This is an I-Heart podcast.

This is our American stories.

And up next, a story you won't forget.

In 1924, when Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin died,

the Soviets preserved his body by placing him in a hermetically sealed glass coffin. Lesser known,

though, is that around the same time in Benton Harbor, Michigan, a religious colony called the House of David did the

same for their leader. Here's our own Monty Montgomery with the story of a robbery, a glass coffin,

and a local legend. The year is 1927, the place, Benton Harbor, Michigan.

Home of the House of David, a religious colony led by Benjamin Pernow who preached that if you followed his message and gave all your worldly possessions to him, you would never die.

Unfortunately for Ben though, he contracted tuberculosis, which he died from.

Here's Chris Seriano with what happened next.

He didn't teach ever that he was going to die.

So here he died.

And it was pandemonium.

It was mass chaos at the House of David.

So Benjamin, they kept wrapped in damp warm towels for eight days,

thinking that he was going to rise again.

Finally, the Bering County Coroner said,

listen, it's been eight days.

You either bury the guy or we're going to bury him.

But luckily for the House of David, they had the Soviets to look towards for inspiration.

Well, during that process of having him wrap like that, they found out the process that

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