour. She was in the back of the car for about an hour. He eventually stopped. Just her tied up, like, begging, screaming for her life. Of course, in tears. And he reached a secluded area

where he forced her to engage in oral and anal sex. Oh God. And the way that he went about it was that he threatened to kill her boyfriend if she resisted. Who is this guy? What the fuck? So this brutal assault just marked a chilling escalation of the crimes because he was now literally kidnapping people, driving around for an hour, you know, crimes because he was now literally kidnapping people, driving around

for an hour, you know, showing that he was in control. She did escape and I have a newspaper clipping about that. It says, red light bandaid kidnaps free girl, freeze girl escapes police. Police hunted the red light bandit of Hollywood Hills today after he struck for the fourth time, kidnapped a girl, and led officers on a two hour chase to our chase in the hills before he finally escaped. The 17-year-old girl was released a block from her home. Police reported she was kidnapped and sat in the car on Molehound Drive with Frank Jr. Holbert, 1518 South Van Ness Avenue.

The bandit operated the same as he did in three similar cases. Sunday when he robbed, um, when he robbed, occupants of automobiles and molehound drive of the Coast Highway, and Flintridge making his victims think that he was an officer by turning a red spotlight on their cars. of the Coast Highway and Flint Rich making his victims think that he was an officer by turning a red spotlight on their cars. Last night, however, he pointed a gun at Holbert and forced the girl to get into his car, then roared away. Holbert ran into the residence and telephoned the police, who think they saw the bandits' car several times but were unable to catch him.

Wow. So they informed the public, hey, this is happening in the area. Kind of be careful. But at the same time, if you get pulled over, how do you know if that's a cop or not? It's so hard to tell. Like, you really can't. I mean, you see the red and blues and you're like, oh shit, I'm getting pulled over. I need to stop. Do you keep driving or do you stop?

I mean, today, what I would do and what I would suggest everybody to do is you slow down but you keep driving while you try to pull into somewhere that is like lit up and visible like a gas station or something like that. And also call 911. Reach out to a dispatcher and say like, hey, I'm being pulled over in this area right now. Do you guys have an officer who is in this area and initiating a traffic stop? Especially if announcements like this is out there.

Yeah, 100%. But I mean, back then, what, 1948? You couldn't really call, you didn't have a phone. And once again, this was the first time this was happening, so it was unprecedented. No one knew how to handle the situation. Yeah. So, I don't know. Yeah.

So, this assault would also be the last attack from the Red Light Band-Aid. Really? Yeah. Because... It was the Red Light Band-Aid's last attack? Yep. Because the following day, in North Hollywood, two policemen spotted a car which resembled a description given by Mesa

and her boyfriend. Yep. And also a match to the description given by the witness of the robbery of the clothing store and the ones that the cops gave chase. So the cops start the chase. The car is six deck through the side streets, roaring around the corners on two wheels.

Eventually, seven other police cars were alerted on the radio, and they took up the high-speed chase. From Hollywood to Los Angeles. Oh, shit. So, finally, one of the policemen's cars rammed the query into the curb. When that happened two men jumped out of the car and they started to flee on foot. Two men? Yes. Okay, yeah got a little more interesting So the cops were not having it and they fired their guns over their heads and that's when they surrendered

The two runners well they were running and the cops fired the guns over their heads Yeah, yep. Okay, and the two runners just Okay, so the cops cops started to search the vehicle and they turned up a revolver, a toy gun, two sets of license plates. Oh. And $130 crumpled up in currency. Wow.

They're rich. They were trying to do something. I don't know what they were trying to do. Not get rich, clearly. Crime, I don't know what they were trying to do. Not get rich, clearly. Crime. I don't know. Kill people. Yeah. Both of the men were identified as Carol W. Chessman, 26 years old, and David H. Knowles, 32 years old. Now, Mary Louise Mesa, the 17 year old victim from the previous

night, was able to identify him. Awesome. There was also Mr. McCullen, the clerk from Carl Holder's men's furnishing store. He was able to identify him as one of the bandits as well. Okay. So... That's awesome. So they got the guys, essentially. Yep. Everyone else that got assaulted by this man also was able to identify him. Fuck yeah. They're like, yep, that was the man. Now, this man, Chessman, did not confess. It would be only after 72 hours of interrogation

that he claimed he was beaten and tortured. That's when he confessed to being the red light bandit. So a confession was beaten out of him? Yeah, so this is only half of the story. Yeah, because this is when the public, there was a lot of public outrage. Yeah. So after the arrest on January 23rd, 1948, Carol Chessman and David Knowles were faced with a series of charges just related to the recent stirrings of robberies and assaults that had terrorized the area.

While Chessman was accused of multiple felonies, including kidnapping and sexual assault, Knowles was simply charged as an accessory to the store robberies. Oh, wow. Knowles was simply charged as an accessory to the store robberies. Oh wow. So we'll get rid of Knowles. Like we'll talk about him because there's not a lot about him. He actually opted out for a separate trial and he waived his right to a jury. The court found him guilty.

Guilty. to a jury, the court found him guilty. The court found him guilty. He was guilty. Yep. On two accounts of robbery and two accounts of kidnapping for the purpose of robbery. They sentenced him to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Good. However, in 1950, upon an appeal, his conviction was reversed due to insufficient evidence directly linking him to the crimes and the concerns over the potential legal overreach. Yep. That sucks. That's why you don't beat confessions out of people because like, you're not gonna stick.

So he wasn't the one that got beat. Oh, it was the other guy? Yep, we'll talk about him in a minute. Yep. This man, Knowles, only spent two years in prison before he got released. Following his release, his details about his life are a little bit scare. Public records offer little information and his whereabouts are a little blurry, but that's all we know of him. We never hear from him again. Now, Carol Chessman was the one that the public felt

outraged for. So let's talk a little bit more about him because who was this red-light band aid? So he was born in 1921 and even as a youth, it sounds like he always had a little bit of a rebellious streak. Right from the start, there were signs of trouble. Petty crimes as youth, even daring to escape from juvenile detention. And wait for it, stealing a truck and driving it over a wall. He drove a truck over a wall. How do you drive a truck over a wall? Could not find how,

but he literally drove a truck over a wall. Was there a ramp? Was there a hill? Was there? Maybe it wasn't a very tall wall. Okay, but yep It it just shows that there was a pattern of just like pushing boundaries and like walls because those are boundaries Anyway And what's interesting about his tendency is that he was able to charm authorities.

He was very charismatic. Yep. You know, he makes promises to reform, but then he ends up backing back in trouble. It's almost like he's playing like a role. So almost like this gentleman bandit persona. And then in 1941, the red light bandit, it's a cool nickname, not gonna lie. Sucks that it belongs to this man, but you know, yeah. In 1941, he was convicted for a robbery and assault.

And this landed him in San Quentin. Oh, wow. Yeah. So not just... He had a history. He had a history. So not just as youthful and discretionary anymore. This was serious business to end up in San Quentin.

San Quentin is... Oh, yeah. Now, we're gonna skip to 1948, when he was interrogated. Yeah. Okay. Because this is where things get legally complex. The year was 1948, long before Miranda rights were established. Okay.

So he had no right to remain silent and no right to an attorney. Now during the interrogation, Chesman confessed to like, he confessed that it was a lengthy interrogation but he later claimed that the confession was corroded. Coerced, coerced. Coerced, yeah. Because of course 72 hours and if he gets beaten. Yep. So that's what raises all the questions.

It throws the whole issue of the validity of that evidence into question. It does? Like I can only imagine being interrogated for hours without like a lawyer. I mean, isn't without like a lawyer. I mean Isn't that like a loophole that like any criminal could use? Yeah, like if they see the right opportunity like if the officers are like going really hard on them

They could give some like bullshit confession that like maybe the officer will believe and they'll be like actually It was coerced out of me. I was beaten by this officer So you can't really trust it. Sorry, and it's why now like people are interrogated in rooms with cameras Yeah, good But yeah, so let's move on to the trial itself, yeah because it took place on April 29th 1948 Because it took place on April 29th, 1948. Now, here's where Chessman makes a decision that would basically define the rest of his life.

Because what did he do? Like many criminals who feel charismatic, who feel like they can sway people, he chose to represent himself. Himself. Yep. Like any idiot. Himself. Yep. Like any idiot that does. Yep. He defended himself against those charges.

But I think even then and even now, just trying to like navigate the legal defense without proper training, you can't really do. Anybody who decides to represent themselves in court doesn't realize that their client is an idiot. Yeah, yeah, of course. Now, I'm going to be talking about a law that played a ton into this case. So, the little Lindbergh law was passed in 1933 after the Lindbergh baby kidnapping. So that's a whole case we can cover later as well. But this law basically broadened the definition

of kidnapping in the state of California. It meant that even moving someone against their will for a short distance could be considered kidnapping. Wow, really strict. Yeah, so that's a pretty broad definition. And it's punishable by death. Well, it was, right? Not anymore. Yeah, so that's why this whole case

is so controversial back in the day, even nowadays. So even though Chessman didn't kill anyone, those assaults for his victims into his car, it could be seen as kidnapping under this law. Yeah, 100%. And that's precisely what the prosecution argued. So they convinced the jury that those actions met the criteria for kidnapping with bodily harm, making him eligible for the death penalty. So he was

facing serious charges including kidnapping, robbery, and sexual assault. But instead of hiring a lawyer, like I said, he chose to defend himself. He defended himself. Which made the trial even more dramatic and widely followed. Yeah. So... I didn't see what shit show was gonna go down.

Exactly. Like, I'd tune in. I'm like, what's happening? Like, what is this man saying? He doesn't know what he's doing. Did you ever watch any of the, um... the Johnny Depp and... uh... Oh, um... ...her Hedman's Trial?

No, no. It's so funny. Like, it's so... I think I've seen clips here and there, and then so many memes. Yeah. And I think, like, my favorite meme, it's like, what do you have? And it was like, I've got a jar of dirt. And I was just like... Yeah. But I didn't actually, I didn't follow it closely. I just, like, I've got a jar of dirt. And I was just like, yeah.

But I didn't actually, I didn't follow it closely. I just like saw clips here and there. It was so stupid. Or have you, you've probably seen clips of like when the CEO or whatever of TikTok was on stand, like a couple years back, and there was the most stupid questions that like the senators that asked him. It was so hilarious

And like he kept answering them and then it like his answers. Yeah Were you ever part of the Chinese Communist Party? He's like senator. I'm Singaporean like I'm not even Chinese like yeah Yeah, I don't know anyway check check it out if you haven't Those are are the people we put in charge. How do we change that? Anyway, this is where things got complicated. Because the Linberg law was actually repealed before he went to trial. Oh, shit. But it didn't apply retroactively,

so he was still prosecuted under the old version of the law. Okay. Which still allowed for the death penalty. Yeah. So that's what sparked major controversy because he was sentenced to death even though he didn't kill anyone and it led to national debates about the fairness of the death penalty and Whether it should apply in his case where the victims survived So his legal team argued that his actions didn't really meet the original intent of

the law, but that didn't really work. Of course, it's not gonna really stick. But now on Death Row, he's facing execution, and something interesting happens. He finds a new voice. Okay. What is this voice? He becomes a writer. Oh my god, bro. He's one of these guys?

He's one of these guys. He wrote several books. And he was incredibly profi- Profitable? No, prolific. Pro-lific. There we go. There we go. And his most famous one, I think it was called Cell 2455 Death Row, which was like the cell

that he was in. And that one became an international bestseller Wow people Wow because it was such a controversial case So he was fighting for his life also I looked up the book and it has like two stars so I don't know how bestseller it was Whoever read this like our ultimate fanboy sweat? Honestly. But he was also fighting for his life. He was fighting appeal after appeal.

He managed to postpone his execution multiple times. Wow. Care to guess how many times his execution was postponed? Five. You're not far off. Eight times. That's a lot. How did he do that? Well, some say that he was manipulating the system to prolong his life by just appeal after appeal. And that's why he became like an international figure.

He even impacted international diplomacy. Governor Pat Brown, who was personally opposed to the death penalty, found himself under immense pressure from both sides. So his personal beliefs were clashing with the political reality. And in 1960, Governor Pat Brown delayed one execution for Carol Chessman. So in addition to this, celebrities, politicians, and even people from other countries begged the governor to stop the execution Wow, and he did he listened. Yeah at least one time at least one time

Okay, why didn't the public want? To carry out the death penalty was it because of the whole debate on It was the whole debate of is it really kidnapping like does he deserve to be put to death? Because you know like he didn't really kill anyone? It wasn't necessarily whether he was innocent or not, it was more of whether he should live or die. Yeah. I don't think there was really arguments of whether, Like whether he was guilty or not.

Yeah, but there was arguments of like, hey, he really shouldn't. How should he be punished for it? Yeah, of course, it's a death penalty. People are gonna argue about that. Yeah, especially there was arguments of like hey, he really should be punished for it. Yeah, of course It's a death penalty people are gonna argue about that. Yeah, especially in California. Yeah. Yeah And then there was also big names that got involved like Eleanor Roosevelt Okay, and

Aldous Huxley who was a writer at time, and they both said that this wasn't justice. Okay. So finally, on May 2nd, 1960, his time ran out. Chessman was led to the gas chamber at St. Quentin State Prison. And in a dramatic twist, a judge tried to issue a last minute stay of execution. But this is what really, this contributes to the whole outrage that people felt. Due to a miscommunication, A secretary dialed the wrong number. The message

didn't reach the prison in time and Chessman's executor proceeded as scheduled. Oh, I'm sure there was a huge fallout. Oh, because of that. Yep. Yep. So, he was supposed, you know, they were supposed to postpone that execution one more time. But because the prison didn't get the message in time, they just went through with it. So, what happened? Was there like, public outrage? Was there, you know, anything like public put out by that judge? Oh yeah, so there was a lot that happened because I did not think that research in this case, there'd be so much happening once this person was prosecuted, but there's a ton because of course of this law

and executing him when he wasn't supposed to be executed. So this man, all right, Chessman was dead at this point. And they honored his wishes, they cremated him, and he requested that his ashes be put with his parents at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park. But the cemetery refused on quote-unquote moral grounds. Oh, wow. So consequently, his ashes were scattered off the coast of the Santa Cruz Island.

So you think that, you know, once someone is executed, that's where the story ends. Justice is served, the case is closed. But for Carol Chessman, his death in May 2nd was just the beginning of a bigger story. Yeah, I mean, it changed everything, right? People were like, should death penalty be a thing? And, you know, what are the consequences of that? And this caused outrage internationally.

Because when people got word that he was executed when they told, you know, they said don't do it, in Stockholm, Sweden, people stormed the US embassy. Wow, what? In Montevideo, Uruguay, protesters raged on the streets. And in Lips and Portugal, the outrage turned violent. That's crazy. So the death of this one man was causing international outrage. I mean, I get that.

I completely understand. But I think it's really crazy how far it reached the US embassy in Switzerland? Yeah. Switzerland, Uruguay, Portugal. Those are just some of the countries that of course were outraged. And it kind of comes to show how people felt about the death penalty and about the legal system in the US at the time. So the execution of Carl Chessman wasn't just an American event like I mentioned, it was an international one.

It was international, yeah. The question was a simple question. Did America just execute an innocent man? No, he committed crimes. Yeah, but once again, because he was interrogated for 72 hours, beaten and tortured. Oh, they were like, oh, is this actually true? Is this actually true? Is the evidence, you know?

Real evidence or was actually there Exactly, exactly. I see I get it now back at home like here in the US and California and Just around the country the protests were just as fears and as in other countries The night before Chessman's execution, actors Marlon Brando and Shirley McLean didn't just talk about their opposition. They camped out in front of the governor's mansion, hoping to convince Governor Pat Brown to stop it. And outside of St. Quentin's prison, hundreds of people gathered, candles in hands, chanting for mercy. But of course, the gas chamber doors sealed shut. And in 1972, just 12 years after his execution, the Supreme Court ruled on Furman versus Georgia, effectively put in a stop to capital punishment in the US for several years.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. And that, folks, is the story of Carol Chessman, convicted criminal, death row author, and international sensation. But was he really the infamous red light bandit? That depends on who you ask. Some believe that he was guilty beyond a doubt, others pointed to the shaky evidence and the rushed trial. But in the end, the biggest debate wasn't just about guilt or innocent. It was whether or not he deserved to die for his crimes. And it's something we're still debating as a country, right?

Yep. Because unlike most people sentenced to death, Chesman didn't kill anyone. Yet he spent 12 years fighting for his life, appeal after appeal, you know, turning his time behind bars into a worldwide conversation about justice, rehabilitation, and of course the death penalty. See, the worst part about that though is like, yes, it's good that all these conversations arose from it. But these conversations happened because this guy sexually assaulted people under threat of killing them. So, you know, it's not a good thing. And there was all these conversations. I'm sure it was not his intent when he decided to become an author to like

start this movement. But of course he was going to take credit for it. And I think that's kind of something. Yeah. And I'm sure that once he got word that people were like trying to stand up for him. It just fueled him more 100% yeah, so once again This case left behind a lot of questions. Was he guilty? Did he get a free trial and most importantly? Should the government have the power to decide who lives and who dies? No matter where you stand on the Chesman case one thing is for sure a Change the way people talked about crime and punishment forever.

And that, folks, is the red light bandit. Convicted, controversial, and possibly still filing appeals from the afterlife. But hey, if I were a ghost, I know exactly who I'd haunt first. So what do you think, Kai? Wanna share a spooky seance with me? That was a good like segway into a Terran romance story. That was pretty good. Yeah, I had to. Alright. Well, thank you for sharing. That's cool. I mean, of course, once again, like I said,

I hate that the reason why it happened was because of crime, but also super important conversations that needed to be have and like had and still need to be had to this day. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, I tried finding just information about the crimes. Like, and it was really hard because everything was focused

about his trial and how the world reacted after his trial. So it was really hard to find information of when the crimes were committed and who was affected. And that really sucks. Because now it's like, well, people have moved away from the crimes that he committed, but towards his positive, quote unquote positive effects afterwards? Yeah. Like, that's so crazy. Isn't that minimizing what he did and like the... A lot of what I heard was about his trial about whether he should live or die

About how you know the system was skewed But once again, I was like where he committed so many like things in the past Even when he was a child Yeah, like this was the this is he had history here like this was was not really a one-time thing. This was in the making since he was growing up. And he, of course, would have kept going if no one stopped him. Exactly. Yeah. But yeah, so, Kai, take us away from the US.

Alright. That I shall do. So picture this. A towering stone fortress standing defiantly against the Irish landscape. It's weathered walls and whisper these weathered walls whisper secrets of bloodshed and betrayal. So inside of these walls the air is thick, stories of murder, lost souls and a darkness that refuses to be forgotten. There is the weight of history living in here and as you step through the halls you feel it. An oppressive energy, the sense that unseen eyes are watching, and you hear the soft echo of footsteps behind you. Except you're completely alone. No. So let me ask you this. If you were standing in that darkness, hearing those footsteps, feeling that chilling cold rush of air on your back, would you turn around or would you run? I have said this before and I will say it again if I was in a horror movie, I

Would die Welcome to leap castle. Yep, I would turn around and Just deal with whatever happens. And deal with the consequences. And deal with the consequences of my actions, exactly. Oh man. Yeah. I will walk into a basement.

What would you do, listeners? Let us know. Yeah, let... call me stupid. Tell me, Jay, you're stupid. You're gonna die because I know. Jay, you're an idiot. Jay, you're the type that would represent yourself in court. I would not represent myself in court. Thank you very much. There is a difference between stupid things in paranormal movies and legal proceedings.

I will 100% be one of the people that get killed in a horror movie. I would 100% be the one that I want a lawyer. I don't know what I'm doing Got it. Yes, so you're yeah You're a smart man When it comes to real life, yeah So paranormal all logic flies out the window so a couple weeks ago for my last Paranormal case that I covered, I

talked about Poveglia Island. So if you haven't listened to that episode, definitely go check it out. But I mentioned Poveglia Island and how Poveglia Island is the most haunted location in Italy. It's the most haunted island in the world. Okay, is this the most haunted location somewhere else? Yeah. No, that's great. Why were you so like, yeah? Because isn't every haunted place the most haunted place?

Like, I don't know. Yeah, I mean, I could say I live in the most haunted house in my zip code, you know It's true. And anyway, yeah Yeah, so I think anyone can claim to be have the most haunted building Yeah, well Ireland claims this to be their most haunted building And one of the most haunted places on Earth. Leap Island or Lep Island. Oh, is it an island as well?

Sorry, not island, castle. Okay, okay. Leap Castle or Lep Castle. L-E-A-P, like jump. Got it, yeah. Are there frogs in the area? Probably. I don't know. Are there frogs in Ireland. I don't know.

Are there frogs in Ireland? I don't know. If you're listening from Ireland, tell us. Do y'all have frogs? Probably. Oh my god. Alright, so... We're uneducated.

Does Ireland have plog? Frogs? Please let us know. We're so uneducated. I'm sure they do. Oh yeah, this shit is terrible. Okay, so Lep Island is a castle located in Cool Derry, County Uffoli, Ireland. So it's sort of like in the center-ish of Ireland around there. Okay.

And so yeah, it's a castle and it's deemed to be one of the most haunted in the world But like with any Paranormal location there's some history behind it that really draws that in yeah You can't say there's this happening and don't tell us why yeah, here's this castle. There are some ghosts here Kind of spooky. Thanks for listening Come back next week for more So

There are lots of different Accounts it said that it was built sometime between the 12th and 15th century Which is a really big time span. Okay. Now it starts from the very creation of this castle itself. Some stories say... Okay. Some stories say that it was built on the site of ancient druids.

So a druidic site. So... Sacred land. Sacred lands, right? It was built on the site of ancient druids. So a druidic site. So sacred land, sacred lands, right? With some history that were behind them. That's cool. It is kind of cool when you think about it, actually. Yeah. So it was built by the O'Bannon clan.

So it was a clan, a family, back during that time. Roughly around like the 1200s or so. Wow, we're going back in time. Yes. So 1250 is the year that is used very commonly, but once again that's not entirely spot specific. So the O'Bannon Clan. The O'Bannon Clan was sort of like the secondary clan, the second in chief to the O'Carrolls family,

the O'Carroll clan back then. So the O'Carrolls were like the top of the top. So it was built by the O'Bannon clan under direction of the O'Carroll clan. So the castle was supposed to serve as like a strategic stronghold for the military. It controlled some of the key trade and battle routes that were in Ireland.

But now a lot of these families, a lot of these clans were very competitive when it came to leadership. A lot of times there was literal battles, wars, right? And sometimes it was within the families against each other. So the Obannans, they created this castle and well they needed To figure out who was gonna own it So there were two brothers the two oldest brothers of the Obannan clan. So was it like a

family fight Sort of yeah, but specifically between these two brothers to see who would take ownership They agreed to a little contest. They would go. Sorry. I'm thinking 1200s. Family arguments. We'll have a contest. I'm sure someone ends up dead. Maybe. I don't know. No, you're definitely right on that point. Because I don't know. I'm just thinking of like, brave.

Like, shoot an arrow. No, much more death than that. Okay, so not family friendly. No, definitely not. So, the brothers, they were to climb on top of a big rock cliff and they were to jump. And whichever brother would survive this jump was to be the leader of the castle. Jump to nowhere! Um, so I'm thinking whoever survives the fall is the winner.

Is the winner. Yeah. Such a weird competition. Yes. Like, I clearly they didn't get along. So tell me more. So the original name for the castle was Liam Ibenine, or however you would say that in an Irish accent.

Sure, you just gotta throw the accent in there. You have it. No, no I don't, no I don't. Roughly translates to leap of the O'Bannons. Because they literally took a leap to figure out who it on it. Okay leap castle Do you know which brother made it? No, there's really not much information on the actual brothers. Oh, just really after you're gonna tell me like you know, they both died So funny, I'm like, okay who gets it now That would be so funny. I'm like, okay, who gets it now?

That is so funny. Just saying. And if they both survive, do they have to do it again? Yeah, they did. That's like a crazy like ass challenge like competition Anyway one of them survived took ownership of the castle and it stayed that way for Awhile I would say but the O'Carroll clan that I mentioned earlier who are the more powerful Clown that was around well they decided that they really liked the castle and they wanted it for themselves for Um, so the carols, the ocarols were in ownership of this castle until about 1649 when it then changed ownership once again.

But during the time of the ocarols, um, there was a lot of violence. Oh, the ocarols were the first, like the number one family, right? Yes, O'Carrolls were number one, Obannans were like number two, essentially. Of course, they're gonna get away with everything. Yeah, so the O'Carrolls, they, you know, seized control of it through brutality. The Obannans didn't want to give it up. Yeah, no. One brother died for this castle. You're not taking it from us. Literally. Who? We don't know. So during the O'Carrolls rule, though, afterwards, there was a tax attacks of course, it was a trade outpost. There were attacks from Gerald Fitzgerald, the earl of Kildare in 1513.

He tried to seize the castle. There was lots of bloodshed in this feud. He tried again three years later and just the same as before. A lot of bloodshed, a lot of violence and death. Was this castle very well fortified? Was there a moat and walls and things? Doesn't look like there's a moat from what I saw, but I'll send you some pictures later. And it's a castle. This is a stronghold castle. So it was made to be a stronghold.

It was, yeah. Got it. Okay. Though it was damaged in some of these battles that... I'm sure. Yeah. Time would go by and it was 1532 when perhaps the most gruesome murder in the castle was committed. Not the first one, but the most gruesome one. The most gruesome one, yeah. Yeah, so in the same vein as the old Bannon brothers fighting for ownership and for power

The O'Carroll brothers were fighting as well There was a power struggle, you know who was gonna be in charge of this castle Like I mentioned there was a lot of fighting even in between families So the story goes that one day, one of the O'Carroll brothers, he was a priest. He was holding mass in a church for the people. When his name was Thaddeus, Thaddeus O'Carroll. He was the priest. He was giving mass one day when his younger brother, Tej, supposedly stomped through the doors of the chapel and stabbed his brother right in the back.

Talk about backstabbing. Yeah. Wow. In front of everyone, in front of the entire family, you know, at the altar in chapel. Yeah. What do you do in that situation? Scream? I don't know.

Yeah, yeah. You know, depends who you are, if you're a fan. I think I would. Yeah, I don't know. Like, yeah, yeah, you know, depends who you are, if you're a fan. I think I would, yeah, I don't know. Yeah. So. Also like in a place of worship really, like you kind of-

I mean, he was at his most vulnerable, right? I think people are most vulnerable when they're sleeping. That's true. I mean, how many, wasn't that whole like, how many like Greek tragedies or like talk about a scene where like they want to kill someone while they're sleeping? I have no clue. I don't know. No, I think I know of one and that's it. But anyway, carry on. So... Yeah, Thaddeus, the oldest brother, the priest, he bled out on that altar in the chapel, and now it's referred to as the Bloody Chapel.

Oh, what a great name. You know what? I don't hate it, but I don't love it. So... I don't hate it, but I don't love it. So where am I going from here? After this, the. The O'Carrolls were still in ownership, and I mentioned they had it for a while till about 1649. I mentioned they had it for a while, until about 1649,

until the castle passed ownership onto the Darby family. Okay, where did they come from? So the Darby family married into the O'Carroll family somehow, once again, there's really not much like detailed descriptions about how this happened Because you talked about this first like the top two people and then now you're bringing another family Yeah, so I think getting like the marriage brought them all together. That makes a lot of sense So the Darby family I be got ownership of this There was a lot of remodeling from when the Darby's took ownership

in 1642 until the castle did kind of burn in 1922 and then there's more that happened after that. Kind of burned? Yeah, there was a burning. It didn't like burn down completely. So that's why there was kind of a burn. There was kind of a burning, yeah. Okay. So the Darbys, they took care of this family.

And the Darbys, they were kind of fascinated with the history of this castle. After things had moved on, the Darbys owned this castle for a very long time. So they really looked into a lot of the history of it. And the Darbys reported a lot of really paranormal occurrences. And I guess this is where it kind of starts. They start, okay. Yeah. Nice.

So, um, lots of it, there are things, so there's lots of paranormal occurrences that have, you know, been talked about over the years, Partially because of all the deaths that really happened. Yeah, I mean, family members killing each other, people jumping off cliffs. Yeah. Yeah, of course. So in the late 19th century, though, Mildred Darby, one of the family members of the Darby family, apparently she was just fascinated by the occult.

So she started conducting sciences and rituals... Wait, what she was just fascinated by the occult. So she started conducting seances and rituals... Wait, what year was this? ...in the South. Nineteenth century, not really an exact year. Okay, no fair. No, that's more like, we really jumped too much closer. Yeah, no, so the Darby family was in ownership for a very long time.

So from the 1600s... Where was my invite? ...to all. I'm just saying, if you invite me to a seance, there's a good chance I'll say yes. Honestly, I would say no. We've talked about this before, probably. See, it doesn't mean I'll partake. I will be standing by the snack table watching everyone else partake.

I don't get it. I will never do a seance. I will never use like a Ouija board or anything like that. Not for me. You know, there's a saying in a very famous song, never say never. Get Justin Bieber out of here. I do not need... Yeah, I do not need to hear about Justin Bieber in my podcast. You're the one that... I just said never say never. You're the one talking about him. You're the one that I just said never say never you're the one talking about him

So Okay getting back into it yes the same yes going from Around that time the Darby's to currently is where we really get into a lot of the paranormal that happened And a lot of it of course people think is because of all the death that happened. And a lot of it, of course, people think is because of all the death that happened. Just like every other paranormal place, it's always caused by death. Yeah, it's mostly death or like trauma or occult stuff. Sometimes it's just random. Like Jeff. Oh, I love Jeff.

We can't forget about him. No, there was like no reason for that to happen and it just random. Yeah. Like Jeff. Oh, I love Jeff. We can't forget about him. No, there was like no reason for that to happen and it just started. But anyway, yeah, so this was because of death. Lots of death. Yeah, so... Lots of death. And a lot of... paranormal occurrences that happen because of it.

Stenches of decay, shadowy figures with glowing red eyes. And, you know, supposedly other supernatural forces, which I'll get into. Sounds cool. Sounds good. Yeah. natural forces, which I'll get into. Sounds cool. Sounds good, yeah. So first, I'd like to start with someone known as the Red Lady. Real quick.

Yeah. Do we know what happened during the seance? Okay, cool. Moving on, Red Lady. The Red Lady. So the Red Lady is The Red Lady. So, the Red Lady is known as one of the ghosts of the castle. Her name is unknown, but she is said to, of course, been just one of the victims of the O'Carrolls.

So she's believed to have been captured, imprisoned, raped by the O'Carroll clan over a while. So she's believed to have been captured, imprisoned, raped by the O'Carroll clan over a while. So the story goes is that after a while she became pregnant. Her baby was taken from her and then murdered by the clan. And so of course she, the red lady then did commit suicide and so people have sort of seen her as this tall lady in a red dress who approaches with a raised dagger in her hand walking through the halls of the castle yeah

which is a pretty crazy description I've never heard like a description of a ghost like that before. I... Sorry, I'm thinking how you start this quite like this story. I'm dead if I turn around. Yeah, you are. Because normally like you're right we don't hear these descriptions of ghosts of like menacing with like a dagger or something so yeah. It's like you're just like oh a shadow figure or like a figure coming at you but no like a lady in a dress with a knife. Yeah. Yeah that's different. I need to do my research before I go to places. You 100% should. Yeah. Especially if there's gonna be red ladies.

Yeah. Another few ghosts that I want to point out are the two young girls that are seen on the property. Like, next to each other? Yeah. Emily and Charlotte are their names. They sound like they're young. Yeah. So story goes is that Emily did pass away when she was 11.

She fell from some high parts of the castle. Um... And... Um... Charlotte, there's not too much else really known about her. Yeah, do you have something? Uh, no, you said she fell from a high part of the castle. And I'm like, oh no, she was doing the challenge. The... Yeah, yeah.

Whatever the brothers did, she was doing the same thing. Yeah, the leap challenge. Um, so, Emily and Charlotte, some people believe they were living there around the 17th century. Okay. Is it because of their clothing that people can tell? Probably, or just some record of the Darbys. Okay.

So, sometimes people see, have reported seeing the figure of a little girl falling from the castle And then they know another girl Dragging her along like the corpse going. Yes. No, I Would scream I would probably run towards the body trying to help them out Because if I saw like a little girl fall down and then another girl drag her. Yeah, no, 100%.

I would run to them. Like you'd be concerned. Yeah. Holy shit. Charlotte also apparently has a deformed leg that sort of just is kind of drag along her as she moves as well. So Emily and Charlotte, two girls that are seen. Otherwise, not really that creepy, I guess.

Especially not compared to the red lady who was right. No, but I still think it's concerning to see that. Especially if you don't know about them being ghosts. Definitely. Now there's another lady who is called the governess. Ooh. What color is her dress? I don't know if she wears a dress.

Oh, is she not wearing a dress? I don't know. What is she wearing, Kai? We don't talk about that. Sometimes she's been seen accompanying Emily and Charlotte, those two girls running around. People say that if they have encounters with her, sometimes she'll brush past them or get very close. And so there's some recounts, a little bit more that I'll go into just a bit later

From the modern or that the current owner of okay, so Now two of the main I guess The spirits that are known here in the castle One of them is called it It's just known as It. Get out. I'm walking away.

If this It is a clown with a balloon. Oh no. No, but either way I don't like how they don't give It a name. So you know that smell of stench and rot that I mentioned earlier? Well, typically, that is accompanied by it. And it is described as a small creature, sort of like the size of a sheep. Creature?

Yeah, it has a decaying face, its corpse is rotting, and it's seen, you know, in the shadows appearing. It's one of the spirits that's believed to reside in the castle. I don't... I would love to visit. I just don't want to see the red lady or it. Well, you probably also don't want to encounter the Elemental. Most definitely. The Elemental is such a scary name for a ghost.

Yeah, it sounds like it's made of fire. Or something like that's made of fire. Or something like that, yeah. So what is this elemental? Who is this elemental? Remember how I mentioned that people believe it could have been built on druidic land. Oh, so this is where that comes in.

Yes, people believe that the elemental could be a dark, the most ancient entity that lives in the castle. It belonged to the druids. It was created to protect the land. But now there's this castle that's there. Apparently the Elemental doesn't show itself unless it is challenged. Okay. Not Zach Bagan, so I won't be doing that. Yeah. You mentioned, or when I talked about Mildred Darby doing those seances.

Now there wasn't really any details of her seances, but you did ask a bit more about stuff. Well, apparently the elemental is really known because of Mildred's recounts. Oh, wait, like she... Right, I mentioned the elemental doesn't show itself unless it's challenged. So Mildred was practicing this like dark magic, these seances, and that's when the elemental would show up. Oh.

Apparently. Girl, Mildred, get, go to church, go to the chapel. So there's some writing from Mildred. There's a little story, happened in 1909. She said she was standing in the gallery of the castle when she felt somebody put a hand on her shoulder. She looked and she saw something with black cavities for eyes, the smell of a decomposing corpse, and it had a gaunt inhuman face. I'm sure she freaked out. I she probably did. I mean, how would you not? It's it's I think in that situation it's very much of like

the freeze or flee or Fly. Yeah, like right or flat or but I think freeze or yeah. Yeah, but I would probably freeze. Yeah I don't know. Out of all of... the, like, spirits that I've heard of, the Elemental probably is one of the creepiest. It's definitely something from a nightmare.

Yeah, no, because it seems, like, it's described as more of a... an entity than just, like, a regular ghost, you know? It's something that's like evil and dark and ancient. Something that was on the land before the land was used. 100%. Yeah. So that's the main sort of ghost, the elemental is what people are most concerned about. There are some other small things like an unknown screaming woman who is sometimes heard, believed to be another murder victim of the O'Carroll clan. Okay. Wow.

Ma'am? Sorry. I'm just thinking of the ma'am having this, like the lady having her seances. Don't. Yeah, I guess so. So the priest's house is another area as well that's said to have lots of shadows that wander around, objects moving, and is one of the rooms that's now affected because

of that fire that happened in 1922. It was from the Civil War. The fire? The house, the fire. 1922, the Civil War happened. The Irish Civil War, that is. They weren't in the U.S. No, no. The Civil War is usually in the country, not international. But there was that fire that did destroy a lot of this castle, but it didn't fully burn down.

It's still standing. A lot of people think that that fire though could have sort of angered the spirits, right? Especially the elemental, because it's so protective of this land. And since then, it's when really a lot of these experiences are described. Okay, so like, did everything start after the fire?

No, because there are recounts from Mildred Okay back in you know 1909 and in the night 18th 19th century of these paranormal Experiences and okay her seeing the elemental with its you know hand on it was that the only fire that happened at the castle I believe so okay. Yeah So I believe so. Okay. Yeah. So, the, there are those hauntings. But I think something that I also want to point out that is not a haunting, but is really creepy, was when, when workers, like in later later years were renovating this house, um, in one

area they found, um, an, uh, O-Oblette, I believe it's called. An Oblette? Uh, an Oblette. What's an Oblette? Uh, which is, which is like an underground chamber or basement and the only opening is on the roof. I know, oh yes, I know what you're talking about. Weirdly enough, I know what you're talking about, wow. So like a dungeon.

So it was found and so they saw that it was, you know, in a bl, and they very quickly realized that that's where, you know, the bodies and the prisoners and whatnot would be thrown down. And so when the workmen eventually were able to, like, you know, excavate a bit of that, they found hundreds of human bones at the bottom of this obelette. Wow. Apparently there were three cartloads of bones. Okay, well this castle was utilized for like hundreds of years. It makes sense.

Yeah. Yeah. But this was like sealed? Creepiest home. Like they found it. Yeah, it was sealed. Yeah. Wow. Like, so Workmen doing like some renovations in the later years of it.

I don't know. I wonder what family sealed it. That's what I'm curious about. I mean, it's got it... Mmm. Oh yeah, cause like, did the O'Carrolls seal it, and then the Darby's left it sealed for years? Or like, did the Darby's use it sealed for years or like did the Darby's use it? Yeah

Cuz at that point means that there was like family members leaving there that didn't know this was there Yeah, and I guess that could also explain some of like the weird smells and the smells But you know the smells in the more like logical sense, but also you know the spirits How was there because their bones were there. How many carts did you say? Three? Four? Three cartloads full. Yeah, that's a lot.

Especially because when I found them, I assume it was just bones. Yeah, it was a lot of bones. Do you know what happened to those bones? Those corpses? I have. They were probably disposed of or they're in some sort of archive or something. I don't know. So the castle was taken over in the 1990s, 1991,

I believe, by Sean Ryan. And so Sean is still the owner of the castle to this day. He's had lots of reported activity that he's talked about, you know, doors slamming, ghostly music playing, cold spots. Apparently he has talked about like an old man who's there who will move things around. Okay. who's there, who will move things around. Okay. But what he sort of says is that he doesn't really think this castle is haunted

because he thinks that he's sharing it with the spirits because it really is their home, right? And he's just, oh, okay, this castle is not haunted. I'm the intruder here. Exactly. That's sort of what he believes. And he's like, I'm trying to live harmoniously with these spirits here in this castle. I guess I kind of see that, but I think it goes to like, what's the definition of haunted? Yeah, that's like a philosophical question. Is it? That I can't answer.

I didn't mean to get that deep, I'm sorry. Maybe you're good. Anyway, at its core though, it is a beautiful castle in Ireland. It is open as a tourist attraction for tours So it's a really cool place to go Part of it is destroyed because of you know the Irish Civil War in 1922 Yeah, it's still It's still really good The owner Sean he did rebuild some areas of it based off of pictures that they had

Okay, so I'll be sending a bunch of pictures and we'll post it on Instagram and whatever as well. Yeah. That is the Leap Castle in Ireland and all of its spirits that are contained within. All of the known spirits. All of the known spirits all of the known spirits. Yeah Because with so many deaths, I'm sure that there's a couple lingering around I Really don't want to uncover or find any of any of them not mentioned ones

Especially all any of them at all. Yeah, especially if they fall under the category of like it or the elemental Or like the red lady Please Wow. I I don't know something about the elemental is just like I Don't know no cuz like it lets you know that like this thing was never human. It's just like a force of nature So wow, I think that's really cool though So do you know how? Tours work is it like guided self guided to the offer like paranormal investigations anything like that. Let's see Leap castle I don't know. I think you just have to call and they probably

Okay, cuz I don't think they have a website you're assuming that I'm gonna be able to understand their accent Hey, it's not that bad maybe I should communicate via email that might be easier that might be easier Okay communicate via email that might be easier. That might be easier for sure. Okay, yeah you need to organize it directly with Sean Ryan the owner. Okay. So, make sense. Call or email. So, does he live there? I don't think they live there but I bet he spends a lot of time there. Yeah, I'm sure. Okay. From some like stories or like first-person accounts of what I've said like of people who have booked tours there It's not like just a like oh, I'll show you around. Here's this like Sean the owner actually Takes time to just sit down with you and talk and like have a deep dive into like the history And what it's all about and so I think that's really cool Sean

Reach out to us or we'll reach out to you. Yeah. We'll talk to you. Maybe we'll take a trip to Ireland. Who knows? Yeah. You can show us where the girls are seen. And that's it. We don't want to see the other ones

You can drop us in the Ooblet No, you can drop Kai in the Ooblet As long as nothing follows me in there Maybe I'd consider going in Are people allowed to go into the Ooblet? Probably not. Okay Okay. Yeah, I don't think we'd be an exception. Be cool if we were, but no. I'm okay not being in the Oblette. Mm-mm. I don't want to come across it. I don't want to come across the Red Lady. I don't want to come across the Element. Yeah. Yeah.

Something about that's just so ominous. Wow. Now, do you know, because you mentioned the Civil War. One thing that was stuck in my head was like, was it used like as a fort during the Civil War or something? Like, why was it damaged during the Civil War? Or like it was just damaged and we don't know why? I don't know.

Let's see There's nothing like direct about it I guess It says the castle was just like mysteriously set on fire. Um, could have been by the elemental. It could have been, yeah. Or by a human. They don't, nobody knows who actually like burned it or why. Or why.

Just that it was during the civil war. But it happened July 30th and 31st. Wow. Like the nights that... Ummm... Yeah? Who knows? Well thank you. Ummm... Ireland.

We're coming for you. That'd be fun. I would love to go to Ireland. Like eventually, sometime in my lifetime Yeah, but thank you thanks for being here folks, so that's the leap castle yes I don't want to doubt was that one very I'm thinking of how there's so much, so much yet so little information with this castle because it goes back so far. And then like we get to current day and now we have more information in the current times,

but like still not a lot. Still not a lot. And yeah. What I think is really interesting though is how there are so many named spirits. You know? Like most of the time paranormal or haunted locations, they don't really have named spirits. It's just like, oh, there's like a lady who screams or a lady who can be seen crying. But like, no, we've got the red lady, we've got Emily and Charlotte, we've got the elemental.

So when you said the red lady, I felt like running, but I didn't know where like forget what I said. I did feel like running to grab my notebook because I used to have a notebook that I started writing back in like, I think like high school or something. Because I would check out out books from the public library about paranormal stuff, and I would write things down, different types of haunting, different types of ghosts. And when you said the red lady, I was like,

I wrote about the red lady. You need to find that. That'd be cool. I need to find that notebook. It's very old. I wrote the year and the day and everything I wrote about like red ladies brown ladies white ladies like green ladies Because they all show up in different dresses and there's like symbolism behind all of them apparently So that's why you asked what dress The governance the governance was wearing. Yeah, okay, because I think the brown ladies

I'll have to find that book and we can talk about this next time. I'll like pull up the notebook, show how old it is, how it hasn't aged well. But the brown lady is very much connected to the earth, things like that. And I think the green lady, it's also very connected to the earth, something like that. I don't know, I have to find it again. Wrote about werewolves. We're not covering werewolves this episode, but fun fact. If you ever go use a urinal and they didn't flush or like a toilet and it's purple, they're a werewolf.

Oh, that, um... That's good to know. I don't know. Thanks, Jay. No, you're welcome. And that's where we call it a night. And that's all for you guys. Stay hydrated.

Don't forget to breathe. You are now manually breathing. Don't drink a monster at 8 p.m. I mean, are you drinking a monster or are you finishing a monster? No, I'm drinking it's it's proud I barely even like fair okay And you're I like how you're not are you telling them to not drink it and you're still drinking it Yeah, do as I say not as I do fair. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, unless you're like listening and not watching He's definitely not drinking a monster

No, I know But yeah, that is all. Thank you. Everyone. All right. Have a good night today afternoon evening morning Road trip for tonight Yeah, tomorrow sounds yesteryear Yeah. Tomorrow. Seance. Yesteryear. Yeah, don't participate in black magic. Don't build a house on druidic land. And if you smell the stench of a rotting corpse, make sure to pray to whatever God you believe in and run as far away as you can. Yeah, don't turn around when you hear someone walking behind you. No. And with that, we leave you.

Yes. Good night. Bye. Smurf! Bye guys. Ah! Thanks for listening to Chambers of the Occult. For photos, sources, and anything else mentioned during the episode, check out our website at chambersoftheoccult.com.

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