The Felon File

The 1913 Murdering Man of the Cloth Episode 10-15 A shade of blue story about a man of the cloth: by his very position, a man who is supposed to radiate trust and reliability. The tale resembles a horror movie script more than a historical chapter of actual events. Unfortunately, it's true. 

1903 payroll robbery and murder by IED Episode 10-14 This shade of blue story is one of my favorite types. A detective Story. This one is about Detective Thomas A. McQuaide. Pittsburg Pennsylvania Chief of Detectives 1903. It's a story that would probably make a good movie, except you can't get John Wayne today to play Detective McQuade. John Wayne would have done the Superintendent justic...

Cars and Crimes Episodes 10-13 When committing a crime, the perpetrator doesn't usually want to wait for the good guys to ride up. He or she wants to get ghost as quickly as possible.  This is Today's topic for our collection of shade-of-blue stories: criminals and the cars and vehicles involved with them.

1936 and 1950 Family Murders Episodes 10-12 A small southern town in the 1950s, a hot August day. A local man brought violence to a Walhalla, South Carolina family. The man Destroying half of a family. Asheville 1936, a family dispute on the street ends in death. What were the outcomes of these two incident? Listen and discover.

Thanksgiving Holiday Crimes A look at a few crimes that occurred on the day of Giving Thanks. Robbery, Murders and Assaults.

The N.Y. Car Hook Murder episode 10-10 In New York City, a murder overwhelms the city’s attention and establishes fear, outrage, and discussion about the randomness of urban crime and its punishment. The “Car-Hook Tragedy” of 1871 was one of those murders.

England’s Doctor Death Episodes 10-9. There's something especially frightening about a doctor who murders his patients. Someone who spends years learning how to heal and save lives. Then, he starts to kill the people he is supposed to help. It messes with our perception of good guys and bad guys. This is a shade of blue story about England’s Doctor Death. He was the only British Doctor to date...

The 1903 Concert Mass shooting Episode 10-8 August 13, 1903, Gilbert Twigg opened fire during a concert in Winfield, Kansas, killing nine and injuring dozens. There was no motive, and no one had seen anything like it before or for decades after. Yet it's the archetype for the tragedies we frequently see now.

Was he a Murdering Methodist Minister? Episodes 10-7 On a cold winter morning, December 21, 1832, A farmer made a horrifying discovery on his father's Tiverton, Rhode Island Farm. Hanging by the neck from a cord lashed to a five-foot haystack post used to dry hay was the frozen body of 30-year-old Sarah Cornell. Was it suicide or Murder? What did her letters say? What did her Minister say? Lis...

The Mad Bomber of Mayberry Episode 10-6 Mount Airy, the model for the mythical town of Mayberry, maybe a location where you would not expect to find a bombing attack and a Shade of Blue Story, But the small southern town has had not one but two separate bombings. Both incidents were years apart and stemmed from broken hearts.   Listen to two tales of Lovelorn bombers.

The Devil made me do it. Episode 10-5. The 1887 Bank Robbery, Murder, fleeing to another country. Did he do it? He said he did. Why did he do it? Was it a deal with the devil, made 11 years previously? Or was it just insanity? Listen and decide for yourself.

1886 Memphis Murder, or was it justified? Episode 10-4. In police work, unusual is usually the norm. Take the day in 1886 when a man ran into the Memphis, TN, Police station, telling Police Captain Hackett. "I have just killed a man and want to give myself up." Listen and discover what happened. Truth or lie. You decide. On line 8-12-2023 @ 7 pm

Moonshine 101. Episode 10-3. Moonshine earned its name because it was often produced in the moonlit shroud of night to avoid detection by law enforcement. “Nearly everyone” then made whiskey, brandy, and beer. Most were produced for personal use. However, some made a serious business of it. The story of moonshining is closely tied to American history. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/felonf...

1871 Murder of the Silas Weston Family Episode 10-3 Murder or Lynching.? Who escaped and how? The entitled suspects were caught, but one escaped which caused a legacy of lies to grow with the assistance of a local writer for a New York City News Paper years later. What is the truth? Listen and decide for yourself.

The 1869 murder of a Congressman. Since the United States Congress was established in 1789, fifteen members have been killed while in office, and fourteen have suffered severe injuries from attacks. The felon files look at some of those incidents, including the story of the 1869 murder of The Honorable Cornelius S. Hamilton. Hamilton was murdered, his killer known, but no charges were ever filed....

9-25. Did the Lt. Governor get away with murder? In the middle of the day, the S.C. Lt. Gov. shot and killed his loudest opponent on a capital street. He had just lost the election for Governor. Was it murder or self-defense?

9-24. Criminal or Hero? What's your perspective? 1860s USA. Brother against brother. Neighbor against neighbor. It's hard to tell who is the hero vs. the criminal. As the old saying goes, "You can't tell the good guys from the bad guys without a program." And that depends on who wrote the program—the Story of Keith Blalock and his Family. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/sh...

Podcast 9-23. The Strange Florida Murder of 1865 Lord Byron told his readers of Lady Adeline and Don Juan "'Tis strange—but true; for truth is always strange; Stranger than fiction." Mark Twain wrote, "Truth is stranger than fiction, but it is because Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities; Truth isn't." Before Mickey Mouse, before the significant tourist industry of today, Florida was like...

9-22 The murdering wife of Georgia 1876 Robert Southern was the most eligible bachelor in Pickens County, Georgia. He probably wasn't the most suitable, but the media of the day said he was. Described as tall and handsome, from a locally prominent family, known to be a little wild and reckless occasionally. He had been dating two local girls and married one. Listen to the felon file to find ou...

9-21. The 1894 Sixteen-Year-Old Murderess Was it Love, honor, or, as one Newspaper said, "she was just a Holy Terror."

9-20. A Presidential arrest. (& No, it's not what you think) Where was the Secret Service in 1872 when the President was arrested? Not exactly sure, but listen to find some historical details. On the Felon File . Listen anytime for stories of real crime.

Bonus Dept of Justice release info

9-19. 1927 Goldsboro NC Murder of a 15-year-old girl. The body of a 15-year-old girl was found by her father one evening, Thursday, 8 December 1927, lying beside a path, thirty-five or forty yards from his home in Wayne County, N.C. Who did it and why. Were they caught and punished? Listen to discover. on line 4-1-23 @ 7pm. (EST)

Bonus 9-30-23. Assistant U.S. Attorney GUILTY! A felon file bonus. Info from the Department of Justice On  Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Assistant U.S. Attorney Pleads Guilty to Conflict-of-Interest Violation

9-18. Did Man make the whisky? Or did whiskey make the man?