True Crime Historian

The Tragic Typhoid ConspiracyCommercial Free Safe House EditionEpisode 329 tells of an unusual modus operandi, the use of typhoid germs as a method of poisoning when an Illinois attorney goes on trial for the murder of a young man he raised after the death of his mother, who happened to leave her son a million dollar estate.A big welcome back to our friend Susan Ferman, who will read passages written during the trial by the Chicago Tribune’s ace female reporter Genevieve Forbes Herrick about some of the women involved in the case.Culled from the historic pages of the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers of the era.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

Rampage in ValdostaAd-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 126 concerned this podcast’s first non-human perpetrator, a great big crazy brilliant elephant first known as Empress when imported into the United States in 1871. She killed so many handlers that she was sentenced to death many times, but doing so was so difficult that she was just passed from show to show. Along the way someone changed her name to Gypsy, and she spent the last decade of her tragic life with the Harris Nickel Plate Circus. She claimed at least seven victims, but she was crazy for a reason, and if you’re an animal lover, I’ve got to warn you that you’re about to get a big dose of outrage and indignation. More Serial KillersBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The Botched Execution of Tom KetchumAd-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 127 takes us back to the days of the Old West with the tale of “the Black Jack Gang,” terrors of the Southwest, from about 1896 to 1891 when its leader, Tom Ketchum, was finally captured trying to pull off a train robbery solo. He didn’t know the conductor had been robbed once before and carried a sawed-off shotgun. Yeah, that’s not gonna end well.More BOTCHED EXECUTIONSMore WILD WESTERNSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

What The Dog Saw At Beekman PlaceAd-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 128 is one of the creepiest and sleaziest yet, when the mad Bohemian debauchery that made Greenwich Village famous spills over into the posh East Midtown. The colorful cast of real-life characters includes a woman who ran a prohibition speakeasy, her beautiful model daughter and her artistic friends, and an estranged husband who is disgusted by the whole thing, but addicted to pornography. And wait til you hear the eerie confession! You’re gonna love it.More Mass MurdersBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The LaBoeuf TriangleAd-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 328 revisits one of our favorite tropes: The Love Triangle Gone Awry. The people involved here weren't rich and famous, but just ordinary people, tragically caught up in their passion.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The Exploits Of The Outlaw James GangAd Free Safe House EditionEpisode 326 finishes off Wild West Month with the epic tale of one of the most notorious bands of outlaws to plague the American frontier. It’s a wild ride, so hang on.More WILD WESTERNSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The Thorny Rose Of The Wild BunchAd Free Safe House EditionEpisode 324 tells the tale of a young woman who would do anything for the man she loves, even go to prison for him. The couple were associated with the gang known as the Wild Bunch, featuring such notorious characters as Black Jack Ketchum, Butch Cassidy, and Harry Longbaugh, also known as the Sundance Kid.More WILD WESTERNSCulled from the historic pages of the St. Louis Times-Dispatch, the St. Louis Republican, and other newspapers of the era.Epilogue. Ben Kilpatrick did not get out of federal prison until 1911. By that time, Laura Bullion had been involved with several other men and was living in Memphis. They never reconnected. Kilpatrick was killed in an attempted train robbery in 1912. Laura Bullion worked as a seamstress and interior designer in Memphis until she died of heart disease at age 85 in 1961, the last surviving member of the Wild Bunch.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/s

The Grand Mogul Of The Texas DesperadosCommercial Free Safe House EditionEpisode 322 relates the downfall of one of the most desperate desperados of the Old West, John Wesley Hardin, the man so mean that it is alleged he shot a fellow just for snoring.Culled from the historic pages of the Galveston Daily News, The El Paso Times, and other newspapers of the era.More WILD WESTERNSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The Capture Of Hong Di Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 321 continues our exploration of stories from the Old West, this one from a ranch near Colusa when a Chinese cook, a mere boy of 17, opens fire with a rifle during the family meal. After a flight from justice, an unlikely hero captures the fugitive, who is put on trial while a vengeful crowd gathers outside demanding the extreme penalty of the law.Culled from the historic pages of the the San Francisco Examiner and other newspapers of the era.More WILD WESTERNSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The Earp Brothers Take A StandAd-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 319 takes us on a journey to one of the most famous gunfights in Old West history, the shoot-out at the OK corral. The first two thirds relates the story from the newspaper accounts of the day, while the third act gives a first-person account from Wyatt Earp himself.Culled from the historic pages of the Tombstone Epitaph, the Arizona Daily Star, the San Francisco Examiner, and other newspapers of the era.More WILD WESTERNSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The Brutal Murder Of Mayme ShermanA True Crime Short Story by Richard O JonesAd-Free Safe House EditionOne of the factors behind my interest in historical true crime is that my hometown of Hamilton, Ohio, seems to have a particularly rich history of crime--murder in particular, but not just murder. I’ve done several local programs about the safecrackers, bandits, and other notorious characters. This short story, “Bacon On The Table,” concerns the third of three “bluebeard” killers in the first decade of the 20th century. The first was the murder of Hannah Knapp by Alfred Knapp in December, 1902. This is the subject of my book, “The First Celebrity Serial Killer.” But even before this crime came to light, Samuel J. Keelor tried to decapitate his wife on Valentine’s Day, 1903. You can read more about that story in my ebook, “The Sleepwalking Slasher.”The following year, just a week after Knapp paid the ultimate penalty for his crime, Charles Victor Sherman commits the horrible crime detailed in this episode.In

The Atrocities Of Albert FishI'D TURN BACK IF I WERE YOU!!!Episode 191 is without a doubt the vilest case you'll ever hear on this program because I don't think I could find a worse one if I tried. There's a lot of evil discussed here: torture, cannibalism, and more. Consider this your trigger warning: I'd turn back if I were you! Or at least put the kids to bed and plug in your ear buds. Keep this between us.Ad-Free EditionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The Murder Of Mary PhaganEpisode 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.Ad-Free EditionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.

The Reily Mattock MurderEpisode 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 the era.Ad-Free Edition

The Real ‘Chicago’ MurdersEpisode 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 Hart on stage. I will read the case of Belva Gaertner, who became Velma Kelly.Culled from the historic pages of the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, and other newspapers of the era.This episode includes a reference to a fellow murderess Sabela Nitti, whose story you can hear about in True Crime Historian 230, The Ugly Duckling Murderess.

The Trial Of Rattlesnake James, The Red-Headed BluebeardEpisode 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.

A Litany of HorrorEpisode 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 Chicago. He was arrested for an insurance fraud in November 1894, but his string of murders, perhaps 200 in all, were soon revealed. He was convicted of one capital crime in Philadelphia, and while he awaited execution, he penned a confession detailing 27 murders that was published in newspapers across the country. He would recant this confession before he hanged, but really, you can't make this stuff up.Ad free Patreon edition with subscription

A Terrible Reign of MurderAbout the murders that inspired Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon"Episode 214 digs deep into the files of the FBI and one of its early successful investigations during the tenure of J.Edgar Hoover, when the Bureau of Investigations looked into the murder of as many as 60 to 70 Osage Indians. The file includes a report by Agent Frank Smith as well as statements by informants who helped break the conspiracy. True Crime Historian welcomes guest reader Susan Ferman as Katherine Cole, one of these informants.

YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism...The Gillooly/Lannon AffrayEpisode 443 tells the story of the first officer to be killed in the line of duty in Kokomo, Indiana. But was the violent action against him provoked, or spurred on by a notorious local gang? The question divided the growing Indiana town.Culled from the historic pages of the Kokomo Saturday Tribune, the 1882 History of Howard County, and Jackson Morrow’s 1909 History of Howard County.We offer a special thanks to the staff at the Howard County Library’s genealogy room and listener Anthony R Jones, no relation, who saw the mobile production unit outside that library, where I was engaged in research on another matter. After I got his message telling me to look into the Mollihan gang, I dug around and came up with this episode.Residents of the Safe House can take a deeper dive into Kokomo’s criminal past in the case file posted at www.p

SERIAL KILLER CLIPSA reading of Yesterday’s News exploring one of History’s most prolific murderers. The Mysteries Of Belle Gunness Episode 308 examines the strange story of Belle Gunness, which came to light only after her house burned down with her body presumably inside and a dozen or so bodies buried in the yard. There’s a lot of conjecture and debate about this case still going on today. Culled from the historic pages of the Chicago Tribune, the St. Louis Post Dispatch, and other newspapers of the era. A creation Of Pulpular Media Can’t wait for the next episode to drop? Download the new podcast app Himalaya and get all new episodes a day early, and drop a buck in the tip jar for True Crime Historian. Support your favorite podcaster at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian. Just a dollar a month reserves your bunk at the safe house and access to exclusive content and whatever personal services you require. *** Opening theme by Nico Vitesse. Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com. Closin