Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast

The July 1926 murder of the editor of the Canton, Ohio, Daily News, Don R. Mellett, was one of the most publicized crimes in the 1920s. For less than a year, Mellett was the editor of the Daily News, owned by former Ohio governor and Democrat presidential candidate James Cox. Having promised Cox he would turn the unprofitable News into a success, Mellett combined personal conviction with marketing savvy and in 1925 embarked on an antivice, anticorruption editorial campaign. The following year, the Daily News and Mellett, posthumously, received the Pulitzer Prize for his columns.His editorials were often aimed at the Canton police chief, S. A. Lengel, making the News law and order crusade personal. An unholy alliance of bootleggers and corrupt police, angered at Mellett’s interference with business as usual, hired an ex-con from Pennsylvania, Patrick McDermott, to attack and scare the editor. When the intended assault spiraled out of control and Mellett was murdered, the national press became outraged and saw this situation as an attack on the First Amendment, demanding justice in editorials appearing on the front pages of newspapers throughout the country.My guest is Thomas Crowl, author of "Murder of a Journalist: The True Story of the Death of Donald Ring Mellett". He shares this largely forgotten but very important case with us on this latest episode ofMost Notorious.More about the author and his work can be found here: https://www.kentstateuniversitypress.com/author/crowlt/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In January 1953, a New York City musician named Christopher “ Manny” Balestrero was wrongly arrested for armed robbery, misidentified by eye witnesses. What followed was a nightmarish ordeal that completely devastated him and his family. Alfred Hitchcock was so moved by the miscarriage of justice that he made the case the focus of his underrated, classic 1956 film "The Wrong Man".My guest is Jason Isralowitz, author of "Nothing To Fear: Alfred Hitchcock And The Wrong Men". He shares details of the true crime case that revealed some concerning flaws in the American criminal justice system.The author's website: https://www.nothingtofearbook.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 19th century, inventors were rushing to perfect and patent motion picture devices, and leading the race was a Frenchman named Louis Le Prince. In September of 1890 Le Prince said farewell to his brother in Dijon and boarded a train bound for Paris. His final destination would be the United States, where he planned to unveil his movie camera and projector to the world. Unfortunately he was never seen again.There are many theories regarding Le Prince's disappearance. Did he run away with a mistress, or was he murdered? If murdered, then by who? Was it his brother, who he shared an inheritance with? Was it a stranger in a dark Paris alley? Or was Thomas Edison behind it, the famed American inventor who announced the creation of his own motion picture camera just months after Le Prince disappeared?My guest is Paul Fischer, author of "The Man Who Invented Motion Pictures: A True Tale of Obsession, Murder, and the Movies". He tells the story of Louis Le Prince, his quest to invent and patent the first movie camera and projector, and the tragedy that followed. More about the author and his work can be found at his website: https://www.paulfischerauthor.com/The Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotorious Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On October 24th, 1961, one of the greatest unsolved mysteries in Massachusetts history began when housewife and mother Joan Risch vanished from her home. Investigators were perplexed by a kitchen floor smeared with blood, a telephone receiver ripped from the wall and placed gently on the edge of a trash basket, and a bloodhound who traced her scent to the middle of her driveway. Later, drivers would report seeing someone resembling Joan stumbling along local highways, apparently dazed and injured.My guest, Stephen Ahern, is author of "A Kitchen Painted in Blood: The Unsolved Disappearance of Joan Risch". He teamed up with a retired FBI profiler and a cold case detective to try and piece together a possible explanation of what happened to Joan that fateful day.More about the author and his book here: https://expositbooks.com/product/a-kitchen-painted-in-blood/Buy it through Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Painted-Blood-Unsolved-Disappearance/dp/1476681848/Become a Most Notorious Patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotoriousVisit the Most Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the morning of May 27, 1896, the peaceful township of Campbell awoke to shocking news. Six people were brutally murdered at the home of Colonel Richard P. McGlincy, one of the town’s most respected citizens. The suspect, James Dunham—the colonel’s son-in-law—fled the scene and disappeared into the hills of Mount Hamilton overlooking Santa Clara County. This heinous crime triggered a massive, nationwide manhunt while investigators pieced together the details. My guest is Tobin Gilman, author of "The McGlincy Killings in Campbell, California: An 1896 Unsolved Mystery". He not only summarizes the case for us, but offers his theory on what might have happened to Dunham once he fled the bloody crime scene. For more information on books by Tobin Gilman, visit https://www.facebook.com/19thCenturySanJoseInABottleTo order a signed copy by author, email tobingilman@hotmail.com Visit the Most Notorious website at https://www.mostnotorious.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On December 30th, 1903, over two thousand people were packed into Chicago's brand new Iroquois Theater for a matinee performance of Mr. Bluebeard, starring comedian Eddie Foy. Little did theatergoers know, however, that the owners of the theater cut corners in fire safety measures in an effort to open as quickly as possible. Despite billing itself as "absolutely fireproof" there were no sprinklers or fire alarms installed, the fire escapes weren't finished and some of the exit doors had been locked during the performance. When fire struck on stage in the second act, the interior of the theater became a hellish death trap, killing close to six hundred people.My guest is Troy Taylor, author of the book, "One Afternoon at the Iroquois: America's Deadliest Theater Fire". He is a podcaster, historian, tour operator and an expert on the paranormal. Troy's website: http://americanhauntings.netA link to his podcast page (the American Hauntings Podcast): http://americanhauntingspodcast.comBecome a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotoriousMost Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For almost sixty years, the Kennedy assassination has occupied the hearts and minds of Americans. Hundreds of books have been written about the fateful day at Dealey Plaza in November of 1963, often offering elaborate and convoluted conspiracy theories about government plots, the Mafia, Cuba and the KGB.My guest is investigative journalist and bestselling author Gerald Posner. He believes that Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in murdering President Kennedy. His critically acclaimed book, "Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK" was a 1994 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for History. Gerald Posner's website: https://www.posner.com/Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotoriousMost Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/4698315/advertisement Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the years following World War II, serial killer John George Haigh committed five perfect murders, using sulphuric acid to dissolve his victims into soup. His sixth murder, however, was hastily done, and led to his arrest, a trial and eventual execution. The case captivated the United Kingdom, especially when Haigh claimed he had drunk a glass of each victim's blood before disposing of their bodies. My guest is Gordon Lowe, author of "The Acid Bath Murders: The Trials and Liquidations of John George Haigh". He walks us through Lowe's murderous life and eventual death at the hands of one of Britain's most famous executioners. More about the author can be discovered at his website: http://www.gordonloweauthor.co.uk/Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotoriousMost Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On May 30, 1899, history was made when Pearl Hart, disguised as a man, held up a stagecoach in Arizona and robbed the passengers at gunpoint. A manhunt ensued as word of her heist spread, and Pearl Hart went on to become a media sensation and the most notorious female outlaw on the Western frontier. Hailed by many as “The Bandit Queen,” her epic life of crime and legacy as a female trailblazer provide a crucial lens into the lives of the rare women who made their mark in the American West.My guest, New York Times bestselling author and Old West historian John Boessenecker shares incredible stories from the life of Lily Davy (aka Pearl Hart) and her equally fascinating sister Katy Davy. His book is called "Wildcat: The Untold Story of Pearl Hart, the Wild West's Most Notorious Woman Bandit". More information can be found on John Boessenecker's author's page: https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/authors/john-boessenecker-202012295846868Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotoriousMost Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1934 South Australian policeman Bill McKinnon is sent to investigate a murder and make arrests in the so-called "dead heart" of the country. After some of his Aboriginal prisoners escape, he tracks one of the unarmed men to a sacred rock formation called Uluru, traps him in a cave, and shoots and kills him. My guest is University of Sydney history professor Mark McKenna, author of "Return to Uluru: The Hidden History of a Murder in Outback Australia". He discusses not only the specifics of the case, but the history of colonization of the Australian outback, and the impact it has had on this eighty-five-year-old tragedy. More about the book here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/678067/return-to-uluru-by-mark-mckenna/This episode is sponsored by Wondery's new podcast SUSPECT: Vanished in the Snow. Download the app in the Amazon Music App today.Become a Most Notorious patron: https://www.patreon.com/mostnotoriousMost Notorious website: https://www.mostnotorious.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices