Short Stuff: Shark Arm Murders | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

[music]. >> Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. I'm. Josh and there's Chuck and Jerry's here. sitting in for Dave. So, that's a Short. Stuff. That's a bingo. >> That's right. And we're talking about. the shark arm murder and we need to. thank the Dictionary of Sydney, the Sydney Crime Museum, Snopes, and Atlas Obscura. >> Wow, you really did that up, man. >> I love that Atlas Obscura site. That's a. great great website. >> Yeah, same here. Same with Snopes, too.

They're good, too. >> Yeah. And hey, hats hats off to the. Sydney Crime Museum while we're at it. >> Yeah, and who could leave out the. Dictionary of Sydney? >> [laughter]. >> Yes, we're talking about Sydney because. that's where the shark arm murders took. place. Uh infamous crime in Sydney, Australia's history. In 1935 and this is. how it starts. >> Yeah. >> A fisherman was fishing off of uh Coogee. Beach and caught a uh a little small. shark. And then, right after that, a.

larger tiger shark swallowed that. smaller shark. And so, all of a sudden. he has two sharks. Because this tiger shark was so big, he. was like, "Hey, this thing uh maybe I. should take this in to the aquarium. baths there in Coogee because it'll be a. nice like attraction for people to come. see it. Like it was still alive and. people can come see this uh. uh dreadful shark swimming around. because sharks had been killing people. around the area lately. So, it was he. thought it was pretty good idea. >> Yeah, just over the course of a couple.

of weeks, three different men were. killed by sharks on New South Wales. beaches. So, that was a big deal to. catch the shark that may have been the. one or at least one of the ones. And he. was right. Like there were a lot of. people that showed up to see this giant. shark. I mean, 12 ft is pretty pretty. long, right? >> It's a big shark. >> And those tiger sharks, they're they're. BAs, too. At any rate, the shark was giving the. people what they wanted to see. You. know, like she would swim around along.

the window and just flip the people off. He had a real bad attitude. Exactly what. they wanted to see. Um and he was acting. pretty normally and then on April 25th, which was Anzac Day. uh in Australia, which is I taking it as. um similar to our Memorial Day here in. the United States. >> Okay. >> Um the shark started acting really. weird. Like he started getting lethargic. and sluggish like a wet sponge. He. seemed disoriented. Um and then all of.

the sudden. everything came to a head essentially. >> Yeah, the shark goes. That's usually your part. And pukes up a human arm. So everyone freaks out. Uh. they assumed initially of course like. this is probably an arm of an of another. bather uh that had bad timing and bad. luck. >> Yeah. >> But when they did the medical. examination, they were like, "This was. no. tiger shark." No, sorry. I just watched.

Jaws with Ruby so I had to work a Jaws. quote in there. >> Sure. Uh What did Ruby think of. >> She liked it. >> How could you not? >> I was delighted. Um. she didn't love it, but she liked it. Like she hung in there through the whole. thing. >> Was that a happy birthday treat for her. to to watch Jaws? >> That's right. Happy birthday to both of. you in real time. >> Thank you. Happy birthday to Ruby. >> We did all our our private birthday. stuff and Ruby sent you a video and you. sent her one, which was very sweet. >> I imagine we'll do that for the rest of. our lives. Yeah. So at any rate, back to. the autopsy,

uh not some not some uh half-ass shark. autopsy, um but a shark an autopsy on. this arm. They were like, "This was not. a shark biting this arm off. Like this. thing was cut off with something sharp. It wasn't shark teeth and it was not. surgery either. So I think we have a. murder on our hands and again, uh with. Jaws, they were like, "Whatever that. shark ate is bound to still be in there. and this arm was in there. >> Mhm. >> Uh. fairly well preserved. Like you could. see a tattoo of a couple of boxers about.

to go at it. Um they put it out in the. newspaper and a guy named Edwin Smith. was like, I think that might be my. brother's arm. He had this tattoo and. he's been gone uh missing for a few. weeks. And the cops were like, all right. They. were able to get fingerprints. They're. like, yep, bing bang, we have a winner. That is Jim Smith's arm. >> Yeah. Um I say that we uh take a break here. and come back and talk about Jim Smith a. little bit. >> All righty.

>> [whistles]. [music]. >> So Chuck, we're back and Jim Smith has. just been confirmed to be the owner of.

the arm, but the rest of Jim Smith has. not been found. So the cops are. approaching this now as a murder. They. start looking into Jim Smith's. background. They find out that he was a. builder, but he was bankrupt. He also made some. money on the side uh working basically. in the underworld. He was a boxer, he. was a bookmaker. Um he also turned out. to be a smuggler, as we'll see. And at. the And this was also at a time, the. 1930s in Sydney, it was like gangland.

apparently. Like there [clears throat]. was open gang war in the street for. control of Sydney's underworld. It was. just that lucrative, right? So I get the. impression that if you were bankrupt, you could always turn to Sydney's. world of crime and start making some. money, too. And and Jim Smith had done. that. >> Yeah, sounds like it. So, investigators. found out that um his last known. whereabouts were he was drinking with. his friend Patrick Brady at a hotel and. I want to say Cronulla, but it might be.

Cronulla like I don't know. >> Yeah, we Maybe an Aussie will tell us. When you said Coogee Beach, it just. dawned on me that like we hadn't looked. up the pronunciations and like that. cartoon sweat like jumped off of my. forehead. >> I think it's a Coogee cuz it's Os, but. that might not be right either, but the. Aussies love us. So, yeah, it could be. Coogee actually. I I will hear. I can't wait. We'll we'll. talk about it later in a listener mail. >> Okay. >> We're looking forward to all the Aussie. pronunciations coming back to us. >> I think it's Coogee because there's the. Coogee Beach Sunday at Outback.

Steakhouse. >> I don't want to believe you cuz you're. lying. >> don't. >> [laughter]. >> I can see it though. I mean that's. definitely possible. >> For sure. Uh so, Brady, his buddy that he was. drinking with, uh he was also so sort of. a bad guy. He was an expert forger and. the cops knew about him. And uh there was a cab driver there that. uh had some pretty key information, which was on the morning after Jim Smith. had last been seen drinking with his. friend, uh his friend Brady had hailed. this cab, said take me to North Sydney,

uh and pull up outside this house and. and wait for me. And that house turned. out to be the house of a guy named. Reginald Lloyd Holmes, who was, as far as everyone knew, generally a respectable uh boat builder. He had a boat building business, um but on the other side of the uh coin, he was also a like you said a smuggler. He apparently had a thing where he would. build these speedboats, and he would. drive around Sydney Harbor and pick up. discarded contraband. I guess when the.

noose was tightening on real smugglers, they would dump like cocaine and. cigarettes and other contraband, and he. would drive around and or he his guys. would drive around and pick this stuff. up. And I think Brady and Smith were. some of these guys at times, or at least. Smith was. >> Yeah, Smith definitely was. And I think. these were actually like this was um. like these were planned rendezvous. That's just how they transferred the. cargo. >> Oh, I thought it was like they were in. trouble, so they would dump their load. >> I don't know. I don't know. It hadn't.

occurred to me that they dumped their. load. >> [laughter]. >> Yeah, just keep going. >> So, either way, that's how he made his. money. And again, like he was picking up. cocaine in the '30s. That was a huge. huge business in Sydney. Everybody and. their brother and their mother and their. little sister was on cocaine constantly. in Sydney. At any rate, um it it was shown that Jim. Smith worked for Reginald Holmes. And. now, with this um cab driver coming. forward, they had the last man to be.

seen with um Jim Smith while Jim Smith. was alive. Taking a cab and acting very cagey, as. the cab driver would would later. testify, to Reginald Holmes' house. And Reginald. Holmes was connected to Jim Smith. So, now Jim Smith's arm seems really really. connected to Reginald Holmes and Patrick. Brady. >> That's right. So, uh it turns out that Smith and. Holmes had a falling out over an.

insurance scam. And there was the idea. that Smith was blackmailing Holmes was. like, "Hey, you're a respectable boat. builder, so you don't want this to get. out" kind of thing. And that cab ride was linked to uh you. know, the murder in Holmes at that. point. So, cops got on this theory that. Brady had murdered Smith, cut his arm. off, uh like he was directed to murder. Smith because of the blackmail thing by. Holmes, brought it to Holmes as like, "Hey, this guy's dead. Uh. you thought I'd bring a finger? This is.

Sydney. Here's his arm.". So, uh that was the idea at least. Um. Holmes had an explanation was that uh. Brady uh brought it to him as like he. was going to extort Holmes and was like, "Hey, I just like killed this guy and. here's an arm like I really mean. business. So, you got to pay up." Uh the. arm obviously was later just thrown back. in the ocean and the shark ate it. Uh. the rest of the body everyone presumes. was just like weighted and sunk. probably. >> Yeah, it it didn't ever come back up. The arm came back up, right?

>> Right. >> Thanks to our shark friend. Problem is, you could put all this stuff. together and. painted a pretty. um convincing picture, I guess, of Brady. and Holmes's um involvement in the. disappearance and probable murder of Jim. Smith, but it was all circumstantial. So, as any cop from the '30s in Sydney. could tell you, you need a confession. This isn't like Chinatown, this is. Sydney 1930s. We need confessions. We. can't convict people on circumstantial. evidence. So, they started to turn up.

the heat on those, too. >> That's right. Uh they arrest Brady, take. him to the police station, they bring. Holmes in. He's like, "I don't even know. this Brady guy." And everything kind of. stalled out basically uh because they. you know nobody was confessing anything. until uh May 20th. And this is when Holmes leaves in a. speedboat out into the harbor and pulls. out a gun to uh try and kill himself. And he fails at that, but when he falls.

into the water, his uh where he he might. have drowned at that point, but a rope. catches his arm and stops him from. drowning. Uh. being plunged in that cold water, I. guess like, you know, revived him and he. gets back on board. Police are on the. scene at this point and there is a. 4-hour boat chase uh through Sydney. Harbor until finally Holmes is like, "All right, like you you got me. I'm. done.". >> I'm I'm bored with riding around in my. boat. >> Yeah. >> So, that's fairly um suspicious behavior.

and the cops took it that way, too. When they arrested Holmes, he said, "You know what? I'm just going. to give in entirely here. I'm going to. testify against um Patrick Brady. He was. the one who killed Jim Smith. I'm your. guy. I'm going to be a great witness. How about you just let me go take a. little drive in my car for a little. while. I got to clear my head.". And um Holmes' head was cleared for him. Actually, his his chest was cuz he was. found um. shortly after that uh dead in his car.

with three gunshot wounds to the chest. >> That's right. So, now that Holmes is. dead, uh. basically, the whole case against Brady. falls apart because that was, you know, the key link. Uh this this cab driver, like they had that testimony, um but that wasn't enough to, you know, to convict anybody. So, it did uh I. think go to trial, but it was a pretty. quick trial, and the judge was basically. like, you know, "We can't do anything. but acquit at this point cuz all we have. is circumstantial evidence.".

>> Right. >> So, you think it might be over at this. point, but it's not because it turns out. that Smith had been a police informant. uh or what they call the fizzer or a. fizz gig, I guess, in Sydney. uh at that time, and he had informed on. a guy named Eddie Weyman. And it looks like Weyman turned out to. be the triggerman because he had gotten. ratted out basically by Smith. >> That was a theory, for sure. Uh author. named Alex Castles um advanced that.

theory because Eddie Weyman was. definitely the kind of person to do. that. He was a very dangerous person in. the Sydney underworld at a time when the. Sydney underworld was basically nothing. but dangerous people. That's possible. because remember here, like we have no. idea still to this day who killed. Holmes. >> Yeah. >> Uh it was possibly Brady because he was. certainly the one to gain the most from. it, but we just don't know. Another. >> in the cocaine business, too. So, there. could there were probably all kinds of. people that wanted him dead. >> Right. And he had shown that he was. willing to talk to cops,

right? >> Yeah. >> And since Jim's Jim Smith had shown that. he was willing to talk to cops by. running out Eddie Wayman, it's another. theory is that both of them were just. rubbed out as, you know, part of the. normal business of gangland Sydney's in. in Sydney in the 1930s, right? That they. were just stool pigeons who were both. murdered. And it just so happened that. those murders were wrapped up into this. shark arm murder caper. >> That's right. Uh but there's still one.

more theory and this came from Atlas. Obscura. I don't know if they um. made it up or whatever, but this it was. on their website at least. Uh but they in their article they said. uh they they think they pulled a Fletch. or Holmes did. They think Holmes hired a. hitman to kill him in a weird like. suicide to uh to get rid of him and fair. and spare his family the scandal of him. you know, being this big criminal. Uh and to get, you know, some clean. insurance money that they could collect.

upon his death. >> Yeah. Is that what Fletch does in Confess. Fletch? >> Uh no. In the original Fletch, that's. what Tim Matheson does. He hires Fletch. to kill him. >> I see. I see. >> I know that you hated Fletch, so. you probably don't remember. >> I need to go back, if I can stomach it, and watch some of the works of Chevy. Chase and see if I I still dislike him. as much. I wonder if I will even more. >> Yeah, I'm curious. >> All right, I'll let you know how it.

goes. >> There were there were some good ones. There were a handful of really good. Chevy Chase movies in my opinion. >> The one I remember liking the most is. Seems Like Old Times. >> Oh, yeah. Well, those that's Neil Simon, so. >> Oh, okay. >> That's uh Chevy Chase. Even if you hate Chevy Chase, you got a. Neil Simon script at the root of that. one. >> Speaking of Neil Simon, I watched for. you asked me the other. week or so ago which movie I've seen the. most and I watched rewatched. uh Murder by Death again. I was like, this one is definitely up there. I've.

seen Murder by Death a lot. And it still it holds up every single. [music] time I watch it. >> All right, well I still haven't seen it. I need to check it out. >> Oh, really? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Well, I [music] let me know what. you think. >> I will. >> All right, well in the meantime Short. Stuff that was. >> [music]. >> Stuff You Should Know is a production of. iHeart Radio. For more podcasts from. iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio. app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you. listen to your favorite shows.