What do spies have to do with a murder in a small New Hampshire town in 1918? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. Today we explore the strange murder of Dr. William Dean with guests, actor Tara Perry ("The Fresh Beat Band", "12 Hour Shift", "Ghosts of the Ozarks"), and her husband, filmmaker Jordan Wayne Long ("Ghosts of the Ozarks"). 

During World War I, there were reports of strange lights in the mountains of Southern New Hampshire. Paranoia was at an all time high and people believed the strange lights were signals to and from German spies, possibly even communicating with U-boats off the Eastern coast of the US. The government was so concerned that they sent agents to investigate the signal lights, which never stopped during the course of the war.

Caught up in the midst of what seems like the plot of a spy novel, was a resident of Jaffrey, New Hampshire, Dr. William Dean. One quiet night in August of 1918, Dr. Dean ventured towards his barn to milk his cow, but he never made it back inside for his dinner. Dean was later found in six feet of water within his cistern, tied, covered in a bag, and strangled to death. Nothing was stolen. No apparent motive ever discovered. For over 100 years, the murder has transfixed the town and the best theory to date is that Dr. Dean saw something related to the strange lights in the mountains, and it got him killed. 

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Links:

https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/killed-william-dean-tale-spies-swindlers-politicians/

https://www.ledgertranscript.com/Dean-murder-overview-19015646

http://www.jaffreyhistory.org/10dean/margaret.pdf

http://www.jaffreyhistory.org/10dean/MarkBeanPaper.pdf

https://rs41.smugmug.com/Jaffrey/Dean-Murder