0:00

Hey, Prime members. You can listen to this

0:02

job as history early and ad free

0:04

on Amazon Music. Download the

0:06

app today.

0:16

Doctor Victor Frankenstein. Remember

0:18

him? He's the fictional scientist who

0:20

was obsessed with creating life out

0:23

of the dead. He stole corpses

0:25

for his experiments, pieced together a

0:27

lonely monster in the pursuit of scientific progress,

0:30

and then he went star craving that.

0:32

But what if I told you that Duck Frankenstein's

0:35

body snatching isn't just a work

0:37

of fiction? Sorry.

0:39

Linda, I'm I'm having a little crisis

0:42

of conscience

0:42

here.

0:43

What do you mean? Well, I I

0:45

don't think our show should be normalizing this

0:48

kind of thing, you know. Once we make

0:50

body snatchers sympathetic, then what? It's

0:52

okay to sell human organs on the black market.

0:54

What kind of show are we? It's a slippery

0:56

slope. I told you, Chris, this week's episode

0:59

is a little dark, but our guest will

1:01

explain the higher purpose of

1:03

her profession.

1:05

I've never Wondery judge our guests, but this

1:07

time, I'm not so sure. Besides,

1:10

you know, I get a bit queasy when we talk

1:12

about the grim stuff.

1:14

Oh, I know. I almost had

1:16

to wheel you out of the studio after our recording

1:18

with the barber surgeon. But our guest today

1:20

doesn't murder

1:21

anyone. She just digs up dead

1:23

bodies. Don't get me wrong. I

1:25

only find it morally repugnant,

1:27

so Instead of fainting, I'll probably

1:30

just make a scornful face like this.

1:34

Oh my gosh. I'm so glad our listeners won't be able

1:36

to see that. It's little offensive.

1:38

You should be making face too, Linda. It's a

1:40

gruesome job. Man,

1:41

everybody's gotta make a living.

1:43

A living stealing, the not living. Chris,

1:46

it took a lot to get our guests to come on the

1:48

show today. She only said yes because I promised

1:50

her a platter of sandwiches.

1:52

Oh, I was wondering where those came from. The

1:54

roast beef was delicious. Maybe

1:56

I'll try the CapReza for ketchup before

1:58

we get started. No more sandwiches,

2:00

Chris. Fine. Last

2:03

thing I'll say is that there's no way this

2:05

whole thing is legal. Did you think of

2:07

that?

2:07

Keep it open mind. You might be surprised what

2:10

you learned. Alright. But you shouldn't be

2:12

surprised when she turns out to be a criminal mastermind.

2:14

Yeah. That's that's all I'm

2:15

saying, Linda.

2:16

I accept the risk.

2:18

Okay. Can't say it in warn you. Uh-huh.

2:22

Stealing corpses sounds crazy to our

2:24

modern ears and deeply unethical,

2:27

but in eighteen twenty six Birmingham,

2:29

England unearthing the dead was serious

2:31

business. They were called Resurrectionist.

2:33

And they sold dead corpses on the black

2:35

market during the time of the enlightenment. So

2:38

was doctor Frankenstein that far from reality?

2:41

What was the saying goes? Truth is sometimes

2:43

stranger than fiction. Today,

2:45

we'll find out when we meet Jazz,

2:48

the best in the corp stealing business.

2:52

From wondering, I'm Chris Parnell, and

2:54

this is this job is history.

2:57

Each week, I interview actual people from

2:59

the actual past who worked the jobs

3:01

in history from VHS clerk

3:04

to rooms of the stool. We

3:06

bring the past alive. Literally,

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4:12

Hello, and welcome to this

4:15

job is history. Sitting across

4:17

from me is Jez. No last name

4:19

given from Birmingham eighteen

4:21

twenty

4:21

six. It's a pleasure to have you on the show

4:23

today. Pleasure to be here. And

4:25

thank you kindly miss Linda for the lovely

4:27

tea. The sandwiches were

4:29

delicious. Oh, you're welcome. Glad

4:31

they got you here. By the way, I

4:33

love the red hair. It's really

4:35

striking. Thanks, love. Now

4:37

most people were on from, don't care

4:39

for changes. Think we're untrustworthy.

4:42

Imagine that.

4:43

Yeah. Imagine that, Linda.

4:45

So Jez, you're

4:47

a resurrectionist Well,

4:49

for part of the year year, I sell

4:51

dead bodies that I dig up from public

4:53

cemeteries. You think it's a bit

4:55

ghoulish, aren't you? Sorry.

4:58

Is

4:58

it that obvious? Yeah.

5:00

It was a look on your face when I

5:02

sat down. The jodgy eyes,

5:05

the sneer on the lips. A

5:07

dead giveaway. No pun

5:09

intended. Chris, I asked

5:11

you not to make a

5:11

face. It was not purpose. I can't

5:14

hide my inner feelings. It's a it's a

5:16

medical thing. Okay,

5:17

Jizz. So how did this job

5:19

come about? It's hard to imagine there's

5:21

a market for dead bodies.

5:23

Hi, you mean who's buying the corpses?

5:26

Well, that's easy. It's a medical

5:28

schools. Oh,

5:30

okay. Yeah. Yeah. You're getting it now.

5:33

They need cadavers for their training

5:35

and research. So their hire is specialists

5:38

like me to procure them.

5:40

They don't ask questions, I don't give answers.

5:42

And then exchange my team and

5:44

I receive a nice

5:45

compensation. Who did you think

5:47

was buying dead bodies? Mad

5:50

scientists, maybe. Never

5:53

mind. So how did you end up

5:55

in this line of work

5:55

then? It's it's very specific. Well,

5:58

I didn't dream of doing it as a little

6:00

girl. I just sort of

6:02

fell into

6:03

it. Fell into it? Were there no

6:05

other choices for you? Well,

6:06

I doubt me literally fell into

6:08

it. I it's not like I fell into a

6:10

grave and just said, you

6:11

know, a while I'm here.

6:13

Okay. I

6:14

was using it as a metaphor.

6:16

Understood. Alright. Oh,

6:18

you know what? There won a lot of options

6:20

for people in my station. My

6:23

path, so to speak, started in the

6:25

female orphan asylum in Lambert.

6:27

I was only eight years old at the time.

6:29

They were training me to be a domestic,

6:31

and I wasn't keen on the idea

6:33

of serving a rich. I hated

6:36

it. Until I met Aida hawkins

6:38

at his. Oh, was she one of your teachers

6:40

at the orphanage? In a way,

6:42

Aida was orphan just like me.

6:44

Got a big sister, really. Taught

6:46

me to be self sufficient inside and

6:48

out of the orphanage. I taught the older trick

6:50

some more

6:51

trade.

6:51

She taught you how to snatch bodies at

6:54

eight years old.

6:55

No. We weren't sheltering Chris.

6:58

And yeah. She taught me the basics of

7:00

street survival. Picking locks

7:02

and pockets, planning grifts,

7:04

and wear to hide things when things

7:06

get hot. But most importantly,

7:09

she taught me her code. Oh,

7:12

like a cipher. No. No. Not a

7:14

cipher exactly a code to

7:16

live by. Hers was

7:18

you only take what you need from

7:20

the people who don't need

7:21

it, and you always help when you can.

7:24

Ugh. That almost seems admirable

7:26

for a street thief. Do

7:28

you still work with

7:29

Ada? Are

7:29

you just no longer with us?

7:32

Let me guess. Early retirement, one

7:35

last job, and then she was out.

7:37

She stayed, Chris.

7:38

I'm so sorry. I had no idea.

7:40

Yeah. Well, she died from a mysterious disease.

7:43

Oh, that must have been devastating.

7:45

It was. Still makes me a bit

7:47

sad at times. But that was a long

7:49

time ago. Right before I aged

7:52

out of the orphanage at fourteen. Wow.

7:55

You were still just a kid.

7:57

How did you get by at such a young

7:59

age? Well, Solomite Robinhood.

8:02

Yeah. Still it from the rich given to the poor,

8:04

but in this

8:04

case, the poor was me.

8:07

Get it.

8:07

Gosh. III do get it. It's

8:10

jazz. Thank you. So what are you

8:12

stealing? Oh, you know, this and

8:14

that news change, rare

8:16

spats, ladies' purses, a

8:18

hat with a feather in

8:19

it. Like those. Really?

8:21

That's some surprise, but it sounds like mostly

8:23

valuable stuff. If

8:24

it's the hair, sure. Speaking

8:27

of which You say your watch is valuable?

8:29

Yes. It's a KCOCA fifty

8:32

3W1.

8:33

Chris, isn't that the calculator watch you wanted,

8:35

Dave and Buster's?

8:36

It's a family heirloom, Linda.

8:39

Wait, where

8:40

is it? Jez.

8:42

How the hell did you do that?

8:44

I

8:45

got the right boy.

8:48

Trick of the trade. I know that one

8:50

from Finch. He's one of the gas

8:52

pipe boys. He gave me my first

8:54

job after I lost

8:55

Ader, decent bloke. Let the

8:58

record show. I'm now tightening the watch

9:00

band to a degree. I didn't

9:02

think was

9:02

possible. Okay. Now,

9:05

back to you and the gas pipe

9:07

boys. Were they the ones who got you

9:09

into body snatching? No. That was

9:11

doctor Cox. He caught me by

9:13

the church trying to pinch his

9:15

pocket watch, and I'd never get

9:17

caught. I managed to charm

9:19

him before he called the bottles.

9:21

The bottles? Ram in

9:23

slang, puddle in stopper, copper.

9:25

The police, Chris. So

9:27

the doctor and I got to talk him

9:30

He said I should go into Resurrectionist work.

9:32

Said the money was good, and then I could

9:34

help science while I'm doing it.

9:37

There's no medical college was really

9:39

desperate for

9:39

cadavers. What

9:40

did you think of the offer? I had

9:43

my doubts at first. I've

9:45

got I thought it's harder

9:47

and harder to make a living. It's a low

9:49

level fifth these days. Honestly,

9:52

were times I couldn't even afford a night at the

9:54

boarding house. So the idea got

9:56

my interest. But what

9:58

about Aida's code? Isn't it

10:00

wrong to body snatch?

10:02

I grappled with that I

10:04

did. I won't lie. But if

10:06

they're doing research with these ear

10:08

cadavers, that's helping people.

10:11

And maybe if doctors had

10:13

a cure to treat

10:13

either, she'd be alive tonight.

10:16

And lots of other people could have been

10:18

safe too.

10:19

I bet she would have liked that.

10:22

Yeah. I can just hear

10:24

an hour up and everything saying, boy, that's

10:26

a good penny You done me right.

10:28

You cheeky pearl. That's

10:31

what she'd say. I don't want. She's

10:33

a cheeky booga. So

10:35

I took the idea back to the gas Parnell,

10:38

boys. And we've been increasingly a set of

10:39

scenes. I

10:40

see that, but wasn't the doctor

10:42

asking you to break the law?

10:44

Chris body snatching isn't

10:46

properly illegal. Really?

10:49

It's true, Chris. Back in

10:51

nineteenth century, England, and even today

10:53

in the US, no one can

10:55

legally own a dead body. It's

10:57

not considered property, so it's

10:59

not technically stealing.

11:01

Actually, it's a smart that

11:03

one. He better hang on to

11:05

her. But, yeah, it's

11:07

still frowned upon especially with

11:09

the church. Sure. The medical schools are

11:11

all allowed to use the bodies of

11:13

executed criminals, but we don't have enough of

11:15

those to go around. It's a

11:17

simple case of demand and

11:19

supply. They need cadavers

11:21

for dissections and voice

11:23

deploy them. Well, so

11:24

why are they sneaking around and body

11:26

smurging? Okay. It's still

11:28

technically a misdemeanor, so those

11:30

jail time, if you caught.

11:32

Myster thoroughly's turn blind

11:34

eye. Elates for their doctors

11:36

Not so much for the likes of me. I

11:38

don't know if you've done

11:39

time, Chris, but I imagine you have

11:41

by the looks of you. I

11:42

I have luck.

11:43

Promise the gas pipe boys, I never let

11:45

that happen on my watch, and I

11:47

never break a promise.

11:48

Hey, jazz. Why are they called

11:51

the gas pipe boys? They're called

11:52

gas pipe boys on a can of

11:55

their tight trousers. Very,

11:57

very particular about their fashion.

11:59

Their trousers It's like a second

12:01

skin really. You can't even get a

12:03

little bit of fabric in your

12:04

hands, and it's just that tight.

12:07

I don't get it. God, I get

12:09

it. I went through a bit of

12:11

a skinny jean phase myself.

12:13

So Jez, do you and the

12:15

boys just go out there with a shovel

12:17

and dig up the first fresh grave, you

12:18

see? Shit. I wish it were

12:21

that easy. It's quite an operation.

12:23

First, you gotta know when a new

12:25

corpse is arriving at the cemetery. Thankfully,

12:28

I'm acquainted with miss

12:30

Margaret. She's the undertaker's

12:31

housekeeper, a slipper, a few

12:34

shillings, and she

12:34

tells me the inventory. I

12:37

see. You've got someone on the inside.

12:39

It's right there you go catching

12:41

on, Chris. After the

12:43

tip-off, it's all about the

12:45

Parnell. And that's one of the three

12:47

things I do better than anyone.

12:49

Oh,

12:49

I'm intrigued. What else? Well,

12:52

I'm good under pressure. If the

12:54

job goes bad, I can get

12:56

it back on track and I don't break a

12:58

sweat. And the

13:00

third. Acting. If you

13:02

wanna get specific, cry

13:04

acting. Any job goes

13:06

better and safer if there's a

13:08

lady

13:08

present, you can turn

13:09

on the waterworks. Okay. Planning,

13:12

nerves, flood of tears, been

13:14

what? We wait till nightfall and

13:16

bring a wagon to the cemetery. We're

13:19

dealing with freshly dinged

13:20

graves, so it's fairly easy to

13:22

get to pasking.

13:23

Oh, wow. This just got

13:26

very real. Now we usually put a big,

13:28

heavy blanket over the coffin

13:30

while we work to keep things

13:32

quiet.

13:33

Then we use a pair of hooks to break

13:35

into part of the coffin and ball

13:37

the body out with a rope tied

13:39

around the neck. Oh, that's horrifying. 9

13:43

mean, fascinating. Now,

13:46

as you might expect, grievance

13:48

families don't want the loved ones

13:49

pinched. And I completely understand

13:52

that. So the boys and I make

13:54

sure we cover up the grave

13:56

nicely. Very

13:59

respectful. I suppose

14:01

that's sweet of

14:02

you, but is it worth it? And what's the

14:04

money like on a per corpse basis?

14:06

Not bad. Even for a ratty cadaver,

14:09

you'll get ten quid, but a

14:11

good one say an adult male

14:12

fresher, you're pulling twenty five

14:15

pounds easy. Linda, how

14:16

much is that in today's money? That's

14:18

wow. That's like a thousand bucks

14:21

today. Could

14:21

even be more than that. I

14:24

can't believe I'm about to ask this, but

14:26

what adds value to

14:28

a corpse? How old and you'd

14:31

expect? If they'd have died from a

14:33

disease, that's always

14:35

good. The doctors love to

14:37

study

14:37

that, and anyone that looks Shall

14:40

we say unusual? I

14:42

reckon I'd get a bit of a

14:44

bonus for you, Chris. Oh, because

14:46

I'm an adult male.

14:48

Yeah. Shula. Yeah. That's that's yeah.

14:52

Well, thank you. But but to be

14:54

clear, I am not for sale.

14:57

So I imagine you'd be racing against the clock

14:59

to get the body because of the Decomposing.

15:03

Yeah. It's five days before the first stages

15:05

of organ decomposition around

15:07

twenty eight days, you'll have liquefaction and that

15:09

renders most of the tissue useless from a

15:11

medical

15:11

perspective. Oh, that And

15:14

how did you know that? And second

15:16

question, what did you do before you were a

15:18

podcast

15:18

producer?

15:19

I produced results. For my clients,

15:22

Chris. Okay. Yeah.

15:24

She's been around alright. You

15:26

could do the lecture circuit, ma'am.

15:29

Yeah. No. She's right. That's

15:31

why we do our work in the

15:33

winter. The colder the

15:34

crops, the quicker the grab. Unless the guy

15:37

is all wrong, which has

15:39

certainly happened. Oh,

15:39

well, what goes wrong? Well, a

15:42

less job we did just about everything.

15:44

I thought it was the end of me in the gas

15:46

part boys. And it's basically my

15:48

job to protect those lovable

15:50

idiots. Like a team.

15:52

Like a family. And

15:54

this was a nail boiler. We had

15:56

no time to

15:57

lose. Why are you

16:00

smiling when you say time? Wait.

16:02

I watched how did you

16:05

I strapped it on so tight, I couldn't even

16:07

feel my hand. Oh,

16:09

I couldn't feel my

16:11

hand. Okay. I'd see what I did.

16:13

Okay. Please give it back. What do you give me an

16:15

exchange? Really? Another

16:17

bribe? Okay. I I

16:19

learned it. Can you bring in one of the show t

16:21

shirts? Jez? I am putting this

16:23

watch somewhere. You cannot reach it.

16:25

You are not getting it

16:26

again. Oh, I will.

16:30

I definitely will. I'll even get that

16:32

penny yours before we're done. Challenge

16:34

accepted. Here's your shirt.

16:36

Oh, a chametes. Was

16:39

Chris' I saw

16:40

it. Imagine

16:43

it. Very scary.

16:45

What's that intentionally? I don't

16:47

know if I could even really wear this

16:49

around cow. It

16:52

might frighten people. Hey,

16:54

come on. When we come back,

16:56

Jez will take us on her most recent

16:58

body snatching job with the gas pipe

17:00

boards.

17:06

A few

17:07

days before Christmas, Janelle Matthews disappeared

17:10

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17:10

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17:11

were no signs of a struggle, no

17:13

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17:15

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19:07

Welcome back

19:11

to this job is history.

19:13

We're here with Jez, a

19:15

resurrectionist from eighteen twenty six

19:17

England. I'd like to note that during the

19:19

break, Jez and Linda talked a

19:21

lot about dead bodies. It

19:23

was very vivid.

19:26

Aside from the topic of decomposition,

19:28

I'm genuinely excited to

19:30

hear about this cemetery

19:31

heist. Jess, are you ready? Sure

19:34

am. Alright. Just a few weeks

19:36

ago, I gave a couple of shillings to

19:39

miss Morgan. I told you about her

19:40

earlier. Remember? The undertaker's

19:43

housekeeper. Alright. You're

19:44

inside man. Yeah.

19:47

Well, that week her tip was

19:49

top notch. If what she said was true,

19:51

the boys and I wouldn't have to walk the rest

19:53

of the season.

19:56

You're in luck, miss. Well to

19:59

do. Just got back from

20:01

India. Apparently, he was ill

20:03

Humid for a few days, started

20:05

vomiting violently then? Well, he

20:08

passed on. Oh, that's

20:10

Boston. I mean, I'm so

20:12

sorry for their nos. Here

20:14

you are, miss Morgan. Always

20:17

a

20:17

pleasure, happy, grave

20:20

digging dairy. It's

20:21

never nice to hear someone passed.

20:24

But an adult male with a mystery

20:26

illness, that's not winning the kids

20:28

have a lottery ride

20:29

There. It's like they say, you can't win if

20:32

you don't

20:32

play. Right. So there we were. It

20:35

was me, Pink and

20:37

Hammer. Who's hammer? He's the muscle.

20:39

He's strong, but sweet as

20:41

a lamb, not too bright upstairs.

20:45

Anyway, we were in our usual

20:47

tavern, the queen's pickled egg. It's

20:49

dark and cozy, and there

20:51

almost no fights at all on

20:53

a Tuesday. Anyhow,

20:55

Joseph, the proprietor served

20:57

us our drinks and gave us that

20:59

look. You know, the same one you did,

21:01

Chris, when we started the interview. With

21:03

your nose all scrunched up in your

21:04

eyes, got really busy. Yeah. About

21:07

the look. III

21:07

feel really bad about that. Jez,

21:10

I'm so sorry. It's

21:12

alright, Chris. Happens all

21:14

the time. So I turned

21:16

to the boys and pulled out my

21:18

plan. Every minute Every

21:20

move was sketched out to perfection

21:22

in my journal. We had one

21:24

shot to pull this

21:25

off, and I wasn't gonna

21:27

waste Alright, boys. This bloke

21:29

is a real gentleman and his family's

21:31

got money, so the grave is gonna

21:33

have a

21:34

watcher. Probably guard dogs too. Why does

21:36

there always

21:37

have to be dogs, depraved

21:39

mongrels they are? All animals

21:42

are gods creatures pinch. I I

21:44

know if you're half white. It's not the

21:46

dogs you need to worry about. It's the

21:48

ducks and geese. And trust me they'll be

21:49

there. Right. Right. Right.

21:52

Right. Okay. Ducks

21:54

and geese. You

21:56

know I duck, geese,

21:59

police. Antibodies get

22:01

it. Oh, yeah.

22:04

Rocky. We do serious time if

22:06

the corporal's called us clinching at

22:08

reach Chap. There was no room for

22:10

error, which is sometimes a challenge

22:12

with the gas park boys, a

22:14

lovely bunch, but not very

22:16

detail oriented. That's

22:18

on me. Here we

22:20

go. Lads, step one,

22:23

peach. You're gonna nick the church grounds

22:25

keepers keys and open the gate.

22:27

Nick the keys. Get the gate.

22:29

Right. Then we've got a deal with the

22:31

WATCHMAN. Your distractions don't use an

22:33

efficient wire and revit

22:34

skin. Oh, very clever. I can do

22:37

that. Right, hammer. You'll be digging and

22:39

lifting a body out. Got

22:40

it. But, jess, What about the

22:43

koppos? Leave them to me. We'll set off at

22:45

twelve bells and eat it to church

22:47

gate. I'll bring the wagon around. Don't

22:49

be late. So

22:53

there we were in the dark of night,

22:55

right outside the gate at a key hill

22:57

cemetery. It was one of the coldest

22:59

nights of the year. Good

23:01

for the corps, bad for us. We'll move

23:04

quickly. We'd be joining aboard top six

23:06

feet onto. Myanmar's

23:08

stood in the shadows at the church.

23:11

While pinch went Nick the keys. We waited for

23:13

the single hours. We

23:16

finally appeared triumphant. Wait

23:19

with the damn keys long. They was Church

23:20

bells. Take

23:22

it down.

23:23

You're big old. Alright. Sorry,

23:27

Cheers. Sorry. Sorry,

23:28

Joseph. Good work pinch.

23:31

Now, get to that dog.

23:33

It's over there. Hannah, the

23:35

brain. Let's go. Emma, Emma.

23:38

Oh, sorry, Rose. I was reading

23:40

this gravestone of this lovely young lady.

23:42

Poor girl kicked it in

23:44

9. Can you imagine? Yeah. That's real sad.

23:46

That's real sad, Emma. But we've got a

23:48

grave to dig. Think of a family. You

23:50

can't go to beer. Says every time

23:52

you're seeing another grave. Ham is a

23:54

ten to hardy bridesy, but he said

23:56

the absent mine

23:57

did. I think dafted. Yes, ma'am.

23:59

But tonight everyone had to be on their

24:01

game. Like a

24:04

tail beach was worried, but there

24:06

was no time for now. Often in distance, we can see the

24:08

night watch and approaching. We

24:10

all held our breath and froze

24:13

still. A blast stink

24:15

dog could be the end of us.

24:17

Alright. Who's that? Who's

24:19

the dog winch? Marie.

24:25

Each tore the Parnell skin almost

24:27

clear across the cemetery and it

24:29

worked. The dog broke loose from

24:31

the WATCHMAN and ran off. The

24:36

grave was unguarding now and the

24:38

boys got right to work with their

24:40

shovels. I held a dim lantern

24:42

for them. goodness the gram was

24:44

soft and easy to pull

24:46

up. Oh,

24:49

bugger it. Oh, no.

24:51

You gotta be kidding me. No.

24:53

As far

24:54

as as far as Jack king.

24:56

What what's

24:56

going on? It sounds serious, Jess.

24:59

It was

24:59

a moat safe. I've been bloody bloody

25:02

moat type. Oh, what what's

25:04

that? A disaster is what

25:06

it was. A mortise is

25:08

a sturdy iron cage.

25:10

It's locked over the coffin to

25:12

stop people like

25:12

us. They're a nightmare to

25:15

get through. The kind of surprise I like

25:17

to know about Nedfans.

25:19

Hammer are told you

25:22

what them bury them last night.

25:24

I did. I've seen it. I've seen

25:26

it. Really? Then how did

25:28

you miss this? Did you fall

25:31

asleep

25:31

again? Okay.

25:31

So You just didn't

25:32

you. You just felt bloody well

25:33

asleep. I've been up all night,

25:36

nurse and my pet canary. I'm

25:38

Tori Jones. I'm really sorry. You're too

25:40

tender all to them. I get

25:42

your tools and stop picking that

25:44

lock

25:44

quietly. Yeah. Okay.

25:46

Right. Right. Oh,

25:48

no. My lucky grave trousers split. Oh,

25:51

I don't want to see

25:53

the heart. And this is when

25:55

it all went to Ellen and Anne Best.

25:58

Oh, the Santa footsteps just behind

26:01

us. And there he was. Lampin

26:04

in one

26:04

hand, baton in the other. You

26:07

didn't see us yet, but our

26:09

heads wet and fast.

26:11

We just need a few more minutes

26:14

almost done. Okay. Keep going.

26:16

I'll buy a sec time. I

26:18

started walking towards a copper and

26:20

arranged myself. I came dressed

26:22

for We're in a black short and morning

26:25

dress high snag on the

26:27

taylor. Just my side. This is when

26:29

my performance skills come

26:31

in Andy.

26:32

Constable. Oh, constable.

26:35

Ma'am, what are you doing here in the middle of the night?

26:37

It's a bit odd, isn't it? No. You've no

26:39

business judging a grieving widow. Oh.

26:43

Course, of course, my my apologies.

26:45

Now it's not Sofia. There's word of

26:47

body snatchers lurking about.

26:48

Oh dear. I think I may

26:51

have seen those viral

26:53

creatures. On the far

26:55

east side of

26:57

the cemetery, Behind the Lord Oaktree. I'll

26:59

have a quick look. Now you

27:01

get yourself home, ma'am. I

27:03

will. Is then you're comfortable.

27:05

I'll rush back

27:08

to the grave where the boys were still working on

27:10

a mortise. Again,

27:12

knock was on your side. Just

27:14

as I ride and I crack

27:16

it open.

27:18

Pinch. Just Help me lift them

27:20

out. Look

27:25

at

27:25

what I found. Oh, leave the bloody wedding ring in

27:28

a box. Emma.

27:29

Oh, come on, but who's gonna know?

27:31

Emma. Could I take the pocket watch at least?

27:34

No. No

27:34

fun. Let's go boys. And

27:39

just like that, we were off. The

27:41

package was safely secured in a

27:43

wagon, and all that copper had seen was a

27:45

uneven widow.

27:49

Wow. So I imagine you

27:52

must have done well from this one. My

27:54

love. I ended up deciding to do

27:56

this job, Qattice. Wait.

27:58

You you did all that for free.

28:00

After we delivered a corpse to

28:03

doctor Kork, paid her boys, but then

28:05

I gave more share to the girls

28:07

orphanage. For either.

28:09

Yeah. For either. Her death

28:11

sounded just like this bloke. Remember

28:14

how it was irritable and vomit

28:16

in order time? All his

28:19

symptoms were just not hers.

28:21

She had this strange rash behind

28:24

her ears.

28:25

And she had these

28:25

strange hairs that grew out of her

28:28

nose. They were not right at

28:30

all. Not at all. Just

28:32

It tore me up inside. I was hoping

28:34

maybe studying this cadaver would

28:36

help him, you know, find a cure

28:38

for all of

28:40

that.

28:40

What? Did

28:41

the doctor find anything? I

28:43

don't know. He doctor Cox said

28:45

he had a theory, you know, just

28:47

a theory. Remind

28:49

you. That this might have come from drinking

28:51

bad water. Oh my gosh.

28:53

Jess, I'm not sure about the nose hairs

28:55

thing, but I think you might have

28:57

helped discover

28:58

color. Is

28:58

that bad?

28:59

Yeah. It's really bad. In your

29:02

time, it killed over a hundred thousand people

29:04

in England alone.

29:05

Isn't that something? I

29:08

can hear A to say it now.

29:11

Oh, you really took the egg on at

29:13

one day. Go meet you. Don't go with the

29:15

germs. Oh,

29:18

jaz, I I may have been looking at your job

29:21

all wrong. You've you've really

29:23

given us a lot to think

29:24

about. Have you thought about

29:27

whether your watch is still in your

29:28

pocket? Not son

29:31

of a gun. Come

29:33

again. Just eat that,

29:36

Linda. I see. Very

29:38

good. He's good for end

29:40

up. That one.

29:49

In case you

29:52

are wondering, I have now

29:54

taken the watch to another

29:56

room so Jizz won't be getting

29:58

that again. Now, for

30:00

the toughest part of my job, telling

30:02

our guests what's happened to their

30:04

job. Look, if I can handle stuff in a corpse

30:07

hand in his own pocket to make

30:09

my getaway, I can handle

30:11

anything.

30:11

Well, I've got some bad

30:14

news. Resurrectionist is

30:16

dead, and it won't

30:19

be

30:19

resurrected.

30:19

You're quite proud of that aren't

30:22

you?

30:22

I am. Yes. What

30:24

did our sin? Was it

30:27

the

30:27

church? You know what? It's pretty grim. There were a

30:29

couple of guys from Scotland who killed

30:31

people just to sell the

30:32

bodies. Burke and hair, it was a

30:35

horrible scandal. God, dude.

30:37

I mean, I've made to get corpses and

30:39

sell them, but you go to all the line

30:41

somewhere. I

30:42

agree. It caused a public

30:44

outcry. And it got people talking about the

30:46

very real medical need for cadaver

30:48

research. So everything changed.

30:50

It

30:50

was easier for the dogs to

30:53

get bodies. Basically, yeah. They passed the

30:55

Anatomy Act in eighteen thirty two,

30:57

which made it much simpler for doctors to get

30:59

research good

31:00

hours. So the need for body snatching

31:02

practically disappeared overnight. Listen,

31:04

I'll snatch bodies, but it's not what I get up

31:06

in the morning. I'm not being

31:09

useful is all. Sometimes it's just

31:11

telling somebody the truth. Not

31:13

you, Chris. You cannot

31:15

wear nose pants. And

31:17

that's being useful. So

31:19

do the doctors and such

31:21

still do

31:21

there? What do you call it? Experiments

31:23

on bodies nowadays? They certainly do,

31:26

and there's more. In this country, you can

31:28

even take a little box at the DMV to

31:30

donate your organs to save another

31:32

person's

31:32

life. Oh, I don't know what

31:34

the DMV is, but I think that's all

31:36

Bullock's Chris. Are you pulling more

31:38

leg?

31:38

No. I'm not. It's true. They can

31:41

harvest the organs. They still

31:43

work. Outside your body.

31:45

Hello. Oh, I don't know. I'm not

31:47

gonna talk to jazz.

31:50

So if Aida wore around today, she

31:52

wouldn't have died. If she

31:54

had cholera? No. She would not

31:57

have died. And that research is something

31:59

that you were a part

31:59

of. So from all of us,

32:01

thank you. Oh, you're

32:04

welcome, Knove. Please just me to

32:06

hear that. It really does.

32:13

Alright. Time for my favorite

32:16

part of the show. The Fast Five. Five

32:18

quick questions. You answer straight off the

32:20

top of your head. You ready, Jez? Ready.

32:22

What is the biggest

32:25

misconception about resurrectionists?

32:27

Well, I have to say Is that what stupid

32:30

or something? You know, I mean, I'm a

32:32

very avid reader. I love

32:33

poetry. I ever wrote

32:36

my own poems.

32:37

What was

32:38

your biggest failure as a resurrectionist? My

32:42

biggest failure as

32:44

oh, yeah. There was that one time ago I

32:46

wasn't really

32:47

dead. What's he? Well,

32:48

I

32:48

suppose that's It's supposed

32:49

to put a bell in a coffin side if

32:52

you know that you can bring it.

32:54

Oh,

32:54

boy. What's the best compliment you ever received

32:57

for

32:57

your work? The

32:59

best compliment I ever. Oh, I know.

33:01

Well, it was I've

33:03

ticked up this one blow's grave, a real

33:06

fancy blow, you know. And

33:08

I got haunted by his

33:10

ghost

33:10

laughter. Said it did a nice

33:13

job. Okay. Gave

33:15

me a

33:15

fright, but I was still flat. You

33:18

know? Sure.

33:20

What advice would you give to someone wanting to

33:22

become a resurrectionist?

33:24

Oh, wow. To study

33:27

really really hard. Yeah. You gotta

33:29

take a lot of courses in

33:30

science, medicine. No.

33:33

For crossing, just don't do

33:35

it. See.

33:35

Yeah. The last one, if you could be remembered

33:37

for just one thing, what would it

33:40

be? Oh, that's an easy

33:41

one, Chris. I'd like to be

33:44

remembered as the girl who

33:45

stole your wallet and your

33:48

belt. Very funny jazz.

33:50

What What?

33:50

How? How you didn't even get them from your

33:53

seat? Trade secret. You

33:55

can have them back from autos

33:57

nightgowns when you face on

33:58

them. Okay. I mean, you can take as many as you'd

34:00

like. They're not selling very well. We

34:02

even have tote bags.

34:03

Yeah. But before you leave Jazz, Can I

34:06

have my favorite pin back? I didn't

34:07

take your pin. Jez.

34:09

And to

34:12

God, Chris. How

34:14

strange?

34:15

Linda, not you, not

34:18

you, when?

34:20

When you brought in the

34:22

t shirt. Maybe.

34:23

Oh. She's good, Chris. She's put out on

34:25

a herb and a heartbeat.

34:29

As you've been a terrible influence, but

34:31

a terrific guest. My

34:34

pleasure, Chris. I'll count you amongst

34:36

me China's. Oh, Raiming

34:38

slang. Wait. China plates

34:39

made? Well done. You're one of the boys

34:41

now love. Oh, Jess, it's

34:43

been a pleasure. And,

34:46

Linda, I still don't know what you used to be, but it certainly

34:48

wasn't a podcast producer. Oh,

34:50

it's all

34:51

detailed on my LinkedIn with

34:54

a couple. Emissions. It

34:55

still might be a grizzly

34:58

job, but it turns out there was more to body

35:00

snatching than I

35:02

originally thought. Resurrectionists

35:04

weren't taking parts of bodies to create

35:06

an animated corpse to terrorize the countryside.

35:08

In their own way, They

35:11

were an essential part of nineteenth century medical progress. So

35:13

does that make it okay? Well, let jazz

35:15

off the hook, but what

35:17

about the others? I'm

35:20

used to knowing right from wrong, but this is one of those times I

35:22

think, there might be a little gray.

35:24

Actually,

35:25

I take that back about

35:27

letting Jez off the hook, I've just discovered she's taken a

35:29

microphone, all of my pencils, the plate the sandwiches were on and

35:32

No. A small bag of sour cream and

35:34

onion chips, I was really looking forward to eating those

35:37

recording. Have you got any more of those

35:40

quick little potato things

35:42

with the fairy dust on him?

35:53

Hey, Prime members. You can listen to

35:55

this job as history early and ad

35:57

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35:59

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36:01

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36:04

us about yourself by completing a short

36:06

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36:08

slash survey.

36:10

From wondering, this is

36:13

this job is history, and

36:15

this is Resurrectionist. Grave

36:18

mistakes written by Lucas Crandles and

36:20

Timothy Nash. I'm your host,

36:22

Chris Parnell. Linda was played

36:24

by Elise Morales. Jez,

36:26

the resurrection list was played by

36:28

Marybird song, additional voices

36:30

by Greg Warmsworth, Sound Design

36:32

is by Andre Pluce. Our engineer

36:34

are Austin Lim and James Quezana, additional audio assistance

36:37

by Adrian Tabia. Mikaela Blyze,

36:39

our senior story editor

36:42

Adam Masiroth is our story editor. Emma Reynolds

36:44

is our associate producer. Our

36:46

managing producer is Ryan Lorem.

36:49

Chinue Abeodo is our coordinating

36:51

producer. Matthew Wise is our senior

36:53

producer and our executive producers

36:55

are sochi Dorsey, Stephanie Gens

36:57

and Marsha Louie for one time.