Baby Jean is not immortal. She's just a girl a cult leader thinks is The One. He came from the windswept plains of North Dakota, where he had once considered a career in medicine. But for James Bernard Schafer, he found that it was more rewarding, if not more lucrative, to treat a patient's soul instead of the body. When he arrived in New York in 1938 with his previous 42 years of life a closely guarded mystery, he had reinvented himself as the founder of a supposedly ancient cult known as the Royal Fraternity of Master Metaphysicians. Schafer amassed a considerable fortune printing and selling metaphysical literature and how-do guides on how to attain immortality. By the time of his arrival on the East Coast he claimed to boasts thousands of followers. Nobody knows if these numbers are accurate, but he couldn't have been too far off, as his wealth allowed him to purchase "Idle Hour"-- the 110-room Long Island mansion built for the grandson of railroad tycoon Cor...
Explore the true crime cases that shaped history. From chilling murders, baffling mysteries and eccentric criminals to monumental court cases and genius detectives, author Marlin Bressi brings the past to life, one shocking story at a time.