WEBVTT 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.599 From the unexplained to the mundane, come join 00:00:06.599 --> 00:00:28.530 us on a Journey to the Fringe. Hopefully, I don't 00:00:28.530 --> 00:00:30.210 know, Chelsea's got the episode. Hello, we are 00:00:30.210 --> 00:00:32.409 your podcast host Taylor and Chelsea. Here today 00:00:32.409 --> 00:00:35.289 doing a Chelsea episode as I guess I just said, 00:00:35.490 --> 00:00:37.670 and I will leave it to her here. I'm going to 00:00:37.670 --> 00:00:43.450 do it just like you said. Today, this week, whatever 00:00:43.450 --> 00:00:46.630 it is that you're listening to this, maybe this 00:00:46.630 --> 00:00:49.689 month, I'm staying true to my love of cryptids. 00:00:49.810 --> 00:00:53.509 And what's my favorite type of cryptid, you might 00:00:53.509 --> 00:00:56.609 ask, though you probably know. See, I would think 00:00:56.609 --> 00:00:58.770 that they're ones that are near crypts, because 00:00:58.770 --> 00:01:01.969 they keep trues to the name, is it not? Yeah, 00:01:02.409 --> 00:01:06.209 but you know, I was just about to throw out Friar 00:01:06.209 --> 00:01:11.609 Banati, but he's not a cryptib. What's the one 00:01:11.609 --> 00:01:15.769 that likes the rum? Oh, Baron Sivelli, yeah. 00:01:16.349 --> 00:01:19.689 Yeah, no, I don't know why I got Friar Banati 00:01:19.689 --> 00:01:23.549 and Baron Sivelli confused, but that's who that 00:01:23.549 --> 00:01:26.540 reminds me of that you just said. but for some 00:01:26.540 --> 00:01:30.560 fucked up reason I love winged cryptids and humanoids 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:32.780 and they're better when they're together I like 00:01:32.780 --> 00:01:35.340 it when they're considered winged cryptids just 00:01:35.340 --> 00:01:38.159 because that feels like a better descriptor for 00:01:38.159 --> 00:01:40.719 a cryptid yeah it's a winged cryptid that no 00:01:40.719 --> 00:01:44.299 no that's we have winged mammals now we have 00:01:44.299 --> 00:01:47.569 winged mammals those majestic flying rats but 00:01:47.569 --> 00:01:50.129 winged bad. No, they're just not as good. It's 00:01:50.129 --> 00:01:53.349 probably because a winged creature is so terrifying 00:01:53.349 --> 00:01:57.269 to me that that is just why I love that so much. 00:01:57.269 --> 00:02:00.829 Yeah. And it's just like me and my fucked up 00:02:00.829 --> 00:02:03.469 personality. I don't know. Maybe it's because 00:02:03.469 --> 00:02:06.790 I already have that fear of winged beings. So 00:02:06.790 --> 00:02:09.650 it just adds to the horror of it all. May I also 00:02:09.650 --> 00:02:12.189 just add that it's weird that it's not winged. 00:02:12.330 --> 00:02:15.090 It is weird. Fucking English. It comes up every 00:02:15.090 --> 00:02:18.879 episode. Yeah. Why? But man, if we call them 00:02:18.879 --> 00:02:22.520 winged crayfish, this would not be a good episode. 00:02:23.319 --> 00:02:26.340 Anyhow, they're winged from here on out. Winged 00:02:26.340 --> 00:02:30.340 humanoid. So today I'm going to cover one of 00:02:30.340 --> 00:02:32.840 each, one winged, one humanoid, just to bring 00:02:32.840 --> 00:02:36.479 some balance into our lives. First up, I got 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:39.060 the van meter visitor. Have you heard of him? 00:02:39.120 --> 00:02:42.020 That sounds like a parking maid that may or may 00:02:42.020 --> 00:02:45.419 not exist. It does. Okay, I'm gonna tell you. 00:02:45.639 --> 00:02:50.639 For five nights in September 1903, a strange 00:02:50.639 --> 00:02:54.180 creature with bat -like wings and a horn on its 00:02:54.180 --> 00:02:56.900 forehead that sometimes shot beams of light. 00:02:57.060 --> 00:03:01.439 Think a pterodactyl. It emits a foul smell, haunted 00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:05.219 the town, leaving behind footprints, plastic 00:03:05.219 --> 00:03:08.879 casts and terrified witnesses. I'm assuming that 00:03:08.879 --> 00:03:11.620 the plaster casts were later collected and left 00:03:11.620 --> 00:03:13.960 behind. Yeah, I'm really hoping. Probably collected 00:03:13.960 --> 00:03:17.479 now Chelsea. I'm just gonna say if you then Come 00:03:17.479 --> 00:03:20.060 up that this winged creature has been defending 00:03:20.060 --> 00:03:23.039 the local like haunted mansion. He said it wrong 00:03:23.039 --> 00:03:28.099 What a winged creature? I'm gonna say that you 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:30.419 accidentally watch an episode of Scooby -Doo 00:03:30.419 --> 00:03:35.680 Turned it into a cryptid episode. I Might have 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:44.210 who's to say that's rude We just watched Scooby 00:03:44.210 --> 00:03:47.210 -Doo and the rest is made up. We take out the 00:03:47.210 --> 00:03:51.830 ending and the bend of, I don't know, mystery 00:03:51.830 --> 00:03:54.210 -solving teens were there. We leave the part 00:03:54.210 --> 00:03:56.150 out where the mystery is solved and the rest 00:03:56.150 --> 00:03:59.430 is just a journey to the fringe episode. I'm 00:03:59.430 --> 00:04:02.110 sorry that we finally let the secret out of the 00:04:02.110 --> 00:04:06.590 bag. A smaller, similar creature sometimes accompanied 00:04:06.590 --> 00:04:09.870 the van meter visitor, depending on who you ask. 00:04:10.090 --> 00:04:13.830 Like I said, it's actually quite pterodactyl 00:04:13.830 --> 00:04:17.750 -looking creatures speaking of English. Pterodactyl? 00:04:17.910 --> 00:04:21.949 Yeah, oh god. There's that one kid's book. I 00:04:21.949 --> 00:04:24.250 have it. You actually got it. It's called E is 00:04:24.250 --> 00:04:30.850 for pterodactyl, yeah. Yeah, yeah. English sucks. 00:04:31.370 --> 00:04:35.420 Yeah, it does. Okay, so the first sighting of 00:04:35.420 --> 00:04:40.139 the Van Meter monster occurred September 29th, 00:04:40.139 --> 00:04:45.360 1903. That was so long ago. At around 1 a .m. 00:04:45.980 --> 00:04:49.620 downtown, right in the heart of the city's business 00:04:49.620 --> 00:04:52.399 district. Wait, what city? Van Meter? Maybe. 00:04:53.579 --> 00:04:57.139 I'm thinking, yeah. I don't actually say for 00:04:57.139 --> 00:05:03.000 sure. I'm pretty... Is Van Meter a city? It's 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:06.220 gotta be. Yep, Iowa. Oh, okay. I hope there's 00:05:06.220 --> 00:05:10.279 not two. A businessman was returning home when 00:05:10.279 --> 00:05:13.019 he saw the Van Meter Griffith. You gotta love 00:05:13.019 --> 00:05:15.240 these business people. They're they're doing 00:05:15.240 --> 00:05:17.399 so much business, but they're seeing the cryptids. 00:05:17.779 --> 00:05:20.600 That wizard frog. I forget where it was, but 00:05:20.600 --> 00:05:25.100 it was saw by it. Oh, the loveland frog. Yeah. 00:05:25.339 --> 00:05:28.920 Not a humanoid, nor is it winched, but he is 00:05:28.920 --> 00:05:32.860 one of my favorites. Yeah, it is. Is it? Love 00:05:32.860 --> 00:05:35.319 line frog. Okay, that's for sure who you're talking 00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:37.680 about. You're right. You're right. Yeah. Oh man, 00:05:37.680 --> 00:05:42.899 that is a great artisan. Are you looking at the 00:05:42.899 --> 00:05:49.639 one? I don't even know how to describe this. 00:05:51.199 --> 00:05:53.279 I'm pretty sure we're looking at the same thing, 00:05:53.279 --> 00:05:57.139 but we have to I have to make sure. You can't 00:05:57.139 --> 00:05:59.500 describe it. So I'm pretty sure we're looking 00:05:59.500 --> 00:06:02.470 at the same thing. Let me take a look. That's 00:06:02.470 --> 00:06:10.550 him! I still picture the one from Futurama with 00:06:10.550 --> 00:06:13.769 the crown. The Hypnotote. Yeah. Yeah, Hypnotote, 00:06:14.009 --> 00:06:16.490 I don't know. I still can't get him out of my 00:06:16.490 --> 00:06:20.949 head. But Chelsea, this is clearly a frog that 00:06:20.949 --> 00:06:23.970 is photoshopped to have legs and human hands. 00:06:24.970 --> 00:06:27.850 Yeah, standing up. They have a scale. His butt 00:06:27.850 --> 00:06:33.990 looks weird. They have the silhouette of the 00:06:33.990 --> 00:06:37.910 frog with a little human butt. My favorite part 00:06:37.910 --> 00:06:40.250 though, Chelsea, is that the scale is a human 00:06:40.250 --> 00:06:44.560 size. And he's just waving at us. he's like oh 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:47.779 hey i'm the model for this yeah i don't know 00:06:47.779 --> 00:06:49.800 that you can get much accurate than this look 00:06:49.800 --> 00:06:53.220 at the shadow in the bushes but look how muscular 00:06:53.220 --> 00:06:56.660 his thighs are oh yeah that's a buff boy right 00:06:56.660 --> 00:06:59.839 there oh they're not the frog the frog is not 00:06:59.839 --> 00:07:04.910 buff it's just a frog no the shadow is yeah it's 00:07:04.910 --> 00:07:08.129 got some ripples on that shadow yeah i know he's 00:07:08.129 --> 00:07:12.350 fucking at least he did not skip leg day that's 00:07:12.350 --> 00:07:16.290 for sure no in in real life he skipped leg day 00:07:16.290 --> 00:07:19.670 in shadowverse he did not skip leg day not a 00:07:19.670 --> 00:07:23.110 once no not once anyhow sorry this has nothing 00:07:23.110 --> 00:07:27.300 to do with this proc No, we were talking about 00:07:27.300 --> 00:07:30.740 the businessmen. Right, because it was two businessmen 00:07:30.740 --> 00:07:35.120 on the road home or something. Businessmen is 00:07:35.120 --> 00:07:38.139 not a job. It doesn't tell you anything about 00:07:38.139 --> 00:07:41.439 them. But also, it was a businessmen on the way 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:44.800 home that encountered Ingrid Colt. They're all 00:07:44.800 --> 00:07:47.740 businessmen. Yeah. I mean, that businessmen was 00:07:47.740 --> 00:07:50.449 selling sewing machines. I don't know what this 00:07:50.449 --> 00:07:53.709 businessman's up to. Okay, so let's find it. 00:07:53.790 --> 00:07:55.910 We haven't even gotten like two seconds into 00:07:55.910 --> 00:07:59.449 this episode. It's beautiful. I already see the 00:07:59.449 --> 00:08:03.470 picture that we're using for this episode. Okay, 00:08:04.009 --> 00:08:06.709 a businessman was returning home when he saw 00:08:06.709 --> 00:08:10.569 the van meter visitor for the first time. Ulysses 00:08:10.569 --> 00:08:14.259 Griffith. A local doctor was awakened by a bright 00:08:14.259 --> 00:08:16.899 light shining into his bedroom window. That's 00:08:16.899 --> 00:08:19.899 creepy. He grabbed his shotgun and went outside 00:08:19.899 --> 00:08:23.360 to investigate. He saw a large creature perched 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:26.339 on a telephone pole emitting a beam of light 00:08:26.339 --> 00:08:29.439 from its horn. He fired at it, but it seemed 00:08:29.439 --> 00:08:32.360 unaffected and flew away. man how would you know 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:35.580 that it had a horn i don't know maybe it's lights 00:08:35.580 --> 00:08:37.860 that were shining down were blocked somewhat 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:41.759 by a horn you gotta love the american tradition 00:08:41.759 --> 00:08:46.059 of firing at the unexplained fire first ask questions 00:08:46.059 --> 00:08:48.759 later yeah or at the same time that's written 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:52.259 on their flavor it's just not before never it's 00:08:52.259 --> 00:08:55.080 in the constitution or something yeah i'm pretty 00:08:55.080 --> 00:08:58.639 sure this encountered was followed by more sightings 00:08:58.840 --> 00:09:01.559 all from prominent people within the community, 00:09:01.759 --> 00:09:05.360 including the town doctor, a banker, and a teacher. 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:08.879 Wait, sorry. Yeah, you heard right. No, I just 00:09:08.879 --> 00:09:10.980 want to - wasn't the doctor the first one to 00:09:10.980 --> 00:09:14.179 see him anyways? No, he was a businessman. No, 00:09:14.320 --> 00:09:17.120 the doctor fired at him, didn't he? He's a businessman. 00:09:17.559 --> 00:09:20.519 Oh yeah, he was! He was a doctor, you're right. 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:26.220 You were listening. I was not. I just got busted. 00:09:26.779 --> 00:09:29.580 So he was both the doctor and there was another 00:09:29.580 --> 00:09:32.039 doctor who was the town doctor. This guy just 00:09:32.039 --> 00:09:34.919 wasn't good at it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. You 00:09:34.919 --> 00:09:38.220 interpreted that all right. Okay, so they report 00:09:38.220 --> 00:09:40.799 seeing the monster perched on top of buildings 00:09:40.799 --> 00:09:44.720 and flying through the sky at high speeds. All 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:47.399 of the witnesses agreed that it looked half human. 00:09:47.919 --> 00:09:51.399 half -animal with enormous bat wings and some 00:09:51.399 --> 00:09:53.740 saying that it looked like the devil. Yeah, you're 00:09:53.740 --> 00:09:56.399 gonna get that. Whenever it's kind of human -like, 00:09:56.559 --> 00:09:58.240 you're just gonna get that. You are. It's all 00:09:58.240 --> 00:10:01.360 up for interpretation. Especially in, like, the 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:04.159 Bible Belt. Yeah, or anywhere. You could pretty 00:10:04.159 --> 00:10:06.539 much say anything's the devil. Did he proposition 00:10:06.539 --> 00:10:08.779 anyone to build a church? Because then we would 00:10:08.779 --> 00:10:12.250 know it's the devil. He's a good guy. I still 00:10:12.250 --> 00:10:15.490 feel so bad for that, Tiffle. He was just a good 00:10:15.490 --> 00:10:18.169 guy. He was a good guy. They suspected he wasn't, 00:10:18.269 --> 00:10:20.269 but they had no reason to believe otherwise. 00:10:20.269 --> 00:10:23.649 I know, I know. He just wanted, like, a church. 00:10:23.649 --> 00:10:28.210 He wanted a winery. My heart broke for that guy 00:10:28.210 --> 00:10:31.750 that night. The next night, around 1 a .m., Dr. 00:10:32.029 --> 00:10:36.169 Alcott, the town doctor. They're freaking doctors. 00:10:39.710 --> 00:10:41.830 It's just full of them! Are there any other camp 00:10:41.830 --> 00:10:42.830 people? Is this where the doctors who can't get 00:10:42.830 --> 00:10:47.750 jobs move? Yes! Was sleeping in a room. How many 00:10:47.750 --> 00:10:51.909 town doctors can a place have in 1901? 1903? 00:10:52.309 --> 00:10:55.090 Come on! This man meter is fucking full of them! 00:10:55.549 --> 00:10:58.490 Was sleeping in a room at his office when he 00:10:58.490 --> 00:11:02.129 was awoken. I think this might be the same incident. 00:11:02.529 --> 00:11:07.490 Okay. So, yeah, no, it definitely is. Okay, the 00:11:07.490 --> 00:11:11.250 next night, local banker Clarence, in brackets, 00:11:11.409 --> 00:11:16.129 Peter Dunn, I just, Dunn, had an encounter with 00:11:16.129 --> 00:11:18.950 the visitor. After hearing about the previous 00:11:18.950 --> 00:11:22.110 night's encounters, Mr. Dunn felt he should watch 00:11:22.110 --> 00:11:25.690 over the bank. Fearing burglars, he brought along 00:11:25.690 --> 00:11:29.250 his shotgun for the night's watch. Around 1 a 00:11:29.250 --> 00:11:32.429 .m., he heard a strangling noise outside. What 00:11:32.429 --> 00:11:36.299 the hell is a strangling noise? Why does the 00:11:36.299 --> 00:11:38.159 banker know what it sounds like when people are 00:11:38.159 --> 00:11:41.600 being strangled? I don't know! Peter, formerly 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:44.279 known as Clarence, has real talking to do, but 00:11:44.279 --> 00:11:46.740 he was clearly born in the 1800s, so he is clearly 00:11:46.740 --> 00:11:50.019 dead too. So. Yeah. Well, this is only 1900. 00:11:50.019 --> 00:11:53.450 Gotta fuck you on this one. No, it's 1903, and 00:11:53.450 --> 00:11:56.190 he's a banker, which means that he had to at 00:11:56.190 --> 00:11:58.490 least have enough schooling to become a banker. 00:11:58.549 --> 00:12:02.970 So he's at the earliest 16. So he was born in 00:12:02.970 --> 00:12:06.529 the 1800s. Before he could investigate, he was 00:12:06.529 --> 00:12:09.889 hit full in the face with a blinding beam that 00:12:09.889 --> 00:12:13.070 shot through the front window. The light suddenly 00:12:13.070 --> 00:12:15.950 switched off and then back on again, as if scanning 00:12:15.950 --> 00:12:19.470 the room, finally swinging back at him. he could 00:12:19.470 --> 00:12:22.490 make out quote some kind of great form end quote 00:12:22.490 --> 00:12:25.289 behind the light dun fired his shotgun at the 00:12:25.289 --> 00:12:28.190 mysterious being right through the bank's front 00:12:28.190 --> 00:12:30.730 window he hasn't seen where the being is though 00:12:30.730 --> 00:12:32.669 he's only seen that light is coming through the 00:12:32.669 --> 00:12:35.909 window so he is firing blind blindly oh yeah 00:12:35.909 --> 00:12:39.990 at whatever lighted strangler is out there yeah 00:12:39.990 --> 00:12:43.049 you got it then it vanished yeah he got it so 00:12:43.049 --> 00:12:45.909 he never actually saw it you first asked questions 00:12:45.909 --> 00:12:49.120 later I think that's on the flake Yeah, it could 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:53.080 have been someone with a flashlight. It was choking 00:12:53.080 --> 00:12:55.320 and was going to the nearest place because everybody 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:59.679 in town is a doctor. Yeah, in the morning he 00:12:59.679 --> 00:13:02.840 noticed sets of large three -toed footprints 00:13:02.840 --> 00:13:05.620 outside the bank and claimed to have made plaster 00:13:05.620 --> 00:13:08.940 casts of them. Okay, so here's the plaster cast 00:13:08.940 --> 00:13:11.820 that we left behind. I was just gonna say I don't 00:13:11.820 --> 00:13:14.480 like that he's only claimed, but okay, I'm glad 00:13:14.480 --> 00:13:16.570 that there's plaster casts left behind. Yeah, 00:13:16.629 --> 00:13:18.750 those are the ones that we left behind that was 00:13:18.750 --> 00:13:23.690 mentioned earlier. By the following day, the 00:13:23.690 --> 00:13:26.470 previous night's events had circulated around 00:13:26.470 --> 00:13:30.809 town within all the doctors. Later that night... 00:13:30.809 --> 00:13:36.950 Don't treat people for strangulation! Local hardware 00:13:36.950 --> 00:13:40.590 store owner O .V. White had an encounter with 00:13:40.590 --> 00:13:43.690 the visitor. He was jolted awake by a metallic 00:13:43.690 --> 00:13:47.049 rasping sound outside his second floor room above 00:13:47.049 --> 00:13:50.210 his hardware store on Main Street. He grabbed 00:13:50.210 --> 00:13:53.450 his gun and moved towards the window. Outside, 00:13:53.529 --> 00:13:56.070 he saw the visitor. Everybody lives in their 00:13:56.070 --> 00:13:59.690 business in this town. And they're all doctors. 00:14:00.029 --> 00:14:03.190 What the hell's the businessman? do for a living 00:14:03.190 --> 00:14:06.570 that, like, the hardware store owner and the 00:14:06.570 --> 00:14:09.370 banker aren't described as business people, but 00:14:09.370 --> 00:14:13.710 the businessman is. That's such a good observation. 00:14:14.230 --> 00:14:17.789 Quite astute. He grabs his gun and moves towards 00:14:17.789 --> 00:14:20.870 the window. Outside, he saw the visitor perch 00:14:20.870 --> 00:14:24.350 close by on the crossbeam of a telephone pole. 00:14:25.250 --> 00:14:28.549 White, a known marksman, took deliberate aim. 00:14:28.950 --> 00:14:31.450 White is the guy. Remember, his name's O .V. 00:14:31.529 --> 00:14:34.759 White. He took deliberate aim and fired at the 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:37.740 creature, unlike the previous guy who did not 00:14:37.740 --> 00:14:42.159 take deliberate aim. It had no effect. He didn't 00:14:42.159 --> 00:14:45.019 even see that it was actually anything. It only 00:14:45.019 --> 00:14:52.500 seemed to awaken the visitor. The creature emitted 00:14:52.500 --> 00:14:56.620 a stupefying odor that overpowered White, knocking 00:14:56.620 --> 00:15:00.440 him unconscious. Okay, so yeah shot it it emits 00:15:00.440 --> 00:15:05.059 a An odor yeah knocks him out. Okay, that's quite 00:15:05.059 --> 00:15:08.879 the superpower. I smell the knocks. I would definitely 00:15:08.879 --> 00:15:12.379 Disagree with him saying that the bullets did 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:15.480 not affect the being in any way because it clearly 00:15:15.480 --> 00:15:18.279 made it release an odor I wonder what kind of 00:15:18.279 --> 00:15:22.460 odor like if it was sulfurous Yeah. Oh, yeah. 00:15:22.799 --> 00:15:26.179 You got to hate one that is described as stupefying. 00:15:26.899 --> 00:15:30.159 The shots of Woke White's neighbor, Sidney Greg, 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:34.059 a doctor who, just kidding, who raced outside 00:15:34.059 --> 00:15:38.720 to see what the commotion was. We can only assume 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:43.580 he's a doctor. He watched in dismal. Somebody 00:15:43.580 --> 00:15:47.080 needs to assess the people involved. None of 00:15:47.080 --> 00:15:49.899 these doctors can find any fucking work. I feel 00:15:49.899 --> 00:15:53.360 like this is the town where the doctor who finishes 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:55.480 last in the class has to move to because they 00:15:55.480 --> 00:15:59.039 can't get a job as a doctor. Yeah, exactly. And 00:15:59.039 --> 00:16:01.759 they all hear tales from their fellow lowest. 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:04.940 Any emergency, there's like a lineup of doctors 00:16:04.940 --> 00:16:26.059 seeing who can rush in there. He watched in disbelief 00:16:26.059 --> 00:16:29.559 as the monster descended the telephone pole after 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:33.460 the manner of a parrot using its huge beak. What? 00:16:33.610 --> 00:16:37.070 I have never seen a parrot maneuver down a telephone 00:16:37.070 --> 00:16:39.509 pole. I don't think I can picture this in any 00:16:39.509 --> 00:16:42.389 way. No, I'm not. I've never heard anything put 00:16:42.389 --> 00:16:45.450 this way. Upon reaching the ground, it stood 00:16:45.450 --> 00:16:50.490 erect and by Mr. Greg's estimates, it was at 00:16:50.490 --> 00:16:54.169 least eight feet high. Whatever it was, the light 00:16:54.169 --> 00:16:57.710 from its forehead was as bright as an electric 00:16:57.710 --> 00:17:00.940 headlight. The light again darted about just 00:17:00.940 --> 00:17:04.380 as it had the nights before in a searching motion. 00:17:04.920 --> 00:17:07.740 The creature paused only for a moment before 00:17:07.740 --> 00:17:11.640 taking off towards the old coal mine. The following 00:17:11.640 --> 00:17:14.279 night, strange sounds were heard coming from 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:17.259 the abandoned coal mine at the edge of town described 00:17:17.259 --> 00:17:21.160 by a local as quote those satan and a regiment 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:24.420 of imps were coming forth for a battle end quote 00:17:24.420 --> 00:17:28.000 remember this is 1903 in in the bible no one 00:17:28.000 --> 00:17:30.640 talks like that this day chelsea i do just need 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:33.960 to this is not a parrot climbing down a telephone 00:17:33.960 --> 00:17:38.230 pole it is a parrot climbing up a rope Are you 00:17:38.230 --> 00:17:40.789 showing me something? Yes. This is what I imagine 00:17:40.789 --> 00:17:44.730 it kind of looked like. I do love the beats. 00:17:44.990 --> 00:17:48.130 Yeah, it probably had the same beats going on 00:17:48.130 --> 00:17:49.910 because that's coming from the parrot, I assume. 00:17:50.170 --> 00:17:53.390 So it's a very beak heavy descent is what I'm 00:17:53.390 --> 00:17:57.349 getting from this. Yeah. But have you heard any 00:17:57.349 --> 00:17:59.970 mention of a beak? Well, it's been described 00:17:59.970 --> 00:18:03.950 as a pterodactyl, is it not? Yeah. So does that 00:18:03.950 --> 00:18:06.430 not just like... But not in any of the eye... 00:18:06.279 --> 00:18:08.920 witness accounts that we're reading, right? Did 00:18:08.920 --> 00:18:12.180 anyone describe it? I've kind of just been assuming 00:18:12.180 --> 00:18:14.400 from you telling me that at the start that they're 00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:16.519 all just picturing this thing because they have 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:18.799 described the horn. But you're right. I don't 00:18:18.799 --> 00:18:20.619 know if they've described a beak or a muzzle. 00:18:20.859 --> 00:18:23.359 But I'm just saying that because these are my 00:18:23.359 --> 00:18:27.140 notes. But the there is like eyewitness sketches 00:18:27.140 --> 00:18:29.619 and it looks like a pterodactyl. OK, you can 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:32.029 go ahead and Google that if you want. Van Meter 00:18:32.029 --> 00:18:35.769 visitor. The visitor, accompanied by a second 00:18:35.769 --> 00:18:38.670 creature, were spotted emerging from the mine 00:18:38.670 --> 00:18:41.390 and taking off into the night. A large crowd 00:18:41.390 --> 00:18:44.369 of armed men gathered at the mine to ambush the 00:18:44.369 --> 00:18:46.849 creatures when they returned. They were reported 00:18:46.849 --> 00:18:50.230 as having enough firepower to have sunk the Spanish 00:18:50.230 --> 00:18:53.509 fleet. Shortly before dawn, the creatures returned. 00:18:53.769 --> 00:18:57.430 The crowd opened fire on the creature. The crowd 00:18:57.430 --> 00:19:02.910 of doctors. To their bewilderment, the creatures 00:19:02.910 --> 00:19:05.710 were totally immune to their assault and only 00:19:05.710 --> 00:19:09.250 gave off the terrible odor as a response before 00:19:09.250 --> 00:19:12.329 they crawled back down into the mine. They gotta 00:19:12.329 --> 00:19:15.329 stop saying that they're immune when they immediately 00:19:15.329 --> 00:19:20.150 respond with a repulsive smell. That's true. 00:19:20.289 --> 00:19:23.920 That is a response to it. The next day, it was 00:19:23.920 --> 00:19:27.000 reported that a force of men had been set to 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:29.700 work to barricade the mouth of the mine, sealing 00:19:29.700 --> 00:19:32.119 the creatures in sight. The creatures were never 00:19:32.119 --> 00:19:35.059 seen again. Is it still barricaded? It has to 00:19:35.059 --> 00:19:37.339 be. You know what would be another good episode? 00:19:37.960 --> 00:19:41.359 Mine creatures. I've heard more than one instance 00:19:41.359 --> 00:19:44.099 of creatures coming from mines. Yeah, you know 00:19:44.099 --> 00:19:47.019 what? That's a fair thing to say. Now... I have 00:19:47.019 --> 00:19:50.859 a newspaper article related to another encounter 00:19:50.859 --> 00:19:53.640 with the Van Meter monster. I really hope it's 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:56.180 a doctor. And I'm going to do my best to read 00:19:56.180 --> 00:19:58.359 it because it's one of these fucking old news. 00:19:58.380 --> 00:20:01.880 Oh, it's really great. Yeah. Seeing strange things. 00:20:02.000 --> 00:20:05.359 Half human, half beast with great bat -like wings. 00:20:05.460 --> 00:20:08.180 That was the easy part. That was the title. New 00:20:08.180 --> 00:20:12.829 York, October 12th, something patch. From Des 00:20:12.829 --> 00:20:16.829 Moines, Iowa says the town of Van Meter containing 00:20:16.829 --> 00:20:22.329 1 ,000 persons, mostly doctors, is terribly wrought 00:20:22.329 --> 00:20:25.650 up by what is described as a horrible monster. 00:20:26.069 --> 00:20:29.009 Every man, woman and child in the town is in 00:20:29.009 --> 00:20:32.789 a state of terror and fully Half of them fall 00:20:32.789 --> 00:20:36.569 to close their eyes in slumber except in broad 00:20:36.569 --> 00:20:39.910 daylight. Friday night, while the population 00:20:39.910 --> 00:20:43.349 was keeping the dreadful vigil, every electric 00:20:43.349 --> 00:20:46.150 light in the city was kept burning to satisfy 00:20:46.150 --> 00:20:50.230 the most timid. The monster put in its appearance 00:20:50.230 --> 00:20:54.269 Monday night US Griffith an Implement dealer 00:20:54.269 --> 00:20:58.109 drove into town at 1 a .m. And saw what seemed 00:20:58.109 --> 00:21:02.589 to be an electric searchlight on Mayor and Griggs 00:21:02.589 --> 00:21:06.190 store while he gazed it sailed across to another 00:21:06.190 --> 00:21:10.029 building and then disappeared His story was not 00:21:10.029 --> 00:21:15.220 believed His story was not beloved next day I 00:21:15.220 --> 00:21:18.099 think believed is what it's supposed to be. But 00:21:18.099 --> 00:21:22.079 the following night, Dr. AC Olcott, who sleeps 00:21:22.079 --> 00:21:25.299 in his office on the principal street, was awakened 00:21:25.299 --> 00:21:29.119 by a bright light shining in his face. He grabbed 00:21:29.119 --> 00:21:31.740 a shotgun and ran outside the building where 00:21:31.740 --> 00:21:35.039 he saw a monster seemingly half human and half 00:21:35.039 --> 00:21:38.859 beast with great bat -like wings. A dazzling 00:21:38.859 --> 00:21:43.500 light that fairly blinded him came from a blunt 00:21:43.720 --> 00:21:48.500 corn -like perturbance, protuberance, in the 00:21:48.500 --> 00:21:51.200 middle of the animal's forehead and it gave off 00:21:51.200 --> 00:21:55.140 a stupefying odor that almost overcame him. We 00:21:55.140 --> 00:21:57.819 already heard these stories, so this is not a 00:21:57.819 --> 00:22:00.980 new one. But they're using 1903 words for cat 00:22:00.980 --> 00:22:03.259 in the headlines and it's so much better this 00:22:03.259 --> 00:22:07.359 way. The doctor discharged his weapon and fled 00:22:07.359 --> 00:22:10.099 into his office barring doors and windows and 00:22:10.099 --> 00:22:13.390 remained there an abject Terror until the next 00:22:13.390 --> 00:22:17.329 morning Peter Dunn cashier of the only bank in 00:22:17.329 --> 00:22:20.789 town fearing bank robbers Loaded a repeating 00:22:20.789 --> 00:22:23.390 shotgun with shells filled with buckshot and 00:22:23.390 --> 00:22:26.549 prepared to guard his funds next night This is 00:22:26.549 --> 00:22:29.210 a part of the job right at that time If you're 00:22:29.210 --> 00:22:31.829 a cashier at the bank in town. Oh, yeah. You 00:22:31.829 --> 00:22:33.789 also got to be. You got to be there all night 00:22:33.789 --> 00:22:37.009 with a gun. Yep. He's probably the town doctor 00:22:37.009 --> 00:22:40.849 at two o 'clock. He was blinded by the presence 00:22:40.849 --> 00:22:45.019 of light at great intensity. Eventually, he recovered 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:48.579 his senses sufficiently to distinguish the monster 00:22:48.579 --> 00:22:51.599 and fired through the window. The plate, glass, 00:22:51.859 --> 00:22:55.640 and sash were torn out and the monster disappeared. 00:22:56.119 --> 00:22:58.900 Next morning, imprints of the great three -toed 00:22:58.900 --> 00:23:02.400 feet were discernible in the soft earth. Plaster 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:05.960 casts of them were taken. That night, Dr. O .V. 00:23:06.099 --> 00:23:08.980 White saw the monster climbing down a telephone 00:23:08.980 --> 00:23:12.099 pole using a beak, much in the manner of a parrot. 00:23:12.920 --> 00:23:15.500 that was the deep base video that taylor just 00:23:15.500 --> 00:23:18.400 showed us clearly showed all of you apparently 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:25.359 yeah as our podcast has come a long way it has 00:23:25.359 --> 00:23:29.400 as it struck the ground it seemed to travel in 00:23:29.400 --> 00:23:32.259 leaps like a kangaroo they're using a lot of 00:23:32.259 --> 00:23:34.160 different animals to describe this they really 00:23:34.160 --> 00:23:36.420 are there was another creature that was a kangaroo 00:23:36.420 --> 00:23:39.430 was it not i forget which one but like the entire 00:23:39.430 --> 00:23:42.269 thing was like yeah this is a kangaroo at the 00:23:42.269 --> 00:23:44.890 train yard cannot remember what the hell that 00:23:44.890 --> 00:23:46.690 was that was at halloween i can't remember which 00:23:46.690 --> 00:23:50.349 one it was though using its huge featherless 00:23:50.349 --> 00:23:54.849 wings to assist it gave off no light he fired 00:23:54.849 --> 00:23:58.630 at it and he believes he wounded it well this 00:23:58.630 --> 00:24:01.190 is the first time i've heard that it was wounded 00:24:01.190 --> 00:24:05.029 the shot was followed by an overpowering odor 00:24:05.420 --> 00:24:08.619 Sidney Greg, attracted by the shot, saw the monster 00:24:08.619 --> 00:24:12.220 flying away. But the climax came Friday night. 00:24:12.539 --> 00:24:16.259 The whole town was aroused by this time. Professor 00:24:16.259 --> 00:24:19.519 Martin, principal, also doctor, principal of 00:24:19.519 --> 00:24:22.000 the school, decided that from the description 00:24:22.000 --> 00:24:27.539 it was an antediluvian animal. I know that word. 00:24:27.720 --> 00:24:32.400 Shortly after midnight, the Bible, right? Antediluvian? 00:24:32.579 --> 00:24:34.519 It has to do something with Noah, does it not? 00:24:34.960 --> 00:24:38.200 Yeah, before the flood. Yeah, before biblical 00:24:38.200 --> 00:24:41.339 flood. That's what it is. So this animal should 00:24:41.339 --> 00:24:44.019 not have been survived. Yeah, it's going to survive 00:24:44.019 --> 00:24:48.890 the flood. It fucking flies. It flies, yes. Like 00:24:48.890 --> 00:24:51.509 all the winged animals? Yeah, the winged ones 00:24:51.509 --> 00:24:54.569 are gonna make it up! We had no choice but to 00:24:54.569 --> 00:24:59.190 keep the winged beings. You can't flood out the 00:24:59.190 --> 00:25:02.190 winged or the swimmer. Those ones are just gonna 00:25:02.190 --> 00:25:13.819 survive. Especially the swimmers. Beard? That 00:25:13.819 --> 00:25:17.539 definitely says beard. A peculiar sound in an 00:25:17.539 --> 00:25:21.000 abandoned coal mine. And as the men had reported 00:25:21.000 --> 00:25:24.019 a similar sound before, a body of volunteers 00:25:24.019 --> 00:25:27.910 started an investigation. Presently the monster 00:25:27.910 --> 00:25:31.470 emerged from the shaft accompanied by a smaller 00:25:31.470 --> 00:25:34.589 one. A score of shots were fired without effect. 00:25:34.829 --> 00:25:38.910 The whole town was aroused and a vigil was maintained 00:25:38.910 --> 00:25:41.569 the rest of the night but without result until 00:25:41.569 --> 00:25:44.990 just at dawn when the two monsters returned and 00:25:44.990 --> 00:25:47.809 disappeared down the shaft. A watch was kept 00:25:47.809 --> 00:25:50.829 again last night but without result. The town 00:25:50.829 --> 00:25:55.069 geniuses are devising various plane to capture 00:25:55.069 --> 00:25:59.289 the monster. May I just add that in the early 00:25:59.289 --> 00:26:01.690 1900s they were too comfortable throwing around 00:26:01.690 --> 00:26:05.150 the word aroused. Yes, and you know I have to 00:26:05.150 --> 00:26:09.329 say this article does lack the addresses of all 00:26:09.329 --> 00:26:13.920 the people who have signed it. And phone numbers. 00:26:14.259 --> 00:26:16.740 And I also don't see who wrote the article. It 00:26:16.740 --> 00:26:18.900 doesn't have that on there, and that was a quite 00:26:18.900 --> 00:26:21.319 a difficult read. It makes me feel better about 00:26:21.319 --> 00:26:24.160 my eyesight, though. They're definitely all doctors. 00:26:24.480 --> 00:26:25.839 They're definitely all doctors, and he didn't 00:26:25.839 --> 00:26:27.140 know how to be a journalist, so he didn't put 00:26:27.140 --> 00:26:29.440 his name down. Or he wrote it in such scribbly 00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:31.660 fashion that nobody could discern it at the newspaper 00:26:31.660 --> 00:26:34.220 store. There were only a thousand doctors in 00:26:34.220 --> 00:26:37.809 that town. In 1980, sporadic sighting started 00:26:37.809 --> 00:26:40.710 to be purported again. The first report was given 00:26:40.710 --> 00:26:43.450 by a man who was walking near the coal mine and 00:26:43.450 --> 00:26:45.690 reported seeing a five -foot -long bat -like 00:26:45.690 --> 00:26:48.170 creature flying overhead. He claimed that he 00:26:48.170 --> 00:26:50.690 had never heard of the Van Meter monster before 00:26:50.690 --> 00:26:54.329 his sighting. Which, you gotta think in Van Meter, 00:26:54.549 --> 00:26:58.069 Iowa, that this is probably a huge story that 00:26:58.069 --> 00:27:00.349 everybody talks about, especially when there's 00:27:00.349 --> 00:27:03.269 only a thousand doctors in the town. Yeah, I... 00:27:03.309 --> 00:27:06.269 I googled band meter visitor and one of the first 00:27:06.269 --> 00:27:08.430 things that comes up on Google searches is band 00:27:08.430 --> 00:27:11.109 meter visitor festival. Yeah, you got to think. 00:27:11.450 --> 00:27:14.509 I mean, there probably wasn't a festival in like 00:27:14.509 --> 00:27:19.549 1905 to 1980. But you got to think it was probably 00:27:19.549 --> 00:27:22.210 renowned for this. Oh, and apparently you need 00:27:22.210 --> 00:27:24.390 to eat at the fifth quarter because that's the 00:27:24.390 --> 00:27:26.690 only restaurant that shows up when you just Google. 00:27:26.890 --> 00:27:30.069 How's this review? It's ran by a family who had 00:27:30.069 --> 00:27:35.559 a doctor. Yep. In the 2000s, a family was driving 00:27:35.559 --> 00:27:38.119 to man meter when they said they saw a giant 00:27:38.119 --> 00:27:40.339 bat -like creature lying dead on the side of 00:27:40.339 --> 00:27:42.359 the road. When they went back to investigate, 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:44.799 the creature was gone. Wait, they didn't - Yeah, 00:27:45.099 --> 00:27:47.880 you heard me right. They drove by and said, huh, 00:27:48.099 --> 00:27:50.859 you know, they kept going and then at some point 00:27:50.859 --> 00:27:52.759 they're like, you know what? You remember that 00:27:52.759 --> 00:27:56.319 dead body we saw on the side of the road? We 00:27:56.319 --> 00:28:00.160 should have probably stopped. And you know what? 00:28:00.259 --> 00:28:01.660 They probably said, you know what? There's not 00:28:01.660 --> 00:28:04.480 a good turnaround here. We'll wait for the next 00:28:04.480 --> 00:28:07.940 overpass. And it was like 10 miles down the road. 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:10.740 It was one of the two, definitely. And then they 00:28:10.740 --> 00:28:12.480 went back and it was gone. And they're like, 00:28:13.220 --> 00:28:15.460 it probably wasn't anything, anyway. But we should 00:28:15.460 --> 00:28:19.900 tell the newspaper. In 2006, a local pastor, 00:28:20.299 --> 00:28:23.640 they got pastors at this point, 2006, saw a creature 00:28:23.640 --> 00:28:27.779 flying in the sky. Dr. Pastor, so. Dr. Pastor. 00:28:28.420 --> 00:28:31.099 You saw a creature flying in the sky, which you 00:28:31.099 --> 00:28:33.980 described as looking like a dragon. Totally different 00:28:33.980 --> 00:28:37.400 creature. After investigating, he came across 00:28:37.400 --> 00:28:39.779 the account for the original. None of these people 00:28:39.779 --> 00:28:42.339 have ever heard about the Van Meter visitor before. 00:28:42.900 --> 00:28:45.599 So he investigates and finds out about the Van 00:28:45.599 --> 00:28:49.019 Meter legend and confirms that those descriptions 00:28:49.019 --> 00:28:52.000 matched what he had seen. But it's funny because 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:54.339 he called it a dragon. So it doesn't seem to 00:28:54.339 --> 00:28:56.259 me like the descriptions match. No, not quite. 00:28:56.460 --> 00:29:00.849 No. There were two more sightings in 2014 and 00:29:00.849 --> 00:29:04.410 2020. In both these sightings the witnesses described 00:29:04.410 --> 00:29:07.289 the creature as a giant bird rather than a bat 00:29:07.289 --> 00:29:09.230 -like monster so we aren't sure whether they 00:29:09.230 --> 00:29:11.609 had seen the Van Meter visitor or another creature. 00:29:11.690 --> 00:29:14.130 Even though the local pastor said dragon and 00:29:14.130 --> 00:29:16.829 they circled back he was like yeah that was definitely 00:29:16.829 --> 00:29:20.450 it. Van Meter now hosts a Van Meter visitor festival 00:29:20.450 --> 00:29:23.710 every September on the anniversary of the sighting 00:29:23.710 --> 00:29:26.849 so I'm adding that to the bucket list. I wonder 00:29:26.849 --> 00:29:30.029 when that started. I don't know. But it is September 00:29:30.029 --> 00:29:35.210 27th, 2025 this year. So ChadLewisResearch .com. 00:29:35.390 --> 00:29:37.150 You can get tickets there. Who is Chad Lewis? 00:29:37.170 --> 00:29:40.509 Chad Lewis, a doctor. Or a child of a doctor 00:29:40.509 --> 00:29:43.890 who had to settle there. You could only get a 00:29:43.890 --> 00:29:47.250 homestead if you were a doctor. Who is this guy? 00:29:47.410 --> 00:29:50.690 He might get his own episode. He likes his cryptos. 00:29:50.690 --> 00:29:54.190 He looks like he's related to Sean Penn maybe. 00:29:54.490 --> 00:29:57.809 Yeah, you know what? Is it Sean Penn? I don't 00:29:57.809 --> 00:30:00.470 think so. He's younger and a little chubbier, 00:30:00.470 --> 00:30:04.369 but related to Sean Penn nonetheless. Probably. 00:30:04.609 --> 00:30:07.789 They both do spell and pronounce their last names 00:30:07.789 --> 00:30:10.190 different. Oh no, go to the about me section. 00:30:10.809 --> 00:30:15.509 I'm scared. Bio? Yeah. Oh, that is a shower head 00:30:15.509 --> 00:30:19.170 he's got? I don't know, but he's pointing it 00:30:19.170 --> 00:30:22.880 at me and I don't like it. Okay. Huh. Okay. Here 00:30:22.880 --> 00:30:25.839 are just a few places I have ventured in search 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:29.380 of strange and unusual. Chupacabras, Puerto Rico, 00:30:29.539 --> 00:30:32.839 Costa Rica. I said that wrong, but I'm sticking 00:30:32.839 --> 00:30:38.059 to it. Tata Duende, Belize. Mothman, Point Pleasant. 00:30:38.259 --> 00:30:41.480 He could have gone to Chicago. Wendigo, Canada. 00:30:42.259 --> 00:30:46.059 Van Meter Visitor. Why am I buying tickets on 00:30:46.059 --> 00:30:49.200 this guy's website? I also don't quite understand. 00:30:49.549 --> 00:30:53.089 What this guy is about? Anyhow, we could probably 00:30:53.089 --> 00:30:57.490 save this for a different time. Yeah VIP entrance 00:30:57.490 --> 00:31:02.509 tickets to Van Meter Visitor Festival $20 that's 00:31:02.509 --> 00:31:05.950 it or $10 if you don't want to be a VIP Don't 00:31:05.950 --> 00:31:07.509 know the difference. I think I'd spring for it. 00:31:07.690 --> 00:31:11.289 Okay moving on next up the humanoid encounter 00:31:11.289 --> 00:31:15.589 Kind of I don't know this is all way for a spaceman, 00:31:15.789 --> 00:31:19.480 which is an apparent anomalous photograph. This 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:24.240 took place May 23rd, 1964 in Burg Marsh near 00:31:24.240 --> 00:31:28.039 Solway Firth in Cumbria, England. While on a 00:31:28.039 --> 00:31:31.319 family outing with his wife and daughter Elizabeth, 00:31:31.640 --> 00:31:35.200 Jim Templeton, a Carlisle fireman, took a series 00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:38.180 of photographs in an open field. quote, we went 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:41.720 on a normal outing and picked our spot. Jim Templeton 00:31:41.720 --> 00:31:44.460 recalled in a BBC interview before his death 00:31:44.460 --> 00:31:47.759 in 2011, we sat down and I said, now I'll get 00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:50.599 some photos of you with the new dress on, end 00:31:50.599 --> 00:31:53.019 quote. He's saying that to his daughter. It doesn't 00:31:53.019 --> 00:31:56.599 explicitly say that, but when the film was developed, 00:31:56.960 --> 00:31:59.960 one image revealed something inexplicable. Behind 00:31:59.960 --> 00:32:03.019 his daughter in the photograph was a strange 00:32:03.019 --> 00:32:05.640 figure. What looked like a person in a white 00:32:05.640 --> 00:32:09.279 suit with a helmet or dark visor resembling an 00:32:09.279 --> 00:32:12.059 astronaut or spaceman was in the background. 00:32:12.680 --> 00:32:15.400 Templeton insisted that no one else was present 00:32:15.400 --> 00:32:18.259 at the time and the figure had not been seen 00:32:18.259 --> 00:32:21.619 when the picture was taken. The photograph quickly 00:32:21.619 --> 00:32:24.519 gained attention from the press. It was dubbed 00:32:24.519 --> 00:32:28.400 the Solway First Spaceman photo capturing imaginations 00:32:28.400 --> 00:32:30.960 worldwide during the height of the space race 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:34.539 and UFO interest. The mysterious figure seemingly 00:32:34.539 --> 00:32:37.960 appeared from nowhere and became a cultural curiosity. 00:32:38.720 --> 00:32:41.819 Mr. Templeton took it to the police in Carlisle 00:32:41.819 --> 00:32:44.400 and they declared there was nothing out of the 00:32:44.400 --> 00:32:48.019 ordinary, no illegal activity at the very least. 00:32:49.140 --> 00:32:52.279 Kodak, who developed the photo, examined the 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:54.960 negative and confirmed that the image was not 00:32:54.960 --> 00:32:58.299 manipulated. The figure was physically present 00:32:58.299 --> 00:33:01.319 at the time the photo was taken. They even offered 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:04.200 a reward to anyone who could prove that the photo 00:33:04.200 --> 00:33:07.640 was faked and it was never claimed. I mean that 00:33:07.640 --> 00:33:10.880 would just get Jim right away if he was like, 00:33:11.019 --> 00:33:15.009 I can prove it. We wouldn't be here today. Following 00:33:15.009 --> 00:33:17.950 the publicity, which this one was news to me, 00:33:18.190 --> 00:33:20.609 Templeton claimed that he was visited by two 00:33:20.609 --> 00:33:23.230 men in black suits who identified themselves 00:33:23.230 --> 00:33:27.130 only as number 7 and number 11. They asked him 00:33:27.130 --> 00:33:29.250 to take them to the location where the photo 00:33:29.250 --> 00:33:32.210 had been taken. And Templeton said they acted 00:33:32.210 --> 00:33:35.150 strangely and when he explained that he had not 00:33:35.150 --> 00:33:38.269 seen the spaceman in real time, they became frustrated 00:33:38.269 --> 00:33:41.509 and left abruptly. One of the reasons the photo 00:33:41.509 --> 00:33:46.130 entered UFO folklore was a coincidental event 00:33:46.130 --> 00:33:50.720 at the Bad Diadem. Missile testing site? I don't 00:33:50.720 --> 00:33:53.599 know if I'm saying that right at all. A planned 00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:57.039 launch of the Blue Streak missile was reportedly 00:33:57.039 --> 00:34:01.019 halted due to sightings of two figures on the 00:34:01.019 --> 00:34:03.880 launch range, said to resemble the figure in 00:34:03.880 --> 00:34:06.420 Templeton's photograph. Side note, it wasn't 00:34:06.420 --> 00:34:09.780 actually until after it was cancelled due to 00:34:09.780 --> 00:34:13.099 the two figures when the people operating this 00:34:13.099 --> 00:34:16.079 that cancelled saw the photo on the front page 00:34:16.079 --> 00:34:18.699 of an Australian newspaper. paper, where they 00:34:18.699 --> 00:34:20.800 are stunned that the figure looked the same as 00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:23.659 the figures they saw close to the missile. Though 00:34:23.659 --> 00:34:26.300 there is no official confirmation of this incident, 00:34:26.559 --> 00:34:29.619 the story added another layer of intrigue that 00:34:29.619 --> 00:34:32.420 contributed to conspiracy theories about government 00:34:32.420 --> 00:34:41.630 knowledge of extraterrestrial activity. The prevailing 00:34:41.630 --> 00:34:45.010 explanation today is far more mundane and likely 00:34:45.010 --> 00:34:48.510 more accurate. Investigators, including photographic 00:34:48.510 --> 00:34:51.349 analysis, later suggest that the spaceman was 00:34:51.349 --> 00:34:54.210 likely Templeton's wife, Annie. She had walked 00:34:54.210 --> 00:34:57.210 into the background of the shot without his noticing, 00:34:57.570 --> 00:35:00.349 which is weird, but I don't know. You got to 00:35:00.349 --> 00:35:02.949 remember at the time, like you couldn't look 00:35:02.949 --> 00:35:06.110 at photos until they were developed and like 00:35:06.110 --> 00:35:07.949 it would take you a while to develop them. So 00:35:07.949 --> 00:35:10.039 when you actually got to look at them. You wouldn't 00:35:10.039 --> 00:35:12.320 necessarily remember exactly what was happening 00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:15.250 in that photo. Absolutely. She was wearing a 00:35:15.250 --> 00:35:18.289 pale blue dress, which, due to an overexposure 00:35:18.289 --> 00:35:21.869 and the limitations of 1960s film stock, appeared 00:35:21.869 --> 00:35:24.670 bright white. Her back was turned, and the cropped 00:35:24.670 --> 00:35:26.670 shape of her head and shoulders may have given 00:35:26.670 --> 00:35:30.010 the illusion of a helmeted figure. Evidence that 00:35:30.010 --> 00:35:32.909 supports this theory would include the figure's 00:35:32.909 --> 00:35:35.349 proportions and posture aligned with someone 00:35:35.349 --> 00:35:37.789 standing with their back to the camera, which 00:35:37.789 --> 00:35:40.650 I don't know that that supports the wife versus 00:35:40.650 --> 00:35:45.110 a spaceman, to be honest. Easily explained. And 00:35:45.110 --> 00:35:47.409 the whole thing is, if it's back -facing, why 00:35:47.409 --> 00:35:49.610 would it look like a spaceman if it's the back 00:35:49.610 --> 00:35:52.369 of the spaceman? Spaceman turn their backs sometimes. 00:35:52.510 --> 00:35:54.269 Well, they do, but they don't need a visor on 00:35:54.269 --> 00:35:57.250 the back. We do, to popular belief, that's true. 00:35:57.429 --> 00:35:59.869 Yeah, but I guess, I don't know, aliens could 00:35:59.869 --> 00:36:01.650 technically have eyes on both sides of their 00:36:01.650 --> 00:36:04.130 head, I don't know. That's true. Or just backwards 00:36:04.130 --> 00:36:08.230 postures. I wonder what the circle papers have 00:36:08.230 --> 00:36:10.869 to say about this. Oh, it was probably pooping 00:36:10.869 --> 00:36:13.750 in the sand just over there. Just like a cat. 00:36:14.349 --> 00:36:16.989 Yeah. Other photographs from that day show Annie 00:36:16.989 --> 00:36:20.349 wearing the same dress. I did see it. I don't 00:36:20.349 --> 00:36:23.030 know. It's like, you know, one of those, like, 00:36:23.130 --> 00:36:25.429 pictures you have to stare at for a long time 00:36:25.429 --> 00:36:28.269 to see something in? Yeah. It's kind of like 00:36:28.269 --> 00:36:31.849 that. I do not see it at all. I don't see a woman 00:36:31.849 --> 00:36:34.349 with her back turned. All I see is a spaceman, 00:36:34.389 --> 00:36:36.849 but maybe... once I see it I won't be able to 00:36:36.849 --> 00:36:40.070 unsee it. You know when that happens. The camera 00:36:40.070 --> 00:36:42.849 angle and the lighting could easily distort the 00:36:42.849 --> 00:36:45.389 figure into a misleading form and that's the 00:36:45.389 --> 00:36:48.389 thing about old photography I guess as well. 00:36:48.550 --> 00:36:51.690 Which actually brings up another cool thing because 00:36:51.690 --> 00:36:55.349 nowadays you can't trust a photograph for totally 00:36:55.349 --> 00:36:58.590 other reasons other than what we're talking about 00:36:58.590 --> 00:37:01.590 right now right? It's not because of over exposure 00:37:01.590 --> 00:37:05.510 or because like you don't have the problems anymore 00:37:05.510 --> 00:37:08.769 of what's -his -face Billy Meyer where he's just 00:37:08.769 --> 00:37:11.570 like fucking taking pictures of Christmas ornaments 00:37:11.570 --> 00:37:15.170 and he's like look at it it's a UFO and it's 00:37:15.170 --> 00:37:17.489 clearly just someone taking a fucking picture 00:37:17.489 --> 00:37:21.050 of a UFO like he thinks he's manipulating a photograph 00:37:21.050 --> 00:37:24.670 so well or something like this now you're dealing 00:37:24.670 --> 00:37:29.869 with things like AI where I mean AI is still 00:37:29.869 --> 00:37:34.420 you can still kind of pick it out from not being 00:37:34.420 --> 00:37:37.159 a believable photograph and it's small things 00:37:37.159 --> 00:37:39.699 too it's like the hands are weird or it doesn't 00:37:39.699 --> 00:37:42.820 understand english or something like that that 00:37:42.820 --> 00:37:44.940 bothers me the most that you can't make a photo 00:37:44.940 --> 00:37:48.280 with english in it yeah i know right i don't 00:37:48.280 --> 00:37:51.539 know why it doesn't know english but it's such 00:37:51.539 --> 00:37:55.019 a cool like I don't know if it's cool or worrisome 00:37:55.019 --> 00:37:57.360 that this is where it's going. My personal theory 00:37:57.360 --> 00:38:01.079 is that English AI outsources its photo generation 00:38:01.079 --> 00:38:05.019 to like Spanish or like third world AI and that's 00:38:05.019 --> 00:38:08.539 why it doesn't speak English. That's so true. 00:38:09.320 --> 00:38:11.980 It only vaguely speaks English. It has English 00:38:11.980 --> 00:38:13.920 letters. That's what English letters kind of 00:38:13.920 --> 00:38:18.320 look like. So it's definitely not a problem you 00:38:18.320 --> 00:38:21.619 see anymore, where this is more of an anomaly 00:38:21.619 --> 00:38:24.320 that you're seeing in a photograph that is an 00:38:24.320 --> 00:38:26.980 actual photograph. I do think an important one 00:38:26.980 --> 00:38:28.840 in this one, too, because I have looked into 00:38:28.840 --> 00:38:31.420 this one before or at least done some research 00:38:31.420 --> 00:38:34.039 into it, is this is one of those stories where 00:38:34.039 --> 00:38:36.579 if somebody doesn't actually see the thing that 00:38:36.579 --> 00:38:38.380 they took the picture of and it's only looking 00:38:38.380 --> 00:38:41.340 at the photo where it arises. And Nick Pope has 00:38:41.340 --> 00:38:43.500 spoken of this before, where he says he gets 00:38:43.500 --> 00:38:45.769 these sometimes and he's really skeptical where 00:38:45.769 --> 00:38:48.289 they didn't see anything at the time and he gives 00:38:48.289 --> 00:38:50.730 an example of one that he got with UFOs in the 00:38:50.730 --> 00:38:53.349 top left corner of the photo and they did some 00:38:53.349 --> 00:38:55.929 analysis and they realized that the guy at the 00:38:55.929 --> 00:38:57.989 time who took the photo didn't see it but it 00:38:57.989 --> 00:39:00.409 was when he had it but years later he's looking 00:39:00.409 --> 00:39:02.510 at it and he saw a UFO in the top left corner 00:39:02.510 --> 00:39:06.969 they realized he had stapled the photo and then 00:39:06.969 --> 00:39:09.559 photocopied it and he didn't realize that the 00:39:09.559 --> 00:39:13.219 photocopy because it was a photocopy that the 00:39:13.219 --> 00:39:16.420 UFOs were the back like protrusions of the staples 00:39:16.420 --> 00:39:19.079 coming through the photo. Yeah. So it's just 00:39:19.079 --> 00:39:20.820 like amazing. Yeah. It's just something that 00:39:20.820 --> 00:39:22.719 you wouldn't be aware of at the time of the photo, 00:39:22.920 --> 00:39:25.440 which when you take the photo, it's we don't 00:39:25.440 --> 00:39:27.860 get the immediate feedback that we do on digital 00:39:27.860 --> 00:39:31.360 stuff now that it's different with old photos. 00:39:31.500 --> 00:39:34.420 Yeah. It's not a problem anymore. It's not as 00:39:34.420 --> 00:39:37.239 much of a problem, I should say. It does still 00:39:37.239 --> 00:39:40.440 happen. That's true, that's true. But just such 00:39:40.440 --> 00:39:43.900 a contrasting period that we're living in, where 00:39:43.900 --> 00:39:47.119 we're looking at very different phenomenons, 00:39:47.219 --> 00:39:51.920 where one is more of either an anomaly, where 00:39:51.920 --> 00:39:56.340 it's not turning out as you can properly interpret 00:39:56.340 --> 00:40:00.059 what's going on in the photo. I don't know that 00:40:00.059 --> 00:40:02.099 that's how you would summarize a Billy Mayer 00:40:02.099 --> 00:40:04.559 photo though, because it clearly looks like garbage 00:40:04.559 --> 00:40:08.340 gambling. Christmas ornaments. When he was speaking 00:40:08.340 --> 00:40:11.400 German, the pure language. So who knows what 00:40:11.400 --> 00:40:15.179 he was trying to do. You just have to believe 00:40:15.179 --> 00:40:18.639 someone who's speaking German and something like 00:40:18.639 --> 00:40:21.300 this. So just a cool contrast to kind of think 00:40:21.300 --> 00:40:24.159 of when sometimes, you know, you're scrolling 00:40:24.159 --> 00:40:27.170 through. TikTok or what have you, wherever else 00:40:27.170 --> 00:40:29.730 you can watch videos, Reddit or whatever. Sometimes 00:40:29.730 --> 00:40:34.630 it's hard to tell the AI videos from actual videos 00:40:34.630 --> 00:40:39.010 now and that really creeps me out. I was watching 00:40:39.010 --> 00:40:42.670 TikTok the other day and it was people rescuing 00:40:42.670 --> 00:40:47.030 whales from the ocean and I had to look at the 00:40:47.030 --> 00:40:48.929 comments and people were like, this is clearly 00:40:48.929 --> 00:40:51.630 AI. People can't touch things like that. And 00:40:51.630 --> 00:40:55.199 I was like, oh. It didn't look like AI at all, 00:40:55.420 --> 00:40:59.500 but it was AI, and it fooled me, because I was 00:40:59.500 --> 00:41:02.079 like, wow, this is crazy that they're doing this. 00:41:02.599 --> 00:41:06.699 And it was AI, so not that it relates to this 00:41:06.699 --> 00:41:10.429 at all, but it kind of does. Anyhow, while the 00:41:10.429 --> 00:41:13.349 spaceman likely wasn't a visitor from another 00:41:13.349 --> 00:41:16.510 world, the incident reflects how easily our perception 00:41:16.510 --> 00:41:19.869 can be deceived by lights, angles, and expectation, 00:41:20.150 --> 00:41:22.929 as well as AI. It also, can you imagine what 00:41:22.929 --> 00:41:25.889 Billy Mayer could do with AI now? I don't think 00:41:25.889 --> 00:41:29.070 he could do much. It'd be so much easier with 00:41:29.070 --> 00:41:29.489 his one arm. Do you really think he could type 00:41:29.489 --> 00:41:32.469 in prompts? No. He seems like he'd be terrible 00:41:32.469 --> 00:41:35.590 at prompts. But he's so good at writing. Look 00:41:35.590 --> 00:41:39.010 at that website. There's so many entries. We 00:41:39.010 --> 00:41:41.750 gotta revisit that sometime. I know, we really 00:41:41.750 --> 00:41:45.130 do. It also demonstrates how a single unexplained 00:41:45.130 --> 00:41:48.849 image can ignite the imagination of an era, especially 00:41:48.849 --> 00:41:51.789 when gripped by space fever and Cold War paranoia. 00:41:52.030 --> 00:41:55.469 It still lives on. There is a whole subculture 00:41:55.469 --> 00:41:58.210 of people who want to believe in this stuff and 00:41:58.210 --> 00:42:00.389 will point to stuff like that that something's 00:42:00.389 --> 00:42:03.070 going on. I do believe there's stuff going on, 00:42:03.130 --> 00:42:06.550 but sometimes it can be explained things, and 00:42:06.550 --> 00:42:08.429 those aren't the ones that we have to look at. 00:42:08.530 --> 00:42:10.630 It's the other ones, like the Van Meter visitor 00:42:10.630 --> 00:42:14.690 in a town full of doctors. Ooh, it's extra pterodactyl. 00:42:14.860 --> 00:42:18.739 Yes. Exactly! The Solway for Space Meninger is 00:42:18.739 --> 00:42:21.099 not necessarily because of what it shows, but 00:42:21.099 --> 00:42:24.159 because of what we want it to show. And that 00:42:24.159 --> 00:42:26.699 is the end of my episode. Oh, those are fun. 00:42:27.199 --> 00:42:28.960 They're fun! One with the winged creature and 00:42:28.960 --> 00:42:31.539 one with the potential to fly, just without the 00:42:31.539 --> 00:42:35.900 winged. Exactly! That was beautiful. And yeah, 00:42:36.139 --> 00:42:41.340 I... Interesting, how close is Iowa to the Mothman 00:42:41.340 --> 00:42:44.019 Belt? I think pretty close. Yeah, did you not 00:42:44.019 --> 00:42:46.440 get Mothman vibes of it too? A little bit, yeah. 00:42:46.659 --> 00:42:50.280 But not quite either. It's kind of weird to say. 00:42:50.639 --> 00:42:52.699 Yeah, you know, it's right below Minnesota. So 00:42:52.699 --> 00:42:54.960 yeah, it's kind of close to that area. Yeah, 00:42:55.099 --> 00:42:58.039 and I just love everybody has their unique cryptids 00:42:58.039 --> 00:43:00.840 that just grow and grow and they develop it. 00:43:01.900 --> 00:43:05.119 I don't know how to feel about the Solway Firth 00:43:05.119 --> 00:43:08.519 spaceman. just because, like, it is such one 00:43:08.519 --> 00:43:10.440 picture where they didn't even see things at 00:43:10.440 --> 00:43:12.579 the time. But how did it not get a festival? 00:43:12.840 --> 00:43:14.780 Come to think of it, how did that clown alien 00:43:14.780 --> 00:43:18.219 homeless man not get his own festival? I love 00:43:18.219 --> 00:43:21.320 that clown alien guy. The parts of that were 00:43:21.320 --> 00:43:23.940 so creepy, but it was so clearly someone trying 00:43:23.940 --> 00:43:30.360 to abduct children. Oh, it's always it's always 00:43:30.360 --> 00:43:32.219 great looking at these in hindsight and with 00:43:32.219 --> 00:43:35.119 a good laugh because sometimes that's I think 00:43:35.119 --> 00:43:38.739 I feel that's all you need to break through the 00:43:38.739 --> 00:43:42.099 mysterious of it all. We live in such a different 00:43:42.099 --> 00:43:45.199 world that a lot of these things that we visit 00:43:45.199 --> 00:43:49.019 on our episodes just could not exist in the world 00:43:49.019 --> 00:43:52.860 as we know it in this time and place, unfortunately. 00:43:53.139 --> 00:43:56.139 Saul Weyferth and what the hell is that clown's 00:43:56.139 --> 00:43:59.900 name? I don't know. The Sand Down Clown. Sand 00:43:59.900 --> 00:44:02.719 Down Clown. Sand Down Clown. Good job. Yeah, 00:44:03.019 --> 00:44:05.340 he just couldn't exist this day and age. People 00:44:05.340 --> 00:44:07.260 wouldn't just be like, you mean Bill? No, there's 00:44:07.260 --> 00:44:10.380 too many homeless these days. Due to the capitalist 00:44:10.380 --> 00:44:13.179 nature of our society, we just have too many 00:44:13.179 --> 00:44:15.579 of the sand down clowns out on the beaches. Yeah, 00:44:16.340 --> 00:44:19.599 exactly. Kids are warned about them early. Children 00:44:19.599 --> 00:44:22.880 are already more not to enter the clowns. They 00:44:22.880 --> 00:44:27.789 don't enter clown domains. It's a different world. 00:44:28.050 --> 00:44:30.070 I think that's a reasonable place to end it. 00:44:30.730 --> 00:44:33.050 I have been Taylor, here with Chelsea. We are 00:44:33.050 --> 00:44:34.630 Journey to the Fringe. Thank you all for listening 00:44:34.630 --> 00:44:38.760 and we'll see you next week. Bye. Thank you for 00:44:38.760 --> 00:44:41.320 listening to Journey to the Fringe. If you have 00:44:41.320 --> 00:44:44.079 liked what you have listened to, please like, 00:44:44.420 --> 00:44:47.960 share, subscribe, or follow depending on what 00:44:47.960 --> 00:44:50.159 venue you are listening to us through. Also, 00:44:50.199 --> 00:44:53.300 please, if possible, leave a five -star review 00:44:53.300 --> 00:44:56.280 as that really helps us in the algorithms. 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