Episode 9

September 27, 2020

00:37:04

Ep 9: Mobsters, Molls & Murder in Devil's Lake, WI

Ep 9: Mobsters, Molls & Murder in Devil's Lake, WI
Common Mystics
Ep 9: Mobsters, Molls & Murder in Devil's Lake, WI

Sep 27 2020 | 00:37:04

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Show Notes

On this episode of Common Mystics Jennifer and Jill find themselves in the midst of a twisted tale involving mobsters, molls and murder in the most unlikely of places. Picturesque Devil's Lake, Wisconsin is the backdrop for more than just vacation photos. What mysterious death took place there in 1927 and how was it connected to organized crime syndicates in both Milwaukee and Chicago? Listen in as the sisters relate their findings from the final leg of their psychic road trip in south central Wisconsin. Transcripts of this episode can be found here: Transcript Devil's Lake, WI  Link not working? Find transcripts to our pods and more at https://commonmystics.net/  Thanks for listening! Support us on Patreon and get exclusive bonus content and monthly video calls with Jen & Jill!!! https://www.patreon.com/commonmystics
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Episode Transcript

Common Mystics Podcast Episode 9: Mobsters, Molls & Murder in Devil’s Lake, WI www.commonmystics.net 00:00:09 On this episode of Common Mystics, we find ourselves in the midst of a twisted tale involving mobsters, molls and murder against the picturesque backdrop of Devil's Lake, Wisconsin. What mysterious death took place here in the 1920s? And how was it connected to organized crime syndicates in both Milwaukee and Chicago? I'm Jennifer James. I’m Jill Stanley. We're psychics. We're sisters. We are Common Mystics. We find extraordinary stories in ordinary places, and we found another one in south central Wisconsin. I love a good mob story. Jen, please remind our listeners where we were starting from and what our original intention was. Absolutely. We were leaving Sauk City right after our adventure for episode eight. It's true. And so our intention was still to find a story that was verifiable that would also allow us to give a voice to the voiceless. So upon leaving Sauk City, what direction did we go in? 00:01:11 We actually headed north. We did. And we noticed a sign for Devil's Lake and we were SO going there. We both wanted to immediately. So we turned down a road that would take us there. And what impressions were you getting down that road? As we approached, we went over some railroad tracks and right away, I got the feeling that the railroad had some connection to a story near Devil's Lake. Yes you did. What about you? Oh, well, I was picking up, as we were approaching the lake, we hadn't seen the Lake yet, but I was like, this is a place where someone was murdered, but it was meant to look like a suicide. I remember you saying that, you said, how creepy. Yeah. Well, it was. Yeah. So we continued driving and we got to Devil's Lake. 00:02:01 We did. We saw it. And what was your first impression? Okay, immediately, as soon as I saw it, it was beautiful. And I knew I was not the first white person to see this and be like, Oh yeah, this is totally ours. We need to get these, these Indian, native savages off this land because we were taking it. And that was the impression I got immediately. Right. I know it's harsh, but that's really the energy I picked up on. Well, you know what, that's probably the way those early white settlers would have felt about the natives living in the area. That's actually consistent with that research that we picked up on later, but we're ahead of ourselves. So we stop and we get out. We have Bug the beagle and right away we notice this area is just breathtakingly beautiful. The lake is dark and it's still, and there's just enough light that afternoon to have it reflect the granite bluffs from all sides that surround it. 00:03:03 It was so still, and the bluffs are so high. It was almost like there was a mirror at the bottom of a bowl. Do you know what I mean? I do. You had told me that there was no wind getting to the water, so it was picture-still. Totally. Which was kind of a creepy vibe to be quite honest. Honestly. I don't know if I'm getting ahead of myself, but there were two swimmers in the lake and it creeped me out that they were swimming in it. Yeah. I was like, what are you doing in the water? It seemed out of place. It sure did. So there was almost a sacredness about it. As we were walking around, there was a sense of reverence. Everyone was quiet, the park was packed, but people weren't loud or rambunctious, or it was really a quiet serene kind of interaction. 00:03:53 Even among the people there. It was weird because it was a nature trail and we're walking along and people are whispering to each other. Even the dogs were quiet. Like they were just seeing each other and there nobody was barking or misbehaving. It was really strange. If someone talked with us or approached us because we have Bug the beagle (usually people will, they'll be like, Oh, well that's the cutest dog ever), it was in a very hushed tone. It was. So anyway, we walked around a little bit, it was cold and rainy. And I was like wrapped in a picnic blanket. Oh my God, she literally, I was like, do you want my coat? And she's like, no, I got it. She went to her trunk, the trunk of her car, and took a picnic blanket out that she wrapped herself in. That's a true story. I'm not embarrassed about this. So yes, I was, I was embarrassed. It was fine. It was fine. It was fine. 00:04:46 So we were walking around and it was the weirdest thing. Do you remember what impression I was getting? Okay. Again, we were talking about how we're in a sacred space. It's beautiful. It's picturesque. And I'm like, okay, what are you picking up on? And I'm like, I feel like the mob was here. Like the mafia. I know. I know. I can't explain it. You can take the girl out of Chicago, but you can't take the Chicago out of the girl. True story. True story. So, yeah, I know it's crazy, but I was totally picking up on a mafia sort of energy. It's true. And when you said that, I immediately felt like we needed to look for a building that was also connected to the mafia, but it was like a haunted space, known to be haunted. 00:05:31 And so we're like, we need to find the buildings on this property. Right, right, right. So we got back in the car and I just want to remind you on this day, Jennifer's driving. I’m the navigator. Jennifer is supposed to listen to me. Hey Jennifer, this is where we're supposed to go. And Jennifer's supposed to do it. That's not Jennifer. This adventure was unusual because I was driving and we got back in the car. Now this is a big area. The lake is a big Lake. And so as you approach, you can go to the North side, the West side, the South side, we had been on the South side. And when we got back into the car, it was with the intention of driving around to another area to explore and look for this haunted structure that you were feeling was there. 00:06:17 Absolutely. But, so I'm like Jen make a right here. I went straight. Okay. I did not listen to you, but it was a really congested area. There were bicycles. There are people pushing strollers. There are too many pedestrians and someone's trying to turn left. And I was like, Oh, just screw it. I'm going straight, Jill. I'm going straight. Ultimately again, I'm glad you did, but quite frustrating to be the youngest sister, someone so strong-willed. So I said, we could turn around and you're like, no, no, no, you want to go straight. I was a little passive aggressive. I was, I was like, no, if you want to go straight, go straight, it’s fine, I'm the navigator. But Hey. Role reversal. I totally listen to you. Whatever. Anyway, so we ended up driving unwittingly into Baraboo, the town of Baraboo. 00:07:05 Right. Which we did not know that that's where we were going, but because I missed that right, we ended up in town. But again, when we got there, both of us were like, ahhh, we think that building's here. Yes. So we're driving around Baraboo now. And we're like, okay, the haunted building is here. Right. So we drove around and around, but this is the thing: It's raining. We've already been in the car for like seven hours. That's true. Bug is sick. He's getting nauseous in the back seat. I'm wearing a picnic blanket. Jennifer's wearing a picnic blanket. So I pull over and I'm trying to walk Bug in the rain because I'm like, Jen, is it okay if he pukes in your car? And I'm like, well, I prefer he didn't. So I'm in the rain walking Bug. And at this point it was like, we just need to call it a quits. 00:07:53 We need to get home because it starts raining cats and dogs. Plus we knew that we already had a story in Sauk City and Jennifer at this point, as I was walking Bug, she was already researching Angie and was already so knee deep in that story. Exactly. So I was already obsessed. Yeah. Worst case scenario, we already had Sauk City and we're just wasting time now. Exactly. So we got home and we started the research. Yes we did. So right away we look into Devil's Lake. This place seems so special and so different right away. We wanted to find out what happened here. Low and behold, there are ancient mounds built by the ancient Mound Builders, those Native Americans that lived here thousands of years before us, they had created mounds. But unlike the mounds that we just discussed in Rome City, these mounds were built in these intricate shapes, like of a man, of a bird, and different animals. 00:08:52 And they are literally all over the area. Right. And they're in the state park, on the premises of the park. Right. And again, these are contemporary, the mound builders are contemporary to the ancient Egyptians that built the pyramids. Right. So we're talking a long, long time ago. Right. And not only that, people aren't really sure why they built them, but it's pretty much understood to be true that they used them for ritualistic purposes and that they were sacred to them. Absolutely. So that checked out again. And I wonder, too, if the people who were walking around knew that, or if they just picked up on the strange vibe like we did. Absolutely. I really believe they just picked up on the strange vibe. Totally. So at that point I Googled “Devil's Lake body” because you had that intuition that we were looking for a murder/suicide. 00:09:47 Right. But what I found was a lot of articles within the past 20 years where people were going out to Devil's Lake and being inappropriate and ending up either dying or seriously inuff and ended up sleep walking his way off the bluff. Oh my God. Sneaking in after hours. Right? Walk around after close. Exactly. Ending up like either killing themselves or severely injuring themselves. Absolutely... drunks.... people drinking too much. And that's fine. Drink too much, but don't do it in a sacred place on a bluff. Oh, that's dangerous. Exactly. And we also found a bunch of articles or at least a few articles, imploring visitors to be respectful. Absolutely. No. Don't pitch your tent on the man mound. Hard transition. 00:10:43 Okay. So I, at that point, did not think that our story had anything to do with anything contemporary. You didn't? No, I didn’t. Not at all. Did you? No, I didn't. I thought we were looking for something older. Yeah. So what I did was I accessed newspapers.com, not a sponsor, but we're open to it. And I Googled “Devil's Lake Wisconsin body”. Ooh. I know. And a newspaper article came up referencing the death of Otis Fry whose body was found in the lake. And the article was discussing how they had engaged a handwriting expert to determine whether or not a suicide note was authentic or not or if Otis was murdered in 1927. Okay. So at that point, were you confident that Otis Fry was our guy? Absolutely. Even saying it now I'm getting goosebumps. 00:11:40 So Otis... tell me about Otis, Jen. Otis was born in Missouri. His dad was a doctor. He was a son of a doctor. He was a son of a doctor who, um, he spent time on the military base in Washington state. But by 1918, he was living in Milwaukee with his wife and two female boarders. Interesting. By 1924, his wife had died under mysterious circumstances. Having been poisoned by carbon monoxide. I know. And there's very little known about that death. As a matter of fact, I researched ancestry and newspapers.com and newspaper archives and I could not find any reference to her death other than in one later article about Otis' death, that it was suspicious. Well, it is suspicious. Well, absolutely. But go on. Anyway. I digress. So the year is 1927 and now Otis is a widower and he's working as secretary treasurer in charge of the books for a Leo Abraham Tobacco Company in Milwaukee. Now here's where the timeline begins. Thursday, November 10th, 1927, Otis pens a “suicide” letter to his friends, leaving them his worldly possessions. The name of his friends? Um, it was addressed to Nell and Mae. Okay. Friday, November 11th, one day later, the year still 1927, Otis disappears from Milwaukee and will never return. 00:13:24 MIA. Saturday, November 12th, 1927. Otis is seen driving into Devil's Lake park with an unknown woman. The man likes his ladies. Yes, he does. Sunday, November 13th, 1927, Otis’ car was found abandoned at Devil's Lake. Then a week later, November 18th, 1927, Otis becomes a fugitive because there is a warrant issued for his arrest for embezzling at least $500 from his place of employment, Leo Abrahams Tobacco Company in Milwaukee. Well, that can't be the end of the story because... how did he get in the Lake? Exactly. That's exactly the question. Well, nothing happens, Jill. There is nothing in the record between the middle of November and February, and then suddenly there's another flurry of newspaper articles. 00:14:28 Tell me. Well, Wednesday, February 8th, 1928, a body is found in a farm 30 miles away from Devil's Lake in a place called Plain, Wisconsin. And was that Fry? because he was in the lake, wasn't he? Not necessarily. It was presumed to be Fry for several reasons. Would you like to hear about them? Please. Well, the body had distinguishing physical marks that were consistent with Otis Fry’s. For instance, there was a scar on his left cheek and he had a thumb deformity. Like a hitchhiker’s thumb? No, not a Hitchhiker's thumb. He had a thumb that was either smashed or missing, depending on different newspaper articles. But it was definitely a thumb deformity that this body had. It was consistent with Otis Fry’s deformity. Also, he had certain items on his person. Okay, what items? There was something called a Hampden watch. Apparently it was a really unusual watch for the time, but this body had a Hampton watch on it. 00:15:39 And it was also consistent with Otis' watch. And then it had a Smith and Wesson revolver as well. It was dressed as a hunter. This body was dressed as a hunter, but conveniently was missing all sorts of identifying characteristics, no badges, no licenses, no ID, no wallet, nothing. The only thing was a match book in its pocket that was from a Milwaukee hotel. What did they think the cause of death was? Well, there was a gunshot wound right above the right eye. So a wound to the head, a gunshot wound to the head. So you said that this body was presumed... Did anyone identify him as being Otis, as Otis Fry's body? Yeah, absolutely. Okay. So the body was found on February 8th. On February 12th, it was positively identified by one, his roommate. The person who lived with Otis legit looked at this body and said, yeah, that's him. Right. 00:16:44 Also the undertaker, as it turns out, Jill, the undertaker was a personal friend of Otis Fry’s. And so he was able to positively identify the body as being Otis’. Anybody else? Yes. In fact, there were two Leo Abraham Tobacco Company workers. One was the vice president and the other, his brother, the Chapman brothers, and both of them worked intimately with Otis Fry and were able to positively identify him. Okay, now this is the thing. We're still using the word “presumed”. So there has to be someone who didn't believe that to be Otis. So who was that and why? Well, the district attorney of Sauk County was not convinced that the body was that of Fry's. And also the police officers in Milwaukee, they never dropped the warrant. Interesting. So even though this body was found and partially positively identified, the warrant was never dropped. 00:17:45 So not all of the authorities took it to be Fry. So ultimately was there any evidence discovered to support that suspicion? The district attorney, he noted in one of the articles that the body that was found was that of an Italian and Otis Fry was not of Italian descent. Okay. So there was that discrepancy, but then again, for several months, there's nothing. No new developments. And this is just hanging there. This guy that a lot of people assume is Fry and some people don't. Okay. And if nothing would have happened, the case maybe would have gone cold. So now according to my research, the next series of articles that I found was in July of that year. Can you please describe what they were reading all about in July, 1928? Well, July 13th, 1928, another body is found. This time it's floating in Devil's Lake. It was discovered by campers at the park. 00:18:53 Now this body was fully clothed in an overcoat and in the pockets were several letters that were those of Otis Fry’s. Sentimental things that he would have carried on his person. Exactly. So right away they were thinking this must be Otis Fry. And did they have any kind of supporting physical characteristics? The same ones I discussed earlier, the deformity of the thumb and the scar on the cheek pointed again to Otis. So we have two Otis Fry bodies. Exactly. Two bodies. That doesn't make sense because someone already positively identified him. So tell me, was this a mistake, a coincidence? What are your thoughts? Oh my gosh. I don't know how this could be a coincidence that the body found on the farm had a thumb deformity, a scar on the cheek, the type of watch that Otis carried, the type of gun that Otis had and a matchbook linking him to Milwaukee. There's the positive identification. So whoever made that positive identification did it purposefully knowing that that really wasn't him. And I actually found evidence of that. Tell me. Because the people, one of the parties that identifiedFry's body originally had mentioned that they knew absolutely that it was Fry because of his short legs. Well, that Italian hunter body, that Italian Hunter body, was six feet tall. That's not short. And that's unusually tall for men at the time. 00:20:24 You got me at Italian hunter body. Jennifer. Say it again slowly. Are you back pitching a tent on the man mounds? Oh, okay. Okay. 00:20:48 So, now, there is an unusually tall Italian. So, tall, dark and handsome... and people are not telling the truth. No. So let's talk about why. Oh my gosh, Jill, we're talking about the 1920s. Set the stage of what in the AF is happening in the 1920s in Milwaukee. Okay. Well, let's start with Chicago because they are connected. Tell me. Well we all know that in the 1920s, Chicago was a hotbed of criminal activity during the prohibition era. Right. And several well-known mobsters were affiliated with this outfit. Frank Nettie. Bugs Moran. And, of course, Al Capone. Right. Okay. Now, but what may be lesser known is that Milwaukee also had a crime outfit. Vito Guardalabene was the first boss in Milwaukee. And in the twenties, it was his son, Peter or Pete Guardalabene who was in power until 1927. I know. Interesting, right. So in 1927, um, one of the bosses died and power changed hands three times. 00:22:17 And then finally the, uh, commission determined that the Milwaukee family would answer to and remain under the power of the Chicago outfit, i.e. Al Capone. Exactly. And Al Capone had been running the Chicago crime syndicate for two years already. At that point, since 1925, when he was 26. What were you doing at 26? I was not running a crime syndicate. It would have been a lot cooler if you were. Now the Milwaukee crime family was tight with a mobster named Joseph Aiello. Okay. Joseph Aiello was tight with the Guardalabenes because of a homeland connection to Sicily and also through marriage alliances. But Aiello was also a rival of Al Capone’s. It was sad thatAiello had helped orchestrate a series of attempts on Al Capone's life. And in response to those attempts, Al Capone had orchestrated the Saint Valentine's day massacre. Oh my gosh. 00:23:26 You're kidding. There is an interesting and amusing anecdote involving them. Tell me. The year was 1927. Al Capone and Aiello have a meeting in a suburb of Milwaukee. Okay. It was all organized by Pete Guardalabene. And what are we assuming this meeting was to do? Well, assuming to get on the same page, right? Make friends, make nice, mend fences. Right? I don't know why I'm talking like this (in an Italian accent). We apologize to any Italians and Italian Americans. We do. Please continue. Anyway. So they meet at the home of the pianist who worked at, uh, Guardalabene’s Monte-CarloClub. So they're in this man's house, right? They're having dinner, they're breaking bread together. A symbol of good faith. Ask me how it goes. How did it go? It was not successful. How do you know how it wasn't successful? It broke out in a huge food fight on both sides. Shut up. 00:24:27 It didn't go well. I'm assuming they checked their weapons at the door, because I do not think spaghetti would have been their weapon of choice. Agreed. Anyway, it didn't go well, and then, like I said, by the end of 1927, Al Capone is in charge, not only in Chicago, but also in Milwaukee. So what does it mean for companies in Milwaukee that have been doing business with the former crime syndicate there? Think about it, Jill. It means that if you were a business that had dealings with the local crime syndicate in 1927, now there's a new boss in town. The first thing the new boss is going to do is go into his assets. Absolutely. And bring his people, his bookkeepers, in and take a look at what's going on. And that kind of investigation would have been done at Leo Abrahams Tobacco Company. 00:25:20 One could assume. Because Leo Abraham's company was located just a stone's throw away from where the hotbed of mob activity was. Exactly, the ThirWard, the historic Third Ward of Milwaukee. So this guy Otis, he's doing the books, he's doing the books. And guess what? He's also skimming a little, maybe a lot. Tell me. This guy. Oh my gosh. Well, here's what we know. He's involved with a lot of women, like, how many different women's names came up in our research? There's Natalie who used to visit him at his work. There's Josephine, who was a waitress on East Water Street, just down the street, just down the street. And Anna Buss, Anna the show girl, the performer. And Halena Miller. She was a co-owner of his vehicle. The vehicle that was found at Devil's Lake. Why do you think she was a co-owner? 00:26:16 Because if you have money that you can't legally say that you had earned, you're going to need someone else's money to purchase things, big things like cars and homes. Someone else's money or someone else's name? Someone else's name to account for that extra money you have. Oh, interesting. Hmm. So intuitively Jill, what do you think he was into? Oh my gosh. So he's been skimming off the top for years, right? Doing what? This money. Well, I really think he's trying to build a little nest egg for himself, but he enjoys having money and he is showering the local women with it. What else do you think is going on? Well, you know, he has those scars and that deformity of the thumb. Exactly. And what we do know is from records of his draft notice in 1918, he had no physical peculiarities, right? So sometime between 1918 and 1927, maybe he got into some scrapes with the local outfit. 00:27:14 Maybe, maybe. Yeah, absolutely. And as a means of straightening him out, they either slashed his thumb, broke it, burned his face to keep him in line. Right. As retribution, or it could have been a woman's husband... anyone, anyone, anyone. Okay. Right. So what do you make of these embezzlement charges? I believe it a hundred percent. I believe it. So 1927, Chicago takes over. Right? And suddenly Otis' dealings are being looked at by, not only mobsters, but like THE mobster. So in the past where he may have gotten straightened out with a scar and a bum thumb, now he could be murdered for this. So Jill, what do you think he does? Intuitively, this is the scenario, because we have no facts to back this up. Absolutely not. All right, here we go. So Otis is freaked out. They're onto him. He knows they're onto him. 00:28:17 He calls a local girl that he's been dealing with for years. And she's all cozied up to some local mafia guy, who's a low level dude in the area. So he calls her for help. He's like, Hey, gal, doll, I need your help. I'm in big. I got this money and they're after me. I need to get out of town. And as she hangs up the phone, she turns to her mob boyfriend and says, Hey, this guy needs our help. And he gots loot. And in that moment they devise a plan to steal his money and do away with Otis. Ooh. So what do they do? Well, to gain his trust they plant identifying characteristics on a body that was already hit from the mob. Wait a minute. I thought this guy died from a bullet in the head. 00:29:08 It turns out that this guy was riddled with bullets, like from a machine gun. And they thought that because this guy was so decomposed that no one would notice all those little bitty holes. And then they used a revolver to shoot the guy in the head to make it look like some guy committed suicide, plant the watch and matches on him, jack up his thumb and burnt his face. Wow. And this made Otis feel comfortable. He's like, Oh, they really do got my back. So he goes, gets his money. And then the girl, the dame he was calling for help was like, Hey, we're going to meet you here at this location. And that's where we're going to help you get away. So Otis and the girl go to that location. But instead of her friends coming to help Otis get away at Devil's Lake, what happens? 00:29:53 They end up killing him, tying his neck around the tire, bashing his head in and throwing him in the lake. That's what happened? Oh my God. And is there supporting evidence to this theory at the lake? There is. Well Otis Fry's body was found in an area where he would have needed a boat to access it. So the fact that no boat was ever found meant that somebody must have taken him there and left him there. Also, there was no water reported in his lungs at the time of the autopsy. So it's not as if he was conscious before he hit the water. Good point. He was found to have died because of a blow to the head or a crushed skull. Oh my gosh. So absolutely. This was not suicide. Also, like, if you are going to commit suicide and like weight yourself down with a car tire, would you tie it around your neck? 00:30:53 Absolutely not. Absolutely not. That's ridiculous. You would tie it somewhere else, like around your ankle. Absolutely. I one hundred percent agree with that. Also the dame was never found. She totally fled. So Jen, in the meantime, what is happening with Leo Abraham's Tobacco Company? As soon as Otis goes missing, they call the authorities, right? And they're like, um, police, this guy's been embezzling and he's been embezzling a lot. You better look into this wrongdoing and he's been doctoring this, our books, the whole time. What can this mean? So what does this do for Leo Abrahams Tobacco Company? Well, it legitimizes them, right? It gives them a legitimate reason why their books are cooked. Exactly this. So it's not our fault. Not at all. This guy. He becomes a scapegoat. How convenient. And what else happens? Well, especially when they find a body, well, now it's put to rest. 00:31:55 All right. Well, it was wrong doing, you got the guy, let's just, you know, let's just move on. Sucks that he stole. Oh, well. That ends the investigation, right? Absolutely. How convenient. That's a lot. Let’s debrief. When we were arriving at Devil's Lake, I got the impression that the railroad had something to do with it. Tell me about that. What's interesting about the railroad in Baraboo, Wisconsin is that those tracks went directly from Chicago to Baraboo. Shut up. No joke. And not only that, remember when we were in Baraboo, looking for a haunted location? Guess what? There is a haunted location, a purportedly haunted location there. Who's haunting it? Well, it's called the Old Baraboo Inn and back in the day, like i.e. the 1920s, it was also a brothel and it had a hidden back staircase. That's amazing. I know, right? Where you could go up and, like, do whatever you wanted to do. 00:33:00 But the point is, one of the people who used to stop there was Al Capone. And apparently he is one of the spirits who is haunting the Old Baraboo Inn.I guarantee you that Al Capone is not spending his afterlight there. I'm sure it's a wonderful place. It sounds cool. I'm going to visit, but Al, he's not there. So obviously I have the mafia connection and you were picking up on the murder that was meant to look like a suicide. So where does that leave us now? It brings us back to the note. It brings us back to the note that originally got our attention to look at Otis because it was the handwriting expert in the article that authenticated that suicide note as being real and his death was subsequently deemed a suicide. So I'm so convinced that this man was murdered. Would you like me to tell you what the note said? 00:33:56 I would love it. “Dear friends, Nell, and Mae, I have been accused of a crime that I am not in a position to vindicate myself from. The evidence seems to be against me. I owe the company nothing. However, it is laid upon me and the stigma of it upon a name that I have always been proud of, makes it useless to continue on. If it be cowardly, well and good. I will accept it as such. But to face the world, even though I could clear myself (which from all indications, I cannot) it would haunt me until I died.” There's more, but that's the gist of it. Okay. So, okay. So, intuitively, I'm not feeling this as a suicide. No, I don't think it reads like a suicide note at all. What are you thinking? Well, it reads like a guy who's running away. Absolutely. 00:34:50 Well, I mean, later in the note he does leave his possessions, but if you're going to run away, you want someone to take care of your stuff too. Yeah, absolutely. So, yeah. Yeah. I don't know. I don't buy it. I don't think it sounds like a suicide note. So who do you think we were meant to give a voice to? Do you think it was Otis? I do think it was. I don't really identify with Otis at all. You know, he made such bad decisions and he lived a life that was really embroiled in crime and scandal. I mean, you know, we wouldn't hang out with Otis, but he did need a voice. He did need a voice. And officially, like I said, his death was ruled a suicide, but I mean, I'm one hundred percent positive that he was murdered. He made bad decisions. 00:35:32 He behaved foolishly, but it doesn't mean that he, you know, deserved to be murdered in the way that he was. Also later on, it was described in an article that he stole thousands from the company, not just $500. How convenient, by the way. Absolutely. How convenient as the books weren't adding up there, like, that Otis. Right. And thousands back in 1927 would probably be like a million or more in today's money. So he was unfairly blamed for things as the future went on. Right. So Otis as much as he probably was a criminal, he was also in the wrong place at the wrong time. Yeah. You shouldn't mess with the mob though. You shouldn't have done that. Especially Al Capone. Jill, tell the people where they can find us. I am excited to say that we added a place for people to listen in! Tell! Amazon music! So not only can you listen in on Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Google Play, Apple Podcast, where you can leave us a positive review, but also check out our website and find us on Facebook. Our website is commonmystics.net. Thank you for listening. There's more! We have to say hello, India! We love you. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you, India. Thank you. Goodnight. Thanks.

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