Haunted Roadtrip: West Virginia Edition!

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[01:32] Hey weirdos, I'm Alayna. I'm Ash. And this is Morbid. [01:49] I wasn't expecting you to say the first part. I feel like I haven't started in a while. I know. We used to switch off every episode, but now it's like impossible to figure out who did the last one. [02:01] Like your voice came out of my mouth. I was like, hello? Like what's happening? I was like, am I in a, am I in the sixth dimension? Yeah, you are. [02:09] Just so you know. No, this is not the sixth dimension. No. I think this is like the first one or some shit. This is a dimension that I would like to... This is an hellscape. Yeah. I don't want to visit it again. Yeah. Our lives are cool. Like, personally. I like my life. Like, pretty rad. I just hate the things happening around us. Yeah. That's not great. No, it's really bad. [02:32] But let's not bring you all the way down. Yeah. Let's tell you about a cool opportunity for you. [02:38] Yeah. [02:39] Right? [02:40] What is that cool opportunity? They can buy your book in the UK. [02:46] I was like, Mama, we just talked about this. I was like, wait, they have an opportunity? What is it? We literally were like, okay, like, what do we have at the top of the show? She's like, okay, my UK book. I'm like, a cool opportunity for you guys. This is a cool opportunity. I don't know why I didn't think of it that way. It's the morning. It is. It's the morning. I haven't had enough coffee.

[03:10] Magooches. Period. [03:14] You can buy, you can pre-order The Butcher Legacy. What? And The Butcher Game. And you can buy The Butcher Game now. Hell yeah. That's cool because you haven't been able to. Now you can. Now you can get all three. You can pre-order The Butcher Game. You can pre-order The Butcher Legacy. It's going to be awesome. I'm going to try my very hardest to get something signed over to you. Trust me, that's top of the morning on my mind today. [03:44] making sure I get something signed. Things are happening in group text messages. Yeah, I'm looking at fucking stickers, all kinds of shit just to make it happen. So I'm trying. [03:54] and yeah so that's really rad uh because i love you guys she loves you guys yeah for me my business is just that i figured out how to use tiktok appropriately which is a big deal i figured out how to edit like legitimate videos and make them funny yeah so it's a good job it's over for you people it is it's over for every bitch i feel like every single bitch i feel like i unlocked a new skill and i also feel like [04:18] You know, like when your grandma figures out Facebook and she just like won't stop posting. Yep. That's me now. I'm really excited about that. Yeah, I'm excited too. I'm excited that you're just going to keep going. I'm now your grandma. [04:30] Yeah. Hell yeah, you are. Party. As you should be. I'm just going to insert my queen big Ange into every video that I can. My green velvet glasses. She already did. Gotta have them. Yeah. Gotta see. You gotta see. I love her. Because, yeah, I got the, I was super, super fortunate.

[04:49] to get a PR box for the new Scarpetta show because my entire life I've loved Kay Scarpetta and Patricia Cornwell and what a fucking dream. That was one of the coolest PR boxes that I've ever seen. I always see people get PR boxes for cool TV shows and like movies and I'm always like I want one of those. Yeah. And then like usually I don't get them. No. But like a lot of them I'm [05:19] at that yeah and honestly uh patricia cornwell's team is so nice they like went out of their way to send one yeah they are the best but i think now that we posted one maybe we'll get more pr i hope so because i'll i'll post them we'll post videos you guys i can edit them now yeah i exactly elena can open the boxes and i almost called you your aunt name and ash will edit them incredible [05:49] She's going to edit them. The amount of times that happens, or you'll just call me love. Yeah, I call you love a lot because she calls her kids that. So it's just like a vocal stim, I think. I do that. I might call one of you love. Who knows? What love? It might happen. John did that the other day, I think. I was like, what? You're like, what? I was like, hello? He's like, I can do that, love. Yeah, it's okay. I can do that, love. So funny. And also, if you haven't already, yeah. [06:16] Get yourself some tickets to our Radio City Music Hall show. Please do. There's still tickets available. It's a one-night show. We're not doing another one. So come and do it. Spend a little weekend in New York. Treat yourself. Spend a day in New York. Who the fuck cares? Spend some time in the Big Apple. Do whatever you want, but come to our show. Yeah, do whatever you want. Even if you don't want to come to our show, just do one thing that you don't want to do and come. Exactly. Okay. Please do that thing. Maybe we'll do a kick live. No, it'll be fun.

[06:46] I'm so excited for this one. We're figuring out like themies right now. Some merch. Merchies. I have to send an email that just reminded me about that. [06:55] I think it's going to be fun. We're going to be in costume. Yeah, it's going to be really fun. We have a whole theme. [07:01] we're it trust me you want it trust me you want to be there yeah [07:06] We got surprises. We got fun. We got games. We have an opener. We got an opener. Yeah. Yeah. [07:11] So maybe we'll like... [07:12] I don't know. I'm not, I don't know. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know. I'm not making any promises, but it's going to be great. You got to see, you got to come and see, you got to come and see. So get your tickets, but just know that we, yeah. Ticketmaster is the only. [07:25] Ones that we like know what and approved the prices. So outside of that, we have not approved prices. Sometimes bots, they go and they buy the tickets and they poop them up. If they're out there being crazy, we have not approved that. Not us. So fuck them. Big Red and TT would never. No way. Never. [07:45] Okay. We wanted to do something spooky today. We did. We're craving a spooky-ooky episode ever. [07:53] And also, this one has a... [07:56] legitimate true crime [07:58] Oh, you do? Part of it. Like, most of mine is true crime. Oh. So it's definitely got spookiness. It's true crime. But I have a true crime. You have a true crime episode. Yeah. That has weight for us. It does. And the person who... [08:12] Knows who they are. You know who you are. They're not listening, though.

[08:17] Anyway, mine is just purely haunted. Love that. But it involves Aaron Burr. Oh, sir? Sure. [08:23] Yes, sir. I love that. Yeah. I feel like you should go first, though, because Moida. Yeah, I think ending on like purely haunting, I think is the way to go. Yeah. So this is going to be West Virginia. [08:34] Yeah, yeah. West Virginia. Is that what our theme is? Yeah, I saw that you were doing something from West Virginia. So I said, I saw Elena Arcar researching things about West Virginia. So I started researching haunted things in West Virginia. I love that a lot. And it just makes me think of Hannibal Lecter saying to Clarice Starling in your accent. [08:54] which you've tried so hard to shed is pure West Virginia. Oh, a read. Makes me think of it. I haven't seen Silence of the Lambs in so long. I feel like I might have said that on every episode for the last three fucking months, but I need to watch that movie again. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. It's such a good movie. It is. It's fucking genius. It is. The way it's shot is unbelievable. It's chilling. The performances? Oh, my God. Me and Drew went to this museum in L.A. when we were there, [09:24] recreation of the cell area it was sick if we can ever get your ass on a plane we got to bring you there if you can ever get your ass right now i'm not trying to go on a plane right now i can't believe when we went to disney like me and drew and we came back that we were able to get back in a timely fashion i think you slipped through that right before no we literally did yeah and i'm talking right before because we turned around and i was like

[09:49] Like as we got through security, I was like, oh, fuck. We got here just in time. Literally slipped through, I think. Yeah. I'm not trying to try to test the fates like that. Yeah. I'll just be road tripping for a while. Yeah. I'm just going to stay on ground for a while. Yeah. Yeah. [10:01] We'll see how it shakes out. Stay grounded, brothers. Stay grounded from an earth sign. So today I'm going to be talking about Cabin 13. Cabin 13. [10:13] And Babcock State Park in West Virginia. See, that's the thing. 13 is a spooky number. I think it's almost... I always think of 13 as like a fake spooky number. I don't. I don't look at it as like... [10:25] a thing. That's crazy because you're Irish. I know. Like, in Irish culture, we see it as bad luck. Ma will not see 13 people at a table. And she instilled that shit into me. [10:36] Yeah, I don't know. Maybe it's because it got instilled into me that I, like, rebelled against it. Yeah, you're rioting. That's not real. Like, I always just think of it as, because, like, I don't know, 13 doesn't really bother me. So I think I look, whenever it, it showing up in a place like this where something really bad actually did happen, I'm like, oh. [10:55] Ooh. You're like, well, amazing. Because I always look at it as, like, fiction a little bit. Okay. So when it translates into reality, it's like, oh, it really is Cabin 13? Yeah, I got that. So Cabin 13 in Babcock State Park in West Virginia is said to be wildly haunted. Ooh, want to go? And, yeah, because you can stay there. You can stay there, my friends. There's lots of, there's people who have done a lot of investigations in this place. Oh.

[11:21] So... [11:22] I've already thought about it. We've already contacted a couple of friends. We've already reached out to some friends to say, [11:31] Do you want to go to West Virginia is that far away? Do you want to go to stay grounded and go there? We can stay grounded and go there. And this cabin in particular, I'll mention it again at the end, but it's the last one in the series of cabins. Oh, that makes it even spookier. It's on the end of a very at the end of the road. It's very isolated, very secluded. It's in particular, the staff is like this cabin is dead. [11:54] the most secluded from all of them. Freaky. So there was a real, very confirmed murder that happened there in 1996 in that cabin. 1996? Yeah. For some reason, I thought you were taking me way back. Nope. I'm just taking you back to your birth 29 years ago. Yeah. That year in the middle of the night on April 30th, Cheryl Flippo, a 46-year-old wife and mother who was devoted to her family and her church... [12:20] was killed in cabin 13. Brutally. Now, Cheryl was a beautiful, loving, and again, by all accounts, dedicated member of her church. She was married to the Reverend James Michael Flippo, and they were happy from the outside, it looked like. [12:36] like but evidently not nothing to be shocked about like but i'm just from the outside you're like okay nothing that i can see okay in the 1980s though something started happening to them they found themselves being stalked oh fuck they were getting letters and they were sent in that like classic magazine letter cut out like ransom note kind of vibe and they would say shit like you're next and i'm gonna get you and like just like scary shit and it freaked them out especially

[13:06] but they just kind of went on with their life because they couldn't figure out who sent them. And they also couldn't... [13:11] figure out when they were coming or why they were coming. Like they would just come like. No rhyme or reason. Yeah. It was very willy nilly. So they were like, we don't even have like a pattern here. I'm not even sure why they're coming. Okay. Very strange. [13:23] Now, she and her husband, Reverend James Michael Flippo, decided to take a spontaneous trip to the park, to Babcock State Park in 1996. This was after Reverend Flippo had taken a man named Joel Bogis to the park to baptize him in the water. He, like, performed a baptism in the water. [13:40] In the crick. In the crick. A crick-tism? A crick-tism. He was doing a crick-tism. Okay. And he was doing that on April 27th. [13:48] 1996. Okay. So he apparently loved the place when he was there because he made reservations that day for him and his wife to go stay. He said, this place is the tits and I would like to stay. He said, let's go. So the reservation was for April 29th and they arrived a bit later than expected that day, according to James Michael Flippo. So they didn't pick up a key at the office. They just went to the cabin anyways and the cabin was unlocked. So they were like, cool. Everything was chill. Although [14:18] phone at some point during the evening to make a phone call. Okay. Um, at two 11 AM that night, that night, that morning, excuse me, that morning, I was like, I, as soon as I said it out, I was like that night. It still feels like the night cause it's so late. So I'll give you that. So at two 11 that morning, a 911 call came from the pay phone.

[14:38] okay it was james flippo he was absolutely panicked and he said that he and his wife cheryl had been attacked in the middle of the night by a home invader and they were both hurt he didn't know if cheryl was okay like he was frantic okay uh they sent police out immediately and so the fayetteville county sheriff's department arrived very quickly deputy c bryant was the first one on scene and he noted that james flippo appeared to be bleeding only a little bit though [15:08] ways. He had to drive there, he said, because when he came out of his house, like out of the cabin, his car was gone. [15:17] So he's like, someone stole my car. Like the person who came in must have stole my car. So he had to like run to the payphone. That's why he was like just in his underwear. Like, okay. So he, the police officer was like, I'll drive us back to the cabin and we can figure out what happened. So he gets there and there's a red Camaro parked in front of the cabin. [15:35] And so... [15:36] As is protocol, Deputy Bryant was like, is that car yours? His dude, is that your car? And James Slippo was like, no, that's not my car. [15:45] He was like, I don't know whose car that is. And he said he had driven his wife and him to the cabin in a green Cadillac. And this was a red Camaro. [15:53] who the fuck is just leaving a Camaro? So he was like, what? And he was like, I think, like, this person stole my car. I don't know who that car is. And he was like, so did he, like... [16:02] So this person stole your car and left his? Like, why would he just trade out your car? Trade seats. Like, what? And so he was like, what the fuck? So James Flippo said that his wife was still in the cabin, very badly hurt, again, unfortunately.

[16:15] Didn't know if she was alive. Like any, when asked if she had, if he had like actually done anything to see if she was alive, he was like, no. [16:23] I didn't. That's weird. I just ran out of there. [16:27] Which is like, okay. What? So leaving James Flippo in the car, Deputy Bryant made his way into the cabin. And immediately he took notes that there was no signs of force entry in this cabin. Okay. He was like, I don't know if the door was unlocked or what, but it did not seem like somebody barged in there. And it had recently rained. And so the ground was very squishy and muddy. And he said there was absolutely no footprints anywhere around the cabin besides theirs. [16:57] there was no water on the floor like somebody come in like mr flippo so he was like which obviously is not like smoking gun but it it made his radar go up a little bit because he was like [17:08] It's a pretty big deal. He's like, I guess... [17:11] If you're thinking like an investigator, you're going to go, okay, maybe they cleaned up. Maybe they wiped up their muddy footprints, and I just don't see them right now. But somehow there are no tracks in the mud as well. Well, that's the thing. He's like, but how does that happen? So making his way into the cabin, he found Cheryl Flippo. After a lot of searching, because he couldn't find her at first, she was in fact very deceased and was laying between the wall and the bed with a roll of duct tape near her that appeared to have been used or attempted to be used on her. Okay. [17:39] There was a ton of blood everywhere and her skull had been completely crushed. Oh, wow. He even noted and it's noted in court documents that there was brain matter exposed and there was brain matter on the wall. Oh, my God. That's how brutally she had been beaten. Later, it was discovered that she had been horrifically beaten with firewood and fire like like basically fire pokers like holy shit. Yeah.

[18:05] That's really brutal. So paramedics declared Cheryl dead as soon as they arrived. And they brought James to the hospital where he was treated for literally a bruise on his head. [18:16] and scratches on his legs. [18:18] uh-huh that's it [18:30] Thank you. [18:31] Do you know that feeling when working out finally clicks, when you finally feel like you get in a routine, when you can see the results, not just physically, but also like emotionally, mentally, automatically? [18:42] All of it. I don't know. Tell me about it. I'm going to tell you about it because finally when it clicks for me is when I get that clear headed feeling. I can I actually look forward to my workouts because I feel like they're kind of like a reset for me. Oh, heck yeah. Heck yeah. It's honestly it's worth it. You're it's worth it. It's an investment in yourself in every way that it can be. So I'm telling you, one way you can do this is with Peloton. Peloton helps you unlock all the [19:12] but he gets through movement with the Peloton cross-training Tread Plus powered by Peloton IQ. Peloton IQ builds a workout roadmap that's completely yours. So you can stop overthinking and just move, which is the hardest part. Peloton IQ provides intelligent strength coaching so you can stay in the moment. You can track every single rep. You can read every movement and guiding form in real time.

[19:42] right and they're like no you're not this is how you do it don't second guess yourself girl don't do it so spin the swivel screen too and feel what's possible moving from running to strength seamlessly without breaking any flow because we don't want to break that flow reach your flow state they honestly the clarity that comes when you stop negotiating with yourself i'll just do it tomorrow i'll start it next week maybe if i get in this routine i'll feel better don't talk [20:12] I'm the person who will continue negotiating with myself until I'm 80 years old that I've yet to step on any single exercise equipment. So finally, when I stopped and I just got on my Peloton, I'm telling you it's an investment. It's a worthwhile investment in yourself. So let yourself run, lift, fail, try and go. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus at OnePeloton.com. [20:37] Period. [20:41] This is a paid ad by BetterHelp. There have been times in my life where I have been work, work, work, and nothing else, but that simply doesn't work for me. So I feel like the older I've gotten, I've really gotten much better at taking a step back, being able to prioritize a work-life balance that works for me. Not everybody thrives when life gets busy. You might catch yourself feeling drained even during things that you usually enjoy or realize that you've been pushing yourself more [21:10] by resting, recharging, and saying no when you need to.

[21:13] Therapy can also be a great way to get out of autopilot and get a solid reset. Therapy with BetterHelp may help you understand your needs, feel more confident setting boundaries, and create a rhythm that feels sustainable. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform. Just take a short questionnaire to identify your needs and preferences, and BetterHelp will handle the initial therapist matching work for you. You can also feel confident knowing that BetterHelp therapists work according to a strict code of conduct and are fully qualified. [21:43] Take a pause with therapy. BetterHelp can help life feel manageable again. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash morbid. That's betterhelp.com slash morbid. [21:57] Every good detective needs a partner to support them on important cases. Think of a State Farm agent like your sidekick, there to help you along the way in your search for coverage. State Farm can help you choose the coverage you need, whether it's for your home, car, boat, or even RV. With so many options, it's nice knowing you have help finding what fits for you, so you can get back to solving all of life's bigger cases. Go to statefarm.com or use the award-winning app to connect with a local agent and get a quote, [22:27] neighbor, State Farm is there. [22:33] So he was taken to the police station to give a statement to Detective S. Kessler. [22:37] His statement said that he had arrived at the cabin with Cheryl, gone to the pay phone to call a sick friend who was in the hospital just to check on them. Rid them. And they made a fire. They ate some ice cream. They played cards. Like, sounds like a nice night together. Yeah. And he said after they went to sleep, nothing out of the ordinary, no fights or anything like that. And he said at some point in the middle of the night, he heard a noise and he woke up to see Cheryl on the ground next to the bed and a person with something over his face and a rope.

[23:07] I have to say this because I felt like a dingus. He said a toboggan over his face. A toboggan? Isn't that a sled? Okay, I'm really glad that you thought that as well. Apparently a toboggan is also like a hat of some sort. I pictured somebody with a toboggan strapped to their face, and I said... [23:25] i said that's horrifying no not a toboggan like i'm laughing at this part of this because i need you to picture somebody with a toboggan like the sled i need you to picture to their face a sled face yeah i need you to picture that and then you'll understand i'm trying to look at the hat a toboggan is basically like a ski hat i think so yeah i didn't know it was called it's just like a beanie and when i saw it in the court documents i was like what the fuck and i looked it up and [23:55] oh that's funny oh it's because that's the hat that you wear to go to toboggan tobogganing see that makes sense okay see it all makes sense there you go and later he would say like he would change his story with this it was like a hat a hat with eyes cut out a hat with the mouth cut out however like you know like you would change it up a lot um so he said i think you killed your wife he wakes up he sees this person he said before he could do anything he was walloped with a piece of firewood

[24:25] The stranger was sitting on him, cutting his legs with a knife. That's ridiculous. Just cutting his legs with a knife. That's ridiculous. He said he was knocked out again, and when he woke up, the stranger, the killer, was gone. He checked Cheryl. [24:38] And this is when he said, I checked Cheryl and I laid my head on her chest and she had a heartbeat. So I ran to the payphone. But previously he said that he hadn't done anything. [24:48] So meanwhile, a detective, and they're noting all of these things. And meanwhile, a detective at the scene has called now and said that there was... [24:57] clearly no forced entry and also that this was a very sloppily staged scene in his opinion yeah i would say so no forced entry no evidence of anyone else being there and things that were even put in strange places like they were trying to make it look like a scene furniture was just like weirdly overturned like things that wouldn't make sense yeah this along with the brutality of cheryl's injuries and his surface level scratches that he's claiming he got from a knife it was clear [25:27] And soon after he was indicted on first degree murder for his wife. During his trial, some of the evidence that came out was it was discovered that 30 days prior to that, within 30 days before this, he had taken out a $100,000 life insurance policy. She was aware of this. Okay. Okay. [25:47] Probably because she just thought like, [25:49] Yeah. Life insurance. That he wasn't going to murder her for that money. Right. Like, a lot of married couples take these out. Yeah. But yeah, he had done it less than 30 days before that. He was also an overspender. Oh. She had complete control of the finances because he couldn't handle having control of the finances. Yikes. She would also, like, she took his credit cards away because he had maxed them all out and she, like, cut them up and was like, you can't have credit cards. Oh my god. Yeah, like, he was, like, ruining their finances.

[26:19] to take control of it. Yeah. But also Cheryl had recently accused Flippo of having an affair with a man who attended the church. Oh, sure. So that had caused some tension in the marriage as well. So there was things going on bubbling under the surface, obviously. Big time. Further investigation showed that Flippo wasn't just bad with money. He was a thief. Oh, no. He had stolen $12,000 from a fund that the church had set up to help a sick child. Oh, this guy's scum. So he's just a piece [26:49] So Dr. Irvin M. Sofer, a former chief medical examiner, testified that James Flippo's injuries were not enough to even render him unconscious. I like that he said that the killer was just cutting his legs. Yeah. Which, like, what? Well, they literally... But also, they were scratches. They discovered that they were self-inflicted. Yeah, I'm sure. Like, it was very obvious to see. Why would a killer just sit on top of you and cut your legs? Because you can also see the direction where the scratches start and stop. And if he's doing it from his angle, it's clearly he's scratching his own legs. [27:19] People are not dumb. People go to medical school for this. Yeah, get a grip. And in the 911 call, like I said before, there was the discrepancy between him saying he didn't check to see if she was alive, and then later saying he put his head on her chest to see, to hear a heartbeat. Yeah, you would remember that. Yeah, that's a big deal. He later said that he had to use the payphone because his cellular phone was actually missing. That's why he was using the payphone that day. Uh-huh. And he said he arrived at the... [27:46] at the cabin and he didn't know where his phone was that's why he had to use it right away to make that phone call to the sick friend sick friend they found his phone his cellulose phone in the fireplace

[27:56] Brother. The roll of duct tape next to Cheryl's body. You didn't even throw it in the water? No. In the fireplace. Like, I'm glad you're dumb. Yeah, glad you're dumb. The roll of duct tape found next to Cheryl's body. Only James's fingerprints were on it. [28:08] investigators man is a fucking idiot. Investigators also found that the blood that they had found on the bed, [28:16] was not there because of the attack. Someone had soaked up the blood on the floor... [28:22] And plopped it onto the bed to make it look like the attack had happened there. That's actually crazy that they could figure that out. Isn't that nuts? That's cool. Yeah. But a weird thing to do. And that call he had said was to a sick friend. Yeah. [28:33] was actually to Joel Bogis. [28:36] who he baptized in the park a couple of days earlier. Okay. And that car outside the cabin... [28:42] Yeah, that was also Joel's. [28:45] He claimed he didn't recognize it. That was Joel's. Joel had let James borrow his car to go to the park that day. And he planned to say, my car was stolen and a random man left his car here. And I also just happened to baptize him two days ago. Well, he's a friend. He's a literal friend. And Joel was like, I let him borrow my car because it's convertible. And I think he was going to be getting rid of it or selling it. [29:15] like a romantic weekend and he was like yeah that's so sad to think that she probably thought this was like a nice romantic that they were gonna like try to like rekindle especially after they were going through what they were going through yeah james had also claimed that he had never been in the park

[29:30] but we know that's not true. Dude. And staff confirmed that he was there only two days earlier. They also spoke with witnesses who said that James claimed that this was a spur of the moment romantic getaway. Not planned at all. You bumped it two days before. He had not only made reservations two days before when he was baptizing Joel, [29:47] But Joel said he pointed out specifically cabin 13. This cabin, again, is the last in the row. Very secluded. Yeah. He was like, I want to stay there. Right. Right. [29:57] like he like i wonder why now also that stalker we talked about was him that was james yeah i had as soon as you started i was like oh that was him he sent them to scare cheryl whenever she would get close to like catching him in all his shit or probably leaving stealing money or claiming like anything to keep her on her toes and like needing support exactly [30:18] Now, there were some appeals, of course, and they tried to argue the police procedures, searching the crime scene for too long without a warrant kind of thing. They did argue this. Well, you can look up the court case and they go like really, obviously, thoroughly into like each of the appeals and how they argued them. And it's pretty interesting, actually. His conviction, which was a life sentence without possibility of parole, was upheld. [30:48] Investigators can search a scene without a warrant. So something did come out of this. Now, I, [30:53] The clearly... [30:55] cursed energy that is probably pretty prevalent in cabin 13 at babcock state park is definitely it's definitely been experienced by people okay people say they see a woman standing in the window when the cabin is vacant she just stares outside and sometimes she's wearing a nightgown like just looking outside and they see her sometimes walking through the woods and they all report that she just has like a very sad feeling.

[31:23] grieving kind of look on her face. Oh, that's awful. I hope that it's not Cheryl. I hope she's not stuck there. I really don't want her to be stuck in that cabin. Yeah. Now, in the silence of the middle of the night, people will hear sobbing or moaning coming from the cabin. Oh, and it'll be vacant. Yeah. Some visitors hear a residual struggle inside the cabin, like almost like they hear thuds and crashing and thrashing, like someone is in a fight in the cabin, but it's empty. Oh, shit. Which feels like a residual light just reliving it, which... [31:51] I really hope that's not it. Yeah. Now, investigators have noted that when they came towards, this is interesting, when they come towards cabin 13, the whole hollow around cabin 13 feels, it just falls silent. [32:05] They've entered a void. They said all insects stop making noises. Animals don't make noise. It reminds me of Okigahara, the suicide forest. It's like the deafening silence. It's like this womb of silence in there. It feels very unnatural. It can feel very threatening. That kind of silence, because it happens in Okigahara a lot, it can fuck with you psychologically. We're just not meant to be [32:35] devoid of any kind of sensory. [32:42] But people who stay in the cabin report that they wake, and this is a report that happens a lot, that they wake up to see a shadow looming over them at the foot of the bed. Oh! That gave me such a big chill. Just like a shadow. And sometimes they see the shadow lurking in the corners.

[33:02] Of the bedroom. I don't like that. Just like hanging out over there. No. And others said that they've been shook awake by something. And when they open their eyes, they hear a woman talking to them, but they can't understand what she's saying. Or she'll like ask for help. [33:17] or be crying. Oh, I have nonstop chills right now. They will also hear knocking at the door, and no one is there when they go check. Oh, I hate this so much. And they hear someone creeping around outside, and they'll look, and no one's around. I saw one report where a family stayed there, and they woke up a few times to someone banging on the door hard, and hard enough that their father opened the door several times to, like, scream out there, go away, but no one was [33:47] got up there. That's what I'm saying. Several times banging on the door. Like that's, that's some strangers type shit. Yeah. [33:55] So that's... [33:57] yeah i don't like the banging on the cabin door i hate the what are you doing staying in cabins folks i have to ask don't stay in cabins like this nay unless you're gonna investigate because i would like to you know i'm not staying there though i'm not staying there stay awake yeah stay awake keep those eyes open red bull [34:13] Let's go. Hello? Hello? Okay, well, mine is significantly less sad and horrifying, to be honest. I mean, that's good. And some of my haunts are kind of funny, but some are scary. Oh, I love it. So there's haunts. We get a mix of everything. So mine's a hotel, and it's the Blennerhazit Hotel in Parkersburg, West Virginia. West Virginia. West Virginia, because like I said, I saw you research in West Virginia, and then I said I would like to research West Virginia. West Virginia. West Virginia.

[34:40] So the Blennerhassett Hotel is one of the oldest hotels, and it opened on May 6th, 1889. Damn, that's like as old as me. [34:48] No, it's older. Not quite. No, it's a little bit older. The hotel took six years to build, and the whole entire project was managed by Colonel William Nelson Chancellor. The goal was to make this, like, the most opulent hotel in West Virginia. I love when they have that goal. They were like, listen, if anybody is traveling through this area, which there was a lot of travel at this time, because it was like an oil boom and, like, a gas boom. It was just booming. Appalachia. Appalachia. [35:18] they need to stay at this hotel and no other hotel. [35:21] I think that's a pretty cool goal to be like, I'm going to be it. Yeah, that's it. Like the hotel. And I love when they they have it's always the guy who says this is going to be the most luxurious opulent hotel. Fuck yeah. [35:36] I don't, I want to say, like, go into it that way, but now I'm like, should you? I think you should. Like, sometimes it ends up poorly. This is good, I think. This is good? Yeah, this is fine. There's, like, fun haunts? Yeah. He said, I'm not building a hotel, I'm building the hotel. And I respect that. So this isn't, like, you know, tragic hauntings. These are, like, fun hauntings. I mean, some of them are, like, a little bit sad, but, like, nothing crazy. I like that.

[36:06] era picture, ornate trims, towers, large stained glass windows, all of the above. Get it. Upon opening the hotel, it had the finest luxuries that anybody could have enjoyed at the time. [36:19] electric and gas lighting get the fuck out of here it was like this thing where like electric and gas were like working together to to make electricity or some shit they were collabing and they were and they were working on a collab um and this was literally just one year after the city had like started transitioning over to using electricity so this was a really big deal yeah [36:40] It also had steam heating. Whoa. Both service and passenger elevators, which like that was huge at the time. Not having to carry all your suitcases up to your room was a big deal. Hell yeah. And my favorite, state-of-the-art plumbing. Oh. I love good plumbing. We love it when you can shit in peace. Yeah. You know? Yeah, I do. Now, according to the hotel's website, guests could enjoy leisurely strolls through double [37:10] piano. A grand mirror stood in the lobby, shielded by a wire cage to deter any potential damage stemming from the lively streets below. A majestic central staircase spiraled through all five stories, overlooked by public restrooms on each floor and offering privacy in all 50 guest rooms. [37:27] I feel like we just don't make them like that anymore. We don't. We don't. Like, that description, we don't see that anymore. Dare I say, we make the ugliest shit now. Our buildings over here. I'm not speaking for any of you in any other place in the world other than the United States. But our buildings, I'm like... They're ugly. Can we...

[37:52] And everything is just condos now. I just want... I want it to be back to, like... [37:57] ornate, intricate carvings. Victorian era shit. Yeah, like, you look at some, some, like, cathedrals and shit, like, Germany and shit. Oh my god, there is one German cathedral in particular that every time I see it, I'm like, Elena has to go there. Yeah, it's, is it the Cologne? [38:15] Yeah, I think it is actually. I believe it is. It's. [38:18] The most gorgeous thing I have ever laid eyes on. It's stunting. Like, it's stupid gorgeous. It always goes on TikTok to that sound that's like, And then they're like, It's like a Rammstein, a Rammstein, the... [38:35] Yeah, that's an easier way to say it. That's an easier way to present the song. Cologne Cathedral, I think, is one of the most gorgeous pieces of architecture I've ever seen in my entire existence. Gorgeous. Also look up a picture of this hotel because it's also very beautiful. [39:05] Harmon and Margaret came to America from England for a couple of reasons. This was in 1796, and they had stirred up some trouble in England. Oops. One, because they were uncle and niece, and also husband and wife. [39:17] Oh. And two, because Harmon was advocating for Irish independence and his political homies were not trying to get arrested alongside him for that.

[39:26] Oh, period. I'm just really focused on the uncle and niece of it all. Yeah, number two is not so bad. Number one, bad. But number one is really... [39:36] Shaking me. Yeah, I was shook. [39:48] Sling is the live TV service that puts viewers in charge of their entertainment at an unmatched value. Streaming live sports, shows, and movies starts at just $4.99 and everything works instantly across your favorite devices. The best part? Total control over the channel lineup. No paying for tons of channels that never get watched or local channels that are already free. And there's also no long-term contract. Live TV is available when it's wanted with flexible options like monthly subscriptions or one-day, three-day, or seven-day passes. [40:18] subscriptions can be paused at any time and entertainment doesn't stop over 600 free channels stay available even after pausing one thing that i love about sling is they have this thing called the cloud dvr and it includes 50 hours of storage but you can also upgrade that to 200 hours i love that that's awesome because i love to record my shows and watch them later and then fast forward through the commercials [40:39] Choose and customize your favorite channel lineup or pause and watch for free. Sling lets you do that. Visit sling.com to learn more. [40:47] Summer is the perfect time to rethink what clothes you're reaching for every day. With the warmer weather, you want lighter fabrics, better materials, pieces that just feel good the moment that you put them on, and also look effortless. That's where quince comes in. You guys, I love quince. They focus on high-quality essentials. Think breathable linen, soft organic cotton, washable silk, but without the luxury markup. It looks like luxury. It feels like luxury, but you don't get that markup.

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[42:48] Earnin is a financial technology company, not a bank. Access limits are based on your earnings and risk factors. Standard cash outs take one to two business days with no mandatory fees. Expedited transfer is available for a fee. Tips are voluntary and don't affect the service. Available in select states. Terms and restrictions apply. Visit Earnin.com for full details. [43:06] but apparently harman was kind of always embroiled in some kind of scandal yeah he actually had to flee the island after it was discovered that he was involved with the aaron burr treason conspiracy oh no aaron burr apparently traveled to the island quite frequently to work on his military plans which were like fucked up uh harman was arrested twice in the u.s and financially ruined before he [43:36] I mean, he still has a hotel on an island named after him. Yeah, I guess it all worked out. Now, they weren't the only famous people involved in the hotel's history. JFK campaigned there in 1960, and he stayed on two separate occasions in May of that year. Apparently, he stayed in room 216 both times. At that time, 216 was the biggest suite that the Blennerhasset had to offer. [43:59] Now, it was officially added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1982, and it has survived many feats, fires, floods, renovation, and most importantly, what we're here for today. [44:13] hauntings yeah yeah so let's start with what is said to be the most haunted room in the entire hotel this is the i think it's called the kaltznecker suite or room 409 the blender house that website alleges that this room is not just the most haunted hotel room that they have to offer but they say it is considered the most haunted hotel room in the entire state of west virginia damn right

[44:36] Now, originally, this part of the hotel, the hotel was actually a separate building, which was the Kaltnecker building built in 1889 by John Kaltnecker. [44:45] Of course. Of course. The first floor back then was used as a saloon originally. Oh, yeah, it was. And then it became a popular restaurant years later. It wasn't until. It was such a saloon. I fucking love a saloon. Oh, who doesn't love a saloon? Swinging door, let's go. Let's go. Now, it wasn't until the 1985-1986 major renovation that the buildings ended up merging. Now, the suite is the only two-story suite in the entire hotel, and it's marketed as being able to sleep 10 guests. Ooh. So, like, paranormal investigation in one. [45:15] Looks pretty good to me. You wanna? Yeah. If you did investigate this hotel, this suite is one of the places that you would be most likely to come face to face with the man in the bowler hat. Oh, let's go. People describe seeing him as a completely solid figure. They will wake up in the middle of the night and see this man standing in their room, completely solid figure, nicely dressed in early 20th century attire, and of course, a bowler hat. Of course. [45:45] upstairs bedroom of the suite. [45:47] And then he just vanishes like he was never there in the first place. I kind of love that. He's just like, hello, goodbye. He's like, hello, do you like my outfit? [45:55] Do you like my hat or not? Now, most people say he's pretty harmless and like they they just see him and then he's gone. Cool. But one woman not so cool did report that she woke up in the middle of the night, saw the man and that he held her down by her neck in bed and she was unable to move.

[46:17] That's rude. Some would say. That is not as cool as do you like my outfit. Some people would say that's paranormal assault. Yeah, I would say so. I don't know what you do about it, but fucked up. [46:30] Now, no one's quite sure who exactly this man is, but because the hotel attracted businessmen during the oil boom in the late 1800s, people are like, he's probably just some kind of businessman. Like, he's stuck there. But some people also think he could be Colonel William Chancellor, who's the hotel's builder. But he, the William Chancellor, is more often accompanied by the smell or the sight of cigar smoke. Oh. People will just smell it, not see anything, but people have seen, like, little cigar smoke puffs. [47:00] Yeah. Oh my god, that's cool. And he's more often seen on the third floor mezzanine. So like, while he could be the man in the bowler hat, I'm not so sure. Yeah. Employees and guests have seen legit smoke rings coming out of his portrait, which hangs in the lobby. Oh my god, I love that so much. Like, imagine just sitting in the lobby and then you're just like, you just see a man blowing nose, but he's a portrait. Now, during renovations, that portrait was apparently moved, [47:30] getting ready to climb into bed and as he sat down he felt an impression on the other side of the bed but he was by himself he thought and he looked over and he said he saw an older man sitting next to him who just looked at him and said i was here first so [47:45] i love that a lot what and he thought that it was william chancellor i love that now once the portrait was returned to the lobby things seem to settle down a bit but people checking out will recognize like they'll walk by the portrait and they'll be like i saw that guy smoking a cigar in the hallway you're like yeah you did and they're like yeah yeah you did but he's dead and they most often report seeing him in a three-piece gray suit

[48:11] Oh, I like that. So it's snazzy. Yeah. If you go to the Blender House and you see a man walking down the hallway in a nice suit smoking a cigar, he's a ghost. He's a ghost. And he was there first. And he was there first. That's important to remember. Something else that happens in Suite 409, just going back there for a second, is that guests will wake up in the middle of the night and hear furniture being moved around the room. Oh, shit. And they also will wake up to the sounds of a massive party. [48:39] It sounds like there's a party either in the room or right next door. Like a great Gatsby-style party. Yes, like a 20s party. Now, one guest told WBOI News that he stayed in the room right next door, 407, which apparently you can book 409 and 407 together, and you can open up a door and connect them. He was just in 407. [49:00] And he actually booked it because he wanted like a quieter stay. But he woke up in the middle of the night and it sounded like people were having a huge party. So he was checking out the next morning and he told the front desk like, what the hell was going on? Like I booked that room. Yeah, I booked that room for quiet. And they were like... [49:15] Uh, you were the only guest on that floor. [49:18] oh shit yeah fuck yeah that would fuck me up yeah that would especially honestly here i'm the only guest on that whole floor i'd be like what yeah i would hate that that would stress me out anyways i'd be like oh my god i would hate that a lot i mean good to tell somebody upon checking out not checking yeah definitely uh the elevators which were a huge deal in the beginning they never seem to open to the correct floor though shit a lot of times they open to the second floor which is where

[49:48] has that is haunted. Oh, a bride. A woman in white. Yes. You were so close. Guests report seeing her dressed in all white clothing from the 20s or maybe the 30s, and they say she also wears a white cap pulled down to almost cover her eyes. Mysterious. Yeah, she is, and she's a beauty. A man once saw her, and he thought that she was, like, alive, and he asked her to hold the elevator door for him, and she did, but then when he stepped on the elevator, there was nobody there. Oh, damn. [50:18] door for me. That would fuck me right up. But what he did experience was a like overwhelming smell of lavender perfume as soon as he got into the elevator. And a lot of people associate lavender perfume with sightings of her. Oh, shit. Yeah, I like that. Right. What a soothing scent. Yeah, I love lavender. Yeah. Employees who work in the kitchen are said to be visited by a little newspaper boy. Oh, my God. He used to work at the old newspaper stand in the back and he will pull [50:48] And when they turn around, they literally see an apparition of him with his like little news cap and his messenger bag. [50:55] I was like, that's an experience that I'd like to have. Yeah. Now, there's a little bit of debate about who this next ghost is. Some people think that he's a sea captain. Oh. And others claim that he looks exactly like Harmon Blunner Hassett. Oh, damn. Either way, the ghost is most often seen in the mirrors of the bar and the restaurant on the main lobby. He's just living. But always in the mirror. Okay.

[51:25] building that was torn down in New York City. Oh, interesting. So it'd be weird if it was Blennerhasset. Yeah. Like maybe it's more likely to be a sea captain. A salty sea captain. From New York City. Yeah. Now one place in the hotel that you would assume would be quite peaceful, but is actually the complete opposite, is the library. I would assume that. Which I love that they have a library. Oh, hell yeah. I don't know that I've been to a hotel with one. I know. Apparently guests will just be chilling in the library, and they will suddenly hear the appalling [51:55] woman screaming bloody murder. Whoa. Out of nowhere. Now, interestingly, there is a window in the corner of the library that used to be the door to the First National Bank of Parkersburg. And years and years and years ago, there was a terrible accident where a tractor trailer lost control and crashed into that doorway. Oh, shit. And killed a woman. Oh, wow. So people think that it's like some kind of residual haunting from her being struck. Oh. Yeah. Also in the library, people [52:25] books being thrown from the shelves. [52:27] chairs being knocked over out of nowhere lots of people get touched in the library a lot of people feel like tapping on their shoulder and then this one is just fucking weird people will be sitting there just like chatting or reading and all of a sudden they'll look at an ottoman like near them and they'll see the fabric getting pulled up on the ottoman but nobody's pulling it up what isn't that fucking weird that's so weird and niche it is super i don't think i've ever heard

[52:57] Like, how do you explain that? I'm like, what the fuck is going on? Yeah. Now, if you want to stop at the Starbucks nearby to get a jolt of caffeine after that horrifying interaction. Yeah, I do. Just know that ghosts might be lurking in line. Oh, shit. They're pretty chill during the daytime hours, but at exactly 4 a.m., staff have heard a series of three knocks on the door beside the Starbucks. And when they open it up, no one is there. [53:21] Why are they knocking on the door so early? They're like, are you open yet? They're like, do you have the coffee, Bird? Please, I need espresso. I mean, I get it. But then maybe they're just like, oh, sorry, it's too early. Now, also, what would a haunted hotel be without ghostly children? Oh, yeah. Guests hear giggling children all over this place. Damn. But the maids tidying up the hotel room seem to be the most familiar. They will be trying to put the toilet paper back on the holder, [53:51] and they can't get the toilet paper on. Oh my god. And they'll hear kids laughing while it happens. I was going to say, that's such a little kid thing to do. Yeah. They've also seen children's footprints walking across comforters. Shit. Yep. During the holidays, it apparently sounds like the kids were singing along with jingle bells as it played over the hotel speakers. Yeah. [54:12] Okay, that literally just gave me... [54:15] all the chills. I don't like that. Here's the thing. This is a terrible fact about me, but it is a fact. Nonetheless, I fucking hate the sound of children singing. You do. Yeah, I just hate it. It's spooky as hell. That way, jingle bells? Disembodied children's voices singing jingle bells? Fuck a whole bunch of that voice. Like, no. That is honestly the scariest one to me. I'd be like, can I get an early checkout? Thanks. Yeah, that would fuck me up.

[54:45] have this great night's sleep and then they will wake up to the feeling of being kissed on their faces and they say it feels like a child's kiss. [54:53] Don't kiss me. That's really cute, though. Don't kiss me. What if it's like a little kid, though, and they think you're their mom? [55:01] I'm not your mom. Because that's really sad. That's sad. That is the case. Like, just, like, giving your mom a kiss. A mom a kiss? I don't want a mom a kiss. I mean, I don't want a ghost child's mom a kiss. I just want to wake up to my alarm. I... [55:15] Okay, the children thing is a little unsettling. The children thing is the most unsettling. Here I am, like, this man in a bowler hat is just, like, materializing in your room, sometimes choking you. And I'm like, the kids thing is a little unsettling. I hate that the kids are singing holiday music. Like, where's the bowler guy? I hate that the kids are giving me a kiss and singing holiday music. Yeah, please get out of here. [55:45] at Blenner Hassett outside of room 409. Good. There are weddings, obviously, and like different events held in the ballroom all the time. [55:52] Setting up for these events is always wild because the staff will be setting place settings and stuff. If they turn around for a second, everything is completely rearranged. Oh, shit. Yeah. They'll misplace things and look for them in a certain spot over and over. Yeah. Then look back in that spot after checking several others and it will be in the first place they looked. But this is my favorite thing on the planet. According to Haunted Parkersburg Doors,

[56:22] that's when a cracking woman's voice came across the microphone saying howdy fellas she just said i'm ready for a good time i love that woman i love her a lot that's what you should do with your afterlife yeah you should jump onto microphones and be like howdy fellas people think that she might be um a local madam like just like messing around with she better be i was obsessed [56:52] But this is like a fully functioning, like gorgeous hotel. They have a spa and shit. I want to go. I want to go too. This is the thing. We'll go and check out your spot, cabin 13. My horrific spot. Yeah, we'll do a haunted investigation there. And then we'll stay at the hotel where things are chiller and funnier. And we'll just hope that children don't kiss us. Yeah. [57:12] I could do without the man in the bowler hat. I'd be fine to see him as long as he didn't choke me. Yeah, I don't want him to come anywhere near me. Yeah, please don't touch me. Please don't. But like you can show yourself. Yeah. Yeah, so that is the Blenner Hassett Hotel. That was a good one. Your scary ass case. Yeah, mine is real scary. But that is haunted as hell. It is haunted as hell. And I love it. And I love that Aaron Burser made an appearance. Aaron Burser. [57:38] He's always showing up. He is. People are going to be like, you know his name is Aaron Burr, right? Not Burr, sir. We know. Aaron Burr, sir. Comma. Watch Annelson. Yeah, of course. That's what you got to do. All right. Well, thank you so much for listening to our haunted tales. We've been wanting to do one for a while. I know. It scratched the itch partially, but I think I'd like to do more. Yeah. Let's do another haunted episode soon. Yeah. We got to do one soon. Party. And in the meantime, we hope you keep listening.

[58:08] weird but not so weird that you don't paranormally investigate these places because you would be missing out big time and not so weird that in your afterlife you don't just yell howdy fellas i love it so much i love it i love it [58:27] Oh, oh, oh. [58:57] Thank you. [59:27] Thank you.

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