Morbid - Episode 124: The Blackburn Cult Mini Morbid

Episode Date: March 9, 2020

Tonight's episode is a dive into a cult started by a saucy mother/daughter duo who were sometimes sisters! Come on in for a rapture that never comes, some DIY mummies and some seriously sketchy characters from the 1920s. The Blackburn Cult was not your momma's cult.....it was actually Ruth's momma's cult. Visit our sponsors! Gabi Take two minutes - right now – to see how much you can save on your car and homeowners insurance. Go to Gabi.com/morbid The Perfect Bar  Right now, Perfect Bar is offering 15% off your online order. Just go to Perfectbar.com/morbid. Shop their refrigerated snacks today to get 15% off your order. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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That's W-O-N-D-E-R-Y-P-O-D. Audible.com slash wonderypod or text wonderypod to 500-500 to try audible for free for 30 days. Angie's list is now Angie, and we've heard a lot of theories about why. I thought it was an eco-move. For your worst, guess paper. It was so you could say it faster. No way. It's to be more iconic.

Must be a tech thing. But those aren't quite right. It's because now you can compare up front prices, book a service instantly, and even get your project handled from start to finish. Sounds easy. It is. And it makes us so much more than just a list. Get started at Angie.com.

That's ANGI, or download the app today. Hey weirdos, I'm Elena. I'm like Ash, and this is a mini morbid. Ash, centric, bitch. Mini, mini, mini, mini, mini morbid. Mini morbid, mini, morbid, mini, morbid. BIRD! Ha, ha, ha! it's so tiny, small.

It's actually five pages long. Whoa. All right. Homey, one to town, out of min, back from town, but I went there. See, this was going to be an Elena mini more than it was supposed to be, but Mama had like 13 pages of research for West Memphis 3, and I'm a little burnt out. And Mama had to work.

Yeah, and I had to work. So Ash stepped up to the plate and was like, let me do it. And I was like, curl, I love you. It's like high school and I was like, put me in coach, I'm ready to play. And he was like, go sit down, you idiot. But you, you gave me a chance. I did, I gave you a chance. I was like, yes, and I slept on on this and I sent you into the field.

Exactly. Yeah. That's exactly where we are. And here we are. Currently. I'm excited for this one because I know what it is because you told me. I told you. I told you. I told you. Not a surprise. I was not, but it will be a surprise to all of you. It's moderately obscure. I'd never heard of it before of that. I love moderately obscure things. Seems. Should have named this podcast moderately obscure. That'd be awesome actually. Well, what's not moderately, moderately obscure is the fact that we're gonna be...

We're kind of on tour I guess. We're kind of touring guys. We're touring. We're slightly touring. We're so annoying this episode. Okay, so April 14th, punchline comedy club in Philadelphia. What up, Philadelphia? Ha ha ha.

April 15th, the DC, I'm proud of Washington. They say monuments. She said it once, she'll say it again. I love monuments. April 23rd, the Granithy Theater, New York. Oh, hey, Grammacy, we're coming for you for the Death Becomes Us Festival. Death.

Come, it's gonna be a true crime fun time. This isn't on the link tree, but PS, we're gonna be in Orlando for CrimeCon, which is the first weekend of May. Hell yeah, we are. And I can't wait to be lit. And also, I looked at the website today and they added more people coming

and I was like, wowzers, I'm real excited. Is your boy Billy Jensen coming? Billy Jensen's coming. He's a long way. He's a long way. He's a's coming. He's a long- He's a shorted about that. Oh, no. Also, Dr. Catherine Ramzland is going to be there. And if anyone remembers back to the BTK Dennis episodes, she wrote an amazing book about

BTK and she communicated with him through letters. And I took a lot, I used a lot of her research for those episodes, mentioned her a lot because she's fucking awesome. So I can't wait to meet her and be like, hi, I love you. Let's talk. That's gonna be so awesome. It's gonna be amazing.

That's literally what I'm going to say. My only goal at CrimeCon is to take a picture between Keith Morrison and Nancy Grace and then put it on Instagram and caption it, mom and dad. Hey, did you guys know that? I've said it once. I'll say it again. The theme of this podcast is Ash never shuts the fuck up. Oh, also Sarah, Terny from the Voices of Justice podcast is gonna be there and I'm excited to meet her. I'm very excited to meet her. There's gonna be a lot of awesome people guys. Come to CrimeCon. Yeah, it's gonna be Litty Titty. It's gonna be Woythit. Oh, I don't know why I thought you said Wheatthin for a second. And

then I was like, is Wheatthin gonna be there? Wheatthins are great. So I hope they're there. Alabama, May 6th. Stand up live. See you then. What up Alabama? May 7th, early show, late show, Zaini's Nashville, Tennessee, homey. Nashville Tennessee, we love you. We added this one. We're going to be in Raleigh June 2nd at the Good Night's Comedy Club. Raleigh, we are coming for you. Raleigh, Raleigh. June 3rd, the Comedy Zone in Charlotte, North Carolina.

See their baby, shall it? What come in? That just reminds me of like sex in the city. And we watched that movie last night so do do do do do do do we just lost half of the listeners uh June 11th we added the show for Chicago Chicago what coming for you yeah it's gonna be great you asked we delivered see there June 12th uh we're gonna be at the Chicago place again at Tally Hall hey Hey, Tally Hall, we're coming. And then we're spooky and I can't wait to be in ya.

In ya. And then we're gonna just stay at home on June 11th and go to the Wilbur Theater and do like kind of a big show. No big deal. It's fine. It's fine. No big deal. Come to the Wilbur guys, it's gonna be awesome.

Come if. And two guys. Wilba. The comic stylings of one Emily Walsh will be at that show. I love how you say that. And let me tell you that Emily Walsh and I have been bros since eighth grade. So this is someone who has known me since eighth grade. Emily has embarrassed her tonities.

It is certainly worth your while to come see, not just us, but Emily Walsh, because she's fucking hilarious. I knew when I met her in eighth grade, I was like, this bitch is gonna be a comic. Like she has to be. She's gotta be. She was hilarious from the get-go.

So guys, it's gonna be awesome. She's amazing. And you'll probably wanna follow her around the tour after that. So you're welcome. So you're welcome. I just wanna say you're welcome to everybody for bringing her to the tour after that. So you're welcome. But you better. I just want to say you're welcome to everybody for bringing her to you.

You're welcome. You're welcome. And the show we have added, not yet on the link tree, big time news baby. A lot of you have asked for this. Ready? Dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-dada-ada-dada-ada-dada-dada-dada-dada- July 8th. July 8th. Comedy works. Comedy works. Denver. Denver. Colorado. Colorado. Oh my god, I'm wearing a Colorado shirt right now.

She is wearing a Colorado shirt. Spooky are you listening? I'm wearing the Colorado shirt that I got with you. And I know that I've seen a lot of people ask for Denver Colorado, so I am so excited that we get to come for you. Me too, and one of my best friends lives there, so see you there, Spooks. And this is going to be coming out when tickets will be going on pre-sale for Patronus' only. That's Tuesday the 10th. It is going to be on pre-sale for Patronus'

only. We will give them the code. And then it's going to be on sale for everyone else. All you other lovely beautiful human beings, two days later on Thursday, the 12th. Yeah. So keep a lookout because we will be throwing all those links at you, but if you're not on social media or you're just listening to this right now, go to morbidpodcast.com.

We're gonna have all that stuff right there. And you can buy your tickets, do it. It's gonna be awesome. Denver's gonna be really fun It is it's gonna be a lot of fun Well, I think we should just jump right into this because it's a mini-mortem I'm glad you're trying to and because I was trying to open my Google Doc and talk at the same time I know you were so I was vamping we all know I can't multitask All right, let's do this. Okay, so I like to say my sources before I start.

Just love that. You know what you're supposed to do. You're just supposed to. So I read a really good book. It was called The Beast from the Abyss. Ooh, written by a man whose family was actually involved in what I'll be talking about. I love the way you say you were written by a man.

I'm like a man, right? It was written by a man. And then I listened to an episode, I found a new podcast today. I'm obsessed with them. You're gonna be obsessed with them. Oh, love it. That spooky podcast. Ooh, I already love it.

That's spooky. In the beginning, they recap, they recap drag race. Wow. Yeah, I'm in. Yeah. You've hooked me already. It's great. And then I listened to the podcast. That's just called cults nice

I've started that one. I listened to those podcasts and I read that book awesome All right, so what are we what are we doing? Well? Picture it. I'm picture. I'm gonna put you in the scene right now. I just have an abyss in front of me Well, that's where they're from just kidding. Okay, it's around 1924 and about a hundred people are outside building cabins Setting up a little community in Santa Susanna Noles. So we've said what this is? No. Okay, I'm telling you. Okay. 12 cabins to be exact and a temple inside that holds an 800 pound wooden throne with a lion head top and paws for legs and then edit out the in-then. These people belong to the royal family of the chosen 11 or the divine order of the royal arms of the great 11 or the great 11 club

or if you want to put it simply simply the blackburn cult. I'd like to call it, I'd like to put it simply, simply perfectly. Well you know what, fuck you. Oh I'm excited for. All right, so we're talking about the blackburn cult blackburn cult like that we were like what the fuck are we talking about and I was like I'll get there Because I was like I feel like we're gonna lose people Where it's like put your seatbelt on it's my mini. I'm in all right, so we're gonna rewind a little bit all right I'm a whew I'm in mind a little bit. All right, I'm a whew. All right, yes. I'm a winding. Matilda May, Otis Blackburn, was Blackburn, excuse me,

was born in Iowa on August 2nd, 1881. Good for her. Yeah. Okay, shortly after her father died, she began hearing voices. That happens. She was like four. Wow.

That's not good. And she interpreted these voices as the messages of God. At four. Eventually. Oh, probably not at four. I was like, well, that's some buyer thinking. I don't know. I don't know.

You're kids are smart. They are pretty smart. Well, as a young adult, she had a way with manzes. And she always tried to find the ones with the money. Ooh, I love it. Who doesn't? Just kidding. Around 17, she marries a man named John Whalent.

And together they have a daughter named Ruth Whalent. So shortly after Ruth is born, John heads out to the mines to try to get rich. Always head into the mines. Because he knows 1898, and that's just what you did. Yeah, they just all went to the mines. But May ends up hearing that John died. Oh, no over a mine argument. That's that's a bad way to die. You know mine arguments. Mine arguments can get so heated. Fucking so heated. I try my hardest to stay out of mine. I do the same thing. I'm just, they always worry me. I know. Well, so now she's like, shit, I'm screwed.

And I can't raise this baby by myself. So she sends Ruth to live with her mother and her stepdad. I mean, people have done it, but OK. Yeah, she's young. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

Ha. Ha. Ha. What makes a person a murderer? Are they born to kill? or are they made to kill? I'm Candice DeLong and on my podcast Killer Psychie Daily, which you can find exclusively on Amazon Music, I share a quick 10 minute rundown every weekday on the motivations and behaviors of the criminal masterminds you read about in the news. I have decades of experience as a psychiatric nurse,

FBI agent, and a criminal profiler. On Killer Psychie Daily, I'll give you my expert perspective on cases like the mysterious New York City drugings, breaking down Lori Vallow, a K.A. Mommy Doom stays motives, and what drove Caitlin Armstrong to murder? I'll also bring on expert guests who add even more insight into these criminal minds. I promise you won't regret adding these 10 minutes

to your morning routine. Hey, Prime members, listen to the Amazon Music exclusive podcast, Killer Psychie Daily, in the Amazon Music app. Download the app today. Hey there, fellow podcast listener. It's Elena.

And Ash! And we're taking you back to the days before streaming services. Whoa! You know when you would come home from high school and it was only a few hours until that TV show everyone was watching was about to come on? Well, in 1999, that show was Buffy the Vampire Slayer. In our podcast with Wondery, the re-watcher Buffy the Vampire Slayer,

we take it back to 1999. So get out your knee-high boots and paste that poster of Angel on the wall. It's time to enter the Buffyverse. Some of you avid morbid listeners already know what we've gotten store. Join us. Join us as we sway our way through Buffy's drama, action, and romance. Episode by Episode Slacy. Follow the rewatcher, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, wherever you get your podcasts.

You can listen early and add free on the Amazon Music or Wondery app. Darn, ee-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e Oh, yeah! So after that, Mae meets a man named Rudolph Shulls, and they get married. Because- Always marry a rude man. Meet a marry- Meet a marry- At first Mae tells Rudolph that Ruth is her little sister, but eventually she fesses up and she's like, yeah, Ruth is my kid. Let's get her back. Let's get married and let's be a cute little family. Ooh, a lot of Ted Bundy.

And he's like, okay. Cool. So they do that for a quick minute. And then May alleges that she gets this letter saying that John Wayland is still alive. Ah, plot twist. And that she wants to go make up with him. And since she never actually divorced John, her and Rudolph's marriage isn't even legit anyways.

Wow, this is scandalous. It's wild. They scandal. The reason that I said she alleged that she got this note is that she never actually gets back with John Maylend, which is weird. So did he live though? Nobody actually ever heard from him again.

I bet he's just dead. It's very fishy. Very fishy. I think that Rudolph wasn't really pulling in the dough. That may wanted and she wanted to get rich. And she was like, I have this team in my head. I got this letter the other day that said, like, hey, me, what's up?

It's your girl. Whoever. It's your girl. What's up? How's life? It's 1800s. Let's chat. I sent this to a pigeon.

And then she got this idea in her head and was like, you know what? I'm gonna tell Rudolph that the letter that I got was from my not dead husband so that I can piece the fuck out of this. I mean, yeah, pigeons. Pigeons. After that, so she leaves Rudolph, she's left John Wail and she's left a few people in the dust. Well she meets... She's got broken hearts behind her. I know. She meets this guy named Fremont Everett. Well, she's getting better and better with the names. Well, I gotta say. He's a bit of a richy rich.

Well, I mean, if you were me, his Fremont. You better be rich. That's what I'm aiming my first born boy or girl. Just a little Fremont. So he's actually married. Bummer. Ooh. But he's a richy rich.

So he sets her up with all these apartments that end up making her like a good amount of money. Oh, okay. So she's like, you know what, Fremont, I'm actually really not that into you. You're married and I have your money now, so I don't really need you. Wow. And she leaves him in the dust. Wow.

She's in it, sister. Thanks for the good times. I'll remember Yafondley. Duces. Wow. So then, she gets married again after Fremont, but I didn't look too further into it Thanks for the good times. I'll remember Yaffondley Duces. Wow So then she gets married again after a free month, but I didn't look too further into it because nothing really came out of it So she just got married and then it didn't work out. So really who cares fuck it. Yeah, and at this point It's like okay, man. We get you we get your pattern. We get what you do. You get married

She uses men takes their money gets ahead leaves them behind and then marries another one. Yes, exactly Yeah, BingBangBoo. Yeah. All right, so for a little bit of Ruth's childhood, may put together these like independent movies that like Ruth is involved in. Okay. And at this point, they're living in Portland.

So it was like, she was in these movies and Portland made a big deal of like producing them. They bought like this like expensive piece of equipment to project the movie onto where some shit fancy. And but like Ruth or not Ruth, may think that like Ruth is a star and that they're headed for Hollywood and like it's gonna be great, but like that doesn't exactly happen. No, because like nothing exactly happens for me. Nothing really goes her way.

So they're not ready to give up on their dream yet and Ruth's getting a little bit older. So they take the money that they have left from all the apartments that she was like doing, renting out, I don't know what you were doing. She was doing those apartments. You know, doing apartments. And they head out to Hollywood in hopes of turning Ruth into a stall. We're gonna make you a stack, kid. She was born and made, was like a stars bowl. A stars bowl.

And then that's like, it was Lady Gaga came out. So it doesn't work out. So now like I said, Ruth's getting older. It's like not panning out. It's like whatever. So she becomes a taxi dancer to make some money. All right. It's also alleged that she participated

in the no pants kind of dancing. Oh, hey. But like it was money. It was a dancing. Make money. Make money. Whatever you need to do. Like all the power to you sister.

Yeah, hustle girl. So everything is just like a little bit sad. They're like right and out make money. Whatever you need to do, all the power to you sister. Yeah, hustle girl. So everything is just a little bit sad. They're like, right in out of money. Now she's like, dancing for money. For my hands, the pants list, dance in which she's just throwing out all her pants. You know, they're all gone. I don't even know if they could wear pants back then.

Probably not. So, well, then one day out there in 1922, California, you picture it. Ooh. I want you to picture this whole thing. I'm picturing it. Well, then one day out there in 1922, California. You picture it. Ooh. I want you to picture this whole thing. I'm picturing it. Something bananas happens. I see a lot of bananas.

Okay, well, you know Gabriel and Michael, the Archangels? Oh, yeah, I know them. Do you know them? Well, they decide to pay May and Ruth a visit. Oh, that's nice of them. So they're like, hey, we know things haven't really panned out this far. But get ready for a full 180 spin, ladies, because guess what's up?

You are the two witnesses, and you're about to be enlightened for the next 1,260 days of prophecy. Well, shit, that's a stroke of good luck. They're like, all you gotta do is write this book, The Great Sixth Seal, and shut yourself off to society for the next couple of years while we tell you about the mysteries They're like, all you gotta do is write this book, the great sixth seal, and shut yourself soft to society for the next couple of years,

while we tell you about the mysteries of life, hell, heaven, and earth. That sounds awesome. And after the seventh seal is opened, which I guess that's like a religious thing, and basically that's like when the sky opens up and the angels start trumpeting, and like the world's fucking over.

That sounds absolutely terrifying, but I'm way... Wait, okay, so I know that my minisuck because I get really like a little bit off of topics. They don't pick suck, thank you. But do you remember when there was like corn music playing from the sky that like a few years ago? That was a rash of like the in people were thinking it was like the trumpets coming.

They thought that it was the seven sea- Those videos terrifying. Are the scary shit. Just because I keep picturing, like I don't even know what I picture, but I just think of Trump and- Impending doom. Trumpets in the sky are nothing I wanna deal with.

No, nothing I wanna deal with. No. So when somebody says the sky is going to open up, and then all these angels are just gonna start like, blah, just blowing Trumpets all up. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, Just blow and just blow and burn. That's so bad. That's so bad. Like a goddamn nightmare. And I like, Well it is because we're all gonna die when it happens.

I'm not shooting on like anyone's religion here, anything like that. If that's what you believe, like, no. No, it's terrifying. No, it's very scary. I don't want to believe that. This out of them, from what I understand, the seventh seal opening is like,

um, Doomstay. Like the end time. Yes, okay. Judgment day. Is that when everybody gets like, raptured and shit? Yes, oh, exactly. That's like the final seal. Because rapturing scares the shit out of me too. I think so, from what I gathered,

because I'll be stuck down here. Yeah, so. Yeah, you will. Yeah, so that's a bummer. Well, not Ruth and me, because Gabriel and Michael told them that after the seventh seal is open, don't worry about a thing. As long as you do this, after the seventh seal is open, don't worry about a thing. As long as you do this,

after the seventh seal opens and everybody dies, you guys are going to come back to life with these nine other queens who are going to run this motherfucker and live in these gorgeous, huge houses in all of Hill in Hollywood. Wow. It's chill, it's casual, it's fine. What a gig. So Ruth and Bay get to writing. Yeah, I would. When this all happened, Ruth was technically still married, but she was separated from her husband and couldn't afford to get divorced. And she was seeing this guy named Arthur on the side. Not, and it wasn't really on the side because she was pretty much separated. Yeah. And she convinced him to give her money to pay for the divorce. Oh. And she was like, oh my god Arthur, thank you so much for this money and also goodbye.

Wow. I don't love you anymore. Wow. Gold mother. Gold, yeah. And I'm right. Gold mother. Gold, yeah.

I'm just put that in there. Well, we can assume that she used some of this money to like continue writing the book with her mom, but they're about a year into writing the book at this point and they're out of money. Oh shit. Writing books is hard, guys. Okay, I guess I did. It's hard, but I'm really confused

about why it would cost so much money to write a book. Yeah, that I don't get. I'm sure somebody will email and they explain this. Yeah, I mean, it is explained to us. It's cost me zero money to write a book. That's the thing, you know. But maybe back in the day, it was like costly. Yeah, I guess.

It's cost me a lot of money and like stress, but not actual fiscally money. Yeah, well that's the thing, you know. But like maybe back in the day, it was like costly. Yeah, I guess. Costume a lot of money and like stress, but not actual fiscally money. Yeah, well that's the thing. I mean back then I get, well back then, it's not like they had to sit on a laptop and they had to buy like paper, and stuff. Yeah, so that kind of, that makes sense.

All right, we cleared it up. Yeah, look at that. We just, we brain, we brain trusted through it. Don't at me. Ruth and Mae decided to go back to Portland since they're out of money. Like I said, they lived there for a while. And I'm pretty sure that's where Mae's mom and her stepdad lived. So they go around, they go back to Portland, they go around telling people about their lunch date

with Gabriel and Michael and how they have to write this book and do this teachings. I'm sure people react it really well. Yeah, totally. Well, actually they did. Awesome. They end up getting like a decent amount of quote donations. Well, shit. Quote, quote. And about 15 quote followers. Wow. All right, that's doing pretty well.

Honestly, for like a baby cult. Yeah, I mean, just walking around talking about having lunch with Archangel, that's a pretty good, actually. I don't know if I remember him, but I think the spooky podcast called them a baby cult, but I don't know if maybe I just said that And I think that I'm copying them so maybe they called it that if they did it was funny

Let's just give them credit anyway if they didn't I said it and it was funny either way. It's funny I'm gonna give them credit and I'll give you credit too perfect everybody So they head back to California and that's how the fucking cult was born love that so may names the cult names the cult, the divine order of the royal arms of the great 11. That's really long. Let's cumbersome. It shortens over time. Okay, cool. She also names herself High Priestess.

Love that. I would want, I want to be High Priestess of something. Your High Priestess of morbid. Can, am I High Priestess of the podcast? Let's be real. Love that. You know your High Priestess. Oh my, I'm into that.

And Ruth is, this is who I want to be. No, it's not The grand royal of the water of the father's blood. Nope, that's what you are Like I don't even understand what that means. I don't either, but that's you. So no There's this big initiation party where everybody dresses up in purple robes and they dance around Yeah, I think at some point they ditch the robes and they start dancing around Niki. Oh hell yeah. It's fine. Cults. It sounds harmless, doesn't it?

Sure, it sounds like a spot. Well, all cults sound harmless in the beginning of Lina. Yes they do. The problem is the money starts to run out and that's when May starts restricting what the members can eat and making all these weird fucking rules. So her reasoning, like her reasoning for most things has to do with the way that she interprets words. So like an example, that seems to be the way with all.

It's ballroom, it's like specific word like this all makes sense in a second. So remember how Gabriel and Michael said eventually they were gonna end up on all of hills and Hollywood Oh, yes, so may preach is that not apples but all of sorry the forbidden fruit She said that the olive tree was the tree of knowledge and not to eat olives because it's going in an olive. If you space that out when it's going in, it reads, oh, live. But I really like olives. I don't. But backwards, it's evil.

Oh. I shit you. Evil. Oh. I shit you not. That's, that was her reasoning. That's, I get it. So she did like, she did things like that with words.

Like she, she used them to her for her reasoning. Misinterpreting things tends to cause a lot of issues. Sure does. She also wouldn't let anybody touch her, which sounds a lot like you. I was just gonna say, I'm so far I'm understanding this lady. So the only person that was like allowed to touch her was Ruth. And she now

referred to Ruth as her, like they referred to each other as sisters at this point. Oh, that's weird. Which is confusing. Yeah. And also if you look at the timeline, the book that I read, the author was talking about this. If you look at the timeline of like when Ruth was born and like when May claimed that she had her, he wonders if like documents were forged and if he wonders if May was actually a lot older than she said she was. Oh, okay. Because she claimed that she was 17 when she had Ruth.

But it seems like she might have been like 26. Oh, okay. It's very confusing. It was a little too involved for my peanut brain. So yeah, she won't let any of my touchers. She's called Ruth or sister. Ruth is a baby. Ruth let any of my touchers. She's called a Ruth or sister. My sister's a baby. Ruth is a lot of toucher.

May also had messengers who would hand out her notes to people, and when they came back with the answer or the mail or whatever, they would have to place it next to her without touching her. I love it. Also, everybody has to refer to her as mother. That's weird.

Except Ruth, which is weird because Ruth is actually a daughter with a thick, her sister, baby. It's all really confusing. So eventually when the cult money, eventually down the line, the cult like starts to make some money. And this is just like a little example, but she would be driven around. And one time these kids touched the car

that she was being driven in. And she got out of the car and made these kids like slap themselves, like made them slap their knees or something as punishment. Wow, wild. That's wild. But before that time, the money was tight. In May and Ruth claimed that they were working on this book, the sixth, the great sixth seal. But no one was ever allowed to see the book or touch it. So probably because it didn't exist, but who am I to say? May ends up needing more money. So her original stepdad that she had sent Ruth to live with, he was like gone so I don't know if he died or something, but her mom got remarried to this guy named Mr. Blackburn.

Okay. So that's how Blackburn calls ends up being the name. So she's running out of money and she asked her stepdad Mr. Blackburn to sell his grocery store. He asked it is, but he complies. Wow. And with the money that May and Ruth get, they buy a print shop to quote work on scripture.

OK. Again, probably not. Oh, and also May decides to marry her stepbrother, Ward. It's getting a little culty here. So it was starting off pretty culty, but it's getting real culty now. So this is like my personal pondering here. I kind of wonder if she had to marry Ward as like payment for her stepdad selling his grocery store. Like if that was like some kind of arrangement.

Arrangement, you know what I mean? I could see that. her stepdad selling his grocery store. Like if that was like some kind of arrangement. Arrangement, you know what I mean? I could see that. Because Ward was a straight up garbage human and this didn't benefit her in any way. He literally like didn't shower. He smelled like actual garbage. And also he was accused of child molestation.

Oh, that's terrible. Yeah, that sounds like it was probably like an arrangement. Yeah, he was also younger than Ruth. So younger than her own daughter sister. And when they got married, May lied about her age. She said she was much younger than she was. So which is another reason why people are led to believe. Like, was she 17 when she was already lying about her age?

Did she lie like, how old is this fucking woman? How old are you? Who are you? A lot of people say that it was very apparent also that May was interested in women and their beauty, particularly young girls, which is creepy. Okay. But nothing is alleged other than her, like, about her acting on it. So, all right.

Maybe Ward was just a step-beard. A step-beard, if you like it. If you like it. I do. I like that. Okay. So now marrying your step-brother's wild. Oh, a little bit. It's about to get like it. I do like that. Okay, so now marrying your step brother's wild. Oh, a little bit. It's about to get even wilder. Oh boy. I hope you're still holding onto your butts. I am firmly. So Ruth gets together. Ruth is the daughter. She gets together

with this guy named Sam Rizio, who is also considerably younger than her. He was raised Catholic, so he had a lot of doubts about this new religion that May and Ruth were putting together. And his doubts led to a lot of arguments between him and Ruth. Obviously. Yeah. And then one of these arguments led to him allegedly hitting her. Oh, that's bad. No boy, no.

No. So he hits her and then pieces. Like he hits her in the leaves. Wow, according to Ruth. That sucks. Yeah, that's... So he comes back and apologizes and he's like in the leaps. Wow. According to Ruth. That sucks. Yeah, it does. So he comes back and apologizes and he's like, you know what, I'm ready to convert, I don't know what made him change his mind,

but he was ready to convert to this like religion. And Ruth is like, that's cool. But we have to kill the old you and have this like rebirth fake death festival because it's a call and that's what we do. Yeah, that's fine. I think they actually refer to it as a symbolic death ritual. Oh, that sounds fine.

So Sam is like, sure cool, let's do it. So they go through with the symbolic death ritual. And Sam had zoned afterwards. Oh, so he didn't actually die. But he was never seen again. Oh, so he did die. Probably. Okay, cool. Yes. Do you so he did die probably okay cool. Yes

Do you know who was seen though? Ruth Oh Poison before this fake death festival. That was a real death festival. Yeah, so she she definitely killed it like mid-summer That's what I was thinking oh my god, y'all. Yeah, I want to see that. I still haven't seen it So now we're gonna enter a new character because there's not already enough in this fucking story. We're gonna enter Clifford Dabney. I Clifford Dabney. Isn't that like a well-to-do name? But it's very well-to-do. So Clifford Dabney was the nephew of the super rich oil magnate. Is that how you say that word? Magnet. Magnet. You're gonna get shit about that. I get shit about everything. I say it's fine.

So he decides he's super into this whole deal. So May is like fucking score because obviously he's pretty well off. Yeah. So she ends up getting this guy to fork over $40,000. Now $40,000 then is probably like, I don't know, like a fucking million or something today. Yeah, it's like, it's huge now to get somebody to fork over $40,000. I don't know anybody that would just hand me 40,000 dollars. I don't know.

I don't know. And so according to her, it's so she can buy all this land and these houses and build that temple that I started this whole thing off with. You know, we wanted you to picture. I pictured it. So to make good on this loan, she's like, listen, when I'm one of these 11 queens, I'll hit you up with those measurements I'm going to get, because she she was also gonna get these measurements to all the gold in the world. Oh, wow.

It's also like a biblical thing. Apparently it has to do with Noah's arc and there was these measurements on the bottom of the arc that led to all the gold in the world. I could be really wrong, but that's what I gathered. That sounds awesome to me. So, well, it sounded off a awesome to Clifford too. I bet it did. I'm like so excited to tell this story. I just can't talk. Like, Bob Fru, Bob.

I was like late getting this together. Like, you tell. So, she's like, listen, you're gonna get the measurements to all the gold in the world and the debt is obviously gonna be like over repaid, obviously. And Clifford's like, cool, amazing, my life is awesome. So, we're back to where I started you on this journey Oh, yeah, I'm gonna start building those cabins and the temple with the big 800 pound line throne

I want that so then when the temple is finished They seal it up because it's their belief based on everything that may is telling them that when the seventh seal is opened Jesus is going to come back and that throne is for him. So like, oh, I thought that throne was for me. No, they haven't. It's for Jesus. So all in all, they build 12 cabins, they build the temple and then there's two houses. Is it 12?

Because was there 12 disciples? There were, but I don't know if that anything to do with it. Okay, look at me, no one's stuff. Maybe. Look at me. Girl, look at me. So these two houses were, one was for May and her step husband Beard and Ruth. And then another one was for this family who had been with May since the

beginning of this all. Okay. So that family was the Rhodes family and they were with May the whole fucking way. All the way May. Oh my god. Great fucking. It is look it up. They also happened to be really fucking rich So I'm sure they gave her a lot of money and helped her because why else would she give them a house for the room? That's true. She also really loved their daughter who was adopted. Their daughter's name was Willa She it is a really cute name, but I thought this the whole time. Don't get too attached They loved her so much That's a cute name. It is a really cute name, isn't it? I thought this the whole time. Don't get too attached. They loved her so much, May did. So she called her the Tree of Life, that was her name.

Oh. And she even pronounced her a princess and gave her seven puppies. Oh, oh shit. Yeah, seven puppies. Like talk about a godmother. That shit's awesome. So huge bummer on Christmas in 1924,

Willa ends up with this really bad toothache. Oh. And then her tooth gets infected. And then obviously that's like an abscess. I have a dentist. And I can kill you. And it does kill her. Oh no, Willa.

Yeah, she dies a few days later. Man, which is really sad. So William and Martha Rhodes call for May who actually has great news about this whole thing. Oh good. She tells them, it's fine guys, because when the seventh seal is opened, we're all gonna come back from the dead

once that whole show is over. All you have to do is preserve her body and it will be fine. That sounds legit. So they take her body to the tub, they pack her in about 600 pounds of ice, they like put some other shit in there that is supposed to preserve a dead body. A dash of this, this little sprinkle of that. Yeah, you know, like emerald. Yeah, she emerald-slamming. Bam, preserve. And then they preserve her. Oh, good on there. Perfect solution. So the only problem is that the road's family

moved around a lot from here to there. So when they did have to move, they would just prop will up in the back seat of their car until they were ready to lay her back on the ice wherever they were moving to. I kind of love that. What? I mean, I love it in like the spookiest way possible.

Can you just admit that I just like come on, Willa? This whole thing, the whole time I was researching this, I was like, this is fake. This is crazy the whole time I was researching this I was like this is fake. This is not it's fucking real. Like this sounds like a bonkers movie. Yeah, that's also I don't understand why it's not a movie. Also, I don't know that it's not a movie so if it's not a movie someone make this movie we're gonna do it. TM we're gonna make this movie. TM. TM I call it. So that's fucking weird and people like reported they were like,

oh yeah, like we saw the Rhodes family and their daughter like long after she died. Oh boy. But she was propped up and looked fucking alive as hell. She was hanging out. So eventually the Rhodes settled down in this one area and they're like, you know, we can't like keep leaving Willa in the bathtub because it's really getting weird and probably a little off putting to the guest using our bathroom. It's getting weird. It was okay at first, but it's getting a bit out. It's getting a little weird. So they have to get Maze permission for this.

And they're like, can we like bury her somehow, but still preserve her? Yeah, would that be cool? So Maze like, yeah, totally. So they end up preserving her, like she's still being preserved. And they put her in a copper-lined coffin. They pack the coffin with ice. And then like a sarcophagus. Yeah, yeah, they like bam bam bam

I'm real style the the things that are gonna preserve her and then I don't really know how the seven puppies died I think that they might have been sacrificed What the fuck? Because May was known to kill and sacrifice dogs. May. Yeah, May is not cool. Oh, fuck you, May. I'm down on you now. Yeah.

So she was put in this little chamber underneath the bedroom floor. Like her parents bedroom floor. She was a hotel heart stud. There was a trap door. They packed her an ice in the sarcophagus. They nailed it shut essentially. And then they put all the dogs around her.

Oh, yeah, God. All the dog skeletons. So yeah, so now we're gonna fast forward a little bit. We're gonna fast forward to March of 1928. Okay, I'm there. A woman, this is sad too. So we're getting into the nitty-gritty. Oh, no.

This is really sad. A woman named Frances Turner, she was paralyzed and she was nonverbal. Oh, no. Oh, this is really sad. A woman named Frances Turner. She was paralyzed and she was nonverbal. Oh, God. She got brought to me by her sister. And the sister is like, what can we do? Is there anything we can do? Like, I love my sister so much. And me is like, yes! Oh, fucking me. We actually have this giant oven on site, Oh! Along with these huge refrigerators to preserve these bodies of my people for, you know, like,

when the seventh seal is opened, I think that if we put your sister into the oven, it'll cleanse her, and God will have restored her. No, it'll cook her, correct. I know this. Yes. I cook. So the sister is like, okay, I believe you. Oh, sister.

And I wrote in my notes, I wrote Alina, I would haunt the shit out of you. They put poor Frances in the oven, and they leave her in there for two days. Oh, yep. So obviously she passes away. Yeah, Frances was way overcooked. Mm-hmm, way. And when the sister asks why it didn't work, May is like, you know what, this was God's plan, otherwise he would have restored her.

So this was supposed to happen. No, I think it's because you put her in the oven. I think that's why it didn't work. Probably. Yeah. Typically, that's when it goes wrong. Yeah. So now this talk is starting to circulate that may put a fucking woman in an oven.

She's not a casserole. And essentially killed her. That's fucked up. It an oven. She's not a casserole. And essentially killed her. That's fucked up. It's true. She's not. I just keep thinking easy, makeup, and I know that's really fucked up. That's really fucked up.

I know. It's not fucked. This is all fucked up. Yeah, it's a cult. It's fucked. We are nervously laughing. Yeah, I'm just joking my way through this because woo-ee.

Because it doesn't feel real. Because all the way, me. Because woo-ee. Me has gone all the way past all the way. Oh hell yeah, she has. Okay, so now like I said, they're starting to talk because she put this lady in an oven,

she killed her. Now it's getting weird. They start asking about these other people that disappeared like where the fuck did Sam go after his death ritual? Why hasn't Willa come back to life yet? When is the seventh seal happening? Right here, no trumpets.

What's going on? And Clifford Dabney is like homie Where my fucking measurements at what am I getting my money? I want my gold give me my measurements give me it bitch better have my measurements That's what he said. Yeah, he's been so did Rihanna So may pissed off the wrong oil guys nephew because Clifford goes to police Oh and files charges against me, Clay and Maam. She defrauded him $40,000. She sure did.

And then all these other members at the Royal Family of the Trills in 11 are going to the police and telling them about Willa, the Rhodes family in Francis, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And also they're like, we donated like a lot of money too. And the people are coming back from the dead. not broken trumpets aren't coming what the fuck This is what I signed up for so the police are like what the actual fuck Please are like we are wildly unprepared. They're like it's about late 1920s something like that

I don't understand. I don't know for. I would say we're ill-equipped. Ill-equipped. So they head out to chat with the leader of the Blackbird cult. Absolutely. And they actually end up arresting her on the fraud charges. They also stop by the Rhodes family home and head straight to the trap door. They open it up to discover a perfectly preserved Willow Rhodes and the remains of the seven dogs. Oh, the puppies. So, while they're searching the whole area, they come up with like I said a ton of dog bones and mule bones.

But no human remains other than Willow. Wow. And an autopsy is down on Willow and it's determined that she really did die from the infection of the tooth. Like there wasn't any foul play. So they can't get May on any murder charges. Except Sam. Well, nobody knows where the fuck Sam went and she did it. What happened to Francis? Like where's Francis? I don't know. Colts. She was cooked. So fucked up. Well,

so there's no body. So they're like, this is all like fucking me. Like they're like, this is crazy. This is hears. Say yeah who knows. So they do throw her in jail for the fraud. Between all the angry ex-cult members and Clifford Dabney may has charged with $200,000 into fraud man. And she found guilty on eight counts of grand theft. Wow. So she ends up going to jail for a year because she successfully appeals the case. I was just going to say that doesn't seem right? I repeat, successfully appeals the case. How? Because it ended up going to the California Supreme Court and the judge ruled that the

money was given to her willingly and because of religious freedom, there's not much you can do about it. Oh, I mean, it's true. I can't meddle in your religion. You guys gave her this money. She didn't steal it from you. Yeah, you willingly gave it over. So there's nothing I can do.

Technically, you can't be charged for taking from gullible people. Yeah. So she is free. Holy shit. And she's a lot. And I'm just kidding. So she's a lie. And she's here right now.

This is May. May. Why from New York? It's Saturday now. This is May. May. Why from New York? It's Saturday night. Welcome, May. Just kidding. She's not really good. She did.

So before she died, a lot of people left that cult. Good for them. Because they were like, you know what? Nothing is coming of this. I've never seen this book you said you wrote. You're you're preserving bodies. You're putting people in oven. What happened to Sam?

I regret this decision. Yeah, it just didn't work out A pair some people did stay though and apparently they all moved out to Lake Tahoe and In 1936 may published the origin of God. Is that the book she was writing? It's like a book she was writing the one that her and Ruth were writing like never came to surface Yeah, other than that she wasn't heard from again. Wow. Yeah. And then, so she died in June of 1951.

Oh shit. And then Ruth, who actually published a shit ton of things, died in 1978. Wow. And that is the case of the Blackburn cult. That's a crazy one. I know. I was so excited to have found out about that because I never heard about it before.

Me neither. And a lot of the cases I cover I've like heard about before. Not this one. Not this one. I have not heard about that. And I looked in our emails just to see if anybody suggested it. Nobody. Wow. So I hope that this is the first you've heard.

Wow. Look at this. You heard it here first, baby. You did. That was really good. Thank you. Loved it. Hope you guys loved it too yeah we'll do more cults too you're talking about that today cults are fun yeah cults are fun so we'll do some more not fun to join fun no fun to cover fun to cover and to learn about that's

right you don't want to be part of them no don't do it if you it's fine. I forgot to tell you leto comes and extends his hand to you. Say no. Shake it though. Shake it don't break it. No, don't Corona. I forgot to tell them what inspired me to do this episode. Oh yeah. Boy meets world. The episode where Sean Hunter enters a cult. Yes. Yes. And I'm pretty sure it's called the circle. And Mr. Turner is like he gets in a motor cycle accident and then mr. Matthews Like throws the cult leader up against the wall at the hospital and he's like you can't have Sean and George Fini is ready to Fuck shit out. Oh, that's a great episode So I was like I really want to do an episode on cult

Love and so I did I love that thought process. You're welcome. That is the most ash thought process I will ever give to you. Oh, boy means world guys. Yeah, Disney plus save my life the best Well, so we hope you can find us on Instagram if you want to see pictures of fucking all these crazy loony tunes at morbid podcast We hope you hit us up on the Twitter at a morbid podcast right as a Gmail if it's rude We're not gonna see it. It's gonna go to another folder. Bye! For more of your podcasts at gmail.com. And we hope you join the Facebook page.

You hit morbid, colon, a true crime podcast, Facebook group. It's awesome in there. Another hope of ours is that you keep listening. And we hope you keep it weird. But that's the way that you join a cult. Don't do it. And don't put people in a bed.

Don't do it. And don't put people on events. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't put people on events. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it.

Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Don't do it. Hey, Prime Members! You can listen to Morvid, Early, and Add Free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today, or you can listen Add Free with Wondery Plus and Apple podcasts. Before you go, tell us about yourself by completing a short survey at Wondery.com slash survey.