August 15, 2023 • 31 mins
Remus begins to lose his grip on reality while Imogene goes on the run.
Remus: The Mad Bootleg King is a Curiosity Podcast and is a co-production of iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. This podcast is based on Abbott Kahler’s book, “The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America.”
You can learn more about Abbott and her books here.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:05):
Je As strange as this story may seem, this is
a work of nonfiction with no invented dialogue. Every reenactment
you hear comes from government files, archives, diaries, letters, newspaper articles, books,
(00:27):
or trial testimony. It's September two, nineteen twenty five, when
George Remis walks out of the Atlanta Penitentiary, but he's
heading straight back to jail, this time in Ohio to
await another trial on charges of buying and hauling whiskey
out of the Jack Daniels distillery in Saint Louis. Two
(00:51):
days later, Remis's man, George Connors, arrives at the Montgomery
County Jail in Dayton. He finds Remas agitated and on edge.
Remis's breath comes in long, deep brass that alarm Connors.
He tries to calm Remus, thinking he's worried about the
upcoming trial, but no, Remus is despondent, obsessed with thoughts
(01:11):
of imaging in the arms of the disgraced federal agent
Franklin Dodge.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Connor's, were you surprised at missus Remus sue me for
a divorce? I was not, by God, Connor's I picked
her up out of the gutter and tried to make
a lady out of her, but it was not in her.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Connors looks in Remas's eyes and suddenly doesn't see his
old friend. He sees a wild eyed stranger. Remus grabs
Connor's and shakes him around the room, leading him in
an odd and violent dance. Connors tries to look at
Remus straight on and bring him back to the moment,
but he can't even see the pupils of his friend's eyes.
(01:50):
Tormented by dark visions of imaging, Remus remains in jail
for a few more days while Connors raises the cash
for his bail. Finally, he's able to pick Remas up
and drive him back to his mansion in Cincinnati. Remus
walks in and feels happy to be home until he
discovers there is no sign of imaging. He wanders in
(02:10):
a daze throughout each room and calls for a servant.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
What has become of my wife?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
She's gone away with Franklin.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Dodge with Dodge, think of it, Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
He turns back to Connor's a far away look in
his eyes.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Remus has been betrayed. Everybody he had trusted now at
last by the one who owed him the most.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
I'm Abbit Taylor, and this is Remus, the mad bootleg king.
The one Remus trusted most was on the land Immageen.
Remus was officially a fugitive from justice. Mabel will and
(03:00):
Brant's investigators were frantically trying to track her down. Remus,
bent on revenge, wanted to talk to willembrand face to
face in Washington. He wanted to offer his services as
a government witness to testify against Imaging and two dozen
other defendants. She was skeptical, but had little choice. After
Imageing's betrayal with Dodge, willimbrand figured Remus might be inclined
(03:24):
to divulge everything. Besides, even though she had pursued Remas
for years, she had never met him face to face.
On the day Remus entered her office, Willimbrandt was shocked
and how thin he looked compared to his photographs. He'd
lost fifty three pounds in the Atlanta penitentiary, but his
suit was impeccably tailored and pressed, his shoes polished, his
(03:46):
derby hat stylish and stiff. Still, despite his dapper appearance,
he was visibly anxious in Remus's every gesture, Willembrand sensed
a low grade panic.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Take me before a grand jury. I'll tell them all
they want to know about the Jack Daniels case.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
She wasn't confident of him intention to cooperate, but with
Imaging on the run to parts unknown, there might be
no case at all without Remis's testimony, so she sent
Remus to Saint Louis to meet with US attorney Alan Curry,
whose job was to get all the details for the
upcoming grand jury hearing. For the first minute of the interview,
Remus was focused and direct, describing how he became involved
(04:26):
with the Jack Daniel scheme. But as Carrie scribbled notes,
Remus lost focus. His rage at Imaging returned. He raised
his needy fist and slammed it into the desk, mer
inches from Currie's legal pad. He looked across to see
Remas's face turning, beat red, drops a sweat popping out
on his forehead.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Curry, that man, DAWs, she has taken the affections of
the one thing in this life that is precious to me,
my little wife, after I trusted her and gave her
everything into her name power of attorney. That man, Franklin
Dodge has taken her away from me and ruined my
life forever.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
In one swift movement, Remus bolted up and knocked his
chair backward. For the next fifteen minutes, Curry watched Remas
pace the floor, wringing his hands, pulling at his hair,
and jabbing himself repeatedly with stiffened fingers. Remus's face was
slick with tears. Finally, Curry held up a hand and
(05:24):
told Remus to sit.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Sit down.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
I want to know about the Jack Daniels case.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I wasn't talking about your troubles with your wife.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
I know that, Curry, I know that.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Repeatedly, Remus would answer a few questions, then return to
ranting about his ire for Imaging. Finally, Curry gave up
and told Remus he was free to go. Remus took
a step toward the door and then abruptly stopped, spinning
back to face Curry.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I've been watched by detectives. They have hired gangsters to
kill me.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Every day, Remus roamed the mansion in its grounds, waiting
for the Jack Daniels trial to begin. The garish manner
felt emptied without Imaging's presence, but he could not forgive
her betrayal. Remus believed she pushed Dodge to use government
connections to persecute him. He felt like Dodge was a
ghost who ate at his table and slept in his bed.
(06:20):
Connors had heard dozens of reports that confirmed Remus's fears.
He knew that he should share them with Remus, but
he feared a confrontation. Finally, Connor's worked up the nerve.
He barely finished his first sentence when a host of ghostly,
threatening voices began to chatter in Remis's head.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Look at her on the couch with the Dodge calling
him the running. She bought seven palms before money and
gave two of them to Dodge. He took him a
change down of telling Cleveland, and they caught him with
his pants to him.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Connor saw Remus go into another brainstorm. His eyelids fluttered
like the wings of a wounded bird. His pupils disappeared.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
It would be an angel of mercy if someone would
send a bullet through me.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Remus went silent. Then he stood and pulled upward at
his tie as though it were a noose. His face
reddened and his voice emerged in a mangled grasp.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
God, just think of that. It is terrible, just terrible.
It is terrible, It is terrible, It is terrible.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Connors counted twenty five repetitions of that grim mantra before
Remus lunched it and l grabbed him by his vest
and shook him back and forth. Their faces inches apart.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Did you ever think she would do anything like that?
Speaker 5 (07:42):
I did, and all our friends did too.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
It must have been blind.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Imaging's whereabouts were still unknown. Remus had been working to
find her so that he could share her location with Willembrandt.
Then one night the phone rang, Remus.
Speaker 6 (07:59):
Answered, Hello, this is Missus Remus talking.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
She had called Remus for no reason, accept it on him,
and the blithe confidence in her voice instantly enraged him.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh no, it is not Missus Remus any longer now, Imagen.
I'm going to file a cross petition against you Monday morning,
and I will let the world know what you are
and that parasite you are traveling around the country with.
If you and Dodge have got any idea you are
going to complete my fortune and keep my property from me, Imagen,
(08:30):
I will follow you to China and get back what
belongs to me.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Remus kept his word, filing a cross petition for divorce
against Imaging, naming Franklin Dodge in the suit and asking
that Imaging get no alimony. Remus hoped the petition would
provoke Dodge to react. It worked. The former prohibition agent
issued a statement to the press, speaking about Imaging and
Remus publicly for the first time. He called Remus's charges
(08:59):
absolutely absurd and false. He said Missus Remis was a
very honorable woman who's conduct had been above reproach. He
pledged to assist Missus Remis in preparing her divorce and
alimony case for trial. Franklin Dodge had been flushed out
of hiding. Imaging remained at large. Back in Washington. Mabel
(09:21):
Williembrandt was still highly suspicious of the bootlegger's intentions, but
the federal prosecutors who interviewed Remis this time found him
calm and composed. He gave detailed and coherent answers about
the Jack Daniel scheme. He held nothing back about Imagin's involvement.
He vowed to keep talking until that woman was indicted
and behind bars. Against Williembrandt's wishes, the prosecutors granted Remas
(09:45):
immunity in exchange for his testimony. Meanwhile, Williembrandt's agents, led
by J. R. Gar Hoover, kept tracking the fugitive wife.
Remus's lawyers had asked the court for a change of
venue and the Aanapolis would host the trial instead. The
court ordered a start date of December fourteenth, regardless of
whether their imaging was found by then. A reporter for
(10:08):
the Saint Louis Post Dispatch named John Rogers received a
tip that Imaging was in Washington.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
D C.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Rogers, who was working on a series about Remas's life
and career, planned to meet Remus and Connors in the
capital city in Washington. Remus and Connors took a cab
to the Mayflower Hotel. According to Rogers information, Dodge and
Imaging had registered there as mister and Missus E. J.
Ward in two adjacent rooms eight forty three and eight
(10:35):
forty four. Remus immediately headed for the eighth floor. Connors
and Rogers followed and found Remus charging headlong repeatedly into
the door of room eight forty three. For an hour.
The two men battle rooms, securing his arms behind his
back and maneuvering him to a room, only for him
to wriggle free and bolt down the hall. Finally they
(10:57):
managed to put him to bed. The next morning, they
learned Roger's source was wrong. Imaging had never been in
Room eight forty three, or even in Washington at all.
That night, she was hundreds of miles away in Saint Louis.
On the advice of her lawyer, she had turned herself
in to federal authorities and posted bond. She would be
(11:17):
free until the trial began in Indianapolis, where she would
see Remus for the first time in four months. One
morning in the last week of November, John Rogers was
at his desk in the Saint Louis Post Dispatch newsroom.
(11:38):
He was reading through his notes on George Remas when
his phone rang. Rogers did not recognize the low, gruff voice,
and the caller did not offer his name, but he
offered news. George Remas was about to be killed in
Indianapolis by a group of gangsters called Eagan's Rats.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
Who is this?
Speaker 4 (11:56):
That doesn't make any difference?
Speaker 5 (11:58):
How do you know this is going to happen?
Speaker 7 (12:01):
Because Missus Remas and Dodge have paid to have it
done fifteen thousand.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Dollars Immediately, Rogers called the Claypool Hotel in Indianapolis and
asked for the room of John Marshall, the Assistant Attorney
General representing the federal government in the Jack Daniels case.
Rogers told Marshall about the anonymous call. Marshall said his
agents would keep Remas safe, but that he put little
stock in anonymous tips. At noon, Marshall drove Ramas to
(12:28):
Indianapolis's Union Station, where the bootlegger would leave for a
short trip to Cincinnati to check on his mansion. At
the station, they spotted some well known gangsters from Saint
Louis hiding behind pillars in the waiting room. Remus refused
to board the train, and they returned to the hotel.
The government couldn't lose Remas as a witness through either
(12:49):
murder or fear, so Marshall quickly rented Remas a private
apartment twenty minutes from Indianapolis. The bootlegger would stay there
until the beginning of the trial, surrounded by secret servicemen,
assured by Marshal that no one could find him, but
Remus remained to unco convinced. Dodge had spent most of
his career hunting people down, and now he had the
(13:10):
benefit of Imagine's knowledge and help s Remus demanded that
Marshall give him a gun. Marshall borrowed a Colt forty
five revolver and some bullets from the Prohibition headquarters in
Indianapolis for Remus. This gift carried with it an unspoken
understanding that he was to shoot anyone who came near him.
(13:31):
The following week, Rogers and his post dispatch colleague Paul
Anderson took a train to Indianapolis and went straight to
Remas's apartment. They asked hundreds of questions about the bootlegger's life.
Remus was receptive and gracious, offering long, rambling answers in
copious detail. Anderson would later write the flattering opening lines
(13:51):
of their story.
Speaker 8 (13:54):
If there has ever been a bigger bootlegger than George
Remas of Cincinnati, the fact remains a secret. Remus's operations
were by far the most pretentious ever uncovered. His career
was short, but not even the prison term which terminated
it can extinguish its brilliance and audacity. In the years
nineteen twenty and nineteen twenty one, Remus was to bootlegging
(14:18):
what in the earlier years, Rockefeller had been to oil, but.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
The atmosphere changed when the journalists asked about Imagin's betrayal
with Dodge.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
When I returned from the Atlanta Pen, my heart was
being eaten out of me because I did love this woman.
But that Penn Dodge, that social perverb, that social leopard,
that's social parasite. I would mash him flat as a pancake. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Rogers immediately caution remis not to resort to violence.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Don't talk to me of violence. Those people have murdered
me in and out of prison every night for the
past two years. Don't talk that way to me.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
To complete history on Remus, Rogers wanted a comment from
Franklin Dodge, who was already an Indianapolis awaiting the trial.
Rogers called to make an appointment and ventured into the
biting cold to reach Dodge's hotel. The lobby brought a
welcome gust of warm air. Rogers took the elevator to
the fourth floor, silently rehearsing his questions as the operator
(15:22):
worked the switch. Dodge opened the door and invited Rogers inside.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
What is it you wanted to see me about?
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Rogers leaned forward, watching Dodge's face for clues, squints and
twitches that would hint at motivations and character.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
In view of all the charges and cross charges that
have been made, would you care to make a statement
of your relations with Missus Remas what they are and
what they amount to.
Speaker 7 (15:49):
That's nobody's business, by my own.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Rogers tried a different approach.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
George Remas looks upon you as having invaded the sanctity
of his home.
Speaker 7 (15:58):
Well, if you want to know what I'm doing for
Missus Remus, I'm gathering evidence for her in her divorce suit.
That is my position in this case.
Speaker 5 (16:05):
And Remus is a liar and a scoundrel, there naturally
must be some bad feeling there, more bad feeling than
it seems.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Without warning, Dodge rose from his chair and approached Rogers.
He slid his shirt sleeve up toward his shoulder, flexed
his arm and dangled it an inch from Roger's face.
Speaker 7 (16:24):
Feel this muscle. I got this for Remus. I could
crush him like an egg. That's for Remus. When he's ready,
go back and say that to your friend with my compliments.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Remus was delighted when John Rodgers gave him a report
about the first day of the Jack Daniels trial, Remas's
former chauffeur had even implicated Imaging directly, telling the jury
she had made rum running trips with him. On the
second day, Remus was required to appear in court in
case the government needed him on the stand. A federal
agent led Remus, George Connors, and John Rogers toward the courthouse.
(17:00):
At one point, the group noticed Imaging in her attorney,
walking about one hundred feet ahead. She wore a whirl
close hat and a fur coat Remas had given her,
and she spun her head as though she had sensed
his presence. At the sight of him, Imagean let out
a piercing shriek.
Speaker 6 (17:17):
Daddy, don't kill me, don't let him hurt me.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
She dashed ahead of her lawyer, teetering on her double
strap heels. Rogers gaged Remas's reaction, worried he would scream
back at Imaging. Instead, the bootlegger just shook his head.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Look what a spectacle she's making of herself. Now she
will try to make capital out of this.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Moments later, inside the courtroom, Rogers left Remus to take
his seat at the press table. Imagean walked toward the
reporters and told all of them that Remas had just
tried to assassinate her on the street that very morning.
Rema shook his head in disgust when Rogers told them
what Imageen had said.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
That's what I get for being tied up with a
bag of filth like that. Now she tries to blacken
my reputation through the press.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
On the third day of the trial, Imaging made a
prediction to reporters that Remus would faint on his way
to the stand, but Remus walked steadily, flanked by federal agents.
He placed his hand on a bible, swore to tell
the truth, and looked directly at Imaging, sitting among twenty
six other defendants. Before he could speak, Ima Jean's attorney
(18:24):
stood and addressed the court with an objection.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
We object to mister Remus's testimony on the ground that
he was the husband of Imogen Remus at the time
of the alleged offense and is still her husband, and
that he is incompetent is a witness.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Remas sat positively still. He expected Imageen's lawyer might try
this trick, but he hoped that the current state of
the marriage with divorce petitions and cross petitions filed would
work in his favor. John Marshall's co prosecutor approached the bench.
Speaker 9 (18:57):
We feel that there is too much question about this
point to permit such an objection going into records, and
for that reason, the guy neverman moves to drop all
charges against Missus Immajean Remus.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Imaging was off the hook inside. Remus raged, but he
kept his composure on the stand, answering Marshall's questions about
the Jack Daniels game with deliberate calm. Hoping to combat
the recent reports that Remas had threatened Imageing, Marshall asked
him to comment on the incident.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
It has appeared in the newspapers that I sought a
reconciliation with Missus Emma Jean Remus. The woman's statement in
this regard is false. Her statement was designed to influence
me on her behalf, so as to weaken the government's
position in the Jack Daniels case. If this was her intention,
it failed utterly. If Missus Remas has any hope of
(19:51):
reconciliation with me, let her put such hopes aside. She
has become repulsive to me.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
On the strength of Remus's testimony. Twenty four of his
former associates were found guilty, and Remus added all ti
twenty four of them to his running list of people
who wished him dead. After John Rodgers's series of stories
on Remis for the Saint Louis Post Dispatch was published,
he kept Remus in his life. He now considered the
bootlegger a friend and worried about his turbulent moods and
(20:21):
violent brainstorms, and Remus is despair over being trapped in
what he called a life of hell. He traveled to
see Remus in Cincinnati or accompanied him on the road,
but once Remus got lost in one of his rages,
there was little Rogers could do to rescue him. The
mere sound of the word Dodge seemed to wound him.
(20:43):
Remas talked incessantly about the torment he had suffered at
the hands of Dodge and imaging.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
She would visit me at Atlanta Penitentiary and then go
to the Robert Fulton Hotel and have wild drinking parties
with that pimp.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
They tried to have me killed and.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
They're still at it. Good God, is there any justice
in the world anywhere that these people are allowed to
persecute me as they do.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
And that was the most coherent version of Remus's daily ramblings.
Remus had begun to speak in broken sentences, words cut short, syllables, dropped,
leaping from one thought to the next, with no connection
between the two. Rogers would wait it out, sometimes for
hours on end, and eventually Remus would write himself. He
(21:26):
would sit down across from Rogers, dazed and exhausted, a
stranger to that wild lunatic, speaking in the third person,
in the most genteel voice. The bootlegger would apologize. Finally,
Rogers and George Connors made a pact. Unless absolutely necessary,
no one was to mention Imagens in Dodger's names in
(21:47):
the same sentence. Remus's mental condition kept declining, even though
he had beaten the Jack Daniels wrap. It didn't help
that he still had one prison sentence looming, a one
year bid in Ohio for maintaining a nuisance at Death Valley,
his boot legging headquarters outside Cincinnati. As his lawyers filed appeals,
(22:09):
Remus continued to search for his missing assets. In the
spring of nineteen twenty six, he sued Imagine and Dodge
in federal court in Cleveland, charging that they had stolen
at least seven hundred thousand dollars of his personal property,
most of it in whiskey certificates. Remus tried to recover
the whisky certificates, but was served with a restraining order
(22:30):
on behalf of the businessmen who bought them from Dodge.
Remus shared this latest misfortune with Rogers, and when the
journalist next traveled to Cincinnati, he expected to find his
friend on the verge of another brainstorm. Instead, Remus invited
him for breakfast at the mansion and a walk through
the garden. He seemed in exceptionally good spirits, and Rogers
(22:51):
asked what had prompted this mood.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Emma Jane isn't out ann I am in touch with her.
Where is she at the Almums Hotel?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
They kept walking until mid morning, when Remus asked if
Rogers might like to take a ride. Remus's lawyer had
suggested he meet with Immageen in the hope of reaching
a cash settlement, a preemptive move to prevent her from
selling more of his property. He hadn't seen imagen in
many months, and a part of him couldn't help feeling excited.
He'd even bought Imageen a box of candy for the occasion.
(23:24):
Rogers agreed, and within minutes, as chauffeur was driving them
to the alms. A special entrance through the hotel garage
allowed them to avoid the lobby, and they took the
elevator directly to Imagine's suite of rooms. Immajean's mother opened
the door and ushered them in. Imajeane's daughter, Ruth, and
her boyfriend huddled together on a couch. Remas drew a
(23:46):
few bills from his wallet and pressed them into Rue's hand.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Here go and get mother some flowers.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Ruth left, taking her boyfriend with her. After a moment,
Imageen emerged from an adjoining bedroom, smiling. She greeted Rogers
and then turned to Remus, grabbing the lapels of his coat.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
Daddy, I am so glad you are here and that
you've brought mister Rogers.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
She leaned in for a kiss, but at the last
second Remus turned his head away, letting her graze his cheek.
No one mentioned dodge, and Rema seemed calm and collected.
He and Imageing sat at a table, a stack of
papers fanned out in front of him. They spent the
morning that way, just two people working together to settle
their differences. When they broke for lunch, white glove servers
(24:32):
lowered silver platters heavy with salmon, moose and baked ham.
Rogers turned to imaging.
Speaker 5 (24:38):
I'm glad to see Remus in a good frame of mind.
I hope there will be no one toward incident to
disrupt the friendly feeling. There has been so much trouble,
and it would be good for all concerned to have
a friendly settlement.
Speaker 6 (24:50):
Everything would be all right if it wasn't for daddy.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
What is the matter with me?
Speaker 9 (24:54):
What have I done?
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Mention one incident where I've been mean.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Or cruel to you?
Speaker 6 (24:59):
Well, I could mention one, all right, now tell it?
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Lowered her head. She began talking, but her words were
barely audible, and then she stopped herself. Remus decided to
finish her unspoken thought.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Do you mean about Romola?
Speaker 1 (25:16):
He knew Imagjean would understand the reference they had fought
in the past about his generosity toward his own daughter.
Imajean sat stonefaced, Yes, that is it.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Well, Romola is my daughter, and I have a right
to be kind to her. You certainly don't object to
my being kind to Romola, Well, that is it is that?
Speaker 4 (25:40):
All?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Is that the only incident in your life in connection
with me that has caused you trouble.
Speaker 6 (25:46):
That's enough, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Rogers got up from the dining table and wandered across
the suite to a sitting area. Imajeen's mother followed him.
The genteel old lady spoke in a whisper so that
only the journalist could hear.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Mister Rogers, mister Wemis has made a lot of outrageous
chargers against my daughter, and I understand you have some
influence with him.
Speaker 9 (26:12):
Do you think you could prevail upon him to retract them?
Speaker 1 (26:16):
If you could do it, we would greatly appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (26:20):
I will do all I can to reconcile the differences.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Imaging then entered the sitting area. She perched on the
sofa next to Rogers chair and leaned in close.
Speaker 6 (26:29):
I am awfully glad, mister Rogers, that Daddy brought you along.
I understand he listens to you, and you may be
able to do some good for him and for us.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
I think a disinterested person could help you both. But
you're in bad company from what I've learned. As long
as you have any connection to Franklin Dodge, that will
tend to keep matters in an unsettled and upset state.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Imagine sat quietly and didn't reply. Rogers decided he had
to speak all of his mind lest he later regret
holding back.
Speaker 5 (27:00):
I fear the whole thing will end in a tragedy
unless you do something to put an into the situation.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Imaging seemed genuinely startled.
Speaker 6 (27:09):
What do you mean by that?
Speaker 5 (27:11):
I'm afraid that you will get hurt, and I hate
to think what would happen if Remus ever met you
and Dodge together.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
She sat back and appeared to relax.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
Oh, you think you know Daddy, but you don't know
him as well as I do. Daddy wouldn't hurt me.
Thatddy's good to me. But please don't let him hurt
mister Dodge. Please.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
At that Remus appeared in the doorway. Roger spoke directly
to him.
Speaker 5 (27:38):
I was just telling Missus Remus that I believe that
a disinterested person, one who doesn't have designs on your money,
could do more to conciliate the situation than someone of
whom either side is suspicious.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Precisely, that is the point I am trying to get
to her.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Imaging didn't acknowledge Remas's comment, and Remus left the negotiations
that day with nothing settled, least of all his mind.
The next week, Riemus invited his accountant and George Connors
to the mansion, hoping to draw up a reasonable offer
to present to Imaging. During a pause in the conversation
(28:13):
that they heard the front door open, then a pair
of heels crossing the wood floor. They glanced up to
see Imaging, looking aggrieved.
Speaker 6 (28:21):
What are you people doing here? This is my home.
I have a right to be here.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Of course you have. No one asked you to leave,
and if you want to stay here, I will go
to a hotel.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Connor's felt compelled to explain further.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
Look, Imaging, we're here to try to arrange some kind
of settlement.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Connor saw Imaging reach into her purse. When she pulled
out her hand, it was curled around a pearl handled revolver.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
I will settle this myself.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
On this date, November twenty fourth, nineteen twenty seven, this
session the Criminal Division of Common Police Court in Hamilton
County will come to order.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
I call Julia F. Brown to the stand. You are
the mother of Imma gen Remus. Yes, sir, did missus
Remus tell you at any time that she was getting
ready to kill her husband?
Speaker 7 (29:29):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Handler, Next time on remis The Mad Bootleg King.
Speaker 6 (29:40):
I feel very better toward Daddy, I mean my husband.
I just wish someone would beat his brains out.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
They will never take me if I see them first, Catch.
Speaker 9 (29:53):
That car.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Remus The Mad Bootleg King is a co production of
iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It's hosted by me
Abbot Kaylor, Chuck Reese and I wrote the show. Our
producer is Miranda Hawkins. Our senior producer is Jessica Metzker.
Executive producers are Virginia Prescott, Brandon barr Els Crowley, and
Jason English. Sound design and mixed by Chris Childs. Elise
(30:20):
McCoy composed original music. Additional scoring by Chris Childs. Voices
in this episode provided by Ben Bolan, Lauren Vogelbaum, Dylan Fagan,
Miel Brown, Matt Frederick, James Morrison, Jonathan Sleep, Jewel, Ruiz
Jay Jones, Louke Carloso, Van Gunter Fleet, Cooper, Jeremy Fall,
(30:40):
Nicole Britton. Special thanks to John Higgins from Curiosity stream
and the team at c DM Studios in New York.
If you're a fan of the podcast, please give it
a review in your podcast app. You can also check
out other Curiosity podcasts to learn about history, pop culture,
true crime, and more.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
School of Humans
Je As strange as this story may seem, this is
a work of nonfiction with no invented dialogue. Every reenactment
you hear comes from government files, archives, diaries, letters, newspaper articles, books,
(00:27):
or trial testimony. It's September two, nineteen twenty five, when
George Remis walks out of the Atlanta Penitentiary, but he's
heading straight back to jail, this time in Ohio to
await another trial on charges of buying and hauling whiskey
out of the Jack Daniels distillery in Saint Louis. Two
(00:51):
days later, Remis's man, George Connors, arrives at the Montgomery
County Jail in Dayton. He finds Remas agitated and on edge.
Remis's breath comes in long, deep brass that alarm Connors.
He tries to calm Remus, thinking he's worried about the
upcoming trial, but no, Remus is despondent, obsessed with thoughts
(01:11):
of imaging in the arms of the disgraced federal agent
Franklin Dodge.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Connor's, were you surprised at missus Remus sue me for
a divorce? I was not, by God, Connor's I picked
her up out of the gutter and tried to make
a lady out of her, but it was not in her.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
Connors looks in Remas's eyes and suddenly doesn't see his
old friend. He sees a wild eyed stranger. Remus grabs
Connor's and shakes him around the room, leading him in
an odd and violent dance. Connors tries to look at
Remus straight on and bring him back to the moment,
but he can't even see the pupils of his friend's eyes.
(01:50):
Tormented by dark visions of imaging, Remus remains in jail
for a few more days while Connors raises the cash
for his bail. Finally, he's able to pick Remas up
and drive him back to his mansion in Cincinnati. Remus
walks in and feels happy to be home until he
discovers there is no sign of imaging. He wanders in
(02:10):
a daze throughout each room and calls for a servant.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
What has become of my wife?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
She's gone away with Franklin.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Dodge with Dodge, think of it, Oh my god.
Speaker 1 (02:24):
He turns back to Connor's a far away look in
his eyes.
Speaker 2 (02:28):
Remus has been betrayed. Everybody he had trusted now at
last by the one who owed him the most.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
I'm Abbit Taylor, and this is Remus, the mad bootleg king.
The one Remus trusted most was on the land Immageen.
Remus was officially a fugitive from justice. Mabel will and
(03:00):
Brant's investigators were frantically trying to track her down. Remus,
bent on revenge, wanted to talk to willembrand face to
face in Washington. He wanted to offer his services as
a government witness to testify against Imaging and two dozen
other defendants. She was skeptical, but had little choice. After
Imageing's betrayal with Dodge, willimbrand figured Remus might be inclined
(03:24):
to divulge everything. Besides, even though she had pursued Remas
for years, she had never met him face to face.
On the day Remus entered her office, Willimbrandt was shocked
and how thin he looked compared to his photographs. He'd
lost fifty three pounds in the Atlanta penitentiary, but his
suit was impeccably tailored and pressed, his shoes polished, his
(03:46):
derby hat stylish and stiff. Still, despite his dapper appearance,
he was visibly anxious in Remus's every gesture, Willembrand sensed
a low grade panic.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
Take me before a grand jury. I'll tell them all
they want to know about the Jack Daniels case.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
She wasn't confident of him intention to cooperate, but with
Imaging on the run to parts unknown, there might be
no case at all without Remis's testimony, so she sent
Remus to Saint Louis to meet with US attorney Alan Curry,
whose job was to get all the details for the
upcoming grand jury hearing. For the first minute of the interview,
Remus was focused and direct, describing how he became involved
(04:26):
with the Jack Daniel scheme. But as Carrie scribbled notes,
Remus lost focus. His rage at Imaging returned. He raised
his needy fist and slammed it into the desk, mer
inches from Currie's legal pad. He looked across to see
Remas's face turning, beat red, drops a sweat popping out
on his forehead.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Curry, that man, DAWs, she has taken the affections of
the one thing in this life that is precious to me,
my little wife, after I trusted her and gave her
everything into her name power of attorney. That man, Franklin
Dodge has taken her away from me and ruined my
life forever.
Speaker 1 (05:03):
In one swift movement, Remus bolted up and knocked his
chair backward. For the next fifteen minutes, Curry watched Remas
pace the floor, wringing his hands, pulling at his hair,
and jabbing himself repeatedly with stiffened fingers. Remus's face was
slick with tears. Finally, Curry held up a hand and
(05:24):
told Remus to sit.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
Sit down.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
I want to know about the Jack Daniels case.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
I wasn't talking about your troubles with your wife.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
I know that, Curry, I know that.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Repeatedly, Remus would answer a few questions, then return to
ranting about his ire for Imaging. Finally, Curry gave up
and told Remus he was free to go. Remus took
a step toward the door and then abruptly stopped, spinning
back to face Curry.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
I've been watched by detectives. They have hired gangsters to
kill me.
Speaker 1 (05:58):
Every day, Remus roamed the mansion in its grounds, waiting
for the Jack Daniels trial to begin. The garish manner
felt emptied without Imaging's presence, but he could not forgive
her betrayal. Remus believed she pushed Dodge to use government
connections to persecute him. He felt like Dodge was a
ghost who ate at his table and slept in his bed.
(06:20):
Connors had heard dozens of reports that confirmed Remus's fears.
He knew that he should share them with Remus, but
he feared a confrontation. Finally, Connor's worked up the nerve.
He barely finished his first sentence when a host of ghostly,
threatening voices began to chatter in Remis's head.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Look at her on the couch with the Dodge calling
him the running. She bought seven palms before money and
gave two of them to Dodge. He took him a
change down of telling Cleveland, and they caught him with
his pants to him.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
Connor saw Remus go into another brainstorm. His eyelids fluttered
like the wings of a wounded bird. His pupils disappeared.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
It would be an angel of mercy if someone would
send a bullet through me.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
Remus went silent. Then he stood and pulled upward at
his tie as though it were a noose. His face
reddened and his voice emerged in a mangled grasp.
Speaker 2 (07:18):
God, just think of that. It is terrible, just terrible.
It is terrible, It is terrible, It is terrible.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
Connors counted twenty five repetitions of that grim mantra before
Remus lunched it and l grabbed him by his vest
and shook him back and forth. Their faces inches apart.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Did you ever think she would do anything like that?
Speaker 5 (07:42):
I did, and all our friends did too.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
It must have been blind.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
Imaging's whereabouts were still unknown. Remus had been working to
find her so that he could share her location with Willembrandt.
Then one night the phone rang, Remus.
Speaker 6 (07:59):
Answered, Hello, this is Missus Remus talking.
Speaker 1 (08:03):
She had called Remus for no reason, accept it on him,
and the blithe confidence in her voice instantly enraged him.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Oh no, it is not Missus Remus any longer now, Imagen.
I'm going to file a cross petition against you Monday morning,
and I will let the world know what you are
and that parasite you are traveling around the country with.
If you and Dodge have got any idea you are
going to complete my fortune and keep my property from me, Imagen,
(08:30):
I will follow you to China and get back what
belongs to me.
Speaker 1 (08:36):
Remus kept his word, filing a cross petition for divorce
against Imaging, naming Franklin Dodge in the suit and asking
that Imaging get no alimony. Remus hoped the petition would
provoke Dodge to react. It worked. The former prohibition agent
issued a statement to the press, speaking about Imaging and
Remus publicly for the first time. He called Remus's charges
(08:59):
absolutely absurd and false. He said Missus Remis was a
very honorable woman who's conduct had been above reproach. He
pledged to assist Missus Remis in preparing her divorce and
alimony case for trial. Franklin Dodge had been flushed out
of hiding. Imaging remained at large. Back in Washington. Mabel
(09:21):
Williembrandt was still highly suspicious of the bootlegger's intentions, but
the federal prosecutors who interviewed Remis this time found him
calm and composed. He gave detailed and coherent answers about
the Jack Daniel scheme. He held nothing back about Imagin's involvement.
He vowed to keep talking until that woman was indicted
and behind bars. Against Williembrandt's wishes, the prosecutors granted Remas
(09:45):
immunity in exchange for his testimony. Meanwhile, Williembrandt's agents, led
by J. R. Gar Hoover, kept tracking the fugitive wife.
Remus's lawyers had asked the court for a change of
venue and the Aanapolis would host the trial instead. The
court ordered a start date of December fourteenth, regardless of
whether their imaging was found by then. A reporter for
(10:08):
the Saint Louis Post Dispatch named John Rogers received a
tip that Imaging was in Washington.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
D C.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Rogers, who was working on a series about Remas's life
and career, planned to meet Remus and Connors in the
capital city in Washington. Remus and Connors took a cab
to the Mayflower Hotel. According to Rogers information, Dodge and
Imaging had registered there as mister and Missus E. J.
Ward in two adjacent rooms eight forty three and eight
(10:35):
forty four. Remus immediately headed for the eighth floor. Connors
and Rogers followed and found Remus charging headlong repeatedly into
the door of room eight forty three. For an hour.
The two men battle rooms, securing his arms behind his
back and maneuvering him to a room, only for him
to wriggle free and bolt down the hall. Finally they
(10:57):
managed to put him to bed. The next morning, they
learned Roger's source was wrong. Imaging had never been in
Room eight forty three, or even in Washington at all.
That night, she was hundreds of miles away in Saint Louis.
On the advice of her lawyer, she had turned herself
in to federal authorities and posted bond. She would be
(11:17):
free until the trial began in Indianapolis, where she would
see Remus for the first time in four months. One
morning in the last week of November, John Rogers was
at his desk in the Saint Louis Post Dispatch newsroom.
(11:38):
He was reading through his notes on George Remas when
his phone rang. Rogers did not recognize the low, gruff voice,
and the caller did not offer his name, but he
offered news. George Remas was about to be killed in
Indianapolis by a group of gangsters called Eagan's Rats.
Speaker 5 (11:55):
Who is this?
Speaker 4 (11:56):
That doesn't make any difference?
Speaker 5 (11:58):
How do you know this is going to happen?
Speaker 7 (12:01):
Because Missus Remas and Dodge have paid to have it
done fifteen thousand.
Speaker 1 (12:06):
Dollars Immediately, Rogers called the Claypool Hotel in Indianapolis and
asked for the room of John Marshall, the Assistant Attorney
General representing the federal government in the Jack Daniels case.
Rogers told Marshall about the anonymous call. Marshall said his
agents would keep Remas safe, but that he put little
stock in anonymous tips. At noon, Marshall drove Ramas to
(12:28):
Indianapolis's Union Station, where the bootlegger would leave for a
short trip to Cincinnati to check on his mansion. At
the station, they spotted some well known gangsters from Saint
Louis hiding behind pillars in the waiting room. Remus refused
to board the train, and they returned to the hotel.
The government couldn't lose Remas as a witness through either
(12:49):
murder or fear, so Marshall quickly rented Remas a private
apartment twenty minutes from Indianapolis. The bootlegger would stay there
until the beginning of the trial, surrounded by secret servicemen,
assured by Marshal that no one could find him, but
Remus remained to unco convinced. Dodge had spent most of
his career hunting people down, and now he had the
(13:10):
benefit of Imagine's knowledge and help s Remus demanded that
Marshall give him a gun. Marshall borrowed a Colt forty
five revolver and some bullets from the Prohibition headquarters in
Indianapolis for Remus. This gift carried with it an unspoken
understanding that he was to shoot anyone who came near him.
(13:31):
The following week, Rogers and his post dispatch colleague Paul
Anderson took a train to Indianapolis and went straight to
Remas's apartment. They asked hundreds of questions about the bootlegger's life.
Remus was receptive and gracious, offering long, rambling answers in
copious detail. Anderson would later write the flattering opening lines
(13:51):
of their story.
Speaker 8 (13:54):
If there has ever been a bigger bootlegger than George
Remas of Cincinnati, the fact remains a secret. Remus's operations
were by far the most pretentious ever uncovered. His career
was short, but not even the prison term which terminated
it can extinguish its brilliance and audacity. In the years
nineteen twenty and nineteen twenty one, Remus was to bootlegging
(14:18):
what in the earlier years, Rockefeller had been to oil, but.
Speaker 1 (14:23):
The atmosphere changed when the journalists asked about Imagin's betrayal
with Dodge.
Speaker 2 (14:27):
When I returned from the Atlanta Pen, my heart was
being eaten out of me because I did love this woman.
But that Penn Dodge, that social perverb, that social leopard,
that's social parasite. I would mash him flat as a pancake. Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (14:44):
Rogers immediately caution remis not to resort to violence.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Don't talk to me of violence. Those people have murdered
me in and out of prison every night for the
past two years. Don't talk that way to me.
Speaker 1 (14:59):
To complete history on Remus, Rogers wanted a comment from
Franklin Dodge, who was already an Indianapolis awaiting the trial.
Rogers called to make an appointment and ventured into the
biting cold to reach Dodge's hotel. The lobby brought a
welcome gust of warm air. Rogers took the elevator to
the fourth floor, silently rehearsing his questions as the operator
(15:22):
worked the switch. Dodge opened the door and invited Rogers inside.
Speaker 7 (15:31):
What is it you wanted to see me about?
Speaker 1 (15:33):
Rogers leaned forward, watching Dodge's face for clues, squints and
twitches that would hint at motivations and character.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
In view of all the charges and cross charges that
have been made, would you care to make a statement
of your relations with Missus Remas what they are and
what they amount to.
Speaker 7 (15:49):
That's nobody's business, by my own.
Speaker 1 (15:52):
Rogers tried a different approach.
Speaker 5 (15:54):
George Remas looks upon you as having invaded the sanctity
of his home.
Speaker 7 (15:58):
Well, if you want to know what I'm doing for
Missus Remus, I'm gathering evidence for her in her divorce suit.
That is my position in this case.
Speaker 5 (16:05):
And Remus is a liar and a scoundrel, there naturally
must be some bad feeling there, more bad feeling than
it seems.
Speaker 1 (16:13):
Without warning, Dodge rose from his chair and approached Rogers.
He slid his shirt sleeve up toward his shoulder, flexed
his arm and dangled it an inch from Roger's face.
Speaker 7 (16:24):
Feel this muscle. I got this for Remus. I could
crush him like an egg. That's for Remus. When he's ready,
go back and say that to your friend with my compliments.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
Remus was delighted when John Rodgers gave him a report
about the first day of the Jack Daniels trial, Remas's
former chauffeur had even implicated Imaging directly, telling the jury
she had made rum running trips with him. On the
second day, Remus was required to appear in court in
case the government needed him on the stand. A federal
agent led Remus, George Connors, and John Rogers toward the courthouse.
(17:00):
At one point, the group noticed Imaging in her attorney,
walking about one hundred feet ahead. She wore a whirl
close hat and a fur coat Remas had given her,
and she spun her head as though she had sensed
his presence. At the sight of him, Imagean let out
a piercing shriek.
Speaker 6 (17:17):
Daddy, don't kill me, don't let him hurt me.
Speaker 1 (17:20):
She dashed ahead of her lawyer, teetering on her double
strap heels. Rogers gaged Remas's reaction, worried he would scream
back at Imaging. Instead, the bootlegger just shook his head.
Speaker 2 (17:31):
Look what a spectacle she's making of herself. Now she
will try to make capital out of this.
Speaker 1 (17:39):
Moments later, inside the courtroom, Rogers left Remus to take
his seat at the press table. Imagean walked toward the
reporters and told all of them that Remas had just
tried to assassinate her on the street that very morning.
Rema shook his head in disgust when Rogers told them
what Imageen had said.
Speaker 2 (17:56):
That's what I get for being tied up with a
bag of filth like that. Now she tries to blacken
my reputation through the press.
Speaker 1 (18:03):
On the third day of the trial, Imaging made a
prediction to reporters that Remus would faint on his way
to the stand, but Remus walked steadily, flanked by federal agents.
He placed his hand on a bible, swore to tell
the truth, and looked directly at Imaging, sitting among twenty
six other defendants. Before he could speak, Ima Jean's attorney
(18:24):
stood and addressed the court with an objection.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
We object to mister Remus's testimony on the ground that
he was the husband of Imogen Remus at the time
of the alleged offense and is still her husband, and
that he is incompetent is a witness.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Remas sat positively still. He expected Imageen's lawyer might try
this trick, but he hoped that the current state of
the marriage with divorce petitions and cross petitions filed would
work in his favor. John Marshall's co prosecutor approached the bench.
Speaker 9 (18:57):
We feel that there is too much question about this
point to permit such an objection going into records, and
for that reason, the guy neverman moves to drop all
charges against Missus Immajean Remus.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
Imaging was off the hook inside. Remus raged, but he
kept his composure on the stand, answering Marshall's questions about
the Jack Daniels game with deliberate calm. Hoping to combat
the recent reports that Remas had threatened Imageing, Marshall asked
him to comment on the incident.
Speaker 2 (19:28):
It has appeared in the newspapers that I sought a
reconciliation with Missus Emma Jean Remus. The woman's statement in
this regard is false. Her statement was designed to influence
me on her behalf, so as to weaken the government's
position in the Jack Daniels case. If this was her intention,
it failed utterly. If Missus Remas has any hope of
(19:51):
reconciliation with me, let her put such hopes aside. She
has become repulsive to me.
Speaker 1 (19:58):
On the strength of Remus's testimony. Twenty four of his
former associates were found guilty, and Remus added all ti
twenty four of them to his running list of people
who wished him dead. After John Rodgers's series of stories
on Remis for the Saint Louis Post Dispatch was published,
he kept Remus in his life. He now considered the
bootlegger a friend and worried about his turbulent moods and
(20:21):
violent brainstorms, and Remus is despair over being trapped in
what he called a life of hell. He traveled to
see Remus in Cincinnati or accompanied him on the road,
but once Remus got lost in one of his rages,
there was little Rogers could do to rescue him. The
mere sound of the word Dodge seemed to wound him.
(20:43):
Remas talked incessantly about the torment he had suffered at
the hands of Dodge and imaging.
Speaker 2 (20:48):
She would visit me at Atlanta Penitentiary and then go
to the Robert Fulton Hotel and have wild drinking parties
with that pimp.
Speaker 5 (20:56):
They tried to have me killed and.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
They're still at it. Good God, is there any justice
in the world anywhere that these people are allowed to
persecute me as they do.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
And that was the most coherent version of Remus's daily ramblings.
Remus had begun to speak in broken sentences, words cut short, syllables, dropped,
leaping from one thought to the next, with no connection
between the two. Rogers would wait it out, sometimes for
hours on end, and eventually Remus would write himself. He
(21:26):
would sit down across from Rogers, dazed and exhausted, a
stranger to that wild lunatic, speaking in the third person,
in the most genteel voice. The bootlegger would apologize. Finally,
Rogers and George Connors made a pact. Unless absolutely necessary,
no one was to mention Imagens in Dodger's names in
(21:47):
the same sentence. Remus's mental condition kept declining, even though
he had beaten the Jack Daniels wrap. It didn't help
that he still had one prison sentence looming, a one
year bid in Ohio for maintaining a nuisance at Death Valley,
his boot legging headquarters outside Cincinnati. As his lawyers filed appeals,
(22:09):
Remus continued to search for his missing assets. In the
spring of nineteen twenty six, he sued Imagine and Dodge
in federal court in Cleveland, charging that they had stolen
at least seven hundred thousand dollars of his personal property,
most of it in whiskey certificates. Remus tried to recover
the whisky certificates, but was served with a restraining order
(22:30):
on behalf of the businessmen who bought them from Dodge.
Remus shared this latest misfortune with Rogers, and when the
journalist next traveled to Cincinnati, he expected to find his
friend on the verge of another brainstorm. Instead, Remus invited
him for breakfast at the mansion and a walk through
the garden. He seemed in exceptionally good spirits, and Rogers
(22:51):
asked what had prompted this mood.
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Emma Jane isn't out ann I am in touch with her.
Where is she at the Almums Hotel?
Speaker 1 (23:00):
They kept walking until mid morning, when Remus asked if
Rogers might like to take a ride. Remus's lawyer had
suggested he meet with Immageen in the hope of reaching
a cash settlement, a preemptive move to prevent her from
selling more of his property. He hadn't seen imagen in
many months, and a part of him couldn't help feeling excited.
He'd even bought Imageen a box of candy for the occasion.
(23:24):
Rogers agreed, and within minutes, as chauffeur was driving them
to the alms. A special entrance through the hotel garage
allowed them to avoid the lobby, and they took the
elevator directly to Imagine's suite of rooms. Immajean's mother opened
the door and ushered them in. Imajeane's daughter, Ruth, and
her boyfriend huddled together on a couch. Remas drew a
(23:46):
few bills from his wallet and pressed them into Rue's hand.
Speaker 2 (23:49):
Here go and get mother some flowers.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
Ruth left, taking her boyfriend with her. After a moment,
Imageen emerged from an adjoining bedroom, smiling. She greeted Rogers
and then turned to Remus, grabbing the lapels of his coat.
Speaker 6 (24:04):
Daddy, I am so glad you are here and that
you've brought mister Rogers.
Speaker 1 (24:10):
She leaned in for a kiss, but at the last
second Remus turned his head away, letting her graze his cheek.
No one mentioned dodge, and Rema seemed calm and collected.
He and Imageing sat at a table, a stack of
papers fanned out in front of him. They spent the
morning that way, just two people working together to settle
their differences. When they broke for lunch, white glove servers
(24:32):
lowered silver platters heavy with salmon, moose and baked ham.
Rogers turned to imaging.
Speaker 5 (24:38):
I'm glad to see Remus in a good frame of mind.
I hope there will be no one toward incident to
disrupt the friendly feeling. There has been so much trouble,
and it would be good for all concerned to have
a friendly settlement.
Speaker 6 (24:50):
Everything would be all right if it wasn't for daddy.
Speaker 2 (24:53):
What is the matter with me?
Speaker 9 (24:54):
What have I done?
Speaker 2 (24:55):
Mention one incident where I've been mean.
Speaker 4 (24:58):
Or cruel to you?
Speaker 6 (24:59):
Well, I could mention one, all right, now tell it?
Speaker 1 (25:05):
Lowered her head. She began talking, but her words were
barely audible, and then she stopped herself. Remus decided to
finish her unspoken thought.
Speaker 2 (25:14):
Do you mean about Romola?
Speaker 1 (25:16):
He knew Imagjean would understand the reference they had fought
in the past about his generosity toward his own daughter.
Imajean sat stonefaced, Yes, that is it.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Well, Romola is my daughter, and I have a right
to be kind to her. You certainly don't object to
my being kind to Romola, Well, that is it is that?
Speaker 4 (25:40):
All?
Speaker 2 (25:41):
Is that the only incident in your life in connection
with me that has caused you trouble.
Speaker 6 (25:46):
That's enough, isn't it.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
Rogers got up from the dining table and wandered across
the suite to a sitting area. Imajeen's mother followed him.
The genteel old lady spoke in a whisper so that
only the journalist could hear.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
Mister Rogers, mister Wemis has made a lot of outrageous
chargers against my daughter, and I understand you have some
influence with him.
Speaker 9 (26:12):
Do you think you could prevail upon him to retract them?
Speaker 1 (26:16):
If you could do it, we would greatly appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (26:20):
I will do all I can to reconcile the differences.
Speaker 1 (26:23):
Imaging then entered the sitting area. She perched on the
sofa next to Rogers chair and leaned in close.
Speaker 6 (26:29):
I am awfully glad, mister Rogers, that Daddy brought you along.
I understand he listens to you, and you may be
able to do some good for him and for us.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
I think a disinterested person could help you both. But
you're in bad company from what I've learned. As long
as you have any connection to Franklin Dodge, that will
tend to keep matters in an unsettled and upset state.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
Imagine sat quietly and didn't reply. Rogers decided he had
to speak all of his mind lest he later regret
holding back.
Speaker 5 (27:00):
I fear the whole thing will end in a tragedy
unless you do something to put an into the situation.
Speaker 1 (27:06):
Imaging seemed genuinely startled.
Speaker 6 (27:09):
What do you mean by that?
Speaker 5 (27:11):
I'm afraid that you will get hurt, and I hate
to think what would happen if Remus ever met you
and Dodge together.
Speaker 1 (27:17):
She sat back and appeared to relax.
Speaker 6 (27:20):
Oh, you think you know Daddy, but you don't know
him as well as I do. Daddy wouldn't hurt me.
Thatddy's good to me. But please don't let him hurt
mister Dodge. Please.
Speaker 1 (27:33):
At that Remus appeared in the doorway. Roger spoke directly
to him.
Speaker 5 (27:38):
I was just telling Missus Remus that I believe that
a disinterested person, one who doesn't have designs on your money,
could do more to conciliate the situation than someone of
whom either side is suspicious.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
Precisely, that is the point I am trying to get
to her.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Imaging didn't acknowledge Remas's comment, and Remus left the negotiations
that day with nothing settled, least of all his mind.
The next week, Riemus invited his accountant and George Connors
to the mansion, hoping to draw up a reasonable offer
to present to Imaging. During a pause in the conversation
(28:13):
that they heard the front door open, then a pair
of heels crossing the wood floor. They glanced up to
see Imaging, looking aggrieved.
Speaker 6 (28:21):
What are you people doing here? This is my home.
I have a right to be here.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Of course you have. No one asked you to leave,
and if you want to stay here, I will go
to a hotel.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
Connor's felt compelled to explain further.
Speaker 3 (28:35):
Look, Imaging, we're here to try to arrange some kind
of settlement.
Speaker 1 (28:39):
Connor saw Imaging reach into her purse. When she pulled
out her hand, it was curled around a pearl handled revolver.
Speaker 6 (28:48):
I will settle this myself.
Speaker 2 (29:01):
On this date, November twenty fourth, nineteen twenty seven, this
session the Criminal Division of Common Police Court in Hamilton
County will come to order.
Speaker 4 (29:10):
I call Julia F. Brown to the stand. You are
the mother of Imma gen Remus. Yes, sir, did missus
Remus tell you at any time that she was getting
ready to kill her husband?
Speaker 7 (29:29):
Oh?
Speaker 1 (29:31):
Handler, Next time on remis The Mad Bootleg King.
Speaker 6 (29:40):
I feel very better toward Daddy, I mean my husband.
I just wish someone would beat his brains out.
Speaker 2 (29:48):
They will never take me if I see them first, Catch.
Speaker 9 (29:53):
That car.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
Remus The Mad Bootleg King is a co production of
iHeart Podcasts and School of Humans. It's hosted by me
Abbot Kaylor, Chuck Reese and I wrote the show. Our
producer is Miranda Hawkins. Our senior producer is Jessica Metzker.
Executive producers are Virginia Prescott, Brandon barr Els Crowley, and
Jason English. Sound design and mixed by Chris Childs. Elise
(30:20):
McCoy composed original music. Additional scoring by Chris Childs. Voices
in this episode provided by Ben Bolan, Lauren Vogelbaum, Dylan Fagan,
Miel Brown, Matt Frederick, James Morrison, Jonathan Sleep, Jewel, Ruiz
Jay Jones, Louke Carloso, Van Gunter Fleet, Cooper, Jeremy Fall,
(30:40):
Nicole Britton. Special thanks to John Higgins from Curiosity stream
and the team at c DM Studios in New York.
If you're a fan of the podcast, please give it
a review in your podcast app. You can also check
out other Curiosity podcasts to learn about history, pop culture,
true crime, and more.
Speaker 2 (31:02):
School of Humans
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