When the Vow Breaks

such demonic games as dungeons and dragons. The Satanic Panic, as it came to be called, was the result of faulty psychology and fears of abuse allegedly being perpetrated by members of the occult. That fear spread across the US, but it had rooted itself deepest inside Ralph P. Forbes of London, Arkansas. Now it's fair to say that Ralph

had a bit of a problematic past. When he was younger and living in California, he registered as a member of the American Nazi Party founded by George Lincoln Rockwell. Forbes had actually worked his way up fairly high in the operation as a rally organizer, so much so that Rockwell himself had given him the task of establishing a Christian identity group, a type of hate group with misguided

notions about the Bible. But that was the nineteen sixties, a wild time for many Americans, even though Forbes had ignored the flower power of the Hippies, instead choosing the bigotry of the Nazi Party. He eventually left Rockwell's group and started referring to himself as a former Nazi, despite turning around and working alongside KKK Grand Wizard David Duke. Once a bigot's always a bigot, I guess. But there had been a thorn in four side for a long time.

It tormented him every year, and worse, it had captured children all over the country in its fiendish claus, leading them ever closer to the dark side. And this profound evil that Ralph was worried about Halloween. He'd been running for a seat in the United States Senate in nineteen eighty six when he decided to take measures into his own hands. On October thirtieth of that year, days before the election, Forbes filed a lawsuit against the person that

he deemed responsible for corrupting the nation's youth. Satan, the wannabee senator named three plaintiffs in his suit, all Christian children, Jesus Christ, and of course himself. As for the defendants, Satan was only one of several. Forbes also listed the Arkansas Department of Education and I quote high priests of secular humanism. The case found its way onto the docket

of Judge George Howard Junior. Howard would go on to play a part in the Whitewater Ill Estate trial of the nineteen nineties, which involved President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton. That case was subsequently lead to the

president's impeachment in nineteen ninety eight. But in nineteen eighty six, Judge Howard was overseeing the trial of the Century between Ralph Forbes and the Prince of Darkness, and representing Satan on this day in courts was Attorney John Wesley Hall Junior, who had decided to take on the case pro bono. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times from November of that year, Hall argued that, and again this

is a quote. The devil doesn't do enough business in Arkansas end quote, and therefore should be dropped from the suit. In addition, Satan owned no property and committed no chorts against the state. But perhaps Hall's greatest argument was that any legal dispute between Jesus Christ and Satan couldn't be litigated in federal court because it was a First Amendment issue. He went out to claim that Halloween was not a

holiday about or in support of devil. It had been adapted from a New Year's festival years before and was now celebrated in the United States as a secular holiday. Well, clearly mister Hall was good at his job, or maybe the plaintiff just didn't have much of a case to begin with, because the whole thing just kind of fizzled out, much like Forbes's political career. In addition to embarrassing himself in federal court, he also lost his race for the

Senate and a presidential bid a decade later. Ralph Forbes didn't accomplish much during his life. He was a Nazi, a failed politician, and now a laughing stock in the Arkansas legal system. Maybe if he'd spent less time worrying about silly dress up holidays, he would have seen the real evil living rights under his nose. It was a beautiful day for a wedding. It's just a shame that the marriage would end in only a few days. On April twenty first of nineteen oh nine, Percy Redwood and

Agnes Ottaway were married in Port Molineau, New Zealand. The Ottaway family house, usually used as a popular boarding house, had turned into the most picturesque wedding venue, and it really was a show stopping event. Local papers gushed about the fine wine and champagne served at the reception. The local MP, along with two hundred other neighbors and friends,

showed up to celebrate. The groom's family didn't ever make it, but that faux pas was easy for the guests to forget about as they watched him shower his bride with jewelry, silver, and other expensive gifts. He was someone who could afford to spoil his new wife, and he made sure everyone knew it. Percy Redwood had made his fortune as a successful Canterbury sheep farmer. He hadn't been in Port Molina for long, but he had quickly won over his new

neighbors with both his money and his charm. He was, by all accounts, wonderful. Addition, to the town. His wealth, of course, meant that he only had the best manners. It also meant that he had the very best suits, and the very best stories and the most interesting letters of business from all over New Zealand. He was a small man, but his diminutive size and rather high pitched

voice didn't exactly make for a commanding presence. But when have the rich ever needed to cut an impressive figure to make friends for people in this small community, Percy was a very exciting newcomer, and it didn't take long for the daughter of the local guesthouse owner, Agnes Ottaway, to notice him, or for him to notice her. The

two quickly developed a friendship that blossomed into love. When he proposed with an expensive five diamond rings, she immediately accepted, and after news of their engagement spread, Percy's mother wrote to Agnes's saying that she would give the young couple four five hundred dollars so they could settle easily into their new marital home. Agnes, elated, prepared herself for a comfortable life as the wife of a wealthy businessman. The wedding went off without a hitch. It was only afterwards

that things began to sour. After the reception, one of the groomsmen walked Percy to the newlywed suite. He was astonished when he watched Percy put his pajamas on over his wedding clothes. Of course, most rich men have a few eccentricities, right, This was probably just one of those quirks, or maybe not, because things got weirder and weirder in the days after the wedding. You see, that extravagant wedding

hadn't been paid for upfront. Instead, Percy had gotten everything on credit, promising to pay all the vendors back after the big day, And after that day had come and gone, the money never materialized. Agnes's father, suspicious of the grumblings around town that Percy wasn't paying anyone back, made it clear that he would not consider the marriage valid until Percy could prove that he was financially stable. The couple's honeymoon to Melbourne was delayed as Percy's good standing in

the commune unity unraveled. Creditors traped in and out of the Ottaway house looking for the money they were owed. People started going to the police when the money didn't materialize, and it all came to a head when four days after the wedding, a detective and a constable showed up at their door. When Percy greeted them, the detective said, well, he said something very very unexpected. You are Amy Bach, and I arrest you on a charge of fraud. It

was absurd, but Percy didn't deny it. Instead, he simply replied, I see you know all you see he was actually a she. Percy Redwood's real name was Amy Bach, and she was a woman. And it turns out that she had been a prolific fraudster for most of her life. All of the letters that Amy Bach had allegedly received while in Portmolino, letters from her wealthy mother or letters

making important business offers, had all been fake. Everything she had bought since arriving in town had been purchased on credit, and none of it had been paid for. Yet Amy was broke. In fact, she was drowning in debt. A life of running from the law had not been kind to her wallet. She had never tried to marry into money before. That was a new scheme. Really. Amy had started small, just lying about how much money she had

buying things on credits, and then disappearing. She had been convicted of fraud numerous times throughout the years as she bounced from city to city. She had even been sent to prison several times for conning people out of their money, but that never stopped her. Her scams had gotten bolder and bolder over the years, though at one point she had talked her way into owning a chicken farm. That another she had convinced the Salvation Army to lend her money,

which she used to buy a house. Unfortunately, her years of scheming eventually attracted a more intense police scrutiny than she had ever had before, and now the law had finally tracked her down, Recognizing her particular brand of fraud, which I suppose could be some as leaving a huge number of people high and dry. The detective and constable who had found her arrested her and that Amy was taken to the Dunedin Supreme Court to await her trial.

The Ottaway family, of course, was shocked that their daughter's new groom was actually a bride, but Agnes's father, who didn't seem all that torn up about the arrest, was reported to have said, well it might have been worse. Amy of course pled guilty to all the charges, and she was sent to prison for three years. Agnes Ottaway, who claimed that she had no way of knowing that her husband was actually a woman, applied for an annulment.

Thankfully for her, it was granted and she went on to Bury twice more before she died in nineteen thirty six. Amy was released from prison three years after her conviction, and she returned to the outside world as Amy Bach,

not as Percy Redwood. Amy never went back to prison after the Redwood debacle, but she also never gave up on her little scams at cons Thankfully for the local single population, she refrained from marrying anyone else aner false pretenses, but even so she was occasionally appearing in the New Zealand courts for fraud until she was seventy one years old. And that's, my friends, is what we hear call curious. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet

of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me Aaron Mankey in partnership with how Stuff Works. I make another award winning show called Lore which is a podcast, book series, and television show and you can learn all about it over at the worldolore dot com. And until next time, stay curious.