Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

One of Minnesota's most fascinating unsolved murder cases began on the morning of December 9, 1937, when firefighters discovered the charred body of 31-year-old Ruth Munson in an abandoned Saint Paul hotel. As the investigation deepened, evidence would surface that suggested that Ruth had lived a very secret life.

My guest, Roger Barr, is the author of "A Murder on the Hill: The Secret Life and Mysterious Death of Ruth Munson." He utilized an extensive collection of police files to piece this 1930s-era investigation together.

Purchase the book here through the MNHS Press website: https://shop.mnhs.org/products/a-murder-on-the-hill

Prefer the ebook version? You can get it here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Hill-Secret-Mysterious-Munson-ebook/dp/B0CTPYV2HN

Support the show and ditch overpriced wireless with Mint Mobile’s deal and get 3 months of premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month! https://www.mintmobile.com/notorious

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There are two interviews packed into this week's episode of Most Notorious! First Dale Ross, author of "A Voice for Ira" joins me to talk about the horrific death of Ira Gurley in a bizarre elevator accident in 1932 Arkansas. While it looked to be an tragic accident on the surface, some evidence suggests there may have been something more sinister afoot involving corrupt state government officials and gangsters.

My second guest is Jeremy W. Gray, author of "The Infamous Birmingham Axe Murders: Prohibition, Gangsters & Vigilante Justice". He shares stories about a series of brutal murders that frightened citizens of Birmingham, Alabama in the early 1920s.

You can purchase "A Voice for Ira" on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Voice-Ira-Dale-Ross/dp/B0BNVH6YJB

You can purchase "The Infamous Birmingham Axe Murders on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Infamous-Birmingham-Axe-Murders-Prohibition/dp/1540228487

Victims killed by the Birmingham Axe Murderer(s):

12/24/1919 John B. Belser

11/28/1921 G.T. Ary 

12/21/1921 Joseph and Susie Mantione 

12/21/1921 Mose Parker 

1/11/1922 Clem and Alma Fenn Crawford 

3/27/1922 Russell Kellum and Ida Lewis

10/21/1922 Julius Silverburg and Louise Carter

11/6/1922 Abraham Levine 

1/6/1923 John Robert Turner and Lilly Bell 

1/10/1923 Joseph Klein

1/24/1923 Luigi and Josephine Vitellaro 

5/28/1923 Charley Graffeo 

10/22/1923 Juliet Vigilante and Elizabeth Romeo 

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On October 24, 1588, the city of Bologna, Italy was shaken when a knight named Paola Barbieri stabbed his wife Isabella to death with a sword. He then fled, dressed only in a nightshirt, with his sword in hand, eventually escaping the city. Authorities were torn about his motivation. Did he murder Isabella out of anger or jealousy? Or did he suffer from serious mental illness?

My guest, Mònica Calabritto, addresses those questions in her book, "Murder and Madness on Trial: A Tale of True Crime from Early Modern Bologna."

More about the author here: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/people/monica-calabritto

Purchase the book through it's publisher here: https://www.psupress.org/books/titles/978-0-271-09508-0.html

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This is a MoNo Encore interview. Original release date: 11/10/2020.

On the morning of June 10, 1937, New York heiress Alice Parsons disappeared off the face of the earth. Investigators almost immediately suspected that Anna Kupryanova, the Russian housekeeper, and Alice's husband, William Parsons, knew more than they were letting on.

My guest is former NYPD detective and Hot Zone Attribution specialist Steven C. Drielak, and his book is called "Long Island’s Vanished Heiress: The Unsolved Alice Parsons Kidnapping". He shares his research and personal theories about one of New York's greatest unsolved mysteries.

The author's FB page: https://www.facebook.com/p/Steven-Drielak-100009174391095/

Become a Most Notorious patron at: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious

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Best-selling author Margalit Fox returns to the show to talk about Marm Mandelbaum, an extraordinary woman who lived the classic rags to riches story, rising out of immigrant poverty and into wealth and power, but also extreme notoriety. She built her mid-19th century criminal empire by assembling some of the best shoplifters and burglars in the country and putting them to work. They stole millions of dollars worth of silk, jewelry and other valuables for her, which she would fence and sell at incredible profits.

Her new book is called "The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum: The Rise and Fall of an American Organized-Crime Boss".

More about the author and her work can be found here at her website: https://margalitfox.com/

Watch her book trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ynn5koWzaA

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The Reno Gang is best known for being the first group of outlaws in history to rob a moving train, but their criminal enterprises stretched far beyond that. They were counterfeiters, thieves, safecrackers and murderers as well. Led by John and Frank Reno, they terrorized the town of Seymour, Indiana throughout the second half of the 1860s until they were finally brought down by both Alan Pinkerton and local vigilante groups.

My guest this week is Janice Dickinson, author of " The Notorious Reno Gang: The Wild Story of the West's First Brotherhood of Thieves, Assassins, and Train Robbers."

Visit the author's Amazon page for more about her books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Rachel-Dickinson/author/B0034NKTTC

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In the early 1900s, prior to World War I, New York City was a vortex of vice and corruption. On the Lower East Side, then the most crowded ghetto on earth, Eastern European Jews formed a dense web of crime syndicates. Gangs of horse poisoners and casino owners, pimps and prostitutes, thieves and thugs, jockeyed for dominance while their family members and neighbors toiled in the unregulated garment industry.

But when the notorious murder of a gambler attracted global attention, a coterie of affluent German-Jewish uptowners decided to take matters into their own hands. Worried about the anti-immigration lobby and the uncertain future of Jewish Americans, the uptowners marshalled a strictly off-the-books vice squad led by an ambitious young reformer.

The squad, known as the Incorruptibles, took the fight to the heart of crime in the city, waging war on the sin they saw as threatening the future of their community. Their efforts, however, led to unforeseen consequences in the form of a new mobster class who realized, in the country’s burgeoning reform efforts, unprecedented opportunities to amass power.

My guest is journalist Dan Slater, author of "The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld".

Dan' Slater's publisher page (with links to purchase the book): https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/dan-slater/the-incorruptibles/9780316427715

Dan Slater on Twitter/X: https://x.com/bydanslater

Dan Slater on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bydanslater

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On the morning of May 16, 1922, a young man’s body was found on a desolate road in Westchester County. The victim was penniless ex-sailor Clarence Peters. Walter Ward, the handsome scion of the family that owned the largest chain of bread factories in the country, confessed to the crime as an act of self-defense against a violent gang of “shadow men,” blackmailers who extorted their victims’ moral weaknesses. From the start, one question defined the investigation: What scandalous secret could lead Ward to murder?

My guest is author and historian James Polchin, whose latest book, "Shadow Men: The Tangled Story of Murder, Media, and Privilege That Scandalized Jazz Age America", is available to purchase in bookstores and online now.

Visit the author's publisher page here: https://www.counterpointpress.com/books/shadow-men/

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In this mini MoNo interview, I chat with Mark Lee Gardner about the James Gang and their holdup of a Rock Island Railroad train in Missouri 143 years ago today. Two men were murdered during the robbery.

Mark's website: https://songofthewest.com/

My previous interviews with Mark:

The Northfield Bank Raid: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2022/12/12/mono-classics-the-1876-northfield-bank-raid-by-the-james-younger-gang-parts-1-2/

Billy the Kid: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2020/08/05/mono-classics-billy-the-kid-pat-garrett-w-mark-lee-gardner/

Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and the Battle of the Little Bighorn: https://www.mostnotorious.com/2023/04/14/sitting-bull-crazy-horse-the-battle-of-the-little-bighorn-w-mark-lee-gardner/

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I'm joined by former Scotland Yard detective Steven Keogh, who examines the Jack the Ripper case in his recent book, "Murder Investigation Team: Jack the Ripper". He applies current investigative techniques and uses his own experiences as a detective to revisit this very infamous series of murders.

The author's website: https://stevekeogh.com/

Options to purchase the book here: https://books2read.com/u/38Wo2w

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In the early 1960s, two top gangsters, Johnny Roselli and Sam Giancana, were hired by the CIA to kill Cuba’s Communist leader, Fidel Castro, only to wind up murdered themselves amidst Congressional hearings and a national debate about the JFK assassination.

My guest, journalist Thomas Maier, is the author of "Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro, " which will debut as a Paramount Plus docuseries on July 16. In this interview he talks about the plot to kill Castro, the moment when J Edgar Hoover learns about the assassination attempts, his thoughts on President Kennedy's assassination, the murders of Giancana and Roselli, and much more.

The author's website: http://www.thomasmaierbooks.com/

Buy the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Mafia-Spies-Inside-Gangsters-Castro/dp/151077890X

Watch the Mafia Spies docuseries trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c3AgTFSNkk

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In this month's MoNo Encore episode, we revisit one of the strangest cases ever covered on this show, in my humble opinion.

On October 24th, 1961, one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in Massachusetts history began when housewife and mother Joan Risch vanished from her home. Investigators were perplexed by a kitchen floor smeared with blood, a telephone receiver ripped from the wall and placed gently on the edge of a trash basket, and a bloodhound who traced her scent to the middle of her driveway. Later, drivers would report seeing someone resembling Joan stumbling along local highways, apparently dazed and injured.

My guest, Stephen Ahern, is author of "A Kitchen Painted in Blood: The Unsolved Disappearance of Joan Risch". He teamed up with a retired FBI profiler and a cold case detective to try and piece together a possible explanation of what happened to Joan that fateful day.

More about the author and his book here: https://expositbooks.com/product/a-kitchen-painted-in-blood/

Buy it through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Painted-Blood-Unsolved-Disappearance/dp/1476681848/

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My guest this week is award-winning author Dean Jobb. He joins me to talk about one of the most colorful criminals of the Jazz Age, Arthur Barry. Barry, who has been called "the greatest jewel thief who ever lived", was a master burglar who specialized in robbing New York's wealthiest citizens. Barry would have encounters with a wide array of interesting figures from the 20s and 30s, ranging from the Prince of Wales to investigators working on the Lindbergh Baby kidnapping case.

Dean Jobb's book, out on June 25, is called "A Gentleman and a Thief: The Daring Jewel Heists of a Jazz Age Rogue."

The author's website: https://www.deanjobb.com/

Dean Jobb on Twitter/X: https://x.com/DeanJobb

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On this episode of Most Notorious, I'm joined by Dr. Samantha Battams, who documents the life and times of serial killer Martha Needle in her book "The Secret Art of Poisoning: The True Crimes of Martha Needle, The Richmond Poisoner."

Martha Needle was accused of poisoning her three children, husband and future brother-in-law in late 19th century Australia.

The author's website: https://www.samanthabattams.com/

The book is available on Amazon in the United States here: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Art-Poisoning-Richmond-Poisoner-ebook/dp/B07NPQRMXC

For my Australian listeners, you can get the book at Amazon.com.au here: https://www.amazon.com.au/Secret-Art-Poisoning-Richmond-Poisoner-ebook/dp/B07NPQRMXC/

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On November 28, 1942, fire roared through Boston's famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub during what was supposed to be a high-spirited Saturday night. By midnight, more than five hundred people were dead, dying, or maimed for life.

My guest, Boston historian and author Stephanie Schorow, walks us through the history of the nightclub, the possible causes of the tragic fire, the devastation it caused, and the aftermath. Her book is called "The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire: A Boston Tragedy".

More about the author at her website: https://www.stephanieschorow.com/

Buy the book (and help independent bookstores) here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-cocoanut-grove-nightclub-fire-a-boston-tragedy-stephanie-schorow/18576557?ean=9781467152877

More about the fire here: https://www.cocoanutgrove.org

https://bostonfirehistory.org/the-story-of-the-cocoanut-grove-fire/

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In September of 1931, Thalia Massie, a young naval lieutenant’s wife, claims to have been raped by five Hawaiian men in Honolulu. Following a hung jury in the rape trial, Thalia’s mother, socialite Grace Fortescue, and husband, along with two sailors, kidnap one of the accused in an attempt to coerce a confession. When they are caught after killing him and trying to dump his body in the ocean, Mrs. Fortescue’s society friends raise enough money to hire seventy-four-year-old Clarence Darrow out of retirement to defend the vigilante killers. The result is an epic courtroom battle between Darrow and the Territory of Hawaii’s top prosecutor, John C. Kelley, in a case that threatens to touch off a race war in Hawaii and results in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American history.

My guest is attorney and professor Mike Farris, author of "A Death in the Islands: The Unwritten Law and the Last Trial of Clarence Darrow". He shares details from this riveting story with us on this most recent episode of Most Notorious.

The author's Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mike-Farris/author/B00BDU8BNY

The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.farris.756859

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On July 27th, 1903, thirteen convicts at California's Folsom Prison, led by Richard "Red" Gordon, attacked prison guards, took hostages, emptied the armory and made a dash for freedom. Some would be captured and punished for the murders they committed along the way, some would be killed themselves, and others would forever elude authorities.

My guest is Josh Morgan, author of "The Folsom Prison Bloody 13: The Big Escape of 1903". He joins me to share details of this epic escape and it's aftermath. The book is officially out on June 3rd.

Pre-order the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Folsom-Prison-Bloody-13-Escape/dp/1467155934

More about the author and his book here: https://www.joshmorganauthor.com/

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Today we revisit another one of my favorite episodes, the sinking of the Eastland.

On July 15th, 1915, a steamship with a checkered past called the SS Eastland docked at a wharf on the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, ready to transport 2500 Western Electric employees and their families across Lake Michigan to a company picnic. Once boarding completed, however, terrible tragedy struck when the ship tilted over and into the river, killing over 800 people -mostly women and children- in a horrific, chaotic scene.

My guest is Michael McCarthy, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland and the Shipwreck That Shook America". He offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of the ill-fated SS Eastland and recounts the story of the tragic sinking and its aftermath, including famed attorney Clarence Darrow's involvement in the trial that followed.

The author's website: https://ashesunderwater.com

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On December 20th, 1963, the city of Lorain, Ohio was rocked by the tragic (and odd) death of Florence Bennett. Her husband Casper had found her dead in their bathtub, scalded in its water. He claimed it had been an accident, but police believed he had drowned her.

My guest, David Miraldi, author of the acclaimed book "The Edge of Innocence: The Casper Bennett Trial" has a very personal connection to the story. His father was a civil trial attorney who defended Bennett in his sensational murder trial.

More about the author and his work at his website: https://davidmiraldi.com/

The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B074HFMMKV

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Many saw the dark side of the American dream, but none wrote about it like Jim Tully. Having spent six years of his childhood in a Cincinnati orphanage, Tully returned to his hometown of St. Marys, Ohio before climbing aboard a freight train in 1901. Drifting across the country as a "road kid," he spent his teens, sleeping in hobo jungles, avoiding railroad cops, and haunting public libraries. After six years on the road, he settled in Kent, Ohio where he boxed professionally and began to write. Following a move to Hollywood where he worked for Charlie Chaplin, Tully issued a stream of critically acclaimed books that serve as a dark and astonishing chronicle of the American underclass. Having established himself as a major American author, he turned his attention to Hollywood writing dozens of articles about the movies, often shocking the Hollywood establishment. Along the way, he picked up such close friends as W. C. Fields, Jack Dempsey, H. L. Mencken, and Frank Capra. He also memorably crossed paths with Jack London, George Bernard Shaw, James Joyce, and Langston Hughes.

My guests are Mark Dawidziak and Paul Bauer, authors of "Jim Tully: American Writer, Irish Rover, Hollywood Brawler". They not only share details from Tully's wild life, but also talk about two infamous Hollywood murders that he was connected to.

Paul Bauer's Archer's Used and Rare Books: https://www.biblio.com/bookstore/archersbookscom-kent

Mark Dawidziak's website: https://www.markdawidziak.com/

Jim Tully Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050314553406

The Most Notorious Podcast website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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Eric Jay Dolin, returns to the show to share details from his new book, "Left for Dead: Shipwreck, Treachery, and Survival at the Edge of the World". It's the true story of a wild and fateful encounter between an American sealing vessel, a shipwrecked British brig, and a British warship in the Falkland archipelago during the War of 1812.

Fraught with misunderstandings and mistrust, the incident left three British sailors and two Americans, including the captain of the sealer, Charles H. Barnard, abandoned in the barren, windswept, and inhospitable Falklands for a year and a half.

More about the author and all of his books can be found here at his website: https://www.ericjaydolin.com/

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Just after midnight on July 6, 1932, twenty-year-old Zachary Smith Reynolds, a renowned aviator and an heir to the R.J. Reynolds tobacco fortune, was shot in the family's summer home in what is now Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While some believed the moody young man had committed suicide, evidence suggested someone else had pulled the trigger, and eventually Reynolds' wife, Broadway actress Libby Holman, and his best friend, A.B. Walker, would be indicted for murder.

I'm joined by Phil Archer, the Betsy Main Babcock Deputy Director at Reynolda House Museum of American Art. He helped create Reynolda's popular exhibition, called "Smith & Libby: Two Rings, Seven Months, One Bullet", which can now be experienced in a condensed form on the very porch where Smith died.

More about the Reynolda Museum here: https://reynolda.org/

Watch the original exhibition trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bVYrVhMK7M&t=5s

Libby Holman sings the traditional folk song "House of the Rising Sun": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4ZGrlO7JU4

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This week we revisit one of my favorite Most Notorious episodes. In the small town of Isadore Michigan in 1907, a young nun named Janina disappeared. Ten years later, her body is discovered by a priest intent on building a new church on the foundation of the old one. Mardi Link, author of "Isadore's Secret", chats with me about the terrible circumstances surrounding the death of Sister Janina.

The author's website: https://www.mardilink.com/

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On a warm August day in 1910, Sheriff Jake Houpt and his deputies attempted to arrest brothers George and Oscar Chitwood outside the Garland County Courthouse in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A gunfight soon erupted, leaving both the sheriff and George dead. And when Oscar himself was killed in December under the protection of deputies, a mob of mysterious masked men were blamed for the lynching. But evidence suggests the story of Oscar's death might have been a cover for something else.

My guest is Christopher Thrasher, who along with fellow author and historian Guy Lancaster wrote the book "The Murder of Oscar Chitwood in Hot Springs, Arkansas". He summarizes this fascinating story for us on this latest episode of Most Notorious.

Christopher Thrasher's Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christopher-Thrasher/author/B0C3Z3ZGQK

The book's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9781467153270

The Encyclopedia of Arkansas: https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/

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Six months after losing a world title fight that remains infamous as one of the last mob fixes in boxing, Tyrone “The Butterfly” Everett—a flashy, handsome lightweight southpaw on the verge of stardom—was dead. Only twenty-four years old, he was shot in the head by his girlfriend, Carolyn McKendrick, who claimed that Everett had abused her throughout their relationship. But for years, street corner talk raised doubts about what actually took place in Philadelphia at 2710 Federal Street on May 26, 1977.

My guest is journalist Sean Nam, author of "Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, Fixed Fights, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing." He gives us an outline of the drama and shares theories regarding who might be responsible for the up-and-coming fighter's demise, including the possible involvement of a violent Philly organization called "The Black Mafia".

The author's website: https://www.murderonfederalstreet.com/

The author on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/seanpasbon

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Today we have special back-to-back episodes from the History Daily podcast. The first shares the story of the capture of one of the UK's most notorious serial killers, the Yorkshire Ripper, and the second is about the tumultuous life of Russian tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Visit the History Daily website for more information about the show. https://historydaily.org/

More about the Most Notorious podcast here: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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On September 30, 1955, 24-year-old James Dean became immortal. While his young life ended in a car crash, James Dean passed into the realm of American folklore, where his memory remains today. What exactly happened on that fateful day 60 years ago? What events led to the tragic accident that cost Dean his life? What became of the people and vehicles involved in that unguarded moment at Cholame? Is there any truth to the idea of a "curse" associated with Dean and his Porsche Spyder?

My guest is James Dean historian and author Lee Raskin. He has been on a lifelong quest to not only learn everything he can about life and death of Dean, but also the journey of the car he died in. His book is called "James Dean: On the Road to Salinas".

The author's website: http://leeraskin.net/

More about him at Stance & Speed: https://www.stanceandspeed.com/lee-raskin/

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There were few experienced swimmers among over 1,300 Lower East Side residents who boarded the General Slocum on June 15, 1904. It shouldn’t have mattered, since the steamship was chartered only for a languid excursion from Manhattan to Long Island Sound. But a fire erupted minutes into the trip, forcing hundreds of terrified passengers into the water. By the time the captain found a safe shore for landing, 1,021 had perished. 

"Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum" draws on firsthand accounts to examine why the death toll was so high and how the city responded. Masterfully capturing both the horror of the event and the heroism of men, women, and children who faced crumbling life jackets and inaccessible lifeboats as the inferno quickly spread, historian Edward T. O’Donnell brings to life a bygone community while honoring the victims of that forgotten day.

Edward O'Donnell's website: https://edwardtodonnell.com/

The author on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inthepastlane/

The author on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@inthepastlane

The author on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/InThePastLane

The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InThePastLanePodcast

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Phebe Wise was believed to be a witch by many locals in late 19th and early 20th century Mansfield, Ohio. Bucking societal norms, she lived alone on a large piece of property and would often march into town wearing her deceased mother's antique Civil War gowns. She also had her share of adversity, which included being the target of violent robbers and an obsessed stalker.  And her showdown with her stalker would lead to gunfire and death.

My guest this week is Mark Sebastian Jordan, author of "The Witch of Mansfield: The Tetched Life of Phebe Wise." He shares stories from the life of this remarkable and eccentric woman. 

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mark.jordan.794

The author's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9781467155212/

Buy the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Witch-Mansfield-Tetched-Phebe-Generic/dp/1467155217/

The author's Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/MarkSebastianJordan

This episode is sponsored by Factor. Go to https://factormeals.com/notorious50 to get 50% off! Use code notorious50.

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William J. Flynn, nicknamed "The Bulldog Detective", had a fascinating and accomplished career in law enforcement. While in the Secret Service he not only battled the Mafia in New York City, but also uncovered a sophisticated German spy ring on the cusp of America's entry into World War I.  As Director of the Bureau of Investigation, he devised the first counterterrorist strategy in United States history. He was a writer as well, contributing articles both to journals and to a true crime detective magazine which bore his name. 

My guest is author and terrorism expert Jeffrey D. Simon, and his recently published book is called "The Bulldog Detective: William J. Flynn and America's First War against the Mafia, Spies, and Terrorists." He shares highlights from Flynn's riveting life and career. 

Jeffrey Simon's website:  https://www.futureterrorism.com/

This episode is sponsored by Factor. Go to https://factormeals.com/notorious50 to get 50% off! Use code notorious50.

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My guest this week is bestselling author Lou Ferrante. He was an associate in the Gambino crime family before going to prison, where he studied history and began writing books. He joins us to talk about the origins of the Sicilian Mafia and how they followed Italian immigrants to the United States, initially establishing themselves in crime-ridden New Orleans alongside a corrupt police force. 

His new book is called "Borgata: Rise of Empire: A History of the American Mafia", the first volume of his Mafia trilogy. 

More about Lou Ferrante and his work on his website: https://louisferrante.com/

Lou Ferrante's Simon & Schuster Publisher Page: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Borgata/Louis-Ferrante/Borgata-Trilogy/9781639366019

Lou Ferrante on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/louferrante

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Lana Turner's meteoric rise to fame after being discovered at a soda fountain by a talent scout in 1936 is a legendary Hollywood story. From that point forward, the starlet's life had been a series of exhilarating highs - including award-worthy performances in critically acclaimed films, and terrifying lows - as she suffered abuse by multiple men over the years. Among the men who terrorized her was her gangster boyfriend Johnny Stompanato, a bodyguard for Los Angeles crime boss Mickey Cohen. Cohen and Stompanato had been working together to extort money from Lana, but on April 4, 1958, that partnership ended when Stompanato was stabbed to death in Lana's home. Her daughter, Cheryl, would ultimately be tried for the killing. 

My guest is New York Times bestselling author Casey Sherman. He shares details from his new book "A Murder in Hollywood: The Untold Story of Tinseltown's Most Shocking Crime". 

Casey Sherman on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/caseyshermanwrites

Casey Sherman on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/caseysherman123

Casey Sherman on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casey.sherman/

Help the show out by filling out this brief survey. A big thank you from Erik!  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/mostnotorious

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Vivian Gordon went out before midnight in a velvet dress and mink coat. Her body turned up the next morning in a desolate Bronx park, a dirty clothesline wrapped around her neck. At her stylish Manhattan apartment, detectives discovered notebooks full of names—businessmen, socialites, gangsters. And something else: a letter from an anti-corruption commission established by Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Led by the imperious Judge Samuel Seabury, the commission had uncovered a police conspiracy to frame women as prostitutes. Had Vivian Gordon been executed to bury her secrets? As FDR pressed the police to solve her murder, Judge Seabury pursued the trail of corruption to the top of Gotham’s powerful political machine—the infamous Tammany Hall.

My guest is author Michael Wolraich, and his brand-new book is called "The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age". He shares the story of Vivian Gordon, her 1931 murder, and the dramatic effect it had on New York City politics.

More about the author here: https://michaelwolraich.com/

This episode is sponsored by Factor. Go to https://factormeals.com/notorious50 to get 50% off! Use code notorious50.

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On August 17th, 1849, London police officers made a grisly discovery at the home of George and Maria (born Marie de Roux) Manning. Her former beau, Patrick O'Connor, had been buried under the floor. A nationwide hunt for the couple would follow, and after that a trial and executions. The murder case would grip London so fervently that Madame Tussaud would later add wax versions of the couple to her infamous Chamber of Horrors. 

My guest today is Gavin Whitehead, creator, writer and narrator of The Art of Crime podcast, which is currently in its third season. 

More about The Art of Crime here:  https://www.artofcrimepodcast.com/

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Gille de Rais is a complicated historical figure. On one hand he was a French military hero - a man who fought side by side with Joan of Arc - and revered for his service to church and state. On the other he was an accused heretic, an occultist, and the self-confessed serial killer of hundreds of children. 

My guest is Margot K. Juby, author of "The Martyrdom of Gilles de Rais". She believes that there is not enough evidence to prove that de Rais committed the monstrous crimes he has been accused of, and argues her case on this latest episode of Most Notorious. 

A short animated film about the author and her book here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBYgr7L-NSk

The author's blog: http://www.gillesderaiswasinnocent.co.uk/

The author's Twitter/X handle: https://twitter.com/MorbidMorag

Buy her book on US Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Martyrdom-Gilles-Rais-Margot-Juby/dp/1729561357

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When a well-to-do couple named Charles and Lois Hitchcock are discovered hacked to death on their fruit farm in Garden Grove, California in January of 1888, suspicions quickly turn to an itinerant German, who has been looking to buy a property in the area.  

This is a special "this day in true crime history" episode of Most Notorious, narrated by Erik Rivenes. 

References:  

Los Angeles Evening Express, 1/27/1888, p. 5.

Los Angeles Times, 1/27/1888 p. 4. 

Los Angeles Evening Express, 1/28/1888 p. 5

Los Angeles Times, 1/28/1888 p. 4

Los Angeles Herald, 2/1/1888 p. 2, 4.

Los Angeles Evening Express, 2/18/1888 p. 5

Los Angeles Herald, 2/19/1888 p. 2

Los Angeles Herald 3/16/88 p. 4

Los Angeles Evening Express, 10/22/1888 p. 8

Los Angeles Evening Express, 11/2/1888 p. 1

Los Angeles Evening Express, 11/15/1888 p. 1 

Los Angeles Herald 11/15/1888 p. 1

Orange County history: http://www.ocalmanac.com/History/hi01d.htm

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The Creek War is one of the most tragic episodes in American history, leading to the greatest loss of Native American life on what is now U.S. soil. What began as a vicious internal conflict among the Creek Indians metastasized like a cancer. The ensuing Creek War of 1813-1814 shattered Native American control of the Deep South and led to the infamous Trail of Tears, in which the government forcibly removed the southeastern Indians from their homeland. The war also gave Andrew Jackson his first combat leadership role, and his newfound popularity after defeating the Creeks would set him on the path to the White House.

My guest is international award-winning author Peter Cozzens. His book "A Brutal Reckoning: Andrew Jackson, the Creek Indians, and the Epic War for the American South" is the third in his trilogy about America's westward expansion.

Visit the author's website here: https://www.petercozzens.net/

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Prolific Australian crime writer Roy Maloy is my guest this week. He gives us the scoop on the complex and violent legacy of Melbourne gangster Squizzy Taylor. Highlights include Squizzy's marriage to notorious madam Dolly Gray, the infamous 1919 Fitzroy Vendetta, and his own bloody death at the hands of his rivals. 

His book is called "Squizzy - The Biography: The Forensics - The Man - The Vendetta." 

The author's Linktree page: https://linktr.ee/RoyMaloy

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/roymaloy

The author's TikTok account: https://www.tiktok.com/@roymaloy4

Readers in the United States can buy the book through Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Squizzy-Biography-Forensics-Man-Vendetta/dp/1716377986/

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Four-time guest and author Kimberly Tilley joins me once again, this time to talk about two unsolved historical mysteries. First, she tells the story of nineteen-year-old Lillian Hawkins, who was harassed by a murderous stalker in turn-of-the-twentieth century Ohio. Then we're off to 1920 Los Angeles, where a bit-part Hollywood actress named Ruby Reed was brutally slain in her home. 

More about Lillian Hawkins' wild story here: https://oldspirituals.com/2023/06/29/mysterious-persecution-1/

More about Ruby Reed's murder and investigation here:   https://oldspirituals.com/2023/08/13/ruby-murder-1/

"Love's Old Sweet Song" by Irene Pavloska: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIvz5zEaRBw&t=17s

This episode is sponsored by HelloFresh. Go to https://www.hellofresh.com/notoriousfree to get free breakfast for life! (One breakfast item per box while subscription is active.)

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In this Most Notorious holiday re-release, we revisit an interview that got a lot of attention when it first aired. This is my interview with Lise Pearlman about the fascinating research she did in the infamous 1932 Lindbergh kidnapping, and her jaw-dropping conclusions about who was really behind it all.

More information on Lise and her books can be found at her website here: www.lisepearlman.com

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One of the most colorful criminals in 19th-century California history was a man that you may not have ever heard of - Charley Flynn, aka Charles Mortimer. Flynn was a charmer and a ne'er-do-well whose life was something right out of a movie - a seemingly non-stop series of dramatic robberies and daring escapes. Flynn's activities turned terribly violent, however, after partnering with fellow criminal Carrie Jones, and culminated in two horrific murders and his eventual execution.

My guest is author and editor of the Wild West History Association Journal, Matthew Bernstein. He joins me to talk about his book "Hanging Charley Flynn: The Short and Violent Life of the Boldest Criminal in Frontier California".

More about the author and his work here: https://www.unmpress.com/9780826365040/hanging-charley-flinn/

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It was a chilly December night in 1956 when young Barbara and Patricia Grimes, dedicated fans of Elvis Presley, set out to watch "Love Me Tender" for the eleventh time. Their disappearance sparked a desperate search, fueled by countless sightings and reports. Yet, despite the intense media frenzy and police efforts, the case was riddled by confusion, misinformation, and potential corruption that have obscured the truth for decades.

In this episode, we discuss the web of possible suspects, including the enigmatic figure of Benny Bedwell, the rumors of sex trafficking rings, and the disturbing confessions that only added layers to this mystery. Author and historian Troy Taylor is my guest, and he offers his insights from his book "The Two Lost Girls: The Mystery of the Grimes Sisters".

The author's website: https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/

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On Monday, February 13, 1905, eight- year-old Kenneth Beasley walked to the back of his school’s playground and into the melting snow of the woods beyond. He never returned. A massive search was undertaken for the North Carolina state senator’s son, and a reward was offered. Despite clues, rumors and even a ransom note, he was never found.

A year and a half later, a political rival hurriedly was charged. Accused of the most bizarre and twisted of plots, he faced a courtroom overflowing with jurors, star lawyers, spectators and newspaper reporters. The eventual verdict and stunning aftermath would rip apart two families and shock a state ... yet leave a mystery unsolved.

My guest is former criminal defense attorney Charles Oldham, author of "THE SENATORS SON: The Shocking Disappearance, The Celebrated Trial, and The Mystery That Remains A Century Later." 

More about the author and his work here:  https://beachglassbooks.com/books/the-senators-son

This episode is sponsored by HelloFresh. Go to https://www.hellofresh.com/notoriousfree to get free breakfast for life! (One breakfast item per box while subscription is active.)

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Few American criminals have captured the imagination of Hollywood like Charles Starkweather, a red-haired James Dean wannabe who murdered eleven people in 1957 and 58.  With him during most of his killing spree was his girlfriend (and possible accomplice) Caril Ann Fugate. Among the victims were Caril's own mother, step-father and little sister.

My guest, Edgar award winner and bestselling author Harry N. MacLean, knew the Starkweather family as a boy in Lincoln, Nebraska. One of his main goals in writing his book, "Starkweather: The Untold Story of the Killing Spree that Changed America", was to examine more closely the question of whether 14-year-old Caril was complicit in the murders, or instead coerced by Starkweather to participate.

The author's website:   https://www.harrymaclean.com/

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Brighten the season and go to https://www.betterhelp.com/notorious to get 10% off of your first month.

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In my final interview of this Ripper series, I chat with Sarah Bax Horton, author of a recently published book called "One-Armed Jack: Uncovering the Real Jack the Ripper". Her prime suspect is Hyam Hyams, whose distinctive physical characteristics (including a stiff arm) match period eye-witness descriptions of the killer. She also has a personal connection to the story - her great-great grandfather was a police sergeant in Whitechapel during the Ripper murders.

The U.S. Amazon link to the author's book:  https://www.amazon.com/One-Armed-Jack-Uncovering-Real-Ripper/dp/178929536X

More about the author and her book here:  https://www.mombooks.com/book/one-armed-jack/

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Was the real identity of Jack the Ripper a Whitechapel horse slaughterer named James Hardiman? And if so, could he have committed the Thames Torso Murders as well? 

My guest is Dr. Drew Gray, who along with Andrew Wise wrote the book "Jack and the Thames Torso Murders: A New Ripper?" He makes the case for Hardiman as our Jack the Ripper limited series continues. 

Drew Gray's blog: https://thepolicemagistrate.blog/

Amazon link to his Jack the Ripper book: https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Thames-Torso-Murders-Ripper/dp/1445687763/

Amazon link to his book "Murder Maps": https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Maps-Revisited-Phrenology-Fingerprint/dp/0500252459/

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Aaron Kosminski is one of the more well known suspects in the Whitechapel murders. Some of the major police officials of the era, in fact, were seriously concerned about his potential involvement in the brutal Autumn of Terror slayings.

My guest, Robert House, has studied Aaron Kosminski for years, and shares details of his investigation with us. He is the author of "Jack the Ripper and the Case for Scotland Yard's Prime Suspect".

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100051505763425

You can purchase the book here:  https://www.amazon.com/Ripper-Scotland-Yards-Prime-Suspect/dp/0470938994

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Prolific author M.J. Trow returns to Most Notorious to kick off a series of interviews about the Jack the Ripper. In his 2009 book "Jack the Ripper: Quest for a Killer", he argues that a mortuary attendant named Robert Mann stalked Whitechapel during the Autumn of Terror, and presents his case that Mann had motive, means and opportunity to murder. 

M.J. Trow's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/M.-J.-Trow/author/B001H9U1B6

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My guest this week is my favorite John Dillinger expert, Ellen Poulsen. She returns to regale us with a colorful account of the Dillinger Gang's ill-fated Tucson, Arizona vacation in January of 1934.

Ellen is the author of "Chasing Dillinger", "Don't Call Us Molls" and "The Case Against Lucky Luciano", and is back for her fourth visit to Most Notorious. 

More about Ellen and her books here: https://www.ellenpoulsen.com/

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On January 16, 1900, a bitter feud between a former Kentucky congressman and colonel named David Grant Colson and a fellow officer, Ethelbert Dudley Scott, reached its bloody climax as they fought it out with pistols in a crowded hotel lobby in Frankfort. Both believed their honor had been besmirched by the other, and that the death of one of them was the inevitable outcome.

My guest is Thomas E. Stephens, who has a personal connection to this story, and wrote about it in the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society in 2000.

More about the author and his work at his Amazon page here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-E.-Stephens/author/B003D8MHKW

The author's article: Stephens, Thomas E.  Congressman David Grant Colson and the Tragedy of the Fourth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Vol. 98, No. 1 (Winter 2000), pp. 43-102

This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit https://www.betterhelp.com/notorious to get 10% off your first month.

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There is a lot of buzz about Taylor Sheridan's newest television series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and this week's guest, Old West author and historian Art T. Burton, is here to separate fact from fiction. He tells us about the exploits of this legendary Deputy U.S. Marshal, not only one of the first African-American marshals in United States history, but arguably the greatest lawman of his era. 

Art Burton's book is called "Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves". 

More about the author and his book can be found at his website here: https://www.artburton.com/

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004081261210

This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. Order here and get 50% off plus free shipping! http://www.hellofresh.com/50notorious

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Mackinac Island, Michigan is a special place. Summers there are always bustling with tourists, who come in droves to enjoy its history, beauty and charm. However on July 24, 1960 a horrific event shook the residents of the peaceful island. A 49-year-old widow named Francis Lacey was viciously murdered at the end of a morning walk. Law enforcement officers from across Michigan joined the hunt to find her killer, but the case still remains unsolved today. 

My guest is Rod Sadler, author and retired police officer. He shares details about the case and discusses some of the many suspects that kept police very busy that summer. His book is called "GRIM PARADISE: The Cold Case Search for the Mackinac Island Killer". 

The author's website: https://www.rodsadler.com/

His Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RodSadlerAuthor/

His Twitter/X handle: https://twitter.com/RMSauthor

His Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/therodsadler/

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From the 1930s to the 1950s, Irish altar-boy turned gangster Eddie McGrath ruled New York City's West Side waterfront. Not only did he provide union muscle for the International Longshoreman's Association, but he was also involved in dozens of gangland shootings and murders.

My guest, Neil G. Clark, is the author of "Dock Boss: Eddie McGrath and the West Side Waterfront". He tells the story of McGrath's violent rise to power as the leader of New York City's Irish Mob and some of the terrible acts he committed to keep it.

The author's website: https://www.neilgclark.com/

This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. Order here and get 50% off plus free shipping! http://www.hellofresh.com/50notorious

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When two General Motors executives drove into Crater Lake National Park in July 1952, no one could predict they would be dead within an hour—not even their killers. It was a crime of opportunity, a botched robbery during the middle of summer in a crowded national park. When Albert Jones and Charles Culhane were found shot to death two days later, the story became a national obsession. The FBI used every resource and available agent but, as time wore on, the investigation ran out of steam. A lack of evidence worked to the killer’s advantage. He had committed a perfect crime.

My guest is Monty Orrick, author of "The Crater Lake Murders: The story of the 1952 murders of two General Motors executives and the search for a killer hiding in plain sight." He not only shares details about the crime and its aftermath, but also offers his own theory on who he believes murdered Albert Jones and Charles Culhane on that fateful summer day. 

The author's page at Genius Books: https://geniusbookpublishing.com/products/the-crater-lake-murders?variant=46302290870551

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093321581643

This episode is also sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp and get 10% off your first month! https://www.betterhelp.com/notorious

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Born in Texas to immigrant parents in 1855, Charles Siringo lived a fascinating life from the very start. At the age of twelve Charlie went on his first cattle drive, and then spent decades working as a cowboy. Along the way crossed paths with legendary Old West figures like Bat Masterson, Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett. He was in Chicago during the Haymarket Riot, protected famed attorney Clarence Darrow from a lynch mob, and as a Pinkerton detective pursued Butch Cassidy and the Wild Bunch for years. And he was also an author, writing multiple books about his many adventures. In the last years of his life he went to Hollywood, where he acted as as advisor to filmmakers churning out early 1920s westerns.

My guest is Nathan Ward, who has written the definitive biography of Charlie Siringo, called "Son of the Old West: The Odyssey of Charlie Siringo: Cowboy, Detective, Writer of the Wild Frontier."

More about the author here: https://www.nathanwardwriter.com/

This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. Order here and get 50% off plus free shipping! http://www.hellofresh.com/50notorious

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On August 4, 1933, Eleanor Jarman, her boyfriend George Dale and another accomplice attempted to rob a Chicago clothing store owner, Gustav Hoeh. Hoeh fought back and was murdered by Dale. Eleanor still received a 199 year prison sentence for her part in the crime, but after serving just seven years she escaped with a fellow inmate. From that point on she became a fugitive (never caught) and likely holds the distinction of being the longest-running female fugitive in American history.

My guest, Silvia Pettem, is a Colorado author who specializes in cold cases. She not only walks us through Eleanor's interesting life, but also shares with us where she believes Eleanor (nicknamed "the Blonde Tigress by the Chicago Press) eventually ended up. Her book is called "In Search of the Blonde Tigress: The Untold Story of Eleanor Jarman".

More about the author and her work here:  http://www.silviapettem.com/

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On January 14, 1858, Felice Orsini and his fellow Italian revolutionaries tossed his newly designed bombs at the carriage of Emperor Napoleon III, outside of the Paris Opera House. This frightening new form of terrorism would have global ramifications, inspiring nihilists, anarchists, nationalists and others, angry about a wide range of injustices both real and perceived, to create chaos around the world.

My guest is Dr. James Crossland, author of "The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism". He walks us through the evolution of terrorism in the second half of the nineteenth century and talks about some of the events historically associated with terrorism in this period, including the assassinations of President William McKinley and Tsar Alexander II and Chicago's Haymarket Riot.

More about the author here: https://www.ljmu.ac.uk/about-us/staff-profiles/faculty-of-arts-professional-and-social-studies/humanities-and-social-science/james-crossland

You can purchase the book through Amazon here:  https://www.amazon.com/rise-devils-origins-modern-terrorism/dp/1526160676/

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In February of 1959, Albert Lepard brutally murdered his seventy-four-year-old great-aunt Mary Young and was tried, convicted and given a life sentence at Mississippi's Parchman Penitentiary. Lepard would escape six times over fourteen years.

In 1968, my guest Lovejoy Boteler, then eighteen years old, was kidnapped by Lepard during his fifth escape. He shares details about the research he has done over the years on the notorious Lepard, and tells the story of his own abduction.

Lovejoy Boteler is the author of "Crooked Snake: The Life and Crimes of Albert Lepard."

The book is available through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crooked-Snake-Crimes-Albert-Lepard-ebook/dp/B07PNRCP84.

You can listen to the audio version on Audible: https://www.audible.com/pd/Crooked-Snake-Audiobook/1494548844

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On this episode of Most Notorious, we examine one of the most infamous true crime cases in North Carolina history. On a cold autumn evening in 1901 a young woman named Nell Cropsey stepped out of her house with her spurned suitor, Jim Wilcox. She was never seen alive again. Wilcox later told police that he had broken up with her, leaving her crying on her porch, and then gone home. Over a month later her body (in pristine condition according to the coroner) was pulled out of the Pasquotank River.

My guest, Dr. William Dunstan, grew up in Elizabeth City where Nell's murder took place, and has been interested in this case since he was a boy. He believes that Jim Wilcox was innocent and has his own theory on what might have happened to her - and it includes a fascinating family connection. He is the author of "Nell Cropsey and Jim Wilcox: The Chill of Destiny."

Purchase Dr. Dunstan's book through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nell-Cropsey-Jim-Wilcox-Destiny/dp/1530121671

This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. Order here and support the show with 50% off plus free shipping! http://www.hellofresh.com/50notorious

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Built in 1927, the German ocean liner SS Cap Arcona was the greatest ship since the RMS Titanic and one of the most celebrated luxury liners in the world. When the Nazis seized control in Germany, she was stripped down for use as a floating barracks and troop transport. Later, during the war, Hitler's minister, Joseph Goebbels, cast her as the "star" in his epic propaganda film about the sinking of the legendary Titanic.

Following the film's enormous failure, the German navy used the Cap Arcona to transport German soldiers and civilians across the Baltic, away from the Red Army's advance. In the Third Reich's final days, the ill-fated ship was packed with thousands of concentration camp prisoners. Without adequate water, food, or sanitary facilities, the prisoners suffered as they waited for the end of the war. Just days before Germany surrendered, the Cap Arcona was mistakenly bombed by the British Royal Air Force, and nearly all of the prisoners were killed in the last major tragedy of the Holocaust and one of history's worst maritime disasters.

Prolific author Robert Watson returns as my guest on this week's episode of Most Notorious. He is the author of "The Nazi Titanic: The Incredible Untold Story of a Doomed Ship in World War II". 

More about the author and his work at his website: http://robertwatson.net/

This episode is sponsored by ZocDoc. Go here to download the Zocdoc app for free to find a top-rated doctor (and support the show) https://www.zocdoc.com/most

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In the early morning of January 21st, 1935 two employees of the Capital Transit Company in Chevy Chase, Maryland were cold-bloodedly gunned down. One of the men murdered was my guest's great-great uncle Emory Smith. As the police investigated the list of compelling suspects grew, but a powerful cover-up appeared to be in play, ultimately preventing the perpetrators from facing justice. 

Former forensic detective Karen Smith joins me today to talk about her extensive personal investigation into this 88-year-old cold case, and she shares some of the shocking evidence she uncovered during her research. Karen is the host of the popular podcast "Shattered Souls", available wherever podcasts are heard. 

Shattered Souls at Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/shattered-souls/id679462887

Shattered Souls at Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4ny3a6GvvVkMGPz0TTZRpP

This episode is sponsored by ZocDoc. Go here to download the Zocdoc app for free to find a top-rated doctor (and support the show) https://www.zocdoc.com/most

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Award-winning author and historian Robert Watson is my guest this week. He talks about the Confederacy's notorious Libby Prison, located in Richmond, Virginia during the Civil War. Resourceful Union officers, held captive under extraordinarily brutal conditions, managed to pull off a daring prison break in February of 1864. The manhunt that followed would be one of the largest in American history. 

His book is called "Escape!: The Story of the Confederacy's Infamous Libby Prison and the Civil War's Largest Jail Break". 

More about the author and his work at his website: http://robertwatson.net/

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My guest this week is Bill Cassara, author of "Nobody's Stooge: Ted Healy". First he walks us through vaudeville performer Ted Healy's rise to Hollywood stardom, including his creation of the Three Stooges, up to his untimely death in 1937. Then he addresses the longstanding rumors that Healy was murdered - either by the mob or by a fellow actor.

Note: please listen to the very end - I do a follow up call with Bill to ask a few more questions.

Here is a link to the author's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=bill+cassara&ref=nb_sb_noss

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BillCassaraBooks

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On January 7th, 1872, "Jubilee Jim" Fisk was murdered on a staircase in New York City's Grand Central Hotel. His killer (the lover of Fisk's former girlfriend Josie Mansfield) was furious at being targeted by the financier as the two parties battled in the courts.

My guest this week is bestselling historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H.W. Brands, author of "The Murder of Jim Fisk for the Love of Josie Mansfield". He not only talks about Fisk's sensational murder, but he also explains some of the outrageous financial schemes Fisk and his partner Jay Gould were involved in, including attempts to take control of the Erie Railroad and to corner the gold market.

More about the author and his book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209467/the-murder-of-jim-fisk-for-the-love-of-josie-mansfield-by-hw-brands/

H.W. Brands' Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/hwbrands

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David "Stringbean" Akeman was a singer, clawhammer banjo player and an early Grand Ole Opry star, known for his lanky build and comedic personality. And as a cast member of the nationwide television show Hee-Haw, he was at the height of his popularity when he and his wife Estelle were murdered in their rural Tennessee home in November of 1973.

My guest this week is Professor Taylor Hagood, author of "Stringbean: The Life and Murder of a Country Music Legend". He walks us through the fascinating life of this unique musician, the murders that left the nation reeling, and the investigation that led police to the killers.

The author's website: https://www.taylorhagood.com/

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Dick Turpin is one Britain's most famous criminals, a murderous highwayman whose nefarious deeds became romanticized decades after his execution.

My guest is James Sharpe, who shares Turpin's story and dispels some of the myths that have grown around the outlaw over the years. His book is called "Dick Turpin: The Myth of the English Highwayman".

More about the author here: https://www.york.ac.uk/history/people/honorary/sharpe

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Happy Independence Day to all of my American listeners, as we finally reach episode 300!

A slight deviation this week from the typical true crime tragedy and disaster content - my guest is best-selling historian Eric Jay Dolin, author of "Rebels at Sea: Privateering in the American Revolution".

America's new government, in an effort to stand up against Britain's formidable navy, issued letters of marque to privately owned ships, allowing them to seize British merchant vessels and men of war. Eric Jay Dolin explains the importance of privateering to the American cause and shares stories of some of the men who served on these privateers, including Captain Jonathan Haradan, whose heroic exploits helped shape the war's outcome, and free-born African-American sailor James Forten, who would become a British prisoner of war and later in life a wealthy businessman and abolitionist.

The author's website: https://www.ericjaydolin.com/

Go here to download the Zocdoc app for free to find a top-rated doctor (and support the show) https://www.zocdoc.com/most

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In this first ever episode re-release, Erik revisits his 2016 interview with New York Times Bestselling author Steve Hodel, author of "The Black Dahlia Avenger". Hodel explains why he believes that the 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, was committed by his father, physician George Hodel.

More about Steve Hodel and his work here: https://stevehodel.com/

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My guest this week is bestselling author Anthony M. Amore, director of security and chief investigator at Boston's Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. He shares the story of Rose Dugdale, an Oxford educated former debutante who rejected her wealthy and privileged life and joined the ranks of the Irish Republican Army in the early 1970s. Included in her notorious exploits was the attempted aerial bombing of a police station and the biggest art theft of her era.

Anthony Amore's book is called "The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist." More the author and his work can be found at his website: http://www.anthonyamore.com/

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On a chilly January night in 1932, a wealthy industrialist named Howard Woolverton was snatched from his car by kidnappers. When he was released unharmed the next day, his apparent lack of concern for the capture of his abductors led many to believe he was attempting to halt the investigation. J. Edgar Hoover would later name George Kelly Barnes, aka "Machine Gun Kelly" and his wife Kathryn as participants in his abduction, but evidence suggests other notorious gangsters were also involved, and the case itself has never officially been solved.

My guest Kevin Meredith collaborated with Woolverton's grandson David W. Hendry to write “Under Penalty of Death: The Untold Story of Machine Gun Kelly's First Kidnapping.” In this interview he theorizes about why Hoover might have ignored other possible suspects, including Verne Miller and Frank "Jelly" Nash, and explains how this little-known kidnapping, along with the Lindbergh kidnapping that followed closely on its heels, helped usher in the 1932 Federal Kidnapping Act.

The author's publisher page: https://iupress.org/9781684351992/under-penalty-of-death/

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At about 11 pm on July 18, 1959, Dr. Bernard Finch and his girlfriend Carole Ann Tregoff arrived at the Finch home in West Covina, California with a plan to murder his wife Barbara and make her death look like an accident. Things did not go as planned, however, and after a struggle Finch ended up shooting her dead. From there he fled, ultimately leading police on a high speed chase through the city. And he escaped - at least temporarily.

My guest is Steve Kosareff, author of "Satin Pumps: The Moonlit Murder That Mesmerized The Nation", and he has a personal connection to Dr. Finch. He explains the connection, along with other interesting details of this sordid and sensational case.

The author's Twitter handle: @SatinPumps

A YouTube video posted by the author with photographs of the case.

Satin Pumps available on Amazon.

Information about the book from the publisher.

The author's website.

Go here to download the Zocdoc app for free to find a top-rated doctor (and support the show) https://www.zocdoc.com/most

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In the years following the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot, a wave of terror rocked the city. Over twenty black women were brutally murdered, often in a fashion that mimicked the infamous Jack the Ripper murders twenty years earlier.

My guest is Dr. Jeffery Wells, author of "The Atlanta Ripper: The Unsolved Case of the Gate City's Most Infamous Murders". He talks about the racially-charged atmosphere of Atlanta in the 1910s, the likelihood that the rash of murders were committed by multiple people and the connection between the Atlanta Ripper killings and the sensational Mary Phagan murder case.

More about the author and his book here: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/9781609493813/The-Atlanta-Ripper-The-Unsolved-Case-of-the-Gate-Citys-Most-Infamous-Murders

Dr. Wells' Georgia history blog: http://georgiamysteries.blogspot.com/

For a list of victims attributed to the Atlanta Murderer or Murderers, click here.

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Chattanooga, Tennessee, 1906. When a young white woman is assaulted in a dark cemetery, the town erupts. Despite questionable evidence and a flawed trial, a black man named Ed Johnson is convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. Before he can be executed, the U.S. Supreme Court intervenes. Despite their order, a bloodthirsty mob attacks the county jail, and lynches Johnson.

The infuriated high court is determined Ed Johnson's murder will not go unpunished, and they charge Joseph Shipp, the county sheriff, with contempt. Desperate to save his political career and fearful of the reckoning he faces, the ambitious sheriff deteriorates under the strain of the case against him.

After failing to solve another shocking crime, Shipp does the unthinkable. He gambles on the ability of Dave Edwards, a notoriously violent inmate in his jail, to solve the high-profile cold case. Despite a pending trial for first-degree murder, the sheriff releases Edwards. It's not long until Dave's madness manifests itself, with dreadful consequences.

My guest is Kimberly Tilley, back for the fourth time to Most Notorious, this time to talk about her fascinating new book called "Grievous Deeds: The True Story of Four Years of Fury in Chattanooga, Tennessee".

More about Kimberly's historical research and writing here: https://oldspirituals.com/

Kimberly is also a co-founder of Pivot Discovery Career Services. If you're thinking about making changes to your work life, connect with Kimberly here: https://pivotdisc.com/

Our "The Poisoned Glass" interview from 9/5/19.

Our "Cold Heart" interview from 12/9/20.

Our "Has It Come to This?" interview from 4/3/22.

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My guest this week is award-winning writer David Grann, whose new book, "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder", is currently number one on the New York Times Hardcover Non-Fiction Best Sellers list.

It's the tale of HMS Wager, a British warship that gets separated from the rest of its squadron while in pursuit of a treasure-filled Spanish galleon. The ship wrecks off the coast of Chile and the surviving crew members face off against each other amidst disease, cold and starvation - with deadly results.

The author's website: https://www.davidgrann.com/

Our previous interview about his book "Killers of the Flower Moon": https://www.mostnotorious.com/2022/04/14/mono-classics-oklahomas-osage-murders-w-david-grann/

Go here to download the Zocdoc app for free to find a top-rated doctor (and support the show) https://www.zocdoc.com/most

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In the 1870s and 80s the nation was embroiled in a sensational scandal. Corrupt politicians, post office officials and others conspired to defraud the United States Post Office out of millions of dollars. It was only under the watchful eye of newly elected President James Garfield that an in-depth investigation began.

My guest is Shawn Francis Peters, author of "When Bad Men Combine: The Star Route Scandal and the Twilight of Gilded Age Politics." He not only explains the graft and its consequences, but also shares his thoughts about the theory that Garfield's assassination was in fact connected to the scandal.

More about the book here: https://lsupress.org/books/detail/when-bad-men-combine/

If you haven't done so already, listen to my prior conversation with Shawn about Gilded-Age murderer Harry Hayward at Minnesota's Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold.

Go here to download the Zocdoc app for free to find a top-rated doctor (and support the show) https://www.zocdoc.com/most

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Philip Van Cise faced a double threat when he became Denver's district attorney in 1921. He quickly discovered that a massive bunco ring was operating unimpeded in downtown Denver, fleecing unsuspecting rubes out of enormous amounts of money. In addition, the Ku Klux Klan was gaining popularity across the state - winning key elections as it encouraged vigilantism and threatened many Denver citizens.

My guest, Alan Prendergast, tells Van Cise's story in his new book, "Gangbuster: One Man's Battle Against Crime, Corruption, and the Klan".

The author's website: https://alanprendergast.com/

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On June 25, 1876, in the valley of the Little Big Horn, Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, and the warriors who were inspired to follow them, fought the last stand of the Sioux, a fierce and proud nation that had ruled the Great Plains for decades. It was their greatest victory, but it was also the beginning of the end for their treasured and sacred way of life. And in the years to come, both Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull, defiant to the end, would meet violent—and eerily similar—fates.

Award-winning historian and author Mark Lee Gardner joins me once again, and it's been a while! He is the author of "The Earth Is All That Lasts: Crazy Horse, Sitting Bull, and the Last Stand of the Great Sioux Nation", which True West Magazine declared the best non-fiction book of 2022. It is both a dual biography of two iconic Lakota leaders and also a detailed account of arguably the most famous battle in the history of the American West.

Mark's website: https://songofthewest.com/

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In the summer of 1483 Edward and Richard, sons of the deceased King Edward IV, disappeared from the Tower of London, where they were being held by the recently crowned Richard III. There are countless theories about their fate. Some believe that were secretly whisked away and survived into adulthood. Some are convinced that Richard III had them murdered, a theory perpetuated by Sir Thomas More and William Shakespeare. But other suspects linger in the background as well.

My guest, M.J. Trow, believes he knows who killed the Princes in the Tower, and he shares his thoughts on this week's episode of Most Notorious. His book is called "The Killer of the Princes in the Tower: A New Suspect Revealed".

For more on M.J. Trow's books, visit his Amazon page here.

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From World War I through the 1920s a midwife known as Auntie Suzy readily supplied arsenic to women in a small Hungarian village. The women, who would become known as "the Angel Makers", used the poison to murder their husbands and other relatives. As the years passed and no punishment followed the killers became more emboldened, leaving hundreds of victims in their wake before they were finally caught and their crimes brought to light in 1929.

My guest is award-winning journalist Patti McCracken, author of "The Angel Makers: Arsenic, a Midwife, and Modern History's Most Astonishing Murder Ring."

The author's website: https://www.pattimccracken.com/

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In 1912, four-year-old Bobby Dunbar went missing in the Louisiana swamps. After an eight-month search that electrified the country and destroyed Bobby’s parents, the boy was found, filthy and hardly recogniz­able. A wandering piano tuner was arrested and charged with kidnapping— a crime then punishable by death.

But when a destitute single mother came forward from North Carolina to claim the boy as her son, not the lost Bobby Dunbar, the case became a high-pitched battle over custody—and identity—that divided the South.

My guest, Tal McThenia,first introduced listeners of NPR's This American Life to this case in 2008. A few years later he co-wrote, along with Margaret Dunbar Cutright (the granddaughter of Bobby Dunbar) the definitive book about this historical whodunnit, called "A Case for Solomon: Bobby Dunbar and the Kidnapping That Haunted a Nation".

The author's website: https://www.talmcthenia.com/

Listen to This American Life's "The Ghost of Bobby Dunbar" here: https://www.thisamericanlife.org/352/transcript

The author's recent Audubon article: https://www.audubon.org/magazine/fall-2021/the-strange-true-story-john-williams-and-charles

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In the third season of the acclaimed HBO series Deadwood, one of the most villainous characters in a show full of villains was introduced. Ruthless mining magnate George Hearst arrived, eager to seize control of the richest mine in town - no matter what the cost. But was he really as rotten as the show suggested he was?

My guest is Matthew Bernstein, author of "George Hearst: Silver King of the Gilded Age". He talks about the rise and fall and rise again of a man who made millions sniffing out gold, silver and copper mines across the country, and who fathered one of the most controversial characters of his era, newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst.

More about the author and his book here: https://www.oupress.com/author/matthew-bernstein/

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In the summer of 1913, the wooden-hulled brigantine Karluk departed Canada for the Arctic Ocean. At the helm was Captain Bob Bartlett, considered the world’s greatest living ice navigator. The expedition’s visionary leader was a flamboyant impresario named Vilhjalmur Stefansson hungry for fame.

Just six weeks after the Karluk departed, giant ice floes closed in around her. As the ship became icebound, Stefansson disembarked with five companions and struck out on what he claimed was a 10-day caribou hunting trip. Most on board would never see him again.

Twenty-two men and an Inuit woman with two small daughters now stood on a mile-square ice floe, their ship and their original leader gone. Under Bartlett’s leadership they built make-shift shelters, surviving the freezing darkness of Polar night. Captain Bartlett now made a difficult and courageous decision. He would take one of the young Inuit hunters and attempt a 1000-mile journey to save the shipwrecked survivors. It was their only hope.

My guest, is Buddy Levy, the award-winning bestselling author of "Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk". He joins me to talk about this remarkable story of disaster, death and survival in a frigid and desolate polar landscape.

Buddy's website: https://buddylevy.com/

Go here to download the Zocdoc app for free to find a top-rated doctor (and support the show) https://www.zocdoc.com/most

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On the afternoon of March 21st, 1924 a horrific crime shook the city of Chicago (and the entire country). Bobbie Franks, on his way home from school, was kidnapped and murdered by two teenage boy geniuses named Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb. It has long been believed that Loeb was the mastermind behind the plan, while Leopold, in love with him, followed his orders. But my guests believe otherwise.

Greg King and Penny Wilson, authors of "Nothing but the Night: Leopold & Loeb and the Truth Behind the Murder That Rocked 1920s America" reveal some of the fascinating information they uncovered while researching this case, including details of other murders Leopold and Loeb might have committed before they killed Bobby.

Their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/kingandwilson

Follow them on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AtlantisMagazin

More about the book on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-but-Night-Leopold-America/dp/1250272661

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I've combined two of my shorter interviews into one episode this week. First up, Kelly Sullivan, author of "Murder at Rocky Point Park: Tragedy in Rhode Island's Summer Paradise" joins me to talk about the 1893 murder of little Maggie Sheffield by her father at a Rhode Island amusement park.

Then, Paul Kahan returns to give a rousing summary of the notorious Homestead Strike. In July of 1892 Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick hired Pinkerton agents to occupy the Homestead steel mill near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but striking workers rushed to prevent their arrival and a violent battle ensued. His book is called "The Homestead Strike: Labor, Violence, and American Industry."

More about Kelly Sullivan here: https://authorkellysullivan.weebly.com/

More about Paul Kahan here: https://www.paulkahan.com/

Interested in seeing how many historical true crimes, disasters or tragedies have been covered by your state or country on Most Notorious? Check it out here.

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Edgar Allan Poe is, of course, one of America's most iconic writers. Many credit him with inventing or popularizing multiple literary genres, including mystery, horror and detective fiction. But the real Poe has become distorted over the years - transformed by fans into a dark and tortured soul obsessed with alcohol and death.

My guest is author Mark Dawidziak, and his new book is called "A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe". He not only shares with us what Poe was really like, but also walks us through some of the many theories surrounding Poe's agonizing death in a Baltimore hospital in October of 1849. He also talks about possible explanations for Poe's mysterious three missing days - just before he was discovered, delirious and in another man's clothes, at a Baltimore polling-place.

More about the author's prolific work at his website, here: https://www.markdawidziak.com/

Connect with the author through Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mark.dawidziak

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In early 1922, Hollywood was in damage control. The recent "Fatty" Arbuckle manslaughter and rape case had brought unwanted scandal to the motion picture industry, so when Paramount Pictures director William Desmond Taylor was found murdered in his home on February 1st, the studio tried its best to cover it up. Despite this, the murder case became a national sensation with attention falling on multiple suspects, including a valet who had been blackmailing Taylor, comedy star Mabel Normand and film ingenue Mary Miles Minter.

My guest is William J. Mann, New York Times bestselling author of Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood". He shares details from the book that won the 2015 Edgar Award and offers his own theory on who murdered the famous director.

The author's website: http://williamjmann.com/

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On a cold winter night in January of 1833, a teenage farmhand named Abraham Prescott crept into the bedroom of his employers, Chauncey and Sally Cochran, and smashed their heads with an ax. Their neighbors in the town of Pembroke, New Hampshire was astonished when the boy explained that he had been sleepwalking and hadn't purposely attacked them. They were even more shocked when the Cochrans, who had both miraculously recovered, allowed him to continue to work for them.

A few months later however, that decision would come back to haunt the family. After inviting Sally Cochran out to pick strawberries with him in a secluded area behind their farm, Prescott murdered her with a fence post. Again, he told Chauncey that only done it after he'd fallen asleep. Soon he would face trial and his attorneys would attempt to defend him both with a sleepwalking claim and an insanity plea.

My guest is Leslie Lambert Rounds, executive director of the Dyer Library and the Saco Museum in Saco, Maine and author of "I Have Struck Mrs. Cochran with a Stake: Sleepwalking, Insanity, and the Trial of Abraham Prescott". She not only walks us through the story of the murder and its aftermath, but also explains the difficulties authorities in 1830s New Hampshire faced when dealing with criminals who suffered from mental illness.

More about the author at Kent State University Press.

If you'd like to reach out to her directly, you can do so here: [email protected]

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Christopher "Kit" Marlowe is considered one of the greatest playwrights of the Elizabethan era, but was also known as a hothead, a scoundrel and a member of the secretive School of Night. When he was stabbed through the eye at the age of twenty-nine in 1593, those who had it in for him were no doubt relieved to hear of his death. He had worked as an agent under Queen Elizabeth's legendary spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham and had very likely taken some reputation-destroying secrets to his grave.

Many, however, believed that he was murdered, and theories swirl around his demise to this day. Did the man who stabbed Marlowe do it in self-defense, or was it really to get rid of him? Or did Marlowe actually fake his own death and go on to ghost write for William Shakespeare?

My guest is M.J. Trow, and his book is called "Who Killed Kit Marlowe?: A Contract to Murder in Elizabethan England". He shares the story of this complex figure and offers his own theory on who he believes was behind Marlowe's unfortunate end.

Amazon's M. J. Trow page is here.

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The July 1926 murder of the editor of the Canton, Ohio, Daily News, Don R. Mellett, was one of the most publicized crimes in the 1920s. For less than a year, Mellett was the editor of the Daily News, owned by former Ohio governor and Democrat presidential candidate James Cox. Having promised Cox he would turn the unprofitable News into a success, Mellett combined personal conviction with marketing savvy and in 1925 embarked on an antivice, anticorruption editorial campaign. The following year, the Daily News and Mellett, posthumously, received the Pulitzer Prize for his columns.

His editorials were often aimed at the Canton police chief, S. A. Lengel, making the News law and order crusade personal. An unholy alliance of bootleggers and corrupt police, angered at Mellett’s interference with business as usual, hired an ex-con from Pennsylvania, Patrick McDermott, to attack and scare the editor. When the intended assault spiraled out of control and Mellett was murdered, the national press became outraged and saw this situation as an attack on the First Amendment, demanding justice in editorials appearing on the front pages of newspapers throughout the country.

My guest is Thomas Crowl, author of "Murder of a Journalist: The True Story of the Death of Donald Ring Mellett". He shares this largely forgotten but very important case with us on this latest episode of

Most Notorious.

More about the author and his work can be found here: https://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/author/crowlt/

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In January 1953, a New York City musician named Christopher “ Manny” Balestrero was wrongly arrested for armed robbery, misidentified by eye witnesses. What followed was a nightmarish ordeal that completely devastated him and his family. Alfred Hitchcock was so moved by the miscarriage of justice that he made the case the focus of his underrated, classic 1956 film "The Wrong Man".

My guest is Jason Isralowitz, author of "Nothing To Fear: Alfred Hitchcock And The Wrong Men". He shares details of the true crime case that revealed some concerning flaws in the American criminal justice system.

The author's website: https://www.nothingtofearbook.com/

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In the late 19th century, inventors were rushing to perfect and patent motion picture devices, and leading the race was a Frenchman named Louis Le Prince. In September of 1890 Le Prince said farewell to his brother in Dijon and boarded a train bound for Paris. His final destination would be the United States, where he planned to unveil his movie camera and projector to the world. Unfortunately he was never seen again.

There are many theories regarding Le Prince's disappearance. Did he run away with a mistress, or was he murdered? If murdered, then by who? Was it his brother, who he shared an inheritance with? Was it a stranger in a dark Paris alley? Or was Thomas Edison behind it, the famed American inventor who announced the creation of his own motion picture camera just months after Le Prince disappeared?

My guest is Paul Fischer, author of "The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies". He tells the story of Louis Le Prince, his quest to invent and patent the first movie camera and projector, and the tragedy that followed.

More about the author and his work can be found at his website: https://www.paulfischerauthor.com/

The Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious

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On October 24th, 1961, one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in Massachusetts history began when housewife and mother Joan Risch vanished from her home. Investigators were perplexed by a kitchen floor smeared with blood, a telephone receiver ripped from the wall and placed gently on the edge of a trash basket, and a bloodhound who traced her scent to the middle of her driveway. Later, drivers would report seeing someone resembling Joan stumbling along local highways, apparently dazed and injured.

My guest, Stephen Ahern, is author of "A Kitchen Painted in Blood: The Unsolved Disappearance of Joan Risch". He teamed up with a retired FBI profiler and a cold case detective to try and piece together a possible explanation of what happened to Joan that fateful day.

More about the author and his book here: https://expositbooks.com/product/a-kitchen-painted-in-blood/

Buy it through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Painted-Blood-Unsolved-Disappearance/dp/1476681848/

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On the morning of May 27, 1896, the peaceful township of Campbell awoke to shocking news. Six people were brutally murdered at the home of Colonel Richard P. McGlincy, one of the town’s most respected citizens. The suspect, James Dunham—the colonel’s son-in-law—fled the scene and disappeared into the hills of Mount Hamilton overlooking Santa Clara County. This heinous crime triggered a massive, nationwide manhunt while investigators pieced together the details.

My guest is Tobin Gilman, author of "The McGlincy Killings in Campbell, California: An 1896 Unsolved Mystery". He not only summarizes the case for us, but offers his theory on what might have happened to Dunham once he fled the bloody crime scene.

For more information on books by Tobin Gilman, visit https://www.facebook.com/19thCenturySanJoseInABottle

To order a signed copy by author, email [email protected]

Visit the Most Notorious website at https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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On December 30th, 1903, over two thousand people were packed into Chicago's brand new Iroquois Theater for a matinee performance of Mr. Bluebeard, starring comedian Eddie Foy.

Little did theatergoers know, however, that the owners of the theater cut corners in fire safety measures in an effort to open as quickly as possible. Despite billing itself as "absolutely fireproof" there were no sprinklers or fire alarms installed, the fire escapes weren't finished and some of the exit doors had been locked during the performance. When fire struck on stage in the second act, the interior of the theater became a hellish death trap, killing close to six hundred people.

My guest is Troy Taylor, author of the book, "One Afternoon at the Iroquois: America's Deadliest Theater Fire". He is a podcaster, historian, tour operator and an expert on the paranormal.

Troy's website: http://americanhauntings.net

A link to his podcast page (the American Hauntings Podcast): http://americanhauntingspodcast.com

Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious

Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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For almost sixty years, the Kennedy assassination has occupied the hearts and minds of Americans. Hundreds of books have been written about the fateful day at Dealey Plaza in November of 1963, often offering elaborate and convoluted conspiracy theories about government plots, the Mafia, Cuba and the KGB.

My guest is investigative journalist and bestselling author Gerald Posner. He believes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in murdering President Kennedy. His critically acclaimed book, "Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK" was a 1994 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for History.

Gerald Posner's website: https://www.posner.com/

Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious

Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4698315/advertisement

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In the years following World War II, serial killer John George Haigh committed five perfect murders, using sulphuric acid to dissolve his victims into soup. His sixth murder, however, was hastily done, and led to his arrest, a trial and eventual execution. The case captivated the United Kingdom, especially when Haigh claimed he had drunk a glass of each victim's blood before disposing of their bodies.

My guest is Gordon Lowe, author of "The Acid Bath Murders: The Trials and Liquidations of John George Haigh". He walks us through Lowe's murderous life and eventual death at the hands of one of Britain's most famous executioners.

More about the author can be discovered at his website: http://www.gordonloweauthor.co.uk/

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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On May 30, 1899, history was made when Pearl Hart, disguised as a man, held up a stagecoach in Arizona and robbed the passengers at gunpoint. A manhunt ensued as word of her heist spread, and Pearl Hart went on to become a media sensation and the most notorious female outlaw on the Western frontier. Hailed by many as “The Bandit Queen,” her epic life of crime and legacy as a female trailblazer provide a crucial lens into the lives of the rare women who made their mark in the American West.

My guest, New York Times bestselling author and Old West historian John Boessenecker shares incredible stories from the life of Lily Davy (aka Pearl Hart) and her equally fascinating sister Katy Davy. His book is called "Wildcat: The Untold Story of Pearl Hart, the Wild West's Most Notorious Woman Bandit".

More information can be found on John Boessenecker's author's page: https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/john-boessenecker-202012295846868

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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In 1934 South Australian policeman Bill McKinnon is sent to investigate a murder and make arrests in the so-called "dead heart" of the country. After some of his Aboriginal prisoners escape, he tracks one of the unarmed men to a sacred rock formation called Uluru, traps him in a cave, and shoots and kills him.

My guest is University of Sydney history professor Mark McKenna, author of "Return to Uluru: The Hidden History of a Murder in Outback Australia". He discusses not only the specifics of the case, but the history of colonization of the Australian outback, and the impact it has had on this eighty-five-year-old tragedy.

More about the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678067/return-to-uluru-by-mark-mckenna/

This episode is sponsored by Wondery's new podcast SUSPECT: Vanished in the Snow. Download the app in the Amazon Music App today.

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In 1931 a young woman named Helen Spence, part of a houseboat community along Arkansas' White River, shocked everyone when she stood up in a local courtroom and shot to death the man on trial for murdering her father and step-mother.

What followed for Helen would be a nightmare journey of incarceration, torture and more murder. My guest, Denise White Parkinson, has made it her mission to tell Helen Spence's story, and she shares details of it this week on Most Notorious. Her book is called "Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery and Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta".

The author's website here: http://dwparkinson.com/

Her Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/HelenSpenceofArkansas

The audio book version of her story here: https://tinyurl.com/Riversisters

The teaser trailer for her documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90R312WmghA

This episode is sponsored by the Generation Why Podcast. Go to Amazon Music or listen early and ad-free by joining Wondery Plus on Apple Podcasts, or the Wondery app.

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In the winter of 1974 Athalia Ponsell Lindsley was in the midst of a bitter feud with her neighbor, Alan Stanford. The feud ended in brutal fashion on January 23rd when she was murdered in broad daylight on the front doorstep of her St. Augustine, Florida mansion with a machete. Suspects included both Stanford and her husband, James "Jinx" Lindsley.

Elizabeth Randall, author of the book "Murder in St. Augustine: The Mysterious Death of Athalia Ponsell Lindsley" is my guest this week. She walks us through the evidence against Stanford and theorizes on why the case has never been resolved.

More information about the author and her work can be found here: https://www.elizabethrandallauthor.com/

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On Nov. 28, 1969, Betsy Aardsma, a 22-year-old Penn State graduate student, was stabbed to death in the stacks of Pattee Library. The case remains officially unsolved, but my guest David DeKok thinks that he knows who murdered Betsy. He believes it was a troubled and hot-tempered fellow grad student named Richard Haefner, and lays out the evidence to make his argument.

His book is called "Murder in the Stacks: Penn State, Betsy Aardsma, and the Killer Who Got Away".

More information on the author and the book can be found at his website: https://daviddekok.com/

More from the publisher: http://www.globepequot.com/books/9781493013890

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In November of 1958 a pregnant nurse named Olga Duncan disappeared from her suburban California apartment. Police quickly suspected Olga's mother in-law Elizabeth Duncan, a domineering and manipulative woman who was incensed that her son Frank had married Olga without her approval.

When Olga's badly beaten body was found buried in a shallow grave, Elizabeth was arrested, along with two hired hitmen, for murder.

My guest Deborah Holt Larkin is the author of "A Lovely Girl: The Tragedy of Olga Duncan and the Trial of One of California's Most Notorious Killers". She has a personal connection to the case - her father was a court reporter who covered Elizabeth Duncan's trial - and she followed the case closely as a girl as it all unfolded.

The author's website: https://deborahholtlarkin.com/

Buy the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Lovely-Girl-Tragedy-Californias-Notorious/dp/1639362444

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A. Brad Schwartz, who entertained us with Eliot Ness stories in back-to-back episodes earlier this year, returns to talk about the notorious October 30, 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds, directed by Orson Wells.

The young and up-and-coming Orson Wells shocked and frightened listeners who tuned in late to his radio adaptation of H.G. Wells' science fiction novel, which tells the story of an invasion of Earth by tentacled aliens. The broadcast was delivered in a news story style so realistic that those who weren't aware it was a Mercury Theater production panicked. The extent and nature of the panic, however, is disputed, and my guest sets the record straight (as best as primary sources allow) about what really happened.

His book is called "Broadcast Hysteria: Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds and the Art of Fake News", and more information about his work can be found here: https://abradschwartz.com/

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In 1944 a battalion of African-American soldiers were tasked with the horrific job of building a road through the heart of the Indo-Burmese jungle during World War II. One of the men, a private named Herman Perry, had been having an especially difficult time of it. He’d suffered abuse while serving a stint in the local military prison, and eventually turned to opium and marijuana to escape from reality. On one fateful day, in the midst of an emotional collapse, Perry murdered an unarmed white lieutenant trying to apprehend him for dereliction of duty. Perry then fled into the jungle, where he became a fugitive in an intense manhunt.

My guest is Brendan Koerner, author of “Now the Hell Will Start: One Soldier’s Flight from the Greatest Manhunt of World War II”. He talks about the poor conditions faced by black soldiers in a segregated army and shares details of Herman Perry’s wild escape into the wilderness, where he assimilated into a local tribe to avoid capture.

Connect with the author via Twitter here: https://twitter.com/brendankoerner

Purchase the book through the publisher's website here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/300974/now-the-hell-will-start-by-brendan-i-koerner/

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On September 16, 1922, the bodies of Reverend Edward Hall and Eleanor Mills were found beneath a crabapple tree on an abandoned farm outside of New Brunswick, New Jersey. The killer had arranged the bodies in a pose conveying intimacy.

The murder of Hall, a prominent clergyman whose wife, Frances Hall, was a proud heiress with illustrious ancestors and ties to the Johnson & Johnson dynasty, would have made headlines on its own. But when authorities identified Eleanor Mills as a choir singer from his church married to the church sexton, the story shocked locals and sent the scandal ricocheting around the country, fueling the nascent tabloid industry. This provincial double murder on a lonely lover’s lane would soon become one of the most famous killings in American history—a veritable crime of the century.

My guest is Joe Pompeo, author of "Blood & Ink: The Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder That Hooked America on True Crime". He walks us through this titillating murder case, including a clumsy police investigation that produced a number of suspects but ultimately no convictions.

Buy the book through the publisher's website here: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/blood-ink-joe-pompeo?variant=40161327480866

The author's website: https://bloodand.ink

The author's Twitter account: https://twitter.com/joepompeo

Get bonus content and updates from the author by subscribing here: https://joepompeo.substack.com/

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Paris, 1889: Margeurite Steinheil is a woman with ambition. But having been born into a middle-class family and trapped in a marriage to a failed artist twenty years her senior, she knows her options are limited.

Determined to fashion herself into a new woman, Meg orchestrates a scandalous plan with her most powerful resource: her body. Amid the dazzling glamor, art, and romance of bourgeois Paris, she takes elite men as her lovers, charming her way into the good graces of the rich and powerful. Her ambitions, though, go far beyond becoming the most desirable woman in Paris; at her core, she is a woman determined to conquer French high society. But the game she plays is a perilous one: navigating misogynistic double-standards, public scrutiny, and political intrigue, she is soon vaulted into infamy in the most dangerous way possible.

A real-life femme fatale, Meg influences government positions and resorts to blackmail―and maybe even poisoning―to get her way. Leaving a trail of death and disaster in her wake, she earns the name the "Red Widow" for mysteriously surviving a home invasion that leaves both her husband and mother dead. With the police baffled and the public enraged, Meg breaks every rule in the bourgeois handbook and becomes the most notorious woman in Paris.

My guest is Sarah E. Horowitz, professor of history at Washington and Lee University. Her book is called: "The Red Widow: The Scandal that Shook Paris and the Woman Behind it All".

More about the author and her work here: https://sarahehorowitz.com/

"The Red Widow" can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Widow-Scandal-Shook-Behind/dp/1728226325

The wedding video mentioned in the interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsAmtvGVeXs

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Robert Ray Hamilton, great-grandson of Alexander Hamilton, was a successful man in the late 1880s. Powered by family money and fame, he spent his time developing real estate and serving in the New York State Assembly. But his life came crashing down on him in 1889 when his wife Eva (whom he'd met at a brothel) was arrested for stabbing their baby's nursemaid in a violent argument. Soon famed New York City police detective Thomas Byrnes would dig up tawdry details on Eva's plot to con her husband out of his fortune.

My guest is Bill Shaffer, author of "The Scandalous Hamiltons: A Gilded Age Grifter, a Founding Father's Disgraced Descendant, and a Trial at the Dawn of Tabloid Journalism". He shares some of the twists and turns in this truly unbelievable Gilded Age tale of baby farms and fraudsters.

More information about the author and his work can be found at his website here: https://www.billshafferbooks.com/

Purchase the book here: https://www.kensingtonbooks.com/9780806542256/the-scandalous-hamiltons/

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On the morning of September 6th, 1949, a twenty-eight-year-old WWII veteran and loner named Howard Unruh stepped out of his East Camden, New Jersey apartment and shot and killed thirteen people in less than twelve minutes. It was a story that absolutely shocked America, which hadn't seen a spree killing like this in its history before.

My guest is Ellen J. Green, author of "Murder in the Neighborhood: The true story of America’s first recorded mass shooting". She walks us through Unruh's murderous rampage and reveals possible reasons why he did what he did that terrible day.

More information can be found at the author's website here: https://ellenjgreen.com/

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On the morning of July 16, 1936, the crumpled body of nineteen-year-old college student Helen Clevenger was found by her uncle in her room at Asheville, North Carolina’s Battery Park Hotel. She’d been shot in the chest and her face had been cut. A black bell hop named Martin Moore would ultimately confess after the murder weapon was found under his porch, but eyewitnesses reported seeing a white man flee the scene of the crime, and questions of police coercion linger to this day.

My guest is Anne Chesky Smith, author of “Murder at Asheville’s Battery Park Hotel: The Search for Helen Clevenger’s Killer”. She walks us through the details of the case, clouded by politics in the era of Jim Crow.

Photos and more about the story can be found at the Western North Carolina Historical Association’s website: https://www.wnchistory.org/wnc-history-story-behind-the-accused-murderer-in-1936-battery-park-hotel-homicide/

The book is available to purchase here: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467145602

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The Texas Rangers in the late 1880s were a tough and colorful lot, especially the members of Company F. And while they made their livings hunting down outlaws, none proved more cunning than Willis Conner and his sons, a fugitive family accused of murdering two neighbors in a business dispute over pigs.

My guest is Joe Pappalardo, author of "Red Sky Morning: The Epic True Story of Texas Ranger Company F". He not only shares details of the events leading to the showdown between the Rangers and the Conners, but talks about one of the most vaunted members of Company F, James Brooks, and a fatal gunfight that got him indicted for murder.

More about the book and the author can be discovered here: https://www.joe-pappalardo.com/

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Between July 1st and 12th, 1916, a sensational series of shark attacks terrorized seaside resorts and communities along the Jersey Shore. Four people would ultimately die before the shark thought responsible was found and killed.

My guest, Dr. Richard Fernicola, is the world's foremost expert on the subject. He not only tells the story of how the attacks unfolded, but explains why they might have happened. His book is called "Twelve Days of Terror: Inside the Shocking 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks".

His book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H4D157M

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In September of 1916 a mysterious fire consumed a cottage nestled on Ossipee Lake in New Hampshire, and when local law enforcement searched the wreckage they made a horrifying discovery. The smoldering body of Florence Small was pulled out of the basement, partially preserved by rainwater. The immediate suspect was her husband, Frederick Small, who was known to have abused Florence on a number of occasions. He seemed to have a rock solid alibi, however. He'd been in Boston, selling insurance, when the fire had started.

My guest is author Janice S. C. Petrie. She has a personal connection to the story, which has driven her research into the case for decades. Her book is called "Perfection To A Fault: A Small Murder in Ossipee, New Hampshire, 1916".

More information about the author and her work can be found at her website: https://janicepetrie.com/

To purchase her book through Amazon, click here: https://www.amazon.com/Perfection-Fault-Murder-Ossipee-Hampshire-ebook/dp/B002A9K4DW

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In August of 1892, one of the most famous double murders in American history was committed in brutal fashion. Andrew and Abby Borden were hacked to death in their Fall River house, and their daughter Lizzie, home at the time, became the number one suspect. What followed was a spectacular trial, fought by brilliant attorneys, in a courtroom packed with fascinated spectators and reporters.

My guest is Cara Robertson, author of "The Trial of Lizzie Borden: A True Story". She summarizes this sensational Gilded Age true crime story with a unique legal perspective.

More about the author and her work can be found here: https://www.carawrobertson.com/

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Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp and their wives united in Tombstone, Arizona in 1879 with the intent to make their fortunes, but along the way crossed paths with a gang of lawless cowboys that included Ike Clanton, Curly Bill Brocius and Johnny Ringo. In October of 1881, tensions between the Earps and their adversaries climaxed with a shootout in a Tombstone alley, forever known as the "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral", which left three cowboys dead. But the animosity didn't end there. The cowboys would get their revenge on the Earp family, and Wyatt and Doc Holliday in turn would seek vengeance on remaining members of the gang.

My guest is New York Times Bestselling author Tom Clavin. He returns to the show to talk about his epic book "Tombstone: The Earp Brothers, Doc Holliday, and the Vendetta Ride from Hell".

More about the author, including his books about Dodge City and Wild Bill Hickok can be found here: https://www.tomclavin.com/

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The tranquility of Ohio's Pleasant Valley was forever scarred in June of 1896 when tragedy struck the Rose family. Twenty-three-year-old Ceely Rose was infatuated with neighbor boy Guy Berry. When he did not reciprocate her feelings, her family ordered her to stop following him, and she in turn used rat poison to murder them. A trial would follow, with much of the focus on her sanity and mental capacity.

My guest is Mark Sebastian Jordan, author of "The Ceely Rose Murders at Malabar Farm". He's been fascinated with this story since childhood, and not only shares details of his decades long research into the murders, but also explains how the case has reached folkloric status over the years.

The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mark.jordan.794

The author's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467146180

Buy it on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094XCCD8

The author's Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/MarkSebastianJordan

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In the summer of 1932, with the Cubs in the thick of the pennant race, Billy Jurges broke off his relationship with Violet Popovich to focus on baseball. The famously beautiful showgirl took it poorly, marching into his hotel room with a revolver in her purse. Both were wounded in the ensuing struggle, but Jurges refused to press charges. Even without their star shortstop, Chicago made it to the World Series, only to be on the wrong end of Babe Ruth's legendary Called Shot.

My guest is Jack Bales, author of "The Chicago Cub Shot For Love: A Showgirl’s Crime of Passion and the 1932 World Series". He shares details from his book, just in time for the 70th anniversary of this infamous intersection of baseball and true crime (which happened on July 6th, 1932).

The author's website: http://WrigleyIvy.com/

The author's publisher page: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467148481

You can also buy the book on Amazon, here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094X2TFYQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

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In the early morning hours of October 17, 1953, a frightened, battered woman named Diane Wells told a horrific tale to police. She said intruders had broken into the top-floor penthouse apartment she shared with her husband Cecil, murdered him, beat her, and then made their escape. It was an especially sensational story because 31-year-old "blonde bombshell" Diane Wells was nicknamed "the most beautiful woman in Alaska", and Cecil (twenty years her senior) was a wealthy and well-known Fairbanks businessman.

There were suspicions, however, that Diane was lying. It was soon learned that she was having an affair with a local musician and also being comforted by a dance instructor who worked downstairs.

My guest is James T. Bartlett, author of "The Alaskan Blonde: Sex, Secrets, and the Hollywood Story that Shocked America". He shares details from his research into the almost 70 year old cold case, including an account of Diane's own tragic end.

More information about the author can be found at these links:

https://www.thealaskanblonde.com

https://www.facebook.com/thealaskanblonde

https://www.instagram.com/thealaskanblonde

https://www.twitter.com/alaskanblonde53

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In 1835 Marcus and Narcissa Whitman arrived to the Pacific Northwest, building a mission on Cayuse land near the present day Washington/Oregon border with hopes of converting members of the Cayuse tribe to Christianity. However when a deadly measles outbreak devastated the area, it disproportionally killed Cayuse over whites, leading tribal leaders to believe Dr. Whitman was purposely poisoning them. This (along with other reasons) drove tensions so high that on November 29th, 1847, the Cayuse murdered the Whitmans and eleven others living at the mission.

My guest is New York Times bestselling author Blaine Harden, and his book is called "Murder at the Mission: A Frontier Killing, Its Legacy of Lies, and the Taking of the American West". He explains the volatile situation that led to the massacre, and how the murders created a ripple effect that led to an explosion of white migration into the Pacific Northwest. He also dismantles a lie created by the Reverend Henry Spaulding that recast fellow missionary Marcus Whitman as the hero who "saved Oregon".

More can be found at the author's website here: https://blaineharden.com/

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In February of 1896 the decapitated corpse of a young woman, who would later be identified as Pearl Bryan, was discovered in the woods of Northern Kentucky. Evidence would lead investigators to two dental students in Cincinnati, Ohio named Scott Jackson and Alonzo Walling.

My guest is Robert Wilhelm, creator of Murder by Gaslight, an online compendium of notable 19th century American murders. He is the author of "So Far From Home: The Pearl Bryan Murder", and joins me to discuss the case in detail.

More information about the murder can be found at his website, Murder By Gaslight: http://www.murderbygaslight.com/

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In this third and final part of my interview with Dr. Edgar Epperly, the "little minister" Lyn George Jacklin Kelly is examined as a primary suspect in the 1912 Villisca Axe Murders. Although Kelly spoke obsessively about the case and even confessed to the murders, many believed that the confession was the result of mental illness and police coercion.

Dr. Epperly also offers his thoughts on whether the murders might be the work of a serial killer named Paul Mueller (aka The Man From the Train). Dr. Epperly's book, the result of almost seventy years of research, is called "Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912".

Listener discretion is advised on this episode, as it contains adult themes and language.

Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/

More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/

Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/

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Frank Fernando (F.F.) Jones seemed to be one of the most obvious suspects in the aftermath of the horrific 1912 Villisca Axe murders. He had a contentious business rivalry with the patriarch of the slain Moore family, Josiah (Joe) Moore, intensified further because Moore was having an affair with his daughter-in-law. However there was no direct evidence linking him to the crime. Enter James Wilkerson, a pugnacious and cunning private detective who made it his mission to connect Jones to the murders, even if it meant manufacturing evidence.

In this second part of my three part interview with Dr. Edgar Epperly, author of " Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912", we delve into Wilkerson's trumped-up charges against Jones and bitter obsession with pinning the murders on him.

Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/

More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/

Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/

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June 9th (or) 10th marks the 110th anniversary of one of the most notorious crimes in American history - the brutal axe murders of Josiah and Sarah Moore, their four children (Herman, Katherine, Boyd and Paul) and Ina and Lena Stillinger, two neighbor girls who had the terrible misfortune of sleeping over that night. It's a case steeped in mystery, with a gruesome crime scene, puzzling evidence, twists and turns and compelling suspects.

My guest - Dr. Edgar Epperly - has spent almost seventy years interviewing eyewitnesses and key figures and pouring over historical records related to the crime. He is considered the foremost authority on the case. The culmination of his decades of work is a comprehensive book on the subject published at the end of 2021, called "Fiend Incarnate: Villisca Axe Murders of 1912". This is an absolute must read for anyone interested in the case.

Our interview went so long that it was divided into three parts. Part one is about the scene of the crime and the evidence that left investigators scratching their heads. Part two, out next week, is about F.F. Jones, whose adversarial relationship with Mr. Moore made him an early suspect. The third part of the interview, which will be released during the week of the 110th anniversary, is about the very peculiar Reverend Lyn George Jacklin Kelly, who would ultimately be tried for the murders. Also in part three, Dr. Epperly gives his opinion on the likelihood that a recent popular suspect, Paul Mueller, known as "The Man From the Train", might have committed these homicides as a serial murderer.

Listener discretion is advised on this episode, as it contains adult themes and language.

Dr. Epperly's website: https://villiscabook.com/

More about the documentary "Villisca: Living with a Mystery" here: https://www.villiscamovie.com/

Dr. Epperly's Villisca Axe Murders Blog: https://docublogger.typepad.com/villiscamystery/

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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The Ocean Monarch, captained by James Murdock, was a disciplined and safety-conscious passenger ship that should have smoothly sailed from England to the United States in 1848. Not long after its departure, however, a devastating fire broke out on board, turning the boat into a living hell on water. Close to two hundred people would die in the ensuing chaos - despite amazing acts of heroism by both passengers and crew members.

My guest, author Gill Hoffs, returns for a second time to Most Notorious to talk about her book "The Lost Story of the Ocean Monarch: Fire, Family, & Fidelity".

More about her book can be found at her publisher's website here: https://penandswordbooks.com/the-lost-story-of-the-ocean-monarch.html#.YoRgfpPMKsg

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On the afternoon of December 2nd, 1945, a fourteen-year-old student named Thora Chamberlain walked with friends to a high school football game in Campbell, California. A man wearing a U.S. Navy uniform pulled up beside them in his sedan and told them he needed a babysitter - and would compensate generously for the help. Thora accepted, got into his car, and was never seen alive again.

Police, with the assistance of the F.B.I. (and famed G-man E.J. Connelley) soon arrested a ne'er-do-well named Thomas McMonigle, who confessed (sort of) to Thora's murder. An extensive search for her body at a nearby ocean cliff followed, although it would ultimately prove to be unsuccessful.

My guest is Rod Kackley, author of "The Murder of Thora Chamberlain: A Shocking True Crime Story". He tells the story of Thora's kidnapping, the investigation, McMonigle's murder trial - and theorizes on the tragic and horrifying scenario that likely played out that fateful day for Thora Chamberlain.

More information about the author can be found at his website: https://www.rodkackley.com/

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In October of 1905, the schooner Harry A. Berwind was intercepted off the coast of North Carolina. On board were four Black sailors, three of them alive and one dead. The survivors told conflicting stories - blaming each other for the murder of the ship's four White officers, who had been shot and thrown into the sea. The men would be arrested and tried for murder in Wilmington (which had suffered deadly racial violence only a few years before) and an intense legal drama would follow, ultimately involving the Supreme Court and President Theodore Roosevelt. In the end, so many participants - from jurors to lawyers to participants - acted against type that justice had a fighting chance.

My guest is Charles Oldham, author of "Ship of Blood: Mutiny and Slaughter Aboard the Harry A. Berwind, and the Quest for Justice". He shares details of this sensational yet largely forgotten story in American history.

More about the author's work can be discovered here: https://charlesoldhamauthor.com/

You can also listen to the book at Audible here: https://www.audible.com/pd/Ship-of-Blood-Mutiny-and-Slaughter-aboard-the-Harry-A-Berwind-and-the-Quest-for-Justice-Audiobook/B09TG7S41S

The Audible version of his book can be purchased here: https://www.audible.com/pd/Ship-of-Blood-Mutiny-and-Slaughter-aboard-the-Harry-A-Berwind-and-the-Quest-for-Justice-Audiobook/B09TG7S41S

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Mary Ann Cotton is considered by many to be England's first female serial killer, with allegations that she used arsenic to poison over twenty people, including her children, mother and husbands in the 1850s, 60s and 70s. But was she really a heartless killer who preyed upon those in her care for money to buy the expensive dresses she loved so much?

My guest, Martin Connolly, is author of "Mary Ann Cotton: Dark Angel: Britains First Female Serial Killer." He says the answer isn't as cut and dry as many have come to believe it is, and shares his thoughts with us on this latest episode of Most Notorious.

Buy the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Mary-Ann-Cotton-Britain-Female-ebook/dp/B01M0LDR8G

The author's publisher page here: https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Mary-Ann-Cotton-Dark-Angel-Paperback/p/12432

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Arnie Bernstein was one my first guests on Most Notorious, way back on episode #26, and talked about the horrifying 1927 Bath Consolidated School massacre. Since the initial publication of his book "Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing" in 2009, he's conducted more first-hand survivor accounts, which he has included in the updated and expanded edition of the book released earlier this year.

He joins me to share some of the new information he's gathered, and to remind us that violent attacks on school children are tragically not just a recent phenomenon in the United States.

The author's website: https://www.arniebernstein.com/

The book can be published online, including directly through the publisher: https://www.press.umich.edu/12277500/bath_massacre_new_edition

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Mildred Gillars, known to American GIs as "Axis Sally", was one of Nazi Germany's most notorious radio propagandists. Hired by German State Radio because of her American accent and seductive voice, she finally achieved her own version of stardom after years of pursuing a failed acting career in the United States.

My guest is Richard Lucas, author of "Axis Sally: The American Voice of Nazi Germany". In his book he tells the story of the rise and fall of Mildred Gillars, including her capture and trial for treason.

Casemate Publishers: https://www.casematepublishers.com/axis-sally.html

Audio clips are from the National Archives and Records Administration.

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On Christmas Eve, 1900, 44-year-old dry goods store owner Frank Richardson was shot to death in his Savannah, Missouri home. Suspects included his wife Addie, his teenage lover Goldie Whitehead, and the man whom he suspected his wife of having an affair with, Stewart Fife.

Kimberly Tilley makes her third visit to the podcast. Her book "Has it Come to This? The Mysterious Unsolved Murder of Frank Richardson" explores this largely forgotten murder mystery in titillating detail.

More information here at the author's website: https://oldspirituals.com/

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My conversation about the life of Eliot Ness continues with A. Brad Schwartz. After years battling The Outfit in Chicago, Ness was hired as Director of Public Safety in Cleveland, Ohio. Tasked with ridding the city of crime and corruption, he found himself confronted by a serial killer nicknamed "The Mad Butcher", aka "The Cleveland Torso Murderer," who would ultimately dismember and decapitate at least twelve people.

A. Brad Schwartz, along with co-author Max Allan Collins, wrote "Eliot Ness and the Mad Butcher: Hunting a Serial Killer at the Dawn of Modern Criminology".

More information about the authors can be found here:

https://abradschwartz.com/ and http://maxallancollins.com/blog/

Information on the Eliot Ness festival in Coudersport, PA can be found here: https://eliotnessfest.com/

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Throughout the 1920s Chicago was a cesspool of corruption and violence, due in large part to the obscene amounts of money being made through the illegal manufacture, transportation and sale of alcohol. Much of the business was being done by The Outfit, led by the charming and publicity hungry Al Capone, who viciously knocked off his competitors at the slightest provocation.

To combat The Outfit, the federal government chose Eliot Ness, a reserved but ambitious twenty-seven-year-old Prohibition agent to lead his "Untouchables" against Al Capone's criminal empire. Together they gathered important evidence to cripple Capone's lucrative booze business.

My guest is A. Brad Schwartz, who along with co-author Max Allan Collins wrote the critically acclaimed "Scarface and the Untouchable: Al Capone, Eliot Ness, and the Battle for Chicago". He talks about how Eliot Ness and Al Capone climbed the ranks of their respective professions, their Chicago careers ultimately culminating with the trial and imprisonment of Capone. He also breaks some long-standing myths about Eliot Ness and his true role in Capone's demise as a gangland boss.

More information about the authors can be found here:

https://abradschwartz.com/ and http://maxallancollins.com/blog/

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In June of 1970, the body of 24-year-old Nancy Morgan was found inside a government-owned car in Madison County, North Carolina. It had been four days since anyone had heard from the bubbly, hard-working brunette who had moved to the Appalachian community less than a year prior as an organizer for Volunteers in Service to America. At the time of her death, her tenure in the Tar Heel State was just weeks from ending, her intentions set on New York and nursing school and a new life that she would never see. The initial investigation was thwarted by inept police work, jurisdictional confusion, and the influence of local corruption. Fourteen years would pass before an arrest in the case would be made, but even then, a pall would be cast over the veracity of the evidence.

My guest, Mark Pinsky, is the author of "Met Her on the Mountain: The Murder of Nancy Morgan". He tells the story of his decades old quest to solve the mystery of Nancy's brutal murder.

The author's website: https://markpinsky.com/

The publisher's website: https://www.kentuckypress.com/

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On June 25th, 1973, Suzie Jaeger was abducted from her tent while camping with her family in Montana. The FBI was baffled by the mystery, until two agents began using new profiling techniques to narrow in on a local oddball named David Meirhofer.

Assisting them was Suzie's brave mother, Marietta Jaeger, who over a series of phone calls with the killer was able to provide invaluable clues that helped lead to Meirhofer's arrest and confession. And he would confess not only to Suzie's murder, but the murder of three other people as well.

My guest is bestselling author Ron Franscell. His new book is called "ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling".

More information about the author and his work can be found here: https://ronfranscell.com/

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Journalist Wayne Hoffman had been long intrigued by a family story, vague on details, about the murder of his great-grandmother Sarah Feinstein at the hands of a sniper in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Encouraged by his mother, he decided to search for the truth behind the tale, but his research journey became more difficult when his mother's health began to suffer due to Alzheimer's.

In his book, "The End of Her: Racing Against Alzheimer's to Solve a Murder" my guest shares what he learned in his investigation into the unsolved murder of his great-grandmother, and how his research into this family tragedy intertwined with another more immediate tragedy, the damaging effects of Alzheimer's disease on his mother.

Wayne Hoffman's website: http://waynehoffmanwriter.com/

His publisher's website: https://heliotropebooks.com/books/the-end-of-her-racing-against-alzheimers-to-solve-a-murder/

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In October of 1946, a chiropractor and rancher named Willis "W.D." Broadhurst was beaten with a wrench and finished off with a shotgun on a lonely eastern Oregon road. Investigators would soon accuse his wife Gladys of plotting the doctor's murder with the help of his young cowhand and her lover, Alvin Williams. Stunning details of her deception would be revealed during the trial, including accusations that she was a bigamist who had left multiple husbands in her wake.

My guest is Patrick Gallagher, whose family connection to this story led him on a personal journey to learn more about this compelling and mostly forgotten case.

His book, titled " 'TIL DEATH DO US...': A True Crime Story of Bigamy and Murder" is available for purchase here: https://www.amazon.com/TIL-DEATH-DO-US-Bigamy/dp/1952225167/

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In this second half of my interview with Steve Oney, he shares details of the dramatic events that unfolded after the trial of Leo Frank for the murder of thirteen-year-old factory worker Mary Phagan.

Steve Oney is author of "And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank". He has spent forty years researching and investigating this electrifying case.

His book can be purchased both at local bookstores and here:

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Shall-Rise-Murder-Lynching/dp/0679764232/ref

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In 1913, thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan was found brutally murdered in the basement of the Atlanta pencil factory where she worked. The factory manager, a college-educated Jew named Leo Frank, was arrested, tried and convicted in a trial that seized national headlines. When the governor commuted his death sentence, Frank was kidnapped and lynched by a group of prominent local citizens.

In part one of my two hour interview with Steve Oney, author of "And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank", he tells the story of little Mary's murder, the investigation that followed, and highlights of Frank's sensational trial.

The book can be purchased both at your local bookstore and here:

https://www.amazon.com/Dead-Shall-Rise-Murder-Lynching/dp/0679764232/ref

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On the heels of Lizzie Borden's infamous double murder, another woman named Lizzie was arrested for a series of killings, this time in New York's Catskill Mountains. Lizzie Halliday was arrested in September of 1893 for not only her husband Paul's murder (found buried under the kitchen floorboards of their home) but also for the murder of two women discovered decomposing in a crawl space under the barn.

My guest is Kevin Owen, author of "Killing Time in the Catskills: The Twisted Tale of the Catskill Ripper Elizabeth "Lizzie" McNally Halliday". He separates fact from fiction in this horrific story and paints a chilling portrait of one of the most cold-blooded criminals in Upstate New York history.

The author's Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/killingtimecatskills/

Autograph copies available through publisher at: https://moonlightpressbooks.myportfolio.com/killingtimecatskills

The author's contact information: [email protected]

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Pennsylvania’s Eastern State Penitentiary has a rich and fascinating history. Built in the 1820s as a place to reform criminals, it saw an increase in violence over the decades before finally closing in 1971 as a working prison. It now operates as a history museum. Among the more notorious inmates was Willie Sutton, who was involved in the most famous escape in the prison's history, and Al Capone.

My guest is historian Paul Kahan, author of "Eastern State Penitentiary: A History". He talks about the prison's history and explains the current museum's more nuanced approach towards the topic of incarceration.

More information about him and his work can be found here: https://www.paulkahan.com/

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Elizabeth Bigley - better known as Cassie Chadwick - might be the most successful confidence artist in American history that you've never heard of. She swindled her way across the eastern United States during the height of the Gilded Age, committing fraud at every opportunity. In her greatest con, she posed as the illegitimate daughter of robber baron and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, bilking banks for millions of dollars in the process.

My guest is Thomas Crowl, and in his book "Queen of the Con: From a Spiritualist to the Carnegie Imposter" he tells the fascinating story of the sensational rise and fall of the incorrigible Cassie Chadwick.

More information about the book can be found here: https://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/2021/queen-of-the-con/

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In July of 1908, the bludgeoned body of a young woman named Hazel Drew was found floating in a pond in Sand Lake, New York. In the following weeks investigators would be flummoxed by the mystery of not only who Hazel's killer was, but why she had decided to travel to the rural location fashionably dressed and alone.

This is the real-life crime that Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost stated was the inspiration for the television murder of Laura Palmer. My guests Mark T. Givens and David Bushman used that as a starting off point in their quest to learn more about this sensational unsolved case. Their book is called "Murder at Teal's Pond: Hazel Drew and the Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks".

More about the book at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Teals-Pond-Mystery-Inspired-ebook/dp/B08Z7HLLYM/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1641357877&sr=8-1

Mark's Deer Meadow Twin Peaks podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/deer-meadow-radio-a-twin-peaks-podcast/id1076219034

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In April of 1830, Joseph White, an aged, wealthy and despised resident of Salem, Massachusetts was discovered murdered in his bedroom by servants. The city - still suffering from the stigma of the Salem Witch trials 140 years earlier - brought in famed orator and lawyer Daniel Webster to prosecute the men who were suspected of conspiring to kill White. The case was so famous in its day that Nathanial Hawthorne, a contemporary of the accused murderers, would use details from it to pen his literary masterpiece: "The Scarlet Letter".

My guest is Edward Renehen Jr, and his book is called "Deliberate Evil: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Daniel Webster, and the 1830 Murder of a Salem Slave Trader."

Mr. Renehen's website: https://edwardrenehan.com/

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Happy Holidays everyone! In late November of 1912, a schooner named the Rouse Simmons, heavily laden with Christmas trees, made its way across Lake Michigan with Chicago as its final destination. Once there, Captain Herman Schuenemann and his family planned, as they had in years past, to decorate the ship with festive lights and sell their trees to eager Chicagoans.

Unfortunately the ship never arrived. It met with a violent winter storm and sunk to the bottom of the lake, along with its captain and crew. My guests are Joan Forsberg and Cris Kohl, maritime historians who specialize in Great Lakes shipwrecks. They share details from their book, "The Christmas Tree Ship", which has recently been released in audiobook format.

More information about the authors' work here: https://www.seawolfcommunications.com/books

The Christmas Tree Ship audiobook: https://www.amazon.com/The-Christmas-Tree-Ship/dp/B08QDRCDXC/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1639683708&sr=1-1

Charles Huddleston's Narrator Page: https://narrator.page/n/charles_huddleston

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In November of 1971 a man who would come to be known as D.B. Cooper hijacked Northwest Orient Flight 305, ultimately parachuting out of the Boeing 727 in spectacular fashion, along with $200,000 in ransom money, presumably somewhere in Washington State. Who he was and what happened to him after he jumped is one of the most enduring true crime mysteries in American history.

My guests are Darren Schaefer, creator and host of "The Cooper Vortex" podcast, and George McKeon, author of "The Mystery of D.B. Cooper: A True Crime Adult Coloring Book". They tell the story of the hijacking, discuss some of the tantalizing clues left behind, and ruminate about possible suspects.

Subscribe to The Cooper Vortex on Apple Podcasts here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-cooper-vortex/id1439712498

and Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5YRiVfMZX7hfVDSezq1aNo

George McKeon's book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Mystery-D-B-Cooper-Crime-Coloring/dp/1737712709

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On November 2nd, 1892 a ten-year-old boy named Anton Woode led a hunter to a secluded area of woods a few miles north of Denver, Colorado and shot him dead. Local papers would nickname him "The Boy Murderer".

My guest is Dick Kreck, author of "Anton Woode: Boy Murderer".

His book can be purchased here: https://www.amazon.com/Anton-Woode-Murderer-Dick-Kreck/dp/1555915787

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Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky lived a fascinating and turbulent life. He served a sentence in a Siberian prison camp and suffered from depression and a gambling addiction that kept him destitute for years. But through these challenges he wrote some of the greatest fiction of the 19th century, including his masterpiece "Crime and Punishment". Dostoevsky drew inspiration for the novel from a series of murders committed in Paris by Pierre Lacenaire, a failed poet and aspiring master criminal in 1834.

My guest, New York Times bestselling author Kevin Birmingham, is the author of "The Sinner and the Saint: Dostoevsky and the Gentleman Murderer Who Inspired a Masterpiece". He talks about the tortured, brilliant soul who penned the literary classic, despite the difficult odds against him.

Kevin Birmingham's website: http://www.kevinbirmingham.net/

His publisher's author page: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/238375/kevin-birmingham/

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In January of 1923, a 20-year-old dancer named Fritzie Mann left home to meet a mysterious man for what she told her mother was a house party. When she was discovered dead on a remote beach a few miles north of San Diego, police were puzzled by the clues. Was it an accident, suicide, or murder? The fact that she was pregnant deepened the mystery even further. Soon two men - a Hollywood actor and a doctor - became the primary suspects in the case, and one would eventually be put on trial for murder.

My guest is James Stewart, author of "Mystery at the Blue Sea Cottage: A True Story of Murder in San Diego's Jazz Age". He shares details about strange death of Fritzie Mann, considered by some to be San Diego's very own Black Dahlia, and offers intriguing theories on what might really have happened to her.

More information can be found at the author's website here: https://www.jamesstewartauthor.com/ and at his publisher's author page: https://wildbluepress.com/mystery-at-the-blue-sea-cottage-james-stewart-true-crime/

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One of the most powerful secret societies in 1880s Chicago was the mysterious Clan na Gael, run by Irish-American kingpin Alexander Sullivan. When Dr. Patrick Cronin questioned Sullivan's management of the organization, embrace of the controversial "dynamite policy", and disappearance of society funds, he was targeted and eventually murdered.

My guest is Gillian O'Brien, author of "Blood Runs Green: The Murder That Transfixed Gilded Age Chicago". She talks about Clan na Gael's once powerful influence, the deadly rivalry between Sullivan and Cronin, and the unintended consequences of their hatred towards each other - the crippling of a late 19th century movement towards Irish independence.

Gillian O'Brien's blog: https://gillianmobrien.wordpress.com/category/blood-runs-green/

More about the book: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo19966410.html

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New York City in the mid to late 19th century was host to some of the most colorful criminals in American history - and equally colorful policemen who battled them. Police Chief Thomas Byrnes was considered one of the best sleuths in the world, yet there were always plenty of sensational cases to solve and elusive crooks to catch.

My guest John Oller is author of "Rogues' Gallery: The Birth of Modern Policing & Organized Crime In Gilded Age New York". He shares stories of some of his favorite period characters - including crime boss Marm Mandelbaum, bank robber extraordinaire George Leonidas Leslie, and Danny Driscoll, leader of the notorious Whyos Gang.

More information can be found here: http://www.johnollernyc.com/

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2168025/john-oller/

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On this special Halloween-themed episode of Most Notorious, my guests - professors Lester Friedman and Allison Kavey - talk about Mary Shelley's early 19th-century literary classic, Frankenstein. They explore Shelley's creation of her timeless gothic novel and how her background and circumstances likely influenced her writing, offer some fascinating interpretations of the book's themes, and explain how the story has evolved into the one we're familiar with today.

Their book is called "Monstrous Progeny: A History of the Frankenstein Narratives".

https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/monstrous-progeny/9780813564258

https://www.hiram.edu/archives/lester-friedman-bio/

https://www.jjay.cuny.edu/faculty/allison-kavey

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My guest, Western author and historian G.R. Williamson, appeared on Most Notorious a couple of years ago to talk about gunfighters Ben Thompson and King Fisher. He joins me again, this time to tell tales from his book "Notorious Gamblers of the Old West", which includes accounts of colorful card-playing characters like Charles Cora, Lottie Deno and Poker Alice. He also explains how the popular game Faro is played, what a period saloon really looked like, and offers a glimpse into the rough and occasionally rewarding life of a professional gambler in the Old West.

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October 8th, 2021 marks the 150th anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire, the legendary disaster that destroyed a third of Chicago and made 90,000 residents homeless. While Mrs. O'Leary and her cow are usually portrayed as the culprits behind the catastrophic blaze, my guest, Carl Smith, doesn't believe history has treated her fairly.

Professor Smith is the author of "Chicago’s Great Fire: The Destruction and Resurrection of an Iconic American City", and he shares on this episode of Most Notorious the fascinating details of the fire, including how it might have begun, how mistakes prevented the fire department from getting to it sooner, the devastation it left in its wake, and how the city ultimately overcame the fire's destruction to build anew.

More about the author and his work:

https://groveatlantic.com/book/chicagos-great-fire-2/

https://carlsmith.northwestern.edu/

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We're back again to the Hundred Years War in this episode of Most Notorious - this time in England. Sir William Cantilupe, a battle-hardened knight who had recently been acquitted of murdering his brother Nicholas, was discovered dead in a lonely field in May of 1375, in what appeared to be a staged crime scene.

And it was his wife Maude and their household staff whom authorities would soon accuse of committing the horrific deed.

My guest is Melissa Julian-Jones, author of "Murder During the Hundred Year War: The Curious Case of William Cantilupe". She talks about the dark and dramatic family tale, and offers some theories on why William Cantilupe might have been targeted for murder.

Her blog: https://melissajulianjones.wordpress.com/

Her book https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Murder-During-the-Hundred-Years-War-Hardback/p/18027

Her class: Romancing the Gothic: https://romancingthegothic.com/

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On November 1st, 1843, a dejected servant named Amelia Norman followed her former beau Henry Ballard to the steps of the Astor House Hotel in New York City. There she stabbed him with a folding knife, barely missing his heart.

The city's newspapers and moral reformers quickly embraced Miss Norman's cause, seeing it as an opportunity to change seduction laws and expand workers' rights.

My guest, Julie Miller, is author of "Cry of Murder on Broadway: A Woman's Ruin and Revenge in Old New York". She offers insight into this sensational crime and its impact on the early days of the women's movement in the United States.

More information about her book can be found here: https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501751486/cry-of-murder-on-broadway/

https://www.amazon.com/Cry-Murder-Broadway-Womans-Revenge/dp/B08K1PXBDX/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1631880970&sr=8-2

https://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/book/9781501751486/cry-of-murder-on-broadway/#bookTabs=1

George Washington's papers:

https://www.loc.gov/collections/george-washington-papers/about-this-collection/

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In November of 1407, Louis I, The Duke of Orleans and brother of France's "Mad" King Charles VI, is murdered on a street near his home in Medieval Paris. A police investigation ensues, surprisingly as thorough and detailed as any modern day crime investigation.

My guest, Eric Jager, is the author of "Blood Royal: A True Tale of Crime and Detection in Medieval Paris". Not only does he share details from his book, but he also talks about the upcoming film "The Last Duel", starring Matt Damon and Adam Driver, based on his book "The Last Duel: A True Story of Crime, Scandal, and Trial by Combat". If the title sounds familiar, it might be because he joined me to talk about the story a couple of years ago.

Listen once more to Most Notorious's The Last Duel episode with Eric Jager: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-last-duel-w-eric-jager-a-true-crime-history-podcast/id1055044256?i=1000437735258&l=sv

Watch "The Last Duel" Trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgygUwPJvYk

More about Eric Jager here: https://english.ucla.edu/people-faculty/jager-eric/

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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On April 24th, 1891, a Bowery prostitute named Carrie Brown (known locally as "Old Shakespeare") was found murdered and mutilated in the seedy East River Hotel. With the Jack the Ripper murders unsolved and still news, many believed that the notorious killer had traveled across the Atlantic to continue his bloody work in the United States - and this was his first victim.

My guest is George R. Dekle Sr., former Florida prosecutor and author of the new book "The East River Ripper: The Mysterious 1891 Murder of Old Shakespeare". He talks about this sensational case, including the arrest and trial of the enigmatic Ameer Ben Ali, better known as "Frenchy", and offers his thoughts on who really murdered Carrie Brown.

More about the author and his work can be found here: https://www.bobdeklebooks.com/

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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On March 25, 1935, little George Weyerhaueser, heir to one of the biggest fortunes in America, was kidnapped on his way home from school in Tacoma, Washington. His abductors would keep him manacled in a pit in the middle of the forest as they negotiated a $200,000 ransom with his frantic family. What soon followed would be the largest manhunt in the history of the Pacific Northwest.

My guest is Bryant Johnston, author of "Deep in the Woods: The 1935 Kidnapping of Nine-Year-Old George Weyerhaeuser, Heir to America's Mightiest Timber Dynasty."

More information can be found on his website: https://www.bryanrjohnston.com/

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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In the spring of 1853 the ill-fated William and Mary, an American sailing ship captained by the incompetent Timothy Stinson, departed from England carrying over 200 Dutch, Scotch, Irish and English emigrants, all bound for New Orleans. The voyage was an absolute disaster, replete with illness, bad weather, starvation, a shipwreck, and ultimately the captain's betrayal - in the form of an attempted mass murder.

My guest, Gill Hoffs is an expert on Victorian-era shipwrecks, and she shares details from her book, "The Lost Story of the William and Mary: The Cowardice of Captain Stinson".

She can be found on Twitter @GillHoffs

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Do you have a criminal from your family's past that you've always wanted to learn more about, but don't know where to start? On this special episode of Most Notorious, prolific British author Stephen Wade offers helpful tips on how to maneuver through what can be both a daunting and thrilling experience - digging up sordid details of long-lost villainous ancestors.

His book is called "Tracing Your Criminal Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians", and more information about him and his work can be found here: https://stephen-wade.com/

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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Of all of the Jack the Ripper suspects, Montague Druitt is the most maligned in modern times, my guests argue, despite the fact that many of his contemporaries believed him to be the murderer of the Canonical Five before drowning himself in the Thames.

Jonathan Hainsworth and Christine Ward-Agius are the authors of "The Escape of Jack the Ripper: The Full Truth About the Cover-up and His Flight from Justice", and they make their case, on this week's episode of Most Notorious, that Montague Druitt was indeed Jack the Ripper.

More information about their book can be found here: https://hainsworthwardagius.com/buy/

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Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/

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