1: “A Mysterious Case” (and Other True Crime Tales)
Stories include a young woman who attempts escape from a convent in Saint Louis MO, a Pennsylvania man dies from swallowing lizards, a convicted wife-killer readies for execution in Vermont, and a Massachusetts girl who had told her mother she was leaving to marry her boyfriend, disappears without a trace.
2: “Unfortunate Tena Davis”
On this episode of Aghast at the Past: 1892, A strange letter arrives for Mrs. Davis, deepening her anxiety about her missing daughter Tena. Also, a San Francisco girl is stabbed in the head by a deranged stranger (plus other distressing tales yanked straight from the rank corners the Gilded Age).
3: “Tena Davis’ Whereabouts Still a Mystery”
On this episode of Aghast at the Past: 1892, mysterious wheel tracks found near a Mystic River bridge provide new information on the Deltena Davis mystery. Plus, a Tong War murder in San Francisco’s Chinatown, and other grisly goings-on.
4: “Poor Tena Davis”
A mining disaster in Oklahoma, a double killing in Missouri, and the investigation into Tena Davis’s disappearance takes a tragic turn.
5: “He Speaks”
Trefethen offers his alibi and explains his formal friendship with the now deceased Tena Davis. Mrs. Davis, however, has a much different version of Trefethen’s relationship with her daughter. Plus more facts (and rumors) about her death.
6: “I LOVED HER SO! And That Is Why I Cut Her Throat”
A new sensational murder covered today. Alice Mitchell, angry that she was forbidden to see her friend (and alleged lover) Freda Ward, slashed her throat in a fit of anger and passion. Plus other sordid stories from a bygone era.
7: “Baby Drunkards”
A murder in New Jersey has a tenuous connection to a Jack the Ripper suspect, an outlaw in Oklahoma Territory meets his maker, and two little boys accused of drunkenness boldly face a judge (plus an update on the Tena Davis case) on this episode of Aghast at the Past: 1892.
8: “Poison In the Biscuit”
Tales of suffering and murder on Valentine’s Day, 1892, including more details on the Freda Ward murder case.
9: “An Odor of Blood”
We spend most of the episode today covering a wild and wooly train robbery and escape attempt by the boldest and most colorful 19th century outlaw that you’ve probably never heard of – Oliver Curtis Perry. Also – Miss Lillie Johnson has difficulty keeping her courtroom composure in the emotional Freda Ward murder case.
10: “Hazel Leighton Gets a Bullet in Her Heart”
On this latest episode of Aghast at the Past: 1892 – a Los Angeles prostitute is stalked by her disturbed suitor, and a man awaits execution for killing his wife with an axe.
11: “Dark Deeds Alleged”
In this latest episode of Aghast at the Past:1892, a review of some of the most fascinating stories of true crime and tragedy of the week, including the apparently diabolical Dr. Henry M. Scudder Jr., who is alleged to have plotted to murder members of the Dunton family after marrying one of the daughters, in an effort to have his wife made sole heir to the family fortune. He was seen by a witness clubbing Mrs. Dunton to death in her bedroom, and arrested for the crime.
12: “Extra Five Shocks”
On this episode of Aghast at the Past: 1892, we explore the murder of Louis Franklosa by Jeremiah Cotto, and his eventual execution. And more tales of true crime, of course.
13: “Beaten and Left for Dead”
Three disturbing murders and one attempted one, all taking place in the first week of April,1892, make this episode one of the darkest yet…
14: “The Doctor and the Devil”
The honorable Dr. Charles Parkhurst, esteemed pastor of New York City’s Madison Square Presbyterian Church, was on a mission in 1892 to clean up municipal vice and corruption. From February to May of that year, Parkhurst made headlines for his infamous “slumming” trip to the worst dens of sin and deprivation in the city. His guide, a private detective named Charles Gardner, documented their escapades in the now legendary book he called “The Doctor and the Devil, Or Midnight Adventures of Dr. Parkhurst.”
In this episode of Aghast at the Past: 1892, I read all of chapter ten, and most of chapter eleven, which highlight some of the more notorious visits they made in March of that year. WARNING: I do basically read word for word from the book, and the author does use some language that is considered highly offensive by modern standards. While kept for historical context, listener discretion is still, very much advised.
15: “A Frontier Fight”
On this episode of Aghast at the Past:1892, we examine how the murder of Nathan Champion, accused but never proven cattle rustler, sparked Wyoming’s infamous Johnson County War.
16: “He Shed Tears”
The prosecution lays down it’s case in the highly anticipated and sensational Tena Davis murder trial against James Trefethen and William Smith…
17: “Long Begins”
James Trefethen and William Smith’s defense team, Marcellus Coggan and John Long, make the case that their clients had nothing to do with the murder of Deltena Davis.
18: “Life in the Balance”
Attorney General Pillsbury gives the prosecution’s closing remarks in the Tena Davis Murder Case, and the jury delivers a verdict.
19: “Bob Ford’s Death”
The assassin of Jesse James is killed in Colorado, and the volatile Homestead Strike leads to dozens dead and wounded in Pennsylvania.
20: “The Work of Fiends”
A handful of disturbing crime stories from the week of July 25th, 1892.
21: “A.J. Borden & His Wife Murdered”
Lizzie Borden’s father and step-mother are discovered murdered at their Fall River, Massachusetts home on August 4th, 1892.
22: “No Clue As Yet”
The Borden murder case continues to baffle investigators. Andrew Borden’s brother-in-law, John Morse, tells his story about his visit hours before their death.
23: “Sent to Jail”
Lizzie Borden becomes the primary suspect in the murder of her father and step-mother.
24: “Their Last Raid”
The final fate of the notorious Dalton Gang, plus selected true crime stories from the first week of October, 1892.
25: “Ten Years Old & a Murderer”
New news on the Lizzy Borden and James Trefethen trials. Also, a ten year old boy commits murder over a pocket watch in Colorado, and other tales of true crime.
26: “Trefethen Innocent”
In this final episode of Aghast at the Past:1892, we skip to September of 1893 for the conclusion of the Tena Davis case.
The following interview with Cara Robertson wraps up the Lizzie Borden case, for those want a conclusion to the story (although for many, there may not ever be!)