True Crime Historian

Six Dead At Erland’s Point Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 139 is the gruesome story of a home invasion, circa 1934, a case that seemed so random that it took over a year to crack one of the most brutal mass murders witnessed by the Pacific Northwest. The small-town police are at first presented as in over their heads, but they remained dogged in their pursuit, and justice will be served. Event...

Episode 165: Ad-Free Safe House Edition "Murder By Dynamite," by Stewart Whitehouse. An explosion in the mens room of a department store sets off a wave of copycats, including one plot to murder a young lawyer by booby-trapping his car with dynamite. More Big Booms "Terror in La Paz," by Manuelo Martino, is our first trip to South America with the story of a clever serial killer and master of disg...

AKA The Lipstick Killer And His Imaginary Accomplice Episode 291 Ad-Free Edition Hang onto your seats, folks, this one is another wild ride down psychopath lane. Folks in a nice Chicago neighborhood are scandalized when a string of murders go from fearsome to gruesome. Police get their man--or men, depending on how you look at it--almost by accident when the culprit is arrested for another crime....

The Unexpected Crimes of Nurse Toppan Episodes 29 and 30 Ad-Free Safe House Edition History contains many cases of nurses who turned out to be killers, but there may not be one as bizarre as the case of Jane Toppan, one of the first "angels of death" on record. Because she had such a cheerful disposition, people called her “Jolly Jane,” and so were completely surprised when she was arrested for th...

Pulp Nonfiction: A Celebration Of The Pioneers Of True CrimeA Safe House Exclusive Ad-Free Safe House Edition Orphaned at an early age, Pauline Campbell had worked hard for her goal, until a killer ended her dream. Her murder seemed the work of a fiend with a grudge against nurses, then a teenager stepped forward with a shocking clue. Adapted from True Detective, Vol. 56 No. 4, February 1952 More...

The Pearce Insanity Plot Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 289 is a scandalous story that shook two Midwestern cities in the late 1930s when a woman came forward with a bizarre tale of abduction, adultery, assault, addiction and absconsion. That’s why I’m putting this story on my A-list. More Prison Breaks Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--...

Murder Of The Mythical Helen Johnson Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 288 goes out to True Crime Historian patron Aisha B., who requested a murder from her hometown of Pleasanton, California. Although a lot of these historic stories have humorous elements when considered in modern light, I don’t normally treat them as comedies. There may or may not be any actual murders in this one, but there ar...

The Ridde Of The Grinning Skull She led police to the body of her husband, but when she saw the mocking skull they dug up, a second murder came to light. By Frederic O. Schultze Ad Free Safe House Edition   Adapted from True Detective Mysteries, V. 7; No. 4; July, 1927 Episode 287 is a first person account from a police reporter who admits to unethical snooping in trying to get to this story. But...

The Heinous Crime Of Carl Wanderer Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 286 relates one of the most reprehensible double murders we’ve yet to encounter. They’re all reprehensible, but there’s no question that the act of Carl Wanderer was spawned by truly evil intent. More stories of "Pregnicide" Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/suppor...

Episode 140. Ad-Free Safe House Edition “The Bigamist And Her Murderous Husband: The Sweetwater Double Homicide” is the sordid tale of a love octangle (or something like that) when the suspiciously widowed husband of a girl married five times without a divorce gets fed up from the legal harassment from his wife’s elderly suitor. Culled from the historic pages of the Abilene Reporter and other news...

Episode 193 exposes two tales, one of lust and passion, one of lust for power. Ad-Free Safe House Edition "She Shot To Kill" is composed of two stories from the 1893 Omaha Daily Bee that tells of a deadly love triangle. There's a great contrast between the first day's coverage and the second. "The Woman In The Wall" comes from the vintage pages of True Detective Magazine (vol. 56, no. 4), the stor...

Life, Crimes and Confession of Bridget Durgan Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 141 conveys the confession of an Irish immigrant, young but hardened by life, who after getting fired from her housekeeping job, resolves to murder her mistress. Once she gets the idea in her head, she can’t let it go. Adapted from a sensational pamphlet published in 1867, the first act is purported to be a confession...

The Brutal Murder Of Mayme Sherman A True Crime Short Story by Richard O Jones Ad-Free Safe House Edition One 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....

Episode 195 shows Jolly Old England is not always so jolly as we take a look at three different cases with a body count of at least four wives and one mistress. "Nineteen Dandelions" by Edmund Pearson tells the story of a distinguished poisoner. "The Ugly Romeo" by Frank Cipriani tells of a serial bathtub murderer. "The Bungalow Murder" is the story of a married man who loved his girlfriend to pie...

The  Drummond Affair Ad-Free Safe House Edition Book a bunk at The Safe House and have access to the largest repository of True Crime Historian episodes available on the WWWs. Episode 283 is adapted from the classic pages of True Detective (Vol. 4; No. 6, UK edition) with an international tale of mystery. When the bodies of a titled British couple and their young daughter turn up dead in a camping...

The Murder Of The Groom Ad-Free Safe House Edition Join the Safe House for complete access to over 400 classic episodes of True Crime Historian, the largest collection available on the WWWs. Episode 142 tells the story of a St. Louis family with a tendency to resort to gun violence to solve their financial woes, imaginary or otherwise. The first crime was over a loan of $2,000 that probably never...

The Saga of the Scoundrel Thomas McGehan A true crime short story by Richard O Jones Ad-Free Safe House Edition - Episode 28 takes place on Christmas Eve 1870, when three men attack a local politician with boulders and slungshots, and at least a dozen men scramble for the door while five shots pepper the faro room at the American Saloon in Hamilton, Ohio, the hometown of True Crime Historian Richa...

Who Killed Lettie Whitehall? Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 282 is dedicated to True Crime Historian patron Vivia Boe, who requested an episode from her hometown, Bothell, Washington. In scouring the archives, I found this tragic story that takes place in the vicinity. It’s usually hard to get a full episode from an unsolved case as there’s usually no resolution and a good story needs an endin...

Hollywood’s First Sex Scandal Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 143 digs back into the early days of the motion picture industry, before Hollywood became synonymous with greed and lust and power. It only took a murder charge to bring down one of the biggest stars of the day, and even though it seems like poor Fatty got a bum rap on the deal, it’s probably the only reason Arbuckle’s work is not he...

The Murder Of Harry Dewey Garbe Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 145 takes us into the life story of 18-year-old bad girl Gussie Humann and an ill-conceived plan to get back at an old flame, which results in her becoming the youngest person to be indicted for first degree murder in Queens County, New York. It's a winding, twisty road that begins with a death bed accusation and includes a number...

The Escapades Of Velma West  Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 144 takes us into the scandalous world of a restless young flapper and her secret life. Before it’s over, we’ll have a brutal murder, a scandalous revelation, a sensational confession, a daring prison break, and drama galore. Hang on, everybody... This one’s a roller coaster. More Femmes Fatale Become a supporter of this podcast: http...

The Deadly Trout Creek Land Squabble Ad-Free Safe House Edition Episode 281 is dedicated to listener and patron Kimberlee Anderson, who shares a hometown with the defendants in this case. Although first reports said that Mrs. Alice Harris was a widow, it turns out she was a divorcee whose ex-husband was of THE Harris family of Harrisville, Utah. This story seems like it could’ve been a classic Joh...

Episode 218 journeys across three continents as we hear the stories of wiley police officers outwitting some very clever criminals. Ad-Free Safe House Edition "Strange Murder Of An Aged Romeo" by Peter Levins heads down Argentina way as a family feud gets settled in a grisly way.   "A Black Cat Doomed" by Fred Menagh, travel to England and France as Scotland Yard attempts to track down gangsters t...

Episode 147 Ad-Free Safe House Edition Spider Attic Ghost Killer : The truly bizarre tale of a man who stalked an elderly couple by living in their attic, sneaking down to forage meals from their fridge. The Texas Candybar Murder : The justice of the peace called it suicide, but others question how the young mother-to-be came to shoot herself in the back of the head. The Nurse and Her Nagging Aunt...

 Episode 280 is a reading of "The Black Negligee Murder" By Frederic Holmes Adapted from True Detective, v.43 no.1 Ad-Free Safe House Edition There’s a lot going on in this story. The seams show in the author’s reporting as he occasionally allows glimpses into his process, but at the same time, he makes it seem like he’s telling story from the point of view of the bad guy for most of the first two...