Podcast
Historical True Crime
Hosted by Lizzie · EN
Step into the shadows of the past with "Historical True Crime," the podcast that takes you on a gripping journey through some of history's most captivating and chilling criminal stories. Each episode is a meticulously researched exploration into the depths of history, where true crime meets the intriguing backdrop of different eras. From legendary criminals and unsolved mysteries to the groundbreaking investigations that shaped the course of justice, our narratives paint a vivid picture of the darker side of humanity throughout time.
13episodes
Episodes
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Pat Crowe and the Cudahy Kidnapping
6d ago00:26:14Tap to summarizeIn 1900, fifteen-year-old Eddie Cudahy Jr., the son of one of Omaha's wealthiest businessmen, was kidnapped and held for a record-breaking ransom. The crime sparked a nationwide manhunt, a five-year search for suspect Pat Crowe, and one of the most controversial trials of the era. In this episode, we examine the kidnapping, the evidence against Crowe, and why a jury ultimately found him notguilty despite widespread belief in his involvement.Source Materials Garneth Oldenkamp Peterson, The Kidnapping of Ed Cudahy: How Pat Crowe Got Away with the Crime Albert S. Ritchie, Address to the Jury by Albert S. Ritchie of Omaha, Nebraska, in the Pat Crowe Kidnapping Case (1906) The Omaha Daily Bee (1900–1906coverage of the Cudahy kidnapping and Pat Crowe trial) The Omaha World-Herald(1900–1906 coverage of the kidnapping, investigation, and trial) The New York Times, “'Pat'Crowe Acquitted; Was Accused of Kidnapping Son of Edward A. Cudahy” (February 17, 1906) The New York Times, “Says He Is Pat Crowe; Man, Apparently Demented, in Custody of Washington Police” (August 16, 1913) The New York Times, “PatCrowe, Once Noted Outlaw, Beggar Now; Sentence Suspended, Purse Made Up in Court” (December 30, 1925) The Herald-Democrat (December 25, 1900) Library of Congress, “The Eye That Never Sleeps: Pinkerton's National Detective Agency Records” (2023) Pinkerton National Detective Agency Records, Library of Congress Manuscript Division Jeff Vasishta, “Andrew Hilleman's World Chase Me Down,” Interview Magazine
Transcribe →Tom Horn: Murder on the Wyoming Frontier
2w ago00:30:28Tap to summarizeIn 1901, fourteen-year-old Willie Nickell was shot and killed near his family’s ranch in southeastern Wyoming. Suspicion eventually settled on Tom Horn, former Apache War scout, Pinkerton detective, and one of the most feared men connected to the Wyoming range wars. But more than a century later, historians still debate whether the state truly proved he committed the murder.Source MaterialsBall, Larry D. The United States Marshals of New Mexico and Arizona Territories, 1846–1912. University of New Mexico Press, 1978.Carlson, Chip. Blood on the Moon: The Life and Legend of Tom Horn. High Plains Press, 2001.Davis, John W. The Trial of Tom Horn. University of Wyoming Press, 1960.Horn, Tom. Life of Tom Horn: Government Scout and Interpreter. 1904.Krakel, Dean. The Saga of Tom Horn: The Story of a Cattleman’s War. University of Nebraska Press, 1954.Siringo, Charles A. A Cowboy Detective. 1912.“The Killing of Willie Nickell.” The Lamar Register, August 12, 1903.Additional contemporary newspaper coverage from Wyoming and Colorado newspapers, 1901–1903.
Transcribe →The Birdman of Alcatraz: Myth vs Reality
3w ago00:23:55Tap to summarizeRobert Stroud became one of the most famous prisoners in American history as the “Birdman of Alcatraz” but the real story was far more complicated. This week, we look at the life of Robert Stroud, the violence that shaped his prison years, the mythology built around him, and the reality behind one of the most enduring legends in true crime history.Source Materials Babyak, Jolene. Bird Man: The Many Faces of Robert Stroud.Bruce, J. Campbell. Escape from Alcatraz.Gaddis, Thomas E. Birdman of Alcatraz.Gregory, George H. Alcatraz Screw: My Years as a Guard in America’s Most Notorious Prison.Quillen, Jim. Alcatraz from Inside: The Hard Years 1942–1952.Stroud, Robert. Looking Outward: A Voice from the Grave.Alaska Historical Society — “Robert Stroud: The Birdman of Alcatraz”Encyclopaedia Britannica — “Robert Stroud”
Transcribe →The Princes in the Tower: England’s Most Famous Royal Disappearance
May 1200:21:04Tap to summarizeIn the summer of 1483, two boys disappeared inside the Tower of London. Edward V and his younger brother Richard were last seen in the months after their uncle, Richard III, took the throne. In this episode, we examine the Wars of theRoses, the political crisis surrounding the princes, and the centuries of suspicion and debate that followed their disappearance.SourceMaterialsMancini, Dominic. The Usurpation of Richard III. Translated by C. A. J. Armstrong.More, Sir Thomas. The History of King Richard the Third.Pollard, A. J. Richard III and the Princes in the Tower. Stroud: Sutton Publishing, 1991.Weir, Alison. The Princes in the Tower. London: Jonathan Cape, 1992.Vergil, Polydore. Anglica Historia.Commines, Philippe de. Memoirs.Thornton, Tim. “More on a Murder: The Deaths of the Princes in the Tower, and Historiographical Implications for the Regimes of Henry VII and Henry VIII.” History.Historic Royal Palaces. “The Princes in the Tower.”The National Archives. “Extraordinary New Clue About the Princes in the Tower Found at The National Archives.” 2 December 2024
Transcribe →The Disappearance of Louis Le Prince: The First Filmmaker Who Vanished
Apr 1700:19:09Tap to summarizeLouis Le Prince created some of the earliest motion pictures in the 1880s, years before Edison or the Lumière brothers. In 1890, just as he was preparing to present his work publicly, he boarded a train in France and disappeared. He was neverseen again.Source MaterialsPaul Fischer, The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the MoviesNat Segnit, “Who Killed Louis Le Prince? On the Forgotten Father of Film,” Harper’s Magazine (April 2022)“100 Years Ago, the Father of Movies Disappeared,” The New York Times, September 16, 1990Christopher Rawlence, The Missing Reel: The Untold Story of the Lost Inventor of Moving PicturesStephen Herbert, “Louis Le Prince,” Who’s Who of Victorian CinemaNational Science and Media Museum (UK), archival materials on Louis Le PrinceLeeds City Council / Leeds Museums & Galleries, local historical materials on Roundhay Garden Scene and Leeds Bridge footagePaulFischer, The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession,Murder, and the MoviesNat Segnit,“Who Killed Louis Le Prince? On the Forgotten Father of Film,” Harper’sMagazine (April 2022)“100 YearsAgo, the Father of Movies Disappeared,” The New York Times, September16, 1990ChristopherRawlence, The Missing Reel: The Untold Story of the Lost Inventor of MovingPicturesStephenHerbert, “Louis Le Prince,” Who’s Who of Victorian CinemaNationalScience and Media Museum (UK), archival materials on Louis Le PrinceLeeds CityCouncil / Leeds Museums & Galleries, local historical materials on RoundhayGarden Scene and Leeds Bridge footage
Transcribe →The Cleveland Street Scandal: Telegraph Boys, a London Brothel, and Aristocratic Clients
Apr 1000:19:53Tap to summarizeA routine Post Office investigation in 1889 led to the discovery of a male brothel on Cleveland Street, involving telegraph boys and high-profile clients linked to the royal household. As the case unfolded, key figures escaped prosecution—raising questions about power and accountability.Source MaterialsH. Montgomery Hyde, The Cleveland Street ScandalH. Montgomery Hyde, The Love That Dared Not Speak Its Name: A Candid History of Homosexuality in BritainKatie Hindmarch-Watson, “Male Prostitution and the London Telegraph Boys,”Theo Aronson, Prince Eddy and the Homosexual UnderworldBritish Newspaper Archive, “Unlock the Story of the Cleveland Street Scandal” https://blog.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/2023/08/01/unlock-the-story-of-the-cleveland-street-scandal/Rictor Norton, “The Cleveland Street Scandal (1889)”https://rictornorton.co.uk/eighteen/1889clev.htmContemporary newspaper reports from The Times (1889–1890)Contemporary newspaper reports from The North London Press (1889–1890)
Transcribe →Anna Marie Hahn: The Cincinnati Poisonings
Apr 300:21:32Tap to summarizeAnna Marie Hahn was a German immigrant living in Cincinnati in the 1930s. She cooked for people, spent time with them, and became part of their daily lives. And over time, the men she grew close to began to die.Source MaterialFranklin, Diana Britt. The Good-bye Door: The Incredible True Story of America’s First Female Serial Killer to Die in the Electric Chair. Kent State University Press, 2006. Hunt, Amber. “Queen City Crime: How serial killer Anna Hahn rocked Cincinnati, made Ohio history.” The Cincinnati Enquirer, February 6, 2024. Contemporary newspaper coverage, including:The Cincinnati Enquirer (1937–1938) The Cincinnati Post (1937) The Pittsburgh Press (execution coverage, 1938) Telfer, Tori. Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History. HarperCollins, 2017. Vronsky, Peter. Female Serial Killers: How and Why Women Become Monsters. Berkley Books, 2007. Queen, Chelsea. “Anna Marie Hahn: The Deadly ‘Arsenic Widow.’” Medium, 2024
Transcribe →The Murder of Emanuele Notarbartolo (1893) — Sicily’s First Mafia Case
Mar 2700:16:30Tap to summarizeIn 1893, Sicilian banker and former mayor Emanuele Notarbartolo was murdered on a train traveling along the northern coast of Sicily. What followed was a case that moved through multiple trials, convictions, and acquittals, raising questions about political influence, financial power, and the limits of the legal system.Source materialsJohn Dickie, Cosa Nostra: A History of the Sicilian Mafia (Hodder & Stoughton, 2004)https://www.hodder.co.uk/titles/john-dickie/cosa nostra/9780340935262/ Salvatore Lupo, History of the Mafia (Columbia University Press, 2009) https://cup.columbia.edu/book/history-of-the mafia/9780231131346“Raffaele Palizzolo Describes the Mafia,” The New YorkTimes, July 12, 1908 https://www.nytimes.com/1908/07/12/archives/raffaele-palizzolo-describes-the-mafia-the-noted-sicilian.html“Emanuele Notarbartolo: Banker and Politician,” Italy OnThis Day https://www.italyonthisday.com/2023/02/emanuele-notarbartolo-banker-and.htmlChelsea Queen, “Emanuele Notarbartolo: The Sicilian Mafia’sFirst Victim in 1893,” Medium, December 31, 2024 https://medium.com/@chelseaqueen/emanuele-notarbartolo-the-sicilian-mafias-first-victim-in-1893
Transcribe →The Ratcliffe Highway Murders: Terror in London’s East End
Mar 1900:22:48Tap to summarizeIn December 1811, two households on London’s Ratcliffe Highway were brutally murdered within days of each other. As panic spread through the East End, investigators searched for a killer moving through the dockside streets. A sailor named John Williams soon became the prime suspect but his death would leave the truth uncertain.Source MaterialsP. D. James and T. A. Critchley. The Maul and the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders, 1811. Faber & Faber, 1971.Judith Flanders. The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime. Thomas Dunne Books, 2011.John Fairburn. Fairburn’s Account of the Dreadful Murder of Mr. Marr and Family, Who Were Barbarously Murdered in Their House on Ratcliffe Highway. London, 1811.Peter Ackroyd. London: The Biography. Nan A. Talese / Doubleday, 2000.The Proceedings of the Coroner’s Inquest on the Marr and Williamson Murders, London, December 1811. The OldBailey Proceedings Online. https://www.oldbaileyonline.org Radzinowicz, L. “The Ratcliffe Murders.” The Cambridge Law Journal 14, no. 1 (1956): 39–66. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4504366
Transcribe →The Unsolved Disappearance of Jean Spangler
Mar 600:22:03Tap to summarizeIn October 1949, aspiring Hollywood actress Jean Spangler left her Los Angeles apartment and never returned. Despite a major police investigation and decades of speculation,Jean Spangler was never found. In this episode, we examine the evidence behind one of Hollywood’s most enduring unsolved disappearances.Source MaterialsLewis, Jon. Hard-Boiled Hollywood: Crime and Punishment in Postwar Los Angeles. University of California Press, 2017.Charles River Editors. The Disappearance of Jean Spangler: The History of One of Hollywood’s Most Enduring Mysteries. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016.Gilmore, John. Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder. Amok Books, revised edition.Lyons, Arthur. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Jean Spangler.” Palm Springs Life.Patmore, Neil. “Inside The Haunting Hollywood Mystery Of Aspiring Actress Jean Spangler’s Disappearance.” All That’s Interesting.Contemporary reporting from the Los Angeles Times archive.
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