Old Blood

In March of 1860, sailors found a bloody ghost ship floating in New York’s East River. The discovery sparked a manhunt for a serial killer who had robbed and killed his way around the globe. This episode is the story of the last pirate and the original gangster, Albert Hicks.Sources:Asbury, Herbert. The Gangs of New York: An Informal History of the Underworld. (New York: Alfred A Knopf, 1927).Cohen, Rich. The Last Pirate of New York: A Ghost Ship, A Killer, and the Birth of a Gangster Nation. (New

In 1937, Peking police discovered a British schoolgirl at the bottom of an ancient wall with her heart torn from her chest. The investigation unraveled multiple theories that increased tension between locals and the many foreigners living in China at the dawn of World War II.Sources:Cook, Isham. “Midnight in Peking and true crime fiction.” Isham Cook. 11 January, 2020. https://ishamcook.com/2020/01/11/midnight-in-peking-and-true-crime-fiction/Daugelait, Tautvile. “Author Graeme Shepard Disputes Paul

In 1929, the son of oil magnate Edward Doheny was found dead beside his secretary in an apparent murder-suicide. The news exploded onto the papers for three days before the district attorney canceled the inquest and closed the case. When detectives decided there had been foul play, they were silenced, leaving everyone to wonder what truly went on that night at the Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills.Sources:Columbia, David Patrick. “The Continuing Mystery of The Greystone Mansion Murders.” New York

The Blitz in Liverpool, England, unearthed a long-buried cylinder. When a child discovered a corpse inside, it ignited a century-old mystery.Sources:“The Blitz.” The History Place: World War II in Europe. 1998. http://www.historyplace.com/worldwar2/timeline/about-blitz.htm“The Body in the Cylinder: How a Discovery During World War Two Revealed an Unsolved Victorian Era Mystery.” Creative History: Little Known Stories from the Past. January 10, 2021.

A daughter of the New York elite is accused of orchestrating her husband’s murder after he was shot through a second-story window at the historic Cherry Hill estate. The resulting trial culminated in the state’s last public hanging in 1827.Sources:Please visit oldbloodpodcast.com for a complete list of our sources.Music: Dellasera by Shane Ivers - https://www.silvermansound.comFor more information, visit www.oldbloodpodcast.com