E. Virgil Neal: Hypnotist, Fraudster, Tycoon - Part 1

SYMHC Classics: Redpath Murders

This 2022 episode covers the 1901 discovery of  Ada Maria Redpath and her son Jocelyn Clifford dead in their home. What exactly happened between the two of them is something we will likely never understand. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Behind the Scenes Minis: Piece of Work

Holly and Tracy talk about how frequently the U.S. Post Office has stopped criminals, and about E. Virgil Neal using his intellect for shady business dealings. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

E. Virgil Neal: Hypnotist, Fraudster, Tycoon, Part 2

In the early 20th century, Neal's company Force of Life was investigated for fraud. But somehow, Neal managed to get through the scandal and went on to found a cosmetics company that became very successful.  Research: * “Can’t Find E. Virgil Neal.” New York Times. January 15, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/15/100496816.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 * “Claimed to Raise the Dead.” Kansas City Star. Jan. 13, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/653825670/?match=1&terms=%22Claimed%20to%20raise%20the%20dead%22 * Conroy, Mary Schaeffer. “The Cosmetics Baron You’ve Never Heard Of: E. Virgil Neal and Tokalon.” Third Edition. Altus History Publishing. 2014. * “E. Virgil Neal Passes Away at Geneva June 30.” The Sedalia Democrat. July 3, 1949. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sedalia-democrat-e-virgil-neal-obit/185827307/ * “False Advertising Chief ‘Stimulant’ in Nixated Iron.” New York Tribune. Dec. 16,1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/894241833/?terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22 * “Force of Life Charges Dismissed.” Buffalo News. April 24, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/329115069/ * “FORCE OF LIFE'S WIND-UP.; E. Virgil Neal Still Missing, but Offices Are Being Dismantled.” New York Times. Jan. 17, 1906. https://www.nytimes.com/1906/01/17/archives/force-of-lifes-windup-e-virgil-neal-still-missing-but-offices-are.html * “Force of Lifers Sent Many Decoy Letters.” New York Times. February 7, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/02/07/101765677.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 * “Here’s a Hyopnotic Bank.” New York Sun. March 3, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/207217198/?match=1&terms=Columbia%20Scientific%20academy * “How Force of Lifers Did a Rush Business.” New York Times. Jan. 15, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/15/100496815.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 * “James R. O’Beirne.” Fordham University. Office of the President. https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/james-r-obeirne/ * “Jury Disagrees Cartilage Case.” Buffalo Courier Express. May 5, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/352806300/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22 * “Medical Mail-order Frauds.” American Medical Association. 1915. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=Cyq6AAAAIAAJ&vq=neal&source=gbs_navlinks_s * “Medicine: From Sedalia.” Time Magazine. Dec. 25, 1933. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,746617-1,00.html * “A Message to the Sick.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Feb. 9, 1900. https://www.newspapers.com/image/135238292/?match=1&terms=vitaopathy * “Most Beautiful Woman in Paris.” The Times-Union. October 6, 1909. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1278623430/?match=6&terms=To-Kalon * Neal, E. Virgil and John H. Moore. “Modern Illustrative Banking.” American Book Company. 1904. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/modernillustrati00neal/modernillustrati00neal/ * Neal, E. Virgil and C.T. Craig. “Modern Illustrative Bookkeeping.” American Book Company 1901. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/illustratimodern00nealrich/page/16/mode/2up * “Neal, of ‘Nuxated Iron’ Fame, Held on Fraud Charge.” Times-Transcript. April 15, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1106273916/?match=1&terms=%22Neal%20of%20Nuxated%20Iron%22 * “Neal Returns for Business.” Post-Standard. April 30, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1091107180/ * Bennet, James. “Tokalon.” Cosmetics and Skin. Jan. 26, 2025. https://cosmeticsandskin.com/companies/tokalon.php * “Gigantic Swindle Probably Bared.” Nebraska City Weekly. Jan. 16, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/728074626 * “In Force of Life Case.” Houston Post. Jan 13, 1907. https://www.newspapers.com/image/94975109 * “Nuxated Iron Sellers in Libel Suit.” The Times-Transcript. June 10, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1106285753/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22 * “Part I: The 1906 Food and Drugs Act and Its Enforcement.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/changes-science-law-and-regulatory-authorities/part-i-1906-food-and-drugs-act-and-its-enforcement * “Personal Magnetism.” San Francisco Examiner. March 8, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/457762995/?match=1&terms=Columbia%20Scientific%20academy * “Pope Receives O’Beirne.” New York Times. Sept 25, 1910. https://www.newspapers.com/image/20505640/?match=1&terms=%22pope%20receives%20o%27beirne%22 * Schwarcz, Joe, PhD. “The Prince of Quackery.” McGill Office for Science and Society. July 16, 2025. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/pseudoscience-history/prince-quackery * “Thought Waves Between ‘Em.” New York Sun. April 12, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald-e-virgil-neal-and-the-a/185828789/ * “Tribune’s Answer in Libel Suit Calls E. Virgil Neal a Quck.” New York Tribune. June 23, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/469171423/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22 * “Vain Search for Neal.” New York Times. January 16, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/16/101763032.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 * “WORRIED ABOUT NEAL & CO.: Depositors, You See, Don’t Like Hypnotism in Banking.” New York Sun. March 4, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald-e-virgil-neal-hypnotic/176427712/ See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

E. Virgil Neal: Hypnotist, Fraudster, Tycoon - Part 1

E. Virgil Neal’s career started out with writing successful textbooks, but then took a turn into being a stage hypnotist and then a series of dicey mail-order businesses. Research: * “Can’t Find E. Virgil Neal.” New York Times. January 15, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/15/100496816.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 * “Claimed to Raise the Dead.” Kansas City Star. Jan. 13, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/653825670/?match=1&terms=%22Claimed%20to%20raise%20the%20dead%22 * Conroy, Mary Schaeffer. “The Cosmetics Baron You’ve Never Heard Of: E. Virgil Neal and Tokalon.” Third Edition. Altus History Publishing. 2014. * “E. Virgil Neal Passes Away at Geneva June 30.” The Sedalia Democrat. July 3, 1949. https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-sedalia-democrat-e-virgil-neal-obit/185827307/ * “False Advertising Chief ‘Stimulant’ in Nixated Iron.” New York Tribune. Dec. 16,1917. https://www.newspapers.com/image/894241833/?terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22 * “Force of Life Charges Dismissed.” Buffalo News. April 24, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/329115069/ * “FORCE OF LIFE'S WIND-UP.; E. Virgil Neal Still Missing, but Offices Are Being Dismantled.” New York Times. Jan. 17, 1906. https://www.nytimes.com/1906/01/17/archives/force-of-lifes-windup-e-virgil-neal-still-missing-but-offices-are.html * “Force of Lifers Sent Many Decoy Letters.” New York Times. February 7, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/02/07/101765677.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 * “Here’s a Hyopnotic Bank.” New York Sun. March 3, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/207217198/?match=1&terms=Columbia%20Scientific%20academy * “How Force of Lifers Did a Rush Business.” New York Times. Jan. 15, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/15/100496815.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 * “James R. O’Beirne.” Fordham University. Office of the President. https://www.fordham.edu/about/leadership-and-administration/administrative-offices/office-of-the-president/about/hall-of-honor/james-r-obeirne/ * “Jury Disagrees Cartilage Case.” Buffalo Courier Express. May 5, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/352806300/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22 * “Medical Mail-order Frauds.” American Medical Association. 1915. Accessed online: https://books.google.com/books?id=Cyq6AAAAIAAJ&vq=neal&source=gbs_navlinks_s * “Medicine: From Sedalia.” Time Magazine. Dec. 25, 1933. https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,746617-1,00.html * “A Message to the Sick.” Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. Feb. 9, 1900. https://www.newspapers.com/image/135238292/?match=1&terms=vitaopathy * “Most Beautiful Woman in Paris.” The Times-Union. October 6, 1909. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1278623430/?match=6&terms=To-Kalon * Neal, E. Virgil and John H. Moore. “Modern Illustrative Banking.” American Book Company. 1904. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/modernillustrati00neal/modernillustrati00neal/ * Neal, E. Virgil and C.T. Craig. “Modern Illustrative Bookkeeping.” American Book Company 1901. Accessed online: https://archive.org/details/illustratimodern00nealrich/page/16/mode/2up * “Neal, of ‘Nuxated Iron’ Fame, Held on Fraud Charge.” Times-Transcript. April 15, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1106273916/?match=1&terms=%22Neal%20of%20Nuxated%20Iron%22 * “Neal Returns for Business.” Post-Standard. April 30, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1091107180/ * Bennet, James. “Tokalon.” Cosmetics and Skin. Jan. 26, 2025. https://cosmeticsandskin.com/companies/tokalon.php * “Gigantic Swindle Probably Bared.” Nebraska City Weekly. Jan. 16, 1906. https://www.newspapers.com/image/728074626 * “In Force of Life Case.” Houston Post. Jan 13, 1907. https://www.newspapers.com/image/94975109 * “Nuxated Iron Sellers in Libel Suit.” The Times-Transcript. June 10, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/1106285753/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22 * “Part I: The 1906 Food and Drugs Act and Its Enforcement.” U.S. Food and Drug Administration. https://www.fda.gov/about-fda/changes-science-law-and-regulatory-authorities/part-i-1906-food-and-drugs-act-and-its-enforcement * “Personal Magnetism.” San Francisco Examiner. March 8, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/image/457762995/?match=1&terms=Columbia%20Scientific%20academy * “Pope Receives O’Beirne.” New York Times. Sept 25, 1910. https://www.newspapers.com/image/20505640/?match=1&terms=%22pope%20receives%20o%27beirne%22 * Schwarcz, Joe, PhD. “The Prince of Quackery.” McGill Office for Science and Society. July 16, 2025. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/pseudoscience-history/prince-quackery * “Thought Waves Between ‘Em.” New York Sun. April 12, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald-e-virgil-neal-and-the-a/185828789/ * “Tribune’s Answer in Libel Suit Calls E. Virgil Neal a Quck.” New York Tribune. June 23, 1918. https://www.newspapers.com/image/469171423/?match=1&terms=%22e.%20virgil%20neal%22 * “Vain Search for Neal.” New York Times. January 16, 1906. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1906/01/16/101763032.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 * “WORRIED ABOUT NEAL & CO.: Depositors, You See, Don’t Like Hypnotism in Banking.” New York Sun. March 4, 1903. https://www.newspapers.com/article/new-york-herald-e-virgil-neal-hypnotic/176427712/ See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

SYMHC Classics: Mancini Sisters

This 2022 episode covers Hortense and Marie Mancini, who tried to make a place for themselves in 17th-century Europe, defying all kinds of conventions along the way.  See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.