In nineteen twenty two, a newlywed couple decided to take a daring venture for their honeymoon. Now, unlike today, a daring venture didn't mean a carefully planned skydive or an involved hiking trip through national parks. This was a record setting trip planned through what was considered the roughest rapids in the world, all in the dead of winter. Now, eventually, when they didn't make it to their destination, many assumed
the worst. But when facts started rolling in, and as search parties went out and time passed, things began to take a much darker turn.
Warning.
The following podcast contains graphic content and material intended for mature audience. Listener discretion is advised. Hey, how's it going.
My name's Ben and I'm Nicole, and you're listening to Wicked and Grim.
A true crime podcast. You splashed a little, then I did a little bit. There was a little bit of a pre drink.
Yeah, all over the place, pre dribble, all over our electronic What is that called?
It's a soundboard, our soundboard. There you go. If you're curious what kind of soundboard we use, we use the zoom pod track P. Eight And I just got a little bit of beer on it.
And we're sponsored now by them, just kidding.
I wish we were sponsored by Zoom. Wow, that would be incredible.
One day, one day, maybe maybe.
Maybe baby, we'll be sponsored by you. Maybe baby. I don't know where I'm at now.
We're definitely not going.
To be never babb it will be soon. There we go. That's the second part. Wow, well done, thank you, thanks funny. If only that rolled off the tongue immediately. Hey wow, okay, well, welcome, welcome back. I am in an incredibly good mood. Multiple reasons.
What are those reasons?
Number one, just came back from vacation, week long vacation, chilling. I am high on energy and life. Second of all, we just came back from mountain biking, and holy shit, that was a good run.
It was awesome, one of my best runs.
Actually, I was thrilled. Well, long story short, Nicole is a little bit tentative on the trails.
Rightfully, sokay, honestly I was better, I feel like at one point, but then I had gnarly fall, which I think we said on here, and then since then I've been a little bit chicken shit.
Yeah, and rightfully so mountain biking can be scary, so you're fairly new to it, yeah, and you're diving into it with me. You're kind of exploring it along with me because you know I like it, So you're diving in for me. I guess that's what we should say. And so your tentative, you're learning. And then all of a sudden today it seemed like a switch flipped and it's like Nicole is no longer like learning. It's like she fucking learned and she was flying on the trails.
I know you couldn't. You were less like shocked.
I feel like you were just like am I mountain.
Biking with you? It was incredible, So well done. Cheers to you on that cheers.
Really fun, but it was it was hard. It was a struggle. I'm a little bit raspy, I feel like, because I was just like gasping for air friggin for like two hours.
Well, it's it's a workout and a half. For those who don't know, Like, mountain biking doesn't have to be this crazy downhill stuff you see in world competitions, but it is an incredible workout even if you are doing just downhill stuff because you're throwing your body around, you're still peddling, you're giving her. It's a lot.
Well, and where we were, where we go, like we have to pedal to get to the uphill.
Yeah, so it's we we pedal uphill and we go downhill. And there's cross country stuff, so you're going up and down, up and down round corners, over roots, technical stuff, rocky terrain. Yeah, so it becomes quite quite quite the workout, let's put it that way.
Yeah.
It was a blast. Yeah, and you did incredible.
So now I have to get you out paddle boarding with me. That can be our new newest hobby.
Well, I do have a kayak. I'll go kayaking with kings.
Paddle boarding is next level. I feel like, I don't know, you gotta at least try it. You can just try it. I'll fuel on the kayak, you can try the paddle I'll try it.
I'll try it. But I feel like for me, I think kayaking and paddle boarding is going to be the same you think I do, because I picture paddle boarding just like kayaking. It's a chill thing. You go out, you chill in the water. And when I'm doing something like this, I don't appreciate the chill in between. I like to get to a destination and then chill.
See like I could literally just paddle out to the middle of the lake, lay there for freaking an hour and then battle back and that rob just own's torturous. But like I'm obsessed with just laying in the sun on the water. Oh the best?
Yeah, not so so much for meat. I need I need a task. I need a destiny to relax, I do after my task and destination. For example, you go want to hike. I need to hike to the peak of the mountain and enjoy the view. You know what I mean, right, I need a destiny and you'll enjoy the way. Yes, I need a goal, okay, And I don't feel like there's a goal with paddle boarding and kayaking. I feel like the goal is to just go chill. But I need an in between. Oh just chilling in the middle.
And well, I have a drink. If I if you had a bevy, would that help you?
It would? It probably would? So, Actually, do you want do you want to know what else is really awesome? Yeah? Our patrons they are. They're mighty awesome. They are mighty mighty awesome. There's that our new slogan patrons are mighty awesome. Might We're gonna start calling them our mighty ducks. They represent us in a flying V. Quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack. Sorry, wow, I don't even know how to follow that. I popped into my head. I
went with it. Anyways, we have a whole slew of you to thank this week because we did a little bit of a pre recording because I was going on vacation right We recorded a few days early. So buckle up because I'm about to read a whole list of people amazing, and I'm probably gonna butcher some names. That is our true style. And one person even emailed us or messaged us on Patreon about their name, and I'm probably gonna but you theirs, but I'm going to do
my best. You might still. Yeah, So we have Diane Libert, Louis Gilby, Caroline Willis, Ryan Roach, I know car Who, Dallas Buris, Amber, Melissa Harper, Kimberly sex Smith, Joshua p sixty six. I'm assuming that's not a real last name because literal numbers in there, and.
Alex right on that's a good list of names, right, that.
Is I really hope I actually represented everyone's names.
You know, you read it strong, so like you, I believe you.
I think that's the key. Confidence is key.
Fake it till you make it, really pretend pretty much. Yeah, I'm not very good at that, but I'm trying. I did that a little bit with mountain biking. I was like, you know what, my fall didn't kill me. I'm still mountain biking. Let's do the shit.
That that that don't kill me can only make me stronger.
Oh, I only have a few scars for the rest of my life. But let's do this.
Speaking of let's do this, do you want to? Let's do this?
And I love to.
I would love to. So this episode was actually featured on Unsolved Mysteries back in the day. Brings us back a bit. This was actually featured prior to the Them becoming a whole TV show. So this was a quote unquote TV special number four. There's three cases within this episode. I believe it was three, maybe four cases actually now i'm thinking of it. But anyways, it was one of
the cases in that episode. And when this show actually was signed, and I believe it was nineteen eighty seven, they were signed to a network to actually become a TV series. This episode featuring this case became season number one, episode number one.
Nineteen eighty seven.
Hey, yes, oh see, because I thought it was a little bit newer than that because no Unsolved Mysteries predates us, but like.
Showed out to unsolved mysteries because it got all of us into like true crime. That's like literally why we're here in any way, through and through.
Yeah, for me, the whole mysteries, paranormal crime, it was unsolved mysteries, Are You Afraid of the Dark? And Goosebump Sumps, Yeah, those are the three big ones for me because.
Goosebumps was also book, right, yes it was, and TV shows.
Well Goosebumps was strictly fiction, but the stories were still.
Yeah yeah, and then what's so it was are You Afraid at the Darknight?
I think of it. But still there was other books and stuff.
I can't recall them at right at the top of my head here, but yeah, unsolved mysteries, Like I remember sitting there watching that with like my mom.
Well, I know, like it wasn't my jam Back in the David Nancy Drew all the mysteries and shit from that.
Yeah, no, I was something else I was thinking about, but it's a bit newer. I can't I can't recall.
It's like the books like the Canadian ghost Stories or something. Yeah, what are those?
What are those?
Yeah? Fuck, I can't remember where.
There are so many, Like there's even like Rocky Mountain, like Northern BC, Like it's probably can in a why, Like I don't know if they have the mistakes, But there's these books that just have a million short stories of like literal ghost stories mostly.
I think you are just rocking my world right now. I haven't thought of those books in a long time.
That was a big one for me too. I was pretty obsessed with.
I remember actually going to the schoolastic book fair and I purchased one of those books back.
In the day, and a lot of people had the that they're in the shitters next to the toilets, like so that you're like you're reading the ship while you're like, you know, you're you're.
Reading the ship while you're taking a ship, you know how you take the short stories.
So it's like here's here's a book.
Well you know, well it was either you had the ghost stories or an archie comic that was that was what was in your bathroom?
Or search search words or something. Is that what it's called?
Then, Like, yeah, okay, this is a long ass intro though, we're almost at ten minutes.
Let's go, let's go.
Let's buckle down and get to this case. So this case starts us off with bess Bessie Lewis Hayley. Now, she was born on December twenty ninth in nineteen o five,
where she grew up in Parksburg, West Virginia. She had brown hair, and it was cut kind of like an older fashioned style of like that bob cut that we all know nowadays, kind of like that, but instead of like the the gradient where it's a little bit shorter than back and longer in front, it was kind of just even all the way through, like you put.
A bowl on your head kind of thing and cut around.
Kind of, but it was like almost down to her shoulders. Okay, yeah, So she kind of had a haircut like that, and she had nice bright brown eyes. You know, she was a really good girl sort of thing. Now, Bessie would eventually marry a man by the name of Earl Hemlick. Now, the two said their vows and tie the knot on June fifth, in nineteen twenty six in Cattlesburg, Kentucky. Bessie and Earle had known each other for a while as they attended high school together, which would of course blossom
into their current relationship. Now, during this time, Bessie was going to school at Marshall College. It was actually part of their agreement to Mary that she could continue her college education. So Bessie had this itch for education. It was reported that after the wedding she planned to study during the following year in San Francisco, California.
Nice.
Now, in the nineteen twenties, traveling was not like it's, you know, a normal thing today like people did actually for women in a married relationship right right.
And going about getting an education and such.
Exactly, which is why it was part of her marital agreement that could continue her education. Good for her, I know, right, like what a boss babe.
Yeah.
So this became, you know, of rumors of this spread that Bessie was actually pregnant because of these situations. Now, I'm not sure why this is. This is actually rather normal type of rumor for this to occur when women were to go off and do things or move or whatever it was. It was kind of normal for this rumor to happen that they were pregnant. Oh why that seems so I don't know why, right, Why they're doing like why they're pursuing different things. Why traveling or school
or whatever equals baby? Well, yeah, because you think it.
Would be the opposite if you were pregnant, that you wouldn't be venturing off, you don't necessarily and doing these other things.
Right, And like maybe it's because people had nothing better to do with their time than spread rumors back in the day. And I mean people still do that shit today. It's not certainly an unrealistic thing to occur, so whatever the Yeah, So whatever the reason was, her actually going to travel for education brought up the rumor that she was pregnant. Now, there was never any confirmation of this,
as she never delivered a child. So anyways, the reason for her travel, whatever it was, it was for school. She was not pregnant. That's all we know now either way. Bessie and Earle only lived together for two months after their marriage before she would spread spread her wings for her adventurous life and head out for San Francisco in February of nineteen twenty seven. Now, she bought a ticket and hopped aboard a passenger ship making its way to
Los Angeles, California. There, just like the cinematic Titanic, she met a farmer outdoorsman from oh from Idaho named Glenn Hyde. Uh oh o inde oh well kind of okay? Well. The two quickly became good friends, and the relationship quickly flourished from good friends into much more. Dang, and they began a romantic relationship.
Dang, I don't love that at all.
I don't either, but the two seemed to be a match made for each other, so much so that Bessie clearly dropped her current marriage. Her husband, Earl, became old news as she sailed away into the sunset with Glenn. However, Glenn wasn't going to just let Bessie walk out of his life quite so easy. There wasn't a lot he could really do in terms of what Bessie was doing. I mean, he was in another state, across the country,
whatever you want to say. So when he was presented with divorce papers, however, he did try his best and he refused to sign so Bessie seemed to be stuck in this marriage when she really didn't want to be with this guy and she really wanted to be with Glenn instead, So she found a loophole. Bessie realized all she needed to do was to move out of state to a specific area, so she moved to Elko, Nevada to meet the correct residency requirements. She was required to
reside here for six weeks to claim her residency. When she did this with very little funds to her name, and during which the time she was described as being starving and sometimes faint from lack of food. Oh wow, But she was determined to marry the man she loved.
She does seem like a very determined woman.
She does very strong, hand willed woman. So in the divorce proceedings, Bessie actually commented that the marriage was quote loveless and that Earl was indifferent to her by saying that he quote did not seem to care if she returned.
Yeah, I mean, I I don't know. I was like pretty pumped about Earl because like way back in there and he's still kind of letting his wife live the life she wanted. And now this happens like it kind of feel bad for him, to be honest.
I know, right, So, whatever the case against Earl's wishes for their divorce, it was finalized on April first of nineteen twenty eight, and Glenn and Bessie got married in Twin Falls, Idaho on April twelfth, just twenty four hours after she had officially divorced. That's rough. That is pretty brutal.
Wow. And I had like this tiny little theory that I won't bring up, but that's just out the window now at this point. Okay, wow, wow, wow, wow. I don't love that at all. That's like rude.
It is. What was your theory?
You know? Because I know a little bit about this, so I'll save it till later. I'll save it, Okay, I'll save it.
Well, I'll put it this way. Any information we've shared so far, it's just background information. We're just getting to know our individuals exactly.
And you've mentioned just tidbits, tiny things. I don't know much, so I'm just gonna save that till like, okay.
Fair enough. So the two were ready to take on the world, and with Glenn being a great outdoorsman that he was, they decided to take their honeymoon on a rafting trip down the Green River and the Colorado River during the fall of nineteen twenty eight. Now, this, by the way, is a trip through the rivers in the Grand Canyon itself. Now, the trip would consist of several different stops along miles and miles of winding and rapid filled river. Not an easy task for anyone. Good thing,
Glenn wasn't just anyone. He had traveled rivers before and built boats to suit them as well built them by hand. Glenn's prior experience and perhaps could be better described as conquests, were the Peace River in Canada and Salmon River in Idaho. He was also very familiar with reading river currents from his time in Canada when he spent living here, and Glenn had spent a lot of time growing up in fact,
on the coast of British Columbia boating with his family. Now, while he traversed the Salmon River, for example, in Idaho, he used his life lung knowledge and skill to conquer what the infamous Lewis and Clark actually avoided on their journey across the United States due to safety reasons. So he was doing what professionals and what these pioneers considered unsafe. He was going for it.
See that is impressive and impressed me a little bit. But like, I don't have any interest in that. No, Like I've thought at one point that I've maybe wanted to try what is it called?
What is that?
What do you call that?
White water rat?
Okay, there you go, But I'm like, no, no, you know, I thought about it once, but then no, like.
I don't know.
I just think, like, you're on this boat and you're just like I think I would be fucking terrified, to be honest.
Yeah, it's not for me either. I don't know.
I think I would have to go on a pretty like I love water, but I'd have to go on a pretty like chill rapid one like very chill like one way you.
Can you know, cruise on a paddle board maybe.
Not even I like lakes for battle boarding. So I don't know. Good on them though, So this is intriguing to me that they're even doing this so well.
Glenn certainly didn't have a problem with it. He was brave, you know, daring and prideful in fact of his accomplishments, while Bessie, on the other hand, well, for lack of words. She was inexperienced.
Well, he's lucky to be alive, really, and what is what I think?
Yeah, that's he's gone through a lot. Let's put it that way now. Bessie, though she was adventuroist and strong in her own right, like we already talked about. Yeah, she was not someone who spent a lifetime outdoors battling rivers and forests, so she didn't have the background that he did. Okay, so this was rather new for her and such the Grand Canyon trip was actually rather new for women as a whole. The trip they planned would put Bessie in the history books as a first woman
to make the trip. Wow. And on top of that, Glenn actually wanted to make the trip in record time as well. Then even higher on a pedestal of greatness.
Set around Glenn I married. Let's like live through the honeymoon, shall we?
Yeah? No kidding. So his plan was to make the trip and afterwards write about it. He hadeas of telling Sorry, he had ideas of telling stories, speaking at seminars, and making a living as a great outdoorsman who made the trip like no one ever could. He would give advice on how others could hope to follow in their great footsteps. He would be remembered as great with a great wife by his side. There were also talks of them hoping
to create a film about their journey afterwards as well. Okay, but accounts vary, and no one could really approve anything of these accounts. Now, if they're really chasing fame or anything, who knows. All we know is that they were getting ready for an adventure of a lifetime and they were wanting to set some records along the way.
Well, I mean, I'm a little impressed. I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little impressed.
It's a daring adventure to say the least. Yeah, I want to hear all about this. Oh, you'll hear all about it. So they began by building a boat with some help, and it took them two days. It was a twenty foot wooden sweep scow, which is a type of boat used by river runners in the time in Idaho.
Shit it's wooden, ah, Like that's what they had back then. Oh yeah, they made that's even more terrifying. Like, hey, i'm out, I'm done.
Well, then the couple would officially head down the river canyons, starting in Green River in Utah in October twentieth of nineteen twenty eight.
Oh my gosh, I'm terrified for them, their wooden boat. Terrified.
Now. From there, the trip was laid out to take them all the way down through the Colorado River, where they would end up in sunny California. Their trip began to gain some notice and traction. People all around started talking about the newlyweds and the dangerous trip. Radios and newspaper began talking about the couple, and an ap bulletin was put out in the paper and it went something
a little bit like this. November twenty one, nineteen twenty eight, Miss Glen R. Hide of Hanson, Idaho is taking a vacation frolic with her husband by trying to navigate the Colorado River, dangerous rapids and all in a homemade scow. The foaming Colorado River, whose muddy, turbulent waters have wrapped in tragedy many times, the effort of a man to conquer it by boat is being dared for the first
time by a woman as a vacation frolic. Somewhere between Needles, California, and here, Miss Glen R. Hide of Hanson, Idaho and her husband are crunching in a homemade scow as they tumble over dangerous rapids down the twisting river. The journey is over what is known as the inland water Route. They first launched their scow in Green River, Utah. Never before has a woman attempted to triumph over the long stretch of the Colorado, one of the most difficult and
dangerous rivers in the continent. All previous expeditions lined their boats down the more dangerous passage. While the hide scow is without aid and other than its two passengers can render, the adventure, undertaken as part of the couple's vacation, also will set another record if it is successful. The scow is constructed of two by four planks and double bottomed. Huge sweeps at stern and bow guide it the river's current supply its motive power.
I have a question, yes, okay, are they doing this? Just the two of them? Yes, just the two of them in this boat.
Just the two of them. Okay, I missed that. I guess, holy shit, just the two of them, just the two of them. They can make it. If they try, just the two of them.
It doesn't take much to get you going.
Do they die?
Okay?
Wow? And he built this boat with some help, yes, but he did built this boat.
But it's almostly. She's like getting more attention in a sense because it's like a bigger deal that she's going on this.
Yes she is. But so there's two records being set. Of course, a woman is doing the trip, which has never been done before, and they're doing it in record time, so it's kind of and it's just the two of them, and.
It's their honeymoon, like literally probably no one would be doing a honeymoon to this extent exactly back then.
Yep. So it took the couple twenty six days to reach a location in the heart of the canyon called the Bright Angle Trail. It in itself was a new record when they arrived. Now they were going at an incredible pace. And there when they reached it, they hiked out of the canyon to resupply, and they visited an experienced river rafter in the area. The man by the name of Emery Kolb lived there and had already gone through navigating the same Colorado River rapids twice before he
knew what the couple were doing. He knew the risks they were taking, and he knew the most dangerous stretch of their adventure was still ahead. Now, Emery was a photographer alongside with his brother Elfsworth. They arrived in nineteen oh two, and there their studio was operating from nineteen oh four to nineteen seventy six. Wow. Now, fun fact their studio actually still stands today as a historic site.
Oh my gosh, that is amazing.
Yeah, I love that. So Emory greeted the couple as they arrived and took one look at their boat and knew that they could. You know, what they had built wasn't safe for the trip ahead. Put that way, it wasn't. He was especially shocked and concerned when he learned neither Bessie nor Glenn had life jackets.
Holy shit, Yeah, they're going all in on this, they are, but safety first. Really, like, that's not all in, that's like dumb.
But that's part of Glenn's stick. Set the record, do it with all the risks. We did it without life jackets.
Even you know, that's a sentence that just never be said. Who cares if you were a life jacket or not?
For me, I am an occupational health and safety practitioner, like, that's my job by day. Yeah, trust me, I get it. You don't need to preach that to me. I'm silly. Yeah. So Emory tried to convince them to wade out the winter and continue on in the summer, when the weather and river conditions would be better for them. He even offered the couple to stay in his home with them in the meantime. Oh wow, they however, declined. I knew
they would. Yeah. At the very least, Emory tried to convince them to take his own life jackets with them. He offered them up, you know, you need something you never know if you fall in. He sounds amazing, But they still that mind. Of course they did. Yeah. Glenn told him they were both strong swimmers and had no concerns if one or both of them went overboard. Plus he had faith not just in their abilities, but in the boat they had built. Bessie, on the other hand,
didn't seemed so confident. Apparently by this time she had grown tired and weary the trip. Though Glen was eager to push on, she may have been a little more hesitant no matter what Emory said. Though his concerns fell in deaf years. Emory couldn't do anything to stop them. All he could do was what he does best. He brought out his camera, took their picture, and they were back on their way down the river.
Yike.
So, I mean they're already twenty six days in. That's a freaking long time, it is now, Like he said, though, their most dangerous rapids are still ahead of them.
Yikes.
So after they took off again down the river, it's reported that a man by the name of Adolph G. Sutro rode from Phantom Ranch to Hermit Rapids alongside the river with them in their boat. Not in their boat, but he along the river while they were in their.
Boat, you know, okay, had another boat.
No, he was like on horseback or something on the side of the river bank while they were in their Oah weird, Okay, Now, I mean it could have been in a boat. I'm not too sure. All I know is he rowed down along the river side. That's what it says. That's all the information could find. He rode along the river side. Okay. So I'm assuming horseback. By the sounds of it, I'm switching to something super awkward.
I don't know why, like this person just following them that they don't want there.
Well, I don't imagine that they're like even an earshot of each other most of the time, you know, like he's watching them from across a canyon, you know. Yeah, Okay, So anyways, eventually, on November eighteenth, nineteen twenty eight, at the Hermit Rapids, they went down the river out of sight, and from there they were never seen alive again. Okay,
on November eighteenth, nineteen twenty eight. That's what you said, correct, Wow. Now, I just want to say, at surface level, this seems like a pretty cut and dry case overconfidence and inexperience got the best of these two, and once they reached the rapids, they couldn't handle their boat. It capsized, they drowned.
Why is this a true crime podcast? Right now? That is, of course a theory, But there is a lot more to the story still to come that makes this explanation very almost implausible, or potentially impossible, which is why we're talking about it today. So to continue on, Bessie and Glenn were expected to arrive at Needles, California, around December sixth, nineteen twenty eight, which would have been approximately sick Sorry, three weeks since they were last seen. However, we know
they didn't arrive. Days began to pass after their expected date, and people eagerly awaited the two. You know, they were supposed to be coming around the River's bend at any moment, but of course they never came.
Well, yeah, they're certain to wonder.
Glenn's father R. C. Hyde was growing anxious. Where were they? What happened? He wanted to find them, so we contacted Secretary of War White Davis and explained the situation. Quickly, they received support from the President of the United States to conduct searches and issued flights in the area in an effort to find them.
Wow, they made this a humongous deal.
Hey, they did, now. Rcie Hyde also promptly posted a reward for ten, sorry, one thousand dollars and pleaded with Native Americans and indigenous individuals and families in the area who were familiar to go out and search as.
Well for any missing pieces bodies, probably part of the boat or anything exactly.
Yeah, he did everything he could in effort to find the couple, and even when searches were happening, he made sure that rations were being dropped out of aircrafts and remote locations in the off chance that they happened upon those rations.
Oh okay, that's incredible.
So news articles were out in papers, they were on the radio, they were talking about it. Their disappearance was making headlines everywhere. The photographer Emery Colb and his brother also joined a full on search party. They were familiar with the area, as I had mentioned, he's made the trip twice before. Now a day into the search, the col brothers came across a boat at Diamond Creek around mile two hundred and thirty seven on the planned journey, hung up on the rocky shore of the river. It
was Bessie and Glenn's, no doubt about it, Okay. The homemade scow sat there in perfect condition, oh with gear and luggage still inside, with a rope caught up between rocks preventing it from floating downstream. But neither Bessie nor Glenn were anywhere in sight.
Oh man, okay, that was not would be like what you expect to find the boat.
Exactly inside the boat were clothes, rations, Glenn's hunting rifle, all their gear, their camera they had, and even Bessie's diary was inside the boat.
Wow. Why Yeah, like I thought that they would literally found it in pieces.
Yeah, they didn't completely intact, all their gear still inside.
Huh.
So rumors began running rampant of what happened. Boat flipped and they drowned, of course being the main one. But if that's the case, why is the boat in.
Such good Yeah, that doesn't make any sense.
Right, it was upright with all the shit inside. Yeah.
If it had capsized, like shit would not be inside of it, right.
So. Others mentioned seeing Bessie along the route before they went out of site, before they were last seen alive, and apparently she clearly did not want to be on the journey anymore. Oh, she seemed terrified. In fact, now, the individual who last saw them A. G. Sutro, potentially not only one of last people, potentially the last person to see them alive, said that Bessie was terrified and
she was way over her head. Apparently there are two accounts that Bessie had I'd literally been picked up and slung over Glenn's shoulders, only to be carried by force into the boat when she did not want to continue anymore.
Holy shit. So maybe her new husband isn't who she thought he was exactly Jez.
So if this is true, surely Bessie's diary that was found inside the boat, oh okay, would hold some testament, not necessarily, though she could have been worried that he read it. Like, I don't know how that's true.
How honest some people are in their diaries.
That's true. I thought of the same sort of thing, because I mean, they are in this boat twenty four to seven alone. He's going to see this.
Diaries obviously, Well we don't know for sure, I guess, but seeming a little bit controlling.
And he's seeing her writing in it. Yeah, what are you writing? Let me see that?
Yeah, or she falls asleep he reads it or something.
If he is abusive, he probably will just take it and read it, you know, So who knows regardless of the situation. Though inside her diary she detailed many days along the river in her adventure, but never gave any sort of indication of being forced or feeling contempt of her situation. So was their abuse? Did Bessie want to be there?
Yeah? I don't know. I just yeah, I'm skeptical of how honest she could have been in that diary. But I mean, who knows.
Yeah, who knows. Indeed, all it did bring up, though, was more questions and questions that of course didn't have answers. So on December twenty ninth, the search was called off due to hazard concerns, you know, putting people on dangerous rapids.
Well, yeah, and it's still winter right Exactly.
From there, the media went into a frenzy about what had happened, and speculations just ran rampant, even more so when footprints were found on the riverbed several miles up
from where the boat was found. This had their families, of course raise their hopes up, hoping that these footprints could have been them, And these footprints were men's and could have very well belonged to Glenn, but they were nowhere near the vicinity of where the boat was found and could never have directly been linked to either Glenn or Bessie. Now, I do want to point out that, I mean, they had a lot of people searching rivers. They even asked, you know, indigenous in the area to
go out and search. It could have just been someone searching or someone else on the river. Who knows, right.
Oh, yeah, there's lots of possibilities there, really so.
There's no proof that these footprints ever belonged to Glenn or.
Essaysily with them being far up, like not close to the.
Bout at all exactly. Now there is evidence they made it far as far as mile two hundred and twenty five, where they may have made a camp. Now, the diary notes nothing concerning or worrysome, and neither does their camera. The last photograph taken May it appears to be Bessie laying on the river bank face down. It's hard to see the image exactly, but she may be sunbathing, maybe covered in a sheet or it maybe, you know, she might be laying nude. I don't know.
It's a photograph on their camera.
Sorry, Yes, of Bessie laying on the riverbank, face down. It appears it's really hard to see.
That's interesting, Okay.
Maybe it's something a little more sinister. Maybe she's just having a nap and Glenn took a picture of her.
I don't know, you know, I am also curious to know too. Just this was just randomly popped in my head. But if the diary had anything in there in regards to like her happy with Glenn or like, you know, loving their marriage and stuff.
Nothing along those lines. Everything that's a lot that's slightly alarming. Everything seemed hunky dory.
Okay, like she was happy with him, Like it was okay, okay, I see okay.
All I know is the case would go cold. The couple would be assumed to be lost in the rapids, with some air of mystery surrounding them, with no new details that would come to light until fifty years later, in nineteen seventy one.
Oh it's quite some time later.
Now, a commercial rafting trip was guiding several people through the canyon on their own adventure excursion. They were nearing the end of their trip and they stopped in Diamond Creek and made camp for the night. Now, if you recall, Diamond Creek just so happened to be the location where Bessie and Glenn's boat was found. Right after camp was made and everyone was around the fire and settling in for the night, the guide began telling us the story
of Bessie and Glenn Hyde. They discussed how the travelers went through the rough waters, pushing records the whole way, and were eventually never seen again, but their foot boat was found right where they were camped. It was then that a woman spoke up in the group. The whole trip so far, the woman kept rather quiet to herself. She was only looking out in the canyon for most of the time, but made herself useful to the group
when needed. She spoke after the story and confidently, with a very straight face, said to everyone present, I'm Bessie Hyde.
Wow, just throlling that out there. Hey, was she traveling in this little tour solo?
Yes?
She was.
Wow.
Okay, that's so random, especially like to do something that you were terrified at one point, but it's like she's looking for something.
Yeah. So when the others questioned your about it and what really happened out there on the river, of course they kind of just assumed it was a joke or something. At first. She said she stabbed Glenn and killed him.
Holy shit.
Okay. She told the tale of how Glenn was obsessed with making the trip and doing it in record time without safety equipment, no matter the danger. Apparently a fight broke out between them on a day and she had been thrown back on board the boat.
Oh wow, okay, this is all like checking out really.
Now, Bessie wasn't about to be abused or put her own life for their life on the line, especially when this individual had no concern for their safety to begin with. So when she saw her opportunity, she took a knife and she struck Wow, then dumped his body into the river and hiked out of the canyon on her own.
Good lord, Yeah, okay, I wasn't entirely expecting that, And so she just like is on this fucking random little tour and like, oh, I just murdered him.
That's exactly what happened. Like, I mean.
Okay, but like you just literally said that you murdered someone, Like you could go to jail for that shit. Yeah, so that's I don't get it. I mean, wow, okay, like, oh I shouldn't be like that in a sense, I'm like, yeah, like whoa. But then also, like you just murdered someone, But like I like that you were like, she's not gonna let anyone treat her like that. I like that part. But then maybe not to murder someone, definitely, not to murder someone, definitely not.
So I mean this caught everyone off though.
Well yeah, if you imagine, how how did they sleep that night?
Is what I'm curing. No shit, this woman next to me in a tent just claims that she murdered her husband fifty years ago and got away with it.
Yeah, and I'm literally at the same spot, and I just like have gone down the river with her for how many goddamn days. Gosh, that's a horror movie in itself.
Well, everyone did kind of note though that the woman was She was kind of the right age for it, and she seemed very serious when she talked about it.
God, I don't think it could be in a situation like this, I would probably literally start laughing. That would be my response. I would uncontrollably start laughing.
It was not so uncomfortable. I would be so uncomfortable to my mind. Yeah. Well, the woman went by the name of Georgie White Clark. Now, she was a famous river runner guide in the Grand Canyon. Georgie was the first woman to run the Grand Canyon as a commercial enterprise. Not only this, but she was an innovator in her field, bringing in several new ways that guides ran through the Colorado River.
Huh.
She was a strong pioneer in her field, just the kind of person you may expect Bessie to become. In fact, after the campfire side confession. Journalists eventually came to her to discuss the story. However, despite there being multiple witnesses the night she came forward, she denied that ever happened and denied she's Bessie Hyde. Really yeah, she said, I never said that.
This whole little was just like giving me goose bumps, like it's just wild crazy, Like what the fuck? That's really messed up, isn't it. Why admit that at one point then later not? I mean it probably because she was like shit, like I go to jail.
Yeah, but someone who wants the notoriety, they want the notoriety, you know what I mean.
Yeah, but it's almost like she just la had kind of had a lapse of judgment for like a small period.
Exactly why it's theorized that she was Bessie Hyde because she had a lapse of adjustment judgment, maybe being caught up in the story where the boat was found looking out over the canyon. Maybe she was drinking, wanted.
To see how they would react to it, So.
Maybe she had a lapse of judgment to confess this.
Huh, just like testing the waters? How would this go for me?
And then when she was questioned about it, with journalists. She realized she made a mistake and just backtracked, backpedaled, said no, that never happened, not.
A terrible thing.
Yeah, I don't know.
I mean, you regret something, just like, Nope, it wasn't me.
Well, what makes us even more strange and even more believable is when Georgie eventually passed away in nineteen ninety two, she was found to be in possession of many items that belonged to Bessie and Glenn High Wow, including their marriage certificate.
Holy heck, Yeah, you're not kidding.
Dead's fucking serious. Okay, that's her. I'm sold that's her.
That's her. How the fuck would she have that? Right, there's no way that's her.
Well, so many people think that she was Bessie but a look. To be fair though, a lot of people say that they don't resemble one another. So well that's a start.
Two years freaking later.
Yeah, and they're also saying, well, perhaps these items were souvenirs she had picked up over the years. How she picked them up, I don't fucking know.
Oh, and she just like liked the story kind of thing. Yeah, yeah, but how would she have that? Or she was like a relative per se.
But then.
You said that she was kind of a proper age and such.
Right there, her age was slightly different, only by like a few years. I believe. I think Georgie was born in nineteen eleven, if I'm not mistaken, and Bessie was born When did I say Bessie was born in nineteen oh five? Oh?
Okay? How would she have the certificate though? The marriage certificate? That doesn't make any sense.
It doesn't because that would have been on board the boat.
Okay, did you mention what else she had?
Sorry? I didn't dive into too much on what she had. I just know that she had many other possessions, and on one was the marriage certificate.
Okay.
Now, apparently George's early Georgie's early life was rather well documented, and I didn't dive into how well documented it was either. We talked about their birthdays. Don't match? I mean, but who knows? Identities can be faked rather easy even today.
Well, like she changed her identity. Her name was different, right, she changed her identity after this happened?
Is mine? Well? Yeah, if Georgie was Bessie, she would have changed her identity. But the theory is well Bessie's early life is so well documented that it would have been impossible for her to fabricate these things. Okay, now, I didn't dive into how well documented Georgie's early life was because that's a whole other rabbit hole on its own, right, But yeah, that is an argument for this case on her not being Bessie. If you want to dive into that,
go for it. But yeah, now there is one more piece of the story that I can't not talk about, and this is Georgie aside, This is onto something completely different and I won't go into a great detail about it, and you'll kind of understand why in a minute. But in nineteen seventy six, a skeleton of a man was found in Emery Colb's garage after he passed away. He was the photographer who had done this trip twice before.
Okay, wow, I'm very intrigued.
Now. The remains were found inside a canoe that was stored away, and the skull had a bullet hole in it. Many believed this could be the remains of Glenn perhaps. You know, the story goes a jealous man who killed one other man to be with his wife, and I mean Bessie definitely jumped ship rather quickly from one relationship to another. Before she did do that, Yeah, could do it again. However, the remains were handed over to forensic
anthropologist doctor Walter Burkby. He determined it was from a man who was Caucasian between the ages of twenty to twenty three and stood six feet tall with light brown hair. He even discovered the skull I said had the bullet hole, but it still had the bullet embedded inside. After it was examined, it was determined to be from a thirty two caliber or similar revolver manufactured around nineteen oh two.
The production date of the gun and clothing fragments found with the remains of the skeleton suggested that the individual's death occurred sometime in the nineteen twenties. It all seemed to fit. It could very well be Glenn and he was just hiding in Emery's garage this whole time. Now, the story is plausible, but it was easily debunked by doctor Kirby. He took a picture of Glenn and the skull that was found and projected one onto the other.
From there, he adjusted the opacity of each back and forth. This gave them the ability to compare facial structures between the two. They actually show this a bit in the episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Oh that's interesting, I'll watch that. Yeah. And by doing this, he pointed out that the eye orbits were angled differently, the cheekbones, you know, they're a bit wider, and the shape of the chin was different. Basically the whole examination by doctor Birkby, he was certain
that the skeleton was not Glenn. Okay, from this examination, now, there was also records that were dug up of a man in the area who had been found to have committed suicide by shooting himself in the head with revolver in nineteen thirty three. His skeletal remains were found laying on the edge of Shoshone Point Grand Canyon with a twenty two revolver near the right hand. A round defect on the right side of the skull with a twenty two caliber bullets was recovered from inside of the skull
as well. It is assumed that this is the same man. Why exactly Emory had his remained stuffed in his garage all these years is unknown.
Okay, because I was like super wondering this. This is super fucked up that someone just has a skeleton in their ross.
Yes, it is, so it's assumed it's the same man. DNA testing proved unsuccessful because the remains were too far gone, I guess. But to date, this case remains a complete mystery. There are theories whether or not something sinister occurred on the river's water, but most just kind of accept that their desks was accidental. Either way, nothing's for sure, nothing can be proven.
Wow.
Wow, And that is a story of Bessie and Glenn Hyde.
Huh wow, Okay, that's interesting.
So what do you think? What's your theory?
Well, my member, how I said at one point, like I had a theory, yeah, and cause I know that I had thought that they went missing kind of thing after this, right, and I thought maybe it was to do with that she that her first husband wasn't letting her divorce him, and so then they like plotted this and like disappeared and blah blah blah. But then he did end up signing those papers, so that's like out the window.
I kind of assumed it was a bit too early for whatever theory you had. Ye didn't have the information yet. Yeah, So where's your head at now, though, do you think that Georgie could have been Bessie Hyde.
I really really really want to believe it.
I think she was.
But then also just some crazy person that's like, yeah, that's me.
But she had their fucking marriage certificate of all things, of all things.
I guess I'm really curious if you change your name, Like I feel like changing your name instuff is easy enough, but change and I mean, I guess if you're changing your name and like getting new birth tray fits and all that jazz, like change in your birthday is just as easy.
Yeah, right, And who's to say that, Okay, she didn't kill Glenn, hike out of the canyon, find some other woman kill her and just take over her identity. And that's why Georgie's life is so well documented in her early years.
I never thought of that.
That's crazy, just take over someone else's identity.
This lady's nuts now. Now, in my opinion, I'm just like, WHOA, she's wild wild child, wild child.
She was certainly a very strong willed woman. I don't know if she is a murderer. It's the most likely situation is they hit rapids. My gut is saying they hit rapids, one of them went overboard, the other maybe dove in to help the other, and they lost the raft or helped trying to help the other back on board. They both fell out. And actually I should mention this there was reports of them falling overboard previously to them, so they have fallen overboard and helped each other in successfully.
But the boat was tied up right, Like the.
Boat was not tied up. The boat was hung up. Oh, the boat's rope was snagged in the rocks.
But I mean, I feel like if they're going through something so rough that they ended up like falling out, that it would have been stirred up a little bit in a sense the boat. The boat would have had some damage or something. Yeah, elks would have fallen out like some of their supplies.
Another note, something else I didn't talk about. There was some damage to the boat that had been reaped haird along their current journey.
And then I guess my other thought too was when you said that like she had thrown them out or thrown them down the water, like killed them like with a knife or whatever. There were so many people searching, but I guess that could have been a lot earlier too, or a lot later that they were searching, right, potentially?
Oh yeah, and how bodies go missing in rivers all the fucking times?
Because I was like, oh, you think they maybe would have found found it, But then if it was way prior to the search, even maybe not at all, yeah, because they would have kind of been searching, maybe more near the area, and by then the body's like, way the hell gone.
Even modern times, they have a hard time finding individuals who go missing in rivers. Yeah, I know, because well, we have two rivers in a conflux here in our city, and there are unfortunately people who jump or capsize.
And they never found.
It's more often than not they're not found. That's true.
That's very true.
Hmmm.
I don't know. I'm going to say that I believe it's George. Is her name, Georgie, Georgie, Yeah, Georgie. I'm going with that.
My gut wants to say that, although it's not the most likely answer.
Well, I'm just like, why would this random woman just be like that was mate?
Why would you have their fucking marriage certificates of all things?
Yeah, you know, how would she have ever gotten that?
Right? Because that would have been but then if she were to take their marriage certificate, you think she would have taken her own diary if she's taking if she's taking documents out of the boat when she leaves, I guess hey, So it's hard to say. The most likely answer is they both went overboard and their boat gently came to rest somewhere. But I mean, Georgie, how did she get the ship? Yeah? Mehow?
It just I know because in my brain, I'm like, if they're going overboard, like is their boat when a literally just like end up resting somewhere. But it totally could, totally could, Yeah, totally could.
Well let us know what you think, whether it's on social media, you email us or comment or whatever. Let's hear it.
Well done. Again, It's another freaking Monday night where I'm not going to get any sleep because my rights go in them all minute.
And I do recommend you watch the Unsolved Mystery Case on this they do show that comparison of the skull and Glenn's face in relay, so it's kind of cool to see.
Will you be putting that in the show notes?
Yes, the link to that it's up on YouTube, so the link on too, that will be in the show notes below for sure, perfect perfect, So yeah, if you want to check out those show notes for the links, you can also find the links to our social media, links to our Patreon, our website, our merch Support us in any way you want, even if it's just listening to us. We appreciate the hell out of that.
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