Podcast
Doppelnamers
Hosted by Elizabeth T Russell · EN
Doppelnamers connects the dots between strangers who share the same name. This 11-part podcast tells the story of a pioneer named Elizabeth Russell who was tried for murder in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 1892. Elizabeth’s story has endless parallels to issues that plague our society today: misogyny; corruption; misinformation; anti-immigrant sentiment; mob mentality; body autonomy; the abuse of sexual power. In addition to Elizabeth’s unbelievable story, we’ll catch a glimpse of late 19th-century life in rural Wisconsin. And spoiler alert: history can be funny. Host Elizabeth (TS) Russell tells the story to co-hosts Mary Jeanne Stead and Cathy Boyle Almeida, who meet the characters and hear the tale for the first time, right along with the listeners.
11episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Ep 11: The Verdict...And Beyond
Mar 4, 202500:29:44Tap to summarizeThe jury returns its verdict. The story doesn't end, though, and neither does Elizabeth's harrowing journey. MJ and Cath learn what happened to the characters later in life, and muse about whether justice was served. Bonus Doppelnamer story: A Surprise!
Transcribe →Ep 10: Deliberations
Mar 4, 202500:27:10Tap to summarizeMJ, Cath, and Judith deliberate as though they were the jury. Bonus Doppelnamer story: Bill Bailey
Transcribe →Ep 9: The Medical Expert
Feb 25, 202500:38:12Tap to summarizeDr. Judith Ziegler weighs in on medical aspects of the case. Who knew that arsenic was everywhere? Bonus Doppelnamer story: Judith Ziegler
Transcribe →Ep 8: The Curtain Rises
Feb 25, 202500:36:40Tap to summarizeThe trial begins, and it's all-out theater, right down to the red carpet. A juror dresses up in drag, and Frawley plants fake news. Judge Bailey is threatened with lynching. Bertha's own mother reveals the likely cause of death...and it's not poison. Bonus Doppelnamer story: Maggie Jensen
Transcribe →Ep 7: The Jail Incident
Feb 18, 202500:33:58Tap to summarizeFinding himself with no evidence to support charges against Elizabeth, Frawley takes matters into his own hands with an astonishing act of misconduct. Bonus Doppelnamer Story: Russ Whipple
Transcribe →Ep 6: Inquest Of The Dead
Feb 18, 202500:34:33Tap to summarizeBertha's grave is opened...again. Dr. Chase refuses to perform an autopsy, so an IRS booze inspector presides over a grisly inquest. We consider the murky relationship between inquests and grand jury proceedings, setting the stage for what Elizabeth is about to endure. Bonus Doppelnamer Story: Ted Kennedy
Transcribe →Ep 5: The Family Way
Feb 18, 202500:31:25Tap to summarizeDoctors of the day treat Bertha with poison and dog sedatives. We hear conflicting accounts of her final hours, and we witness Bertha's death. Then wait...was she buried alive?? Bonus Doppelnamer story: William Frawley
Transcribe →Ep 4: The Dance That Changed Everything
Feb 11, 202500:19:35Tap to summarizeAdam and Elizabeth greet Peter with a lighthearted charivari, moments before he delivers a bombshell from which they will never recover. Learn whose life will be cut short, and how a cold winter's dance set the tragic events in motion. Bonus story: We meet Thomas Russell's Doppelnamer
Transcribe →Ep 3: #MeToo
Feb 11, 202500:28:56Tap to summarizePeter testifies about Elizabeth's sexual advances. Newspapers of the time deemed his testimony unfit for publication. We'll hear about Peter's life in what today is a Wisconsin "ghost town." Elizabeth's nephew, "Peeping Elmer," describes what was going on between Peter and Sarah; and Elizabeth fires shots in the "Revolver Incident." We start this and each of the remaining Episodes saluting an Eau Claire or story-related character, and their real world Doppelnamer. This Episode's Bonus Doppelnamer story: Orville Wright.
Transcribe →Ep 2: The Corrupt 90s
Feb 1, 202500:29:13Tap to summarizeIn this episode we get a flavor of what life was like in 1890s Eau Claire. (Another of my doppelnamers gets gored by a bull on her way home from church!) Society's concerns back then were profoundly similar to ours, today. Cath and MJ meet two immigrant families, the Jensens and the Ericksons, who figure very importantly in Elizabeth's story. And we conclude the episode with a side of Elizabeth that nobody saw coming.
Transcribe →