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Transcript

The Jake Bird Hex: Tacoma’s Infamous Ax-Murderer · PNW Haunts & Homicides

0:00
The foresight with that, that's smart.
0:03
Like in the moment a lot of people wouldn't have thought of that as I think.
0:07
Wow.
0:08
You'd like to think that you would in the moment do the things that, you know,
0:14
help the situation and maybe don't make it worse by adding in another potential victim.
0:19
But I mean, who can say what they would do?
0:23
Seriously, I was watching a documentary on horror movies last night and that was one of the things
0:27
that's like people always yell at the screen like, I would never do that.
0:31
I would never be that stupid.
0:33
Like you would always and forever be that dumb.
0:37
Yeah, you probably will.
0:39
Hi Cassie.
0:40
Hi Caitlyn.
0:41
Hi creepy people.
0:43
Hello.
0:44
Hello.
0:45
How you doing out there?
0:47
How you doing?
0:49
This is PNW Haunts and Homicides.
0:53
Where we chat about true crimes, the paranormal, it’s officially spooky season,
0:59
So definitely some spooky stuff.
1:02
Do you have a spooky episode for us today?
1:05
Actually, I'll say a little bit spooky.
1:08
Oh.
1:09
I'm so excited.
1:11
I'm excited.
1:12
I love spooky stuff.
1:14
Yeah, I don't know if you'll love how this one goes spooky,
1:19
but I'm listening.
1:23
Is it at least Pacific Northwest?
1:25
Well, yeah.
1:26
Okay, good.
1:27
Yeah.
1:28
Because that's what we talk about here.
1:29
Yeah.
1:30
Also that.
1:31
Yeah.
1:32
We also do a tarot reading at the end of every episode for a little bit of deeper insight to our topic.
1:37
We do.
1:38
It's a thing that we do also as well.
1:41
Another spooky thing that we do.
1:44
Yes.
1:45
Because we're spooky.
1:47
It's spooky.
1:49
Okay.
1:50
Yeah.
1:51
We've got a real witchy vibe going on over here with the tarot.
1:53
So yeah, we do.
1:54
The altar is immaculate.
1:57
It is.
1:58
And Caitlyn did it all by herself.
2:01
It's only been set up for like two weeks.
2:03
So she's really excited about this one.
2:05
You guys got and moved around a little bit.
2:08
I didn't know I was setting it up for this one, but I caught a vibe.
2:11
She did so.
2:13
Here we are.
2:14
So make sure you go look at the altar on the video, either on YouTube or Patreon, or you can see.
2:20
Or both.
2:21
Yeah, or both.
2:22
It's with the double whammy.
2:24
Or you can see it on Instagram.
2:26
You can see little clips of it.
2:28
Make sure you look with your eyeballs, your peepers, jeepers, peepers, creepers.
2:33
We'll cut them.
2:34
All right.
2:35
I'm going to get into it.
2:38
Okay.
2:39
Cheers.
2:40
Cheers.
2:41
Cheers for the last happy moment for an hour.
2:46
This one is like slightly long.
2:47
It might be a little bit more than an hour.
2:50
She's horrified.
2:53
I'm ready.
2:54
Okay.
2:55
Fantastic.
2:56
Today we're going to talk about Jake Bird.
3:00
And no, I'm not talking about the Colorado Rockies right-hander.
3:05
Who by the way, reportedly signed his friend's earbooks, saved this autograph for when I'm playing
3:10
in the major leagues at the end of his second grade year when he was just eight years old.
3:16
Oh, that is so freaking cute.
3:19
I don't know who that is, but that's so cute.
3:22
Yeah.
3:23
Yeah.
3:24
I was like, what even sport is she talking about?
3:26
Yeah.
3:27
I wasn't even sure if that was going to be something that you would be able to figure out from context.
3:31
This is not a sportsing podcast.
3:34
But if you were hoping that I might say sportsing, at least once this episode,
3:39
I've now met your expectations twice over.
3:42
So you're welcome.
3:43
We're here for you.
3:44
No, he's a baseball player.
3:46
Okay.
3:47
Yeah.
3:48
I just had to bring it up because despite being one of the most prolific killers in US history based on his confessions,
3:57
the baseball player is far more heavily represented in the results from your average search engine.
4:05
Yeah.
4:06
It makes sense.
4:07
I'm gave it a “Goog" and I was like, no, not that Jake Bird.
4:12
But thank you.
4:13
I would be interested to know like the stats on people who watch sports and listen to True Crime.
4:20
Like are the pools very vastly different in number?
4:23
We might find out.
4:24
Oh.
4:25
I think the SEO.
4:26
Yeah.
4:27
I'm going to have to put the Jake Bird in the show notes and we'll just see what happens with that.
4:34
Yeah.
4:35
Yeah.
4:36
So it's funny.
4:37
I've kind of know.
4:40
I've come across this in my spooky research.
4:43
I don't know the full thing.
4:44
I obviously did not research this.
4:47
What?
4:48
You came across what?
4:49
I've come across Jake Bird of my spooky research.
4:51
The baseball player.
4:52
No.
4:53
Oh.
4:54
Okay.
4:55
Still not a sporting podcast.
4:57
I don't know a lot.
4:58
I've read like, you know, a little, a little paragraph or two on things.
5:02
Okay.
5:03
So I'm excited.
5:04
Yeah.
5:05
Kind of.
5:06
Yeah.
5:07
I love that even the baseball player by the same name currently hails from the PNW.
5:14
Ooh.
5:15
You know, Colorado Rockies.
5:17
Yeah.
5:18
Yeah.
5:19
That's PNW, sure.
5:20
Yeah.
5:21
And of course, also his confidence, which apparently took root at a very young age.
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That's called manifesting.
5:27
Right.
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He did it.
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I think that's about all that he has in common with the Jake Bird.
5:33
We'll talk about today.
5:35
Who's death predates the other Jake Bird, the baseball player one, his career in the MLB by
5:44
about five decades.
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So there couldn't be less in common or related with these two just to be abundantly clear.
5:54
I love how both like this episode and your last episode, you're like, we have to separate
6:00
these names.
6:01
And they're not related.
6:02
Yeah.
6:03
It's like that's kind of the running theme I like with my recent episodes.
6:07
I'm okay with it.
6:09
I guess I've been on a little bit more of an old tiny kick lately.
6:14
I don't know.
6:15
I am still trying to dart around so we get to visit a variety of places.
6:20
And I have some case recommendations that I'll be working on that are from a more modern
6:26
era.
6:27
Okay.
6:28
So we do have some more modern stuff coming, but were they recommendations for my creepy
6:33
people?
6:34
Yeah.
6:35
Well, some of them, I'm not going to promise like my next episode is a recommendation.
6:40
Yeah.
6:41
I'm working on some things that people have asked for or suggested.
6:45
So I'm not.
6:46
I'm ignoring you all.
6:48
I just wanted to say I'd personally love seeing our email fill up with any recommendations
6:55
that you have.
6:56
Yeah, there's quite a few in there.
7:00
Yeah.
7:01
Anything you want us to cover for future, but especially if you stumble upon anything that would
7:09
be helpful source material.
7:11
Because I do, I do sometimes find that there are cases that people are really interested
7:16
in.
7:17
And the reason they're so interested is that they found like one good article that maybe
7:22
links to another looks on that my way.
7:25
Yeah, send it, send it all.
7:27
Get me started off.
7:28
Just send us a list of resources to pull from.
7:32
You just via our research assistance that would be the entiest.
7:35
We're currently in the market.
7:37
Yeah.
7:38
So if you're interested.
7:39
Uh-huh.
7:40
Did I wink?
7:41
Okay.
7:42
I don't know.
7:43
Hard to say.
7:44
I can't wink.
7:46
It's actually dangerous right now because I've magnets on my eyes, but your eyelashes will
7:53
just fly off if you try to.
7:55
Yeah.
7:56
Jake Bird was born December 14, 1901.
8:01
Supposedly in Greenwood, Louisiana, though many statements he made were very vague, just
8:07
somewhere in rural Louisiana.
8:10
Just somewhere over there.
8:14
Somewhere in that.
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You know, really matter over there.
8:16
I feel like I'm also never surprised when I learned that my research subject is or involves
8:22
a “Sag."
8:23
Yeah.
8:24
Sagittarius, as if you're nasty.
8:26
I love them.
8:27
I love you, Sages that aren't murderers.
8:32
Yeah.
8:33
Well, I'm really intrigued by the prevalence amongst serial killers.
8:37
Yeah.
8:38
I'm just like, what is it about cosmic timing or maybe something else in their environment?
8:44
Like, are you guys born in winter and you don't like winter?
8:49
Isn't Taylor Swift the Sagittarius?
8:51
Oh, well, now I have a whole host of concerns.
8:54
I'm getting, getting, getting.
8:57
She might end up on our pod one day for a different reason other than us being Swifties.
9:03
Oh, boy.
9:04
Whatever, it's really not that important to our story in terms of because we're not going
9:10
to focus on astrology.
9:12
But yeah, this time.
9:16
Speaking of things that are perhaps interesting for my hat rack, but perhaps not the most important
9:21
to the story, you got to appease the hat rack.
9:26
A piece?
9:27
Is that the right word?
9:28
Yeah.
9:29
I don't think I've ever used that word.
9:30
I believe it's good.
9:31
Yeah.
9:32
No, that fits.
9:33
My vocabulary is just expanding thanks to Caitlyn.
9:37
Oh, I don't know that I can take credit for all of that.
9:40
Detritus...
9:41
Okay, I mean, like I may have played a part.
9:48
Knowing that we're hoping to take a trip out to good ol', NOLA next year, I just had to see
9:54
how far away Greenwood was from New Orleans.
9:58
These are the things I think about because I'm like, we're going to be in New Orleans next
10:05
fall.
10:06
And it's about five hours for reference.
10:08
Oh, okay.
10:09
It's probably not going to visit, but...
10:12
No.
10:13
Problems us not.
10:16
I feel like everyone's getting a real up close in person.
10:18
And look at the ADHD of it all.
10:20
Yeah, that's okay.
10:21
That's why they come.
10:22
Yeah.
10:23
Also, I don't know, like if you want us to come to New Orleans, you know, if you want to
10:28
come to New Orleans, we're going to be at hopefully a spooky podcast convention.
10:34
So I don't know.
10:35
This is a really great time to probably just put our podcast on like auto play over and over
10:42
again.
10:43
Almost with that sweet, sweet ad revenue.
10:45
Don't give the ads too.
10:47
Keep them on.
10:48
It's fine.
10:49
You know, subscribe on Patreon.
10:51
That's true.
10:52
It is all ad free on Patreon.
10:54
So there's that beyond that, there are frustratingly few details available that have been confirmed
11:01
about his early life.
11:04
Here they are.
11:05
He was raised by Charles and Delie bird.
11:09
Charles Charles.
11:10
Charles.
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Charles.
11:12
Every time.
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He also had three brothers Andrew, Henry, and Lenny.
11:21
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:23
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:24
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:25
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:26
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:27
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:28
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:29
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:30
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:31
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:32
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:33
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:34
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:35
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:36
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:37
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:38
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:50
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:51
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:52
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:53
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:54
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:55
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:56
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:57
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:58
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
11:59
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:00
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:01
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:02
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:03
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:04
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:05
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:08
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:09
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:10
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:11
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:12
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:13
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:14
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:15
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:16
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:17
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:18
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:19
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:20
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:21
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:22
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:23
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:33
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:35
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:36
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:37
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:38
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:39
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:40
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:41
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:42
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:43
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:44
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:45
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:46
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:47
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:48
And then he was raised by Charles and Lenny.
12:49
So back then, see this is my goal is to just skip town and work for my laptop all over the country.
12:55
So back then, I would have worked on trains.
12:58
Yeah.
12:59
What you're saying.
13:00
Get on a train.
13:01
Do crime.
13:02
Okay.
13:03
Well, steps one and two.
13:04
But without the crime.
13:05
Oh, maybe some crime.
13:06
Weed to legal in a lot of places.
13:08
No, come on.
13:09
It's not like they don't know.
13:11
I don't get high.
13:12
We're definitely about to start another show that may or may not center on.
13:18
The topic.
13:19
I don't know.
13:20
Stay tuned.
13:21
I don't know.
13:22
By the time he turned 45, he had already spent 31 years behind bars for various crimes, including
13:30
multiple assaults, burglary, and even attempted murder.
13:35
Okay.
13:36
So I saw that face.
13:37
I saw that face in my mind as I was writing this.
13:39
So my next sentence is let me know if I need to repeat that because it's a little bit mind blowing.
13:45
I was trying to math.
13:47
Yeah.
13:48
45 years old.
13:49
And he has been incarcerated for 31 years of his life.
13:55
So he was 14.
13:56
14 years.
13:57
He essentially.
13:58
Yeah.
13:59
There's like 14 years of his life sporadically, somewhere throughout those 45 years that he was not
14:06
imprisoned.
14:07
Oh, I wonder like how young he was.
14:10
Are you going to talk about it?
14:11
I guess pretty young.
14:14
The bulk of his criminal history is not when he would have been starting out.
14:21
I'm not going to get into a ton of like any of his early crimes, but you know, just remember
14:28
at 45, we've got multiple assaults, burglary, and even attempted murder.
14:33
So like, you know, he's kind of working his way through building a quite the rap sheet.
14:41
After his release from jail in 1947, he took to working on the railroad near Tacoma, Washington.
14:48
Oh.
14:49
Yeah.
14:50
Lots of great things happening in Tacoma.
14:54
I don't talk about them, but.
14:57
And Jake Bird would eventually again be arrested.
15:03
I know.
15:04
I was shocked too, you guys.
15:08
He was arrested in Tacoma on October 30, 1947, just a few days after arriving to the area.
15:18
And a day before hell.
15:20
I know.
15:21
I would.
15:22
My mind was blown.
15:23
I was not looking for anything.
15:25
Theme at home.
15:28
And I could not have picked anything more on brand for spooky season because when we get
15:35
there, and I will tell you, I was partway through already writing some of my notes from articles
15:41
and stuff that I had found.
15:43
And I was like, I'm sorry.
15:45
What's this now?
15:47
There's so much more.
15:49
Okay.
15:50
I was absolutely dying.
15:52
I was like, you have got to be kidding.
15:56
It just, it's like a true crime story made in the lab for me to talk about during the month
16:02
of October.
16:04
I mean, it's awful, but I'm very excited to tell you about it.
16:09
That night, Bertha Kludt, a widow in her 50s who worked at a bakery and her 17 year old daughter,
16:17
Beverly, who had just recently graduated, were sleeping soundly.
16:22
End of story.
16:23
Okay.
16:24
No, I'm, it keeps going.
16:26
They lived on 21st Street in Tacoma.
16:29
I'm going to refer to them as now, which always makes me think of it's always sunny in Philadelphia.
16:36
It's such a bird, Dee.
16:40
Oh, I always think of the [sings] b-b-b-bird bird bird! But I digress.
16:47
He snuck onto their property and because it's old timey and this is actually just a thing
16:53
that happens actually in more than one case that I've talked about of this nature, he
16:59
found an axe in their wood shed before slinking into their home through the unlocked backdoor.
17:06
So lots of old timey features here.
17:09
People just had axes.
17:10
There's, you know, chop chop and stuff.
17:13
Unlocked doors because I, the 1940s of it all.
17:20
Though he'd taken great pains to be as quiet as possible, Bertha screamed when she came
17:25
across the strange man in her home.
17:27
Because one does.
17:30
Mrs. Steincipher phoned the police when she heard the sounds of a struggle in her neighbor's
17:36
home.
17:37
Oh, that was so sweet.
17:38
She's probably like, this is like a widowed single mother with a teenage daughter.
17:43
Yeah.
17:44
Like, I'm getting on the horn.
17:45
Oh.
17:46
I know.
17:47
God.
17:48
Just heartbreaking.
17:49
I always make fun of like note the nosy neighbor thing, but like, no, this is smart.
17:53
Sometimes you just want a nosy neighbor.
17:54
But it's just smart because literally this next sentence, she turned out her own lights
18:00
when she saw the silhouette of a man through the window of the club family home.
18:05
Okay.
18:06
So she's basically like, I don't want this guy to see me and get tipped off that like,
18:10
somebody's aware of his presence or obviously come after her or, you know, I just thought
18:17
the foresight with that, that's smart.
18:20
Like in the moment, a lot of people wouldn't have thought of that.
18:23
I think, wow, you'd like to think that you would in the moment do the things that, you
18:30
know, help the situation and maybe don't make it worse by adding in another potential
18:35
victim.
18:36
Yes.
18:37
I mean, who can say what they would do?
18:39
Seriously, I was watching a documentary on horror movies last night.
18:42
And that was one of the things is like, people always yell at the screen like, I would never
18:47
do that.
18:48
I would never be that stupid.
18:50
Like you would always and forever be that dumb.
18:53
Yeah, you probably would.
18:54
Yeah, because I think a lot of us would, you wouldn't be Mrs. Stein, Steine Sifer.
19:00
Steine Sifer.
19:01
Mm-hmm.
19:02
Yeah.
19:03
Don't look at my notes because I don't know about the spelling here.
19:05
That's a cool last name.
19:06
Yeah.
19:07
I know.
19:08
I was like, yeah, your beer episode.
19:10
Okay.
19:11
So beer and Sifer.
19:13
Sifer.
19:14
Oh.
19:15
Like a, like a cryptic code situation.
19:17
I was like, okay.
19:19
That is cool.
19:21
I know.
19:22
She aspires.
19:23
That was so smart.
19:24
No.
19:25
Conspiracy.
19:26
She was very German spy.
19:28
Right.
19:29
Oh, in 1947, I'm Yikes.
19:36
She was cool though.
19:37
Yeah.
19:38
That was fine.
19:39
The war was over.
19:41
Just in case the title will be end up choosing for the episode isn't adequate enough of a
19:46
giveaway regarding the nature of his crimes.
19:50
They were absolutely brutal because, you know, the whole acts situation.
19:58
Fucking bird.
19:59
Fucking bird.
20:00
Dirty bird.
20:01
Such a bird.
20:02
Ugh.
20:03
He would end up facing charges for two murders.
20:07
And though he would only be convicted for one, he reportedly claimed responsibility for
20:13
up to 44.
20:17
44?
20:20
I don't think it's exactly a spoiler, but eventually the charges were brought for the slaying
20:25
of these two women, Bertha and Beverly in their home the night before Halloween in 1947,
20:33
which as previously mentioned has a super spooky vibe to it.
20:38
To be honest, I had no idea about the Halloween connection.
20:42
Again, just want to reiterate, wasn't looking for that, which I feel like now lady Doth
20:48
protest too much, but I don't think so because we know she covered like Christmas crime during
20:53
the summertime.
20:54
Yeah.
20:55
Yeah, I just, I didn't realize in the name when I got to that point in my research, I was
21:00
like, well, no time like the present spooky season.
21:05
We don't plan a whole lot around here.
21:06
Things just kind of happen.
21:07
Yeah.
21:08
They either happen or they just don't.
21:10
They've been happening for, you know, almost four years now, so we've had a pretty good
21:14
job.
21:15
We've done okay for ourselves.
21:17
We're not unimpressed.
21:19
As I said previously, the crimes he detailed to law enforcement would make him, if his statements
21:25
were truthful, one of the more prolific serial killers in US history.
21:32
It's his MO in particular that is giving the Ick in this case.
21:37
I mean, there's plenty of Ick with the sky.
21:39
I mean, just be clear, but how he reportedly killed these women and other victims allegedly
21:48
is just really brutal.
21:52
He beat his victims with an axe or stab them because that's Axis or it's a real stabby
21:58
weapon.
21:59
Sharp.
22:00
Yeah.
22:01
It's just a gruesome and personal way to take another human's life.
22:07
Not that there's a good way to do it to be clear, but I just feel like that always kind of
22:13
gets to me because you're interacting with this person in the last moments of their life,
22:21
literally fighting for their life and it's probably going to take more than one axe blow.
22:29
It's like every single time you do that, you are making a conscious choice.
22:35
That's the part that I feel like, you know, I don't know, you could just run away at a certain
22:41
point.
22:42
I feel like that's why it bothers me.
22:45
Were you there to rob them?
22:49
I mean, at Axe Point?
22:51
Right.
22:52
I mean, just seems, I don't know.
22:55
Well, officers Andrew Sabutis, just quite a name.
23:03
Sabutis.
23:04
Sabutis.
23:05
It looks like it kind of the way that spelled is kind of like Sabutis.
23:10
Sabutis.
23:11
Sabutis.
23:12
And Evan Skip Davies.
23:14
No, slow himself.
23:16
I like that name.
23:17
Okay.
23:18
I'm Evan Skip Davies.
23:20
Yes, he is.
23:22
You'll remember my name.
23:25
I don't know why he got Southern-ish.
23:29
They responded to the disturbance and found Jake fleeing the house, covered in blood.
23:34
So he was like caught, literally, right?
23:40
Yeah.
23:41
Yeah.
23:42
Yeah.
23:43
A chase through neighborhood yards ensued, but he was finally subdued in an alley after
23:49
injuring himself pretty badly.
23:51
I mean, mainly just a flesh wound, but I would imagine it blood a lot.
23:56
It sounds like he kind of dragged his face over.
24:00
I just like, okay.
24:03
Yeah, we all feel so bad.
24:06
I hope it hurt.
24:08
I know.
24:09
Yeah.
24:10
Anyways, that might be where you'd expect him to surrender without additional struggle.
24:18
And boy, would you be wrong.
24:19
And like, isn't your whole face bleeding?
24:24
He charged the pair of law enforcement officers, initially injuring both of them with the switchblade.
24:30
Holy shit.
24:31
Yeah.
24:32
The notice was stabbed in the shoulder and Evan's hand was slashed in the encounter.
24:38
Sounds like somebody's going to need a shot, which funny enough, I learned was developed
24:43
in the 1920s and widely used during World War One.
24:47
Oh, okay.
24:48
So they did have a world war two.
24:50
Oh, okay.
24:51
Yeah.
24:52
So they did have it though.
24:53
They had the test shot.
24:54
Yeah, okay.
24:55
I had to know.
24:56
Well, it was like pretty new, yeah.
24:57
Well, no, it would have been around for almost 30 years.
25:00
Yeah.
25:01
They, I mean, they had widely used it during World War Two, which had ended just a couple
25:07
of years prior at this point.
25:09
Okay.
25:10
So I just, I felt like I needed to situate a couple of things for myself within the historical
25:16
timeline.
25:17
Yeah.
25:18
A lot of hand gestures.
25:19
It's helping me.
25:20
It's helping me learn the timeline.
25:21
Yeah.
25:22
So I'm really bad at like historical timelines.
25:24
Well, and there's certain things like a tetanus shot.
25:27
I mean, that has been around obviously for our entire lifetime.
25:31
But when you come across these stories and you're like, oh, I thought to myself, oh, he's
25:36
got to go get a tetanus shot.
25:37
And I was like, yeah, tetanus shots.
25:40
This is why I'm always like, did they have cards?
25:42
I know.
25:43
I need to know.
25:46
I was pretty confident that I was like, I don't know the exact year.
25:51
Sabutus nailed him with a punch to the jaw and kicked him in the groin.
25:56
Yeah.
25:57
Which is probably exactly what I would do to someone who had stabbed me in the shoulder
26:01
if I'm being honest.
26:03
These moves were apparently very effective because officers, Sabutus, happened to be a prize
26:09
fighter.
26:10
Oh my god, I was literally picturing him like doing.
26:13
I know.
26:14
I'm like, poor.
26:15
And then not karate.
26:17
Oh, kick.
26:18
I'm kicking under the table.
26:21
I can't see.
26:22
Kick.
26:23
And while I am not, I still have to insist that no one pushed their luck by even attempting
26:30
to stab me.
26:31
I'm just going to say something.
26:32
I'm just going to say something.
26:33
I'm just going to say something.
26:34
I'm just going to say something.
26:35
I'm just going to say something.
26:36
I'm just going to say something.
26:37
I'm just going to say something.
26:38
I'm just going to say something.
26:39
I'm just going to say something.
26:40
I'm just going to say something.
26:41
I'm just going to say something.
26:42
I'm just going to say something.
26:43
I'm just going to say something.
26:44
I'm just going to say something.
26:45
I'm just going to say something.
26:46
I'm just going to say something.
26:47
I'm just going to say something.
26:48
I'm just going to say something.
26:49
I'm just going to say something.
26:50
I'm just going to say something.
26:51
I'm just going to say something.
26:52
I'm just going to say something.
26:53
I'm just going to say something.
26:54
I'm just going to say something.
26:55
I'm just going to say something.
26:56
I'm just going to say something.
26:57
I'm just going to say something.
26:58
I'm just going to say something.
26:59
I'm just going to say something.
27:00
I'm just going to say something.
27:01
I'm just going to say something.
27:02
I'm just going to say something.
27:03
I'm just going to say something.
27:04
I'm just going to say something.
27:05
I'm just going to say something.
27:06
I'm just going to say something.
27:07
I'm just going to say something.
27:08
I'm just going to say something.
27:09
I'm just going to say something.
27:10
I'm just going to say something.
27:11
I'm just going to say something.
27:12
I'm just going to say something.
27:13
I'm just going to say something.
27:14
I'm just going to say something.
27:15
I'm just going to say something.
27:16
I'm just going to say something.
27:17
I'm just going to say something.
27:18
I'm just going to say something.
27:19
I'm just going to say something.
27:20
I'm just going to say something.
27:21
I'm just going to say something.
27:22
I'm just going to say something.
27:23
I'm just going to say something.
27:24
I'm just going to say something.
27:25
I'm just going to say something.
27:26
I'm just going to say something.
27:27
I'm just going to say something.
27:28
I'm just going to say something.
27:29
I'm just going to say something.
27:30
I'm just going to say something.
27:31
I'm just going to say something.
27:32
I'm just going to say something.
27:33
I'm just going to say something.
27:34
I'm just going to say something.
27:35
I'm just going to say something.
27:36
I'm just going to say something.
27:37
There info is in our show notes.
27:39
There info is in our show notes.
27:39
There info is in our show notes.
27:40
There info is in our show notes.
27:42
Unfortunately, the officers had been too late
27:43
Unfortunately, the officers had been too late to save Bertha and Beverly.
27:47
Bertha and Beverly.
27:48
I know.
27:49
Well, we knew that was coming.
27:50
I know. Well, we knew that was coming.
27:51
I know.
27:52
Well, we knew that was coming.
27:53
Yeah, but still.
27:54
Okay, this next part.
27:55
Okay, this next part.
27:56
You didn't know this was coming.
27:57
But here she is.
27:58
Bertha's head had been battered.
28:00
Bertha's head had been battered.
28:01
Bertha's head had been battered.
28:02
Bertha's head had been battered.
28:03
Bertha's head had been battered.
28:04
She could be too late to get battered.
28:07
She could be too late to get battered.
28:08
She could be too late to get battered.
28:10
She could be too late to get battered.
28:11
She could be too late to get battered.
28:13
She could be too late to get battered.
28:14
She could be too late to get battered.
28:15
She could be too late to get battered.
28:16
She could be too late to get battered.
28:17
She could be too late to get battered.
28:18
She could be too late to get battered.
28:19
She could be too late to get battered.
28:20
She could be too late to get battered.
28:21
She could be too late to get battered.
28:22
She could be too late to get battered.
28:23
She could be too late to get battered.
28:24
She could be too late to get battered.
28:25
She could be too late to get battered.
28:26
She could be too late to get battered.
28:36
She could be too late to get battered.
28:37
She could be too late to get battered.
28:40
She could be too late to get battered.
28:41
She could be too late to get battered.
28:42
She could be too late to get battered.
28:43
She could be too late to get battered.
28:44
She could be too late to get battered.
28:45
She could be too late to get battered.
28:46
She could be too late to get battered.
28:47
She could be too late to get battered.
28:48
She could be too late to get battered.
28:49
She could be too late to get battered.
28:50
She could be too late to get battered.
28:51
She could be too late to get battered.
28:52
She could be too late to get battered.
28:53
She could be too late to get battered.
28:54
She could be too late to get battered.
28:55
She could be too late to get battered.
28:58
She could be too late to get battered.
28:58
She could be too late to get battered.
28:59
She could be too late to get battered.
29:00
She could be too late to get battered.
29:01
She could be too late to get battered.
29:02
She could be too late to get battered.
29:03
She could be too late to get battered.
29:04
She could be too late to get battered.
29:05
She could be too late to get battered.
29:06
She could be too late to get battered.
29:07
She could be too late to get battered.
29:08
She could be too late to get battered.
29:09
She could be too late to get battered.
29:10
She could be too late to get battered.
29:11
She could be too late to get battered.
29:12
She could be too late to get battered.
29:13
She could be too late to get battered.
29:13
She could be too late to get battered.
29:28
She could be too late to get battered.
29:31
She could be too late to get battered.
29:32
She could be too late to get battered.
29:34
She could be too late to get battered.
29:36
She could be too late to get battered.
29:37
She could be too late to get battered.
29:38
She could be too late to get battered.
29:39
She could be too late to get battered.
29:40
She could be too late to get battered.
29:41
She could be too late to get battered.
29:42
She could be too late to get battered.
29:44
She could be too late to get battered.
29:45
She could be too late to get battered.
29:46
She could be too late to get battered.
29:47
She could be too late to get battered.
29:48
She could be too late to get battered.
29:49
She could be too late to get battered.
29:50
She could be too late to get battered.
29:51
She could be too late to get battered.
29:52
She could be too late to get battered.
29:53
She could be too late to get battered.
29:54
She could be too late to get battered.
29:55
She could be too late to get battered.
29:56
She could be too late to get battered.
29:57
She could be too late to get battered.
29:58
She could be too late to get battered.
29:59
She could be too late to get battered.
30:00
She could be too late to get battered.
30:00
This story kind of makes him sound like a real dumbass at first glance.
30:10
However, he was such a good liar that Lyon said he was almost tempted to believe his story.
30:17
Until they processed one particular piece of forensic evidence.
30:22
And at this point, I'm going, I'm sorry, processing forensic evidence.
30:26
Really?
30:27
What?
30:28
What kind of processing?
30:30
1940s of it all.
30:31
The pans he had been wearing apparently were found to be littered with brain matter.
30:37
When they were processed, but then 1940s era CSI team.
30:42
So I don't know what their process for identifying brain matter was at that point in history.
30:48
But they had little microscopes, right?
30:50
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
30:52
But wowsers.
30:54
That is so horrible.
30:55
Wowsers all over your trousers.
30:56
That is.
30:57
Cute.
30:58
Yeah, progressed.
30:59
Also, Lyon is going to believe all that.
31:05
Lyon.
31:06
I know.
31:07
Lyon.
31:08
Come on.
31:09
Yeah.
31:10
Only after this was brought to his attention, did he confess to the killings?
31:15
He's like, oh, I guess they kind of had me like, you know, red handed.
31:19
I mean, they already did.
31:21
But then, you know, like again, they're like, yeah, no.
31:24
But what, like we know you did.
31:26
We know you did it.
31:27
He had brains on your pants.
31:29
Yeah.
31:30
Where did that come from?
31:31
Yeah.
31:32
Listen, if you have a smother, totally reasonable explanation for that, we are all ears.
31:38
At the time of his arrest, he already had quite the rap sheet, including Berglery's assaults
31:43
and attempted murder, just in case anyone straight to jail.
31:48
What?
31:49
38, wait, how many years have it been?
31:52
31 out of the 45.
31:55
Insanity.
31:56
31, like October 31st to Halloween.
31:59
It's funny you mentioned that.
32:01
He was charged on October 31st, 1947 with Bertha's murder.
32:07
Literally the next day.
32:09
Okay, I was like, wait, is this the next year or literally the next day?
32:13
The next day.
32:14
Yeah.
32:15
Wow, they did that processing of the brain matter really fast.
32:19
Well, they were like, they immediately had his clothing, they had him in university.
32:24
And they're like, yeah, that's definitely brain matter.
32:28
Wow.
32:29
In order to qualify for the death penalty, the prosecution would need to prove that her death
32:37
was the result of a premeditated murder.
32:41
Bird was held in the Tacoma City jail without bail until trial after pleading not guilty
32:48
at his agreement.
32:50
Just certainly a plea that you could enter.
32:52
Didn't he confess?
32:54
And then he was just kidding, not guilty.
32:58
A lot of people confess and then still plead not guilty.
33:01
That's not necessarily unique, but it's kind of like, bro.
33:06
Yeah, bro.
33:07
I mean, I guess it depends on how the confession was extracted from the person, but they didn't
33:13
have to work that hard.
33:14
Yeah, trust me.
33:15
It didn't sound like it.
33:17
This trial began on November 24th, 1947 in the Pierce County Superior Court, only lasting
33:25
two and a half days.
33:27
So are doing things wrong, like so fast.
33:30
Trials were just so much quicker back then, seemingly.
33:32
They probably had less of them, you know?
33:34
Yeah, maybe.
33:35
Yeah, I think that tracks.
33:39
His attorney supposedly asked for not only a change of venue, but to be removed from
33:44
the trial as his counsel.
33:46
Not why?
33:48
Um, it's not perhaps totally clear, but he really didn't, he just did not want, he didn't
33:57
want anything to do with the trial.
33:58
I do.
33:59
Who would?
34:00
Like, especially back then, how many of those people have you had to like defend?
34:05
Yeah, I don't, I don't know.
34:07
I don't, I don't, I don't, I can't say exactly what the track record was.
34:11
I mean, I, maybe I, maybe I'll look into it, but the judge denied both.
34:16
So that had to have made for some pretty awkward interactions thereafter.
34:23
I feel like that's like a huge like, um, what am I trying to say?
34:29
Yeah, I, you know, it's not really, um, it's not really a conflict of interest per
34:36
say.
34:37
Yeah, that's what my brain was thinking, but something like, yeah, it's almost setting him
34:41
up for an appeal though.
34:43
Yeah, that's because he's, you know, it seems like it's setting him up for the trial.
34:46
The defense that he had, you know, inadequate counsel.
34:50
Yeah, because if someone doesn't want to defend you, are they going to do a job defending
34:53
you?
34:54
Probably not.
34:55
He did make some statements and you're like, bro, bro, this is your attorney.
35:01
Yeah.
35:02
Mm-hmm.
35:03
Yeah, but I mean, also we all know you're guilty, but also this man's life is on the line.
35:10
You know, if you don't defend him well, it's the difference between life and prison
35:14
and, you know, the death penalty, which they tended to carry out a lot.
35:19
Or back then, which is, you know, sitting around in jail for 40 years, waiting to die.
35:26
No.
35:28
Later in court, birds attorney, James W. Seldon, apparently only begrudgingly representing
35:34
him, maintained that his signed confession had been obtained under duress and was therefore
35:42
inadmissible.
35:44
Okay.
35:45
I mean, if you consider being presented the fact that there's brains on your pants, duress,
35:52
maybe, but I would be in duress at that point.
35:58
But mostly I'd be like, how did they get my pants and why are there brains on them?
36:03
We just live very different lives.
36:05
Yeah.
36:06
Jake and I.
36:07
Yeah.
36:08
I hope so.
36:09
Judge Edward D. Hodg, however, disagreed, admitting the confession into evidence.
36:18
So, you know, there's, there's like a little hinting about, you know, maybe some old time
36:24
e-racism because I don't know if I certainly haven't mentioned it up to this point.
36:31
But I'm curious if you knew about this case.
36:35
Jake Bird was a black man.
36:37
Yes.
36:38
I know that.
36:39
Okay.
36:40
And I haven't asked or said anything because I knew maybe there was going to be a, there's a big
36:45
review.
36:46
Yeah, there's a big review.
36:47
This is part of the two paragraphs that I read about this case.
36:50
Right.
36:51
Yeah.
36:52
Okay.
36:53
On November 26, 1947, after deliberating for only 35 minutes, which is an insanely short time
37:03
by today's standards.
37:04
Seriously.
37:05
Yeah.
37:07
The jury found Jake Bird guilty of first-degree murder and recommended the death penalty before
37:13
the court.
37:14
Wow.
37:15
In 35 minutes.
37:16
Yeah.
37:17
Well, remember, this is only the one murder because this, this is something that still can
37:24
be done today, but it was very common at this point in history from what I have like
37:31
read and what I came across in my research.
37:34
They would, in a multiple murder scenario, they would frequently hold charges for the additional
37:41
victims just so that it's like, okay, if for some reason they don't find him guilty of
37:45
this murder, we're going to, because if you put them all together, then you can be in
37:52
a double jeopardy situation.
37:54
Okay.
37:55
If he's found not guilty, then they can't go after him again.
37:59
But if there's a separate crime, it's all about how you classify.
38:04
It's basically it's the administrative side of law.
38:07
It makes sense to me.
38:08
Yeah.
38:09
And I feel like it's not, I don't know, this is just how I feel.
38:12
It's not really fair to put all of the separate people who are murdered in the same trial.
38:18
I just feel like they, yeah, I think you see it.
38:21
You did two different things.
38:22
You deserved two different fucking punishments in all the trials.
38:25
I do think it is unusual compared to what I think we see and sort of experience in a more
38:33
modern era, because these were two women that were killed in the same encounter.
38:38
They were, you know, familial victims.
38:43
I don't think you see that a lot.
38:44
I think it's very common when there are, you know, when it's a spree killer or a serial
38:51
killer, you will see instances where they separate crimes that occurred on different dates.
38:57
Because again, yeah, if we can't get them on this, we want to get them on that, you know,
39:02
a separate murder or other crime, whatever the case may be, because we want to put this
39:07
person away.
39:08
Yeah.
39:09
So they're no longer a danger to people.
39:12
So I don't know.
39:13
It's kind of complicated because I do think sometimes you look at how people are charged
39:19
and it can be really upsetting how they will stack things or, you know, separate out different
39:27
instances and try to like maximize penalties.
39:31
I feel like in this instance, I don't take issue with it.
39:34
Yeah.
39:35
But, you know, there are people that will never leave prison who have multiple crimes related
39:46
to like marijuana.
39:49
People how you want about, you know, that I know not everybody thinks it's just fine or whatever.
39:55
And that's your own personal choice.
39:58
But, you know, to put somebody away for life from there, wow.
40:05
For something that grows out of the fucking ground.
40:07
Yeah.
40:08
I mean, I'm just cocaine technically, but-
40:11
I think you may process the shit out of it.
40:13
It's different.
40:14
They sure do.
40:15
They sure do.
40:16
Yeah.
40:17
I'm not going to be curious about the process.
40:22
Another very violent show.
40:23
So back to sentencing.
40:24
That's where we're at.
40:26
The judge sentenced him to be hanged at the Washington State Penitentiary on January 16,
40:33
1948.
40:36
After his conviction was announced, bird was allowed to make a final statement, which I
40:41
feel like almost never turns out good.
40:44
But holy shit.
40:45
This is the part I was telling you.
40:48
You guys, this case was already like working out to be like, oh, spooky season.
40:53
He's like charged on the 31st and then this shit.
40:58
He spoke for about 20 minutes, noting that his request to represent himself had been denied
41:04
and that his own lawyers were against him.
41:08
In hindsight, it's kind of like, where's the lie?
41:10
They said that they were.
41:12
Yeah.
41:13
Apparently nobody really cared.
41:15
A little bit of casual racism.
41:17
You could see that too.
41:18
But in this case, he literally was caught with blood and brain matter all over him.
41:22
Like dude, how hard do you want this poor public defender who's come on?
41:29
Bird then said, are you ready for this?
41:32
I don't think I am at all.
41:36
I'm putting the Jake Bird Hex on all of you who had anything to do with my being punished.
41:43
Mark my words, you will die before I do.
41:48
I do remember this now.
41:51
This is why it's in spooky articles.
41:54
Allegedly, six people connected with the trial died in relatively quick succession.
42:01
No.
42:02
Okay.
42:03
Everything I only say allegedly because I wonder sometimes if things get sort of, you know,
42:09
low-notive proportion or it becomes like this like almost a mythical proportion like a legend.
42:18
And if he's saying he had said, I am hexing you.
42:21
So people are like watching out for it.
42:25
You know, it's like seeing 9/11 on the clock all the time because you know that number.
42:29
Yeah.
42:30
But he had all the time.
42:31
Everything that I have come across indicates that this actually happened.
42:35
Holy shit.
42:36
Like multiple.
42:37
I'm confident that several people died.
42:44
And I'm gonna tell you about him.
42:47
The first to go was Judge Edward D. Hodg who sent in Spurred to death.
42:54
He died of a heart attack not long after the conviction as did one of the officers who
43:00
took Bird's initial confession.
43:03
So here.
43:05
Another police officer who took a subsequent confession also died of a heart attack.
43:12
What are they eating though?
43:14
Wow.
43:15
A lot.
43:16
I mean McDonald's wasn't a thing back then, right?
43:19
I don't think they come around in the 1950s.
43:22
But a lot of really like it's very meat and potatoes diet.
43:25
A lot of things cooked him butter.
43:28
Okay.
43:29
Definitely.
43:30
I mean the fact that it's like all heart attacks is like kind of freaky.
43:35
I tell you think about like yeah, the average life expectancy for a man think about the diet.
43:41
And yeah, that's a not.
43:43
I want to see these two women wait to die, especially in this era.
43:47
Yeah.
43:48
Or man.
43:49
But still it is so freaky.
43:50
Very freaky.
43:51
Then there was the court clerk who passed away from pneumonia as well as one of Bird's prison
43:57
guards also from a heart attack.
44:02
Last but not least, JW Selden, one of Bird's lawyers died on the first anniversary of his
44:11
sentencing.
44:12
That's fucking weird.
44:16
That's the weirder to me than all of the other.
44:18
Yes.
44:19
Yes.
44:20
Like girl, I think Jake Bird, that bitch is a witch.
44:25
When was he sentents again?
44:26
Was that the Halloween or was that different?
44:29
No.
44:30
Okay.
44:31
No.
44:32
One of the most chilling statements about this story came from the defense attorney who
44:38
said, "My heart does not beat with sympathy for this man."
44:46
Then he dies of a heart attack like many of the others involved in this case.
44:51
That's crazy.
44:52
Did you get chills?
44:53
I did.
44:54
I definitely did.
44:56
I have chills.
44:58
Breaky, right?
45:00
That's really weird.
45:02
He specifically makes a statement about his heart.
45:08
That is so creepy.
45:10
I do like the researcher in me though wants to be like, "Okay, can we look at another guy
45:16
who is convicted or whatever and see how many of the people attached to that died?"
45:20
I just want to know the stats.
45:23
Obviously impossible.
45:25
I do, well, not necessarily.
45:30
Probably this isn't unusual.
45:32
It's an anomalous situation.
45:34
I feel like there's too many people that died close to his case for it not to get attention,
45:40
especially after he literally releases a hex in a courtroom.
45:45
Yeah.
45:46
Like, yeah, people are going to be paying attention.
45:49
They're going to be keeping track.
45:51
But also, this kind of not proves, but it helps support just speaking things into existence.
45:59
He might not have really been like a witch or really, but if you just speak it into existence
46:08
and you have, he had a lot of passion for it, I'm sure.
46:11
So, that's like a big part of the way to win the lottery.
46:16
You've got to keep speaking it and actually believe it.
46:20
And probably also buy a lottery ticket.
46:24
Yeah.
46:25
OK.
46:26
Lottery is a hard one.
46:27
Yeah.
46:28
It's such a one.
46:29
But other things, I feel like are easier to manifest the lottery.
46:30
That makes sense.
46:31
I feel like that's fair.
46:32
Yeah.
46:33
The governor at the time, Munrad C. Walgren, allowed his 60-day reprieve from bird sentence.
46:43
Why, you might ask?
46:45
Well, because bird claimed that he could clear up at least 44 other murders that he either
46:52
committed or participated in during his travels across the country.
46:57
Wow.
46:58
Of course, there was no shortage of investigators eager to interview him at the state penitentiary.
47:06
They came from all over the country.
47:09
Of the 44 murders that he allegedly said he commit, only 11 were substantiated.
47:18
But he reportedly had enough knowledge about many of the others to be considered the prime
47:25
suspect.
47:26
Wow.
47:27
Like, why is he doing that, though?
47:31
What else has he got to lose?
47:32
I mean, it did get him a reprieve from the death penalty.
47:35
It's true.
47:36
The 70s and 60s at the minimum police in several states took the opportunity to close the books
47:43
on many of their unsolved murders.
47:47
In his travels, bird murdered people, mostly women, in and around the following areas.
47:55
Louisville Kentucky, Omaha, Nebraska, Kansas City, Kansas, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Cleveland,
48:05
Ohio, Orlando, Florida, as well as the states of Illinois, Iowa, Oklahoma, other victims outside
48:16
of Orlando in Florida, Michigan, and Ohio.
48:21
Oh, sorry, there's more Wisconsin.
48:25
And, of course, the state of Washington, reportedly in the city of Portage, in addition to the crimes
48:31
in Tacoma.
48:32
God, he was just all over the place.
48:36
Yeah, it's a lot.
48:39
Now, there was a lot of focus on the fact that he primarily killed white women.
48:48
I think women are primarily victims of crime.
48:57
It's both women of color and white women.
49:00
It's obviously transgender.
49:04
There are, there's a lot of qualifiers with that.
49:08
I think for the time, what that does is stir up this sort of hysteria that there's this
49:19
crazed black man.
49:21
And they've already made a point of saying that he was attempting to sexually assault Bertha.
49:26
So it creates this sort of moral panic about that there's crazed black man that's attacking
49:33
white women, which particularly in some parts of the country, that is the type of stuff
49:40
that really endangers other people of color.
49:45
Yeah.
49:46
That felt pretty icky.
49:48
But how many friggin white dudes do the same exact thing?
49:51
Right.
49:52
Like it's back then.
49:53
Yeah.
49:54
Also now, probably in the future.
49:56
Yeah.
49:57
Just be scared of all men.
49:58
Yeah.
49:59
Never meet a man.
50:00
Yeah.
50:01
Never meet a man.
50:03
In the meantime, Bertha appealed his conviction to the Washington State Supreme Court,
50:08
but his petition for a retrial was denied.
50:13
The U.S. Court of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court also rejected his petitions for a new trial.
50:20
I just wonder if they took longer than 35 minutes that the jury did to consider his case.
50:26
They didn't say, yeah.
50:28
I'm not sure.
50:29
I probably get a look into it, but usually those particular entities or bodies within the
50:39
legal system, you're talking about like a month's long review.
50:45
But you know, not that I'm shedding any tears for Jake Berk.
50:48
Yeah.
50:49
It sounds like a real dick.
50:52
On July 14, 1947, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review Bertha's conviction for the third
51:00
time.
51:02
And Governor Arthur B. Langley.
51:04
I love how everybody's using their middle initials.
51:08
He chose not to interfere with the execution.
51:12
And by this time, it was fast approaching.
51:15
Or well, it would have been.
51:16
But of course, appeals and the rest of the whole legal process slows things down.
51:23
Even back then.
51:24
Even back then.
51:25
I mean, it's slow relative to like they convicted him in 35 minutes.
51:30
So they're like, why is this man not dead yet?
51:35
Little too eager for that stuff.
51:37
I feel like.
51:38
I mean, I do think it does have a lot to do with the racial aspect of this case.
51:44
Yeah, I think you can't ignore that.
51:47
I do think that it is a case where oftentimes we would see in a similar case, you know, perhaps
51:58
a coerce confession, you might see an instance of police brutality.
52:03
And I just don't know that we really find that in this instance.
52:08
It's also really hard to be able to document that.
52:12
Yeah, posthumously, but yeah, it doesn't, it doesn't seem like that's the case.
52:22
Doesn't mean that there isn't still racism involved.
52:25
Yeah.
52:26
Finally, early Friday morning on July 15, 1949 at the Washington State Penitentiary in
52:34
Walla Walla.
52:36
The word was taken from his cell conveniently located on the same level as the gallows
52:43
to be placed in the news for his execution.
52:46
Wait, the gallows were like in the same area as he was being held.
52:52
Apparently, holy shit.
52:55
I don't know if it was visible from his cell or not.
52:59
That would be fucked.
53:01
Pretty horrifying thought.
53:02
Like, hey, this is just like having an Ace of You of your fucking future.
53:07
Just got nurse set up for ya.
53:13
Which was witnessed by over a hundred spectators at 1220 AM when the gallows trap door was released.
53:21
Jake Bird dropped five feet to his death.
53:26
After 14 minutes, his body was taken down and prison physician Dr. Elmer Hill pronounced
53:32
him dead.
53:34
He was buried in an unmarked grave in the prison cemetery.
53:39
Identified only as Confect Number 21520.
53:43
Holy shit.
53:46
His remaining personal fortune, a whopping $6.15, which actually was more money than it
53:55
sounds like now.
53:56
But was willed by Bird to Murray Taggart.
54:01
The Walla Walla attorney who filed his appeals.
54:05
Wow.
54:06
I don't know what the average cost for billable hours was back then, but I'm guessing that
54:11
would have been a drop in the bucket.
54:14
So hopefully this guy was on salary with state.
54:17
Wow.
54:18
That is interesting, though.
54:20
It is.
54:21
We lost it to this guy.
54:22
Yeah.
54:23
Like the only guy who seemed to be helping him out.
54:25
Yeah.
54:26
Well, and one thing that's really interesting about his case and it's kind of hard to find
54:32
the exact right spot to sort of drop in this information, but I came across that like
54:39
he wanted to represent himself on the front end of the case.
54:42
Obviously, we talked about that.
54:44
He also continued to research and study law books and he actually became well known in
54:53
prison as being someone that other inmates went to, you know, to try to get legal advice.
55:01
That's very interesting.
55:02
Yeah.
55:03
Yeah.
55:04
And it seems like he was very intelligent and actually became very knowledgeable about the
55:08
law, which is kind of horrifying.
55:11
It's like a year and yeah.
55:14
Yeah.
55:15
I don't know.
55:16
Yeah.
55:17
But I mean, you know, you're someone fighting for your life essentially.
55:20
Yeah.
55:21
Jake Bird was the 63rd prisoner and the 7th African American to be executed in Washington
55:29
state since the death penalty was established in 1904.
55:34
Though, of course, we know that the last person to be executed in the state of Washington
55:40
was Cal Coburn Brown.
55:43
Mmm.
55:44
We covered some time ago.
55:45
Yes.
55:46
Search for it.
55:47
Yeah.
55:48
I can't say I was sad to see him go, but capital punishment has been formally abolished in
55:55
Washington for about the last year and a half.
55:58
Really just last year and a half?
56:00
I was shocked.
56:01
Oh, I was shocked too.
56:04
Normally, it's like Washington does something or it's like California and or Washington kind
56:09
of go first and then it's Oregon.
56:12
Oregon has actually had it abolished for longer.
56:15
Is my understanding.
56:16
Interesting.
56:17
Maybe that's why we learned I was thinking because we live here in a house.
56:21
Yeah.
56:22
Yeah.
56:23
How about that hex, though?
56:26
Am I right?
56:27
Dude.
56:28
It's turned out to be a pretty wild one if I do say so in the style.
56:32
I feel like we're, we have to change our name to Haunts, Homicides, and Hexes now.
56:36
Yeah.
56:37
Ooh, I like that.
56:38
That's.
56:39
Shall we do some tarot?
56:42
Yeah, let's do some tarot.
56:43
We won't hex you.
56:44
We promise.
56:45
Unless you're a murderer.
56:47
Yeah.
56:48
Probably that we would.
56:49
Unless you're creepy.
56:50
Yeah.
56:51
Not the good creepy.
56:52
Yeah.
56:53
Okay, now I'm handing the deck to Caitlyn so she could put her magical shuffling powers and
57:05
then pull a card.
57:06
Oh boy.
57:08
For the spooky Halloweeny.
57:12
That was pretty good.
57:16
That was good for you.
57:17
Like the energy of that.
57:18
Oh, shut up.
57:19
I'm just kidding.
57:20
It was good energy.
57:21
I felt it.
57:22
Okay.
57:23
I'm gonna spread them out so that you can help me spread those legs.
57:29
The cards.
57:30
I mean cards.
57:31
She's ways.
57:33
Where do you think you are?
57:35
Okay.
57:36
Take in here or first first instinct for your point of finger is.
57:45
Oh, what?
57:48
It's a bird you guys.
57:50
Bird.
57:51
Of course it's a fucking bird.
57:54
Cause Jake fucking bird.
57:56
And it's a sword.
57:57
It's three of swords.
57:59
It's the one with the swords piercing the heart.
58:02
And this imagery it is a dead bird on top of Rose Petals.
58:06
Delayful.
58:08
And he's got kind of like an orangey head which like pumpkins.
58:14
She's like everything spice.
58:16
Everything pumpkin spice.
58:17
Halloween, you know.
58:19
Oh my gosh.
58:21
Okay.
58:22
Yeah.
58:23
I was visualizing the right card when you said it's like stabbing through the heart.
58:27
It's literally three swords through a heart.
58:31
Yeah.
58:32
It's one of the ones where the imagery is like pretty you know scary for people who aren't
58:36
used to tarot.
58:37
But yeah.
58:38
It's totally fits.
58:40
Or for some people that maybe even are.
58:44
Okay.
58:45
Alright.
58:46
So our keywords are suffering, heartache, regret, grieving, sorrow and loss.
58:57
All of it.
58:58
It's interesting because we're talking about the death of widow and her daughter.
59:05
So they've already grieved a loss.
59:08
And it from what I was reading in my research, it sounded like not recent in the sense of like
59:16
in the last six months or anything, but it had been I think in the last couple of years
59:21
that her husband and the daughter's father had passed away.
59:26
And then like the family that's left behind, oh my, well they lost three people.
59:32
Yeah.
59:33
It's the three of swords.
59:34
They're extended family.
59:35
Yeah.
59:36
Wow.
59:37
That is really interesting because I was like well he had like the two victims that we sort
59:41
of talked about, but that makes so much sense.
59:45
Just looking at this heart with three swords piercing it is painful.
59:50
One of the saddest cards in the tarot.
59:52
It symbolizes deep emotional pain, heartbreak and a real or perceived tragedy.
1:00:00
You may not manage to avoid the suffering indicated by the three of swords.
1:00:05
However, the card advises separating true grief from self pity.
1:00:12
It's interesting.
1:00:14
And I think I drew this actually in the reverse.
1:00:17
Did you?
1:00:18
Yeah.
1:00:19
I need to…
1:00:20
You handed it to me upright.
1:00:22
I did.
1:00:23
I think I flipped it.
1:00:24
Oh my god.
1:00:25
Now I feel like I need to roll back the tape.
1:00:28
I thought we hold it up.
1:00:31
I mean either way.
1:00:33
Yeah.
1:00:34
We flip it.
1:00:35
Because the bird is upside down technically on the right side up.
1:00:39
Yeah.
1:00:40
I think it was reverse.
1:00:41
You did.
1:00:42
Looking at it, I think I…
1:00:44
Yeah.
1:00:45
Okay.
1:00:46
It's kind of…
1:00:47
I don't know why the image popped into my head of like hanging because it is like…
1:00:52
It would be head up.
1:00:54
Yeah.
1:00:55
I don't know why.
1:00:57
Ooh.
1:00:58
Okay.
1:00:59
Well, okay.
1:01:00
I'm going to read the reverse interpretation first, but I think we should read both just so
1:01:05
that we can see kind of the impact of each maybe.
1:01:09
Okay.
1:01:10
There's an extra excerpt in between the two interpretations.
1:01:16
The soul is a diamond in the rough, which must abide the blows inflicted by suffering in
1:01:25
order to shine in all its brilliance.
1:01:30
And that's from like water for chocolate.
1:01:33
Oh.
1:01:35
The reversed three of swords is actually less problematic and severe than the upright three.
1:01:42
Hmm.
1:01:43
It's interesting.
1:01:44
It suggests you're making more of an unhappy situation than necessary or that a disappointment
1:01:50
is temporary, not the end of the world.
1:01:55
Perhaps the truth hurts, but once you face it, you can improve things.
1:02:00
Pull yourself together and get on with your life.
1:02:05
In a reading about money, you may harbor regrets about what might have been or you're
1:02:10
chastising yourself for a bad decision.
1:02:14
The reversed three recommends letting go of blame and guilt, repairing damage and starting
1:02:20
anew.
1:02:23
I feel like part of me just at a glance thought, oh, no, maybe I did pull this in the upright,
1:02:31
but I feel like nothing is stronger for me than like seeing the card and that visual representation
1:02:39
and seeing in the reverse and like, no, pulled her in the reverse.
1:02:45
And I think it makes sense though, because losing or grieving the loss of a loved one and
1:02:53
kind of finding a pathway forward.
1:02:55
Yeah.
1:02:56
I feel like it fits more than I thought it would.
1:02:59
If the reading is about your job, you may be pulling out of a damaging and hurtful situation.
1:03:06
The reversed three can mean the worst is over and you've learned from your mistakes.
1:03:13
Remain watchful for confusion, deception and poor judgment.
1:03:20
Maybe that comes in like the trial and him confessing and then being guilty and then his
1:03:26
lawyer not wanting to represent him anymore, but like being forced to basically.
1:03:30
I think it's really interesting because this is a card that specifically based on its orientation
1:03:37
is dramatically different in some ways, whether it's upright or reverse.
1:03:45
And the fact that as I'm pulling it, I'm like, yeah, no, I pulled it in reverse.
1:03:51
Like the questioning aspect of that.
1:03:54
Yeah.
1:03:55
That's really moment sometimes where I feel like they both fit the right.
1:03:59
When we have those kind of like confusing, did we pull it upright or not?
1:04:03
I feel like it could go either way.
1:04:06
Yeah.
1:04:07
Yeah.
1:04:08
Well, and I feel like normally the way that we pull it is so that you can literally see
1:04:13
it on cam.
1:04:14
And I don't know if you'll be able to tell at all when we go back and watch the video
1:04:21
from my camera, which way I pulled it.
1:04:24
Taylor, do a slow mo.
1:04:26
But I think the fact that we're questioning it just means like I usually just take that
1:04:31
as it could be both ways.
1:04:33
Yeah.
1:04:34
And it does fit both ways because like the reverse is like you said, it's kind of like the
1:04:39
ending of it.
1:04:40
And we did talk about the, I mean, the end it's over.
1:04:44
He's convicted.
1:04:46
He's stopped killing because he's dead now.
1:04:48
So yeah.
1:04:51
In a reading about love, this card points to painful experiences, which feels dead on.
1:04:59
Obviously as you know, a family that's lost a loved one and she's a widow.
1:05:07
But you're working on past problems and trying to make things better.
1:05:12
You need to let go of jealousy, regrets, guilt and fear.
1:05:18
Sometimes this card, oh my god, stop it.
1:05:21
This is card represents accepting a loss and moving on.
1:05:26
Okay.
1:05:27
I'm going to go to the upright.
1:05:29
Makes me think of like the police to like their, the regrets and the guilt of like this
1:05:36
has been happening to potentially like 44 people.
1:05:40
You know, that's I wouldn't have, I wouldn't have clocked it that way.
1:05:45
That's interesting.
1:05:46
Yeah.
1:05:47
I mean, police who are trying to solve something like they obviously I'm sure they have regrets
1:05:52
of like this person.
1:05:54
Yeah.
1:05:55
And killing.
1:05:56
I mean, any case that just goes unsolved.
1:05:58
Yeah.
1:05:59
Yeah.
1:06:00
That's an interesting point.
1:06:01
I, I didn't really think of it that way.
1:06:05
I'm sure some of those you'll never know what happened to you just kind of have to accept
1:06:09
it and yeah, that it's not going to be solved.
1:06:12
Yeah.
1:06:13
Okay.
1:06:14
The upright three signifies separation, severing a connection to something or someone you
1:06:22
love.
1:06:23
Oh, you just said like severing and my picture that had wow.
1:06:32
Okay.
1:06:33
So the upright feels so far just skimming feels equally applicable.
1:06:39
Sorry, I just have like a really big reaction.
1:06:42
Yeah.
1:06:43
That's weird.
1:06:44
No, I mean, that makes sense.
1:06:46
Yeah.
1:06:47
When we're talking about someone who is nearly to capitated that that is I, that's an appropriate
1:06:54
response.
1:06:55
Okay.
1:06:56
I'm going to read it again.
1:06:58
The upright three signifies separation, severing a connection to something or someone
1:07:04
you love.
1:07:06
You feel isolated and cut off from something you found meaningful.
1:07:11
A way of life, your home and family, a philosophy, pursuit or job, something in your life has died.
1:07:22
In a reading about money, the upright three represents losses due to relying on your
1:07:29
rational mind or your emotions alone.
1:07:33
You need to use both to avoid problems.
1:07:37
Oh, interesting.
1:07:39
I don't know why that just reminds me of him like acting on his impulses is like emotional
1:07:44
need to be a fucking murderer instead of making more than six dollars and to be left to
1:07:51
someone, you know?
1:07:52
Yeah.
1:07:53
Yeah.
1:07:54
Okay.
1:07:57
Sometimes it suggests someone you trusted has withdrawn support or you're grieving the loss
1:08:05
of better times.
1:08:06
I mean, how many times have I specifically used?
1:08:10
Oh, okay.
1:08:11
The widow asked you to do that.
1:08:13
Yeah.
1:08:14
Yeah.
1:08:15
If the reading is about your work, this card can mean losing a job you loved or you feel
1:08:22
isolated and unhappy in your job.
1:08:25
Maybe you regret an unwise business decision or you're thwarted, unable to do the work you
1:08:33
enjoy.
1:08:34
I mean, he was caught not that I want to call what he's doing like his work, but maybe in
1:08:41
his mind.
1:08:42
But I mean, that's his for lack of a better way to put it.
1:08:45
That's like his professional pursue.
1:08:47
I mean, he chose the train profession so that he could go.
1:08:52
Yeah.
1:08:53
I mean, at least.
1:08:54
And that and he literally just worked odd jobs and yeah, all of that sort of scenario was
1:09:01
designed to sort of set him up to be, you know, dependent upon less than ethical means
1:09:09
of acquiring income.
1:09:11
I don't know.
1:09:12
I don't know how else to put that.
1:09:15
Try to see this as a sign.
1:09:18
It's time for a change.
1:09:20
Low late.
1:09:21
Time to die.
1:09:22
But I guess maybe he thought, now I'm going to become like a high priestess and just deliver
1:09:28
hexes.
1:09:29
Right.
1:09:30
Yeah.
1:09:31
Wow.
1:09:32
Oh, God.
1:09:33
This is in a reading about love.
1:09:37
The upright three can represent a split with a partner or at least a sense of separation
1:09:43
and despair.
1:09:45
If the relationship is worth salvaging, heal the gap with compassion and understanding.
1:09:51
In some cases, this card says it's time to move on.
1:09:55
So whether you draw this upright or in the reverse, it hints at sort of the loss of a loved
1:10:04
one and sort of like a less than ideal scenario with your romantic partner.
1:10:12
Yeah.
1:10:13
And I feel like this card, I just think is there's heartbreak cards, but this one is an extra
1:10:18
heartbreak.
1:10:19
It is.
1:10:20
Like what I feel about this.
1:10:22
Yeah.
1:10:23
I'm always curious what we're going to get.
1:10:26
Like, how's this one going to go and what's that reading going to look like as we go through
1:10:33
the case and think about like what are the possible outcomes and what would make sense.
1:10:41
And sometimes we get cards that I feel like, okay, I don't know.
1:10:46
Maybe we maybe we need to redraw or something like that.
1:10:50
And sometimes I'm really surprised that even how well I feel like we're learning and becoming
1:10:59
familiar and being more knowledgeable with the different interpretations.
1:11:03
I'm like, wow, I guess I forgot about this sort of aspect of a card and thinking, wow,
1:11:12
okay, I didn't, I didn't predict that would fit at all.
1:11:17
And don't you?
1:11:19
I mean, I just feel like the fact that we drew a dead bird on a card is just.
1:11:24
Yeah, a dead bird, like a symbolism of that or a jake bird.
1:11:29
It's, it's not lost on me.
1:11:31
It's a dead bird.
1:11:32
That is wild.
1:11:34
And the point you made specifically about the three.
1:11:37
Yeah.
1:11:38
Because I, here I was thinking, oh, well, the two of swords would have been more applicable.
1:11:44
But even just at the outset, the numerical piece of it for me is kind of the first thing
1:11:51
that a lot of times jumps out.
1:11:54
But holy shit.
1:11:56
In terms of imagery and then if you think about the fact that they literally had lost a
1:12:01
loved one and you're talking about a family of three that has just lost so much.
1:12:11
And when I want to say no, it doesn't feel like that card fits and then it just fucking
1:12:16
fits.
1:12:17
Yeah.
1:12:18
Oh, well, some of you that are in our Facebook discussion group or I think that's the one
1:12:26
place I can think of that I mentioned it.
1:12:27
I don't think I mentioned it on Patreon or anywhere else.
1:12:33
But we're doing a double header this week.
1:12:38
We just came off of literally everyone that's currently in this house having had COVID in
1:12:44
quick succession.
1:12:46
Almost my first time and I gotta say zero out of 10.
1:12:52
We are recovering in terms of our ability to create and I think release content also.
1:13:01
So we're doing a double headers.
1:13:03
We start to build up a little bit of a backlog for those emergencies.
1:13:09
We did we we had some things and then holy shit.
1:13:14
The COVID hung on.
1:13:17
I was positive for at least 10 days.
1:13:21
Yeah.
1:13:22
I'm.
1:13:23
That's crazy.
1:13:24
Yeah.
1:13:25
It's I think we've talked about it before.
1:13:27
And since all of the plague happened in my home, but yeah, we better we better get to it.
1:13:37
I guess is what I'm saying.
1:13:38
It was the most rambling way of saying we got to go because we need to record another
1:13:43
episode because we're playing catch up.
1:13:48
You know, we're playing in catch up and it is spicy.
1:13:51
Actually, did have one more thing.
1:13:53
I don't know if you wanted to mention it because it didn't make it into your last episode
1:14:00
with the blue mountains and the cores.
1:14:04
I feel like that was like a quick thing we come up.
1:14:06
Yeah, yeah, you have to tell it.
1:14:08
Oh, you want me to tell it?
1:14:09
Well, because I don't know if I remember.
1:14:10
Oh, so you texted me after you like, I were thinking about the episode and you're like,
1:14:15
oh my god, I added that blue crystal to be a blue mountain because I like needed the
1:14:21
Rockies or what I put with the Rockies.
1:14:24
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:14:25
And what's on course?
1:14:27
What's on course you guys?
1:14:29
Yeah, how many shitty beer pong tournaments have you been in?
1:14:33
And we did color changing mountains.
1:14:36
We even had someone comment on our Facebook or our Instagram posts like only drink the
1:14:42
cores when the mountains are blue.
1:14:44
Yeah.
1:14:45
So we unknowingly randomly last minute, Caitlin added a blue mountain to the halter set
1:14:53
up.
1:14:54
I just thought it deserved it deserved an honorable mention today, I think.
1:14:58
Yeah, and I remember it's so funny because I remember us talking about that and we're like,
1:15:02
oh, yeah, we got to remember to mention that at some point.
1:15:06
And I was like, I remember there was something that came up.
1:15:12
I don't.
1:15:13
And we like drew the blue card and we were talking about blue the whole episode and we didn't
1:15:18
even register the blue mountains on the course.
1:15:21
Yeah.
1:15:22
Yeah, just just for reference, if anybody's coming in randomly on this episode, that was
1:15:30
the eight off course, the third episode where it's course cans.
1:15:37
We're talking about in the beer and the blue mountains and you got to watch the video
1:15:42
on YouTube to really get the contacts with the blue crystal mountain.
1:15:47
Yeah.
1:15:48
It was in our altar and wow.
1:15:52
And we're witches and we again won't hack you because we love you, creepy people.
1:15:57
We do.
1:15:58
We do.
1:15:59
Should we do that thing?
1:16:00
Let's do it.
1:16:01
All right.
1:16:02
Have a creepy ass day.
1:16:04
See you next Tuesday.
1:16:05
You're dead bird.
1:16:17
Oh my gosh.
1:16:19
Only be a dead bird if you're evil though.
1:16:22
I mean, just don't just don't be dead birds in my presence.
1:16:25
Okay.
1:16:26
I don't like birds.
1:16:27
I don't want to be around birds dead or alive.
1:16:29
I feel like there's a lot of you.
1:16:31
You understand my feelings on the top.
1:16:33
Okay.
1:16:34
Birds?
1:16:35
What?
1:16:36
What do you call birds?
1:16:37
Winged fox.
1:16:38
Oh.
1:16:39
I have been known to call them winged fox.
1:16:43
That's Jake Bird's new nickname.
1:16:45
You winged fox.
1:16:46
Winged fox.
1:16:47
I love that.
1:16:49
Maybe that's what I should call the episode.
1:16:52
Maybe.
1:16:53
I feel like Apple and all of the other streaming apps would be like, no, thank you.
1:16:56
Cool.
1:16:57
SEO straight to the bottom.
1:16:59
You guys share the shows that when we make terrible decisions about the titles, we don't
1:17:07
just completely play them out in tank.
1:17:10
Please and thank you.
1:17:16
Bird.
1:17:17
Oh, I already read that.
1:17:18
Bird.
1:17:19
Bird.
1:17:20
Bird.
1:17:21
Bird.
1:17:22
Bird is a word. pnwhauntsandhomicides.com