Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

On Monday, February 13, 1905, eight- year-old Kenneth Beasley walked to the back of his school’s playground and into the melting snow of the woods beyond. He never returned. A massive search was undertaken for the North Carolina state senator’s son, and a reward was offered. Despite clues, rumors and even a ransom note, he was never found.A year and a half later, a political rival hurriedly was charged. Accused of the most bizarre and twisted of plots, he faced a courtroom overflowing with jurors, star lawyers, spectators and newspaper reporters. The eventual verdict and stunning aftermath would rip apart two families and shock a state ... yet leave a mystery unsolved.My guest is former criminal defense attorney Charles Oldham, author of "THE SENATORS SON: The Shocking Disappearance, The Celebrated Trial, and The Mystery That Remains A Century Later." More about the author and his work here:  https://beachglassbooks.com/books/the-senators-sonThis episode is sponsored by HelloFresh. Go to https://www.hellofresh.com/notoriousfree to get free breakfast for life! (One breakfast item per box while subscription is active.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Few American criminals have captured the imagination of Hollywood like Charles Starkweather, a red-haired James Dean wannabe who murdered eleven people in 1957 and 58.  With him during most of his killing spree was his girlfriend (and possible accomplice) Caril Ann Fugate. Among the victims were Caril's own mother, step-father and little sister.My guest, Edgar award winner and bestselling author Harry N. MacLean, knew the Starkweather family as a boy in Lincoln, Nebraska. One of his main goals in writing his book, "Starkweather: The Untold Story of the Killing Spree that Changed America", was to examine more closely the question of whether 14-year-old Caril was complicit in the murders, or instead coerced by Starkweather to participate. The author's website:   https://www.harrymaclean.com/This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Brighten the season and go to https://www.betterhelp.com/notorious to get 10% off of your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In my final interview of this Ripper series, I chat with Sarah Bax Horton, author of a recently published book called "One-Armed Jack: Uncovering the Real Jack the Ripper". Her prime suspect is Hyam Hyams, whose distinctive physical characteristics (including a stiff arm) match period eye-witness descriptions of the killer. She also has a personal connection to the story - her great-great grandfather was a police sergeant in Whitechapel during the Ripper murders.The U.S. Amazon link to the author's book:  https://www.amazon.com/One-Armed-Jack-Uncovering-Real-Ripper/dp/178929536XMore about the author and her book here:  https://www.mombooks.com/book/one-armed-jack/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Was the real identity of Jack the Ripper a Whitechapel horse slaughterer named James Hardiman? And if so, could he have committed the Thames Torso Murders as well? My guest is Dr. Drew Gray, who along with Andrew Wise wrote the book "Jack and the Thames Torso Murders: A New Ripper?" He makes the case for Hardiman as our Jack the Ripper limited series continues. Drew Gray's blog: https://thepolicemagistrate.blog/Amazon link to his Jack the Ripper book: https://www.amazon.com/Jack-Thames-Torso-Murders-Ripper/dp/1445687763/Amazon link to his book "Murder Maps": https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Maps-Revisited-Phrenology-Fingerprint/dp/0500252459/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Aaron Kosminski is one of the more well known suspects in the Whitechapel murders. Some of the major police officials of the era, in fact, were seriously concerned about his potential involvement in the brutal Autumn of Terror slayings.My guest, Robert House, has studied Aaron Kosminski for years, and shares details of his investigation with us. He is the author of "Jack the Ripper and the Case for Scotland Yard's Prime Suspect".The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100051505763425You can purchase the book here:  https://www.amazon.com/Ripper-Scotland-Yards-Prime-Suspect/dp/0470938994 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prolific author M.J. Trow returns to Most Notorious to kick off a series of interviews about the Jack the Ripper. In his 2009 book "Jack the Ripper: Quest for a Killer", he argues that a mortuary attendant named Robert Mann stalked Whitechapel during the Autumn of Terror, and presents his case that Mann had motive, means and opportunity to murder. M.J. Trow's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/M.-J.-Trow/author/B001H9U1B6 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My guest this week is my favorite John Dillinger expert, Ellen Poulsen. She returns to regale us with a colorful account of the Dillinger Gang's ill-fated Tucson, Arizona vacation in January of 1934.Ellen is the author of "Chasing Dillinger", "Don't Call Us Molls" and "The Case Against Lucky Luciano", and is back for her fourth visit to Most Notorious. More about Ellen and her books here: https://www.ellenpoulsen.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On January 16, 1900, a bitter feud between a former Kentucky congressman and colonel named David Grant Colson and a fellow officer, Ethelbert Dudley Scott, reached its bloody climax as they fought it out with pistols in a crowded hotel lobby in Frankfort. Both believed their honor had been besmirched by the other, and that the death of one of them was the inevitable outcome.My guest is Thomas E. Stephens, who has a personal connection to this story, and wrote about it in the Register of the Kentucky Historical Society in 2000.More about the author and his work at his Amazon page here: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Thomas-E.-Stephens/author/B003D8MHKWThe author's article: Stephens, Thomas E.  Congressman David Grant Colson and the Tragedy of the Fourth Kentucky Volunteer Infantry. The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society. Vol. 98, No. 1 (Winter 2000), pp. 43-102This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Visit https://www.betterhelp.com/notorious to get 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a lot of buzz about Taylor Sheridan's newest television series Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and this week's guest, Old West author and historian Art T. Burton, is here to separate fact from fiction. He tells us about the exploits of this legendary Deputy U.S. Marshal, not only one of the first African-American marshals in United States history, but arguably the greatest lawman of his era. Art Burton's book is called "Black Gun, Silver Star: The Life and Legend of Frontier Marshal Bass Reeves". More about the author and his book can be found at his website here: https://www.artburton.com/The author's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004081261210This episode is sponsored by Hello Fresh. Order here and get 50% off plus free shipping! http://www.hellofresh.com/50notorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mackinac Island, Michigan is a special place. Summers there are always bustling with tourists, who come in droves to enjoy its history, beauty and charm. However on July 24, 1960 a horrific event shook the residents of the peaceful island. A 49-year-old widow named Francis Lacey was viciously murdered at the end of a morning walk. Law enforcement officers from across Michigan joined the hunt to find her killer, but the case still remains unsolved today. My guest is Rod Sadler, author and retired police officer. He shares details about the case and discusses some of the many suspects that kept police very busy that summer. His book is called "GRIM PARADISE: The Cold Case Search for the Mackinac Island Killer". The author's website: https://www.rodsadler.com/His Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RodSadlerAuthor/His Twitter/X handle: https://twitter.com/RMSauthorHis Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/therodsadler/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices