Lore Lore 300: Board Stiff
11 snips
Feb 23, 2026 A deep dive into the history and controversy surrounding simple divination boards. True stories of legal feuds, factory mishaps, and deaths tied to board messages. Tales of moral panic, mass hysteria, and how technology kept the mania alive into modern times. Exploration of how the brain can turn mundane symbols into monstrous visions.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Family Feud Led To Oriole Copy And Fold's Fatal Fall
- William Fold won a legal battle against his brother Isaac after Isaac produced a nearly identical talking board called the Oriole made with stolen stencils.
- Fold publicized that 'the spirits' told him to expand and planned a new Baltimore factory as a publicity stunt before his accidental fatal fall from that factory roof in 1927.
Devout Woman Turned To Ouija And Took Her Life
- Sarah Griffin, a devout Methodist, bought a Ouija board in her 50s, embraced spiritualism, and then swallowed strychnine after telling her husband the spirits demanded she 'leave at once.'
- Her death in 1900 illustrated how boards could transform private grief into deadly obedience to supposed spirits.
Woman Cited Ouija As Reason For Homicide
- May Murdoch claimed a Ouija board told her her husband planned to kill her, leading her to shoot him; the court rejected 'the spirits made me do it' defense.
- She was sentenced to San Quentin but paroled after two years, showing courts' limited sympathy for Ouija-driven crimes.
