True Crime Historian
Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.
Episodes
April 24, 2024 • 65 mins
Betty Martin And Mildred Bolton Take Aim
Episode 178 takes us to Chicago in the 1930s when two women stand trial for very similar crimes, murdering their husbands, the second one inspired by the first. Both women are a little crazy, maybe a lot crazy, but their demeanor during their trials and the very different outcomes makes an interesting study to compare and contrast. One of them is pretty, the other pudgy. Which one do you thi...
Episode 178 takes us to Chicago in the 1930s when two women stand trial for very similar crimes, murdering their husbands, the second one inspired by the first. Both women are a little crazy, maybe a lot crazy, but their demeanor during their trials and the very different outcomes makes an interesting study to compare and contrast. One of them is pretty, the other pudgy. Which one do you thi...
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April 22, 2024 • 76 mins
Elderly Carpenter Murdered With Hammer
Episode 199 tells what happens when a grandmother with a grumpy but somewhat older husband befriends a younger man when he's released from prison and begins paying him $250 a month for his, um, affections. Yeah, that's not going to end well. That's a grand, sordid conspriracy. Just like we like 'em.
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Episode 199 tells what happens when a grandmother with a grumpy but somewhat older husband befriends a younger man when he's released from prison and begins paying him $250 a month for his, um, affections. Yeah, that's not going to end well. That's a grand, sordid conspriracy. Just like we like 'em.
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April 19, 2024 • 85 mins
The Philadelphia Arsenic Ring
Episode 181 takes us down a dark road of spiritualism and witchcraft, of an elaborate web that led to an estimated 200 deaths by various means, including arsenic poisoning. And two executions. And twelve lifesentences.
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Episode 181 takes us down a dark road of spiritualism and witchcraft, of an elaborate web that led to an estimated 200 deaths by various means, including arsenic poisoning. And two executions. And twelve lifesentences.
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April 17, 2024 • 126 mins
The Murder Of Mary Phagan
Episode 183 tells of one of the most infamous cases of an innocent man wrongly accused. When a teenage factory girl is found dead in the basement of an Atlanta pencil manufacturer, blame falls on the mild-mannered Jewish superintendent of the plant, and the jury takes the word of a drunken janitor. It’ll take 70 years for the truth to come out.
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Episode 183 tells of one of the most infamous cases of an innocent man wrongly accused. When a teenage factory girl is found dead in the basement of an Atlanta pencil manufacturer, blame falls on the mild-mannered Jewish superintendent of the plant, and the jury takes the word of a drunken janitor. It’ll take 70 years for the truth to come out.
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April 15, 2024 • 98 mins
The Rosier Affair, Part Two
Episodie 190 finishes up the melodramatic tale of Catherine Rosier as she goes on trial for her life. Get out the smelling salts and tissues, folks, there's a lot of swooning and fainting about to take place, not to mention the flying accusations and indelicate revelations.
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Episodie 190 finishes up the melodramatic tale of Catherine Rosier as she goes on trial for her life. Get out the smelling salts and tissues, folks, there's a lot of swooning and fainting about to take place, not to mention the flying accusations and indelicate revelations.
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April 12, 2024 • 64 mins
The Willow Love Triangle Murder Plot
Episode 184 takes us into Pennsylvania Dutch territory, where two local farmers are found murdered in the woods a month apart. Although not related, the second murder sparks intense local interest, especially when the farmer’s wife is discovered in a salacious love affair.
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Episode 184 takes us into Pennsylvania Dutch territory, where two local farmers are found murdered in the woods a month apart. Although not related, the second murder sparks intense local interest, especially when the farmer’s wife is discovered in a salacious love affair.
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April 10, 2024 • 73 mins
The Inept Executioner of Wise County
Episode 254 has a different format than usual. I was perusing an old True Detective Magazine and found a story written from the point of view of the hangman of Wise County, Virginia, telling the stories of the five men whose heads he put in nooses. It was an interesting story, but something wasn’t quite right about it. So I did some research on the individual cases, and have woven some news stori...
Episode 254 has a different format than usual. I was perusing an old True Detective Magazine and found a story written from the point of view of the hangman of Wise County, Virginia, telling the stories of the five men whose heads he put in nooses. It was an interesting story, but something wasn’t quite right about it. So I did some research on the individual cases, and have woven some news stori...
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April 8, 2024 • 93 mins
The Rosier Affair, Part One
Episode 189 is the first part of a story so twisted, snarled, and sensational that we broke it down into two episodes because one show couldn't hold all the drama. It starts out looking like another love triangle gone awry, but.... Well, hang on. It's a bumpy one.
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Episode 189 is the first part of a story so twisted, snarled, and sensational that we broke it down into two episodes because one show couldn't hold all the drama. It starts out looking like another love triangle gone awry, but.... Well, hang on. It's a bumpy one.
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April 5, 2024 • 100 mins
The Mysterious Murder Of Dr. William H. Wilson
Episode 216 comes not only with a mysterious poisoning, but a side dish of “illegal operations.” Either it’s a devilishly clever plot, or perhaps the police didn’t really give it their all, considering the scandalous nature of Dr. Wilson’s practice.
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Episode 216 comes not only with a mysterious poisoning, but a side dish of “illegal operations.” Either it’s a devilishly clever plot, or perhaps the police didn’t really give it their all, considering the scandalous nature of Dr. Wilson’s practice.
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April 3, 2024 • 69 mins
Vivian Gordon’s Final Caper
Though the body was found in the Bronx, Episode 228 is a dark, twisting ride to the seedy side of Broadway near the end of Prohibition, with a heavy dose of family drama swirling around a tale teeming with underworld villainy and police corruption. There were plenty of people with a motive to murder Vivian Gordon. Was it the cops? The crooks? Or some combination thereof? It’s a stumper.
Told from the hist...
Though the body was found in the Bronx, Episode 228 is a dark, twisting ride to the seedy side of Broadway near the end of Prohibition, with a heavy dose of family drama swirling around a tale teeming with underworld villainy and police corruption. There were plenty of people with a motive to murder Vivian Gordon. Was it the cops? The crooks? Or some combination thereof? It’s a stumper.
Told from the hist...
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April 1, 2024 • 53 mins
Episode 221 explores how some bits of cardboard, a moonstone ring, and a dog that couldn't bark solved a riddle in the lonely swamp.
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March 29, 2024 • 79 mins
The Teenage Sex & Murder Club
Episode 220 takes us to Tucson, Arizona in the 1960s, when police find a charismatic young man responsible for the disappearance of three teenage girls as the leader of a bizarre little party cult. But even when the murder cases are closed, the exciting story continues to include a daring prison break and a deadly prison brawl.
Culled from the historic pages of the Arizona Daily Star.
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Episode 220 takes us to Tucson, Arizona in the 1960s, when police find a charismatic young man responsible for the disappearance of three teenage girls as the leader of a bizarre little party cult. But even when the murder cases are closed, the exciting story continues to include a daring prison break and a deadly prison brawl.
Culled from the historic pages of the Arizona Daily Star.
Ad-Free Editi...
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March 27, 2024 • 90 mins
Evelyn Ramadka, Queen Of The Chicago Vampires
Episode 225 at first seems like a run-of-the-mill burglary case, a good girl gone bad, until we start getting to know the defendant as the story takes careen plot turns, compounded by the sensational press coverage--and a mysterious surprise ending.
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Episode 225 at first seems like a run-of-the-mill burglary case, a good girl gone bad, until we start getting to know the defendant as the story takes careen plot turns, compounded by the sensational press coverage--and a mysterious surprise ending.
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March 25, 2024 • 47 mins
The Trial Of The Rev. Ephriam Kingsbury Avery
Episode 24 takes place 60 years before Lizzie Borden put the town of Fall River, Massachusetts, on the murder map. The body of Sarah Maria Cornell, a 30-year-old mill worker, was found hanging from a haystack pole in the nearby town of Tiverton, just across the Rhode Island border. The first coroner's jury ruled the death a suicide, but a note later found in the woman's boarding house le...
Episode 24 takes place 60 years before Lizzie Borden put the town of Fall River, Massachusetts, on the murder map. The body of Sarah Maria Cornell, a 30-year-old mill worker, was found hanging from a haystack pole in the nearby town of Tiverton, just across the Rhode Island border. The first coroner's jury ruled the death a suicide, but a note later found in the woman's boarding house le...
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March 22, 2024 • 62 mins
Murder And Arson At Brandywine Springs Park
Episode 448 is a sad and sordid tale of a passionate frenzy, when a young woman’s divided attention puts one man in a rage and leaves another to grieve.
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Episode 448 is a sad and sordid tale of a passionate frenzy, when a young woman’s divided attention puts one man in a rage and leaves another to grieve.
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March 20, 2024 • 82 mins
The Lawrence/Foster/Disbrow Affair
Episode 423 delves into a love triangle gone awry. When two sides of the triangle, including an expert swimmer and sailor, are found drowned dead in a Long Island bay, suspicion immediately falls upon the third, even though the coroner declares the whole thing an accident.
Culled from the historic pages of The New York World, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The New York Tribune, and other newspapers of th...
Episode 423 delves into a love triangle gone awry. When two sides of the triangle, including an expert swimmer and sailor, are found drowned dead in a Long Island bay, suspicion immediately falls upon the third, even though the coroner declares the whole thing an accident.
Culled from the historic pages of The New York World, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The New York Tribune, and other newspapers of th...
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January 5, 2024 • 119 mins
The Reily Mattock Murder
Episode 198 is centered on one of my favorite murder tropes, the so-called “eternal triangle,” between the cranky old farmer, his fading wife, and the handsome young farmhand. Yeah, that’s not going to end well, but they might have gotten away with it if they had just put the body across the tracks. It’s all in the details.
Culled from the historic pages of the Hamilton Journal-News and other newspapers of th...
Episode 198 is centered on one of my favorite murder tropes, the so-called “eternal triangle,” between the cranky old farmer, his fading wife, and the handsome young farmhand. Yeah, that’s not going to end well, but they might have gotten away with it if they had just put the body across the tracks. It’s all in the details.
Culled from the historic pages of the Hamilton Journal-News and other newspapers of th...
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December 16, 2023 • 96 mins
The Real ‘Chicago’ Murders
Episode 352 explores the two murders that inspired the hit musical “Chicago,” which was based on a play by Maurine Watkins, who did some reporting on both cases as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. I’ll be joined by my colleague Susan Ferman, whose own podcast Catastrophic Calamities, will premiere next week on the Pulpular Media network. Susan will read about the case of Beulah Annan, who became Roxy Ha...
Episode 352 explores the two murders that inspired the hit musical “Chicago,” which was based on a play by Maurine Watkins, who did some reporting on both cases as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. I’ll be joined by my colleague Susan Ferman, whose own podcast Catastrophic Calamities, will premiere next week on the Pulpular Media network. Susan will read about the case of Beulah Annan, who became Roxy Ha...
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December 3, 2023 • 146 mins
The Trial Of Rattlesnake James, The Red-Headed Bluebeard
Episode 192 gets a bit epic, but it’s the story that keeps on giving, with two botched murders and moral charges to boot, and things go from crazy to crazier when they bring a pair of rattlers named Lethal and Lightning into the courtroom.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.
Episode 192 gets a bit epic, but it’s the story that keeps on giving, with two botched murders and moral charges to boot, and things go from crazy to crazier when they bring a pair of rattlers named Lethal and Lightning into the courtroom.
Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.
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November 12, 2023 • 42 mins
A Litany of Horror
Episode 12 is a reading of the chilling confession of Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes, one of the most remarkable serial killers in American History. The whole nation was shocked and outraged in the waning years of the nineteenth century by the gruesome deeds of one Herman Mudgett, the arch fiend who took on the pseudonym H.H. Holmes as he prepared his famous "Castle of Death" in downtown Chica...
Episode 12 is a reading of the chilling confession of Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes, one of the most remarkable serial killers in American History. The whole nation was shocked and outraged in the waning years of the nineteenth century by the gruesome deeds of one Herman Mudgett, the arch fiend who took on the pseudonym H.H. Holmes as he prepared his famous "Castle of Death" in downtown Chica...
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