Tea Time Crimes

We’re sure you’ve heard of the Winchester Rifle, but have you ever heard of the Winchester Curse? Heiress Sarah Winchester built the Winchester Mansion in the late 1800s, an endless building of over 160 rooms containing architectural oddities said to appease the spirits haunting her. Today, the ghost stories have grown to legend, making the Winchester Mystery House one of the most haunted homes in the United States. But is this a case of paranormal house guests or a rumor mill run wild?

Tea of the Day: Prosperity Tea 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Captive of the Labyrinth: Sarah L. Winchester Heiress to the Rifle Fortune by Mary Jo Ignoffo
• https://www.countryliving.com/life/travel/a45210/winchester-mystery-house/
• https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/video-access/ (rent or purchase required)
• America's Scariest Homes: 12 Real-Life Haunted Houses:
• https://www.hgtv.com/lifestyle/holidays/americas-scariest-homes-real-life-haunted-houses-pictures
• https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/rumored-hauntings-at-the-estate/
• https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/why-the-winchester-house-is-haunted/
• https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/real-story-of-sarah-winchester-mystery-house-12552842.php
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-harry-houdini-seances-and-spiritualism-were-just-an-illusion-180978944/
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/winchester-mystery-house#:~:text=Occasionally%2C%20visitors%20to%20the%20Winchester,maybe%20even%20Sarah%20Winchester%20herself
• https://www.insider.com/tour-photos-winchester-mansion-2019-8#visitors-enter-through-the-carriage-room-which-has-large-double-doors-12

When Lottie A. Bernard checks into the Hotel Del Coronado in November of 1892, the staff is mesmerized by the mysterious woman they call “the beautiful stranger.” She appears in the lobby alone, without any luggage, anxiously awaiting the arrival of her brother. A few days later her body is found on the steps leading to the Pacific Ocean, her death ruled a suicide. The mystery only unravels from here as the staff realizes nothing the woman said was true. Who was she? Why was she there? And has she ever truly left? Join us as we explore the real identity of the beautiful stranger, theories about her death, and a hilariously unhinged tangent from Alana.

Content Warning: Suicide ideation 

Tea of the Day: Green Pomegranate Tea 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Ghostings at the Hotel Del Coronado: Kate Morgan and Isadore Rush by L. Sims
• https://hoteldel.com/timeline/kate-morgan-mystery-begins/
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/kate-morgan
• https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-17-me-1486-story.html
• https://www.sandiegomagazine.com/things-to-do/i-tried-it-room-3327-at-hotel-del-coronado/article_b01c8240-2a9e-11ec-a649-970bf63c613d.html
• https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/local-history/sd-me-archives-kate-morgan-20171120-story.html
• https://www.historicmysteries.com/hotel-del-coronado-beautiful-stranger/
• https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-12-17-me-1486-story.html
• https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/hotel-del-coronado/history.php
• https://paranorms.com/kate-morgan-ghost/
• https://dreamingcasuallypoetry.blogspot.com/2013/11/who-was-beautiful-stranger-part-3.html
• https://www.newspapers.com/image/27532454/?terms=Hotel%20del%20coronado&match=1
• http://iagenweb.org/fremont/bios/morgan_kate_14.htm
• https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-los-angeles-times-kate-morgan-1/31434359/
• https://dreamingcasuallypoetry.blogspot.com/2013/11/who-was-beautiful-stranger-part-3.html
• https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2003-mar-02-me-then2-story.html
• The Daily Nonpareil - 29 Oct 2003, Wed · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/962972276/
• The Sacramento Union - 30 Nov 1892, Wed · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/42204798/
• San Francisco Chronicle - 06 Dec 1892, Tue · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/27532454/
• Los Angeles Herald - 09 Dec 1892, Fri · Page 5 https://www.newspapers.com/image/87581929/

It’s 1800s England and Maria Marten does not have good luck with men. Twice, she’s been led on by men who never intend to marry her, not even after she had their child. But when William Corder appears, it finally seems a wedding is in her future. The two run away to elope, but Maria is never seen again. That is, not until the ghost of Maria haunts her step-mother’s dreams… 

Tea of the Day: Cinnamon Apple Spice 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Brief Case: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYYjhbpqKQs
• https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/569826/red-barn-murder
• https://singout.org/maria-marten-red-barn-murder/
• https://the-line-up.com/the-red-barn-murder-1827
• https://headstuff.org/culture/history/william-corder-red-barn-killer/
• https://owlcation.com/humanities/Murder-in-the-Red-Barn
• https://crimereads.com/the-infamous-deeds-and-postmortem-travels-of-william-corder/
• https://fiveminutehistory.com/if-only-the-dead-could-talk-the-ghost-of-the-red-barn-murder/
• https://moonmausoleum.com/the-red-barn-murder/
• The Lancaster Gazette - 16 Aug 1828, Sat · Page 4 https://www.newspapers.com/image/395994538/
• Cambridge Chronicle and University Journal, Isle of Ely Herald and Huntingdonshire Gazette 15 Aug 1828, Fri · Page 4 
  https://www.newspapers.com/image/785568747/

Halloween season is here! We’re sure you’ve heard about Salem Witch Trials, but have you ever heard of the Hartford Witch Panic? It’s the mid-to-late 1600s in Connecticut and it doesn’t take much to be accused of being a witch. With a history of executions in their past, it takes one sick child to kickstart a panic that caused chaos in colonial America. Come explore this terrifying time to be alive with us as we kick off Spooktober and learn how descendants of the Hartford Witch Panic are speaking up for their silenced ancestors.

Tea of the Day: Pumpkin Spice Tea 

You can find Thou Shalt Not Suffer podcast here

Theme Music by Brad Frank 

Sources:

• The Devil in the Shape of a Woman: Witchcraft in Colonial New England by Carol F. Karlsen
• Connecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World by Cynthia Wolfe Boynton
• Podcast: Thou Shalt Not Suffer: The Witch Trial Podcast with Josh Hutchinson and Sarah Jack https://thoushaltnotsuffer.com/
• New England’s Other Witch Hunt with Walt Woodward (Connecticut State Historian): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WD3tpTU-lGk
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/hartford-connecticut-witch-panic/
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/alse-young-witch/
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/mary-johnson-witch/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_executed_in_Connecticut
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/elizabeth-seager-witch/
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/nathaniel-rebecca-greensmith/
• https://www.wethersfieldhistory.org/articles/connecticuts-witch-trials/
• https://www.legendsofamerica.com/lydia-gilbert-witch/\https://www.npr.org/2023/06/26/1184322980/370-years-later-connecticut-is-exonerating-accused-witches
• https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/29/us/connecticut-witch-trial-exoneration-trnd/index.html
• https://digitalfarmington.org/digital-farmington-project/mary-barnes-last-witch-hanged-in-connecticut/
• https://connecticutwitchtrials.org/press/
• https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190326-what-is-epigenetics
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/06/12/generational-trauma-passed-healing/
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-isnt-everyone-doing-this-with-emily-fletcher/id1686999794

Get ready for this story because Alana can’t stop fangirling over Kate Warne. Decades before women were part of the police force, Kate Warne walked into the Pinkerton Detective Agency to apply to be a detective. Assuming Kate was there to work as a secretary, Allan Pinkerton was taken aback but ultimately swayed by Kate’s persuasive argument and agreed to hire her. Over the course of her life, Kate would prove to be an unbelievable asset to the Pinkerton Agency, solving murders, working undercover and saving the life of the President elect, Abraham Lincoln.

Tea of the Day: Plum Deluxe Heritage Blend Black 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• On the Inside: Discovery Channel-Pinkerton Detective Agency https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwO6Z2W-IJE
• Allan Pinkerton: America’s Most Famous Private Eye: Biographics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ0byzPA8F0
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-kate-warne-americas-first-woman-detective-foiled-a-plot-to-assassinate-abraham-lincoln-180979829/
• https://youtu.be/Go_OefM_Z4U?feature=shared
• https://youtu.be/1d7dbhhFkog?si=PAn_kyQ_D8eYKTlr
• https://www.nps.gov/foth/learn/historyculture/kate-warne-private-detective.htm
• https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2021/02/15/kate-warne-lincoln-bodyguard-assassins/
• https://www.womenhistoryblog.com/2011/03/kate-warne.html
• https://explorethearchive.com/kate-warne-first-female-detective
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/kate-warne
• https://history.howstuffworks.com/historical-figures/kate-warne
• https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/miss-scarlet-and-the-duke-meet-historys-early-female-detectives/#
• https://cowgirlmagazine.com/hattie-lawton-wild-women-wednesday/
• Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph - 11 Feb 1951, Sun · Page 80 https://www.newspapers.com/image/524659772/
• The Louisville Daily Courier - 01 Mar 1861, Fri · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/119232545

Eva Dugan did not have an easy life: from a childhood in rural Missouri, to a gold rush in Alaska, ending with a bare existence in Arizona. Along the way, she is accused of murdering her employer, Andrew Mathis, a wealthy chicken rancher. If convicted, Eva Dugan would become the first woman to be executed in the state of Arizona. No matter what the outcome, Eva is determined to show the world there isn’t anything she can’t handle.  

Tea of the Day: Tazo Elderberry Blackberry Tea

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Deadly Women, Season 8: Episode 13
• Bad Girls of Arizona by Johanna Eubank
• https://www.historicalcrimedetective.com/the-execution-of-eva-dugan/
• https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-execute-women-sammantha-allen-ame-deal-eva-dugan-9573428
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/197660067/eva-dugan
• https://www.hhhistory.com/2019/05/the-only-woman-hanged-in-arizona.html
• https://www.truecrimelibrary.com/crimearticle/eva-dugan/
• https://murderpedia.org/female.D/d/dugan-eva.htm
• https://www.nps.gov/klgo/learn/goldrush.htm
• The San Francisco Examiner - 15 Apr 1928, Sun · Page 127 https://www.newspapers.com/image/458043690/
• Arizona Republic - 26 Aug 1951, Sun · Page 10 https://www.newspapers.com/image/117276673/
• Arizona Daily Star - 20 Feb 1930, Thu · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/162635066/
• The Pawnee Courier-Dispatch - 10 May 1928, Thu · Page 9 https://www.newspapers.com/image/666048801/
• Daily News - 02 Mar 1930, Sun · Page 10 https://www.newspapers.com/image/413084903/
• Daily News - 02 Mar 1930, Sun · Page 177 https://www.newspapers.com/image/413087847/
• Arizona Daily Star - 13 Feb 2020, Thu · Page F5 https://www.newspapers.com/image/637797633/
• The Birmingham News - 21 Feb 1930, Fri · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/573337686/

In 1876 in Pickens County, Georgia, ladies were expected to marry as soon as possible to avoid becoming spinsters. So when Bob Southern chooses Kate Hamrick over Narcissa Fowler, a rivalry fueled by gossip and jealousy erupts in the small town, leaving one woman dead and another on the run. Tune in to hear what led up to that fateful day and the arguments that begged for a killer to go free.

Tea of the Day: Rishi Turmeric Ginger

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Deadly Woman: Season 9 Episode 12
• The Sad Case of Kate Southern
• https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.69015000005450&seq=6
• http://www.murderbygaslight.com/2022/08/mrs-southerns-sad-case.html
• The Indiana State Sentinel - 12 Jun 1878, Wed · Page 6 https://www.newspapers.com/image/174373634/
• Choctaw County News - 18 Jul 1878, Thu · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/319518967/
• The Des Moines Register - 25 May 1878, Sat · Page 4 https://www.newspapers.com/image/127680727/
• Bolivar Bulletin - 27 Jun 1878, Thu · Page 4 https://www.newspapers.com/image/70784354/
• Memphis Daily Appeal - 26 May 1878, Sun · Page 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/167992261/
• The Morristown Gazette - 05 Jun 1878, Wed · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/586425650/
• The Morristown Gazette - 20 Oct 1886, Wed · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/586201026/
• Omaha Daily Bee - 06 Feb 1882, Mon · Page 7 https://www.newspapers.com/image/738516589/
• Savannah Morning News - 21 Jan 1882, Sat · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/830438893/
• Georgia Weekly Telegraph, Journal and Messenger - 28 May 1878, Tue · Page 4

https://www.newspapers.com/image/823254301/

• The Atlanta Constitution - 10 Feb 1878, Sun · Page 3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/26814025/
• The Southern Signal - 01 Mar 1878, Fri · Page 4 https://www.newspapers.com/image/356107805/
• The Kansas City Times - 25 May 1878, Sat · Page 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/649360340/
• Boston Post - 07 May 1878, Tue · Page 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/71795556/
• https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/daniel-sickles
• https://blogs.loc.gov/headlinesandheroes/2022/09/murder-in-lafayette-square/
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14710052/katherine-southern
• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14565257/narcissus-a_m-cowart

Meet Kelly Brennan and Sheila Trott, two women whose lives intersect for nearly 20 years before exploding in violence. Living in the same small town, the two share dreams and successes, heartbreaks and failures, but their friendship comes under investigation when one of the women ends up missing. Join us as we try to decipher dreams from reality. 

Tea of the Day: Evening Unwind

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• Snapped - Season 30, Episode 13
• 48 Hours: A Vision of Murder by Paul Van Sant
• https://www.cbsnews.com/video/a-vision-of-murder-1/
• https://www.cbsnews.com/media/sheila-trotts-letter-about-kelly-brennans-murder/
• https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/psychic-premonition-cover-up-murder-woman-4613358
• https://jaapl.org/content/35/4/469
• https://thecinemaholic.com/where-is-kelly-brennans-killer-sheila-graham-trott-now/
• Florida Today - 16 Sep 2014, Tue · Page A3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/113522506/
• Florida Today - 21 Sep 2006, Thu · Page 16 https://www.newspapers.com/image/179302283/
• Florida Today - 10 Sep 2014, Wed · Page A1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/113516184/
• Florida Today - 18 Feb 2010, Thu · Page 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/360859061/
• Florida Today - 17 Feb 2010, Wed · Page 16 https://www.newspapers.com/image/360858915/
• Florida Today - 20 Feb 2010, Sat · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/360859743/

In 1936, young widow, Florence Ransom, finds love again with successful London publisher, Laurence Fisher. The only hitch? He’s married. But Laurence and his wife, Dorothy, have an understanding that accommodates everyone…until it doesn’t. Grab a big-bodied tea to deal with this one!

Tea of the Day: Vanilla Pear White Tea

Check out Bite-Sized Crime Podcast as featured in the intro of the episode 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• South Wales Evening Post - 16 Jul 1940, Tue · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/968276218/
• Daily Mirror - 11 Jul 1940, Thu · Page 12 https://www.newspapers.com/image/789857998/
• South Wales Evening Post - 12 Jul 1940, Fri · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/968275985/
• Sunday Pictorial-22 Dec 1940, Sun · Page 4 https://www.newspapers.com/image/807619688/
• Clarion-Ledger - 22 Dec 1940, Sun · Page 19 https://www.newspapers.com/image/203063517/
• Daily News - 24 Nov 1940, Sun · Page 3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/432543525/
• Evening Standard - 12 Nov 1940, Tue · Page 12 https://www.newspapers.com/image/720811432/
• Evening Chronicle -09 Dec 1940, Mon · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/802022933/
• Manchester Evening News - 09 Dec 1940, Mon · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/800828745/
• Sevenoaks Chronicle, Westerham Courier and Kentish Advertiser -16 Aug 1940, Fri · Page 3 

https://www.newspapers.com/image/808335489/

• The Miami Herald - 19 Aug 1951, Sun · Page 24 https://www.newspapers.com/image/617628064/
• The News Tribune - 02 Feb 1941, Sun · Page 37 https://www.newspapers.com/image/733517087/
• Sunday Sun - 01 May 1955, Sun · Page 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/798135879/
• The Knoxville Journal - 16 Feb 1941, Sun · Page 38 https://www.newspapers.com/image/586715762/
• https://youtu.be/wxU4daCPIvY
• https://thecinemaholic.com/how-did-florence-ransom-die/
• https://murderpedia.org/female.R/r/ransom-florence.htm

In July of 1843, two bodies were found in the cellar of a farmhouse outside of Toronto, Canada. The owner of the home, Thomas Kinnear, was found shot once in the chest, his housekeeper, Nancy Montgomery had been struck on the skull and then strangled. The two primary suspects, Grace Marks and James McDermott, were domestic servants (because, of course), who had fled the country. With conflicting stories and inane reasoning, the two suspects blame each other. Follow along and tell us what you think happened.

Tea of the Day: Apricot Green Tea 

Theme Music by Brad Frank

Sources:

• The Kingston Whig-Standard - 04 Jul 2012, Wed · Page 5 https://www.newspapers.com/image/740059917/
• Chester Chronicle, and Cheshire and North Wales General Advertiser-22 Dec 1843,Fri · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/786690134/
• Brooklyn Evening Star - 09 Dec 1843, Sat · Page 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/117479851/
• Montreal Gazette - 09 Nov 1843, Thu · Page 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/705526384/
• The Age - 22 Feb 1997, Sat · Page 141 https://www.newspapers.com/image/122989819/
• The Waukegan Weekly Gazette - 03 Nov 1855, Sat · Page 1 https://www.newspapers.com/image/699106445/
• https://archive.org/details/cihm_67883/page/n7/mode/2up
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/mysterious-murder-case-inspired-margaret-atwoods-alias-grace-180967045/
• https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/grace-marks
• https://allthatsinteresting.com/grace-marks-alias-grace
• https://museumhack.com/grace-marks/