Lore 278: Bad For Business

It's easy to think of folklore and the supernatural as something that sits outside our little bubble of normal life. But in many cases throughout history, spooky things had a way of creeping into one of the most mundane areas of society: the business world. Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with writing by GennaRose Nethercott, research by Cassandra de Alba, and music by Chad Lawson. ————————— Lore Resources: Episode Music: lorepodcast.com/music https://www.lorepodcast.com/music Episode Sources: lorepodcast.com/sources https://www.lorepodcast.com/sources Official Lore Merchandise: lorepodcast.com/shop https://www.lorepodcast.com/shop All the shows from Grim & Mild: www.grimandmild.com https://www.grimandmild.com ————————— Sponsors: BetterHelp: Lore is sponsored by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at BetterHelp.com/LORE http://www.betterhelp.com/lore, and get on your way to being your best self. 1-800-Flowers: Right now, when you order one dozen roses, they'll double it to TWO dozen for FREE, at 1800Flowers.com/LORE https://www.1800flowers.com/lore. SimpliSafe: Secure your home with 24/7 professional monitoring. Sign up today at SimpliSafe.com/Lore http://simplisafe.com/lore to get 20% off any new SimpliSafe system with Fast Protect Monitoring. Avocado Green Mattress: Shop now at AvocadoMattress.com https://www.avocadomattress.com, and save 10% on certified organic mattresses. To report a concern regarding a radio-style, non-Aaron ad in this episode, reach out to [email protected] mailto:[email protected] with the name of the company or organization so we can look into it. To advertise on this podcast please email: [email protected]. Or go to: https://advertising.libsyn.com/lore ————————— ©2025 Aaron Mahnke. All rights reserved.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  It's 6:47 on a Friday. Your team's already gone home, and somewhere a phone is ringing. It's a customer. They're ready to book. Nobody picks up, so they call the next company. That's a missed call and missed revenue. With Quo, you don't have to choose between doing the work and answering the phone. Your team can share calls, texts, and customer conversations in one place. And when no one's available, Quo's AI assistant can answer, handle questions, and even book the appointment for you. So whether you're on a job, in a meeting, or done for the day, your business can keep answering. Setup takes minutes. Keep the number you've already got and add your team as you grow. No IT required. It's why over 90,000 companies trust Quo, the number-one-rated business phone system on G2.

• 0:45Speaker 00

  Money is on the line. Always say hello with Quo. Try Quo for free, then get 20% off your first six months at quo.com/triquo. That's Q-U-O dot com slash T-R-Y-Q-U-O.

• 1:00Speaker 01

  Breathe in and reset with Lincoln Rejuvenate, an available multi-sensory feature in the 2027 Lincoln Navigator SUV. Experience the luxurious massage, visuals, and sense to help you relax in the driver's seat. It's your time for a reset. Visit Lincoln.com to learn more. Lincoln Rejuvenate does not operate unless the vehicle is in park, when the vehicle is off, or if any doors open. Do not use the feature in a closed garage or in other enclosed areas. See owner's manual for important operating instructions. Lincoln and Navigator are trademarks of Ford or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

• 1:43Aaron Mahnke?

  You've probably heard of moirologists, also known as professional mourners or whalers. These were people who were paid to attend funerals and cry loudly to make sure that the mood was somber enough. But did you know that at one point in history there were also funerary clowns? They were called archemimes, and they were an essential part of ancient Greek funerals. And with the help of costumes and a custom wax mask, they would dress up to look like the person in the casket. Then, the clown would proceed to romp through the funeral ceremony while impersonating the deceased, even making jokes at the expense of the person about to be buried. It was basically a graveside comedy roast. It sounds pretty rude, right?

• 2:28Aaron Mahnke?

  Why would mourners want a jester to mock their dead loved one? Well, some folklorists think that archemimes weren't trying to make the living laugh at all. No, their intended audience was the dead. You see, the Greeks may have believed that some lighthearted revelry would put the deceased spirits in a good mood, allowing them to enjoy their own funeral rather than feeling frightened and sorrowful. So, yeah, step aside court jesters, the new coolest job just dropped: ghost jester. There have been all sorts of strange spooky jobs throughout history, from archemimes to medieval leech collectors and resurrection men. Heck, my own job probably belongs on that list, too. After all, for over a decade now, if you can believe it, I've had the privilege of telling

• 3:11Aaron Mahnke?

  stories about medicinal cannibalism and cursed shipwrecks for a living. Since humanity began, the supernatural has found its way into the workforce in some unexpected ways. So grab your resumes and get your references in order, because today we're handing in our applications to four of history's strangest paranormal professions. I'm Aaron Mahnke, and this is Lore.

• 3:52Aaron Mahnke?

  The year was 1947. The place: a house known as Woodfield, in a small town just north of London. The occasion: a chance to speak to the dead. The lights in the room dimmed low as each member of the assembled group took his or her place. In one chair sat Peter Underwood, future president of a famed group of paranormal scholars called The Ghost Club. In another, a medium named Florence Thompson, and beside her, Thompson's assistant, Peter Craven. A few newspaper reporters joined the circle, too. And then, the séance began. As candles flickered, Florence began to rock back and forth, slipping into a trance. And as she did, the final member of their party widened his eyes.

• 4:36Aaron Mahnke?

  Because, you see, this last fellow was a bit out of his element. He was no ghost hunter or psychic, not even a reporter who might be accustomed to strange sights like this one. No, there in the final chair sat a humble member of the Luton Area Assessment Committee, tasked with determining whether or not the house was haunted for tax purposes. And tonight, he was on the job. It had all started two months earlier, in July of 1947, when a man named Mr. Blaney Key had approached the Luton Area Assessment Committee in a huff. "His property taxes were too darn high," he insisted, "and it was all the Assessment Committee's fault." "After all, it was their job to set property values, thus determining how much tax an owner would owe."

• 5:20Aaron Mahnke?

  And Key claimed that the committee had valued his property higher than it deserved. He wanted it reappraised, with the value lowered. Key cited numerous reasons for his appeal. "The house, Woodfield, was in bad shape," he said. "It had been neglected by past owners. It may even have been damaged during the bombing in World War II." But the committee had heard appeals like this a thousand times before. "I can almost see them yawning behind their desks, ready to dismiss the man." But then Mr. Key said something that made everyone in the room sit up straight and listen. "The very worst thing about the house," he said, "was that it was haunted." Mr. Blaney Key went on to describe tale after tale of horror to the now-riveted Assessment Committee.

• 6:03Aaron Mahnke?

  "I imagine for a group used to debating property lines and tax brackets, it must have felt like falling into a penny dreadful." Okay, now, Mr. Key didn't live at Woodfield himself, so hadn't seen any of this paranormal activity firsthand, but his tenants sure had. One elderly woman had heard what sounded like a massive bird beating its wings against the walls. A 15-year-old girl had fled the house after staying only two days, having been awakened in the night by some unknown force before falling unconscious. She also claimed to have seen a ghost girl with her arms outstretched. stretched toward her, arms that protruded right out of the wall, above her bed. Oh, and by the way, Mr. Key did have an idea of who exactly was haunting Woodfield House.

• 6:47Aaron Mahnke?

  According to a local legend, some 300 years before, a man had locked his daughter and her lover inside a cupboard in that very home. He hadn't approved of the match, you see, so rather than give his blessing, the father locked the sweethearts up to die a slow, terrible death. It's been said that the murdered girl and her beloved have haunted the grounds ever since. All of this, Mr. Key said, should be reason enough to lower his property's value. The assessment committee was far from convinced, but hey, they had a job to do, right? And they were going to do it. The house would have to be inspected for the various faults in Key's list of complaints, and that included its status as a haunted house.

• 7:28Aaron Mahnke?

  And so the committee decided there was only one thing to do: enlist a team to spend the night within Woodfield and hunt for ghosts. Which brings us back to the evening of the séance on September 26th of 1947. The low lights, the circle of guests, and the entranced psychic Florence Thompson, who had now begun to speak. Groaning and rubbing her head, she muttered phrase after phrase. "Oh, my head, I've been shot," she cried in a high-pitched voice. "Let me go, you're killing me." She went on like this for a while, until eventually she came out of her trance and delivered a report. "I feel sure," Thompson said, "that a terrible love tragedy took place here.

• 8:11Aaron Mahnke?

  There are indications of two spirits who are in need of help, and one of them is a girl of about 22." It was a compelling show, but apparently not compelling enough for the Luton Area Assessment Committee, who decided they needed more information before a decision could be reached. And so they scheduled a second séance two weeks later, with more experts in the mix. And this time, things got even spookier. One attendee claimed to see an old man's ghostly face wafting through the room. Another witnessed an entire crowd of spirit people, including, yes, a young woman and a young man. Thompson herself made contact once more, and the ghosts even told her their names: Bessie and John.

• 8:54Aaron Mahnke?

  Bessie told Mrs. Thompson, and I quote, "We were going away together, but my father knew and hurt my head. We have been shut away for a long time." And then the dead girl made a plea to the medium: "Help John for me," she said. "Help us to rest." At a third and final séance, Florence Thompson channeled Bessie once again. "We are going away now," Bessie said through Florence. "We won't haunt this place anymore." At last, the Luton Area Assessment Committee decided it had seen enough, and the final verdict, Key's appeal, was rejected. It might seem strange, I know. With all the time and money they put into the séances, it was clear they took Key's claims seriously.

• 9:36Aaron Mahnke?

  And you would think, after all the strange happenings during the séances themselves, the committee would have more than enough evidence to rule in Key's favor. Except, here's the thing: that legend about the two murdered lovers? Well, it wasn't exactly 300 years old, as the committee had been led to believe. In fact, the house hadn't even been standing that long. No, it turns out the first mention of the lovers in the cupboard appeared in 1863, not as a folk tale, but in a penny dreadful. It was called "Black Bess or the Night of the Road," and is about a visitor discovering the lovers' skeletons sealed within the cupboard. That's right, the story wasn't true at all, just a single-authored pulp publication.

• 10:19Aaron Mahnke?

  Oh, and the visitor who supposedly discovered those remains? It was none other than larger-than-life highwayman and folk hero himself: Dick Turpin.

• 10:38Aaron Mahnke?

  When you think of classic pairings, certain duos come to mind. Thunder and lightning, peanut butter and jelly, Sam and Frodo. What you probably don't think of is spiritualism and the oil industry. But let me tell you, for decades, these two went together like champagne and caviar. And honestly, if you think about it, séances and the search for oil have more in common than you might assume. Scholar Rochelle Ranieri-Zuck may have said it best when she wrote, "Both 19th-century phenomena were invested in a belief in the unseen, whether in the form of deceased loved ones or of underground oil reserves." Now, like so much of history, this connection really just comes down to being in the right place at the right time.

• 11:22Aaron Mahnke?

  You see, the Fox Sisters first reported communicating with the dead in 1848. Only a decade later, in 1859, oil was first struck via drilling rather than hand-digging. Both events triggered an entire booming industry that just so happened to coincide. It probably didn't help that these incidents happened fairly close to each other geographically, only about 200 miles apart, in fact, with the Fox Sisters in Hydesville, New York, and the oil strike in Titusville, Pennsylvania. And so, two fledgling industries came of age side by side. And as they did, they interacted in some unexpected ways. The most unexpected of all?

• 12:03Aaron Mahnke?

  Oil prospectors began employing mediums to help them find hidden underground oil reserves. Enter the newly minted job title of "The Oil Wizard." So, how exactly can a psychic find an oil reserve, you might be wondering? Well, they had a few methods. Some used dowzine rods, also known as divining rods, witching sticks, or, my personal favorite, wiggle sticks. You've probably heard of these Y-shaped objects being used more often to locate water. But dowzine rods have been used to find everything from buried treasure to escaped prisoners, and now, of course, oil. These oil wizards would grip the branch, usually witch hazel or beech tree, from the shorter prongs and then wander the property with the longest prong pointed at the ground.

• 12:47Aaron Mahnke?

  When the rod dipped suddenly, supposedly that was a spot where oil could be found. Another gizmo used in the hunt for petroleum was something called, and I'm not making this up, a doodle bug. The structure of these things varied, but they usually took the form of a mysterious black box. These boxes would be outfitted with various bells, whistles, dials, tubes, and more, which would ring and rattle when oil was near. One doodle bug that we know of had to be operated by four men who carried the contraption while covered in a large shroud. When they passed over oil, a bell on the box would ring. Allegedly, the shroud was there to protect the device's proprietary secrets. But hey, would we really be that surprised if it was actually there to conceal the men ringing the bells by hand?

• 13:32Aaron Mahnke?

  Now, sticks and bells are one thing, but the really impressive oil wizards didn't need tools at all. No, they could find oil with their minds and bodies alone. In fact, one of the most popular means of finding oil was through the interpretation of dreams. In one famous instance, a Pennsylvania man dreamt that he saw a woman in the woods. He knew this woman. Actually, she was a bit infamous around town for being something of a flirt. Suddenly, the man noticed a Native American man preparing to shoot him with a bow. The young woman produced a shotgun out of nowhere and handed it to the dreamer who shot the Native American. When the slain man disappeared, oil gushed forth from the spot where he had been standing.

• 14:13Aaron Mahnke?

  The fellow never forgot the strange dream, and sometime later, he was amazed to come upon the very spot he had seen in his sleep. So, he and his brother decided to drill for oil. And the thing is, it worked. Oil was indeed struck, earning the brothers tens of thousands of dollars. They named the well Coquette in honor of the woman in the dreams. There were other strategies too. Some people claimed to literally be able to smell the ground and tell you where to dig. They were called creatively "oil smellers." Others insisted they could simply sense where that liquid gold was lurking, deep beneath the soil. One Italian woman named Augusta Del Pio Luogo said she felt painful little zaps pass from her head to her feet

• 14:57Aaron Mahnke?

  when she walked over oil-rich ground. Another woman, Evelyn Penrose, reported feeling, and I quote, "A violent stab in the soles of my feet, like a red-hot knife, when walking over hidden oil." And then there's Guy Finley, known as "the X-ray-eyed boy", who'd been having mystical visions of oil reserves since he was young. But perhaps the most famous oil wizard of all was a man named Abraham James. Now, I'll admit, it's hard to separate the facts about his life from the fiction, but it seems likely that he was born in Pennsylvania during the year of 1827. His mother was said to possess the second sight, and when James came of age, it seemed that he inherited the family talent. By the early 1860s, James had moved to Chicago,

• 15:40Aaron Mahnke?

  which was "the" place to be for spiritualists at the time. He was a round-faced man with thick glasses and a long, luscious brown beard that by all accounts, made him look a bit like a prophet. Suffice to say, he had no trouble making friends in the windy city, and soon, he and his fellow spiritualists decided to go into business together. They called their new venture "The Chicago Rock Oil Company", and yes, their whole deal was finding oil with the help of the supernatural. And this wasn't just a get-rich-quick scheme for James and his pals. No, they hoped that by successfully establishing oil wells, they could prove spiritualism's legitimacy to the world, once and for all. Except, it didn't go so well. You see, the first tract of land their spirit guides led them to

• 16:24Aaron Mahnke?

  ended up being filled not with oil, but water. Don't worry though, all they needed was a bit of clever rebranding. After consulting the spirits, of course, the Chicago Rock Oil Company changed their name to the Chicago Artesian Well Company, and the well they found, known as "Spirit's Well", became a popular tourist destination. After that, James left Chicago, relocating to Pennsylvania where he continued his oil wizardry. And finally, on Halloween Day of 1866, all his efforts would pay off. While riding a buggy across some Pennsylvania farmland with a few other men, James's spirit guides took control of his body, flinging him from the buggy and over a fence.

• 17:05Aaron Mahnke?

  He began to jerk and spasm on the ground, and then, guided by the spirits, he plunged a penny into the earth. Now, I want to take a moment here to acknowledge that James claimed his spirit guides took the form of Native Americans. And, look, I could write an entire episode about the cruel paradox of usurping Native culture in order to drill and maim the very land once protected by those same indigenous peoples. But I'm sure the irony of that was entirely lost on Abraham James. Because when he drove that penny into the ground, there was only one word on his mind: "Dig." This time when the drills broke ground, black, bubbling oil flowed up from the spot. Several more wells were dug nearby, and each one produced nearly 100 barrels of oil every day.

• 17:50Aaron Mahnke?

  And that was all it took. Abraham James became an overnight celebrity, and one of the most successful oil wizards in American history.

• 18:15Aaron Mahnke?

  Peter Hercos hadn't always been a psychic. No, born in the Netherlands in the year of 1911, he started life as a simple house painter's son. And for his first three decades, the "six-foot-three, big, bumbling Dutchman," as one biographer described him, was happy to follow his father into the family business. But little did he know, his world was about to quite literally turn upside down. On July 10th of 1941, when Peter was 30 years old, he fell from a ladder while painting a house. He plummeted four stories, landing on his shoulder and head, and spent the next four days in a coma. And the Peter that awoke, well, let's just say... Say he wasn't exactly the same man he had been before. For one, some of his memories were gone.

• 19:00Aaron Mahnke?

  He couldn't recall names or numbers and only recognize family members by the sounds of their voices. But in place of those lost memories, new ones had arrived. Visions of events and places he should not have had a way of knowing about. In one incident, he knew a nurse had lost her bag on a train. In another, he shook a man's hand and felt certain that he would die in a matter of days. A prediction that indeed came true. Now, if you fell off a ladder, woke up from a coma, and started seeing the future, you might just assume you were losing your mind, which is exactly what Peter and his physicians feared. And so the director of a mental hospital was brought in to assess the injured house painter.

• 19:40Aaron Mahnke?

  Coming across as a little dismissive and disdainful, the director asked Peter what he could sense about him. Which might have been a mistake, because Peter proceeded to describe the man's tiger-stripped pajamas and how they'd been a gift from the man's mistress, who he had also secretly had a child with. All of which, it turns out, was true. A mental hospital clearly wasn't the place for Peter Hercos. So where did a giant psychic Dutchman belong? To the Netherlands Police Force, at least, the answer seemed obvious. Hercos should be working for them. That's right, in 1947, Peter Hercos became a police psychic. He mostly assisted with homicide cases, and his main party trick was psychometry,

• 20:22Aaron Mahnke?

  in which he gained impressions by touching or holding objects. Impressions such as who exactly was guilty of murder. Peter described these impressions as being like pictures flashing by on a TV screen. And suffice to say, the public was immediately fascinated by him. He gained enough attention, in fact, that in 1956, he was brought to the United States to continue his detective work there. And it was there that Peter was assigned the biggest challenge yet: tracking down a serial killer known as The Boston Strangler. For too long, the notorious Boston Strangler had been spreading terror across New England. He targeted single women alone in their homes, and despite an ongoing investigation, the police had reached a dead end.

• 21:05Aaron Mahnke?

  So the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office decided to bring in the big guns. That is, the psychic assistant, Peter Hercos. Now, to be fair, they weren't going to trust this guy on blind faith. No, he needed to be tested first. And so, in a hotel room in the Boston suburbs, detectives laid stacks of crime scene photos from the Strangler case face down on a bed for Peter to gain impressions from. He bent over the bed, moving his right hand in fast circles over the photographs, and then suddenly he slapped one of the stacks. "This phony baloney, this not belong," he yelled in his thick Dutch accent. And he was right. The investigators had hidden one unrelated stack of crime scene photos among the bunch.

• 21:49Aaron Mahnke?

  Peter had passed the first test. Oh, and by the way, this detail is too good not to share with you. One of the detectives showed up late, apologizing because his car broke down. Peter marched over to him, stuck a finger in his face, and said, "You are not late because your car broke down. You took time to stop by your girlfriend's apartment and did a quickie one. Hully bully, hanky panky. Am I right, sir?" Dazed, the detective asked if Peter had been following him. But no, he'd been right there in that hotel room all day, which the other detectives confirmed. Now, I can't imagine being one of the investigators in that room with Peter. How unnerving it must have been. And what came next was truly chilling. Moving to another stack of face-down photographs, he began to speak.

• 22:34Aaron Mahnke?

  "Dead woman," he said, "legs apart. I see her, one hand up, one down, funny way. Here, I show you." And then Peter laid down on the floor and arranged himself in a twisted, grimaced position. A detective flipped over the top photograph, and there, clear as day, was the image of Boston Strangler victim Anna Slusser's in the exact same position Peter had shown. And it wasn't just Anna. Photograph after photograph, woman after woman, Peter repeated his performance, writhing on the floor as he precisely imitated every single photo on that hotel bed, all without ever having seen them. Finally, the detectives, who amazingly hadn't run screaming from the room, brought out a collection of the victim's clothing.

• 23:16Aaron Mahnke?

  Peter ran the fabric through his hands, and then he made a shocking announcement. He knew who the killer was. Not by name, mind you, but he gave quite a specific description. According to Peter, the killer was 130 to 140 pounds, had a sharp nose, a scar on his left arm, and something wrong with one of his thumbs. This man apparently spoke in a high-pitched French accent and had something to do with priests. Oh, and he was also obsessed with shoes. With that, the detectives must have decided that they had had enough creepy vibes for one day, and they adjourned. But the following morning, the detectives handed Peter a letter. It had been penned by one of their suspects, and when Peter crumpled it up in his hand, he broke out into a sweat.

• 24:01Aaron Mahnke?

  "By God," he cried, "this the one, he the murderer." And because the police knew who had written the letter, I can give you a physical description of the actual person. He had a sharp nose, a scar on his left forearm, a deformed right thumb, and he spoke in a high-pitched voice. He had briefly been part of a French monastic order before taking a job selling nurses' shoes. On top of that, when investigators went to search this person's house, they found plenty of suspicious objects, including a book of yoga poses with 11 female figures blacked out, the exact number of victims claimed by the Boston Strangler. Not to mention sketches of apartment interiors with X's corresponding to where the Strangler's victims had been found.

• 24:46Aaron Mahnke?

  And I'm with you, this may seem like damning evidence, but here's the thing, it wasn't. Psychic hunches and doodles cannot send a man to prison, and that's probably a good thing too, because soon after, another man named Albert DeSalvo came forward with a shocking confession. He was the Boston Strangler. And he fit the bill too. Not only did he have a prior history of sexual assault, but he knew things about the murders that only the killer would. And that was that, the police finally had their man. No thanks, it seems, to Peter Hercos. Well, except for a few small details. Albert DeSalvo just so happened to have a sharp nose, a high-pitched voice, and a scar on his left arm.

• 25:45Aaron Mahnke?

  Since the beginning of time, humans have always hunted for shortcuts, for quicker, easier ways to get the job done. There were the alchemists, obsessed with turning base metal to gold. There was the industrial revolution, replacing independent artisans with factory work, and inventing wage slavery in the process. Today, as we witness the rise of AI, we're watching yet another attempt to skip over the steps of human labor and skill in favor of supposed ease. But here's the thing about shortcuts: the quicker they get, the further they seem to stray from the truth. From home appraisals to oil drilling and murder investigations, there's no evidence that any ghostly or psychic assistance has actually worked.

• 26:28Aaron Mahnke?

  Sure, the medium's got it right some of the time, but it's hard to say whether that accuracy was genuine supernatural ability or just dumb luck. And in the case of Peter Hercos, there are certainly ways that he could have seen the crime scene photos before that day in the hotel room, or even known that a suspect in custody had the traits that he would later go on to describe. But the truth is, I just don't know. After all, I'm not psychic. What I do know, though, is that Peter insisted until his death that the police had the wrong man, insisting it had been the letter writer all along. Meanwhile, Albert DeSalvo was sentenced to life in prison, not for the serial murders, mind you, for which they still lacked evidence, but for a string of other sexual assaults.

• 27:12Aaron Mahnke?

  He was fatally stabbed in prison in 1973, but that didn't mean that his story was over. In fact, far from it. Because decades later, in 2013, some new evidence surfaced. Familial DNA linked DeSalvo to 19-year-old Mary Sullivan, the last known victim of the Boston Strangler. And with that, they finally had the proof that the women's families, the detectives, the entire state of Massachusetts had been waiting for. The Boston Strangler had been unmasked. Or had he? Because, you see, some people still weren't convinced. Yes, DeSalvo clearly killed Mary Sullivan, but had he committed all the murders as well? For one, eyewitnesses said that DeSalvo, who had a very distinctive face,

• 27:57Aaron Mahnke?

  wasn't the guy they had seen at some of the other crimes. And more than that, the string of victims had very little in common other than their gender. They were of all races, religions, ages, and more. And serial killers? Well, they tend to have a type. Add to the fact that DeSalvo had a pesky habit of confessing to crimes he didn't commit, and it does raise some doubts. Now, I know what you're thinking. If DeSalvo didn't do it, then how was he able to provide the police with details only the killer would know? Well, some people think they have an answer to that as well. Albert DeSalvo, they say, just may have been a psychic.

• 28:46Aaron Mahnke?

  I hope you've enjoyed attending this job fair today featuring some of the spookiest careers in history. And I have one final story for you that raises the stakes to a whole new level. After all, a psychic aiding in an investigation is one thing, but how about getting medical care from a ghost? Stick around through this brief sponsor break to hear all about it. This episode of Lore was sponsored by BetterHelp. Therapy can feel like a big investment, but the state of your mind is just as important as your physical health. Let's talk numbers for a moment. Traditional in-person therapy can cost anywhere from 100 to 250 per session, which adds up fast. But with BetterHelp online therapy, you can save on average up to 50% per session. With BetterHelp, you pay a flat fee for weekly sessions,

• 29:30Aaron Mahnke?

  saving you big on cost and time. Therapy should feel accessible, not like a luxury. With online therapy, you get quality care at a price that makes sense and can help you with anything from anxiety to everyday stress. Your mental health is worth it, and now it's within reach. I know how important and helpful therapy can be, and it isn't just for folks who have experienced major trauma. Therapy is helpful. For learning positive coping skills and how to set boundaries. And it can empower you to be the best version of yourself. With over 30,000 therapists, BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform, having served over 5 million people globally. It's convenient, too. You can join a session with a click of a button, helping you fit therapy into your busy life. Plus, switch therapists at any time. Your well-being is worth it.

• 30:15Aaron Mahnke?

  Visit betterhelp.com/lor to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P, dot com slash lore. This episode was also sponsored by 1-800-FLOWERS. Moms deserve the absolute best, especially on Mother's Day. And when it comes to flowers, there's only one place I trust to get it right every time: 1-800-FLOWERS.COM. Every year, I order from 1-800-FLOWERS.COM and my wife is always blown away. The roses, stunning. The service, always on point. Because when it comes to celebrating the most important women in our lives, nothing less than Perfect will do. My most recent order of flowers was incredibly fresh, full of color, and an amazing value. This year, I'm teaming up with 1-800-FLOWERS.COM to make Mother's Day even sweeter.

• 30:58Aaron Mahnke?

  Right now, when you order one dozen roses, they'll double it to two dozen for free. That's twice the beauty and twice the love, all at no extra cost. The roses from 1-800-FLOWERS are picked at their peak, cared for every step of the way, and shipped fresh to ensure high-quality and long-lasting beauty. That said, bouquets are selling fast, so lock in your order today. To claim your Double Your Roses offer, go to 1-800-FLOWERS.COM slash lore. That's 1-800-FLOWERS.COM slash lore. This episode is also sponsored by SimpliSafe. With longer daylight hours, you may be spending more time away from the house and giving burglars more opportunities to strike. FBI crime data shows break-ins are more likely during daylight hours than under the cloak of night.

• 31:41Aaron Mahnke?

  Protect your home with SimpliSafe's proactive security that helps stop threats before they happen. I am not kidding when I tell folks that SimpliSafe was incredibly easy to install. I'm not a tech-savvy guy, and yet I managed to get it all up and running throughout the Grim and Mild office space in about 30 minutes, knowing my space is protected and that I can look in on it through the app and get immediate alerts. Well, that's priceless. With SimpliSafe, millions of Americans enjoy greater security and peace of mind every time they arm their system. Traditional security systems only take action after someone has already broken in. That's too late. SimpliSafe's Active Guard outdoor protection can help prevent break-ins before they happen. AI-powered cameras backed by live professional monitoring agents monitor your property and detect suspicious activity.

• 32:26Aaron Mahnke?

  If someone's lurking around or acting suspiciously, those SimpliSafe agents see and talk to them in real time, activate spotlights, and even contact the police, all before they have the chance to get inside your home. There are no long-term contracts or cancellation fees, and their monitoring plans start affordably at around a dollar a day. Plus, they have a 60-day satisfaction guarantee, or your money back. Visit simplisafe.com/lor to claim 50% off a new system with a professional monitoring plan and get your first month free. That's simplisafe.com/lor. There's no safe like SimpliSafe. And finally, this episode was made possible by Avocado Green Mattress. Spring is finally here, and it is so nice to see the seasons changing. But one thing that will never change for me is my love of a good night's sleep.

• 33:11Aaron Mahnke?

  It starts me off on the right foot, and it helps me be as creative as possible. And that's why I love Avocado Green Mattress. All avocado mattresses are crafted with certified organic latex wool and cotton, ensuring a safe, healthy sleep environment free from harmful chemicals and toxins. They are designed to provide exceptional comfort and support, with options ranging from gentle furm to plush, meeting diverse sleep needs and preferences. You can even take their mattress quiz to see which mattress and comfort option is right for you. Avocado promotes better sleep through breathable, naturally-temperature-regulating materials, which can improve overall well-being. And Avocado is committed to sustainability. Their mattresses are made from organic, eco-friendly materials that are good for both you and the planet.

• 33:55Aaron Mahnke?

  Plus, you can rest easy knowing that Avocado adheres to the highest standards of safety and sustainability. Shop now at avocado mattress.com and save 10% on certified organic mattresses. Avocado Mattress: Dream of Better.

• 34:24Aaron Mahnke?

  Daniel was many things. Born in Ontario in 1845, he was a schoolteacher, a grocer, a beekeeper, and more. But one thing Daniel was not was a doctor. And yet, at the age of 50, Daniel decided it was his earthly duty to pioneer a brand-new field of medicine. Why? Well, because an expert told him to. The only problem was that that expert just so happened to be a ghost. Daniel claimed that during a séance in 1895, he channeled a doctor named Jim Atkinson, who had died some 50 years prior. And apparently, the late, great Dr. Atkinson had some wisdom to impart. He described a method of healing that had been too ahead of its time when he was alive, and so he was showing up again

• 35:06Aaron Mahnke?

  in hopes that now, in a more modern era, his work might be taken seriously. And who had he picked to deliver this medicine to the world? Why, none other than Daniel, of course. Daniel claimed that the spirit taught him about something called subluxations. This was a condition in which the bones of the spine moved out of position, creating pressure on the spinal nerves. And if the ghost doc was to be believed, these subluxations caused a mind-boggling 95% of all disease. But don't worry, there was a cure as well. And amazingly, it involved no drugs or medicine, merely human touch. By carefully manipulating the patient's joints by hand, one could realign the spine into its natural shape and relieve

• 35:48Aaron Mahnke?

  that pressure, which is exactly what Daniel marched out into the world to do. That's right. This guy literally went into business as a medical practitioner, despite having no experience or training whatsoever. Well, unless you count ghost training. In Daniel's own words, "The method by which I obtained an explanation of certain physical phenomena from an intelligence in the spiritual world is known in biblical language as inspiration." Unsurprisingly, the medical industry wasn't too thrilled with this random spiritualist in their midst. And they really weren't stoked on the fact that he'd been treating very real, very sick patients. In fact, it wasn't long before Daniel was arrested and jailed for practicing medicine without a license.

• 36:31Aaron Mahnke?

  But that, of course, wasn't going to stop him, not when he had a sacred spiritual mission. After his release, Daniel insisted that his methodology was not, in fact, medicine, but a religion. Thus, his right to perform these skeletal adjustments was protected under his right to religious freedom. Now, like any religion, it had to have a leader, a figurehead, a great prophet, if you will. And I'm sure it comes as no surprise that Daniel nominated himself for the role. In 1911, he wrote, "We must have a religious head, one who is the founder, as did Christ, Muhammad, Joseph Smith, Mrs. Eddy, Martin Luther, and others who have founded religions. I am the fountainhead.

• 37:11Aaron Mahnke?

  I am the founder of this method in its science, in its art, in its philosophy, and in its religious phase." And, shockingly, his religious freedom strategy worked. Daniel was permitted to continue practicing. And as he did, he taught his techniques to others, who taught others, and soon Daniel's method had spread not only across Canada, but to the world. Thousands of loyal practitioners began to claim it could heal, well, everything: appendicitis, allergies, diabetes, ADHD, crossed eyes, heart disease, colic, and more. And I know what you're wondering: did it actually work? Well, to be honest, the jury is still out on that one, largely because there's never

• 37:53Aaron Mahnke?

  been much in the way of a robust scientific study around the practice. And those studies that were conducted have been pretty skewed, often performed by the faithful practitioners themselves, rather than unbiased outsiders. While nothing is conclusive, it seems like Daniel's techniques probably can't heal anything besides back pain. For back and neck pain, though, it is a pretty popular treatment. And yes, I'm using the present tense there for a reason, because amazingly, this field of medicine, delivered by a ghost, is still practiced to this day. And not just by fringe believers either. No, it's a massive industry built around a service administered to millions of patients every year. And you've probably heard of it.

• 38:35Aaron Mahnke?

  You see, Daniel David Palmer, known today as DD Palmer, labeled his new religion with a simple Greek word that means "done by hand." That word is chiropractic.

• 39:01Aaron Mahnke?

  This episode of Lore was produced by me, Aaron Manke, with writing by Jenna Rose Nethercot, research by Cassandra DeAlba, and music by Chad Lawson. Don't like hearing the ads? I've got a solution for you. There's a paid version of Lore on Apple Podcasts and Patreon that is 100% ad-free. Plus, subscribers there also get weekly mini-episodes that we call Lore Bites. It's a bargain for all of that ad-free storytelling and a great way to support this show and the team behind it. Learn all about your ad-free options over at lorepodcast.com/support. Lore is, of course, more than just a podcast. There's the book series available in bookstores and online, and two seasons of the television show on Amazon Prime. Information about all of that and more is available over at lorepodcast.com.

• 39:45Aaron Mahnke?

  And you can also follow this show on various social media platforms like Blue Sky and YouTube. Just search for Lore Podcast, all one word, and then click that follow button. And when you do, say hi. I like it when people say hi. And as always, thanks for listening.

• 40:10Speaker 03

  This is Jason Timp from Hoops Tonight with Jason Timp. Buy smart, drive for less, and trade for more. That's Toyota affordability. And it starts with a great deal on an off-road-ready Tacoma or half-ton Tundra, two of Toyota's longest-lasting trucks, combining power for work, tech for adventures, and style in between. Built on a reputation for quality and reliability, Toyota trucks are known for holding their value, which can mean big savings when it's time for your next Toyota. So get a great deal today and great value tomorrow. Shop toyota.com for more. Toyota, let's go places.

• 40:41Speaker 04

  OnDeck is built to back small businesses like yours. Whether you're buying equipment, expanding your team, or bridging cash flow gaps, OnDeck's loans up to $400,000 help make it happen fast. Rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau and earning thousands of 5-star TrustPilot reviews, OnDeck delivers funding you can count on. Apply in minutes at ondeck.com. Depending on certain loan attributes, your business loan may be issued by OnDeck or Celtic Bank. OnDeck does not lend in North Dakota. All loans and amounts subject to lender approval.