We travel back to Minnesota in 1912 to discover the tragic case of a young woman slain just yards from home: so close to safety, yet so far from salvation. She was popular and hardworking, with a loving, happy family, and no enemies. So how was it possible that a man confessed multiple times to killing 21-year-old Alice Matthews, but nobody was ever taken to trial?

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Twitter: @PrashsMurderMap

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Credits: Research, writing, narration and audio editing by Prash

Voice acting by Kathy Wheat, Steven and Emi Clark.

No part of this episode may be reproduced or copied in any form without the written permission of Prash’s Murder Map.

Sources:

Alice E Matthews, Find a Grave.com https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/159907360/alice-e_-matthews



Caledonia Argus, “Horrible Murder”, 29th March 2012, Vol 33. No. 18, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0031/1I7PLV5B/12032901&page_name=3



Henderson, John, “Demographics of the Titanic Passengers”, 2017, http://www.icyousee.org/titanic.html



Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Developments in the Matthews Murder Case”, Tuesday March 26th 1912, Vol XLV, No. 198, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005/1DFC5G5B/12032601&page_name=2



Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Driskell Arrested, Charged With Alice Matthews Murder”, Friday October 22nd, 1915, Forty-Eighth Year No. 309, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?collection_filter=All&doc_id=addabf07-f848-43e3-a488-2782562f220d%2Fmnhi0005%2F1DFC5G5B%2F15102201&vwrSrch=matthews&objRsltIdx=-1&fitMode=1&scale=0.34&rotation=0&x=0&y=0&highlightColor=yellow&showThumbs=true



Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Driskell Enacts Matthews Crime; main facts tally”, Saturday October 23rd 1915, Forty-Eighth Year No. 310, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005/1DFC5G5B/15102301&page_name=1



Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Driskell Unbalanced, says Sheriff Langum”, Saturday June 5th 1915, Vol XLVIII, No. 170 https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005/1DFC5G5B/15060501&page_name=21

Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Girl Is Beaten to Death With Stone,” Thursday October 14th 1920, Fifty-Fourth Year No. 143, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005/1DFC5G5C/20101401&page_name=1

Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Girl Loses Life in Brave Battle to Save Honor”, Monday March 25th 1912, Vol XLV, No. 197, https://www.mnhs.org/newspapers/lccn/sn83016772/1912-03-25/ed-1/seq-1



Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Latest Developments,” Thursday March 28th 1912, Vol XLV, No. 200, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005/1DFC5G5B/12032801&page_name=1



Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Ogre Sought by Detectives as Girl’s Slayer”, Saturday April 6th 1912, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005/1DFC5G5B/12040601&page_name=1, Vol XLV, No. 209



Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Police do not believe Driskell confession”, Wednesday 15th October 1913, Vol XLVI, No. 300 https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005/1DFC5G5B/13101501&page_name=10
Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Throng of Curiosity Seekers at Scene of Matthews’ homicide; Persons connected with incidents following the tragedy”, Wednesday March 27th 1912, Vol XLV, No. 199, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?doc_id=mnhi0005/1DFC5G5B/12032701&page_name=5



Minneapolis Morning Tribune, “Police Report Flaw in Lindgren’s Alibi for Night of Bowers’ Murder”, Saturday February 11th 1922, Fifty-Fifth Year, No. 263, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?collection_filter=All&doc_id=addabf07-f848-43e3-a488-2782562f220d%2Fmnhi0005%2F1DFC5G5C%2F22021101&vwrSrch=matthews&objRsltIdx=-1&fitMode=1&scale=0.36&rotation=0&x=0&y=0&highlightColor=yellow&showThumbs=true



PJE Family Research, September 2018, “On This Date in Minnesota History”, https://pjefamilyresearch.blogspot.com/2018_09_09_archive.html



Rivenes, Erik, December 14, 2019, “The 1912 Minneapolis Murder of Alice Matthews,” Minnesota’s Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold podcast, https://podbay.fm/podcast/1434979856/e/1576321272



The Cook County News-Herald, “Driskell Declared Insane”, November 25th 1915, Vol XXIV, https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?collection_filter=All&doc_id=81d335cc-f3f6-48c6-934e-2067e7f912c7%2Fmnhi0031%2F1DFBZ45B%2F15112501&vwrSrch=matthews&objRsltIdx=-1&fitMode=1&scale=0.23&rotation=0&x=0&y=0&highlightColor=yellow&showThumbs=true



The Duluth Herald, “Murdered Girl’s Funeral is Held”, 28th March 1912, Vol XXIX No. 303,

https://newspapers.mnhs.org/jsp/viewer.jsp?collection_filter=All&doc_id=5f9ef777-8d4b-42cd-af9e-74b8717cd759%2Fmnhi0007%2F1DFBWQ5B%2F12032801&vwrSrch=savage&CurSearchNum=5&objRsltIdx=25&fitMode=0&scale=0.31&rotation=0&x=0&y=0&highlightColor=yellow&showThumbs=true



The Minneapolis Star, “Attacked Near Home, October 3rd 1927, Page 2, https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16069440/the-minneapolis-star/



The Minneapolis Star, “Oscar Lindgren Appeal Before Parole Board”, September 16 1931, page 22

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/16013118/the-minneapolis-star/



Weir, Sue Hunter, “Alice’s murder exploited by vagaries of politicos and publishers”, The Alley Newspaper, http://alleynews.org/2010/06/alice%E2%80%99s-murder-exploited-by-vagaries-of-politicos-and-publishers/