My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark - 455 - Time Math

Episode Date: November 21, 2024

On today’s episode, Georgia covers the disappearance of Adam Emery and Karen tells the story of the “Cardiff Giant.” For our sources and show notes, visit www.myfavoritemurder.com/episodes. Support this podcast by shopping our latest sponsor deals and promotions at this link: https://bit.ly/3UFCn1g. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is exactly right. Skip. My neighbor's nightly saxophone practices. Er, nope, you're on your own there. Could've skipped it, should've skipped it. Skip to the good part and get groceries, meals, and more delivered right to your door on Skip. The faster money and data move, the further your business can go to a seamless digital future for Canadians. Let's go faster forward together. That's Georgia Heartstart. That is Karen Kilgarafe. And we're being flirty and feisty and fun. It's the AM Podcast.

Hey. We wake up with you. Got to go to work. So do we. Right now. Let's do this thing. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work.

I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go to work. I'm going to go AM podcast. Hey, we wake up with you. Gotta go to work.

So do we, right now. Let's do this thing. What's going on? How are you? I'm good, thank you. I had one of those bed routing weekends where I just really laid around like that was my job. Nothing's better than that.

I felt very lucky to have two days to just post up. It's not the best. Yeah. Because otherwise, like, if you have one thing to do that weekend, that's all you think about is like leading up to that one thing. Yes. And then you start rationalizing why you're not doing it, why you're not going to do it. Oh my God.

It's like you just need to go down and ship something. Yeah. Like the post office. Just do it. It's not a big deal. You've been like thinking about it for so much longer than it would have taken you to actually do it. Can I tell you that that's this, that's me with nails now because I've never cared about, I mean, it's not like I didn't care about nails. But my sister has like hand model nails, very deep nail beds, always perfect, long, whatever. I have my dad's hands.

So it truly looks sad and like I'm trying to do something with what I got, which is what I'm doing. So most of the time I just kind of don't pay attention. But then recently I'm like, yeah, I don't want to be on camera and go like this and just have like a broken nail with a little dirt under it. Totally. My raggedy cuticles. Yeah. I get it.

Like, eh, I don't know. But you cannot get me to get down there. Is it because you have gel on? It's gel, but I just, it's this laziness of I'll do it later, I'll do it later. That's the problem because you can't take that shit off by yourself. No. So you can't do anything about it. So it just looks worse and worse.

It's, it's gel's fault. It's true. And it's also when it's growing out. So like the space between the two words just like the ma'am, you simply must by city ordinance go in there like we're videoing this, which is why we care because I feel like from far away people can't see like on video now people are like, Oh, her nails are polished. They don't know that like, just looks like your nails getting shorter and

smaller. Yeah, that's I don't know that like, just looks like your nail's getting shorter and smaller. Yeah, that's- I don't think. It's gonna start to look like it's a two-tone polish idea. Right. Like it's just creative. It's so nude. It is truly nude. Well, my last one was red. And then I was like- Let's go fall.

Let's go like, neutral. Something virtual. Guess what are you doing? Don't draw attention to these weird man hands, where it looks like it's a little sausage-y, but it's also a little bit like the hands of a person who's had it. I wonder if you can exercise your fingers.

Is there a finger exercise to like strengthen? Same hand, yeah. That's when you know you've gone right over the edge. To get ripped in your fingers? It's like, I can't get basic shit done, but I sure can do 25 of these man She's shredded and just her fingers Everything else is falling apart, but she's sure added she's cut exactly where it doesn't matter You know she competes in finger competitions the posing and all this

I see her in Venice Beach like pumping iron just with her fingers. Just fingers. All right. Was that it? No. You have nothing to report? I don't have anything. I was just out of town for so long in Mexico City. It was fucking incredible. Would you have to give us a top three highlights? Churro, lucha. Sorry, you're thinking of the Contra Calistoc County Fair. No, a churro in Mexico City. Probably the best one you'd ever had. It's the best one I've ever had. I dipped it in chocolate. Then lucha libre. We went to the fucking Arena Mexico and saw lucha libre, the wrestling match. It was unbelievable. So much fun. Incredible. The original. Yeah. And then just all the food that we ate was like set separate from the churro, but everything was like beautiful. It was so much fun. AMT – Incredible. The original? LW – Yeah. And then just all the food that we ate was like set separate from the Cachurro, but everything

was like beautiful. It was so beautiful there. AMT – It's the place to be these days. Cool. I'm glad you got to get away. LW – Me too. Oh, we were talking about Wrath of Fire. AMT – I mean, there's some great, I feel like we're back to the OG days of HBO documentaries.

There's some amazing stuff out there. So we want to make sure no spoilers. I think it's the final episode of Breath of Fire. Yes, we're one episode behind. So we just will say it's very interesting to me that these simultaneous, and I actually don't know if the other one is also on, but the Anatomy of Lies about the Great's Anatomy of Lies. Oh, I haven't watched that one yet either, yeah.

So maybe when you're done with that one, you can come back and we'll have a kind of a lit comp conversation because they're similar and nothing alike and it is crazy. About someone pulling the wool over everyone's eyes and pretending to be someone they're not kind of a thing. Yeah, and kind of like, how much do we lie, how much do I lie, and how much do I feel like I need to lie? But how much do you think you're actually lying when you are lying? Like are you deceiving yourself too?

Yes, good one. If you believe it, is it a lie? And is that kind of rationalization, whether it's automatic or totally conscious, is that why and how people get into cults or start cults or lead cults or it's all that kind of stuff of like human beings and their brains are goddamn fascinating. The way they'll justify anything that they do because to think that you're a bad person, no one thinks they're a bad person, right? Of course not. But people question it, but it's kind of more like, well, if I am,

then I'm going to work on it this way. And then working on it makes you a worse person, but you can't admit it by the time you're done with it. I mean. It goes around and around. Let's pretend we're smart and have a podcast. We've been doing it for almost nine years. Almost nine years. Oh my god. Almost nine coming up on. Yeah. Not our nine-year anniversary. We're in what? Sixth, fifth, sixth grade? Yeah, emotionally? Yes.

What was the question? I don't know. How will, what grade would we we in if we were a child? Yeah. Third grade I think. Third, is that it? Okay. I have to ask Laura. What would we be in the gifted and talented program? Oh we'd be running that thing. We'd be calling teachers by their first name. The teacher's like, when is it my favorite time to come on up here and teach this lesson on geography? We'd be like, Diane, we'd love to. Because the thing about geography, it's not about the details. No, no, no, no, no.

It's about the colors of the map. Geography is not science. Yes, it is. It's a personal love of ours. Exactly. It's not a science. Speaking of personal loves of ours, we have a podcast network. She's done it again.

Hey. Oh, I have, sorry network. She's done it again. Hey, oh I have sorry what one piece of mail. Okay. Oh This is a real email that we got hello from the team at BBC Studios UK TV and rip Dear Karen and Georgia, although we suspect this will mostly appeal to Karen. I Am a day one listener. I've never missed an episode yet of My Favorite Murder. I also happen to be the chief communications and marketing officer for BBC Studios, which also owns Brit Box and UK TV.

Holy shit. And then they say, you can only imagine my total delight when I was on my morning run in cold, dark London. True crime is a perfect companion on a morning run. It keeps your pace up. When all of a sudden your conversation turned to UK TV on the latest episode, Shoulders Back. Oh, that's the latest episode of our show.

I was like, I've never heard of Shoulders Back. I have to see Shoulders Back. Instantly I shared the episode with my team, Carrie at UK TV and Alana at Brit Box. This is just a note to say we love and appreciate just how much Karen enjoys the shows we make. And if you're ever in the UK, let us know, and we'd be delighted to see if we can get you on set

to see some of your favorite British procedurals or period dramas being made. Just give us a shout. Best wishes, Susanna. I mean, that is for you. She's kissing it. Thank you. I's kissing it. I'm so excited. I'm so excited. I'm sneezing.

That was so loud. No, the inhale I thought you were going to like say a big thing. I think it'd be like, oh my god. No. It's itchy. Okay. Broad shirt. That's really exciting for you. And me, but also for you. Susanna, we really appreciate you writing in, I'm beside myself with being seen and

perceived in the world by the things I'm perceiving. I'm happy for you. Thank you. Speaking of that, how come not a single person today has mentioned my shirt? Can we get a good like I thought it's not anyone in the fucking sound booth. Nobody. Look I thought it said Pookie and I didn't even look. It says that's my dog. Vince made this for me. It's like a it's like a three dog moon. What is it? Three wolf moon shirt

but with pictures of cookie. This is the second version he's made me and it says Cookie, that's my dog. You can get it made somewhere on the internet. And he's made me one of Mimi too, I'll wear it next week. Nice. But I just feel like I wear this to bed and I wore it to this recording so that it would be on camera because I just really wanted to acknowledge it. I'm so sorry that I didn't. I was like, I don't know Pookie and I don't have to get involved with Pookie.

That was my thinking. It's coming on at me when I refuse to ask about it. But also that's how much I saw Pookie. I saw Cookie at the beginning, right before COVID. Oh, right. And then I've only seen Cookie since on social media. So like I didn't immediately recognize her the way I wish I'd. Well, she's like green and purple in these so it's a little weird but Right. And I thought her name was Pookie and it was a different dog. You know I love my Pookie merch.

Gotta get it out there. Okay now that we've settled all the important business. It's time for those ERM highlights. That's right. We have a podcast network. It's called Exactly Right Media. Here are some highlights. This week on the Bananas podcast, comedian Chloe Radcliffe joins the Banana Boys to discuss weird news from around the world.

And this week, Kara and Lisa from That's Messed Up and SBU podcast cover SBU episode Guilt from 2002. And they also have a really fun new holiday ornament in the merch store. If you want to check that out, it's at exactlyrightstore.com. There's tons of great merch from all our podcasts. On Wicked Words, Kate Winkler-Dawson talks to author Ellen J. Green about her book Murder in the Neighborhood, the True Story of America's First Recorded Mass Shooting, about a 1949 shooting in New Jersey. Wow. And also, we have an important merch corner update.

So back in 2023 on episode 370, I covered the story of Pearl Heart, AKA the bandit queen, and then making a shirt featuring her iconic quote that I'll read to you in a second. And all the money from that sale, we donated to Planned Parenthood, and that was to the tune of $30,000 because of you guys.

Yeah, and you guys bought those shirts and you donated, and it was great. So with all the things that are happening in the world these days, and a bunch of people actually suggested this on social media, we decided we are going to bring back the Pearl Heart t-shirt. So head to Exactly Right Store and place your order by November 26th. Proceeds will be donated to the ACLU and their effort to combat all of the threats to our civil rights that are now standing somewhere in a murky future that we are not sure about. So let's just see how much we can raise for that.

And for reference, the Pearl Heart quote is from 1899, and it's, quote, I shall never submit to be tried under the law that neither I nor my sex had a voice in making, end quote. Now that women are second class citizens in America, and we have an incoming president who is very interested in not just keeping it that way, but expounding upon that. We all need to get ourselves together. We need to collect our thoughts and our plans. And we need to resist and never submit. Yes, let's.

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Acorns advisors, LLC and LLCC registered investment advisor view important disclosures at acorns.com slash murder. Goodbye. Okay, I'm first. You're first. And I got a mystery, a weird mystery I hadn't heard of until this story was submitted to me by our team. And it's so odd. I can't believe I hadn't heard of until this story was submitted to me by our team. And it's so odd.

I can't believe I hadn't heard of it. You might have heard of it from an Unsolved Mysteries episode, because it is like, got the, like everything an Unsolved Mystery episode needs. So it takes place in New England, and it's kicked off by this awful tragedy, and then ends in the disappearance of Adam Emery. You know it? I think, well, is it the newest Unsolved Mysteries or the old? I don't know, I think it's the old.

Because I was like, man, those new ones, I feel like I've watched every episode three times. So the main sources for the story are an article in the Washington Post and an episode of Unsolved Mysteries, and the rest of the sources are in the show notes. All right. So here we are, August 31, 1990.

We're in Warwick, Rhode Island. And it's a seaside town. It's got a cute little amusement park called Rocky Point. And right by the amusement park, there's a little seafood shack. And that's where young married, Adam and Elena and Emory have gotten some dinner with another married couple a friend of theirs that evening because they're celebrating Adam and Elena's second wedding anniversary. Adam is 27 and Elena is 29. Your face is already a little scared.

It's so sad. Any of these stories that we tell are truly tragic because anytime you kind of drill down, it's like you want to say, oh, it's their second anniversary. They just started a life together. This is the saddest version of this story. And it's like, yes, except for then the next story you get where it's like they've been together for 75 years. Now that's the saddest version. It's like, Well, it is, but for not the reason you think it is. So it's going to end in tragedy no matter what. The couples are eating in their car, Adam and Alina are up front and the other two are in the back seat. And they're just eating and drinking beer. And it's a typical summer evening in New England.

I hope to God that the keys are out of the ignition because that's a difference between a DOI and not a DOI. And you know, I feel like the beer part is an important note in this. Guys, fucking don't drink and drive, please. Never drink and drive. But if you're chilling and the driver is totally sober but everybody else has a beer, you do not get that beer out of that car before you put the keys in the ignition. I don't know why I know that.

It could be... Because he used to drink a lot. Yeah, drinking a lot, but then also that thing of like, don't just sit there, like, get all your shit ready just in case something happens. Okay, well, so they're sitting there eating and suddenly everyone in the car jerks forward when another car hits them accidentally in the back driver's side bumper they get bonked into. No one's hurt, although the car is definitely dented. Adam's car is a 1985 Ford Thunderbird, and he's known for keeping it in impeccable condition.

He really loves his car, so then it gets fucking smashed into. No one gets a great look at the car that's just hit them from behind because it's gunning it out of the parking lot already and turning the corner around the building and it's just out of sight immediately. So it's a hit and run. The whole group tells Adam like, fucking follow the car, like, let's get its license plate. I'm sure they were all amped up, you know. The whole group is yelling at you to do something. It's like, you get amped. Adam pulls out and turns out of the parking lot in the direction where that other car had gone. And as they round the corner around the same building, they find the car, they pull up behind a brown 1975 Ford LTD. Elena in the front insists that that's the car that hit them, and they begin to follow

it. So the people in the LTD start driving faster because they realize they're being followed. And so, Adam does too and they're kind of in this chase for like two miles. Finally, the LTD, the car in the front pulls over or Adam cuts them off from the front. We don't know. It counts differ. But either way, they stop. So, then Adam starts to get out of his car.

But before he does, Elena tells him to bring the hunting knife he keeps in the car just in case. Because he's like, in his mind, he's like, I just got rear-ended. They took off. I'm going to go confront them. She's like, who knows who this could be bringing the knife, which just isn't smart. Don't get involved. Write down the license plate and leave. I mean, it's so we're so LA people where it's like, oh, if somebody hits you from behind and they leave, like, God bless and goodbye. Have good insurance. Have good insurance. And like the risk of like rage, I've had it happen to me. It's crazy. When Vince first moved here from, you know, Michigan,

and we were in the car together and he flipped someone off, and I was like, do not ever fucking do that again in LA. For real. Like, this is shooting on the freeway, the road rage, which I'm really, I always read those news stories. I'm terrified of it. Yes. And something similar happened to me.

It's like, don't get involved. Don't get involved. It's very bad traffic out there. People are already pissed. Everyone's angry. Everyone's pissed all day long. And then you make a mistake and it's like, first of all, let people merge. And if somebody makes a mistake, look to yourself and remember all the mistakes you've ever made and move it along. Yep. Yep.

This was a panicked moment of this is how you need to behave in a car, as if anyone needs to know any of this shit. Don't do drugs. Sometimes do drugs. Okay. Adam approaches the driver's side window of the other car, and the driver quickly throws the car into reverse and tries to speed away. Because he has a knife. Right. Yeah. But Adam is hanging onto the door. And it sounds like Adam winds up lying on the hood of the car with his arm and maybe

his head through the driver's side window. Like he's, because I think the window is open and so he's like holding on as the car backs up and so he like kind of maybe gets thrown onto the hood with his head and body in the window. Does that make sense? I mean, a little bit, but this is, we've already said it, sir, step away. Yeah. So somehow while all this is happening, all this commotion, Adam gets the hunting knife out and stabs the driver in the heart.

All this happens in a residential area. The car comes to a stop like on the lawn of someone's house. People quickly come out of their houses to help because they heard the commotion. But the driver who has been stabbed is in bad shape and is becoming unresponsive. I mean, that's... Okay. It's horrifying. An off-duty police officer is among the neighbors in the area, so police arrive quickly on the

scene. When they get there, the driver is still alive but bleeding badly, and Adam is drinking a glass of water. I think he's like sitting on a porch, you know, drinking a glass of water that someone must have brought him. And he tells the officers, quote, I did it, end quote. The driver is a young man named Jason Bass. He is 20 years old.

He had spent the summer working at a food booth at that little amusement park. And he dreams of opening his own restaurant someday. He spent the summer dating a girl who also works at the amusement park. And he always lets her little brother tag along with them on their dates. In fact, it's this kid, the younger brother, a 15-year-old named John Gorman, who's a passenger in the car that night when Jason gets stabbed. Horrible. This horrible 15-year-old kid is like, what the fuck? John is physically unharmed. Jason

is brought to the hospital, but he dies before he even gets there. So Adam is arrested. He claims he was acting in self-defense. The minute you get out of that car or you chase the other car, that's not self-defense anymore. Right. You're chasing a car and then you're, yeah, I mean, none of it feels like severe, just what we talked about, severe rationalization. But John Gorman, the passenger from Jason's car, says that Adam had been screaming that he was going to kill Jason from the moment he got out of his own car.

So when he got out with that knife, he was already screaming, I'm going to kill you. I mean, that's what it all seems to be, where it's like, I don't know if I believe that his girlfriend said, you should take this for protection. That doesn't make sense. Like chasing a car and the car understanding that you are following it doesn't make sense. Like chasing a car and the car understanding that you are following it doesn't make sense. Where it's like, I bet I would guess just separate from all of this, that he cut them off and made them pull over. Right? Well, here's the worst part about this. I mean, there's so many worst parts. It's pretty certain that Jason Bass wasn't the person who rear-ended them

at all. That they had the wrong car to begin with. Not that it would ever have been okay if he had rear-ended him, but it was, they're suddenly being chased by someone. They have no idea why they stop. This guy gets out. And of course, you know, the guy comes at him with a knife saying, when I kill him, of course, he like puts the car in reverse and tries to drive. But he's like trying to leave the scene because he's afraid for his life. That's not self-defense. I mean, it's like the most overt that is self-defense.

It's like, get me out of here. His self-defense, not his, not the claim of self-defense. Right. Yeah. So yeah, the paint samples don't match. It's not the car. Horrifying. Yeah.

I don't think the car is ever identified. So this whole tragedy takes place in a pretty small community. It gets very ugly for the families on both sides. When Jason's mother goes to the store to buy a suit for Jason to be buried in, she explains the situation to the shopkeeper and it turns out that Elena's sister is in the store at the same time buying school uniforms for her children. And she starts screaming that Jason's mother isn't telling the truth and that Adam killed Jason in self-defense. Like they're all, they're attacking the victim and the victim's family in this. It's pretty ugly.

Yes. Right. And obviously, in a way where, well, not obviously, because this is just a theory, but it's like, if you're on the defense like that, you go back and tell your family, not, oh my God, I can't believe we made this horrible mistake or I can't believe whatever. It's the his fault. It's his fault. It's his fault. It's his fault. There's no critical thinking in this. And that's a big problem. You can support someone

without having to defend them blindly. You know what I mean? Yes. Like, I'll be there for you, but you did this thing and it's not okay. And now someone's son is dead. That's why the mom is in the store right now. Right. Like, wow. Horrifying.

It takes three years for the case to move through the courts. Adam is offered a plea deal with a charge of involuntary manslaughter and a sentence of about five years in prison. But he is so hell bent on saying that it was self-defense that he refuses this very lenient deal. He actively killed someone, stabbed someone. It wasn't accidental. And he says no to this deal.

And he's adamant that it was in self-defense. He says that he had leaned into Jason's car and tried to turn the ignition off and that while Jason was zigzagging and reversing for a distance of about a thousand feet, Adam couldn't get free of the car and stabbed Jason to try to get him to stop instead of letting go of the car. So in November of 1993, Adam, who's now 30, is found guilty of second-degree murder. It will carry a sentence of 10 years to life. And when the verdict is announced, Elena, who's now 32, is she's sitting right behind Adam in the courtroom.

She closes her eyes and whispers, quote, "'It's my fault. I'm going to kill someone. There's hell to be paid.'" End quote. If the sentence structure seems a little weird, this will be important in a minute, but Elena was actually born in Italy,

and so she has a bit of an accent. She and her family moved to the States when she was a little girl, but Italian is her first language. And then she leans in and whispers something directly to Adam that no one can hear, but in the aftermath, lip readers are hired to watch the tape and decipher the words. How much you fucking love lip reading videos. That's one of my favorite things on TikTok.

Me too. They do it a lot with like professional sports. Yeah. Or like if Taylor Swift is in the crowd somewhere. On the red carpet, too. Yeah. It's hilarious. It makes me never talk to Vince in public anymore because I'm like, what if there are people, not that I'm saying anything important, but like what if someone is out there and

they can read lips and I'm just talking shit on someone. Right. Well, I mean, it's a good, these days when everything is recorded anyway, zip it until you're in the vault at all times. That's right. Got to. At least cover your mouth like the sports guy. She says talking into a microphone for year nine.

To be kept in the vault forever. It's only... No, this will go on the Smithsonian probably. They have a vault? Do they have a secret vault? Right next to lawn chair Larry's big old chair. Okay, back to the horrible stuff. Okay.

Because this is also, sorry, just for a reset. Just trying to think of like, it's a small town, the politics, the families, the passion, right? Nobody can be wrong in that situation because it's like, oh no, we're on this guy's side and this is... Yeah. This is how we feel, period. It's, I mean, it's similar to the election. It's how people get through hard, horrible stuff. It's just like, well, let's just go fully black and white with this and there's only way, as this our guy is completely innocent. He's the true victim.

And here are the facts to prove it. And it's like both sides have those. They can't all be facts if both sides have differing facts. You know? Right. It's like, just who do you want to believe? So when the lip readers decipher her words, she says, quote, we will do what we originally said you

promised me we should have done this before, end quote. Here's the thing, this is so weird to me. Pending his sentencing, so he's found guilty and they're like we're gonna have your sentencing hearing. In the meantime, get on out of here. Go on home. Oh. Why are people released before sentencing after their trial on a murder charge, no less? Like, I get it on like a shoplifting charge. Yeah. It just depends on the person and the situation. But I think clearly there are people in that town like or in that courtroom who didn't think it was that he would have done it if it wasn't that exact situation maybe.

Right. But they didn't think he was a threat for whatever reason. But because of this, the story turns and becomes an enduring mystery. So that very same evening when he's let out after getting the guilty verdict, police are called to the Claiborne-Pel-Newport Bridge, which crosses the Narragansett Bay. And it's this long, beautiful bridge. I mean, you know, we're talking Golden Gate looking long and beautiful. Is it golden? It's don't, I don't think so.

Okay. Don't ask me. Right? No question. A car is idling in the right lane with the engine on and nobody inside it. And this is a big, long bridge. There shouldn't be a car empty and idling. At first, police think the car has simply been abandoned, but when they look inside

the car, they find clothes, cash, cut-up credit cards, and a driver's license. And it's Adam's driver's license. The clothes are the outfits that Adam and Elena wore in court that day. And it would appear that Adam and Elena have both died by suicide jumping off the bridge into the bay. That's what the scene looks like. Right? Sure. But immediately you're probably like, that looks a little too good that their outfits are back there. You know what I mean?

Yes. Like it's, here's all the pieces you would need to believe that we just died by suicide. But also like, why cut up your credit cards if you're about to jump off a bridge? Yeah, it's a bit thorough for if two people, especially two people who are just like, yeah. Yeah. Well, very quickly, of course, police start to wonder whether Adam and Elena faked their own deaths and are trying to go on the land together. Investigators retrace Adam and Elena's steps between the verdict being read and the car being discovered. And so what happened is after the verdict, Adam and Elena had gone to a sporting goods store. They bought matching black sweatsuits, wrist and ankle weights, which points to them jumping.

You know what I mean? Not don't know, not the sweatsuits, but the weights. That they would weigh themselves down first. God. And also weights that would go around their waist. So that does point to them jumping. I don't know why they'd have to change clothes. Like that's a little suspicious because, like they can't be identified by the clothes

that they had on. But if they're trying to seem like they both died by suicide, then that is what, why wouldn't you want to be identified? Right, right. Yeah, that's a very odd piece. Then they go to Burger King and have dinner together. And both of these details wind up fueling doubts that the two really took their own lives.

Yeah, your last meal is gonna be Burger King. That's what they said too, but it's like maybe they hadn't decided just yet. And they're like, let's go eat something. And then they just decided to do it. True. I mean, yeah, anything's possible. And I'm not going to lie, like, Carl's Jr. wouldn't be ruled out as my last meal. Look, fast food on the whole gets the job done chemically.

Mexican pizza, I mean, that's not the worst. Do it too. Yeah. But yeah, it's kind of pointing toward planning, but not planning for a finale. Right. In my opinion. Right. Because that's, you know, I just feel like the nostalgia of that can't be overlooked. You know what I mean? Like Burger King, whatever it was, like that's your comfort food. Oh, that's a really good point. Yeah. Yeah. And you're probably not in the mindset to go to fucking Chez Panisse or whatever. Yeah, you're not. And have a nice sit down dinner.

You're not going to fit. Well, and also, would you be allowed to? Like, is that, does he just have to go straight home? Yeah, I don't know. Is there any house for us? I have no idea. Yeah. So the other thing is that Adam argued with the clerk at the sporting goods store over the cost of the sweatsuits. And people are like, why would he do this if he knew he's about to take his own life?

But I mean, old habits die hard, you know? People had seen Adam and Elena outside of their car on the bridge at about five o'clock that evening. But witnesses say they got back in the car and drove away. No one had seen them get out of the car or jump prior to the discovery of the empty car later that night. So they got there, they got out, they get back in and drive away. And at some point, no one saw them, but they drive back.

And who knows what happened then. And maybe it was like, there's too many witnesses. We need to leave and wait until there's less cars on the road. Or maybe they're like, I can't do this, I can't do it. Let's go back. Let's go to Burger King. Let's go. Right. Talk this over. Right. So the immediate suspicion, of course, is that Adam and Elena are trying to make their way to Italy where Elena's family is from, which is why that fact that she's from Italy comes into play. However, here's a twist. Despite all of these circumstances, evidence emerges over the summer of 1994, so about eight months later, fishermen discover a skull in the Narragansett Bay directly under the

clay-borne Pell Newport Bridge. This skull is sadly determined to be an indisputable match for Elena, based off of dental records of unique and extensive dental work on her upper jaw. And I mean, they like test it again. It's the 90s, you know, but it's like unique and extensive dental work. It's kind of hard to refute, but there's like always a small chance. But also, would it have been a skull by then? But also I think that turn of, I was so against them. And like, no way, they got away.

And then it's like, oh no, she died. And it just makes me feel so differently. I know. It's so weird. It's so sad. Yeah. Well, and also just, what was she talking about in the courtroom? Like, what was she referencing?

What was that all about? Yeah. Probably like you can't go to jail. You can't go to prison. We need to end this. Who knows? Like for some people, the idea of prison or being apart for that long is just I can't even fathom like that mindset. But for them, it was like not an option maybe. Then around the same time leg bones are also discovered in the bay and these are first thought to be Adam's possibly, but later they're determined by an anthropologist to have belonged to a woman, but it's unclear for belonging to Elena. So obviously the simplest explanation would be that both Adam and Elena really did die

by suicide in November of 93, but after the apparent suicide and before the discovery of Elena's skull, numerous sightings of only Adam are reported in Connecticut, which is one state over from Rhode Island, as you well know, you're a geography scientist. I mean, it's one of my favorite pairings of states. Right. Those two together, ugh, Laverne and Shirley. When these reports are made, Adam is not yet considered a fugitive, so they can't track those down because he's only supposed to be on bail.

So once he misses his sentencing hearing, then they're able to start running down these leads. During this period, the sightings follow geographical patterns, first in Connecticut, then Florida, then France, then in Italy. But fucking witness sightings, I mean, come on. Yeah. And he's, you know, he's kind of hard to miss. He's like a handsome Ken and Barbie type of guy. So it's not like I don't think he'd blend very well because he is handsome. Right. And so he would stand out a little bit. Yeah, you know. So by the time he misses his sentencing hearing, though, the sightings have mostly died off.

Those sightings are still reported from time to time. I know. And the FBI has considered Adam a fugitive, as recently as 2017. They tweeted at the time asking for tips. They're still working on it and reminding the public to pay attention. Wow. And he still remains on their most wanted list.

And that is the tragic story of the death of Jason Bass and the mysterious death of Elena Emery and the disappearance of Adam Emery. God dang. Right? Yes. I mean... Tell me.

Tell me. I just am thinking about when I was growing up, my cousins who lived next door who weren't, aren't my real cousins, but they were like my older brother and sisters, the girls had boyfriends that were kind of like dirtbaggy. Sketchy, yeah. And that's kind of what I'm thinking of.

We're like, when things like this play out, a thing like this plays out, the story of we're just sitting here innocently eating our sandwiches and drinking some beer and then we're rear-ended. And so then we go, like every way that this story is laid out, like trying to be explained, doesn't make sense in terms of you get rear-ended and you're obsessed with your car. Yeah. You're immediately out of your mind furious. Yeah.

And this happens when like somebody else is the victim where you're then like, well, then they didn't do anything wrong. But it's like, did he do something wrong in the beginning, which is like smash a car and freak out and run away. Was there a reason he freaked out? Like the guy that got out of the car was so scary and like enraged that he was like, I got to get out of here. Oh, but none of that matters because it wasn't him. It wasn't him. But trying to put it together, like the logic of putting that together, which is like, clearly there seems to be have been a removal of like, why would a person run? Why would a person get out of there? Because the way

it ended was so scary that it clearly started at least slightly scary. Yeah. Yeah. His favorite thing in the world, his car was smashed into and then the car drove away. Right. Then also deflecting the blame the whole time that Elena said, that's the car and she's sure of it. Elena said, grab the knife. Yes.

Is that even true? He's not at fault in these instances because she pointed those things out. It's a good way to blame her for it. Yeah. Or she's taking the fall because he's a creep. And then at the very end... He kills her and then gets away. Or she thinks they're both going to do it and he doesn't. Maybe.

Maybe. Yeah, like he's like, I was going to run this whole time and I knew if I ran with you, we'd get caught. Yeah. I mean, whatever. It's, I mean, let's make up 55 scenarios because we won't know. Oh my God. Geez. Yeah.

Good one. Thank you. Yeah, that was a good one. Because we don't get an answer, right? No, I'm sorry. Good one. Thank you. Yeah, that was a good one. Because we don't get an answer, right? No, I'm sorry. Unless you just want to, like, go with the obvious, which is, like, they both did it. They both jumped off the bridge together.

But the idea that there have been sightings of a person that, aside from being good-looking, is just like... And in Italy, that's strange. But who knows? Who the fuck knows? You can't trust that shit. Yeah, that's true. I would just like one answer for that one by the time we're done with this whole project.

I think her finding her skull is pretty like, yeah. I think if that hadn't happened then we would have been like yeah they clearly ran. Right. But that's so odd, like makes me want to be like, test it again, you know. Because I don't want it to be her in a way also. Well, I just don't understand. It feels like if this is, if worst case scenario on this guy is the worst person all the way through, then that would, that would all track of like, he's got an anger problem.

He attacked this kid. He was just, and maybe they're on drugs, whatever the thing is that made him like hang on to the car and not get off. Like that shit is scary. And he's been drinking. Who knows how much. He was drinking water when the cops got there. Which to me is like, that's what you do when you get pulled over and you've been drinking. Yeah. You know, you're like chugging water. There's a nice neighbor that sits you down on your porch.

I don't know. It just feels like any, it's all of those things are just like, it doesn't happen to the average person that they end up on the hood of someone's car trying to reach in Maybe with a knife for yeah for their own protection But probably not doesn't the knife hadn't been there everyone would have been okay Mm-hmm and bringing a knife to confront someone in the is kind of premeditation, right? I think so. Yeah. Bringing a knife to a car party?

Yeah. Why? Yeah. Because also, ultimately, what was it, to max $2,000 of damage? Yeah, right. What are you trying to do? What kind of lesson would you be teaching? Yeah.

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So it starts on October 16th, 1869. Oh dear. Yeah. In the quiet town of Cardiff in New York State. A local farmer named William Newell is digging a well on his property and he's being helped out by a few hired hands. And they dig about three feet down into the dirt when one of their shovels strikes something solid.

William tells the men it's probably a rock and he goes into his house to get a pickaxe. And while he's gone, the rest of the crew keeps digging. And as they shovel more and more dirt away, they uncover something truly bizarre. Can I guess? Yes. Is it a giant?

Yes. I love the story. Yeah. The object in the dirt is huge and it appears to have a massive foot. Can you imagine? I mean, so they keep digging and before long, they've unearthed what looks to be the body of a very large man, a very large petrified man. The workers estimate that this man is about 10 feet tall and he's

lying on his back like a corpse. There's no flesh, no hair, but he does have fingernails and Adam's apple, muscle definition, and quick listener warning, very prominent male genitalia. Oh dear. Mom. And although his expression is peaceful, his body is contorted. One hand is crossing towards his very prominent male genitalia. The other is behind his back. His legs are turned to one side.

So he's kind of like, seems to be in a state of unrest. When William Newell eventually returns with his pickaxe, he sees what's been uncovered and he's completely dumbfounded. Word spreads throughout Cardiff and within hours a crowd has gathered at the Newell farm to take a look at the, I mean. Those good old fashioned crowds that gather. And this would be like Little House on the Prairie costumed crowd. Yeah. They'd bring a picnic.

Yeah, they'd be like, Ma! Bring a hunk of cheese and some bread. And sarsaparilla. It's like the most entertaining thing that's happened to them in years. That will ever happen in the entire area. They dug something up. Yeah. The end. It's like, here's what your town's going to be known for for the rest of its way.

Could have been two huge rocks and they would have been like, this is amazing. Selling cotton candy. Chewing cud and stuff. They call it fairy floss back then, didn't they? Oh, did they? I think that's British. I don't know. This is the story of the so-called Cardiff Giant, a discovery emblematic of the power and pitfalls of American ingenuity, opportunism, and capitalism. Hey. All your favorite things.

Those are my top three. The sources used in today's story are a 2005 article from Archaeology Magazine by a writer named Mark Rose entitled When Giants Roam the Earth, a book by Scott Tribble. The title of the book gives it away, so we'll just keep it moving. But thank you to Scott Tribble. And then a 2014 article in the Press and Sun Bulletin newspaper by Gerald R. Smith and George Basler. And again, the title of that article gives it away.

The rest of the sources can be found in our show notes. So we're back on William Newell's farm. More and more people are showing up to gawk at the buried giant. This is what I love. Lyle Ornstein Picture old-timey Karen there in her beautiful calico hand-sewn dress and bonnet. Carly Soule It's made out of flower socks. Lyle Ornstein Flower socks. because I'm very, very poor.

I don't know why. But I have a certain jean-de-zacquoise that's keeping me going. Where did she get that diamond necklace? Oh my god, she's a stealer. Do you guys know her? She's a stealer. Like you're on the football team. So these crowds are getting larger by the hour, but William doesn't like it at all.

He claims to be worried that all of this interest is going to disrupt the farm, it's going to make it hard for him to work and provide for his family. And he also tells this crowd of friends and neighbors, he has to rebury the giant and just to stop telling people about it because we're just going to bury it back. He's essentially like a classic get off my lawn. Yeah. Right? The original.

Yeah. But of course, that only adds to the intrigue. So then more people show up to the Newell Farm, this time from outside of town. Oh, wow. Outside of town. And then reporters show up. Okay. So suddenly the Cardiff Giant is being talked about in newspapers

across the region and crowds of onlookers continue to swell. In response, William basically says if you can't beat him, join him. So instead of shooing people away, he decides to throw a big tent over the uncovered giant, still lying in the ground where it was first uncovered. And then he starts charging 25 cents admission to go see. That's a lot, right? Yes. Do you have 10 today's money? Well, a couple of days after that, she bumps it up to 50 cents, which is $20 in

today's money. It really is, especially for people in 1869. Yeah, you didn't have that kind of... Not unless you owned the... I was going to say... The old mill? The corner store, but yeah, it would have to be the old mill, I think. So, people happily pay. In the first week alone, 2,500 people show up to see the Cardiff Giant. And they say that there was something undeniably powerful about the scene at the Newell Farm.

An academic who co-founded Cornell University, Andrew White, describes the scene this way. He says, quote, the roads were crowded with buggies, carriages, and even omnibuses from the city, and with lumber wagons from the farms, all laden with passengers. Lying in its grave with the subdued light from the roof of the tent falling upon it, and with the limbs contorted as if in a death struggle, it produced a most weird effect. An air of great solemnity pervaded the place. Visitors hardly spoke above a whisper." Because you know what's so crazy about that? You wouldn't have seen a picture of it first and then gone to see it, right? Correct.

Like maybe a drawing in the newspaper. If that, but like you would have only ever heard of this in- Description, yeah. In just in tales and stories. Right. So you're going to see a thing that no one's really ever seen before.

Yeah. Well, I mean, yeah. Yeah. So, God, I would have gone. Of course you would have. I would have sold my youngest child. So as the word of Cardiff Giant continues to spread, people remain mystified as to what this thing actually might be.

Theories, of course, begin to swirl. Some believe it's an ancient giant who once lived in the area, I guess, Lived and breathed and then turned to stone. He was buried for so long. It's kind of weird, but at the time, petrified objects and giants were kind of zeitgeisty. So there had been several fossil discoveries in both the 1700s and the 1800s that today we understand belong to extinct species, but at the time they were just kind of getting uncovered and Nobody knew what they were have fun Also in the ultra religious 19th century when much of the US population is not educated in science

Let alone the burgeoning field of paleontology These fossils are sometimes connected to biblical figures So that includes the giant Goliath of David and Goliath fame. So it'd be easy to believe that a giant would be found because if they're finding these other creatures and then someone's going, well, this is the whatever. Yeah, it's science. That's science, friend. One person telling you something. So there's a decent amount of people who think this oversized human from a prehistoric race has been petrified in the earth, but the same

amount of skeptics see the card of Giant feel it is not human. They think it's a prehistoric statue and others think it's a more recent creation of a hoaxer. So one of the many people in that latter camp is the writer Andrew White, who I just quoted. He immediately dismisses the Cardiff giant as a statue and not even a well-made one. To White, the giant doesn't share the obvious qualities of other prehistoric finds. At the same time, the giant himself, quote, betrays the qualities of a modern performance of a low order. – Ouch. That's some fucking old timey shade right there.

– Andrew White was like, eh, nooo. – And another thing. – And he takes his one – – Monocle. – His monocle off. – And he's the Monopoly man. – And he, it's him, Andrew White, that went on to found Monopoly, the board game. So essentially, yeah, White is saying it's an artist who isn't particularly talented.

It is not what you think it is. It's like in a rap battle with him and he just fucking won. He just slammed that monocle down. So as more skeptics insist that the Cardiff giant is just a bunch of carved stone, audiences still come out in droves to marvel at it. And it's hugely popular and, of course, becomes very a lucrative attraction. In less than a week after the discovery, William Newell sells the majority stake in the Giant as a concept, two-thirds ownership, to a small group of New York businessmen for $30,000,

which in today's money... $250. $700,000. Holy. That man. Yeah. That's, you know, it's so cool about that. I wonder if he also was like perpetuated the rumor that it's a hoax, because I bet more

people came when someone was like, it's a hoax, Because I bet more people came when someone was like, it's a hoax, I bet. And people are like, I need to go see for myself and decide. And pay my own good $20 that I absolutely don't have to figure this out. Sorry, kids, you're not eating this month. Yeah, I'll decide if this is a hoax or not. Mommy needs to fucking.

Yes. You can gnaw on your bed frame. We'll get through this. It's made of corn cobs. I mean, it's like an edible. Since everything's made of corn cobs, I think you're going to be okay. Terrible. Okay, so of course with the Cardiff Giants' overnight fame comes overnight drama. Because down in New York City...

New York City, the situation is getting heard about. And guess who gets wind of it? P.T. Barnum. He immediately wants in. He would later say, quote, One thing was certain. It was a great attraction visited by hundreds of people daily. And I thought that so great a curiosity should be exhibited under proper management in New York City. I therefore approached the proprietors and said, I will give you $50,000 for your Cardiff giant as it is." $50,000 back then is how much in today's money?

$850. That's $1.2 million. Good damn it, I'm bad at math. Okay, so it's time math. I can buy a lot of corn cobs. Time math is really fucking hard. We've never gotten good at it on this show. But the Cardiff Giant brings in $12,000 in its first few displays on the farm.

That's worth over a quarter of a million dollars today. So William Newell and his investors turn P.T. Barnum down. Damn. Because they are making bank. Nobody turn P.T. Barnum down. Because they are making bank. Nobody turns P.T. Barnum down. You're exactly right because P.T. Barnum then decides he's going to send a sculptor up to the New Hall farm and that sculptor will bring a little ball of wax and then right there on site the sculptor makes a miniature replica of the giant. And using that replica, Barnum then commissions a full-size copy of the Cardiff giant using measurements that have been widely reported in newspapers.

And in no time, Barnum has his own perfect dupe, his Cardiff giant, and he puts it on display in New York City. You've got to trademark that shit. It is the first case of IP infringement. I mean, it's such a sad, true fact where it's like, we got our thing and now we're the king of the world. But it weighs 500 tons and it's set in the ground. And therefore, you're just ripe for the pickin'

if anyone to come by. A little ball of wax. You just make a miniature. So the men who own the original card of Giant, of course, are furious at P.T. Barnum. That anger is only magnified by the fact that the copycat pulls in more visitors than theirs. Because it's New York City.

Especially because the real Giant has actually been excavated from William Newell's farm and they were actively touring New York State. So it could have been them in a lot of ways. Historians Gerald R. Smith and George Baszler report, quote, the imitation giant grew sizable crowds while the original giant flopped. For example, only 50 people showed up on the second day of the original giant's tour. The lack of success led to one of its owners to coin the immortal phrase, there's a sucker born every minute, as a commentary on the crowds of people who lined up to see Barnum's

fake giant. What? I love the origins of sayings. That is crazy. And in A Final Irony, the phrase is now attributed to Barnum, although he didn't say it. You could say he stole both the giant and the phrase. Damn. Sad.

It's funny. It's ironic though that he said that about Barnum. Okay. Yes. What a shadowing. Yes. Okay. So the owners of the original card of Giant attempt to get an injunction to stop Barnum from displaying his replica. But the skeptical judge writes their concerns off with a sarcastic comment saying, quote, bring your giant here and if he swears to his own genuineness as a bona fide petrification, you shall have the injunction you ask for.

You know, he's in fucking P.T. Barnum's pocket, right? Well, how about we listen to the rest of the story, and then you see maybe this judge knows what he's talking about. Okay. So, with that judge refusing to protect the original, the floodgates open, and the sculptor who made Barnum's giant quickly churns out several more, which are advertised in shows across the country.

The Philadelphia Inquirer even weighs in writing, quote, it is rather rich that we should be victimized by such a fraud upon a fraud. So just like these things won't stop coming. Then in early 1870, any remaining mystery around the card of Giants authenticity totally fades because that's when a man comes forward claiming he's the brains behind the whole thing. That man's name is George Hull. So George Hull is the kind of guy who stands out in a crowd. So in an era when the average man is around five foot seven, George is six foot three. At a time when Americans are overwhelmingly Christian, George is an atheist and a very vocal atheist. And according

to Gerald R. Smith and George Basler, he quote, resembles the stereotypical villain in a melodrama with slicked back hair, a mustache, a piercing stare and black clothes from his shoes to his plug hat. I mean, sounds hot, right? I mean, what's up? So very fitting for a man described as a shady opportunist, the same newspaper notes that quote, criminal may be too strong a word for George Hull, but schemer certainly applies. And quote, while writer Scott Tribble reports that he quote, had no qualms about breaking

partnerships or laws to get what he wanted. So George Hull, classic bad guy. Yeah, villain. He started out in his con artistry as a horse trader. That was a well-known, ethically questionable job involving downplaying a horse's flaws and putting all responsibility on the buyers to ask the right questions ahead of a sale. Classic.

Yeah. Basically, Marin wrote, think used card dealers, but in the 19th century. So Hull eventually graduates to a rigged gambling scheme where an accomplice would sell marked decks to saloons and hotels. And then George would go in and charm unsuspecting patrons into playing games against him with those same cards. He repeats this fraud throughout the Northeast until the early 1850s, more than a decade before the Cardiff Giant is discovered, when he's finally arrested passing through Broom

City, New York. Hull serves a stint in jail there, then he gets back on his feet with the help of his brother who happens to live in the area. George responds to his brother's kindness by marrying his 16-year-old daughter, Helen, George's biological niece. Not do that, please. Very much against the family's wishes and 19th century standards. This is disturbing and scandalous. They become social outcasts, and the scrutiny actually becomes so intense that they move onto a farm in a far-flung part of the county.

There, George works in the tobacco industry making and selling cigars. But he also tries his hand at inventing. He later claims to have come up with a quote, harness snap out of which I ought to have made myself rich, but I didn't." End quote. And that's because George invents this harness this harness snap, and then he immediately sells it for $300, which is roughly how much today? $1500. $300? Yeah.

$11,000 today. God damn it. Later he finds out that the buyer of the patent made over $400,000 from it, which would be how? Oh, $2.7. $15 million today. So he's got a chip on his shoulder, if all of that is true. But these experiences fuel his transformation from a small-time con with questionable morals into a deeply disgruntled member of society

who has a particular chip on his shoulder about religion. George engages in explosive, exhausting debates on religion with his neighbors. Those debates are described as pyrotechnic by the New York Daily Tribune. And writer Scott Tribble adds, quote, the salvos against religion reflected not only Hull's longstanding skepticism, but also his growing dissatisfaction with the society that shunned him and his wife. Okay, friend. Do you mean your niece? Do you mean that teenager in your life?

Which one are you talking about? There's a really hilarious TikTok I saw that it's like, guys will defend dating teenage girls. But when you say, well, then why don't you hang out with teenage boys? They don't know what you're talking about. We're still in the quote. Mainstream and religious society were largely one and the same at this point in history,

and George's atheism was fast taking on a more general misanthropy. So we're going to fast forward to 1866. This is now three years before the Cardiff giant is uncovered. George, who is in his mid-forties, is in Iowa on business, and during this trip, he finds himself in yet another heated debate about religion, this time with a traveling preacher. The men argue over the Bible, which the preacher interprets literally, and George thinks is a complete fabrication. Eventually, they part ways, but George can't shake the conversation. So that night as he's

laying in bed, he fixates on a specific Bible verse that says, quote, there were giants in the earth in those days. So George hatches a plan to make the pious look blindly loyal, if not flat out foolish. He decides he's going to create his own giant, pass it off as the real deal, and then basically let it be discovered as a hoax and make everybody look stupid. And he also, he's pretty sure the idea could make him a small fortune. So the plan starts about two years later in 1868 after George cashes out his cigar business in Vroom County, heads back to Iowa, hires men to lift an enormous five-ton block of gypsum from a local quarry under the false pretense that it'll be used to sculpt a statue

of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln had just been assassinated three years earlier. George then arranges for that gypsum to be shipped to Chicago, where he hires a stone cutter and sculptors all sworn to silence. This is so much work to prove a point. Yes. Like, maybe that's what I need in my life is more like, what is it, a vendetta against someone to get me to do shit. Because otherwise, this sounds exhausting.

You do know this is your job, right? Oh. You do shit all the time. I mean, more than my job, you know, like, leave the house. Knitting, more quilting. Oh, just go outside. Yeah, just go outside. Just go outside.

Put clothes on, take a shower. I do think that that thing, self-righteousness is quite an engine. So speaking from personal experience where you're just kind of like, well, I'll have you know that energy gets you right up and out of the house a lot of the time. Yeah. Being doubted is a good source of energy for me. You know? Yeah.

I doubt you could get off the couch. Anyway. I'm going to show her. You saved my life. What I also love is all those kinds of hoaxes. There are at least five people keeping their mouth shut, which I always think is fascinating because it's like, how do we find more people like you to be a normal person? Totally.

You don't because they're keeping their mouth shut. That's right. You'll never know. They're like, you'll never know. And I won't have a deathbed confession. I'm the type that actually understands taking secrets to the grave. I hate it. So George R. Smith and George Basler report, quote, George Hull was a hands-on boss, supervising

the work and hanging carpets and quilts on the walls to deaden the sound of the chiseling. He even supplied the sculptors with a steady supply of beer to keep them happy. So then in September of 1868, when the artist showed George their finished product, he's worried that that stone looks too pristine and new. So he throws together a cocktail of chemicals and douses his giant until it has a more distressed look.

And then he takes a bunch of needles, pokes them into a piece of wood, and uses it to hit the stone over and over so that it appears to have pores. So what people do to jeans, right, to make them look worn in. And what is this? Oh, micro-needling. Micro-needling. Yeah.

Eventually George is satisfied. The giant is put into a massive box that's marked as Finnish marble and transported by rail to New York. When it arrives, it's put into a wagon. It's hauled to the Newell farm in Cardiff because it turns out William Newell is George Hull's cousin. Hey. He's been married to?

He's been married on the whole thing the whole time. Yeah, exactly. Shit. Yeah. In a way, he married him in whole time. Yeah, exactly. Shit. In a way, he married him in dishonesty. In the marriage of dishonesty. So he knew the whole time. He knew the whole time. It was acting. Which also is like, oh, that's right, you had the workers

dig it up, and then once you hit it, you're like, I'll be right back. So that I don't have to stand here pretending to be surprised. Okay. So they get to the final step, obviously, they bury the giant together, and then George Hull waits and waits. An entire year passes. And then in October of 1869, George gives William the green light to hire and then lead the oblivious workers to the exact location

under the guise that William is digging a well. Then once the giant's unearthed, William plays dumb, George is still managing the entire scene and situation from the shadows. And from start to finish, it took George about three years to bring this spiteful dream to fruition as well as around $2,600. Oh my God. Which in today's money would be worth... $2,600. Don't tell me. $1.5. $60,000, which in today's money would be worth... $2,600. Don't tell me.

$1.5. $60,000. God damn it. This is like the worst I've ever done. You overcorrected that to the last number. In the end, Hull does exactly what he set out to do. Some of his marks are indeed faithful people. Meanwhile, he makes a big return on his investment after striking a deal with the local businessman

who invest in it. But now with P.T. Barnum cutting into the Cardiff Giants' ticket sales, George is not happy. So in December of 1869, George Hull comes forward as the creator of the Cardiff Giant. Scott Tribble suggests George's motivation here is quite simply another opportunity to cash in. When George comes forward, he duly pitches a tell-all book on how he came up with the whole hoax.

It's kind of good business. Like I have an announcement and then a second announcement. Although Marin then notes here to me, doesn't seem like that book ever got written. So back on tour, the card of Giants operators are trying to figure out their next move. They ultimately decide to take the Giant to Boston, hoping that the distance from New York City will at least let them draw a crowd for a little while longer. This works for a few months. And it's so far, it's so long ago that like no one knew it was fake.

I know geography and Boston's not that fucking far from New York. So you do now know geography or you don't? I know it well. Told you. Now you're claiming you do know. I've told you this for almost nine years. OK, I see. It's one of my favorite subjects.

All right, that's right. But it was so long ago that it would be like, I don't even know if these guys were around where you could be like, news on the Cardiff Giant. Right, that's true. No one was doing it where you could be like, news on the Cardiff Giant. Right, that's true. No one was doing it. So among those who come to see the Cardiff Giant when it's in Boston is none other than Ralph Waldo Emerson, who describes it as quote, astonishing.

He believes it. Oh, whoa. What a dumb ass. What a rube. But the Cardiff Giants' allure is quickly nosediving in addition to the failed injunction against P.T. Barnum, the dwindling interest from crowds, the growing number of skeptics, and of course George Hull, who is shopping his own tell-all story around.

The sculptors who carve the giant come forward and accuse George Hull of never paying them. Oh, shit. You can't do that. He pulled a full Donald Trump and just didn't pay the workers. People can't keep secrets when they don't have their pockets lined. Yeah, they should not have to be expected to. So alongside all this bad press, the Cardiff giant, which was once considered a marvel, now settles into its identity as a sideshow oddity.

Still kind of cool, though. It's great. Yeah. The whole concept is... Yeah. That's got kind of cool, though. It's great. Yeah. The whole concept is... Yeah. That's got an even better story. Human innovation. Yeah.

Less than a year after it's dug up on the Newell farm, the Cardiff giant quickly fades into obscurity. But the appetite for unearthed prehistoric, quote unquote, humans does not dwindle. In fact, George Hull's hoax sparks a wave of similar discoveries across the country. Among the most famous is the solid moldoon. You ever heard of the solid moldoon? No. It sounds like something you do to like, to fuck with your little brother or something. I gave him the old solid moldoon. The old solid moldoon. The solid moldoon was dug up in Colorado in the mid-1870s.

It's billed as a seven-foot-tall, prehistoric, petrified man who, in a twist, appears to have a tail. The Solid Moldoon is quickly put on display for ten-cent admission, and it's touted as, quote, the missing link between man and apes. Oh, and also, you can tell Vince this, if he gives a shit, the Solid Muldoon was said that he was named after either famous wrestler of the day, William Muldoon, or Muldoon Hill. Just getting a little wrestling trivia in there. And I know there's a bunch of murderinos with wrestling passions crossover.

There is. We watch wrestling and My Favorite Murder. They're so similar. I mean, very spiritually similar. But the Muldoon's mystery doesn't last. A chatty insider spills the truth and word spreads that it's yet another fake. And then in perhaps the least surprising twist, the man behind this creation is also George Hull. I swear to God, this is reminding me when I was a little kid we went to like some shitty

carnival with my dad. I don't even know where it was and it was like walk through the tunnel of like you know man-eating fish and it was like all spooky noise and it was like the saddest carcass of a fish hanging by threads ever. Even as a seven-year-old I was like this is bunk. So fake. This is like we paid extra tickets to go see this. Yeah. And this is like, embarrassing.

It's so embarrassing and also, you know, no brag, but we would kind of live at the fair every year when we had to go do 4-H stuff. Yeah, yeah. And so we got to see all of that where it's like, this horse stands 21 hands high, or whatever. And you'd hear it like playing all day long. Yes, exactly. It is a man eating fish of a thousand. And you just, maybe it was because our parents gave us the money to give and

satisfy that curiosity. Then we immediately were like, they ripped us off. And then it's like most kids never have that experience. And they have it when they're like 24. I had my nose pierced at the Harvest Festival when I was 13. There was like a piercing, ear piercing booth. I was like, hey, look at my nose. And this fucking lady was like, do you have your mom here?

And I just grabbed some lady drinking a beer and I was like, will you tell them you're my mom? She was like, sure, honey. And she was like some blonde lady. I couldn't look less like she would be my mother. Did she know you were getting a nosebleed or did she? Yeah. She was just like... She was cool. I'll always remember her.

I don't give a shit. No, she was cool. Shout out to you, Rhonda. Definitely Rhonda. Such a Rhonda. Such a Rhonda. Okay. Okay, where were we?

He made another giant, but this time with a tail. And that was a shout out to Darwinism. So with this latest stunt, George was certainly aiming for another payday. He almost got it. P.T. Barnum reportedly offered $20,000 for the solid moldoon, which is roughly $600,000 in today's money. Just take P.T.

Barnum's money. I mean, you might as well. But for whatever reason, it doesn't seem like Barnum actually ever purchased it. The deal fell apart somehow. I bet you it was George Hull's fault. He's like, oh, it's you. Yeah. Oh, yeah.

It's all you meddling kids. Yeah. I'm not dealing with you. As writer Mark Rose reports, quote, where Barnum admitted offering $50,000 for the Cardiff Giant in 1869, his supposed offer for the solid moldoon seven years later was only $50,000 for the Cardiff Giant in 1869, his supposed offer for the solid Muldoon seven years later was only $20,000. By the 1890s, petrified men were cheap. One found at Wind Cave, South Dakota, went for $2,000,

and another found near Fresno and exhibited in the popular drug store there, sold for $1,000. Still bad for, like, the real one. There's one real one. There's one real one out there probably, right? It could be down there like, guys, I turned to stone. Oh wait, then it says,

petrified men had lost their financial punch. Their game was over. So interest in the solid Muldoon quickly fades. George sank a lot of money into this hoax and he never recoups what he spent. He ultimately returns to his career in the tobacco business, but he struggles financially for the rest of his life and he dies in 1902 at 81 years old in obscurity and without much money.

But history, the website history, reports that he was, quote, still proud of once fooling the world with the cart of giant. For years, George's original cart of giant was regulated to the back of a barn in Massachusetts. Oh, my goodness. Which I love. Yeah. Like, basically, it got bought and sold a couple times.

And then, basically, someone put it in the back of the barn where it's like, yeah, my dad bought that in the 50s. Next to a DeLorean, whatever. Then in 1901, the year before George's death, it got carted out of storage for the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York, but not many people came to see it. The Giant is again bought and sold several times. And then in 1974, it finally winds up in the hands of the Farmers Museum in Cooperstown, New York, run by the

New York State Historical Association. And it's on display there to this day. And the Association's vice president for education, Garrett Livermore, has said, quote, it's one of our most popular exhibitions. People are still fascinated by this story. It's like almost makes me cry for some reason. It's like only become more interesting because it's so fake and because there's so much like. Because it's kind of just about people. It's about it's a people story. Human nature. We're always looking past that of like, where's the giants from Days of Your or whatever,

where it's just like, how about a story about George Hull who was walking around looking like a snidely whiplash and trying to make giant sculptures trick like Bible thumbers. The Cardiff Giants story has all the elements that we know and love. A shocking discovery, a circus-like sense of wonder, a media frenzy, faith butting heads with science, and shameless capitalism. All of these things that feel distinctly, chaotically, and timelessly American. As Gerald R. Smith and George Basler note, to close, for some visitors to the Farmers Museum, the Cardiff giant hoax can take on the rosy glow for a time when America seemed more innocent, although whether this time actually

existed is a matter of debate. Others remark on the gullibility of people who fell for the hoax, but maybe they shouldn't be so smug. Witness today's internet hoaxes and online scams, for example, stories about aliens building the Great Pyram Hey. End quote. Yeah. Very good slam in there right at the end. Smith and Basler add that, quote, certainly the memory of the Cardiff giant has outlived the memory of its creator. No marker exists in Cardiff to remember Hull, the great hoaxer.

Considering his ego, he would certainly not be pleased. As the biblical saying goes, a prophet is without honor in his home country. That could go for a hoaxer as well. And that's the story of George Hull and the Cardiff giant. Wow. Doot, doot, doot, doot, doot. Great job.

What was that? I'm not sure. I guess I loved that story so much that I had to give it a theme song button. Okay. That was great. That had everything I wanted in life. That was, that was a perfect story. Thank you. Well, yours was perfect too. Thank you. They were great together. Two great tastes that are greater together.

Yeah. Yeah. We did it. We did it again. Should we just end it? I think we should. Okay. Thanks for listening, you guys. We appreciate you. We're here with you in spirit and spirits and Cardiff giants.

And let's stick together as we go forward and stay sexy. And don't get murdered. Goodbye. Elvis, do you want a cookie? Hi. Elvis, do you want a cookie? Ah. This has been an Exactly Right production.

Our senior producer is Alejandra Keck. Our managing producer is Hannah Kyle Creighton. Our editor is Aristotle Acevedo. This episode was mixed by Liana Squillace. Our researchers are Maren McClashen and Allie Elkin. Email your hometowns to MyFavoriteMurder at gmail.com. Follow the show on Instagram and Facebook at MyFavoriteMurder and Twitter at MyFaveMurder.

Goodbye.