Criminalia

When Verne Sankey told his wife he and his gang were planning a kidnapping, he said, if “I don’t come back, don't identify my body.” Verne and his accomplice, Gordon Alcorn, were a pair of Depression-era outlaws whose successful high-profile kidnappings of Haskell Bohn, heir to Bohn Refrigeration, and millionaire Charles Boettcher II turned them into two of the most wanted criminals in the United States – in fact, their success inspired other gangsters to try kidnapping as a lucrative gig, and prompted FBI director J. Edgar Hoover to name Verne America's very first 'Public Enemy'.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On January 9, 1990, a bank robber nicknamed the Bearded Bandit entered the First Nationwide Bank in Wilmette, Illinois, disguised with a false beard, a baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and driving gloves. He carried a gun and police radio scanner, and threatened bank employees that he'd, ”blow their brains out.” While he collected from the vault, his wife prepared their getaway. The Ericksons, a husband-and-wife bank robbing duo, committed a series of armed robberies in the Chicago area in 1990 andd 1991. And when it ended, it was in a dramatic and desperate way. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A man walked into the Corn Exchange Bank at Elkton, South Dakota, on the afternoon of August 25, 1938, and announced, quote, “This is a holdup.” Bennie and Stella Dickson were Depression-era bank robbers and outlaws who successfully stole what authorities then estimated to be more than $50,000 over an eight-month period. They were tagged by the FBI as Public Enemies No. 1 and 2., and J. Edgar Hoover, who led the bureau at that time, compared them to other notorious criminals of the era including John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, “Babyface” Nelson, and “Pretty Boy” Floyd. That's quite a cast of crooks. But were they?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lester Warfel Brockelhurst, Jr. was the president of the Mormon church's Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association and he was a Sunday school teacher -- he was generally and genuinely known as a, “good boy.” But in his early 20s, he picked up a new nickname: "crime tourist,” after he and his girlfriend, Bernice Felton, pulled off multiple robberies and killed three men during a six-week crime spree that spanned across more than a dozen states in 1937. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This story is one of murder, but it's also a tale of woe. It begins when a young ship's steward named Frederick 'Freddy' Bywaters became involved with a married woman named Edith Thompson. They had known each other growing up in the same London suburb as her husband Percy Thompson; and, it was generally considered that Freddy would marry Edith's sister, Avis. But life doesn't always work out the way you think it will -- and he ended up being executed for Percy's murder. And so did Edith. History now suggests maybe she wasn't a woman who killed for her lover, but, rather, a witness to the event. Were Freddy and Edith partners in murder, or was Edith sentenced to death for adultery?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joseph Bowers is considered the first prisoner to try escaping Alcatraz, but was killed during his attempt. The next to attempt it was a pair of conspiring inmates named Ted Cole and Ralph Roe. Both men had long rap sheets and were known escape risks -- including from high security facilities. As a last resort, each was sentenced to time at the most inescapable prison in the United States: Alcatraz. With hindsight, and it's easy for us to say with time on our side, maybe they should have been kept apart, because these prisoners-in-crime totally escaped Alcatraz Island, and were never seen again.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Helen Golay and Olga Rutterschmidt were sentenced in July of 2008 to life in prison for the murders of Paul Vados and Kenneth McDavid. The women, who were both in their 70s, appeared to be in the business of rescuing down-on-their-luck men in Los Angeles, but it was a deadly ruse. Instead, theymanipulated their marks with offers of free food and housing, and then manipulated them into helping them open life insurances policies – with the women listed as beneficiaries. Helen and Olga then killed these men in staged hit-and-run car accidents, on which they collected payouts totaling in the millions. Let's meet these Black Widow murderers and their victims.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Federal prosecutor Daniel Wenner described the case as, “the bloodiest, most violent betrayal of the badge this city has ever seen.” Two decorated New York City police detectives, Stephen Caracappa and Louis Eppolito, committed various illegal activities on behalf of the Five Families of the American Mafia, spanning from the mid-1980s to 1990. This is the story of how their moonlighting gig was discovered by efforts of the FBI, DEA, as well as prosecutors, investigators, and staff of the United States Attorney’s Office – and a woman named Betty Hydell.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ray and Faye Copeland were husband and wife serial killers and the oldest couple ever sentenced to death in the United States. Their known victims include at least five farmhands -- more men are still considered missing and likely also murdered, though their remains have not been found. This is a story about nearly a dozen hired laborers who disappeared from the Copeland farm in the 1980s. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Train robberies are often thought of as a 19th century problem, like when Jesse James and his gang of outlaws famously pulled off the world's first robbery of a moving train, on July 21, 1873, in Iowa. And, of course, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, who liked to rob banks and trains -- and famously blew up the a Union Pacific Railroad train the morning of June 2, 1899. The business of train robbery was BIG business in post-Civil War America. But robberies did continue into the 20th century. And we’re going to talk about three Oregon brothers who botched one, in an attempt to steal currency that may or may not have been on board. Let us introduce you to Ray, Roy, and Hugh DeAutremont.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of Truman Capote's most famously told anecdotes about his childhood involves his running away with his neighbor, Martha Seabrook, when he was about 10 years old and she, roughly 15. They made a break to a town near where they lived, but were returned home in a day or two. Thirteen years later, Martha met Raymond Fernandez and became one half of the murderous duo known in the press as, The Lonely Hearts Killers. Welcome to a brand new season of Criminalia, featuring partners in crime.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to a brand new season of Criminalia, where we'll be talking about criminal duos. Partners in crime. Now, your partner in crime could be platonic; others may be romantic. They're someone who has your back no matter what. This season's partners in crime wait outside in the getaway car. They plot and commit illegal acts with you.In this season, it's fair to say, it’s someone  you'll probably be arrested and go to prison with. We’ll see you there, not only with some very real stories about some very shady things, but also with the cocktails and mocktails made to go with them.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to the final episode of our season exploring worthless and often dangerous remedies that were promoted as good for whatever may ail you – and, by extension, the patent medicine salesmen, a bunch of quacks and rip-off artists, who advertised and peddled those fraudulent goods. We went into this season assuming the worst; and … it was pretty bad news, to be honest. Listen as Holly and Maria share their favorite shows and drinks from snake oil season. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Victorian era, the menstrual cycle was considered a disease. A Victorian era woman going through menopause was considered to be emotionally unstable, and a physician would likely have prescribed bloodletting to treat its symptoms. He also would have advised her against reading novels, going to parties, and dancing. If you were a 45- to 50-year-old woman in the 19th century, developing this “madness” was considered inevitable. The lucky underwent bloodletting; the unlucky were confined to what were then-called ‘insane asylums’. Where conventional medicine failed the so-called weaker sex, the Victorian view of females as weak, fragile, and childlike actually served as both cause and effect when it came to .., that's right: patent medicines. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Known as tonics, cocaine wines were a hit when introduced in the late 1800s -- Angelo Mariani, a wealthy chemist from the island of Corsica, formulated his popular version, Vin Mariani -- in 1863. Cocaine wine is exactly what you think it is – a concoction of cocaine and wine -- and, it had an incredible fan base that included – spoiler alert – TWO popes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.