September 26, 2025 • 51 mins
Join us this week as we tackle some sketchy history.
Angie starts us with the story of (not quite a founding mother) Eliza Bowen Jumel. She’s born in a brothel, and eventually becomes the wealthiest woman in America. This fascinating woman ends up marrying Aaron Burr later in life and divorces him, using Alexander Hamilton Jr. as her lawyer.
Theresa takes us to Japan in the 1100s and regales us with the story of Saitō Musashibō Benkei. This legendary samurai grows up in a series of monasteries, goes rogue, and in his quest to win 1000 swords in battle, becomes the loyal retainer of Yoshitsune. While defending Yoshitsune, Benkei would defeat 300 swordsmen and die standing (and riddled with arrows).
This story pairs well with:
Nell Gwyn - actress and court mistress
Miyamoto Musashi
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:12):
Hi and welcome to the Unhinged History Podcast,the podcast where two compulsive friends don't
know how microphones work and will at the verybeginning of the podcast after they've been
talking for 20 minutes realize that that's thetime for a sound check. I'm host one, I'm Teresa and
that's host two. I'm Angie. For the record, Iwasn't the one this time. This time. This time.
(00:38):
This time. I've been the one plenty of times. OrI've been the one that after we stopped recording
realized that button wasn't pushed. It was abutton that needed to get pushed and it was not
pushed or it was pushed in the moving of these arethings. So my story today is about Eliza Jamel,
(01:01):
Elizabeth Bowen. My sources are New York CityHistory.org, the life of Eliza Jamel, a great
article on Small State Big History.com by PatrickT. Conley. Eliza Jamel's rags to riches story
online review of Rhode Island history. Theincredible story of Eliza Jamel once America's
(01:24):
richest woman now a ghost in Washington HeightsHeights. That's a goth miss article from August
2014. Okay, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna give you adisclaimer at the beginning of the story because
I've told a lot of stories where like I get to a pointof the story and I'm like the information right
here is a little bit sus. We're not so sure aboutwhat happened in this five year time span, right?
(01:46):
Okay. Eliza's entire life story is questionable.From beginning to end, she did things. She very
much existed, but it to me from everything I'veread, it seems like she was either A, constantly
reinventing herself or B, nobody ever really hadthe full story to begin with and they're just sort
(02:10):
of piecing it together based on what they knewafter the fact. So there are some areas where it's
like it could be this or it could be this. There aresome areas where the dates might be different, but
as a whole her story is remarkable no matter whatyou choose to believe. Like, so I'm just gonna get
right into it. It is April 7th, 1775. ElizabethBetsy Bowen is born in Providence to, she's born in
(02:38):
a brothel to a woman called Phoebe Kelly. Possiblyher last name was Bowen, but it's a little unclear.
There's a belief that her father was a man calledJohn Bowen. He was a sailor and that mom and dad were
married for a time, but it's a little bit shaky onthat. Now, this is what I think is really
interesting. It's 1775. Her mother clearly worksin the brothel. She grew up in the brothel. The
(03:03):
brothel is owned by a free black woman, which Ithought was really interesting. However,
according to New York history, the town folk wherethis brothel is and where this little girl is born,
they're sort of outraged about it being there. Thebrothel itself is called the Old Gow, and I think
(03:24):
that's super fun. I like that. I want to name itestablishment, the Old Gow. Right. They spell it
G-A-O-L. I'm obviously, this is 1775. Spelling isdifferent, but I'm assuming it's pronounced Gow,
like the Old Gow. Interesting. Okay. Right? Okay.The local townsfolk, the good people of
(03:49):
Providence, they're not real happy. A mob formsand they literally tear the brothel down by hand
while the ladies are still inside. They'rebasically kicked out of Providence, and they're
sort of left living in this brothel on the side ofthe road, and to make do, they're selling herbs and
greens that they gather, they at this point beingher mom. She has at least one sibling, possibly
(04:16):
more. One source says around this time her fatherdies at sea, probably a drowning, by the time she's
roughly 11. Now, by 1794, she is of the age to be inthe business, if you know what I mean. Gotcha. And
supposedly gives birth to a son she calls GeorgeWashington Bullen. Some suggest he bears quite
(04:44):
the resemblance to Mr. Washington himself.Shocking. Surprise, surprise. Unclear. It
sounds like around this time, I don't know how oldthe child was, but she basically leaves him the
care of a foster family. There's a little bit ofconflict. Small state-based histories suggest
(05:08):
that she and her sisters, when her mother, whenthey were kicked out of the brothel, were sent to
work in the workhouse that was directed by thisoverseer of the poor, which is not a job that I want,
like a job title I want to have. No. And then she waseventually indentured to a family of a sea captain
called Samuel Ellen, but not a single source that Ilooked at could corroborate either story. Either
(05:34):
she went to the workhouse or she didn't, but nosources 100%. In 1798, a pandemic of yellow fever
comes through Providence in the nearby area andher mother dies. Regardless of what her childhood
was, it's rough no matter what, right? Now,sometime between 1792 and, excuse me, 1792 and
(06:02):
1803, probably closer to 1803, she shows up in NewYork City. She's taken on the name of Eliza Brown.
Where she was once illiterate, she can now read andwrite and speaks both English and French
fluently. And this is the same girl, and we'resure? Mm-hmm. Okay. Now, one of the beliefs is that
(06:25):
she was rumored to be the wife or mistress of a oneJacques de la Croix, who was a French sea captain.
And that, to me, kind of explains how she learns notonly to read or write, but also learns French. But
nobody's 100% for sure. Like, she went missing fora few years and then shows up in New York a very
(06:46):
different, differently educated lady outside ofBrockville Education, which is a sentence I never
thought I'd say. Here we are. I mean, it's proofthat there's room for the trades. That's true. So
it's like in 1803, she's in her 20s, and she takes ago at running a boarding house and does a little bit
(07:09):
on stage as what we would consider an extra. But itwouldn't be long before she is noted as
Manhattan's greatest beauty. Oh. She keeps herkind of previous life very secret and tells
everyone this rather romantic story that she wasborn at sea. Her father was a French naval officer
and her mother was an English aristocrat. Herfamily name was Capet, and they were traveling
(07:33):
from the West Indies. And she's a reincarnatedJoan of Arc and Aunt and Aunt. Right. Right. It was
giving Matahari to me at first. Very much so, yeah.Right. Meanwhile, she meets this wealthy
merchant, a man called Stephen Jamelle. He issupposedly a French Dominican who was able to
(07:59):
escape the slave rebellion in Sandomingue thatwe've talked about before. Yep. He was actually
the first Dominican to live in WashingtonHeights. Okay. She marries him April 1804. Now,
previous to their actual marriage, there had beentalk they were living in sin and that she basically
(08:19):
tricked him into marrying her. She basicallyfeigns an illness and tells him that her dying wish
would be to be his bride. And when it's all said anddone, she is miraculously healed and hops out of
bed. Or it could just be they live together and thenshe got sick and he said, you know, we should
(08:41):
probably do this officially. It's possible. Noone really knows for sure exactly because
obviously rumor is funner than truth in this one,right? Fair. One source says he is 10 years her
senior. Another source says he is 25 years hersenior. Either way, he is a chunk of time older than
(09:02):
her. Now, he makes his fortune by smuggling finewine and such through Jefferson's embargo. And I
was like, that's interesting. Good for him.Honestly, I also need to look up Jefferson's
embargo. So she's married up for sure, right?Didn't we discover that because Jefferson? Never
(09:30):
mind. No, I'm going to make a fool of myself. I'mgoing to keep my mouth shut for once. Carry on. Well
done, I guess. But live your truth. So she, youknow, she, for the lack of better words, she
marries up, right? Because she is now not living ina hovel on the side of the road. But she is never
really accepted by other society leaders,ladies. By 1810, the couple start looking for a
(09:55):
country home. So they purchased the old MorrisHouse on Harlem Heights. This house is pretty
cool. It's built by a royalist called RogerMorris. The Morris is fleeing New York at the dawn
of the war, obviously, because they'reroyalists. Right. During the war, it was the
quarters of Washington and served as like a sort ofcommand post for his troops. There was a minute
(10:16):
where it served as an inn. And then in the earlyyears of America, it was home to founding father
gatherings. It's still standing today, by theway. Now, what's really cool is that when Eliza and
her husband purchased the home, they recognizedthe historical importance of the home, even at
that time. And they restore it back to the way itlooked when it was Washington's headquarters.
(10:40):
Today, it sits in Upper Manhattan and serves as amuseum called the Morris Jamil Mansion. Which I
think is pretty interesting. So, I haven't beenthere, but the internet tells me there's a lot of
captions around the house that tell of Eliza'sinfluence on the house. I mean, she lives there for
like 55 years. So, she's going to have her stamp onit, right? In 1815, they traveled to Bordeaux,
(11:07):
France. And as they're entering the harborthrough the British blockade, right, because as
we've said before, history doesn't happen in avacuum. They find them uniquely qualified to
offer Napoleon Bonaparte a ride back to Americawith them after he's defeated at Waterloo. This
sounds like the very storied life of ClaireFrazier, who seems to have met everybody alive of
(11:32):
note during her fictional narrative. Dude, justwait. So, Napoleon, he's like, um, no, thank you,
but I appreciate the offer. Now, for whateverreason, this gives Eliza the upper hand and some
social circles and kind of the acceptance thatshe's been looking for, because I guess it's cool
(11:54):
to be a sympathizer of Napoleon. Sometimes inFrance, it puts her on somewhat shaky ground. One
source said that the social circles in France werefar more inclined to accept her, which kind of
feels right when you think about her life and youthink about France in general, but others, not so
much. So, I guess it just depends on which socialcircle you're trying to be in that day. It's
(12:18):
politics at best. Right. Now, if I've learnedanything about this woman, that she has had quite
the story one way or the other, and nobody reallyknows the whole truth, like I said in the
beginning. But in 1806, she was asked to leaveFrance by then, King Louis the 18th. And she is
(12:40):
taken to her ship by Royal Guard. When I say asked toleave, she was thrown out. Yeah, typically if a
king says, I think it's time you should go. It'snot. You've overstate, you know? So, basically,
they said it had something to do with herflamboyant lifestyle, which seems very French,
(13:00):
so I don't think they minded that, her opinions,and then another source adds that it was actually
Eliza riding around in a carriage studded withNapoleonic emblems in front of the toleries while
shouting abuses at the French king that really didit in. Yeah, I think that would seal the fate. I'm
actually surprised she got to keep her headattached to her shoulders. Hey, new monarchy, you
(13:24):
know? We are trying to be better. So, she comeshome. But her husband stays in France, because
apparently the marriage isn't going great. But,and I'm not sure how exactly this plays out. I know
that she's an astute businesswoman. She getspower of attorney, and she is able to act as femme
(13:48):
solo, which is basically an independentunmarried woman who has all the function and
access to their fortune without the involvementof men. Femme solo feels like an old-timey comic
book heroine. Doesn't it? Yeah. So, she uses thisgreatly to her advantage and triples the family's
(14:15):
fortune while she is in America by herself. She isbrilliant at what she does, and she obviously
knows the laws and how they work. She is eventuallyable and invited back to France after some time.
But just a little aside, they adopt a girl calledMary who is believed to be Eliza's sister's baby.
(14:35):
And I don't know much about her, but I think sheactually stays with old papa in France. I'm
unclear as far as that relationship goes. Buteventually, her husband finally comes back to
America. It's like 1827, 1828, and he finds outthat Eliza is a badass businesswoman and totally
(14:56):
shores up their wealth. So much so that she is therichest woman in America. Okay, this is great for
him because he's pretty much destitute now andrelies solely on her kindness. Because remember,
she has figured out how to work the law to herbenefit. He can't really touch the money anymore.
So, he is just hoping for her help. He issignificantly older than her. He is health has
(15:23):
declined. He is quite destitute. And so, he is sortof just living on her mercy. Like six years go by
like this, and in 1832, in a freak accident, hefalls off the hay wagon right onto a pitchfork. Oh,
no, thank you. Right? He's found dead the nextmorning of blood loss. So, I mean... No, wait,
(15:46):
okay, no. Okay, so there's two scenarios for this.One, legitimate horrific accident, or he fell on
my pitchfork ten times. Either way, I get theimagining, the visual, if you will, that no one is
(16:08):
tending to his rooms during the night. And she isimplicated as being complacent in the murder or
death. Oh, no, whatever shall I do? Maybe I shouldgo to dinner. Shucks. No, you don't need to stay
with him. You've got to order for me. Let's go.That's sort of the visual I got, because it wasn't
(16:29):
that he died falling on the pitchfork ten times,his cause of death is blood loss. So, it's like, oh,
nobody put a bandaid on that. So, after he dies,Eliza is now the widow everyone wishes they can
get. She is then courted by none other than thenotorious Aaron Burr, you know, former US Vice
(16:52):
President who killed Hamilton in that 1804 duel.Yeah. Aaron Burr, sir. Featured in the Got Milk
commercial years later. Aaron Burr. That's true.Yes, he was featured in the Got Milk commercial. Do
you know who actually directed that? I did, but Ijust recently learned about it. My full bag.
Freaking brilliant. Like, Transformersdirector Michael Bay. Sorry, carry on. That's
(17:18):
correct. I knew it was a big one, like I said, but Ican't remember who it was. So, Eliza, for her part,
she says this as a way to sort of preserve her socialstanding because even at 58 years old and being the
richest woman in America, that still matters toher. I, for one, wouldn't care. I have money. I
don't need your problems. Right? Right. Butanyway, she marries Burr on July 1, 1833, just like
(17:46):
less than 14 months after her former husband'sdeath. And this is very much a marriage of mutual
convenience, which was terminated on July 8 of1836 on the basis of Burr's alleged adultery in
(18:06):
some divorce proceedings. But by acting quicklyand boldly, Eliza preserves her fortune. So, when
I say their marriage is a marriage of mutualconvenience, this is because by this point, Burr
is sort of living off of his friends and having aheck of a time bouncing back from things like
conspiracy accusations and exiles. And he's alsoold. So, he needs access to her money and she wants
(18:35):
access to his social circles. Like I said, themarriage really only lasts like a year before they
start to enter divorce proceedings. And he, theentire year they're together, is constantly
frustrated by his inability to gain all the accessto her funds. But what same funds he is able to
access, he squanders, like, immediately. NewYork City History puts it like this. Burr
(19:01):
squandered money with an alarming rapidity.Eliza files her divorce in 1834 utilizing the
suspicion of adultery as cause, an action thatprompted one historian to marvel. Nothing more
vividly revealed her business ability than theefficiency with which she got rid of Burr. Wow! The
(19:21):
divorce was granted on September 14 in 1836, theday of Burr's death. Her divorce attorney was none
other than Alexander Hamilton Jr. Oh, yes! Lovethat. All I can imagine is Alexander Hamilton Jr.
(19:45):
walking up to the door to serve his paper. AaronBurr, sir? And Aaron Burr dealing with the fact
that he will never escape Hamilton. Ever. Ever inhis life. Now our girl, she lives until 1865, dying
at 90. She is an eccentric old rich lady surroundedby myth and legend. In 1921, the daughters of the
(20:11):
American Revolution, they hold an auction. Theirhope is to get rid of the oldest house, like, to get
rid of in the oldest house in Manhattan. Any traceof Eliza wants the richest woman in America
because in their eyes, she is not any the idealimage of a chaste colonial woman. I, you know,
(20:32):
okay, so I get that Dar has done many things, givenmany a scholarship to young women who descend from
early stock. And you hear things like this, you go,damn it, why do you have to be a mixed bag? Exactly,
(20:57):
because, you know, there are stories of her being,quote, a kept woman in a Providence brothel,
abandoning an illegitimate child. She was alsosaid to be Benedict Arnold's wife's best friend.
I'm not sure about that one. Saining death to trickher husband into marrying her and being kicked out
of France by Louis himself. Basically, thedaughters of the American Revolution tried to
(21:20):
erase her 55 years in the mansion in WashingtonHeights by renaming it Washington Head's
quarters. They go on to have, like, a yard sale forlack of a better word and bundles of Jamel's
personal letters, quote, documents which weresaid to contain stories about her life in the
company of Napoleon Bonaparte, Benedict Arnold,Thomas Jefferson, and Aaron Burr were sold on the
(21:46):
front lawn for pennies. And that is why I will neverbe joining the daughters of the American
Revolution. I have five grandfathers who foughtin the war on the winning side, on, you know, the
American side. And I've never finished thepaperwork because I'm just like, I can't...
(22:07):
Everybody has a story past. Like, nobody wasperfect. It makes me crazy. But I learned this
whole story because I wanted to tell you thatHamilton's son was Burr's divorce lawyer. Or was
Burr's wife's divorce lawyer. Yeah, that makesmore sense. Yeah. So at the end of the day, Hamilton
(22:30):
got the last word anyways. Ugh. Wow. Okay, if I hadknown that, I didn't know all of that. Parts of it,
you know, rung bells, but I did my best to keep mymouth shut. Thank you. Thank you so much because I
just really needed that lead to be... Completelyin there. Yeah. But when I started to like learn her
(22:58):
life story, I was like, oh, I want to tell the storyof their divorce so bad. But then I learned her life
story and I'm like, holy crap. That's a story.Yeah, she's got some lore going back there. Oh, I
have pictures. I forgot about the pictures. Letme, let me show you the pictures. Okay, so to come on
(23:20):
the right screen. This is a picture of the house in1904. All right, so it is a two full story. There's
technically probably a third story with, youknow, like an attic. You see a little window over
the front porch. Very colonial columns, multiplechimneys. Mm-hmm. Multiple windows. So that's
(23:45):
the house. And this is what she looked like. Okay,so we see a middle aged woman with gobs of lace that
are used to probably secure a headdress of somesort. She's a very frilly collar that goes down
into a V-neck. Mm-hmm. It's interesting the colorscheme to the black, darker gown to the white lace
(24:12):
with the red, what looks like red flowers. Youdon't fully understand what's going on there, but
it's a look. I mean, I'm sure it was all the rage atthe time. She, you know... It had to be. Yeah, so
that's, that's why it's a bow and jammal. Wow.Okay. Yeah. I've been sitting on that story for a
(24:35):
whole week not telling you and it's just killingme. Well, in your defense, you decided to call off
the time you would normally record. So you had tosit on it longer than normal. I did. I'm sorry. You
are not. Anyhow, I'm sorry. You would be sorry thatI had to call off. I had to. I had to get on the teeth.
Yeah, I'm ready to hear your story. All right. Irecently shared on TikTok the story of, that we've
(25:03):
covered previously, of the Saper Saint. And it gotsome love. And then that ended up getting a bunch of
people, or not a bunch of people, a person to give mean idea. I got many ideas from that post, but
someone said, oh my gosh, you need to cover. Andthey gave like this really bizarre thing. I was
(25:24):
like, okay, give me the name. Who are we going for?Like, what's this person's specific name? And
they said, Saito Musashi, that Saito Musashi-BouBenki. And that was by Neil at TikTok. Now, until I
was like, okay, I can do this. I can look this up. Mysources, Artilino, they have an article, Benki
(25:47):
Musashi-Bow legend and Japanese wood brockprints, the Katana store, which I ended up using
when it came to Monman the Saber Saint. This is theKatana store that has been used before. It has
been, because I guess if you're going to cover anykind of Katana, you need to cover a sword-willing
(26:09):
samurai. I'm going to be fair, I've used an Englishhat maker as a form. That's true. More than once. So
their article is, Who is Saito Musashi-Bow Benki?And then two podcasts, History Profiles, the
strongest samurai ever, Minato no Yoshitsune andSaito Musashi-Bow Benki. And then Stories of
(26:38):
Samua, Episode 3, Benki and Yoshitsune. Okay, soour man, Benki Musashi-Bow is really, it's
shrouded in lore, to say the least. From start tofinish, there is a lot of, I'm sorry, what now? And
maybe, and this? Yeah. So we have a lot of,possibly, some sources claim his mother is the
(27:05):
daughter of a blacksmith, which feels doable.Others suggest his father is the head priest of a
temple shrine. Those seem logical. Anotherversion said he's the child of a Shinto temple
deity. Zeus, is that you? I, you know, according tothese tales, Benki's born in 1155, so gosh, time is
(27:37):
probably why we have a bunch of these issues with,you know, recorded history. And it, reportedly,
this was an unusually long 19 month pregnancy. Sodefinitely the temple deity. And he comes into the
world with the appearance of a giant child withuntamed hair and long teeth, which is a whole vibe.
(28:03):
I'm sorry, this is actually the epic of Gilgamesh.Beth and Ketu. Well, now you understand there's
going to be a lot of overlap between variouscultures. But I'm thinking if your kid came out
with long hair and teeth, it would be easy toascribe a longer pregnancy or whatnot. You know,
(28:25):
if you, if you see somebody give birth to apreschooler, you're going to do. Hey, I'm just
thinking about how you missed going through theteething process. I'm assuming it chewed its way
out if it comes out with teeth. Okay. So, thank youstory is going to be this fantastical mix of
(28:49):
historical fact with some folklore to reallycolor it. Okay. This makes him one of the most
well-known figures in Japanese history andliterature. Okay, I love this. Now, if thank you,
father was the holy man, it's likely it could havebeen listened to all of the wiggle words sprinkled
(29:13):
in here. Kumano, Kato, Kumano, Beto, Tanzo. Andhe's horrified by his son's appearance and he
attacks him believing this to be the child of ademon or an ogre. That's unfortunate. But again,
if you give birth to something 30 pounds covered inteeth and hair, I too would have questions and
(29:40):
strong feelings. But parenthood affects us alldifferently. Yeah, I mean, like I gave birth to a
Viking, but at least he didn't have teeth at thetime. He has teeth now. He does have teeth now. Now
from an early age, Benki stood out for hisexceptional size and extraordinary strength.
(30:05):
Clearly. But I mean, this you expect to say a child,not a baby, not an infant, not a newborn. As a child,
he's known for being large and physicallypowerful and he's really wild and unruly and this
is going to be a thing we see throughout. Okay. Thisearly behavior eventually led him to enter the
(30:29):
life of a Buddhist monk in various temples becausethey are just trying to get a handle on man. I like
him. So he ends up this whole mischievous andunruly nature earns in the name Oniwaka, which
means devil's child or young devil. Also fun. Imean, we all have nicknames. Yeah, he earned a cool
(30:54):
one at least. Now he's got foster parents becauseapparently parents bounced when they saw their
baby preteen come out, you know, and need to key tothe car. And the foster parents, they're having
trouble controlling him. So again, he's in thecloister and the monks also do a really shoddy job
(31:17):
in disciplining him. So he ends up transferring toseveral monasteries. I feel like this is kind of
like the Tallulah bank head of her going fromschool to school to school. Okay. But this is more
of a like monk sort of deal with a very differentbackstory anyhow. And Tallulah was adorable.
(31:44):
This man is given no such quarter. Now, this ends upsetting the stage for him to enter as a warrior monk
because these monks weren't just chanting andsitting still. They were doing something
physical at their time. By age 17, Benki said tostand at over two meters or six and a half feet tall.
(32:06):
Okay. Now, let's remember the Japanese are notknown to be blessed in skill or in height. Facts.
Okay. Okay. Now, because of his height is known tohave near superhuman strength. Because they do.
(32:27):
Tall kids are strong. I mean, they just got moreroom for muscle mass. They do and they have to. They
have to be able to hold that giant head. Yep. Now, inattempts to calm our boys wild and rebellious
nature, Benki sent to Mount Kieh to join thereligious life as a ten die Buddhist monk at the
(32:49):
famed in Rakuchi temple. Now, although he tookthis to the religious lifestyle, his wild
behavior eventually catches up with them andleads to his expulsion from the temple, basically
as per usual. You got a skill set, you know. I mean,look, he loves praying, chanting, waving swords
(33:14):
and drinking it up, causing a ruckus, tellingpeople to f off. Who knows? Um, he's unfazed by this
most recent expulsion and he just set out into theworld. He's continuing his religious journey
while adopting the name cycle. Sashi. Benki. So hekeeps Benki. And he traveled and he became what
(33:39):
they called a Yamabushi or a wandering holy man whokind of just goes through the mountains. He leads
us rather austere lifestyle and he's trying toachieve enlightenment. That's really the whole
goal, right? So now you're telling me the tale ofthe monkey king. Do you know how many stories I have
picked out of this? You're welcome. There's gonnabe a quiz for everybody playing at home. Now,
(34:03):
despite his attempts to fulfill his role as a holyman, he's like me often engaged in chaotic
actions. And everybody, that's her skill set.Look, I'm good at eating pie and raising hell and
I'm out of pie. I just realized no one can see theface I just made. That's true. But you just, it was a
(34:27):
face of agreement. Now, at one point, thesechaotic actions of his cause a temple to burn down,
which I've never burned anything down onaccident. Have you burned anything down on
purpose? No, no, no. No. My senior year chemistryteacher might explain others otherwise, but that
(34:54):
was not me with the fire. That was my friend,Houston. She her fault. But you were involved. I
was nearby. There is a crowbar separation. I wasnot involved. Anyhow, the Yama Bushi, they're
(35:14):
known for their martial training, religiousrituals, and at times involvement in banditry
because religious rituals, banditry go hand inhand. Of course they do. It depends on the
religion, I suppose. Now, listen, the Padre wasstealing all the booze in Sicily. You know what?
(35:36):
You're right. Okay. Okay. So basically, justbecause you follow a religious way doesn't keep
you can, you can figure out something to ask forforgiveness for later. Yeah. Okay. So this is
during the medieval period where Buddhistmonasteries in Japan wielded a surprisingly
(35:56):
considerable military and political influence.And this happens until our man, Oda Nobunaga,
destroyed several temple fortresses, mostnotably during the 1571 siege of Mount Hiei, which
we did cover a little bit of Oda Nobunaga episodeone or two. One of those, it's an early one. When I
(36:21):
did Yasuke. He's been mentioned several timesbefore. Yeah. I feel like I touch on Oda Nobunaga
quite a bit just because he unified the country.Kind of a thing. Yeah. It would basically, it's
like talking about France and not mentioningNapoleon. Like there's going to be echoes. Now,
(36:45):
time passes for our man, Benki. This is decadesbefore Oda Nobunaga or centuries before Oda
Nobunaga. And he's becoming prettydisillusioned with the monastic life. His
rebellious spirit and honestly dissatisfactionwith the constraints of temple life causes him to
leave the religious path entirely. And so he justbecomes this Ronan monk or warrior monk and he just
(37:14):
eventually drops all of that and turns to a life ofcombat and adventure. I like him. I mean, he's
just, he's just a rogue. He's just a lovable rogue.I assume he washes. I don't have any indication
that he doesn't wash. So I would assume yes, our boybabes and smells better than Yamamoto did. No.
(37:46):
Because I wasn't going to go with this roguelifestyle. He doesn't find a bath every now and
then. I mean, I'm enough that it's not a point ofcontention. By the time Ben Kei returned to Kyoto,
he'd grown into a monstrous man, which feels like astatement that he was a monstrous baby, a
monstrous child, but now we've hit monstrous man.So he is seven feet tall. Well, still probably six,
(38:12):
five. But again, when the average person is twofoot three, I'm joking about that. But I mean,
noticeably shorter. He's still wearing thetraditional religious garb, but our boy is
carrying a full on arsenal of weapons on his back.He's got the Noginata. He's wielding a Tetsupo,
(38:34):
which is an axe, and he's got this bizarreassortment of tools like a mallet, a sickle, a rake
and a saw. Because you might need to do. He's ahandyman. OK. Well, but these again, let me think
about it, like a lot of these are farm implements,you know, the rake, the sickle and the things like
that. And so he just look, he doesn't he's a he's aroving man. He doesn't have a shed. He is the shed.
(39:01):
Yeah, I got it. He might need that later. Exactly.So he stations himself at Kyoto's Gwyo Bridge, and
that's where he challenges every sword carryingpasserby and took their weapon upon defeating
them. Love this. So he's got kind of a chip on hisshoulder against the samurai who are in a
(39:24):
different class. OK. OK. So legend holds that heamassed a collection of nine hundred and ninety
nine swords in this way. I would be so pissed if Ididn't get a thousandth. That is the mission he is
on. He needed one more blade. Good one. OK. OK. So hewants the thousandth sword because this is a
(39:50):
symbol of his strength and dominance over thewarrior class, and he is like, I am better than
y'all. OK. And his legend grows as he keeps earningall of these swords from the samurai. He's lost
zero matches and made a mockery of all of theselesser swordsmen who have been training longer,
(40:15):
harder and have had better food their entirelives. So one night, Gwyo Bridge, he's attempted
to seize his his thousandth sword from the lonetraveler. This guy is a young man. I am Yoshitsune.
(40:38):
And Yoshitsune is average Japanese height. He'sbeen training for a while. He seems to be a fairly
good dude. But despite our guy, Banki's size andstrength, it's almost the same speed and skill.
And apparently it's been honed under the nearmythical Tengyu, which is a half human half bird
(40:58):
beat and this guy is like famed for itsswordsmanship. So he's been trained by a
creature. Good luck buddy. And he's this trainingfrom this bird man allows him to defeat the giant
monk. Oh no. Now he has to go on a quest, don't they?First off, he's a little pissed off, right? This is
(41:28):
Benke's first defeat. He's never lost before. Wealready know he's got a fiery attitude and it lends
to sometimes things burning down. Now Benke, orBenke, wants to exact revenge. He wants a second
battle. And so once again he goes, he tries again,he's defeated. The second defeat marked the end of
(41:52):
his quest for the thousand swords, but he also kindof develops this loyalty to Yoshitsune. So you
were kind of right there. I can respect that. Hebecomes our man's chief retainer and accompanies
him in military campaigns during the Gempei Wars.That's awesome. Now Yoshitsune's tactical
(42:13):
brilliance helped lead the Minai Multiclan tovictory over the Taira, which you've mentioned
before in a previous one, with Benke serving asboth bodyguard and warrior. Love this. Their
stories been told for centuries in kabuki plays,illustrated squirrels, prints. This secures
(42:38):
Benke's place in Japanese cultural history as themodel, the quintessential devoted retainer. Oh,
I love that. So Yoshitsune's trusted right handman, Benke plays this critical role in many other
victories. Now Yoshitsune's greatest triumphcomes in a naval battle of all places, or of all
(43:04):
things, at Dan-no-. I didn't write this inJapanese, so I'm trying to translate it to make
sure I pronounce it right. Dan-no-ura.Dan-no-ura. Dan-no-ura. Dan-no-ura. Okay. Good
enough for government work. And this led to hisfalling out with an older brother. Oh. So
(43:28):
Yoshitsune and Yoritomo, they kind of have afalling out. Now Yoritomo, a little pissed off at
younger brother, and so he pursues the youngerbrother as a fugitive. And Yoshitsune, he flees
them for two years with Benke's help. And thisincludes the time where they have to pass through
(43:52):
Yoritomo's controlled check points bydeception. So they've had to like wear a couple
disguises. I don't know if they shave their legs topretend to be women, but it's just their deception
involved. I'm imagining the scene in Mulan wherethe guys dress as women. That's what I'm hoping.
That's really what I'm hoping for. And I can't findanything to confirm or deny. Dang it. Now
(44:16):
Yoritomo's risen to become Shogun, and hebasically brands brother as a traitor, and said
he's guilty of treason. So I don't know ifYoshitsune actually harbored plans to overthrow
older brother Yoritomo. Either way, 1189.Yoshitsune's stripped of all his lands. He's
(44:39):
branded in outlaw, and he is forced to flee. He'sgot family, and he's supposed to take wife and
kiddo and like skidaddle. Skidaddle. Got it. Yep.So, Benke, ever loyal, he remains by Yoshitsune's
side as they attempt to evade all the capture. Nowone of the most famous stories about this period
(45:00):
involves Benke's clever deception at a bordercheckpoint where he disguised Yoshitsune and his
men as monks. He's like, I know the garb, I know howto do this, I did it for years. Wear your cloak this
way. Now to convince some of their ruse, Benke goesso far as to strike Yoshitsune with a stick. And
(45:21):
everyone knows no loyal retainer's never going totouch their lord that way. So the guards are like,
well, obviously, Benke is not going to strike hismaster, so you shall go, I guess. And I can only
imagine both sides being like, you hit me? Shutyour mouth and take it, you peasant. I'm getting
(45:42):
into the checkpoint, you idiot. Yeah. And theother time, it's like, you didn't have to hit me so
hard. I told it, I don't know why, but remember thatscene in Ocean's Eleven with Matt Damon and George
Clooney, and he's like, did you pack thebatteries? I don't know, did you pack the
batteries? It's giving that energy. Very much so.So after several years of service, Benke followed
(46:06):
his master in exile, Yori told him he was after him,and eventually they end up cornered at this place
called Takatachi Castle. And Yori Motos forces,they approach, and Benke makes a final stand.
There's a small bridge that separates the landfrom the castle, I think, Motes sort of deal, very
traditional Japanese castles. And they arevastly outnumbered. Benke, single guy on this
(46:33):
bridge, he fights with all of his extraordinarystrength and fierceness. He's holding off waves
of enemy soldiers. And thankfully he's got athousandth sword. He earns more than one sword in
this section here. Thankfully, he's got hisheight, his renowned abilities that are ahead of
(46:58):
him, and this strikes fear into all of hisopponent's hearts. So as they're shaking, as they
approach him, the battle wages on, and one reportsaid he takes out 300 soldiers on his own. Good
grief. So these men are just, I can only imaginepiles of bodies, and you're having to like walk
(47:22):
over Wayne, Brian, Billy, and Kyle to get to yourown death. Oh, no thank you. And I don't know why I
picked those names. I like them. Yeah. I'm nowgoing to imagine every Japanese movie I watch with
a guy named Wayne. So thanks for that. You'rewelcome. Now, according to legend, the battle is
(47:53):
raging on, and eventually the soldiers are like,what the hell are we doing? Let's just fire some
arrows. He's struck with countless arrows, and hestill stands, maintaining eye contact, holding
his position. He is not moving. And they're like,well, this arrow stopped firing. He's standing
(48:15):
there like, and, and so the soldiers finallymustered up a little bit of courage, and they start
to approach. And that's when they realized thatBenkei had died standing upright, still gripping
his weapon in defiance. Love that. His body justriddled with arrows, just maintained sword
(48:37):
upright, and this iconic moment becomes known asthe standing death of Benkei. And this symbolized
his ultimate loyalty and indomitable spirit. Andthis last stand gave Yoshitsune time he needed to
commit suicide or sabuku, the ritual of suicide topreserve his honor. He also had to like take care of
(49:01):
ushering wife and child to the other side as well.Now, there's alternative- I was hoping you were
saying he was giving time to get out, hop a boat. Youknow what? Get to the new world. That wasn't going
to happen. Okay. This is me telling the story. It'sgoing to, it's going to have that moment where you
go, oh, but okay. Got it. On that side, so there's,there's legend. There's a little bit of like,
(49:25):
well, but they could have escaped into obscurity.Good for them. And if that- Either way, their honor
is intact. Exactly, right? Now, if they did escapeinto obscurity and that didn't happen, we still
are left with this last stand in defense of themaster, which is absolutely chef's kiss
(49:47):
impeccable. Which I think probably likelyhappened. Now, I, given all of this, the complete
over-the-topness of everything Benkei did,there's, there's still debate on whether or not he
existed, if he's just fullness and folklore, or ifthis is like any kind of historical fact. And if he
(50:12):
did, there's stories about all of hisaccomplishments that have been passed under the
centuries, they're likely been embellished.Surprise, surprise. Maybe he didn't have an 18
month gestation, just saying. Wild. Didn't seethat coming. Right? Now, either way, apparently,
(50:36):
like the legend of Benkei continues to inspirecountless samurai and the admirers of his
supposed strength and loyalty. And that is thestory of Saitha Lusashipo Benkei. I love how
vastly different our stories were today. I don'tthink they could have been more different. Yeah,
(50:59):
they carried the tune of, could have been, mighthave been. Should have? Maybe? There's legends
involved. That was awesome. Thank you for that.And if you're liking the history of, but did they?
And you're thinking, holy crap, I really enjoyedthis. This was such a bizarre mashup. Join us next
(51:23):
week. We're going to do it again. And we don't knowwhat we're going to say. And we'll not know. I'm not
just as surprised as you. Right? Review,subscribe and send this to the person with the best 407 00:51:34,500 --> lore in your life. Oh yeah. Love that. And on that note, goodbye. Bye. Bye.
Hi and welcome to the Unhinged History Podcast,the podcast where two compulsive friends don't
know how microphones work and will at the verybeginning of the podcast after they've been
talking for 20 minutes realize that that's thetime for a sound check. I'm host one, I'm Teresa and
that's host two. I'm Angie. For the record, Iwasn't the one this time. This time. This time.
(00:38):
This time. I've been the one plenty of times. OrI've been the one that after we stopped recording
realized that button wasn't pushed. It was abutton that needed to get pushed and it was not
pushed or it was pushed in the moving of these arethings. So my story today is about Eliza Jamel,
(01:01):
Elizabeth Bowen. My sources are New York CityHistory.org, the life of Eliza Jamel, a great
article on Small State Big History.com by PatrickT. Conley. Eliza Jamel's rags to riches story
online review of Rhode Island history. Theincredible story of Eliza Jamel once America's
(01:24):
richest woman now a ghost in Washington HeightsHeights. That's a goth miss article from August
2014. Okay, so I'm gonna, I'm gonna give you adisclaimer at the beginning of the story because
I've told a lot of stories where like I get to a pointof the story and I'm like the information right
here is a little bit sus. We're not so sure aboutwhat happened in this five year time span, right?
(01:46):
Okay. Eliza's entire life story is questionable.From beginning to end, she did things. She very
much existed, but it to me from everything I'veread, it seems like she was either A, constantly
reinventing herself or B, nobody ever really hadthe full story to begin with and they're just sort
(02:10):
of piecing it together based on what they knewafter the fact. So there are some areas where it's
like it could be this or it could be this. There aresome areas where the dates might be different, but
as a whole her story is remarkable no matter whatyou choose to believe. Like, so I'm just gonna get
right into it. It is April 7th, 1775. ElizabethBetsy Bowen is born in Providence to, she's born in
(02:38):
a brothel to a woman called Phoebe Kelly. Possiblyher last name was Bowen, but it's a little unclear.
There's a belief that her father was a man calledJohn Bowen. He was a sailor and that mom and dad were
married for a time, but it's a little bit shaky onthat. Now, this is what I think is really
interesting. It's 1775. Her mother clearly worksin the brothel. She grew up in the brothel. The
(03:03):
brothel is owned by a free black woman, which Ithought was really interesting. However,
according to New York history, the town folk wherethis brothel is and where this little girl is born,
they're sort of outraged about it being there. Thebrothel itself is called the Old Gow, and I think
(03:24):
that's super fun. I like that. I want to name itestablishment, the Old Gow. Right. They spell it
G-A-O-L. I'm obviously, this is 1775. Spelling isdifferent, but I'm assuming it's pronounced Gow,
like the Old Gow. Interesting. Okay. Right? Okay.The local townsfolk, the good people of
(03:49):
Providence, they're not real happy. A mob formsand they literally tear the brothel down by hand
while the ladies are still inside. They'rebasically kicked out of Providence, and they're
sort of left living in this brothel on the side ofthe road, and to make do, they're selling herbs and
greens that they gather, they at this point beingher mom. She has at least one sibling, possibly
(04:16):
more. One source says around this time her fatherdies at sea, probably a drowning, by the time she's
roughly 11. Now, by 1794, she is of the age to be inthe business, if you know what I mean. Gotcha. And
supposedly gives birth to a son she calls GeorgeWashington Bullen. Some suggest he bears quite
(04:44):
the resemblance to Mr. Washington himself.Shocking. Surprise, surprise. Unclear. It
sounds like around this time, I don't know how oldthe child was, but she basically leaves him the
care of a foster family. There's a little bit ofconflict. Small state-based histories suggest
(05:08):
that she and her sisters, when her mother, whenthey were kicked out of the brothel, were sent to
work in the workhouse that was directed by thisoverseer of the poor, which is not a job that I want,
like a job title I want to have. No. And then she waseventually indentured to a family of a sea captain
called Samuel Ellen, but not a single source that Ilooked at could corroborate either story. Either
(05:34):
she went to the workhouse or she didn't, but nosources 100%. In 1798, a pandemic of yellow fever
comes through Providence in the nearby area andher mother dies. Regardless of what her childhood
was, it's rough no matter what, right? Now,sometime between 1792 and, excuse me, 1792 and
(06:02):
1803, probably closer to 1803, she shows up in NewYork City. She's taken on the name of Eliza Brown.
Where she was once illiterate, she can now read andwrite and speaks both English and French
fluently. And this is the same girl, and we'resure? Mm-hmm. Okay. Now, one of the beliefs is that
(06:25):
she was rumored to be the wife or mistress of a oneJacques de la Croix, who was a French sea captain.
And that, to me, kind of explains how she learns notonly to read or write, but also learns French. But
nobody's 100% for sure. Like, she went missing fora few years and then shows up in New York a very
(06:46):
different, differently educated lady outside ofBrockville Education, which is a sentence I never
thought I'd say. Here we are. I mean, it's proofthat there's room for the trades. That's true. So
it's like in 1803, she's in her 20s, and she takes ago at running a boarding house and does a little bit
(07:09):
on stage as what we would consider an extra. But itwouldn't be long before she is noted as
Manhattan's greatest beauty. Oh. She keeps herkind of previous life very secret and tells
everyone this rather romantic story that she wasborn at sea. Her father was a French naval officer
and her mother was an English aristocrat. Herfamily name was Capet, and they were traveling
(07:33):
from the West Indies. And she's a reincarnatedJoan of Arc and Aunt and Aunt. Right. Right. It was
giving Matahari to me at first. Very much so, yeah.Right. Meanwhile, she meets this wealthy
merchant, a man called Stephen Jamelle. He issupposedly a French Dominican who was able to
(07:59):
escape the slave rebellion in Sandomingue thatwe've talked about before. Yep. He was actually
the first Dominican to live in WashingtonHeights. Okay. She marries him April 1804. Now,
previous to their actual marriage, there had beentalk they were living in sin and that she basically
(08:19):
tricked him into marrying her. She basicallyfeigns an illness and tells him that her dying wish
would be to be his bride. And when it's all said anddone, she is miraculously healed and hops out of
bed. Or it could just be they live together and thenshe got sick and he said, you know, we should
(08:41):
probably do this officially. It's possible. Noone really knows for sure exactly because
obviously rumor is funner than truth in this one,right? Fair. One source says he is 10 years her
senior. Another source says he is 25 years hersenior. Either way, he is a chunk of time older than
(09:02):
her. Now, he makes his fortune by smuggling finewine and such through Jefferson's embargo. And I
was like, that's interesting. Good for him.Honestly, I also need to look up Jefferson's
embargo. So she's married up for sure, right?Didn't we discover that because Jefferson? Never
(09:30):
mind. No, I'm going to make a fool of myself. I'mgoing to keep my mouth shut for once. Carry on. Well
done, I guess. But live your truth. So she, youknow, she, for the lack of better words, she
marries up, right? Because she is now not living ina hovel on the side of the road. But she is never
really accepted by other society leaders,ladies. By 1810, the couple start looking for a
(09:55):
country home. So they purchased the old MorrisHouse on Harlem Heights. This house is pretty
cool. It's built by a royalist called RogerMorris. The Morris is fleeing New York at the dawn
of the war, obviously, because they'reroyalists. Right. During the war, it was the
quarters of Washington and served as like a sort ofcommand post for his troops. There was a minute
(10:16):
where it served as an inn. And then in the earlyyears of America, it was home to founding father
gatherings. It's still standing today, by theway. Now, what's really cool is that when Eliza and
her husband purchased the home, they recognizedthe historical importance of the home, even at
that time. And they restore it back to the way itlooked when it was Washington's headquarters.
(10:40):
Today, it sits in Upper Manhattan and serves as amuseum called the Morris Jamil Mansion. Which I
think is pretty interesting. So, I haven't beenthere, but the internet tells me there's a lot of
captions around the house that tell of Eliza'sinfluence on the house. I mean, she lives there for
like 55 years. So, she's going to have her stamp onit, right? In 1815, they traveled to Bordeaux,
(11:07):
France. And as they're entering the harborthrough the British blockade, right, because as
we've said before, history doesn't happen in avacuum. They find them uniquely qualified to
offer Napoleon Bonaparte a ride back to Americawith them after he's defeated at Waterloo. This
sounds like the very storied life of ClaireFrazier, who seems to have met everybody alive of
(11:32):
note during her fictional narrative. Dude, justwait. So, Napoleon, he's like, um, no, thank you,
but I appreciate the offer. Now, for whateverreason, this gives Eliza the upper hand and some
social circles and kind of the acceptance thatshe's been looking for, because I guess it's cool
(11:54):
to be a sympathizer of Napoleon. Sometimes inFrance, it puts her on somewhat shaky ground. One
source said that the social circles in France werefar more inclined to accept her, which kind of
feels right when you think about her life and youthink about France in general, but others, not so
much. So, I guess it just depends on which socialcircle you're trying to be in that day. It's
(12:18):
politics at best. Right. Now, if I've learnedanything about this woman, that she has had quite
the story one way or the other, and nobody reallyknows the whole truth, like I said in the
beginning. But in 1806, she was asked to leaveFrance by then, King Louis the 18th. And she is
(12:40):
taken to her ship by Royal Guard. When I say asked toleave, she was thrown out. Yeah, typically if a
king says, I think it's time you should go. It'snot. You've overstate, you know? So, basically,
they said it had something to do with herflamboyant lifestyle, which seems very French,
(13:00):
so I don't think they minded that, her opinions,and then another source adds that it was actually
Eliza riding around in a carriage studded withNapoleonic emblems in front of the toleries while
shouting abuses at the French king that really didit in. Yeah, I think that would seal the fate. I'm
actually surprised she got to keep her headattached to her shoulders. Hey, new monarchy, you
(13:24):
know? We are trying to be better. So, she comeshome. But her husband stays in France, because
apparently the marriage isn't going great. But,and I'm not sure how exactly this plays out. I know
that she's an astute businesswoman. She getspower of attorney, and she is able to act as femme
(13:48):
solo, which is basically an independentunmarried woman who has all the function and
access to their fortune without the involvementof men. Femme solo feels like an old-timey comic
book heroine. Doesn't it? Yeah. So, she uses thisgreatly to her advantage and triples the family's
(14:15):
fortune while she is in America by herself. She isbrilliant at what she does, and she obviously
knows the laws and how they work. She is eventuallyable and invited back to France after some time.
But just a little aside, they adopt a girl calledMary who is believed to be Eliza's sister's baby.
(14:35):
And I don't know much about her, but I think sheactually stays with old papa in France. I'm
unclear as far as that relationship goes. Buteventually, her husband finally comes back to
America. It's like 1827, 1828, and he finds outthat Eliza is a badass businesswoman and totally
(14:56):
shores up their wealth. So much so that she is therichest woman in America. Okay, this is great for
him because he's pretty much destitute now andrelies solely on her kindness. Because remember,
she has figured out how to work the law to herbenefit. He can't really touch the money anymore.
So, he is just hoping for her help. He issignificantly older than her. He is health has
(15:23):
declined. He is quite destitute. And so, he is sortof just living on her mercy. Like six years go by
like this, and in 1832, in a freak accident, hefalls off the hay wagon right onto a pitchfork. Oh,
no, thank you. Right? He's found dead the nextmorning of blood loss. So, I mean... No, wait,
(15:46):
okay, no. Okay, so there's two scenarios for this.One, legitimate horrific accident, or he fell on
my pitchfork ten times. Either way, I get theimagining, the visual, if you will, that no one is
(16:08):
tending to his rooms during the night. And she isimplicated as being complacent in the murder or
death. Oh, no, whatever shall I do? Maybe I shouldgo to dinner. Shucks. No, you don't need to stay
with him. You've got to order for me. Let's go.That's sort of the visual I got, because it wasn't
(16:29):
that he died falling on the pitchfork ten times,his cause of death is blood loss. So, it's like, oh,
nobody put a bandaid on that. So, after he dies,Eliza is now the widow everyone wishes they can
get. She is then courted by none other than thenotorious Aaron Burr, you know, former US Vice
(16:52):
President who killed Hamilton in that 1804 duel.Yeah. Aaron Burr, sir. Featured in the Got Milk
commercial years later. Aaron Burr. That's true.Yes, he was featured in the Got Milk commercial. Do
you know who actually directed that? I did, but Ijust recently learned about it. My full bag.
Freaking brilliant. Like, Transformersdirector Michael Bay. Sorry, carry on. That's
(17:18):
correct. I knew it was a big one, like I said, but Ican't remember who it was. So, Eliza, for her part,
she says this as a way to sort of preserve her socialstanding because even at 58 years old and being the
richest woman in America, that still matters toher. I, for one, wouldn't care. I have money. I
don't need your problems. Right? Right. Butanyway, she marries Burr on July 1, 1833, just like
(17:46):
less than 14 months after her former husband'sdeath. And this is very much a marriage of mutual
convenience, which was terminated on July 8 of1836 on the basis of Burr's alleged adultery in
(18:06):
some divorce proceedings. But by acting quicklyand boldly, Eliza preserves her fortune. So, when
I say their marriage is a marriage of mutualconvenience, this is because by this point, Burr
is sort of living off of his friends and having aheck of a time bouncing back from things like
conspiracy accusations and exiles. And he's alsoold. So, he needs access to her money and she wants
(18:35):
access to his social circles. Like I said, themarriage really only lasts like a year before they
start to enter divorce proceedings. And he, theentire year they're together, is constantly
frustrated by his inability to gain all the accessto her funds. But what same funds he is able to
access, he squanders, like, immediately. NewYork City History puts it like this. Burr
(19:01):
squandered money with an alarming rapidity.Eliza files her divorce in 1834 utilizing the
suspicion of adultery as cause, an action thatprompted one historian to marvel. Nothing more
vividly revealed her business ability than theefficiency with which she got rid of Burr. Wow! The
(19:21):
divorce was granted on September 14 in 1836, theday of Burr's death. Her divorce attorney was none
other than Alexander Hamilton Jr. Oh, yes! Lovethat. All I can imagine is Alexander Hamilton Jr.
(19:45):
walking up to the door to serve his paper. AaronBurr, sir? And Aaron Burr dealing with the fact
that he will never escape Hamilton. Ever. Ever inhis life. Now our girl, she lives until 1865, dying
at 90. She is an eccentric old rich lady surroundedby myth and legend. In 1921, the daughters of the
(20:11):
American Revolution, they hold an auction. Theirhope is to get rid of the oldest house, like, to get
rid of in the oldest house in Manhattan. Any traceof Eliza wants the richest woman in America
because in their eyes, she is not any the idealimage of a chaste colonial woman. I, you know,
(20:32):
okay, so I get that Dar has done many things, givenmany a scholarship to young women who descend from
early stock. And you hear things like this, you go,damn it, why do you have to be a mixed bag? Exactly,
(20:57):
because, you know, there are stories of her being,quote, a kept woman in a Providence brothel,
abandoning an illegitimate child. She was alsosaid to be Benedict Arnold's wife's best friend.
I'm not sure about that one. Saining death to trickher husband into marrying her and being kicked out
of France by Louis himself. Basically, thedaughters of the American Revolution tried to
(21:20):
erase her 55 years in the mansion in WashingtonHeights by renaming it Washington Head's
quarters. They go on to have, like, a yard sale forlack of a better word and bundles of Jamel's
personal letters, quote, documents which weresaid to contain stories about her life in the
company of Napoleon Bonaparte, Benedict Arnold,Thomas Jefferson, and Aaron Burr were sold on the
(21:46):
front lawn for pennies. And that is why I will neverbe joining the daughters of the American
Revolution. I have five grandfathers who foughtin the war on the winning side, on, you know, the
American side. And I've never finished thepaperwork because I'm just like, I can't...
(22:07):
Everybody has a story past. Like, nobody wasperfect. It makes me crazy. But I learned this
whole story because I wanted to tell you thatHamilton's son was Burr's divorce lawyer. Or was
Burr's wife's divorce lawyer. Yeah, that makesmore sense. Yeah. So at the end of the day, Hamilton
(22:30):
got the last word anyways. Ugh. Wow. Okay, if I hadknown that, I didn't know all of that. Parts of it,
you know, rung bells, but I did my best to keep mymouth shut. Thank you. Thank you so much because I
just really needed that lead to be... Completelyin there. Yeah. But when I started to like learn her
(22:58):
life story, I was like, oh, I want to tell the storyof their divorce so bad. But then I learned her life
story and I'm like, holy crap. That's a story.Yeah, she's got some lore going back there. Oh, I
have pictures. I forgot about the pictures. Letme, let me show you the pictures. Okay, so to come on
(23:20):
the right screen. This is a picture of the house in1904. All right, so it is a two full story. There's
technically probably a third story with, youknow, like an attic. You see a little window over
the front porch. Very colonial columns, multiplechimneys. Mm-hmm. Multiple windows. So that's
(23:45):
the house. And this is what she looked like. Okay,so we see a middle aged woman with gobs of lace that
are used to probably secure a headdress of somesort. She's a very frilly collar that goes down
into a V-neck. Mm-hmm. It's interesting the colorscheme to the black, darker gown to the white lace
(24:12):
with the red, what looks like red flowers. Youdon't fully understand what's going on there, but
it's a look. I mean, I'm sure it was all the rage atthe time. She, you know... It had to be. Yeah, so
that's, that's why it's a bow and jammal. Wow.Okay. Yeah. I've been sitting on that story for a
(24:35):
whole week not telling you and it's just killingme. Well, in your defense, you decided to call off
the time you would normally record. So you had tosit on it longer than normal. I did. I'm sorry. You
are not. Anyhow, I'm sorry. You would be sorry thatI had to call off. I had to. I had to get on the teeth.
Yeah, I'm ready to hear your story. All right. Irecently shared on TikTok the story of, that we've
(25:03):
covered previously, of the Saper Saint. And it gotsome love. And then that ended up getting a bunch of
people, or not a bunch of people, a person to give mean idea. I got many ideas from that post, but
someone said, oh my gosh, you need to cover. Andthey gave like this really bizarre thing. I was
(25:24):
like, okay, give me the name. Who are we going for?Like, what's this person's specific name? And
they said, Saito Musashi, that Saito Musashi-BouBenki. And that was by Neil at TikTok. Now, until I
was like, okay, I can do this. I can look this up. Mysources, Artilino, they have an article, Benki
(25:47):
Musashi-Bow legend and Japanese wood brockprints, the Katana store, which I ended up using
when it came to Monman the Saber Saint. This is theKatana store that has been used before. It has
been, because I guess if you're going to cover anykind of Katana, you need to cover a sword-willing
(26:09):
samurai. I'm going to be fair, I've used an Englishhat maker as a form. That's true. More than once. So
their article is, Who is Saito Musashi-Bow Benki?And then two podcasts, History Profiles, the
strongest samurai ever, Minato no Yoshitsune andSaito Musashi-Bow Benki. And then Stories of
(26:38):
Samua, Episode 3, Benki and Yoshitsune. Okay, soour man, Benki Musashi-Bow is really, it's
shrouded in lore, to say the least. From start tofinish, there is a lot of, I'm sorry, what now? And
maybe, and this? Yeah. So we have a lot of,possibly, some sources claim his mother is the
(27:05):
daughter of a blacksmith, which feels doable.Others suggest his father is the head priest of a
temple shrine. Those seem logical. Anotherversion said he's the child of a Shinto temple
deity. Zeus, is that you? I, you know, according tothese tales, Benki's born in 1155, so gosh, time is
(27:37):
probably why we have a bunch of these issues with,you know, recorded history. And it, reportedly,
this was an unusually long 19 month pregnancy. Sodefinitely the temple deity. And he comes into the
world with the appearance of a giant child withuntamed hair and long teeth, which is a whole vibe.
(28:03):
I'm sorry, this is actually the epic of Gilgamesh.Beth and Ketu. Well, now you understand there's
going to be a lot of overlap between variouscultures. But I'm thinking if your kid came out
with long hair and teeth, it would be easy toascribe a longer pregnancy or whatnot. You know,
(28:25):
if you, if you see somebody give birth to apreschooler, you're going to do. Hey, I'm just
thinking about how you missed going through theteething process. I'm assuming it chewed its way
out if it comes out with teeth. Okay. So, thank youstory is going to be this fantastical mix of
(28:49):
historical fact with some folklore to reallycolor it. Okay. This makes him one of the most
well-known figures in Japanese history andliterature. Okay, I love this. Now, if thank you,
father was the holy man, it's likely it could havebeen listened to all of the wiggle words sprinkled
(29:13):
in here. Kumano, Kato, Kumano, Beto, Tanzo. Andhe's horrified by his son's appearance and he
attacks him believing this to be the child of ademon or an ogre. That's unfortunate. But again,
if you give birth to something 30 pounds covered inteeth and hair, I too would have questions and
(29:40):
strong feelings. But parenthood affects us alldifferently. Yeah, I mean, like I gave birth to a
Viking, but at least he didn't have teeth at thetime. He has teeth now. He does have teeth now. Now
from an early age, Benki stood out for hisexceptional size and extraordinary strength.
(30:05):
Clearly. But I mean, this you expect to say a child,not a baby, not an infant, not a newborn. As a child,
he's known for being large and physicallypowerful and he's really wild and unruly and this
is going to be a thing we see throughout. Okay. Thisearly behavior eventually led him to enter the
(30:29):
life of a Buddhist monk in various temples becausethey are just trying to get a handle on man. I like
him. So he ends up this whole mischievous andunruly nature earns in the name Oniwaka, which
means devil's child or young devil. Also fun. Imean, we all have nicknames. Yeah, he earned a cool
(30:54):
one at least. Now he's got foster parents becauseapparently parents bounced when they saw their
baby preteen come out, you know, and need to key tothe car. And the foster parents, they're having
trouble controlling him. So again, he's in thecloister and the monks also do a really shoddy job
(31:17):
in disciplining him. So he ends up transferring toseveral monasteries. I feel like this is kind of
like the Tallulah bank head of her going fromschool to school to school. Okay. But this is more
of a like monk sort of deal with a very differentbackstory anyhow. And Tallulah was adorable.
(31:44):
This man is given no such quarter. Now, this ends upsetting the stage for him to enter as a warrior monk
because these monks weren't just chanting andsitting still. They were doing something
physical at their time. By age 17, Benki said tostand at over two meters or six and a half feet tall.
(32:06):
Okay. Now, let's remember the Japanese are notknown to be blessed in skill or in height. Facts.
Okay. Okay. Now, because of his height is known tohave near superhuman strength. Because they do.
(32:27):
Tall kids are strong. I mean, they just got moreroom for muscle mass. They do and they have to. They
have to be able to hold that giant head. Yep. Now, inattempts to calm our boys wild and rebellious
nature, Benki sent to Mount Kieh to join thereligious life as a ten die Buddhist monk at the
(32:49):
famed in Rakuchi temple. Now, although he tookthis to the religious lifestyle, his wild
behavior eventually catches up with them andleads to his expulsion from the temple, basically
as per usual. You got a skill set, you know. I mean,look, he loves praying, chanting, waving swords
(33:14):
and drinking it up, causing a ruckus, tellingpeople to f off. Who knows? Um, he's unfazed by this
most recent expulsion and he just set out into theworld. He's continuing his religious journey
while adopting the name cycle. Sashi. Benki. So hekeeps Benki. And he traveled and he became what
(33:39):
they called a Yamabushi or a wandering holy man whokind of just goes through the mountains. He leads
us rather austere lifestyle and he's trying toachieve enlightenment. That's really the whole
goal, right? So now you're telling me the tale ofthe monkey king. Do you know how many stories I have
picked out of this? You're welcome. There's gonnabe a quiz for everybody playing at home. Now,
(34:03):
despite his attempts to fulfill his role as a holyman, he's like me often engaged in chaotic
actions. And everybody, that's her skill set.Look, I'm good at eating pie and raising hell and
I'm out of pie. I just realized no one can see theface I just made. That's true. But you just, it was a
(34:27):
face of agreement. Now, at one point, thesechaotic actions of his cause a temple to burn down,
which I've never burned anything down onaccident. Have you burned anything down on
purpose? No, no, no. No. My senior year chemistryteacher might explain others otherwise, but that
(34:54):
was not me with the fire. That was my friend,Houston. She her fault. But you were involved. I
was nearby. There is a crowbar separation. I wasnot involved. Anyhow, the Yama Bushi, they're
(35:14):
known for their martial training, religiousrituals, and at times involvement in banditry
because religious rituals, banditry go hand inhand. Of course they do. It depends on the
religion, I suppose. Now, listen, the Padre wasstealing all the booze in Sicily. You know what?
(35:36):
You're right. Okay. Okay. So basically, justbecause you follow a religious way doesn't keep
you can, you can figure out something to ask forforgiveness for later. Yeah. Okay. So this is
during the medieval period where Buddhistmonasteries in Japan wielded a surprisingly
(35:56):
considerable military and political influence.And this happens until our man, Oda Nobunaga,
destroyed several temple fortresses, mostnotably during the 1571 siege of Mount Hiei, which
we did cover a little bit of Oda Nobunaga episodeone or two. One of those, it's an early one. When I
(36:21):
did Yasuke. He's been mentioned several timesbefore. Yeah. I feel like I touch on Oda Nobunaga
quite a bit just because he unified the country.Kind of a thing. Yeah. It would basically, it's
like talking about France and not mentioningNapoleon. Like there's going to be echoes. Now,
(36:45):
time passes for our man, Benki. This is decadesbefore Oda Nobunaga or centuries before Oda
Nobunaga. And he's becoming prettydisillusioned with the monastic life. His
rebellious spirit and honestly dissatisfactionwith the constraints of temple life causes him to
leave the religious path entirely. And so he justbecomes this Ronan monk or warrior monk and he just
(37:14):
eventually drops all of that and turns to a life ofcombat and adventure. I like him. I mean, he's
just, he's just a rogue. He's just a lovable rogue.I assume he washes. I don't have any indication
that he doesn't wash. So I would assume yes, our boybabes and smells better than Yamamoto did. No.
(37:46):
Because I wasn't going to go with this roguelifestyle. He doesn't find a bath every now and
then. I mean, I'm enough that it's not a point ofcontention. By the time Ben Kei returned to Kyoto,
he'd grown into a monstrous man, which feels like astatement that he was a monstrous baby, a
monstrous child, but now we've hit monstrous man.So he is seven feet tall. Well, still probably six,
(38:12):
five. But again, when the average person is twofoot three, I'm joking about that. But I mean,
noticeably shorter. He's still wearing thetraditional religious garb, but our boy is
carrying a full on arsenal of weapons on his back.He's got the Noginata. He's wielding a Tetsupo,
(38:34):
which is an axe, and he's got this bizarreassortment of tools like a mallet, a sickle, a rake
and a saw. Because you might need to do. He's ahandyman. OK. Well, but these again, let me think
about it, like a lot of these are farm implements,you know, the rake, the sickle and the things like
that. And so he just look, he doesn't he's a he's aroving man. He doesn't have a shed. He is the shed.
(39:01):
Yeah, I got it. He might need that later. Exactly.So he stations himself at Kyoto's Gwyo Bridge, and
that's where he challenges every sword carryingpasserby and took their weapon upon defeating
them. Love this. So he's got kind of a chip on hisshoulder against the samurai who are in a
(39:24):
different class. OK. OK. So legend holds that heamassed a collection of nine hundred and ninety
nine swords in this way. I would be so pissed if Ididn't get a thousandth. That is the mission he is
on. He needed one more blade. Good one. OK. OK. So hewants the thousandth sword because this is a
(39:50):
symbol of his strength and dominance over thewarrior class, and he is like, I am better than
y'all. OK. And his legend grows as he keeps earningall of these swords from the samurai. He's lost
zero matches and made a mockery of all of theselesser swordsmen who have been training longer,
(40:15):
harder and have had better food their entirelives. So one night, Gwyo Bridge, he's attempted
to seize his his thousandth sword from the lonetraveler. This guy is a young man. I am Yoshitsune.
(40:38):
And Yoshitsune is average Japanese height. He'sbeen training for a while. He seems to be a fairly
good dude. But despite our guy, Banki's size andstrength, it's almost the same speed and skill.
And apparently it's been honed under the nearmythical Tengyu, which is a half human half bird
(40:58):
beat and this guy is like famed for itsswordsmanship. So he's been trained by a
creature. Good luck buddy. And he's this trainingfrom this bird man allows him to defeat the giant
monk. Oh no. Now he has to go on a quest, don't they?First off, he's a little pissed off, right? This is
(41:28):
Benke's first defeat. He's never lost before. Wealready know he's got a fiery attitude and it lends
to sometimes things burning down. Now Benke, orBenke, wants to exact revenge. He wants a second
battle. And so once again he goes, he tries again,he's defeated. The second defeat marked the end of
(41:52):
his quest for the thousand swords, but he also kindof develops this loyalty to Yoshitsune. So you
were kind of right there. I can respect that. Hebecomes our man's chief retainer and accompanies
him in military campaigns during the Gempei Wars.That's awesome. Now Yoshitsune's tactical
(42:13):
brilliance helped lead the Minai Multiclan tovictory over the Taira, which you've mentioned
before in a previous one, with Benke serving asboth bodyguard and warrior. Love this. Their
stories been told for centuries in kabuki plays,illustrated squirrels, prints. This secures
(42:38):
Benke's place in Japanese cultural history as themodel, the quintessential devoted retainer. Oh,
I love that. So Yoshitsune's trusted right handman, Benke plays this critical role in many other
victories. Now Yoshitsune's greatest triumphcomes in a naval battle of all places, or of all
(43:04):
things, at Dan-no-. I didn't write this inJapanese, so I'm trying to translate it to make
sure I pronounce it right. Dan-no-ura.Dan-no-ura. Dan-no-ura. Dan-no-ura. Okay. Good
enough for government work. And this led to hisfalling out with an older brother. Oh. So
(43:28):
Yoshitsune and Yoritomo, they kind of have afalling out. Now Yoritomo, a little pissed off at
younger brother, and so he pursues the youngerbrother as a fugitive. And Yoshitsune, he flees
them for two years with Benke's help. And thisincludes the time where they have to pass through
(43:52):
Yoritomo's controlled check points bydeception. So they've had to like wear a couple
disguises. I don't know if they shave their legs topretend to be women, but it's just their deception
involved. I'm imagining the scene in Mulan wherethe guys dress as women. That's what I'm hoping.
That's really what I'm hoping for. And I can't findanything to confirm or deny. Dang it. Now
(44:16):
Yoritomo's risen to become Shogun, and hebasically brands brother as a traitor, and said
he's guilty of treason. So I don't know ifYoshitsune actually harbored plans to overthrow
older brother Yoritomo. Either way, 1189.Yoshitsune's stripped of all his lands. He's
(44:39):
branded in outlaw, and he is forced to flee. He'sgot family, and he's supposed to take wife and
kiddo and like skidaddle. Skidaddle. Got it. Yep.So, Benke, ever loyal, he remains by Yoshitsune's
side as they attempt to evade all the capture. Nowone of the most famous stories about this period
(45:00):
involves Benke's clever deception at a bordercheckpoint where he disguised Yoshitsune and his
men as monks. He's like, I know the garb, I know howto do this, I did it for years. Wear your cloak this
way. Now to convince some of their ruse, Benke goesso far as to strike Yoshitsune with a stick. And
(45:21):
everyone knows no loyal retainer's never going totouch their lord that way. So the guards are like,
well, obviously, Benke is not going to strike hismaster, so you shall go, I guess. And I can only
imagine both sides being like, you hit me? Shutyour mouth and take it, you peasant. I'm getting
(45:42):
into the checkpoint, you idiot. Yeah. And theother time, it's like, you didn't have to hit me so
hard. I told it, I don't know why, but remember thatscene in Ocean's Eleven with Matt Damon and George
Clooney, and he's like, did you pack thebatteries? I don't know, did you pack the
batteries? It's giving that energy. Very much so.So after several years of service, Benke followed
(46:06):
his master in exile, Yori told him he was after him,and eventually they end up cornered at this place
called Takatachi Castle. And Yori Motos forces,they approach, and Benke makes a final stand.
There's a small bridge that separates the landfrom the castle, I think, Motes sort of deal, very
traditional Japanese castles. And they arevastly outnumbered. Benke, single guy on this
(46:33):
bridge, he fights with all of his extraordinarystrength and fierceness. He's holding off waves
of enemy soldiers. And thankfully he's got athousandth sword. He earns more than one sword in
this section here. Thankfully, he's got hisheight, his renowned abilities that are ahead of
(46:58):
him, and this strikes fear into all of hisopponent's hearts. So as they're shaking, as they
approach him, the battle wages on, and one reportsaid he takes out 300 soldiers on his own. Good
grief. So these men are just, I can only imaginepiles of bodies, and you're having to like walk
(47:22):
over Wayne, Brian, Billy, and Kyle to get to yourown death. Oh, no thank you. And I don't know why I
picked those names. I like them. Yeah. I'm nowgoing to imagine every Japanese movie I watch with
a guy named Wayne. So thanks for that. You'rewelcome. Now, according to legend, the battle is
(47:53):
raging on, and eventually the soldiers are like,what the hell are we doing? Let's just fire some
arrows. He's struck with countless arrows, and hestill stands, maintaining eye contact, holding
his position. He is not moving. And they're like,well, this arrow stopped firing. He's standing
(48:15):
there like, and, and so the soldiers finallymustered up a little bit of courage, and they start
to approach. And that's when they realized thatBenkei had died standing upright, still gripping
his weapon in defiance. Love that. His body justriddled with arrows, just maintained sword
(48:37):
upright, and this iconic moment becomes known asthe standing death of Benkei. And this symbolized
his ultimate loyalty and indomitable spirit. Andthis last stand gave Yoshitsune time he needed to
commit suicide or sabuku, the ritual of suicide topreserve his honor. He also had to like take care of
(49:01):
ushering wife and child to the other side as well.Now, there's alternative- I was hoping you were
saying he was giving time to get out, hop a boat. Youknow what? Get to the new world. That wasn't going
to happen. Okay. This is me telling the story. It'sgoing to, it's going to have that moment where you
go, oh, but okay. Got it. On that side, so there's,there's legend. There's a little bit of like,
(49:25):
well, but they could have escaped into obscurity.Good for them. And if that- Either way, their honor
is intact. Exactly, right? Now, if they did escapeinto obscurity and that didn't happen, we still
are left with this last stand in defense of themaster, which is absolutely chef's kiss
(49:47):
impeccable. Which I think probably likelyhappened. Now, I, given all of this, the complete
over-the-topness of everything Benkei did,there's, there's still debate on whether or not he
existed, if he's just fullness and folklore, or ifthis is like any kind of historical fact. And if he
(50:12):
did, there's stories about all of hisaccomplishments that have been passed under the
centuries, they're likely been embellished.Surprise, surprise. Maybe he didn't have an 18
month gestation, just saying. Wild. Didn't seethat coming. Right? Now, either way, apparently,
(50:36):
like the legend of Benkei continues to inspirecountless samurai and the admirers of his
supposed strength and loyalty. And that is thestory of Saitha Lusashipo Benkei. I love how
vastly different our stories were today. I don'tthink they could have been more different. Yeah,
(50:59):
they carried the tune of, could have been, mighthave been. Should have? Maybe? There's legends
involved. That was awesome. Thank you for that.And if you're liking the history of, but did they?
And you're thinking, holy crap, I really enjoyedthis. This was such a bizarre mashup. Join us next
(51:23):
week. We're going to do it again. And we don't knowwhat we're going to say. And we'll not know. I'm not
just as surprised as you. Right? Review,subscribe and send this to the person with the best 407 00:51:34,500 --> lore in your life. Oh yeah. Love that. And on that note, goodbye. Bye. Bye.
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