What happens when a ghost from 1673 appears to solve her own murder? Join us as we uncover the eerie tale of Rebecca Cornell, whose spirit allegedly revealed the grim details of her death to her brother. We'll set the stage with a playful debate on classic Chevy Chase and Steve Martin films, lightheartedly exposing Hannah's surprising lack of familiarity with "Christmas Vacation" and "Three Amigos." But the mood shifts dramatically as we traverse the dark corridors of history to explore the tragic hardships Rebecca faced and the disturbing events that followed her spectral visit.
Our journey through history continues with a chilling account of William Beadle, a Connecticut merchant whose life unraveled during the Revolutionary War, leading to the merciless slaughter of his entire family. We'll delve into Beadle's background, his twisted rationale, and the horrifying aftermath of his actions, including the townspeople's disturbing response. As we wrap up, we express our heartfelt gratitude to our loyal Wicked Wanderings community and invite you to stay curious, keep exploring, and always keep wandering with us.
Source: Behind Closed Doors - New England, Murder, New England - M.William Phelps
If you'd like to show your support for Wicked Wanderings and join our community of dedicated listeners, you can start contributing for as little as $3 a month. Your support helps us continue to explore the darkest and most intriguing mysteries, bringing you captivating stories from the world of true crime and the unexplained. Click the link to become a valued member of our podcast family.
We'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to email us @ wickedwanderingspodcast@gmail.com.
Wicked Wanderings is hosted by Hannah Fitzpatrick and Jess Goonan. It is produced and edited by Rob Fitzpatrick. Music by Sascha Ende. Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 L...
What happens when a ghost from 1673 appears to solve her own murder? Join us as we uncover the eerie tale of Rebecca Cornell, whose spirit allegedly revealed the grim details of her death to her brother. We'll set the stage with a playful debate on classic Chevy Chase and Steve Martin films, lightheartedly exposing Hannah's surprising lack of familiarity with "Christmas Vacation" and "Three Amigos." But the mood shifts dramatically as we traverse the dark corridors of history to explore the tragic hardships Rebecca faced and the disturbing events that followed her spectral visit.
Our journey through history continues with a chilling account of William Beadle, a Connecticut merchant whose life unraveled during the Revolutionary War, leading to the merciless slaughter of his entire family. We'll delve into Beadle's background, his twisted rationale, and the horrifying aftermath of his actions, including the townspeople's disturbing response. As we wrap up, we express our heartfelt gratitude to our loyal Wicked Wanderings community and invite you to stay curious, keep exploring, and always keep wandering with us.
Source: Behind Closed Doors - New England, Murder, New England - M.William Phelps
If you'd like to show your support for Wicked Wanderings and join our community of dedicated listeners, you can start contributing for as little as $3 a month. Your support helps us continue to explore the darkest and most intriguing mysteries, bringing you captivating stories from the world of true crime and the unexplained. Click the link to become a valued member of our podcast family.
We'd love to hear from you! If you have any questions or suggestions please feel free to email us @ wickedwanderingspodcast@gmail.com.
Wicked Wanderings is hosted by Hannah Fitzpatrick and Jess Goonan. It is produced and edited by Rob Fitzpatrick. Music by Sascha Ende. Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 L...
Jess:
I'm good enough, I'm smart enough and gosh darn it. People like me. It's from saturday night live really what year it? Was like old school, not chevy chase old school. Who the fuck is chevy chase? What how do you not know who chevy chase is? Wow national lampoon like the christmas vacation I've never seen.
Rob:
Rob, you have failed as a husband or Three Amigos.
Jess:
Nope, shitter's Fool, you've never seen that Christmas Vacation.
Rob:
No, I didn't see Home Alone until like three years ago I showed her the Home Alone movies.
Jess:
Well, you need to show her.
Rob:
Christmas Vacation, hell yeah.
Jess:
European Vacation.
Rob:
Yeah.
Jess:
She doesn't know.
Hannah:
She hasn't seen them. I mean, I've seen pictures.
Jess:
Chevy Chase. Do you know who? Steve?
Hannah:
Martin is. He's saying who Steve Martin is. I've seen Cheaper by the Dozen.
Rob:
Why is it funny?
Hannah:
he was in that Because that was such a lame movie of his, and then he also was in that movie with Queen Latifah.
Jess:
Hannah, you are so cute right now what?
Hannah:
That was a funny movie, okay, hi.
Jess:
I'm Jess and I'm Hannah. Join us as we delve into true crime, paranormal encounters and all things spooky. So grab your flashlight and get ready to wander into the darkness with us.
Hannah:
This is Wicked Wanderings. Hello Jessica, hello Hannah, hi Rob.
Rob:
Hello.
Hannah:
My episode's actually two different stories that I kind of combined into one, just two historical tales from New England that I found interesting. Love it. So to start here at Wicked Wanderings we believe that there is more to this world than what we see. Wanderings, we believe that there is more to this world than what we see. We do, do we? I think we do, yeah, we do. People for centuries have been trying to prove that we can communicate with the other side, whether it is through spirit boxes, evps or individuals with special gifts such as mediums. There are skeptics and kind of like Sasquatch if you don't have your own experience, you doubt that it's real. Do you have a Sasquatch experience? No, but I just believe he's real. I love Sasquatch. Anyone that knows me. I have little caricatures of Bigfoot around my house, but that's another story for a different time. So I know personally. I'm a huge believer in dreams and what they can communicate to us if we pay attention. What if I was to tell you that one man's personal experience with the other side solved a murder?
Hannah:
Ooh I would say nay, so get this name that I can barely say Aquedneck Island near Gansett Bay, rhode Islandary, 1673. Rebecca cornell was laid to rest several days later. Her brother, john briggs, was having difficulty sleeping.
Jess:
He was somewhere between sleep and awake and something or someone kept lifting up the bedclothes I was literally just listening to stuff about this really yeah on a podcast called ten folds, more, tenfold, more wicked I've never heard of them, yeah I mean, I did tell you about them, but you did.
Rob:
Yeah, you didn't tell me I did.
Jess:
It was when I was here. Well, we're in trouble, but they were talking about this. So now, yeah, tenfold more wicked, and the latest episode is about fire and brimstone and they start in 1673 and around with this stuff. But anyway, carry on, but it's like a whole season.
Hannah:
Wow, yeah, okay, listen, that's my plug, anyway so when he looked he saw a bright light like it was day, and saw a figure. He called out to the figure and they said I am your sister, cornell. See how I was burnt with fire. The apparition had burns on the shoulders, face and head.
Hannah:
Some backstory to Rebecca is she was not someone without means. She had a beautiful home near the water and many family members stayed with her, including her son Thomas and his wife Sarah and their children, and occasionally she had boarders that would also stay with her. Rebecca did not mind, as long as everyone carried their weight in the house. Okay makes sense. In these homes, the fireplace was the focal point. This is where people gathered to read, knit, smoke a cigar after dinner and of course you do it to stay warm.
Hannah:
This was a fireplace that would warm the whole downstairs. So this is not a small fire. This was pretty big and I don't I know for me. I've seen those big fireplaces and castles like they're ginormous because they're meant to heat up the whole space instead of just decoration like we have now. Rebecca had told people of abuse against her by her son and the son's wife. Thomas owed his mother money and made promises that were not kept. Rebecca was completing chores such as retrieving firewood. That should have been done by her son, because she was an older woman who was getting weaker and in poorer health, so he's a freeloader basically.
Hannah:
Basically, rebecca had mentioned a story of her falling outside during the New England winter on snow and ice. She needed assistance and knew her son and daughter-in-law saw her and they didn't help at all. She did not even have enough blankets to keep her warm at night because for some reason, like he managed the blankets she had and then Kick them out Right reason, like he managed the blankets she had and then kick him out right and then her son would not let her eat with the rest of the family.
Rob:
Did he have like a sign-up sheet like, okay, you're taking this blanket, but you got to return it at this time?
Jess:
I don't know. Either way, he's a dick just very, very controlling.
Hannah:
Rebecca had thoughts of suicide, but because she was a god-fearing woman, she feared for her soul and never went through with it. Rebecca had enough and asked her other son, who didn't live with her, if she could move in with him and his family. Her mind was now made up to move on and remove the inheritance from Thomas and his wife. They did not deserve it. Do I hear motive?
Rob:
Possibly.
Hannah:
On February 8th, thomas got home from work, went to his mother's room, had a heated discussion with her and then left to go to the room next door where him and his wife's bedroom was. It was soon time for dinner, but rebecca was not around. Thomas sent his son to fetch his grandmother and he came back freaking out. Everyone rushed to her room and they identified rebecca by her shoes. That's how badly burnt she was. This is where a forensic team would have a field day, because Rebecca was burnt and there were burn marks on her, like her bedpost and parts of the floor, but they were put out. So if Rebecca was burning alive, I don't think she would put those fires out, like she would have had other things on her mind.
Jess:
What if it was? What is it called?
Hannah:
When people just burst into flames combustion yes that could have been.
Jess:
Who's to say it's a modern marvel? Wait, what spontaneous human combustion have you never heard of that?
Hannah:
so I think it was in the book, but I just like read over it because I was like what the hell is the thing? You just burst into flames.
Jess:
Yeah, you've never heard of that, hannah once again disappointing me.
Hannah:
I'm just kidding between that and Steve Martin. I'm fired, but but still, okay, let's say she was set on fire. She's not gonna be worried about putting out flames, she's gonna be worried about the flames on herself. Yeah, so someone obviously didn't want the whole house burning down.
Jess:
But with spontaneous human combustion like I could be sitting in this chair burst into flames and then it would just Well. What would cause that? I don't know, my fat.
Rob:
Yeah, there's some theories about what happens, but there's no like scientific facts.
Jess:
Yeah, explanation. Google it after the episode.
Hannah:
It's interesting Late night Google sessions. The coroner ruled it an accidental death death and they prepared her body for burial. It was customary for the women to clean up the body as best they could, but sarah, the daughter-in-law, did not participate because she was pregnant. It was thought that a dead body could spirit away the fetus or that contact could result in some deformity or birthmark.
Jess:
And the baby would be a witch, a witch With a teat the things they thought about back then are the brightest crayons in the box.
Hannah:
It was three days later that Rebecca's brother, john, saw the apparition, and it was because of this a second inquest was done on Rebecca's body and an injury to her stomach was found.
Jess:
She was stabbed, so it wasn't spontaneous human combustion, or maybe her stomach, just you know. Okay, I'll stop. Just stretched out, yeah, in a straight line, not jagged at all oh my god.
Hannah:
After interviews it came to light that there was animosity between rebecca and her son thomas. No shit, really. Thomas was arrested and put on trial. The trial lasted one day, with a fear that Satan was in their midst. Oh my God, Thinking of the time here and being in new England. These people had such a fear of Satan and darkness that any type of talk of the unexplainable was believed and taken as fact.
Hannah:
So, jessica, looking back on our Salem witch trials and the belief these people had and what others said, could that be at play here? Oh for sure. So here's another example fucking putnams right thomas was found guilty and was sentenced to death by hanging on may 23rd. Now, granted, it doesn't sound like there was any concrete evidence that this was him.
Jess:
I will say that I mean during that time they hung a lot of people without concrete evidence.
Rob:
Yes, true.
Jess:
He's not alone in that.
Hannah:
He asked to be buried next to his mother, but he was denied. Instead they talked about burying him near the road and that they could put a monument on top of his grave or put him under or near the gallows. So basically, you have no say, but we're going to make sure that where you are buried is not a happy place. Some believe Sorry, there's a good part coming up. I can tell that I've been waiting on that. I told Rob I had to wait on oh, that I've been waiting on that.
Rob:
I told Rob I had to wait on. Oh, this is that it.
Hannah:
Yeah, this is that part. I didn't even tell him because I was so excited. So some believe that Thomas was innocent. What are your thoughts?
Jess:
No, he's too lazy to kill his mom.
Rob:
Exactly.
Jess:
He didn't want to do shit, he didn't go get firewood.
Hannah:
So you think he's innocent?
Jess:
No, well, I guess. Yeah, I don't know, but why would he burn his mother if he wouldn't even get firewood to do it?
Hannah:
And also my thing is, this woman had borders all the time.
Rob:
Like people renting.
Hannah:
Yeah, so opportunity. I mean it was the 1600s, Like who's going to know?
Jess:
It has not been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Yes, so correct.
Hannah:
Interesting fact? Yes, proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Yes, so correct interesting fact. Yes, we all know that I love lizbeth borden. Yes, so remember that sarah was pregnant. She ended up having a daughter that was born several months after her father's execution. Lizbeth is a descendant of that daughter and Sarah named her innocent Cornell. Wow.
Jess:
You need to listen to tenfold because it talks about like a cursed family in a cursed house. Yes, I, just when I read that I'm like Lizzie Bourne involved.
Hannah:
What? Even just these two things between what happened to this family and then what happened two centuries later to Lizbeth, Like what are the odds?
Rob:
And then even in the 90s with the killer nurse.
Hannah:
Mm-hmm, but there was no proof. She was related though.
Rob:
You never know.
Jess:
No, they did have proof that she wasn't.
Rob:
Oh, they did Okay.
Hannah:
Because, that would have made it even more she just wanted attention, that would have been like a Kennedy situation, Like the Kennedys are fucking cursed man. Like Absolutely. Yeah, so anyway, people keep trying to kill him. That's that story. Are you ready for the next one? Okay, wethersfield, connecticut, 1782. A maid servant goes to find the family doctor with a note she was instructed to deliver.
Hannah:
Who gave her the note I'll get to that the doctor read the note and said they must hurry to the premise and grab the family lawyer on the way. Now, with this in mind, right, the doctor got this big emergency note. He grabs the family lawyer and friend on the way. Who should enter the home first? The doctor? I was going to say the doctor yeah, they sent the maid servant in first. They're like you go in, of course. Yeah, she creeped up the stairs and went to the children's room first and because of the horror she saw, she fainted and tumbled back down the stairs.
Rob:
Oh geez.
Hannah:
The doctor catch her. Oh don't worry. Yeah, the doctor caught her with injury. How nice of him and helped her regain herself, because you know she was a weakling. What the fuck would you let her go in there by herself?
Jess:
Well, wouldn't Rob make you go in first?
Rob:
Probably no, I wouldn't.
Hannah:
It's kind of like when men are like I'll sleep near the door I sleep next to the door?
Rob:
I don't.
Hannah:
I'm closer to the door or I do.
Rob:
Oh, you're closer to the door.
Hannah:
I'd be more scared of you than Dave. Sorry, Dave.
Jess:
I mean, I have no doubt that Dave would kill somebody if someone broke into our house Well that's love, that's right. He protects me. That's love, that's right. He protects me. He's so sweet, he can kill someone for me.
Hannah:
That's love.
Jess:
That's love. Now, that is love, okay.
Hannah:
So she was horrified right. Obviously she couldn't speak. So they all went outside where the lawyer saw two men working and asked if they go take a look.
Rob:
What were they working on? They?
Hannah:
were just like road workers of some sort.
Rob:
They weren't like gardeners.
Hannah:
I don't know babe. Yeah, they were cutting the fucking roses. Who cares? Like he had someone else go in when there was a lawyer and a doctor. He's like, oh you go in.
Jess:
So basically this lawyer and doctor, they were pussies, yep, basically.
Hannah:
Little puppy dogs with their tails between their pretty much pretty much so. The doctor stayed with the maid oh, because she needed help, while the three of them went up. Sure enough, mangled children's bodies were found in the body of the mother. This is the story of murderous father and husband William Beadle.
Jess:
I mean, I guess I would be angry if that was my name and I would take it out on people.
Hannah:
I mean.
Jess:
B-E-A-D-L-E. How else would you say it? I was thinking like the insect. Oh yeah, which is an animal?
Rob:
Callback.
Hannah:
We're not getting into this.
Rob:
Was that like episode three? I?
Hannah:
don't know 33. William's mental health had been dwindling. It was the last year of the Revolutionary War and he could not provide for his family. He had written down that maybe it was time to hand his responsibility over to better hands did he mean god?
Jess:
yeah, is that why he killed them? Did he kill himself?
Hannah:
jessica, you gotta stop guessing right in everything. I mean, I can't help it. William made his name. Born in england, he did not come from much but became a successful merchant in Connecticut. The ports had Merchantile coming in. Is it Mercantile or Merchantile Mercantile?
Rob:
Okay, Is it really?
Hannah:
Redo.
Rob:
Mercantile. It's not Merchantile.
Hannah:
I mean Merchant's the one that sells it. So that makes sense. It's Mercantile.
Rob:
That makes absolutely no sense to me.
Hannah:
I don't think there's an. H there's not an H there isn't an H, but for some reason I want to read a merchantile.
Rob:
Oh, okay, so there's no H.
Jess:
Yeah, so it's like Worcester.
Rob:
Worcester, worcester sauce.
Jess:
It's not Worchester. There's no H.
Rob:
Redo, the ports had mercantile coming in and out, including the slave trade, which I didn't know it was this far north?
Hannah:
Yeah, it was all over the country. I just for some reason not think it was this far north. I was kind of floored with that. William had an air about him of an accomplished, wealthy man, but when the revolution happened he made bad business decisions and went under. He was broke. Was he a loyalist?
Hannah:
it didn't say people close to william stated that failure was not an option for him and this most likely led to his mental health dwindling. Writings from William showed his decline in his decision he made In November. He decided to give a lavish dinner of oysters to his family and the maidservant to celebrate life and then kill them. He gave the maidservant a note and told her don't return, your services are not needed for the rest of the night. Though she did not listen to instructions, she delivered the note and she returned, so his plan was botched.
Jess:
Well, didn't the doctor and lawyer make her return? This was the first time.
Hannah:
Oh, okay, yes, he tried a couple different times to go through with it, yeah. He tried again. In December William held a get-together for friends and around 9 pm people began to leave and the maidservant helped everyone get to bed. William woke up the maidservant and gave her a note for the family doctor. He told her that Mrs Beadle has been sick all night and needs a doctor, but don't leave without the doctor with you. Some believe William already killed his wife at this point.
Jess:
William went upstairs, took his axe and smashed his four children's heads in. This reminds me of the other one that you did. Yeah, he shot his kids right.
Hannah:
Yes, in Holyoke, yeah, Yep, yep. He then sliced each of their throats with his knife. He then placed his children on the floor and brought his wife in next to them. He covered his children with blankets and his wife's face with a handkerchief. It is thought that he stared at them for a while. Based off of, like they said, the blood pattern and everything, it just seemed like he probably stared at their bodies for a while. William then went downstairs, sat down, took two guns, placed them on either ear and pulled the triggers Pussy. Wow. So basically he had no head. After all this, the townspeople were furious. According to them, he did not deserve to be buried, with his family Agreed, they took his body and the knife he had from slicing their throats, tied him to a sled and had him dragged through town where people spat and mocked him.
Rob:
Fuck Wow.
Hannah:
Oh, it gets worse.
Rob:
When is this? 1600s no, 1700s, 1700s, 82.
Hannah:
They pushed his body down a hill where his body landed in a large hole. William's body was then taken and put on display around town where people made fun of him, ridiculed him and kids would kick and poke at the corpse. Holy shit.
Jess:
These Puritans didn't fuck around.
Hannah:
They really didn't, or colonists really At this time, puritan yeah, eventually someone took the body and put it somewhere where the corpse would not be disturbed anymore. I think someone was like all right, like there's nothing left to this. It was found out that William had been contemplating killing his family for about three years. Oh my God, william had wrote that he had lost faith in the Christian religion and decided to become a deist. Does anyone know what a deist is?
Rob:
Sounds like a deacon of some sort.
Hannah:
No, it's supposedly like a faith.
Rob:
Oh like atheists are agnostic or evangelical way of thinking.
Jess:
So it not it's not christian based, it's something like deity right. So, like a higher power, I had to look it up.
Hannah:
So, belief in a higher power, but it has science behind it, okay, so it's not just like, okay, god is three in one. There needs to be science behind it for them to believe it. William did this to supposedly save his family from ridicule and knowing him as failure. But come to find out what he was worth in his fortune was still more than a normal farmer would have had. So it is believed that he used it as an excuse to brutally murder his family and kill himself.
Hannah:
Huh, and that is the story of the beetle family why, like you know what, put on your big boy panties and do what you gotta do to take care of your family so it sounds like he didn't come from much and he built up this empire for himself and I think that when the revolutionary war happened, he was like fuck, like I am english but I am now technically american, right? So like I don't know it, maybe his split.
Hannah:
That's why I was asking if he was a loyalist, because they didn't really fare well it did not say in the story the more, but it doesn't mean that it's not out there. I mean it could be more information that I just did not see. But again another brutal, another father uh, yeah, right, that brutally kills his, his kids and family annihilator in new england don't get any ideas rob.
Hannah:
All right, this is the four of spades Jennifer Fay, F-A-Y. On November 14th 1989, jennifer Fay was last seen in the area of Rice's Market in 769 North Main Street in Brockton. Jennifer has been missing since that date. 769 North Main Street in Brockton. Jennifer has been missing since that date and if you have any info about this case, please call 1-855 MA-SOLVE. Oh, that's so sad. Yeah, jennifer Fay.
Jess:
That is way sad 1989.
Rob:
So that's right around my birthday, November 14th.
Hannah:
Yeah, I thought the same thing when I saw that you weren't even born.
Rob:
I was not born.
Hannah:
I was cooking in my mama's tummy, though Were you? Yeah, because my birthday is May 10th and that was November of 89.
Jess:
So I was a cooking. What's your social?
Hannah:
I'm just kidding. I love you, jessica, but there are some boundaries.
Rob:
I will not cross Good times. Good times.
Jess:
I love you, jessica but there are some boundaries I will not cross. Good times, good times. Thank you, hannah, for a wonderful job you're doing. Thanks, hannah, that was an awesome episode.
Rob:
Yeah, that was great.
Hannah:
Two cases in one Mic drop? No, I'm just kidding, but yeah.
Rob:
Are we going to get any more stories from this book?
Hannah:
No, the book is done.
Jess:
Was that the Murder? New England by MW. I've been seeing a lot of his books. Now I want to buy some more.
Hannah:
I know he has ones with just like full cases that I've been interested in. There was a couple more recent stories of the early 2000s that were in there that I read. I don't know I I like the older ones that normally people don't really cover because there's not much information on. That's why I did two in one, because yeah, but show well, thank you very much thanks, my pleasure wanderers.
Jess:
I love y'all thank you listeners and it was kind of cute how excited you got about the Lizzie Borg Dude.
Hannah:
I so literally I finished the episode and I ran out to tell Rob he's like. Well, tell me I'm like, but I can't. I want you to be as excited as I am when I tell you.
Jess:
Love me some. Liz back. He was not bouncing up and down in his chair. He really should have been.
Hannah:
I know, talk about that later tonight.
Jess:
Way to support your wife, Rob.
Rob:
I support her 100%.
Jess:
All right.
Hannah:
Have a good day, night, bye. Thanks for listening today.
Jess:
Wicked Wanderings is hosted by Hannah Fitzpatrick and me.
Hannah:
Jess.
Rob:
Gunan, and it's produced by Rob Fitzpatrick.
Hannah:
Music by Sasha N. If you enjoyed today's episode, don't forget to leave us a rating and review, and be sure to follow us on all our socials.
Jess:
You can find the links down in the show notes and, if you're looking, for some Wicked Cozy t-shirts or hoodies, head over to our merch store. Thank you for being a part of the Wicked Wanderings community. We appreciate each and every one of you. Stay curious.
Hannah:
Keep exploring and always remember to keep on wandering.
