Hogtown Empire: The Disappearance of Ambrose Small

In this episode Geordie does a deep dive into the complete (surviving) letters of Clara Smith, Ambrose’s long-suffering mistress. Complete with commentary and sidelights, the letters shine a light into Ambrose’s extramarital love life and other aspects of his personality (and Clara’s).

Welcome to Hogtown Empire, Season 2! We start with a short episode, but an exceptionally intriguing one. We interview film director and producer Don Allan, who owned and renovated the Smalls’ home on Glen Road in the 1990s. Do the mysterious documents discovered under a floorboard in the attic provide new clues?

The Hogtown Empire podcast returns for Season 2 starting on Oct. 18. There’s a book launch on Oct. 22nd and all sorts of other stuff to find out about. Enjoy our swanky new podcast logo (based on the cover of the book) and … stay curious!

This one’s a bit different. Geordie talks about new research directions the podcast has gotten him interested in. What do you want to read about in Hogtown Empire, the book? Now’s the time to have your say. Hogtown Empire is a true crime podcast from Geordie Telfer, pushing ahead to the non-fiction book of the … Continue reading "S1 Finale – Ep. 8 – Look to the Book"

Ambrose Small’s private secretary, John Doughty, disappeared a month after Ambrose did. Were the two connected? And what about the $100,000 dollars in Victory Bonds Doughty had removed from the Smalls’ safe-deposit box the day Ambrose disappeared. We talk with John Doughty’s descendants to find out what they think. Hogtown Empire is a true crime … Continue reading "S1 Ep. 7 – Doughty"

This week, a minisode – Justice Coatsworth’s judgement in Theresa Small’s application to have Ambrose declared legally dead after only three and a half years, as opposed to the usual seven. We’re back with the final two episodes of Season 1 on January 25 and Feb 1st. Hogtown Empire is a true crime podcast from … Continue reading "Ep. 6A – Justice Coatsworth Decision – Minisode"

The offending letters in this episode’s slightly risqué title stand for ‘Theresa and Ambrose.’ Get your minds out of their respective gutters! But it also stands for what T & A normally stands for, because this episode is all about the tangled skein of marriage, business, and infidelity that the Smalls called matrimony. Hogtown Empire … Continue reading "S1 Ep. 6 – A Bit of T & A"

Why didn’t Theresa Small go to the police when her husband disappeared? Is it really true that all the searches and investigations never turned up a thing? The search for Ambrose Small became such a cause célèbre because everyone could participate – a 1920s, real life version of a MMOG. Hogtown Empire is a true … Continue reading "S1 Ep. 5 – The Search for Ambrose Small"

Hogtown Empire is taking a one week hiatus with new episodes resuming Jan 4, 2018 and continuing to the end of the month to complete Season 1. But here’s anomalous phenomena tracker Charles Fort’s theory about what might have happened to Ambrose Small. Happy New Year!

Theresa Small was always a shadow suspect in her husband’s disappearance. Never tried or even formally accused, she was posthumously vilified. If we’re going to make those sorts of judgement calls hadn’t we better know what sort of person she was? Hogtown Empire is a true crime podcast from Geordie Telfer, pushing ahead to the … Continue reading "S1 Ep.4 – Mrs. Ambrose Small"