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advised. The world is

1:01

full of stories. Join

1:04

Cat and Jethro Gilligan

1:06

Toth for The Strange,

1:09

The Bazaar, The Unexpected,

1:11

as they lift the

1:13

lid and cautiously peer

1:16

inside the box of

1:18

oddities. There are lots

1:20

of reasons why we're together.

1:23

I think that you and

1:25

I share a lot of

1:27

similar goals and values. Pants,

1:29

too. We share, yes, yeah,

1:32

I do often wear your

1:34

pants. We have a lot

1:36

of similar interests, which is

1:38

great. But most of all, I

1:40

love that I can be like,

1:43

hey, and this literally happened two

1:45

nights ago. What was that

1:47

song we heard in the

1:49

cab that time? And you

1:51

went, oh yeah, what was

1:53

that? Slade, I think? Yeah,

1:56

far far away by Slade.

1:58

Yeah. Yeah, I have a

2:01

bizarre... our ability to conjure

2:03

up in my memory insignificant,

2:05

relatively insignificant moments that really

2:08

have no value at all.

2:10

For example, and again, your

2:13

questions, the way you frame

2:15

them, are fantastic. She asked

2:18

me the other day, what

2:20

restaurant were we eating at

2:23

that time I saw that

2:25

cat? That one

2:27

I couldn't answer because if

2:29

there's a cat within 30

2:31

mile proximity of where we

2:34

are Cats gonna notice it

2:36

We were talking about our

2:38

friends coming to visit soon

2:40

and You like you oh

2:42

you can take him on

2:44

a tour of the city

2:46

and you'll be like that's

2:48

where I saw that cat

2:50

that time That's where I

2:52

fed that cat ham one

2:54

time scratch the dog's ears

2:56

over on that corner Anyway,

2:58

I appreciate you. It was

3:00

the point of my story.

3:02

I love that you carry

3:04

dog snacks with you everywhere

3:06

you go. That hasn't always

3:08

worked out. There was a

3:10

period of time when we

3:12

were in Orlando and you

3:14

were carrying cornmeal to feed

3:16

the ducks. And forgot about

3:18

that and we were flying

3:20

out. Guy at the airport

3:22

was a little suspicious of

3:24

this baggy full of corn

3:26

meal. Yeah, it was cracked

3:28

corn. He said, what's this

3:30

baggy? And I said, it's

3:32

a, it's cracked corn. And

3:34

he went, oh, cool. And

3:36

I went, no, sir. I

3:38

bet his heart rate increased

3:40

when the first syllable of

3:42

your answer came out. Oh,

3:44

it's cracked to corn. Well,

3:46

that's the last time I

3:48

was on my way home

3:50

from the States. I got

3:53

stopped by the dog sniffy.

3:55

Yeah. The drug sniffing dog.

3:57

We didn't establish why. I

3:59

suspected it was because I

4:01

had dog... treats on me,

4:03

but the man assured me,

4:05

no, no, he wouldn't be

4:07

distracted by that. And I

4:09

was like, I don't know,

4:11

they're pretty good ones. But

4:13

he didn't feel the need

4:15

to further investigate, which I

4:17

thought was interesting, because you

4:19

were boarding an international flight.

4:21

But I told him, I

4:23

live in Ecuador because soup.

4:25

So I think he understood

4:27

right away. I was of

4:29

no risk. It's always a

4:31

treat traveling with you. I

4:33

never know what to expect.

4:35

In the summer of 2008,

4:37

the small town of Montauk,

4:39

New York was shaken to

4:41

its core by the appearance

4:43

of a creature so bizarre,

4:45

so grotesque, it could only

4:47

be described As a beast,

4:49

in fact that's what they

4:51

called it, the beast of

4:53

Montauk, the Montauk monster. That's

4:55

what I was referred to

4:57

briefly. Really? When I started

4:59

high school. A few upper

5:01

classmen decided they would start

5:03

calling me beast. Well as

5:05

long as TSA is not

5:07

calling you that. Why would

5:09

they call you beast? Oh,

5:12

because you were a great

5:14

softball player. I'm very strong.

5:16

You're like a hearty student.

5:18

I don't know why. Anyway,

5:20

the Montauk monster is what

5:22

they called it. It washed

5:24

up on the shores of

5:26

ditch plains beach, leaving a

5:28

trail of speculation, and a

5:30

great deal of horror. It

5:32

was horrifying. If you've ever

5:34

seen photos of this creature,

5:36

you know what I mean?

5:38

It was kind of a

5:40

strange combination of flesh, bone,

5:42

and mystery. Its leathery hairless

5:44

body looked like something... kind

5:46

of an overgrown rodent, but

5:48

with reptilian features on it.

5:50

The face was equally unsettling.

5:52

It had sort of like

5:54

a beak-like snout with strange

5:56

human-like features, yet undeniably an

5:58

animal in nature. Its eyes,

6:00

hollow and dark, the creature's

6:02

limbs were bent in awkward

6:04

and unnatural positions, almost as

6:06

if it had been almost

6:08

like it was never... meant

6:10

to walk on land at

6:12

all. Its origins, nobody knew.

6:14

But that didn't stop people

6:16

from trying to figure it

6:18

out. If you've not seen

6:20

the photo of this creature,

6:22

it's been on the internet

6:24

forever. We'll post it on

6:26

social media. Is it dead?

6:28

Uh-huh. I will not post

6:31

that on social media. I

6:33

will. Of course, many started

6:35

pointing fingers toward Plum Island.

6:37

You've heard of Plum Island?

6:39

Of course I've heard of

6:41

Plum Island. Plum Island Research

6:43

Facility. What do you know

6:45

about Plum Island? There's a

6:47

very very nice beach, turns

6:49

nest there. You just looked

6:51

that up. You just Google

6:53

that. Plum Island became the

6:55

focal point of these bizarre

6:57

theories. And the reason is,

6:59

well, we have to take

7:01

a look back at what

7:03

this is all about. Plum

7:05

Island, just a few miles

7:07

off the coast of Long

7:09

Island, it's a tiny uninhabited

7:11

piece of land. And it

7:13

has a long history of

7:15

being tied to biological research

7:17

and government secret programs. It's

7:19

a quiet remote island. It's

7:21

located in the Long Island

7:23

Sound, only accessible by boat

7:25

or authorized personnel. To the

7:27

casual observer, it might seem

7:29

like, as you said, maybe

7:31

in an idyllic piece of

7:33

land, nice sandy beaches, lush

7:35

green spaces, rolling hills, stunning

7:37

views of the Atlantic, but

7:39

behind the natural beauty, there's

7:41

a very dark history. What

7:43

can you tell me about

7:45

that? I can't tell you

7:47

anything about that. They didn't

7:50

mention any of the dark

7:52

history in silence of the

7:54

lamps. Oh, for years Plum

7:56

Island was home to the

7:58

Plum Island Animal Disease Research

8:00

Center, which opened in 1956

8:02

under the jurisdiction of the

8:04

U.S. Department of Agriculture. Now,

8:06

its primary purpose researching animal

8:08

diseases that could threaten U.S.

8:10

agriculture. That was the official

8:12

explanation anyway. It wasn't long

8:14

before the island became embroiled

8:16

in secretive high-level biological experiments.

8:18

And again, this was the

8:20

Cold War period. Some of

8:22

these experiments raised eyebrows among

8:24

locals and of course conspiracy

8:26

theorists and even former employees.

8:28

The connection between the research

8:30

center and biological warfare has

8:32

fueled much speculation. In the

8:34

mid-20th century when the U.S.

8:36

was deeply involved in the

8:38

Cold War, it wasn't just

8:40

about protecting crops from animal

8:42

diseases. It was also about

8:44

developing bio weapons that could

8:46

potentially be used against the

8:48

Soviet Union or other... This

8:50

was a fun time in

8:52

American history. Sure, sure. Sounds

8:54

great. We did have Tang,

8:56

though, which was a delicious

8:58

orange drink that the astronauts

9:00

took to the moon. We

9:02

still have Tang. Yeah, but

9:04

it was new then. It

9:06

was space age. Everything was

9:09

space age. It was funny.

9:11

Whenever somebody advertised a new

9:13

product in the 60s, they

9:15

called it space age or

9:17

space age technology. Yeah. I

9:19

just learned about Tang not

9:21

long ago that it wasn't

9:23

made for astronauts. No. It

9:25

was just astronauts. It was

9:27

easy for them to bring.

9:29

So I was like, oh,

9:31

all of my childhood is

9:33

a lie. Great, except the

9:35

only thing I can trust

9:37

is silence of the lamps.

9:39

I wonder if they had

9:41

to mix the tang powder

9:43

with their recycled urine. Probably.

9:45

As you can imagine, this

9:47

sort of work was not

9:49

something the government would want

9:51

to broadcast to the general

9:53

public. With a history like

9:55

that, it's no wonder that

9:57

when the Montauk monster emerged,

9:59

many eyes turned to Plum

10:01

Island. Some speculated that this

10:03

creature was some kind of

10:05

an experiment gone wrong, like

10:07

Dr. Morozi. or something? A

10:09

bio-engineered disaster resulting from the

10:11

very kinds of experiments being

10:13

conducted behind those heavily guarded

10:15

fences. Was it some sort

10:17

of a mutated animal? The

10:19

result of Plum Island's research

10:21

was it... an undiscovered species

10:23

that had been genetically altered,

10:26

perhaps even tested as part

10:28

of a biological weapons program.

10:30

Theories ranged from believable, plausible,

10:32

to just downright absurd, but

10:34

the island's shady past seemed

10:36

to give every explanation some

10:38

air of... possibility. Right. When

10:40

everyone's confused, anything goes. Yeah.

10:42

So what exactly was the

10:44

Montauk monster? The photos that

10:46

made their rounds, they've been

10:48

out there since 2008 when

10:50

this discovery was made, raised

10:52

a lot of questions. It's

10:54

hairy scaly skin looked like

10:56

something you'd find on an

10:58

animal that had been dead

11:00

for far too long. The

11:02

creature's legs were short. They

11:04

bent in abnormal ways, its

11:06

paws, if that's what you

11:08

want to call them, because

11:10

they had big claws on

11:12

them. But they were webbed,

11:14

and that's odd for a

11:16

creature that was clearly... Well,

11:18

it looked like it should

11:20

have been land-based. It was

11:22

a quadruped. Some said its

11:24

face has a hauntingly human

11:26

familiarity. Oh, too human for

11:28

something that could exist in

11:30

the natural world. Humans exist

11:32

in the natural world? Yeah,

11:34

I'm beginning to wonder if

11:36

that's true. Allegedly. Allegedly. Now,

11:38

was this a result of

11:40

some kind of botched experiment,

11:42

animal subject to Plum Island's

11:45

infamous research center, or maybe

11:47

it was some kind of

11:49

a genetic experiment early on?

11:51

So after the Montauk monster

11:53

appeared, some individuals attempted to

11:55

collect samples from the body

11:57

to try to determine it.

11:59

species, good old DNA. Right?

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we love warby parker we

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love warby parker who is

15:23

a Montauk resident, but also

15:25

a biologist, and he collected

15:27

DNA samples, and he sent

15:29

them to an independent lab

15:31

for testing. The results came

15:33

back inconclusive. There are reports

15:35

that the creature's tissue was

15:37

degraded by the time the

15:39

samples had been taken, making

15:42

it difficult to... clear any

15:44

DNA evidence, but that seems

15:46

weird because they can get

15:48

DNA evidence out of a

15:50

tooth that's like 3,000 years

15:52

old. It depends on what

15:54

the tooth's been through though.

15:56

I suppose, and we don't

15:58

know what type of samples

16:00

he took. He just, I

16:02

think, maybe grabbed some flash

16:04

and off he went. Some

16:06

sources claim the DNA test

16:08

could not identify the creature

16:10

conclusively. while others suggest that

16:12

the results pointed to it

16:14

being canine of origin. I'm

16:16

not familiar with the type

16:18

of dog that has a

16:20

human face, a beak and

16:22

webbed feet. You're the expert

16:24

though. What breed would that

16:26

be? Wait, so there was

16:28

a beak also? I missed

16:30

the beak-like kind of face.

16:32

The reports? were conflicting and

16:34

did not provide a definitive

16:36

answer. The absence of clear

16:38

and usable samples due to

16:40

the bodies decomposing or exposure

16:42

to the elements left the

16:44

results a bit murky, but

16:46

of course people wanted answers.

16:48

And so some experts proposed

16:50

these ideas. One was it

16:52

was the corpse of a

16:54

water degraded raccoon. However, the

16:56

legs appeared to be far

16:58

too long in proportion to

17:01

the body for it to

17:03

be a raccoon. Some said

17:05

it was a sea turtle,

17:07

but somebody had stolen its

17:09

shell. Oh gosh. I know,

17:11

that sounds terrible. I hate

17:13

that. But sea turtles don't

17:15

have fur or teeth. Right.

17:17

Some said it was a

17:19

rodent. Rodents, though, have too

17:21

large distinctive incisor teeth in

17:23

the front of their mouths.

17:25

thing didn't. The canine thing,

17:27

maybe a coyote or something,

17:29

the corpse is dog-like to

17:31

an extent, but the irage

17:33

doesn't match and the feet

17:35

don't match. The feet don't

17:37

match, meaning... They were webbed.

17:39

Well, I mean some dogs

17:41

have... Webby feet. Portuguese water

17:43

dogs do. This is more

17:45

frog-like. More frog-like. Yeah, with

17:47

claws. I feel like you're

17:49

making shit up now. Yeah,

17:51

I am. Okay. I hate

17:53

being wrong. No, no, it

17:55

could it could have been

17:57

some kind. Remember they found

17:59

a weird-looking dog in Maine?

18:01

And we adopted it. No,

18:03

it was dead. Oh, no,

18:05

then no. But Lauren Coleman,

18:07

who is, you know, world-famous

18:09

crypto zoologist out of Portland,

18:11

he owns the Bigfoot Museum

18:13

there, I had him on

18:15

my morning show, and he

18:17

thought it looked like it

18:20

was some kind of a

18:22

weird wolf or coyote hybrid,

18:24

but something he had never

18:26

seen before, but he had

18:28

a legitimate explanation for what

18:30

it probably was. And that

18:32

could be the case here.

18:34

Another explanation was a sheep

18:36

or some kind of an

18:38

o vine that had somehow

18:40

fallen in and drowned and

18:42

partially decomposed, but sheep do

18:44

not have sharp teeth like

18:46

this thing did. The thought...

18:48

of Plum Island being the

18:50

culprit wasn't as outlandish as

18:52

it seemed. The island has

18:54

long been rumored to be

18:56

a testing ground for these

18:58

biological agents and one theory

19:00

that circulated about the Montauk

19:02

monster was that it was

19:04

a creature genetically modified or

19:06

altered by some experiments being

19:08

carried out on the island

19:10

in the Well, over the

19:12

past couple of decades, these

19:14

were classified experiments related to

19:16

biological warfare, work that involved

19:18

everything from infecting ticks to

19:20

genetic mutations. And the island

19:22

had been part of that

19:24

secret of US military program

19:26

and the research done there

19:28

had been suspicious for years.

19:30

Could this strange creature be

19:32

the result of one of

19:34

those experiments? Maybe something that...

19:36

Fell into the water and

19:39

washed ashore. I have to

19:41

tell you I'm not crazy

19:43

about this topic Well, I'm

19:45

about to shift a little

19:47

bit here to something I

19:49

might like more Well, it

19:51

involves ticks You're you're a

19:53

big fan of that So

20:02

While the Montauk monster was

20:04

the subject of a lot

20:06

of speculation, and still is,

20:08

it wasn't the only bizarre

20:10

event that was tied to

20:12

that area, to Plum Island,

20:14

Lyme disease caused by the

20:16

bacterium Borrelia berg-de-ferry, that's been

20:18

a problem for a long

20:20

time in the northeastern United

20:22

States, but it wasn't until...

20:24

The 70s that it became

20:26

recognized as a health threat.

20:28

The first official cases of

20:30

Lyme disease were documented in

20:32

Lyme Connecticut, interestingly, across the

20:34

river and only 35 miles

20:36

away from Plum Island. Now

20:38

the disease, as we all

20:40

know, is spread by ticks.

20:42

And these caused a range

20:44

of symptoms that were baffling

20:46

doctors at the time. They

20:48

had no idea what this

20:51

was. It would start out

20:53

as a bullseye-shaped rash, often

20:55

accompanied by fever and fatigue

20:57

and joint pain. It was

20:59

strange. It had fluctuating symptoms,

21:01

some of which mimicked those

21:03

of other diseases, like flu-like

21:05

symptoms. And that made Lyme

21:07

disease very hard to diagnose.

21:09

At first, they thought it

21:11

was some sort of a...

21:13

arthritis like a rheumatoid arthritis.

21:16

Oh because of the aching.

21:18

Yeah. Yeah. But as time

21:20

went on they became more

21:22

familiar with this and what

21:24

was even stranger was how

21:26

localized this outbreak initially appeared

21:28

to be. Lime disease seemed

21:30

to appear almost exclusively in

21:32

Lime Connecticut in a few

21:35

surrounding towns. But within a

21:37

few years it spread across

21:39

the entire northeast and beyond

21:41

with cases appearing in New

21:43

York, New Jersey and... Of

21:45

course, Maine, where we're from.

21:47

Why this sudden explosion? Why

21:49

had it seemed to come

21:51

out of nowhere in the

21:53

connection between Lyme disease and

21:56

Plum Island wasn't lost on

21:58

conspiracy theorists? Right. While the

22:00

government tried to dismiss the

22:02

claims, others pointed to the

22:04

idea that prior to the

22:06

Lyme disease outbreak, Plum Island

22:08

had been rumored to be

22:10

conducting experiments on ticks involved

22:12

with research into biological warfare,

22:14

and that Lyme disease could

22:17

have been one of the

22:19

unintended consequences of these experiments,

22:21

and the ticks somehow got

22:23

off the island, maybe carried

22:25

by migratory birds. wild animals

22:27

or maybe even a human

22:29

error. As Lyme disease spread

22:31

it quickly became a national

22:33

epidemic. And by the mid-80s

22:35

the disease was showing up

22:38

as far away as California.

22:40

It did not take long

22:42

for it to spread like

22:44

that. And as far south

22:46

as Tennessee. Tennessee. A game

22:48

of horseshoes! The connection of

22:50

Plum Island was the constant

22:52

thread. Throughout all of these

22:54

discussions and discoveries. Could Plum

22:56

Island have been the birthplace

22:59

of lime disease, or at

23:01

least the catalyst for its

23:03

rapid spread? So, is it

23:05

possible that the Montauk monster

23:07

was the result of a

23:09

Plum Island experiment gone wrong?

23:11

And could lime disease have

23:13

been unintentionally unleashed from the

23:15

island, or maybe even intentionally?

23:17

It's not like the U.S.

23:20

government hasn't secretly experimented on

23:22

citizens without their knowledge. The

23:24

Tuskegee experiment, one of the

23:26

most horrifying things we've ever

23:28

done to our fellow man.

23:30

MK Ultra, that comes to

23:32

mind. But those are both

23:34

discussions for another day. And

23:36

the rumor swirling about the

23:38

military base just across the

23:41

inlet from Plum Island on

23:43

Montauk itself, that has a

23:45

whole other bizarre history of

23:47

government experiments that include mind

23:49

control. and time travel. Again

23:51

for another day. But as

23:53

long as Plum Island remains

23:55

closed off... In its secrets,

23:57

buried behind layers of government

24:00

protocol, and of course, decades

24:02

of history, the mystery will

24:04

continue to haunt those who

24:06

dare to search. The real

24:08

truth may be even stranger

24:10

than fiction, in this case.

24:12

My information comes from National

24:14

Geographic, the centers for disease

24:16

control and prevention, and the

24:18

US Department of Agriculture. And

24:21

now, that thing in the

24:23

middle. Here's an interesting fact

24:25

about sharks that you may

24:27

not know. If you flip

24:29

a shark upside down, it

24:31

will go to sleep. Now

24:33

here's something even weirder. Orca

24:35

whales know this, and they

24:37

use this knowledge to their

24:39

advantage. When an orca sees

24:42

a shark, it will ram

24:44

the shark in the side

24:46

to flip it over, so

24:48

it will fall asleep, and

24:50

he can more easily eat

24:52

the shark. Let's be real

24:54

life is full of uncertainties,

24:56

whether you're considering a career

24:58

change, changing a relationship, big

25:00

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25:03

figure things out. And I

25:05

was really excited to find

25:07

out that strawberry bat me

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was going to sponsor the

25:11

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only podcast you're listening to

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at this exact moment. Don't

26:43

think we don't notice things

26:46

like that. This is the

26:48

box of oddities. All right,

26:50

what do you got, girl?

26:52

Alice Clement. emerged at a

26:54

time when very few women

26:56

were part of police forces

26:58

in the US. Women in

27:00

law enforcement were rare and

27:02

typically they were assigned roles

27:04

that aligned with traditional gender

27:07

norms. They were often called

27:09

police women rather than officers

27:11

and they were expected to

27:13

handle cases involving women and

27:15

children focusing a lot on

27:17

things like social work. Yeah,

27:19

things like that, rather than

27:21

actual criminal enforcement. Though detailed

27:23

records of her early life

27:25

are sparse, what is known

27:28

is that she broke significant

27:30

gender barriers by joining the

27:32

Chicago Police Department in the

27:34

early 20th century. Mayor Carter

27:36

Harrison the third. Carter Harrison

27:38

the third. Oh my. He

27:40

served as the mayor of

27:42

Chicago from 1897 to 1905

27:44

and he played a significant

27:46

role in the early inclusion

27:49

of women in the city's

27:51

police force. During his administration

27:53

Chicago became one of the

27:55

first major US cities to

27:57

formally appoint female law enforcement

27:59

officers. They probably needed all

28:01

the help they could get

28:03

back then. It was a

28:05

rough town for a bit

28:07

there. Yeah, in the 20s

28:10

especially. Mama was a cop

28:12

on the east side of

28:14

Chicago, back in the USA,

28:16

back in the bad old

28:18

days. Now, in 1893, before

28:20

Harrison's term, Chicago had already

28:22

seen its first female police

28:24

officers. They were known as

28:26

matrons. And as I said,

28:29

they primarily handled women and

28:31

children and... police custody, but

28:33

it was during Harrison's tenure

28:35

that the role of women

28:37

in policing expanded. He oversaw

28:39

the appointment of more women

28:41

to positions within the Chicago

28:43

Police Department, particularly in roles

28:45

that involved moral and social

28:47

work, such as enforcing laws

28:50

related to child welfare, public

28:52

health, and vice. I never

28:54

put together that the vice

28:56

department of a police force

28:58

was related to human vices

29:00

really things like prostitution I

29:02

had no idea really no

29:04

idea yeah I never questioned

29:06

why during prohibition alcohol you

29:08

know was illegal and and

29:11

also a vice and all

29:13

the things the mob made

29:15

money on I'm just learning

29:17

things and I appreciate you

29:19

all on this journey with

29:21

me. Harrison's progressive approach reflected

29:23

broader social changes that were

29:25

happening in Chicago at the

29:27

time, including the influence of

29:29

reform movements advocating for women's

29:32

rights and improved social conditions,

29:34

which these two things kind

29:36

of went hand in hand.

29:38

During his tenure, women joining

29:40

the Chicago police force faced

29:42

significant challenges, as you can

29:44

imagine. And these were rooted

29:46

in societal and institutional biases.

29:48

I mean, you can just

29:50

imagine a police force full

29:53

of dudes. It had always

29:55

been dudes. And then a

29:57

woman shows up. in a

29:59

petty coat or whatever. Which

30:01

was standard police issue. And

30:03

they're going to have toads

30:05

about it, is all. Sure.

30:07

Now, when you said that

30:09

they assigned them to like

30:11

women and children cases, and

30:14

that sounds extremely sexist, but

30:16

noting that everybody was extremely

30:18

sexist back then, an argument

30:20

could be made that they

30:22

did it for their own

30:24

safety. Because if she's trying

30:26

to arrest a guy, he's

30:28

not going to respect her

30:30

in the 1920s. He'll just

30:32

go, you know, and leave

30:35

or beat her up or

30:37

do something awful. She's a

30:39

police officer. I'm just saying

30:41

he'd be more likely to.

30:43

Women were often restricted to

30:45

the specialized assignments facing this

30:47

horrible ceiling, if you will,

30:49

when it came to people

30:51

thinking that they could be

30:54

capable of doing other things,

30:56

like arresting men. They're capable

30:58

of it. I'm just saying

31:00

that the attitude of men,

31:02

especially during this time period,

31:04

they would probably resist it.

31:06

Do you think that criminals

31:08

are often like, yes, please

31:10

thank you. Arrest me. I'd

31:12

like it. Come on. In

31:15

fact, I ordered you a

31:17

little suit. Male officers often

31:19

had resentment toward women coming

31:21

in, taking quote unquote men's

31:23

jobs. It was very boys'

31:25

club culture. Societal norms placed

31:27

additional burdens on women, so

31:29

they had to balance their

31:31

family responsibilities while meeting these

31:33

professional demands. you imagine such

31:36

a time? Alice Clement was

31:38

one of Chicago's most famous

31:40

early female police officers. She

31:42

likely benefited from the groundwork

31:44

laid by Mayor Carter Harris

31:46

and the third in hiring

31:48

women for law enforcement roles,

31:50

but she joined the CPD

31:52

in the early 1900s and

31:54

quickly became known for her

31:57

fearless and innovative approach to

31:59

crime fighting. Unlike other police

32:01

matrons who were largely restricted

32:03

to working with women and

32:05

children, Clement took on active

32:07

investigative roles, going undercover to

32:09

bust criminals involved in things

32:11

like boosing, gambling, and human

32:13

trafficking. She quickly distinguished herself

32:15

as one of the first

32:18

female detectives in the country.

32:20

Her career was marked by

32:22

a combination of determination and

32:24

innovation in a field that

32:26

was not accustomed to employing

32:28

women in investigative roles. She

32:30

was renowned for her willingness

32:32

to do whatever it took.

32:34

She frequently dawned disguises to

32:36

infiltrate environments like brothels and

32:39

fraud rings. She gathered intelligence

32:41

on criminal operations operations on

32:43

criminal operations and criminal operations.

32:45

And she was also well

32:47

known for her Let's call

32:49

it flare! She wore stylish

32:51

attire. She carried a pearl-handled

32:53

revolver. This combination of elegance

32:55

and grit made her a

32:57

media sensation at the time,

33:00

which I'm sure made it

33:02

tougher to get undercover. She

33:04

would just have to be

33:06

even better at disguising yourself.

33:08

I guess so. big handlebar

33:10

mustache in a derby. You

33:12

could fit in anywhere in

33:14

the 20s. In addition to

33:16

her detective work, she was

33:19

a staunch advocate for women

33:21

in children's rights. She used

33:23

her position to shine a

33:25

light on exploitation and abuse,

33:27

a stance that resonated with

33:29

the progressive movements of the

33:31

era, but she took on

33:33

some high-profile cases. She was

33:35

involved in several cases that

33:37

exposed a real dark underbelly

33:40

of Chicago. Her undercover efforts

33:42

led to the unmasking of

33:44

criminal... networks, corrupt practices within

33:46

and outside the police force.

33:48

Her exploits even inspired a

33:50

silent film, a reflection of

33:52

how much a cultural impact

33:54

she had during the time.

33:56

Really? Now despite her many

33:58

achievements, Alice Clement's career was

34:01

not without its setbacks. There

34:03

were accusations of corruption that

34:05

began to surface. Now whether

34:07

these were legit or if

34:09

they were just people who

34:11

were pissed off that she

34:13

was actually... doing things and

34:15

getting a lot of publicity

34:17

for doing things in the

34:19

police department, who knows? The

34:22

exact details and extent of

34:24

these allegations vary by account,

34:26

which further leads me to

34:28

believe that they were bullshit,

34:30

but whatever. These controversies though

34:32

have left historians and enthusiasts

34:34

with a mixed legacy to

34:36

assess. Of course she was...

34:38

hitting all these groundbreaking achievements,

34:40

but also there's that intermingling

34:43

professional disputes, so on and

34:45

so forth. Either way, Alice

34:47

Clement is remembered for being

34:49

a trailblazer who challenged and

34:51

reshaped the expectations of women

34:53

in law enforcement. She stepped

34:55

into roles that were almost

34:57

exclusively reserved for men and

34:59

helped open doors for countless

35:01

women in police work and

35:04

investigative journalism. And what do

35:06

they call them again, matrons?

35:08

Matrons. Matrons. Because I do

35:10

remember the term meter-made, lovely

35:12

Rita. Alice Clement's life is

35:14

a study in contrast, shattering

35:16

gender barriers and showing extraordinary

35:18

bravery in the field of

35:20

criminal investigation, but her career

35:22

was ultimately marred by controversy.

35:25

Her story is a valuable

35:27

chapter in the history of

35:29

law enforcement, offering lessons on

35:31

the complexities of public service,

35:33

media influence, and the personal

35:35

costs of pioneering change. Interestingly,

35:37

details about her death. are

35:39

also unclear. She supposedly died

35:41

in 1926, but some sources

35:44

suggest She died of natural

35:46

causes. Others imply that it

35:48

may have been connected to

35:50

the controversy surrounding her later

35:52

years. So there's still a

35:54

lot of questions. And I

35:56

personally would really like to

35:58

see some sort of documentary

36:00

about this. What a great

36:02

story. Because I'm wondering if

36:05

maybe the mob did it.

36:07

Maybe, but it may have

36:09

been natural causes. That's true.

36:11

We need to find out.

36:13

I'm just saying I would

36:15

like some investigative. Journalism, please.

36:17

Investicative? Investicative? That would make

36:19

a great Ken Burns documentary.

36:21

Oh, Ken. Get on it.

36:23

Ken? Come on, Ken. You

36:26

owe us a favor. I

36:28

don't know what that means,

36:30

but... That sounded a little

36:32

mobby. Well, that wasn't my

36:34

intention. I always tried to

36:36

not sound mobby. Ken, that's

36:38

a nice collection of documentaries

36:40

you got there. Yeah, shame

36:42

if something happened to him.

36:44

I got my information from...

36:47

Chicago mag.com, all that's interesting,

36:49

Andy, and of course Wikipedia.

36:51

There are some really fantastic

36:53

images of Alice on the

36:55

info webs, looking just as

36:57

fab as she can. So

36:59

I will definitely share some

37:01

of that. Anyway, great stuff.

37:03

Thanks for digging that one

37:05

out. I'd never heard of

37:08

her. Well, it is International

37:10

Women's Day. After all, when

37:12

we're recording this. Of course.

37:14

But really shouldn't every day.

37:16

be international women's day? Oh,

37:18

should it be? I don't

37:20

know, you tell me. Would

37:22

that remove the specialness from

37:24

the day? I remember when

37:26

I was a kid, I

37:29

used to ask, how come

37:31

there's a mother's day and

37:33

a father's day, but there's

37:35

no children's day? And my

37:37

mom would say every day's

37:39

children's day. And I thought,

37:41

that's a pretty short answer,

37:43

and I need details. There

37:45

should be a documentary about

37:47

it. Hey, thanks to all

37:50

of you who have supported

37:52

the show and whatever way

37:54

you've supported it with. whether

37:56

it's a positive review or

37:58

a comment or helping us

38:00

on Patreon by becoming a

38:02

member of the order of

38:04

freaks. And all of those

38:06

things make a big difference.

38:09

Many thanks. Or as our

38:11

friends in Canada would say,

38:13

oh geez yeah, thanks for

38:15

the comedy. You're in a

38:17

weird mood today. I didn't

38:19

sleep well last night. I

38:21

like it. Anyway, we love

38:23

you guys. And we'll see

38:25

you next time. Until then,

38:27

keep flying that freak flag.

38:30

Fly it proudly, you beautiful

38:32

freak. And so, let it

38:34

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