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That's Chumbuck Casino dot com 22 00:00:56.840 --> 00:00:58.200 and live the Chumba Laine. 23 00:00:58.119 --> 00:01:00.799 No, We're necessary, I Daly Voidhever, everybody lost, cons conditions eating. 24 00:01:00.799 --> 00:01:01.039 Plus. 25 00:01:08.319 --> 00:01:11.719 You are now listening to True Murder The most shocking 26 00:01:11.840 --> 00:01:14.840 killers in true crime history and the authors that have 27 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:22.200 written about him Gasey Bundy, Dahmer, The Nightstalker VTK every 28 00:01:22.280 --> 00:01:25.920 week another fascinating author talking about the most shocking and 29 00:01:26.040 --> 00:01:30.200 infamous killers in true crime history. True Murder with your 30 00:01:30.280 --> 00:01:33.439 host journalist and author Dan Zupanski. 31 00:01:42.519 --> 00:01:47.959 Good Evening, November two, nineteen forty five, On her way 32 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.319 to a high school football game with friends, a fourteen 33 00:01:51.400 --> 00:01:54.480 year old girl vanishes after driving away with a man 34 00:01:54.560 --> 00:01:59.319 who says he needs a babysitter. The FBI unleash It's 35 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:03.319 Ungleish is its top kidnapping expert, an agent who helped 36 00:02:03.359 --> 00:02:07.120 bring John Dillinger down. Will that be enough to find 37 00:02:07.159 --> 00:02:11.319 the girl and her abductor? Agents chase the suspected kidnapper 38 00:02:11.400 --> 00:02:16.479 from California to Illinois and back again. Arrested in Los Angeles, 39 00:02:16.520 --> 00:02:20.840 he admits abducting the child. He also tells the FBI 40 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:23.080 he killed the girl and threw her body into the 41 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:27.719 Pacific Ocean. A search for her corpse proves fruitless. Then, 42 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:31.439 when all hope is lost, authorities discover the skeleton of 43 00:02:31.479 --> 00:02:35.560 another young woman who's fallen victim to this madman. The 44 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:38.080 wife of the man who made that discovery is found 45 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:41.159 dead at the bottom of the cliff. During the accused 46 00:02:41.240 --> 00:02:44.479 killer's trial, women around the country fall in love with 47 00:02:44.560 --> 00:02:47.960 the handsome monster and literally break down the doors of 48 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:51.000 a courthouse to get close to him. After the child's 49 00:02:51.159 --> 00:02:55.000 killer is convicted and sentenced to the gas chamber, a 50 00:02:55.120 --> 00:02:57.759 scientist shows up and says he can bring the murderer 51 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:01.039 back from the dead. The book featuring this evening is 52 00:03:01.120 --> 00:03:05.280 The Murder of Thora Chamberlain, a shocking true crime story 53 00:03:05.759 --> 00:03:09.919 with my special guest, journalist and author Rod Cackley. Welcome 54 00:03:09.960 --> 00:03:11.719 back to the program and thank you very much for 55 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:14.240 this interview Rod Cackley, and. 56 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:16.439 Thank you Dan for having me again. This is always 57 00:03:16.479 --> 00:03:16.840 a joy. 58 00:03:17.560 --> 00:03:21.280 Thank you, Thank you so much. Congratulations on this book, 59 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:23.280 The Murder of Thor Chamberlain. 60 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:26.280 Thanks. Yeah, you know, this story is probably the most 61 00:03:26.400 --> 00:03:29.319 fascinating story I've written over the past five years or so. 62 00:03:29.479 --> 00:03:31.039 It really is an incredible story. 63 00:03:31.479 --> 00:03:35.759 Yes, absolutely, you take us to September twenty Firth first, 64 00:03:35.960 --> 00:03:39.840 nineteen forty five, and you set the stage where you 65 00:03:40.000 --> 00:03:43.080 talk about the World War Two just being over and 66 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:48.240 all kinds of servicemen returning to America, but also returning 67 00:03:48.319 --> 00:03:53.039 through California. So tell us what happens November two, nineteen 68 00:03:53.120 --> 00:03:57.680 forty five and September nineteen forty five. Tell us about 69 00:03:57.759 --> 00:03:59.280 the foot locker theft. 70 00:04:00.000 --> 00:04:03.560 Now, this is what's important to realize many how many 71 00:04:03.680 --> 00:04:07.680 servicemen and women came into California as part of what 72 00:04:07.800 --> 00:04:10.960 they called Operation Magic Carpet, the post World War II 73 00:04:11.120 --> 00:04:15.400 operation to bring US military personnel home. Millions of servicemen 74 00:04:15.520 --> 00:04:18.920 from the Pacific Theater are streaming back home this day 75 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:23.360 through California. So military uniforms, including those of the Navy, 76 00:04:23.439 --> 00:04:26.639 are hardly unfamiliar, and that's an important part to the story. 77 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:30.800 Right now, the small town of Campbell, California, has exploded 78 00:04:30.879 --> 00:04:34.519 with this new population. It's relatively close to the Pacific Ocean, 79 00:04:34.600 --> 00:04:37.560 only five miles from San Jose and forty two miles 80 00:04:37.639 --> 00:04:41.120 from San Francisco. One of those returning through California is 81 00:04:41.160 --> 00:04:44.639 a petty officer. After being stationed in London and Ireland, 82 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:47.519 is a Chief Commissary Stewart in the US Naval Reserve. 83 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:51.639 He's back on American soil and someone has nicked his 84 00:04:51.879 --> 00:04:54.480 foot locker. He's gotten into the British way of speaking 85 00:04:54.920 --> 00:04:57.600 being overseas as long as he was. They've stolen his 86 00:04:57.680 --> 00:05:02.920 foot locker, and what's inside his foot locker is very important. 87 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:05.639 It will become important later in the story. There was 88 00:05:05.720 --> 00:05:08.120 no money in it, so he didn't lose any money, 89 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:12.319 but he lost his white London Dairy Ireland Navy T shirt. 90 00:05:12.759 --> 00:05:15.519 His Navy medals were pinned on that, so he lost 91 00:05:15.639 --> 00:05:19.240 his medals as well. And then he lost a pair 92 00:05:19.279 --> 00:05:22.720 of navy slate gray trousers. That's all missing, and that 93 00:05:22.800 --> 00:05:24.360 will come into our story later on. 94 00:05:24.839 --> 00:05:28.360 You talk about a waitress, and of course this will 95 00:05:28.519 --> 00:05:33.959 factory in later. But a waitress sees him on November two, Yeah, November. 96 00:05:34.079 --> 00:05:37.839 What's he wearing? What's this man wearing in this restaurant 97 00:05:37.959 --> 00:05:38.639 that she works at? 98 00:05:38.839 --> 00:05:40.480 Yeah, no, this is in November, so it was a 99 00:05:40.560 --> 00:05:43.519 couple of months later, and Sally has drawn a little 100 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:46.399 weary of watching a guy wearing guess what, a white 101 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:50.240 T shirt with blue insignia bearing the words London Dairy Ireland. 102 00:05:50.639 --> 00:05:53.959 He's playing a pinball game called the big broadcast game, 103 00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:56.199 simple game to play. But you know he could just 104 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:59.319 drop Nickels in and they're not kicking him out. What 105 00:05:59.519 --> 00:06:03.920 strange about him. Sally's a very attractive waitress and she's 106 00:06:04.079 --> 00:06:06.160 coming on to him as much as the waitress might 107 00:06:06.240 --> 00:06:08.480 to get an extra tip. Back in nineteen forty nine, 108 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:10.680 I mean, we have to remember this is forty five, 109 00:06:10.800 --> 00:06:14.720 so this is you know, life in forty five was 110 00:06:14.800 --> 00:06:17.360 not what we see life as in twenty twenty two. 111 00:06:17.959 --> 00:06:20.680 So she is trying to get a little more tip 112 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:22.439 out of him, trying to figure out why he's not 113 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:26.160 eating her. Boss Lewis would just as soon this guy 114 00:06:26.279 --> 00:06:29.199 get out, But he's just hanging out in this restaurant, 115 00:06:29.279 --> 00:06:33.639 this little cafe. And you know, Sally had a husband 116 00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:37.480 who was lost overseas, and so this is the whole 117 00:06:38.319 --> 00:06:40.879 post war thing is going on in this restaurant, and 118 00:06:41.000 --> 00:06:44.120 she's wondering why this guy is not ordering anything to eat. 119 00:06:44.759 --> 00:06:47.879 He's just hanging out playing this big broadcast pinball game. 120 00:06:48.279 --> 00:06:50.800 Now it's just after two o'clock. Now high school kids 121 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:53.839 are starting to stream in coming into the restaurant, so 122 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:56.600 she doesn't have any time to worry about this guy 123 00:06:56.720 --> 00:06:59.800 sitting at the counter anymore, wearing the white Londonderry Ireland 124 00:06:59.800 --> 00:07:03.560 team shirt. Suddenly she looks up and he's gone. This 125 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:06.360 navy veteran with the white T shirt has gone on 126 00:07:06.680 --> 00:07:07.959 on the bigger and better things. 127 00:07:08.040 --> 00:07:10.959 She figures, Yeah, you talk about the She notes that 128 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:15.160 he was driving a blue Sedan. And so then you 129 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:19.040 take us to Carol Anne and Yvonne Rapp. And this 130 00:07:19.240 --> 00:07:22.399 is Caroline's seven and her sister is eight years old, 131 00:07:22.959 --> 00:07:24.519 and they're walking home from school. 132 00:07:24.680 --> 00:07:27.199 Yeah right, I'm glad you mentioned that blue Plymouth because 133 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:29.720 that's essential to the story as well. It's two thirty 134 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:33.399 five in the afternoon now, November two, nineteen forty five, 135 00:07:33.920 --> 00:07:37.120 and like every school day, these two sisters, Caroline and Yvonne, 136 00:07:37.160 --> 00:07:39.319 are walking home. They're seven and eight years old. They're 137 00:07:39.360 --> 00:07:42.800 walking home together from Campbell Grammar School, which is across 138 00:07:42.879 --> 00:07:46.040 the street from Campbell Union High School. The war is over, 139 00:07:46.279 --> 00:07:48.839 you know, they're walking home together. This, again, is nineteen 140 00:07:48.920 --> 00:07:52.519 forty five, not unusual to see kids walking alone on 141 00:07:52.639 --> 00:07:55.519 the way home from school. This isn't twenty twenty two, 142 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:57.439 when parents have to feel like they have to come 143 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:00.279 and protect their children all the way home from school. 144 00:08:00.360 --> 00:08:03.079 To their home. Right well, as Yvonne and Carol Anne 145 00:08:03.079 --> 00:08:06.920 are walking home, a blue sidan pulls up alongside them. 146 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:11.000 A man inside wearing a white Londonderry Ireland T shirt 147 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:15.160 notices that or asks the girl rather, how are you doing? 148 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:19.199 And the girls giggle and ask how can we can 149 00:08:19.279 --> 00:08:21.560 you help me? He says. What he says is that 150 00:08:21.680 --> 00:08:25.240 he and his sister need a babysitter for the afternoon. Oh, 151 00:08:25.399 --> 00:08:27.800 you know these kids is in nineteen twenty five. Again, 152 00:08:27.959 --> 00:08:31.079 kids are trained, they're raised to help grownups and to 153 00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:34.440 respect grown ups. Sure, but still Carol Anne, even though 154 00:08:34.519 --> 00:08:37.120 she's the younger of the pair, she knows something's wrong. 155 00:08:37.559 --> 00:08:40.159 There's something just creeping her out about this guy in 156 00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:43.960 the blue sidan, and she grabs her sister and they run. 157 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:48.080 Yvonne does look back and wave goodbye, and she sees 158 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:50.200 the man in the blu Sidan doing a U turn 159 00:08:50.399 --> 00:08:53.480 in the street and he's driving back toward the school 160 00:08:53.519 --> 00:08:57.120 where she thinks the big kids go, Campbell Union High School. 161 00:08:57.720 --> 00:09:01.039 Now you talk about Thora Chamberlain and her friends. They're 162 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:04.759 walking to a football game, and so tell us a 163 00:09:04.799 --> 00:09:08.840 little bit about who Thora Chamberlain is and what happens 164 00:09:09.080 --> 00:09:09.879 on the way to the game. 165 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:12.720 Yeah, twenty five minutes later, Thora and her friends are 166 00:09:12.799 --> 00:09:16.480 walking out of Campbell Union High School. They're walking to 167 00:09:16.559 --> 00:09:20.519 a football game that'll be Campbell Union against Washington High 168 00:09:20.559 --> 00:09:23.480 School of Centerville. Tora is only twenty days short of 169 00:09:23.559 --> 00:09:26.600 her fifteenth birthday. She has brown, curly hair, blue eyes, 170 00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:30.080 five foot two and weighs one hundred and twenty pounds 171 00:09:30.360 --> 00:09:33.360 now this day, she's wearing a gabardine coat, a blue sweater, 172 00:09:33.639 --> 00:09:36.799 a white blouse, a red skirt, and just like her friends, 173 00:09:37.120 --> 00:09:40.720 she has two pairs of overlapping bobby socks on one 174 00:09:40.840 --> 00:09:43.360 red and the other color blue on each foot, and 175 00:09:43.600 --> 00:09:46.559 tan loafers. The socks they're red and the blue. This 176 00:09:46.759 --> 00:09:48.879 is what they do on game day. They wear two 177 00:09:48.960 --> 00:09:51.320 pairs of socks instead of just a pair of socks, 178 00:09:51.720 --> 00:09:54.639 and red and blue those are the school colors. Right now. 179 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:58.559 Like the other girls, Thora's carrying textbooks, her books from school. 180 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:01.759 She has a zipper binder and a cow bell that 181 00:10:01.840 --> 00:10:04.600 she'll ring in support of the Campbell Union team. She 182 00:10:04.679 --> 00:10:06.720 fits right in with your friends, but she's kind of 183 00:10:06.759 --> 00:10:09.000 the leader of the packs here, okay. She is the 184 00:10:09.080 --> 00:10:11.879 one that always takes the lead. Two of her friends, 185 00:10:13.000 --> 00:10:17.799 Elaine and Catherine Band. Elaine Seeneca and Catherine Band. They're 186 00:10:17.840 --> 00:10:21.480 fifteen years old, a little bit older than thora. Both 187 00:10:21.519 --> 00:10:23.519 have blonde hair and green eyes. And they see a 188 00:10:23.559 --> 00:10:27.519 blue sedan, a blue Plymouth, slowly coming up alongside the 189 00:10:27.600 --> 00:10:31.240 girls on Winchester Boulevard. Look, it looks to Eileen and 190 00:10:31.720 --> 00:10:34.360 Arlaine brother Elaine and Catherine, it looks like one of 191 00:10:34.399 --> 00:10:37.960 those cars that gangsters drive in the old nineteen forties 192 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:40.159 movies that they would watch. I mean what they weren't 193 00:10:40.159 --> 00:10:42.600 old movies to these kids, but the movies that they 194 00:10:42.720 --> 00:10:44.440 go to see in the theater. It looks just like 195 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:49.000 a gangster car. They're thinking, actually, it's a thirty two car, 196 00:10:49.200 --> 00:10:51.919 nineteen thirty two, because you know, back in this day, 197 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:54.600 you know, they shut down all the car manufacturing plants 198 00:10:54.679 --> 00:10:56.919 during the war, so nobody was driving a new car 199 00:10:57.360 --> 00:11:00.720 from the forties. Everybody was driving cars from the Well. 200 00:11:00.759 --> 00:11:04.000 The blue car pulls up alongside the girls and they 201 00:11:04.080 --> 00:11:07.759 look inside and there's a guy inside who's he's got thick, 202 00:11:08.080 --> 00:11:11.399 curly black hair, he's got a jaunty smile. He's a 203 00:11:11.480 --> 00:11:14.840 good looking guy. Okay, the girls don't know what to 204 00:11:14.919 --> 00:11:17.279 do next. They look to Thora to take the lead, 205 00:11:17.720 --> 00:11:21.240 and even Rita Byerley, who's seventeen years old, the oldest 206 00:11:21.279 --> 00:11:23.720 in the crowd. She doesn't know what to do, but 207 00:11:23.960 --> 00:11:27.440 Thora giggles, shrugs her shoulders, and moves up to the car. 208 00:11:27.799 --> 00:11:30.879 The guy in the car again, he's a good looking guy. 209 00:11:31.000 --> 00:11:33.559 It kind of a quick, easy goofy smile, is how 210 00:11:33.600 --> 00:11:36.399 the girls would later describe it. It's wearing a garrison 211 00:11:36.480 --> 00:11:39.240 hat with a water repellent cover, the US Navy style 212 00:11:39.360 --> 00:11:42.279 white tearshirt with a purple heart and a blue insignia 213 00:11:42.639 --> 00:11:46.080 bearing the words London Dairy, Ireland and pinned down the 214 00:11:46.159 --> 00:11:49.399 shirt are several service medals. Remember what was in that 215 00:11:49.480 --> 00:11:52.159 foot locker that was stolen back in October, Well, this 216 00:11:52.320 --> 00:11:55.200 is what we're looking at now. Okay, now, it's hardly 217 00:11:55.279 --> 00:11:59.159 unusual to see military veterans on the streets in Campbell. 218 00:11:59.240 --> 00:12:01.960 Like we Saidlliams of them were working their way through 219 00:12:02.080 --> 00:12:05.519 Campbell into California and then into the United States. The 220 00:12:05.639 --> 00:12:08.600 man in the car, green eyes a good looking guy again. 221 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:11.639 He smiles. He smiles at Thra He says, Hey, I 222 00:12:11.840 --> 00:12:15.600 need some help. My sister needs a babysitter. Could you 223 00:12:15.759 --> 00:12:17.639 just do this for a couple of hours, It won't 224 00:12:17.679 --> 00:12:20.440 take long, and I'm ready to pay you. He pulls 225 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:22.840 a five dollar bill out of his shirt, out of 226 00:12:22.919 --> 00:12:25.039 his pocket. He says, I'm ready to pay you now. 227 00:12:25.159 --> 00:12:28.159 Five bucks goes a long way with a teenager in 228 00:12:28.320 --> 00:12:31.480 nineteen forty five. That can buy a lot of fun 229 00:12:31.559 --> 00:12:34.440 in Campbell and she's going to the football game. He says, 230 00:12:34.480 --> 00:12:37.120 I only need you for thirty minutes. My sister and 231 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:39.519 I just need to run a couple of errands, no 232 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:41.720 more than half an hour, and then I'll drive you 233 00:12:41.799 --> 00:12:44.039 to the football game. You'll be there by halftime. He 234 00:12:44.120 --> 00:12:47.879 makes that promise. Thora looks back at her friends, takes 235 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:50.720 a deep breath, looks back at the roll down window 236 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:52.600 in the car and the five dollar bill in this 237 00:12:52.679 --> 00:12:55.840 guy's hand, and she gets into the car. She looks 238 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:58.120 out the window of her friends and says, don't forget 239 00:12:58.159 --> 00:13:00.399 to save me a seat. I'll see you soon, and 240 00:13:00.480 --> 00:13:01.200 they drive away. 241 00:13:01.720 --> 00:13:04.919 You write about a woman in Saratoga, which is about 242 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:09.480 six miles away from Campbell. What does she witness a 243 00:13:09.639 --> 00:13:13.000 man in a blue plymouth doing? What does she see? 244 00:13:13.399 --> 00:13:16.000 Yeah, this is where the story really gets scary. Three 245 00:13:16.039 --> 00:13:18.679 point thirty in the afternoon. Now Ella Ribble of Badel, 246 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:21.600 the wife of the San Jose physician, an I specialist, 247 00:13:21.679 --> 00:13:23.399 does luckily have it, goes out to get her mail 248 00:13:23.480 --> 00:13:26.159 from a roadside mailbox outside her home, as he said 249 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:30.080 in Sarahtoga, about six miles southwest of Campbell. Now she's 250 00:13:30.240 --> 00:13:32.639 out looking at all. Of a sudden, a blues to 251 00:13:32.799 --> 00:13:36.759 dan comes speeding by, ripping by fast, and she looks. 252 00:13:36.919 --> 00:13:39.600 She steps off the lawn. She steps, she's gonna go 253 00:13:39.639 --> 00:13:42.639 to the Mailbox's car comes by and nearly knocks her down. 254 00:13:43.159 --> 00:13:45.639 She catches herself on the way down and looks into 255 00:13:45.720 --> 00:13:49.960 the car through the passenger side window. Ella sees something 256 00:13:50.039 --> 00:13:53.759 she'll never forget. She sees a teenage girl, young, with 257 00:13:53.919 --> 00:13:56.799 bouncy curls in her brown hair, wearing a red skirt 258 00:13:56.919 --> 00:14:00.399 and a blue sweater. The child's face is pressed against 259 00:14:00.440 --> 00:14:04.279 the car's window as the girl claws furiously at the glass, 260 00:14:04.519 --> 00:14:07.720 trying desperately to get out. Beyond the girl, Ellisi is 261 00:14:07.720 --> 00:14:10.919 a man, hatless with bushy hair, driving with both hands 262 00:14:10.960 --> 00:14:13.720 on the steering wheel. Ella let's go with the mailbox 263 00:14:13.799 --> 00:14:16.399 handle and sits down on the lawn. Her head falls 264 00:14:16.480 --> 00:14:19.159 forward as she tries to catch her breath. Then she 265 00:14:19.279 --> 00:14:23.000 looks up, realizing she'll never forget that girl's face because 266 00:14:23.120 --> 00:14:25.519 Ella has never seen such fear. 267 00:14:25.559 --> 00:14:30.360 You talk about. Frank and Lois Chamberlain. Now they know 268 00:14:30.480 --> 00:14:33.240 she's going to the football game. They keep her supper warm, 269 00:14:33.519 --> 00:14:37.879 but it's seven point thirty. So Mom calls around, calls 270 00:14:37.919 --> 00:14:39.639 her friends to see what's happened. 271 00:14:40.039 --> 00:14:42.720 If it seens Thorra, yeah, Now this is a typical 272 00:14:42.879 --> 00:14:47.039 nineteen forties era, late forties, early fifties couple, Frank and Lois. 273 00:14:47.120 --> 00:14:49.039 Lois is a stay at home mom. They had two 274 00:14:49.120 --> 00:14:52.720 other sisters or two other girls along with Thorra. Frank 275 00:14:52.879 --> 00:14:57.240 is a real estate developer and quite successful in Campbell. Now, 276 00:14:57.399 --> 00:14:59.720 Frank and Lois, they weren't expecting to her to be 277 00:14:59.799 --> 00:15:02.600 home for the usual five thirty pm dinner. But now, 278 00:15:02.679 --> 00:15:05.679 as he said Dan, it's seven thirty and they're starting 279 00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:08.879 to get worried. So Lois picks up the phone and 280 00:15:09.000 --> 00:15:13.440 starts calling Thora's friends. One friend after another says, you know, 281 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:15.759 they hate to say that Thora did anything wrong. They 282 00:15:15.799 --> 00:15:18.480 don't want to squeal on Thora, so to speak, but 283 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:21.000 they do say that we were all on the way 284 00:15:21.039 --> 00:15:23.480 to the football game. Thora did get into a car 285 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:25.799 with another man with a man, and they drove off 286 00:15:25.879 --> 00:15:29.679 and promised to be back at halftime. Now Lois is 287 00:15:30.080 --> 00:15:33.519 very scared, and she continues calling Thora's friends. Half an 288 00:15:33.559 --> 00:15:36.399 hour into this, Frank, who was too old to serve 289 00:15:36.480 --> 00:15:38.279 in the war, but he still sees himself as a 290 00:15:38.360 --> 00:15:42.200 man of action, well respected in Campbell, he calls the police, 291 00:15:42.960 --> 00:15:46.320 the sheriff's deputies rather, and they start calling neighbors, and 292 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:50.279 less than half an hour after they realize Sora is missing. Frank, 293 00:15:50.440 --> 00:15:52.600 Lois and as many neighbors as they can round up 294 00:15:52.960 --> 00:15:57.000 all start walking through the neighborhood in Campbell, calling out 295 00:15:57.120 --> 00:15:58.360 in vain Dora's name. 296 00:16:00.480 --> 00:16:05.600 Nineteen forty five. You take us to a construction site 297 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:10.000 called Blair's Construction Yard in Burlingame, which is about thirty 298 00:16:10.039 --> 00:16:14.799 five miles north of Campbell. Tell us about what the 299 00:16:14.919 --> 00:16:20.240 boss believes about his employee, Thomas Henry mcmonocle. 300 00:16:20.399 --> 00:16:23.279 Yeah, Thomas Henry mcmonagall. This is where we meet this guy. 301 00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:26.679 He's a laborer at Blair's construction yard. I mean he's 302 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:30.080 just like a classic ne'er do well, as they would 303 00:16:30.120 --> 00:16:32.480 say back in the forties, I think. I mean, his 304 00:16:32.600 --> 00:16:34.480 buddies are glad to see him. He's always good for 305 00:16:34.600 --> 00:16:36.639 a joke, a laugh, a slap on the back of 306 00:16:36.720 --> 00:16:39.399 that kind of thing. But he's not a hard worker. 307 00:16:39.679 --> 00:16:42.039 I mean, he ducks out early as often as he can. 308 00:16:42.279 --> 00:16:45.000 He takes as many cigarette breaks as he can. He's 309 00:16:45.120 --> 00:16:47.879 not he doesn't have what we would call in this 310 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:51.519 day a great work ethic. Okay, but now he's a 311 00:16:51.559 --> 00:16:53.159 good worker when he puts his mind to it. And 312 00:16:53.200 --> 00:16:55.639 he's a strong guy. He was a boxer as a 313 00:16:55.720 --> 00:16:58.679 teenager and did pretty well. He did some professional boxing, 314 00:16:59.080 --> 00:17:02.480 so he's got muscle, he's got coordination. And this day 315 00:17:02.799 --> 00:17:05.480 he swaggers up to the time clock at seven fifty 316 00:17:05.559 --> 00:17:08.519 five am, a full five minutes early, to begin to shift. 317 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:12.599 This is not like mister mcmonagall at all. This is 318 00:17:12.640 --> 00:17:16.400 a totally different Thomas. He listens to the clock clunking along, 319 00:17:16.480 --> 00:17:18.920 you know those old time clocks they would have, as 320 00:17:19.039 --> 00:17:22.240 his buddies put their cards in. He takes his turn 321 00:17:22.680 --> 00:17:26.319 and guess what his card is missing. His boss pulled 322 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:28.680 the card, so he has to go to his boss 323 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:31.839 ask for his card back, in effect, and ask for 324 00:17:32.000 --> 00:17:35.799 his job back. The boss is upset because he, you know, 325 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:39.720 mcmonagall took a powder on him, so to speak, and 326 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:42.880 he's been gone for a week. He hasn't been seen 327 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:45.920 for a week. They go back and forth and finally 328 00:17:46.000 --> 00:17:49.279 gets his Thomas gets his card back and he punches 329 00:17:49.359 --> 00:17:51.519 in and he goes back to work, talks to his 330 00:17:51.640 --> 00:17:53.599 friends and they're saying, hey, where have you been for 331 00:17:53.680 --> 00:17:56.240 the past week? What have you been doing? And Thomas 332 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:58.640 leans on his shovel, tips his hat back with his 333 00:17:58.799 --> 00:18:02.480 left thumb, looks at them, smiles and says, out with 334 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:05.640 a fifteen year old girl, that's where and oh yeah, 335 00:18:05.920 --> 00:18:08.119 a real cookie she was. You take us. 336 00:18:08.160 --> 00:18:13.200 In November six and this non ambitious or unambitious person 337 00:18:13.559 --> 00:18:16.599 worker asked his boss to do a special job. What 338 00:18:16.880 --> 00:18:18.960 is this special job? Entail? 339 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:22.359 He wants to build a ramp or a causeway over 340 00:18:22.480 --> 00:18:25.319 a ditch. Thomas. This is his second day back from 341 00:18:25.400 --> 00:18:28.599 his on paid five day vacation and Thomas wants to 342 00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:31.839 do this. He's actually asking for extra work, which raises 343 00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:35.640 red flags all over the construction yard. He explains boss, 344 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:38.079 if we can walk over the ditch instead of around it, 345 00:18:38.480 --> 00:18:41.240 we'll save all kinds of time and effort, which was 346 00:18:41.359 --> 00:18:44.079 true enough. The foreman had to admit that was really 347 00:18:44.119 --> 00:18:46.680 a pretty good idea. But he says, if you do 348 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:49.480 your usual half job and decide to take a powder 349 00:18:49.559 --> 00:18:52.119 two hours into this, what am I left with? Thomas 350 00:18:52.240 --> 00:18:54.720 promises that he'll get it done. He's going to fill 351 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:58.240 the dish in with dirt and concrete blocks and another 352 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:02.039 half hour repleting, whining and promises. The boss gives in. 353 00:19:02.200 --> 00:19:04.559 He grants Thomas permission to leave the crew for a 354 00:19:04.680 --> 00:19:07.720 day to start and finish the project. Eight hours. He's 355 00:19:07.759 --> 00:19:10.279 giving him to do this project, to fill in this 356 00:19:10.440 --> 00:19:12.960 ditch so that they can walk over it instead of 357 00:19:13.039 --> 00:19:13.440 around it. 358 00:19:13.759 --> 00:19:18.319 He shares a home in San Matteo, Matteo and he 359 00:19:18.640 --> 00:19:23.720 his wife's name Enna. They have this blue plymouth. When 360 00:19:23.839 --> 00:19:26.680 he comes home from this job, the special assignment that 361 00:19:26.759 --> 00:19:29.240 he asks his boss to do, what does he do 362 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:31.759 and what does he tell Enna he's going to do? 363 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.880 Yeah? So he comes home after that day, He's filled 364 00:19:34.920 --> 00:19:36.920 in the ditch. He's done everything that you know he 365 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:40.119 promised to do. He's worn out. He goes into the 366 00:19:40.200 --> 00:19:42.440 house and Enna is waiting for him. As you said, 367 00:19:42.519 --> 00:19:45.079 she's had a rough day too. She works at Woolworth's 368 00:19:45.119 --> 00:19:48.079 and you know, on her feet all day long. They 369 00:19:48.200 --> 00:19:51.559 have a dinner of hamburgers and French fries and he 370 00:19:51.680 --> 00:19:54.240 gets up. Now they just had a baby too. It's 371 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:56.519 important to say that a baby in the house, okay. 372 00:19:56.920 --> 00:19:59.839 But he stands up after dinner, says he's got to go. 373 00:20:01.680 --> 00:20:05.319 Where are you going? And it says la. He responds, 374 00:20:05.440 --> 00:20:08.000 as in Los Angeles. He says, it's like you're reading 375 00:20:08.039 --> 00:20:10.440 the map in my head. So anyway, he tosses the 376 00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:13.359 car key of that blue Plymouth to Enna and just 377 00:20:13.519 --> 00:20:16.519 goes out the door. While Enna's tapping another cigarette to 378 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:19.920 get the tobacco packed down nicely, Thomas is outside. He's 379 00:20:19.960 --> 00:20:23.240 nearly running down the street. He sees he's running toward 380 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:25.599 a bus stop and he sees a bus to Los Angeles. 381 00:20:25.920 --> 00:20:28.279 He sprints and he gets on that bus and he 382 00:20:28.400 --> 00:20:31.119 takes off on that bus. I'm not sure where he's 383 00:20:31.160 --> 00:20:32.880 going to end up, but he's thinking in the back 384 00:20:32.920 --> 00:20:36.359 of his mind, maybe I'll wind up in East Alton, Illinois, 385 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:39.160 drop in on his family. That's where his family lives, 386 00:20:39.200 --> 00:20:42.279 and that's where he's from. East Alton, Illinois. So he 387 00:20:42.400 --> 00:20:44.759 leaves Enna at home, with the baby and the plymouth. 388 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:47.480 You take us in November eighth, and this is six 389 00:20:47.640 --> 00:20:53.039 days in Authora Chamberlain's is missing. On the FBI get involved, 390 00:20:53.079 --> 00:20:56.039 tell us about this involvement, and also tell us about 391 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:59.640 the San Jose Evening News and a telegram to the family. 392 00:21:00.200 --> 00:21:03.599 It's six days long, long days and nights for Frank 393 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:06.599 and Lewis Chamberlain and their two other daughters. The FBI 394 00:21:06.799 --> 00:21:09.799 is on the case now, but guess what, maybe the 395 00:21:09.880 --> 00:21:12.759 FEDS will be able to stay home. Speculation grows today 396 00:21:12.839 --> 00:21:15.319 that Thorra is doing okay, or at the very least, 397 00:21:15.400 --> 00:21:17.960 will be found near Long Beach. The San Jose A 398 00:21:18.119 --> 00:21:21.480 Evening News the editors they're looking at a telegram they received, 399 00:21:21.799 --> 00:21:25.160 and the telegram says Tha Chamberlain, daughter of the San 400 00:21:25.240 --> 00:21:29.319 Jose contractor, was last seen in Long Beach about ten am. 401 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:32.480