00:00:04
NARRATOR
In October of 2011, 4 college students disappeared in the woods near Porter Township Pennsylvania while researching a documentary on children’s author Jakob Stanley. They remain missing to this day. Last month their recordings appeared online.
00:00:20
NARRATOR
In an effort to aid in the investigation, the families of those missing have agreed to release the following sound files. If anyone has information on those missing or the identity of the person or persons who uploaded these files, please use the contact information provided. Anything submitted may be used in future episodes. Certain materials referenced in this podcast, including the published works of Jakob Stanley, are currently protected under U.S. copyright law and may be redacted. For legal reasons, some names have been withheld and voices altered. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely those of the podcasters and participants, and do not represent the official policy or position of the Iphigenia County Police Department of Porter Township Pennsylvania or its associates. This podcast contains adult themes and language. Listener discretion is advised.
00:01:13
PROFESSOR WHITAKER
Warning. This episode discusses suicide. For support and resources please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or your local crisis center. ... File labeled: “005 Rough Cut, Episode 5 - Tell Me a Story: The True Life of Jakob Stanley.”
SFX: Avery turns on the mic and plays with the settings.
00:01:38
AVERY
Testing this out, can I hear myself. Can you hear me? Check, check. Test, test.
SFX: Avery is climbing a treacherous stairwell at the Mendenhall Institute. It sounds like a crypt.
AVERY NARRATOR
Okay, so today we are going to do something a little different... Chuck and Tolen are with Wallace and the search party looking for Jane, and since RJ and I are without transportation, we have decided to do some background on the Mendenhall Institute as we now know Stanley owned the land its on,... and coincidently within walking distance - shit ... Ah, and because RJ can talk her way into anywhere, we’re actually inside the belly of the beast itself. So, we’re also gonna shoot a quick episode of RJ’s ghost hunting show BOO. Ah, and we will hopefully not die in the process. Whooo! Alright, let’s get haunted.
00:02:44
[PODCAST INTRO SEQUENCE]
NEWS ANNOUNCER
WN [BEEP REDACTED] TV New York.
MUSIC: [80’s NEWS INTRO THEME]
NEWS ANCHOR ‘83
If your child has been to a school book fair recently, chances are they came home with one of this author’s scary books-
MUSIC: [80’s SUNDAY TALK SHOW THEME]
SUNDAY MORNING TALK SHOW HOST ‘81
Our guest’s first anthology leapt to the top of the New York Times Best Sellers list -
MUSIC: [LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW INTRO APPLAUSE]
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST ‘86
- Thank you. Thank you! Over the past few years, he has become a household name -
MUSIC: [PODCAST THEME]
PUBLIC RADIO HOST ‘92
- Bridging the gap between Alvin Schwartz and Stephen King -
TV PREACHER
- The devil is among us, friends.
CONGREGATION
AMEN!
TV PREACHER
He’s among us, in the form of a writer. -
SUNDAY MORNING TALK SHOW HOST ‘81
- The book might have struggled during it initial release in 1977, but now “Tell Me A Story: Under the Bed That’s Over My Head”, has skyrocketed -
ALSC COMMITTEE REP
- So many parent organizations complained that his work was too sophisticated for children-
TV PREACHER
- He has infiltrated your homes, and your children’s minds-
PUBLIC RADIO HOST ‘92
- His second macabre anthology “Tell Me A Story: Moonless Sky and Other Friends” sold out from bookstores in mere minutes. Becoming a controversial -
NEWS ANCHOR ‘83
- Stanley's books ranked on the American Library Association’s “100 Most Frequently Challenged Books” from 1981-1993 -
TV PREACHER
- Stanley’s books promote disobedience, violence and the occult! Lord have mercy -
PUBLIC RADIO HOST ‘92
- The 3rd volume in his “Tell Me A Story” collection “The Floor That Creaks, the Closet That Speaks and the Tip Toes That You Walk On” was released in 1986 to mass acclaim -
ALSC COMMITTEE REP
- All that fussing, just made his work more popular -
TV PREACHER
- Check your children’s rooms, check their bookshelves, check their back-packs! -
YOUTUBER
- I do think his final book, released in ‘99, “TMAS: The nightmare, The Dream and the Places Between,” was by far his best work.-
PUBLIC RADIO HOST ‘92
- His work has been described as “subversive” and “dark,” I simply describe it as genius.
SUNDAY MORNING TALK SHOW HOST ‘81
- It is my pleasure to introduce -
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST ‘86
- Please welcome -
PUBLIC RADIO HOST ‘92
- Ladies and gentleman, please welcome -
SUNDAY MORNING TALK SHOW HOST ‘81
- Jakob Stanley.-
LATE NIGHT TALK SHOW HOST ‘86
- Mister Jakob Stanley.
PUBLIC RADIO HOST ‘92
- Author, Jakob Stanley.
[Applause.]
MUSIC: [POD THEME SYNTH]
00:04:25
AVERY/NARRATOR
Little to nothing is known about the life of this elusive author. And since 1999 Jakob Stanley seems to have completely dropped off the face of the earth. Until a short two-line obituary appeared in a small town paper, over a year ago.
TOLEN/NARRATOR
From BOO Labs and Red Cup Media, I'm Tolen Reid -
AVERY/NARRATOR
And I'm Avery Fischer, this is TELL ME A STORY: THE TRUE LIFE OF JAKOB STANLEY.
SFX: The loud ticking of a massive grandfather clock welcomes us back to the Homestead. The room feels empty and still except for a few pops coming from a fire in the fireplace.
00:04:57
AVERY/NARRATOR (CONT’D)
Loretta Moyer is the all powerful, matriarch of the Porter Township Moyer clan. She is well versed in the history and folklore of this town, especially the Mendenhall Institute.
RJ
(off mic)
You can go ahead.
LORETTA
What am I saying here now?
RJ
(off mic)
Introduce yourself... what you’re gonna talk about-
AVERY
(off mic)
And the verbal consent.
LORETTA
Hello. My name is Loretta Leigh Moyer and my family has run the Homestead in Porter Township, PA for generations. And today I am going to be talking about the Mendenhall Institute and the story of Patient #349.
AVERY
(off mic)
And the verbal consent.
LORETTA
Oh. And I approve this message.
[The 3 start to crack up.]
LORETTA (CONT’D)
That wasn’t it.
AVERY
(off mic)
And I consent-
LORETTA
No, I got it...
And I consent...
[They giggle again.]
AVERY
(off mic)
We have a release you can sign.
LORETTA
Ha, good, cuz that’s the best you’re gonna get.
[They laugh.]
00:06:12
RJ/NARRATOR
Upon first glance, Miss Loretta seems like a stereotypical gran, but if you talk to her for more than 5 minutes... you realize that she’s anything but. Miss Loretta is completely fascinated by all things macabre. And 100% believes in ghosts. Like, there is not a doubt in her mind. Also, she has great weed.
AVERY/NARRATOR
In our previous episode, Miss Loretta told us about the Mendenhall Institute’s hidden underground tunnel system that connected to a massive crematorium used to burn the bodies of their patients.
SFX: Low Beep and click.
AVERY
Note: Insert more on the religious sect “The Order of the Light,” or “The Light of His Word” or “The Light.” Note over.
SFX: Low Beep and click.
RJ/NARRATOR
Miss Loretta is gonna provide a bit more detail on the stories of abuse within the Institute and the local ghost story of Patent #349.
SFX: The fireplace pops in the background.
00:07:11
LORETTA
Such a terrible thing, people dumping their family members there. Just disgusting.
RJ
(off mic)
That place seems absolutely terrifying.
LORETTA
It was. And it still is... In all the years it was open, thousands and thousands of people died in their care.
AVERY
(off mic)
Yikes.
LORETTA
Can you imagine the weight of all that? All those souls just piling up, and piling up, and piling up. I think that psychic weight is what made the dam burst.
RJ
(off mic)
How do you mean “the dam burst”?
LORETTA
When patients started escaping. That place was up and running for over 60 years, and for over 60 years no one gave it a second thought. They were doing “God’s work” there. You wouldn’t have even imagined anyone would’ve ever wanted to escape. They were safe there. They were cared for. They had everything they needed. Hell, it even looked like a damn palace.
AVERY
(off mic)
But patients began escaping?
LORETTA
Ya...starting in like ‘62, ’63. Few times a year, 4 or 5 of uhm would break out. Now, that might not sound like a lot, but remember no patients had ever run away from there before.
RJ
(off mic)
And where would they go?
00:08:28
LORETTA
Some got lost in the woods trying to climb the ridge. Most got funneled into town where they’d get scooped up and taken back. It wasn’t even until ‘77, ‘79 before people finally started paying attention and actually listening to those poor creatures. I only ever heard bits and bobs... But it’s all so horrible. Strapping patients to wheel chairs, so they couldn’t run... removing their teeth, so they couldn’t bite... binding their hands, so they couldn’t fend for themselves... feeding them with tubes down their throats.
RJ
(off mic)
Shit.
LORETTA
Not even allowed the dignity of eating their own food.
AVERY
(off mic)
Damn.
LORETTA
They had to know, those rich folks. They had to know they were sending their family members off to die... and they just didn’t care.
RJ
(off mic)
Miss Loretta, should we take a little break?
LORETTA
No, no, no girls, I’m fine. I am.
AVERY
(off mic)
Uh, well why don’t we change gears for a bit? Yeah? How about you tell us the story of patient #349?
RJ
(off mic)
I might’ve actually heard this one before?
00:09:50
LORETTA
“Don’t go out to the wood dear friends, the wind doth howl and the branch doth creak, summoning the lady far up at Great Peak. And if you hear the ring of her bell, she will drag you straight to hell.”
AVERY
(off mic)
That’s similar to “Lady Bell” from Stanley’s first book?
RJ
(off mic)
Right.
LORETTA
I don’t know it from any book, that’s just something the kids round here used to say... on nights like tonight... when the wind whips through the woods... It was 1962, a beautiful, raven haired young woman, broke free from the asylum and ran for miles through the woods, barefoot in the snow. Her feet slashed by the underbrush, cut a red path through the fields of white. Once she reached the highest ridge on Great Cliff’s Peak, she set her sites on a gnarled oak. And there, she strung herself up from the highest branch... and hanged herself.
SFX: The wind picks up outside.
LORETTA (CONT’D)
Because of the way the wind shot up the side of Great Cliff’s Peak, it made her nightgown billow out wide. And through the night it froze hard... outstretched... collecting the falling snow. Police who were first on scene said she looked like a great white bell, ... with her bloody feet swinging back and forth in the wind... up high in the oak, looking down at the Mendenhall. That oak has been known as the Bell Tree ever since.
RJ
(off mic)
Oh man.
00:11:34
LORETTA
And on cold nights, when the wind is strong and cuts through the hollow like a blade, you can hear the faint sound of a ringing bell... echoing for miles through the valley.
SFX: A faint sound of a bell rings in the distance.
RJ
(off mic)
Full. Bod. Chills. ... I have a million more questions.
AVERY
(off mic)
Oh my God yes. What happened when the Mendenhall closed?
RJ
(off mic)
You said they didn’t find anyone? Not even staff?
AVERY
(off mic)
What else do you know about The Light?
RJ
(off mic)
Shit yeah, what’s the deal with The Light?
DEBBIE
(from upstairs)
Ma, you still up?
LORETTA
Oh, balls.
DEBBIE
(from upstairs)
Come on.
LORETTA
Best get yourselves upstairs!
SFX: Avery and RJ begin collecting their sound equipment in a hurry as Deb approaches.
DEBBIE
(from upstairs)
Bedtime for Bonzo.
AVERY
(whispering)
Thank you, Miss Loretta!
RJ
(whispering)
Thank you, Miss Loretta!
AVERY
(whispering)
Goodnight!
LORETTA
(whispering)
Goodnight girls-
RJ
That was awesome!
SFX: The mic cuts off.
MUSIC: [TRANSITION]
AVERY/NARRATOR
And now for something completely different. Here is an excerpt from our shoot at the Mendenhall for RJ’s show BOO.
SFX: “BOO” Intro Sting
SFX: Avery and RJ are standing outside in front of the main building of the Mendenhall.
00:12:33
RJ
It is literally the most terrifying building I have ever seen.
AVERY
Uh, yup.
SFX: “BOO” Intro Sting
RJ
It there anyone here?
SFX: There is a beat of silence, we only hear the creepy basement and echos of their breath.
MUSIC: [BOO THEME]
RJ/NARRATOR
We are all comprised of matter and energy.
CHUCK
What was that?!
RJ
I didn’t hear anything?
SFX: A crashing sound comes from the corner of the basement.
CHUCK
Well, did you freaken’ hear that?!
RJ/NARRATOR
So, if the Law of Conservation of Energy - the basic tenet of thermodynamics - is true, what happens to our energy after we die...
RJ
ORBS!
CHUCK
Oh, hell no.
RJ/NARRATOR
If it cannot simply... disappear?
RJ
Did you see that?
RJ/NARRATOR
We want to know.
CHUCK
Ahhh, nononononono!!!
RJ/NARRATOR
This is Charles Young and I am RJ Álvarez and this is “BOO... Beyond Our Observation.”
CHUCK
Nononononono! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
RJ
Chuck come back.
SFX: “BOO” Sting.
SFX: They set up for their interview with the caretaker of the Mendenhall. The Mendenhall is cavernous and echoey.
RJ (CONT’D)
(off mic)
We set?
AVERY
(off mic)
Good to go.
RJ
(off mic)
Avery!
AVERY
(off mic)
What! I have tiny hands, they get cold.
RJ
(off mic)
Those are Chuck’s!
AVERY
(off mic)
She’s not using them.
[The caretaker [BEEP/name redacted] approaches and clears his throat.]
CARETAKER
(off mic)
Y’all ready for me.
RJ
(off mic)
Yes of course.
SFX: BOO Transition Sting.
00:14:13
RJ (CONT’D)
Well, we are now meeting [BEEP] the caretaker here at the Mendenhall Institute. How are you [BEEP]?
CARETAKER
Good, good.
RJ
Let’s talk the history of this building, when was it built?
CARETAKER
Construction started in 1897 and opened in 1901.
RJ
And it was run by a religious sect called, The Order of the Light, or The Light?
CARETAKER
I don’t think I know about that.
RJ
Okay, and it was open as a psychiatric hospital?
CARETAKER
Psychiatric institute.
RJ
Ah. Is there a big difference between the two?
CARETAKER
Ha. Probably not. Can’t say I know about that either.
RJ
How many patients lived here?
CARETAKER
At any one time, there could be 400-800? After WWI got up to over 2 thousand.
RJ
Wow.
CARETAKER
Yeah.
RJ
And it was an operating hospital until when?
CARETAKER
It stayed opened until 1981.
RJ
Really?
CARETAKER
Yes ma’am. But the patient count went way down at the end.
RJ
And, why did they close?
CARETAKER
The place just seemed to run its course.
AVERY
(off mic)
We interviewed Miss Loretta at the Homestead last night.
CARETAKER
Ah. So, how much do you know?
AVERY
(off mic)
Enough to know this place didn’t just run it’s course.
CARETAKER
Oh, so there you go. [laughs uncomfortably] Uh. The main office is this way.
SFX: He turns and starts walking down a long echoey hallway.
AVERY
(off mic)
Uh, okay.
SFX: BOO TRANSITION STING
SFX: RJ and the caretaker sit in the main office of the Mendenhall, Avery continues to film.
00:15:53
RJ
Have you experienced anything here?
CARETAKER
Not sure how to explain it. But sometimes you can get caught up in these feelings that don’t seem like yours.
RJ
How do you mean?
CARETAKER
Ah, it’s like you’re just going about your day and one second you’re fine, the next, you’re sad, or you’re angry, then suddenly you feel like laughing. Then as quick as it hits, it stops and you’re back to yourself.
RJ
So, a strong emotional energy... certain areas trigger overwhelmingly strong emotions?
CARETAKER
I suppose you could put it like that. Yeah.
RJ
Do you ever get the feeling that you are not alone here?
CARETAKER
Oh. Yeah. Yeah.
RJ
But, you often work here by yourself? Do you ever have any problem coming in here, being alone with all this... energy?
CARETAKER
No, no. It’s fine. I feel bad for uhm.
00:16:56
RJ
For who?
CARETAKER
Whoever’s here.
SFX: Suddenly, there is weird sound like burst of air. RJ and Avery are startled.
AVERY
(off mic)
Bah!
RJ
What was that?
CARETAKER
Ha, oh I was gonna warn ya. You see they had this pneumatic tube system in the walls here.
AVERY
(off-mic)
A what?
CARETAKER
A pneumatic tube system. It’s used to send messages and medicine through the Institute. It’s really old, so from time to time there are these bursts of air that can be a little startling. Don’t mind it.
SFX: Suddenly there is another weird sound like burst of air.
RJ
HA! Yeah, that is a bit startling.
CARETAKER
There are all these stories about how the staff would play tricks on one another, send random things through the system.
RJ
Like what?
CARETAKER
Uh, you know like sending water balloons... Uh, cake. Even dirty baby diapers. [laughs] Can you imagine requesting a sedative from the pharmacy, and getting a mess of doot instead. [giggle snort] ... But yeah, all that horse play really messed up the system.
AVERY
(off mic)
Wait. There were babies here?
CARETAKER
Oh yeah, full nursery wing on the top floor.
RJ
There was a nursery here?
CARETAKER
Yes.
RJ
I thought this facility was only for adults.
CARETAKER
It was. The nursery was mostly for the children of the patients who lived here.
RJ
Huh.
CARETAKER
Sometimes women would show up pregnant - other times, patients would get together here, and one thing would lead to another. People’s people.
AVERY
(off mic)
Right.
RJ
Can we shoot up there?
CARETAKER
Uh...
AVERY
(off mic)
Absolutely not.
RJ
Avery, that’s what we’re here for.
AVERY
(off mic)
Uhm, I’m not here for that. I didn’t sign up for baby ghosts.
RJ
You’re worse than Chuck.
AVERY
(off mic)
Feel free to go up there with all the ghost babies, I am not interested.
RJ
(off mic/under breath)
But, you agreed to-
AVERY
(off mic)
I agreed to the tunnels, that is my max on freaky.
CARETAKER
Ah, you girls don’t need to fuss about it. That area’s closed off. I can’t take you up there anyway.
RJ
Oh no, really?
CARETAKER
Yeah, floor’s not safe.
AVERY
(off mic)