March 17, 2025 • 45 mins
Welcome back B-oo's Crew! This week we finally finish the story of Gerard John Schaefer as we talk about the location of his murders. The Devil's Tree in Port St. Lucie, Florida is said to be haunted by the many victims he would bring there and torture. While he was only convicted of 2, it is believed his count is closer to 30, and possibly more.
Many people who have visited the area claim to see people in black robes, hear screams, hear the sound of a rope snapping and see shadow people. Could it be his victims crying out for help? Are these the spirits of those girls trying to tell us something? Join us this week as we dive in to the final chapter of this horrific tale!
Do you have a story you'd like read or played on the show? Are you part of an investigation team that would like to come on and tell your story and experiences? Maybe you have a show suggestion! Email us at fortheboos12@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @fortheboos
And on Instagram @forthboos-podcast
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Help support the show on Patreon for early access ad free shows and an exclusive patreon only podcast!
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You can also find us on Facebook at For The Boos
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Remember to Follow, Subscribe, and Rate the show...it really does help!
For The B-oo's uses strong language and may not be suitable for all audiences, listener discretion is advised!
https://linktr.ee/fortheboos
Sources for this episode: stlucieco.gov, pslhistory.org, Wikipedia.com, miamihaunts.com, urbanlegendsonline.com, Trippingonlegends.com
All music and sound effects courtesy of http://www.pixabay.com
#paranormal #ghost #haunted #ghosts #paranormalactivity #horror #creepy #paranormalinvestigation #scary #spooky #ghosthunting #spiritual #supernatural #ufo #halloween #spirit #spirits #ghosthunters #podcast #paranormalinvestigator #terror #ghoststories #hauntedhouse #aliens #haunting #alien #supranatural #pengasihan #ghosthunter #ghostadventures s
Many people who have visited the area claim to see people in black robes, hear screams, hear the sound of a rope snapping and see shadow people. Could it be his victims crying out for help? Are these the spirits of those girls trying to tell us something? Join us this week as we dive in to the final chapter of this horrific tale!
Do you have a story you'd like read or played on the show? Are you part of an investigation team that would like to come on and tell your story and experiences? Maybe you have a show suggestion! Email us at fortheboos12@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter @fortheboos
And on Instagram @forthboos-podcast
Follow us Tik Tok @fortheboos_podcast
Help support the show on Patreon for early access ad free shows and an exclusive patreon only podcast!
patreon.com/fortheboos_podcast
You can also find us on Facebook at For The Boos
And on YouTube at For The Boos
Remember to Follow, Subscribe, and Rate the show...it really does help!
For The B-oo's uses strong language and may not be suitable for all audiences, listener discretion is advised!
https://linktr.ee/fortheboos
Sources for this episode: stlucieco.gov, pslhistory.org, Wikipedia.com, miamihaunts.com, urbanlegendsonline.com, Trippingonlegends.com
All music and sound effects courtesy of http://www.pixabay.com
#paranormal #ghost #haunted #ghosts #paranormalactivity #horror #creepy #paranormalinvestigation #scary #spooky #ghosthunting #spiritual #supernatural #ufo #halloween #spirit #spirits #ghosthunters #podcast #paranormalinvestigator #terror #ghoststories #hauntedhouse #aliens #haunting #alien #supranatural #pengasihan #ghosthunter #ghostadventures s
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Hey everybody, and welcome back to for the Booth.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
For the boot Man, I did it again. I mean
to keep supping. I don't want to do that anymore.
What I don't know. For the boot it's been the
same thing for like forever. That's right, I don't whatever. Anyways,
we're back, and this week we are fine finally going
to wrap up this whole John Gerard Schaeffer business whatever,
(01:06):
whoever the who. I've never almost done that on here
before anyways, sir, I boy, that escalated quickly. I mean,
that really got out of hand fast. I'm done. I
don't even want to talk about this, dude, I am
so over it. But this is the portion that I
(01:28):
was actually looking forward to the most. Of course, this
is the actual paranormal part of it. This is what
took us so many episodes to get to. Yeah, this
week we are going to be talking about the Devil's Tree,
which did you know that there are two? I did
not know that there's one apparently in Florida, and there's
one I think in like New Jersey. Oh okay, I
(01:49):
had no idea we're talking about the one in Florida.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I've definitely heard of this Devil's Tree growing up in Florida.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Most people in Florida have.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Yeah, I don't know quite where it is. I've never
seen it, but I have definitely heard of it.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
It's important, Ain't Lucy?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Well obviously now I know that. Now I know that.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, I'm okay, fair enough, But it is not it's
kind of off the beaten path. Actually, it's not that.
It's not something you're just going to drive by. You
actually have to go find it.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I believe that.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
But there are people stories about it, like people who
have visited it, and they do have stories about it,
and we're going to find out some of those. But
as we do, it was really hard to like throw
together history for this that we haven't already talked about.
But I did find something, of course you did. So
what do you say, Yeah, we get into this one.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
I say, let's do it.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
We do that same thing every time too.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Let's do it man.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
According to historians, it is believed that the name Saint
Lucy was first given to this area by the Spanish.
The name was given after the Spanish began construction of
a fort on December thirteenth, the feast day of the
Roman Catholics. Saint Lucia and.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Also my niece's birthday.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Is it yeah, oh, kidd, I didn't know that. I
mean I did, but I didn't really think about it.
The Santa Lucia Colony was established somewhere between Vero Beach
and Stuart around fifteen sixty seven, as old Spanish maps
identify this area as Santa Lucia, which included roughly what
is now known as Vero Beach to Stuart. Now the
(03:27):
Spanish held Florida from seventeen eighty three to eighteen nineteen, Seminoles,
Creek Indians from Alabama and Georgia, and runaway slaves began
to settle on the Treasure Coast. Now the Anglo Saxon
version Saint Lucy would not be officially used to identify
the area until the nineteen hundreds. The first organized non
(03:47):
Native American settlement in what is now Port Saint Lucie
was Spruce Bluff. I don't even know where that's that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I have no idea. I don't think I've ever heard
of that.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
This was a very small community in the eighteen nineties,
and it was settled by the widower John enos Fults,
who arrived in the September of eighteen ninety one from Rockledge. Hey,
I used to work in Rocklidge YEP now Folts homestead
at one hundred and sixty acres on Winter Creek now
(04:16):
called Blakeslee Creek. Blakeslee. Yes, that's a mouthful. It's hard
to say.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Now, mister Fults petitioned for a post office and the
name Spruce Bluff was adopted. Folts did for a time
carry mail. A mister John Calhoun was the first carrier
who operated a twenty foot schooner rigged boat, which means
he was driving this boat on the river. I mean
it didn't have sewage being dumped in it back then, though.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I mean yeah, but it's still right.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
It's a gross river.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
It is so gross it is.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
It smells. It smells so so bad, especially like in the.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Summer midsummer hot, hot hot.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
When it's one hundred and eight degrees out and you
can literally see a human turd float by move. It's gross.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And then the yearly like purge of fish.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yet just the line the coast that does it does
happen quite a bit. A cruise operated a sawmill at
Spruce Bluff in the late eighteen nineties. Sawmills at the
time were set up near large stands of pine or cypress.
When the trees were cleared, the sawmill was moved. The
sawmill employed some black laborers who came to the area
with the mill. Now Charles D. Blakesley arrived in eighteen
(05:31):
ninety three. His homestead was on the north branch of
Winter Creek, about one mile south of the Folks home.
Charles fished with his father, Captain John Blakesley, during the
fall and winter. An enterprising gentleman, Lloyd G. Hill raised
bees and pineapple with his family. He was a photographer
and promoted honey production with a monthly trade journal, American
(05:54):
Bee Keepers, published in Fort Pierce. Other members of this
tiny community included the wind Her family. I guess I
can blame him for all the times I got stung.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
There's so many bees, all the time you used to
get stung.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Ultimately, I'm a bee mad.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
In eighteen ninety six a school opened with a young
teacher from Tennessee, Miss Heath, who boarded with Missus James
winter Now. Not long after the school, a small Methodist
church was built, which held service twice a month, and
a young man from Potsdam was smitten with this newly
arrived educationalist, and he was said to have roaded six
(06:34):
miles up the river and back in order to accompany
her to church service.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
It's dedication, it's love, that's love.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
The early settlers planted pineapples and citrus, but the severe
winter freeze of eighteen ninety four and eighteen ninety five
most were discouraged and left spruce Bluff of Faults, along
with his new wife and family, moved to Fort Pierce,
and when Saint Lucie County was formed in nineteen oh five,
he became the first clerk of the court. Mister Hill
(07:03):
also moved to Fort Pierce, where he opened the Florida
Photographic Concern. What is that? I don't know?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Photographic concern? Is that just like a feeling sure?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Not a place can be okay, or a place and
whatever you whatever you want it to be sure. We're
not picky. It's Florida. The education is not great.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
It's not education.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
It's edgemacation, edumacation. I got that Florida editemacation, Edgemacation. Now
the glass plates taken by mister Hill, his son and
grandson give us a view of the county since the
beginning of the last century. Thousands of these photos are
available for reprint from the Saint Lucy Historical Society in
Fort Pierce, so you can actually get like photos of
(07:49):
what this place looked like in its original form.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
They're still around old pictures. Yeah, I mean, like I'm
like a hundred and thirty five years old or something.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
It's crazy, but it's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
It's awesome though, because you can actually see what it
looks are. All that remains of this community is a
small stone obelisk on Lookout Boulevard with some broken gravestones,
and the monument is inscribed quote Spruce Bluff early pioneer
settlement into ninety two. On the north and south faces
are the names or descriptions of the seven that are
(08:25):
buried there. Spruce Bluff is now considered a recreation area,
a tract of ninety seven acres owned and managed by
Saint Lucy County. The area known as Port Saint Lucie
was once mostly large ranches, as was much of Saint
Lucie County outside of Fort Pierce. The best known of
the area's early ranchers were the late Alto Bud Adams
(08:48):
Junior and his father, Judge Alto Adams. It was hardness,
what it was hard to say? He actually, yeah, I
included in here, but Bud the Sun he actually has
like an interview he did with a magazine. So he
was around a long time. Oh wow, okay, yeah. Now.
(09:09):
Charles Tobin McCarty, known as CT, began growing pineapples in
Saint Lucie County during the eighteen eighties, and the McCarty
family eventually expanded their Saint Lucy County landholdings to accommodate
their growing citrus farming and cattle ranching ventures. The family
ran cattle on the ranch for many years, selling the
(09:30):
last piece of it in two thousand and four. Whoa
a CT. McCarty was mourned throughout Florida when he was
shot and killed over a real estate and misunderstanding in
nineteen oh seven as he left a four Pierce.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Barber shop over a real estate.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Yeah, it's Florida real estate. This family was a really
long time, so long, eighteen eighties to two four. I mean, yeah,
that's that's it's.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
A really, really really lock.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
This was a working ranch while you were there. Yeah,
that's crazy. The family's influence extended throughout Florida, with CT's
grandson Dan becoming the state's thirty first governor in nineteen
fifty three. CET's other grandson, John managed the family ranch
for many years and was keenly aware of its value
(10:20):
to future generations as an environmental resource and potential water
supply now. The Peacock House was built in nineteen seventeen
on Okechobee Road by ancestors of Saint Lucie historian Ada
Coates Williams. It was given to wealthy rancher O. L.
Peacock Junior, who moved it to his property in nineteen
sixty eight, and the Peacocks were county pioneers who owned
(10:44):
much of what is Port Saint Lucy today. It was
a residence until two thousand and six, when it was abandoned.
A Sunny Peacock built the hunting Lodge in nineteen fifty
two and remained in use until two thousand and six,
and then it was used for storage until two thousand fifteen,
when it was also abandoned once again. This house is
(11:04):
still abandoned from what I from what.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
I found still standing, It's still stands, just abandoned.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yeah, yeah, you know that old architecture is just better.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
It is so much better. It looks better, it's stronger, it's.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Well and knowledge that things. But think about this, Okay,
it still stands. It was built all the way back then.
It's endured how many hurricanes and tropical storms.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
And it's still standing so many That is amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
A real testament to construction event versus now. Absolutely, because
now it's all about cutting corners and stuff.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Of course it's on all the manufactured cookie cutter houses.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
You know, well a lot of them are. Yeah, they're
those you know, like what are they called, like modular
homes homes, Yeah, where they're like partially built in a
factory somewhere and then they bring them in they just
kind of zip them together.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
You know what time it is.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Developers who came in the late nineteen fifties to Port
Saint Lucy met Burt Krewitt, a colorful and crusty guide
who owned a fishing camp on the shores of the
North Fork of the Saint Lucie River. They were likely
unaware of the violence in his and the locations passed.
Old newspaper articles about this local pioneer revealed more than
(12:21):
tales of his pet alligators, visiting millionaire fishermen, and a
river alive with rolland tarpent. They tell of three fatal
shootings and other troubling family problems in the nineteenth See. Oh, yeah,
Bert was a he was a real Florida man. Yeah,
(12:44):
he was a real Florida man. Though he lived on
the river and had pet alligators. So he's the original
Florida man.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Do you Bert?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Now? In the nineteen fifties, south of White City, there
were few homes. The area was a peaceful little slice
of Florida, not much more than Pruit's fish camp along
the Saint Lucie River, roaming cattle from the few area ranches,
and a fruit stand or two along the two lanes
of us one. Where's that road? I've never even heard
of that?
Speaker 1 (13:14):
You're a liar? And how many first stands do you
see on the road? Still? To this?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Too? Many? Still to this used to be a really
good little barbecue place on there too. You know what
you want to talking about?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
I sure do.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Then Gardner Cowles, owner and publisher of Look magazine, discovered
the Saint Lucie River. He was one of the first
to realize the potential of post war Florida development. Now
he purchased eighty five hundred acres south of Fort Pierce.
In January of nineteen fifty three, Cowls Saint Lucy river
Land Company filed the platte for Unit one River Park,
(13:50):
the South Saint Lucie County subdivision that was nestled just
outside the northern border of soon to be Port Saint Lucie.
Mister Cowell's developmentationwide advertising campaign designed primarily to attract retirees.
This is the original reason why there are so many
old people in Florida, because they marketed it, yeah to
(14:12):
the older people, Okay, and this is how we ended up.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
That makes sense having all the snowbirds and.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
It's but it's mostly like right, retire exactly. This is
where people go to retire because of this campaign that
was done back in the fifties.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
All I ask is that you learn how to drive.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Why you don't live there anymore, I don't.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
But it still bothers me to this day. You know
when the snowbirds are back to.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Well, yeah, you see a lot more New York license plates.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
New York, Connecticut, like all the places.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
I just found this interesting because this is literally why
there are so many old people in Florida super cool.
He used magazine and newspaper ads to promote the area's
natural beauty. He attracted buyers by marketing tropical living and
a fisherman's paradise. When prospective buyers came to look at
the property, they were given a scene the scenic, serene
(15:04):
boat ride would where down the winding river. There's nothing.
I guess we're just biased because we lived there, but
in my opinion, there's nothing pretty about Florida.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Rivers agreed they.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Might look good in photographs and stuff to anybody who
when you.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Color a job man didn't do all the other things
to make photos like that.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
They stink. There's tons of trash, so much. I mean
maybe not back then, but now it's it's so bad.
It's gross. They're really gross. Uh. They almost signed away.
They almost always signed a contract when the tour ended.
Though I'm guessing it did look a lot better back then.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
I would assume.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
I would assume, I would hope, because if somebody showed
me a tour, like took me on a tour of
the Indian River, I'd be like, get me out of here,
like what like just stinks, man, it smells so bad.
As Port Saint Lucy was taking shape out of the
Florida Scrub, a group of early residents saw the need
to make it bloom, and on June twenty, nineteen sixty
(16:05):
a group of several women formed the Rio Lindo Garden Club,
and it was believed to be the first service organization
in the city. It became the first federated garden club
in the city in nineteen sixty one. Today, Rio Lindo
participates in several community and club activities, some for over
sixty years. Harbor Day Celebration, Youth Camp sponsorship, card party fundraisers,
(16:31):
Holiday house fundraiser, PSL city Wide Beautiful Garden Contest, garden
tours within Fort Saint Lucy, PSL Residential Lighting Contest, public
flower shows, bus trip fundraisers to notable and educational locations,
a city Fourth of July Parade, city and club anniversary celebrations,
(16:53):
Monthly horticultural trips, monthly informational speakers, monthly newsletter, design upkeep
of the award winning Port Saint Lucy, Potanical Gardens, Rose
Garden and pslbg events and Penny Pine yearly donation. They
do they do a ton. They do everything to this day.
(17:14):
To this day, apparently they still do a lot.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Wow, there were so many things.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
It was it was so hard to read. But within
this great story is actually a horrifying tale, as a
young man named Gerard John Shaeffer Junior would leave a
mark on this town for the rest of its existence.
While we have discussed his crimes, it is now time
to talk about where the crimes occurred. The Devil stream
(17:45):
I see.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
People found in Port Saint Lucy. The Devil Tree is
a big oak in a county park on Canal c.
Twenty four. A mighty oak, an ordinary tree, nothing to
write home about, except the fact that thing might as
well growl and snatch up little old ladies and unsuspecting
(18:08):
kids and gobble them up like a throwback from a
grim fairy tale.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
This tree, I hate to stop you so early. There
will be pictures up probably around this time. This tree
is very intimidating. Oh, it is really huge, and it
looks like every tree you would think of from like
a horror movie. It's like branches out over a path and.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
It's just really it is those that looks like it
just reached out and grab.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
And there is I don't believe I left it in here,
but there is said to be a knot in the
tree that looks like a ram's head right at the
top where girls were Stop.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Yeah, stop, I'll.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
See if I can find a picture of it, and
I'll throw it in oo.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
The Devil Tree has an evil, macabre, and incredibly blood
soaked reputation, one that's entwined with Florida history and its
amazing capacity to attract the worst of the worst humanity
has to offer.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Of course, of course, yeah, Florida, Florida people get such
a bad rap. I know, it's true, though deserved, it's true, though,
Hey that's us. We're from Florida, so we're talking trash
about us too.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Yep, the worst of the worst.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
That's a perfect.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
The tree is probably hundreds of years old, but the
real story of the Devil Tree begins on January eighth,
nineteen seventy one, way before Hammock Park, where the Mighty
Oak now stands, was created. The story of its legend
begins in a most bloody and shocking manner, when a
(19:54):
serial killer sexually assaulted and mutilated to teenage girls the monster,
after having his fill with the two girls would hang
them from the oak tree.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Allegedly two teenage girls. We do, we are? Humankind is
pretty sure there were a lot more, but only two,
Only two that could be proven.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
I would say, I just want.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
To throw that out there because people will hear this
and be like, two. It's from what I've read, it's
closer to what they believe. It's thirty. Oh my god, yep, thirty,
so many it is. It's I mean, two is too many.
Oh my god, thirty is too many. Never enough, apparently
because the second time I brought that up in the seat.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
He then buried the two victims in a shallow grave
underneath the tree, only to return numerous times later to
have his way with the decomposing bodies again and again.
That man's name, of course, was Gerard John Schaeffer. Summary
tellings of the story. The girl's bodies were buried near
(21:03):
the tree, and other female bodies were found in the
canal near the park. The community even insisted that the
tree was to be cut down, but legend has it
that with any attempt, the chainsaw would break and not
be able to cut down the tree.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
And that's more than a that's more than a legend
by Oh my God. There are actual accounts of people
talking about this all over the internet, trying to cut
this tree down. They can't.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Trees are cut down all the time.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Yeah, there's all the time.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
What is going on with this tree?
Speaker 2 (21:39):
There's there's a lot, There's a lot. Good, There's a lot. Though.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
When they tried an axe, the axe head came off
of the handle and split open the head of the chopper,
killing him. There are even reports of the tree not
being able to burn. Evidence of attempts to set the
tree on fire remains, but all were unsuccessful. One of
(22:04):
the most persistent legends about the tree is that if
you take a piece of bark, bad things will happen
to you. People have claimed that after taking a piece
they had a bad string of luck after visiting the Mighty.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Oak reminds me of taking pictures of Robert.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Sorry the doh Yeah, sorry, Robert, Sorry bunny. Many people
of Port Saint Lucy have even claimed to have heard
the girl's screams and to have seen their ghosts. Sometimes
locals say if you go at night, you will see
people chanting around the tree, and you can hear the
(22:42):
snap of a rope. To say Schaeffer was a tormented
soul would be an oversimplification. The man was a monster,
the kind whose very presence makes an anti death sentence
believer rethink their stance. Schaeffer began experimenting with bondage and
(23:04):
satomasochism around the age of twelve. The man would inform
his state psychiatrist that he loved to tie himself up
to trees and get sexually excited by the lack of freedom.
Shaeffer would hurt and pleasure himself thinking about assaulting women
from a very early age. Schaeffer's earliest childhood memories or
(23:27):
that he desired to be a lady, mainly because his
sister was favored by his alcoholic, verbally abusive father. By
the age of fourteen, Schaeffer had a girlfriend named Cindy.
Their relationship was sordid and strange. She would have him
take part in a role play fantasies, fantasies that revolved
(23:50):
around raping scenarios. Girl. On October two.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
My birthday, I knew he were a fame.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
On October Tewod nineteen sixty six, Nancy Leckner, aged twenty
and Pamela Nader, age twenty one, were having fun with
their boyfriends in Alexander Springs Park in the Okala National Forest.
While the boys were swimming and played in the lake,
the girls went out for a stroll. Their bodies turned
(24:24):
up assaulted and strangled. A couple of hours after, their
boyfriends called in the cops and a man hunt ensued.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Do you remember where Alexander Springs's?
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I sure do?
Speaker 2 (24:35):
We went there?
Speaker 1 (24:36):
We sure did.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
That's where it went out on the canoe.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Yep. Wow. Sadly they were Gerard's first victims and he
had gotten away with the deed and no one even
looked at him. Funny, he wasn't even a suspect. Schaeffer
turned to law enforcement as a profession, graduating as patrolman
(24:59):
at the end of nineteen seventy one at age twenty five.
Schaeffer's actions, how many women he killed, how he killed them,
what his motives were, are the sort of lies and
blurry area serial killers often build around themselves after they
are caught. He was no different, as his jailhouse confessions
(25:21):
and contradictions seduced people into listening to him and debating
his place in the ranks of other murderers, but ultimately
left people instead arguing over how much of what he
said could be trusted or backed up.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
He was like a really serial killer. He made up
stories and lied to make himself seem worse. I guess,
I don't know, more scary, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
But you're already terrifying.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
But all the serial killers do this. It's like when
the time serves, they want to make you think they
didn't do as many, but then when the same time
serves the other way, they'll make up things and they'll
even claim to have like killed people they didn't. It's
it's weird. I mean, he's already in jail for life,
so it doesn't matter, you know, it's just stories to him.
But but why because it's something. It's like a cloud
(26:15):
thing for serial killers to be like, I'm the worst one,
but I've actually read that he is the worst one.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
I just don't understand it. I don't get it.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
It is just just a thing they all do, every
single one of them, I know.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Legend says the tree acts as a sort of touchstone
for the darkness that is said to lurk in the area.
Black figures have been spotted near the tree at night,
and the rumors and folklore say they are not all humans.
There have been reports of rituals being held there and
men with robes wandering the woods nearby and near the
(26:49):
Great Oak, but some have also cleaned to see what
they describe as people made of black smoke. These figures,
sometimes referred to as shadow people or shadow men, are
somewhat common in areas where there is heightened paranormal activity.
Another theory, the ones spread most by those people who
(27:12):
see them or hear their stories, are not as familiar
with the ghost television shows, as that there are demons
or dark spirits who are drawn to the forest and
feed on the negative energy there. Either theory might be right,
but only one horrible act can be confirmed as having
(27:33):
happened there. Other details have added to the legend in
the years since the murders. Throughout the woods near the
tree are the ruins of houses that have been torn
down and forgotten. People in the area, including the historical Society,
have no idea what the foundations are from, but their
(27:55):
existence in the area has led people to believe that
one of these or Shaffer's house, and was the location
where the evidence was found.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
So there's like a structure, there's the foundation of a
structure out there and nobody knows what it's from. But basically,
what all this is saying is there's a group of
people who believe that it wasn't Schaefer that made the
land bad, it was the land that made Schaeffer bad,
which I'm not on board with. But this is a
running theory by other people, which is why it's in here.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
I mean, where they're coming from.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
I'm not getting on board with that, but I'm just
letting you know what it's. That's what they're talking about.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I know.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
But no, when I first read this, I was like,
is it a legend that this supposed house was here?
But no, it's real. People have been out and they've
seen it, taking pictures with it. There's just this random
foundation out in the woods near this strait.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
I'd be curious to find out if he is always
lived with his mom.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
No he hasn't. No, no, because when the police searched
his mother's house, they also searched his house.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Oh that's okay. This points to something possibly tainted in
the area. While most of Port Saint Lucy exploded after
its founding, something made this particular area fail. Why was
construction stopped there? More importantly, why was there a battle
for the land between the town and a religious school
(29:22):
which tried to use the area for their school. The
school lost the battle and set up camp only a
few miles away, and since has been the target of
multiple accusations of sexual and physical abuse. With all this
information so far, it would most certainly seem like something
is going on here. But stories are just that stories.
(29:47):
What do people from the internet have to say about
this place? We found some people talking about it on
Haunted places dot org and this is what they have
to say.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
And these are actual people who live in the area
or have visited it multiple times. A lot of people
have had experiences here. Really, this wasn't just like because normally,
like when we do a building, there's you know, you
can do the trip Advisor, right. This is different because
this is a tree in the middle of the woods.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Right, There's not like a specific location or building exactly
that has a website. I mean it could he does
I have a website? I mean the tree, I don't know.
Weird landmark things like that tend to no sometimes.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
I mean there's lots of articles about it.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Yeah. Connie p in February twenty twenty three said quote
the other day, a couple of girls and a staff
member was at Okhammick Park having lunch, and one of
the girls went to the restroom when the staff member
and I heard a scream out of nowhere. I went
and asked the girl in the restroom if she had screamed.
(30:56):
She said no, So I believe that the staff member
and I heard one of the girls that was murdered
at the park scream. Robert in twenty fourteen said, been.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
To the Devil's Tree several times. Definitely not very scary
during the day. However, in the evening the place takes
on a whole other side, very eerie.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
I think the woods at night is creepy anyway.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Especially this place.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
But like I can only imagine this creepy tree, like
I haven't seen it yet, but I just imagine these
like like clow looking basically yeah, branches.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
And the branches they come out so wide they almost
touched the ground. What and it is it? Okay, So
there's just a lot going on with this tree, man, Okay,
there's just a lot going on with this tree. It
is it's just a battery. I don't know how else
to describe it, because people have actually in real life,
(31:58):
not justin legend, have tried I had to cut this tree.
They've tried to burn it down. They've tried to cut
it with an axe. Somebody poured concrete into it to
try to kill it, and it just made it stronger.
I'm sorry what they can't seem to get. They cannot
seem to kill the tree. I've seen people talking about
they've gone out and like poured chemicals on everything. This tree.
(32:20):
This tree does not die. There's something up with this tree.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
H I don't like this tree.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
It's creepy.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Jennifer in August of twenty fourteen said quote, we visited
the tree in two thousand and six with a couple
of friends and my one year old. As it was
starting to get dark. We were walking back to the car.
My son kept waving and saying hi to something. It
was definitely spooky and I'm sure he saw something there.
(32:49):
End quote. Nicole in January twenty fifteen said quote, I
went to the Devil Tree two weeks ago with my
best friend. We did EVPs on her phones and got
rope swinging in the background and a girl whispering.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
She was just in the middle.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Also heard footsteps walking through the forest as well. My
friend started drawing across in the ground while I was
asking questions through the EVP session, and after she was
allegedly done. She doesn't remember doing it at all, and
I saw her draw it until she stopped. I took
(33:29):
a picture of it, and we also found two pieces
of what looked like white tile that was in the
exact spot where my friend drew the cross. I believe
a presence was with us when we went to the tree.
Hopefully we can go back there again when I'm back
in Florida and gariebe.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Nobody wants to go back to Florida.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
No, No, and one more from Emilio. In June of
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I went with my her girlfriend, and my sister and
her fiance. What we experienced there was insane. Before we
entered the area, we were all fine, but as we
started walking in more and more we got an unsettling feeling.
I smelled something that didn't smell too dead and my
stomach began to hurt. We also got attacked by dozens
(34:22):
of mosquitos, like something didn't want us there. I was
recording with my camera and caught numerous things on video
which freaked me out a little. We heard in person
too deep growls, but on video it sounded like a
woman screaming help twice or screaming in general like she's
being attacked. We all heard that noise. On the videos
(34:43):
I took you can see a strange light which was
not there in person at all. Also, a palm was
slapped down like a person hit it, even though nothing
fell on it and it wasn't windy either. In the video,
we caught a face which resembled one of the nineteen
year old victims that died at the tree. We used
(35:04):
a ghost app called ghost Tube that picks up words
similar to a spirit box, and all the words it
said were very creepy. When we were leaving, we used
another app that tracks human like figures, and when we
pointed it at the entrance that there was a figure
standing there watching us go. The entire time, it felt
like something was following watching us. As we were headed back,
(35:28):
the ghost tube app made a noise and the words
said are you okay? And it also asked us to
come back. This all happened in the span between seven
pm and seven point fifty.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
This is the story of the Devil Tree Imports Saint Lucy,
the final resting place for many girls who were taken
there against their will, assaulted, and ultimately murdered. Florida paranormal
historian and traveler Mark Munsey said, I think the Devil
Tree Imports Saint Lucy is probably the scariest Southern Florida
(36:05):
story because it's got some reality and then the folklore
on top of it just makes it incredible. It involves
this tree in what is now Okammick State Park. But
back in the day there was this old, abandoned houseness
to this big oak tree. There was a man with
(36:25):
three names. And doing all this research, I learned that
if a man has three names in any newspaper article,
he's either A a politician or B serial killer. This
time it was B. They still try to kill the tree,
(36:45):
They try to poison it. That didn't work. The big
hole in the side of the tree where it was dripping.
They filled it with cement so that people will stop
grabbing the sap out of it and hoping the tree
will die from the cement. But now it's grown around
it and it has an invulnerable tree trunk. It's never
(37:07):
going to die. It's got a cement trunk. You can
still go there. And every time we've gone there's been
candlewax on roots where somebody's done some ritual. People know
how to get to it. Just don't take the first turn,
take the second turn. It goes right to it. Now
(37:29):
there's a beautiful housing development right there, and it's like,
please don't do candles and rituals at the tree. Just
don't burn down the tree. There's little box turtles and
other animals that live there. Please don't burn it down.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Yeah, and that's that's the story. I mean, the tree
still stands. It has a cement trunk because they poured
cement in a trying to kill it, and it still
wouldn't die. They did it to stop, but they poured
they just filled it.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Get it, I get it, I get it. But they're like,
please don't burn it down. It literally can't be burnt down.
They've tried.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
I mean, I agree, I don't know, man, it can't
be killed. The tree cannot be killed. I've read so
many articles about chainsaws snapping on it, people breaking axes
on it.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Oh my god, I mean it's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Chemicals will usually do the job. Yeah, and it doesn't
do anything.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
They make chemicals specifically to do that.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
I've just never heard of anything like this. I did landscaping.
There's nothing that isn't able to be killed. I guess
until now, there's always there's always a way, but you.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
Don't get it.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
They cannot kill it. There are lots of stories of
people having rituals. A lot of people show up to
do rituals at.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
This tree, but it's creepy tree.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
As I read stories of people using wigi boards out there,
and I mean, there's just tons, there's just tons. I
don't know if I can be the type of person
that's going to subscribe to this theory that you know,
he wasn't bad. The land made him bad. I don't
know about all that. He was a bad guy. I
don't care.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
Agreed he was born that way.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Yeah, I mean I don't think. I don't think he
I don't know. He was just a bad man.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
He was so bad.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
I'm not going to say he was born that way
so bad because I feel like his upbringing had a
lot to do with it.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
I made it, exacerbated it.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
Sure, but there's something we have to do that we
haven't done in a long time. So Megan, now that
we've I mean, this is the most story we've ever
heard on this show, because we have gone through has
a lot of story. This is fourth episode. Do you
(39:49):
think the Devil's Tree is haunted?
Speaker 1 (39:52):
I do, I do. I think. I wouldn't say I
don't know about the land here because we don't have
a whole a lot of weird and creepy history. I
think that there was.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
A lot of Native American stuff that happened on this land.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
I mean, yeah, absolutely, But I think that the things
that were done by this terrible, awful human being is
what made things stick around and things be drawn to
it because of the evil, pure evil that was done here.
(40:26):
And I think the girls don't deserve if it's them,
to be trapped there. I really don't. I really don't.
And if it is them, I hope they move on
one day. And I think people going out and having
rituals and using Wiji boards doesn't help anything either, if
(40:47):
you believe it that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Yeah, well, still don't have a weedy board up here.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
No, No, we don't soon, What about you, babe.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
I really don't know, I really don't know. That's fair.
I've thought about it and have thought about it, and
it's like, there's obviously there's something going on with the tree.
You can't kill it. It's so what if weird blood
of the girls has soaked and and and made it eternal.
I can't do this. Why are you?
Speaker 1 (41:17):
Why are you going there?
Speaker 2 (41:20):
I don't know, going where?
Speaker 4 (41:25):
So the Italian grandfather, I just I don't know, because
it's just a tree at the end of the day, Yeah,
the people were killed at I can't get I can't
give an answer because I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
This is one of those places, like I want to
see it for myself. But there are a lot of
pretty compelling stories when when it comes to like that
what Haunted Places dot orger thing, there's a lot of
stories on there. I just picked the ones that stood
out to me and and I'll give it a thumbs up.
(42:02):
I guess, okay for now, until I could be proven otherwise.
I don't know. I'm really struggling with the paranormal lately.
I know, I know people just let me down, but yeah,
I mean it's a cool place regardless either way. I
think it's historically cool. What happened there was not cool. No,
(42:23):
I mean, we know way too much about it at
this point. I wish I could forget half of.
Speaker 1 (42:30):
It, all of it. I don't want to know any
of it.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
I mean, it's terrible, it's pretty interesting.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
It is.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
I mean, it happened before we were born and we're old,
so I mean that was a long time ago. But
I guess for now we'll say, yeah, it's probably haunted.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
Well that means it gets what the big old approval.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
I don't know if I'm gonna go through all that,
but uh yeah, I mean according to us. Anyways, we're
no experts. We just talk about it on the inner
you know, we're nobody's the thirty five of you that
might watch this.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
That's right. We know you care, all twenty of you.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
But this finally finally ends Gerard, John Schaffer and the
Lord about couldn't be happier. I couldn't be happy.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
I do not want to talk about this man anymore.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
I am really tired of talking about this me too.
I'm tired of writing it, talking about it. I'm just
tired of it. But anyways, where you can find us
on the.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Internet, on the Internet, Instagram, Twitter, x whatever you want to.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
Call it talk YouTube, yep, say YouTube, but clearly on YouTube,
and it's all the things. Either just look it for
the Booze, it'll pop up.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
For the Booze or for the Booze, Underscar.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
Underscar Understar podcast. And of course a big shout out
to our Patreon. That's right, and if you would like
to join the patreons where we actually just announced it today,
we do an extra podcast on there, that's right. And
we're going to now start doing many episodes of this
where there have been times throughout the years where I've
looked up things that I wanted to do episodes on
(44:05):
but I can't because there's not enough information. So we're
going to start doing those on Patreon.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
Yes, I am so excited. I'm so excited, a little
many episodes.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
I'm pretty excited about it too. If you'd like to
join that, it is patreon dot com forward slash for
the Booze on his podcast and that's where you can
find us on there.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
Come join us over there. If you want some extra stuff,
that's right.
Speaker 2 (44:24):
And if you have a listener story you'd like to
share with us and everybody who watches, or you just
want to say hi, hit us up at for the
Boost twelve at gmail dot com. That's right, I did
it good this week.
Speaker 1 (44:35):
You did good this week.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
But I guess this is going to be the end
of it. It is, so go ahead and take us out.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
Well, thank you everybody so much for listening, and we
will see you in the next one.
Speaker 2 (44:49):
Bye. Did you want to get the last word in
this week?
Speaker 1 (44:53):
Go ahead,
Hey everybody, and welcome back to for the Booth.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
For the boot Man, I did it again. I mean
to keep supping. I don't want to do that anymore.
What I don't know. For the boot it's been the
same thing for like forever. That's right, I don't whatever. Anyways,
we're back, and this week we are fine finally going
to wrap up this whole John Gerard Schaeffer business whatever,
(01:06):
whoever the who. I've never almost done that on here
before anyways, sir, I boy, that escalated quickly. I mean,
that really got out of hand fast. I'm done. I
don't even want to talk about this, dude, I am
so over it. But this is the portion that I
(01:28):
was actually looking forward to the most. Of course, this
is the actual paranormal part of it. This is what
took us so many episodes to get to. Yeah, this
week we are going to be talking about the Devil's Tree,
which did you know that there are two? I did
not know that there's one apparently in Florida, and there's
one I think in like New Jersey. Oh okay, I
(01:49):
had no idea we're talking about the one in Florida.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
I've definitely heard of this Devil's Tree growing up in Florida.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Most people in Florida have.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Yeah, I don't know quite where it is. I've never
seen it, but I have definitely heard of it.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
It's important, Ain't Lucy?
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Well obviously now I know that. Now I know that.
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Yeah, I'm okay, fair enough, But it is not it's
kind of off the beaten path. Actually, it's not that.
It's not something you're just going to drive by. You
actually have to go find it.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I believe that.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
But there are people stories about it, like people who
have visited it, and they do have stories about it,
and we're going to find out some of those. But
as we do, it was really hard to like throw
together history for this that we haven't already talked about.
But I did find something, of course you did. So
what do you say, Yeah, we get into this one.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
I say, let's do it.
Speaker 2 (02:41):
We do that same thing every time too.
Speaker 1 (02:44):
Let's do it man.
Speaker 2 (02:47):
According to historians, it is believed that the name Saint
Lucy was first given to this area by the Spanish.
The name was given after the Spanish began construction of
a fort on December thirteenth, the feast day of the
Roman Catholics. Saint Lucia and.
Speaker 1 (03:01):
Also my niece's birthday.
Speaker 2 (03:03):
Is it yeah, oh, kidd, I didn't know that. I
mean I did, but I didn't really think about it.
The Santa Lucia Colony was established somewhere between Vero Beach
and Stuart around fifteen sixty seven, as old Spanish maps
identify this area as Santa Lucia, which included roughly what
is now known as Vero Beach to Stuart. Now the
(03:27):
Spanish held Florida from seventeen eighty three to eighteen nineteen, Seminoles,
Creek Indians from Alabama and Georgia, and runaway slaves began
to settle on the Treasure Coast. Now the Anglo Saxon
version Saint Lucy would not be officially used to identify
the area until the nineteen hundreds. The first organized non
(03:47):
Native American settlement in what is now Port Saint Lucie
was Spruce Bluff. I don't even know where that's that.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
I have no idea. I don't think I've ever heard
of that.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
This was a very small community in the eighteen nineties,
and it was settled by the widower John enos Fults,
who arrived in the September of eighteen ninety one from Rockledge. Hey,
I used to work in Rocklidge YEP now Folts homestead
at one hundred and sixty acres on Winter Creek now
(04:16):
called Blakeslee Creek. Blakeslee. Yes, that's a mouthful. It's hard
to say.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
Now, mister Fults petitioned for a post office and the
name Spruce Bluff was adopted. Folts did for a time
carry mail. A mister John Calhoun was the first carrier
who operated a twenty foot schooner rigged boat, which means
he was driving this boat on the river. I mean
it didn't have sewage being dumped in it back then, though.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
I mean yeah, but it's still right.
Speaker 2 (04:49):
It's a gross river.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
It is so gross it is.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
It smells. It smells so so bad, especially like in the.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
Summer midsummer hot, hot hot.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
When it's one hundred and eight degrees out and you
can literally see a human turd float by move. It's gross.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
And then the yearly like purge of fish.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
Yet just the line the coast that does it does
happen quite a bit. A cruise operated a sawmill at
Spruce Bluff in the late eighteen nineties. Sawmills at the
time were set up near large stands of pine or cypress.
When the trees were cleared, the sawmill was moved. The
sawmill employed some black laborers who came to the area
with the mill. Now Charles D. Blakesley arrived in eighteen
(05:31):
ninety three. His homestead was on the north branch of
Winter Creek, about one mile south of the Folks home.
Charles fished with his father, Captain John Blakesley, during the
fall and winter. An enterprising gentleman, Lloyd G. Hill raised
bees and pineapple with his family. He was a photographer
and promoted honey production with a monthly trade journal, American
(05:54):
Bee Keepers, published in Fort Pierce. Other members of this
tiny community included the wind Her family. I guess I
can blame him for all the times I got stung.
Speaker 1 (06:05):
There's so many bees, all the time you used to
get stung.
Speaker 2 (06:08):
Ultimately, I'm a bee mad.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
It's crazy.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
In eighteen ninety six a school opened with a young
teacher from Tennessee, Miss Heath, who boarded with Missus James
winter Now. Not long after the school, a small Methodist
church was built, which held service twice a month, and
a young man from Potsdam was smitten with this newly
arrived educationalist, and he was said to have roaded six
(06:34):
miles up the river and back in order to accompany
her to church service.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
It's dedication, it's love, that's love.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
The early settlers planted pineapples and citrus, but the severe
winter freeze of eighteen ninety four and eighteen ninety five
most were discouraged and left spruce Bluff of Faults, along
with his new wife and family, moved to Fort Pierce,
and when Saint Lucie County was formed in nineteen oh five,
he became the first clerk of the court. Mister Hill
(07:03):
also moved to Fort Pierce, where he opened the Florida
Photographic Concern. What is that? I don't know?
Speaker 1 (07:11):
Photographic concern? Is that just like a feeling sure?
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Not a place can be okay, or a place and
whatever you whatever you want it to be sure. We're
not picky. It's Florida. The education is not great.
Speaker 1 (07:27):
It's not education.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
It's edgemacation, edumacation. I got that Florida editemacation, Edgemacation. Now
the glass plates taken by mister Hill, his son and
grandson give us a view of the county since the
beginning of the last century. Thousands of these photos are
available for reprint from the Saint Lucy Historical Society in
Fort Pierce, so you can actually get like photos of
(07:49):
what this place looked like in its original form.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
They're still around old pictures. Yeah, I mean, like I'm
like a hundred and thirty five years old or something.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
It's crazy, but it's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (08:04):
It's awesome though, because you can actually see what it
looks are. All that remains of this community is a
small stone obelisk on Lookout Boulevard with some broken gravestones,
and the monument is inscribed quote Spruce Bluff early pioneer
settlement into ninety two. On the north and south faces
are the names or descriptions of the seven that are
(08:25):
buried there. Spruce Bluff is now considered a recreation area,
a tract of ninety seven acres owned and managed by
Saint Lucy County. The area known as Port Saint Lucie
was once mostly large ranches, as was much of Saint
Lucie County outside of Fort Pierce. The best known of
the area's early ranchers were the late Alto Bud Adams
(08:48):
Junior and his father, Judge Alto Adams. It was hardness,
what it was hard to say? He actually, yeah, I
included in here, but Bud the Sun he actually has
like an interview he did with a magazine. So he
was around a long time. Oh wow, okay, yeah. Now.
(09:09):
Charles Tobin McCarty, known as CT, began growing pineapples in
Saint Lucie County during the eighteen eighties, and the McCarty
family eventually expanded their Saint Lucy County landholdings to accommodate
their growing citrus farming and cattle ranching ventures. The family
ran cattle on the ranch for many years, selling the
(09:30):
last piece of it in two thousand and four. Whoa
a CT. McCarty was mourned throughout Florida when he was
shot and killed over a real estate and misunderstanding in
nineteen oh seven as he left a four Pierce.
Speaker 1 (09:42):
Barber shop over a real estate.
Speaker 2 (09:46):
Yeah, it's Florida real estate. This family was a really
long time, so long, eighteen eighties to two four. I mean, yeah,
that's that's it's.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
A really, really really lock.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
This was a working ranch while you were there. Yeah,
that's crazy. The family's influence extended throughout Florida, with CT's
grandson Dan becoming the state's thirty first governor in nineteen
fifty three. CET's other grandson, John managed the family ranch
for many years and was keenly aware of its value
(10:20):
to future generations as an environmental resource and potential water
supply now. The Peacock House was built in nineteen seventeen
on Okechobee Road by ancestors of Saint Lucie historian Ada
Coates Williams. It was given to wealthy rancher O. L.
Peacock Junior, who moved it to his property in nineteen
sixty eight, and the Peacocks were county pioneers who owned
(10:44):
much of what is Port Saint Lucy today. It was
a residence until two thousand and six, when it was abandoned.
A Sunny Peacock built the hunting Lodge in nineteen fifty
two and remained in use until two thousand and six,
and then it was used for storage until two thousand fifteen,
when it was also abandoned once again. This house is
(11:04):
still abandoned from what I from what.
Speaker 1 (11:06):
I found still standing, It's still stands, just abandoned.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Yeah, yeah, you know that old architecture is just better.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
It is so much better. It looks better, it's stronger, it's.
Speaker 2 (11:17):
Well and knowledge that things. But think about this, Okay,
it still stands. It was built all the way back then.
It's endured how many hurricanes and tropical storms.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
And it's still standing so many That is amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:30):
A real testament to construction event versus now. Absolutely, because
now it's all about cutting corners and stuff.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
Of course it's on all the manufactured cookie cutter houses.
Speaker 2 (11:40):
You know, well a lot of them are. Yeah, they're
those you know, like what are they called, like modular
homes homes, Yeah, where they're like partially built in a
factory somewhere and then they bring them in they just
kind of zip them together.
Speaker 1 (11:52):
You know what time it is.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Developers who came in the late nineteen fifties to Port
Saint Lucy met Burt Krewitt, a colorful and crusty guide
who owned a fishing camp on the shores of the
North Fork of the Saint Lucie River. They were likely
unaware of the violence in his and the locations passed.
Old newspaper articles about this local pioneer revealed more than
(12:21):
tales of his pet alligators, visiting millionaire fishermen, and a
river alive with rolland tarpent. They tell of three fatal
shootings and other troubling family problems in the nineteenth See. Oh, yeah,
Bert was a he was a real Florida man. Yeah,
(12:44):
he was a real Florida man. Though he lived on
the river and had pet alligators. So he's the original
Florida man.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
Do you Bert?
Speaker 2 (12:54):
Now? In the nineteen fifties, south of White City, there
were few homes. The area was a peaceful little slice
of Florida, not much more than Pruit's fish camp along
the Saint Lucie River, roaming cattle from the few area ranches,
and a fruit stand or two along the two lanes
of us one. Where's that road? I've never even heard
of that?
Speaker 1 (13:14):
You're a liar? And how many first stands do you
see on the road? Still? To this?
Speaker 2 (13:19):
Too? Many? Still to this used to be a really
good little barbecue place on there too. You know what
you want to talking about?
Speaker 1 (13:25):
I sure do.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
Then Gardner Cowles, owner and publisher of Look magazine, discovered
the Saint Lucie River. He was one of the first
to realize the potential of post war Florida development. Now
he purchased eighty five hundred acres south of Fort Pierce.
In January of nineteen fifty three, Cowls Saint Lucy river
Land Company filed the platte for Unit one River Park,
(13:50):
the South Saint Lucie County subdivision that was nestled just
outside the northern border of soon to be Port Saint Lucie.
Mister Cowell's developmentationwide advertising campaign designed primarily to attract retirees.
This is the original reason why there are so many
old people in Florida, because they marketed it, yeah to
(14:12):
the older people, Okay, and this is how we ended up.
Speaker 1 (14:15):
That makes sense having all the snowbirds and.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
It's but it's mostly like right, retire exactly. This is
where people go to retire because of this campaign that
was done back in the fifties.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
All I ask is that you learn how to drive.
Speaker 2 (14:29):
Why you don't live there anymore, I don't.
Speaker 1 (14:31):
But it still bothers me to this day. You know
when the snowbirds are back to.
Speaker 2 (14:35):
Well, yeah, you see a lot more New York license plates.
Speaker 1 (14:39):
New York, Connecticut, like all the places.
Speaker 2 (14:43):
I just found this interesting because this is literally why
there are so many old people in Florida super cool.
He used magazine and newspaper ads to promote the area's
natural beauty. He attracted buyers by marketing tropical living and
a fisherman's paradise. When prospective buyers came to look at
the property, they were given a scene the scenic, serene
(15:04):
boat ride would where down the winding river. There's nothing.
I guess we're just biased because we lived there, but
in my opinion, there's nothing pretty about Florida.
Speaker 1 (15:16):
Rivers agreed they.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Might look good in photographs and stuff to anybody who
when you.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
Color a job man didn't do all the other things
to make photos like that.
Speaker 2 (15:25):
They stink. There's tons of trash, so much. I mean
maybe not back then, but now it's it's so bad.
It's gross. They're really gross. Uh. They almost signed away.
They almost always signed a contract when the tour ended.
Though I'm guessing it did look a lot better back then.
Speaker 1 (15:43):
I would assume.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
I would assume, I would hope, because if somebody showed
me a tour, like took me on a tour of
the Indian River, I'd be like, get me out of here,
like what like just stinks, man, it smells so bad.
As Port Saint Lucy was taking shape out of the
Florida Scrub, a group of early residents saw the need
to make it bloom, and on June twenty, nineteen sixty
(16:05):
a group of several women formed the Rio Lindo Garden Club,
and it was believed to be the first service organization
in the city. It became the first federated garden club
in the city in nineteen sixty one. Today, Rio Lindo
participates in several community and club activities, some for over
sixty years. Harbor Day Celebration, Youth Camp sponsorship, card party fundraisers,
(16:31):
Holiday house fundraiser, PSL city Wide Beautiful Garden Contest, garden
tours within Fort Saint Lucy, PSL Residential Lighting Contest, public
flower shows, bus trip fundraisers to notable and educational locations,
a city Fourth of July Parade, city and club anniversary celebrations,
(16:53):
Monthly horticultural trips, monthly informational speakers, monthly newsletter, design upkeep
of the award winning Port Saint Lucy, Potanical Gardens, Rose
Garden and pslbg events and Penny Pine yearly donation. They
do they do a ton. They do everything to this day.
(17:14):
To this day, apparently they still do a lot.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
Wow, there were so many things.
Speaker 2 (17:20):
It was it was so hard to read. But within
this great story is actually a horrifying tale, as a
young man named Gerard John Shaeffer Junior would leave a
mark on this town for the rest of its existence.
While we have discussed his crimes, it is now time
to talk about where the crimes occurred. The Devil stream
(17:45):
I see.
Speaker 1 (17:46):
People found in Port Saint Lucy. The Devil Tree is
a big oak in a county park on Canal c.
Twenty four. A mighty oak, an ordinary tree, nothing to
write home about, except the fact that thing might as
well growl and snatch up little old ladies and unsuspecting
(18:08):
kids and gobble them up like a throwback from a
grim fairy tale.
Speaker 2 (18:13):
This tree, I hate to stop you so early. There
will be pictures up probably around this time. This tree
is very intimidating. Oh, it is really huge, and it
looks like every tree you would think of from like
a horror movie. It's like branches out over a path and.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
It's just really it is those that looks like it
just reached out and grab.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
And there is I don't believe I left it in here,
but there is said to be a knot in the
tree that looks like a ram's head right at the
top where girls were Stop.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Yeah, stop, I'll.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
See if I can find a picture of it, and
I'll throw it in oo.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
The Devil Tree has an evil, macabre, and incredibly blood
soaked reputation, one that's entwined with Florida history and its
amazing capacity to attract the worst of the worst humanity
has to offer.
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Of course, of course, yeah, Florida, Florida people get such
a bad rap. I know, it's true, though deserved, it's true, though,
Hey that's us. We're from Florida, so we're talking trash
about us too.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
Yep, the worst of the worst.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
That's a perfect.
Speaker 1 (19:33):
The tree is probably hundreds of years old, but the
real story of the Devil Tree begins on January eighth,
nineteen seventy one, way before Hammock Park, where the Mighty
Oak now stands, was created. The story of its legend
begins in a most bloody and shocking manner, when a
(19:54):
serial killer sexually assaulted and mutilated to teenage girls the monster,
after having his fill with the two girls would hang
them from the oak tree.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Allegedly two teenage girls. We do, we are? Humankind is
pretty sure there were a lot more, but only two,
Only two that could be proven.
Speaker 1 (20:17):
I would say, I just want.
Speaker 2 (20:18):
To throw that out there because people will hear this
and be like, two. It's from what I've read, it's
closer to what they believe. It's thirty. Oh my god, yep, thirty,
so many it is. It's I mean, two is too many.
Oh my god, thirty is too many. Never enough, apparently
because the second time I brought that up in the seat.
Speaker 1 (20:40):
He then buried the two victims in a shallow grave
underneath the tree, only to return numerous times later to
have his way with the decomposing bodies again and again.
That man's name, of course, was Gerard John Schaeffer. Summary
tellings of the story. The girl's bodies were buried near
(21:03):
the tree, and other female bodies were found in the
canal near the park. The community even insisted that the
tree was to be cut down, but legend has it
that with any attempt, the chainsaw would break and not
be able to cut down the tree.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
And that's more than a that's more than a legend
by Oh my God. There are actual accounts of people
talking about this all over the internet, trying to cut
this tree down. They can't.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Trees are cut down all the time.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Yeah, there's all the time.
Speaker 1 (21:36):
What is going on with this tree?
Speaker 2 (21:39):
There's there's a lot, There's a lot. Good, There's a lot. Though.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
When they tried an axe, the axe head came off
of the handle and split open the head of the chopper,
killing him. There are even reports of the tree not
being able to burn. Evidence of attempts to set the
tree on fire remains, but all were unsuccessful. One of
(22:04):
the most persistent legends about the tree is that if
you take a piece of bark, bad things will happen
to you. People have claimed that after taking a piece
they had a bad string of luck after visiting the Mighty.
Speaker 2 (22:18):
Oak reminds me of taking pictures of Robert.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Sorry the doh Yeah, sorry, Robert, Sorry bunny. Many people
of Port Saint Lucy have even claimed to have heard
the girl's screams and to have seen their ghosts. Sometimes
locals say if you go at night, you will see
people chanting around the tree, and you can hear the
(22:42):
snap of a rope. To say Schaeffer was a tormented
soul would be an oversimplification. The man was a monster,
the kind whose very presence makes an anti death sentence
believer rethink their stance. Schaeffer began experimenting with bondage and
(23:04):
satomasochism around the age of twelve. The man would inform
his state psychiatrist that he loved to tie himself up
to trees and get sexually excited by the lack of freedom.
Shaeffer would hurt and pleasure himself thinking about assaulting women
from a very early age. Schaeffer's earliest childhood memories or
(23:27):
that he desired to be a lady, mainly because his
sister was favored by his alcoholic, verbally abusive father. By
the age of fourteen, Schaeffer had a girlfriend named Cindy.
Their relationship was sordid and strange. She would have him
take part in a role play fantasies, fantasies that revolved
(23:50):
around raping scenarios. Girl. On October two.
Speaker 2 (23:58):
My birthday, I knew he were a fame.
Speaker 1 (24:03):
On October Tewod nineteen sixty six, Nancy Leckner, aged twenty
and Pamela Nader, age twenty one, were having fun with
their boyfriends in Alexander Springs Park in the Okala National Forest.
While the boys were swimming and played in the lake,
the girls went out for a stroll. Their bodies turned
(24:24):
up assaulted and strangled. A couple of hours after, their
boyfriends called in the cops and a man hunt ensued.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
Do you remember where Alexander Springs's?
Speaker 1 (24:34):
I sure do?
Speaker 2 (24:35):
We went there?
Speaker 1 (24:36):
We sure did.
Speaker 2 (24:37):
That's where it went out on the canoe.
Speaker 1 (24:39):
Yep. Wow. Sadly they were Gerard's first victims and he
had gotten away with the deed and no one even
looked at him. Funny, he wasn't even a suspect. Schaeffer
turned to law enforcement as a profession, graduating as patrolman
(24:59):
at the end of nineteen seventy one at age twenty five.
Schaeffer's actions, how many women he killed, how he killed them,
what his motives were, are the sort of lies and
blurry area serial killers often build around themselves after they
are caught. He was no different, as his jailhouse confessions
(25:21):
and contradictions seduced people into listening to him and debating
his place in the ranks of other murderers, but ultimately
left people instead arguing over how much of what he
said could be trusted or backed up.
Speaker 2 (25:38):
He was like a really serial killer. He made up
stories and lied to make himself seem worse. I guess,
I don't know, more scary, I don't know.
Speaker 1 (25:49):
But you're already terrifying.
Speaker 2 (25:50):
But all the serial killers do this. It's like when
the time serves, they want to make you think they
didn't do as many, but then when the same time
serves the other way, they'll make up things and they'll
even claim to have like killed people they didn't. It's
it's weird. I mean, he's already in jail for life,
so it doesn't matter, you know, it's just stories to him.
But but why because it's something. It's like a cloud
(26:15):
thing for serial killers to be like, I'm the worst one,
but I've actually read that he is the worst one.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
I just don't understand it. I don't get it.
Speaker 2 (26:22):
It is just just a thing they all do, every
single one of them, I know.
Speaker 1 (26:26):
Legend says the tree acts as a sort of touchstone
for the darkness that is said to lurk in the area.
Black figures have been spotted near the tree at night,
and the rumors and folklore say they are not all humans.
There have been reports of rituals being held there and
men with robes wandering the woods nearby and near the
(26:49):
Great Oak, but some have also cleaned to see what
they describe as people made of black smoke. These figures,
sometimes referred to as shadow people or shadow men, are
somewhat common in areas where there is heightened paranormal activity.
Another theory, the ones spread most by those people who
(27:12):
see them or hear their stories, are not as familiar
with the ghost television shows, as that there are demons
or dark spirits who are drawn to the forest and
feed on the negative energy there. Either theory might be right,
but only one horrible act can be confirmed as having
(27:33):
happened there. Other details have added to the legend in
the years since the murders. Throughout the woods near the
tree are the ruins of houses that have been torn
down and forgotten. People in the area, including the historical Society,
have no idea what the foundations are from, but their
(27:55):
existence in the area has led people to believe that
one of these or Shaffer's house, and was the location
where the evidence was found.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
So there's like a structure, there's the foundation of a
structure out there and nobody knows what it's from. But basically,
what all this is saying is there's a group of
people who believe that it wasn't Schaefer that made the
land bad, it was the land that made Schaeffer bad,
which I'm not on board with. But this is a
running theory by other people, which is why it's in here.
Speaker 1 (28:27):
I mean, where they're coming from.
Speaker 2 (28:31):
I'm not getting on board with that, but I'm just
letting you know what it's. That's what they're talking about.
Speaker 1 (28:35):
I know.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
But no, when I first read this, I was like,
is it a legend that this supposed house was here?
But no, it's real. People have been out and they've
seen it, taking pictures with it. There's just this random
foundation out in the woods near this strait.
Speaker 1 (28:48):
I'd be curious to find out if he is always
lived with his mom.
Speaker 2 (28:53):
No he hasn't. No, no, because when the police searched
his mother's house, they also searched his house.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Oh that's okay. This points to something possibly tainted in
the area. While most of Port Saint Lucy exploded after
its founding, something made this particular area fail. Why was
construction stopped there? More importantly, why was there a battle
for the land between the town and a religious school
(29:22):
which tried to use the area for their school. The
school lost the battle and set up camp only a
few miles away, and since has been the target of
multiple accusations of sexual and physical abuse. With all this
information so far, it would most certainly seem like something
is going on here. But stories are just that stories.
(29:47):
What do people from the internet have to say about
this place? We found some people talking about it on
Haunted places dot org and this is what they have
to say.
Speaker 2 (29:58):
And these are actual people who live in the area
or have visited it multiple times. A lot of people
have had experiences here. Really, this wasn't just like because normally,
like when we do a building, there's you know, you
can do the trip Advisor, right. This is different because
this is a tree in the middle of the woods.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
Right, There's not like a specific location or building exactly
that has a website. I mean it could he does
I have a website? I mean the tree, I don't know.
Weird landmark things like that tend to no sometimes.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
I mean there's lots of articles about it.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Yeah. Connie p in February twenty twenty three said quote
the other day, a couple of girls and a staff
member was at Okhammick Park having lunch, and one of
the girls went to the restroom when the staff member
and I heard a scream out of nowhere. I went
and asked the girl in the restroom if she had screamed.
(30:56):
She said no, So I believe that the staff member
and I heard one of the girls that was murdered
at the park scream. Robert in twenty fourteen said, been.
Speaker 2 (31:08):
To the Devil's Tree several times. Definitely not very scary
during the day. However, in the evening the place takes
on a whole other side, very eerie.
Speaker 1 (31:19):
I think the woods at night is creepy anyway.
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Especially this place.
Speaker 1 (31:25):
But like I can only imagine this creepy tree, like
I haven't seen it yet, but I just imagine these
like like clow looking basically yeah, branches.
Speaker 2 (31:35):
And the branches they come out so wide they almost
touched the ground. What and it is it? Okay, So
there's just a lot going on with this tree, man, Okay,
there's just a lot going on with this tree. It
is it's just a battery. I don't know how else
to describe it, because people have actually in real life,
(31:58):
not justin legend, have tried I had to cut this tree.
They've tried to burn it down. They've tried to cut
it with an axe. Somebody poured concrete into it to
try to kill it, and it just made it stronger.
I'm sorry what they can't seem to get. They cannot
seem to kill the tree. I've seen people talking about
they've gone out and like poured chemicals on everything. This tree.
(32:20):
This tree does not die. There's something up with this tree.
Speaker 1 (32:23):
H I don't like this tree.
Speaker 2 (32:25):
It's creepy.
Speaker 1 (32:28):
Jennifer in August of twenty fourteen said quote, we visited
the tree in two thousand and six with a couple
of friends and my one year old. As it was
starting to get dark. We were walking back to the car.
My son kept waving and saying hi to something. It
was definitely spooky and I'm sure he saw something there.
(32:49):
End quote. Nicole in January twenty fifteen said quote, I
went to the Devil Tree two weeks ago with my
best friend. We did EVPs on her phones and got
rope swinging in the background and a girl whispering.
Speaker 2 (33:06):
She was just in the middle.
Speaker 1 (33:09):
Also heard footsteps walking through the forest as well. My
friend started drawing across in the ground while I was
asking questions through the EVP session, and after she was
allegedly done. She doesn't remember doing it at all, and
I saw her draw it until she stopped. I took
(33:29):
a picture of it, and we also found two pieces
of what looked like white tile that was in the
exact spot where my friend drew the cross. I believe
a presence was with us when we went to the tree.
Hopefully we can go back there again when I'm back
in Florida and gariebe.
Speaker 2 (33:50):
Nobody wants to go back to Florida.
Speaker 1 (33:51):
No, No, and one more from Emilio. In June of
twenty twenty four.
Speaker 2 (33:59):
I went with my her girlfriend, and my sister and
her fiance. What we experienced there was insane. Before we
entered the area, we were all fine, but as we
started walking in more and more we got an unsettling feeling.
I smelled something that didn't smell too dead and my
stomach began to hurt. We also got attacked by dozens
(34:22):
of mosquitos, like something didn't want us there. I was
recording with my camera and caught numerous things on video
which freaked me out a little. We heard in person
too deep growls, but on video it sounded like a
woman screaming help twice or screaming in general like she's
being attacked. We all heard that noise. On the videos
(34:43):
I took you can see a strange light which was
not there in person at all. Also, a palm was
slapped down like a person hit it, even though nothing
fell on it and it wasn't windy either. In the video,
we caught a face which resembled one of the nineteen
year old victims that died at the tree. We used
(35:04):
a ghost app called ghost Tube that picks up words
similar to a spirit box, and all the words it
said were very creepy. When we were leaving, we used
another app that tracks human like figures, and when we
pointed it at the entrance that there was a figure
standing there watching us go. The entire time, it felt
like something was following watching us. As we were headed back,
(35:28):
the ghost tube app made a noise and the words
said are you okay? And it also asked us to
come back. This all happened in the span between seven
pm and seven point fifty.
Speaker 1 (35:42):
This is the story of the Devil Tree Imports Saint Lucy,
the final resting place for many girls who were taken
there against their will, assaulted, and ultimately murdered. Florida paranormal
historian and traveler Mark Munsey said, I think the Devil
Tree Imports Saint Lucy is probably the scariest Southern Florida
(36:05):
story because it's got some reality and then the folklore
on top of it just makes it incredible. It involves
this tree in what is now Okammick State Park. But
back in the day there was this old, abandoned houseness
to this big oak tree. There was a man with
(36:25):
three names. And doing all this research, I learned that
if a man has three names in any newspaper article,
he's either A a politician or B serial killer. This
time it was B. They still try to kill the tree,
(36:45):
They try to poison it. That didn't work. The big
hole in the side of the tree where it was dripping.
They filled it with cement so that people will stop
grabbing the sap out of it and hoping the tree
will die from the cement. But now it's grown around
it and it has an invulnerable tree trunk. It's never
(37:07):
going to die. It's got a cement trunk. You can
still go there. And every time we've gone there's been
candlewax on roots where somebody's done some ritual. People know
how to get to it. Just don't take the first turn,
take the second turn. It goes right to it. Now
(37:29):
there's a beautiful housing development right there, and it's like,
please don't do candles and rituals at the tree. Just
don't burn down the tree. There's little box turtles and
other animals that live there. Please don't burn it down.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
Yeah, and that's that's the story. I mean, the tree
still stands. It has a cement trunk because they poured
cement in a trying to kill it, and it still
wouldn't die. They did it to stop, but they poured
they just filled it.
Speaker 1 (38:00):
Get it, I get it, I get it. But they're like,
please don't burn it down. It literally can't be burnt down.
They've tried.
Speaker 2 (38:06):
I mean, I agree, I don't know, man, it can't
be killed. The tree cannot be killed. I've read so
many articles about chainsaws snapping on it, people breaking axes
on it.
Speaker 1 (38:21):
Oh my god, I mean it's so crazy.
Speaker 2 (38:23):
Chemicals will usually do the job. Yeah, and it doesn't
do anything.
Speaker 1 (38:27):
They make chemicals specifically to do that.
Speaker 2 (38:31):
I've just never heard of anything like this. I did landscaping.
There's nothing that isn't able to be killed. I guess
until now, there's always there's always a way, but you.
Speaker 1 (38:39):
Don't get it.
Speaker 2 (38:39):
They cannot kill it. There are lots of stories of
people having rituals. A lot of people show up to
do rituals at.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
This tree, but it's creepy tree.
Speaker 2 (38:49):
As I read stories of people using wigi boards out there,
and I mean, there's just tons, there's just tons. I
don't know if I can be the type of person
that's going to subscribe to this theory that you know,
he wasn't bad. The land made him bad. I don't
know about all that. He was a bad guy. I
don't care.
Speaker 1 (39:09):
Agreed he was born that way.
Speaker 2 (39:12):
Yeah, I mean I don't think. I don't think he
I don't know. He was just a bad man.
Speaker 1 (39:17):
He was so bad.
Speaker 2 (39:18):
I'm not going to say he was born that way
so bad because I feel like his upbringing had a
lot to do with it.
Speaker 1 (39:23):
I made it, exacerbated it.
Speaker 2 (39:25):
Sure, but there's something we have to do that we
haven't done in a long time. So Megan, now that
we've I mean, this is the most story we've ever
heard on this show, because we have gone through has
a lot of story. This is fourth episode. Do you
(39:49):
think the Devil's Tree is haunted?
Speaker 1 (39:52):
I do, I do. I think. I wouldn't say I
don't know about the land here because we don't have
a whole a lot of weird and creepy history. I
think that there was.
Speaker 2 (40:03):
A lot of Native American stuff that happened on this land.
Speaker 1 (40:05):
I mean, yeah, absolutely, But I think that the things
that were done by this terrible, awful human being is
what made things stick around and things be drawn to
it because of the evil, pure evil that was done here.
(40:26):
And I think the girls don't deserve if it's them,
to be trapped there. I really don't. I really don't.
And if it is them, I hope they move on
one day. And I think people going out and having
rituals and using Wiji boards doesn't help anything either, if
(40:47):
you believe it that kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (40:49):
Yeah, well, still don't have a weedy board up here.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
No, No, we don't soon, What about you, babe.
Speaker 2 (40:56):
I really don't know, I really don't know. That's fair.
I've thought about it and have thought about it, and
it's like, there's obviously there's something going on with the tree.
You can't kill it. It's so what if weird blood
of the girls has soaked and and and made it eternal.
I can't do this. Why are you?
Speaker 1 (41:17):
Why are you going there?
Speaker 2 (41:20):
I don't know, going where?
Speaker 4 (41:25):
So the Italian grandfather, I just I don't know, because
it's just a tree at the end of the day, Yeah,
the people were killed at I can't get I can't
give an answer because I'm not sure.
Speaker 2 (41:42):
This is one of those places, like I want to
see it for myself. But there are a lot of
pretty compelling stories when when it comes to like that
what Haunted Places dot orger thing, there's a lot of
stories on there. I just picked the ones that stood
out to me and and I'll give it a thumbs up.
(42:02):
I guess, okay for now, until I could be proven otherwise.
I don't know. I'm really struggling with the paranormal lately.
I know, I know people just let me down, but yeah,
I mean it's a cool place regardless either way. I
think it's historically cool. What happened there was not cool. No,
(42:23):
I mean, we know way too much about it at
this point. I wish I could forget half of.
Speaker 1 (42:30):
It, all of it. I don't want to know any
of it.
Speaker 2 (42:33):
I mean, it's terrible, it's pretty interesting.
Speaker 1 (42:35):
It is.
Speaker 2 (42:36):
I mean, it happened before we were born and we're old,
so I mean that was a long time ago. But
I guess for now we'll say, yeah, it's probably haunted.
Speaker 1 (42:45):
Well that means it gets what the big old approval.
Speaker 2 (42:53):
I don't know if I'm gonna go through all that,
but uh yeah, I mean according to us. Anyways, we're
no experts. We just talk about it on the inner
you know, we're nobody's the thirty five of you that
might watch this.
Speaker 1 (43:04):
That's right. We know you care, all twenty of you.
Speaker 2 (43:08):
But this finally finally ends Gerard, John Schaffer and the
Lord about couldn't be happier. I couldn't be happy.
Speaker 1 (43:16):
I do not want to talk about this man anymore.
Speaker 2 (43:18):
I am really tired of talking about this me too.
I'm tired of writing it, talking about it. I'm just
tired of it. But anyways, where you can find us
on the.
Speaker 1 (43:30):
Internet, on the Internet, Instagram, Twitter, x whatever you want to.
Speaker 2 (43:34):
Call it talk YouTube, yep, say YouTube, but clearly on YouTube,
and it's all the things. Either just look it for
the Booze, it'll pop up.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
For the Booze or for the Booze, Underscar.
Speaker 2 (43:43):
Underscar Understar podcast. And of course a big shout out
to our Patreon. That's right, and if you would like
to join the patreons where we actually just announced it today,
we do an extra podcast on there, that's right. And
we're going to now start doing many episodes of this
where there have been times throughout the years where I've
looked up things that I wanted to do episodes on
(44:05):
but I can't because there's not enough information. So we're
going to start doing those on Patreon.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
Yes, I am so excited. I'm so excited, a little
many episodes.
Speaker 2 (44:14):
I'm pretty excited about it too. If you'd like to
join that, it is patreon dot com forward slash for
the Booze on his podcast and that's where you can
find us on there.
Speaker 1 (44:21):
Come join us over there. If you want some extra stuff,
that's right.
Speaker 2 (44:24):
And if you have a listener story you'd like to
share with us and everybody who watches, or you just
want to say hi, hit us up at for the
Boost twelve at gmail dot com. That's right, I did
it good this week.
Speaker 1 (44:35):
You did good this week.
Speaker 2 (44:37):
But I guess this is going to be the end
of it. It is, so go ahead and take us out.
Speaker 1 (44:44):
Well, thank you everybody so much for listening, and we
will see you in the next one.
Speaker 2 (44:49):
Bye. Did you want to get the last word in
this week?
Speaker 1 (44:53):
Go ahead,
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