True Crime Historian

Murder In The Attic With Pipe, Gun, and KnifeJump To Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 389 details one of the clumsiest murder plots we’ve yet to encounter, and is jam-packed with some of our favorite tropes: A love triangle gone awry and a trunk murder, to name a couple, with a large dose of crowded courtroom hijinx, including a highly inappropriate kiss between defendants.Hear More Stories About LOVE TRIANGLES GONE AWRYBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

Domestic Scandal In Sioux FallsJump To AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 388 is not a classic trunk murder, per se, but one of the most dramatic scenes in the narrative comes when the prosecutor opens up a dead girl’s trunk in front of witnesses to speculate on the abuses its contents portend. Two families are ripped apart in this gripping drama where evidence is thin but accusations are as abundant and brutal as the wounds on the poor girl’s dead body.Hear More Episodes About TRUNK MURDERSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Repudiated Confessions Of Richard IvensJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 398 explores the tragic murder of a Chicago housewife and the subsequent confession of the simple minded young man who found the body in a refuse pile.Listen To More BAD CONFESSIONSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

A Hung Jury For Hazel CombsJump To The AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 387 starts out conventionally enough: A woman murders her husband to collect the double indemnity insurance policy. But when after she cheats the hangman at the  end of Act II, the story doesn’t stop there. Because of the legal technicalities of the insurance she took out, a jury still has to determine whether or not she committed the crime in Act III.Hear More Episodes About FEMMES FATALEBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

Coming October 15!!!The Work Of The Mormon ButcherEpisode 451 begins in the summer of 1902, when a woman’s mutilated body is pulled from the Morris Canal, and the trail leads to a blood-soaked missionary’s flat in Manhattan. The suspect: William Hooper Young, grandson of Mormon patriarch Brigham Young, whose notebook bore the chilling phrase “Blood Atonement.” This is a rich episode about the strange descent of a scholar turned tramp, and the murder that made headlines thunder with scandal, scripture, and slaughter.Available for advance ad-free listening now at The Safe House!Just a buck a week reserves your bunk at the Safe House and give you early access to all new episodes of True Crime Historian, plus full access to the dusty vault where you can listen to over 400 vintage episodes and whatever personal services you require.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Vermont DesperadoAd-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 386 tells the epic story of one of New England’s most persistent scoundrels. It’s the kind of story I delight in finding, that in another context would make a great Elmore Leonard or Carl Hiaasen novel, this one about a slippery but dim-witted thief, that would almost be comic if there wasn’t a tragic loss of life in Act II, and even when he gets his come-uppance in Act III, there’s still a couple of strange twists in the tale. No spoilers, but let’s just say #botchedexecution.Hear More Stories About PRISON BREAKSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Slippery Scoundrel Gerald ChapmanJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 384 tells the story of a so-called gentleman thief who fearlessly went for the big scores, even while the object of a nation-wide man-hunt. This is another action-packed episode loaded with gunfights, jailbreaks, courtroom breakdowns, and all kinds of shenanigans. Act III starts with a rather odd, melodramatic feature story published while this creep was waiting for the hangman. Jump To More Stories With PRISON BREAKSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

Our long international nightmare is over! True Crime Historian is coming off hiatus with a block of brand new episodes. The first new release comes October 1 with "A Bloody Scream In The Night: The Axe Murder Of Alice Mallett.Episode 450 begins with a scream in the night as the beautiful Miss Alice Mallett, her body brutally defiled, found in a bloody pool. The town of Jackson, Michigan, reels, a mob thirsting for vengeance. The twisted trail of an axe points to the fiendish George Straub, an ex-con with a dark past. But wait! Did he act alone? Or did another shadowy figure lurk in the night? With tear gas exploding and fingers pointing, justice hangs by a thread as a city demands blood!But you can get an advance listen now by joining us at THE SAFE HOUSE, where you will not only get a first listen of this new slew of episodes, but full access to THE DUSTY VAULT where you can enjoy over 400 chilling and thrilling episodes of True Crime Historian!Just a buck a week give you all that! You can't even buy a cup of coffee for a buck anymore.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Murderous Journeys Of Frederick DeemingJump To The AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 383 is another request from a listener Down Under, the story of a man who brutally murdered his wife and buried the body inside the house, then disappeared. Although they capture him at the end of Act II, Act III reveals an even more gruesome murder on the opposite side of the globe. He’s a slippery one, but he gets his comeuppance.Hear More Episodes About BLUEBEARDSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Court Martial Of Pvt. Eddie LeonskiJump To The AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 382 is dedicated to the Australian scoundrel Philip Quinn, a dedicated listener from Down Under who wanted to hear more about the case of Eddie Leonski, an American soldier who terrorized of Melbourne with a murder spree while the city was under mandated “brown-outs,” reductions in the use of lighting to make it less of a air raid target. The only good contemporary coverage of the case was during the trial, which was conducted by the American Army and not the local government, so you’ll have to wait for the defense in Act III to learn the strange story behind the soldier’s deadly impulse.Hear More Stories About SERIAL KILLERSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

An Incident In The Blacksmith’s ShopJump To The AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 380 tells the story of a violent rampage and its aftermath, when a jealous man shoots a rival down in cold blood and then bashes his head with a hammer. There are enough witnesses that there’s no question his guilt, and the third act details the extremes he will take to avoid a date in the electric chair.Hear About More Murders Committed With AXES & HAMMERS!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Real ‘Chicago’ MurdersEpisode 352 explores the two murders that inspired the hit musical “Chicago,” which was based on a play by Maurine Watkins, who did some reporting on both cases as a reporter for the Chicago Tribune. I’ll be joined by my colleague Susan Ferman, whose own podcast Catastrophic Calamities, will premiere next week on the Pulpular Media network. Susan will read about the case of Beulah Annan, who became Roxy Hart on stage. I will read the case of Belva Gaertner, who became Velma Kelly.Culled from the historic pages of the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, and other newspapers of the era.This episode includes a reference to a fellow murderess Sabela Nitti, whose story you can hear about in True Crime Historian 230, The Ugly Duckling Murderess.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Brutal Murder Of Mayme ShermanA True Crime Short Story by Richard O JonesAd-Free Safe House EditionOne of the factors behind my interest in historical true crime is that my hometown of Hamilton, Ohio, seems to have a particularly rich history of crime--murder in particular, but not just murder. I’ve done several local programs about the safecrackers, bandits, and other notorious characters. This short story, “Bacon On The Table,” concerns the third of three “bluebeard” killers in the first decade of the 20th century. The first was the murder of Hannah Knapp by Alfred Knapp in December, 1902. This is the subject of my book, “The First Celebrity Serial Killer.” But even before this crime came to light, Samuel J. Keelor tried to decapitate his wife on Valentine’s Day, 1903. You can read more about that story in my ebook, “The Sleepwalking Slasher.”The following year, just a week after Knapp paid the ultimate penalty for his crime, Charles Victor Sherman commits the horrible crime detailed in this episode.In more recent days, Hamilton is the hometown of “the Cross Country Killer” Glen Rogers, who murdered at least five people in 1994 and 1995, and probably more than that. He is currently on death row.And perhaps the most sensational of all Hamilton stories is the Easter Massacre of 1975, in which James Urban Ruppert gunned down his mother, his brother, and his brother’s wife and eight children. But friends, this was not Hamilton’s first mass family murder, but our third. In 1925, Francis Lloyd Russell shot eight members of his family one hot summer night (see the Two-Dollar Terror “Massacre On Prospect Hill”). And in October, 1929, the barber Charlie King opened the gas pipes in his house while his wife and five sons slept, then hopped on a northbound freight train (see the Two-Dollar Terror “The Gas Fume Fugitive”).I am also descended from murderers, although their crimes weren’t in Hamilton but in various Kentucky locations. Maybe I’ll tell you about those someday.More Hometown HorrorsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Saga of the Scoundrel Thomas McGehanA true crime short story by Richard O JonesAd-Free Safe House Edition-Episode 28 takes place on Christmas Eve 1870, when three men attack a local politician with boulders and slungshots, and at least a dozen men scramble for the door while five shots pepper the faro room at the American Saloon in Hamilton, Ohio, the hometown of True Crime Historian Richard O Jones. One of the bullets kills the politician, Thomas Myers, but in their haste none of the gamblers see who fired the shot. The blame falls on the leader of the gang of thugs who attacked Myers, his political rival Tom McGehean. At his trial, the famed former Congressman, exiled Copperhead, and gubernatorial candidate, Clement Vallandigham literally gives his life for McGehean's defense.Read-Along (more or less. It's not the exact same text)More Hometown HorrorsBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Atrocities Of Albert FishI'D TURN BACK IF I WERE YOU!!!Episode 191 is without a doubt the vilest case you'll ever hear on this program because I don't think I could find a worse one if I tried. There's a lot of evil discussed here: torture, cannibalism, and more. Consider this your trigger warning: I'd turn back if I were you! Or at least put the kids to bed and plug in your ear buds. Keep this between us.Ad-Free EditionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Murder Of Mary PhaganEpisode 183 tells of one of the most infamous cases of an innocent man wrongly accused. When a teenage factory girl is found dead in the basement of an Atlanta pencil manufacturer, blame falls on the mild-mannered Jewish superintendent of the plant, and the jury takes the word of a drunken janitor. It’ll take 70 years for the truth to come out.Ad-Free EditionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Reily Mattock MurderEpisode 198 is centered on one of my favorite murder tropes, the so-called “eternal triangle,” between the cranky old farmer, his fading wife, and the handsome young farmhand. Yeah, that’s not going to end well, but they might have gotten away with it if they had just put the body across the tracks. It’s all in the details.Culled from the historic pages of the Hamilton Journal-News and other newspapers of the era.Ad-Free EditionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

The Trial Of Rattlesnake James, The Red-Headed BluebeardEpisode 192 gets a bit epic, but it’s the story that keeps on giving, with two botched murders and moral charges to boot, and things go from crazy to crazier when they bring a pair of rattlers named Lethal and Lightning into the courtroom.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

A Litany of HorrorEpisode 12 is a reading of the chilling confession of Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes, one of the most remarkable serial killers in American History. The whole nation was shocked and outraged in the waning years of the nineteenth century by the gruesome deeds of one Herman Mudgett, the arch fiend who took on the pseudonym H.H. Holmes as he prepared his famous "Castle of Death" in downtown Chicago. He was arrested for an insurance fraud in November 1894, but his string of murders, perhaps 200 in all, were soon revealed. He was convicted of one capital crime in Philadelphia, and while he awaited execution, he penned a confession detailing 27 murders that was published in newspapers across the country. He would recant this confession before he hanged, but really, you can't make this stuff up.Ad free Patreon edition with subscriptionBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.

A Terrible Reign of MurderAbout the murders that inspired Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon"Episode 214 digs deep into the files of the FBI and one of its early successful investigations during the tenure of J.Edgar Hoover, when the Bureau of Investigations looked into the murder of as many as 60 to 70 Osage Indians. The file includes a report by Agent Frank Smith as well as statements by informants who helped break the conspiracy. True Crime Historian welcomes guest reader Susan Ferman as Katherine Cole, one of these informants.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.