Episode Overview

Podcast: My Victorian Nightmare
Host: Genevieve Manion
Episode: Ep. 60 – Scenes at the Haunts of the Haunted
Release Date: September 15, 2025

In this milestone 60th episode, Genevieve explores the bizarre, tragic, and often darkly comedic tales found in Victorian-era tabloids, focusing especially on stories from the notorious Illustrated Police News. The episode features ghostly accounts, true-crime vignettes, tales of spiritualist séances gone awry, tragic accounts of addiction and suicide, and late-19th-century tabloid absurdities. The overarching theme is the Victorian fascination with the macabre and sensational—a culture of public haunting, moral panic, lurid journalism, and communal curiosity about death and the supernatural.

Key Discussion Points & Notable Stories

1. Haunted House Frenzy in Victorian Cambridge (04:00–16:15)

• Segment: “With Their Own Eyes”
• Genevieve dives into the true story of a "haunted" house on Kirkland Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts, circa 1878. Crowds flock to glimpse supposed ghostly phenomena, reminiscent of the excitement surrounding public events like Gilmore’s Peace Jubilees.
• Quoting the contemporary press:

  "From early morning until late last night, thousands of persons who had got the exact locality and name of the tenant of the house from the Sunday Globe gathered in the vicinity of the haunted premises." (06:33)

• She discusses the house’s reputation, including alleged poltergeist activity—loud crashes, phantom carriages, and spectral struggles—drawing from reports in the Boston Globe and Kansas City Journal.

The Séance and the Mystery of Bertha Stoughton (11:02–14:42)

• Mrs. Marsh, the house’s resident, is at the center of a séance in which she becomes possessed, relaying the supposed murder and burial of a girl named Bertha Stoughton.
• Ghostly visitation includes spectral pleas:

  "Herbert, Herbert. Oh, Herbert. Herbert, give me back my ring." (13:13)

• Subsequent digging yields human bones (likely from medical students), but no evidence of the supposed murdered girl.

Reflection on Haunted Experiences

• Genevieve relates similar “ghostly crash” experiences from her own life, adding a personal touch (15:05–15:22).
• "I do in a way hope that this was a hoax, though. That sounds absolutely terrible to have happened to a woman in that house..." (15:22)

2. Illustrated Police News: Victorian True Crime & Absurdities (16:48–41:27)

Negligence and Death: A Frozen Victim and Police Apathy (16:48–20:09)

• The story of Henry Planell, a man who died of exposure on Long Island after authorities allegedly failed to respond to his wife’s pleas for help.
• Remarkable legal moment:

  "We the jury therefore hold the police commissioners guilty of a most grave neglect of duty that they are indirectly the cause of this man's death..." (18:49)

• Genevieve expresses surprise at the coroner’s willingness to assign blame to police officials at this time.

String of Grisly Western Murders (20:00–22:39)

• A litany of grotesque killings in Kansas and Mississippi in 1872, including bodies devoured by animals and violent vigilante justice.
• Genevieve reacts to the inappropriate editorial sarcasm and lack of resolution:

  "Did that horrifying article really need to include that witty sarcasm in the end? My dude reporter. Christ." (22:12)

The Downfall of a Victorian Soldier: Addiction and Black Friday (22:48–29:35)

• The tragic life and suicide of George C. Van Eyck, former British army captain, undone by financial scandal (the 1869 Black Friday gold crash) and alcoholism.
• Detailed backstory explores British military culture, Wall Street speculation, and the context of the notorious 19th-century market collapse.
• Connecting past to present:

  "It sure is a good thing rich people, including our own lawmakers, aren't able to manipulate markets for their benefit and ruin people's lives anymore." (28:48 — with sarcastic tone)

• Encourages listeners to support contemporary legislation against stock trading by lawmakers.

Brief Macabre: The Deadly Drinking Wager (29:35–31:27)

• A one-paragraph blurb about a liquor-drinking wager that ends in multiple unnatural deaths.
• Genevieve laughs at the dark absurdity of such filler content:

  "Oh God, I feel terrible for laughing. I'm not laughing at what is written. I'm laughing that it was written and printed in a newspaper." (30:40)

Probable Infanticide Discovered by a Dog (31:40–34:36)

• Shocking story from Charleston: a dog discovers a dead infant buried in the cellar; the suspected mother ultimately fined, not convicted of murder.
• Genevieve’s research: Updates and outcomes of the investigation (34:05–34:36).
• "A lot of bodies in basements today." (34:36)

Outrageous Assault Over Shoes & Tabloid Hyperbole (34:39–36:55)

• Dora Walsh is physically assaulted by shoe shop owner Bernard Streme for refusing to purchase shoes.
• The Illustrated Police News ends its article with a call for the shoemaker’s death.
• Genevieve observes:

  "You can always count on the Illustrated Police News to make extraordinary light of murder." (36:16)

Fake News: The Teacher with Her Tongue Cut Out (36:56–39:53)

• Sensational, allegedly true story: A female teacher attacked, tongue cut out, yet she writes the names of her killers in blood before dying.
• Genevieve debunks it as a long-circulated urban legend:

  "The story was absolutely false. But it was a good story to telegraph to the sensational newspapers. And it went a flying." (38:58, quoting Pontiac Sentinel, 1878)

Light Relief: The Case of the Traveling Wig (40:25–41:01)

• A man’s wig clings to a lady’s dress at church, causing mild confusion and ultimately a polite resolution.
• Genevieve delights in the nonviolent, anti-climactic ending after a barrage of grim tales.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Victorian Morbid Curiosity:

  "Should we do brunch first or a haunted house? Let's do the haunted house and try to beat the crowds first, then brunch." (06:15)

• On the Spectacle of Victorian Hauntings:

  "One evening a tremendous smash was heard... as if all the shelves had given way... The gentlemen of the house rushed out and going to the dining room closet, found everything in its place. Not a cup or plate disturbed." (08:04)

• On Social Change & Law Enforcement Accountability:

  "I have never seen a coroner's jury hold police responsible for the death of someone due to negligence. In all of the articles I have read from this era..." (18:49)

• On Victorian Sensationalism:

  "You can always count on the Illustrated Police News to make extraordinary light of murder." (36:16) "That article has an illustration and that was the first, first thing that I checked to see about the names of these supposed men. They're just scribbles in the illustration that right away tipped me off that something was fishy about all this." (39:45)

• Self-Deprecating Humor Amid Horror:

  "Give me a break. My neck is broken." (20:27) "After everything we've been through with this episode, I'm really happy she was like, oh, here's your hair. And that was the end of that." (41:19)

Important Timestamps

| Time | Segment/Event | |----------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:00 | Introduction to today's tales: mysterious murders, frozen men, and weird justice | | 05:10 | Beginning of haunted house story, Cambridge, 1878 | | 11:02 | Spiritualist séance held at the Marsh residence | | 13:13 | Bertha’s ghost allegedly appears and pleads for her ring | | 16:48 | Begins Illustrated Police News segment: true crime and tabloid absurdities | | 18:49 | Coroner’s jury holds police responsible for man’s death | | 20:00 | Series of violent murders in the Southwest | | 22:48 | The tragic story of George C. Van Eyck and Black Friday collapse | | 29:35 | The deadly liquor-drinking wager blurb | | 31:50 | Dog discovers the corpse of an infant in a cellar | | 34:39 | Dora Walsh gets her nose pulled; shoe store violence | | 36:56 | Fake news: Teacher’s tongue cut out urban legend | | 40:25 | The lost wig at church incident |

Tone & Style

Genevieve’s delivery is wry, morbidly fascinated, historically detailed, and frequently peppered with dark humor and present-day parallels. She balances academic curiosity with skepticism of Victorian tabloid sensationalism and a kind of gothic affection for the era's macabre excesses.

Summary

Episode 60 of My Victorian Nightmare offers a flavorful, deeply-researched, and darkly comedic survey of both real-life and questionably true Victorian stories—ranging from haunted houses and spiritualist séances to grisly murders, social scandals, and the occasional journalistic hoax. Genevieve frames each account with context, ethical reflection, and modern resonance, demonstrating the Victorians’ enduring love for the strange, the tragic, and the sensational.