Crime Capsule: Recent Episodes
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From DNA testing to the Dixie Mafia, Crime Capsule brings you new stories of true crime in American history. Join writer and host Benjamin Morris for exclusive interviews with authors from Arcadia Publishing, writing the hottest books on the most chilling stories of our country’s past. Crime Capsule: history so interesting it’s criminal.
Franklin County, Virginia is notorious for its moonshine legacy. The county's history is not a fairy tale, but a saga of blood and fire. The Scots-Irish settlers who came to its harsh mountains brought with them a fierce spirit of independence and resistance to authority. They made moonshine not only for profit, but also for pride and identity. During the Prohibition era, the county became a hotbed of illegal liquor production and distribution, attracting the attention of federal agents and rival bootleggers. The violence did not end with the repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment, as moonshine and drugs continued to fuel conflicts and crimes in the region. The year 1978 was especially gruesome, with nine murders related to the illicit trade. Phillip Andrew Gibbs, a historian and native of Virginia, recounts the events of that dreadful year and the historical context behind them.
In this episode of Crime Capsule, host Benjamin Morris continues his conversation with author Paul Hodos, discussing his book "Steel City Mafia, Blood, Betrayal, and Pittsburgh's Last Dawn." They focus on Mike Genovese, a key figure in the Pittsburgh mob. Born in 1919 to Italian immigrant parents, Mike's early life was marked by both violence and opportunity. While his parents had no direct ties to crime families, there were hints of involvement in bootlegging. Join Benjamin and Paul as they delve deep into the streets of Pittsburgh and explore the captivating story of Mike Genovese. Paul N. Hodos is a two-time book author, article author and former FBI supervisory intelligence analyst in the Criminal Investigative Division. He received his undergraduate degree in history at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and his graduate degree in strategic intelligence at the National Intelligence University in Bethesda, Maryland. Paul was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Kensington, Maryland, with his very supportive wife and kids. Purchase HERE
Pittsburgh's small but lucrative Cosa Nostra mafia family was on the rise in 1985 with a newly crowned Don... The men who came to dominate the rackets in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and West Virginia opened the family to massive profits from drug trafficking and a street tax on other criminal activities. At the same time, the Youngstown, OH faction of the family launched a brutal mob war against the weakening Cleveland mafia and the Altoona, PA crew violently clamped down on their city. Discover gritty stories of a made member who controlled who a local police department hired, an informant who betrayed his own mafia grandfather and father, numerous unsolved murders and a mob mole in the Pittsburgh office of the FBI. This is the tale of a mafia family at the pinnacle of its power, willing to do anything to hold on to that power and its downfall in the criminal underworld. Paul N. Hodos is a two-time book author, article author and former FBI supervisory intelligence analyst in the Criminal Investigative Division. He received his undergraduate degree in history at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and his graduate degree in strategic intelligence at the National Intelligence University in Bethesda, Maryland. Paul was born in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Kensington, Maryland, with his very supportive wife and kids.
Purchase HERE
Pittsburgh's small but lucrative Cosa Nostra mafia family was on the rise in 1985 with a newly crowned Don... The men who came to dominate the rackets in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and West Virginia opened the family to massive profits from drug trafficking and a street tax on other criminal activities. At the same time, the Youngstown, OH faction of the family launched a brutal mob war against the weakening Cleveland mafia and the Altoona, PA crew violently clamped down on their city. Discover gritty stories of a made member who controlled who a local police department hired, an informant who betrayed his own mafia grandfather and father, numerous unsolved murders and a mob mole in the Pittsburgh office of the FBI. This is the tale of a mafia family at the pinnacle of its power, willing to do anything to hold on to that power and its downfall in the criminal underworld. Purchase HERE
Even in a town notorious for gangsters like Al Capone, much of Chicago's lawless lore has remained uncharted. Chicago's Chinatown, in particular, was home to a vast criminal enterprise, strictly bound by old country rituals, rules and traditions. Few know of Moy Dong Chew, aka "Opium Dong,'? one of Chinatown's original godfathers, much less Frank Moy, his fedora-wearing predecessor. While incidents like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre dominated newspaper headlines, the Tong Wars were being waged in the shadows. Author Harrison Fillmore relates the long and sordid history of Chinatown's underbelly from the early 1880s to the late 1980s when a Federal Indictment essentially ended organized crime's grip on their good citizens. Purchase HERE
Join host Benjamin Morris as he interviews the author Harrison Fillmore about his new book from Arcadia Publishing & The History Press, Godfathers of Chicago's Chinatown. Even in a town notorious for gangsters like Al Capone, much of Chicago's lawless lore has remained uncharted. Chicago's Chinatown, in particular, was home to a vast criminal enterprise, strictly bound by old country rituals, rules and traditions. Few know of Moy Dong Chew, aka "Opium Dong,'? one of Chinatown's original godfathers, much less Frank Moy, his fedora-wearing predecessor. While incidents like the St. Valentine's Day Massacre dominated newspaper headlines, the Tong Wars were being waged in the shadows. Author Harrison Fillmore relates the long and sordid history of Chinatown's underbelly from the early 1880s to the late 1980s when a Federal Indictment essentially ended organized crime's grip on their good citizens. Purchase HERE
Ellen E. Jack backed up her orders with a shotgun as she stood at the entrance to her Black Queen Mine. To profit from the mine, located near Aspen, she engaged in many other battles with lawyers and capitalists who tried to wrest her ore away. Mrs. Captain Jack contributed to the myth of the West by crowning herself as the “Mining Queen of the Rockies” as she entertained tourists at her roadhouse near Colorado Springs. Author Jane Bardal offers a captivating biography of a pioneering woman who fashioned a legacy through true tenacity and maybe even a few tall tales. Jane Bardal’s previous publications include “Southwestern New Mexico Mining Towns” and “Oral Histories from the Grants Uranium District,” in the Mining History Journal. She teaches psychology at Central New Mexico Community College. Purchase HERE
Spanish and American prospectors discovered gold, silver, and copper mines in southwestern New Mexico in the 1800s. This volume explores the further development of these mining operations into the early 1900s. During this time period, improvements in technology made mining profitable, and eastern corporations invested in New Mexico mines. World War I created a demand for copper, and this era saw the development of paternalistic company towns. Miners faced difficult and dangerous working conditions, but their lives improved compared to previous generations. Many of the towns and the people in southwestern New Mexico owed their livelihood, in whole or in part, to mining. Some of these places have disappeared entirely, some are ghost towns, and others are thriving communities. Dr. Jane Bardal is a professor of psychology at Central New Mexico Community College and a history buff. She has compiled more than 200 images from private postcard collections to tell the story of mining in southwestern New Mexico. Purchase HERE
Tales of California’s hidden treasures and lost mines span the state from the Pacific Ocean to the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sunken cargo from the steamship Brother Jonathon is rumored to still be out there, awaiting discovery, as is the location of the famous lost Breyfogle Mine. Outlaws like Three Finger Jack and Joaquin Murrieta were said to have stashed their loot while evading law enforcement, and Sir Francis Drake’s English pirates buried treasures all along the coast. Deep underground and underwater, a bounty awaits for some lucky prospector. Join author W. Craig Gaines as he unearths stories of legendary and historic lost treasures yet to be found in the Golden State. W. Craig Gaines is the author of several books, including Civil War Gold and Other Lost Treasures, Lost Oklahoma Treasure and Lost Texas Treasure. Craig has been interested in lost treasure ever since seeing the film Treasure Island when he was very young. He has written lost treasure stories for a variety of treasure hunting magazines. Craig is an engineer, geologist and writer who has been in many of the areas mentioned in this work. He currently resides with his wife, Arla, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Purchase HERE
Tales of California’s hidden treasures and lost mines span the state from the Pacific Ocean to the eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sunken cargo from the steamship Brother Jonathon is rumored to still be out there, awaiting discovery, as is the location of the famous lost Breyfogle Mine. Outlaws like Three Finger Jack and Joaquin Murrieta were said to have stashed their loot while evading law enforcement, and Sir Francis Drake’s English pirates buried treasures all along the coast. Deep underground and underwater, a bounty awaits for some lucky prospector. Join author W. Craig Gaines as he unearths stories of legendary and historic lost treasures yet to be found in the Golden State. W. Craig Gaines is the author of several books, including Civil War Gold and Other Lost Treasures, Lost Oklahoma Treasure and Lost Texas Treasure. Craig has been interested in lost treasure ever since seeing the film Treasure Island when he was very young. He has written lost treasure stories for a variety of treasure hunting magazines. Craig is an engineer, geologist and writer who has been in many of the areas mentioned in this work. He currently resides with his wife, Arla, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Purchase HERE
In the South, mystery comes heaped with added richness. And in this collection of comfort food for the curious mind, author Alan Brown guides readers into the most delightful medley of mystery the South has on offer. Witches in Tennessee. The devil’s hoofprints in North Carolina. Voodoo in New Orleans. In this South, meat rains from the sky in Bath, Kentucky. A professor’s thigh makes the case for spontaneous combustion in Nashville. UFO-induced radiation sickness befalls Huffman, Texas. From bluesman Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil in Arkansas to the oak tree that defends the innocence of a man executed in Mobile, sometimes the inexplicable is truly the most satisfying. Alan Brown was born in Alton, Illinois, on January 12, 1950. After earning digress from Millikin University, Southern Illinois University, Illinois State University and the University of Illinois, he taught high school English in Flora and Springfield, Illinois. In 1986, he joined the English faculty at the University of West Alabama. When he is not teaching, Alan enjoys watching old movies, traveling with his wife, Marilyn, and spending time with his grandsons, Cade and Owen. Since publishing his first book, Dim Roads and Dark Nights, in 1993, he has explored his interest in folklore, especially ghost tales, in more than thirty publications, including Stories from the Haunted South (2004), Haunted Georgia (2006), Ghost Hunters of the South (2006), Ghost Hunters of New England (2008), Haunted Birmingham (2009), The Big Book of Texas Ghost Stories (2010), Haunted Meridian (2011), Ghosts Along the Mississippi River (2012), Ghosts of Florida’s Gulf Coast (2014), The Haunted South (2014), Ghosts of Mississippi’s Golden Triangle (2016), The Haunted Southwest (2016) and The Haunting of Alabama (2017). Purchase Unexplained South HERE
In the South, mystery comes heaped with added richness. And in this collection of comfort food for the curious mind, author Alan Brown guides readers into the most delightful medley of mystery the South has on offer. Witches in Tennessee. The devil’s hoofprints in North Carolina. Voodoo in New Orleans. In this South, meat rains from the sky in Bath, Kentucky. A professor’s thigh makes the case for spontaneous combustion in Nashville. UFO-induced radiation sickness befalls Huffman, Texas. From bluesman Robert Johnson selling his soul to the devil in Arkansas to the oak tree that defends the innocence of a man executed in Mobile, sometimes the inexplicable is truly the most satisfying. Alan Brown was born in Alton, Illinois, on January 12, 1950. After earning digress from Millikin University, Southern Illinois University, Illinois State University and the University of Illinois, he taught high school English in Flora and Springfield, Illinois. In 1986, he joined the English faculty at the University of West Alabama. When he is not teaching, Alan enjoys watching old movies, traveling with his wife, Marilyn, and spending time with his grandsons, Cade and Owen. Since publishing his first book, Dim Roads and Dark Nights, in 1993, he has explored his interest in folklore, especially ghost tales, in more than thirty publications, including Stories from the Haunted South (2004), Haunted Georgia (2006), Ghost Hunters of the South (2006), Ghost Hunters of New England (2008), Haunted Birmingham (2009), The Big Book of Texas Ghost Stories (2010), Haunted Meridian (2011), Ghosts Along the Mississippi River (2012), Ghosts of Florida’s Gulf Coast (2014), The Haunted South (2014), Ghosts of Mississippi’s Golden Triangle (2016), The Haunted Southwest (2016) and The Haunting of Alabama (2017). Purchase Unexplained South HERE
Join us next Thursday for part one of our conversation with author Alan Brown. Alan Brown was born in Alton, Illinois, on January 12, 1950. After earning digress from Millikin University, Southern Illinois University, Illinois State University and the University of Illinois, he taught high school English in Flora and Springfield, Illinois. In 1986, he joined the English faculty at the University of West Alabama. When he is not teaching, Alan enjoys watching old movies, traveling with his wife, Marilyn, and spending time with his grandsons, Cade and Owen. Since publishing his first book, Dim Roads and Dark Nights, in 1993, he has explored his interest in folklore, especially ghost tales, in more than thirty publications, including Stories from the Haunted South (2004), Haunted Georgia (2006), Ghost Hunters of the South (2006), Ghost Hunters of New England (2008), Haunted Birmingham (2009), The Big Book of Texas Ghost Stories (2010), Haunted Meridian (2011), Ghosts Along the Mississippi River (2012), Ghosts of Florida’s Gulf Coast (2014), The Haunted South (2014), Ghosts of Mississippi’s Golden Triangle (2016), The Haunted Southwest (2016) and The Haunting of Alabama (2017). Purchase Unexplained South HERE
The Tell-Tale Heart,” one of Edgar Allan Poe’s most famous short stories, has inspired artists, filmmakers, and writers since its first publication in 1843. But it was two murders a decade apart that helped inspire Poe to write his macabre masterwork of psychological fiction. In Salem, Massachusetts, in April 1830, the ruthless murder of an old and wealthy sea captain rattled the city’s rich, sullied Salem’s reputation, and helped launch America’s obsession with true crime. A decade later, in December 1840, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, a wealthy banker mysteriously disappeared. The discovery of his mangled corpse and the demeanor of his alleged killer made for great headlines in New York’s new Penny Press and planted the seeds for Poe’s masterpiece. Poe’s life during the period of these murders went from idealistic poet to soldier to struggling writer, set adrift by family rifts and his stubborn nature. Exquisite Wickedness examines these two crimes, Poe’s life during this period, the circumstances of the writing of his famous story, and an unbelievable betrayal whose effects have lasted far beyond the grave."ANDREW K. AMELINCKX is an award-winning crime reporter, freelance journalist, and visual artist. His work has appeared in Business Insider, Men’s Journal, Smithsonian.com, Modern Farmer, and many other publications. Andrew is the former crime and courts reporter for The Berkshire Eagle newspaper. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and an MFA in painting from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. Exquisite Wickedness is his third book. Andrew lives in New York’s Hudson Valley where he’s working on his next book. He is represented by Jeff Ourvan of the Jennifer Lyons Literary Agency."
Happy Thanksgiving! Join us in one week when we kick off our series on Holiday Horror, brought to you by Evergreen Podcast, Killer Podcasts and the History Press. Host Benjamin Morris kicks off the genre with an interview with Andrew Amelinckx about his book Exquisite Wickedness: Two Murders and the Making of Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart”.
The barrier between Joplin's boisterous past and its present is as flimsy as a swinging saloon door. Lisa Livingston-Martin kicks it wide open in this ghostly history. In her expert company, tour a hotel with a reputation made from equal parts opulence and tragedy. Visit that house of horrors, the Stefflebeck Bordello, where guests regularly got the axe and were disposed of in mine shafts. Navigate through angry lynch mobs and vengeful patrols of Civil War spirits. Catch a glimpse of Bonnie and Clyde. Keep your wits about you--it's haunted Joplin. Lisa Livingston-Martin is a lifelong resident of Missouri, living in Webb City with her children. She has practiced law in Southwest Missouri for more than 20 years, and has long standing interests in history and the paranormal. She is the author of Civil War Ghosts of Southwest Missouri and Haunted Joplin, also published by The History Press. Purchase HERE
The barrier between Joplin's boisterous past and its present is as flimsy as a swinging saloon door. Lisa Livingston-Martin kicks it wide open in this ghostly history. In her expert company, tour a hotel with a reputation made from equal parts opulence and tragedy. Visit that house of horrors, the Stefflebeck Bordello, where guests regularly got the axe and were disposed of in mine shafts. Navigate through angry lynch mobs and vengeful patrols of Civil War spirits. Catch a glimpse of Bonnie and Clyde. Keep your wits about you--it's haunted Joplin. Lisa Livingston-Martin is a lifelong resident of Missouri, living in Webb City with her children. She has practiced law in Southwest Missouri for more than 20 years, and has long standing interests in history and the paranormal. She is the author of Civil War Ghosts of Southwest Missouri and Haunted Joplin, also published by The History Press. Purchase HERE
Sudden, violent storms and rocky shoals have claimed the lives of countless mortals foolish enough to brave the treacherous surf of Lake Michigan. But is there another, unnatural force at work? A force that spirited away a ship’s captain from a locked cabin without a trace? A force that caused a perfectly airworthy jet to fly into the waves, taking all its passengers to a watery death? Perhaps these tragedies are linked to numerous UFO sightings over the lake. Or perhaps a clue might be found in the prehistoric Stonehenge-like structures discovered deep beneath the crystalline-blue surface. Historian and storyteller Gayle Soucek explores the mysteries behind the area known as the Lake Michigan Triangle. Gayle Soucek is an author, historian and freelance editor with more than a dozen books and numerous magazine articles to her credit, including Haunted Door County; Door County Tales: Shipwrecks, Cherries and Goats on the Roof; and Chicago Calamities: Disaster in the Windy City. Gayle and her photographer husband divide their time between their home in a Chicago suburb and a second home in Gills Rock, Wisconsin, directly overlooking the Death’s Door passage. It’s this proximity to the rich history and unexplained events that occur along the Lake Michigan shoreline that inspired this book on the Lake Michigan Triangle. Purchase HERE
The saga of the Morristown ghost has been told around campfires and dinner tables in Morris County for generations. Local legend claimed that British Loyalists secretly buried stolen Patriot treasure on Schooley Mountain as they fled the oncoming forces of George Washington during the Revolutionary War. Years later, in 1788, a former schoolteacher from Connecticut, Ransford Rodgers, convinced local prominent Morristown families that a ghost was protecting the true location of the treasure and that he alone could exorcise it. Little did the victims know, Rodgers was perpetuating an elaborate hoax and eventually extorted large sums of money from the embarrassed local elite. The tale has been recounted in various sensational pamphlets and publications ever since, leaving behind a mystery of what is true or myth. Author Peter Zablocki separates fact from fiction in the story of the great Morristown ghost hoax. Peter Zablocki is a historian, educator and author of numerous books detailing New Jersey’s history. His articles often appear in various popular history publications, and his podcast, History Teachers Talking, is available on all popular streaming platforms. For more information about his books, podcast or any upcoming author events, visit www.peterzablocki.com. Purchase HERE
From the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert to the haunted Santa Monica Pier, California’s Route 66 is the guideline for a truly spirited road trip. The road is lined with ghost towns such as Ludlow, a town that lived and died twice, and Goffs, now a dusty museum where the shades of the past walk the streets. In Barstow, a hundred-year-old rail station hosts long-dead passengers still waiting for their trains, and in Monrovia, the Aztec Hotel entertains spirits from a bygone era, as does the Pasadena Playhouse, the official state theater of California. Join author and paranormal historian Brian Clune as he explores the haunted history of the mother road. A historian for Planet Paranormal and The Full Spectrum Project, Brian travels California researching haunted hot spots. He has been involved with many TV shows and was in a companion documentary for the movie Paranormal Asylum. He gives lectures and has appeared on numerous radio programs. Clune is also the cohost for the radio program The Full Spectrum Project. He lives in Southern California with his loving wife, Terri; his three wonderful children; and, of course, Wandering Wyatt! Purchase HERE
From the stark beauty of the Mojave Desert to the haunted Santa Monica Pier, California’s Route 66 is the guideline for a truly spirited road trip. The road is lined with ghost towns such as Ludlow, a town that lived and died twice, and Goffs, now a dusty museum where the shades of the past walk the streets. In Barstow, a hundred-year-old rail station hosts long-dead passengers still waiting for their trains, and in Monrovia, the Aztec Hotel entertains spirits from a bygone era, as does the Pasadena Playhouse, the official state theater of California. Join author and paranormal historian Brian Clune as he explores the haunted history of the mother road. A historian for Planet Paranormal and The Full Spectrum Project, Brian travels California researching haunted hot spots. He has been involved with many TV shows and was in a companion documentary for the movie Paranormal Asylum. He gives lectures and has appeared on numerous radio programs. Clune is also the cohost for the radio program The Full Spectrum Project. He lives in Southern California with his loving wife, Terri; his three wonderful children; and, of course, Wandering Wyatt! Purchase HERE
Every day, millions of New Yorkers walk past the ghosts of Brooklyn’s history in broad daylight. Park-goers stroll by the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park, yet few read the historic marker, revealing that it is actually a grave holding up to fifteen thousand bodies. The iconic Park Slope Armory is simply a beautiful landmark to most onlookers, but its secrets include numerous haunted halls and a hidden tunnel to Prospect Park buried underneath. Two planes crashed into each other over the skies of Brooklyn in 1960, killing more than one hundred and destroying an entire city block, yet an eleven-year-old known as the “Boy Who Fell from the Sky” miraculously walked away as the sole survivor. Author Allison Huntington Chase reveals the hidden, macabre and bizarre of Brooklyn’s past. Allison Huntington Chase grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, and has a degree in screenplay writing from the School of Visual Arts. She is the CEO of Madame Morbid Trolley Tours, which focuses on dark history and ghosts of Brooklyn. She also has her certificate on Sommelier Studies from the ICC. She enjoys history, cooking, animals, traveling and pop culture.
Every day, millions of New Yorkers walk past the ghosts of Brooklyn’s history in broad daylight. Park-goers stroll by the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park, yet few read the historic marker, revealing that it is actually a grave holding up to fifteen thousand bodies. The iconic Park Slope Armory is simply a beautiful landmark to most onlookers, but its secrets include numerous haunted halls and a hidden tunnel to Prospect Park buried underneath. Two planes crashed into each other over the skies of Brooklyn in 1960, killing more than one hundred and destroying an entire city block, yet an eleven-year-old known as the “Boy Who Fell from the Sky” miraculously walked away as the sole survivor. Author Allison Huntington Chase reveals the hidden, macabre and bizarre of Brooklyn’s past. Allison Huntington Chase grew up in Hartford, Connecticut, and has a degree in screenplay writing from the School of Visual Arts. She is the CEO of Madame Morbid Trolley Tours, which focuses on dark history and ghosts of Brooklyn. She also has her certificate on Sommelier Studies from the ICC. She enjoys history, cooking, animals, traveling and pop culture.
From the fanciful and revelatory to the horrifying and sorrowful, the folklore of southern Utah hints at a complex history. Whether spiritual or spooky, home-grown legends are a window to understanding local culture. Visit Grafton, Utah’s most haunted ghost town. Explore what haunts Southern Utah University in Cedar City, the St. George Temple and Touquerville’s “murder house.” Learn about skinwalkers and the theft of Native American beliefs. Examine the numerous urban legends surrounding Route 666, “The Devil’s Highway.” Uncover the secrets of the Mountain Meadows Massacre and the curse of Escalante Petrified Forest. Drawing on information from more than two hundred interviews, Darren M. Edwards investigates the tales and myths that permeate and persist in communities throughout red rock country. Darren M. Edwards is a writer, photographer and educator living in southern Utah. When he’s not giving poetry performances, busy doing a photo session, working on writing a book or teaching a class, he enjoys cuddling with his dogs, his son or his wife—and, on some very magical days, all of them together. Buy at: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467150446
Get ready for season 2 of Crime Capsule, beginning on 9/22/22. You're in for a treat. Catch up on the latest episodes of Crime Capsule NOW at Evergreen Podcasts or wherever you get your favorite shows!
In 1974, a series of San Francisco’s most horrific unsolved murders began. In less than two years, the man police called “The Doodler” took at least five lives, terrorized the LGBTQ community and left three survivors forever changed. Initial reports claimed that the murderer didn’t approach his victims with the knife he used to kill them, but that the suspect shared skilled drawings—sketches of faces and animals—before leaving a string of gay men to bleed out on the sands of Ocean Beach. Police investigations and activist efforts to uncover the serial killer led to several suspects but no definitive identification of the artist of death. Author Kate Zaliznock shines a light on this riveting cold case. Kate Zaliznock is a Bay Area–based writer and editor. Her past work has covered a wide range of topics, including music, history, science, pop culture and politics. She is also the founder of Open Color, an arts collective and magazine that features both emerging and established artists from around the globe. This is her first book on true crime. Releasing 9/22; buy HERE
In 1974, a series of San Francisco’s most horrific unsolved murders began. In less than two years, the man police called “The Doodler” took at least five lives, terrorized the LGBTQ community and left three survivors forever changed. Initial reports claimed that the murderer didn’t approach his victims with the knife he used to kill them, but that the suspect shared skilled drawings—sketches of faces and animals—before leaving a string of gay men to bleed out on the sands of Ocean Beach. Police investigations and activist efforts to uncover the serial killer led to several suspects but no definitive identification of the artist of death. Author Kate Zaliznock shines a light on this riveting cold case. Kate Zaliznock is a Bay Area–based writer and editor. Her past work has covered a wide range of topics, including music, history, science, pop culture and politics. She is also the founder of Open Color, an arts collective and magazine that features both emerging and established artists from around the globe. This is her first book on true crime. Releasing 9/22; buy HERE
In 1974, a series of San Francisco’s most horrific unsolved murders began. In less than two years, the man police called “The Doodler” took at least five lives, terrorized the LGBTQ community and left three survivors forever changed. Initial reports claimed that the murderer didn’t approach his victims with the knife he used to kill them, but that the suspect shared skilled drawings—sketches of faces and animals—before leaving a string of gay men to bleed out on the sands of Ocean Beach. Police investigations and activist efforts to uncover the serial killer led to several suspects but no definitive identification of the artist of death. Author Kate Zaliznock shines a light on this riveting cold case. Kate Zaliznock is a Bay Area–based writer and editor. Her past work has covered a wide range of topics, including music, history, science, pop culture and politics. She is also the founder of Open Color, an arts collective and magazine that features both emerging and established artists from around the globe. This is her first book on true crime. PURCHASE HERE
The last Public Enemy No. 1 of the Depression era, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis reportedly compiled a record of fifty-four aliases, fifteen bank robberies, fourteen murders, three jailbreaks and two kidnappings. His criminal career came to an end when J. Edgar Hoover and his famed G-Men apprehended the man they wanted more than any other in New Orleans. From there, Karpis found himself confined on Alcatraz Island, where he spent nearly twenty-six years - more than any inmate in the prison’s history. Historian Julie Thompson tells the true story of Karpis’s life and career, a riveting tale taking readers from rural Kansas and Ohio to the bustling streets of the Big Easy and into the bleak innards of “the Rock.” A lifelong native of Northeast Ohio, historian Julie Thompson completed her history degree at Hiram College, where she graduated with distinction. She has volunteered at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and worked extensively with the Library of Congress Publishing Office on four of its substantial published works. Julie remains an active member of the Freedom Township Historical Society and has served on the board of trustees for the James A. Garfield Historical Society, where she engaged with Hiram College to develop the society’s first internship program and served as a member of her area’s Inter-Museum Council. Purchase HERE
Fascinating characters filled the history of the Twin Territories as it became the state of Oklahoma. For some, it represented the end of a hard trail, while others sought a new beginning in a land of opportunity. Whatever their reason for coming to this heartland of America, those early Oklahomans left an indelible mark on the landscapes and streetscapes of the state today. From explorers and settlers of the early nineteenth century to oil tycoons and social activists in the first years of the twentieth century, Oklahoma saw a wide variety of men and women march across the stage during its formation. Author Jonita Mullins presents more than eighty unique stories of doctors, lawyers and chiefs, with a few outlaws, cattlemen and beauty queens thrown in for good measure. Jonita Mullins grew up in the small town of Haskell, Oklahoma. A passionate preservationist who serves on the board of directors for the Oklahoma Historical Society, she contributes a weekly history column for the Muskogee Phoenix and is working with the Founders’ Place Historical District to restore the home of Congresswoman Alice Robertson. Her other writing, including her award-winning book The Jefferson Highway in Oklahoma, can found on her website (okieheritage.com). Buy the book HERE
Tracing Route 66 through Missouri represents one of America's favorite exercises in nostalgia, but a discerning glance among the roadside weeds reveals the kind of sordid history that doesn't appear on postcards. Along with vintage cars and picnic baskets, Route 66 was a conduit humming with contraband and crackling with the gunplay of folks like Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James and the Young brothers. It was also the preferred byway of lynch mobs, murderous hitchhikers and mad scientists. Stop in at places like the Devil's Elbow and the Steffleback Bordello on this trip through the more treacherous twists of the Mother Road. Lisa Livingston-Martin is a lifelong resident of Missouri, living in Webb City with her children. She has practiced law in Southwest Missouri for more than 20 years, and has longstanding interests in history and the paranormal. She is the author of Civil War Ghosts of Southwest Missouri and Haunted Joplin, also published by The History Press. PURCHASE
Tracing Route 66 through Missouri represents one of America's favorite exercises in nostalgia, but a discerning glance among the roadside weeds reveals the kind of sordid history that doesn't appear on postcards. Along with vintage cars and picnic baskets, Route 66 was a conduit humming with contraband and crackling with the gunplay of folks like Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James and the Young brothers. It was also the preferred byway of lynch mobs, murderous hitchhikers and mad scientists. Stop in at places like the Devil's Elbow and the Steffleback Bordello on this trip through the more treacherous twists of the Mother Road. Lisa Livingston-Martin is a lifelong resident of Missouri, living in Webb City with her children. She has practiced law in Southwest Missouri for more than 20 years, and has longstanding interests in history and the paranormal. She is the author of Civil War Ghosts of Southwest Missouri and Haunted Joplin, also published by The History Press. PURCHASE
On February 2, 1963, a tanker with thirty-nine men aboard departed Beaumont and never returned. In the mid-spring of 1882, Billy the Kid’s friend, foe and equal escaped Huntsville Penitentiary and vanished. On December 9, 1961, a young boy in Wichita Falls disappeared without a trace. On November 18, 1936, a father and son were swallowed by a “Walled Kingdom.” On December 23, 1974, three girls went to a Fort Worth mall and were never seen or heard from again. This collection explores twenty baffling disappearances that investigators have studied for decades, to no avail. Homicide, patricide, filicide, genocide, devil worship, the Devil’s Triangle, the Devil’s River, the assassination of JFK, UFO abductions, legal limbo, literal limbo—oblivion. Award-winning author E.R. Bills drags the facts of these mystifying cases back from the void. Award-winning writer E.R. Bills is the author of Texas Obscurities: Stories of the Peculiar, Exceptional and Nefarious (The History Press, 2013), The 1910 Slocum Massacre: An Act of Genocide in East Texas (The History Press, 2014), Black Holocaust: The Paris Horror and a Legacy of Texas Terror (Eakin Press, 2015), Texas Far & Wide: The Tornado with Eyes, Gettysburg’s Last Casualty, the Celestial Skipping Stone and Other Tales (The History Press, 2017) and The San Marcos 10: An Antiwar Protest in Texas (The History Press, 2019). Bills has also written for the Austin American-Statesman, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Co-Op Power magazine and the Fort Worth Weekly. He currently lives in North Texas with his wife, Stacie. Purchase Texas Oblivion
On February 2, 1963, a tanker with thirty-nine men aboard departed Beaumont and never returned. In the mid-spring of 1882, Billy the Kid’s friend, foe and equal escaped Huntsville Penitentiary and vanished. On December 9, 1961, a young boy in Wichita Falls disappeared without a trace. On November 18, 1936, a father and son were swallowed by a “Walled Kingdom.” On December 23, 1974, three girls went to a Fort Worth mall and were never seen or heard from again. This collection explores twenty baffling disappearances that investigators have studied for decades, to no avail. Homicide, patricide, filicide, genocide, devil worship, the Devil’s Triangle, the Devil’s River, the assassination of JFK, UFO abductions, legal limbo, literal limbo—oblivion. Award-winning author E.R. Bills drags the facts of these mystifying cases back from the void. Award-winning writer E.R. Bills is the author of Texas Obscurities: Stories of the Peculiar, Exceptional and Nefarious (The History Press, 2013), The 1910 Slocum Massacre: An Act of Genocide in East Texas (The History Press, 2014), Black Holocaust: The Paris Horror and a Legacy of Texas Terror (Eakin Press, 2015), Texas Far & Wide: The Tornado with Eyes, Gettysburg’s Last Casualty, the Celestial Skipping Stone and Other Tales (The History Press, 2017) and The San Marcos 10: An Antiwar Protest in Texas (The History Press, 2019). Bills has also written for the Austin American-Statesman, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Co-Op Power magazine and the Fort Worth Weekly. He currently lives in North Texas with his wife, Stacie. Purchase Texas Oblivion
On the morning of May 27, 1896, the peaceful township of Campbell awoke to shocking news. Six people were brutally murdered at the home of Colonel Richard P. McGlincy, one of the town's most respected citizens. The suspect, James Dunham—the colonel's son-in-law—fled the scene and disappeared into the hills of Mount Hamilton overlooking Santa Clara County. This heinous crime triggered a massive, nationwide manhunt while investigators pieced together the details. Author Tobin Gilman examines the mind and motives of the killer, the sensational media coverage and the colorful personalities associated with the protracted and unresolved pursuit of justice. As a teenager, Tobin Gilman spent weekends working at a building located at the corner of McGlincy Avenue and Union in Campbell, California. At the time, he was unaware of the grisly crime that occurred in the vicinity more than a century earlier. Tobin has spent over thirty years as a marketing professional in the information technology industry, and his hobbies include antique bottle collecting, motorcycling and shooting sporting clays. He is the author of 19th Century San Jose in a Bottle.
On the morning of May 27, 1896, the peaceful township of Campbell awoke to shocking news. Six people were brutally murdered at the home of Colonel Richard P. McGlincy, one of the town's most respected citizens. The suspect, James Dunham—the colonel's son-in-law—fled the scene and disappeared into the hills of Mount Hamilton overlooking Santa Clara County. This heinous crime triggered a massive, nationwide manhunt while investigators pieced together the details. Author Tobin Gilman examines the mind and motives of the killer, the sensational media coverage and the colorful personalities associated with the protracted and unresolved pursuit of justice. As a teenager, Tobin Gilman spent weekends working at a building located at the corner of McGlincy Avenue and Union in Campbell, California. At the time, he was unaware of the grisly crime that occurred in the vicinity more than a century earlier. Tobin has spent over thirty years as a marketing professional in the information technology industry, and his hobbies include antique bottle collecting, motorcycling and shooting sporting clays. He is the author of 19th Century San Jose in a Bottle.
Did the phrase “That’s what I was wondering…” solve a murder? In the morning hours of July 16, 1936, Helen Clevenger’s uncle discovered her bloodied body crumpled on the floor of her small room in Asheville’s grand Battery Park Hotel. She had been shot through the chest. Buncombe County Sheriff Laurence Brown, up for reelection, desperately searched for the teenager’s killer as the public clamored for answers. Though witnesses reported seeing a white man leave the scene, Brown’s focus turned instead to the hotel’s Black employees and on August 9 he arrested bell hop Martin Moore. After a frenzied four-day trial that captured the nation’s attention, Moore was convicted of Helen’s murder on August 22. Though Moore confessed to Sherriff Brown, doubt of his guilt lingers and many Southerners feared that justice had not, in fact, been served. Author Anne Chesky Smith weaves together varying accounts of the murder and investigation to expose a complex and disturbing chapter in Asheville’s history. Murder at Asheville's Battery Park Hotel: The Search for Helen Clevenger's Killer
Did the phrase “That’s what I was wondering…” solve a murder? In the morning hours of July 16, 1936, Helen Clevenger’s uncle discovered her bloodied body crumpled on the floor of her small room in Asheville’s grand Battery Park Hotel. She had been shot through the chest. Buncombe County Sheriff Laurence Brown, up for reelection, desperately searched for the teenager’s killer as the public clamored for answers. Though witnesses reported seeing a white man leave the scene, Brown’s focus turned instead to the hotel’s Black employees and on August 9 he arrested bell hop Martin Moore. After a frenzied four-day trial that captured the nation’s attention, Moore was convicted of Helen’s murder on August 22. Though Moore confessed to Sherriff Brown, doubt of his guilt lingers and many Southerners feared that justice had not, in fact, been served. Author Anne Chesky Smith weaves together varying accounts of the murder and investigation to expose a complex and disturbing chapter in Asheville’s history.
At the turn of the twentieth century, people in Missouri experienced unexpected and horrible deaths due to arsenic. Two different women in two different areas of Missouri, and for two different reasons, used arsenic as a means to get what they wanted. Emma Heppermann, a black widow killer, craved money. Bertha Gifford, an angel of mercy, took sick people into her home and nursed them to death. Follow the trails of these women who murdered for decades before being tried and convicted. From Wentzville to Steelville, Emma left a trail of bodies. And Bertha is suspected of killing almost 10 percent of the population of the little town of Catawissa. Authors Victoria Cosner and Lorelei Shannon offer the gruesome history of Missouri’s murderous matrons. Missouri's Murderous Matrons: Emma Heppermann and Bertha Gifford
Join author Denise Parkinson for an intimate look at a Depression-era tragedy. The once-thriving houseboat communities along Arkansas' White River are long gone, and few remember the sensational murder story that set local darling Helen Spence on a tragic path. In 1931, Spence shocked Arkansas when she avenged her father's murder in a DeWitt courtroom. The state soon discovered that no prison could hold her. For the first time, prison records are unveiled to provide an essential portrait. The legend of Helen Spence refuses to be forgotten--despite her unmarked grave. Denise Parkinson is a freelance writer living in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A graduate of Hendrix College, Parkinson's writing appears in a range of publications, including the Arkansas Democrat, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Times, Little Rock Free Press, Memphis Flyer and Cooper-Young Lamplighter. Since 2008, she has been the lead writer for Hot Springs Life and Home magazine. Dale Woodiel was born and raised on the banks of the White River in Crockett's Bluff, Arkansas. He teaches humanities at the University of Hartford. Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery and Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta
Join author Denise Parkinson for an intimate look at a Depression-era tragedy. The once-thriving houseboat communities along Arkansas' White River are long gone, and few remember the sensational murder story that set local darling Helen Spence on a tragic path. In 1931, Spence shocked Arkansas when she avenged her father's murder in a DeWitt courtroom. The state soon discovered that no prison could hold her. For the first time, prison records are unveiled to provide an essential portrait. The legend of Helen Spence refuses to be forgotten--despite her unmarked grave. Denise Parkinson is a freelance writer living in Hot Springs, Arkansas. A graduate of Hendrix College, Parkinson's writing appears in a range of publications, including the Arkansas Democrat, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Times, Little Rock Free Press, Memphis Flyer and Cooper-Young Lamplighter. Since 2008, she has been the lead writer for Hot Springs Life and Home magazine. Dale Woodiel was born and raised on the banks of the White River in Crockett's Bluff, Arkansas. He teaches humanities at the University of Hartford. Daughter of the White River: Depression-Era Treachery and Vengeance in the Arkansas Delta
In the summer of 1936, fourteen-year-old Maxwell Breeze was playing in the waters of the Erie Canal in Brockport when a dog jumped into the canal and climbed his back, and the boy drowned. The owner of the dog was served notice to appear at a hearing, at which time a trial was set to determine if the dog should be put down. The unusual case captivated the nation as newspapers from coast to coast covered the story, Paramount Pictures dispatched “The Eyes and Ears of the World” to film the events and a media circus descended on the quiet village. During the trial, more than thirty witnesses were called, including a national expert brought in to evaluate the canine defendant, which journalists referred to as “the most talked-of dog on earth.” Authors Bill Hullfish and Laurie Fortune Verbridge reveal the bizarre incident, trial and spectacle that came to Brockport. Bill Hullfish, professor emeritus, SUNY College at Brockport, toured under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Member of the Clarkson Historical Society, the American Canal Society and the Canal Society of New York, bill has written a number of books. His latest, The Erie Canal Sings, was published by The History Press. His articles have been published in American Canals, Bottoming Out, Divisions, American Recorder, The Instrumentalist, New Jersey Outdoors and Bicycling. Laurie Fortune Verbridge is retired from K.M. Davies Company, Williamson, New York. She has held positions as the secretary for the Office of Public Information, Cornell University; postmaster of Pultneyville, New York; and postal service positions including quality first facilitator, secretary human resources and rural letter carrier. She is a member of the Williamson-Pultneyville Historical Society and Save Our Sodus Bay, a past president/trustee of the Williamson Central School Board of Education and past president and state secretary of the Wayne County and State of New York Rural Letter Carriers. Laurie has written letters to the editor of the Williamson Sun and Record and the Times of Wayne County and formatted and wrote articles for “What’s Happening” for Williamson Central School Board. The Brockport Murder Dog Trial: Bizarre Tragedy and Spectacle on the Erie Canal
In the summer of 1936, fourteen-year-old Maxwell Breeze was playing in the waters of the Erie Canal in Brockport when a dog jumped into the canal and climbed his back, and the boy drowned. The owner of the dog was served notice to appear at a hearing, at which time a trial was set to determine if the dog should be put down. The unusual case captivated the nation as newspapers from coast to coast covered the story, Paramount Pictures dispatched “The Eyes and Ears of the World” to film the events and a media circus descended on the quiet village. During the trial, more than thirty witnesses were called, including a national expert brought in to evaluate the canine defendant, which journalists referred to as “the most talked-of dog on earth.” Authors Bill Hullfish and Laurie Fortune Verbridge reveal the bizarre incident, trial and spectacle that came to Brockport. Bill Hullfish, professor emeritus, SUNY College at Brockport, toured under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Member of the Clarkson Historical Society, the American Canal Society and the Canal Society of New York, bill has written a number of books. His latest, The Erie Canal Sings, was published by The History Press. His articles have been published in American Canals, Bottoming Out, Divisions, American Recorder, The Instrumentalist, New Jersey Outdoors and Bicycling. Laurie Fortune Verbridge is retired from K.M. Davies Company, Williamson, New York. She has held positions as the secretary for the Office of Public Information, Cornell University; postmaster of Pultneyville, New York; and postal service positions including quality first facilitator, secretary human resources and rural letter carrier. She is a member of the Williamson-Pultneyville Historical Society and Save Our Sodus Bay, a past president/trustee of the Williamson Central School Board of Education and past president and state secretary of the Wayne County and State of New York Rural Letter Carriers. Laurie has written letters to the editor of the Williamson Sun and Record and the Times of Wayne County and formatted and wrote articles for “What’s Happening” for Williamson Central School Board. The Brockport Murder Dog Trial: Bizarre Tragedy and Spectacle on the Erie Canal
In the summer of 1936, fourteen-year-old Maxwell Breeze was playing in the waters of the Erie Canal in Brockport when a dog jumped into the canal and climbed his back, and the boy drowned. The owner of the dog was served notice to appear at a hearing, at which time a trial was set to determine if the dog should be put down. The unusual case captivated the nation as newspapers from coast to coast covered the story, Paramount Pictures dispatched “The Eyes and Ears of the World” to film the events and a media circus descended on the quiet village. During the trial, more than thirty witnesses were called, including a national expert brought in to evaluate the canine defendant, which journalists referred to as “the most talked-of dog on earth.” Authors Bill Hullfish and Laurie Fortune Verbridge reveal the bizarre incident, trial and spectacle that came to Brockport. Bill Hullfish, professor emeritus, SUNY College at Brockport, toured under a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Member of the Clarkson Historical Society, the American Canal Society and the Canal Society of New York, bill has written a number of books. His latest, The Erie Canal Sings, was published by The History Press. His articles have been published in American Canals, Bottoming Out, Divisions, American Recorder, The Instrumentalist, New Jersey Outdoors and Bicycling. Laurie Fortune Verbridge is retired from K.M. Davies Company, Williamson, New York. She has held positions as the secretary for the Office of Public Information, Cornell University; postmaster of Pultneyville, New York; and postal service positions including quality first facilitator, secretary human resources and rural letter carrier. She is a member of the Williamson-Pultneyville Historical Society and Save Our Sodus Bay, a past president/trustee of the Williamson Central School Board of Education and past president and state secretary of the Wayne County and State of New York Rural Letter Carriers. Laurie has written letters to the editor of the Williamson Sun and Record and the Times of Wayne County and formatted and wrote articles for “What’s Happening” for Williamson Central School Board. The Brockport Murder Dog Trial: Bizarre Tragedy and Spectacle on the Erie Canal
On November 23, 1887, white vigilantes gunned down unarmed black laborers and their families due to strikes on Louisiana sugar cane plantations. A future member of the U.S. House of Representatives was among the leaders of a mob that routed black men from houses and forced them to a stretch of railroad track, ordering them to run for their lives before gunning them down. According to a witness, the guns firing in the black neighborhoods sounded like a battle. Author and award-winning reporter John DeSantis uses correspondence, interviews and federal records to detail this harrowing true story. John DeSantis is the senior staff writer at the Times of Houma, Louisiana. A product of New York City, his work has previously appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and other publications. A journalist whose criminal justice background was attained at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, he has covered social justice and race relations extensively in New York, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina and California. He is also a former city editor at the Thibodaux Daily Comet. His other books include For the Color of His Skin: The Murder of Yusuf Hawkins and the Trial of Bensonhurst and the New Untouchables: How America Sanctions Police Violence. A recipient of numerous awards from the Louisiana Press Association, the Associated Press Managing Editors Association and other news media organizations, DeSantis resides in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The Thibodaux Massacre: Racial Violence and the 1887 Sugar Cane Labor Strike
Fear, rumor and white supremacist ideals clashed with an unprecedented labor action spawned an epic tragedy. On November 23, 1887, white vigilantes gunned down unarmed black laborers and their families due to strikes on Louisiana sugar cane plantations. A future member of the U.S. House of Representatives was among the leaders of a mob that routed black men from houses and forced them to a stretch of railroad track, ordering them to run for their lives before gunning them down. According to a witness, the guns firing in the black neighborhoods sounded like a battle. Author and award-winning reporter John DeSantis uses correspondence, interviews and federal records to detail this harrowing true story. John DeSantis is the senior staff writer at the Times of Houma, Louisiana. A product of New York City, his work has previously appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post and other publications. A journalist whose criminal justice background was attained at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, he has covered social justice and race relations extensively in New York, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, North Carolina and California. He is also a former city editor at the Thibodaux Daily Comet. His other books include For the Color of His Skin: The Murder of Yusuf Hawkins and the Trial of Bensonhurst and the New Untouchables: How America Sanctions Police Violence. A recipient of numerous awards from the Louisiana Press Association, the Associated Press Managing Editors Association and other news media organizations, DeSantis resides in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana. The Thibodaux Massacre: Racial Violence and the 1887 Sugar Cane Labor Strike
On a stormy November evening in 1885, John Sharpless answered a knock on his door. Less than an hour later, he was found dead in his barn from a blow to the back of the head; his bloodstained hat lay next to him on the ground. A $3,000 reward for the killer sparked an overzealous bounty hunt across southeastern Pennsylvania, and numerous innocent men were arrested. Samuel Johnson--a local African American man with a criminal record--was charged. Despite the Widow Sharpless's insistence that Johnson was not the man who had come to their door, he was tried and sentenced to hang. Author Stephanie Hoover offers an in-depth investigation of the crime. From the events of that night and the mishandling of the investigation by a corrupt police force to the trial and conviction of Johnson and the efforts of the Quaker community to appeal the sentence, Hoover profiles a miscarriage of justice in Delaware County. Stephanie Hoover is a professional writer and researcher specializing in Pennsylvania history, genealogy, and culture. She has written over 200 articles for local and national newspapers and magazines. She also owns and writes for Hauntingly Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Research. The Killing of John Sharpless: The Pursuit of Justice in Delaware County
On a stormy November evening in 1885, John Sharpless answered a knock on his door. Less than an hour later, he was found dead in his barn from a blow to the back of the head; his bloodstained hat lay next to him on the ground. A $3,000 reward for the killer sparked an overzealous bounty hunt across southeastern Pennsylvania, and numerous innocent men were arrested. Samuel Johnson--a local African American man with a criminal record--was charged. Despite the Widow Sharpless's insistence that Johnson was not the man who had come to their door, he was tried and sentenced to hang. Author Stephanie Hoover offers an in-depth investigation of the crime. From the events of that night and the mishandling of the investigation by a corrupt police force to the trial and conviction of Johnson and the efforts of the Quaker community to appeal the sentence, Hoover profiles a miscarriage of justice in Delaware County. Stephanie Hoover is a professional writer and researcher specializing in Pennsylvania history, genealogy, and culture. She has written over 200 articles for local and national newspapers and magazines. She also owns and writes for Hauntingly Pennsylvania and Pennsylvania Research. The Killing of John Sharpless: The Pursuit of Justice in Delaware County
On December 15, 1921, gunshots echoed across Atlanta's famous Peachtree Street moments before a handsome young man darted away from Kaiser's Jewelers. Frank DuPre left in his wake a dead Pinkerton guard and a missing ring. As Christmas shoppers looked on in panic, he raced through the Kimball House Hotel and shot another victim. The brazen events terrified a crime-filled city already on edge. A manhunt captured the nineteen-year-old, unemployed DuPre, who faced a quick conviction and a hanging sentence. Months of appeals pitted a prosecutor demanding some "good old-fashioned rope" against "maudlin sentimentalists" and "sob sisters." Author Tom Hughes recounts the true harrowing story behind the legend of one of the last men hanged in Atlanta. Tom Hughes was a radio journalist and morning host in Atlanta for over thirty years and is a member of the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. He has resided in in-town Atlanta since 1977. This is his second book exploring a true crime from Atlanta's past. The first was "Rich Georgian Strangely Shot: Eugene Grace, Daisy of the Leopard Spots, and the Great Atlanta Shooting of 1912" (McFarland 2012). Hanging the Peachtree Bandit: The True Tale of Atlanta's Infamous Frank DuPre
On December 15, 1921, gunshots echoed across Atlanta's famous Peachtree Street moments before a handsome young man darted away from Kaiser's Jewelers. Frank DuPre left in his wake a dead Pinkerton guard and a missing ring. As Christmas shoppers looked on in panic, he raced through the Kimball House Hotel and shot another victim. The brazen events terrified a crime-filled city already on edge. A manhunt captured the nineteen-year-old, unemployed DuPre, who faced a quick conviction and a hanging sentence. Months of appeals pitted a prosecutor demanding some "good old-fashioned rope" against "maudlin sentimentalists" and "sob sisters." Author Tom Hughes recounts the true harrowing story behind the legend of one of the last men hanged in Atlanta. Tom Hughes was a radio journalist and morning host in Atlanta for over thirty years and is a member of the Georgia Radio Hall of Fame. He has resided in in-town Atlanta since 1977. This is his second book exploring a true crime from Atlanta's past. The first was "Rich Georgian Strangely Shot: Eugene Grace, Daisy of the Leopard Spots, and the Great Atlanta Shooting of 1912" (McFarland 2012). Hanging the Peachtree Bandit: The True Tale of Atlanta's Infamous Frank DuPre
In the summer of 1932, with the Cubs in the thick of the pennant race, Billy Jurges broke off his relationship with Violet Popovich to focus on baseball. The famously beautiful showgirl took it poorly, marching into his hotel room with a revolver in her purse. Both were wounded in the ensuing struggle, but Jurges refused to press charges. Even without their star shortstop, Chicago made it to the World Series, only to be on the wrong end of Babe Ruth’s legendary Called Shot. Using hundreds of original sources, Jack Bales profiles the lives of the ill-fated couple and traces the ripple effects of the shooting on the Cubs’ tumultuous season. The Chicago Cub Shot For Love: A Showgirl’s Crime of Passion and the 1932 World Series
On December 15, 1921, gunshots echoed across Atlanta's famous Peachtree Street moments before a handsome young man darted away from Kaiser's Jewelers. Frank DuPre left in his wake a dead Pinkerton guard and a missing ring. As Christmas shoppers looked on in panic, he raced through the Kimball House Hotel and shot another victim. The brazen events terrified a crime-filled city already on edge. A manhunt captured the nineteen-year-old, unemployed DuPre, who faced a quick conviction and a hanging sentence. Months of appeals pitted a prosecutor demanding some "good old-fashioned rope" against "maudlin sentimentalists" and "sob sisters." Author Tom Hughes recounts the true harrowing story behind the legend of one of the last men hanged in Atlanta.
In the summer of 1932, with the Cubs in the thick of the pennant race, Billy Jurges broke off his relationship with Violet Popovich to focus on baseball. The famously beautiful showgirl took it poorly, marching into his hotel room with a revolver in her purse. Both were wounded in the ensuing struggle, but Jurges refused to press charges. Even without their star shortstop, Chicago made it to the World Series, only to be on the wrong end of Babe Ruth’s legendary Called Shot. Using hundreds of original sources, Jack Bales profiles the lives of the ill-fated couple and traces the ripple effects of the shooting on the Cubs’ tumultuous season. The Chicago Cub Shot For Love: A Showgirl’s Crime of Passion and the 1932 World Series
Crime Capsule is taking the week off to work on new stories in 2022... for all the previous episodes please visit Evergreen Podcasts. We look forward to bringing you the best of true crime in 2022!
Timmy Overton of Austin and Jerry Ray James of Odessa were football stars who traded athletics for lives of crime. The original rebels without causes, nihilists with Cadillacs and Elvis hair, the Overton gang and their associates formed a ragtag white trash mafia that bedazzled Austin law enforcement for most of the 1960s. Tied into a loose network of crooked lawyers, pimps and used car dealers who became known as the "traveling criminals," they burglarized banks and ran smuggling and prostitution rings all over Texas. Author Jesse Sublett presents a detailed account of these Austin miscreants, who rose to folk hero status despite their violent criminal acts. 1960s Austin Gangsters: Organized Crime that Rocked the Capital
Timmy Overton of Austin and Jerry Ray James of Odessa were football stars who traded athletics for lives of crime. The original rebels without causes, nihilists with Cadillacs and Elvis hair, the Overton gang and their associates formed a ragtag white trash mafia that bedazzled Austin law enforcement for most of the 1960s. Tied into a loose network of crooked lawyers, pimps and used car dealers who became known as the "traveling criminals," they burglarized banks and ran smuggling and prostitution rings all over Texas. Author Jesse Sublett presents a detailed account of these Austin miscreants, who rose to folk hero status despite their violent criminal acts. 1960s Austin Gangsters: Organized Crime that Rocked the Capital
For most states, the repeal of prohibition meant a return to a state of legally drunken normalcy, but not so in Mississippi. The Magnolia State went dry over a decade before the nation, leaving bootleggers to establish political and financial holds they were unwilling to lose. For nearly sixty years, bootlegging flourished, and Mississippi became known as the "wettest dry state in the country." Law enforcement tried in vain to control crime that followed each empty bottle. Until statewide prohibition was finally repealed in 1966, illegal booze fueled a corrupt political machine that intimidated journalists who dared to speak against it and fixed juries that threatened its interests. Author and native Mississippian Janice Branch Tracy delivers an intimate look at the story of Mississippi's moonshine empire. Mississippi Moonshine Politics: How Bootleggers & the Law Kept a Dry State Soaked
The Magnolia State went dry over a decade before the nation, leaving bootleggers to establish political and financial holds they were unwilling to lose. For nearly sixty years, bootlegging flourished, and Mississippi became known as the "wettest dry state in the country." Law enforcement tried in vain to control crime that followed each empty bottle. Until statewide prohibition was finally repealed in 1966, illegal booze fueled a corrupt political machine that intimidated journalists who dared to speak against it and fixed juries that threatened its interests. Author and native Mississippian Janice Branch Tracy delivers an intimate look at the story of Mississippi's moonshine empire. Mississippi Moonshine Politics: How Bootleggers & the Law Kept a Dry State Soaked
Who Killed...? is a weekly true crime show hosted by Crime Capsule producer Bill Huffman. This week Huffman explores the future of Crime Capsule by sitting down with host Ben Morris and what cases the audience has to look forward to. Download Crime Capsule & Who Killed wherever you get your favorite podcasts or on Evergreenpodcasts.com. For more information about the books from Arcadia Publishing and how to purchase them, please visit their website.
Part II of our interview with Rita Shuler picks up exactly where we left off before. In 1985, Elaine Fogle's murder was officially declared a cold case, but new technologies were coming on board that would bring needed momentum to the search for justice -- a search that would take nearly 30 more years. In the conclusion to our conversation, Shuler describes that remarkable journey, and the methods, people, and inspiration that would finally bring it to an end. In this two-part series host Ben Morris interviews Rita Schuler, author of The Lowcountry Murder of Gwendolyn Elaine Fogle: A Cold Case Solved from Arcadia Publishing.
In 1978, Elaine Fogle was found murdered in her home in rural South Carolina. After months of investigation by local and state investigators, the case went cold. But one of those investigators, Lieutenant Rita Shuler, wouldn't let it go: Shuler would spend the next 40 years pursuing Fogle's case until she finally cracked it -- and then wrote a book about it. This episode is part one of our two-part interview with Shuler, author of "The Lowcountry Murder of Gwendolyn Elaine Fogle: A Cold Case Solved", out now from Arcadia Publishing.For decades, evidence of the 1978 murder of Gwendolyn Elaine Fogle lay in the evidence room at the Walterboro Police Department. Investigators periodically revisited the case over the years, but it remained the department’s top cold case for thirty-seven years. Special Agent Lieutenant Rita Shuler worked on the case shortly after she joined the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and she couldn’t let it go, not even after her retirement in 2001. In May 2015, Lieutenant Shuler teamed up with new investigator Corporal Gean Johnson, and together they uncovered key evidence that had been overlooked. With new advancements in DNA and fingerprint technology, they brought the case to its end in just four months. Join host Ben Morris as he interviews Rita Shuler, author of Murder in Pleasanton: Tina Faelz and the Search for Justice, published by The History Press. Find us on your favorite podcast provider, or on evergreenpodcasts.com.
Coming 11/11/21... Investigators periodically revisited the case over the years, but it remained the department’s top cold case for thirty-seven years. Special Agent Lieutenant Rita Shuler worked on the case shortly after she joined the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), and she couldn’t let it go, not even after her retirement in 2001... https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467147002
In this grand finale, Tina finally gets the justice she deserves! Steve is arrested, convicted, and sent away all the while still claiming his innocence. Ten years later there is a breakthrough that will send chills down your spine!
In this second episode of Crime Capsule, we are continuing our conversation with Joshua Suchon about the murder of Tina Faelz. We pick up where we left off a few months after Tina's murder. There are no suspects, but plenty of rumors of who the murderer could be. Time goes by, the case goes cold, but the 1 piece of evidence that was collected starts speaking to investigators and there is a DNA match. Listen in to find out who killed Tina!
In 1984 the town of Pleasanton, CA was rocked to its core when a 14-year-old freshman was found brutally murdered in a drainage ditch. The victim had been stabbed 44 times with no witnesses and little evidence left behind. The case eventually ran cold. That freshman was Tina Faelz and this is her story.
In this three-part series, we are talking to Joshua Suchon, author of the book Murder in Pleasanton: Tina Faelz and the Search for Justice, about the murder, the case, and the search for justice.
From DNA testing to the Dixie Mafia, Crime Capsule brings you new stories of true crime in American history. Join writer and host Benjamin Morris for exclusive interviews with authors from Arcadia Publishing, writing the hottest books on the most chilling stories of our country’s past. Crime Capsule: history so interesting it’s criminal.