Historical True Crime

 When William Morgan vanished in 1826, he left behind a manuscript—and a firestorm. This episode explores the man who took on the Freemasons, the mystery of his disappearance, and how his fate sparked America’s first third party.

Source Materials:

The Masonic Murder That Inspired the First Third Party in American Politics

One Man Exposed the Secrets of the Freemasons. His Disappearance Led to Their Downfall | HISTORY

Masons and American history: The 1826 kidnapping, allegedly by freemasons, that changed American politics forever.

Murder by Gaslight: William Morgan - Revenge of the Freemasons

Killed by the Freemasons? The Secrets of William Morgan - Historic Mysteries

When a young English aristocrat vanished at sea in 1854, his family mourned—except for his mother, who refused to believe he was dead. More than a decade later, a butcher from Australia claimed to be the long-lost heir. What followed was one of the most sensational legal battles of the Victorian era. This week on Historical True Crime, we unravel the strange and sprawling saga of the Tichborne Claimant.

Source Materials:

The Tichborne Trials Archive | Hampshire Cultural Trust Online Collections

The Tichborne case: a Victorian melodrama | State Library of New South Wales

The Mysterious Case of Tichborne and His Stolen Identity - Historic Mysteries

The Man Who Lost Himself: The Unbelievable Story of the Tichborne Claimant

The Tichborne trial

THE TICHBORNE CASE

TheTichborne Case - a Case of Identity Fraud? - Brighton & Hove Museums

In 1887, journalist Nellie Bly faked insanity to go undercover inside a New York asylum. What she witnessed—neglect, cruelty, and systemic abuse—became one of the most powerful exposés of the 19th century. This week, we dive into her daring investigation and the real conditions behind the walls of Blackwell’s Island.

Source Materials:

How Nellie Bly became a Victorian sensation and changed journalism forever | Vox

The woman who exposed 19th-century New York’s inhumane treatment of mental health patients | The Independent | The Independent

Nellie Bly: The Journalist Who Pretended To Be Insane To Get Into A Mental Asylum

Remembering Nellie Bly, Rabblerouser and Pioneer of Investigative Journalism

Ten Days in a Madhouse: The Woman Who Got Herself Committed

Nellie Bly: The Journalist Who Traveled Around the World in 72 Days | TheCollector

Nellie Bly - Story, Timeline & Facts

Biography of Nellie Bly, Investigative Journalist

Ten Days in a Mad-House.

Nellie Bly: Scourge of the Asylums and Globetrotter Extraordinaire - Historic Mysteries

George Chapman was a serial poisoner who murdered three of his wives — but some believe his crimes began years earlier as the infamous Jack the Ripper. In this episode, we explore Chapman's life, his shocking crimes, and the lingeringtheory that links him to the Ripper murders.

Source Materials:Casebook: Jack the Ripper - George ChapmanWho Was Jack The Ripper? Meet Seven Possible SuspectsCould Victorian Serial Killer George Chapman Have Been Jack the Ripper?Severin Klosowski aka George Chapman, Victorian Murderer - HeadStuffGeorge Chapman — Jack the Ripper, the most famous serial killer of all time — Crime Library

When 20-year-old Georgette Bauerdorf was found murdered in her Los Angeles apartment in 1944, the city was left stunned—and full of questions. Was the killer a soldier she met at the Hollywood Canteen? A stranger lying in wait? Or someone she knew and trusted? Decades later, her case remains unsolved. In this episode, we unravel the clues and lingering theories behind one of Hollywood’s most haunting cold cases.

Source Materials A Hollywood Crime - Georgette Bauerdorf • MorbidologyCalifornia heiress was strangled. Who got away with murder?Georgette Bauerdorf: Murder at El PalacioThe Unsolved Killing of Georgette BauerdorfSpell-Checking A Serial Killer: Reexamining LA's 1944 Georgette Bauerdorf "Bathtub Murder" Note Update 2016 - Steve Hodel

In 1929, occultist Netta Fornario was found dead on the sacred island of Iona under eerie and unexplained circumstances. Was her death the result of exposure, a psychic attack, or something even stranger? Join us as we unravel the haunting mystery of a woman who may have crossed a line between worlds—and never returned.

Source Materials:

http://www.welcometoiona.com/iona-heritage/early-christian-story/

https://medium.com/@anncarney51/the-strange-death-of-netta-fornario-b4d6817d7e6f

https://jasonrobertsonline.com/the-immortal-hour-of-netta-fornario-part-one/

https://www.strangeoutdoors.com/historical-strangeness/netta-fornario

https://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/occult/netta-fornario-ionas-occult-mystery/

https://www.historicmysteries.com/unexplained-mysteries/netta-fornario/689/

https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/555841/strange-1920s-death-iona-scotland-nora-emily-fornario

https://journalnews.com.ph/a-mystical-island-and-the-mysterious-death-of-the-occultist-netta-fornario/#gsc.tab=0

In 1889, Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria and 17-year-old Baroness Maria Vetsera were found dead in a remote hunting lodge—an apparent lovers’ suicide that shocked the world. But was it really a tragic romance… or something far more sinister? In this episode, we unravel one of Europe’s most haunting royal mysteries, where politics, scandal, and empirecollide.

A teenager tortured to death. A mother who claimed insanity. Children who became accomplices. This episode tells the whole chilling story of Sylvia Likens—and what happened after the headlines faded.

Source Materials

Dean, John (2008). House of Evil: The IndianaTorture Slaying. United States of America: St. Martin's Paperbacks. ISBN 978-0-312-94699-9.

https://allthatsinteresting.com/gertrude-baniszewski

https://allthatsinteresting.com/sylvia-likens-gertrude-baniszewski

https://harrisons.medium.com/the-story-of-the-torture-mother-also-known-as-gertrude-baniszewski-cd9e08cbc921

https://www.nydailynews.com/2013/04/06/monster-mom-gertrude-baniszewski-and-teen-cohorts-torture-sylvia-likens-to-death-in-indiana-boarding-house-of-horror/

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iowa-teachers-aide-suspended-after-role-65-torture-death-revealed-flna1c6643498

https://www.indianapolismonthly.com/longform/likens-looking-back-indianas-infamous-crime-50-years-later/

https://time.com/archive/6629479/trials-avenging-sylvia/

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/crime/2015/10/23/indianapolis-most-sadistic-act-sylvia-likens-gertrude-baniszewski-torture-slaying-indianapolis-news-indianapolis-crime-crime-horror-torture/74209878/

https://law.justia.com/cases/indiana/supreme-court/1970/256-ind-1-1.html

In 1976, a young German woman died after nearly a year of exorcisms. What followed was one of the most controversialtrials in modern religious history. This episode explores the haunting case of Anneliese Michel—a tragic intersection of faith, mental illness, and the cost of belief.

Source Materials

https://allthatsinteresting.com/anneliese-michel-exorcism

https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/seized-by-the-spirit-temporal-lobe-epilepsy-and-the-exorcism-of-anneliese-michel/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/04/21/cries-of-a-woman-possessed/94bf2fd3-8e64-482d-869d-1f929851ca8f/

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/1504158/God-told-us-to-exorcise-my-daughters-demons.-I-dont-regret-her-death.html?ICID=continue_without_subscribing_reg_first

https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/4303767/anneliese-michel-possessed-photo-emily-rose/

https://time.com/archive/6852095/religion-a-phenomenon-of-fear/

In 1867, the quiet village of Alton, England was shattered by the horrific murder of eight-year-old Fanny Adams—an act so brutal it shocked Victorian society and left a disturbing legacy. In this episode, we explore the events of that summerday, the investigation and trial that followed, and how Fanny’s name became forever entangled in history, slang, and sorrow.

Source Materials:

Cansfield, Peter (2004). The True Story of Fanny Adams (Second ed.). Soldridge: Peter Cansfield Associates. . ISBN 978-0953634613.

https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/fanny-adams/37234/

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/news/23143260.local-girl-fanny-adams-savagely-tragically-murdered/

https://www.hampshireculture.org.uk/sites/default/files/inline-files/FannyAdams.pdf

https://murderpedia.org/male.B/b/baker-frederick.htm

https://www.hgs-familyhistory.com/2014/10/sweet-fanny-adams/