Judge Joseph Force Crater

Today we’re bringing you a special episode from another Spotify Original from Parcast. If you enjoy it, check out Superstitions on Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts!  We could all use a little extra luck from time to time… And what better way to secure some than taking it from one of nature’s craftiest tricksters — a surprisingly subversive symbol of wits and survival: the rabbit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1930, New York State Supreme Court Judge Joseph Force Crater withdrew the equivalent of $78,000 dollars from his bank accounts and promptly disappeared. Authorities tried to track down the missing judge, but friends and family feared the worst: that Crater knew something, and was murdered for it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On March 5, 1918, the Navy collier USS Cyclops sent its final message from off the coast of Barbados, stating it was on schedule to arrive in Baltimore on March 13th. But the ship never made it. No one ever heard from—or saw—the USS Cyclops ever again. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In August 1980, three-month-old Azaria Chamberlain went missing in Australia's Northern Territory. Her mother, Lindy, claimed a dingo snatched her baby—but authorities and the media weren’t so sure.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1935, infamous bootlegger and New York crime boss Dutch Schultz was gunned down in an upscale steakhouse. As Schultz lay dying in a hospital bed, he told police detectives about his five-million-dollar stash of loot in Upstate New York. The hunt was on. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He’s known for crafting ingenious works of literature like Hamlet, Othello, and Macbeth. But some historians believe one of Shakespeare’s greatest comedies may have been lost to time. Known simply as Cardenio, the play was performed at least once in 1613 before it vanished. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In 1933, a small plane touched down in the desert just outside Farmington, New Mexico. It made sixteen trips over the U.S.-Mexico border, each time carrying a ton of pure gold. Legend has it that the gold is still there, buried in the harsh landscape, waiting… Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

High in the Austrian Alps sits picturesque Lake Toplitz: a serene lake that holds a dark secret. In the waning months of World War II, Nazi forces dumped dozens of large wooden crates into its depths—crates that many believe hold millions of dollars worth of gold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On October 7th, 1949, a young aspiring actress named Jean Spangler went missing in Los Angeles. But while Jean's life appeared wholesome and idyllic to her coworkers, it was far from the truth... Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a fortune in gold coins supposedly stolen by South Africa’s last President of the Transvaal Republic, Paul Kruger. Since it’s disappearance in 1900, treasure hunters from all over the world have searched for the missing gold. But no one has successfully located the rumored cache, worth over 200 million dollars today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices