Malice in the Mitten

In September 1876, Chesaning farmer Charles Smith was found horribly burned inside the ruins of his barn. His wife claimed he'd entered the burning building—but investigators concluded Charles had been murdered inside his own home and his body carried to the barn. Former farmhand Norris Alexander confessed, four people were convicted, and two received life sentences. Then years later, reports emerged that crucial testimony had been false, sentences were reconsidered, and Michigan Governor Russell A. Alger eventually pardoned Freeman Cargin. Who really murdered Charles Smith? Malice in the Mitten investigates one of Michigan's strangest forgotten historical murder cases.

#MichiganCrime #HistoricalMurder #SaginawCounty #ForgottenHistory #MichiganPodcast

Written, recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan

Orignal music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston

Original artwork created by Todd Preston

On November 23, 1953, a U.S. Air Force F-89C Scorpion known as Avenger Red took off from Kinross Air Force Base in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to intercept an unidentified radar target over Lake Superior. Thirty-three minutes later, radar operators watched the fighter close on the unknown object until the two radar returns appeared to merge. Then Avenger Red disappeared. Pilot First Lieutenant Felix Moncla Jr. and radar observer Second Lieutenant Robert Wilson were never found, and no confirmed wreckage from their aircraft has ever been recovered. More than seventy years later, the Kinross Incident remains one of Michigan’s most haunting aviation mysteries. Was it a tragic crash in brutal weather—or did Moncla and Wilson encounter something over Lake Superior that has never been explained? 

#AvengerRed #KinrossIncident #LakeSuperior #GreatLakesMysteries #ColdWarHistory

Recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Todd Preston

Researched & written by Todd Preston

Original music created exclusively for F-Bomb by Tracy Preston

Sources:

United States Air Force. Report of Aircraft Accident: F-89C 51-5853A, 23 November 1953. U.S. Air Force, 1953. Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue, mibsar.com/Cases/PukaskwaPlaneWreck/USAFcrashReport.pdf.

Open Skies Project. “The Kinross Incident.” Open Skies Project, www.openskiesproject.org/news/kinross-incident.

Beaumier U.P. Heritage Center. “Myths & Mysteries: UFO over Lake Superior.” Northern Michigan University, nmu.edu/beaumierheritagecenter/myths-mysteries.

History.com Editors. “This Air Force Jet Was Scrambled to Intercept a UFO—Then Disappeared.” HISTORY, www.history.com/articles/ufo-fighter-jet-disappears-over-lake-superior-kinross-incident.

After countless laughs, strange discoveries, unforgettable Women of the Week, and more than a few conversations that went completely off the rails, Round Robin takes its final spin. Tracy, Christine, and Nina explore why humans have such a hard time letting go, the psychology of the sunk-cost fallacy, and some of television’s most memorable farewells—including M*A*S*H, Cheers, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Then, Mary Tyler Moore becomes our final Woman of the Week—a fitting tribute to a woman who helped redefine what independence looked like on television and proved that ending one extraordinary chapter can make room for another. Finally, the ladies put the research aside, remember what Round Robin gave them, and say goodbye to the show the only way they know how: with one last spin.

#RoundRobinPodcast #TheFinalSpin #MaryTylerMoore #PodcastFarewell #WomenWhoMadeHistory

Written, recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine & Nina Mulligan

Original music created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

Arkes, Hal R., and Catherine Blumer. “The Psychology of Sunk Cost.” Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 35, no. 1, Feb. 1985, pp. 124–140. Elsevier. doi:10.1016/0749-5978(85)90049-4.

Faillace, Adrienne. “M*A*S*H: ‘Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen.’” Television Academy Interviews, The Interviews: An Oral History of Television.

Hymes, Jenna. “The Mary Tyler Moore Show Finale at 40.” Television Academy Interviews, 19 Mar. 2017.

“Mary Tyler Moore.” Television Academy, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

“Mary Tyler Moore Show, The.” Television Academy Interviews, The Interviews: An Oral History of Television.

“Cheers.” Television Academy Interviews, The Interviews: An Oral History of Television.

Michigan nurse Caryn Eilene Campbell vanished from a Colorado ski resort in January 1975 and became the center of a murder case against Ted Bundy—a case that never reached trial after Bundy escaped custody. More than fifty years later, revolutionary DNA testing has now formally linked Bundy to two other Utah teenagers, Laura Ann Aime and Melissa Ann Smith. In this victim-centered episode of Malice in the Mitten, Tracy and Christine—both nurses themselves—return Caryn to the center of her own story and examine what modern forensic science is still revealing decades after Bundy's death.

#MichiganTrueCrime #MichiganHistory #VictimCentered #ForensicDNA  #NurseSisterhood 

Written, recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan

Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston

Original artwork created by Todd Preston

Sources:

Associated Press. “Serial Killer Ted Bundy Is Linked to Another Utah Teenager's 1974 Killing through DNA Testing.” Associated Press,

Campbell, Caryn Eilene. Pitkin County Sheriff's Department Case File 75-0078. Pitkin County Sheriff's Department, 1975. Transcription reproduced by Serial Killer Calendar.

Fisher, Michael. Affidavit for Arrest Warrant: Theodore Robert Bundy. Ninth Judicial District, State of Colorado, 1976.

National League for Nursing. State Approved Schools for Nursing: R.N.; Meeting Minimum Requirements Set by Law and Board Rules in the Various Jurisdictions. 1969.

National League for Nursing. Associate Degree Education for Nursing. Henry Ford Community College program listing, 1974.

Reavy, Pat. “Ted Bundy Killed Utah's Laura Ann Aime, Evidence Confirms.” KSL, 1 Apr. 2026.

Moilanen, Samantha, and Sean P. Means. “Ted Bundy Killed a Midvale Teen in 1974. DNA Evidence Proves It, Authorities Say Now.” The Salt Lake Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026, updated 28 Oct. 2026.

“Press: Knocking on Death's Door.” TIME, 27 Feb. 1989.

“Serial Killer Bundy Executed in Florida.” The Harvard Crimson, 25 Jan. 1989.

United States Department of Justice. Ted Bundy Multiagency Investigative Team Report. Federal Bureau of Investigation and participating law-enforcement agencies.

Before Halloween came Devil’s Night—a Detroit tradition that began with pranks, eggs, soap, and toilet paper before evolving into something far more terrifying.

By the 1980s, October 30 had become synonymous with arson, abandoned buildings, sirens, and fear. During the three-day Halloween period of 1984, Detroit recorded an astonishing 810 fires.

But this isn't only the story of a city burning.

It's the story of how Devil's Night grew from old Mischief Night folklore into an urban legend built around very real destruction—and how tens of thousands of Detroit residents eventually fought back, reclaiming their neighborhoods through Angels' Night.

On this episode of F-Bomb Friday, we uncover the history, folklore, fear, fire, and remarkable community response behind Detroit's infamous Devil's Night.

Because the Devil didn't take Detroit.

And angels didn't save it.

People did.

#DevilsNight #Detroit #DetroitHistory #MichiganHistory #FBombFriday

Recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Todd Preston

Researched & written by Todd Preston 

Original music created exclusively for F-Bomb by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Urban Community Intervention to Prevent Halloween Arson—Detroit, Michigan, 1985–1996.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 46, no. 14, 11 Apr. 1997, pp. 299–304. CDC/MMWR source.

Detroit Historical Society. “Haunted History: Devil’s Night.” Detroit Historical Society, 29 Oct. 2021. Detroit Historical Society source.

Deutsch, James. “What Did You Do on Mischief Night? Uh, Nothing...” Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, 27 Oct. 2017. Smithsonian Folklife source.

Fabry, Merrill. “A Brief History of ‘Mischief Night.’” TIME, 30 Oct. 2015. TIME source. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

Halloween gets weird on Round Robin! Tracy, Christine and Nina uncover bizarre old-school Halloween dating rituals, terrifying turnip jack-o'-lanterns, the strange history behind trick-or-treating.  Tracy also honors Halloween historian Ruth Edna Kelley as Woman of the Week and recommends Peacock's new Friday the 13th prequel series Crystal Lake. Grab the candy, turn down the lights, and prepare for Halloween history, laughs and a few seriously strange discoveries.

#RoundRobinPodcast #Halloween #HalloweenHistory #CrystalLake #SpookySeason

Written, recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine & Nina Mulligan

Theme song created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Halloween Themed Music from Uppbeat:

https://uppbeat.io/music/tracks/monument-music/midnight-creeping

License code: Y8SB9DQAW3E7DBS2

https://uppbeat.io/music/tracks/monument-music/mysteria

License code: SQCCBWYJWFGHQNPZ

https://uppbeat.io/music/tracks/el-depravo/the-breath-of-night

License code: UU2DPD0NS9EK94MM

https://uppbeat.io/music/tracks/kevin-macleod/darkest-child

License code: VE8WCO707IYUWTOY

https://uppbeat.io/music/tracks/monument-music/dark-candy

License code: POV9TXU1POQEJIFN

https://uppbeat.io/music/tracks/monument-music/whisper-of-ghost

License code: UCZ1FFZT6A6ID8UM

Sources:

Andersen, Marc Malmdorf, et al. “Playing With Fear: A Field Study in Recreational Horror.” Psychological Science, vol. 31, no. 12, 2020, pp. 1497–1510. Association for Psychological Science, doi:10.1177/0956797620972116.

Kelley, Ruth Edna. The Book of Hallowe’en. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., 1919. Project Gutenberg, 21 Feb. 2007.

NBCUniversal. “Friday the 13th Prequel Series ‘Crystal Lake’ Premieres October 15 on Peacock.” NBCUniversal Media, 5 Oct. 2026.

Peacock. “Meet the Full Crystal Lake Cast Led by Linda Cardellini: Bios & Photos.” Peacock, 18 Sept. 2026.

Tensley, Brandon. “The Celtic Origins of Trick-or-Treating.” Smithsonian Magazine, Smithsonian Institution, 2024.

Thomas, Heather. “The Origins of Halloween Traditions.” Headlines & Heroes, Library of Congress, 26 Oct. 2021.

On Halloween night in 2019, Willie Lawrence Wilborn was standing inside a Detroit gas station when a gunman wearing a clown mask approached and fatally shot him.

But the story didn't begin that night.

Two years earlier, Wilborn had been charged in the murder of his pregnant girlfriend, LaDiamond Myers, a 24-year-old mother of four. Those charges were dismissed after a judge determined prosecutors had presented insufficient evidence to proceed to trial.

Written,recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston, featuring Christine Mulligan

Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

Baskerville, Aaron. “Accused Murderer Speaks after Release from Jail.” WXYZ-TV, 2017. Source .

FOX 2 Detroit. “Suspect Accused of Killing Man While Wearing Clown Mask Arrested.” FOX 2 Detroit, 12 Nov. 2019. Source .

Ley, Shawn, and Derick Hutchinson. “Charges Dismissed against Man Accused of Killing Pregnant Mother in Detroit.” ClickOnDetroit, 28 July 2017. Source .

Ley, Shawn, and Derick Hutchinson. “Sources: Man Accused of Beating Girlfriend to Death in Front of Young Kids Killed by Detroit Gunman in Clown Mask.” ClickOnDetroit, 6 Nov. 2019. Source .

Ley, Shawn, and Derick Hutchinson. “Suspected Clown Mask Gunman Charged in Fatal Halloween Shooting at Detroit Gas Station.” ClickOnDetroit, 12 Nov. 2019. Source .

Wayne County Prosecutor's Office. “Detroit Man Charged in Braille Street Homicide.” Wayne County, Michigan, 2017. Source .

Deep in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, stands a Victorian mansion that once became a twenty-bed community hospital—and later one of Mid-Michigan's most enduring paranormal legends.

Harriet Chapman Hospital opened in 1918, founded by nurse Harriet Chapman alongside physicians Charles Stimson and Francis R. Blanchard. Less than a year later, tragedy struck when Dr. Blanchard stepped through an open elevator doorway and fell approximately twelve feet into the basement. He survived only minutes.

For decades afterward, the building remained a place of birth, illness, healing, loss, and eventually abandonment as a hospital. But when the patients and nurses left, the stories didn't.

This F-Bomb Friday, we travel to Eaton Rapids and step inside the documented history, tragedy, folklore, and alleged hauntings of Stimson Hospital.

Please consider donating to help continue the preservation of the Stimson Hospital – anything is greatly appreciated.  To donate – click on of the links below:  Thank you and much love!

https://cash.app/$Sturgilchristoj

https://venmo.com/u/Christopher-Sutrgill-8

Pay Pal – [email protected]

#FBombFriday #StimsonHospital #HauntedMichigan #MichiganFolklore #MichiganParanormal

Written, recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston

Original music created exclusively for F-Bomb by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston

Sources:

Alter, Don. “Stimson Hospital, Eaton Rapids, Michigan.” Into the Shadows: Macomb Paranormal Investigations, season 4, episode 6, 11 Sept. 2026, RSS.com.

Associated Press. “Former Michigan Hospital to Become Bed and Breakfast.” Journal Record, 28 Dec. 2017.

Eaton Rapids Medical Center. “About ERMC.” Eaton Rapids Medical Center.

The Ingham County News. “Eaton Rapids Community Hospital.” 27 June 1957. Capital Area District Libraries, Local History Online.

Malewski, Deb. “‘Haunted’ Hospital to Be Featured on Reality TV.” The County Journal, 29 Nov. 2019.

Michigan State Medical Society. Medical History of Michigan. Vol. 2, Bruce Publishing Company, 1930. Library of Congress.

Passick, Justin. “Stimson Hospital Hosts Parafest Event and More as Owners Renovate.” The County Journal, 10 Sept. 2026.

Robinson, John. “A Quick Look Around the Old Chapman-Stimson Hospital, Eaton Rapids.” 99.1 WFMK, 22 Apr. 2025.

Robinson, John. “Haunted Michigan: The Old Stimson Hospital, Eaton Rapids.” 99.1 WFMK, 5 Sept. 2017.

“Stimson Hospital.” Haunted Places. Submitted by Devon H.

“The Spirits Still Within Stimson Hospital, Part Two.” The Grave Talks: Haunted, Paranormal & Supernatural, 2 Sept. 2025, Audioboom.

A black bear walks into an Alaska shopping mall, steals a peach, poops in the hallway, and leaves. Beavers in Poland destroy a sign warning people about… beavers. And a frightened monkey turns a Spirit Halloween store into its own personal jungle gym.

You seriously cannot make this shit up.

Because on Round Robin, sometimes we start with a bear taking a shit in a shopping mall...and somehow end up learning something.

#JoanBeauchampProcter #WomanOfTheWeek #WomenInScience #AnimalLovers #RoundRobinPodcast

Written, recorded, edited & produced by Tracy Preston

Original music created exclusively for Round Robin by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston 

Sources:

DeLatte, Tracy. “Spooked Monkey at Spirit Halloween Swings from Rafters.” FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, 29 Oct. 2025. https://www.fox4news.com/news/monkey-spirit-halloween.

Lee, Hannah, and Lauren Maxwell. “VIDEO: Black Bear Goes into JBER Shopping Mall, Steals Some Fruit, Leaves Some Scat.” Alaska’s News Source, 7 July 2026. https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/07/07/video-black-bear-goes-into-jber-shopping-mall-steals-some-fruit-leaves-some-scat/.

Ledford, Heidi. “Big Dogs Age Faster than Little Ones—Rogue ‘Jumping Genes’ Might Be to Blame.” Nature, 8 Oct. 2026. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-03199-5.

Mariner, Blaise L., et al. “Epigenetic Aging and Transposon Dysregulation Reflect Size-Related Lifespan Compression in Dogs.” Science, 8 Oct. 2026. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aeb2986.

National Park Service. “Acadia’s North American Beaver: The Ultimate Keystone Species.” National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. https://www.nps.gov/articles/north-american-beaver-acadia.htm. 

National Park Service. “Bear Safety: Storing Food.” National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. https://www.nps.gov/articles/bearsafetyfood.htm. 

Schneider, Lauren. “Jonathan the Tortoise Has Lived to 194 Years Old—Now Scientists Think They Know Why.” Live Science, 7 Oct. 2026. https://www.livescience.com/animals/turtles-tortoises/scientists-discover-the-genetic-secrets-that-may-have-helped-jonathan-the-tortoise-live-to-194-years-old.

Shaw, Madeline. “Do Animals Experience Schadenfreude?” Live Science, 4 Oct. 2026. https://www.livescience.com/animals/do-animals-experience-schadenfreude.

Snyder, Bill. “An Extremely Old Giant Tortoise Named Jonathan May Hold the Secret to a Long, Healthy Life: Study.” Vanderbilt Health News, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 7 Oct. 2026. https://news.vumc.org/2026/10/07/an-extremely-old-giant-tortoise-named-jonathan-may-hold-the-secret-to-a-long-healthy-life-study/.

Tilles, Daniel. “Beavers Destroy Sign Warning about Beavers.” Notes from Poland, 8 Oct. 2026. https://notesfrompoland.com/2026/10/08/beavers-destroy-sign-warning-about-beavers/.

Zoological Society of London. “53ft Snake Arrives at London Zoo to Celebrate Forgotten Pioneer.” ZSL, 2 July 2026. https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/news/53ft-snake-arrives-london-zoo-celebrate-forgotten-pioneer.

Zoological Society of London. “Happy Birthday, Joan Procter!” ZSL, 4 Aug. 2017. https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/news/happy-birthday-joan-procter.

Zoological Society of London. “Joan Beauchamp Procter.” ZSL Archives. https://zsl.maxarchiveservices.co.uk/sub_people/joan-beauchamp-procter/. 

Zoological Society of London. “Reptile Houses New and Old: Commemorating Joan Procter.” ZSL. https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/feature/reptile-houses-new-and-old-commemorating-joan-procter. 

Zoological Society of London. “Reptile House History.” London Zoo. https://www.londonzoo.org/zoo-stories/history-of-london-zoo/reptile-house-history. 

In December 1883, William Vanderhoof died after years of unexplained illness in Berrien County, Michigan.

His wife, Elizabeth, was accused of poisoning him with arsenic.

A jury convicted her of murder.

But William's attending physician believed he was suffering from heart disease, and the medical evidence was far from straightforward.

In 1888, the Michigan Supreme Court overturned Elizabeth's conviction, criticizing the handling of expert testimony and the jury's instructions.

Then, in April 1889, prosecutors abandoned the murder case entirely.

#MaliceInTheMitten #MichiganTrueCrime #HistoricalTrueCrime #WilliamVanderhoof #TrueCrimePodcast

Written, recorded, edited & Produced by Tracy Preston

Original music created exclusively for Malice in the Mitten by Tracy Preston

Original artwork by Todd Preston