Linda Hazzard & Starvation Heights (Part 1) | Morbid | Podcast | Forensic Files

Hey weirdos. I'm Ash. And I'm Elena. >> And this is Morbid. [Music] Wa. That sounded a little like the mini
morbid thing. >> Yeah. >> Yeah, it did. Sort of. >> It sure did. >> I know. >> That was like a throwback.
>> I know. Sometimes I want to sing that song and sometimes I don't. >> Maybe someday you will.
>> Maybe again. >> I don't know. Maybe. Who knows? Not me. Who can be sure? Not you. You know, no
one. >> It's so [ __ ] hot. >> It is. It's hot. I hate summer, you know. >> It's a It's the same old feeling for me.
ready for fall. Um I know >> but there are some there's a lot of exciting things happening. Tell us. Um
Monday is the ghost concert in Boston. >> Um super excited about that. >> I'm excited for you.
>> Very excited to go. >> I can't wait to hear how it was. >> I can't wait. >> I like excited and uh we
>> You should do that there. I'm going to do that. >> Do it, you won't. >> Do it, you won't. Challenge accepted.
>> Um, I am doing a book event at Unlikely Story. >> Excited. >> Uh, August 13th at 700 p.m. We're going
to be posting a link. I'll be posting one on my Instagram. We'll post it on Morbids. Uh, I think Xando will probably
put it on theirs. Unlikely Story will have it up. All that good stuff. >> Maybe I'll put it up.
>> Maybe Ash cuz Ash is back on Instagram so she can put it up. >> I know. I was going to say who knows how
long. >> Who know? Uh, but she's there, so maybe she'll post it. And you can get tickets and bring your
book. I'm doing a live signing this time, not signing ahead of time. So, I'll be doing like a little signing line
afterwards. Can't wait to meet you guys. >> Very excited about it. Very excited about it.
>> And excited. Uh, I know how to speak. >> We I mean, we do it professionally. >> We have some really fun stuff with this
one, too. >> Yeah, we actually had a meeting about it today. Uh, so we're going to be doing
fun drinks at this one that are themed. And if before because before it's like, "Oh, that doesn't really apply to me or
something." Listen, >> there's something everybody hitting everyone. We're doing a themed coffee
drink. We're doing a themed mocktail and we're doing a themed cocktail. >> And if you don't like that, you can have
a themed water. >> Exactly. Whatever your persuasion, you will have something that you can
drink. Um, it's going to be really fun and they're going to be themed for uh for Detective Laroo, for Jeremy Rose,
and for my girl Dr. Rem Mulla. >> And there's actually no themed water. I lied. >> There isn't. But there's water that we
can we'll name the water. Okay. Come up with a name all together. There >> we're naming the drinks. I won't tell
you what the drinks are named yet because that'll be like a fun surprise that we'll Who knows? It'll probably be
released by the time this comes out, but I don't know. Who really knows? >> I mean, we'll know soon.
>> But it was fun to come up with It was very fun to come up with them and I think you guys are going to have a lot
of fun with them. I'm very excited. They're very yummy drinks. Um, Unlikely Story is awesome.
>> [ __ ] love it there. The amount of books we bought there today was ungodly. >> Yeah, I can't stop. You know, it's shop
your local bookstores. >> I was just going to say that. >> Uh, they're awesome. Indie book sellers
are the best. Local bookstores are so good. We love them. They're just iconic. But yeah, so so come to that. That'll be
fun. Um, what else do we got going on? Oh, fun fun game thing that just happened.
>> We got sent Sam and Ky's new collab with Hunted Killer. It's called The Haunting
at Wicker Ridge. We're we're very excited. We're already coming up with um a game plan to play it
uh with Dave and Mikey at Mikey's house for our next uh movie night. We're going
to make it a game night now. >> So excited. >> It's I'm I love Hunter Color [ __ ] This
is like not an ad, by the way, guys. No. Um we just literally are excited about this. like it right now and we got
excited about it. >> Um, >> there's a planchette on it, right? >> There's a [ __ ] planchette included in
it, I think. Like it looks like on the back. I'm excited. It looks like there's a lot of like mysticism and [ __ ] in it.
I'm just excited about this. I love a good hunted killer game. >> They want a hunted killer game.
>> I want a Huntterkiller game, too. >> We should have a morbid hunt game. >> They were one of our first sponsors. I
think actually they were our first sponsor. >> Yeah, they've always been a supporter
and we and I've always supported them. I loved them from the beginning when they
when it was just the black plain boxes that you would get full of [ __ ] >> Yeah, I remember when you
>> and I loved them. So yeah, I want a morbid hunted killer game. >> Put it out to the universe.
>> Putting it out into the universe. >> Manifestation. But yeah, pick it up. The
Sam and Colby one. It's The Haunting at Wicker Ridge. Sam and Colby are lovely humans. We love them.
>> I hope to see them soon. >> Hopefully we get to see >> manifest that too. >> Yeah, we'll throw it out there.
What if I laughed like that? I definitely don't laugh like that. So, don't tell me that. Whenever I say, "Oh,
what if I laughed like that?" Everybody's always like, "Ash, you do laugh like that." That I don't laugh
like, and I know it. Okay, >> I know it. >> Don't tell me that. >> All right, let's get into it. I have a
tupata. >> A tupata. >> And it's brutal. >> Oh. >> But in a different manner than I think
we've really covered before. >> Okay. >> Uh, it's definitely morbid. Yeah, >> definitely morbid, but
>> definitely true crime. >> Super true crime. Yep. Convictions happen. >> This is not spooky.
>> This is true crime. >> It's a little spooky. >> Spooky, but not in the paranormal way.
No. >> Uh, but no, I It's a very, very awful case. And I can't believe I had never
heard of it before. I have heard of this one. I do not know like the detailed details of it, which I know I say
sometimes, but it's true. I see a lot of cases. I just don't look into them deeply.
>> It's pretty fair to say things that are true. Yeah, >> it's fair to say things in general. It's
just fair. It's just fair. Uh, so let's get into it. We're going to be talking about Linda Hazard and what was known as
Starvation Heights, which is one of the most horrifying names. It tells you everything you need to know.
>> Yeah. And that's a nickname, by the way. So, who the [ __ ] was Linda Hazard?
>> Who the [ __ ] was she? Well, first, before she was Linda Hazard, she was Linda Laura Burfield, and she was born
December 18th, 1867 in Carva, Minnesota. Hate to break it to you. She's a Capricorn.
>> Yeah, that's not great. >> I think she is. Right. Hold on. Oh, [ __ ] She's a Sagittarius.
>> Which actually like >> she's not a Capricorn. >> I'm not going to say it makes sense, but
you know, but she's not a Capricorn. >> She's not a Capricorn. That's important.
>> That's all that matters. >> Anyways, uh she was the oldest of seven children born to Susanna and Montgomery
Barfield. >> Susanna and Montgomery. You can't say Montgomery any other way. >> No. Montgomery had been a corporal in
the Civil War. And when the war ended, he and his wife moved west and started a life of homesteading in Star Lake
Township. >> Oh, that sounds beautiful. >> I know. From the moment that she could
walk and talk, Linda was super curious. She was super outgoing. She was a very happy child. She was much more
interested in nature than she was playing dolls or whatever else little girls did in the 1800s.
>> Yeah. Uh her parents had been vegetarian for years, so she ate a vegetarian diet
as well. But beyond being simply vegetarians, Montgomery and Susanna Burfield held very particular views on
health and diet and exercise that remember kids are like little sponges. >> Oh, they take in everything.
>> So this would all have a pretty profound influence on Linda's future. >> Uhoh. Looking back, she traced her
eventual interest in natural therapies to her childhood and in particular to the family doctor who she said would
visit visit the family to provide annual checkups. She said no one was sick, but
he had brought the idea that the medical men of the day could ward off potential
problems with their black bag of tricks. >> Okay. >> So, it's like you don't necessarily need
to see a doctor if you're not sick with something >> like you want your annual checkup.
>> Totally. Totally do that. In fact, >> absolutely. That's very important. go to
all your but like >> you'll see what I mean in a second. >> So Linda's father in particular held a
firm belief in the abilities of the county doctor and his strange approach to medicine that according to Linda
yielded absolutely nothing but terrible terrible results. During one visit, the doctor insisted that the kids had some
kind of intestinal parasite. And he prescribed a quote blue mass pill for all of them, which is a very outdated
cure all that contained, among other things, mercury, like a high level of mercury.
>> I don't see the problem here. >> Yeah. As a result of taking the pills, multiple kids in the family started
having, this is kind of gross, sorry, frequent and very severe bouts of vomiting and diarrhea that at the time
weren't immediately connected to the pills. So, the cycle just kind of repeated itself over and over again cuz
he thinks this pill is some kind of cure all. So, he's like, "Oh, keep taking it.
Eventually, you'll stop yakking and shitting." >> And it's like, "No, but if we're still
puking and [ __ ] >> it's obviously not curing all." Like, there's obviously a problem here.
>> Yeah. Linda wrote, and this was a quote, "I now know what of course I could not
then suspect, that this powerful poison did a reparable injury to my intestines,
retarding and preventing their development and growth to such a degree that even to this day, I am compelled to
resort to the enema daily." A daily enema, a daily enema is diabolical. a once-ina-lifetime
enema. Diabolical. >> Thank the Lords. I've talked about many of a stomach issue on this podcast. I've
never had to have an enema >> daily. I can't imagine. Again, I can't imagine ever having an enema.
>> No. >> Daily? >> No. >> No. That's bad. That's really bad. >> Ow. >> So, after the family's treatment from
the local doctor, Linda and her siblings all really sadly spent years in poor health. They all had chronic stomach
problems, an inability to keep most food down. And because of that, they ended up
losing teeth and hair from malnourishment. >> Holy [ __ ] >> Yeah. Very intense. At the same time,
Linda, or I should really say, Linda's parents were looking for a suitable man to marry Linda off to when she turned
18. >> Cuz the 1800s of it all. >> Yes. Of course. That man turned out to be Irwin Perry, the son of a well-off
farmer who was 14 years older than her. Very >> 1800s. >> Mhm. Later, Linda said she didn't really
have the heart for their relationship because she was pretty much just solely focused on finding the real cure for
what was ailing her, her siblings, and many other people like her. >> Yeah. >> But it's also possible that whatever
potential their marriage had was almost completely undermined by the death of Linda's father just one month after the
marriage. I'll say it for real this time. Montgomery had been taking an order of logs to the local mill when the
strap holding them together broke. And in all the chaos, he was dragged under the mass of logs and crushed to death.
Holy [ __ ] That is the most 1800's way to die. >> It really is. Like, I'm not even saying
that to be funny. >> No, it literally is. I can't think of a much more 1800's way to die
>> or Final Destination way to die. Awful. >> Holy [ __ ] >> Yeah. And this is really sad. A lot of
times the grief of losing her father left Linda just straight up depressed. She couldn't get out of bed. She wasn't
really focused on anything. >> Cuz you lost your father. But to lose him in that way too must be just
>> cuz you think that's a brutal way for someone to die. >> And she's young, which means her father
probably wasn't that old, you know? >> So it consumed any kind of bandwidth that maybe she would have had to focus
on her new marriage. >> As far as Linda was concerned, Montgomery, her father, was the ideal
man and husband, and nobody was ever going to live up to that standard. Definitely not Irwin or any of the men
that she was with later in her life. I mean, have high standards, girl. >> Yeah. But still, she did her best to
settle into married life. In 1889, she gave birth to their first child, a son they named I think it's Roland or Yeah,
I think it's it could be Roland. >> But I like Roland with the homies better. >> Yeah, I like that.
>> Yeah. They also had a daughter named Nina who came along two years later. >> Sadly, Nenah wasn't a big part of her
mother's life. Uh, author of Starvation Heights, Greg Olsen, who we've talked about before, yep,
>> wrote, "As far as most oins were cons are concerned, Nina Floyd Perry was non-existent. No one had ever seen her.
And years later, only one out of all the old-timers could recall Dr. Hazard talking about a daughter." What the
[ __ ] In fact, by all accounts, Linda, who would become known as Dr. Hazard, and her daughter never had much of a
relationship at all. And when Linda died, all she left Nina in her will was $1. That is
like what the [ __ ] It was like obviously some [ __ ] happened there. >> And it's like And it sounds like though
that like she never had a thing like she never talked about this child. >> Yeah. Never talked about her or
anything. >> So it's like what could a child have done to deserve that kind of [ __ ]
>> Yeah. There was >> I put that on her. Oh, that's on her completely. >> Oh, no. I know you were. I just mean
like what the [ __ ] >> Yeah. A dollar. >> Like a dollar. >> That's That's being a dick for to be
>> That's being a complete dick. >> Yeah. >> Like what the >> But apparently she was much closer to
her son. >> According to Greg Olsen, nobody actually really knows what happened to end uh
Linda and Irwin's marriage, which eventually did end. But in April 1898, she filed divorce papers claiming that
her husband had abandoned her and the children and without many she he left them without any means of support. and
she hadn't heard a word from him since. >> Damn, I win. >> I know. Well, it took some time, but in
1902, the court uh did agree to dissolve the marriage and they allowed Linda to return to using her maiden name rather
than, you know, using the man man's last name who abandoned her. >> Yeah, I get that.
>> Once the divorce was finalized, Linda made uh arrangements for her children to
live with her mother in Star Lake. Oh. And now free of her familial obligations, she was finally able to
turn her attention back to what she always wanted to pursue, a career as a fasting specialist.
Greg Olsen wrote that Linda just couldn't be bothered by motherhood and that she quote rationalized her
decision. She would become a healing authority such as the world had ever known.
>> Wow. Yeah. So, to those who knew her best, uh, her story about Irwin abandoning her without
any kind of notice never felt quite right. >> No one could really say where Irwin had
gone off to, but people suspected that it was really Linda who had abandoned him and not the other way around. People
who knew her best all remembered that what she was solely focused on was her desire to get rid of her husband and her
family because she felt like they were basically preventing her from becoming the woman she knew she was destined to
become. Damn. Yeah, she was uh what she herself referred to as a quote woman with a greater purpose and she would not
deny the world the innovations in healthcare she knew existed in her mind. >> I wish she would have
>> I wish she would have denied that retweet. >> Yeah. >> According to Linda, she discovered the
miraculous healing powers of fasting in 1898 when she was looking for relief from the stomach problems that had
plagued her for most of her life. I want to just say this. I I'm not like against
fasting, like intermittent fasting or anything like that. >> Like the healthy like
>> I'm not like making a stance on fasting at all. So like don't come at me for that. This is not fasting.
>> Yeah. What she's doing is not the fasting that they like that people do now to like
>> if you want to fast by all means [ __ ] about it. >> I don't care. Do your thing. Like you're
an adult. You can do what you want to do. So like please don't come at me. This is not fasting.
>> Yeah. This this method is not okay. Just to be clear, if you're doing this, it
won't end well. >> I'm not going after like the intermittent fasting or anything like
that. Whatever. >> This isn't, you know, >> this is different. >> Yeah. >> I just wanted to get that. Just wanted
to get that off. >> It's not a good call. That's why I was about to be like, I'm not saying [ __ ]
>> That's the thing. This This just isn't fasting. >> No, it's not. >> This is cruel and unusual.
>> That's why it's on morbid. It's being told as a true crime story. >> Exactly.
>> Like, it's not good if it's being told as part of a true crime story. >> No. So, she's she said she discovered
the healing powers of fasting in 1898, blah blah blah. It's possible that she did discover it back then, but it's also
more likely that she probably came across the practice in the early 1900s while she was studying osteopathy while
trying to get a nursing job. Uh, around that time, Linda came across the Gospel of Health, a book by Dr. Edward Dwey,
who at the time was a very vocal proponent of using fasting as a cure for various ailments across the board.
According to his book, he discovered the supposed miracle cure while he was treating a patient for typhus in 1877.
>> He said that the patient hadn't responded to any kind of traditional treatment. So, as a last resort, he
turned to fasting as a treatment. And he said that just a little over a month later, the patient was fully cured of a
disease that would have killed them. >> Yeah, that's crazy. >> Yeah, I'm sure there was probably other
things involved. Anyway, the gospel of health as well as another one of Dewiey's books, the no breakfast plan.
>> In my opinion, breakfast is the most important thing. >> Always breakfast plan always breakfast.
>> Eating breakfast has changed my life. >> I love breakfast. >> Eating breakfast has changed my life.
>> You can do whatever the [ __ ] you want. Again, that's for me. I don't care what
you do. >> That breakfast rules. >> You don't want to eat breakfast? Don't. >> I also grew up with a dad who makes
[ __ ] bomb breakfast. >> Yeah. So, my grandpa, Elena's dad, worked as a cook back in the Navy in the
submarine service, and that [ __ ] learned how to make a French toast, a hash brown, a [ __ ] scramble like no
other. When he says, "I'll make you a little breakfast." I say, "Oh my, I don't care what time of
the day it is." I'm like, "Let's go, girls." >> He makes so good >> bomb [ __ ] >> Breakfast for life.
>> His hash browns. >> Oh, that nothing beats them. Nothing. >> Oh my god. I want
>> that. will take a stance on. >> Nobody beats those. I'll fight you. >> So, so the no breakfast plan gh
essentially became the healthc care bible and that other book too both became the healthcare bible for Linda.
And she reached out to Dwey expressing her support and making a pitch for herself as the ideal candidate to
continue on his work. Her appeal to his vanity worked and he accepted Linda as an apprentice. And their relationship
was probably one of the most important relationships she had in her life. >> Damn. But they didn't always see eye to
eye on treatment plans. For example, when it came to the treatment for chronic stomach problems, Linda insisted
that quote, "The internal bath, aka the enema, was the best name for that. The internal bath goes crazy."
>> That goes bonkers. >> The internal bath is out of this world. >> I love that she's just like, "Enneas,
>> the internal bath." >> Ever heard of them? >> This [ __ ] loves heard of the internal
bath. Th this bitch's like dying words are probably internal bath. >> Enemas rock.
>> I love enemas, she said. Anyway, she insisted it was a quote necessary hygienic accessory of the fast.
>> Oh, >> like if you're fasting, what the [ __ ] do you have to enema? I >> was going to say, what do you you're not
there's nothing in there. >> I don't even really understand like the whole concept of enemas. It's it's
really just to flush things out. Correct. >> I think Yeah. And it's just it's the
internal bath, you know. Anyway, so she was all about that life. Dwey, on the other hand, strongly disagreed and he
told his patients, quote, "The bowel should be allowed to function naturally." I mean, I gotta say that
sounds like the the better. >> He didn't have a lot of great ideas when it comes to no breakfast. But I'm with
this man that the bowel should be allowed to function naturally, although sometimes they don't, which I
understand. >> Sometimes IBS is is a thing. >> Yeah, the hot girls, you know, we know
>> the hot girls have IBS. So by I have a shirt that says that by 1903 Linda nurse
assistant had reashioned herself as Dr. Linda Burfield even though she had literally not a medical degree to be
found. >> Hate this already. >> Yeah. But and this is similar to the story that I told with the Crescent
Hotel about Dr. Norman Baker. Oh man. >> Because of a loophole in Washington state laws at this time, Linda was
approved to practice medicine as a practitioner of alternative medicine. So that's how she got that doctor in there.
And soon she was promoting her belief that her method of strict fasting was a revolutionary cure all for any and all
medical ailments. >> That's not correct. >> I'm like maybe if you have like worms
otherwise I don't think so. >> Yeah. So while she was establishing her medical practice in Washington, she
started seeing a man's named Sam Hazard. That's a cool last name. >> It is. And it becomes her last name.
>> Not for a doctor. >> I would never go. You could be the most acclaimed doctor in the world.
>> Your last name is Hazard. >> Dr. Hazard. >> There used to be um a dentist named Dr.
Payne when I was little. And I was like, "No, I'm not going there." >> And then my mom was like, "You have to
go there. >> You have to go there. >> You have to go there." So yeah, she started seeing this guy Sam Hazard. And
by November 11th, 1903, they had known each other long enough to get married. And they were married in a small
ceremony that took place in her medical office in Minneapolis. She took this medical [ __ ] seriously. Kind of.
>> Kind of. Then though, to Linda's confusion, her husband of only a few hours disappeared on their wedding
night. Huh. Yeah. What Linda didn't know at the time and would go on to deny until the day that she died was that her
new husband already had a wife, Viva Fitzpatrick. Ah, >> yeah. And the two had a home in Iowa. So
Sam went on to spend the next four days in Iowa with Viva before finally returning to Minnesota to be with his
other wife, Linda. Huh. I bet you didn't see that coming. >> I did not. >> We were talking about fasting. Now we're
talking about >> See what I did there? >> I see what you did there. >> So he marries Linda in Minneapolis.
>> Then he goes to Iowa to be with Viva for some unknown reason. Then he goes back
to Minnesota. And then a few days later, he goes back to Iowa again. This time to
del tell Viva she's not his wife in any biblical or legal sense, only in common law. What the [ __ ] He said, "Viva, you
are not the wife. Viva, you're gone. Viva dead." So he offered her no other explanation other than to tell her he
was in fact married to Dr. Linda Burfield. >> Wow. And with that, he quit his job in
Iowa and went back to Minnesota to be with his new bride, Linda. >> Wow. >> A little bit about Sam. Sam Hazard.
>> A little bit about this guy. >> A little bit about Sam for you. Sam Hazard uh had always been and would
always be known as a con man. >> Cool. >> He was actually like a pretty smart guy.
Smart enough that he would have been able to make his way in any kind of industry he really wanted to, but he
really didn't like to work and he just kind of drifted from one place to another.
>> Okay. And when he walked out of his and Viva's apartment after telling her that
she wasn't his wife anymore, he probably assumed that would be the last time he ever saw her. But he didn't consider
that regardless of what he said about common law, Viva had absolutely no [ __ ] intention of being cast aside
for some new [ __ ] in Minnesota. >> No way. >> And for the first time in his life, Sam
Hazard was about to face some consequences. >> Good. He also [ __ ] over the wrong girl
because um Viva's father, Senator Joseph Fitzpatrick Fitchpatrick. Oh, used his influence to pull some strings and he
convinced the Henipin County District Attorney to file charges against Sam for bigamy. So by Thanksgiving that year,
Sam found himself standing before a judge in a packed courtroom. Damn. He had a lawyer to assist in his case, but
it ended up being Dr. Linda, >> who did most of the research and legal work. Not only was she there to provide
moral support for her husband, but she also spent a ton of time interviewing witnesses and trying to track down
documentation to refute Viva's claims. That >> seems like a conflict of interest.
>> You would think >> a little bit. >> You would think. >> According to Greg Olsen, this wasn't
just a matter of getting her new husband out of out of a legal jam. He wrote, "Dr. Hazard wanted Viva indicted for
perjury." >> Whoa. >> So, she got like a vendetta. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah. Throughout the trial, Sam's
attorney, George Leonard, spent a lot of his time just vilifying and slandering Viva as a woman of dubious moral
character. That's a quote. >> Honestly, wear it as a badge of honor, Viva. >> I love it.
>> Especially this dude saying it. >> I'm obsessed. A woman of dubious moral character.
>> He said she was attempting to trap an honest man in an illegitimate marriage.
I'm like, yeah, he's honest. >> Yeah. For Viva's family, who obviously was a pretty [ __ ] prominent family,
the accusations being made against her were not only slanderous, they were outrageous.
>> Yeah. >> And they understood that while it was Sam's lawyer making the comments, it was
very clearly Linda who fabricated the entire defense. It seemed like while Viva may not have been able to find
direct evidence of a formal marriage, Linda had gone out of her way to fabricate evidence of a long-standing
relationship between Sam and herself, which only undermined Viva's claims. >> In the end, all of Linda's scheming
proved to be for nothing, though. The prosecutor proved himself to be more than adept, and Viva, the wronged woman,
was a very sympathetic victim to the jury. In digging through Sam Hazard's past, the district attorney uncovered a
criminal history that included convictions and sentences for burglary, robbery, among other things that made
Sam much less sympathetic to the jury. >> And to make matters worse, after he was
released from jail on one of the robbery convictions, he racked up a huge number
of debts in Tacoma and just skipped town without paying them. >> So he's just did a butt.
>> Yeah. And they just keep finding like evidence after evidence, fact after fact
that makes him look like a [ __ ] the [ __ ] bag he is. >> Yeah. They're just like, "Look."
>> Yeah. So the jury was like, "Um, what the fuck?" Like it >> kind of sounds like you're an [ __ ]
>> Yeah. But in the end, it was one of Linda's schemes that was his undoing. >> Nice. And her attempts to protect her
husband and slander Viva. Linda sent telegrams to Sam's first wife, Agnes Hadley, in New York. Apparently, when
Sam married Viva, he was still married to Agnes Hadley. >> Oh, no. >> This [ __ ] is making bigamy his
job of choice. >> His full-time job. >> Literally completely aware of this fact,
though. Linda, or somebody writing on her behalf, I'm pretty sure it was Linda, >> sent threatening messages to Agnes
warning her not to testify or to contact the prosecutor. >> But sympathetic, which is crazy,
sympathetic to the situation that Viva was in. Viva is also the other woman. >> That's a girl's girl right there.
>> That's a girl's girl. Agnes sent the threatening telegrams to Viva's dad, Senator Fitzpatrick, who in turn handed
them right over to the district attorney. >> That is the ultimate girls. She could
have been so petty and been like, "Well, you get what you know, you read what's coming." But she's like, "No, now I feel
bad that you're having the same [ __ ] done to you." >> Yeah. >> Because also she might sit there and be
like, "Well, maybe Viva didn't know. >> Maybe she didn't know. >> And like I'm, you know, whatever. She's
she's a devil's advocating, you know, girl. >> She is. All in all, the telegrams were
proof that Sam Hazard had 100% committed big, just not with the woman that the jury had originally assumed. So, on the
afternoon of February 4th, 1904, they deliberated for 5 hours and found Sam Hazard guilty of bigamy, and he was
sentenced to two and a half years in prison. >> Bye, Sam. You would think >> what followed was a very bizarre
tugofwar between Viva and Linda who were both unwilling to give up this man for some reason. I got to Google a picture.
I didn't. He had to have been like real hot. >> Sam has >> or like had something going for him.
>> But the like he lied to both of them and they're both still after this man's.
>> Yeah. >> For months the Minnesota Press published stories about the frequent visits Sam
was getting in prison by both women. And in the end, it seemed Viva had won out,
not Linda. >> Really? >> Yeah. Linda, who literally like went to bat threatening people and like
basically doing his like coming up with his defense on her own. >> Yeah. >> Then he lands himself in jail and is
after Viva again. >> Yeah. I'm I just That's him. >> I wish you guys could see my face right
now. >> That's an artist s's rendering. But, uh, >> maybe it's the mustache. >> Here I am. I don't see it. Um,
>> it's not for me, you know. >> Yeah, >> it's, you know, sometimes it's the personality. He didn't sound a great
one, but >> he maybe he was a smooth talker. >> I was going to say it doesn't sound like
he had that going for him either, but >> we've all been wronged by a man though that we were like, damn.
>> That you look back, what the [ __ ] was I doing? >> Yeah. But anyway, so they're both going
to visit him in prison. >> Yeah. Uh, and like I said, in the end, it seems like Viva won him out. After
her promise that her father would do his best to get Sam pardoned, he agreed to Viva's demand that Sam tell Linda he was
no longer welcome. She was no longer welcome to visit him at the prison. >> Damn.
>> So, she's like, I got this nice little thing for you. >> Holy [ __ ] >> Uh, later he told a reporter, "We didn't
want a scene. I have made up my mind. In fact, I made it up sometimes ago as to where my duty and love lie. and it might
as well be thoroughly understood for now and all of time. >> His love lied with Viva.
>> His love lied. >> His love lied. >> True to his cowardly form, though, Sam uh never told Linda to her face that he
was done with the relationship. Instead, she found out about his affair with Viva
when she went to visit him at the jail and found a stack of letters from Viva in his jail cell one afternoon when he
was away in a meeting. >> What the [ __ ] >> Yeah. Which like I didn't even know that
you went to meetings in jail. they went meeting >> maybe with an attorney or something. But
the next day she received word from the prison that she was no longer welcome there. Like they said, "You've been
removed from the list. >> You've been taken off the visitor list, girl." >> In the wake of the scandal and Sam's
imprisonment, Dr. Linda Hazard got herself together, though, and despite the humiliation, declared publicly that
her affair with Hazard had come to an end, and she was moving on to do more important things. She was still focused.
>> Okay. behind closed doors. She was very much devastated and she held out hope
that Sam would come to his senses and return to her. Which, like, why would you even want him back at that point?
>> Yeah. >> And her friends were like, "Girl, you're being foolish as hell to keep this hope
alive and to even want this man's." But if there was one thing that could be said for Linda Hazard, it's that she
almost always got what she wanted. >> Almost always. >> Almost always. Sam Hazard might have had
two desperately devoted women fighting over him publicly, but despite that, it's really hard to describe him as
anything more than a greedy grifter, which is a really good band name. >> We are greedy grifter.
>> Given how easily Sam was willing to toss one thing over for another when it suited his interests, it should come as
no surprise that once he was released from prison a year and a half later, it wasn't Viva he returned to, it was
Linda. Ah, >> so he [ __ ] first he [ __ ] Viva over for Linda, then he [ __ ] Linda over for
Viva, and now he's [ __ ] Viva over for Linda all over again. >> And it's like, yeah, just kick him to
the curb every >> It's a vicious cycle, everybody. But so he's back with Linda now. At that time
in 1906, he found Linda Burfield living and working in Minneapolis, advertising herself as a specialist of fasting,
physical culture, and health home. >> Oh. and they reunited and Sam became manager of Linda's health home. But one
year later, the Minneapolis telephone book listed the couple as suddenly moving to Seattle, Washington.
>> Nobody really knows what happened during that year in Minneapolis or what caused
them to relocate to Washington. >> Suspicious. >> Yeah, very suspicious. Years later
though, in an interview, all Linda would say was that she was called to the Pacific Coast, the coast, actually.
Okay, girl. rang me on the phone and said, "Hello, Linda. Come to me. >> This is the coast.
>> This is the Pacific Coast. >> This is the coast. Colin, whatever the case, though.
>> You know what to do. >> You know what to do." >> I'm just picturing like a wave on the
coast. >> The coast is like, >> "Linda, where the hell you been, Mocha?" In my in my mind's eye, the coast has
sunglasses on. >> Absolutely. >> He's like a blue wave. The Pacific Coast has sunglasses. Smoking a cigarette.
>> Yeah. Oh, so whatever the case, once they were settled in Washington in the spring of
1906, Linda opened up her new practice operating officially now as Dr. Linda Hazard. There were critics obviously.
>> What? >> I know. Can you imagine? >> Critics. >> Critics. >> You stopped something new.
>> Critics ensued. >> Critics. I don't know what happened there. But it also at the same time her
business was thriving in Washington. Even as her relationship with Sam slowly deteriorated, mostly due to his
inability to remain faithful. >> Oh, shocking. >> I'm also like, you kind of should have
known that. >> Yeah, you should have seen that one, Kevin. >> But still, as Linda had already proven,
she had no intention of letting him go. So, she just tolerated his infidelity as
long as he continued to come home at night. >> Okay. Yeah, to each their own. >> Yeah, that's not the life I want, but
you go, girl. So, in Seattle, Linda continued treating patients with her miracle cure despite having zero
evidence that fasting or any of her other treatments were going to provide any relief.
>> Yeah. Just throw spaghetti at a wall, you know? >> Yeah. She wouldn't even give you
spaghetti. >> No, she wouldn't. >> That's way too much food, actually. >> Yeah. >> In fact, it wasn't long after
establishing the new practice that she attracted a pretty good amount of negative attention when one of her
patients, uh, Lenora Wilcox, died while under her care. In the fall of 1907, Lenora Wilcox's death by starvation made
headlines in Seattle. In large part because of the supposed doctor who was treating her was not a doctor at all.
>> No. Lenora's death turned out to be just the first of many pieces of bad publicity for Linda. But it's a
significant part of the story because it happened right around the same time that
they decided to relocate to Alala, Washington, a small village on the coast. And it was there that Linda's
dream would finally be realized. The opening of her quote unquote revolutionary fasting clinic, Wilderness
Heights. That's in When you think of dying by starvation, >> it's slow. >> I don't think anyone, including me, can
conceive >> no >> of how painful and horrifying that death must be. >> I can't imagine.
>> Like, I can't even grasp it in my wildest dreams. And you lose so much like you you lose like cognitive
ability. You lose like your mind goes as your body withers away. >> It's awful what
>> it's awful what happened to these people. So, while she continued to treat individual patients in an outpatient
capacity, Wilderness Heights, which the locals usually referred to as Starvation
Heights, offered Linda the opportunity to put her full treatment regimen into practice with those who visited the
clinic and would stay for weeks at a time. >> So, before she's just kind of like going
to people out like and like they're coming and taking her advice and doing it at home. Now, people are coming and
staying there under her care. >> Yeah. While there, patients were put on a strict diet. Most only ate very small
amounts of food while otherwise fasting for as many as 30 days. >> Yeah. And I'm sorry, I don't that
doesn't make any sense to me. >> No. >> 30 days. >> 30 days. >> Holy [ __ ] >> Yeah. Obviously, it's close to
impossible for somebody to go that long without eating. So patients were allowed
small amounts of food every few days, but to call them meals would be a massive understatement. In most cases,
patients on a fasting plan would be given a piece of fruit every every few days.
Not like every day, every few days, they would get a piece of fruit or a dinner of I don't even want to call it tomato
soup because it was really just like the juice or water extracted from the tomato. or they would get broth, but
that was really just water like extracted from. >> Oh my god, that makes me gag just
thinking about it. I also [ __ ] hate tomatoes and the juice of a tomato to me sounds like the most diabolical thing.
>> That's the thing cuz I don't I wanted to say to like not tomato juice because
that has other [ __ ] in it and like >> like the actual like water from a >> Yeah, tomato water.
>> I can't even think of that. >> So, this practice according to Linda allowed the body to purify itself of
toxins. Shut the [ __ ] up. >> We're not even going to get into why that's wrong, but it is.
>> Oh, wow. >> Thereby ridding the patient of any ailments or diseases. >> That's not how that works.
>> No. And when they weren't fasting, patients were subjected to other forms of supposedly natural treatments that
included enemas, of course, >> internal baths. >> Yeah. internal baths or other hydrotherapies or quote unquote
aggressive massages given by Linda herself or one of the other nurses which author Terren Hines
describes as more closely resembling beatings. >> What? >> Just like punch the toxins out of them.
>> What? >> Like slap the toxins out of them. >> This isn't working. >> It's horrible.
>> I know that. >> It's horrible. What happened? I can't imagine the [ __ ] that lingers on that land to
this day. >> I do. Seriously, cuz you also have to think of like if you don't eat for like a few hours during the day,
you know what I Like sometimes you'll be busy and you don't eat and all of a sudden you're like gh I'm so hungry
>> and your stomach feels so empty >> and you just like don't feel well and sometimes you feel like nauseous if you
don't eat like a you do eat after that and you like don't feel good then because it's been so long since you eat
>> or you you've gone over the point of being hungry so then you don't even know
what you want to eat cuz you're so hungry. It's like that that which is the most privileged form of being hungry
like just forgetting to eat and not being able to. You know what I mean? like just being busy.
>> That is gross and a horrible horrible feel. Like I hate that feeling. It can trigger a migraine. It can do all this
stuff. >> Oh yeah. >> So like thinking of anything past that or it being out of my control to feel
that way. >> Yeah. >> Is beyond the bounds of my imagination. Like just thinking about this I'm like
and these people thinking it's going to cure them because they're just being told that by a doctor with a doctor in
front of their name. And I think one thing that we have to point out and I will continue to point out is how
desperate these people were to feel better. These people already had things that they were struggling with like
stomach problems, chronic inflammation, like this, that, and the other thing that they'd been struggling with
forever. So when they're sitting when they're sitting there on having a conversation with someone they think is
a doctor and she's telling them this is going to work, >> they're desperate. >> They're desperate and they want to see
this through. >> And if you live in like chronic pain or you have like stomach issues or anything like that,
>> you know, the desperation, you know. >> Absolutely. >> So, given the criticism that she
received since opening her practice, it's no surprise that Linda was vague and very secretive about the treatments
at her sanitarium. But thanks to a detailed diary kept by one of her patients, Earl Erdman, there is some
insight into what life was like at Wilderness Heights in the very early days. >> And I would assume in the early days, it
was probably a little better, which is crazy. >> Holy [ __ ] In his diary, he describes
the process of fasting under her direction, Linda's direction, and how it made him feel. His diary starts February
1st. He said, "Saw Dr. Hazard and began treatment this date. No breakfast, mashed soup, dinner, mashed soup,
supper." I think dinner must have been kind of like lunch. >> February 5th through 7th. That is two
days. >> So, two full days. >> Two full days. One orange breakfast, mash soup dinner, mash soup supper. Two
days. February 8th, one orange breakfast, mashed soup dinner, mash soup supper. The 9th through the 11th, two days or
really three days, excuse me. One orange breakfast, strained soup dinner, strained soup supper.
>> So that's just liquid. >> It goes on like that for a while. And then February 16th, he says, "One cup
hot strained tomato soup, A.M. and PM. Slept better last night. Head quite dizzy, eyes yellow and stre."
What the [ __ ] February 17th, ate three oranges today. That's it. February 19th,
called on Dr. Dawson today at his home. Slept well Saturday night. February 20th, ate strained juice of two small
oranges at 10:00 a.m. So, not even eating an actual orange, just the juice. Strained. Dizzy all day.
>> I wonder why. >> Ate strained juice of two small oranges at 5:00 p.m. >> So, just juice.
>> Yep. February 21st. Ate one cup settled in strained tomato broth. Backachche today, just below ribs. Just below ribs.
How's your kidneys? Yep. Shutting down. February 22nd, ate two small oranges at 10 a.m. Backache today and right side
just below ribs. I'm worried about your kidneys, sir. February 23rd, slept but little last night. Ate two ate two small
oranges at 9:00 a.m. Went after milk and felt very bad. >> So now it's like he tried something
heavier and his stomach probably can't even handle that. Ate two small oranges 6 p.m. February 24th, slept better
Wednesday night. Kind of frontal headache in the A.M. ate two small oranges 10:00 a.m. Ate 1 and 1/2 cups
hot tomato soup 6:00 p.m. Heart hit up to 95 minutes and sweat considerable. >> I don't think it's working, babe.
>> No. February 25th, we're nearing the end here, by the way. February 25th, slept
pretty well Thursday night. Ate one and 1/2 cups tomato broth 11:00 a.m. Think about 1 and 1/2 cups. I want you to
think about your measuring. >> Yeah. Like think about like look at measuring cups a thing of one cup.
>> One and 1/2 cups for a full day >> of broth >> and then one and 1/2 cups tomato broth
at 6:00 p.m. Pain in right below ribs. February 26. Did not sleep so very well Friday night. Pain in right side just
below ribs and back. Pain quit in the night. Ate one and a half cups tomato broth at 10:45 a.m. Ate two and a half
pump small oranges at 4:30 p.m. Felt better afternoon than for the last week. About 1 month after that last entry on
March 28th, Earl Erdman was hospitalized for malnutrition and died a few hours later.
>> I am not surprised. And that is awful. >> That's almost a That's a full month of
what that man ate. And it was orange juice in a month. >> Next to I ate more this entire week than
that man ate in a month. I'm not being funny. Like I'm being serious. >> Literally I ate more today than I'm
pretty sure that guy ate almost that entire month. >> Yeah. >> Like it's >> he ate liquid.
>> So hard to conceive of >> like I'm like oh my god your kidneys are screaming.
>> Yeah. So, it turned out that the deaths of Lenora Wilcox and Earl Erdman were to
be just two of many patients who died under the care of Linda Hazard. But there was not much the authorities could
do because these patients gave their consent to be treated. >> Yeah. >> In 1908, for example, Dr. De Weeden and
his wife had their 8-month-old baby removed from the home by the Humane Society when it was learned that at the
direction of quote unquote Dr. Hazard. The couple had been starving their baby. >> I want to [ __ ] fight all of those
people. >> Every single last one of them. >> That's not even slightly. Okay. >> Not even a little bit.
>> No. >> According to the press, the conduct of the Weeden family in the f in following
the directions of the physician annoyed the neighbors. And in the belief that the baby girl was being starved to
death, the Humane Society was notified. >> Good. It turns out I don't care. You're
an adult. You can do you can make your own decisions with what you want to do with your own.
>> Yeah. Go for it. doing that to an 8-month old baby. What the [ __ ] is that going to do?
>> And like what are you giving a baby? >> All three of them should have cuz an 8month old baby. I'm like you're not
giving them broth and [ __ ] What are you doing? >> Like at that age babies can't even have
a ton of water. So what are you giving this baby? >> So it turned out that Mrs. Weeden had
been seeing Dr. Hazard for treatment of an unknown illness at that time. and she
mentioned that her daughter also seemed unwell and Linda Hazard then recommended
the same fasting treatment regardless of the child's age. >> What the [ __ ] >> The baby was obviously placed in foster
care and there's no mention of her after, so hopefully she lived. >> But when the police arrived to remove
her from the home, Mrs. Weeden pulled a gun from a desk drawer and aimed it at one of the police officers before he was
able to wrestle it out of her hand. The entire incident, including the attempted
shooting of an officer, as far as everyone saw it, was because, quote, "The woman, because of the hazard
treatment, had become insane." Wow. Like, she's not in her right mind at all. >> So, the public complained loudly about
Linda Hazard's clinic in the past, usually with no effect. But the incident with the Weeden baby was a new level of
concern among the public. According to press accounts, had no one intervened, it was speculated this girl wouldn't
have lived more than a few days longer, this baby. >> On January 30th, 1908, Linda was
arrested finally and charged with practicing med medicine without a license. >> To those who were most concerned about
reform, this seemed like a giant step towards stopping the spread of quack medical practitioners. But by the time
she went to trial in March, the most the judge could do was fine her $50 for practicing without a license.
>> Wow. An 8-month-old baby almost died. Was in was on death's doorstep and would have
died had people not intervened. >> And she got fined 50 bucks, which I'm sure was easy to pay because remember
all of these people are coming to her paying her money for this quote unquote despately wanting a cure all. Yeah.
Despite the court's ruling against her, Linda continued to promote herself as a doctor and again found herself before a
judge in June of 1908 for violating that same order. The judge said Linda Burfield Hazard can put all the doctors
before her name that she wishes to. But this does not imply she's a physician. Nope. Sure doesn't. But it's like, yeah,
but nobody knows that. >> Yeah. And again, these people are desperate. They're seeing a doctor. It's
not like back then you could go check their credentials on [ __ ] WebMD or whatever the [ __ ] you want to check it
on. >> It's like you just see doctor. >> Yeah. Someone says they're >> they have a whole ass clinic.
>> Yeah. Why would you think you think that they they aren't exactly? Well, acting
in her own defense this time, Linda argued that despite what the sign said, she was not in fact practicing medicine.
She was acting as a fasting specialist for those who gave their expressed consent to receive her services. Except
for an 8-month old baby and a little girl who couldn't have given their consent, you dumb [ __ ]
>> Judges, the local police, and reform activists may have disagreed with Linda,
and they would continue to challenge her arguments, but there wasn't a lot they could do to stop her from continuing to
pro promote her treatment. Aside from misrepresenting herself as a medical doctor, which like I just said, only
resulted in a [ __ ] $50 fine. >> Mhm. >> There weren't any laws at that time against what she was doing, especially
where people gave their consent. >> Yeah. >> So, in the years that followed, she
continued to promote Wilderness Heights and herself as a leading expert in the revolutionary practice of medicine. And
as a result, people continued to die. >> Yeah. >> In the summer of 1909, Blanch Tindle
died of starvation while under Linda's care. And on the death certificate, Dr. Charles Ford listed the cause of death
as starvation with toxmia and pregnancy. >> Wow. >> She's pregnant. Holy [ __ ] And was
starved to death. >> My god. >> You need so much when you're pregnant. >> Oh my god. You're eating You're eating
for two is not hyperbolic. You're eating for two. That's like th this it's like you your whole body needs so much extra
of everything because you are just running. >> Yeah. It's like a marathon human.
>> In her own statement, Linda strongly rejected the cause of death listed on the certificate and said instead, "Mrs.
Tendle died of organic imperfection. I have nothing more to say. You're a cunt."
>> Died of organic imperfection. >> You're a [ __ ] >> Yeah, that's the cuntiest thing I've
ever heard. and a murderer. >> Yeah. Straight up. >> The death Yeah. Unreal. The death of
Blench Tindle inspired a new round of calls for Linda's arrest. Uh because one, she was pregnant. And then a few
weeks later, the husband of another patient, Viola Heaton, filed a complaint of manslaughter with the district
attorney when his wife died. >> According to Linda, the claims were simply incorrect and a result of the
mainstream medical industry attempting to smear her and her treatments. In a statement to the press, she said, "Mrs.
Heat. H Heaton first called upon me Monday, March 22nd, and told me she had for years been a sufferer of indigestion
and other ailments. She said in fact, it was Mr. Heaton who suggested that his wife visit Linda Sanitarium in the first
place, having read about her successful treatment of a similar patient patient a
year earlier. So, she literally this guy is suing her and she's like, "It's actually your fault cuz you sent her my
way." >> Wow. She's diabolical. >> She's an [ __ ] Like truly diabolical. And then in the end, she placed the
ultimate blame on Viola Heaton herself, who had died, remember? >> Oh, yeah. >> Saying Viola had intentionally skipped
the small meals that Hazard had prescribed between the fasts. >> Wow. >> I'm so sure.
>> Yeah. And it's like, yeah, cuz she can't defend herself now. She's not here to
say whatever you want. >> But again, the problem was that the state penal codes were not designed to
deal with such radical changes to the medical industry, and there weren't laws to protect people from quacks like this
woman. No one had actually really ever imagined that a person might practice medicine without the proper training or
lensure. So nobody thought to establish a law against it in the first place. >> Yeah. I mean why would you think of
that? >> So Wilderness Heights remained open and despite the hits to her reputation, she
kept attracting new patients, typically desperate individuals willing to try anything to relieve themselves of, like
I said, their chronic pain and fatal disease. >> Holy [ __ ] >> Yeah. Between 1909 and 1911, as Linda
and Sam continued building the institute at Wilderness Heights, there were many more deaths, including that of Eugene
Wakeland, a patient who actually came all the way to Washington from New Zealand to stay after reading one of
Linda's books. In November 1909, while still under the career of Hazard, he actually shot
himself in the head on the property. Holy [ __ ] The death ended up being ruled a suicide, but there were many in
the area who questioned if he actually had ended his own life or there was something more there.
>> It was certainly in the realm of possibility that he had ended his own life, >> but suspicion still fell on Linda Hazard
when investigators learned that just prior to his death, Eugene had given Linda power of attorney,
>> leaving her in charge of his estate upon his death. And although she somehow managed to avoid arrest or prosecution
for that death, for the first time, the authorities started to wonder if there was something more nefarious than mere
neglect, arrogance, and medical malpractice going on at Starvation Heights. There's some [ __ ] on that
property. And that's where we're going to wrap for part one. >> Holy [ __ ] When we come back for part
two, I think you're going to be with me and everybody else like the authorities and the judges and the police and
everybody else that thinks there was definitely something more to this. >> Some nefarious [ __ ] happen. I mean, we
already know nefarious [ __ ] is happening, but even more nefarious. >> More nefarious [ __ ] I think maybe maybe
she went into this wanting to help people and [ __ ] lost herself along the way.
>> Damn. >> When she realized what she could get. >> Holy [ __ ] cuz I do think she thought
fasting worked in the beginning, >> but then when you hear about like, you know, organic imperfection kind of [ __ ]
>> Yeah, she lost her. >> That's all I'll say about it. >> She lost her [ __ ] And again, like I
just said, like she became very arrogant and then I think >> Yeah, >> there were there were things she saw
that she could get away with and after standing before a judge multiple times and realizing that she was getting away
with them, she got bolder and bolder. She was just like, "Well, I can keep getting this [ __ ] and keep making a name
for myself >> and maybe I can get more." >> And maybe I can get more >> because now she's got people signing
over power of attorney. >> Oh yeah, >> that's power is coming get into her head.
>> And that's where we're going to pick up in part two. Power of attorney is going
to be a big theme. >> Brutal case. >> Yeah, it's awful. Holy [ __ ] So with that, we hope you keep listening and we
hope you keep it weird. But not so weird as Linda Hazard because that [ __ ] is crazy. She's a [ __ ] and a murderer.
[Music] [Music]

At the dawn of the twentieth-century, major advances in science and technology brought incredible change to the field of medicine, enhancing and extending the lives of millions. Yet at the same time, a lax regulations and minimal oversight made it possible for countless medical grifters to get rich offering quack medical solutions to everything from whooping cough to cancer, sometimes at the expense of their patient’s lives.

When Linda Hazzard opened her sanitarium, the Institute of Natural Therapeutics at Wilderness Heights, in Olalla, Washington in the first decade of the 1900s, she claimed her rigid fasting and elimination approach to dieting was a miracle cure for a variety of illnesses, both trivial and serious. For years, Hazzard operated what amounted to a health retreat for the wealthy, without any oversight from the state or federal agencies. In the end, Hazzard’s starvation cure resulted in the deaths of over a dozen people and her arrest and trial for manslaughter, but through all of it, she maintained it was a viable treatment—standing by her methods up until they ended her own life.

Thank you to the Incredible Dave White of Bring Me the Axe Podcast for research and Writing support!

References Hines, Terrence. 1997. "Starvation Heights." Skeptical Inquirer.

Lovejoy, Bess. 2014. "The doctor who starved her patients to death." Smithsonian Magazine, October 28.

Olsen, Gregg. 2005. Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest. New York, NY: Crown Publishing Group.

Seattle Daily Times. 1911. "Erdman diary tells method of treatment." Seattle Daily Times, August 14.

Seattle Star. 1908. "Charged with starving eight-months-old baby." Seattle Star, January 30: 1.

—. 1911. "Denies she 'fasted' 2 girls." Seattle Star, August 9: 3.

—. 1911. "'Fast cure' woman is arrested." Seattle Star, August 7: 3.

—. 1909. "Prosecutors think they can put a stop to starvation cure." Seattle Star, June 26: 1.

—. 1908. "Sign doesn't make a doctor." Seattle Star, June 8: 6.

—. 1909. "Woman starves to death under care of Dr. L.B. Hazzard." Seattle Star, June 24: 1.

—. 1908. "WQeeden case leads to Dr. Hazzard's arrest." Seattle Star, January 31: 1.

Tacoma Daily Ledger. 1912. "Dr. Hazzard has her first inning." Tacoma Daily Ledger, Janaury 28: 1.

—. 1912. "Dr. Hazzard's trial begins." Tacoma Daily Ledger, January 16: 1.

—. 1912. "Final arguments in Hazzard case." Tacoma Daily Ledger, February 3: 2.

—. 1912. "Heiress testifies against Dr. Hazzard." Tacoma Daily Ledger, January 20: 1.

—. 1912. "Mrs. Hazzard breaks down, and is attended by a dcevoted follower." Tacoma Daily Ledger, February 5: 1.

—. 1904. "Samuel Hazzard sent to Minnesota prison." Tacoma Daily Ledger, March 16: 3.

—. 1912. "Witnesses deny state's charges." Tacoma Daily Ledger, January 30: 1.

—. 1912. "Woman bathed by young men." Tacoma Daily Ledger, January 23: 1.

—. 1911. "Woman meet before judge." Tacoma Daily Ledger, October 22: 1.

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Brief Summary

Linda Hazard's fasting clinic led to multiple patient deaths, revealing her dangerous practices and manipulative behavior.

Key points

Exciting Events Ahead. Ash shares details about an upcoming book event and a ghost concert in Boston.
Linda Hazard's Troubling Past. The hosts delve into the life of Linda Hazard, a controversial figure in health practices.
A Disturbing Will. Linda Hazard's will leaves her daughter only $1, raising questions about their relationship.
Linda's Unconventional Medical Journey. Linda Hazard, despite lacking a medical degree, becomes a practitioner of alternative medicine.
Sam's Bigamy Scandal. Sam Hazard faces bigamy charges as his past catches up with him.
The Trial of Sam Hazard. Linda Hazard's involvement in Sam's trial raises eyebrows as she fabricates evidence.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

I can't wait to hear how it was.

Excitement about an upcoming concert.

1:14WatchAug 4, 2025

Tension

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