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about to bring into once again. Are you prepared? Have you ready yourself for what is about to wash over you might need to start walking, you might need to stop blocking, get a towel. You now, just in case around boil some water yak river, some she has raised where a birth, a brand new episode baby by down a wallet, get rank and have this vague, the idea in their wallets into into pregnant women's mouths when there, having their baby. Here that tastes terrible yeah. You know when I used to work at like A restaurant in santa Monica and like the bikers would come in and behave with cash from their back pocket from your wallet. The money was always wet from their spots, went up and if I'm telling you that no less

I like the idea of kind of going over old job memories as a practice of gratitude plundered when's. The last time you ve touched money that had but sweat on at an oh, my god. It's been solved so long and if it was anyone's botswana, polly mines alike ayres said that's the kind you enjoy the air deerlike. Suddenly this money feel silky and not disgusting down listeners. Tell us what the most disgusting thing from your job is. We want to know I was yours. I think there's been plenty of lake. You know counter like staff jobs. Where had somehow, I was in charge of making sure the bathroom his queen or anything like that yeah. That was you know, any

anything related to that kind of where the public goes, and then I'm also supposed to make Anderson was always horrible. They don't put that in the job description when they're like you, could work in retail ray. I guess why guess what mayors waiting or even just a simple the going in to clean up the dressing rooms after people tried stuff on at the guy. Where it's like. It's one thing to leave your yourself all over, but then there's people it's like how did you make it smell in the air and all you did was try on clothes. Oh yeah, yeah, the transfer of b o in such a short amount of time is actually a little impressive probably, and also maybe a touch dirty like I'm. I was positive. There's people in there trying to get away with some sexy stuff in the dressing room. Now you. Why would you do because it you're not supposed to? at least sexy place first for someone like me

who was folding down like sweaters ana folding board a mere ten feet away, the least nasty situation possible. Absolutely it's so risque. What's going on with you well You know- and I can take all of these girls topics and be even grocer lie, saying I don't remember I told you about: on valentine's day this year, blossom brought in a dead. for me now were as they should. Let everyone other blossoms your dog in case they don't know that already. Oh, that's plaza life. next door, neighbor blossom, I donno gopher, you have brought in I've, never gonna go for an hour. I am alive, oh, how they have huge front teeth and also its edge I'm lucky enough to have enough of a yard where my dog can catch a gopher here. So that- and she was like us, You want me to show you that you now you're gonna applaud and I just can't made like a no sound, because it's so awful,

and then I just took a pile of paper towels, ended the lazy thing which is pick up the go fur and throw it off the back patio into the back yard, so that I just as if now this, It's done because I'm saying it's done, yeah and you're. That kind of a panic, because this is so fucked up that you're, just a guy, get outta here yeah, I don't wanna touch it right. Exactly I would say less than two hours later, that same gopher was back on the same spot animal, but on the rug, she a game you it. What I mean sure I'll go find it is you want to rate so that was fairly it is now the end of june, and today I am sitting there working my story for tat in a very bad smell to waft and.

I don't know where it really where it's coming from. Oh, that's, ok, sorry! The first was, I had eyes on it, so I see something across the a patio which I think is like a big leaf yeah, but but then I might as wind blows, whatever it's not going anywhere and, unlike that, is not a leaf, get out walk over yet another dead, dover, and so I have to yell at that. And I do the exact same mistake. It's like it is a perfect example of what, like where I already made this mistaken february. I'm to do it again with the same We have all thank you for different circumstances. It yeah, maybe if I hope heart if this thing goes away and the dogs won't, and so I threw off the thing and then, of course, like fifteen minutes later, this smell all envelops the front, where I am diligently working on my story and that

I now realise that gophers been dead for a while, because god. It was like the worst smell and and blossom looking at me like. I am loving this game for us. I love this thing we set up where I go, find all dead rodents and bring them to you. Yes, yeah. So no, I don't think it was the same that the smell was people as if it was the same road it, but there's no possible way could have been cast an eye through the other went away. Anna, zip, lock, bad, so Peter parker. It was still quite dead, though that's definitely horrible. That's grouse! I'm sorry to hear that free! Thank you. I proceeded, although I do think it site. That's how much my daughter! me and she just now, for she won't stop bringing me the biggest deadest wrote it smelled. I find that means she's like ino attached I hope that you can get mad at that. I hope it's sad enough

her being like. Can we afford these around, like that became sugar, cereal thing. You did you or like she thinks you're so stupid that you can't find for yourselves she's like bringing new food like less than I I don't feed you you're just going to waste away. That's what when we took cookie to like a trainer, he was like wow the reason she doesn't obey. You is because she thinks she or her puppy and you're too stupid to live like when you leave the house, and she goes nuts because she's alone is because she's like I don't my puppy is going to die out in the world. She has fed much. I kind of got a kick out of. I know it's bad and she doesn't listen to anything. I say it's pretty cure. This is my new army. It's it's hard to treat, so. We are supposed to treat them to get them to listen to what you say. That's the peace I have approved. Cats are leg. It's the pre agreed thing of like

both not listen to each other and it's gonna work out great dogs. You have to treat dogs and away as if you're pretending not to like them, and I don't get it like that at all. I can't do it yeah I really bad. I do a lot of stuff where ledge blossom loves to stand on her back legs and make people tat her, and I'm always like don't do that get down, but I have a big smile my face. I clearly think it secures thing and if you didn't like it, it would still be. Happen anyway. Can I think it's gonna kill? That is ok, speaking of dogs. I don't know what else you got. Oh,

I think I'm really at a loss right now for tv series did you ever watch Dave. I don't think you ever got into it. I watched like one episode. It's just not for me not for you. Okay, the last season was pretty epic brad pitt is like the coast last episode. Yes, it's just surprised, brad pitt and suddenly he's just like in the last episode it was in Brad pitt's threats. He couldn't like he's such a good actor. It was very entertaining, but I

how much pride pit loves comedy he's like a real fan is of real fanon supporter and also, I know, people love that show so my opinion, I dont think even relevant kiss it just I'm not the audience now I gotta but see. What am I watch brad pitt in second, I read, it had been a girl's see yet are now Dave. I watched mars attack. Martha axe holds that I bet tinbergen well. Should we get to the to the news, the news the exactly right news. Oh sure, I was like what do you want to talk about the new frog yeah? We do a coroner now. I didn't tell you that I'm doing that, we just have to start talking about international relations, Jesus guys the exactly right and network, with all its many and high quality podcast as we ve been

are you for weeks. It's now official. Do you need a ride? Is back in the are we are life from the streets of los angeles? We widely available the second episode of the seasons. For premier we did clay data cliffhanger because Chris and I were risk, so much on the drive to margaret chose how's, that wit, that it took up. full episode and then share. She gets in the car and then that's the second half of the permanent, so yeah. I love that, a lot of fun, that's perfect, yeah yeah, over on that's messed up and sb. You podcast kara and lisa chat about episode, ptsd from susan ten of see you then they're joined by actor Dominic for Mussa, who you may also know from nurse jackie and then that's messed up. Also recently announced fall, tour dates and you can get tickets at that's messed up my dot com and the life shows our second. I think you should definitely get your but to the seat. Overrun wicked

Third, kate winkler: dawson talks to jamie gearing about her book madman in the woods life next door to the Unabomber, which georgia cover in episode. One. Seventy nine way back in june of twenty nineteen, and that was a live show in san Francisco. So go! Listen to that. If you haven't and then this week in the msm store, you'll find a flash sale on lock your fucking door merchandise, including key chains patches and, of course, a doormat so good. At my but murdered at to check that we got my dad a new doormat, because I haven't got one in some so long that his doormat was actually, heating, your ability to open the screen door to get inside his house, and so for fathers day? We got up we got him a doormat that says, hope you brought wine that is so Jim without is like it. I thought you gonna save it have you seen the one that says come back with a warrant irene

people these days, LAN takes all kinds: yeah really does listen. So it is brought to you by progressive motive. Just listening right now: you're driving cleaning and even exercising. But what, if you could be saving money by switching to progressive drivers who save by switching save nearly seven hundred dollars on average and auto customers qualify for an average of seven discounts? Multitask right now quote today: a progressive dot com, progressive casualty, insurance company and affiliates national average twelve month savings of six hundred. Ninety eight dollars by new customer survey to stay with progressive between june twenty, twenty one and may twenty twenty two potential savings will vary, discounts not available in all states of situations. Raising kids can be one of the greatest rewards of parents life come on sundays. Baron thing is bearable. I love my kid fact is a new parenting pot. Ass from one day that shares of our freshly, honest and insightful, take on parenting, hosted by myself, making gaily

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free on the amazon, music or wondering app with celebrity beef. You never know if you're going to end up on tmz trending on twitter or in court laundries new podcast descent tell is hosted by comedian sidney battle and Matt Vella said each episode explores a different iconic, celebrity feud from the build up why it happened and the repercussions. What is our obsession with these feuds say about us? The first season is packed with a pretty messy love triangle between Selena gomez and justin, and hailey bieber, a seemingly innocent tick, tock of selena. Talking about her laminated eyebrows snowballed into a full blown alleged. Viewed, the internet wants to pit these two women against each other. But if you cut through the layers of pr spin you'll find that this is a conflict about three people. Who've been pushed into stardom, since they were children, but it doesn't seem, like fans are letting up anytime soon, despite both selena and the beavers making public statements denying any of that

how much of this is teen jealousy and twenty something lovers quarreling and how much of it is a carefully calculated narrative designed to sell albums, followed this until wherever you get your podcasts, you can listen ad free on the amazon, music or wonder yeah. Alright, I think I'm going first rate. Do it? Okay, when this story was suggested to me, I was like I've done it already and then our crack staff Hannah and Alejandra was like no. You haven't. We've checked- and I was like this can't be possible and I actually have a memory of doing the research which must be implanted by the government that are beyond the learn spin off, show implanted by the cover murder investigation. So I guess it just turns out that I've heard lots of other podcast cover the story. we ve never covered at. I personally apparently never have so when at rachel, slash dial, recently message me on

we are asking me to cover this story. I was like rachel have done it and I was wrong and rachel. You are right, and so, as everybody else. Let me just preface it by saying this couple months ago, I told you the story of clear lines: nineteen, seventy four ten cent beer night, So if you didn't hear that episode listener, it was invented started with a crowd of baseball. And getting wasted on ludicrously cheap beer and it devolved in mob violence and an appearance by the riot squad. You can go. Listen to episode three sixty six. If you want to hear that story, so some people may argue that and sent beer night and the chaos within that is the perfect encapsulation of what cleveland was like in that seventies. Fewer places in the united states had a worse reputation. They were dealing with syria

it's economic, social and environmental crises all at the same time. So nineteen like in nineteen, sixty nine sixty eight or sixty nine. I think the koi hoga river caught on fire due to pollution, I was just going to say, didn't their river catch on fire, but I was like that's crazy. It's true no way oak YAP, they adjust straight up caught him fire also cleveland. In the seventies came the first american city to default on its loans since the great depression brow- and then the job market took such a dive in that decade that two hundred thousand cleveland has just left the city to find work somewhere else. But then, as the Echo goes on in the eighties arrive. Everything kind of starts to turn around thanks, passionate effort on the part of those cleave lenders who stayed in the city and dedicated themselves to change it their bad reputation, they invest in new

social programmes, environmental, clean up efforts and investments to boost the occur, me and then in nineteen, eighty six cleaves when's the contract to be the permanent home of the rock and roll hall of fame nice. This or am about to tell you, is almost like the continuation of ten cent beer night into the mid eightys. I think I know what this is tell what were bill. toward here, and I'm excited. Ok, calls and leaders in cleveland real as they should be building off of this great pr from winning the bid for the rock and more hall of fame and from generally kind of turning the vibe around on their city, so in nineteen, eighty, six. Someone comes up with a big idea. It meant to grab a his attention and show the world that cleveland stands for something new. Some positive and aspirations even lofty and this

the story of the legendary nineteen. Eighty six cleveland balloon fast. Remember, there's one of the most bungled pr stunt in american history. We have talked about this. I feel sure, like you're, not wrong in remembering, and I feel it Sometimes it's because, like years ago, someone wrote in wrote it in town and that's how we remember. After what I remember frahm- or maybe when we did, I live showing cleave linz. It's someone did a hometown on stage and we just had never went up, maybe- or I think maybe I started to do this further klingle hometown, and then I switched to the Circleville letter. Writer does poison pen letters yeah also, there is a very, very hilarious dollop episode. If You'Ve- oh yeah, have you ever listened to the history podcast, the dollop, Dave and Gareth cover this in one of their episodes. That's how I first heard about it and yeah. It's Those things were kind of can't believe when you

never heard of it. Someone tells you about it. It's like I was there. I was sixteen. and I should have known about this- is like I thought I had my finger on the pulse, but now ok, I'm excited to learn the details. Ok, great of this debacle So the main sources for today's story or a fox eight news report from twenty twenty one called balloon fast. Eighty six, thirty five years since then tom cleveland event turned disastrous written by susan stratford, there's all many documentary from the atlantic entitled the balloon fest that went horrible wrong and an episode podcast called the alarmist entitled the aftermath balloon fast. Eighty six and you can go rest of our sources in the show out this is very eighties story and the eighties it so funny to me how They were so formative for me and for the majority of people. They just kind of their like cindy.

copper and billy, idle and lake mtv, and that's kind of the these doesn't have a lot of like grounded meaning its just like. Maybe the fifties was when we were gonna get yeah. So I'm gonna try to the picture having been there, georgia was only just born. I was a eighteen, the time basically popcorn, sure was neon pink over the top built for spectacle, re, ronald again becomes the president. At the beginning of this decade, mtv is launched in nineteen eighty one it's pretty early and then not just in direct, These starts beaming donna and Michael Jackson and send you offer and all these music. You know superstar straw into our homes. Then, in nineteen eighty four this summer olympics take place in los angeles rise. It features opening closing ceremonies that stun audiences worldwide

does the washington post recap describing the ensemble of like basically, what it took to put on both the opening and closing ceremonies of the nineteen eighty four olympics quote ten and singers and dancers twenty five hundred pigeons. One thousand sixty five balloons: seven hundred and fifty marching band members, two hundred and seventy jitter buggers, eighty four motorized pianos and a full fledged rocket man flying with a jet pack on his back and quote anna pirates. In a pear tree, I mean what a show you know a shout wire, the pigeon. Why pigeons is what I want to know. Their in insight the motorized pianos, maybe decree and driven around their driving, I'm doves were busy that days because you just get back and pigeons. Instead, doves were too expensive. They were all with france at the time access. I think, there's a lot of access in the eighties

and that proves well. We didn't realize- or maybe we did we good in the eightys and ninetys, especially compared to the seven so we're just coming out of like very session the gas crisis, Jimmy Carter. All these suddenly ronald reagan there he used to be a movie star. Now he's a successful politician with his slick care and his big smile he's just there to be like we're good everything's good here, sweet everything under the rag that and let's deal with it later yeah or never trickle down economics the success of this ambitious. expensive and high stakes. Performance of both opening and closing ceremonies at the olympics, basely instantly feeds the world's does Therefore, more large scale shows and events and then advocate groups in nonprofits follow suit in nineteen eighty five, the live aid concert is televised around the world. They re

a hundred and fifty million dollars for famine relief in africa, and it is seen by one point: nine billion people are wow wild rate. Very deal and also very unifying kind of, like maybe one of the last moments like this, where it was like. We all understand that as much as we can, have our day to day problems. What we're seeing in africa should be happening and they need help right now and it's like famine, relief, Came this really important thing and all these huge musicians came together to play that concert, and basically people. This amazing show and then raise all this money. So then, this success of live aid births, a nonprofit called usa for

russia and the next year. That group plans this event, and I don't know if you remember it or not: it's called hands across amerika. It rings a bell. I gotta haven't what year was at nineteen. Eighty six ok size six, so I as a sixteen year old? Here's. What was crazy! This thing, especially if you watching daytime, like kids tv cartoons, anything like that there would be constant com so for hands of cross america, it sound like a ford truck commercial and also sounded just a touch christian, and it had this like a men's and women's chorus, and they were like was across america and then it just showed people grabbing hands like interfere like inspiring right yeah like made you okay, said it's like this message of like we're all coming together and this time they were gonna raise money for homelessness and hunger in america. Okay, the way going to do that was on the sunday.

memorial day week and nineteen. Eighty six at three p m. Five million people were hold hands and a human chain stretching from battery park in manhattan to Santa California across four thousand miles of american terrain and all those people. hold him for fear now. Yes, all those people would hold hands for fifteen minutes, and It would raise awareness and money for hunger and homeless, as it sounds sweaty first of all, but that sounds impossible metaphorically I can under. But oh that's a great idea. Metaphor. yeah and I'm in actuality. The execution in andalusia logistics to pull something like that. off, and they said I was reading this article cause for a little while in my thirty's I kind of thought I hallucinated hands across amerika, because it is the weirdest idea in terms of a fundraiser. I would love so much to watch a documentary about handshake,

it's america, but you can kind of sea like just in doing this, discovering that it was connected two usa for africa makes perfect sense because they basically put on the one of the most successful charity events ever yeah, so I think this is the hubris that kind of bled over into the next year of, like you, know, we're gonna doom. Ever he's, gonna hold hands, sought, mouthful mouse little bill at first idea, scope that come out of hand frightens redeployment, whoever tough the loudest gets their idea executed. So I was in this article is really sure- and I think I was on history dot com, but they were saying like that. Basically, there were parts that leg we're stretching through like big.

How pastures in the middle of the country where nobody wanted to go and stand so farmers would put their cows out there. D like take the place of people. Just have the cow stand in that. Does there is parts in the desert where, like no one was going to go, they wanted to do it through a major league baseball game, but pete rose who's. The manager of whatever the team was at the time was like go. Fuck yourself lives like in no way can I use it Think about it all the time like I the commercial all the time, but I was like they don't give you any information like hey san francisco show up in this. Old and you'll be party hands across amerika leg. It only. Like there was a commercial on a concept but no actual like boots on the ground plan of how to god how to be in it. So I thought about it, a lot whereas just like how are they gonna do this and they thought it was gonna raise a hundred, fifty million dollars for causes it raised. Fifteen fifty million about fifteen million still decent for

earn and back man. Good money have the translation for of e money. But, I'm telling you all of this, because a kind of it just sets the stage and kind of paints a picture of what was going on. We didn't have anything. It is the eightys we didn't. You still we're going to the library for research you're lucky if you had Will you were lucky? If you had a tory, maybe maybe Nintendo, if you are super rich, you have to catch the news that six, p m and eleven p m, or you just wouldn't know the news that data- or, I guess really a newspaper too obviously but like if something happened, that day There's no way to know it unless you fuck and watch the news, yeah, there's no inner there is a lot of trust for that was shown to you on tv and what was advertising savages like what we better head down two hands crux of beer, can make a difference like there is a lot following in the plan, wasn't being analysed

and in the way things everything is analyze these days, yeah yeah and if you planned live it does so unbelievably amazing planet bob Geldof was one of the main people who did that suits. I got a good thing to keep trying and maybe not kill it in the exact same way. So so this just is adding to the building this around what the people were thinking when the cleveland chapter of the non profit organization, the united way, came up with this plan, thereby kick off their annual fundraiser, the donations that they raise in that fundraiser their big annual event. Those donations get funneled into a hundred and seventy five different cleveland areas, social services programmes, so they're like now to go big this year and we got a really make a difference. Also another event that had happened in the year before in nineteen. Eighty five is it was the thirtieth firstly, of disneyland when that happened, you may or may not remember, disneyland really

two million balloons into the sky, to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary in anaheim. I don't remember that, but that's a terrible idea, yeah right and so just a little bit more background is for their child of today. At this time, in the eighties and before it, I would say. Definitely during the seventies soup it is especially the guinness book of world records, was a deal. People cared about it. I've got talked about in weirdest way where it was like being those kinds of like you're. The best you ve done. The most youve like perfect bowling game are five in iran. Whatever all those things smoking in the most at once. That's my favorite one tall taulas guy shores, the nail longest nails was my fucking favour. Smallest, It's very disturbing when my god that one was crazy, nope yeah, but we definitely had the book like in our house that way it was a big deal. It was like a bragging right. She

in getting into the guinness book of world. Record's was the goal of of many people and its good pr right. It's something you can say happen totally so what the people in cleveland may be worth considering was that they were stealing yeah from disney, essentially or borrowing, and a day they have dedicated team, engineers designers experts figuring out the logistics to releasing a million balloons into the sky there they do things a very specific way disney and actually a lot of the event planners who worked on the disney thirtieth anniversary, also worked on the nineteen eighty four olympics. So there people who were like major event producer planners that they, basically once the olympics, were seen they were now the sought after team to execute major events like this in the group vent manager and logistics expert named too walk, and

a revered balloon expert named Treb hynek. So I want that to be by my on my business card balloon revere red beard, not common place, not you run of the mill, but I truly The balloon expert now tribe, is his first name unless I'm print mispronouncing. It began his career when he was a teenager selling balloons disneyland, that's how he got to be a balloon expert, nice and since that time, I am, he became known for creating unique and intricate balloon art and the core and trap Heine is credited with inventing balloon arches balloon spirals an balloon column, so he is revered. Let me too in the nineties, at least the nineties that I remember

you didn't, have a balloon arch at your bar about mitzvah, your nobody hyper like garbage, had to have a balloon arch and then the coolest thing was you gotta, bring it home with you, after so like my brother's memory, brothers, bedroom being like have all lovable loop. I got my balloon arch and my sister and are so jealous. It was like it, it was it will, you know, that makes me think of member the lady to lady summer party, that they had. I guess it was last year because it's down Jesus Christ, so hot, but they had a gorgeous balloon arch said I went to brandy and I was like that is the most beautiful thing she does. We made it ourselves, like it really makes an impression for a party and earn event it slake. Something exciting is happening. We have tried behind it to thank for that before him. And this is. This is marin. My researcher marin lad her finest before him

unbelievably no one time balloons together in big cluster. one for the very man but, like a lack of you know, imagination re for him is sad and also the if he's a teenager that works at the balloon stand at disneyland because, like that was, I remember, we went to disneyland when I was five and it was coming up on. My six birthday, but it was just a family trip. It wasn't for that, but I remember getting one of those mickey mouse balloons. What the ears for the balloon guy there he was holding like fifty of those gigantic balloons balloon and that affect standing under that was awesome is magical. Yet someone said for sure. I am also saying this to you, I'm about to tell you the story of a big fan of balloons. Like I get balloon magic, it's real! Ok, let's get to now. Let's get to know, I mean you

that about me cause, I told you the story of meat when I saw the balloons were for me that time, oh yeah, so the united way in cleveland, wants to hire these two events producers before their upcoming event, but, unlike disneyland cleveland, want to release one million balloons. They want these two million balloons they're gonna, call it balloon fast Two million balloons equals balloon fast, so right up front will say this: it's a terrible idea hindsight is twenty twenty vision, so yeah the eightys there just coming round to going it's bad that our river caught on or it's our something we did our fault yeah. You can not do any anymore, there's something to be done about it. Yes, so the idea to be so forward, thinking as to be like maybe releasing plastic latex into the sky forever.

lane everyone pretending that's the end of the story is in great, but it's just not the way things worked back then. Logically, the balloon, would fall back down to earth and hazards for the environment, for wildlife, but contextually, the popularity makes a lotta sense in the eighties, because it's an error, a flashing s and self indulgence, and this is the funniest late Genji report on what what this is like or and like it was it wasn't. That's too heavy. It was just balloons, he's comparing basically the flashing as in the self indulgence, it makes sense that a wasteful, useless, fleeting but captivating item like a colorful latex balloon could drive an entire publicity to hunt and the cleveland television station fox eight reports quote at that time. Thinking about environmental impact was different and people thought the balloon,

would reach an altitude where they popped and disintegrated. Yeah, that's like, but that's not a thing gets so ridiculous. It's almost like Well, that's as much as anyone ever thought of it so that the facts right before the no, no, we were allowed to light or ourselves like that, yeah yeah for sure so The united way contacts tribe heinrich at their head up the balloonfish vision and they hire tom, hollow, walk and several other event planners who know their stuff and this team of people who are now call the events crew they. Actually are all from southern california and they relocate to cleveland. For this event, when they rise they hit the ground running. They immediately realise the balloon. Fesse is gonna, be away bigger, lift than that disney. and anniversary that they worked on in part because

they'll, be dealing with double the balloons. Obviously, but beyond that is taking place in cleveland, bustling public square, which is in the shadow of the city's iconic terminal tower. So that's just basically conduct their downtown. Please don't and about how it's actually not downtown. I'm using that symbolically this the launch site and it's a busy confine downtown odious downtown there, it is downtown location, it'll, all double as a massive balloon factory and the balloons holding space, while all the balloons had blown up with helium they start they call this spot, the balloon Ben I so they're coming up with this plan their coming up with the mechanics of executing this plan. And then a date is announced. Balloon fast is officially scheduled for Saturday september, twenty seventh and now anticipate.

She begins to build its no longer just about the united ways fundraiser, which is really employ. in and of itself, but now balloon fast becomes about the future of cleveland. This underdog cities at the forefront of something that's gonna, be both. Has dork and beautiful and hollow work will later say quote this city. Fathers were behind it. The level of cooperation that was given to the united way and eventually to all of us from everybody include and from the top down was stunning. So there's gonna be in fall as a beginning yeah, because every as believes in balloon, fest yeah, it's like for a greater good too. So it's yeah yeah. You don't question it when it's like okay, so you don't want to give money to this important cause. What are what are you fuckin, Debbie downer like come on it and also its at up until this moment, no one can think of a downside to having a bunch of balloons and the erika it's gonna feel like that

biggest feel day of all time kind. A leg disneyland like come on. This is gonna, be amazing for all of us. So now the city planner. healthy events team that whatever they build for their this thing, they're calling the balloon been, has to abide by building codes and, of course, that's true- doesn't want to hear this because that means the balloon been will have to be built as if it's a permanent building, one of the stipulations is It will need to be able to withstand ninety miles per hour when so it cannot just be something they throw up therein across fingers at first to like a deal breaker in terms of time and expense and the united way considers calling it off. But then the events who says they think they can figure something out and hollow walk immediately, hires cleveland based architect away in so over the summer nineteen. Eighty six, the team comes up with a blueprint for the balloon. Then it turns out to be a three story: tall two hundred fifty foot long. A hundred and fifty felt wide reckoning.

Their structure made of heavy duty scaffolding, besides a wrapped, with giving it the feeling of a large roofless tent and at the top of the scaffolding. They have a massive net held down by huge whether balloons, so the plan is as the two million balloons are inflated by volunteers, who are gonna, be working inside the scam things, structure that they're just gonna be releasing the balloons up into the net and then, when its launch time, those large whether balloons are to be released. First they'll lived the whole net into sky to fly away and thus releasing two million balloons into the sky: ok, subordinate speed ahead september, twenty six nineteen, eighty six, it's the night before balloon fast, if nervous stomach, you You can't go to sleep. The curlers in your hair, staring at the ceiling. Thinking about balloon fast

Meanwhile, the events crew is working around the clock on the balloon been in public square, making sure everything is in order. It there's a two p, launch time. The next day in nearby offices, Tom hollow log is on the phone with the national, whether service and he is getting some very bad news. The weather he'll tell us him quote: there is a serious serious while coming in its the kind of thing that might spawned tornadoes. So that night a severe storm rules and enforces the crew to take shelter indoors. Just remember the balloon been doesn't actually have a roof. The roof is blue, right. The net remember spit so as they wait The storm strong wind, wreak, havoc across northeastern ohio, causing extensive property damage and the loon. Then they go out after me. and check it when the weather finally lightens up and the crew sees that the staff being has basically the tops of intent

down that nothing is ripped, and so it looks like you know, things are barely bad, so hiding waste. No time he calls an emergency late night, meaning what the representatives from the united way and he is right do something he's never done before and that's admit defeat, but then When the events crew goes back outside, they look and they see there's no actual damage to the scaffolding. It's only the tarps in the net and therein shape, but they can be replaced. So they send out people to get replacement. Tarps another group, starts weaving the net back together. They all work through the night and by that the sun rises on Saturday september. Twenty seventh things feel hopeful the balloon bins, structure is restored. The nets fixed balloon fast is ago, so quickly

renders our giddy about this event around eight, a thousands of volunteers, including many high school students, turn up to public square to help inflate balloons and these volunteers are ushered inside the balloon, then, and they said folding chairs, that are set up around a bunch of helium nozzles that are connected via copper piping. Two three tractor trailers, part near that had hauled in all of this helium polish yeah so to hit. the goal of two million balloons by two p m hiding says quote- were figuring that each person will do about two to three balloons a minute. Each one is gonna, do correctly about seven huh balloons for the day and will would all about forty six hours. Oh, it's a race to the finnish I'd hoop yeah. Why did you have to happen? It too? Could we milk it remove this along move that up a little bit? Volunteers,

work on basically an assembly line. They grab a balloon: they attach to the nozzle they they fell, the balloon up. They tie and then they release it up into the netting above over and over. So there's local reporter in the balloon been with everybody and there getting you know the story on All these volunteers are working so tirelessly for balloon fast. Many, people have blistered and bloody fingers. Thanks to the repetitive, not tying motions here and is pressure, as this kind of schedule for the event might feel. There's also free food and me it's being provided by local dj and tv personalities, chuck, shadow sky and John Rinaldi of the big chuck little john show or the hong Kong hong kong phoebe so are conducting interviews around the tend for their lie. Broadcast event. Officials are constantly reminding volunteers that there actually

coming apart of cleveland history and the cleveland plain dealer report. One staffer yelling quote: we need you to going you'll be known around the world how many people were high as if I can pay they were doing. I mean eighty six. The only way to get through, probably not they just do some huge. Trails of coke and go down the balloon fast see. What happens I mean a alone: what, if a couple of them that that's how they met you now and fell in love with a clear. Yes, it's very possible orbit gap because their fingers hurt so bad and they started they serve as a thicker. Ok, now, outside of the blue, then a hundred thousand cleveland errors have shown up to watch their city break a world record. People are into this yeah yeah, it's a big deal, it's an event, there's also several guinness world record representatives there to be

accordingly, event for the official yeah. There are the official book before evans eyes, the netting at the top of the balloon been, is slowly being lifted into the sky as more and more balloons fill it up, and every in general, just seems kind of overjoyed DJ chuck. Dusky interviews? A local woman named Mary Ellen has just shown up to public square with two days, already inflated balloons to donate to the balloon. Then what is she handed them over? One balloon bundles caught on her watch, rifted offer wrist and just slow it up into the air out of her reach, so chuck should ask. He says quote if anybody finds Mary Ellen's watch tied to a bunch of balloons, if you return it to the station, will have all kinds of rewards for you, they must have an early, delicate watch of it

that easily floated aware tat my grandma more one of those like elastic ban time axes that were like a real, narrow thea. So as he is giving this blight reports, the two is the tv camera and mary Ellen standing next to him. Looking calm and collected, she is not mad about her losing her watch. She loves being part of things. Q. The party like atmosphere, continues for hours, and now there are approaching midday everything's going as planned and then I'm holloway, gets another phone call from his contacted their national, whether service and there's more bad news another the storms is coming into the area he's fold. These ones won't be nearly as intensive the ones that were from the night before, but they're serious enough to give them a warning about their expected to hit at too yeah, I'm, which is when they plant there. It's the odds of that

the odds of all of this area beyond its a freak accident in every sense of the word. What's the thing of like whatever goddess, doing when you're trying to make plans is something something something he has plans, also of his own or her own or there Who will suffer so now with this new whether news there's a new call to make. Obviously they are there gonna let their voluntary work in a storm with roof and they sand that, with bad weather, it's not gonna be the same effect visually that they wanted and that everyone was imagining so again there. The choice is the neither cancel the whole thing right now, call it a loss or they can forge ahead, as you can imagine, they deserve to forge ahead, but with a small concession to try to beat the incoming weather going to now release the balloons. Fifteen minutes yet one forty five, which me

still only be able to release one point: five million balloons let's not not. The fall two million, but it still beads disney's record in the apparently somebody wanted to beat disney's record that was play. I was part of this also. I don't think that fifteen minutes they could have failed to another half a million fucking balloons. Like. Are you going to go against adored and revered balloon expert tribe headings plan? But I am a couple right, mrs. Probably one of the most controversial episodes we ve ever reported. Well, the same time as they're, making this concession and an based just trying to keep it up because you have to think If I was there and I was being forced to produce balloon fast- which I truly would like lay awake obsessing about Are we going to do this, but that idea words like ok. We can't, if we

can't delayed any further. These balloons will just start coming down, there will be no eight rising afterwhile like it's not like. We can delay this a day or two right, it's like now or never totally, and also I'm sure like the vibe like it was about those good vibes. That's the hare. That's the point in their trying to keep it all going and outside tread. The heading adored balloon expert tribe, Henning, is making an impassioned speech to the crowd. Saying quote clean and it's your time it's time, say yes, it's time to say it's a happening city were on the move. It's no law the budget, is spent in good faith and from there I it doesn't seem like it now, but I think he's like this is the point of all of this and we're gonna do it, if only if only work that way tribe so just before in forty five dj chuck should

whiskey and John Rinaldi. They get the crowd to start at ten nine, eight countdown and then they, so one the moment arrives. The nets pulled back and hundreds thousands of multicolor balloons fly up into the blue sky it was. The first couple of seconds are an incredible sight. You can go look at it on youtube. You can watch how this actually played out. Yeah there's like a helicopter video of it right. I think, it's far enough away, where you're you're getting a very large scope picture of what this is: look, like you- can imagine what they thought it would look like and then was like there's grey clouds and rain. This big black net kind of slides away a little bit, and then these balloons start floating in a very in not the disk ask away that your picturing in your mind, right ray, but nonplussed the balloon seemed nonsense

the balloons are kind of bleeding to the right from what I remember the video looking like, but it still in credit, we'll site, I'm sure from the ground. It was unbelievable on the broadcast. You can hear she dusky yell, let's hear it for cleveland and tens of thousands of overjoyed spectators cheer in response and Rinaldi adds. Ladies and gentlemen, there is no mistake on the lake any more because they used to call cleveland the mistake on the lake and then the crowd roars like they love it's all. It all feel so good people are overjoyed, as the massive balloons fly up toward the eternal tower and beyond and later dj john Rinaldi would say quote: it was unbelievable. It was a great site. People were cheering, everybody was happy end quote this moment will be short, lived in minutes of the world's largest balloon launch, bad weather moves in and the mayhem begins I say, may am I mean

the rain and the wind pushes a million plus balloons back down toward the ground before they ve had a chance to pop at higher altitudes deflated balloons like theirs. Balloons that go up and they start the fleet, and then they just fall back to earth like a rain of trash, but what's worse, and you kind of wooden imagine it this way with the weather system coming in and pushing inflated balloons down their lobbying in the air at different heights. All the way down to the ground basically make being anyone's ability to see in front of them whether their driving, whether there in a plane weather. anywhere impossible to see core yak, as it's fuckin balloons like Have you ever seen? A person had to deliver balloons have balloons in their car, oh yeah, and what it zander mess. That is its like that, but it's the sky is the copper. I don't like to explain that

one time I watched a guy. We had gotten drunk a day drunk and a teacher fridays, and when I came outside her there was a guy who was wrestling balloons into his car, and I laughed for like four years. It was my favorite thing. I'd ever seen. That's good! That's a good one, but this isn't good. It's not funny! It's really is that kind of thing where you can see this team making decisions as they go? What's the negative effect? There really wouldn't be any it's just below and then everyone kind of learns as they go. The nightmarish fact of what's really happening. So this Global loans is now pouring down onto roadways into rivers onto lake erie like confetti. It creates surreal, multi colored latex version of a white out snow storm rob David moss remembers, quote it It's overwhelming you thought, while we're gonna drown in these balloons. End quote: rapporteur named neil circa says that quote

search sorry says the quote: we drove I'm sure way and it was like a multi colored river down the road motorists for running to each other running into fences, end quote and across town operations at burke, lakefront airport. grind to a halt. As thousand the balloons fall under the runway, making it impossible to tell offer land but the sheer number of balloons on lake erie that proves to be the real problem ahead of balloon fast. The events organizers and city planners, knew that somebody would wind up in the lake and they assumed it would be like ten per cent. The balloons that they freed according to the atlantic quote because of the weather. Sixty per cent of the loons launch landed in lake erie instead of the expected ten percent. This reminds me of one of my favorite childhood books, cladding with a chance of me except the meatball who fucking booze

tat, dangerous, dangerous balloons, ok and what's worse, is at the same time I'm, the balloon fast is happening exactly simultaneously. The coastguard. Is running. An active missing persons search on lake erie for forty year old bernard closer and forty year old raymond broad who had left on a king trip at seven p m the night before their accession, it home around midnight, but then there were those severe overnight storms and they still hadn't come home. So early, saturday morning their families report the missing and within hours. The coastguard has tracked down the and battered fourteen foot, aluminum fishing boat dot along a brick wall, its odor is missing and the men are nowhere to be found. Oh yeah, so immediately after finding their boat, the coastguard expands its urge and more rescue boats are sent into the water and lake erie, while helicopters are despatched to search the egg from above

no one has communicated with the coastguard about balloon fast. So the helicopters pilot is coming neatly, caught off guard by the sudden silence, as a balloons headed straight toward his aircraft as bewildering as it is. He knows that he's in a dangerous situation, so he's forced to land. His helicopter and later report neil searcher interviews, the pilot who'd, say quote: it was like flying through an asteroid bell. You just couldn't see: oh my god, and then down in the water. The inflated balloons are dropping all around the coastguards boats and as they blanket lake erie, it becomes all but impossible for the search and rescue team to spot the fishermen, because the balloons are right and colorful, so they look like any life ass, those laws, missing fishermen might be wearing and because of this freak accident, the to men's bodies aren't found for several weeks,

horrible. So back at headquarters, the united way. Officials who started off euphoric right, as this event launched, are just left speechless, its horrifying and, as rapporteur and neil searcher says quote, it was almost like a volcano when it went off just about we in the world that could go wrong, went wrong that weekend. So it's immediately clear balloon fast one, be the city's redemption. Instead, the fall out from balloon fast, we'll be shot far reaching and its on par with a natural disaster. Oh my god, so the united way invested around five hundred thousand dollars. It had taken money from its special in its initiatives fund to pace, balloon fast. but not only did it not raise money, it incurred the cost of the expensive, clean up efforts and the moon to pull lawsuits against the organization, including one

by the wives of the missing fishermen, who believe that balloonfish interfered with their husbands, rescue efforts? All of these lawsuits are settled out of court for unknown amount the one thing that could maybe be considered a win for balloon fast is the cleveland chapter of united way did said the world record, for quote the largest ever mass balloon release. Congratulate and it right it did make it into the nineteen. Eighty eight edition of the guinness book of world records convert pyrrhic victory years later, a spokesperson for the united way tell the cleveland plain dealer quote: we would not a balloon launch. Ever again, we ve learned a lot in the last twenty five years and I am sure that the other part of this quote after is like salts king asking me about balloon, fest On the other hand, Tom Holloway, who has spoken several times on podcast, enter reporters about this event, which

kind of cool that he is like in. You know like actually interviewed about it and agrees to be interviewed about it, and he refuses to write off balloon fast as a total failure. He suddenly and remorsefully acknowledges that a lot of her regrettable things happened, but hollow uck also says quote: balloon fast was an incredible triumph over adversity. because we could have quit, we should have quite a number of times any reason person would have said o screw it. I'm not going to deal with this, but we did an and to this, It's one of the high points in my career. It's not so much that had to do with balloons. It's a damn it. I was not going to quit. I'm not going to fail. End quote. Yes, some would argue that giving up isn't failing when good point to move forward with something would fucking cause a lot of damage in many many ways accepted, that's in for me,

they didn't have, because everyone was like balloons, here's the thing if they did the like research and talk to enough people that they found out ten per cent of these below might end up in lake erie, and everyone was fine with it. Then you can at least say that these events, coordinators were now fully informed like we today are fully informed yeah. looking at it. In the same way, it was like everyone agrees is assigned the idea. Also, and the thing that's really heerd is watching the weather pushed balloons back down to the ground, its neo think anything, any one is experienced, really sure to be able to anticipate it. Yeah like what happens when I know it's tough, Has its like you're right, there's it's like! When do you there's many things these days work. Do you could think of many,

and in the air and the news lately words like yeah, yet it defeat and know that you're still a great person who had great intentions holloway. We now have a new name rather than failure, because like making the smart decisions to not move forward with something or till like end, something isn't failing. It's like critical thinking. That's. and it's making tough decisions is standing by tough decisions. I like to think, if I wasn't a revered and adored balloon expert, I would have said hey. We saw what the weather did before. Yeah we're gonna lose some balloons, but we can just we can keep this super positive. Vibe going and keep this is valid. here's, your and just he blowing balloons as the other ones fall down within the balloon been so that if there

If the delay for weather yeah yeah, they should have had a sunny bright sunny day with no with no weather totally. That makes sense, but again easy for me to say also like september, Let's put, let's do this thing in june. Ok, that's true in a way, perhaps you can tell him wrap it up, because the word perhaps as in this paragraph, perhaps balloon fest, encapsulates and your dog chapter in cleveland century when the city felt like it had nothing to lose and everything to gain. Today's cleveland is far removed from its core quote mistake on the lake refugees, in days, but what and changed over the years is clear lines, big heart, strong spirit and said: of genuine creativity. Reporter David MOSS once said, balloon fast quote. One thing you can say about cleveland: there always creative,

doesn't always work out, but it's a creative city but end quote and that's the story of cleveland nineteen, eighty six and fast wow. I bet. If you went to efforts during fuckin cleveland, you find a building ass short fat mug, oh, as someone send us a photo. If you have that got to see it, I wonder if those are like collector's items, because because of the I were in the guinness book of world records, balloon fast mistake by the lake, first, it was a good idea and paper oops. We tried that was great good job. Thank you. ok, great job! That was thank you. How is a fun one stimulate a story I recently stumbled upon it had

cold case for many many years and it finally got a crazy twist ending, so we're not going to end on a cliffhanger this time. Okay, I like the sound of this. This is the secret life of william leslie arnold So the main sources into a story are a series of articles under the header, the mystery of Leslie arnold from the outset, world harold written by journalists, Henry J cords and all the other sources are listed in the show notes. So, let's start in nineteen forty two when William leslie arnold is born on august twenty eightth. He goes by leslie. His parents are open and william Arnold opel is a good name for a girl apples, a great name opel. So you grow up in that nebraska town of acts are been its nebraska backwards. That's how creative

that town's name. Hey there no cleveland but they're, trying, not scared. It's just like someone had named cities all day that day and was fucking and with it you know, yup, so leslie haven't you musician. At sixteen years old, he placed the saxophone for omaha central high school, marching ban plays in the dance band and there are out he see band he's a good students. He like has the shit's gather. You'd has a girlfriend. And from a neighbouring a high school named crystal, which sounds like a lie that you make up ray like my girlfriend yeah divans velvets through crystal so he seems fine from the outside, but life at home is really difficult for leslie opel struggles with undiagnosed mental health issues that have on two occasions sent her to the hospital

if they call it the time nervous breakdowns and she has an really overbearing, authoritative parenting style. That leslie has just is slowly wearing away at leslie, one of leslie's best friends, Jim child notes, that quote his mother was excessively and compulsively hard on him and so he feels like he can't do anything right in her eyes and as he gets older he's like a sixteen year old now man now and his mother still treat them like a child. The other thing is that opel doesn't approve of his girlfriend friend crystal they ve been together for about a year, but she looks down on crystal and her family as well, because there from a lower, class, then they are- and she thinks he's not good enough for her son and so leslie resentment for his mom grows stronger, so leslie in

in this photo has like a baby phase. He's got. You know a nineteen. Fifty or sixty is crew, cut, hearing and totally be played by elliot page. Ok yeah, like looks like dump elliot pages like the hotter. factor version: ok, yes, central gas in big that got it. On the night of september, twenty seven nineteen, fifty eight leslie asses parents to bar their car. So we can take crystal on a date to the drive in movies. But opel refuses they end up again, do screaming match and the families dining room, but opel won't budge. So leslie grabs has twenty two caliber rifle and pointed out his mom, hoping to scare her so lot. Allegedly, he just wants to scare her into submission, but it doesn't work. She just laughed at him and tell him to put the gun away instead, leslie shoe

opel drops to the ground and leslie stands over her and fires, five more shots into her chest, killing his mother, so leslie dad William here's. The gunshots runs into the room. He sees his wife dead on the ground. He charges towards leslie. You know in a fit of rage and swings at his son, but leslie ducks the punch and he points the gun at his father and fires. Six shots killing him as well. My god, so, according to wesley, he then curls up on the couch He cries about what he's time he didn't mean to he's like traumatized by it. He later claims you never want to hurt anyone, but instead of turning himself in coming clean, he comes up with a cover. He could cox a story that his and father who lives in wyoming has become senile

wandered off and is now missing, and so opel and william he tells people had to go to willing to help. Look for him. So that's why they're not accounted for him, but he has a problem before he does that that night he takes crystal out to the movies and the family car so, like he's still goes to the dry them with his girlfriend. My I just got to the store, I'm new to the story, I'm new here, but it doesn't really feel like its adding up in terms of What he's saying he meant to do are nights meant to do? How do you do that? You murder both of your parents and then you're like let's go on a date, it's hard to argue any kind of remorse when that happens, but at the same time like we don't know how bad the child you know, abuse. Was in his home. He might have been pushed to the edge it had no feelings about it whatsoever re it then then you can

then why are you claiming remorse that you didn't mean to hurt anybody. You did, and you just should admit it- put the gun down and turn yourself in right. So, a day later, leslie waits for, nightfall and then he drags his parents, bodies outside and berries them in a shallow grave in their backyard. Essentially, it takes two weeks for his extent, family and the authorities to get him to his lies. On wednesday I tell her a nineteen. Fifty eight leslie grandparents finally go to the police and a report opel and william missing exactly two weeks after the murders police, take leslie in for questioning and he immediately crumbles under the pressure. He comes clean, recounting the murders as they happened and while handcuffed to detective

an gates and detective Earl white junior leslie leads police to the spot in his back yard, where he buried his parents and so leslie placed under arrest. So leslie pleads guilty to two counts of second degree: murder he's given a life sentence for his crimes, is taking to the nebraska state penitent ready. Now, because leslie is so young at the time of the murders to sixteen years old, there's a good chance that the nebraska pardons board will windup commuting his sentence. They could release him on parole and he could go on to live a full life and in fact he does behave very well for the next nine years, while he's in prison. He happily takes on shifts in the mess hall he develops as cooking skulls. He plays, and music in the prison banned. A prison official later says quote: we all just kind of felt that leslie would ultimately make parole and make a six

side of himself so well. He does do really well in prison. He makes nice what the prison guards and fellow inmates leslie is hatching. Another man he in another inmate, another murderer named James Harding, form a plan to break out of prison, afraid of it his release on parole and that friend finds a good day when the coast is clear and throws a storage chub over the fence into prison yard and inside that chewed leslie and James bond, to saw blades and to rubber masks, and so basically they go to this part of the prison where people who have good behavior are allowed to kind of hang out by themselves. It's like also a music room and no one ever bats, an eye about them being in there. So he and james take advantage of that fact and Their free time alone use the size to cut the bars in the music room window. They saw completely through them and then he's chewing gum to temporarily like hold the bars together, which is just like Jesus,

total Macgyver yeah. Finally, the opportunity comes for them to escape. On the night of July, fourteenth nineteen sixty seven everyone's asleep. The guards are looking leslie and james craft makeshift dummies in their beds, using those rubber masks and a sneak down to the music room removed, damned bars from the window and they slip out over a barbed wire fence out into the field for their pearly friend is waiting for them in the getaway car. They make escaped to omaha and then in omaha. They meet up with less these old childhood, french and child. Who gives them a change of closed some cash and tickets for a three m bus ride to chicago oh yeah! So by the time anyone even realises in the prison at the guys are missing there already halfway the chicago so a few days after they make it to the city they separate, but james and leslie link up and give each other status update. James is still trying to find his footing but

firstly, has already gotten himself a job as a line cook. A diner he's even started dating one. wait for says there an older woman name jean bogey, but he doesn't tell james about his new identity, so, like fees on it, he's already likes. Europe has shut out how much time has passed like a week, a few days of holidays? Ok Can I just now I feel like, in my sure, quarterback way. I just want to say sounds to me like the actions of a psychopath, that he would be that compelling and magnetic to be able to get a judge to charm him his way into getting a job and a girlfriend like immediately yeah, there's also something to be said for the fact that been in for nine years, and everyone is like yeah you're gonna get out soon, probably like. Why not just it's time and then go on to live a normal life. Like you know, escaping, is so bold and so like it didn't sound like he was having a bad time.

listen. You know right you're, almost like it's been it's been so long. You couldn't just finish that you couldn't finish it. Had to get out right then crazy, totally boggles the mind less than one year after their escape police catch james and throw him back in prison. He serves the remainder of his sentence and eventually gets paroled living out the rest of his Yes, as a free man until he dies in two thousand and eight, but as for leslie police are completely stunt on his whereabouts, the big Potential break in the case comes a year and a half after his escape when authorities get ahead on someone registering and immigration car

in brazil under leslie s name, but that lead turns out to be fruitless and with no other leaves the case of this escaped conduct to kill both his parents as when he was sixteen those cold who are then, let's get to august of twenty twenty fifty three years after left, his escape so deputy? U s: Marshall Matt west over of omaha is sitting for his caseload. He comes across the case up leslie arnold. He surprised to find the case for nineteen fifty eight in his document when he reads up on it he's just totally captivated by it. He learns that a former nebraska department of correctional services, investigator name Jeff Britain, had dug into this case years. Prior he'd never solved it, and so Britain have moved to california twin.

thirteen and the case still had kept them up at night, so west over calls britain? And they like talk about the case? They discuss different theories and tactics to try to track leslie arnold down, but one method in particular stands out for britain because he had been in California. He was able to follow the case. Joseph de Angelo, the golden killer very closely. He even attended some of his court appearances after the kiss capture and twenty eighteen in well yeah

So he sees that dna genealogy other satisfy catching people now sub written wonders something similar might help west over crack. The less the arnold case, west overtakes, Britain's advice. He tracks down leslie arnold little brother. He had had a little brother. This whole time, his name's james and in november, twenty twenty james agrees to provide a dna sample so west over submit it to the registry. It takes nearly two full years, but west over is about to get a break in the case from a completely unexpected part of the world, or go no australia Although that's not the accident, that's right! That's british good! I may yeah that was british, but they both sound the same when I say them yeah. It sounds good, okay! So we're going back to two thousand and ten, this nineteen year old, dude named John Vincent Damon, his father passes away.

and John goes on a ten year long quest to learn more about his father's history. You know as you you want to learn about your parents. Sure all he knows about his dad John Vincent Damon is that he grew up in an orphanage in Chicago. So in two thousand and eighteen, when he's twenty seven years old, he finally makes a trip to chicago from australia to go to the orphanage himself and try to find his father's records because he couldn't find anything else about him. But when he gets there, he discovers that his the orphanage his father had told him about doesn't exist confused. He takes his dad's illinois birth certificate to the vital records department to see if they can help when they check out the here too the kit they discover its a fake, oh so now is taught like imagine. Second, your dad, Jim just being like. Oh everything, he told you about his life, not and none of its true overlapped so hard physically hard for your dad cause. You have so much family

These you're telling me all of these red headed people are actors that you've surrounded me with my entire life. That's crazy! So now he's totally confused by this. He calls up his father's step, daughters, who had from a previous marriage to see if they know anything about his past cause they're old, their older. They they knew him when they were older. But unfortunately they are all they know is the same story that heat he got ass, a kid that the dad John was from an orphanage in Chicago that, with these oh sorry, but I just really put myself in the opposition of holding your dad's birth certificate trying in that kind of like ancestry, dot com. You know just want to know my people vibe any suddenly you're just the way. I want to go see if my his childhood home got turned into a seven eleven like spit. Yes, shit, yeah and suddenly it's like oh there's! No one by that name that actually there might be a to fraud anyway, goodbye

fun on your nineteen hour plane ride back home. She says ooh. So as a last ditch effort in two thousand and twenty two, he submits his dna to an analyst and post the results on a public registry hoping to find some link and to his surprise, he gets a match On august, ninth, twenty twenty two to a man named James arnold, who is the little brother of our fucking parent killer. Leslie, okay, got it with me. Yes, yep. The man gets a call from this police detective west over explaining that his father isn't a chicago orphan and turned australian salesman named John vincent Damon, but your dad is a nineteen. Sixty seven escaped convict named william we are not well. Not only do you find that the second orphan, the orphanage doesn't exist, the birth. You think it is a is fake. Now he's an escaped convicts man, but a toilet,

im. Can I just say that this is a little bit similar and I know I've told you the story like five times, but it's a little similar to the night that it's summer night me and my sister are laying in bed windows open because it's hot we hear heavy breathing outside and walking through the town, bark, my sister and tell my dad my dad pulls opened. The night andrew and pulls out a switchblade and flicks, it open ngos outside and its of course golden retriever. There is wandering in our front yard, but I literally after that that was I was probably eleven years old and it happened. I like day change your perspective on your down a little better. So let's flick, visitor good times Oh shit, your leg from west second story Style street fighter didn't give you a little safer after the absolutely for prefer, but but it is that kind of, like kids

I don't ever think of their parents as people. It's just you're, my parents, that's what you are on this planet yeah. My dad just told vince vince told me that my dad had been in a band that had been on the radio in high school and that he played. I think it was the guitar when he told us that over breakfast one day, I didn't no. I had heard from my husband. I bother thin on the radio you're, just like it a room talk, we're just gonna keep them boys is, is tat, god, I ain't got: ask your parents, questions are they're, not gonna. Tell you anything. I think that we are now yet and the end the stuff they eat. They don't like.

He doesn't think, that's a big deal and he'd I'll be just like freaking out here. It's like come on. I want to know. I want to know. Ok, so after years of stagnation, west over is so stoked to finally have solved the mystery of where leslie arnold disappeared too, but he needs to know what happened between his disappearance. In his view, no prison break and his death. How did leslie arnold become john vincent Damon, and so in march, twenty three three, where so replies to australia to meet this son of the man he and his colleagues spent so much time to find this is to four months ago marcher transferring three. Yet this just fucking came out. I like this a late night. When I you know, I always look in a cold cases on Google. This is a late night story that came up discovery. Amazing yeah, like recently, are so

let's go back to when leslie at his partner who prison broke with him. They see each other. For the last time in chicago and July, nineteen sixty seven and leslie tells James. I've got mine, you get yours, yeah he's, I got my job at this beckoned diner and that a lady, let's both just like liberalize and take a hike and also its well, it would be easy to believe that leslie measly, married that lady lights like if you can get that done in one week here, you're like you'd, prefer have a family and two months later, what is happening? The story right said so yeah You're. Writing it right. Now she got so we got. He gets himself anew, home and new job and a new girlfriend and a new name. So as he's working at the diner he's going by the names Vincent Damon, he manages to get himself a forged illinois birth certificate, and then he

Is it to get a legitimate driver's license and social security card in that name so boom? And then just I don't think I could get myself a real birth certificate. If I fucking me that right now, You know what I mean you know you're. You know you have to sign up for real id now. That's like a california law that you have to look at. I have tried four times to do that online and can't get it done this guy, and this guy goes mean at the time it's probably like fuckin, sharpie and mechanical pencil on paper, but on the back of a Can he just idea one lady in the filing office turn around for four minutes, while something big ugly, then he had started dating G. In the buggy and just days after they started dating leslie a k, a john moves in with his new girlfriend. So you invite them right about that. Such ass, a divorce say four daughters, ages, fourteen twelve nine and five so she's, like I'm not wasting.

David you for months on end YAP. They live in the project, so you know she means the extra income at this person's making. It's not a great choice, but you know it turns out. Ok, yeah she's, an older woman he's she's thirty four years old, while leslie is just turning twenty five and the to get married in a court house on november twenty fifth nineteen sixty in just a hundred and thirty four days after first meeting look a little more than two months, but yes, oh new mines, yeah, ok, more than the serbs and completely like jumping on your story and then being like wait. Let me guess more. Let me guess more, like I'm going to call him leslie for the story, but he goes by John okay. He never shares much about his life with his new family. He says he grew up in a chicago orphanage and doesn't like to revisit his past fair enough. he's a good provider. He helps take the family out of housing project and into a nicer apartment. He and genes dot.

I always get along fine. They do later said that he was a tough, strict parent who made them all get jobs once they turned thirteen he likes and often punish them by putting them into quote restriction, which he used as the term for grounding. Of course later they put it together that his strictness is something inherited from his mother that he killed for the same reason. Oh and the term restriction is one he picked up while in prison. So like fucking, mind, idling. The clothes were kind of their if you knew to be looking for them would like or state nobody didn't yeah in nineteen sixty ninety years after and again chicago leslie Lee

his job at the restaurant. He gets a higher paying job in sales long hours. He travels a lot, but it allows the family to move into an even nicer home in Cincinnati nice. Even though leslie could be strict, his step daughter really do love him. He took care of them. He passed on his love of music and he took them. The concerts taught him how to play the piano and he's the only man the girls had ever and would ever call dad wow yeah, that's a good! That's a good vote leslie, slash jaw yeah, it sounds like he was a good man. Yeah in eighteen, seventy one leslie and jean take a trip to the bahamas leading to miami this essentially, for some reason they end up moving to miami very suddenly without any real explanations. Are you wonder if leslie was like thinking that some was on his tail, maybe YAP three or four years later leslie, it's getting antsy in miami. He wants to move again, jean doesn't want to

and they fight about three years and eventually by nineteen. Seventy seven, the to split up john, gets himself an apartment, or bank worries us, but yeah burbank about this, because I ve been tried there have been some lay a lot for sales job so smooth. Then he maintains contact with his step. Daughters, though, calling them regularly and attending graduations and other special life of an even though he and their mom divorced ha. Now I didn't have a fuckin stepped out like that yeah. I guess I do now as an adult but late, but sounds nice That's when it matters and the idea that he's actually coming through at wow. That's really! Ok! That's nice to hear now than in the late seventies, early eighties, leslie starts dating another woman in l a and they get married. nearly three. They have two kids, a daughter born in nineteen eighty six, when this John, when

He is forty, four years old and a sun born in to ninety, when when leslie is forty nine, so he has some later in life kids of his own, but before his first biological daughter is born. One of these set daughters sits, John, sits so confusing with John and lastly thing. Sits, leslie john down and advised him to be kinder to his biological heads than he was too a step. Kids to that kind of shell, the fuck out a little bit and not be so harsh with them and let them know when they ve done something good or done a good job rather than just disciplining him. And it looks like leslie John took her advice because his kids say that he was like a wonderful father. His bio kids. Well so life's good for John leslie and his new family for a while, but in ninety ninety two we the l riots, and he decides that either

want to stand allay anymore? He says he doesn't think it's a good place to raise a family, but he could also be nervous about the advances in technology and then anything is kind of common up a common around. It could be that he thought someone was on his heels again and got nervous because year ripe for they move. He gets a note bone, Malo surgically removed from his cheek. Ok that he had had his whole life at defining characteristic and they moved to new zealand for five years than they moved to australia and ninety ninety seven, and it's here that leslie and his family settle for good. He raises them with love the kindness and understanding. While he continues his career and sales

to his own company, like he's over the stepdaughter leslie. Each shares his love of music with his kids, but for fear being discovered he never ever play music to them and with them and never let them know that he's like really good at the sacks of home. So they have another thing. They did know about him that he second rips it on the sacks of phone. He never picks up again and his son thinks it's because it's another defining character. Stick of who he was yeah, which is so sad. So in the late nineteen nineties, leslie has a heart attack. He survives, but his health never quite recovers, and so between his heart problems and his frequent flights, while traveling for work. Leslie develops deep vein thrombosis, which has difficulties with blood clots, and it worsens so on august, sixth, two thousand and ten at the age of sixty nine. But really he had been sixty eight because he had four,

stop pursuing the get away he collapses and dies in his home in australia. Sit at the age of sixty nine sixty eight that's coming young yeah. It is young and that's when his sons to trying to find out more about his father so long, none of it leslie spam members want to minimize the severity of the murders he committed back when he was sixteen. They all truly feel he had repented and reformed his life before his death. His criminal record as john damon. This new person is totally squeaky. Clean couple parking tickets is all he has under his name. His kids even sell have leslie s old bible, which he carried with him since living in Chicago. They all remember seeing their dad reading through it and looking at it now, they noticed that he highlighted two subjects frequently, which was sins and forgiveness for less these kids part they ve all got onto leap, happy, productive lie.

It was and william Arnold may never have gotten the justice for their murders at the hands of their son, but it seems safe to say, thankfully, that the next generation leslie left behind is working to heal the families, history and trauma, and that is the story of the secret life William leslie, arnold good, lord, that's a death confession, post deathbed, yet but he had. No, they were all going to find the stuff out eventually ray yeah, I mean it's such a huge thing and too through any does point to. First of all like how people viewed views and child abuse and abusive behaviour back then, where it was kind of like spare the rugs EL the child mentality there. So how

it was for him comparatively when it was that long ago could could really be saying something: obviously to be to the point where you kill. Both your parents is just wild. I just think it says something that, like he did this horrendous thing while under let's say it was true, is under duress. You know his friend vouched for his how awful at home, and then he went on till I never abuse his children. He kept a job. He no didn't ever a break. The law heaves limbs a good normal life. It's juxtaposed in such a way that makes you wonder s. Had he not have these circumstances, the child. This never would have happened. You know all and also wonder, if say their say, there was a statue limitations on the on the crime that he was running from all that time, because I think that's why he didn't break the law like he had

live and why I like you could come and go through, and if you want to be really negative about it or kind of jaded about it, you could be like well, he that woman for cover and he kept that family for cover any move towns. Whatever it's you know you could. you could see it in a bunch of different ways. The one way to look at it, too is is like it's a very and sing conversation about you know like crime, youth crime and how many kids stay in jail for things that they were there, you're too young to understand the fall, the full. late of what they were doing or the full impact on their future lives? I guess that's that's the kind of thing words like if there's jail any kind of like jail reform or anything like that. It's, like you, know, there's kids. They get front this.

Someone just never come out and that's kind of that's the way they adapt. And that's you know if that, if that could be a positive out of this, as opposed to just This guy, I kind of like had a secret life, but then it's kind of like gather. What? If there really is damn Shan in a way and there's a way to kind of like help that truth of like a kidnap, bad situation makes it worse and then just runs for his entire life. Now the first thing to do is to privatized, prison, bright and two for another reason, is that the unit for profit prisons is a horrifying unstrap. Fucked up, absolutely concept that should not exist. Oh well, great job! Thank you wild, so wild. So

I mean there's nothing like the old double life secret, lively running from your pass, your story. How many others are there out there and please? We always say this- tell people on your death bed, so we can have something to talk about what she don't keep it to yourself with questions one ask out with it whatever, you might think it's true embarrassing. You won't be here when we discuss a also just the idea like people, coming in hiding out in burbank is such a good idea. I have to tell you like if your burbank is so low, you can, you could hang out there and blended and nobody would ever ever find you know it's so quiet, illiberal quiet little life bear totally really go to that. Many target on Hollywood way enjoy very go. Well, we ve done it again. We did it again thanks for listening,

you guys yet again me as always appreciate you. We did it for you its literally for you, literally figuratively, all the things stay sexy and dont care, murdered, Elvis, do you want cookie yeah This has been an exactly right: production are produced, is all a hundred cap are seen if the producers Hanna kyle Creighton. This episode was engineered and mixed by steven ray morris or researcher, is marian mclachlin email, your home towns and fucking her as to my favorite murder, at gmail dot com. the show and instagram and facebook at my favorite murder and twitter at my fave murder, I say.

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