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I'm Dan Tabirsky. In 2011, something strange began to happen at a high school in upstate New York. A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms, and spreading fast. What's the answer? And what do you do if they tell you it's all in your head? Hysterical. A new podcast from Wondery and Pineapple Street Studios binge all episodes of hysterical earth and ad free on Wondery.

Hey, weirdos. I am Ash.

And I'm Elena.

And this right here is morbid.

This is morbid.

It's a podcast, and you listen to it. It's crime, and it's creepy, and it's dark and it's weird, and it's spooky.

And I just saw a picture of a Jack O'lantern on my instagram, and it made me happy.

That is spooky. Speaking of spooky, jack O'lanterns, only a.

Few more weekends until fall, everybody.

More than a few.

But so many people listening are like, shut the fuck up, Elena.

And to that I say, never.

I am excited about fall. Summer's almost over, everyone.

Not true.

Almost. Wrap.

Not true. We're almost through. It just started. Actually.

Time can move forward for a little while.

What?

Like, quicker than normal?

I meant, honestly, time's always out here. Doing time will always move forward for a little while. You're like, what? Are you okay over there? I was like, what's happening again?

Excited?

No, I'm excited for spooky season. To go to a farm. I want to pick some Jack o lanterns. I want to carve said Jack O lanterns, because that's when they become Jack o lanterns. Before that, they're just pumpkins.

That's. I'm excited.

I want to bake.

I want to bake in my fall.

Pots and pans, and I want to bake fall soups.

I'm just, like, really lovely for this season. And, guys, I know it's summer, and it literally just started, but that means it's almost over, so I'm ready. Also, I don't like summer clothes. I don't like summer hot.

Here's the thing, everybody. There's not summer clothes. No, they're stupid.

You heard it here first.

I don't like summer clothes. There's not even real summer clothes.

Yeah, it just. I don't like shorts.

Especially if you're a bodacious baddie. Bodacious baddie. If you're a bodacious baddie. Summer is. The clothing is just. I mean.

Or if you're a pale ass bitch like me, like, if your legs can blinden whole armies of people, I'm both of those things. And it's like, there's nothing for us.

But a bodacious, pale ass baddie.

There you go.

God. God, God. What up? What a predicky.

What a predickie is, right?

What's happening?

We've been recording a lot.

We've been recording a lot.

I'm getting silly. Goofy.

We are. I was gonna say something.

You were. You were gonna talk about the, um, donations.

That was. Yeah, that is it, actually.

That was a. That was a really cool thing.

This is a really cool thing. So, I don't know if you guys remember when I covered. It was a really, really sad story. It was the murders of Joel and Lisa guy. They were murdered by their son, and their dog was there when it happened. And luckily, the young Williams animal shelter in Knoxville, Tennessee, was able to, like, take the. The puppy in until, like, family could come get him. And in their obituaries, they asked, like, the family asked for people to make donations in Lisa and Joel's name to this animal shelter, the young Williams animal shelter. And I mentioned that on the episode, and it was. It was, like, back in 2022.

Yeah.

And they have received close to $7,000 in donations because of you guys.

That's, like, you guys went hard.

Almost $7,000.

You guys killed it.

So if you're able to go ahead and donate to the young Williams animal shelter, continue to. And if you're. If you're going to do it, definitely do it in Lisa and Joel guy's name.

Yeah. And that's how they know they've gotten that many donations in their name since the. Since the episode. And they said countless animals have been saved. Yeah.

Like, yeah.

That's so cool, guys. Like, that's really cool.

I know. This was a great spot. A really fun email to receive today.

It was such a little bright spot and all the shadiness of the world, so that was really nice. Good job, guys.

Good job. You party. Party. Saving animals out here. Love it.

Because animals, most of the time, are better than humans. So I would say sometimes keep them happy, man.

Say, good track record, animals. Good track record, animals.

You sounded like a bob's burgers character.

Oh, love Bob. And I love Bob's burgers at Tina.

I love it at Tinabelcher.

Tinabelcher. I'm more of a Louise.

Yeah.

I don't know who you are. And you're Bob.

I'm Bob.

You're absolutely Bob. Yeah. I was like, I don't know. Oh, nope. I do feel like.

Nope, you hit me. All right.

Oh, and Mikey is Gene. Okay. Anyways, so do which is, like, a big thing that she does in her life. But there are some historical facts that give us a couple of details. Like many families in Baltimore's 15th ward, the Warrens were a lower middle class family of german descent. They didn't really come from a lot, but John Warren owned the family's house with a free title, quote unquote.It's so like John Warren.It's a big deal.Good for him.I know. And he owned and operated his own grocery business, which gave the Warrens way more stability than other families would have had at the time. So, for them, they didn't have a lot, but what they did have was keep a them afloat.Hell, yeah.Now, it's safe to assume that Bessie's early life was similar to most children in the late 19th century. Since she was the oldest of four children, it's very likely she would have helped her mom with domestic responsibilities around the house, taking care of the younger ones. She had one younger brother and two younger sisters, and in addition to her chores at home, she also attended school at least through the 8th grade, as records show. But by 1920, she was employed as a teacher. So it's pretty fair to assume that she got education beyond what that documentation implies. In 1902, she married Charles Howard Darling. He was known to his friends and family as leaves to put all throughout the house. She had been preparing breakfast on the first floor when she heard a knock at the door, a little past 730 that morning. When she opened it, she was confronted by George Schultz, who demanded to see Bessie immediately. Before Mazie could say anything, Schultz literally just pushed right past her into the house and started going up the stairs that led to Bessie's bedroom.Oh, no, no.This is the point where the details kind of vary depending on where you read the story and the more objective account of what happened that appeared in the papers outside of the Catoctin mountain area. And this account is actually informed by Maisie's statement to the police.Okay.When George got to the second floor of the house, he found that the door to Bessie's bedroom was locked, so he broke the door down in order to get inside.Oh, that's horrifying.And once he made it through the door, he raised his pistol and fired one round into Bessie's chest, severing an artery and killing her instantly. After killing Bessie, he held Maisie at gunpoint for an hour before sending her out of the house to go get the authorities.Holy shit.And when she came back with police, he was lying at the top of the stairs, bleeding from a self inflicted gunshot wound to his chest.Wow.Yeah. Now, in the more sensational version of the story, which was the one circulated by locals, George Shultz snuck into the home through the back door and demanded to be led to Bessie. Once Maisie led him to the top of the stairs, George entered Bessie's room and locked the door behind him, making him the only witness to this version of events. Now, according to George, so he doesn't die. Oh. Once she saw him lock the door behind him, Bessie, quote, had her own pistol nearby and made a mad garb for her gun. Fearing that she'd kill him, he claimed he fired in self defense, hitting Bessie in the chest and nearly killing her. After shooting Bessie, he said he emerged from the room and demanded that Maisie make him a cup of coffee. Then, as he, what, disrobed in front of the terrified girl, what? He tossed her the engagement ring that Bessie had recently returned to him upon their breakup and said, you can have that to remember her by. And then he sent Maisie to go get the police and said, when you come back, you'll find the two of us dead.Damn.So, like, part of that story is informed by George, and then part of it is very embellished and sensationalized upon by just, like, spreading it through the local rumor mill. Yeah, like, I don't know about the engagement ring and him disrobing or anything like that.Like, it could have happened, but there's nothing to substantiate to confirm that.Buthe fired first in self defense. Bessie did own a gun, and it was found in the room with her. But when it was found, the safety was still on and it wasn't in.Her hand, so how would she. Yeah.So since there was no denying that he shot her, George's defense team's goal was to create enough reasonable doubt and convince a jury that it was a crime of passion committed by an otherwise sane and very rational man.Oh, yeah. Okay.In order to cast himself as an upstanding citizen, George made a number of strange and unverified claims on the witness stand. These got wild. He told the jury that he was a deputy sheriff, a veteran of the great war, and a major league baseball player. Oh, because that instincts.Impressive.Like what?Very impressive.The state's star witness and one of the only eyewitnesses, by contrast, was a teenage girl, they said, with no credibility. And that was Maisie.Yeah.It's like, meanwhile, I don't know. Everything she's saying is supported by actual evidence.Like a teenage girl makes it. Makes it that she's not credible.Yeah. She's just a teenager.She's a teenage girl. Cool.Yeah. Now, the next day, the jury deliberated for 1 hour before returning a verdict. Although they didn't believe that the crime had been a premeditated, deliberate act, they also didn't believe that George had shot Bessie in self defense. So ultimately, they found Mister George Shultz guilty of second degree murder.Okay.Judge Hammond earner wasted no time on passing the sentence and immediately sentenced Schultz to 18 years in prison. I he said the jury's verdict indicated that it rejected the self defense theory. We think it's justified that the court has no doubt he returned to carry out his threat. When the sentence was read in the courtroom, George cried out, I didn't intend to shoot. I loved her too dearly. It's like. But you did.I don't know about that.You shot her in the chest and killed her instantly.You came with a gun and told.People all the way using it.Yeah. You called the town crier to go run out to the town square and tell everybody.Exactly.Come on.And that afternoon, Sheriff Crumb transported Schultz to the state penitentiary in Baltimore, where he began serving his sentence. Now, with Joseph Pash, having died many years earlier, he was the one who helped Bessie by the valley View manor. Ownership of Valley View Manor defaulted to his heirs in Germany because he was passed away at this point. Oh. And she's passed away. And he. I think he provided, actually, all of the down payment.Wow.So it was technically his property.Oh, Mandy.But they were unable. They were either unable or uninterested in claiming it. Claiming it. So the property was foreclosed on by the bank in 1934.Oh, damn.But Bessie's son Wesley purchased the property back from the bank for $3,000 and immediately signed it over to his grandparents, John and Fanny Warren. And they ran the hotel until John died the next year. So they, like, really tried to keep.It in the family. I was gonna say they, like, ran it in her honor.But not interested in running the hotel without her husband, Fannie signed the property over to the state in 1936, and it became included in what is now the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration area. It's a part of the national park system.Wow.Yeah. Interesting, huh?That's crazy.Now, in March of 1940, George Shultz, then 70 years old, applied for parole, but he was denied.Whoa.And a few months later, then Governor Herbert O'Connor announced his administration would be implementing a new and more humane parole system in which the governor would play an active role in determining who was going to be paroled.Oh, my.Among the cases on his agenda was that of the elderly George Schultz, but after reviewing the cases, he was again denied.Whoa.O'Connor said upon. Right. He said, upon my first consideration of the matters, I could not see my way clear to grant paroles in these cases.Whoa.Schulz was denied parole one more time before finally winning release in February of 1948. Three, after serving nine years of his 18 year sentence. Only served nine years, but he died just one year later from unspecified causes.Whoa. Unspecified.I know.Whoa.And that is the Halloween murder of Bessie darling.Oh, poor Bessie.I know. And she just seemed like she was a trailblazer.She was. And she wasn't doing anything wrong.No.And just broke up with him.She broke up with him after. He sounded like he was pretty fucking.Yeah. He's being abusive.It just sounds like she had a lot to offer the world. Oh, yeah.And she was, like, stepping out do, like, taking charge of shit.Yeah.Good.She didn't come from much, and she used her connections to try to make her life better.And I'm telling Google Bessie darling, because she's an icon.She isn't icon.Like, take a peek at her.And she's gorgeous.Yeah, she's Gorge. She's just fabulous.Yeah, it's really sad that it is. It was just, like, such a senseless killing.It really was.But an interesting case.Very Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com.Survey I'm Dan Tabirsky. In 2011, something strange began to happen at the high school in Leroy, New York.I was like, at my locker, and.She came up to me and she was like, stuttering, super bad.I'm like, stop around.She's like, I can't.A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms and spreading fast.Like doubling and tripling.And it's all these girls with a diagnosis. The state tried to keep on the down low.Everybody thought I was holding something back.Well, you were holding something back intentionally.Yeah.Yeah.Well, yeah.Yep. No, it's hysteria.It's all in your head. It's not physical. Oh, my gosh, you're exaggerating.Is this the largest mass hysteria since the witches of Salem, or is it something else entirely?Something's wrong here.Something's not right.Leroy was the new dateline, and everyone was trying to solve the murder.A new limited series from wondery and Pineapple street studios, hysterical. Follow hysterical on the wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of hysterical early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.

which is, like, a big thing that she does in her life. But there are some historical facts that give us a couple of details. Like many families in Baltimore's 15th ward, the Warrens were a lower middle class family of german descent. They didn't really come from a lot, but John Warren owned the family's house with a free title, quote unquote.

It's so like John Warren.

It's a big deal.

Good for him.

I know. And he owned and operated his own grocery business, which gave the Warrens way more stability than other families would have had at the time. So, for them, they didn't have a lot, but what they did have was keep a them afloat.

Hell, yeah.

Now, it's safe to assume that Bessie's early life was similar to most children in the late 19th century. Since she was the oldest of four children, it's very likely she would have helped her mom with domestic responsibilities around the house, taking care of the younger ones. She had one younger brother and two younger sisters, and in addition to her chores at home, she also attended school at least through the 8th grade, as records show. But by 1920, she was employed as a teacher. So it's pretty fair to assume that she got education beyond what that documentation implies. In 1902, she married Charles Howard Darling. He was known to his friends and family as leaves to put all throughout the house. She had been preparing breakfast on the first floor when she heard a knock at the door, a little past 730 that morning. When she opened it, she was confronted by George Schultz, who demanded to see Bessie immediately. Before Mazie could say anything, Schultz literally just pushed right past her into the house and started going up the stairs that led to Bessie's bedroom.Oh, no, no.This is the point where the details kind of vary depending on where you read the story and the more objective account of what happened that appeared in the papers outside of the Catoctin mountain area. And this account is actually informed by Maisie's statement to the police.Okay.When George got to the second floor of the house, he found that the door to Bessie's bedroom was locked, so he broke the door down in order to get inside.Oh, that's horrifying.And once he made it through the door, he raised his pistol and fired one round into Bessie's chest, severing an artery and killing her instantly. After killing Bessie, he held Maisie at gunpoint for an hour before sending her out of the house to go get the authorities.Holy shit.And when she came back with police, he was lying at the top of the stairs, bleeding from a self inflicted gunshot wound to his chest.Wow.Yeah. Now, in the more sensational version of the story, which was the one circulated by locals, George Shultz snuck into the home through the back door and demanded to be led to Bessie. Once Maisie led him to the top of the stairs, George entered Bessie's room and locked the door behind him, making him the only witness to this version of events. Now, according to George, so he doesn't die. Oh. Once she saw him lock the door behind him, Bessie, quote, had her own pistol nearby and made a mad garb for her gun. Fearing that she'd kill him, he claimed he fired in self defense, hitting Bessie in the chest and nearly killing her. After shooting Bessie, he said he emerged from the room and demanded that Maisie make him a cup of coffee. Then, as he, what, disrobed in front of the terrified girl, what? He tossed her the engagement ring that Bessie had recently returned to him upon their breakup and said, you can have that to remember her by. And then he sent Maisie to go get the police and said, when you come back, you'll find the two of us dead.Damn.So, like, part of that story is informed by George, and then part of it is very embellished and sensationalized upon by just, like, spreading it through the local rumor mill. Yeah, like, I don't know about the engagement ring and him disrobing or anything like that.Like, it could have happened, but there's nothing to substantiate to confirm that.Buthe fired first in self defense. Bessie did own a gun, and it was found in the room with her. But when it was found, the safety was still on and it wasn't in.Her hand, so how would she. Yeah.So since there was no denying that he shot her, George's defense team's goal was to create enough reasonable doubt and convince a jury that it was a crime of passion committed by an otherwise sane and very rational man.Oh, yeah. Okay.In order to cast himself as an upstanding citizen, George made a number of strange and unverified claims on the witness stand. These got wild. He told the jury that he was a deputy sheriff, a veteran of the great war, and a major league baseball player. Oh, because that instincts.Impressive.Like what?Very impressive.The state's star witness and one of the only eyewitnesses, by contrast, was a teenage girl, they said, with no credibility. And that was Maisie.Yeah.It's like, meanwhile, I don't know. Everything she's saying is supported by actual evidence.Like a teenage girl makes it. Makes it that she's not credible.Yeah. She's just a teenager.She's a teenage girl. Cool.Yeah. Now, the next day, the jury deliberated for 1 hour before returning a verdict. Although they didn't believe that the crime had been a premeditated, deliberate act, they also didn't believe that George had shot Bessie in self defense. So ultimately, they found Mister George Shultz guilty of second degree murder.Okay.Judge Hammond earner wasted no time on passing the sentence and immediately sentenced Schultz to 18 years in prison. I he said the jury's verdict indicated that it rejected the self defense theory. We think it's justified that the court has no doubt he returned to carry out his threat. When the sentence was read in the courtroom, George cried out, I didn't intend to shoot. I loved her too dearly. It's like. But you did.I don't know about that.You shot her in the chest and killed her instantly.You came with a gun and told.People all the way using it.Yeah. You called the town crier to go run out to the town square and tell everybody.Exactly.Come on.And that afternoon, Sheriff Crumb transported Schultz to the state penitentiary in Baltimore, where he began serving his sentence. Now, with Joseph Pash, having died many years earlier, he was the one who helped Bessie by the valley View manor. Ownership of Valley View Manor defaulted to his heirs in Germany because he was passed away at this point. Oh. And she's passed away. And he. I think he provided, actually, all of the down payment.Wow.So it was technically his property.Oh, Mandy.But they were unable. They were either unable or uninterested in claiming it. Claiming it. So the property was foreclosed on by the bank in 1934.Oh, damn.But Bessie's son Wesley purchased the property back from the bank for $3,000 and immediately signed it over to his grandparents, John and Fanny Warren. And they ran the hotel until John died the next year. So they, like, really tried to keep.It in the family. I was gonna say they, like, ran it in her honor.But not interested in running the hotel without her husband, Fannie signed the property over to the state in 1936, and it became included in what is now the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration area. It's a part of the national park system.Wow.Yeah. Interesting, huh?That's crazy.Now, in March of 1940, George Shultz, then 70 years old, applied for parole, but he was denied.Whoa.And a few months later, then Governor Herbert O'Connor announced his administration would be implementing a new and more humane parole system in which the governor would play an active role in determining who was going to be paroled.Oh, my.Among the cases on his agenda was that of the elderly George Schultz, but after reviewing the cases, he was again denied.Whoa.O'Connor said upon. Right. He said, upon my first consideration of the matters, I could not see my way clear to grant paroles in these cases.Whoa.Schulz was denied parole one more time before finally winning release in February of 1948. Three, after serving nine years of his 18 year sentence. Only served nine years, but he died just one year later from unspecified causes.Whoa. Unspecified.I know.Whoa.And that is the Halloween murder of Bessie darling.Oh, poor Bessie.I know. And she just seemed like she was a trailblazer.She was. And she wasn't doing anything wrong.No.And just broke up with him.She broke up with him after. He sounded like he was pretty fucking.Yeah. He's being abusive.It just sounds like she had a lot to offer the world. Oh, yeah.And she was, like, stepping out do, like, taking charge of shit.Yeah.Good.She didn't come from much, and she used her connections to try to make her life better.And I'm telling Google Bessie darling, because she's an icon.She isn't icon.Like, take a peek at her.And she's gorgeous.Yeah, she's Gorge. She's just fabulous.Yeah, it's really sad that it is. It was just, like, such a senseless killing.It really was.But an interesting case.Very Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com.Survey I'm Dan Tabirsky. In 2011, something strange began to happen at the high school in Leroy, New York.I was like, at my locker, and.She came up to me and she was like, stuttering, super bad.I'm like, stop around.She's like, I can't.A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms and spreading fast.Like doubling and tripling.And it's all these girls with a diagnosis. The state tried to keep on the down low.Everybody thought I was holding something back.Well, you were holding something back intentionally.Yeah.Yeah.Well, yeah.Yep. No, it's hysteria.It's all in your head. It's not physical. Oh, my gosh, you're exaggerating.Is this the largest mass hysteria since the witches of Salem, or is it something else entirely?Something's wrong here.Something's not right.Leroy was the new dateline, and everyone was trying to solve the murder.A new limited series from wondery and Pineapple street studios, hysterical. Follow hysterical on the wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of hysterical early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.

leaves to put all throughout the house. She had been preparing breakfast on the first floor when she heard a knock at the door, a little past 730 that morning. When she opened it, she was confronted by George Schultz, who demanded to see Bessie immediately. Before Mazie could say anything, Schultz literally just pushed right past her into the house and started going up the stairs that led to Bessie's bedroom.

Oh, no, no.

This is the point where the details kind of vary depending on where you read the story and the more objective account of what happened that appeared in the papers outside of the Catoctin mountain area. And this account is actually informed by Maisie's statement to the police.

Okay.

When George got to the second floor of the house, he found that the door to Bessie's bedroom was locked, so he broke the door down in order to get inside.

Oh, that's horrifying.

And once he made it through the door, he raised his pistol and fired one round into Bessie's chest, severing an artery and killing her instantly. After killing Bessie, he held Maisie at gunpoint for an hour before sending her out of the house to go get the authorities.

Holy shit.

And when she came back with police, he was lying at the top of the stairs, bleeding from a self inflicted gunshot wound to his chest.

Wow.

Yeah. Now, in the more sensational version of the story, which was the one circulated by locals, George Shultz snuck into the home through the back door and demanded to be led to Bessie. Once Maisie led him to the top of the stairs, George entered Bessie's room and locked the door behind him, making him the only witness to this version of events. Now, according to George, so he doesn't die. Oh. Once she saw him lock the door behind him, Bessie, quote, had her own pistol nearby and made a mad garb for her gun. Fearing that she'd kill him, he claimed he fired in self defense, hitting Bessie in the chest and nearly killing her. After shooting Bessie, he said he emerged from the room and demanded that Maisie make him a cup of coffee. Then, as he, what, disrobed in front of the terrified girl, what? He tossed her the engagement ring that Bessie had recently returned to him upon their breakup and said, you can have that to remember her by. And then he sent Maisie to go get the police and said, when you come back, you'll find the two of us dead.

Damn.

So, like, part of that story is informed by George, and then part of it is very embellished and sensationalized upon by just, like, spreading it through the local rumor mill. Yeah, like, I don't know about the engagement ring and him disrobing or anything like that.

Like, it could have happened, but there's nothing to substantiate to confirm that.

Buthe fired first in self defense. Bessie did own a gun, and it was found in the room with her. But when it was found, the safety was still on and it wasn't in.Her hand, so how would she. Yeah.So since there was no denying that he shot her, George's defense team's goal was to create enough reasonable doubt and convince a jury that it was a crime of passion committed by an otherwise sane and very rational man.Oh, yeah. Okay.In order to cast himself as an upstanding citizen, George made a number of strange and unverified claims on the witness stand. These got wild. He told the jury that he was a deputy sheriff, a veteran of the great war, and a major league baseball player. Oh, because that instincts.Impressive.Like what?Very impressive.The state's star witness and one of the only eyewitnesses, by contrast, was a teenage girl, they said, with no credibility. And that was Maisie.Yeah.It's like, meanwhile, I don't know. Everything she's saying is supported by actual evidence.Like a teenage girl makes it. Makes it that she's not credible.Yeah. She's just a teenager.She's a teenage girl. Cool.Yeah. Now, the next day, the jury deliberated for 1 hour before returning a verdict. Although they didn't believe that the crime had been a premeditated, deliberate act, they also didn't believe that George had shot Bessie in self defense. So ultimately, they found Mister George Shultz guilty of second degree murder.Okay.Judge Hammond earner wasted no time on passing the sentence and immediately sentenced Schultz to 18 years in prison. I he said the jury's verdict indicated that it rejected the self defense theory. We think it's justified that the court has no doubt he returned to carry out his threat. When the sentence was read in the courtroom, George cried out, I didn't intend to shoot. I loved her too dearly. It's like. But you did.I don't know about that.You shot her in the chest and killed her instantly.You came with a gun and told.People all the way using it.Yeah. You called the town crier to go run out to the town square and tell everybody.Exactly.Come on.And that afternoon, Sheriff Crumb transported Schultz to the state penitentiary in Baltimore, where he began serving his sentence. Now, with Joseph Pash, having died many years earlier, he was the one who helped Bessie by the valley View manor. Ownership of Valley View Manor defaulted to his heirs in Germany because he was passed away at this point. Oh. And she's passed away. And he. I think he provided, actually, all of the down payment.Wow.So it was technically his property.Oh, Mandy.But they were unable. They were either unable or uninterested in claiming it. Claiming it. So the property was foreclosed on by the bank in 1934.Oh, damn.But Bessie's son Wesley purchased the property back from the bank for $3,000 and immediately signed it over to his grandparents, John and Fanny Warren. And they ran the hotel until John died the next year. So they, like, really tried to keep.It in the family. I was gonna say they, like, ran it in her honor.But not interested in running the hotel without her husband, Fannie signed the property over to the state in 1936, and it became included in what is now the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration area. It's a part of the national park system.Wow.Yeah. Interesting, huh?That's crazy.Now, in March of 1940, George Shultz, then 70 years old, applied for parole, but he was denied.Whoa.And a few months later, then Governor Herbert O'Connor announced his administration would be implementing a new and more humane parole system in which the governor would play an active role in determining who was going to be paroled.Oh, my.Among the cases on his agenda was that of the elderly George Schultz, but after reviewing the cases, he was again denied.Whoa.O'Connor said upon. Right. He said, upon my first consideration of the matters, I could not see my way clear to grant paroles in these cases.Whoa.Schulz was denied parole one more time before finally winning release in February of 1948. Three, after serving nine years of his 18 year sentence. Only served nine years, but he died just one year later from unspecified causes.Whoa. Unspecified.I know.Whoa.And that is the Halloween murder of Bessie darling.Oh, poor Bessie.I know. And she just seemed like she was a trailblazer.She was. And she wasn't doing anything wrong.No.And just broke up with him.She broke up with him after. He sounded like he was pretty fucking.Yeah. He's being abusive.It just sounds like she had a lot to offer the world. Oh, yeah.And she was, like, stepping out do, like, taking charge of shit.Yeah.Good.She didn't come from much, and she used her connections to try to make her life better.And I'm telling Google Bessie darling, because she's an icon.She isn't icon.Like, take a peek at her.And she's gorgeous.Yeah, she's Gorge. She's just fabulous.Yeah, it's really sad that it is. It was just, like, such a senseless killing.It really was.But an interesting case.Very Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com.Survey I'm Dan Tabirsky. In 2011, something strange began to happen at the high school in Leroy, New York.I was like, at my locker, and.She came up to me and she was like, stuttering, super bad.I'm like, stop around.She's like, I can't.A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms and spreading fast.Like doubling and tripling.And it's all these girls with a diagnosis. The state tried to keep on the down low.Everybody thought I was holding something back.Well, you were holding something back intentionally.Yeah.Yeah.Well, yeah.Yep. No, it's hysteria.It's all in your head. It's not physical. Oh, my gosh, you're exaggerating.Is this the largest mass hysteria since the witches of Salem, or is it something else entirely?Something's wrong here.Something's not right.Leroy was the new dateline, and everyone was trying to solve the murder.A new limited series from wondery and Pineapple street studios, hysterical. Follow hysterical on the wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of hysterical early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.

he fired first in self defense. Bessie did own a gun, and it was found in the room with her. But when it was found, the safety was still on and it wasn't in.

Her hand, so how would she. Yeah.

So since there was no denying that he shot her, George's defense team's goal was to create enough reasonable doubt and convince a jury that it was a crime of passion committed by an otherwise sane and very rational man.

Oh, yeah. Okay.

In order to cast himself as an upstanding citizen, George made a number of strange and unverified claims on the witness stand. These got wild. He told the jury that he was a deputy sheriff, a veteran of the great war, and a major league baseball player. Oh, because that instincts.

Impressive.

Like what?

Very impressive.

The state's star witness and one of the only eyewitnesses, by contrast, was a teenage girl, they said, with no credibility. And that was Maisie.

Yeah.

It's like, meanwhile, I don't know. Everything she's saying is supported by actual evidence.

Like a teenage girl makes it. Makes it that she's not credible.

Yeah. She's just a teenager.

She's a teenage girl. Cool.

Yeah. Now, the next day, the jury deliberated for 1 hour before returning a verdict. Although they didn't believe that the crime had been a premeditated, deliberate act, they also didn't believe that George had shot Bessie in self defense. So ultimately, they found Mister George Shultz guilty of second degree murder.

Okay.

Judge Hammond earner wasted no time on passing the sentence and immediately sentenced Schultz to 18 years in prison. I he said the jury's verdict indicated that it rejected the self defense theory. We think it's justified that the court has no doubt he returned to carry out his threat. When the sentence was read in the courtroom, George cried out, I didn't intend to shoot. I loved her too dearly. It's like. But you did.

I don't know about that.

You shot her in the chest and killed her instantly.

You came with a gun and told.

People all the way using it.

Yeah. You called the town crier to go run out to the town square and tell everybody.

Exactly.

Come on.

And that afternoon, Sheriff Crumb transported Schultz to the state penitentiary in Baltimore, where he began serving his sentence. Now, with Joseph Pash, having died many years earlier, he was the one who helped Bessie by the valley View manor. Ownership of Valley View Manor defaulted to his heirs in Germany because he was passed away at this point. Oh. And she's passed away. And he. I think he provided, actually, all of the down payment.

Wow.

So it was technically his property.

Oh, Mandy.

But they were unable. They were either unable or uninterested in claiming it. Claiming it. So the property was foreclosed on by the bank in 1934.

Oh, damn.

But Bessie's son Wesley purchased the property back from the bank for $3,000 and immediately signed it over to his grandparents, John and Fanny Warren. And they ran the hotel until John died the next year. So they, like, really tried to keep.

It in the family. I was gonna say they, like, ran it in her honor.

But not interested in running the hotel without her husband, Fannie signed the property over to the state in 1936, and it became included in what is now the Catoctin Recreational Demonstration area. It's a part of the national park system.

Wow.

Yeah. Interesting, huh?

That's crazy.

Now, in March of 1940, George Shultz, then 70 years old, applied for parole, but he was denied.

Whoa.

And a few months later, then Governor Herbert O'Connor announced his administration would be implementing a new and more humane parole system in which the governor would play an active role in determining who was going to be paroled.

Oh, my.

Among the cases on his agenda was that of the elderly George Schultz, but after reviewing the cases, he was again denied.

Whoa.

O'Connor said upon. Right. He said, upon my first consideration of the matters, I could not see my way clear to grant paroles in these cases.

Whoa.

Schulz was denied parole one more time before finally winning release in February of 1948. Three, after serving nine years of his 18 year sentence. Only served nine years, but he died just one year later from unspecified causes.

Whoa. Unspecified.

I know.

Whoa.

And that is the Halloween murder of Bessie darling.

Oh, poor Bessie.

I know. And she just seemed like she was a trailblazer.

She was. And she wasn't doing anything wrong.

No.

And just broke up with him.

She broke up with him after. He sounded like he was pretty fucking.

Yeah. He's being abusive.

It just sounds like she had a lot to offer the world. Oh, yeah.

And she was, like, stepping out do, like, taking charge of shit.

Yeah.

Good.

She didn't come from much, and she used her connections to try to make her life better.

And I'm telling Google Bessie darling, because she's an icon.

She isn't icon.

Like, take a peek at her.

And she's gorgeous.

Yeah, she's Gorge. She's just fabulous.

Yeah, it's really sad that it is. It was just, like, such a senseless killing.

It really was.

But an interesting case.

Very Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com.Survey I'm Dan Tabirsky. In 2011, something strange began to happen at the high school in Leroy, New York.I was like, at my locker, and.She came up to me and she was like, stuttering, super bad.I'm like, stop around.She's like, I can't.A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms and spreading fast.Like doubling and tripling.And it's all these girls with a diagnosis. The state tried to keep on the down low.Everybody thought I was holding something back.Well, you were holding something back intentionally.Yeah.Yeah.Well, yeah.Yep. No, it's hysteria.It's all in your head. It's not physical. Oh, my gosh, you're exaggerating.Is this the largest mass hysteria since the witches of Salem, or is it something else entirely?Something's wrong here.Something's not right.Leroy was the new dateline, and everyone was trying to solve the murder.A new limited series from wondery and Pineapple street studios, hysterical. Follow hysterical on the wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of hysterical early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.

Before you go, tell us about yourself by filling out a short survey@wondery.com.

Survey I'm Dan Tabirsky. In 2011, something strange began to happen at the high school in Leroy, New York.

I was like, at my locker, and.

She came up to me and she was like, stuttering, super bad.

I'm like, stop around.

She's like, I can't.

A mystery illness, bizarre symptoms and spreading fast.

Like doubling and tripling.

And it's all these girls with a diagnosis. The state tried to keep on the down low.

Everybody thought I was holding something back.

Well, you were holding something back intentionally.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Well, yeah.

Yep. No, it's hysteria.

It's all in your head. It's not physical. Oh, my gosh, you're exaggerating.

Is this the largest mass hysteria since the witches of Salem, or is it something else entirely?

Something's wrong here.

Something's not right.

Leroy was the new dateline, and everyone was trying to solve the murder.

A new limited series from wondery and Pineapple street studios, hysterical. Follow hysterical on the wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can binge all episodes of hysterical early and ad free right now by joining Wondery Plus.