← Who Did What Now With Katie Charlwood
Who Did What Now With Katie Charlwood
168. The Blackburn Cult
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Murder, Money and Mummification...
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Hello delicious friends, and welcome to who did what Now? The history podcast. That's not your history class. With me, your host, Katy Charlwood, history harlot and reader of books. And at my show in London on Saturday night, I. I forgot. I forgot that I do this every week. Sometimes twice a week, depending on how much I'm recording. But I forgot the whole bit after Delicious Friends because I was like, hello, delicious friends. And then I was like, oh, if you don't know me, that's gonna sound like a weird thing to say. And so I was like, oh. In the beginning of my podcast, I say this thing and then I could not remember the light. Like, what? In my defense, I was very tired. It was, it was a calamity of errors. But I had been to an awards and a business awards event the night before. We didn't win, but I was there the night before and I left about 2 o' clock in the morning and then I, I had to leave at like seven for my flight and then my bus broke down and then my flight, I had to change my flights because my bus had to change buses and then when I got to London the like the pod thing in the airport wasn't working so I had to take the shuttle bus which then even later and then when I was on the tube, the tube got diverted and I had to change tubes and it was just one thing after another. But yeah, it was a very busy weekend and I had a great time in London and if the other palace was, would like to have me back ever, I would love to come back and be there. It was such a fun time, it was such a good show and I'd love to come back because I, I, ah, it was like such a good atmosphere and everyone was so lovely and at one point I'm talking to women about wombs. It was a really, really good time. But I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, Katie, quit your jibber jabber and fact me, in fact you I will. But first we've got to get our source. On the Origin of God by me, Otis Blackburn. Cult of the Great 11 by Samuel Fort. A Journey Through Time by Patricia Havens and Bill Appleton. People vs. Blackburn from the California Supreme Court. We also have articles from the Los Angeles Times, the Syracuse Herald, Time Magazine and the Washington Post. Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then let's begin. So the Blackburn cult, the story of the Blackburn cult is one that I've wanted to tell for a good chunk of time now. Like this was very nearly the LA show, like it was very nearly that before I ended up picking Mary Aster and the Purple Diary scandal. Right. So like it was very, it was very close but like Golden Age of Hollywood is always a bit more like fun and the Blackburn cult is a quite a depressing story. You're warned. I'm going to talk about bad things and bad things happening to people and if you're, you're not okay with that, if you're, you're sensitive in any way, you're going to want to exit stage left, okay? Otherwise stay and enjoy horrible history. And so it was very nearly the LA show, but also there's like so much information that I want to talk about in this that it just wasn't going to fit into that format. And so I've been waiting to like do it. It's been in this book, written, ready to go. And so I've been trying to find the right time to talk about it. And with it being my birthday month and every sort of month recently, I've done a Different theme. But this I was like, oh, I'll just do one week per theme. One theme per week. That's it. One theme per week. And this week is all about cults. And so I was like, let's, let's get into this. Okay, so it all starts with Matilda May Otis. And she goes by May. She uses her middle name, probably because her mother is also called Matilda. But yeah, yeah, because she's born on the 2nd of August, 1881 to Matilda and William Otis. And that's in Storm Lake, Iowa. And when she's 4 years old, William dies. From what? I don't know. I didn't look that up. Now, being a single woman in the past isn't easy, especially when you have a child. And so Matilda remarries and she marries Edgar P. Holt and they all move to Minnesota. And apparently, apparently young May, she was quite the looker. And in 1897, at the ripe old age of 16, she gets married to Augustus John Wayland, a Canadian fellow. And they move from Minnesota to South Dakota and things are less than peachy. Augustus is a gambler, but not a good one. He would lose, get angry, and then take it out on May. And May wasn't a huge fan on being the recipient of domestic abuse. So she says, fuck this for a game of soldiers and leaves him when she's several months pregnant. So their daughter, Ruth Angeline Wayland, was born on 25th July, 1899. And not long after this, May says that she received a letter stating that Augustus had somewhat conveniently been shot during a mining dispute. And after this, May up sticks and moves to Minneapolis without baby Ruth, who she leaves with her mother. Granny Matilda is caring for Ruth while May is swanning about turn of the century Minneapolis. It's fun, it's exciting. And lo and behold, May gets remarried to Rudolf Schulz on the 1st of July, 1901. Like all budding relationships, you start learning things about each other. Like you don't know everything straight away. Like you get to know each other over time. And like you, you share parts of yourself and parts of your life and your history and your hopes and your future and all that stuff. And however, May sort of fails to mention to her new husband that she has a child from a previous marriage. And when Matilda and Ruth move to Washington State, May tries to convince Rudolph to move closer to her mother and the child he doesn't know about. By 1905, this seems to have worked because they're living in Portland and May is visiting her family quite Often. Now, here's the thing. Not only has May not told Rudolph, you know, that she has a daughter. May also hasn't told Ruth that she's her mother. Because Ruth thinks that her grandmother is her mum. And she thinks that her mum is her big sister. Now that's not a good secret to keep because the truth always will out. Like that's gonna come out at some point, you know, and everyone involved is gonna feel not a great way about that. So May, her second marriage is on the rocks because poor Rudolph earns a mere $150 a month at his job as a waiter at the Portland Hotel. And May, well, May, she liked money. And to be clear, $150 back in 1905 is around about five and a half grand today. And May demanded $125 out of that 150 out of his monthly paycheck every single month. And she spends it like it's an Olympic sport. Like that's about 4600 like that she's taking off him every month, leaving him with the rest. Like she takes that from him. And. And so she's, she's not really vibing with this anymore. And she tells Rudolph that it turns out that her first husband wasn't dead after all. And therefore their marriage wasn't legit. And so it would be a sin for them to be together. Because, yeah, that, that money, that 4,4600amonth wasn't enough for her to spend on pretty and nice things that she liked. So yeah, she's like, it would be a sin for us to be together, Rudolph. And this May shock you, but May lied because Augustus John Wayland was never dead. Also, legally, it wouldn't dissolve the marriage. Like she'd just be a bigamist. Like from a legal standpoint like that, it doesn't make it disappear. She's now just a begamist. I say now just. She's also a bigamist. But yeah, Rudolph, he is quite upset and begs her not to leave. But May is already out the door because she had her eyes set on lumber tycoon Fremont Everett. Everyone in this has fabulous names, right? We've got Augustus John Wyland, we've got Rudolph Schultz. We have Fremont Everett. But yeah, she's got her eyes set on this lumber tycoon. She can't wait to get her hands on all that wood. I regret nothing. I regret nothing. Now there is a small, itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini problem with this. A small hitch in an Otherwise foolproof plan, one might say, because Fremont Everett was already married. But then again, so was she. So May Otis Wayland, she and Fremont Everett, they embark on an affair and he writes her love letters. But he's not. He's not the sharpest pencil in the case because he does so signing his own name on the company stationery, the lumber company stationery with his name, and everything's there. And May, May, May. She manages to get a divorce from Augustus, but It's not until 1912 that she manages to get an annulment of. Of her marriage to Rudolph, who, by the way, still wants to be married to her. Darling, please, I love it when you take all my money. But, yeah, so he doesn't want an annulment, and she really does, but she manages to get one. So a little while after this, May acquires property valued at $50,000. So she is doing quite well. So that's like over one and a half million dollars now. Like, that's. That's a good chunk of change, like. So she's got property and it's valued at nearly that much in today's money. And she's still seeing Fremont Everett, who, yes, is still married, even though she's managed to do all of her separating. But as she's seeing him and she's reading the paper one day, she says that singer George Bloom had won a settlement from being injured at work. A settlement of $3,000, which I'm doing a lot of in today's money. But in today's money, that would be approximately $100,000 in today's money. And she's like, that's a sheep I can fleece. Now, don't feel bad for George. Let's not feel bad for George, Because George. George Bloom is an oxygen thief. Because he had been arrested thrice. Thrice I tell you, for, and I quote, contributing to the delinquency of a minor girl in one year alone. Three times in one year. But he's got $3,000. So may just so happens to meet him and what do you know, they hit it off and they get a marriage license to marry George bloom in, like, May 1915. Now, here's the thing. They got the marriage license, but they never actually got married. See, here's the thing. He goes to prison for. For delinquency of a minor girl again. And he lists his marital status as single. And, like, yeah, at this point, she's, like, listed herself as a real estate agent. Like, she's a working girl, but, like, she's I mean, she's fairly self sufficient considering, you know, she's, she's mooching. And this is, I, I, I gotta, I gotta respect women's wrongs at this point. We're still there, we're still in a little bit of respect. We're gonna lose it soon, but there's still a little bit here because there's not a lot you can do in a world that is like stacked against you. And I'm kind of like, okay, this is fine for now. Meanwhile, Baby Ruth is now adult Ruth and she is, dare I say it, a bright young thing. And so May decides at this point she's gonna start making movies. Then they're motion pictures. And so May establishes a film company in Portland to make Ruth a star. And so Ruth, she's performing in these comedy shorts and she is loved, she's adored, and it is a smash hit in Portland. Now out with that. It's not really that well received or cared about. And naturally, because there isn't a lot of traction happening, you know, outside of Oregon, May decides that they really need, what they really need, what's gonna work for them is that they need to go to Hollywood. But of course you need somewhere to stay. You can't just arrive in Hollywood and be homeless. No, no, no, no, no. And so she asks her sugar daddy, Fremont Everett, and of course I love that. I'm like, she's self sufficient. And then she's out here like begging her sugar daddy for summer to stay. So Fremont gets her an apartment, fully furnished, by the way. Remember May, she's got expensive tastes and she isn't going to settle for less. So May tries to get work as a director, but no studio wants to hire some woman who made some comedy shorts in Portland. Right? And what's interesting about this period in Hollywood is that in the motion picture industry, a lot of the forerunners in this, a lot of the early people involved were women. And it was really women who built the industry and then they were removed from it. But it's just interesting that they had so many, like, great, wonderful, like parts to play in it. And now we're lucky to have people who can name three female directors, you know, like writers, directors, producers, the whole shebang. Now, disheartened, she passes the time reading the Bible, as one does. Oh, and at some point, between husbands and between being a real estate agent and making comedy shorts in Portland, Ruth is informed that May is actually her mother. And if she did have an issue with it, she got over it pretty sharpish. So, yeah, they're in Hollywood. And while Mama May is perusing the psalms and all those letters to the Corinthians who never wrote back rude. So while May is just getting, like, super into Jesus, Ruth is working as a taxi and Oriental dancer. Now. Taxi dance is not really a thing that's around anymore. Okay, well, I could not have dance halls. We don't have dance halls. I would love the idea of a dance hall, like, where you actually have to know the dance. Like, the. The jitterbug is the first thing that came to my mind, even though the Charleston is right there. Like, I. I would love to learn the Charleston before my body gives out because my back is dodgy. But I would love. If I could learn any dance, it would be the Charleston. Like, I would love to be able to dance. Like, I have no coordination. And I used to be, like, sidebar. So, like, apprehensive and scared about going onto a dance floor with anybody. And I hate being dragged on to things like that. I'm like, no, I have two left feet. It's no good. But at the awards on Friday night, I actually. I actually let someone pull me onto the dance floor. And we were dancing along to, like, S Club 7 or something is ridiculous. And it was just like, I had such a good time. Even though, like, I dance, like, the way Phoebe and Friends runs, there's just no coordination whatsoever. It skipped me. But, yeah, I. I like the idea of being able to dance and to dance with someone because it's just, like, fun and, you know, just like a good, cute, sweet time. But anyway, taxi dancers. So context, a taxi dancer was a paid dance partner. So men would go to dance halls and they would buy these dance tickets. And so they would then take the dance tickets and then give that to whichever gal they wanted to dance with. And these ladies were paid on commission. So the more tickets you had at the end of the night, the more you got paid. So, like, that's how they would earn their money legally. Now, under the table. It has been noted that some taxi dancers, after, you know, the dance halls had closed for the evening, they would turn to sex work for some added income. Now in 1918, May gets married again. Honestly, this woman is just. She must be either gorgeous or very alluring and charming because, right, she marries this Norwegian inventor, Laurence Holmes. Like, and he had created and manufactured a folding bed and allegedly worked with Thomas Edison in his youth. And so Mama May is married again, and Ruth, she herself gets hitched in 1919. So the following year to Edgar Rickenbaugh, A railroad clerk. Rickenbaugh. Rickenbaugh. You know, I'm gonna go with Rickenbaugh. I'm gonna go with it. So Edgar, he isn't happy that his wife, who was a taxi and oriental dancer when they met, continued to be a taxi and oriental dancer after they wed. Now he gets incredibly jealous. And so they split. Now they don't divorce because that costs a lot of money. And so they just live separate lives. And maybe. Well, she's, she's still reading the Bible. And when she gets to Revelations, let me tell you, she has one. And this is where the women really get scheming.
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Try Monday Sidekick. AI you'll love to use on Monday.com. in 1922, Ruth meets this field hand. And this field hand, whose name I could not find anywhere, he borrows money from his boss so that Ruth can pay for her divorce. But for why? Well, I'm glad you asked, because I'll tell you. So she told him that she was writing a book with her mum, a book that was going to do four things. This book was going to explain the nature of God, the purpose of man's existence, the origins of the universe, and how to find hidden riches. Right? That's. That's what this book is going to do. And so she's telling this field hand and he's like, great, you clearly need to be divorced. And so she quits dancing, she divorces Rickenburg, and she and Mama May, they are now telling everyone that they are on a mission from God. They have been commanded by heaven to create a new religious order centered on the book's teachings. Direct quote, the field hand. This fellow, he borrows and borrows and borrows and he's giving her this money. And eventually he's told that he has to start paying it back or he's going to be fired. And so in a panic, he calls his dad, right? And his dad shows up and demands that May and Ruth pay back all the money that is owed to this field hand. Now, the fact that this guy had to get his dad kind of makes me think that he was more susceptible to being, like, played in this scenario. And May, she's not having this, like, she's. She's not super great with being told what to do. And so in response to this, she calls the field hand's mum and says that she will straight up murder the boy if the dad shows up again. And so. And so this young man, he gets fired because he can't pay back the money he owes his boss. And his parents are, like, scared shitless of me here, which is fair, because she is a scary lady. Now, here's the thing. Here's the thing, like I said, like, initially, respect. And now that respect is gone because she just threatened to murder a boy. That just seems unfair. So this young man, he's got no other options. And so he does the only thing he can, Join the army and get the heck out of Dodge. And so May and Ruth, at this point, they decide that they need a new game plan, right? And so they return to Portland for a bit because those comedy shorts, right? So they go back and they move in with Matilda and Matilda's husband, her third husband, Walter Blackburn, right? Now, Walter, he has a family as well. Like, he has adult children. And so these are the Blackburns, and the Blackburns all live together. And May, May being May, she is now swanning about saying that as a child, a spiritual dove was with her wherever she went. And it was speak to her in a mental voice, a lovely mental voice, the spiritual dove. And it's hereditary, she says, because Ruth, her darling daughter Ruth, has the exact same gift. And in Los Angeles, the voice became an angel. The angel Gabriel, no less. And Gabriel is a seraphim, which is the highest choir of angels, okay? And this angel, it spoke to her. And because it's the highest choir of angel, it's a seraphim, you know, if you hear the voice of God, it's never God. It's the seraphims, remember, because they speak on behalf of God. So this angel tells her that the end is the nigh and told them that they needed to heed his warnings, and he had them write his very important words into this special book. So the angel Gabriel was a dove and then became an angel and then said, everything is screwed, but this book will answer everything and also save the world and also the make you rich effectively. They would go on to claim that they were witnesses of the book of Revelations and that the angels, plural at this point, the angels Gabriel and Michael dictated the book. Originally called the Seventh trumpet of Gabriel, it was then changed to the punchier title of the Great Sixth Seal. And you're thinking we've gone from seven down to six. Well, yeah, okay, so the seventh seal from Revelations would be broken once the book was published. Like this is the big claim. And humanity would be fixed. And there would be 11 queens who would rule the world from mansions, each with 11 kings. And they would know where all of the gold and diamonds are underground. Now, now that's. That's might be a lot to take in. So they're saying that Each queen had 11 kings, like each. Each. So there's like more men than women and the women are queens and the queens are ruling, but they also have kings. Like, I don't, I don't know if they know how monarchies work, but that's, that's not quite how that goes. But anyway, this book is supposed to just turn them into like golden diamond detectors. They're just gonna know where everything is. And yeah, it's not quite a doomsday cult because they're like, it's gonna be fine. And also gold. But yeah, I mean, it is kind of a doomsday anyway, anyway, so as cults do, they collect people. They've got Arthur and many Knight, They've got Arthur and Jenny Toye. There's a lot of Arthurs. You've got Floyd and Dorothy Miller, Howard and Margaret Schilt and Martha and William Rhodes. Now Martha, she's an interesting addition to this group because she's a church scientist. So effectively she was a member of the. Oh, how do I put this? The Church of Christ Scientist, which was founded back in like 1879 in Boston by like Mary Baker Eddy. And we'll talk about that sometime. So effectively, one of, one of the things that at the core of church science is the use of prayer for healing, so they can just like pray the illness away. And so Martha believed like she was really into this. She was really extreme, you know, as. As this goes. So she believed that she could not only heal, but Martha believed that she could bring people back to life via prayer. Right. And she believed that she herself had been brought back five times, but also that she had done it like she had managed to pray herself, like necromancy back to life, you know, which is, is, is an interesting belief to have. So Martha and William, so William is also involved in this. They have a 14 year old adopted daughter called Willa. And so this teenager who has been brought along to the cult, May, makes her a priestess of the order. And so May says that Willa is the Tree of Life and the link between man and God. Okay, okay. Oh, okay. Eventually they amass enough followers to make a charter, the Divine Order of the great 11, because remember, 11 queens, so it's a divine order of the great 11. And so may is sending followers from Portland down to la, down to Los Angeles, and she is splitting her time between both while also shagging her stepbrother, who's 20 years her junior, Ward. So Ward is Ward Blackburn. He is her stepbrother. He is Walter Blackburn's son. And the thing about Ward is I was looking up information about Ward and one thing that came up quite a lot was the word subnormal. Now, I, I'm not entirely sure what is meant by that because that could mean a whole host of things. But yes, Ward is labelled subnormal. Like that's the distinguishing feature that this man provides. So on the 11th of January, 1924, May marries Ward Blackburn and they move to Los Angeles together. And on the 24th of May, 1924, so just like a couple months later, Ruth marries 17 year old Samuel Rizzo. Like she's 24, 25. And these, these ladies like a younger man. They clearly do like. Sidebar. I don't think I've dated anyone younger than me. Well, I might have dated someone. No, no, actually, actually, no. Yes. No, I did. I did. I dated a man who was three years younger than me. I, I did. But I'm, I'm in my 30s, right. Sidebar. I'm in my 30s. And so like, someone said to me, like, you need to date like a man in his 20s. Like, you have no idea. They're so amazing, they're so respectful and they've missed that shitty millennial phase. And as someone who's like, consistently dated older, I was like, I, I'll give it a go, you know, and so I, I went on a date with this guy who I, I think he was literally 10 years younger than me. And I was right, it was, I, I was like, I'll try and see how it goes, you know, And I think I suggested we go see like, whatever Scream movie was out. It's like, I don't know if it was the most recent one or the one before that, but we'd gone to go see the Scream movie and. And as we were sitting down, he was like, oh, I've never seen any of these. And I was like, what? Not one Scream film at all? And I was like, okay. Which was fine. But it was a clear indication of everything else, like, because we were chatting, like, through the evening, like, after the cinema. Like, you know, I wasn't talking in the movies. I'm not a dick, right? I mean, I am a dick, but, you know, respect for the pictures. Yeah, I love going to the pictures. I love going to the movies. Like, it's just a good time for me. I really enjoy it. Anyway, and so we're chatting after the movie, and we have no, like, connecting communication. There's no. There's no references that are. Are, like, hidden. I don't know the best way to describe it. It's just like we had so little in common apart from the fact that we lived in a similar area that I was just like, oh, this was. This was not a good idea. This did not work out as I had planned. And it really made me feel sold. Such an old person. And, yeah, we basically hugged and went our separate ways and never spoke to each other again. Like, it was. It was awkward and weird. Which is wild because, like, I. I hang out with people who are like 10 years older than me, 10 years younger than me. But, like, we have. We have, like, paths that cross. We have things that connect us. And I think the last people that I had, like, a really decent conversation with who were like, in their 20s, were amazing and interesting. But it. This kind of put me off the idea of trying to date younger people. That being said, people shoot your shot. Anyway. Anyway, back. Back to Ruth and me. So the Walter J. Blackburn Publishing Co. Starts churning out these pamphlets on the seventh trumpet of St. Gabriel. So things are really, really cranking up a notch. And then one day, Sam, Ruth's husband, so Sam Rizzio, he mysteriously disappears after trying to convince Ruth to leave the cult by slapping it out of her. Allegedly, the angel Gabriel said that he had to be poisoned. His body was never found. And this is just like the tip of the iceberg, because me, she's. Now she starts doing all this crazy shit. So she's working with, like, con artists to create, like, fake gold bullions. And she's created this sort of atmosphere and warns members that if they leave, they'll be smited by God. And, like, if a couple tried to leave, like, a Married couple, like she would kick the husband out and then make the wife remarry another cult member. And this like coercive game of marital musical chairs. And like it is, it, it sort of spreads the news of this, this group, this cult. It spreads. And in August 1924, two LA Times reporters interviewed me, right? They arrive and there's like a bunch of followers are all sat in this circle. There's someone like playing the piano and Ruth is doing, and I quote, an Egyptian dance. And so you've got, you've got Ruth doing this like Egyptian dance, which I have a feeling is like that sort of Little Egypt belly dance, that sort of like vibe. I think that it's just like cultural appropriation, which a lot of these cults do, don't they? It's like, let's luin just a dash of cultural appropriation while we like ruin your lives and take all your money. So May, she tells the reporters, because they're there to see what all the fuss is about. And she tells them that the angels Gabriel and Michael have dictated this book to them. And they've got all of these like stacked like parchment. So they're like, here it is, here is. Everything the angels told, don't read it. Don't touch our parchment. So they've got, they've got it. And they're like, you're not allowed to read it though. And it's like, you're not allowed to read the thing. But isn't this the whole point? And they're like, no, no, no, no, no. And so they're so like taken aback of this whole situation, right? They do not print the story because that's weird as fuck. Because they're like, here's the book that the angels dictated. Watch my daughter dance in a vaguely sexual way in the corner while a piano plays. And I tell you about the angels, but don't read the thing that was written that I'm trying to get people to read, but not you. So like, yeah, they're just like, no. And after this, right, Sammy's 16 year old brother shows up looking for him. And like, so he shows up and they're like, he left. And this teenage boy, he's like, I don't believe you. Because he finds all his stuff there, all of his brothers, his clothes, all of his accoutrements, they're all there. And so he just goes to the cops, he's like, this is suspicious. And so the LAPD ends up going to the Reso family and they're just like, hey, don't cause a fuss because that's what you want to hear from the police force about your missing brother who's disappeared from a cult. And after this non brush with the law, the cult decide it's time to move.
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The Blackburn cult moved to a new house in Los Feliz. And it's here that Jenny Toy is told that she must be chained to her bed for 75 days for reasons the angel said it it's like Simon says, but with angels. So if you don't do it, there's smiting. And so in November, when the roads arrive in la, so they've come down from Portland when Willa comes in right with them, you know, she's, she's their daughter, so she's come with them. And so when she arrives, she is given seven puppies. Like, here's seven puppies, teenage girl. And it's, it's wild. So they give her the seven puppies. And then after a month of being there, Willa is clearly unwell. Like, she's got this toothache and it's really causing her pain. And it turns out what she has is an abscess. And what Willa really needs is a dentist. But because of this whole like, church science where they think you can just pray to drain the abscess, I guess. So instead of, you know, taking her to a medical professional instead of that, Willa dies of blood poisoning on New Year's Day, 1925. She was only 16 years old. Sidebar I often get asked, like, what period of time would you like to live in? And I'm just like, the one where I wouldn't die from toothache would be nice. You know, I like having rights. I'm not happy that there's a possibility rights can be stripped away from me. But I like having the rights. Like, I feel like maybe I would like the fashion of other eras, but, you know, not the. Not the, you know, avoidable death. So Martha Rhodes, she tries to resurrect Willa and the Kelsey Frees. It does not work. Now this is where May steps in and she tells Martha that Willa will be resurrected after 12, 60 days and after the book is published. But her body had to be preserved in a bathtub of ice, spices and salt. Don't put salt and ice to get. I'm not. Not gonna get into it. So Willa's body is basically in an ice bath with, like, spices and all this kind of stuff. And I think a lot of that is more about preservation and avoiding the smell more than anything else. And a lot of just like, dressing and performance and warning. It's about to get worse. You thought a teenage girl dying because they wouldn't help her is bad. It's, it's. Animal lovers are gonna want to skip like 10 seconds. The seven puppies that had been given to Willa when she arrived, they had been sacrificed as they were bridges to her heart. And so, like, it's all part of this, which feels more like they just wanted to, like, add to the drama and tension of it all. So things are sort of building up round and round. And on the 6th of February, 1925, Ruth is questioned by the LA Prosecutor's Office because they are very curious about this cult with the crazy pamphlets. And like, soon after this, a box full of Fremont Everett's love letters to Mair discovered in a metal box, Topanga Canyon. What misdirection. Who said that? Like, a metal box of love letters by Fremont Everett with his name on it on his company stationery. Love letters that he wrote to me that she had kept hidden in her home are conveniently discovered. Like the metal box. Like, why is there a metal box in this canyon? Oh, look, it's full of these love letters from this very rich man. So now it seems reasonable that May can afford stuff because of the lumber tycoon. Right? You know what? This, this man had given her all this money because they were having an affair. Yeah, no, that actually seems like a very reasonable option because that's. That's where that's coming from. Not embezzling. Not embezzling at all. So speaking of stealing from cult members, Clifford Dabney, Like I said, they've all got really good names. So he's the nephew of an oil magnate and he had given like 45,000 of his oil rights and a whole lot of chickens. A lot of chickens. And like, he wasn't the only one. Like, the, the shuts, they gave like 25 grand. The roads gave 30 grand. Nelly Barks was what, 11,000? And the cult is like, it's got over, what, 100 new members. And by 1925, they're doing all of these rituals at night, which is the most convenient time to do your weird culty rituals, which is severely pissing off the neighbors. And so they end up moving to Simi Valley, where a cult member buys them 64 acres of land. Land specifically in this valley. Not, not buildings, not. Nothing like that. It's not, it's not been developed. And so they, they're just moving on to this land with like, tents and shit. And like, over the course of a year, they build, like, they build a road in, they build a temple building and a golden throne temple. And they're told, like, once they're finished, like, building all the stuff they're supposed to build, a white messiah was supposed to appear just in case they were worried it was gonna be a different one. And like Mayen Ruth, they have a cabin built for themselves called the Watchtower, right? So there's, there's this going on. They've built like, temple things and they've got the Watchtower. And like, some people are still living in bloody tents. And it's round about this time that there's a rift in the cult and it's between May and Martha, so May Otis Blackburn and Martha Rhodes. Like, this rift leads to a schism. And so you've got two groups forming on the Simi Valley in 1926. And so you've got the Divine Order of the Royal Arms of the Great Eleven and the Church of the Divine Science of Joshua, the branch, the headstone of the corner. Like, those are your two groups. And so the schism happens and they've. They've got their own issues. And like, it's actually before this that, like, the papers don't really bring up this weird cult that's around. And so Clifford Dabney, like, he was a big financial contributor to like the LA Times for a long time. And so there's like this theory that he, you know, was blocking any sort of bad news bails happening, you know, now things are, are also crumbling a bit in this cult because. Because on the 3rd of February, 1927, Lois Vaughts, like, she goes missing during a rainstorm, right? She's not in the cult, but she lived like in the Simi Valley, like, near the cult. And so there's a rainstorm. And, like, there's this whole thing that she got abducted by the cult. And then there's, right, this young man, his parents are in the cult. And the Angel Gabriel says that this young man has to be shot. And his parents, they're like, I guess that's fine, and they shoot him in the heel. And it's like, good stuff. Good stuff. Now, if you think that's a bit weird, it's. It's gonna get. It's gonna get crazy. So one member had a paralyzed sister, and May proclaimed that she had bad blood. Now, bad blood was a term for so many ailments. It was like, a catch. All that they used from everything from, like, diphtheria to STIs, like, just everything, you know? And so May proclaims she has bad blood and that she will be cured by baking her. She will be cured by baking her. And so she has the cult build this brick oven. And this paralyzed woman is put in this brick oven and is cooked in under an hour. So, yes, they cooked a paralyzed woman to death, and they were like, she's cured, but no, no, she's just dead. And so this brick oven, it is taken down, and they use the bricks to make paths, and they get a coroner to sign off on the death as natural causes, which is a weird way to say eugenics. So things are not going well for the cult, right? There's an icy corpse, a box full of murder puppies, a cooked invalid, and a sacred horse named Biff, and loads and loads of debt. So Clifford Dabney, who had been, like, financing this for quite a while, like, he had been pumping for money into this. Like, he's the reason that they were able to get this, like, this sort of area in the Simi Valley. Like, back then it was called, like, Mortimer Park. It was. It's fairly remote. It's in the Santa Susana Mountains on the eastern edge of Ventura County. And so he's like, where is my, like, just desserts? Where is everything that I'm due to get? Where is my treasure? Treasure? Like, where is my, you know, spiritual goods? And they're like, oh, it's like, it's coming. We have to get published. Like, we have to publish a book. And it's like, it's been a few years. Publish the book. And so he tries to leave, right? And he tries to. To leave, and May manages to make him sign over an oil lease to her. And it's at this point that his uncle, the oil magnate, offers him $75,000 to prosecute May. And this. This is a few years in, right? And people stay in cults a lot of the time because there's a sunk cost. Like, they've invested so much that they need to have that payoff. Like, that is what they're waiting for. But here they are. The. The prophecies haven't come true. There's no gold treasure. There's no white messiah, and there's no apocalypse. And so people are leaving or they're trying to leave. Like, they're getting to this point where, like, it's. It's not working. Now you've got some people who have just, like. It's just a dissonance. So they're. They're. They're stuck in it. And then some people have, you know, a realization that this is not all it's cracked up to be. And they're trying to leave, but so many are terrified to because they've built up this concept of what will happen to you if you leave. And also, some people have literally been murdered. So, you know, eventually there is an investigation, the Bunko investigation, but the. The cops, they're not that fussed really, to begin with. But, like, in October, Mate and Ruth are charged with 15 counts of grand theft, and it's reported that cult members had vanished. Then the police receive an anonymous letter about the body of Willa Rhodes under the floorboards of a house in Venice. So they show up, they find the corpse, and Martha breaks down and spills the beans. So, like, it's not just that, right? So, right, they. They get to the house, right? There's the body of this teenage girl who has been dead for several years, and she is constantly stored in ice. So she's right. It's this wood box with salt and spices. Well, seven dead puppies were buried in, like, separate containers, like, with her, like, kind of like. Like an Egyptian sarcophagus, like, or a tomb where you'd have, like, all of these things with you. Like, she's buried with puppies, or she's not even buried. She's just in a box. She's seasoned in a box. And this was all done, like, by her father, like, by William, who is there with her. Right. And so, like, there's an investigation to see whether she was sacrificed, murdered by, you know, the Divine order of the 11. Yeah. So, like, after this, as well, a body is discovered, like, what was it? In this, like, canyon near, like, the San Gabriel Mountains. And so they're like, that is definitely Samuel Rizzio. Although, like, a few days later, they're like, oh, no, there was an insurance policy found on the man and it's not Samuel Rizzio. So while this is happening, you have, like, all of these members. Like, you're getting stories of people being baked in ovens to cure them of, like, sickness. You've got people disappearing, there's, you know, poison being purchased by members of the cult. And, like, bodies are just sort of appearing places. And so photographers show up and they take pictures, after which May and Ruth turn themselves in. Right. So May says it's not a cult, but a scientific group studying resurrection. Sure, John, sure. Like, I mean, this is four and a half years this has been running. And Ruth, she ends up getting released due to insufficient evidence because Ruth, like, she's released from jail on 15 counts of grand theft. And it's all based on this complaint from Dabney. Like, that is what initiated this investigation while May was arrested and charged. Right. So Ruth is released due to insufficient evidence. And, like, she doesn't want to leave her mum. But some cult members, they actually have to convince her to leave. And like, May, she's in jail, but she's the one who holds the purse strings and she is refusing to release any money. And so the cult, they've got no money and as a result, they're starving. And so this trial lasts, what, six weeks? It's from, like, late 1929 and then part of, like, the following year as well. Like, most of, like, the whole court case, it focuses on, like, the weird, like, stuff that's going on. So, like, the rituals, the sacrificing, the weird services and activities of, like, the whole organization. But it's not like sacrificial murder was what May was arrested for. She was arrested for, for theft, for embezzlement. Right. And so very little of the case actually, like, covers that. Like, I mean, I get it. Like the headline of woman lies to men and steals from him. It doesn't exactly, like, shock you the same way as Murder Cult does, you know, and, yeah, so a jury of eight women and four men, like, they deliberate for two days and they. They come back with a decision. They come back with a verdict. Guilty. May is guilty. And so she is convicted of eight counts of grand theft and she has to pay Clifford Dabney $40,000 back. Right. She appeals it, it gets to the Supreme Court, and it gets reversed on a technicality. Right. So he manages to get, like, some money back, though. But it's not as much, but he gets like a tiny bit back, right? That being said, no one is ever charged with any death or disappearance related to the Blackburn cult. Like, Ruth even manages to get an absentee divorce from Sammy Rizzio. And Mari's a barbershop owner. And like May and Ward Blackburn, they lived in Hannington park. And some cult members stayed nearby. Like, that's, that sunk cost. Like, they're so invested in her. Like they, they stay close. Now some cult members actually end up staying at the compound. Like they just don't leave. Which is, which is a decision that they made now in 1932, they did try to bring it back, the case back to the, to the county Superior Court. And it was supposed to be like early March 1932, but they were like, let's not. They decided not to pursue it any further. And so, yeah, she was free. She had no conviction and it was set aside and everything was fine. And so, yeah, May ends up publishing a book four years later. And then she's like, she's like, her occupation, like in the census, like, it was. It was like real estate agent, director. And now she's like writer because, like, you know what? Many hats, many hats. And like, she ends up living a fairly, like, basic, basic life. And so she ends up living a fairly chilled existence by the end of it. And May, she ends up passing away from a heart attack on the 17th of June, 1951 at the age of 69. And Ruth, she moved to Sacramento, gets divorced, marries again, and ends up becoming Ruth Williams. She moves to Lake Tahoe and like, the cult is still going meanwhile, but she's gone there. And she lives again a fairly, A fairly quiet life after this. And Ruth ended up passing away on the 19th of December, 1978 in Sacramento, California at the age of 79. And over the years, the cult just sort of dwindled until it disappeared. And they just kind of, the ones that stayed on the compound just continued practicing whatever they were like, legally allowed to do. And then eventually it just puzzled out. But that is the story of the Blackburn cult. Now, if you liked my retelling of this horrible story, feel free to rate and review five stars. If you didn't like it, keep your opinion to yourself. I'm kidding. I'm not. But yeah. So if you liked it, I hope you did. I wanted to talk about this because I just thought cults are so interesting because of how, how people are sort of pulled into them and you don't realize that you're in a cult like some People never realize they're in a cult and then some people only realize it too late and then you've got all this fear and everything that's built up around it and it is, it is wild. But yeah, that is the story of the Blackburn cult. And yeah, you can follow me on all the socials, keep your ears pricked for news and stuff happening with touring and shows and travels and all that fun stuff. And there's, ooh, something exciting should be happening this month, but I'm not sure if it is this month or next month, but it's happening soon and I'm very excited. It is my birthday month as well. So if you're still listening at this point, there is links in the description down below to donate to food banks, to the LA food bank because with Snap being taken away from people who need it because people should still be allowed to eat. That's just how it is. I don't think people should be starving. And so if you wanna, if you wanna donate to that, that would be great. I just think we should do something to help. If you actually want to get me something, I know some people like to do that. I have, I have links for places where I buy stuff for myself. Listen, it is mainly underwear. Listen, it's the one vice I have and that's high quality underwear. I just, I just, I like it and I find that like anything sort of corsetry is really good for my back. It means I don't have to wear like a really clunky, upsetting back support because I got, I got them deformed spine, yo, and my muscles get a lot of pain, especially in the winter. But anyway, that's that if you do want to do that, that's great. If you want to just share this and more stuff, that would be amazing. Engage on the social medias and I am working on Patreon stuff. I know I say this every month, but I am actually working on Patreon stuff. I just, I just need to actually have a day off work to do it because there's so much happening. But it's time for recommendation time. Actually. Actually, yes. Oh, I'm gonna be booking my flight soon. I'm waiting for like, there's always like a really good sale like around Christmas for like US flights. So I'm gonna be booking my flights to the U.S. i know you're like, don't come here. Listen, I got friends, I'm gonna go see them. And also I've got a Murder She Wrote festival to visit. So I Got stuff to do also. Yes. And so recommendation time. It's gonna do recommendation time for reading how to solve your own murder by Kristin Perrin. Listen, I like, I like my fictional crime. Okay, let me have this for listening. Sticking with the crime theme, there is a podcast called crime and sports. They also do small town murder, which is great, but sometimes, like, because of how much heavy things I listen to, I really can't listen to just like murder, murder all the time. And so crime and sports, because I know so little about sports, it's somehow better because they're naming things and I'm like, I don't know what that is. And it's super fun for me. So crime and sports is a really good listen. And you know, because sometimes I do listen to men talk. Sorry, no. Some of my best friends are men. And for watching, watch the screen movies like the Scream movies. Watch them in order. Don't watch the new one that's coming out because screw them for being dicks. But yeah, watch, watch the original Scream movies and then some of the sequels. You may as well have some fun. And yeah, that is, that is this week. So that is, I guess, time to say adios. Au revoir. Au revoirize, my friends. Bye. Bye.
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