True Crime Historian

YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism...
Kid McCoy Down For The Count
Episode 427 documents a dramatic fall from grace when a beloved American prizefighter and silent film star falls for a married woman, who seemed destined to be his ninth or tenth wife. His marital history is as complicated and murky as her business dealings, and their affair takes a tragic turn late one hot august night.
Culled from the historic pages of the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers of the era.
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A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require. For this episode, Patrons have access to nearly an hour of alternate takes and deleted scenes, including the tragic-comic story of how Kid McCoy’s eighth wife, the Hollywood dancer Dagmar Dahlgren, reacts to her ex-husband’s plight.
Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!
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Musical contributors include Nico Vitesse, Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, Danielle Mo, Dave Sams, and Rachel Schott.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism...
The Tragic Leggit Ordeal
Episode 425 tells of the end of the road for Walter Ligget, who made his fame as a journalist who supported unions, exposed the criminal element, crusaded against graft and corruption, and dared to speak truth to power, so the powerful (whoever they may be) try and try again to get their revenge.
Culled from the historic pages of
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A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.
Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!
***
Musical contributors include Nico Vitesse, Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, Danielle Mo, Dave Sams, and Rachel Schott.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

AN EYE FOR AN EYE -- A special edition of Yesterday’s News exploring the criminal justice system at its most extreme: Inflicting the Death Penalty...

The Trial Of The Big Beef Sextet

Episode 424 takes place on Thanksgiving day, 1927, but it’s not your typical heartwarming holiday tearjerker. Rather, it’s the story of a pack of Folsom prisoners carrying out a long-laid plan to make a big break from the big house. Needless to say, it doesn't end particularly well for any of them when two guards and ten prisoners meet their deaths as a result.

Culled from the historic pages of the San Francisco Examiner, Sacramento Bee, and other newspapers of the era.
***
A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.
Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!
***
Musical contributors include Nico Vitesse, Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, Danielle Mo, Dave Sams, and Rachel Schott.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism...
The Lawrence/Foster/Disbrow Affair
Episode 423 delves into a love triangle gone awry. When two sides of the triangle, including an expert swimmer and sailor, are found drowned dead in a Long Island bay, suspicion immediately falls upon the third, even though the coroner declares the whole thing an accident.
Culled from the historic pages of The New York World, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The New York Tribune, and other newspapers of the era.
***
A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.
Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!
***
Musical contributors include Nico Vitesse, Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, Danielle Mo, and Dave Sams.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

TALES OF THE WILD WEST, stories of the scoundrels, outlaws, and folk heroes of the American Frontier
The Bloody Record Of Henry Plummer And His Gang
Episode 422 hearkens back to the wild wild West, in the days following the great gold rush. Much of the story takes place in Bannack, Montana, which is now a state park and ghost town, and follows the career of one of the most notorious gangs of the day and the rise of the citizen's committee that puts an end to it.
Adapted from the books "The Story of the Outlaw" by Emerson Hough and "The Montana Vigilantes, Or Popular Justice In The Rocky Mountains" by Thomas J. Dimsdale, the first newspaperman in Montana.
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Here are some links to clarify some of the terms and words used in this episode:
Sheep Eater Indians https://www.bitterrootranch.com/stories-from-the-ranch/history-local-tribe-sheep-eater-indians/
Define “levant”: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/levant
Placer mines: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placer_mining#:~:text=Placer%20mining%20%2F%CB%88pl,excavating%20equipment%20or%20tunneling%20equipment.
***
A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.
Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!
***
Musical contributors include Nico Vitesse, Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, Danielle Mo, and Dave Sams.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

A Body Under The Stairs
AN EYE FOR AN EYE -- A special edition of Yesterday’s News exploring the criminal justice system at its most extreme: Inflicting the Death Penalty...
Mrs. Peete’s Private Burials
Episode 420 recalls one of America’s lesser-known serial killers, Louise Peete. There’s never been a book or a movie about her, yet during her murderous career, especially her first crime, her Southern charm and polite matronly manner made her a nation-wide front page sensation, with some newspapers printing literally every word of her trial as well as fawning feature stories.
Culled from the historic pages of the Los Angeles Express, the Los Angeles Times, and other newspapers from the era.
For more information on this case, I have uploaded my case file with clippings of the complete trial coverage to the Safe House Library. See for yourself at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, where you can access the many treasures of the True Crime Historian Vault not available anywhere else.
Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!

***
A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.
***
Musical contributors include Nico Vitesse, Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, Danielle Mo, and Dave Sams.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism...
The Suitor V. The Shotgun
Episode 419 tells the story of a family’s downfall, precipitated by a general disdain for the 25-year-old suitor of a 17-year-old daughter. Things go particularly awry when the suitor makes a valiant last-ditch effort to win the love of the family he hoped to be his in-laws, but a shotgun blast proves more potent than true love.
Culled from the historic pages of the Philadelphia Inquirer and other newspapers of the era.
***
A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.
Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!
***
Musical contributors include Nico Vitesse, Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, Danielle Mo, and Dave Sams.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism...

Teen Mother In A Murder Trial

Episode 418 concerns a robbery gone awry and features a colorful woman in the case, a teenage bigamist and mother, whose salty ways and love for her baby make her a little bit endearing, in spite of her crimes.

The Tesmer case, referred to in the prologue, is the subject of Episode 234, Mrs. Carrick’s Rouge And Whiskers, available only to residents of the Safe House. Reserve your bunk at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian where you can enjoy other treasures from the True Crime Historian vault, exclusive episodes, ad-free editions of all new episodes, and whatever personal services you require.

Culled from the historic pages of the Chicago Tribune and other newspapers of the era.

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I want you to start living a happier life today. BetterHelp can be the way to find one. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting www.BetterHelp.com/historian .

Download Best Fiends for your device and join me in a fanciful quest in this challenging and cheerful puzzle game.

***

A creation Of Pulpular Media

Also from Pulpular Media:

Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be
good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.

Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!

Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.

Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!

***

Opening theme by Dave Sams
Incidental music by Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, and Danielle Mo.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

YESTERDAY’S NEWS -- Tales of classic scandals, scoundrels and scourges told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism...
The Cincinnati Kitchen Sink Slashing
Episode 417 takes place at the turn of the last century Cincinnati, when a man allegedly finds his wife’s brutally murdered body in the kitchen sink and his four-year-old son sound asleep in his bed. Burglars did it, the man says, but his son will tell a different story.
Culled from the historic pages of the Cincinnati Enquirer and other newspapers of the era.
***
I want you to start living a happier life today. BetterHelp can be the way to find one. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting www.BetterHelp.com/historian .
Download Best Fiends for your device and join me in a fanciful quest in this challenging and cheerful puzzle game.
***
A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to support this podcast by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.
Some listeners don’t want to pledge monthly support but just want to send a few bucks this way. You can do that at www.buymeacoffee.com/crimehistorian. You can also subscribe to a $5 monthly or $50 annual membership!
***
Opening theme by Nico Vitesse, Lucia La Rezza, Joyie, and Danielle Mo.
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer

AN EYE FOR AN EYE -- A special edition of Yesterday’s News exploring the criminal justice system at its most extreme: Inflicting the Death Penalty...

The Ghastly Kidnapping And Murder Of Marion Parker

Episode 415 relates one of the most difficult crimes we’ve yet to tell, a terrible kidnapping and brutal murder of 12-year-old girl by a smiling, charming monster. No other word for William Edward Hickman. The details of the crime were so disturbing that the newspapers could not report on them, but even the broad outline as presented will give you chills.
Culled from the historic pages of the Los Angeles Times and other newspapers of the era.
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If this story has aroused your indignation and it’s still crying out for justice, check out our supplemental editions in the Safe House Salon at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian. The first is a report from the great pulp author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who covered the trial for the Los Angeles Examiner, and the other a first-person report from Hickman’s execution by a reporter from the San Francisco Daily News.
***

I want you to start living a happier life today. BetterHelp can be the way to find one. As a listener, you’ll get 10% off your first month by visiting www.BetterHelp.com/historian .
Download Best Fiends for your device and join me in a fanciful quest in this challenging and cheerful puzzle game.
***
A creation Of Pulpular Media
Also from Pulpular Media:
Portals to Possibility, an improvised mock-talk show that proves you don’t have to be human to be good people. Visit pulpular.com/portals2 for a brand-new episode.
Catastrophic Calamaties, Exploring the famous and forgotten disasters of the 19th and 20th centuries. What could go wrong? Everything!
Some listeners choose to listen to this podcast advertising-free by checking in at the Safe House at www.patreon.com/truecrimehistorian, to get early access, exclusive content, and whatever personal services you require.
***
Opening theme by Nico Vitesse
Some music and sound effects licensed from podcastmusic.com.
Closing theme by Dave Sams and Rachel Schott, engineered by David Hisch at Third Street Music.
Media management by Sean Miller-Jones
Richard O Jones, Executive Producer