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Life wasn't easy for the Mormon refugees flooding into Mexico in 1885, and it was downright terrifying when they fled back out during the Mexican revolution in 1912. Life seemed to be especially hard for one man in particular who was born in Colonia Diaz and he took it out on his family for the rest of his life. When the law wouldn't help them or their mother, a few of his children figured they'd have to help themselves—with deadly consequences.

Join Monica and Olivia to find out what rumble seats, sagebrush, and ropes have in common in this episode of Forgotten Felonies!

• Hoosier Cabinets ad from 1912, voiced by Christian N.
• Lifebuoy Health Soap ad from 1940, voiced by Christian N. and our hosts

For more information on the Mormon colonies in Mexico, watch The Land of Refuge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaP0va4jtDY

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"No one ever lived who loved children more than I did." These are the words spoken by a man who laughed and joked when recounting the murders of 11 children—all of whom saw him as their father figure. George Hassell was a special type of family annihilator who would extinguish his family when he found them to be inconvenient in some way. If his family became an obstacle, they simply had to go and he would move on as if nothing had happened. While these murders still happen today, back in the early 1900s it was a lot easier to get away with.

Stuart's Dyspepsia Tablets ad from 1927 Houston Post.

Waddell's Department Store ad from 1926 Houston Chronicle.

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The wild west was alive and well in Westfall, Oregon in 1912. Asa Carey was a mean son of a gun who couldn't stay away from the saloons. Whoever decided he'd make a good town marshal clearly wasn't thinking straight! Asa had his own ideas when it came to meting out fair punishment and he wound up on the wrong side of the bars, himself, more than once. 

• Saloon music featured from 1905: "Down Where the Sweet Potatoes Grow" by Collins & Harlan
• Saloon music featured from 1908: "Lanky Yanky Boys in Blue" by Bill Murray
• Saloon music featured from 1912: "I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" by Mr. Jack Charman

Dr. Miles' Anti-Pain Pills: ad featured in the March 2, 1905 Oregon Daily Journal

Wilcox Bros. Royal Blue Shoe Store: ad featured in the 1912 Eugene Guard

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In 1899, Mabel Schofield was a 21-year-old young woman with big dreams and the whole world ahead of her. She had a great head on her shoulders, she had plans for her future, and she was going places. That is, until, some unscrupulous fellow with a selfish plan of his own snuffed out her life without a care in the world. Even the chief of detectives threw his hands in the air and gave up, but the good people of Des Moines, Iowa would not rest until the mystery was solved. It seemed like forever, but justice was finally served for Mabel!

Listen as we talk about the fallibility of eyewitness testimony and test your own facial recognition skills here: 

https://www.testmybrain.org/face-blindness/super-recognizers.html

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A dashing young count and his beautiful countess come through town and promise to teach you how to be as beautiful as they—for a fee, of course. Promises are made, money exchanges hands, and then the charming royals simply vanish! Was it a dream or were you duped? Come back with us to 1908 when Viggo met Nora and their cross-country crime spree began! 

This story is a continuation of Episode 5: The Tragic Tale of Kate Van Winkle. Nora Holstein-Rathlou first came to our attention in that story and we realized there was just so much more to tell!

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Kate Van Winkle was born in 1860 and died in 1936. Her life was full of tragedy and despair fit for the silver screen. It's a story stranger than fiction and, until now, has been forgotten to time. Did Kate purposely shoot Dr. Collins that morning? We'll never know for sure, but at least we have unearthed this incredible story and have even brought a small amount of justice to some souls beyond the grave. 

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Lucinda Mills was a loving mother to 14 children and too many grandchildren (and great grandchildren!) to count. She loved them all and they loved her. Why, then, did so many stand by on that cold February day in 1933 while her son put her on a makeshift altar and used her in a religious ritual to show that he could bring someone back to life? That did, after all, require murdering her first. Listen in as we talk about what makes family cults unique and unravel some interesting historical crime from 1933!

Many thanks to Christian N. for lending us your voice for some culty chanting, court testimony, and radio ads! 

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In August of 1908, Henry J Dufty ended three innocent lives with an ax. The newspapers blamed religious hysteria and the doctors blamed his diseased mind. The neighbors had been buzzin' over the fences that ol' Henry was out of his senses for years already, but what really led to this tragedy? Follow along as we tell the story and chase down the clues in an attempt to solve this decades-old mystery. Why did Henry Dufty take his ax to breakfast?

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The last "Great Train Robbery" occurred at Tunnel 13 in the Siskiyou Pass in the little town of Ashland, Oregon. It took 4 years to hunt down the three who were responsible for the four senseless deaths that resulted that day. Who were these three men, and what drove them to commit a quadruple murder on that fateful day in October of 1923? Listen in as Monica and Olivia unpack this case and uncover the things that drove these young men to madness—and murder.

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When Joycy married Bert in February of 1900, she thought she'd found a provider for her two little girls. She would never have guessed on her wedding day that the life she envisioned would end in a way that would shake up an entire town. What led up to this tragedy? Join co-hosts Monica and Olivia while they unravel history to uncover the clues to this forgotten felony.