I always wonder since many of the UM segments were filmed over 15 years ago, if the people interviewed for the segments are still around today. Yesterday I did some research on one of my favorite segments - the John Wilkes Booth segment - and found out this:

Dr. Arthur Ben Chitty - He was the old man who, along with Nathaniel Orlowek, were convinced that Booth lived another 38 years under the alias John St. Helen. Unfortunately, Dr. Chitty passed away in 2003. He was 89.

Historian James O. Hall - He was the old man who was convinced that it was in fact John Wilkes Booth who was killed at Garrett's farm in 1865. He tried to debunk everything Dr. Chitty & Orlowek were claiming. Oddly enough, Mr. Hall passed away just last week! :eek: His obituary appeared in the Washington Post on Monday 05 March 2007. He was 94.

This segment aired in 1991 or '92 I believe. Nathaniel Orlowek looked as though he was only in his 30's at the time of the segment and I saw an article online yesterday that said he was still trying to exhume the body of John St. Helen all these years later.

Have you read Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell? It's a really funny (and informative) book. If you're interested in JWB and all of the kooky theories surrounding the Lincoln assassination, you would probably like the book.

I've read elsewhere that the claims of Finis Bates were proven false (including a bizarre story where he kept the john st. helen mummy and toured it around). I still hold that Booth escaped (agreeing with Chitty and Orloweck).

Has anyone else heard anything more on Bates' story being proven a fraud?

This segment aired in 1991 or '92 I believe. Nathaniel Orlowek looked as though he was only in his 30's at the time of the segment and I saw an article online yesterday that said he was still trying to exhume the body of John St. Helen all these years later.

What? Wasn't the body mummified, taken on tour, and then hidden away?