In February 1567, an explosion destroyed a house in Edinburgh but the body of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley was found outside the ruins, untouched by the blast. His murder was never solved. This episode examines Darnley’s death within thepolitical world of sixteenth-century Scotland and the pressures facing Mary, Queen of Scots. A story of power, perception, and suspicion without proof.
Source Materials
Darnley: A Life of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley — Caroline Bingham. Constable & Robinson, 1995.
Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley — Alison Weir. Vintage Books, 2008.
Criminal Trials in Scotland, Volumes I–III — edited by Robert Pitcairn. Bannatyne Club, 1833.
My Heart Is My Own: The Life of Mary Queen of Scots — John Guy. Fourth Estate, 2004.
“10 February 1567 – The Murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley” — Claire Ridgway, The Tudor Society.
“Murder of Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley of Scotland” — Historic Mysteries.
Calendar of State Papers, Scotland, Volume 2 (1563–1569) — edited by Joseph Bain. London, 1900.
In 1924, bones emerging from the River Leine exposed the crimes of Fritz Haarmann—the “Butcher of Hanover”—who had been operating in plain sight. This episode traces the missing boys, the fractured systems that failed them, and how one city finally uncovered a killer hidden in its midst.
Source Materials
Alexander Gilbert — The Hanover Vampire: Fritz Haarmann
Mark Pulham — “The Monster of Hanover,” Crime Magazine
Maria Tatar — Lustmord: Sexual Murder in Weimar Germany
Crime Stories, Criminalistic Fantasy, and the Culture of Crisis in Weimar Germany
Sexual Murder: Catathymic and Compulsive Homicide, Annals of Forensic Research
Morgan Dunn — “Fritz Haarmann Was a Popular Butcher…” (All That’s Interesting)
Hannover Police Records (as cited through secondary sources)
Hannoverscher Kurier reporting (as cited through secondary sources)
A quiet border town, a sudden illness, and a solicitor accused of poisoning both his wife and a rival. This episode examines the Armstrong case and why, even 100 years later, it remains one of Britain’s most debated convictions.
Sources & Further Reading
Stephen Bates, The Poisonous Solicitor (2022)
Martin Beales, The Hay Poisoner: Herbert Rowse Armstrong (2001)
Robin Odell, Exhumation of a Murder (1975)
“Herbert Rowse Armstrong,” The History Room (history-room.co.uk)
Polly Botsford, “The incredible true story of the only solicitor ever to hang for murder,” Legal Cheek (legalcheek.com)
Stephanie Almazan, “Herbert Armstrong,” The Line-Up (the-line-up.com)
Nicola Bryan, “Fresh doubt cast on solicitor’s murder conviction 100 years on,” BBC News (bbc.com)
A 1932 Stockholm murder becomes one of Sweden’s strangest cold cases. When 32-year-old Lilly Lindeström is found dead in her apartment, unusual details spark rumorsof a “vampire” killer. What’s fact, what’s myth, and why was the case never solved?
Source Materials
https://gizmodo.com/swedens-most-bizarre-unsolved-murder-was-maybe-commit-1706115395
https://londonpress.wordpress.com/2016/08/24/the-disturbing-unsolved-case-of-the-atlas-vampire
https://www.ranker.com/list/atlas-vampire-murder/april-a-taylor
https://strangeremains.com/2019/10/24/stockholms-unsolved-vampire-murder
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/201211/vampire-personality-disorder
A woman posing as Andrew Carnegie’s secret daughter scammed banks out of today’s equivalent of $20 million—armed with nothing but forged notes and absolute confidence. This is the rise and unraveling of Cassie Chadwick, one of the boldest fraudsters of the Gilded Age.
Source Materials
Crosbie, John. The Incredible Mrs. Chadwick. 1975.
Hazelgrove, William Elliott. Greed in the Gilded Age: TheBrilliant Con of Cassie Chadwick. Lyons Press, 2021.
Wade, Carlson. Great Hoaxes & Famous Impostors. 1976.
Hayek, Caroline C.; Gates, Sandra; Rankin, Robert J. “TheSocial Construction of Fraudulent Identity.”
“Cassie Chadwick: The Female Wizard of Finance.” Ohio History Connection, June 22, 2022.
“The High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance.” SmithsonianMagazine.
Newspaper coverage quoted from: Cleveland Plain Dealer;Clinton Republican; Oberlin Review.
A young woman in rural Tipperary falls suddenly ill in 1895—and within days, fear, folklore, and family pressure spiral into one of Ireland’s most disturbing murder cases. This episode unravels the death of Bridget Cleary, the beliefs that shaped it, and the legacy she never asked for.
Source Materials
Bourke, Angela. The Burning of Bridget Cleary: A True Story. Penguin, 2000.
The Tipperary Witch Case (1895 court and newspaper reporting).
McGrath, Thomas. “Fairy Faith and Changelings: The Burning of Bridget Cleary in 1895.”
Ruxton, Dean. “The Story of the Last ‘Witch’ Burned Alive in Ireland.” The Irish Times, 2016.
“The Charred Remains of Bridget Cleary Were Found in a Bog…” History Collection.
“The Murder of Bridget Cleary: Ireland’s Last Witch and the Fire of Superstition.” Secret Ireland.
National Archives of Ireland images and records related to the Cleary case.
In 1920s Los Angeles, prophecy, greed, and death collided in the hills of California. This episode unravels the story of the Blackburn Cult—a mother-daughter prophecy, a girl kept on ice, and a courtroom that tried to make sense of itall.
Source Materials
Blackburn, May Otis. The Origin of God. Los Angeles: DeVross & Co., 1936.
Young, Paul. L.A. Exposed: Strange Myths and Curious Legends in the City of Angels. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2002.
Introvigne, Massimo. “Beth Sarim: Princes, Slander, and the Millennium.” The Journal of CESNUR 6, no. 6 (2022): 12–17.
“Believe Child Sacrificed in Ritual of Cult.” Associated Press, October 7, 1929.
“Los Angeles Authorities Probe Deaths of Cult Members.” Associated Press, October 9, 1929.
“Mary Otis Blackburn Convicted in Grand Theft Case.” Associated Press, March 3, 1930.
“Cult Leader Sentenced to San Quentin.” Associated Press, March 14, 1930.
Divine Order's Tale Smacks of Cult Fiction - Los Angeles Times
Between 1894 and 1897, a scarred drifter named Joseph Vacher wandered the French countryside, leaving a trail of murdered shepherds and farmhands in his wake. Dubbed “The French Ripper,” his crimes terrified rural France—and helped give birth to modern forensic science. This episode traces his life, his trial, and the work of Dr. Alexandre Lacassagne, the scientist who proved that evidence could speak louder than fear.
Source Materials
Starr, Douglas. The Killer of Little Shepherds: A True Crime Story and the Birth of Forensic Science. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2010).
Tracking a 19th-Century Serial Killer | BU Today | Boston University
Joseph Vacher: Serial Killer Known as "The French Ripper" - geriwalton.com
The 'French Ripper' Killed Dozens — So Why Don’t You Know His Name?
Joseph Vacher: The French Ripper’s Brutal Killing Spree – True Crime Archives
In 1803, a ghost was said to haunt the lanes of Hammersmith.
By the time the truth emerged, one man was dead—and another stood trial for murder. This is the story of the Hammersmith Ghost: where fear, rumor, and justice collided in the dark.
Source Materials
Proceedings of the Old Bailey,11 January 1804 – Trial of Francis Smith for the murder of Thomas Millwood.
Burton, Paul J. “The Hammersmith Ghost and the Rule of Law.” SSRN Scholarly Paper, 2015.
Davies, Owen. The Haunted: A Social History of Ghosts. Palgrave Macmillan, 2007.
Westwood, Jennifer, and Jacqueline Simpson. The Lore of the Land: A Guide to England’s Legends, from Spring-Heeled Jack to the Witches of Warboys. Penguin Books, 2005.
“The Newgate Calendar: The Trial and Execution of Francis Smith.” (Contemporary 19th-century account).
A Deadly Scare? The Hammersmith Ghost Murder Case - Historic Mysteries
The Hammersmith Ghost and a Murdered Man
The Hammersmith Ghost and the Strange Death of Thomas Millwood Crime Magazine
The Case of a Ghost Haunted England for Over Two Hundred Years | In Custodia Legis
A nobleman’s drunken murder. A trial before the Irish House of Lords. And the scandal that gave rise to Ireland’s most infamous secret society — the Hellfire Club.
Source Material
Neal Garnham, “The Trials of James Cotter and Henry, Baron Barry of Santry: Two Case Studies in the Administrationof Criminal Justice in Early Eighteenth-Century Ireland”, IrishHistorical Studies, Vol. 32, No. 128 (2001).
Neal Garnham, “The Trials of James Cotter and Henry, Baron Barry of Santry”, Irish Historical Studies, 2001.
F. Elrington Ball, The Judges in Ireland, 1221–1921 (London: John Murray, 1926).
Geoffrey Ashe, The Hell-Fire Clubs: A History of Anti-Morality (The History Press, 2000).
Evelyn Lord, TheHellfire Clubs: Sex, Satanism and Secret Societies (Yale University Press, 2008).
Hellfire Clubs (Pamphlet / Irish National Library Collection, c. 18th century).
Abarta Heritage, TheHellfire Club Archaeological Project – History and Folklore, Abarta Heritage (https://www.abartaheritage.ie/hellfire-club-archaeological-project/hellfire-club-history/hellfire-club/).
John D’Alton, Historyof the County of Dublin (Dublin, 1838).
“The Hell-Fire Club: Sex, Satanism andSecret Societies,” History Is Now Magazine, 2018.
“The Hellfire Club Murders”, Dublin Penny Journal, archival reprint.
In 1566, a widow from a quiet Essex village was accused of feeding her cat with drops of her own blood—and of using it to kill. This is the story of Agnes Waterhouse, the first woman in England whose witch trial was captured in print. A story offear, faith, and the birth of the English witch.
Source Material:
In 1900, Texas millionaire William Marsh Rice was found dead in his New York apartment. Within hours, forged checks, a suspicious will, and a hasty cremation order set off one of the most sensational murder cases of the Gilded Age. This is thestory of greed, betrayal, and the crime that nearly derailed the founding of Rice University.
Patreon - Historical True Crime | Patreon
Website - Historical True Crime | podcast
Source Materials
Rice's Attorney and Valet Face Criminal Charges, newsclipping - Rice University Digital Collections
Face the Law Murder Conspiracy and Forgery newsclipping - Rice University Digital Collections
"Confessed Murder Forgery" - Rice University Digital Collections
Evidence of Guilt newsclipping - Rice University Digital Collections
The Murder of Millionaire William Rice by Albert Patrick, 1900 - HistoricalCrimeDetective.com
William Marsh Rice: A Story of Money, Poison, and Murder – Kathy M. Slaughter
William Marsh Rice and His Legacy — The Heritage Society
Martin L. Friedland, The Death of Old Man Rice: A True Story of Criminal Justice in America (University of Toronto Press, 1996).
Thomas Duke, Celebrated Criminal Cases of America (1910), Part III: “The Murder of Millionaire William Rice by Albert Patrick.”
Glamour, scandal, and an unsolved death. When torch singer Libby Holman married into the Reynolds tobacco dynasty, she stepped into a world of wealth and whispers. Whatfollowed was a mystery that would haunt her for the rest of her life.
Source Material
The Notorious Libby Holman | Vanity Fair | March 1985
Libby Holman | Jewish Women's Archive
Daily Iowan (Iowa City, Iowa), 1932-10-20
Daily Iowan (Iowa City, Iowa), 1932-10-25
Carolina watchman (Salisbury, N.C.). 1932-12-16 [p ].
Daily Iowan (Iowa City, Iowa), 1932-07-10
Daily Iowan (Iowa City, Iowa), 1932-07-14
Daily Iowan (Iowa City, Iowa), 1932-08-09
Coroner's Report in the Matter of the Death of Z. Smith Reynolds – Works – Reynolda House
In July 1908, the body of 20-year-old Hazel Drew was discovered face-down in Teal’s Pond near Sand Lake, New York. Rumors of secret lovers, missing letters, and powerful suspects turned her death into both a ghost story and, decades later, the inspiration for Twin Peaks.
Source Materials
Jerry Drake, Hazel Was a Good Girl (Clash Books, 2023).
David Bushman & Mark Givens, Murder at Teal’s Pond: Hazel Drew and the Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks (Thomas & Mercer, 2022)
Murder mystery haunts Rensselaer County 116 years later - WNYT.com NewsChannel 13
Who Killed Hazel Drew? The 1908 Murder Case That Inspired Twin Peaks
Murder that inspired ‘Twin Peaks’ solved 100 years later: Book
A Pair Of Amateur Sleuths Believe They've Solved The Century-Old Murder That Inspired 'Twin Peaks'
Hazel’s brutal murder was all but forgotten. Until she inspired ‘Twin Peaks.’ - The Washington Post
For our 150th episode, we revisit one of history’s most infamous names: H. H. Holmes. Behind the myths of the ‘Murder Castle’ lies a story of fraud, fear, and fact stranger than legend. Step inside Chicago’s 1890s underworld—and separate truth from folklore.
Source Materials
The Enduring Mystery of H.H. Holmes, America's 'First' Serial Killer
The Toronto link to America's bloodiest serial killer - Spacing Toronto | Spacing Toronto
H.H. Holmes: Biography, Serial Killer, Murderer
Murder Castle - H.H. Holmes, Chicago World's Fair & Layout | HISTORY
H. H. Holmes: Master of Illusion — Swindler — Crime Library
Selzer, Adam. H. H. Holmes: The True History of the White City Devil. New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2017.
Geyer, Frank P. The Holmes-Pitezel Case: A History of the Greatest Crime of the Century and of the Search for the Missing Pitezel Children. Philadelphia: Publishers’ Union, 1896.
On New Year’s Day, 1886, Edwin Bartlett was found dead in his Pimlico home — his stomach filled with chloroform, but with no sign of how it got there. Was it murder, suicide, or something science couldn’t yet explain? Step into thePimlico Poisoning Mystery, a case that baffled Victorian doctors, scandalized London, and left one woman forever in the shadows.
Source Materials:
Ambrose Bierce was a Civil War veteran, journalist, and master of the macabre whose razor-sharp pen made him both feared and admired. In 1913, at seventy-one yearsold, he left the United States for war-torn Mexico—and vanished. This episode traces Bierce’s journey from log cabin childhood to battlefield survivor, from satirical journalist to literary legend, before diving into one of the greatestmysteries in American history: what became of Ambrose Bierce?
Source MaterialsIntroduction to A Sole Survivor: Bits of Autobiography by Ambrose Bierce
Why did brothers fight on opposite sides of the Civil War? | HowStuffWorks
Disappearance of Ambrose Bierce - Historic Mysteries
Ambrose Bierce, Hoosier author and Civil War vet, vanished in Mexico
Carey McWilliams. Ambrose Bierce: A Biography. New York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1929.
S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz. Ambrose Bierce: The Devil’s Lexicographer. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2002.
In 1928, a Wineville chicken farm became the center of aharrowing investigation into missing boys. Gordon Stewart Northcott and his mother, Sarah Louise, were tied to the disappearances of Walter Collins, the Winslow brothers, and others. This episode follows the crimes, the investigation, and the trials that exposed what really happened on the ranch.
Source Materials:
During the 1920s, Boys Became the Prey of a Brutal Killer - Los Angeles Times
The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders — Boomtown — Crime Library
Child Killer: Gordon Northcott and the Wineville Chicken Coop Murders
What Really Happened When Walter Collins Disappeared In 1928
Nothing Is Strange with You: The Life and Crimes of Gordon Stewart Northcott
In 1935, the seaside calm of Bournemouth was shattered by scandal, betrayal, and murder. Alma Rattenbury — a once-celebrated musician — and her teenage lover GeorgeStoner stood accused in a case that gripped Britain with its mix of passion, tragedy, and sensational headlines. In this episode, we trace Alma’s extraordinary life, her ill-fated marriage to architect Francis Rattenbury, and the events that led to one of the most infamous trials of the 20th century.
Source Materials
The Architect & the Lady - Canada's History
2015.173615.Trial-Of-Alma-Victoria--Rattenbury-And George-Percy-Soner.pdf
The British Newspaper Archive Blog Murder of Francis Rattenbury | The British Newspaper Archive Blog
Adultery, jealousy and murder: How the Rattenbury case gripped the nation | Bournemouth Echo
Jack Knox: Out of tragedy, Francis Rattenbury's son became a fine dad - Victoria Times Colonist
The Sensational High-Society Murder of Francis M. Rattenbury | The Canadian Encyclopedia
Murder, suicide and the pain of a surviving son
The Fatal Passion of Alma Rattenbury - Sean O'Connor - Google Books
In 1660, the quiet Cotswold town of Chipping Campden was shaken by the disappearance of its elderly steward, William Harrison. Within months, three members of the Perry family were convicted and hanged for his murder — without a body ever being found. Two years later, Harrison returned alive, with a tale of pirates, slavery, and improbable escape. Was it truth, invention, or something stranger still?
Source Materials
The Story - The Campden Wonder
The Curious Case of the Campden Wonder
The Campden Wonder | Chipping Campden Online
The Campden Wonder - abduction and witchcraft in 17th century Cotswolds | Great British Life
The Campden Wonder; or, The Supposed Murder of William Harrison — Historical Blindness