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Foul Play: A Historical True Crime Podcast

Baltimore: Sister Cathy, The Secretary's Revelation

Foul Play: A Historical True Crime Podcast

Shane L. Waters, Wendy Cee, Gemma Hoskins

True Crime, History, Society & Culture

4.5 β€’ 992 Ratings

πŸ—“οΈ 27 February 2019

⏱️ 24 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the twenty-third episode of "Foul Play: Crime Series," we open the file on a little-discussed facet of the Sister Cathy Cesnik story: "Sister Cathy, Behind Closed Doors: The Secretary's Story, Part 1." This episode introduces Lil Hughes Knipp, a former student who stepped into the role of Father Joseph Maskell's confidential secretary around the time of Sister Cathy's disappearance.

We examine into her unique perspective and the clandestine details she observed within the walls of Archbishop Keough High School. We correct previously aired information regarding Lil's family, noting she is one of seven siblings, not eight, and her father's presence during the Christmas season.

As we examine Lil's narrative, she reveals the dynamics within the school, highlighting Father Maskell's intimidating influence over the nuns and his presumptuous claim to authority. This power position, as she recalls, granted him unprecedented access to sensitive student files and information, despite the expectation of confidentiality in educational institutions.

Lil's belief that Maskell exploited his role to exert control and gain information prompts a chilling reconsideration of how the privacy of young students may have been compromised. This episode paves the way for a broader conversation about the power structures within private schools during the 1960s and 70s, the manipulation of confidentiality, and the potential implications for the ongoing investigation.

We step into the inner circle that Father Maskell guarded so closely, through the eyes of someone who witnessed his interactions first-hand. Lil's testimony not only adds depth to our understanding of Maskell's personality but also raises critical questions about his activities and associations during a critical period in the school's history. What might have been hidden in those confidential files?
Stay tuned as this two-part episode starts to piece together a story buried by time, authority, and fear.
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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

I'm going to Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, Hi everybody this is Gemma and this evening I have another really dear friend that I'm in all of one of my besties now for a lot of reasons. We have the same opinions about the world, about the country, but she also is an amazing female hero from the keepers and we're going to be interviewing our dear friend

0:56.8

Lil Hughes, Nip. You will remember little from the keepers as Joseph Maskell's student secretary.

1:05.0

So, Lil, welcome to the program.

1:08.0

Thank you, Jemma.

1:10.0

So, Lil, thank you definitely for being on.

1:12.1

We had a discussion in our podcast discussion group on Facebook, and it seemed like you are the person

1:17.7

that everyone wants to hear from.

1:19.8

Jimmy just mentioned how you both are the same person, but are you both also red-headed?

1:24.6

Yeah, mine.

1:26.6

All right, mine comes out of a box, thank you very much.

1:30.9

The secret.

1:31.9

I'm out of a box now too, but I am an original.

1:35.0

So you all have seen those gorgeous picture from the yearbook.

1:40.0

All right, Lil, can you tell us a little bit about your background,

1:43.3

specifically about your family and where you grew up?

1:46.2

I grew up as one of eight children in a large Irish Catholic family, middle class family.

1:54.2

We lived in Relay, our Butes, Kate Musville, in Maryland.

2:00.3

My dad was a salesman and my mom was a homemaker.

2:04.0

What differentiated my family was that my oldest brother, Mike, was developmentally and physically disabled.

2:13.6

And he was that way because he was born on Christmas.

2:17.2

My dad was away at the war and my mom was home alone

2:21.7

and she worked at the hospital that she delivered at.

...

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