January 30, 2020 • 9 mins
Today we explore a town that has a very unusual tradition, and a man who had a very unusual talent. Both, however, deserve to be included in the Cabinet of Curiosities.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
is an open book, all of these amazing tales right
there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome
to the cabinet of curiosities. Whether it's Steve McQueen out
(00:29):
running a Dodge charger in bullet or Sheriff Roscoe pea
Coltrane in hot pursuit of those good old Duke boys,
a chase can provide thrilling entertainment to a wrapped audience,
and not just on TV or in the movies. Go
to any rodeo and you're liable to see folks chasing steer,
leaping from horses to tackle and pin them to the ground.
(00:49):
The people of Gloucester, England, also love a good chase.
They hold one every year, though not for cars or livestock.
The events got its start over one fifty years ago,
so the actual dates are unknown. Originally held by the
local village of Brockworth, the chase takes place each spring
at nearby Cooper's Hill. One theory states it began as
(01:09):
a method of preserving grazing rights for local farmers. Another
claims that stemmed from a pagan ritual where objects such
as burning brushwood were rolled down the hill to ring
in the new year. It's also believed that the ceremony
acted as a way to encourage a bountiful harvest, regardless
of how it all started, though it wasn't written about
formally until the eighteen hundreds. Once word got out, Brockworth
(01:33):
villagers got more than they bargained for. People from New Zealand, Australia,
and the United States started coming in to join in
the festivities, either as competitors or merely as spectators, and
with more contestants came more opportunities for injury. People were
treated for everything from mild bruises two broken bones, all
(01:55):
sustained as a result of the chase. In two thousand nine,
the event was canceled entirely because it was deemed a
public health crisis, but a few local organizers got together
the following year and held a much smaller version. Every
time government officials attempt to put a stop to the
Cooper's Hill Chase, journalists and citizens who refuse to abandon
tradition put on a chase of their own, which leaves
(02:18):
one final question, what exactly was everyone chasing? The answer
is cheese. That's right. As many as five hundred people
from all over the globe still gather to this day
at the top of Cooper's Hill to chase an eight
pound wheel of cheese for two hundred yards double Gloucester cheese,
to be exact, which is protected on its side by
(02:40):
a wooden casing and decorated before it's set loose. Now
you might not think chasing cheese down a hill could
be so dangerous, but with so many people colliding into
one another or tripping on rocks and divots in the ground,
the injuries start to pile up. Even the cheese itself
can be a hazard. No one has ever died during
a chase, but one or the cheese reached a whopping
(03:01):
seventy miles per hour and hit a spectator, sending them
to the hospital. And that's why at the bottom of
the hill are an army of paramedics waiting to treat
anyone involved in a cheese related incident. Local rugby players
even volunteered to catch participants who may lose their footing
or carry people down the hill who aren't able to
do so on their own. Gloucester's tradition has inspired other
(03:25):
English towns to try something similar. The City of Chester
has been holding their own cheese rolling competition since two
thousand two as part of their Food and Drink Festival.
Their total injury list remains at zero, but not Cooper's Hill.
The broken ankles and concussions sustained during the Gloucester event
have made it a kind of rite of passage for
thrill seekers and athletic types. It's estimated that there are
(03:49):
roughly thirty three injuries reported for every one contestants one year.
So many participants got hurt that there weren't enough ambulances
to cart them all off to the hospital afterwards. Still,
every year folks come back to try their luck again
for fame, for glory, and for the grand prize. But
it's not a massive pot of money. Thereafter, whoever catches
(04:12):
the cheese before it reaches the bottom gets to take
the cheese home. It seems that when it comes to
that eight pound wheel of double Gloucester cheddar, no one
is a fan of catch and release. When a crime
(04:36):
goes beyond the capabilities of the average beat cop, a
detective is often called in. They'll interview witnesses and aalize
a crime scene and pour over the clues until they
found the culprit. Francois vi Doc was a French criminal
during the early nineteenth century, but eventually turn his expertise
and crime into a legitimate business as the first ever
private detective is He. Einstein and Moe Smith were federal
(05:00):
officers during Prohibition. Together they arrested over four thousand, three
hundred people and had a nine percent conviction rates. They
were so successful they were laid off after Washington officials
grew jealous of their fame. They left policing behind and
became successful insurance salesman. And then there's Arthur Price Roberts.
(05:20):
Arthur didn't have the criminal history that Vidoc had, nor
was he as well known as Einstein and Smith. But
he had a gift, and he used that gift to
help others. Born in Wales in eighteen sixty six, he
moved to the United States early in life to seek
out opportunity. Once settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Roberts began helping
others with unique and unfortunate problems. Duncan McGregor, for example,
(05:44):
hailed from the city of Peshtigo along the eastern edge
of Wisconsin. In nineteen o five, Mr McGregor had gone
missing and his wife was distraught, so she saw the
assistance of Mr Roberts. Arthur was known around town as
a psychic. He went into a trance hoping for a
sign of Mrs McGregor's husband. After some time, he found him,
(06:04):
but the outlook wasn't good. He informed both Mrs McGregor
and the police that Mr McGregor had been murdered. According
to Arthur, the man's body had been thrown into the
man Nominee River. The police traveled to the spot that
he told them about and found the body of the
late Mr McGregor amongst some sunken logs. Roberts started building
a reputation for himself as a man who could find
(06:25):
anyone anywhere. J D. Leroy, a wealthy Chicago businessman, had
been looking for his missing brother. Roberts was brought in
and got a read on Mr leroy sibling, and, much
like Mr McGregor, it was bad news. Roberts described an
area of Devil's Canyon in New Mexico where j D's
brother could be found. He too had been murdered and
(06:47):
his body had been disposed of among the rocks and mountains.
New Mexico authorities followed Robert's directions and found the late Mr.
Leroy two hundred yards from the exact spot that he
had described to them. But Arthur didn't just to help
find missing people. He could also predict events that might
happen in the future. On October eighteenth of nineteen thirty five,
(07:07):
he told Milwaukee police that a series of bombings would
take place around the city. Banks, police stations, and city
hall were all at risk. By that time, Roberts was
a known entity and someone to pay attention to, where
other so called psychics might go ignored, the Milwaukee police
force was on alert. Just over a week later, the
first explosion occurred at the Village Hall. Two people were killed.
(07:30):
Two banks were blown up. The following day, just as
Roberts had predicted, followed by two police stations. A detective
by the name of English pleaded for more details. Will
there be another bomb? How big? And who is doing this?
Roberts told him that on Sunday, November four, the biggest
and final explosion would take place on the Menominee River.
(07:51):
Sure enough, a garage just beyond the river exploded that day.
It turns out that the two men responsible for all
the other bombings had been putting a new device together
when it accidentally went off and killed both of them.
Roberts had gotten some details wrong in his prediction, the
names of the bombers, for example, as well as the
timing of the explosion. Still, there were enough similarities to
(08:12):
make any skeptic consider that Robert's predictions weren't complete. Monk
his talents had given numerous people closure over the years
and saved countless lives, and they even worked on himself.
At a dinner party in nineteen thirty nine where he
was the guest of honor, he stood up and thanked
everyone for coming. He told them that sadly he wouldn't
(08:32):
be present for the next one. I won't be with
you beyond January second, nineteen forty, he told them, And
he wasn't, because that was the exact day that Arthur
Price Roberts passed away. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided
tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on
(08:54):
Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting
Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me
Aaron Mankie in partnership with how stuff works. I make
another award 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.
(09:15):
And until next time, stay curious.
Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
is an open book, all of these amazing tales right
there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome
to the cabinet of curiosities. Whether it's Steve McQueen out
(00:29):
running a Dodge charger in bullet or Sheriff Roscoe pea
Coltrane in hot pursuit of those good old Duke boys,
a chase can provide thrilling entertainment to a wrapped audience,
and not just on TV or in the movies. Go
to any rodeo and you're liable to see folks chasing steer,
leaping from horses to tackle and pin them to the ground.
(00:49):
The people of Gloucester, England, also love a good chase.
They hold one every year, though not for cars or livestock.
The events got its start over one fifty years ago,
so the actual dates are unknown. Originally held by the
local village of Brockworth, the chase takes place each spring
at nearby Cooper's Hill. One theory states it began as
(01:09):
a method of preserving grazing rights for local farmers. Another
claims that stemmed from a pagan ritual where objects such
as burning brushwood were rolled down the hill to ring
in the new year. It's also believed that the ceremony
acted as a way to encourage a bountiful harvest, regardless
of how it all started, though it wasn't written about
formally until the eighteen hundreds. Once word got out, Brockworth
(01:33):
villagers got more than they bargained for. People from New Zealand, Australia,
and the United States started coming in to join in
the festivities, either as competitors or merely as spectators, and
with more contestants came more opportunities for injury. People were
treated for everything from mild bruises two broken bones, all
(01:55):
sustained as a result of the chase. In two thousand nine,
the event was canceled entirely because it was deemed a
public health crisis, but a few local organizers got together
the following year and held a much smaller version. Every
time government officials attempt to put a stop to the
Cooper's Hill Chase, journalists and citizens who refuse to abandon
tradition put on a chase of their own, which leaves
(02:18):
one final question, what exactly was everyone chasing? The answer
is cheese. That's right. As many as five hundred people
from all over the globe still gather to this day
at the top of Cooper's Hill to chase an eight
pound wheel of cheese for two hundred yards double Gloucester cheese,
to be exact, which is protected on its side by
(02:40):
a wooden casing and decorated before it's set loose. Now
you might not think chasing cheese down a hill could
be so dangerous, but with so many people colliding into
one another or tripping on rocks and divots in the ground,
the injuries start to pile up. Even the cheese itself
can be a hazard. No one has ever died during
a chase, but one or the cheese reached a whopping
(03:01):
seventy miles per hour and hit a spectator, sending them
to the hospital. And that's why at the bottom of
the hill are an army of paramedics waiting to treat
anyone involved in a cheese related incident. Local rugby players
even volunteered to catch participants who may lose their footing
or carry people down the hill who aren't able to
do so on their own. Gloucester's tradition has inspired other
(03:25):
English towns to try something similar. The City of Chester
has been holding their own cheese rolling competition since two
thousand two as part of their Food and Drink Festival.
Their total injury list remains at zero, but not Cooper's Hill.
The broken ankles and concussions sustained during the Gloucester event
have made it a kind of rite of passage for
thrill seekers and athletic types. It's estimated that there are
(03:49):
roughly thirty three injuries reported for every one contestants one year.
So many participants got hurt that there weren't enough ambulances
to cart them all off to the hospital afterwards. Still,
every year folks come back to try their luck again
for fame, for glory, and for the grand prize. But
it's not a massive pot of money. Thereafter, whoever catches
(04:12):
the cheese before it reaches the bottom gets to take
the cheese home. It seems that when it comes to
that eight pound wheel of double Gloucester cheddar, no one
is a fan of catch and release. When a crime
(04:36):
goes beyond the capabilities of the average beat cop, a
detective is often called in. They'll interview witnesses and aalize
a crime scene and pour over the clues until they
found the culprit. Francois vi Doc was a French criminal
during the early nineteenth century, but eventually turn his expertise
and crime into a legitimate business as the first ever
private detective is He. Einstein and Moe Smith were federal
(05:00):
officers during Prohibition. Together they arrested over four thousand, three
hundred people and had a nine percent conviction rates. They
were so successful they were laid off after Washington officials
grew jealous of their fame. They left policing behind and
became successful insurance salesman. And then there's Arthur Price Roberts.
(05:20):
Arthur didn't have the criminal history that Vidoc had, nor
was he as well known as Einstein and Smith. But
he had a gift, and he used that gift to
help others. Born in Wales in eighteen sixty six, he
moved to the United States early in life to seek
out opportunity. Once settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Roberts began helping
others with unique and unfortunate problems. Duncan McGregor, for example,
(05:44):
hailed from the city of Peshtigo along the eastern edge
of Wisconsin. In nineteen o five, Mr McGregor had gone
missing and his wife was distraught, so she saw the
assistance of Mr Roberts. Arthur was known around town as
a psychic. He went into a trance hoping for a
sign of Mrs McGregor's husband. After some time, he found him,
(06:04):
but the outlook wasn't good. He informed both Mrs McGregor
and the police that Mr McGregor had been murdered. According
to Arthur, the man's body had been thrown into the
man Nominee River. The police traveled to the spot that
he told them about and found the body of the
late Mr McGregor amongst some sunken logs. Roberts started building
a reputation for himself as a man who could find
(06:25):
anyone anywhere. J D. Leroy, a wealthy Chicago businessman, had
been looking for his missing brother. Roberts was brought in
and got a read on Mr leroy sibling, and, much
like Mr McGregor, it was bad news. Roberts described an
area of Devil's Canyon in New Mexico where j D's
brother could be found. He too had been murdered and
(06:47):
his body had been disposed of among the rocks and mountains.
New Mexico authorities followed Robert's directions and found the late Mr.
Leroy two hundred yards from the exact spot that he
had described to them. But Arthur didn't just to help
find missing people. He could also predict events that might
happen in the future. On October eighteenth of nineteen thirty five,
(07:07):
he told Milwaukee police that a series of bombings would
take place around the city. Banks, police stations, and city
hall were all at risk. By that time, Roberts was
a known entity and someone to pay attention to, where
other so called psychics might go ignored, the Milwaukee police
force was on alert. Just over a week later, the
first explosion occurred at the Village Hall. Two people were killed.
(07:30):
Two banks were blown up. The following day, just as
Roberts had predicted, followed by two police stations. A detective
by the name of English pleaded for more details. Will
there be another bomb? How big? And who is doing this?
Roberts told him that on Sunday, November four, the biggest
and final explosion would take place on the Menominee River.
(07:51):
Sure enough, a garage just beyond the river exploded that day.
It turns out that the two men responsible for all
the other bombings had been putting a new device together
when it accidentally went off and killed both of them.
Roberts had gotten some details wrong in his prediction, the
names of the bombers, for example, as well as the
timing of the explosion. Still, there were enough similarities to
(08:12):
make any skeptic consider that Robert's predictions weren't complete. Monk
his talents had given numerous people closure over the years
and saved countless lives, and they even worked on himself.
At a dinner party in nineteen thirty nine where he
was the guest of honor, he stood up and thanked
everyone for coming. He told them that sadly he wouldn't
(08:32):
be present for the next one. I won't be with
you beyond January second, nineteen forty, he told them, And
he wasn't, because that was the exact day that Arthur
Price Roberts passed away. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided
tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on
(08:54):
Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting
Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me
Aaron Mankie in partnership with how stuff works. I make
another award 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.
(09:15):
And until next time, stay curious.
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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