Fact or Fiction: A Mostly-True Crime History Podcast

Today's guest is author Jeffrey D. Simon, author of several books about terrorism and a former RAND analyst who also taught at UCLA. As a guest on Fact or Fiction, Jeff has agreed to share some of the highlights from his most recent book, The Bulldog Detective: William J. Flynn and America's First War Against the Mafia, Spies, and Terrorists. Flynn's career provides a fascinating glimpse into early 20th century crimes and detective methods, and his character is one of the most interesting of the era. As always, Jeff will infuse one fictional detail into this unbelievable but factual story. Will I guess the fiction? Will you? Listen carefully, because it's tricky to know if something is fact or fiction. Ready to play?Support the showImages and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

St. Louis was a rapidly growing frontier town in 1849. That year, the city experienced a great fire that destroyed the city's business district, an epidemic of cholera that decimated the population, and a steady influx of would-be miners on their way to the California hills. Also, there was a sensational murder and an equally sensational trial.Christopher Allen Gorden, author of Fire, Pestilence, and Death: St. Louis 1849, is this episode's special guest. Listen and learn more about St. Louis in the pivotal year of 1849. Of course, since the show is called Fact or Fiction, Christopher will include one fictional detail in the story. Will I guess the fiction? Will you?Listen carefully because it's tricky to know if something is fact or fiction. Ready to play?Support the showImages and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

Nicknamed "Liquor Island," Long Island was a center for bootlegging and rumrunning for the New York metropolitan area during Prohibition. Amy Kasuga Folk's book Rumrunners of Suffolk County: Tales from Liquor Island shares highlights from her book and inserts a fictional detail in her four choices at the end of the episode. Will you identify the fiction? Will I?Listeners will be astonished by what they learn, and it's mostly true!Support the showImages and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

In the first half of the twentieth century, John R. Brinkley was a celebrated and successful "doctor" renowned for his ability to use goat organs to help humans with infertility. In addition to his "medical" success, Brinkley was also an early adopter of radio technology, which he used to advertise his hospital and his other medicines.In this first episode of season 3, which focuses loosely on the KC area, Fact or Fiction welcomes podcasters Cam and Jen of Our True Crime Podcast. They will attempt to distinguish between fact and fiction. Listen carefully because it's tricky to know if what you hear is Fact or Fiction. Ready to play?Belle Toffee Belle Toffee is a family candy company built on generations of love for gourmet toffee. Images and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

In the late nineteenth century, West was wild all the way back to the Mississippi River. Only a day's walk from the progressive big city of St. Louis, rural Jefferson County citizens were struggling with an outbreak of thefts, arson, and more. Mack Marsden, successful livestock trader and family man, was accused of being involved. After Mack was shot and killed, there remained lingering doubts. Was he a criminal, or was he wrongly accused? Author Joe Johnston tells the fascinating story he uncovered while researching The Mack Marsden Murder Mystery. Of course, he inserts one fiction into this unbelievable but true story. Will I recognize the fiction within the facts? Will you?Images and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!Images and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

From 1848 to 1881, a small Utopian colony in upstate New York—the Oneida Community—was known for its shocking sexual practices, from open marriage and free love to the sexual training of young boys by older women. And in 1881, a one-time member of the Oneida Community—Charles Julius Guiteau—assassinated President James Garfield in a brutal crime that shook America to its core.Susan Wels, author of An Assassin in Utopia, shares this interwoven tale. Of course, she inserts one fiction into this unbelievable but true story. Will I recognize the fiction within the facts? Will you?Images and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

For this special episode Tracy Marak, member of the Belle Toffee family, is my guest. She shares the Belle Toffee story, and then tries to identify the fiction in the mostly-true story about another candy maker, Forrest E. Mars.Although this story doesn't fit neatly into the true crime category, Forrest Mars' road to ownership of Mars, Inc. wasn't a smooth one and it certainly wasn't sweet. Today,  Mars, Inc. is one of the largest privately held companies in the world, and Forrest's descendent are among the world's richest citizens.Listen to learn how Forrest Mars achieved his success, but remember that one fiction has been inserted into the story. Will Tracy guess the fiction? Will you? It's tricky to know if something is Fact or Fiction? Ready to play?Images and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

James Brockman rose from shady character to preeminent defense attorney in Houston, Texas by representing gang leaders, jilted spouses, wealthy storekeepers, drunken on-duty policemen, and more. His career gained national recognition, including his involvement in the most famous American murder case of the young twentieth century, when he himself was murdered leaving a dubious legacy.Houston historian Mike Vance's book Getting Away with Bloody Murder examines Brockman, the criminals he defended, and the crimes they allegedly committed. In this episode, Vance shares several riveting stories from his book. As always on the show, he inserts one fictional detail. Try to identify what he made up, but be warned: it's not easy to know if something is fact or fiction.Images and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

In this episode, authors Victoria Cosner and Lorelie Shannon share a mostly-true story from their book Missouri's Murderous Matrons.  Emma Heppermann, a black widow killer, and Bertha Gifford, an angel of mercy, used arsenic to murder unsuspecting family and friends for decades. The story of how they managed to evade discovery is unbelievable. As always, these authors insert one fiction into our discussion. Try to identify what they made up, but be warned: it's not easy to know if something is fact or fiction.Images and resources used in this episode can be found at factorfictionpodcast.com. If you enjoyed this show, please support the pod by giving it a five star rating, writing a complimentary review, or joining the Fact or Fiction Fan Club. Thanks for listening!

On Christmas Eve of 1900, someone got away with murder. Frank Richardson, wealthy business owner and family man, was shot as he entered his home. Although many people may have wanted him dead, the crime has remained unsolved to this day. Kimberly Tilley, author of Has it Come to This? The Mysterious, Unsolved Murder of Frank Richardson tells us the mostly-true story about Frank Richardson and his murder. She inserts one fiction into this unbelievable story. Try to identify what she made up, but be warned: it's not easy to know if something is fact or fiction.

Litigator and author Cecil Kuhne shares a mostly-true story about Rudolph Ivanovich Abel, the subject of his book KGB Man: The Cold War's Most Notorious Soviet Agent and the First to be Exchanged at the Bridge of Spies. Abel was captured by the FBI in 1957 after an inept colleague betrayed him to the US.  Abel's trial, his conviction, and his eventual exchange across the Glienicker Brücke (the "Bridge of Spies") for US pilot Frances Gary Powers is a riveting story that will leave listeners questioning what is fact and what is fiction.

Today's guest, Connie Yen, is the author of Sinner and Savior: Emma Molloy and the Graham Murder, the true story of an 1886 murder in Greene County known as “The Graham Tragedy.” In 1886, the nude body of Sarah Graham was found in a well on the Molloy property. Subsequent investigations uncovered a bigamous marriage and other allegedly scandalous happenings in the home of temperance advocate Emma Molloy.  Listen carefully because it's not easy to know what's fact and what's fiction in this unbelievable story!

H. H. Holmes is one of the most infamous killers in the history of Chicago and the United States.  In late 1894, when authorities arrested Holmes on a warrant for horse theft in Texas, they learned Holmes, the architect and former owner of the “murder castle” in Chicago not only looked like the villain from a melodrama but acted the part, too.  Although he confessed to killing 27 people in April 1896, historians still find it nearly impossible to distinguish between fact and fiction.Join me and my guest Nancy as we discuss the facts and fictions about Holmes.  Listen carefully because this is most definitely a case where it's tough to know if something is fact or fiction.  You be the judge!

In this episode of Fact or Fiction: Author Series, Bryan Johnston, author of Deep in the Woods shares the story of the 1935 kidnapping of George Weyerhaeuser, but he adds one fictional detail.  Will I guess it?  Will you?Play along with me and then order a copy of Deep in the Woods to learn all the stranger-than-fiction details about the kidnapping, the kidnappers, and the rest of the story.

This is the first episode in what I'm calling the Fact or Fiction: Author Series.  Owen Pataki, co-author of Where the Light Falls and author of Searchers in Winter is my guest.  Searchers in Winter brings events of the Napoleonic Wars to life with its compelling plot, engaging characters, and exciting action sequences.  In this show I have a brief chat with Owen about his book, and then he tells me a mostly-true story related to one of the novel's subplots.  It's my job to guess the fiction.  Play along with me.  Listen carefully because it's not easy to know if something is Fact or Fiction!Host:  Laura ShimelGuest: Owen PatakiFact or Fiction is a MaxMinLabs production.

This episode focuses on the tragic murder of railroad clerk Clarence D. Hiller; the man accused of committing the crime, Thomas Jennings; and the advanced forensic technique of fingerprint identification used successfully for the first time in a murder trial in the United States.

In late December of 1903, the beautiful new Iroquois Theater in Chicago performed a matinee of the family-friendly musical Mr. Bluebeard to a sold-out audience.  Midway through the performance, an overloaded stage light caught fire, and what happened is stranger than fiction.  Listen carefully because it's tricky to know what's Fact or Fiction!

In April of 1924, Beulah Annan shot her lover in the bedroom she shared with her husband Al.  She rested next to the dead man and played one song over and over on her phonograph until Al arrived home.  What followed is such a sensational story, that reporter Maureen Watkins used it as the basis for her successful play, Chicago.  That play was the basis for the hit musical and later Oscar-winning movie of the same name.  Listen carefully because not everything you hear is true, and it's not easy to decide if it's Fact or Fiction!

In this week's Fiblett episode, Laura shares a story of Western criminals in the big city, a train robbery, a bank robbery, and butter heist.  Three are published stories, but one is fictional.  Listen carefully because it's tough to know if what you hear is Fact or Fiction!

Bluebeard is a French folk-tale about a villainous man who married and then killed multiple wives.  The American version of this story isn't a folk tale--it's real.  Today's episode of Fact or Fiction examines the story of Johann Hoch, a man accused of marrying scores of women, absconding with their fortunes, and even murdering a few.  Listen carefully because it's never easy to tell which parts of the story are Fact or Fiction.  Ready to play?

Today's minisode focuses on cases involving insurance scams--three of them are real and one is my invention.  Can you identify which stories are Fact or Fiction?

In the early 1920's, Chicago reporters Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht encountered and sensationalized the highly unusual murder of a young mother-to-be, Ruth Wanderer.  These two reporters, who  went on to become decorated Hollywood screenwriters, called Ruth Wanderer's tragic story, The Case of the Ragged Stranger!  Listen carefully because it's tricky to know which parts of the story are Fact or Fiction.  Ready to play?

Fiblett 2.6 is a random assortment of entertaining articles about an honorable thief, three girls wrongly imprisoned, a disgruntled husband, and two courageous little boys. Three of them are from published newspaper accounts, but one is my own creation.  Listen closely.  Is it Fact or Fiction?

Amos J. Snell, a wealthy real estate owner in Chicago, was murdered in his home in 1888.  The identity of the murderer remains unknown to this day.  Listen to learn what we do know about Amos J. Snell, his murder, and the aftershocks of his death that affected his family for generations.  Is it Fact or Fiction?  You be the judge!

Fiblett 2.5 contains three actual articles from newspapers of the past about crimes with a connection to the prestigious Palmer House Hotel in Chicago.  I've written one myself.  Can you identify which one is my creation?  Listen carefully because it's tough to know if what you hear is Fact or Fiction!Note:  If you're interested in learning more about Stuart's Dyspepsia Tablets, the product from the past that is featured in today's Fiblett, I encourage you to check out this article by Teresa Lou Trupiano (https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2470&context=masters_theses).

Dr. Alice Wynekoop was a respected physician and social reformer in Chicago in 1933 when her daughter-in-law's nearly nude body was found shot to death in Dr. Wynekoop's basement operating room.  Was it possible that the highly esteemed doctor had cruelly killed her beautiful, young daughter-in-law?  You be the judge.  Is it Fact or Fiction?

Today's Fiblett is filled with more Pinkerton adventures!  Three of them are from published newspaper accounts, but one is my own creation.  Listen closely.  Is it Fact or Fiction?

Belle Gunness purportedly killed scores of victims for financial gain. After her Indiana farm burned to the ground with the bodies of the Gunness family huddled together in the basement, investigators discovered a number of disfigured and dismembered bodies buried in shallow graves on her property. Many suspect Belle staged her death and lived out her life as a wealthy woman. Listen closely because it's difficult to know if what I say is Fact or Fiction. Ready to play?

This week's minisode features Pinkerton detectives! As always three of the stories are from printed newspaper articles and one is a fictional account of my own creation. Listen closely. Can you tell if it's Fact or Fiction?

In 1856, a young woman entered the Pinkerton Detective Agency's offices at 80 Washington Street in Chicago, Illinois, looking for employment. According to his own accounts, Pinkerton politely told her he didn’t need a cleaner or a secretary, but she insisted she wasn’t interested in a traditional woman’s role. She believed the detective service needed her as an agent. After considering her compelling arguments, Allan Pinkerton hired her as his first female operative. This is the story of Kate Warne, the first female Pinkerton detective. Listen carefully, because this story is full of hard to believe details.

It's February, and love is in the air! Today's minisode is all about romance. In Fiblett 2: Season 2, I read four articles about elopements. Three of the stories are from news articles of the past, but one is my own creation. Listen carefully to find out if you can tell if each article is Fact or Fiction!

The public was fascinated by the disappearance of Louisa Luetgert, wife of sausage manufacturer, Adolph Luetgert. When authorities suggested he had disposed of her body in his sausage plant, the nation's imagination went wild...and sausage sales took a huge hit.

This is another fun Fiblett episode where Laura reads articles that may or may not have appeared in newspapers of the past. It's up to you to decide which of the articles are Fact or Fiction. Ready to play?

The first episode of Fact or Fiction’s second season features Tillie Klimek, the black widow of Little Poland. In 1922, Tillie was arrested for poisoning her husband with a steady diet of arsenic-laced stew. Investigators soon discovered there was more to the story of the woman renowned in her community for cooking a killer stew and predicting impending deaths.

In the early hours of December 30, 1888, Mrs. Amos Stillwell ran from the mansion she shared with her husband and young children to request help from her neighbors. Startled to see the respectable Mrs. Stillwell in her nightclothes and even more startled by her story, the neighbors returned with her to her home to find a grizzly scene—the dead body of her much older husband, Mrs. Amos Stillwell. Someone had used an ax to murder him in his bed. The identity of the villain behind this murder remains a mystery—in spite of multiple inquests and one sensational trial, no one was ever convicted.

Fiblett #4 is another minisode of four stories, one of which is my writing.  Here are the answers:Choice #1 about the attempted elopement of nineteen year old Cleo Broadhurst and his married lover Mrs. C. J. Ware appeared under the title of “Eloping Boy Slept on the Job” in The Kansas City Times on 22 September, 1910, p. 1.Choice #2 was the story of two sisters who ran away together with their boyfriends. It was printed on October 12, 1884 in the St. Louis Globe Democrat as “Double Elopement from Boonville.” Choice #3, "Heiress Weds Penniless Musician, debuted on the Fact or Fiction Podcast on September 4, 2020. I wrote this one based on a number of articles from the era like it. Lots of heiress ran away with unsuitable men. Choice #4 outlines a the scandalous affair of Emma Stockton Norton and Henry W. Moore, good friend of Emma's husband. Moore was the married managing editor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.Thanks for playing!

During the 1930’s kidnappings were a common occurrence, and wealthy St. Louisans were prime targets for criminals interested in collecting ransom. One dark and stormy night in 1931, a wealthy and respected St. Louis doctor was abducted and held for over a week. Although no request was made for ransom, he was released unharmed and returned to his family. No one was arrested in connection with this crime. Three years later, a down-on-his-luck tavern owner identified the perpetrators behind the crime, one of whom was a highly respected woman of St. Louis society. Listen to today’s episode of Fact or Fiction as I tell this crazy and mostly true story to my friend Tracy. Listen carefully because it’s more difficult than you think to recognize Fact or Fiction.

Fibletts are minisodes of Fact or Fiction that allow you to test your own skills at finding the fiction within the facts! Today's episode includes four stories, three of which are from an article or related articles and one that is my own creative writing based loosely on another case. It's up to you to decide which one is the fiction and which ones are the facts! I'll come clean in two weeks in the next Fiblett edition. If you can't wait that long, you can find the truth at www.factorfictionpodcast.com or at the Fact or Fiction Facebook page. Listen carefully, because it's more difficult than you think to distinguish between fact or fiction.

On a cold December evening in 1902, two good-looking young men robbed a Union, Missouri Bank and escaped with an estimated $15,000 worth of loot. When Pinkerton detective Charles Schumacher tracked them down, the young thieves brutally murdered him and became two of the most hunted and most celebrated criminals of the time. Follow along as I tell the story of their crimes and their capture to Joe, a retired DEA special agent. Listen carefully, because as always, it's tough to know if what I say is FACT OR FICTION.

Fibletts are minisodes of Fact or Fiction that allow you to test your own skills at finding the fiction within the facts! Today's episode includes four stories, three of which are from an article or related articles and one that is my own invention. It's up to you to decide which one is the fiction and which ones are the facts! I'll come clean in two weeks in the next Fiblett edition. If you can't wait that long, you can find the truth at www.factorfictionpodcast.com or at the Fact or Fiction Facebook page. Listen carefully, because it's more difficult than you think to distinguish between fact or fiction.

On November 20, 1885, former East St. Louis mayor John B. Bowman was gunned down as he crossed the street to his home. Neighbors soon discovered his body. The shooter had disappeared, and the crime remains unsolved to this day. In this episode of Fact or Fiction, I identify potential suspects and motives. Who and why would someone want to kill the 51-year-old prominent politician of the large riverside city? As always, what we'll learn about the facts is stranger than fiction.

Fibletts are mini-episodes of Fact or Fiction that allow you to test your own skills at finding the fiction within the facts! I'll read four paragraphs, three of which are from an article or related articles and one that is my own invention. It's up to you to decide which one is the fiction and which ones are the facts! I'll come clean in two weeks in the next Fiblett edition. If you can't wait that long, you can find the truth at www.factorfictionpodcast.com or at the Fact or Fiction Facebook page. Listen carefully, because it's more difficult than you think to distinguish between fact or fiction.

The Louisiana Purchase Exposition, more commonly referred to as the St. Louis World’s Fair, opened its gates on May 1, 1904 and throughout its seven months of life, entertained approximately 20 million visitors. It was a remarkable event, and its impact on St. Louis and the world is felt to this day. Cotton candy, private automobiles, x-ray machines, and other technologies debuted at the fair. Forest Park and Washington University in St. Louis still retain remnants of the exposition, although most of the impressively elaborate buildings were disposable and are no longer standing. Today’s episode starts by considering at a tragedy at the fair, the infant incubator exhibit, and then to lighten the tone we will delve into some of the crazier aspects of the 1904 Summer Olympic Games held in conjunction with the fair. Join me and my friend Sheri as she tries to distinguish between Fact or Fiction!

In May 1903, a shabbily dressed old man checked himself into a St. Louis hospital claiming “the only poor thing about me is my health.” Doctors weren’t sure what to make of this unusual patient who soon died with no mourners at his bedside. Francis J. Tumblety was indeed a wealthy man, a well-known “herb doctor” who had traveled extensively, been arrested for potential involvement in Lincoln’s assassination, and was widely known to be a potential suspect in the Jack the Ripper slayings of 1888. Join us as we examine the fascinating and eccentric character of Dr. Francis J. Tumblety, whose life is truly stranger than fiction.

In the early 1920's a group of inmates from the Jefferson City State Penitentiary, the prison's Peaceful Village Band, used their musical talents to rise to national fame. Some of the members leveraged this notoriety to shorten their sentences. Today's episode of Fact or Fiction looks at this group of inmates who’d been incarcerated in Missouri’s only maximum security prison for crimes varying from check fraud to murder.

On the evening of January 31, 1912, a St. Louis police officer noted the business of The Cowperthwait Loan Company uncharacteristically had its lights on at 7:00 p.m., well after its usual closing time. The officer entered to find a disturbing scene that would launch an investigation to find a criminal whose exploits are truly stranger than fiction. My niece, Kaitlyn, joins me to unravel the mystery of The Single Cuff Button.

Bertha Gifford was a matronly lady who devoted herself to her sick neighbors out of the goodness or her heart, or did she have another motive for "helping" her neighbors? Listen carefully, because it’s more difficult than you think to distinguish between Fact or Fiction.

Bloody Island was a sandbar located in the Mississippi River between St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois. During the 1800’s, it technically didn’t belong to either state, so men traveled there to settle disputes without the interference of the law. Believe it or not, many of these duels were between the movers and shakers and great politicians of the era. Today, Fact or Fiction takes a look a few of the most famous of these duels. As always, the facts are stranger than the fiction, so listen carefully!

In late June of 1887, a young wife died under mysterious circumstances. Her husband left shortly after her burial with a cryptic note indicating he couldn’t live without her. What the authorities discovered when his employer contacted them to try to save the grieving husband’s life is almost unbelievable.

In my very first podcast episode ever (yeah, it's going to be a little raw), please join me, Laura, on my journey to learn more about St. Louis's seedy past and unbelievable true crime. While you are at it, use your own detective skills to see if you have what it takes to determine what is fact and what is fiction.One of the most infamous stories from St. Louis’s past is the trunk mystery. A foul smelling trunk is found in a deserted hotel room in 1885. What is inside is stranger than fiction! Listen and decide for yourself.