REMASTERED – Episode 29: The Big Chill

THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END THE END a few miles outside of portland but every summer he had a north about a hundred miles to a lake on the border of what is now new hampshire to work with others there we don't know exactly what that work entailed he might very well have been a trapper which was a lucrative but challenging occupation back then the forests of maine were certainly rich in the sorts of animals that were trapped and hunted for their fur or perhaps he worked in the lumber industry felling trees that might be used as timber in the more populated southern parts of new england whatever the work was it took him north in 1815 he left behind his wife and two grown sons and made the same journey he had year after year until he reached the lake where all the other seasonal workers had gathered at some point in his time there though samuel took sick and was not getting better the trouble with frontier life is that oftentimes there is no one to take care of you if you become sick or injured everything had the potential to be deadly in those circumstances even a broken foot or a simple infection throw in the comparatively primitive medical knowledge of the early 1800s and you have a recipe for disaster one evening after work samuel laid himself down in front of his fire to rest and recover he was sick and tired literally and probably hoped a good night of sleep would do him well but he never woke up it wasn't until the next day that a couple of other woodsmen passing by noticed his body laid out there beside the remnants of a campfire that anyone even knew what had happened word was sent south to tell samuel's family the news it said that his two adult sons made the journey of a hundred miles in just one day but that would be an extraordinary pace if it were true they traveled quickly though and soon arrived at the campsite where some friends had brought samuel's body inside to keep it safe but there was a problem winter was coming knowing that the journey back south with their father's body would take them too long the two sons purchased a cheap wooden box and buried samuel there in the wilderness of maine then they settled in for the winter and waited when spring arrived they took it upon themselves the grim task of disinterring their father so that they could transport him home for a proper burial the two brothers made quick work uncovering the wooden box they had buried in a shallow grave when it was exposed they lifted it out and onto their wagon but they couldn't resist just one more look at the man who had raised them prying off the lid of the coffin the brothers looked inside and then stopped as horror flooded over them even though samuel had been buried on his back the body had somehow turned over more disturbing though was his face the dead man's lips were raw and covered in dry blood and splinters of wood could be seen in his gums and tongue their father's hands told the same terrible story the fingertips were torn and bloody and many of the fingernails were missing torn off in an attempt to escape there was no question about what had happened and that was what frightened them the most because it put the blame squarely on them samuel mcdonald had not died that winter day as his friends had assumed he had simply fallen into a deep sleep perhaps even a coma unable to tell the difference though everyone assumed the worst when samuel's sons arrived they did what made sense they buried their father and in doing so they did the very thing they never thought possible they killed him this episode of lore was researched written and produced by me aaron mankey the music by chad lawson lore is much more than just a podcast there's a book series available in bookstores and online and two seasons of the television show on amazon prime video check them both out if you want more lore in your life i also make an executive produce a whole bunch of other podcasts all of which i think you'd enjoy my production company grim and mild specializes in shows that sit at the intersection of the dark and the historical you can learn more about all of our shows and everything else going on over in one central place grimandmild.com and you can also follow this show on twitter facebook and instagram just search for lore podcast all one word and then click that follow button and when you do say hi i like it when people say hi and as always thanks for listening you you