Episode 807: Phantom Stalkers: The Halifax Slasher and The Hammersmith Ghost | Forensic Files

Hey weirdos, I'm Ash. And I'm Elena. >> And this is Morbid. I was just telling Alina it was really
hard not telling the story for four episodes and now I have to tell the story and I'm like nervous.
>> Yeah. She said it's been hard. >> It's been really hard for me. Like she doesn't she doesn't understand.
>> I don't. >> She just told that story for 4 weeks. >> I did. And so I don't know what it feels
like to not tell a story. >> Yeah. That's You don't You don't know the hard part.
>> I don't. >> I'm just kidding. Guys, I'm just joking. What's up, guys? >> Oh, man. It's this this [ __ ] Mercury
retrograde. >> Mercury retrograde is kicking us in the ball sack. And I hear from the people
who look at the comments that some of you are also feeling this Mercury retrograde.
>> Yeah, everybody is. I went to a witchy store today and the girly there, she said, "This one sucks."
>> She did say that. >> She said, she actually said, "Everything sucks right now."
>> She did. She said, "Doesn't the entire world suck right now?" >> I'm so bummed because I had to take a
little break for my astrology class just because this summer this summer has been
so busy. Yeah, this summer can honestly go [ __ ] itself. And wow. Yeah. And I like I'm not even disagreeing. I was
just flabbergasted by that. >> Oh wow. >> She's she put her whole [ __ ] into that.
>> But um >> what was I even going to say? You shocked me to my core. >> Sorry. I shocked you.
>> What are you doing? >> I'm >> Are you purchasing your village? I think I started before Big Red was
ready and I saw her just quietly booping on her computer over there. I said, "What are you doing?"
She said, "I'm purchasing I'm purchasing an addition to my Halloween village." That's literally weird.
It's It's valid. I need it. >> I I love that as you were doing that, you said summer can go [ __ ] itself.
>> Yeah, that's >> summer can go [ __ ] itself. I'm adding to my Halloween. >> As
I'm buying a movie store for my Halloween village, I said summer can go [ __ ] itself. I feel like you're gonna
need one a new spot and another table for your I got quite as big as your house.
>> It's crazy. >> But you know what? It's been rough. There's been some stuff that keeps
happening. >> Yeah, >> I'm rhyming. And one of one of my one of my doies, Blanch, is sick right now.
>> Yeah. >> And she's stressing me out. She's like sick sick. She's in the the animal
hospital right now. So, everybody send good vibes. >> Everyone, poor one went out for
Blanchie, but she would >> I said I said, "You know what? I need >> I need that video store for my Halloween
village because that's going to make me happy." >> I get it. I like usually like [ __ ] with
summer. Like, not heavy, but I [ __ ] with summer. >> I'm not really fing with summer this
summer. >> No, >> it's too busy. It's too hot. I don't like it. I [ __ ] hate getting dressed
in the summer. >> [ __ ] hate. Like I can't even tell you how much I have a personal battle every
single day. I'm like, what do I wear? >> Yeah. This summer can get so [ __ ] >> Yeah.
>> Like, [ __ ] you, summer. >> I think a lot of people feel that way. I I feel like collectively, me, you, and
the listener, we want fall. >> Yeah. >> Cuz this is [ __ ] >> Let's hope that summer wraps it up
pretty soon. Like wrap >> wrap it up summer. >> Early August, it's a wrap. >> Yeah, I'm good. I am done ski. I am
fully in Halloween mode, obviously, because I'm buying spooky things for my Halloween village.
>> Hell yeah. >> I I'm done with this. >> Oh, that makes me wonder if I guarantee
you Anthropology has their Halloween stuff out. >> I probably Oh, I got to check out that
place. >> I got You got to check out, >> you know, those glasses that they have.
>> Oh, the little the little like like pumpkin glasses. >> Yes. Yes. Yes. And they have bats, like
freaking bats and stuff. Freaking bats. >> Oh, Drew is going to be like, "Ash." >> And I'm going to be like, "I got a
Halloween palette delivered." Like, uhoh. And then I'll do the same thing for Christmas. Hell yeah. And that's a
little about us. Yeah. All right. So, let's get into it. I have some I kind of put together like a little bit of a a
different episode because I felt like we needed something I don't want to say light because this one still involves
embida Henry would say, >> less intense, I guess. less intense. So, my first one is probably something that
we've all heard of. And actually, >> we recorded with Aaron Mickey yesterday and he weirdly foreshadowed this. We
were like very in tune with each other. >> He also foreshadowed something else I
have on my list. I can't remember what it was. >> Mhm. >> But I was like, "Wait, I literally just
put that down." >> Yeah. It was a great episode, by the way. You're going to love that episode.
So, >> it'll be a bonus episode. >> Yeah. I think it'll come out like some Friday in July. There's only a couple.
>> Some Friday. Pick a Friday in July. 31st. Yeah, there you go. Listen to Aiden.
>> He's got it. >> So, let's So, we're gonna talk about the Hammersmith Ghost, which uh which uh
Aaron kind of shadowed. And then we're gonna talk a little bit about like mass hysteria
and the um Halifax slasher. >> Ooh. Have you heard of either of those? >> I have.
>> Okay, cool. So, let's get into it. The Hammersmith Ghost. In December 1803, while a lot of Europe was still focused
on the Napoleonic War, I think it's called, the people of Hammersmith, which was a very small village on the
outskirts of London. >> Hammersmith. >> Hammersmith. >> I just want to go Hammer time.
>> Hammer time. >> Well, they were preoccupied not with Hammer time. No, >> but with an invasion of a different
kind. The villagers believed that something that this thing that was terrorizing their village was a ghost,
>> obviously. And it was quote covered in a white shroud confronting travelers and
in some cases physically attacking them. >> Yeah. A spectre just punching you in the
face. >> Yeah. Just being a dick >> kind of. >> Mhm. >> So, the Hammersmith ghost, as the
spectre became known, uh was reported to have been seen primarily in the local churchyard, but some reports also
claimed they encountered it in the streets and the laneways around the church. >> Encountered it in the streets.
>> In these streets around the church. Ah, now according to the reports, the ghost
appeared as soon as the church bell struck 1:00 a.m. at which time the quote spectre seemed to flit along the fields
adjacent to Black Lion Lane. >> Just let it flit. Let it flit. >> Let it flit. I've never I've never been
one to stop someone when they're flitting. >> Flit and let flit. Live and let live.
Flit and let flit. >> You should be flitting around. It should be flitting around. As long as you two
do not flit into each other, then let it happen. >> Maybe that's a meat cute when you flit
into each other. >> Whoa. >> That also sounds like a euphemism. So, I don't know.
>> It kind of does. >> It weirdly does. >> Now, why it appeared, why it first appeared, and what the [ __ ] it wanted, I
It was a mystery. You know, that's the whole point. It's a mystery. >> I'm like, don't ask me because I know
it's a mystery. But many villagers believed it was the spirit of a villager who had taken his own life the previous
year. Oh. >> By slitting his throat. Oh. >> And he had not been at peace in the graveyard. They thought, and that's why
he was flitting about, >> terrorizing everyone. >> Now, like most legends, descriptions of
the Hammersmith ghost are pretty vague and varied, but most agreed the spirit was large, white, and menacing. H
>> America. That's exactly how I would describe America. >> Large, white, and menacing.
>> That's truly just like that's that's essentially our tagline if we were real housewives. I'm large. I'm white and I'm
menacing >> and this is my town and this is my country. This is my world. Get me out of
here. Now, in one case, in one case, the ghost so many people are going to get mad at that. They literally don't care.
In one case, the ghost attacked a wagon carrying 16 people through the village. >> Holy [ __ ]
>> What the [ __ ] is this? The Oregon Trail. >> He's not flitting anymore. >> Now, the team of eight not only attacked
these 16 people, but also the team of eight horses pulling the cart. >> Oh, don't attack the horses.
>> Yeah, that's [ __ ] >> I draw the line that I Yeah, everybody has a line, you know. The appearance of
the ghost on that night scared the coach driver so badly that he quote took to his heels and left the wagon and horses
so precipitously that the whole were greatly endangered. >> Holy [ __ ] >> So he just left him horses.
>> He just left left those horses [ __ ] up. >> He took on a heel. >> Yeah. A few nights later, an unnamed
pregnant woman was walking by the churchyard around 10 p.m. when she saw what she described as a tall white
figure rise from the tombstones. Oh, >> you ain't never want to see that when you pass a 10:00 p.m. cemetery or any
later cemetery. >> Yeah. If it's after 10:00 p.m., it's okay. >> No, no, not even that.
>> Not at 10 p.m. >> No, not at 10:00 p.m. Not at 11:00 p.m. >> Don't want that.
>> Even during the day, I don't really want to see that. >> Not really. >> Keep that away from me. She tried to
run, but the spectre caught her by the arm and she fainted. >> Oh. >> Hours later, she was discovered just
laying in the road by some villagers who luckily carried her home and put her to
bed. But a few days later, it was reported that she died from fright. >> Oh my god.
>> Isn't that insane and very tragic? >> Yeah. So, by the end of the year, the ghost had become such a menace that the
villagers rallied, determined to do something about these attacks, which were becoming alarmingly frequent. So,
for several nights in a row, the men in the village sat out after midnight, laying in wait and hoping to catch the
ghost. But it always seemed like the spirit was expecting them and he was quote always sure of being on that path
which was unguarded. And also I'm like, can we be so for real for a minute, guys? What are you going to do?
>> You going to shoot a ghost? >> That's like what are you going to do? >> Their plan was to shoot the ghost.
>> Yeah, let's be real. They were going to shoot the ghost. >> Yeah, that's what they wanted to do.
>> All right, give it a shot. >> I don't know what else you do. I guess >> that's the thing. I don't really know.
>> Yeah. What else are you going to just be like? You see him and you're like, "Stop
that." >> Well, here's the thing. We didn't like witches back then. I'd contact a witch.
>> Yeah. >> But you don't have that option when you when you just got a bad history of
hangings. >> You [ __ ] up that relationship. So, >> that's the thing. That's why you don't
burn bridges. >> Yeah. You can't call me now that you need me. >> No. >> And Etsy wasn't a thing yet, so you're
[ __ ] >> Oh, wow. Now, one night just a few uh just after the new year, one of the
patrolling villagers claimed to have seen the spirit down on one of the lanes and literally broke into a full-blown
sprint chasing after him. >> Wo. >> Which, like, baby is a spirit. >> Yeah. >> Can probably go in the wall if it wants
to. >> He can do whatever he wants. >> It was during that pursuit though that the villager claimed to have seen the
supposed ghost remove a sheet or large tablecloth that was covering him in order to better make his escape. H. At
which point I would say, do we think that this is a ghost or do we think this is a man?
>> I was going to say, you know, >> to me that seems a little weird, like we are but men. Rock. Now, the notso
supernatural assalant managed to get away. But the incident was evidence of what many villagers in the village had
come to expect, and this is why they were ready with guns. They said the hammersmith ghost was no ghost at all,
but a man in a crude costume. >> Oh, now this seemed obviously like the most rational and likely explanation.
Yes, >> but there were a lot of superstitious, that's hard to say, villagers that
rejected that theory, choosing to believe that it wasn't a man, but in fact a ghost.
>> I mean, I like that better, >> more fun in my opinion. >> But we had we had two different camps
here. So, for two nights, the men of Hammermith, who believed that this was actually a man, armed themselves and
patrolled the village, determined to catch whoever it was that was posing as the ghost and terrorizing everybody. I
guess their enthusiasm and determination made up for the fact that none of them were trained in tracking or capturing
criminals. I also don't know where the local police were at this point in time. >> I was going to say
>> maybe they didn't have that yet. >> They were off. >> It's like the very early 1800s. I don't
know. I don't know their life. >> But the fact remained that the village was on edge and everybody was a little
jumpy. >> Foreshadowing. >> Uh-oh. So, in the late hours of January 3rd, 1804, a local brick layer, Thomas
Milwood, left his home and he headed to the home of a friend where his wife had been working all day. She was like a
domestic worker. >> Okay. >> That night, he was dressed in his typical workclos, quote, impeccably
laundered, white linen trousers, a white flannel waist coast, a wa waist coat, hello. A white apron, and white shoes.
>> Oh, yeah. He was a tall man dressed in stark white clothing down to his shoes. So, his
appearance was um I don't know if you picked up on this, remarkably similar to the descriptions of the Hammersmith
ghost. >> Sure was. >> In fact, twice in the previous week, members of the village patrol had
mistaken him from the spir for the spirit and tried to capture him. Luckily, before shooting. After the
second incident, his wife insisted that he start wearing a large dark coat when he was out.
>> I was going to say, don't wear white anymore. No, but that night he must have
forgotten it. >> So, as he was walking down Black Lion Lane toward his destination to just he
was literally going to pick up his wife to walk her home before he went to work.
>> Oh, man. >> And as he was walking to do that, he was spotted by Francis Smith, a customs
officer from the village. Smith had joined the Hammersmith Ghost Patrol only a few days earlier, and quickly became
frustrated by the group's quote unquote inability to catch the ghost. So he went
out alone that evening, determined to be a hero and put an end to all this. >> Oh boy.
>> So lying in wait, Smith spotted Milwood coming down the lane and given his all-white outfit, immediately assumed
that Milwood was the Hammer Smith ghost. >> Of course, >> later during his trial, that tells you
how this goes. >> Uh-oh. >> Francis Smith told the judge he stepped out of his hiding spot and loudly
announced himself twice. Both times demanding the figure stop. When Milwood apparently didn't heed Smith's demands
or respond in any way, he said he became frightened and started to fire in Milwood's direction. Oh boy. One bullet
struck Milwood in the mouth and exited out the back of his neck. >> Oh man. After the gun was fired and the
figure dropped to the ground, Francis Smith ran toward the center of town to get the other members of the patrol. A
few days later, a coroner's inquest was convened to determine the facts in the shooting. And among the first to testify
was Thomas Milwood's sister an who was at the home of a friend on Black Lion Lane when the shooting took place.
>> Oh man. >> So she was like right there. >> Yeah. >> According to her, she was inside when
she heard a voice outside uh outside on the lane shout, "Damn you. Who are you? Stand else I'll shoot you."
>> Oh no. >> And then she heard a loud bang. Yeah. >> She ran to the door and stood on some
bricks in order to get a better look. But by the time she was able to see out the window, Thomas Milwood, her brother,
was already on the ground. >> Having seen him just hours earlier, she swore that he was sober on this evening
and she had never known him to have masqueraded as the Hammersmith ghost. >> Yeah. Now, according to one witness,
John Lockach, who Smith immediately reported the shooting to, Francis Smith appeared to genuinely believe that he
had shot the ghost when he went to go and get everybody. It was only when he returned to the scene and and inspected
the body that the severity of this situation occurred to him. Yeah. Upon learning that it was Thomas Milwood he
had just shot and not the Hammersmith ghost, he became visibly upset and he insisted that he didn't mean to kill
anybody. According to Lock, Smith claimed he had spoken twice but received no answer and the night was very dark.
>> That is really sad. >> It is. So, after hearing the testimony from witnesses and reviewing all the
evidence, the coroner concluded that regardless of whether or not he recognized his target, Francis Smith had
willfully shot and killed Thomas Milwood. Yeah, he was trying to kill a ghost. He was, but he killed a man. Now,
so the jury returned a verdict of willful murder, and that was what he would be tried for.
>> Just one week later, Francis Smith's trial began at the Old Bailey. >> The Old Bailey? We've seen that a few
times. >> I know. Many times. >> Yeah. He was tried for the willful murder of Thomas Milwood. The testimony
and evidence presented at trial was pretty similar to what was presented during the coroner's inquest, but there
were some who wish to add to their previous testimony. >> Oh, excuse you. >> I know they said, but wait, there's
more. >> John Lockach, for example, wanted to stress the fact that upon learning he
had killed Thomas Milwood, Francis Smith was deeply distraught and he did want to
turn himself into the authorities. Mhm. >> And Lockach said it was only on his own
advice that Smith went home and waited until the next morning to speak to the constable.
>> Oh, damn. So, I guess we found the police. >> Yeah, there they are. Where they been?
>> I don't know. Hey guys, nice of you to arrive. Here they are now. But I was like,
>> why would you tell a courtroom that you yourself were like, nah, don't don't report the murder.
>> Yeah, sleep on it. >> He was like, this is probably fine. >> Laqua, >> that's how you know the time period cuz
he's like, this is fine. >> Yeah, just had a good night's sleep. >> Nobody's going to think twice about
this. Report the murder once you're arrested. >> Yeah, I told him just, you know, sleep
on it. >> Catch some sheep. >> Sleep on it. See how you feel. >> I was just going to say catch some
sheep. >> Catch some catch some sheep. >> That's not how that works. That's hard
to say. Catch some sheep. >> Yeah, catch some sheep. I told you. >> Sounded like a drunk lady.
>> Truth. >> Lock also testified though that while most of the village had been alarmed
about the supposed Hammersmith ghost, Francis Smith in particular had been more alarmed than most people. M uh
Smith's friend and neighbor William Girdler, who he had seen earlier that evening, gave gave similar testimony,
stressing that the night in question had been extremely dark and Smith had been in a highly agitated state.
>> Probably not a good time to take out a gun, though. >> Definitely not. >> But like nobody was thinking about that
back then. You always had your gun. >> Always. >> Both uh both men and several others
wanted the jury to know that Francis Smith was exceedingly mild and generous and he was very much liked in the
neighborhood. They could not see him acting maliciously on purpose. >> Okay. Now, as far as the matter of the
ghost was concerned, the quote unquote ghost, few if any of the villagers thought Thomas Milwood was the
perpetrator of the Hammersmith ghost hoax. Like people who believed that it was somebody masquerading,
>> they didn't think it was him. No. Just going around trying to do this? >> No. According to testimony provided by
Anne Milwood, on the evening of his death, her brother had put on his work clothes and like I said, gone to the
Black Lion Lane to walk his wife home after her shift. >> Yeah. >> And was then just going to go to work.
>> She couldn't explain why her brother didn't stop when Smith demanded for him to, but she assured the jury that Thomas
had not been drinking that evening like some rumor spreading [ __ ] ass villagers
had suggested. >> Wow. >> The rumor mill was alive and well even back then. Truly
>> people >> be people and >> gun of people. You changed it. >> Sorry. They're going to people.
>> Why' you get crazy with that? >> You know why I got crazy with it? Cuz my brain was somewhere else. I was thinking
about in Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the original one. >> Mhm. >> When she gets she has to do like witch
community service >> and one of them is she has to work at the rumor mill and she has to churn out
rumors for mortals. >> Wow. That's like one of the earliest episodes. Look at you.
>> It is. You have such an interesting brain. Yeah. >> The way it works, the way that it can
relate back to Sabrina or Gilmore Girls in a instant. >> It's true. >> I respect it.
>> Now, other members of Thomas Milwood's family also testified, telling the jury
that Thomas already had two run-ins, like I said, with the local patrols because of his outfit.
>> Mhm. >> In the first instance, he was dressed in his work clothes when one man shouted,
"There goes the ghost." Thomas quickly replied, "I am no more a ghost than yourself." Do you want to punch Oo the
head? And I respect that. >> I love that a lot. >> You want to punch Oo the head.
>> You want to punch the head? >> I don't. That sounds like something >> I mean me. I don't.
>> Sounds like something Puppet would say in traffic. >> Yeah, absolutely. That's something he
would say anytime. >> You want to punch the head? >> Yeah, truly love it. Now, after the
second accusation that he was the ghost, like we said, his wife suggested that he
wear a heavy coat to avoid any more misidentifications, but he insisted there was little danger
and he was kind of inconsistent in covering up his work clothes. He was like, "I don't really want to."
>> Cuz he's like, "This is stupid. You should know that I'm not the ghost. >> You should know I am, but man."
>> Yeah. >> Now, after all the testimony had been given, the judge asked whether Francis
Smith had anything to say on his own behalf. At first, he declined, saying that he wished to leave his defense to
his lawyer. But this is wild. The judge reminded him that his lawyer was only allowed to interview witnesses, not
speak on his client's behalf. >> Oh, dang. >> So, if he had anything he wanted to say,
he would have to say it himself. >> Oh, >> isn't that so interesting to see how that worked so differently back then?
>> So, Smith thought for a moment. And then he addressed the court saying, "When uh
he went out from home, it was with very good intention, an intention of finding out the person who had alarmed the
neighborhood by assuming a a supernatural appearance." And then he reiterated what he told the constable.
When Thomas Milwood failed to respond after he called out twice, Smith became quote very much frightened and knew not
what he did. >> Although he didn't deny that he fired the shots that killed Thomas Milwood, he
insisted he did not do so with the intention of killing somebody. And he did have a lot of remorse.
>> Okay. >> Which is just like it's interesting to think of his headspace because
>> that's a wild defense. Like if I heard that now, I'd be like, are you [ __ ] kidding me?
>> Yeah. But you think about like the panic of the time. >> Yeah. It makes sense for back then that
they truly thought that a ghost was terrorizing their community. >> Yeah. Like and he was one of the people
I I think that did think it was a ghost. It sounds like >> it makes sense. >> Now, after both sides rested their
cases, the judge turned his attention to the jury. The accused, he reminded them,
was indicted for the murder of Thomas Milwood, a crime that generally, though not always, required the prosecution to
provide evidence of malice uh propence. If the jury believed such a cause had been made, then they had a
responsibility to find him guilty of murder. >> The judge did remind them though that
they were allowed to take the accused state of mind into consideration as a mitigating factor with regard to intent.
>> He was he was wildening. >> He was, >> you know, >> and the judge reminded the jury of that.
>> He was crashing out. You have to take that into consideration. >> He's crashing out now, that's for sure.
>> Yeah. If the jury had found the defense argument that Smith shot in self-defense
a compelling one, then they could have quit him of the charge. That's what they were told.
>> That would have sucked. >> Yeah. Like I don't think I don't think he like truly meant to do what he did
like for it all to shake out the way that it did. >> No. >> But he did kill someone.
>> Exactly. >> So I think we need to take that into consideration. >> Yeah, we very much do.
>> Reckless. On paper, it was pretty simple. If Smith fired out of malice, that's murder. If he filed out of mortal
fear, that's self-defense. But the problem was, as far as the judge and the jury could tell, his actions didn't
really fall into either category. >> They really didn't. >> He himself testified that at no time did
Thomas Milwood give any indication he was going to attack him. So, he wasn't >> necessarily acting in self-defense.
>> Yeah. >> And Thomas just simply failed to stop walking when Smith called out to him.
And he didn't have to stop walking. That's the thing. Walking. No one has an obligation to stop walking when some
stranger tells them to stop walking. >> No. >> So that doesn't fit. >> There's nothing there, babe.
>> So based on the evidence in the testimony, the jury returned with a verdict of manslaughter.
>> Okay. >> A far less serious charge than murder, obviously. But unfortunately, the three
justice panel could not accept this jury's decision. >> Oh. >> The evidence, as far as they could see,
it did not support the support the lesser charge of manslaughter on the grounds of self-defense. Milwood wasn't
doing anything that warranted being shot like we just said. And as the justices pointed out, even if he had been the
Hammersmith ghost, the ghost crimes quote amounted only to misdemeanor of nuisance, that would not have attracted
a capital punishment. >> That was the other thing I was like, even if he really thought it was the
ghost, the ghost has not really like [ __ ] anyone up, >> scaring people. >> He's just freaking people out. That's
not a crime. >> Yeah, exactly. Like, >> so you can't just go around shooting people because they freak people out
>> and they're annoying >> and they're annoying. >> Yeah. People would get shot if that was
the case. >> And you tell them to stop, >> right? >> So, taking all that into consideration,
they were only left with one option. They really didn't have any other choice but to find Francis Smith guilty of
murder. >> Yeah. >> In the wake of the verdict, he was sentenced to death by hanging.
>> Oh. >> After which, his body was to be drawn and quartered. >> It's the 1800s.
>> Holy [ __ ] So, like that feels like a lot. >> That feels like a lot, >> you know. Now, the trial and the
conviction quickly became a source of considerable publicity in nearby London. >> And remember, Gary Ridgeway is still
sitting >> in prison and look what he did and this guy did this and is going to be hanged
and drawn and quartered. >> I was going to say we got we gave Gary a pleading. >> We're a little uh a little off balance
here. >> Yeah. Now, so the trial and the conviction, like I said, quickly became
a source of considerable publicity in nearby London. As much for the supposed supernatural aspect of the story as the
legal comp uh complications, prosecution of a crime was typically a pretty straightforward endeavor back then. A
person was either guilty or not guilty, and it was up to the crown's prosecutors
to prove if they weren't. But the Smith case added this element of complication that they really hadn't ever seen before
in British courts and it raised several questions about the limits of self-defense in cases where somebody
kills another person or causes their death. These questions would be some of the most difficult challenges that the
British legal system would have to grapple with for really more than a century. Now, the complexities of the
case and the legal systems just inability to accommodate circumstances like the one that we have here was
particularly maddening for the judge, Lord Chief uh Baron McDonald. I don't know why. That's just like a really
funny name to me. >> Lord Chief Baron McDonald. >> It just reminds me of Old McDonald.
>> I like that. >> But like Lord Mcheord Chief, I was going to say >> Lord Mchief had a courtroom.
>> Yeah, he did. So like many people in the courtroom, Lord Mcchief Macdonald was
sympathetic to the plight of the accused. But he was also bound by the law and couldn't ignore that it was his
responsibility to apply the law as it was rather than what he wanted it to be. >> Mhm.
>> After Smith's sentencing, he did take the case to the king though, who had the
power to commute the sentence. And in the end, Francis Smith was spared the death sentence and instead served one
year of hard labor. >> Okay. Now, despite the unfortunate outcome for everybody involved, there
was one silver lining. The death of Thomas Milwood and the conviction of Francis Smith caused the real
Hammersmith ghost, a local shoe maker named John Graham >> to come forward and confessed.
>> Oh, damn. >> Confess, excuse me. According to Graham, he dawned the white sheet and played the
role of the Hammersmith ghost to get back at his apprentices after they told his children scary ghost stories.
That's actually really funny. >> Like it's without context, it's really funny. >> That's the thing. Without context, that
is funny. >> I was like, "Oo, but your choice to do so." >> But like really caused everyone to wild
out because dad when you saw everything starting to go willy-nilly. >> Yeah. >> Maybe you should have come out and been
like, "Before this gets any crazier." >> Yeah. Before these men got >> trying to scare my apprentices. Exactly.
Exactly. >> Damn. So, his confession should have put the legend of the Hammersmith ghost to
rest, but the reports continued for more than a few decades. >> Damn. >> Yeah. Everybody was just really into it.
>> You don't want to let go of a ghost story. >> Listen, I don't either. I hate when
ghost stories get disproved. >> No, I hate it. >> I usually they don't end in the murder
of an innocent man. So, >> no. Even worse, you know. >> So, the Hammersmith Ghost is a very
solid example of mass psychoggenic illness, also known as mass hysteria. In the case of the Hammersmith ghost, the
threat and the supposed supernatural danger might have been fake, but the perpetrator was all too real. In the
next case, though, we have a phantom stalker on the streets of England. >> Oo. >> And it wasn't just the threat that was
entirely fictional, but the perpetrator himself actually never existed either. >> Wow.
>> Yeah, >> we have some hysteria. >> We have some hysteria. Welcome. So, the story of the Halifl
You can leave that in. The story of the Halifax slasher. Say that three times fast.
>> Halifax slasher. Halifax slasher. Halifax slasher. >> That's not fast. You took the longest
poss slasher. Halifax slasher. Halifax slasher. >> I'm going to punch you. I'm going to
I'mma punch you over the head. >> That was hard to say though. I had to think it through.
>> Hell, I can't do it. >> Fire. I'm going to punch you over the head. Other head.
So, it begins on the evening of November 16th, 1938. 21-year-old Mary Gladill was uh walking
home and claimed a man she'd never seen before leaped out of the shadows and swung what looked to Mary to be like a
small mallet. >> Oh, [ __ ] that. >> Yeah, I'm not trying to run into that on the way home.
>> So, Mary put up her arm to protect herself. Yeah. And when her attacker brought the hammer down, it struck her
on the wrist, breaking her skin. >> Oh [ __ ] >> Yeah. Rather than raise the hammer for a
second blow though, the man just simply ran off. >> What an [ __ ] >> Weird. >> Yeah.
>> That same evening in another part of town, Gertrude Watts, a young woman from
Ripperton. >> Ripperton. >> Rippertton. Riperoni, reported a very similar assault to the police.
>> That's [ __ ] up. >> Both women provided pretty vague descriptions of the man who had hit them
with a mallet. Neither got a very good look at him during the attack and they couldn't remember anything more than
just generalities about >> Yeah. He's They were like, "It's a man from the 1930s.
>> He's a man. >> I know that. >> Got a mustache." >> Yep. >> And a mallet and he hit me.
>> Yep. >> Here he is. >> But there is one thing that they all they both remembered and it was that the
attacker had bright buckles on his shoes. >> They both said so. >> Okay. The attack seemed like two
possibly related petty crimes, but being that they were relatively minor in terms
of injury, like it sucked, but they didn't need surgery or anything, they didn't raise any alarm bells right away.
5 days later, though, another report of an assault came into the Halifax police,
and it seemed like a pattern was taking shape. This time, 21-year-old Mary Suckcliffe was walking home on Allerton
Street when a man stepped out from under a street lamp and swung some sort of tool. Some claims report that it was a
hammer while others say that it was a sharp instrument. >> But he swung that tool in her direction.
Instinctively, Mary threw her hand up to guard her face and she too was struck on
the wrist and she sustained sustained >> sustained. >> She sustained a a Oh my god.
>> Oh my god. Put it in the out takes. >> Sustained a minor. Like why do I just want to be a Irish lad today?
Like what the >> damn you're like the berries and cream guy. >> That lady told us we were beautiful
Irish people and I just really leaned in. >> You did. >> So Mary threw up her hand to guard her
face obviously and she too was struck on the wrist, sustaining a minor injury in
the process that actually did go on to require several stitches. >> Oh [ __ ] >> Later that same evening, another young
woman, Josephine Stemings, reported that she had also been attacked in a similar
manner. >> Everyone watch your wrists. >> Yeah, hide your wrists. hide your fanges.
>> It was announced, it was the announcement of the third attack that put the residents of Halifax very much
on edge. >> Yeah. >> 10 years earlier in the winter of 1927, there was a series of attacks in
Halifax, very similar to the ones that were being reported by these young women. That February, several women
started reporting that they'd been attacked by a man wielding a razor. >> Oh, yeah. I remember reading about this.
>> I hadn't heard of this before, but he just cut the fabric of their dresses. >> Yeah. One woman's skin was graced by the
razor, but it seemed like the attacker's objective was just to destroy the clothing, not to harm the victims.
>> A few days later, Halifax police arrested 26-year-old James Leonard, a married laborer who was living only
temporarily in the city. >> And while transporting him to the holding cells, one of the officers
witnessed him trying to get rid of something in his pocket. And when they searched him, they literally found him
with the very razor blade he was using to slash out the women on the street. They were really uh really out here
doing a good job back then. >> I love that as they were bringing him to the holding cell, meaning they have
already arrested him and you would think searched his person, they're like, "Oh,
you have the weapon and >> in question right here." >> Check you out, brother. >> That's good.
>> Like maybe we should have searched earlier. >> Great. So upon hearing the charges against
Leonard, the judge proclaimed the man's actions to be the vilest and meanest trick played against the women of
Halifax and he sentenced them. >> He appreciates fashion. >> He does. It's the vilest meanest trick.
>> He said, "That's actually so [ __ ] up of you." >> Yeah, >> that's actually really [ __ ] up.
>> I actually appreciate how much he he of this. He sentenced Leonard to one year
of hard labor, which when you think about the fact that Francis Smith was also sentenced to one year of hard labor
and that this man who cut a couple dresses was sentenced to that, like you really got to sit with that.
>> We got to figure stuff out. >> Yeah, we should. I We did eventually like a little bit.
>> A little bit. >> But we're still working on it. I think we >> sure are. >> Imagine if like today there was just a
man going around cutting people's dresses. >> I mean, that's [ __ ] up. >> It is.
>> That's scary and weird. >> I don't like it. >> Yeah. >> What was the motive? >> To be a dick. I guess so. To be vile and
mean. >> Yeah. >> While the new attacks in 1938 brought the previous wave of terror to the front
of everybody's minds and made residents wondered, had James Leonard come back? >> Oh my goodness.
>> Or worse with somebody copying his attacks, but with more malicious intentions, actually wanting to hurt
people this time. Concern grew greater when on November 24th, Klay Aspenol, caretaker of the local Sunday school,
reported that he was leaving the school that afternoon when he was set upon by a
man matching the description of Mary Sutliff's attacker. Mhm. >> Which again was vague.
>> Yeah. >> The man was carrying some sort of metal tool and swung it toward the caretaker
who instinctively threw up his arms to protect his face. >> Thank goodness they all did that.
>> Everybody's got cat-like reflexes. >> Roxy like a puma. >> Do you remember that? It's from Drake
and Josh. >> Roxy like a puma. >> I'm surprised I never made you watch. >> That was out of my uh my time.
>> Yeah, I was. Well, in doing so and in and being like a puma, he managed to spare himself all but a scratch on the
forehead and the man just ran across the lawn of the school, jumped a fence, and
disappeared into the woods. Agile. >> Like, what is he getting out of this? >> Malice.
>> Yeah, >> I guess. >> I suppose >> loves a mean trick. >> Yeah. >> So, in making the report, Aspenol
reported that the man was about 30, 5' n in height, hair inclined to be ginger, stoops a little, wearing a fawn rain
coat. I like describing it as his hair was inclined to be ginger. Like it wanted to be.
>> It had aspirations to be ginger. Like it was working hard towards the goal of
being ginger. That's like good for it. >> It's like a blonde trying to achieve strawberry blonde and stuff.
>> They're trying, you know. >> So I love that a lot. The report of the attack on Clay Aspel set off panic
around Halifax cuz also now a man has been attacked so nobody no one's safe and now we really have to worry you
know. >> Yeah, women are always getting attacked. We're just used to that but men now are
like wait a second. >> Yeah, we're not we have to do something about we got to fix this.
>> My god. Yeah. Now whether it was Joseph Leonard who who had come back to play
more mean tricks or someone else. Obviously, there was a maniac on the loose of the streets of the town, and he
wasn't content with content with just slashing the fabric of ladies dresses. He wanted to do real harm.
>> He was swinging mallets at me. >> He wanted to injure your wrists. >> Yeah. >> Now, the police in Halifax mobilized in
hopes of catching the attacker. >> It's about time. >> But the evidence was scarce. I said it
correctly. >> Did you hear that, Debb? >> As I always say, scarce, and I have forever. And Debbie and Elena were like,
"That's not how you say it." >> It's true. And it's it's not >> I know it's not. And I wanted to
continue to say scarse, but now I can't because you ruined it for me. >> I'm sure some people will back you, so
don't worry. >> I don't think they will. It's just it's simply not how you say it.
>> It's just not the way you say it. >> It's a It's I think it's nicer. Scarce. >> Yeah. I see. I don't like It's harsh.
>> Well, yeah, >> cuz it sounds like harsh. >> Scarcity is pretty harsh. >> Scarce.
>> It's a more airy. >> It is airy >> feel to it, you know? >> You just like trying to make scarcity
better. >> Yeah. >> All right. >> Mhm. Okay. Evidence was scarce, scarce, scarce. And witnesses were limited to
the victims alone. So, in announcing the attack in Aspenol, they also announced a
10 lb reward for any information that led to the arrest. But literally, all that did was trigger an endless stream
of dead end leads. >> Oh, of course it did. >> By November 26th, more reports of
attacks began coming in. There was Alex McDonald who or Alice, excuse me, McDonald who was attacked in Asheville
Gardens, they're not mine, by a man with a razor who wore shoes with bright metal
buckles. >> Oh, the buckles. >> He could be the one. Later that night, Percy Wington was attacked from behind
on Lower Edge Road by a man with a razor who cut Percy's hand in the struggle. >> [ __ ] that. A short time later, Mrs.
Annie Cannon was attacked on Theareay Street about a mile from the center of Halifax. Not to be confused with the BS.
>> Not to be confused. According to Annie, she'd just been walking home when an unknown asalant I always have trouble
saying that word, too. As salient. >> Asalent. >> Yeah, I like to add a Y to it, and I'm
going to continue to. >> I'll allow you to do that. >> The asalant jumped out of the dark and
struck at her with a partially concealed weapon, slashing her jumper. >> Not her jumper.
>> So, it's like, okay, so first he wanted to injure your wrists, and he was doing
that, and then he escalated to slashing jumpers and >> dresses. >> [ __ ] up. In the days that followed,
more attacks were reported and public anxiety continued to grow. I'd be stressed.
>> I'd be [ __ ] myself. >> Yeah. Now there was nearly a dozen reports of attacks and the public was on
the brink of hysteria. >> When does this end? >> Well, the local police reported that the
they reported their theory that the quote slashing is the work not of a maniac, but of some persons or person
reing in the publicity and public hysteria they were creating. >> Isn't that kind of a maniac though?
>> Yes. Like I don't I don't think like a sane person is excited to be causing a
ton of public outcry. >> Yeah. >> Like I feel like you have to be a little bit of a maniac to be moderating
people intentionally and two causing people to freak out and be worried. >> I think the police basically were like
it's not a maniac. Just shut up and calm down. >> Yeah. They were like don't worry about
it. It's just it's just some silly goose who thinks it's really fun that everybody's getting upset. It's like
that doesn't make it better. >> And they they basically were like, "Listen, they're enjoying that you're
acting so crazy, so calm." >> You know what? We all want a little whimsy in our lives. Who are we to stop
this person? This is their version of whimsy. Okay. >> So, just chill. >> So, everybody just chill out. Just eat a
moon pie. Quit murder. Quit slashing people. Oh, >> quit getting upset that you're being
slashed. >> They didn't have moon pies back then, so maybe that's why they were so pissed
off. >> That was the problem. I'd be pissed off. That was a problem. Who invented Moon
Pies? Look that up. Fun fact of the episode. >> Now, one Halifax police officer went a
step further, though, and told a reporter, "I should think there are about three persons committing these
offenses." Which wouldn't make me feel better. >> No, now I feel outnumbered. >> I love that. I love that they're like,
"Calm down." And then they're like, "It's actually [ __ ] three of them." >> Yeah. Like, calm the [ __ ] down. It's
just a group of people doing this. Okay. >> Oh, awesome. >> So, it's many maniacs. Awesome.
>> As the police attempted to hunt down the slasher andor slashers, reports of attacks from nearby towns then started
to roll in. >> At the same time, victims in Halifax continued reporting their own
interactions with the slasher or slashers. On the night of November 27th, Lily Woodhead was attacked by a man in
an alley who jumped a large wall and fled the scene immediately after striking her. And then there was
Beatatric Sorrel, a 19-year-old whose attack resulted in several stitches. >> She said, "I was passing a dark yard
when suddenly I saw an arm come out and felt a blow." >> I hate that a lot. >> I do, too. I also hate that they needed
stitches. >> Now, the growing number of attacks prompted the local authorities to
mobilize groups of local boy scouts. >> They're always using the Boy Scouts. >> Isn't it weird that like these vastly
different cases have that in common for your Richard uh >> what's his [ __ ] name?
>> Gary Ridgeway. >> Why did I just call him Richard? Ridgeway. >> I guess maybe that's why
>> I'm giving it to you. Thank you. >> Yeah, they use Boy Scouts to go look for for remains.
>> Yeah. >> And then they just are sending out Boy Scouts to stop like a f a a raving
maniac slicing at people. >> Yeah. I'm like, what if they slice up the Boy Scouts?
>> What if they escalate? >> Yeah. >> So, they sent them out to keep watch and the local police officers started
interviewing any men who were deemed suspicious, which probably was a lot of men back then.
>> Probably. If I had to interview any man that I deemed suspicious, it would be a
busy day. >> Yeah. >> The biggest problem, of course, was that investigators had few details beyond the
very vague descriptions of the slasher's height and the shoes that he wore. And the few suspects that they did have
didn't match any of those details. >> Some victims said he was ordinary or handsome. Others said uh told police his
teeth were rotten and that he had a horrible grin. >> Oh. By the end of November, the attacks
had increased and spread outside of Halifax and were now being reported in surrounding towns as well. On November
28th, 18-year-old Wifford Walsh was walking in Lancasher when she was grabbed by the arm by a man who dragged
her into a backyard and inflicted a 5in slash on her arm before just releasing her and running away.
>> Winnie Walsh. >> Winnie Walsh. >> That's [ __ ] up. A 5 in. That's big. >> The spreads of the attack only increased
public panic. Obviously, one reporter wrote, "Movies and churches are shy of patronage. Shops close at dusk. One
employer instructed women employees not to leave their home until called for by a truck."
I've never been called for by a truck. I was going to say, >> I just picture to outside everyone's
door just be like, "I'm here. It's me, Tobater. I'm here to bring you to work. You're being called for."
>> Like, what? Like, what does that mean? call. I guess like they said called for
by a truck. >> Called for by a truck. I don't know. >> You stay in your home >> until the truck calls you.
>> I'd be like, "Okay, it's me." The truck. >> I guess they sent like I don't know.
Maybe there was like a lot of people in the trucks and they were like, "Hey, we're here to pick you up for work." Or
maybe it was tomato. Who am I to say? We just brought him back for a Pixar movie.
With the number of attacks now reaching 20, >> local police reached out to the detectives of Scotland Yard.
>> Oh, get them on the case. >> We got Scotland Yard on the case. They sent one of their investigators to aid
in the hunt. >> Scotland Yard was like, "This sounds dumb. We're only going to send one."
>> They said, "This is tom foolery. You can have one of our men." They said, "You
know what? Everyone stay in their house until the truck calls you that. That's how we'll
>> basically [ __ ] off. >> Yeah. >> This was not sufficient for the town's folk who after nearly two weeks of
ongoing attacks decided to take the law into their own hands and hunt for the slasher. I don't either.
>> They're upset. It's happening in their little bubble. >> Yeah. And you're only getting one
Scotland Yard guy. Come on. >> Over the course of two days, more than 5,000 locals turn out to the streets
with one Scotland Yard detective. >> One guy in a mustache. literally was like, "Here I am." Uh,
and they were searching for the slasher. >> While most were law-abiding and sincerely did want to increase public
safety, many had given into their fears and were acting very recklessly >> because people go to people.
>> Of course, by the end of the month, the press was reporting that quote, "A few
young men had been badly knocked about by crowds and mistake for the slasher >> or
they punched him over the head. Many other med had men had similar less violent interactions with the mobs who
just, you know, chased them down the streets and inside their house. >> Yeah. Until the truck called them.
>> Yeah. Exactly. I loved I love that. By November 30th, the attacks had started
to slow, presumably due to the presence of the Scotland Yard detective, >> the single Scotland Yard detective,
>> and the presence of the British Legion members who had come to Halifax to escort women on their errands. So, at
least there was that. For the first time in weeks, the public started to wonder maybe had the slasher been frightened
away for good. >> They thought that in the Gary Ridgeway case. >> They did. Why does that But that was
real. >> Yeah. >> By December 1st, a handful of reports of so uh supposedly recent attacks did come
into the police, but the police declined to file the reports saying that the attacks had not been substantiated to
their satisfaction. >> Oh. Without the constant threat of a new slashing victim or roving mobs to deal
with, investigators on the trail of the Halifax Halifax slasher were finally able to take a step back and evaluate
the case objectively for the first time. >> Uh-oh. >> Although the initial reports made by
Mary Gladhill, Gertrude Watts, and Mary Suckcliffe had been substantiated and were deemed legitimate,
>> Mhm. >> the other reports were far less reliable and kind of just unbelievable. Among the
more challenging aspects of the case was the distance between the locations where
the attacks were reported. In one instance, uh, police in Lancasher might have might receive a report of a
slashing at 6:10 p.m. and then the police in Halifax, many miles away, would also get a report just a few
minutes later. And it would have been impossible for one man or really even three to get across town so quickly.
>> Yeah. >> With or without a car. Of course, it was possible that the attacks could have
been committed by several men, like I said. Yeah, >> but given the depraved personality
required to commit these acts, it did seem kind of unlikely. >> It is. >> It's not, in my opinion, it's not that
unlikely. Like men are nuts. But >> well, and now we've seen so many cases where like two people get together and
like the hillside strangers, you know, like >> um Otis Tulle and Henry Lee Lucas hung
out for a little. >> Yeah. Like we see like couples who get together and do this [ __ ] Like
>> so there it is a possibility that there's several [ __ ] up individuals. >> I think it's just weird cuz even in
those cases like they were working together. In this case they'd just be like let's split up and go hit people in
the >> That's the thing like I'm just failing to see the the real reason for the song.
>> Yeah. I don't get the the emmo would be certain. >> They're not getting anything like
they're not stealing money >> unless they're like coming back together and being like how many wrists did you
hit tonight? >> Yeah. That's the thing. Are they like meeting back up at the end of the night
and being like, >> "Were they doing >> pop anyone on the wrist tonight?" >> Yeah. I don't know.
>> Yeah. >> But then there was the near total lack of evidence, witnesses, and sometimes
injuries. If somebody was being attacked by a razor, you would expect them to have some injury to their hands or arms,
even like defensive wounds. >> Yeah. So, with the benefit, like I said, of objectivity, it was beginning to look
to the Halif to Halifax investigators like the hysteria surrounding the mysterious and terrifying Halifax
slasher might just be that >> damn hysteria. In a statement to the press on December 2nd, Halifax's chief
constable told reporters, "No one was charged with any offense concerning the present situation, and there never was,
nor was there likely to be any real danger to the general public." >> Wow. By the end of the day,
investigators were speaking in more certain terms. Detective Sergeant uh Harry Stutard of the Scotland Yard told
the press, "Certainly 15 persons did actually receive slashes, but now the police uh but the police are now
satisfied that no one who has been termed the slasher was concerned." So he was like, "Yeah, people did get cuts,
but there was not a slasher." Huh. Weird, right? I'm like those those statements seem to be
conflicting. fighting each other a little bit in my brain. >> You'll see. >> Okay.
>> But it seems that by exposing the Halifax slasher as nothing more than a myth perpetuated by public hysteria and
wild imaginations, investigators in Halifax and those at Scotland Yarn took away the power that the story had over
the public. >> And by the end of the first week of December, there were no new verified
slashing attacks. >> Interesting. >> And those that were reported were deemed hoaxes. In one case, a teenage girl in
Halifax was arrested for providing a false report uh after she was found to have tied herself up and torn her
clothing in order to create the impression that she had been a victim of the slasher. Whoa. Decades later, when
he was asked about the Halifax slasher, medical sociologist and professional skeptic Dr. Robert Barthol Bartholomew
concluded, quote, "Most of the supposed sightings amounted to a figment of the panicked public's imagination, with most
of those who had been wounded eventually admitting to having self-inflicted the injuries due to nerves
>> or to make boyfriends feel guilty after an argument." >> Whoa. >> Rough. >> Damn.
>> Rough. >> Effective. >> Whoa. >> Yikes. >> Like you really you really did it. You
made everybody feel bad after >> you done did it. >> Holy [ __ ] >> Detectives just escorting you to do your
[ __ ] >> Yeah, you brought one single detective from Scotland Yard. So, >> hey, it doesn't seem like they're
willing to give much. So, that's a big deal. >> Throughout the first weeks of December,
after the hysteria died down, several young people started confessing to their friends, parents, or even the
authorities that they either faked the attacks for attention or faked the attacks to get themselves out of
trouble. >> That's actually so sad. >> It is sad. Like that's wildly sad. >> Yeah. I think I It's very similar to the
Salem witch trials. I think life was [ __ ] boring back then. >> You had to create your own [ __ ]
>> Yep. >> But in the end, their hoaxes backfired. Many of those who orchestrated slasher
hoaxes were brought up on charges of mischief and admonished obviously for their uh contributions not just to
public anxieties, but also to the economic harm done by the curfews, the fear, the one Scotland Yard detective.
>> Resources. put a lot of resources here. >> But that was that it was never real to
begin with. >> That was it. >> Yeah. >> Damn. >> Yeah. >> Those are really interesting cases just
cuz it's a bunch of people believing something >> that is unbelievable for us to think
about >> and also just getting so reckless in in both stories. >> Group think is a hell of a thing.
>> It sure is. >> Yeah. So, do you have a fun fact for us that makes us feel better about group
think? >> I do. The moon pie was invented in 1917 by Earl Mitchell. He was a traveling
salesman for the Chattanooga Bakery in Chattanooga, Tennessee. >> They could have had a moon pie.
>> So, they actually could have had a moon pie >> and quit slashing people >> and they should have had a moon pie
>> or pretending to be slashed. >> Yeah, we were out here saying that's the problem. They didn't have moon pies.
They did have moon pies. >> Wow. >> Maybe. Maybe they were. Maybe they were only in Tennessee.
>> I was just going to say we're in we're here. They're there. >> Wow. Even back then was there like crazy
[ __ ] in moon pies that Europe said no thank you to. >> Maybe they were like >> Europe was like you guys are crazy.
>> They were like there's like 45 ingredients on this that like we will literally not allow
>> moon pies for life. >> I wonder if you can get a moon pie in Europe. Let us know.
>> Yeah. Europeans, let us know if you can get a moon pie. >> Period. >> Yeah. >> All right. Well, guys, this one was just
like a fun loosey goosey one to be silly after >> really intense dark and rough.
>> Yeah. Yeah, I got to get Gary out of my head. >> Yeah, Gary's got to go. >> So, that being said, we hope you keep
listening >> and we hope you >> keep it weird, but not so weird that you start slashing
yourself to like get out of work or something and create public hysteria. >> Absolutely not.
>> The hash slinging. The slash slinging. The hashlinging slasher. >> She has no idea what I was just talking
about. Maybe I won't even tell. It's Spongebob. Yes. Yeah. See, I know.

In eighteenth and nineteenth century England, two phantom stalkers terrorized the public and captured the collective imagination to the point of violence. However, violent outcomes and legal consequences notwithstanding, neither phantom was ever anything more than a figment of people’s imaginations. References Associated Press. 1938. "Roving bands, armed with clubs, hunt Halifax Slasher." Sheboygan Press, November 29: 1.

Daily Echo. 1938. "Halifax 'Slasher' a myth." Daily Echo, December 2: 14.

Daily Record. 1938. "Maniac slasher terrorises women." Daily Record, November 28: 1.

—. 1938. "Police say there is no slasher." Daily Record, December 2: 1.

Daily Telegraph. 1938. "Man slashed in street." Daily Telegraph (London, UK), November 25: 16.

Dorset Echo. 1938. "Slasher strikes for the 11th time." Dorset Echo, November 28: 1.

Feikert-Ahalt, Clare. 2015. The Case of a Ghost Haunted England for Over Two Hundred Years. October 30. Accessed July 1, 2026. https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2015/10/the-case-of-a-ghost-haunted-england-for-over-two-hundred-years/.

Herald Express. 1938. "Halifax 'Slasher' strikes again." Herald Express, November 28: 1.

Kirby, R.S. 1804. Kirby's Wonderful and Scientific Museum: or Magazine of Remarkable Characters. London, UK: Lond House Yard.

McArdle, Helen. 2022. "Panic around needle spiking amounts to psychogenic illness." The Herald, December 10: 20.

Mitchell, Edwin Valentine. 1926. "Francis Smith: Condemned to death for the murder of a supposed ghost." In The Newgate calendar: Comprising interesting memoirs of the most notorious characters who have been convicted of outrages on the laws of England, by Edwin Valentine Mitchell. Garden City, NY: Garden City Publishing Company.

South Wales Evening Post. 1938. "Halifax still fears 'The Slasher'." South Wales Evening Post, December 1: 1.

Telegraph and Argus. 1927. "Dresses slashed with razor." Telegraph and Argus, February 16: 7.

The Guardian. 1938. "Girl on mischief charge." The Guardian, December 14: 3.

Western Mail. 1938. "Silent attacker alarms town; police reward offer." Western Mail, November 26: 7.

Cowritten by Alaina Urquhart, Ash Kelley & Dave White (Since 10/2022) Produced & Edited by Mikie Sirois (Since 2023) Research by Dave White (Since 10/2022), Alaina Urquhart & Ash Kelley Listener Correspondence & Collaboration by Debra Lally Listener Tale Video Edited by Aidan McElman (Since 6/2025) Listener Tale Theme Music licensed from https://www.purple-planet.com Main Theme: Matti Paalanen — Trick or Treat — Provided by Jamendo Ad Music: Title: Artist: BlueJay Studio — Spooky Waltz — Provided by Jamendo

Brief Summary

The episode discusses the Hammersmith Ghost and Halifax Slasher, exploring mass hysteria and tragic outcomes from public panic.

Key points

The Hammersmith Ghost. In 1803, a ghost terrorizes a small village, leading to panic and tragedy.
The Ghost Patrol. Villagers form a patrol to catch the ghost, leading to a tragic misunderstanding.
A Fatal Mistake. A villager mistakenly shoots an innocent man, believing he is the ghost.
A Shocking Verdict. Despite the jury's manslaughter verdict, the justices found Smith guilty of murder, leading to a death sentence.
The Hammersmith Ghost Trial. The trial of Francis Smith for the murder of Thomas Milwood raises questions about self-defense and societal panic.
Confession of the Real Ghost. The true identity of the Hammersmith ghost is revealed when John Graham confesses to the hoax.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

This summer can honestly go [ __ ] itself.

Expressing frustration with summer.

1:17WatchJul 26, 2026

Tension

60/ 100Some tension

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