By 1930, 68-year-old George W. Appleby had practiced medicine for forty-years in the small town of Bristow, Iowa. In many ways, he was exactly what you’d expect – a white-haired elderly man who seemed to genuinely care about his patients and treated their various ailments with a healthy mixture of sage wisdom and medical knowledge. …
The Insane Doctor: Medicine, Drugs, and Murder in Small-Town Iowa Read More »
Dr. George Appleby was everything a small-town doctor should be: polite, gentle, and caring. But under the surface seethed hidden secret that would burst forth one dark day in 1900. Sources ‘Mad Deed of A Doctor.’ The Courier, 1/10/1900 ‘Dr. Appleby’s Crime.’ The Evening Times-Republican, 1/10/1900 ‘Insane Doctor’s Crime.’ The Des Moines Register, 1/10/1900 …
Episode 53: The Insane Doctor: Medicine, Drugs, and Murder in a Small-Town Read More »
William Koenig came to America with his family for a better opportunity. On a warm August night in 1870, it ended in tragedy and death.
Some have said that the most dangerous people that you can ever come across are people that have nothing to lose. They aren’t going to lose any social standing. They’re not going to lose the respect or love of their family. They’re broke, so they’re not going to be losing anything financially. These individuals have …
I have always loved Adams County. Located in the southwestern portion of the state, Adams county is the least populous county in Iowa, containing just under 3700 people. It’s very rural, and is comprised of rolling hills and rich green fields. People still wave to you in the street, or raises an index finger in …
I’m not afraid of the dark. I take my trash out in the middle of the night without a flashlight, treading the familiar ground of my yard with confidence in the inky blackness of the night. At the end of the day, I turn off the light’s downstairs and, if I need to do something …
Struck Down in the Dark – The Charles Englehart Murder Read More »
Charles Englehart was attacked outside of his car one dark night in 1935. A harmless 70-year-old man liked by everyone, who would commit such an awful crime? Sources ‘C.A. Englehart Robbed, Slain.’ Davenport Times and Democrat, 9/23/1935 ‘Seek Motive for Englehart Slaying.’ The Daily Times, 9/23/1935 ‘Iowan Killed by Assailant.’ Iowa City Press-Citizen, 9/23/1935 …
Struck Down in the Dark – The Charles Englehart Murder Read More »
In the early 1900’s, a Nebraska schoolteacher visited an unspeakable atrocity upon the students under her care in Sarpy County. Or did she? Sources ‘Holly Hatchet’ scared all but two pupils away. Sioux City Journal, 8/30/1983 Body Found in Brush. The Lincoln Star, 12/24/1903 Quintanilla, James. Hatchet House and the Killer Teacher. http://www.designinglife.biz Lefevers, …
Jeffery McCain was going to school. Jeffery, or Jeffy, as everyone called him, loved school, especially reading. Books allowed him to visit places that he would have never dreamed existed outside of the boundaries of Sarpy County, Nebraska. His favorite was an oversized atlas called Lyteman’s Guide to World Geography, which was full of colorful …
An early December blizzard chilled Iowa to the bone. It still wasn’t as cold as the heart of a father seeking vengeance for his daughter. But did he know the entire story? Sources All Iowa is in Grip of Blizzard. The Evening Gazette, 12/5/1925 Winter Holds Entire State in Icy Grasp. Iowa City Press-Citizen, …
