ads heard during the podcast that are not in my voice are placed by third-party agencies outside of my control and should not imply an endorsement by Weird Darkness or myself. Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and is intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. From one end of the country to the other, the United States is full of stories about ghosts that give people goosebumps. These spooky tales are about spirits that haunt old houses, creepy forests, and even famous cities. The Greenbrier Ghost of West Virginia, Resurrection Mary in Chicago, Jean Lafite of New Orleans, The Gray Man in South Carolina, and more. These ghost stories and others are just a glimpse into the spooky side of American folklore. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, these tales have been captivating people's imaginations for years, reminding us that there is still so much we don't know about the world around us. We'll look at a few of these famous hauntings, all of which are still supposedly active, meaning if you visit, you might hear a strange noise or see a flicker of movement out of the corner of your eye and get those goosebumps all over again. I'm Darren Marlar and this is Weird Darkness. Welcome, weirdos. This is Weird Darkness. Here you'll find stories of the paranormal, supernatural, legends, lore, the strange and bizarre, crime, conspiracy, mysterious, macabre, unsolved and unexplained. Coming up in this episode, in 1996 in a quiet neighborhood in Austin, Texas, something terrible happened to six-year-old Catherine Crosilius. She was a sweet girl who wanted to show she could walk home alone from the mailbox. But when her family returned from shopping, Catherine was missing. What happened to her? Was it an accident or something worse? It's October 21st, 1638 and the quaint English village of Whitecombin the Moor is holding services at St. Pancras Church. But this Sunday will be like no other. As Minister George Lide speaks to his 300 congregants, darkness engulfs the church, followed by thunder so loud it shakes the stone walls that a fiery orb crashes through a window causing chaos and destruction. Witnesses describe terrifying scenes, a man's head bashed against a pillar, a dog thrown into the air by flames, bodies burnt to ash while clothes remain untouched. What happened at this small town church? Ever heard of criminals so clueless they seem straight out of a cartoon? From bungling burglars to comically misguided crooks, some cartoon criminals will have you laughing and shaking your head at the same time. Sin eaters are described as people hired to assume the sins of a dead person by eating food placed near the corpse. Why did society feel the need for such a service? And why would a person choose to accept a role which was viewed with such revulsion? But first, America is full of creepy tales about ghosts that give us chills. We'll explore some of the most famous ones. If you're new here, welcome to the show. While you're listening, be sure to check out WeirdDarkness.com for merchandise, to visit sponsors you hear about during the show, sign up for my newsletter and our contests. Connect with me on social media. Here are my other podcasts, including Church of the Undead and a sci-fi podcast called Auditory Anthology. Listen to free audiobooks I've narrated. Plus, you can visit the Hope in the Darkness page if you're struggling with depression, dark thoughts or addiction. You can find all of that and more at WeirdDarkness.com.  The U.S. is full of countless ghost stories and reports of paranormal encounters. From ghosts dating back to colonial days to ghosts from the Golden Age of Hollywood, stories can be found in all corners of the country. Here are some of the most well-known haunts that are still quite active to this day. The story of the Greenbrier Ghost begins on January 23, 1897 with the discovery of a young woman's body in her Greenbrier County, West Virginia home. Andy Jones, the 11-year-old boy who helped with chores around the home, discovered Elva Zona Hester's body at the bottom of the staircase in the log house she shared with her husband, Edward S. Shoe. Shoe and Hester had only been married three months when this tragedy struck. Initially, authorities claimed Hester died from a heart attack and Shoe requested the coroner not further examine the body. Shoe then dressed Hester in clothes that covered her entirely, including her neck, around which he tied a scarf. Soon after, Hester's mother, Mary Jane, claimed her daughter's ghost came to her and told her Shoe had murdered her. Mary Jane managed to convince John A. Preston, a prosecutor, to look into the case. Hester's body was exhumed and medical examiners discovered her windpipe was crushed and her neck was broken. Mary Jane insisted her daughter had been murdered after discovering Shoe's second wife, Hester was his third, died under mysterious circumstances. Shoe was arrested and a trial was held. A jury found him guilty and sentenced him to life in prison. The trial was considered one of a kind and today a highway marker in Greenbrier Reads, only known case in which testimony from a ghost helped convict a murderer. The RMS Queen Mary has been permanently docked in the harbor of Long Beach, California since 1967. The ship has the distinction of being one of the greatest cruise ships built and also one of the most haunted. Paranormal investigation teams from all over the world have visited the ship to investigate. Officially there are approximately 49 deaths that occurred aboard the ship. Reports of scary occurrences have come from all areas of the ship from the engine room to the swimming pool area. Many of the deaths were very gruesome. Two of the most famous include the deaths of crew member John Petter and senior second officer W.E. Stark, Stark who died after he accidentally drank acid that he thought was gin. Petter, an 18-year-old fireman was crushed by an iron mechanical door on July 10, 1966. Legend claims the ship was conducting an emergency drill in which the watertight doors closed automatically and unfortunately Petter did not make it through in time. Since then, guests have reported seeing the apparition of a young man in coveralls near the door where Petter lost his life. Odd sounds, lights and cold spots are some of the many paranormal phenomena that occur on a daily basis aboard the ship. Visitors can join specific haunted tours aimed at visiting the most spiritually active spots aboard the ship. Pauly's Island, South Carolina is one of the oldest summer resort towns on the east coast. Since it is located along the coast, Pauly's Island is especially vulnerable to storms and legend says the gray man has appeared prior to every major hurricane that has struck the area for the last 200 years. People who have seen the gray man claim he appears dressed in all gray clothing and warned them to leave the island. The gray man's origin is thought to be tied to a tragedy that struck a young couple. The young woman was waiting for her fiance to return home to her and while the young man made it back to the island, he decided to take a shortcut. Unbeknownst to him, the shortcut would lead him through a patch of quicksand, which quickly sucked in both him and his horse. His man servant was riding behind him and witnessed the incident but was unable to save him. The young woman was heartbroken. She claimed that one day she was walking along the beach when a figure who looked like her fiance appeared and told her to leave the island at once because she was in danger. The young woman and her family heeded the warning and went to their inland home. A storm hit the coast that night, destroying most of the homes but sparing the one belonging to the woman and her family. Since then, locals believe the gray man continues to warn others of impending danger. The bachelor's Grove Cemetery is located near the Rubio Woods Forest Preserve, roughly 25 miles outside of Chicago. The cemetery is the oldest in the Cook County area and according to many it is also the most haunted. Visitors have reported encounters with a variety of specters including a woman in a white dress, blue and red orbs of light, a man in his horse, and a disappearing farmhouse. The woman in white in particular has appeared in many visitors' photographs, all of whom insist no one was around when they took the picture. Many theories persist regarding who she may be but two of the most popular include a woman buried far away but whose baby was buried at bachelor's and the spirit of a hit-and-run victim who died close to the cemetery and was buried there. Some call her the Madonna of Bachelor's Grove. The cemetery was in use from 1834 to 1989 and today it is open for visitors from sunrise to sunset. Many believe the vandalism the cemetery has seen over the years has caused further unrest to the spirits there, making it a very active place of paranormal activity. While we are in the Windy City, Chicago's history is rich with dark occurrences so it is no wonder the city has plenty of ghost stories to go around. One of these is that of a ghost known as Resurrection Mary. Mary's ghost is believed to belong to a young woman who was killed in a hit-and-run accident while she was walking home from a party in the 1920s. Countless people have seen her ghost along Archer Avenue in Willow Springs, an area about 30 minutes from downtown Chicago. Mary fits the hitchhiker slash woman in white archetype. Legend claims that at night she walks along the road in her white gown and asks strangers for rides. Those who pick her up say she disappears into thin air before reaching her requested destination. Some also claim they have seen Mary's ghost in nightclubs on the south side of Chicago and that they have even shared a dance with her, only noting something was off by her extremely cold hands. This has led people to describe her as having cold hands but a warm heart. Her name, Resurrection Mary, comes from the Resurrection Cemetery located close to the site where many believe she was killed. It is also the site where she is allegedly buried and where she frequently asks drivers to drop her off. I actually took a short drive through Resurrection Cemetery back in 2022 and filmed it for my Weird Darkness YouTube channel. I'll place a link to the video in the show description if you're interested. The Kimo Theater can be found in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It opened in 1927 and, like many old buildings, it has been the site of several tragic accidents. This includes the death of Bobby Darnall, a 6-year-old who was visiting the theater with some of his friends. Bobby was at the concession stand when a boiler located beneath the area exploded killing him. Since then, theatergoers and workers have reported seeing a little boy running around and playing pranks on people. Bobby is especially fond of playing tricks on performers while they're on stage. To appease him, they leave out treats like donuts and candy. Tales of performances going haywire because people either take the treats or forget to leave them have become common over the years. Another ghost frequently spotted in the theater is that of a young woman wearing a bonnet who simply walks around the theater minding her own business. No one knows who she is or why she's there, but she appears content strolling the halls alone. The theater is still in use today. Around the world, the word Hollywood conjures images of fame, fortune, and flashing lights. The actual Hollywood, however, has a long history of tragedies that don't often get splashed on the front page of tabloid magazines. One of these tragedies is that of Peg Entwistle, and it's tied to the Hollywood sign itself. Around the late 1920s, Entwistle traveled to Hollywood with the dream of becoming a famous actress. The future seemed bright for Entwistle when she earned a role in the film Thirteen Women. However, a higher up later decided to cut the part. Entwistle had been cast to play a lesbian, a very controversial role in the 1930s. Understandably, Entwistle was devastated. On September 16, 1932, Entwistle climbed a maintenance ladder up to the top of the Hollywood sign's letter H and jumped 50 feet to her death. The next day, her body was found with a note that read, I am afraid, I am a coward, I am sorry for everything. If I had done this a long time ago, it would have saved a lot of pain. P.E. Since surpassing many visitors to the Hollywood sign and park rangers patrolling the hills, have cited her alleged ghost. Legend says the smell of gardenia perfume permeates the air right before a sighting. Those who have seen her describe her as having a forlorn expression, likely due to the sad end she met in the very place where her dreams came crashing down. The Bell Witch, haunting has spurred people's imaginations for centuries and has led to many movies and documentaries. The story behind the United States most famous haunting starts with a man named John Bell and his family moving to a farm in Robertson County, Tennessee in 1804. For the first 13 years on the farm, the Bell family lived peacefully. That all changed in the summer of 1817, however, and the family began seeing strange creatures on their land and hearing odd noises in their home. The sounds reportedly escalated from bumps and knocks to actual voices that spoke directly to the family members. The entity would start conversations about religion and even predict the future. John and his youngest daughter Betsy were especially tormented by the entity who came to be known as the Bell Witch. John would often hear the witch threaten him directly, while Betsy was beaten into unconsciousness. John died in 1820 and many attributed his death to the Bell Witch, who never stopped tormenting him. The entity allegedly came and went for decades, often letting the family know it would be gone for several years but would eventually return. To this day, the property is a hotbed of paranormal activity with many people experiencing odd things on the land. Photography also shows odd lights, mist and even entities that weren't visible to the human eye. Kate and Maggie Fox were young girls when they moved into an old cottage in New York's Hidesville Memorial Park in 1848. The cottage had a history of paranormal behavior which pushed many families to leave. The Fox family, however, took a different approach. On March 31, 1848, as the sisters were going to bed, the knocking and bumping noises began as they usually did. The only difference that night was the sisters decided to communicate with whatever was causing the sounds. That night, the girls determined the spirit belonged to a man named Charles B. Rosna. The spirit was also able to tell them that he was murdered at the property and that his body was buried in the cellar. After that, they attempted to find Rosna's body in the cellar but flooding in the area made this impossible. The Fox sisters continued communicating with the entity and grew to become famous mediums. Many now consider them to be the first modern spiritualists. Decades later in 1904, bones were discovered in the cottage's cellar walls. Today, the home is open to visitors and the thumping noises continue. Jean Lafitte was a notorious pirate who lived in New Orleans, Louisiana in the early 1800s. His smuggling operation catered to whatever his clientele desired, ranging from spices and jewels to enslaved people. Lafitte was well known in the New Orleans area and often catered to some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the city. Lafitte also owned and operated a blacksmith's shop that is still open to the public to this day. Many believe Lafitte hid treasure somewhere in the shop, though no one has found it. This might be why store workers and visitors report seeing a pair of red eyes staring up from cracks in the basement walls and out of the fireplace. Others have claimed a full figure apparition of Lafitte himself appears in the halls if a federal officer or a Frenchman enters the store. Lafitte is also said to appear in other areas around the city, including Pirate Alley near St. Louis Cathedral and the old absent house where he made his notorious deals. Lafitte Skin Joe was a bustling mining town with a population of around 5,000 during the early era of the Colorado Gold Rush. The town was home to various dance halls, saloons, and bars. According to legend, one day a beautiful young woman dressed head to toe in black arrived in town. She saw now a job at Buckville's Dance Hall where her beauty made her especially popular with the dance hall patrons. It's there she received her nickname of Silver Heels, a reference to the shiny Silver Heels she often wore. Men from all over town would come to see her perform and try to get her attention. The town sadly changed, however, when a smallpox epidemic swept through the region. Silver Heels stopped dancing on stages and began tending to the sick. The disease had almost completely finished ravaging the town when Silver Heels herself fell ill. The only person she allowed in her home was an elderly woman named Aunt Martha who helped her through her sickness. One night after Silver Heels was passed the worst of the illness, she got dressed up and bid Aunt Martha goodnight. Aunt Martha was the last person to see her alive. Silver Heels disappeared. The townsfolk organized an intense search but no trace of her was ever found. Silver Heels' story continued, however, when soon after her disappearance, a figure began appearing at the Buckskin Joe Cemetery. People began claiming a woman dressed in all black would appear and walk from tombstone to tombstone, placing what seemed to be flowers on each one. They believed this could be Silver Heels' ghost comforting those who died from the disease. While Buckskin Joe is a ghost town today, the cemetery still stands as does the story of Silver Heels and her ghostly apparitions. The tale of the Pegas' ghost legend dates back to a bright night in the spring of 1862 in Cahaba, Alabama. As the story goes, one night a young couple was out walking on the grounds behind Colonel CeCe Piguet's home.  The ball darted back and forth, moving close to them before moving back. Curious and confused, the young man attempted to touch the light, only for it to disappear completely. Colonel Pegace was the leader of the 5th Alabama Regiment, the sighting of this light occurred soon after he was killed in battle. Colonel Pegace often returned home to Cahaba to recruit young men to fight during the Civil War. Some say the light may have been a warning to young men, like the one who attempted to touch it of impending doom, or perhaps the spirit of Pegace himself. Eventually Cahaba's residents abandoned the area, leaving it a ghost town. Some believe the light and its sudden disappearance was a warning of the town's fate. Today, the town functions as an archaeological park, and visitors from all over arrive with hopes of spotting the orb. When we're darked as returns, in 1996 in a quiet neighborhood in Austin, Texas, something terrible happened to 6-year-old Catherine Corsillius. She was a sweet girl who wanted to show she could walk home alone from the mailbox. But when her family returned from shopping, Catherine was missing. What happened to her? Was it an accident or something worse? Plus, a church in England suddenly experiences darkness, followed by thunder, a fiery orb crashing through a window and bodies burnt to ash while their clothes remain untouched. What happened to St. Pancras Church in 1638? These stories and more coming up. Our next Weirdo Watch Party is Saturday, April 13th. We'll be treated to a Roger Corman crapfest from 1958, Teenage Caveman starring Robert Vaughan. Did he just say dirt that eats men? Did he just say dirt that eats men? There are shadows there deep and cold and dirt that eats men. Yep, I guess so. Mistress Malicious and her Mistress Peace Theater will keep us entertained throughout the film as we watch this caveman teenager with great hair go into the jungle to fight prehistoric monsters like, um, dogs and an armadillo. Whatever, they're prehistoric creatures. An animal is far more terrible than any you've seen. Our Weirdo Watch Party is always free to watch online, so grab your popcorn, candy and soda and jump into the fun and even get involved in the live chat as we watch the movie. Plus, during this Weirdo Watch Party, I'll be giving away a creepy crate to one lucky winner, full of scary surprises like horror collectibles, true crime-themed accessories, books, terrifying trinkets and more, with some weird darkness swag added in. You won't know what's in the creepy crate until you open it. And I'll be giving instructions on how to win the creepy crate inside the chat during the movie, so you have to tune in to win. It's Teenage Caveman, Saturday, April 13th, hosted by Mistress Peace Theater. The show begins at 10pm Eastern, 9pm Central, 8pm Mountain and 7pm Pacific. You can watch a trailer for the film and watch horror hosts and schlocky B movies anytime, day or night on the Monster Channel page at WeirdDarkness.com. Hope to see you on Saturday, April 13th. An essential part of growing up is deigning more independence. But a parent's worst nightmare is when that exploration of independence ends in tragedy. Such was the case in 1996 for six-year-old Catherine Corzelius, a kind little girl in Austin, Texas who lost her life all too soon. The circumstances of her death still perplex investigators to this day. The mystery has not yet been solved. Catherine lived in a nice neighborhood with her parents, Nancy and Paul, and her nine-year-old brother, Chris. Considering Paul was the manager for rock legend John Bon Jovi, the Corzelius family was well off. They never expected their lives would come crashing down around them once summer afternoon. On August 7th, on Paul's birthday, Nancy and the kids were out shopping for gifts. When they returned home, they stopped to collect their mail. From the communal mailboxes, Catherine asked if she could walk the rest of the way home. It was an especially quiet day, even for their calm neighborhood, and Catherine had made the short journey on her own before. Catherine wanted to prove she was growing up, and Nancy saw no reason to say no. In their car, Nancy and her son headed off in one direction.  The distance between the mailbox and their home was less than a quarter mile. When Nancy and Chris arrived home, they set about putting their things away. But Chris soon realized he couldn't find Catherine. Nancy sent him out to retrieve her from her walk, but he came back in tears, swearing he couldn't find her out there either. The two of them checked in with their neighbor who had not seen Catherine either. With a bad feeling in her gut, Nancy continued her search and found Catherine just a few minutes later six houses away. She was lying on the street, and though she was unconscious, she was still breathing. Nancy was torn on what to do. She knew you were never supposed to move an injured person, especially if you were unsure of what injuries they might have sustained. But it was hot, too hot to leave a child on the pavement. She made the risky choice to get Catherine in the car and rush her to the emergency room herself. At the hospital, Catherine was found to have a severe skull fracture and was put on a ventilator to keep her breathing. Unfortunately, she was already brain dead. Her father Paul was in New York City at the time and rushed home to see his daughter. He was an hour late, as Catherine was pronounced dead at 11.30 that night. The immediate assumption was that Catherine died as a result of a hit and run, but odd circumstances surrounding her death caused alternative theories to quickly materialize. When Catherine's body was found less than 10 minutes after she and her family parted, she was discovered half a mile away on the side opposite the route she was taking around the circular road. There were no skid marks in the area and none of the neighbors heard any commotion. With the angle of impact, it would be very easy to see a child and slow down in plenty of time, at least in an accidental collision. Furthermore, the medical examiner ruled that her injuries were not consistent with being struck by a vehicle. She died as a result of either jumping from a moving vehicle, being thrown from a moving vehicle, or falling from a moving vehicle. But whose vehicle was Catherine taking a fall from? And why was she in it? The first theory was, unbeknownst to Nancy, Catherine had hopped onto the back of the family car to car surf. Under this theory, Catherine would have fallen off on her own as the car rounded the street. This would explain why she was found on that side of the circle, rather than her usual path. For Nancy, it almost meant the horrifying possibility that she was responsible for her daughter's death. Private investigator Barbara O'Brien has some evidence to debunk this theory. For one thing, if the pavement was too hot to leave a child on, the car would have been too hot for anyone to grab onto. Catherine also had a splint on a broken thumb at the time of her death, which would have made gripping anything nearly impossible. Soon, a second, more sinister theory emerged from the minds of the Croselius family. Catherine was abducted and murdered. When a canine unit searched a vacant lot 30 years away from the mailboxes, they may have found a vital clue to corroborate this theory. The dogs picked up her scent, which indicates that she started off down her typical route. The scent was lost, however, and may indicate where she was taken. Nancy believes her daughter was deliberately staged on the street. She claims that Catherine's hair was neatly smoothed down, as were her shirt and shorts. Her sandals were still in place, and even her toes were pointed straight. It's as if someone left her there to be found. After her death, Catherine helped save lives through the donation of her organs. To honor her memory, a mural was painted in her elementary school cafeteria, and her neighbors planted a tree with a plaque in her name. John Bon Jovi wrote the song August 7, 415, to pay tribute to Catherine. Today signs lying Catherine's neighborhood, declaring a 25-mile-per-hour speed limit. It is Sunday, October 21, 1638, and approximately 300 worshipers are packed into St. Pancras Church in the English village of Whitecomb and the Moor during the early afternoon. The worshipers represent almost the entire able-bodied population of Whitecomb.  The faithful are there in church, as they are every Sunday, to listen to the sermon of their Anglican minister, George Lide, and to hear the word of the Lord. Lide stands at the altar, as he does each week, with his faithful wife sitting attentively in the first pew only a few feet away the very front of the church. Little does he or anyone else in St. Pancras that fateful afternoon know, but many there that day have only moments left to live. Suddenly, right in the middle of minister Lide's sermon, it's as if day becomes night and dark clouds blot out all the sunlight outside and the congregation inside the church is bathed in darkness. A contemporary report said that there was a strange darkness increasing more and more so that the people there assembled could not see to read in any book. Then, in another instant, powerful thunder shook the church and the enormous stone bell tower of St. Pancras swayed from side to side. The same report from 1638 went on to say, then there was the sound of thunder. The rattling whereof did answer like unto the sound and report of many cannons. Dust fell from the ceiling and coated the parishioners in fine gray powder as the rumbling of thunder continued to rock the building. Just as the worshipers were adjusting to the darkness and straining to hear the words of their minister through the booming thunder, a great ball of fire ripped through the window. The flaming orb flew around the church and burned part of the roof as it incinerated some inside and knocked others to the ground and flung still more against the stone walls of the building. The minister, George Lide, though terrified by this vision of hell itself just like everyone else, was unhurt, but his wife at the very front of the congregation at her clothes and her body burnt in a very pitiful manner. It was said that during the storm as the orb of fire ricocheted around the inside of the church that one Robert Mead, a local warrener or sort of exterminator, had his head bashed against a pillar that supported the ceiling, leaving an indentation that could be seen to this very day. His brains were splattered across the floor. A dog was picked up by the vortex of flame whirled around in the air as if caught in a tornado and flung out the door where it died. Some parishioners bodies were incinerated in a flash with their flesh burnt to flakes of ash while mysteriously their clothes are said to have remained untouched. An eyewitness account reported that the extraordinary lightning came into the church so flaming that the whole church was presently filled with fire and smoke. The smell were of was very lonesome much like unto the scent of brimstone. These words, written in the immediate aftermath of the great thunderstorm of 1638, sum up the death and destruction the horror caused by the event. Quote, Some say at first that they saw a great fiery ball come through the window and pass through the church which so affrightened the whole congregation that the most part of them fell down in their seats and some upon their knees, some on their faces, and some one upon another with a great cry of scalding and burning. In the immediate aftermath of the great thunderstorm of 1638 in England, written accounts of what happened that day in Whitcomb almost immediately began to circulate in the form of early 17th century broadsheets and were eagerly devoured by a newly largely literate public clamoring to hear news about this strange and some would say cursed event. All of the quotes I have used thus far in the story are taken from a work entitled A True Relation of Those Strange and Lamentable Accidents Happening in the Paris Church of Whitcomb in Devonshire on Sunday, the 21st of October 1638, etc. This contemporary report was published in London less than one month after the great thunderstorm and is considered even to this very day by many historians and folklorists to be an accurate eyewitness representation of what happened in St. Pancras Church in the English village of Whitcomb on the afternoon of what has been dubbed the Great Thunderstorm of 1638. In total, out of the 300 or so worshippers gathered in the St. Pancras Church that day, as many as 60 were severely injured and perhaps many as 15, though no less than 6, were killed as a direct result of the great thunderstorm. The large, mostly stone church of St. Pancras sustained substantial damage with the roof of the building having been completely destroyed. Today, many believe that the worshippers inside the walls of St. Pancras Church were the victims of a phenomenon known as ball lightning. Ball lightning is a rare and to this day a largely unexplained phenomena that is associated with thunderstorms in flatland areas of the United Kingdom. There is no largely agreed upon theory in the scientific community for what causes or what exactly constitutes ball lightning, although much of the science behind what it may be is quite complex and beyond the scope of this podcast or the knowledge of your hosts to fully get into. Suffice it to say that ball lightning is said to be a large, flaming orb of energy that lasts much longer than typical ordinary lightning which strikes spots on the earth both prior to and during severe thunderstorms but then vanishes in a flash. Ball lightning tends to linger and fly around and those who have seen it say that ball lightning explodes after it has spent many moments hovering through the air, both indoors and outdoors, and leaves behind a sulfurous smell once it dissipates. All of these characteristics are in line with the contemporary accounts of the great thunderstorm of 1638 as described by eyewitnesses. At a natural explanation for the death and destruction wrought by the great thunderstorm of 1638 upon the unsuspecting parishioners of St. Pancras Church of Woodcombe Village in the English countryside is definitely quite probable. After all, Woodcombe and the moorland that surrounds it is known throughout England as being in the valley of the thunderstorms. If a historically destructive and great thunderstorm were to happen anywhere in Great Britain, perhaps anywhere in the world, it would most probably be in Woodcombe. But the moorland of the English countryside with its vast seemingly endless mossy rolling hills has been known throughout history for its eerie almost supernatural qualities. Ball lightning is said to have been the inspiration for the creation of jack-o-lanterns and even today many who travel in the moorland insist that they see specters and spirits that are not of this world. The somewhat rural and desolate village of Woodcombe and its stone church of St. Pancras in particular is located at the very epicenter of this eerie and unsettling landscape. The English moorland known for its gothic setting has been immortalized in English literature by such luminaries as Arthur Conan Doyle who used it as the setting for his classic Sherlock Holmes novel The Hound of the Baskervilles and even by none other than Charles Dickens himself who has an escaped convict in his seminal work Great Expectations rise up out of the moors as if he had been conjured by some witch's black magic. It's no wonder then that a legend which some believe to be true surrounds the great thunderstorm of 1638 and the destruction of St. Pancras Church in Woodcombe. As legend would have it in the fall of 1638, a local gambler named Jan Reynolds or Bob Reed by some accounts made a deal with the devil that caused the great thunderstorm of 1638. Jan Reynolds or Bob Reed whatever you want to call him was usually one of those Sunday church Dodgers that would normally have been in attendance during a Sunday service at St. Pancras. However, after losing a streak at the card table, Jan Reynolds said that he'd go to church every week if only he could start to win gambling to support his family which he promptly started to do. But since gambling isn't the way of the Lord, in return for his good fortune, Jan Reynolds made a pact with the devil and said that if Satan ever caught him asleep during a church service then he could come and take his soul. Well, apparently on the afternoon of October 21st 1638 Jan Reynolds fell asleep in church and the devil set out to take his soul. After stopping at a local tavern to ask directions where a local barmaid reported she had seen a man with cloven hooves for feet, the devil set off accompanied by the great thunderstorm to fetch Jan Reynolds. He was reported that Satan entered the church in the form of what many might call ball lightning and that he snatched up Jan Reynolds and rode away on a flaming, flying horse up into the cloudy sky of the great thunderstorm of 1638. Today, at the foot of the large stone tower that is part of St. Pancras Church in Wydcombe, which still rises above the rolling flatlands of the Moors, are four panels, wallboards that were placed there way back in the 17th century that tell and detail the story of the great thunderstorm of 1638. These commemorative plaques, the memorial to all of the victims of the great thunderstorm begin with a verse from the Bible, Lamentations 3 verse 22. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassion's fail not. Perhaps the great thunderstorm of 1638 was just a freak historical weather event, a one in a million occurrence involving something as rare as ball lightning, or some other even more readily explainable natural phenomena, or maybe it was the result of something more sinister, something unnatural and not of this world that may have, for a brief moment, caused the Lord's mercies to fail. Coming up on Weird Darkness, ever heard of criminals so clueless they seem straight out of a cartoon? From bungling burglars to comically misguided crooks, some cartoon criminals will have you laughing and shaking your head at the same time. But first, sin-eaters are described as people hired to assume the sins of a dead person by eating food placed near the corpse. Why did society feel the need for such a service, and why would a person choose to accept a role which was viewed with such revulsion? That story is up next. No matter the time of day or season, sometimes you need to find a way to rid yourself of those ghostly chills that bring raised hairs and goosebumps to your skin. Other times you're looking for those ghostly chills. Either way, it sounds like you need a mug of Weird Dark Roast coffee. Weird Dark Roast coffee has deep notes of cocoa, caramel and a touch of sinister sweetness that'll send shivers down your taste buds. This is an exclusive coffee that I selected specifically for you, my Weirdo family. Weird Dark Roast is not available in stores, coffee houses, mad scientist labs or even the dark web, but you can find it at WeirdDarkness.com slash coffee. Weird Dark Roast coffee. Fresh roasted to water so it's as fresh as it can be when it lands on your doorstep and knocks three times. Grab yours now at WeirdDarkness.com slash coffee. That's WeirdDarkness.com slash coffee. Weird Dark Roast coffee does not actually knock on your door because it doesn't have arms or hands, so if you hear knocks at the door and no one answers when you ask who it is, it's probably paranormal and you should just leave the door shut and locked. The occupation of professional sin-eater was not one a person would take on lightly, so it's no surprise that sin-eaters usually came from the lowest strata of society. Only those who had no other options in life and no other way to earn a living would accept a role that banished them to the edges of society, forcing them to live a reclusive life, reviled and feared by their neighbors. Sometimes that fear turned to even darker thoughts. The nature of the sin-eaters' work meant that they absorbed the sins of others, and so many people believed that with every act the sin-eater performed, they became more and more removed from the hope of mercy. Being damned and predestined for an afterlife in hell hardly makes them the most sought-after company, and in the minds of many, sin-eaters became associated with the devil, witchcraft and other unholy practices. A few accounts of the rituals relating to sin-eating are very homogenous in nature. The sin-eater was called in to administer the ceremony either when a person was more abundant or had just passed away. Probably it was considered that time was of the essence, for who wants their nearest and dearest to suffer any more than they had to. In all the ceremonies, bread was used. While bread was seen as essential to the ritual as unknown, maybe it was due to its poorest nature which made it seem the perfect medium for absorbing sins. In any case, bread was either placed on a plate of salt and laid on the breast of the dying or dead person, or handed over the body to the sin-eater along with a bowl of beer or ale. Sometimes milk was used as a substitute. The sin-eater would then say a prayer or recite chants in which they commanded the sins to pass from the deceased into them, after which they would then drink and eat the bread, i.e. to physically absorb the sins into their own body. Once the ritual was completed, the family would burn the wooden utensils and in that way rid themselves and their household of immoral contamination. Minor details do vary. For instance, in some cases, it was said that the sin-eaters were forbidden to enter the mourner's home and so the ritual took place either on the threshold or just outside the house. Sometimes the sin-eater was seated on a low stool, other times he stood. There are even reports that the sin-eater, after he had finished, was sent packing with curses and threats to never return. For their troubles, the sin-eater would be paid a meager fee, little more than six pence, or if they were lucky, 30 pence dipped in whitewash to resemble silver. It hardly seems worth it considering the heavy burden they had taken on at the expense of their own souls. Possibly, they were more concerned with saving themselves in this life than worried about the next one, or maybe they truly believed they were doing good. One commentator believed it was for the former reason, saying, men who undertook so daring an imposture must all have been infidels willing, apparently, like Esau, to sell their birthright for a mess of potage.  How widespread was the practice of sin-eating? The earliest source for sin-eating comes from the work of the 17th-century chronicler John Aubrey. He recalls how a sin-eater living along the Rosé Road would be regularly hired to perform this service. Aubrey rather compassionately described the man as a gaunt, ghastly, lean, miserable, poor rascal. One other interesting comment that Aubrey makes is that there existed a popular belief that the sin-eater would prevent the ghost of the deceased from walking. Taking it at face value, it does appear a logical conclusion for a time when the belief that ghosts or tormented souls haunted the living unable to find rest was prevalent. Sin-eaters are also mentioned as existing in Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and East Anglia, but whether or not these were isolated occurrences or indicative of a widespread practice is difficult to tell due to the fragmentary nature of the reports. In 1958, Enid Porter, a well-respected folklorist, wrote an article about the case of a female sin-eater who had died in 1906. The woman had become a sin-eater after ingesting a large dose of poppy tea. Finding her unconscious, her neighbors called the minister to perform the last rites and help her on the journey to the afterlife. To their surprise, she recovered, and now, free of her own sins, she was able to take on the sins of others. Apart from this interesting account, most of the evidence that is left to us suggests that the practice of sin-eating was most common in Wales and the surrounding English border counties. In the introduction to a biography on the Welsh preacher Christmas Evans, who lived from 1750 to 1850, Paxton Hood mentions the existence of sin-eaters in Kumanman, Karmathinshire. Paxton was referencing the minutes taken by Matthew Mogridge during a meeting in the Cambrian Archaeological Association. None of the members showed any surprise upon hearing the news as the inhabitants of that region had a reputation for being rowdy, lawless, and ignorant. Aro did erupt, though, on the publication of the book with Welsh clergymen emphatically denouncing the existence of sin-eaters. One such denier was Kenan Sylvan Evans, director of Lenny Maudwey and Maryamthenshire, who stated that having lived in the region for years, he never witnessed such a practice or even heard of sin-eaters. In Volume 3 of The Mountain to Cameron, Joseph Downes, a surgeon by trade, relates an incident in which a gentleman traveling through Cardiganshire, Wales, became lost in a desolate area of countryside, Coors Foshnow, near the village of Borth. Exhausted after riding around the large peat mire for hours, he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the candle lights of a cottage in the distance. Going towards the dwelling, he witnessed a woman emerge and call out a name, whilst from inside the cottage came the sound of weeping. On entering, he saw a corpse of a man laid out in preparation for burial. On his breast was a plate of salt and a piece of bread. Next to the body stood a man in the process of performing a strange ritual. Laying his hand on the dead man, he made a sign at the cross and prayed that the deceased's sins would transfer into him in order for the soul to be free from the pains or penances in fire. After he had completed his task, the sin-eater came towards the traveler, and together they watched as the woman took the straw from the deceased's bed and burnt it, a common practice in that part of Wales. Later, the traveler learned more about the sin-eater. According to the locals, the man lived in a hovel made from wreckage from the sea in an area between the sea marsh and the peat bog. He ascertained from his inquiries that few were brave enough to approach the sin-eater's residence by day and none by night, whether for the footing or the great fear or at least awe which all felt of that recluse. There is a debate about whether or not Downs was writing a factual account or not, as much of this work is more of a literary nature. This together with the scarcity of primary sources has led to many doubting whether or not sin-eaters actually ever existed. One of the main arguments made against their existence is that prior to Aubrey's treatise, no reference is made to them. Many have surmised from this that Aubrey had simply misinterpreted an unusual bereavement ritual. In my opinion, the fact that there is no mention of sin-eaters before this period of time does not negate the validity of Aubrey's report. It is very likely that they did not exist prior to the mid-1600s, but the role could have been created during this time due to the social and political upheaval of a world turned upside down. The first half of the 17th century was the scene of profound change for England with the execution of a king, the establishment of Cromwell as Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland, and then his death and the re-establishment of the monarchy. Aside from the political mayhem, there was also religious chaos with the persecution of Catholics and the banning of Catholic religious practices and rituals. One of these rituals was the deathbed confession of sins and the giving of absolution. The removal of such an important function would have left many feeling vulnerable and terrified of what they would face after they died. People may have looked for another source to help them, and so possibly this is why the role of sin-eater may have been created. As to the denial of clergymen, that is also understandable. Sin-eating would have been viewed as heretical. Those involved would have been seriously punished, so it made sense for both the clergymen to turn a blind eye and refuse to admit that they were incapable of stamping out such a practice and for those who believed and participated in it to remain silent. As time passed and society changed, the role of the sin-eater would have become less and less important until it died out completely. Despite this, there is evidence, such as from Enid Porter, already mentioned, and from Shropshire, where Richard Munzlo was buried and who was known today as the last of the sin-eaters that the practice of sin-eating did continue, to some extent, into the late 1800s. In September 2010, an unusual service took place at St. Margaret's Church in rattling hope Shropshire to honor the sin-eater, Richard Munzlo, who had died in 1906. The ceremony was held to celebrate the restoration of his gravestone with funds raised by a local stonemason, Charles Shaw. The reason given by those involved was to ensure that an important custom was remembered, as well as to bring to attention the role that Munzlo and others played in the religious history of England and Wales. As was mentioned previously, usually the mantle of professional sin-eater was taken on by the poorest members of society, beggars, vagabonds, and outcasts of society, but Munzlo, on the other hand, was a respectable and prosperous farmer who owned a 70-acre farm in Upper Darnford, hardly the typical candidate for the role of soul-eater. So why did Munzlo become a sin-eater? His real reasons died with him and those who knew him, but one possible explanation could have been grief. Munzlo lost four children, including three in the same week. Maybe fear for their souls or an attempt to ensure that they entered the kingdom of heaven was his motivation. In any case, despite his new role, he remained a valued member of his community performing a much-needed service. Part of the speech he used has survived, quote, I give easement and rest now to thee, dear man, come not down the lanes or in our meadows, and for thy peace I pawn my own soul. Amen, unquote. In his own way, Munzlo protected his community from harm and saved those he cared about. We owe our gratitude to Aubrey and Munzlo and a few others that what was an important custom is not disappeared from the historical record. Personally, I'm glad that sin-eaters are no longer needed today, but as with all customs which have existed, it throws an important light on the dark corners of our past. Dumb, cartoonish criminals have been around for a long time, well, as long as crime has existed. Some just aren't cut out for a life of crime.  Here are a few such criminals and crimes that are worthy of their own cartoon. I think we all know what bank heists are, but have you heard of one so underwhelming that the lack of effort begins to fall into the realm of comedy? Well, Edner Flores entered a bank in Chicago intending to rob it. He casually waited in line and produced a deposit ticket to the teller that read no die-packs and armed in poor handwriting. The teller, apparently giving no care to the situation, continued with bank business as usual and politely asked the robber if he wanted to make a deposit or a withdrawal. The robber now lulled into his own demise, proceeded to scribble $10,000 on a withdrawal slip along with a gibberish account number before also handing a teller his Illinois state-issued ID. Why, Edner? At least make it interesting, show them your professional calling card, or maybe your gun, not your identification, or to let your fellow criminals down. Chicago officers arrived shortly after because that stubbornly professional teller had also hit this silent alarm. You'd think Flores would have at least attempted to make a quick surgical extraction from the bank after his debauched attempt at a life of crime. Not quite. He was still there in front of the teller when the cops arrived, so they arrested this slow-to-escape robber. When a criminal wants to hide, they'll find an obscure hiding spot and wait it out until the coast is clear, as everyone knows, right? It's what I would do. By pathetically speaking, I might have been in hiding before, not from anyone explicitly, just in general, but I can't get into specifics under the grounds that it may incriminate me. Moving on though, I'd like you to meet a man who did none of the above and took the definition of hiding very loosely. Liberty PD was looking for a man wanted in Missouri for possession of a controlled substance. He was right under their noses, but they couldn't quite pinpoint him. That is, until he let out a mammoth fart. He cooked up a stinkstorm so powerful they were able to locate and arrest the suspect after he passed gas so loud. The real crime here is the cartoon-level disregard for himself and the enormity of his forts. Passing gas and law-breaking don't really go in hand, unless you're this guy.   Maintaining duality of mind and context along with these opposite personas is not for the fate of heart. I only say this because this next person must be a low-end, last-resort type of clown. The story goes that a young man in the UK, apparently stoned, was pulled over by the coppers for reckless driving. This happened after a 35-mile chase when the police observed the driver dangerously weaving in and out of traffic. Starting the pursuit in southeast London and ending in Kent, the services of a helicopter were even called in. So what's the clown angle? Well, it turns out that when the driver finally stopped and was asked for his driver's license, he complied and was then arrested. The problem was that the license was issued by Legoland. Evidently, the driver was the proud owner of a driving license and apparent card-carrying member of the Legoland Driving School. I guess that's a step up from a license issued by the ACME company. Sometimes hunger pangs can be unbearable. So hungry I could eat a horse. And hungry is a wolf. Common phrases that indicate hunger. Here's a not-so-common one. So hungry I could break into a store with my Ford freestyle station wagon and eat a banana off the shelf. Although rare, its usage has been traced to at least one person, this unnamed man. At 1.48 a.m. in a Connecticut gas station, a surveillance video showed a man drive up to the gas station and back into the store entrance a few times to break the glass. Then, with no attempt to conceal himself whatsoever, he got out of the car, walked into the store, grabbed a banana from the shelf, peeled it, ate it, and left. That has got to be the most cartoon gangsta thing I've ever heard. Committing a crime just because you are craving a banana can be a cartoon sketch on its own. At least nobody was hurt, except for the man's Ford freestyle station wagon, which was left damaged and dented after the banana heist. When authorities in Louisiana went to arrest Justin Savoy for suspicious activity, he didn't know how far the authorities would take their search. Of course, if the police are involved, you have to assume no stone will be unturned, and no nook or cranny will be left unearthed, in a very literal sense. After the police uncovered marijuana and other drug paraphernalia in their initial search, they simply were not satisfied. So, like a dissatisfied partner, they stripped Justin down and went searching for the truth. Maybe they had the magic touch or something because from his bum out popped a loaded 25-caliber Titan pistol. He was sentenced to prison for that and other firearms found in his truck. Looks like the gun in his crack was special and was shown more love than the rest. Using your bum hole as a holster seems like a GTA move or game hack. Maybe we're in a game. I digress. By the way, the pistol was four inches long with a 2.5-inch barrel, so you can use your imagination there. Noemi Dushin, at an accomplice, pulled up in front of a Texas jewelry store with a getaway vehicle ready to go.  We can already see this robbery going nowhere, but the duo pushed on, driven by some unforeseeable power of will. Noemi entered the store and attempted the robbery at knifepoint. Almost immediately, the clerk noticed the thief's incompetence and thought, I knew I could outrun her. A Tom and Jerry-like Jason sued around the store, after which the thief was tackled by another customer. When asked about the incident later, the clerk responded, you cannot be terrified when someone cannot run and has a black bag on their head.  So what would have been the slowest getaway on record was foiled by the real hero, the garbage bag. Seems like criminals are only getting dumber and garbage bags are being abused. When other criminal encuffs, one knife wielding crazy lady down. A blue collar robbery doesn't need to be complicated. Cover yourself up, go in, make your threats, get the goods and dip. A teenage boy from Florida didn't understand that. He went in trying to rob the place. He ended up filling out a job application. Cody Conner went into an adult toy store one Wednesday afternoon, pulled out a gun and demanded money. The clerk, Cheryl Hunter, instead offered him a job. And after some contemplation, they both sat down to fill out a job application. Cody, play it by play, you were doing fine. But with that last move there, you're now a member of the criminally challenged. And there is no coming back. Cody now completely trusting the clerk for reasons that are unobvious to me, put his full name on the application and left. I take back what I said before. You're not a member of the criminally challenged. The disturbing, lampoon-level idiocy displayed here makes you a member of the criminally unqualified. Cheryl then of course called the cops. They found Cody a few blocks away from the shop and arrested him. I don't always fill out job applications, but when I do, it's because I can't rob the place, Cody Conner probably said in his head. Anyways, another criminal busted, one criminally unqualified member recruited. Desperate criminals will try asinine things to get their hands on some cash. How, asinine? Well, 59-year-old Mark Smith from California will tell you, Smith went into a bank and told the workers he had a bomb in his backpack and was ready to blow the place up. Apparently having no notion of risk and reward, the would-be thief demanded a grand total of $2,000. He could have just gone to a low-key corner store for that and had better chances. After hearing Mark's empty threats, the bank manager politely suggested Mark take out a loan to help with his cash flow problem. In response, like any sane criminal, Mark waited patiently to fill out the loan paperwork. Mark, you just threatened a bank, its workers and customers, with a death-by-backpack style bomb explosion. There's no chance you're getting a loan from them. Maybe you should have ended it with just kidding and then re-strategized when you got back home. While Mark was distracted with the loan application, like a toddler with a rattle, the bank manager called emergency services when they arrested this gullible thief. Mr. Smith, welcome to the criminally unqualified club and congrats on making it to the podcast. When criminals don't think things through, we end up in a situation like this one. On a summer day, Derek Mosley from Oregon thought he'd have a go at armed robbery at a gun store with a knife. You see the paradox begin to unfold right there? Yeah, really helpless observers though. Derek, feeling unjustifiably lucky apparently, decided to press his luck and brandish his knife at the gun store, which ended in a foreseeable not-so-lucky outcome with him on the ground taking orders from the store manager. To be fair, Derek did try. He smashed a display case and took a handgun, but the manager immediately drew his own weapon and ordered the suspect to the ground. On his way down, he likely felt deep regret, heard the words, shame, shame in his head, and felt the scorn of a thousand sons. Just speculating though, Washington County authorities arrived shortly after and arrested his delusional self. And one day, Reuben Zerat decided to walk into a Chicago muffler shop and rob it. Armed with a gun, he demanded an undisclosed amount of cash from one of the employees. However, there was a minor complication. Most of the money was in a safe that only the manager could access, and the manager wasn't there. So he did the next logical thing. Reuben was obviously a decorated ninja criminal five-star mastermind man who leaves no trace behind, except for his sculling card. Literally, Zerat left his name and phone number on a desk and asked the employee to call him back once the manager returned. As soon as Zerat left, one of the employees called the Chicago police who immediately got ready for a sting operation to take Zerat in if he returned. The employee was instructed to call Zerat back. Not surprisingly, he returned only to be welcomed by the police. After a brief shootout, Zerat was tackled to the ground and arrested. You can't make this stuff up. This one is for the comic strips. Podcasts including Church of the Undead and a sci-fi podcast, Auditory Anthology. Also on the site, you can visit the store for Weird Darkness t-shirts, mugs and other merchandise. Plus, it's where you can find the Hope in the Darkness page if you or someone you know is struggling with depression, addiction, or thoughts of harming yourself or others. And if you have a true paranormal or creepy tale to tell of your own, you can click on Tell Your Story. You can find all of that and more at WeirdDarkness.com. All stories on Weird Darkness are purported to be true unless stated otherwise, and you can find links to the stories or the authors in the show notes. The most famous Ghosts in America was written by Christina Shillin for Graveyard Shift. What happened to Catherine Crosilius is by Kelsey Christine McConnell for the lineup. Cartoon Criminals is by Jerry Oshla for Listverse.com. Sin Eaters, Saviors of the Walking Damned was written by Ms. Jessel for hauntedpalaceblog.com. And The Scalding and Burning of 1638 was posted at Creative History Stories. Weird Darkness is a registered trademark. Copyright Weird Darkness. And now that we're coming out of the dark, I'll leave you with a little light. Psalm 41 verse 11, Blessed is he who has regard for the weak, the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. And a final thought. Sometimes it's better to hit the delete key instead of the send key. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness. Smoothed down. Neatly smoothed down. And approximately 300 worshipers are packed into Saint Pancras Church.  What happened in Saint Pancras Church in the early village of Whip? What happened in Saint Pancras Church in the English Village of Wilde? What happened in Saint Pancras Church in the English Village? Paxton Hood mentions the existence of Sin Eaters in Qumam. We'll be treated to a Roger Corman crapfest from 1958. Teenage Caveman starring Robert Vaughn. Did he just say dirt that eats men? Guess so. Mistress Malicious and her Mistress Peace Theater will keep us entertained throughout the film as we watch this caveman teenager with great hair go into the jungle to fight prehistoric monsters like dogs and an armadillo. Whatever. They're prehistoric creatures. Our Weirdo Watch Party is always free to watch online, so grab your popcorn, candy, and soda, and jump into the fun, and even get involved in the live chat as we watch the movie. Plus, during this Weirdo Watch Party, I'll be giving away a creepy crate to one lucky winner, full of scary surprises like horror collectibles, true crime-themed accessories, books, terrifying trinkets, and more, with some weird darkness swag added in. You won't know what's in the creepy crate until you open it. And I'll be giving instructions on how to win the creepy crate inside the chat during the movie, so you have to tune in to win. It's Teenage Caveman, Saturday, April 13, hosted by Mistress Peace Theater. The show begins at 10 p.m. Eastern, 9 p.m. Central, 8 p.m. Mountain, and 7 p.m. Pacific. You can watch a trailer for the film, and watch horror hosts and schlocky B movies anytime, day, or night on the Monster Channel page at WeirdDarkness.com. Hope to see you on Saturday, April 13. Click the notification bell so you don't miss future videos. I post videos 7 days a week. And while you're at it, spread the darkness by sharing this video with someone you know who loves all things strange and macabre. If you want to listen to the podcast, you can find it at WeirdDarkness.com.


I would like to welcome all of you here today. I would like to congratulate my elder brother, Stalingi, for the wonderful book that he has authored. It's been a long struggle for him, many, many years of struggle, and I congratulate him on what he has done for the people of Tamil Nadu. Yesterday, my mother called me, and she has sent a letter to me, saying that she wants to congratulate him on what he has done for the people of Tamil Nadu. Yesterday, my mother called me and she has sent a letter to Stalingi, so she called me and she told me that it is Stalingi's birthday tomorrow. And I said to my mother, I said, I know. I said, do you know how old Stalingi is? And my mother says, no. So I said, he's going to be 69 years old. And my mother said, that is impossible. So I said, how old do you think he is? So she said, I think he must be 58 or 60. Afterwards, she Googled. She does Google these days. She Googles, Stalingi's age. And then she called me, she sent me a message, she said, you're right, he's 69 years old. So I don't know if it's in the book, but if it isn't, he has to write another book telling us how he manages to look so young. I'd like to thank Stalingi and all of you for inviting me here and giving me the honour to speak to you. It's always a pleasure for me to come to Tamil Nadu. And I don't mean that in a light way, I mean that in a very profound and deep way. Some days ago I gave a speech in parliament and I believe it was appreciated in Tamil Nadu. And as I was walking out of parliament, these journalists, they tried to be clever all the time. As I was walking out of parliament, one of the journalists asked me, you gave this speech. Why did you mention Tamil Nadu so many times? And suddenly I realised that I had mentioned Tamil Nadu many times.  Then I got in the car and I was thinking, but why did you say that? Why did those words come out of your mouth? You're not born in Tamil Nadu. You don't speak Tamil. Tamil is a 3,000 year old civilisation. You don't even begin to understand that civilisation. How can you say you are Tamil? I asked myself, how have you given yourself the right to say that you're Tamil? And I was thinking this for some time in the car while I was driving home. And then I realised why I said those words. Because my blood is mixed with your soil. It was a very sad experience for me, losing a father. Very difficult experience, but also an experience I learnt from. And so I realised that I do have the right to call myself Tamil. Now, what does it mean to be a Tamil? The first thing it means is when I come to this state, I come with humility.  And I come with a desire to understand your perspective. In the speech I said, India is a union of states. So, when we say state, what is a state? Where does it come from? It starts from the land. From the land come the people. From the land come the people. From the people comes a voice. From the voice comes a language. From a language comes a culture. From a culture comes a history. And from a history comes a state. So, when I say that India is a union of states, I am saying that the union of states come together to form India. Like, letters form a word. A word forms a sentence. And sentences become a poem. And words become a word. And sentences become a poem. If you do not respect the words, if you do not respect the sentences, you cannot respect the entire point. So, when the Prime Minister comes here, and he tries to impose some other idea on the people of Tamil Nadu, when he does not understand that Tamil Nadu is just not two words. Tamil Nadu is 3000 years. Tamil Nadu is the land. Tamil Nadu is the people. Tamil Nadu is the language. Tamil Nadu is the word. When he does not understand that, he insults this state and he insults our country. When the Prime Minister comes here, he talks about Tamil Nadu without understanding the language. He talks about Tamil Nadu in 3000 years of history. He talks about Tamil Nadu, he talks about Tamil Nadu, he talks about Tamil Nadu in 3000 years of history. How can you take away the voice of the people of Tamil Nadu and then say to the people of Tamil Nadu to respect you? When the people of Tamil Nadu repeatedly ask you and want to talk to you about need, and you don't answer them, what type of respect is that? When the voice of Tamil Nadu says GST is unfair, the GST harms productive states and you do not respond. Who are you disrespecting? And I said in parliament they do not understand the history of Tamil Nadu, they do not understand the history of this nation. In 3000 years, in 3000 years, nobody has been able to impose anything on the Tamil people. And in 3000 years from today, nobody will be able to impose anything on the Tamil people. But I have experience of the Tamil people. You talk to them with love and affection, you can get anything out of them. You come here, you respect their culture, their language, you try to learn from them, they will give you nothing but love and return. It is a misunderstanding that the Prime Minister has. And it is a misunderstanding that applies to all states of our union. My friend and colleague Omar spoke wonderfully today. And he said probably the most important thing that was to be said today. And I want to repeat it here. We have to understand that for the first time since independence, a state of the Indian Union had its powers taken away from it. It has never happened before. That the rights of the people have been snatched from them. Today the people of Jammu and Kashmir do not rule themselves. Today bureaucrats from UP, from Gujarat rule Jammu and Kashmir. And that is the extreme what they have done to Jammu and Kashmir. In Punjab they have unilaterally taken land away from Punjab and given it to the BSF. Hundreds of kilometres of land. Without any discussion. And they do the same to Tamil Nadu. We always speak about unity from diversity. India has very very diverse people, diverse states, diverse languages. And historically, India has taken advantage of this diversity. It is our biggest strength. I learn from the people of Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu learns from the people of UP. Tamil Nadu learns from the people of Maharashtra. We learn from each other. We respect each other. Our vision is unity from diversity. And their vision is unity through conformity. Conformity. You will conform to what we have to say. But who gave you the right? Who are you to decide what India should be? Why can't the people of India decide what India should be? Who has given you this honour? Why? So this is the central fight in our country today. The voice of our people is represented in our institutions.  The judiciary, the election commission, the media systematically one by one these things are being attacked. But the BJP should not be under any illusions. We know how to fight them. We are going to fight them. We are going to defeat them. Because they are fighting history. They are fighting tradition. And they cannot defeat it. Once again, it's an honour for me to come here and say these words to you. I would like to conclude by wishing Brother Stalin a very happy birthday tomorrow. And I have noticed he has trimmed down a lot. So he should eat properly the cake tomorrow. Thank you. We wholeheartedly thank you India's most dynamic leader for your presence and special address. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.