Warning: This material contains content that may be sensitive for some readers. Reader discretion is strongly advised. The argument was the same. It never changed. Sell out and move to town, she said. “We’re not moving, Hazel,” Guy replied. And round and round they went. Guy was always reserved, never emotional. He didn’t …
The Stoic Farmer: The Gilbert Family Murders, Part II Read More »
Guy Gilbert was probably a little surprised when his son Gene showed up on the doorstep of his Yale, South Dakota home. While far from unwelcome, Gene hadn’t said anything about coming for a visit. Still, while surprising, it was far from unusual for Gene to just show up like this out of the …
Guy Gilbert returned to his South Dakota home to find that his visiting son had committed suicide. When the police went to notify his family of his untimely death, they had no idea of the horrors that awaited them inside their quiet house in Iowa. Sources Friend says Gilbert threatened to kill family. The …
Episode 64: The Quiet House: The Gilbert Family Slayings Read More »
Another collection of short tales from Midwest history, Volume 3 deals with accidents too awful to contemplate, yet too horrible to forget. Sources Leroy Sowell is Instantly Killed Today. The Daily Democrat and Leader, 1920 Leroy Stowell. http://www.findagrave.com Woman Saves Nephew from Death by Gas. The Capital Times, 12/28/1923 p. 2 Crowd …
Episode 62: Table Scraps Short Stories, Vol. 3: Accidents Will Happen Read More »
I’ve always been fascinated by the little stories, the ones that you never hear about in the history books. While volumes have been written about the major people and big events of the world, not so much has been set down about the stories from the little people just out living their lives. So, …
Table Scraps Short Stories, Vol. 3: Accidents Will Happen Read More »
When the residents of Dunn County, Wisconsin woke up on the morning of February 15, 1974, none of them expected to hear about a murder in their area, but they did. About mid-morning, police were notified that a body had been found in a ditch along a dead-end road. When they arrived, authorities found …
Stories of the American West have captivated generations of people. But beyond the tales of cowboy shootouts and outlaw exploits lies the bizarre story of Big Nose George, a notorious outlaw whose name became linked to a very special pair of shoes. Sources Weiser, Kathy. Big Nose Becomes A Pair of Shoes. http://www.legendsofamerica.com Van Pelt, …
Episode 54: Fancy Shoes: The Bizarre Story of Big Nose George Read More »
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 »
In 1922, Myrtle Belden was a rural mail carrier around Yorkville, Illinois. A single woman in her late twenties, she cared about her position and, seemingly, did a good job. For whatever reason, the cashier of the Farmer’s State Bank in Yorkville, a man named Clarence Beecher, had allegedly been saying some bad things about …
