True Crime Historian

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. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-h...

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. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true...

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 c...

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. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--...

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. Ad-free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-histori...

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...

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. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support. You can pay more if you want to, but rent at the Safe House is still just a buck a week, and you can get access to over 400 ad-free episodes fr...

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 th...

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. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historia...

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 fo...

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. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support . You can pay more if you want to, but rent at the Safe House is still just a bu...

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 Yor...

Amos Lunsford Meets His Match Episode 175 comes by the way of a request from a listener in North Carolina who wanted to know more about this incident, a fight about a horse at a church revival camp that gets out of hand. There might have been whiskey involved. Go figure. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support . You...

The Scoundrel Gershon Marx Episode 447 retains a lot of the discrepancies in the reporting of the story, so don’t be alarmed at conflicting versions of the same incidents. I can’t say for certain that they ever got some of the names right, but nothing could be more wrong in so many ways than the theatrical adaptation of the case that takes place at the denouement. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporte...

The Bloody Record Of Henry Plummer And His Gang Episode 422 hearkens back to the wild wild West, in the days following the great gold rush. Much of the story takes place in Bannack, Montana, which is now a state park and ghost town, and follows the career of one of the most notorious gangs of the day and the rise of the citizen's committee that puts an end to it. Adapted from the books "The Story...

The Murder Of The Duchess Of Praslin Episode 213 is dedicated to listener Clair Stephenson, who reached out after watching the 1940 move "All This And Heaven Too", the story of a scandalous murder in the courts of France that helped precipitate the French Revolution. Based on dispatches to London, the real story is not quite the Hollywood version, but I can definitely see Bette Davis as Henriette...

Mrs. Peete’s Private Burials Episode 420 recalls one of America’s lesser-known serial killers, Louise Peete. There’s never been a book or a movie about her, yet during her murderous career, her Southern charm and polite matronly manner made her a nation-wide front page sensation, with some newspapers printing literally every word of her trial as well as fawning feature stories. Culled from the his...

Clue Of The Antique Dimes Episode 445 is the tale of a pair of simple-minded lumberjack cousins who go to extreme and cruel measures to exact revenge against a mountain recluse. But what price will they pay? Culled from the historic pages of the Denver Post and other newspapers of the era. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--29...

The Doctor's Wife And The Dumpy Little Chicken Man Episode 186 explores another eternal triangle resulting in murder. This time, it's the young-ish wife of an elderly doctor who plots with a neighboring poultry salesman to put a deadly end to her marriage. Obviously, it doesn't end well for them, or they wouldn't be on this show. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spre...

The Suitor V. The Shotgun Episode 419 tells the story of a family’s downfall, precipitated by a general disdain for the 25-year-old suitor of a 17-year-old daughter. Things go particularly awry when the suitor makes a valiant last-ditch effort to win the love of the family he hoped to be his in-laws, but a shotgun blast proves more potent than true love. Culled from the historic pages of the Phila...

The Ordeal Of C. Frederick Kohl Episode 444 is the strange story of a double tragedy. On one side we have a woman apparently driven insane with the desire to avenge crimes that exist only in her own mind. Her obsession has serious consequences for an innocent man. Culled from the historic pages of the San Francisco Examiner, the San Francisco Chronicle, and other newspapers of the era. Ad-Free Edi...

The Ordeal Of June Robles Episode 224 explores the sensational kidnapping for ransom of a young Tucscon girl, the favorite granddaughter of one of the city's pioneers. It's a story as frustrating as it is heartbreaking as a legion of pursuers doggedly but fruitlessly seek the kidnapper. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--29093...

Teen Mother In A Murder Trial Episode 418 concerns a robbery gone awry and features a colorful woman in the case, a teenage bigamist and mother, whose salty ways and love for her baby make her a little bit endearing, in spite of her crimes. The Tesmer case, referred to in the prologue, is the subject of Episode 234, Mrs. Carrick’s Rouge And Whiskers, available only to residents of the Safe House....

Murder In The Ozarks Episode 442 shows how a small town in Arkansas splits down the middle when the son of the local justice of the peace is accused of the brutal murder of a popular young lady. Culled from the historic pages of the Daily Arkansas Gazette, the Arkansas Democrat, and other newspapers of the era. Ad-Free Edition Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/tr...

The Case Against Professor Kane Episode 249 digs into the case of a college professor accused of drowning his wife for the love of another woman, but the prosecution first has trouble identifying her, then tracking her down, then getting the court to allow her testimony and love letters as evidence. I love a good fall from grace story, but what I really like about this case is the devotion shown b...