Synopsis
True Crime Historian remembers the famous and forgotten scandals, scoundrels, and scourges of the past told through vintage newspaper accounts from the golden age of yellow journalism.
Episodes
- 
								
Guilty Or Not, They Hung Him Twice
02/11/2025 Duration: 52minThe Botched Execution of George H. PainterJump To AD FREE SAFE HOUSE EDITIONEpisode 27 starts shortly after midnight, the night of May 17, 1891, when George H. Painter awoke the people living in his Chicago house shortly after midnight, shouting that his common law wife Alice Martin had been murdered. Painter himself went to fetch the police, who promptly arrested him for the murder. The trial made it a cut and dry case, and Painter was sentenced to hang, although he insisted his innocence up to the very end. His lawyers continued to investigate while Painter sat on death row, presented affidavit after affidavit to shadow the case with doubt, but not enough to convince a resolute governor.Here are more stories about BOTCHED EXECUTIONSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episode
 - 
								
Fingers Convict Him
31/10/2025 Duration: 20minOn September 19, 1910, a prowler broke into the home of Clarence Hiller in the Chicago neighborhood Morgan Park. When he awoke Hiller’s 13-year-old daughter, pandemonium erupted and before it was over, Hiller lay dead at the bottom of the stairs. In breaking into the house, Thomas Jennings left his left palm print in a freshly-painted porch rail. Those prints would be the first ever admitted into evidence. The case changed police standard practices across the nation and around the world. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
The Last Bad Man Of The West
29/10/2025 Duration: 55minThe Scoundrel Tom HornJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 454 takes us back to the end of the Old West era, where a cattleman’s agent is arrested for the murder of a sheep farmer’s son. Yes, that was a real conflict back then. Tom Horn, the hired gun, had a long history of adventure, deeds good and foul, but the murder of a fourteen-year-old boy was a bullet too far for the colorful Tom Horn, who wrote a book about his life and exploits that you can download at the Safe House.Culled from the historic pages of the Chicago Inter-Ocean, the Salt Lake Herald, and other newspapers of the era.Listen To Other WILD WESTERN StoriesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and wh
 - 
								
Was It Mother? Or Murder?
28/10/2025 Duration: 49minPittsburgh’s Feely Murder MysteryJump To AD-FREE Safe House EditionYou’ll need your thinking cap for Episode 129, about as cold a case as you can get. It’s about eighty years old, but even police officials at the time could not agree on what happened in the back room of that tiny home, whether it was a murder or a murder/suicide. I’m not going to say we can solve it from a few newspaper clippings, but there does seem to be something amiss.Hear more stories about murders of the INNOCENTS.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
A French Maid's Dirty Laundry
26/10/2025 Duration: 01h41minThe Ordeal Of Hattie LeBlancJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 413 is the sordid little tale of a French Canadian girl who gets wrapped up in an ugly situation involving her employers, a womanizing laundry owner and his suffering wife. It only gets uglier when the husband ends up dead, the maid arrested, but it seems to be the wife who stands trial.Hear More Episodes About FEMMES FATALEBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
Killer Caught By A Thread
24/10/2025 Duration: 01h11minThe Mulholland Drive Sack MurderJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EdtionEpisode 411 details the events following the discovery alongside the famed Mulholland Drive of a body sewn up in a makeshift canvas bag fashioned from an old awning. All fingers point to her friend, a physician with a shady past, whose defense is simply the old standby: “What? Who? Me?”Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
A Fatal Clang Of The Trolley
22/10/2025 Duration: 53minThe President’s Close CallJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 452 explores the aftermath of a presidential mishap when Teddy Roosevelt's carriage collides with an electric trolley racing to make up for lost time. A Secret Service guard dies immediately and the trolley driver is charged with his murder. Was this a simple accident? A case of incompetence? Or was the motorman made a scapegoat for a nation’s grief and outrage?Hear More Stories About LINE OF DUTY TRAGEDIESBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
Fall River Nurse Found In Tiverton Ditch
21/10/2025 Duration: 01h20minThe Interstate Strangulation Of Verna RussellJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 409 is the story of a spoiled young man who wouldn’t take no for an answer and let his rage get the better of him. The best evidence against him will come from the very source he turned to in order to hide his deed.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
The Girod Street Assassination Ambuscade
20/10/2025 Duration: 02h30minThe City Of New Orleans Vs. The MafiaJump to AD FREE SAFE HOUSE EDITIONEpisode 408 explores the lead-in and aftermath of one of the most deadly vigilante actions in American history. When the commissioner of police is assassinated on his way home, a committee of 50 citizens call an indignation meeting, and you know how those are likely to go. Just a couple of notes: One, the descriptions of the action in Act III are quite graphic, so use your discretion. And two, there are several instances of a derogatory term used in this episode, but I follow the same policy I do for racial slurs, that I will soften the narrative language but will not change anything that is printed in direct quotes. History is not always pretty, folks, so don’t come here if you want it white-washed.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to a
 - 
								
Meat Juice Mischief
17/10/2025 Duration: 01h01minThe Accusations Against Florence Elizabeth MaybrickJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 407 is dedicated to my new friend from the United Kingdom, Joan Smith, who asked me to dig up more stories from across the great pond. This one involves an American woman who marries a Brit old enough to be her father, and is then charged with his poisoning. The bulk of this episode is adapted from a three-part newspaper series by Stewart Robinson, published after Florence Maybrick’s death in 1941, and part of it from her own account of her ordeal, a book titled, “My Fifteen Lost Years.”Listen to more stories about murders with POISONBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whate
 - 
								
A Corpse In The Morris Canal
15/10/2025 Duration: 54minThe Work Of The Mormon ButcherJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 451 begins in the summer of 1902, when a woman’s mutilated body is pulled from the Morris Canal, and the trail leads to a blood-soaked missionary’s flat in Manhattan. The suspect: William Hooper Young, grandson of Mormon patriarch Brigham Young, whose notebook bore the chilling phrase “Blood Atonement.” This is a rich episode about the strange descent of a scholar turned tramp, and the murder that made headlines thunder with scandal, scripture, and slaughter.Hear More Stories About TRUNK MURDERSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
The Perth Ballroom Tragedy
14/10/2025 Duration: 01h28minAudrey Jacob Stands TrialJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 406 comes from a special request from one of my many listeners Down Under, this one the tragic story of a spurned young woman who settles the score on the dance floor. And we’re not talking about a tango competition, but her trial is a dramatic one and the resolution is indeed surprising.Hear More Stories From DOWN UNDER.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
A Mother-In-Law's Revenge
12/10/2025 Duration: 01h49minThe Horrible Horner-Simpson AffairJump To AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 404 is jam-packed with crazy when a fun-loving dentist is charged with the double-barrel shotgun murder of his father-in-law. The family dynamic seems to go off the rails in the lead-in to the trial, and there are a couple of interesting subplots to keep things going, including a long-lost relative and the sad story of the only eye-witness to the affair.Hear More Stories About FEMMES FATALEBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
Austin Family Found In Cistern
10/10/2025 Duration: 01h21minEugene Burt Flees From JusticeJump To AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 403 explores the story of a man who leaves his family battered and murdered in a cistern under their Austin home, and heads out of town on the midnight train. He thinks he can disappear in a big city, but Chicago has another story.Hear More Stories About The Death Of INNOCENTSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
Missouri Mob Justice
08/10/2025 Duration: 01h07minThe Lynching Of Lloyd WarnerJump To The AD-FREE Safe House EditionPlus transcripts and deep-dive research for Safe House residentsEpisode 449 tells the story of civil unrest sparked by reports of a young white woman being sexually assaulted by a young black male, a story all too common in American history, and like many of the others, it appears likely that the unruly mob lynched and incinerated the wrong man.Hear more stories about MOBS & RIOTSBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
Baby Amy & The Broadway Gigolo
07/10/2025 Duration: 59minA Fake Hold-Up Murder PlotJump To AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 402 tells the story of a discontented wife and her young paramour, who set in motion a plan to stage a robbery to get money for a quick Reno divorce. The victim, her husband. Yeah, that didn’t work out so well. There are some intense personalities in this story and a lot of theatrics, including a murder victim testifying from beyond the grave.Hear More Stories About ROBBERIES GONE AWRYBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
Petroleum, Politics, Passion
05/10/2025 Duration: 01h43minClara Smith Hamon Takes The StandJump To The AD-FREE Safe House EditionEpisode 401 tells the salacious story of a leading politician who shows up at a private hospital with a gunshot wound. He tells the doctor it was self-inflicted, but that turns out to be a cover story. Why the big lie? You guessed it: There’s a woman in the case, and what she has to say will blow your mind.Hear More Stories About FALLS FROM GRACEBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
Interred In An Irrigation Ditch
03/10/2025 Duration: 01h05minJosie Kensler’s Delicate ConditionJump To Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 400 employs a trope we’ve seen before: the cranky old farmer whose wife takes up with the farm hand and well, it just doesn’t end well for anybody. But this one, taking place near the turn to the twentieth century in rural Idaho, has its own particular set of twists, turns, and complications, and conflicting testimony between the two accused.Hear more stories about LOVE TRIANGLES GONE AWRYBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.
 - 
								
A Bloody Scream In The Night
01/10/2025 Duration: 01h14minThe Axe Murder Of Alice MallettAd-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 450 begins with a scream in the night as the beautiful Miss Alice Mallett, her body brutally defiled, found in a bloody pool. The town of Jackson, Michigan, reels, a mob thirsting for vengeance. The twisted trail of an axe points to the fiendish George Straub, an ex-con with a dark past. But wait! Did he act alone? Or did another shadowy figure lurk in the night? With tear gas exploding and fingers pointing, justice hangs by a thread as a city demands blood!NOW! Free to all Safe House Scoundrels: Read along with True Crime Historian by viewing or downloading a PDF file of a transcript of this episode.Or, you can take a deep dive in the case by reading up on the entire case file that we assembled during our research.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you a
 - 
								
The Elm City Tragedy
30/09/2025 Duration: 01h30minThe Life And Death Of Jennie E. CramerJump To The Ad-Free Safe House EditionEpisode 397 tells the story of a young girl in late 1800’s New England who falls in with a fast crowd with fatal results. Three people were tried for her murder, but it’s up to you to decide whether she was the victim of her own shame, or if the victim of an unjust patriarchal society.Hear About More UNSOLVED CasesBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/true-crime-historian--2909311/support.CLICK HERE to reserve your bunk at The Safe House, where the past is present and the rent is just a buck a week but gives you access to ad-free editions of over 400 episodes in the dusty vault, early access to all new episodes, exclusive content, access to the big boss, and whatever personal services you require.