14 episodes
Deadman's Curse: Slumach's Gold Curiouscast
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- History
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4.4 • 119 Ratings
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Just before he was hanged, an indigenous prospector accused of murder set a curse on anyone who searched for his hidden gold. Over a century later, a prospector, a mountaineer, a truth-seeker and a way-shower band together to walk the same paths of those who went looking for Slumach’s cursed gold and never returned.
Deadman's Curse: Slumach's Gold is a historical, true crime podcast hosted by Kru Williams from History Television's hit original series Deadman's Curse: The Legend of the Lost Gold. Join Kru and the team as they investigate the curse and legend surrounding the lost gold mine of Pitt Lake.
On their quest they're joined by members of the Stó:lō and Katzie First Nations, historians and cultural experts of diverse backgrounds, as they sort fact from fiction and give Slumach a voice from the other side of the veil.
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The Crime | 1
On a cold January evening in 1891, a condemned man was led slowly back to his cell for the very last time the night before his execution.
The next morning, the hangman arrived at the man’s cell and they headed toward the gallows where a black cap was put on, and at 8 o’clock exactly the bolt was drawn, and the trap fell. His death was painless.
The man’s name was Slumach, and he had just paid the ultimate penalty for his crime.
But, not long after his death, rumours began to surface that he had discovered a lucrative and hidden stash of gold in the mountains, a source worth billions.
It is said that just before Slumach was hanged, he muttered these words as a warning to anyone who dared to search for his secret gold mine: ‘Nika memloose, mine memloose.’
In this episode we look at how a single bullet was the catalyst for a 150 year old mystery.
Host:
Kru Williams - @kru_williams
Guest:
Taylor Starr
Facebook - @deadmanscursegpm
Facebook - @HISTORYCanada
Instagram - @deadmanscurse
Instagram - @Historyca
Twitter - @HistoryTVCanada
Great Pacific Media Website: https://greatpacifictv.com/
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Trial and Execution | 2
When we last left off, a man named Slumach shot and killed a man named Louis Bee on September 8, 1890, along the reedy shores of what was then known as Lillooet Slough, near the vast expanse of Pitt Lake in southern British Columbia.
In this episode, we take you through the relentless manhunt for Slumach, and the facts of the case as reported in the press. We also share details from the trial, which lasted no more than seven or eight hours, and where the defence called no witnesses.
Host:
Kru Williams - @kru_williams
Guest:
Taylor Starr
Facebook - @deadmanscursegpm
Facebook - @HISTORYCanada
Instagram - @deadmanscurse
Instagram - @Historyca
Twitter - @HistoryTVCanada
Copies of the original court records - https://www.slumach.ca/legal.htm
Great Pacific Media Website: https://greatpacifictv.com/
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Trouble in Paradise | 3
Slumach, accused of shooting Louis Bee and then fleeing, was tried for murder. The trial took mere days and the jury reached a guilty verdict in just 15 minutes, even though no witnesses for the defence were called or testified and, in the end, Slumach was hanged for murder.
But what if we told you the official accounts don’t tell the whole story?
In this episode we walk along the same reedy shores and sleep under the same stars as Slumach did in the late 1800s to learn from the land. The Pitt Lake region is the scene of the crime; the lake, and the silent mountains surrounding it, are the only witnesses that remain and they hold the truth behind the legend, the curse, and the gold.
Host:
Kru Williams - @kru_williams
Guests:
Don Froese
Adam Palmer
Facebook - @deadmanscursegpm
Facebook - @HISTORYCanada
Instagram - @deadmanscurse
Instagram - @Historyca
Twitter - @HistoryTVCanada
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All That Glitters | 4
The legend of Slumach and his gold goes by many names: the Legend of the Lost Mine of Pitt Lake, the Legend of the Lost Creek Mine, the Legend of Slumach’s Gold.
The story always starts with a variation on ‘a brash young man from Pitt Lake’, bragging about his wealth, spending it freely in New Westminster on booze and women. He would always disappear for a while to a creek rich with gold nuggets–a source that would be worth billions today.
But in our investigation into Slumach’s story, from the killing of Louis Bee to his execution, not a single newspaper article from the time mentioned anything about gold.
Not one word.
In this episode, we’re on the path of many others who have gone before us, who have gone looking for the lost gold mine.
But is there a mine for us to find? And how was Slumach connected to it?
Host:
Kru Williams - @kru_williams
Guests:
Don Froese
Adam Palmer
Gail Starr
Facebook - @deadmanscursegpm
Facebook - @HISTORYCanada
Instagram - @deadmanscurse
Instagram - @Historyca
Twitter - @HistoryTVCanada
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Guilty? | 5
80 years after Slumach’s execution, exclusive information emerged as part of a family story passed down through history: Slumach’s story from his lips to only one person’s ears.
In this episode, we hear the account of what happened from Slumach’s perspective.
He was a wanted man and seen as a menace to society, so there seemed to be little interest in pursuing Slumach’s motive. This raises the questions: Did Slumach shoot Louis Bee in cold blood to protect his gold as the legend says? Or was it actually self-defence?
Host:
Kru Williams - @kru_williams
Guests:
Don Froese
Dr. Keith Carlson, PhD https://www.keiththorcarlson.com/
Facebook - @deadmanscursegpm
Facebook - @HISTORYCanada
Instagram - @deadmanscurse
Instagram - @Historyca
Twitter - @HistoryTVCanada
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True Believer | 6
We left off as we introduced you to Ms Amanda Charnley, a Katzie woman and Peter Pierre’s daughter. Pierre was a catechist for the Roman Catholic Order of Mary Immaculate. He was also a healer and leader within the Katzie First Nation, and Slumach’s nephew.
Charnley described Slumach as ‘a harmless old widower who lived at the bottom end of Pitt Lake in a shack which was on the abandoned Silver Creek Indian Reserve.’
In this episode, we look at Slumach because the legend and newspapers painted him out to be some demon, evil incarnate. But could it have been just the opposite? Maybe he was just a man, and forces beyond his control doomed his fate.
Host:
Kru Williams - @kru_williams
Guest:
Don Froese
Gail Starr
Facebook - @deadmanscursegpm
Facebook - @HISTORYCanada
Instagram - @deadmanscurse
Instagram - @Historyca
Twitter - @HistoryTVCanada
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Customer Reviews
Brilliantly and Respectfully Done
A wealth of history told with respect to bring justice to a 150 years one sided story that was in its self an injustice.
Don’t waste your time.
I found the narrator was always repeating what was told from last episodes. Thus, the whole story could have been told in less then half the time. Also, I agree with some of the other comments that the series has too much of a Woke focus and seems to try to justify one’s actions by a conflicted murderer. The story is supposed to be about lost Gold but dives too much time into perceived issues of early Canada.
Excellent series!!
Great work on this podcast and on the television series, the podcast gives listeners the insight and depth of detail that the television series can’t allow time for. Very respectful towards the First Nations in all aspects, more historical programming in Canada needs to follow the lead that this podcast has taken. Thank you all for your hard work on this project, your listeners and peers should all take note of the truly special piece of history that you all have worked so hard on producing. With respect to all, keep working hard to bring the past to light!