June 18, 2020 • 9 mins
The curiosities on display today are wonderful remnants from the late 19th Century.
Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to Aaron Benky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is
full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book,
all of these amazing tales are right there on display,
just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet
(00:27):
of Curiosities. When history has made the bystanders tend to
get forgotten. We remember Abraham Zapp Router because he filmed
the most famous twenty six seconds ever captured on camera,
the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But what about
(00:49):
Jean Boone. The name might not ring a bell, but
Boone was the sheriff's deputy who found Oswald's rifle in
the book depository. And then there's Fred Capps. He wasn't
witnessed to a presidential tragedy, just missed opportunity. Capps was
fairly well known among professional magicians, but very few people
today remember his appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in
(01:09):
nineteen sixty four. Why because he had the unfortunate luck
of following up America's first glimpse of a brand new
rock band from England, the Beatles. Samuel also seemed like
just another bystander. However, he had one heck of a
story to tell. He was born in eastern Maryland and
grew up in a farm there before moving to Arlington,
(01:30):
Virginia with his wife Mary, where they raised their family. Eventually, though,
Samuel moved back to his home state of Maryland. The
most incredible thing he ever saw occurred when he was
just five years old. His father worked for the Goldsborough's,
a rich family in Talbot County, Maryland. One night, Mr
Seymour and Mr Goldsboro had traveled to Washington, d C.
(01:50):
On business, and young Samuel was allowed to tag along.
While the boy's father and Mr Goldsboro were attending to
their business, Mrs Goldsboro and Samuel it would attend to play.
They knew it would be an event to remember too,
because they were let in on a not so secret
bit of information. A very special guest would be in
the audience that night. Years later, the year old Samuel
(02:13):
was invited to appear on a popular television game show,
and he almost didn't make it. Shortly after arriving in
New York, he fell and hurt his right eye. He
visited a local doctor who cleared him for his TV appearance,
although the producers urged him to postpone until he was
fully healed. Samuel, though refused he was too old and
he might not get another chance. He wanted to tell
(02:35):
his story, so he sat next to the host who
introduced him to the audience as well as the panel
of celebrity guests. But the host didn't tell anyone why
Samuel was there. You see, that was up to them
to figure out. The show was called I've Got a Secret,
and the goal was for the panelist to ask a
series of yes or no questions until they could figure
out the guests hidden identity. Radio and TV star Bill
(02:59):
Cullen kicked things by trying to assess Samuel's age. After
a while, he deduced that whatever the secret was, it
had to do with the American Civil War. One by one,
each panelist asked their questions, drilling down to the truth
about Samuel Seymour. They eventually discovered that when he was
just five years old, Samuel did more than just to
tend a show in Washington, d C. The show Mrs
(03:21):
Goldsborough had taken Samuel two was called Our American Cousin.
They sat in the balcony directly across from the special
guest of the evening, President Abraham Lincoln. Samuel remembered him
being tall and serious in his demeanor, although he smiled
and waved the crowd before the show. While watching the play,
a shot rang out. A woman screamed, and Samuel looked
(03:43):
up to see the President fall forward. Another man, who
he had later learned was John Wilkes Booth, leapt onto
the stage and broke his leg. Samuel, unsure about what
had just happened, felt bad for the man with the
injured leg. He begged Mrs Goldsboro to go down and
help him, but shouting from the crowd drowned out his cries.
Lincoln's shot, they said. The President's dead Booth slipped away
(04:07):
in the commotion and wouldn't be found for another twelve days.
Samuel Seymour you See, was born in eighteen sixty and
during his appearance on that game show in nineteen fifty six,
he revealed himself to the world as the last surviving
witness to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Curious you
(04:27):
better believe it. Oftentimes, when lawmakers try to make a change,
they're met with resistance. Nobody likes to be told what
to do, especially by folks who think they know better.
(04:50):
Movements have been started and systems have been ended simply
because someone stood up and said no. Others, however, aren't
so brazen. They rebel more quietly from deep underground, or
sometimes from the top of bar stool. In eight nine six,
lawmakers in New York State passed to law that affected
both the regular public and business owners alike. New York
(05:13):
City had become known as a den of sin, where
men and women would drink all night and day. Public
drunkenness had become a serious problem to the more conservative
legislators up state. It didn't help that the city's mayor
and other governing bodies weren't enforcing the strict Sabbath laws. Sunday,
you see, was meant for the Holy Spirit, not other
(05:33):
kinds of spirits. Meanwhile, an up and coming political powerhouse
was making a name for himself in the city. His
name was Theodore Roosevelt, and he threw his support behind
a brand new law, the Reigns Law, which would make
it impossible for most of the eight thousand bars and
dives in the five boroughs to be able to stay
in business. Among other things, the Reigns law made the
(05:54):
cost of an annual liquor license prohibitively expensive, seedier saloons
that catered to crimine knolls and ne'er do wells couldn't
afford to stay open. The law also eliminated the free lunch,
a common perk when drinking at Many bars offering complimentary
boiled eggs or soda bread kept drinkers fed, which meant
they kept ordering drinks as long as they had money.
(06:17):
But the law eventually passed, and it worked exactly as
they had planned. Bars locked their doors at midnight on Saturday's.
Places that did remain open on Sundays had to keep
their curtains open so passing beat cops could see inside
to make sure no one was serving liquor. But there
was a loophole, one so big the city's elite could
drive a train through it if they wanted to. Any
(06:38):
hotel or establishment with ten or more rooms could serve
alcohol on Sundays as long as lunch was provided well.
It didn't take long for the loophole to widen enough
for everyone, regardless of social status, to walk on through.
Dive bars Suddenly became private clubs with memberships. Rooms barely
big enough to fit a bed were built into add
(06:59):
a and basements, and a new sandwich was born, the
rains sandwich. It was more substantial than the usual bar
fare of peanuts and pretzels, and the authorities didn't mind it.
Neither the comps nor the courts fought these new hotels
or lodging houses for exploiting the law to their benefit,
and as they sprouted up all over the city, the
(07:20):
rain sandwich craze spread with it. Now, the thing about
the sandwich was that its ingredients always changed depending on
who was making it. Sometimes it would be made with
cold cuts that were so old they had shriveled into
dried jerky, or cheese covered in spots of green mold.
The bread was often too stale and crusty to stay together.
At the Waldorf Astoria hotel, where New York society came
(07:42):
to schmooze and booze, the sandwich was made with old
meat patties. A few bars even made the rain sandwich
using nothing more than a brick and two slices of bread,
and as one person finished their drink, the so called
sandwich would be whisked off to another table with a
fresh glass. The point of the sandwich wasn't to eat it,
It was so patrons could order a meal to drink
(08:03):
according to the law. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last forever.
The man who had written the law, Senator John W. Raines,
realized that he had to close the loophole. The following year,
amendments were made that made it almost impossible for the
poor and middle class to get a drink on Sundays,
and so once again it became a luxury meant only
(08:24):
for the rich, and the cops and lawmakers backed off.
Part of the deal centered around the price of the
rain sandwich, which skyrocketed by fifty to the era of
poor men and women spending their days on a bar
stool shooting the breeze had faded into the past, and
as most New Yorkers came to realize, there was no
(08:44):
free lunch either. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour
of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts,
or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast
dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky
in partnership with how Stuff Works, I make another award
(09:06):
winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series,
and television show and you can learn all about it
over at the world of Lore dot com. And until
next time, stay curious. Yeah,
Welcome to Aaron Benky's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of
I Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is
full of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book,
all of these amazing tales are right there on display,
just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet
(00:27):
of Curiosities. When history has made the bystanders tend to
get forgotten. We remember Abraham Zapp Router because he filmed
the most famous twenty six seconds ever captured on camera,
the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But what about
(00:49):
Jean Boone. The name might not ring a bell, but
Boone was the sheriff's deputy who found Oswald's rifle in
the book depository. And then there's Fred Capps. He wasn't
witnessed to a presidential tragedy, just missed opportunity. Capps was
fairly well known among professional magicians, but very few people
today remember his appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show in
(01:09):
nineteen sixty four. Why because he had the unfortunate luck
of following up America's first glimpse of a brand new
rock band from England, the Beatles. Samuel also seemed like
just another bystander. However, he had one heck of a
story to tell. He was born in eastern Maryland and
grew up in a farm there before moving to Arlington,
(01:30):
Virginia with his wife Mary, where they raised their family. Eventually, though,
Samuel moved back to his home state of Maryland. The
most incredible thing he ever saw occurred when he was
just five years old. His father worked for the Goldsborough's,
a rich family in Talbot County, Maryland. One night, Mr
Seymour and Mr Goldsboro had traveled to Washington, d C.
(01:50):
On business, and young Samuel was allowed to tag along.
While the boy's father and Mr Goldsboro were attending to
their business, Mrs Goldsboro and Samuel it would attend to play.
They knew it would be an event to remember too,
because they were let in on a not so secret
bit of information. A very special guest would be in
the audience that night. Years later, the year old Samuel
(02:13):
was invited to appear on a popular television game show,
and he almost didn't make it. Shortly after arriving in
New York, he fell and hurt his right eye. He
visited a local doctor who cleared him for his TV appearance,
although the producers urged him to postpone until he was
fully healed. Samuel, though refused he was too old and
he might not get another chance. He wanted to tell
(02:35):
his story, so he sat next to the host who
introduced him to the audience as well as the panel
of celebrity guests. But the host didn't tell anyone why
Samuel was there. You see, that was up to them
to figure out. The show was called I've Got a Secret,
and the goal was for the panelist to ask a
series of yes or no questions until they could figure
out the guests hidden identity. Radio and TV star Bill
(02:59):
Cullen kicked things by trying to assess Samuel's age. After
a while, he deduced that whatever the secret was, it
had to do with the American Civil War. One by one,
each panelist asked their questions, drilling down to the truth
about Samuel Seymour. They eventually discovered that when he was
just five years old, Samuel did more than just to
tend a show in Washington, d C. The show Mrs
(03:21):
Goldsborough had taken Samuel two was called Our American Cousin.
They sat in the balcony directly across from the special
guest of the evening, President Abraham Lincoln. Samuel remembered him
being tall and serious in his demeanor, although he smiled
and waved the crowd before the show. While watching the play,
a shot rang out. A woman screamed, and Samuel looked
(03:43):
up to see the President fall forward. Another man, who
he had later learned was John Wilkes Booth, leapt onto
the stage and broke his leg. Samuel, unsure about what
had just happened, felt bad for the man with the
injured leg. He begged Mrs Goldsboro to go down and
help him, but shouting from the crowd drowned out his cries.
Lincoln's shot, they said. The President's dead Booth slipped away
(04:07):
in the commotion and wouldn't be found for another twelve days.
Samuel Seymour you See, was born in eighteen sixty and
during his appearance on that game show in nineteen fifty six,
he revealed himself to the world as the last surviving
witness to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Curious you
(04:27):
better believe it. Oftentimes, when lawmakers try to make a change,
they're met with resistance. Nobody likes to be told what
to do, especially by folks who think they know better.
(04:50):
Movements have been started and systems have been ended simply
because someone stood up and said no. Others, however, aren't
so brazen. They rebel more quietly from deep underground, or
sometimes from the top of bar stool. In eight nine six,
lawmakers in New York State passed to law that affected
both the regular public and business owners alike. New York
(05:13):
City had become known as a den of sin, where
men and women would drink all night and day. Public
drunkenness had become a serious problem to the more conservative
legislators up state. It didn't help that the city's mayor
and other governing bodies weren't enforcing the strict Sabbath laws. Sunday,
you see, was meant for the Holy Spirit, not other
(05:33):
kinds of spirits. Meanwhile, an up and coming political powerhouse
was making a name for himself in the city. His
name was Theodore Roosevelt, and he threw his support behind
a brand new law, the Reigns Law, which would make
it impossible for most of the eight thousand bars and
dives in the five boroughs to be able to stay
in business. Among other things, the Reigns law made the
(05:54):
cost of an annual liquor license prohibitively expensive, seedier saloons
that catered to crimine knolls and ne'er do wells couldn't
afford to stay open. The law also eliminated the free lunch,
a common perk when drinking at Many bars offering complimentary
boiled eggs or soda bread kept drinkers fed, which meant
they kept ordering drinks as long as they had money.
(06:17):
But the law eventually passed, and it worked exactly as
they had planned. Bars locked their doors at midnight on Saturday's.
Places that did remain open on Sundays had to keep
their curtains open so passing beat cops could see inside
to make sure no one was serving liquor. But there
was a loophole, one so big the city's elite could
drive a train through it if they wanted to. Any
(06:38):
hotel or establishment with ten or more rooms could serve
alcohol on Sundays as long as lunch was provided well.
It didn't take long for the loophole to widen enough
for everyone, regardless of social status, to walk on through.
Dive bars Suddenly became private clubs with memberships. Rooms barely
big enough to fit a bed were built into add
(06:59):
a and basements, and a new sandwich was born, the
rains sandwich. It was more substantial than the usual bar
fare of peanuts and pretzels, and the authorities didn't mind it.
Neither the comps nor the courts fought these new hotels
or lodging houses for exploiting the law to their benefit,
and as they sprouted up all over the city, the
(07:20):
rain sandwich craze spread with it. Now, the thing about
the sandwich was that its ingredients always changed depending on
who was making it. Sometimes it would be made with
cold cuts that were so old they had shriveled into
dried jerky, or cheese covered in spots of green mold.
The bread was often too stale and crusty to stay together.
At the Waldorf Astoria hotel, where New York society came
(07:42):
to schmooze and booze, the sandwich was made with old
meat patties. A few bars even made the rain sandwich
using nothing more than a brick and two slices of bread,
and as one person finished their drink, the so called
sandwich would be whisked off to another table with a
fresh glass. The point of the sandwich wasn't to eat it,
It was so patrons could order a meal to drink
(08:03):
according to the law. Unfortunately, the good times didn't last forever.
The man who had written the law, Senator John W. Raines,
realized that he had to close the loophole. The following year,
amendments were made that made it almost impossible for the
poor and middle class to get a drink on Sundays,
and so once again it became a luxury meant only
(08:24):
for the rich, and the cops and lawmakers backed off.
Part of the deal centered around the price of the
rain sandwich, which skyrocketed by fifty to the era of
poor men and women spending their days on a bar
stool shooting the breeze had faded into the past, and
as most New Yorkers came to realize, there was no
(08:44):
free lunch either. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour
of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts,
or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast
dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Manky
in partnership with how Stuff Works, I make another award
(09:06):
winning show called Lore, which is a podcast, book series,
and television show and you can learn all about it
over at the world of Lore dot com. And until
next time, stay curious. Yeah,
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.