Crimes We Forgot

On December 26, 1908, the nude body of a woman was found in Lampblack Swamp along the Passaic River in Harrison, NJ. Police determined she was murdered on Christmas night. For eight days she remained in the morgue unidentified, until police tracked down a piece of clothing found near the body and her sister identified her as Lena Whitmore, even though just a day earlier Lena's husband, the last person known to see her, claimed it wasn't his wife. Hear the full story of the murder of Lena Whitmore, and her husband's two murder trails, on this episode of Crimes We Forgot. www.crimesweforgot.com REDRUM True Crime is a podcast focusing on the true victims of crime. Each episode focuses on a new story. Real life, real victims, real crime. This is REDRUM. Written and presented by Grace Cordell. ⁠Spotify link⁠ ⁠Apple link⁠ Or search REDRUM True Crime, wherever you get your podcasts.

In the dark, early morning of May 29th 1928, a man entered a room shared by three sisters, when he left he held 7-year-old Dorothy Selangowski tightly in his arms, his hand over her mouth. A search soon started, with police and neighbors looking, then a grisly discovery was made only doors away, on the porch of the child’s grandfather. Suspects would emerge, including one of the girl’s brothers, but the evidence pointed to someone else, another family member who had at one time lived with Dorothy and her family.   Hear the full story of the taking of Dorothy Selangowski and how police and a female reporter were able to track down the one who abducted and murdered her on the latest episode Crimes We Forgot. REDRUM True Crime is a podcast focusing on the true victims of crime. Each episode focuses on a new story. Real life, real victims, real crime. This is REDRUM. Written and presented by Grace Cordell. Spotify link Apple link Or search REDRUM True Crime, wherever you get your podcasts. Sources: Lancaster New Era – May 29, 1928 – Stolen from Her Home, Strangled Beaten to Death The Cincinnati Post – May 29, 1918 – Kidnaped Girl Found Slain Near Home Petaluma Daily Morning Courier – May 30, 1928 – Girl, 7, Victim of Fiend The Daily Times – May 30, 1928 – Police Hold 3 Relatives of Dead Girl The Herald Press – May 30, 1928 – City Aroused Over Kidnaping, Slaying of Girl Sapulpa Herald – May 31, 1928 – Chauffeur Admit He Slew Girl The Belleville News Democrat – May 31, 1928 – Trap Fiend Who Kidnaped, Killed Girl The Daily Advocate – June 1, 1928 – Young Victim of Kidnaper Buried Today The Daily Times – June 1, 1928 – Fear Slayer May End Life The New Messenger – June 1, 1928 – Insanity Plea to be Used by Child Slayer Wichita Falls Times – June 3, 1928 – Accused Denies Guilt as Slayer of Child The Gailon Inquirer – June 7, 1928 – Attorneys Threatened The Brownsville Herald – June 8, 1928 – Kidnaping Case is Solved by Quick Work of Girl Reporter Marysville Journal Tribune – July 5, 1928 – Hoppe Trial is Delayed The Daily Advocate – July 6, 1928 – Charles Hoppe Admits Series of Brutal Clubbings The Piqua Daily Call – July 7, 1928 – Defense Will Strive to Prove Confessed Club Killed Insane Lancaster Eagle Gazette – July 16, 1928 – Confesses to Killing Lily Croy The Portsmouth Times – July 16, 1928 – Charles Hoppe Is Found To Be Sane The Dayton Herald – July 17, 1928 – Killer Breaks Down in Prison; Weeps in Night The Evening Review – October 20, 1928 – Toledo Girl’s Killer Given Lease of Life Troy Daily News – November 9, 1928 – Clemency is Refuse Slayer of Ohio Child Troy Daily News – November 16, 1928 – Child Slayer Doomed to Die November 30 The Piqua Daily Call – November 30, 1928 – Chair to Kill Two Ohio Men Sidney Daily News – December 1, 1928 – Rucker and Hoppe Pay the Penalty The Plain Dealer – November 4, 1929 – Toledo Girl Is Missing

In January 1928, 18-year-old Wash Smith walked into a small country store in Banks County, Georgia. By the time he walked out, the store’s owner was dead, and Wash was being hunted down by a posse. It is a story of an interrupted love affair and the vicious retribution by both sides that followed, while bootlegging, hidden witnesses, and recanted testimony point to something almost sinister.  Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of:Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_USCopyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved. The Atlanta Constitution – January 4, 1928 – Posse Is Seeking Farmer’s Slayer The Atlanta Constitution – March 22, 1928 – State Demands Death for Smith The Macon Telegraph – March 23, 1928 – Smith To Die The Atlanta Constitution – December 16, 1928 – Supreme Court Grants Retrial to Wash Smith The Atlanta Journal – February 26, 1930 - State High Court Denies New Trial for Wash Smith  The Atlanta Journal – March 28, 1930 – Prof. Wells Urges Death Penalty for Slayer of Brother The Macon Telegraph – March 29, 1930 – Youthful Slayer Seeks Clemency The Atlanta Constitution – March 29, 1930 – Youth Under Death Sentence Says Girl Witness Kidnaped The Valdosta Daily Times – April 1, 1930 – Wash Smith Gets His Life Saved The Macon Telegraph – April 1, 1930 – Fate of Youthful Slayer Undecided The Atlanta Constitution – November 8, 1930 – Doomed Prisoner Makes Escape Try The Atlanta Journal – November 9, 1930 – Wash Smith Pleads for Commutation The Atlanta Journal – November 12, 1930 – Conscience-Stricken Man’s Confession Despite Threat of Return to Pen Revealed The Atlanta Constitution – November 14, 1930 – Prison Board Refuses Plea for Mercy for Wash Smith The Atlanta Journal – November 14, 1930 – Governor Plans Mind Test for Wash Smith The Atlanta Journal – November 22, 1930 – Wash Smith Dies in Electric Chair for Wells Slaying The Macon News – November 22, 1930 – Youth Directs Own Death in Chair The Atlanta Constitution – October 12, 1939 – Two Die, One Hurt in Baldwin Crash

On a summer day in 1908, a group of picnickers found an old steamer trunk covered in overgrowth in a ravine in New Jersey. Inside was the partially decomposed body of Solomon Rosenbloom, a merchant from Windber, Pennsylvania, some 240 miles west, who went missing in late 1907. This discovery answered the question of where Rosenbloom went, and also revealed a secret, with Rosenbloom's wife sharing that their youngest son Alex had admitted to killing his father before he himself disappeared. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved. Sources: Altoona Tribune – November 26, 1907 – A Windber Mystery The Central New Jersey Home News – August 17, 1908 – Murder Mystery in Jersey Courier-Post – August 21, 1908 – Victim Practically Identified as Missing Windber Merchant The Philadelphia Inquirer – August 22, 1908 – Trunk Mystery Now Appears to Near Conclusion The Pittsburgh Press – August 23, 1908 – Son of Slain Merchant Has Gone to Camden East Oregonian – August, 24, 1908 – Son Murdered Brutal Father The Saginaw News – August 24, 1908 – Trunk Victim Killed by Son Courier-Post – August 25, 1908 – Altoona Man Gave Police First Clue Chicago Tribune – August 25, 1908 – Clerks May Solve Murder Pottsville Republican – August 26, 1908 – Rosenbloom, Jr., Left Country Republican and Herald – August 27, 1908 – Rosenblooms Out on Bail The Republic – August 27, 1908 – Trunk Mystery Was Solved The Lafayette Journal – August 28, 1908 – Trunk Crime Clue Leads to Arrests Pittsburgh Post Gazette – September 9, 1908 – Gov. Stuart Asks for Return of Eglers The Pittsburgh Post – September 4, 1908 – May Release Englers Evening Courier – May 7, 1934 – Old City Hall’s Near Murder

When Roman Luczkowski was married in January 1928, it was likely a surprise to most who knew him, especially considering the 21-year-old was marrying someone nearly 30 years older than him. But the real shock came a little over two months later, when his bride, the former Marie Slade, was found dead and her body crammed into a 3-foot long box. Roman was quickly identified as the culprit, and an avalanche of secrets followed, such as his intimate relationships with other men and the fact that Marie had never divorced her most recent husband before marrying the man young enough to be her son. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

On June 12, 1906, a note was delivered to the Philadelphia classroom of 7-year-old Freddie Muth, claiming the boy's mother was injured and she needed to see the child. None of that was true, and with the boy vanished, with a ransom note soon being sent to the father. Thankfully, the police quickly zoned in on an indebted banker as the kidnapper, which led to a dramatic rescue attempt six days after the boy's disappearance. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

George Dietz was a popular Chicago women’s tailor and cutter, running a successful shop and investing in artwork and real estate, at least until the morning of April 14, 1913, when he was found beaten to death in his bed. Clues found in his pockets and around his body pointed to a revenge killing for his ill treatment of a teenage girl, but the police soon brushed those off as being little more than plants, and George's wife, Augusta Dietz, soon found herself charged for the crime. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

On a warm evening in August 1925, 17-year-old Warren Vandervoort climbed the stairs of the Parkersburg, Iowa Methodist parsonage where he lived with his parents. In his hands he held a .22 caliber rifle, and when his father appeared at the top of the stairs, Warren fired, ending his father's life. Then, as his mother emerged from her bedroom, Warren shot her in the head, then shot her again as she ran to her bed. In the weeks that followed, his mother would recover, while the story of an argumentative family life emerged, and she would go on to sit by his side as he stood trial for his father's murder. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

In the early decades of the 20th century, New York City Policeman Charles Becker strutted the city's streets while building a small fortune from the kickbacks he received from local criminals. But when Herman Rosenthal, the operator of an illegal gambling hall, was gunned down in front of the Metropole Hotel late on July 15, 1912, fingers pointed to Becker, who despite his denials eventually found himself in the electric chair. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

On an evening in March 1922, Utah homesteaders Charles and his nephew George Bradford were in a buggy heading back to their ranch, having gone to the town of Monticello earlier that day on business. But when the buggy finally arrived home, Charles and George weren't with it, and blood was splattered on the seat. A few miles away, the two men laid dead on the road, the victims of a feud dating back a decade. Sound Engineering by Dave Harris Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

On November 16, 1930, school teacher Enid Marriott vanished after getting off a train in Wiggins, Colorado. Within days a search of the area started. But more than two months passed before her younger brother Roy, who was with a search party, spotted a white, stilled hand sticking up from the frozen water of an irrigation ditch, ending the mystery of where she went, but not the one of who murdered her. Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

For around 24 hours in October 1930, Alma Wilson McKinley was missing, kidnapped from the family home in Greenfield, Missouri. Her abductor, after his plans fell apart, let her go less than a day after taking her. Local authorities identified several suspects in the following months before landing on Aden Aven, who was already sitting in a jailcell in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

Standing less than 5 feet and only 14 years old, orphan Claude Hankins would seem an unlikely candidate for California's notorious San Quentin prison. But in 1904, after Claude shot and killed a man who was physically, verbally and possibly sexually abusing him, Judge Eugene McDaniel turned down pleas from the defense council and the jury for the child to go to a reformatory and instead sentenced him to 16 years in the men's ward at the adult prison. Hear the full story of how Claude ended up there and what happened to him after he was paroled. Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

In February 1912, babies started dying at the Brooklyn Nursery & Infants Hospital. The nursing staff was quick to accuse Winifred Ankers, the hospital's cook and an unwed mother who's own child was a patient there, but as the woman's murder trial unfolded, the poor management of the facility came under scrutiny. By the time it was over, nine babies, all under a year in age and most orphans or abandoned by their parents, had died and the real cause remained more speculation than established fact. Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

The son of a wealthy Texas ranching family, John Beal Sneed was used to getting his own way. So when his wife ran off to Canada with their former childhood friend Al Boyce, Sneed took matters into his own hands. In the year that followed, Sneed would gun down Boyce and Boyce's father, and two witnesses to the elder Boyce's killing would themselves die under mysterious circumstances before the case could come to trial. By the time it was all over, as many as six men would be dead and Boyce would walk free. Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US Copyright © 2024 Crimes We Forgot - All Rights Reserved.

On an August day in 1909, a woman and three men snatched a five-year-old girl from a home in Topeka, Kansas. It was at least the second time the child had been kidnapped, and would open the last chapter of a series of custody cases and actions going back to 1904, when the same little girl was a baby on display in the baby incubator exhibit at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. In this episode we explore this remarkable case that emanated from a landmark event from the beginning of the 20th century and hinged on questions of paternity and evokes fears of human trafficking. Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

In the early 20th century, consensual sex between men was largely illegal, and for those serving in the U.S. Navy it meant prison, if they were caught. In this episode we follow the tragic lives of three former sailors after they leave San Quentin Prison, where they served multi-year sentences after being convicted of committing sodomy with a fellow sailor. These are the stories of Homer Baker, Sanford Kisner and Grover Roadarmel. Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Frank McDowell was considered brilliant by some of those who knew him, finishing high school at 16 before attending two renowned colleges, but his promised start soon turned dark. Before he reached the age of 20 he would be sent to the asylum, while his sisters and parents ended up in graves at Liberty Hill Cemetery, victims of either his greed or his delusions. Theme music courtesy of: Cinematic Epic Emotional | EGLAIR by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu/Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.comCreative Commons / Attribution 3.0 Unported License (CC BY 3.0)https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US

Premiering January 2, 2023, Crimes We Forgot is a new independent podcast that explores lesser known murders, kidnappings, robberies and other crimes from a century ago. Host Jeff Billington digs through public records and other archives to tell the story of the crime, and to find out what happened to those involved in the decades that followed.