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PODCAST

Historical True Crime

Step into the shadows of the past with "Historical True Crime," the podcast that takes you on a gripping journey through some of history"s most captivating and chilling criminal stories. Each episode is a meticulously researched exploration into the depths of history, where true crime meets the intriguing backdrop of different eras. From legendary criminals and unsolved mysteries to the groundbreaking investigations that shaped the course of justice, our narratives paint a vivid picture of the

true crime

All Episodes

00:21:51

Murder in the Fog: The Hammersmith Ghost Case

Historical True Crime ·

2025/10/31

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 MaterialsProceedings 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

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00:25:03

Murder and the Hellfire Club

Historical True Crime ·

2025/10/24

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,

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00:25:33

The Chelmsford Witch: The Trial of Agnes Waterhouse

Historical True Crime ·

2025/10/17

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:

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00:20:58

Greed on Madison Avenue: The Murder of William Marsh...

Historical True Crime ·

2025/10/10

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 | PatreonWebsite - Historical True Crime | podcastSource MaterialsRice's Attorney and Valet Face Criminal Charges, newsclipping -

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00:31:23

Torch Singer, Widow, Suspect: The Tragedy of Libby...

Historical True Crime ·

2025/10/03

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 MaterialThe Notorious Libby Holman | Vanity Fair | March 1985This Month In Rockingham County History: August - 'Libby Holman Reynolds Turns Herself In at Rockingham County Courthouse' - Museum & Archives of Rockingham CountyLibby Holman | Jewish

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00:22:44

From Teal’s Pond to Twin Peaks: The Hazel Drew Story

Historical True Crime ·

2025/09/26

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 MaterialsJerry 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

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00:36:11

H. H. Holmes: Myth and Murder in the White City

Historical True Crime ·

2025/09/19

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 MaterialsThe Enduring Mystery of H.H. Holmes, America's 'First' Serial KillerThe Toronto link to America's bloodiest serial killer - Spacing Toronto | Spacing TorontoH.H. Holmes: Biography, Serial Killer, MurdererMurder

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00:24:28

The Pimlico Poisoning: Chloroform, Scandal, and...

Historical True Crime ·

2025/09/12

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:nbtfacsimile.pdft18860405-466 | The Proceedings of the Old BaileyThe Trial of Adelaide Bartlett for Murder, Held at the Central

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00:20:47

The Devil’s Journalist: Ambrose Bierce and His...

Historical True Crime ·

2025/09/05

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

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00:21:18

The Wineville Chicken Coop Murders: Lost Boys of...

Historical True Crime ·

2025/08/29

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:Wineville Chicken Coop Murders: The Horrifying Crimes of Gordon Stewart Northcott – True Crime ArchivesDuring the 1920s, Boys Became

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00:23:57

Secrets at the Seaside: The Rattenbury Murder Case

Historical True Crime ·

2025/08/22

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 MaterialsThe Architect & the

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00:19:33

The Campden Wonder: Murder, Pirates, and a Ghost...

Historical True Crime ·

2025/08/15

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 MaterialsThe Story - The Campden WonderA true and perfect account of the examination,

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00:24:51

Forbidden Love, Fatal End: Alice Mitchell & Freda Ward

Historical True Crime ·

2025/08/08

In 1892 Memphis, a secret romance between two young women unraveled in tragedy. This episode traces the story of Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward — from their plannedelopement to a public murder and a sensational trial — and examines how their case shaped early conversations about same-sex love, gender norms, and mental health in America.Source Materials:The Trials of Alice Mitchell: Sensationalism, Sexology, and the Lesbian Subject in Turn-of the-Century America Author(s): Lisa Duggan. Source: Signs,

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00:32:01

The Tichborne Case: Shipwreck, Imposture, and Scandal

Historical True Crime ·

2025/08/01

When a young English aristocrat vanished at sea in 1854, his family mourned—except for his mother, who refused to believe he was dead. More than a decade later, a butcher from Australia claimed to be the long-lost heir. What followed was one of the most sensational legal battles of the Victorian era. This week on Historical True Crime, we unravel the strange and sprawling saga of the Tichborne Claimant.Source Materials:The Tichborne Trials Archive | Hampshire Cultural Trust Online CollectionsThe

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00:21:46

The Sex Beast: Jazz, Murder, and Melvin Rees

Historical True Crime ·

2025/07/26

A charming jazz musician with a philosophical streak. A series of brutal, seemingly unrelated murders. In this episode, we uncover the disturbing double life of Melvin Rees—known to the press as "The Sex Beast"—and the investigation that nearly let him slip away.Source MaterialsThe encyclopedia of serial killers : Lane, Brian : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet ArchiveMelvin Rees -- a little known but deadly sadist and rapist — Without a Trace — Crime LibraryTo Live and Die

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00:21:30

Curses, Powwowing, and Murder: The Hex Hollow Case

Historical True Crime ·

2025/07/18

In 1928, deep in Pennsylvania’s Hex Hollow, three men believed they were cursed by a local powwow doctor – a folk healer named Nelson Rehmeyer. What followed blurred the line between old-world magic and modern crime, ending in murder, a sensational trial, and a legacy that still haunts the region today. This is the story of superstition, fear, and the killing that made Hex Hollow infamous.Source Materials:Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice in ... - David W

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00:21:05

The Abode of Love: A Victorian Sex Cult

Historical True Crime ·

2025/07/11

A Victorian cult of love, prophecy, and scandal. When Henry James Prince declared himself divine, he founded a religious sect that promised salvation—but delivered something far stranger. Decades later, a new messiah would rise. Thisis the story of the Agapemonites, from spiritual awakening to final collapse.SourceMaterials Henry Prince and John Smyth-Pigott, Agapemonite Messiahs - HeadStuffHenry James Prince and the AgapemonitesThe Agapemonites: Victorian Britain's premiere sex cultThe

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00:24:48

Secrets and Silence: William Morgan and the Freemasons

Historical True Crime ·

2025/07/04

When William Morgan vanished in 1826, he left behind a manuscript—and a firestorm. This episode explores the man who took on the Freemasons, the mystery of his disappearance, and how his fate sparked America’s first third party.Source Materials:The Masonic Murder That Inspired the First Third Party in American PoliticsOne Man Exposed the Secrets of the Freemasons. His Disappearance Led to Their Downfall | HISTORYMasons and American history: The 1826 kidnapping, allegedly by freemasons, that changed

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00:28:06

Ten Days in a Mad-House: The Nellie Bly Investigation

Historical True Crime ·

2025/06/27

In 1887, journalist Nellie Bly faked insanity to go undercover inside a New York asylum. What she witnessed—neglect, cruelty, and systemic abuse—became one of the most powerful exposés of the 19th century. This week, we dive into her daring investigation and the real conditions behind the walls of Blackwell’s Island.Source Materials:How Nellie Bly became a Victorian sensation and changed journalism forever | VoxThe woman who exposed 19th-century New York’s inhumane treatment of mental health

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00:24:28

George Chapman: Poisoner or Jack the Ripper

Historical True Crime ·

2025/06/20

George Chapman was a serial poisoner who murdered three of his wives — but some believe his crimes began years earlier as the infamous Jack the Ripper. In this episode, we explore Chapman's life, his shocking crimes, and the lingeringtheory that links him to the Ripper murders.Source Materials:Casebook: Jack the Ripper - George ChapmanWho Was Jack The Ripper? Meet Seven Possible SuspectsCould Victorian Serial Killer George Chapman Have Been Jack the Ripper?Severin Klosowski aka George Chapman,

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156 results

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