Clay Allison was both liked and loathed in his lifetime, embodying the contradictions of the American frontier. He could show moments of kindness for the downtrodden, but also carried deep hatred for Northerners and Black people. Dangerously unpredictable, he was capable of generosity one moment and chilling violence the next, a quality that made him as frightening as he was fascinating. His legacy is forever stained by his acts of cold-blooded killing, making him a symbol of admiration, fear and contempt in the West.

In today's interview, New Mexico historian and author Donna Blake Birchell discusses her book Tall Tales and Half Truths of Clay Allison and helps shed light on the man behind the myths.

The author's books at Arcadia Publishing: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/collections/vendors?q=Donna%20Blake%20Birchell&contributorID=325

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In the sultry summer of 1949, a sleepy Florida beach town was rocked to its core. A brutal home invasion, a shocking murder, and a desperate, month-long manhunt captivated and terrified an entire region. At the center of the storm was John Calvin “Rastus” Russell, a cunning ex-con and former asylum patient who unleashed a wave of fear unlike anything the Gulf Coast had ever seen.

My guest is M.F. Gross, author of the recently published MADMAN: The Incredible True Story of John Calvin "Rastus" Russel, the Heinous Crime, and Sensational Manhunt That Terrified Central Florida in 1949. He walks us through the horrific events of August 7th, 1949 and their aftermath.

The author's website: https://mfgross.com/

The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mfgrossbooks

The author on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@mfgross

The author on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mfgrossbook

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The 1952 burglary of eccentric multi-millionaire LaVere Redfield’s mansion in Reno, Nevada was the largest of its time, but also a comedy of errors. "Masterminded" by a French-Canadian woman with a questionable relationship to Redfield, it also included a failed safecracker and a crew of Italian-American hoodlums from the Milwaukee underworld.

My guest is historian, author and podcaster Gavin Schmitt, and he shares details from his book Big Safe: The Milwaukee Crew and the Reno Redfield Heist.

The author's website: https://gavinschmitt.com/

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The First Forensic Hanging: The Toxic Truth That Killed Mary Blandy by Summer Strevens tells the story of Mary Blandy, executed in 1752 for poisoning her father Frances Blandy with arsenic. Her trial was the first in Britain to use toxicology as evidence in an arsenic poisoning case, marking a turning point in forensic history. Drawing on period newspapers and court records, Strevens unpacks the trial, the intense public fascination, and the shadowy role of Blandy’s lover, Captain William Cranstoun, whose influence and possible manipulation may have led her down the path to the gallows.

More about the book on the author's website: https://www.summerstrevens.com/

Purchase the book on Amazon here. (affiliate link)

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(Orig pub date: 2/3/24)

On August 17th, 1849, London police officers made a grisly discovery at the home of George and Maria (born Marie de Roux) Manning. Her former beau, Patrick O'Connor, had been buried under the floor. A nationwide hunt for the couple would follow, and after that a trial and executions. The murder case would grip London so fervently that Madame Tussaud would later add wax versions of the couple to her infamous Chamber of Horrors.

My guest today is Gavin Whitehead, creator, writer and narrator of The Art of Crime podcast, which is currently in its third season.

(Note: At the end of this encore interview, I reconnect with Gavin for a teaser on his fifth season, just recently released, called "Murder by the Book").

More about The Art of Crime here: https://www.artofcrimepodcast.com/

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Myra Maibelle Shirley, better known as Belle Starr, was one of the most notorious female outlaws of the Old West (if you believe period newspapers, anyway). My guest, bestselling and award-winning author Michael Wallis, made it his mission to tell the true story of Belle Starr, and in the process dispels many of the myths that surround her. He shares details of her colorful life and violent death, which many believe was committed by a 19th century Florida serial killer.

Michael's new book is called Belle Starr: The Truth Behind the Wild West Legend.

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

The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michaelwallisus

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"Doctor" Robert Spears was arguably one of the greatest con artists of the twentieth century, and very likely a mass murderer. In thirty nine years of grift, he had 25 aliases, 28 arrests in 20 cities, and was imprisoned close to a dozen times. He performed, without any medical degree, abortions on countless women, and in 1959 tricked his best friend into taking his place on an airplane. That plane exploded in mid-air, killing 42 passengers, and allowed Spears to briefly escape his legal woes and start a new life under yet another new identity.

My guest is Jerry Jamison, and his book is called "Vanishing Act: A Crashed Airliner, Faked Death, and Backroom Abortions". He share details of this too-crazy-to-believe-but-still-true story with me on this latest episode of Most Notorious.

The author's website: https://jerryjamison.com/

Jerry Jamison on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jerryjamisonauthor/

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My guest this week is Scott Ellsworth, author of Midnight on the Potomac: The Last Year of the Civil War, the Lincoln Assassination, and the Rebirth of America. He talks about President Lincoln's turbulent last year in office, the Confederate secret service's attempts to create chaos in the north, and John Wilkes Booth's ties to the Confederacy's spy network.

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

The author's publisher page: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/743267/midnight-on-the-potomac-by-scott-ellsworth

On Twitter/X: https://x.com/scotteauthor

On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ScottEllsworthAuthor/

On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/scotteauthor/

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In July of 1908 the body of twenty-year-old Hazel Drew was found floating in a mill pond in Upstate New York. Her death captured headlines across the nation and around the world, but after a whirlwind investigation lasting less than thirty days (despite a myriad of suspects), the District Attorney abruptly closed the case.

Joining me is Jerry Drake, author of "Hazel Was a Good Girl: Solving the Murder that Inspired Twin Peaks". Through meticulous research and new evidence, he focuses on an intriguing, rarely discussed suspect—and a set of circumstances that turn this classic murder mystery on its head.

The author's website: https://drakeinvestigates.com/

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(Original pub date: 6/16/21)

In November of 1912, a young woman named Ella Barham journeyed home, on her horse, to her family farm in Boone County, Arkansas, but never arrived. After her body was discovered, murdered and dismembered, suspicions quickly centered on a neighbor, Odus Davidson, who was rumored to have been in love with Ella, a love never returned.

My guest, Nita Gould, has a very personal connection to Ella, one that led to her write the book she joins us to discuss, called "Remembering Ella: A 1912 Murder and Mystery in the Arkansas Ozarks."

More information can be found on her website, here: https://www.rememberingella.com/

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