The Mysterious Story of Larry Bader | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

welcome to stuff you should know a. production of iHeart. [Music]. Radio hey and welcome to the podcast I'm. Josh and there's Chuck and Jerry's here. too and this is stuff you should know. that's right uh I don't want to give. away what this one contains so let's. just say uh it is the the strange tale. of a man named Larry Bader yes who went. to Great Links to escape oh.

oh well you just gave it away not. really uh this guy Lawrence Joseph Bader. he was an akan native so shout out to my. people my wife's folks and akan aan Aran. Aran as she says because of that bridge. if you've been through there you know. what I'm talking about uh he was born in. 1926 to a Catholic uh pretty well-to-do. Catholic Family his father was a dentist. and um Livia dug up some some dirt from.

a family friend uh who was like you know. Larry and his brothers and sisters were. spoiled little Rich Kids Larry was uh. pretty careless with his money cuz he. could just get more anytime he needed it. but he was uh he was pretty funny guy. he's pretty fun dude had a lot of um. personality and he used to do weird. things uh like one of his party tricks. would he would he would eat a whole. chicken like including the bones yeah. that's a that's that's special yeah but. put a pin in that we're not just.

mentioning that strange fact for no. reason no uh so he joined the Navy in. 1944 I think he left High School to join. the Navy because the United States was. in the grip of World War II and he. served for I think a little under two. years and when he came back he graduated. from high school and he went to the. University of akan but school was just. not for him and he dropped out after a. semester apparently he was um known for. money-making schemes more than he was.

known for acing tests I got to say if. you're known for money-making schemes. after a semester you must have been. doing a lot of moneymaking well highly. visible money-making schemes yeah or you. wear a. suit that's um got dollar dollar signs. printed all over it it's a green suit. with dollar signs that's another way to. to become known for moneymaking schemes. yeah that lot all my suits look like. that you know hey.

nothing no you threw me off all right uh. so he's not lasting in college he didn't. last long in the Navy um but while he. was in college he did accomplish. something because he got married he met. a woman named Mary L NEP uh with a K. they got married in 19 1952 and within. five years had three kids with the. fourth on the way and he was doing. pretty well for himself he was making. the equ equivalent of about $120,000 a.

year these days um as a cookware. salesman and that was about twice the. median uh income at the time so he's. doing pretty good but he still had some. debts he had a pretty hefty mortgage he. had a new car and was about. $2,400 in debt basically you can. multiply most stuff from this era by 10. and arrive at at our modern conversion. rate so you know roughly $24,000 in debt. is pretty hefty yeah he also like he.

didn't pay his taxes for like five years. I think yeah not good no um and it it. was bad enough he was bad enough with. the bills or behind enough that the. Milkman apparently said like I'm not. bringing milk anymore until you pay your. milk bill yeah um so the thing is is. this guy like you said family friend. from when he was a kid was like he was a. rich kid but he was actually really. Charming fun to be around rich kid and. apparently as he grew up into an adult.

he remained essentially the same like. basically everyone who met him or had. something to say about him later on. basically unanimously said this guy was. a good guy so if he's like cracking. under the pressure of these bills and. this debt it's not showing outwardly to. anybody who knew him uh one one of his. friends um said that he was a. red-blooded American 30-year-old family. man who liked hanging out and drinking. beer uh with with friends and his.

friends liked hanging around him because. he was just fun to be around essentially. without being like a reckless party. animal he was just fun to be around yeah. just sort of your average fun guy. exactly um and he was also and put a pin. in this we just were not mentioning this. for no reason he was also very good at. archery had won uh some some. competitions so he was into archery he. was a fun guy and everything swimming. along in his life making a pretty good. living little bit in De.

and then on Wednesday May 15th. 1957 he had collected some bad uh. payment checks from vendors from his uh. his business and um said you know what I. got to go to to Cleveland to kind of. clear up these bad checks with these. vendors uh he tells this to his wife. Mary Lou Who is keep in mind four months. pregnant and he said so I'm going up to. Cleveland uh it's going to be the. morning and then I'm going to probably. do a little fishing in the afternoon uh. in Lake eie and so I'll be home late and. and she said what any partner um should.

say in that situation which is maybe you. could also come home and be a father and. husband instead of going fishing after. you do your work and he supposedly. replied with yeah maybe I will maybe I. won't all right so I'm not saying he's. some really bad guy uh it may have been. a cheeky response that may have been how. things went in their marriage but he. just was a little vague uh and that will. come into play.

um so one of the things he did was he. paid some bills before he left and one. of those bills was a life insurance. premium he had recently um adjusted or. changed the policy to include a nice. payout for an accidental death and he. whistled as he drove off to Cleveland. and eventually went to Rocky River Ohio. which is a little town on the Rocky. River which flows into Lake Erie and he. rented a boat at Eddie's boat dock about. a half aile Inland from the lake from a.

guy named Lawrence Coture. cutlure yeah. Coture yeah anyway um he paid 15 bucks. from a big roll of bills it's also kind. of important and he said hey La Lawrence. I want you to put some running lights on. this boat because I'm probably going to. be out after dark and Lawrence said okay. I'll I'll do that but it's going to cost. you an extra Fiverr I'm presuming here. at this time and um and Larry Bader paid. it.

yeah he paid it and he was like all. right whatever buddy uh he did notice. and this is stuff that you know they. interviewed Lawrence afterward um for. reasons that we still don't know because. we're keeping this a secret well we know. well we know yeah sure uh but he did. notice uh that he had a suitcase with. him he thought that was a little bit. weird he said you. know you got a storm coming uh you might. not want to be out there after do that. is not what people in Cleveland tell. like sure it is is um like a stepen king.

novel about Cleveland. Navy so people don't go in there that's. why the Browns. play so um he warned him about the storm. uh he goes out on Lake Erie the Coast. Guard sees him and says hey there you. know there's a big storm coming in after. Sunset and I've noticed you have some. running lights so you clearly plan on. being out after dark and he was like. it's fine and so they said all right go. about your way later that storm does.

come in and Larry Bader has disappeared. uh they find the boat the next day about. five miles away uh the life jackets were. all on board there was a some scratches. like it had hit some rocks there was a. bent propeller and uh some accounts say. that um it was either a gas line had. been disconnected or the gas cans were. empty but either way and I guess it's. the kind where the gas line runs. directly into like a gas can that's. sitting on the boat must have been one. of those kind of boats um but basically.

they were like but nothing shows the. kind of distress where a human would be. completely missing like it wasn't. capsized or sunk or anything like that. no and uh the life jacket was in the. boat you said right that's right so. that's a really that's a so that's a big. point because the Coast Guard was like. that was one heck of a storm on Lake. Erie there's no no way that anybody. could have survived this even a strong. swimmer Like Larry Bader was known to be. um without a life jacket yeah one of the. ores was missing but you know just do.

that do with that what you will right. but the boat was generally in pretty. good shape the thing is is like this was. not a uncommon thing like people drown. in Lake Yuri pretty frequently it's a b. it's a great lake it's a very big lake. um and just as a little side anecdote. when I was a kid we used to vacation on. Kataba Island on Lake Yuri and every. week we would go there for a week every. summer and every time we went I would. have to wait on the beach the first half. of the week somebody had drowned and I.

was convinced that if I went in the. water they would their dead body would. bump up against me and I just couldn't. even bear the thought of that so finally. I would watch the news every night and. finally when they announced they found. the missing person then I would start to. go into the. lake and you thought I won't run into. that body now I might become one but. it's worth the risk right yeah because. no one had any business swimming in Lake. ERI back when I was a kid what do you. what's Kataba Island like what do you do. there oh you play mini golf and Putt.

Putt um we stayed at this place it was. just like a block of um like I guess. little condos or apartments or something. like that and everybody had beach towels. like drying over like the railing and it. was like on the beach like the sand came. up into your little front stoop and uh. it was just great it was wonderful I. remember my oldest sister went on a date. with a dude she met there and they went. and saw Top Secret at the drive-in oh. the vacation date that's always great.

man that's nice I love young Josh. stories uh all right so they look for. Larry Bader for a couple of months um. the Coast Guard was like no one's going. to survive that storm if they don't have. a life jacket uh but they looked anyway. and they were also were like well he was. a strong swimmer though so it's a little. weird that like the boat wasn't that. damaged and he's just nowhere to be. found um some people thought you know he. had this big watt of cash I don't think. we said but he cashed a $400 check um so. if you do the math you know that's. probably like 4,000 bucks lot of dough.

uh so he may have been you know robbed. and murdered or something and also the. suitcase was gone so that could also. explain that um but either way they said. we just got to put this one to rest uh. and so in 1960 he was declared dead and. his wife uh got that. $40,000 insurance policy and Social. Security started rolling in she went. cing that's right and I believe that's. where we should take a break and see.

what happened to Larry. [Music]. Bader this. is the purpose of this Rec. [Music]. is okay Chuck where we last left off. Larry Bader's missing he's disappeared.

but enough years have gone by I think. roughly three that he's officially. declared dead his insurance policy has. come in his wife has said this is what. you get for telling me maybe I will. maybe I won't when I tell you not to go. fishing yeah and um if we rewind just a. little bit to the day that um Larry. Bader went out on the lake and add. usually people say about 3 days and zoom. on over from the Lake Erie over to Omaha.

Nebraska yeah and we sit down at a. little bar called the round table bar in. Omaha um what we will see on May 18th. 1957 is a guy walk. in and his name is John Johnson take it. CH that's right oh I was so busy trying. to work up a Saturn joke about that 800. miles but I couldn't do it in time we'll. wait if you I'll give you an. hour uh 800 miles between Omaha and akan.

roughly oneir the size of the distance. between and then I couldn't remember. what it was on Saturday division the. Cassini division so that's not a joke. that's making fun of my hard work I. know uh so here's what happens uh three. days after Larry Bader disappears 800. miles away a Dude shows up in Omaha at. the round T table bar you said his name. was John. Johnson he said I got this driver's.

license here it's got my name on it I. was a 14-year veteran of the Navy it's a. Navy license as you'll see I got out. because of a a bad back and I go by the. name Fritz and uh there was a bartender. there named Betty Who said he was a. really well-dressed guy he clearly had. money he was really sort of fascinating. and Charming he asked me out like the. second he met me um which is I assume. what you do if you uh 3 days after you. have left your wife and soon to be four. kids oh well probably ask out the first. you see well we haven't said it yet but.

okay John Johnson bore a really striking. resemblance to Larry Bader also yeah I. mean didn't people see that coming I. don't know I mean now they do okay so. this guy John Johnson AKA Fritz uh gets. a job uh not there but at Ross's. Steakhouse and basically was like hey I. came from uh an orphanage in Boston. there were 22 Boys in this orphanage. they named us all John Johnson and gave. us all nicknames so they could tell us.

apart instead of just naming us. different things it's very strange uh. but they called me Fritz because I. reminded them of a character from a. comic the cats and Jammer comic cats and. Jammer kids comic um different times. during that period he also would say. that his Navy buddies thought his. haircut made him look like a German. soldier so he went by Fritz but either. way this is some new dude in town and he. was like all of a sudden the talk of. Omaha yeah Betty Johnson's impression.

was not isolated apparently people who. met Fritz Johnson felt essentially the. same way that she did like he was a cool. dude that you wanted to be around debb. inire you could say he um but he also. was a bit of a character and by a bit. let me just say that he bought a hearse. and rearranged the back so that it was. like a little Lounge area for him when. he picked up women on dates and I saw. one place but it was a legitimate Source.

like a contemporary newspaper article. that said that it he had somehow gotten. it licensed with the city as a hunting. vehicle can you imagine anything more. 1957 than that 1957. Bachelor yeah I mean he was an avid. hunter that is not what he was going. for you think is it I mean I don't know. yes you don't put a lounger in the back. of your hearse for dead deer no no no I.

know but uh do you think he had it. licensed as a hunting vehicle because. like he was hunting ladies and he just. want to be able to tell people that yes. I do. okay I I don't agree okay that's fine. take it up with UPI buddy he's an he's. an eccentric dude he wears a leather. Beret uh his apartment apparently was. just a bunch of like bean bags and throw. pillows he had champagne parties he had. SI fighting.

fish um he was an Archer he said uh you. know I I hurt my back and so archery. really helps strengthens the back and so. I I took up archery and then five weeks. later he's won a state championship in. Nebraska and then wins 13 I believe 12. more 13 total archery titles in the. state and at parties would do the eat. the whole chicken including the bone. trick M and they last three listeners.

went. [Music]. oh uh that's right so he's he's working. at the bar but he he buddies up with a. guy that works at a radio station uh KB. n and he he lets him come in there to. kind of just monkey around because he. was interested in broadcasting and he's. monkeying around enough to where he. figures it out and deers himself like he. seems to be doing to everybody gets a. job as a DJ uh reading the news yeah I. want to just backtrack a little bit and. specifically say there was nobody in any.

interview or any article that I read. about this who seemed to think that um. Fritz Johnson was a creep or like a a. jerk or like a sicko or anything like. that I know we kind of painted him a. little questionably but there doesn't. seem to be anybody who had any kind of. weird vibes from him at all he was just. a fun guy to be around and just living. up the bachelor life apparently he was. saying like I spent you know my youth in.

an orphanage having to listen to the. people who ran the place tell me what to. do I spent 14 years in the Navy. listening to them tell me what to do and. now I'm finally free and I'm living it. up so um that's essentially I think the. best car the best way to paint his. character is that he was living it up. his new found Freedom yeah for sure um. he I mean we can talk about some more of. his flamboyance just because it's simply. really funny and interesting um when he. wrote a personal check to someone he.

would sign it Fritz only and then he. wouldn't put it a date I don't know why. I love this so much he wouldn't put a. date he would just put a season so he. would write a check to someone on the. date of you know Autumn and then he. would just sign it Fritz isn't that. weird that they would cash that I think. it's well it's the 1950s I guess stuff. like that would happen uh it was also. the 1950s so you could collect your tip. money as a bartender in a milk bottle. and then just go hand that milk bottle.

to the uncounted to the uh person. working at the bank and fill out the. deposit slip uh one qu of money and I'm. sure they thought oh he's such a. character but like now I got to count on. this stuff thanks a lot dude every time. he made that deposit he think to himself. are you going to withhold the milk. deliveries huh yeah exactly so um one of. the other things that he was known for. is being a little unkind to friends who. were engaged or married or about about. to get married he was like marriage is.

just another way to trap a fella yeah. whoever gets married is a sap probably. said something along those lines that. old thing and then a few years after he. appeared in Omaha in 1961 he got married. yeah uh he uh got married to a model. named Nancy Zimmer who was 21 at the. time and she had a daughter from her. first marriage she said later that they. were just too young and um not only did. uh Fritz Johnson adopt their her. daughter they also had their own son so.

he had a family all of a sudden within. just a couple of years yeah so um he's. working parttime at the radio station. eventually Works full-time there and. then transfers over to TV when he got a. job uh at uh KV uh the local affiliate. there um eventually getting promoted up. to sports director uh and also on the. side he was advising um like Consulting. I guess for archery companies cuz just. he was just so good at it yeah he's like. well maybe consider making the arrows.

straight I did Mary uh at the camp we. took a big family trip with a bunch of. families and I got the archery set out. and it was quite fun and I'm a pretty. good shot oh yeah any bulls eyes yeah I. was hitting some bull eyes on the rag. and I've never even done much archery I. just uh it just seems intuitive you know. just kind of hold it steady and aim at. the thing and then let it go you're like. I'm just as surprised as any of you I. really was how far away though are we. talking like five feet uh I mean I don't. know what standard archery is I was.

shooting I bet from. about probably from about 35 feet would. be my guess oh that that is good man I. don't know what standard is but. everyone's like oh yeah you come up here. all the time and do this I was like I. actually never do this I'm just good at. it yeah you just have to say that out. loud with every shot I know like don't. don't compliment me because you think. I've worked at this right this is all. blind luck that's right um speaking of. blind luck uh one of the other things.

that um kind of made Fritz Johnson a. noted character around town hey look at. you is that he uh ended up Dawning an. eye patch and he was one of those eye. patch wearers who really needed one. because uh they found a tumor behind his. eye I think his left eye and to remove. the tumor they had to permanently remove. his left eye so he wore an eye patch. rather junly from what I can tell um and. that that just made his Legend even more. so like one of the local beloved TV.

announcers now wears an eye patch with. his little Pencil Thin Mustache and. everybody just loves this guy so much. let me ask you something uh are you. saying that there are people who wear. eye patches just for attention that. don't need. them yeah I mean I've never met one but. yes I'm sure those people out there that. I mean they're they're the same people. who wear glasses that's how they start. it's the gateway drug is like wearing. glasses that you don't actually work you.

know that I did that I know are you well. you're just the eye patch we waiting to. happen oh man I hope someone writes in. that knows somebody or maybe that even. did that for a time if you did this in. Middle School you get a pass like it. seems like something John hodman might. have done in middle school yeah for sure. for sure but yeah also not as a pirate. you can't be dressed as a pirate at the. time has to be like normal street. clothes. yeah amazing that's the rules should we. take our break now yeah I think there's.

no other place to take our second break. than this all right we got another big. uh reveal coming up right after. [Music]. this this. is of this is. [Music].

all right so I promised a big reveal. things are going great for old fritzy. he's in a town he's he's scoring with. the ladies in the back of a hearse he's. eating chickens through the bone and. people think it's the best thing they've. ever seen he's on TV for goodness sakes. with an eye patch can I say one more. thing about the chicken eating thing. yeah like how do you eat bones no I mean. I can get that if you cook a chicken. enough like it can be just dissolve it. sort of yeah essentially the thing is. this that's not a party trick that you.

do quickly people have to stand around. you for possibly dozens of minutes while. you do this trick so it everybody watch. this right stop what you're doing and. come over and quietly watch me like it. takes a real showman to hold people's. interest while you're eating a whole. chicken yeah I mean the only party trick. I ever did is that thing with the hat. against the wall and that takes like two. seconds I don't know what that is you. put a like a baseball cap on backwards.

uhhuh and then you kind of get up. against a wall and then you act like. you're blowing your cheeks out and what. you're doing is putting the brim against. the wall such that the Hat kind of. levitates off your head like you're. blowing it off your head oh that's I. want to see that why have you never done. that for me hey buddy next time I see. you uh the only I mean I haven't done it. for years because I refus to put a. baseball cap on backwards cuz I'm a. human adult but uh I'll do it for you. okay thank you okay the guy sat there. with their hat on backwards right now.

like what's wrong is that not cool it's. like no it's not uh my only party trick. was holding my breath until I fainted. right did you ever do that yeah yeah we. used to do that where you'd hold your. breath like you bend over and. hyperventilate yourself and take that. last breath Cross Your Hands over your. chest and your friend would just push as. hard as they could on your chest and you. just faint I did it once and uh this is. something you should not do it's. dangerous yeah I shouldn't have that. tone of voice right now what like it was. super fun yeah it is did you ever.

actually pass out yeah yeah I did one. time and that was the only time I had. ever passed out up into that point and. it was very very strange it was very. strange I remember feeling like I was. dropping in on a halfpipe on a. skateboard as I went in that's I was. kind of like this is all right we didn't. do it for very long yeah do not try this. it is such a bad idea I can't believe we. were even talking about it yeah we. should probably edit this out yeah I'm. sure Jerry will with her response. all right so like I said he's living his.

best life uh then on February 2nd. 1965 uh a guy who knew John Bader. disappeared man um saw fritzy at an. archery demonstration at a sporting good. show in Chicago and was like that's. Larry Bader like I would bet my life on. it and his niece lives nearby uh and I. know this so I'm going to call her she's. 21 years old her name is her name is. Susanna she drives over and she's like.

Uncle Larry basically pretty much yeah. her quote was pardon me but aren't you. my Uncle Larry Bader who disappeared. seven years ago yeah and he was like ho. ho ho no I'm not go away actually. supposedly he was super polite yeah but. was quite insistent that they had the. wrong person he said would you like to. see my hearse but the right but the um. the the resemblance was enough that then. Susanna turned around and called her.

uncles uh Larry's Brothers mhm and they. I think got on the phone with this guy. and his voice enough convinced them that. they should fly out to Chicago they F. out to Chicago suddenly this guy's like. man I wish I didn't have to work this. convention these people are surrounding. me and telling me I'm another person uh. and so to kind of settle the whole thing. he's like how about this we let's go get. my fingerprints taken and uh they were. like that's a capital idea because our. brother was in the Navy too so his.

records his fingerprints will be on. record so they went to the local police. department they took his. fingerprints uh they handed him over to. the FBI the FBI compared him to the Navy. fingerprints on record of Larry Bader. and the FBI looked up and said this is a. perfect match that's right so uh fritzy. said it came as a a literal physical. shock um he said I don't know anything. about that other fellow and said why. would I have volunteered to give my.

fingerprint if like I was trying to get. some scam new double life and new. identity like I wouldn't have gotten. fingerprinted um it seemed genuinely. like he didn't know and didn't realize. this uh he's like I've got all these. memories I remember the orphanage I. remember growing up as Fritz Johnson um. that you're saying these memories are. all fake and this is really starting to. bum me out to be quite honest yeah like. if he knew he was hiding from this. family and he was found at this um. Sporting Goods convention he would have.

shot like a smoke bomb tipped Arrow at. the floor and then it vanished as the. smoke just choked everyone. out oh I could literally smell that I. was so in that scene but he didn't do. that and that is a really significant. thing like he so not only remember if he. was Larry Bader who had assumed a new. identity to to agree to fingerprints as. a dumb move to begin with but he could.

have been calling a bluff or something. like that who knows maybe but he also. didn't have um wasn't like he had some. awful family life like. everyone uh by all accounts he like he. he he liked his wife and kids and. enjoyed being around them right um as. much as any dad did in the. 1950s uh I'm not saying he was doting. but he wasn't like oh God I hate these. kids and my wife's a real drag right. yeah it didn't make sense yeah he's a. little a little bit in debt but it.

wasn't like his his world was crumbling. down around him such that he had to. escape it was all debt that he could get. out of with a little bit of work so none. of this was making any sense no plus. also one other thing chuck if you're on. the run in a new with a new identity. usually the last thing you do is become. a local TV personality in a largest city. in the United States yeah let me let me. see if the largest city Omaha I said a. largish oh I was like oh man that's not. what I know the largest city in.

Nebraska uh yeah so none of this is. adding up um he yeah you would want to. keep a low profile so it doesn't make. sense well put I think that was much. more succinct than my whole Jam uh no I. liked it the whole Omaha thing was great. so he hires an attorney uh a guy named. Harry Farnum uh this attorney gets a. team of psychologists on board they. examine Larry and test him along with. the neurologists over about a week and a. half uh they used hypnosis on them they. were like we can't see anything. medically wrong with this guy uh it.

doesn't seem like a scam um back home. Mary is uh or I'm sorry Mary Lou is she. gets this news and she was like oh I. mean i' kind of moved on with my life. I'm I'm engaged to somebody new who i'. I've been dating for a few years yeah uh. but I can't like I'm a good Catholic I'm. not going to like divorce Larry uh who's. is seems to be back in my life now yeah. and initially she said that she wished. he'd never been he'd never turned up.

again that they had gotten used to life. without him they'd accepted that he died. and yes she moved on and now all of a. sudden her life to to say it was. complicated is a real understatement. like a handful of people's lives were. ruined when that guy the acquaintance of. Bader saw Fritz Johnson at that Sporting. Goods convention like ruined not only do. you have like Mary Lou br/ Larry Larry's.

wife Nancy their kids um you also have. like the the nameless fiance that was. engaged to Mary L like people's lives. were completely upended by the news of. this and apparently the whole time Fritz. Johnson is like this makes zero sense to. me but the FBI said that my fingerprints. match this other guy and everybody else. from akan is telling me that I'm this. other guy I think I'm Fritz Johnson but. he was resigned he resigned himself to.

be like maybe maybe this is right maybe. they're right he wasn't just he didn't. deny it the whole time and they did not. seem fishy at any point he was also more. than willing to talk to the press as. this was going on but he was not an. attention Hound yeah no not at all um so. Mary all of a sudden her life has. upended with uh you know every Regional. news uh Outlet is banging on her door um. the insurance company was like that for. Grand which will be $400,000 in.

2024 um basically life-changing money. we're going to need that back uh. although Social Security payments we're. going to need that back um even Eddie. and his boat rental company it's like. you owe us for boat. damages um Johnson fritzy you know he. loses that job the TV station fires him. he gets that marriage annuled he moves. into a YMCA starts working at the bar. again making hundred bucks a week and. he's sending money to Mary Lou and Nancy.

and I think keeping about uh what like. 70 or 30 bucks for himself to live on MH. and it's just it's up uphe everywhere. you look yeah for sure so um a few. months later it's funny that she waited. a few months Mary Lou took her four kids. and they went to meet him in Chicago I. guess like a a neutral City and they. spent the weekend together and she told. the Press later that she was like he was. great guy good with the kids but we're. strangers to him so it was a bit of an. awkward weekend essentially um the thing.

is is she didn't really have a choice. now like she was a Catholic like you. said she didn't believe in divorce and. now her husband was all of a sudden back. so she has to figure out how to work him. back into her life and their kids' lives. as U minimally disruptive as possible. and she's just completely just lost by. this time Nancy also she is she was. saying you know I'm going to stand by my. husband Fritz. um at at some point she even said I'm.

willing to go back to work to help pay. Mary Lou child support if if he's going. to stay with me but it just that did not. it didn't work out as well so Nancy took. her kids and kind of went back into the. the background to leave Fritz to deal. with this whole akan thing yeah the. whole akran thing yeah I mean and his. kids I don't think we mentioned their. ages they were two four six and unborn. when he disappeared so. maybe that six-year-old has a memory the.

others probably had not even any memory. of former dad right so again he's not. he's not denying this he's saying I. don't get this this doesn't make sense. to me but he's not like he stopped. denying it after the fingerprint thing. but not like a oh you caught me kind of. thing he seemed genuinely baffled by. this um there's a really good kind of. like one of the authoritative articles. on this whole thing that was written by. the akan beacan journal in September of.

1965 Beacon be Beacon what did I say. akan. beacan the akan Beacon Journal I say it. like a local yeah sure and it's funny. because the journalist who wrote this. clearly had just read Hell's Angels by. Hunter Thompson was trying his hand at. it oh no so like the whole the whole. thing starts unless this Jet flight that. he's on on his way to Omaha uh it ends. on the Jet flight to and like he's. talking about them walking through the.

town to the YMCA it's just like he he. wrote himself into this this article it. was just kind of funny to see the drugs. started to kick in around Barstow right. but um what are you doing at barow right. but there was a quote in there that. stood out to me that Fritz Johnson told. this guy he said I've begun to think. that God might solve the problem and it. turns out he was right because a year. later he died from cancer wow I did not. see that quote uh uh if here's just the. tip don't I'm not a big superstitious.

guy but if you believe stuff like that. don't say it out loud right you don't. want to tempt God to kill you no cuz. he'll do it just for laughs uh just to. show you who's boss uh September 16th. 1966 is when he died uh did you say it. was the tumor no I said cancer he he it. moved to his liver I think yeah that. tumor um came back passed away uh First. Methodist Omaha had a memorial for him. uh then he was transported back to akan.

buried in his family plot and now uh how. many of these explanations do you want. to go over because I almost feel like we. should just skip to the the one that you. dug up that sounds the most plausible to. me I agree wholeheartedly there's just. one other thing I want to say about his. two funerals in Omaha the funeral was. given for Fritz Johnson in akan the. funeral was given for Larry Bader but it. was the same body they moved from one. city to the other yeah I think that's.

cool that is super cool and a nice. little footnote um but like we said. there were there were some some theories. that don't seem to hold water about. different kinds of Amnesia uh but then. you did some digging and then I went. back and did some further digging once. you gave me what you. dug and it seems like a lot of people on. the internet uh and of course these are. internet people so it's not like like. science isn't studying this it's just. sort of one of those things that's left. to smart people on on Reddit um but what. the the general consensus seems to be on.

the Internet is that he suffered from. what is known as a. disassociative Fugue which is a very. strange syndrome in which you can have. very very sudden really significant. retrograde memory loss that can't be. attributed to like uh being hit on the. head really hard or something like other. kinds of Amnesia um can be explained. away in other ways and this one can't. right yeah fug State I mean it's.

basically like they were describing what. happened to them but the essentially. what happens is you get you have this. Amnesia but it wipes out your episodic. memory your biographical memory and to. the point where you accidentally. inadvertently move away from home. depending on how long it lasts you're. going to travel fairly far away from. home when you get to where you're going. you're going to set up a new life with a. new identity make new relationships and. you're not going to have any memory.

whatsoever of the life that came before. this that's a Fugue State and apparently. it is actually real I looked all over. for like like fake this is made up this. is not correct like this is a a a. crackpot theory that some psychologists. came up with no dissociative Fugue is a. widely accepted very very rare medical. condition that they do not know how to. explain there's a struggle between. neurology and psychology or Psychiatry.

like is it brain-based or is it like a. break from some traumatic experience and. apparently it usually is prompted by. some negative experience but it's not. something like seeing your family killed. it can be something like being $2,400 in. 1957 in debt and stressed out from that. or uh I mean here's what I think I think. it could that whole boat trip and. fishing EXP Edition was just on the. level and that's really just what he was.

doing he had all that cash and the. briefcase the suitcase cuz maybe he just. didn't want to keep that stuff in the. car and he went out in a really bad. storm and had a traumatic event happen. out there uh like maybe being tossed. overboard uh I think that could have. been the the stressful lament um so. that's one thing another thing too is. when this disassociative Fugue ends um. you will probably remember your real. life but you're not going to remember. what happened in the Fugue State um my.

explanation there is that he died of a. tumor so that might have happened to him. given enough time and he just died. before that that memory of the real life. came back to him so I guess kind of what. you're saying is he died in a Fugue. State like he never emerged from the fug. State huh yeah that's my theory okay I. think that's a pretty good Theory. actually I mean it does seem like he was. not malingering he was not faking this. was not a con it's a just genuine. mystery because. also like he just checks so many boxes.

for a fug state but it's just it usually. goes on for what weeks or months right. not years I don't that's what I don't. know that's what I saw that oh really. yeah but that in that time you're so. convinced of your new identity that you. can form relationships that now all of a. sudden are jeopardized around the Rocks. because you don't remember these people. anymore and you're like what am I doing. in Omaha yeah well when did he die 1966. and when.

uh. 1965 yeah so it only like a year right I. mean that seems plausible For What. Little I know about it yeah hopefully. we'll figure out more about fug States. because then we'll understand a little. more about Larry Bader and if if we. don't then we're we're never going to. know what happened like it's just a. mystery yeah this could I was wonder if. this could be a movie if there's enough. there uh and then I decided probably. couldn't be a movie but it could be like. probably like a 10-part Netflix show a.

10hour long movie yeah with with tons. and tons of archery montages oh man so. many uh so you got anything else about. Larry Bader I got nothing else thanks to. Olivia this is a interesting one yeah. thanks a lot how did you hear about this. I meant to ask you that I am. convinced I I know that this came from a. listener but I could not find it. anywhere in email so I don't think it. did actually I think I might have just. been searching for like you know kind of. crazy stories or something or it came to.

you in a Fugue State maybe maybe I'm not. even Chuck Bryant well Chuck seems like. he's having an autobiographical crisis. right now and that of course unlocks. listener. mail uh I'm going to call this rare. shout out uh we don't really give shout. outs on listener mail because we get. inated with people saying like hi can. you say my sister's name mhm um but. we're going to Grant this one because it. is for a a Nana and we' like to honor. the nas of the word oh that's sweet uh.

Hey guys hope this message find you well. I'm reaching out to request a shout out. for Nana my nana she's such a huge fan. of you both every time I call she always. mentions your show and you would think. you guys are family members uh if you. get into her car the Bluetooth speaker. automatically starts playing an episode. uh your show has brought her so much joy. over the years and kept her sharp at the. age of 81 and uh has given us something. to connect over uh cuz n's High Praise. has got me hooked as well that's awesome.

uh for the last few years she's always. dreamed of going to one of your live. shows but it's never worked out uh now. with her age it would be difficult for. her to travel to any future potential. shows uh my Nana is the most important. person in my life and I know it would. mean the world to hear a message from. you guys uh it might be a shut in the. dark but I thought it would try thanks. for your time and for considering the. request and that is from Nori Shaws uh. or shalis I'm not sure how you pronounce. it m but uh Nana we just want to say.

thank you and you're great and we. appreciate you and I'm not sure where. you live maybe uh either you or your uh. or Nory can write in and we can find out. kind of how close you are and and get. you to a show somehow maybe we'll go do. one at your house or something yeah I. was going to say the same thing a show. in Nana's living room that'd be fun uh. especially if it's an Omaha I've always. wanted to see beautiful Omaha wouldn't. that be something well thanks a lot Nana. thank you than you very much for not. only listening to us all this time but. also for turning Nori on to us that's.

pretty great stuff and if you want to be. like Nori and tell us about your awesome. grandparent we want to hear about them. you can wrap it up spank it on the. bottom and send it off via email to. stuff podcast at iheartradio.com. [Music]. stuff you should know is a production of. iHeart radio for more podcasts my heart. radio visit the iHeart Radio app Apple. podcasts or wherever you listen to your. favorite show show.

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