The Conspirators Podcast

Ghosts and the law don't seem like two things that go together. But throughout history there have been several instances where the two intersect. In this episode we tell you about several ghosts that solved their own murders, about the only legally haunted house in the United States and the time when testimony from a ghost was used in court. Notes: https://www.lifedeathprizes.com/spooky-stuff/the-...

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, spiritualism was all the rage across America. People across the country regularly visited so-called psychic mediums to communicate with ghosts. But in 1874, an ardent skeptic of the paranormal heard about a pair of brothers from Vermont, who claimed to be able to conjure the spirits of the dead on their rural farm. What happened next would change that ske...

In this episode I tell you about the lives of two men, John Wilkes Booth, the man who shot Abraham Lincoln, and Boston Corbett, the man who shot Booth. Or did he? Stories persist over the years that the man Boston Corbett shot was not really John Wilkes Booth, and that Booth lived on for decades after.  Notes: https://www.history.com/news/the-john-wilkes-booth-mummy-that-toured-america https://www...

In 1979, a four person Cessna crashed on the frozen peak of a California mountain. One of those people on board was a remarkable 11 year old boy named Norman Ollestad, Jr., and he would be pushed to the limits as he attempted to climb down the mountain alone.  Notes: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B002BD2UQ6/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 https://www.nytimes.com/1979/02/21/archives/boy-su...

Hypnotism is a controversial subject that has been around in one form or another since the time of the ancient Egyptians. Under hypnosis, a person becomes susceptible to suggestion. But just how far can you compel a person under hypnosis to go? For centuries, hypnosis has been tied to a number of murders and suspicious deaths. In this episode, we'll discuss some of these incidents, including one t...

Countess Elizabeth Bathory is considered by many historians to be the most prolific female serial killer in history. Stories persist of the vicious torture and brutal murder of hundreds of young girls in 16th century Hungary. But was she really guilty, or was she the victim of a conspiracy of wealthy and powerful people out to get her? Notes: http://www.gods-and-monsters.com/vampire-origin.html ht...

During the 18th century there lived a mysterious man known as The Count of Saint Germain. He was a master musician, artist, linguist and alchemist...and some people say he was immortal. Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theconspiratorspodcast/posts Notes: https://www.historicmysteries.com/saint-germain/ http://findingcountstgermain.blogspot.com/p/timeline.html https://coolinterestingstuff.com/the-s...

In July, 1954, a young Ohio woman named Marilyn Sheppard was brutally murdered in her home. Her husband Dr. Sam Sheppard was tried and convicted for her murder, but did he do it? Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theconspiratorspodcast Notes: https://www.amazon.com/Wrong-Man-Verdict-Sheppard-Murder/dp/0679457194/ref=sr11?ie=UTF8&qid=1530985153&sr=8-1&keywords=the+wrong+man+James+neff&dpID=41mkoY1NX...

In 1957, an odd, soft-spoken man named Ed Gein shocked the nation. What they discovered on his remote farm in rural Wisconsin was the stuff of nightmares, and would go on to inspire many modern horror movies, including Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Silence of the Lambs. But the true story of Ed Gein, is so much worse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For just as long as people were being put on trial for being witches, what is much less known is that people were also being tried and convicted of being werewolves. Hear the stories of these trials, as well as the gruesome tales of some very real murders people believed were caused by werewolves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For centuries, there have been people who have believed that the earth is a hollow ball. These stories include practically everything strange and  unusual you can imagine, UFOs, Giants, Atlantis, Bigfoot, Nazis, and government conspiracies. This episode features a special guest appearance by Nathan Lloyd of the Historical Blindness podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adch...

Stories of people who believe they could predict the future have been around for nearly as long as recorded history. Hear the stories of noted prophets, such as the Oracle of Delphi, Nostradamus and the men who may have predicted the sinking of the Titanic and the death of an American pop idol. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To some people, the Winchester Mystery House is the most haunted house in the world. Was it fear of ghosts that drove Sarah Winchester to build this bizarre sprawling mansion, or was there something else? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1932, Charles Lindbergh's infant son was kidnapped and murdered. To this day there are some people who believe that the man who was convicted of the crime, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, may not have been guilty. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been said that there's a fine line between genius and madness. In 1937, a gifted but mentally disturbed sculptor named Robert Irwin shocked New York City by committing a series of horrific murders. This led to one of the largest manhunts in New York history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1991, police found the body of 41 year old journalist named Danny Casolaro in a West Virginia hotel room with his wrists slashed. Although investigators were quick to write the man's death off as a suicide, it turns out he was investigating an alleged criminal and covert intelligence organization he called The Octopus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The national parks system is sometimes called the greatest idea in the history of America. But there's a dark side to the parks as well. For hundreds of years, people have mysteriously disappeared in the national parks, something that former police officer David Paulides has catalogued in his Missing 411 books. In this episode we discuss some of the creepiest stories, and the legends and history b...

Alcatraz. It's the most infamous prison in American history, and it will forever be tied to the most famous prison escape in history as well. In this episode we tell you the complete history of the Rock, from it's early days as a Civil War era military prison, all the way up to the famous 1962 escape by Frank Morris and the Anglin Brothers. Did they drown in San Francisco Bay? Or did they escape u...

One of the darker aspects of some religions, is ritual human sacrifice. Mexico is one of those countries that is steeped in tradition, but some of those traditions are drenched in blood. Hear the stories of the Aztec empire, which was centered around human sacrifice. And hear about some modern tales of human sacrifice, including a 20th century self-proclaimed high priestess who began her own relig...

There are thousands of islands scattered across the globe, and many of those islands contain dark and terrifying stories of their own. In this episode we tell you some of these stories, including the tale of an island tomb where the coffins seem to move around on their own, of an island off the coast of Australia that was the location of one of the worst mass murders in history, and of a tiny isla...

Hollywood caught on long ago that one of the ideal settings for a horror movie is the isolated cabin in the woods. But in real life, many murders have occurred in such cabins far away from prying eyes. Here are two such stories, the tale of a group of fur trappers who met their brutal end, and the story of a single mother of five who left a terrible situation, only to end up in a nightmare beyond...

Here's a special holiday minisode for all my listeners. It's the true story of the remarkable event that occurred on Christmas 1914, along the western front of World War I. Notes: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-story-of-the-wwi-christmas-truce-11972213/ http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zxsfyrd Music: Dexter Britain, The Tea Party http://freemusicarchive.org/music/DexterBritain/CreativeCommo...

In 1873, three women were trapped on a tiny island of the coast of Maine with a vicious axe murderer, in a true story that seems like something straight out of a horror movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

England's official laws regarding the prosecution of witches date back to the 1600s. Those laws would be responsible for the persecution and deaths of at least 4,000 people in the Middle Ages. Those very same laws would also remain on the books until well into the 20th century. In 1944, a psychic medium named Helen Duncan would gain notoriety by becoming the last woman to be tried under England's...

The city of Florence, Italy is the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance. It's also the birthplace of a terrifying serial killer who helped inspire the fictional serial killer Hannibal Lecter. The story of the Monster of Florence is a terrifying and twisting tale that went on for more than two decades, destroying countless lives and unearthing dark secrets that many people would rather keep buried...