Minnesota's Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold

On this latest episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious: Where Blood Runs Cold, I speak with Matt Cecil about one of the most infamous murder cases in Minnesota history. In 1859, Ann Bilansky's alcoholic husband, Stanislaus, passed away in his bed in the family's St. Paul saloon/home. At first it was believed he had died of an unspecified illness, but when the Bilanskys' neighbor, Lucinda Fitzpatrick, came forward with shocking news — she had accompanied Ann to buy arsenic not long before — suspicions suddenly turned to murder.

Matt Cecil is an accomplished author and J. Edgar Hoover expert who wrote about the Ann Bilansky murder case decades ago for Minnesota History magazine. He joins me to talk about this sensational case and the only woman ever executed in Minnesota.

Read the full article here: https://storage.googleapis.com/mnhs-org-support/mn_history_articles/55/v55i08p350-363.pdf

More information on the author's books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Matthew-Cecil/author/B00I4BYFRQ

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On October 7, 1896, the citizens of Sherburn, a small town in southwestern Minnesota, were horrified when two brothers from Iowa held up the local bank and murdered two men inside. It would go down in history as the world's first heist executed on bicycles. An intense manhunt followed, as the brothers pedaled hard for Iowa in a desperate bid to escape.

Award winning author Jeffrey Sauve has returned to Minnesota's Most Notorious - this time to share details from his new book "Wheels of Murder: The 1896 Bank Robbery That Shocked a Small Prairie Town".

The book comes out on August 18th, and you can pre-order/order it here (or buy it from a local Minnesota or Iowa book store!). https://northstareditions.com/wheels-of-murder/ https://www.amazon.com/Wheels-Murder-Robbery-Shocked-Prairie/dp/B0GHWKTX6R/

Jeffrey has a number of book engagements in the next few months across Minnesota and Iowa. Here is his schedule:

Aug. 28 — Northfield Senior Center (50 North). Book launch celebration, 6:30 p.m.

Sept. 8 — Kossuth County Historical Society, Algona, Iowa. Book Signing, 1-4 p.m.

Sept. 8 — Algona Public Library, Algona, Iowa. Author talk, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 12 — Washington County Historical Society, Stillwater. Author talk, 5:30 p.m.

Sept. 17 — Rice County Historical Society, Faribault. Author talk, 6:00 p.m.

Sept. 24 — Zenith Bookstore, Duluth. Author talk, 7:00 p.m.

Sept. 26 — Duluth Public Library in conjunction with the Lake Superior Writers. Author talk, 1:00 p.m.

Oct. 1 — Content Bookstore, Northfield. Author talk, 7:00 p.m.

Oct. 7 — Martin County Historical Society, Fairmont, Minn. Author talk, 7:00 p.m.

Oct. 8 — Albert Lea Public Library. Author talk, Noon.

Oct. 8 — Estherville Iowa Public Library. Author talk, 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 30 — Lake Mills Public Library, Lake Mills, Iowa. Author talk, 10:30 a.m.

Nov. 5 — Jackson County Historical Society, Lakefield, MN. Author talk, 6 p.m.

Nov. 14 — Sons of Norway Norsota Lodge, Apple Valley (open to all). Author talk, 4 p.m.

Dec. 7 — Northfield History Center. Author talk, 6:00 p.m.

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My guest is Steven J. Harper, author of "Crossing Hoffa: A Teamster's Story". His father, Jim Harper, was a member of Minneapolis Teamsters Local 544 who uncovered evidence of corruption within the union. In the late 1950s, he brought this information to the attention of the newly elected Teamsters president, Jimmy Hoffa. But his efforts to confront union leadership and root out corruption were met with severe resistance, including threats and even attempts on his life.

More about the book at the author's website: https://www.stevenjharper.com/contact

The book is available to purchase through the Minnesota Historical Society gift shop here: https://shop.mnhs.org/products/crossing-hoffa?srsltid=AfmBOooRjR8SomcEVQ_Y0WBg_gQgatZQiMX_2R4cZptmjaVTBa7nVNT

It's available on ebook on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Hoffa-Teamsters-Steven-Harper-ebook/dp/B01MT6I3B4/

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One of Minnesota's most fascinating unsolved murder cases began on the morning of December 9, 1937, when firefighters discovered the charred body of 31-year-old Ruth Munson in an abandoned Saint Paul hotel. As the investigation deepened, evidence would surface that suggested that Ruth had lived a very secret life.

My guest, Roger Barr, is the author of "A Murder on the Hill: The Secret Life and Mysterious Death of Ruth Munson." He utilized an extensive collection of police files to piece this 1930s-era investigation together.

Purchase the book here through the MNHS Press website: https://shop.mnhs.org/products/a-murder-on-the-hill

Prefer the ebook version? You can get it here on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Hill-Secret-Mysterious-Munson-ebook/dp/B0CTPYV2HN

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On June 2, 1916, forty mostly immigrant mineworkers at the St. James Mine in Aurora, Minnesota, walked off the job. This seemingly small labor disturbance would mushroom into one of the region’s, if not the nation’s, most contentious and significant battles between organized labor and management in the early twentieth century.

My guest, Gary Kaunoen, is an International Falls labor historian and author of the book "Flames of Discontent: The 1916 Minnesota Iron Ore Strike". He talks about the origin of the conflict, the Finnish immigrant miners who fought mining company forces with help from the Industrial Workers of the World (aka "The Wobblies"), and how the deadly conflict ultimately ended. 

The author's University of Minnesota Press page: https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/flames-of-discontent

Northern Minnesota's Labor Wars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AklJBH6SBGA

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My guest is prolific author Larry Millett. His knowledge of Twin Cities architecture and history is unequalled in Minnesota, and he has used his knowledge to write some of the best local history books in the last thirty years.  We initially discuss downtown Minneapolis' lost crown jewel, the spectacular Northwestern Guaranty Loan Building (which would later become the Metropolitan) and how it was built through the shady dealings of real estate speculator Louis Menage - only to be torn down in 1962, along with the tragic destruction of the rest of the historic Gateway District.  He documents its existence in his book "Metropolitan Dreams: The Scandalous Rise and Stunning Fall of a Minneapolis Masterpiece". 

Then we move on to some of his other fascinating books, including "Strange Days, Dangerous Nights: Photos from the Speed Graphic Era", "Murder Has a Public Face: Crime and Punishment in the Speed Graphic Era", and his series of novels that brings Sherlock Holmes to Minnesota to solve crimes. 

More about Larry Millett can be found here at his website, including his history blog: https://www.larrymillett.com/

If you'd like to begin his Sherlock Holmes series, the first book is called "Sherlock Holmes & the Red Demon". Buy it at your local bookstore or here: https://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Fesler-Lampert-Minnesota-Heritage/dp/0816674833

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It was a question asked by many Minnesotans in 1974, including her parents. How could Camilla Hall, the sweet and caring daughter of a small-town Lutheran pastor, become a member of the radical Symbionese Liberation Army? The abductors of Patty Hearst? The gun-toting militants who would end up battling police to death in Los Angeles?

My guest is award-winning Mankato author Rachael Hanel, author of "Not the Camilla We Knew: One Woman's Path From Small-Town America to the Symbionese Liberation Army". She tells us about Camilla and her journey from Minnesota social worker to member of Los Angeles's notorious SLA.

The author's website:  https://www.rachaelhanel.com/

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In August of 1894, a young woman was found brutally murdered on a sand dune at Minnesota Point in Duluth. Over the next two years both Duluth and Minneapolis detectives would hunt for her killer across the country, until finally finding him in the Pacific Northwest.

My guest is Jeffrey Sauve, author of "Murder at Minnesota Point". He shares details of the life and death of 32-year-old Norwegian immigrant servant Lena Olson, the con man (and possible serial killer) who seduced and killed her, and his connection to notorious Minneapolis murderer Harry Hayward.

More about the author and his book here at North Star Editions.

My earlier interview about Harry Hayward here on the Most Notorious website.

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Since the mid-19th century one of the great tourist destinations in Minnesota has been Minnehaha Falls. Already known for its beauty, its fame intensified when Henry Wadsworth Longfellow immortalized it in his poem "The Song of Hiawatha".

But Minnehaha Falls has had a dark side as well. In the late 19th century it became a place synonymous with drunkenness and debauchery. The notorious father and son team of Adelbert and Irwin Gardner (and others) profited from the Minnehaha Midway, where corrupt cops intermingled with inebriated Fort Snelling soldiers and young Minneapolis women. Eventually the low-class dancehalls would be driven out, replaced by the park we know today.

My guest is Karen E. Cooper, whose book "When Minnehaha Flowed With Whiskey: A Spirited History of the Falls" has just been nominated for a 2023 Minnesota Book Award. She shares some of the uncouth history of the Falls on this latest episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious.

More about the author and her work can be found here: http://www.urbancreek.com/

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Have you ever wondered whether Pig's Eye Parrant's notorious Fountain Cave saloon is accessible to visitors? Was there really a tunnel between Nina Clifford's brothel and the original Minnesota Club? Did Jesse and Frank James hide out in any Minnesota caves before or after their botched Northfield bank raid in 1876? What really exists under downtown Saint Paul and Minneapolis?

My guest is Dr. Greg Brick, who arguably knows more about caves and tunnels in Minnesota than anyone alive, and he answers these questions for us (and more) on this latest episode of Minnesota's Most Notorious. He is the author of "Minnesota Caves: History and Lore", "Minnesota Underground", and "Subterranean Twin Cities", to name a few of his books.

More information on Dr. Brick's books (and adventures) can be found here: https://drgregbrick.com/

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