Hunters’ Duel

Summary

---

Podcast Summary: Aaron Mahnke’s Cabinet of Curiosities – “Hunters’ Duel”

Date: September 18, 2025
Host: Aaron Mahnke

---

Overview

In this episode of Cabinet of Curiosities, Aaron Mahnke guides listeners through two remarkable stories:

1. The daring escape and heroic life of Robert Smalls, an enslaved man who commandeered a Confederate ship to freedom and made a lasting mark on American history.
2. The bizarre and legendary “vampire feud” that engulfed London’s Highgate Cemetery in the late 1960s and ‘70s, featuring ghost hunters, public rivalries, and the making of a modern urban legend.

---

Story 1: The Legend of Robert Smalls – Enslaved Man to Civil War Hero

Segment Timestamp: [01:10–05:50]

Key Discussion Points

• Early Life & Circumstances

  • Robert Smalls, born into slavery in South Carolina, “always found small ways to rebel” and married fellow enslaved woman Hannah, defying laws forbidding their union ([01:10]).
  • Demonstrated resourcefulness, rising to responsible positions including crewing the military transport steamship, the Planter.

• The Escape Plan

  • As the Civil War raged and Confederate officials grew careless, Robert seized the chance:
    “He proposed that they steal the ship, pick up their loved ones, and escape to the union blockade, where they would turn over the ship and earn their freedom.” ([02:30])

  • On a tense June night in 1862, they executed the plan, disguised under the Confederate flag, picking up family, and heading past enemy checkpoints.

  • Memorable Moment:
    When challenged by Confederate guards, Robert impersonated the captain:

    “The men on guard yelled down to the ship, ‘Give the Yankees hell.’ To which Robert coolly replied, ‘Aye. Aye.’” ([03:50])

• Triumphant Success

  • Successfully delivered the ship and their story to Union forces:

    “Robert gave them his [name] and told them that they wanted their freedom. And this was just the beginning of Robert's incredible story.” ([04:17])

• Aftermath and Legacy

  • Awarded for their bravery, Smalls continued to command the Planter, fought for the Union, and after the war, “used [the] reward money ... to buy a mansion in South Carolina. And not just any mansion, but the mansion of his original enslaver, who had since fled the state.” ([04:53])
  • Became a state senator, working to secure rights for freed enslaved people despite the rise of Jim Crow.
  • Smalls’ story was “deliberately downplayed in the history books,” but today stands as an inspiring tale of resistance and hope ([05:27]).

  • “When he piloted that ship out of Charleston Harbor, Robert Smalls was just trying to create a future for his family, but in doing so, he contributed to the future of all black Americans.” ([05:40])

---

Story 2: Duel for the Dead – The Highgate Vampire Feud

Segment Timestamp: [06:18–12:08]

Key Discussion Points

• Origins of the Highgate Ghouls

  • In 1969, Thornton, a middle-aged accountant, took an ill-fated shortcut through the decrepit Highgate Cemetery, encountering a chilling, shadowy figure ([06:18]).
  • “A bell clanged in the distance and he started toward the sound, hoping it might lead him to the gate. But ... the temperature suddenly dropped. A towering figure loomed ahead ... watching him with unblinking intensity.” ([06:44])

• Escalating Paranormal Reports

  • Multiple, identical sightings led David Farrant, a young psychic investigator, to investigate. “He described [the specter] as a tall gray figure with pinpricks of red light for eyes.” ([07:19])
  • Farrant publicized his findings, unleashing a flood of reports and growing media interest.
  • The story escalated as Sean Manchester, a self-proclaimed bishop and exorcist, claimed it was “not just a ghost, but a vampire, possibly a medieval Romanian nobleman ... reawakened by satanic rituals.” ([08:10])

• Rivalry & Media Frenzy

  • Farrant dismissed the vampire claim:

    “He was a firm believer in ghosts, but he drew the line at vampires.” ([08:24])

  • Their mutual accusations of fraud and black magic became central to the saga, each portraying the other as a dangerous charlatan.

  • Notable Quote:

    “Both gave increasingly bombastic interviews, each casting himself as the real hero of the Highgate tale and the other as the deluded or dangerous fraud.” ([08:44])

• The Vampire Hunt & Public Spectacle

  • On Friday the 13th, March 1970, Manchester promised on TV to kill the vampire, prompting hundreds to swarm Highgate in search of the undead ([09:02]).
  • Manchester’s quest failed, but the chaos intensified the legend—including the discovery of a “headless, charred corpse ... suspected of being exhumed for some kind of occult ritual.” ([09:47])
  • Farrant was arrested for trespassing—with stake and crucifix in hand—but Manchester twisted this further, accusing him of grave robbery and black magic ([10:10]).

• Absurd Climax & Lingering Legacy

  • By 1973, both rivals announced a public magical duel—“the two men agreed to a public duel on Parliament Hill, complete with magical weapons. ... But the duel was called off at the last minute.” ([10:40])
  • The legend faded, but Farrant and Manchester “kept themselves in the spotlight, prolonging the story through their personal war.” Even after Farrant’s 2019 death, Manchester both honored and condemned him:

    “Sean Manchester posted a surprisingly respectful tribute and then returned to his blog to reaffirm that Farrant had always been dangerously wrong. Like the creature they had once hunted, their feud refused to stay buried.” ([11:41])

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Robert Smalls’s Calm Under Pressure:

  “The men on guard yelled down to the ship, ‘Give the Yankees hell.’ To which Robert coolly replied, ‘Aye. Aye.’” – Aaron Mahnke ([03:50])

• On the Absurdity of the Highgate Feud:

  “Both gave increasingly bombastic interviews, each casting himself as the real hero of the Highgate tale and the other as the deluded or dangerous fraud.” – Aaron Mahnke ([08:44])

• On Legacy and Myth-Making:

  “Like the creature they had once hunted, their feud refused to stay buried.” – Aaron Mahnke ([11:56])

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:10] Robert Smalls’s early life and daring escape
• [04:53] Smalls buys his former enslaver’s mansion
• [05:40] Legacy of Robert Smalls
• [06:18] Highgate Cemetery haunting begins
• [07:19] David Farrant investigates Highgate
• [08:10] Arrival of Sean Manchester and the vampire claim
• [09:02] Public invasion of Highgate Cemetery
• [09:47] The occult body and Farrant’s arrest
• [10:40] The unconsummated magician’s duel
• [11:41] Lasting enmity and closing reflection

---

Tone and Style

Aaron Mahnke delivers both stories with his signature blend of suspenseful narration, historical intrigue, and dry wit—making the bizarre feel both entertaining and deeply human.

---

Conclusion

“Hunters’ Duel” is a classic Cabinet of Curiosities episode, blending forgotten heroics and peculiar rivalries. It reminds listeners that history is full of both unsung champions and ridiculous feuds worth resurrecting—if only to marvel at what people will do when faced with the extraordinary.

---

Transcript

[Capital One Bank Guy]

This is an iHeart podcast. Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One Bank Guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com bank Capital One NA member FDIC.

[Erin Menke]

Welcome to Erin Menke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of iHeartRadio and Grim and Mild.

[Aaron Mahnke]

Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

[Erin Menke]

Robert refused to give in to fear. Born into slavery in the American south, he always found small ways to rebel. His proudest moment was when he married his wife, Hannah, who was also enslaved. Their marriage wasn't even legally recognized by the state of South Carolina, but they did it anyway. He had also proven himself smart and capable enough at various jobs until he was stationed on a steamship called the Planter. The crew was mostly fellow enslaved people, with only three white officers to oversee all of them. It was better than being on a plantation in that they got to be out on the water and move around, but their overseers were just as hateful and condescending as any white slave owners on land. They hadn't done much sailing over the past year since the war broke out and the Union blockaded Charleston, trapping the Planter and other ships in Charleston harbor. They could still run supplies back and forth between the piers, but that was about it. As such, Robert started to notice the captain and the other two officers grow lax when it came to military regulations. They weren't supposed to ever leave the enslaved people alone on the ship, but that started to happen more and more regularly. More shocking than that, one night the captain told Robert that he and the other officers were going to town to be with their families for the night, and he left the ship in Robert's care while the war raged on. Every time Robert got word of a Confederate victory, his heart sank. He and his wife now had two small children to care for, but those children were the property of his wife's enslaver. There was nothing keeping that slaver from selling her and the children and sending them off to God knows where. If the Confederates were successful in becoming their own nation, then Robert and his family would continue to be enslaved for the rest of their lives. It wouldn't be a matter of if their family was torn apart, but when. And thinking about this led Robert to desperation. He would rather die than lose his family. He continued to be left in charge of the planter. The captain probably thought that Robert would appreciate the trust, and he did, but not because he cared at all what the man thought of him. In fact, he was going to show the captain that he had made a huge mistake. And so Robert gathered the other enslaved people on board and told them that he wanted to take advantage of the situation. They didn't know how the war would turn out, but they would be fools to just sit back and let it play out without taking advantage of the chaos. He proposed that they steal the ship, pick up their loved ones, and escape to the union blockade, where they would turn over the ship and earn their freedom. They put their plan in motion in June of 1862. The crew had no problem sailing from the military pier to a nearby wharf where their friends and family were waiting. Once picked up, there were now 16 escaping enslaved people on board with the women and children hiding below decks. Robert then put on a straw hat that hid his face and had the men raise the confederate flag above the ship. He then sailed them out into the harbor past the confederate fort guarding the city. The men on guard yelled down to the ship, give the yankees hell. To which robert coolly replied, aye. Aye. And from there, several tense moments passed as they grew closer and closer to the union ships. They waited as long as they dared to switch the confederate flag out for a white flag of surrender. But when they finally did, the nearest union ship called out to them, asking for their names and their intent. Robert gave them his and told them that they wanted their freedom. And this was just the beginning of Robert's incredible story. He went on to captain the planter and use it to help fight the confederacy for the remainder of the war. And after the war was over, he took the reward money for the ship's capture and used it to buy a mansion in south carolina. And not just any mansion, but the mansion of his original enslaver, who had since fled the state. We can only imagine how incredible he must have felt, raising his family in the main house where he was born into slavery in a shack in the backyard. In the years that followed, Robert continued to do amazing things, Becoming a state senator and doing his best to make south Carolina a safe place for freed, enslaved folks. Unfortunately, with the rise of the jim crow south, A lot of amazing stories like Robert's were deliberately downplayed in the history books. But curious minds have since reclaimed that legacy and bringing his story back to national attention with a monument outside of South Carolina State House. When he piloted that ship out of Charleston Harbor, Robert Smalls was just trying to create a future for his family, but in doing so, he contributed to the future of all black Americans.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

Banking with Capital One helps you keep more money in your wallet with no fees or minimums on checking accounts and no overdraft fees. Just ask the Capital One bank guy. It's pretty much all he talks about in a good way. He'd also tell you that this podcast is his favorite podcast too. Oh really? Thanks Capital One Bank Guy. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See capital1.com Bank Capital One NA Member.

[Erin Menke]

FDIC this show is sponsored by American Public University. American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in the country. They offer something truly unique, special rates and grants for the entire family, making education affordable not just for those who serve, but also for their loved ones. If you have a military or veteran family member and are looking for affordable, high quality education, APU is the place for you. Visit APU Apus Edu Military to learn more. That's APU Apus Edu Military it began on a frozen evening in early 1969. A middle aged accountant by the name of Thornton was walking home when he decided to cut through the graveyard, a shortcut that quickly became a detour into the uncanny. Once a grand Victorian graveyard, Highgate had long ago fallen into disrepair. Its crumbling mausoleums and tombstones were now covered in ivy and graffiti and the paths were severely overgrown. As Thornton wandered between the crypts and weeping angel statues, he realized that he had gotten lost. A bell clanged in the distance and he started toward the sound, hoping that it might lead him to the gate. But he had barely made it a few steps before the temperature suddenly dropped. A towering figure loomed ahead, human shaped but draped in shadows and watching him with unblinking intensity. Thornton tried to run, but he was rooted in place and growing rapidly weaker, as if the specter was sapping the life from him. And then, as suddenly as it appeared, the figure vanished. When Thornton realized that he could move again, he ran and he didn't stop until he stumbled out through the cemetery gates. A few weeks later, an elderly woman reported a near identical experience. Both accounts were reported to the British Psychic and Occult Society, a little known organization run almost entirely by a 24 year old psychic investigator named David Farrant. Intrigued but skeptical he visited Highgate himself one night and allegedly glimpsed the same phantom, which he described as a tall gray figure with pinpricks of red light for eyes. Convinced that something supernatural was afoot, Ferent wrote to the local newspaper asking if anyone else had seen anything strange in Highgate. The responses poured in, detailing one account after another of bizarre paranormal phenomena. The local press picked up the story and then the BBC. Pretty soon, Highgate was the hottest destination in London for ghost hunters, goth teens and aspiring occultists. One of the newcomers was a guy named Sean Manchester, a self proclaimed bishop and exorcist. He claimed the figure in Highgate was not just a ghost, but a vampire, possibly a medieval Romanian nobleman who had been brought to London in a coffin full of native soil. According to Manchester, recent satanic rituals had reawakened this ancient bloodsucker, and only he had the skills to and the stakes to deal with it. David Farrant went on record saying that he thought this theory was ridiculous. He was a firm believer in ghosts, but he drew the line at vampires. Manchester took the criticism personally, and pretty soon their difference of paranormal opinion spiraled into a bitter feud. Farrant accused Manchester of fabricating his credentials and sensationalizing the story. Manchester accused Farrant of of consorting with black magic and desecrating graves. Both gave increasingly bombastic interviews, each casting himself as the real hero of the Highgate tale and the other as the deluded or dangerous fraud. And as you'd imagine, their rivalry only fueled the media frenzy, which reached a fever pitch on March 13th of 1970. Friday the 13th, of course, Manchester went on TV to announce that he would track and destroy the vampire that night. As the sun set, hundreds of thrill seekers stormed into the cemetery, climbing over locked gates and wandering the tombs in search of the undead. Unfortunately, Sean Manchester failed to kill the vampire that night, so the cemetery remained haunted. And over the next few months, the story grew even stranger. In August, a headless, charred corpse was found near the graveyard. Police suspected the body belonged to someone already buried there, exhumed for some kind of occult ritual. Just a few weeks later, David Farrant was caught climbing over the cemetery walls with a crucifix and a wooden stake and arrested for trespassing. The charges were eventually dropped, but Manchester used the arrest to connect Farrant with the burnt body, accusing him of black magic and grave robbery. By 1973, their feud had grown so absurd that the two men agreed to a public duel on Parliament Hill, complete with magical weapons. Fans eagerly awaited a showdown between their two favorite occult celebrities. But the duel was called off at the last minute. No real explanation was given, leaving everyone feeling disappointed. After that, the vampire began to recede into urban legend, but Farrant and Manchester kept themselves in the spotlight, prolonging the story through their personal war. For decades, they have denounced one another in interviews, rival books and blog posts, and kept the Highgate saga alive long after the cemetery had emptied out. David Farrant passed away in 2019, and when he did, Sean Manchester posted a surprisingly respectful tribute and then returned to his blog to reaffirm that Farrant had always been dangerously wrong. Like the creature they had once hunted, their feud refused to stay buried.

[Aaron Mahnke]

I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts or learn more about the show by visiting curiositiespodcast.com the show was created by me, Aaron Manke, in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series and television show and you can learn all about it [e-mail] and until next time, stay curious.

[Erin Menke]

This show is sponsored by American Public University. American Public University is the number one provider of education to our military and veterans in the country. They offer something truly unique special rates and grants for the entire family, making education affordable not just for those who serve, but also for their loved ones. If you have a military or veteran family member and are looking for affordable, high quality education, a APU is the place for you. Visit APU APUS EDU Military to learn more. That's APU APUS EDU Military.

[Capital One Bank Guy]

This is an iHeart podcast.