John Brassard Jr
The Kitchen Table Historian
Category: Uncategorized
Episode 54: Fancy Shoes: The Bizarre Story of Big Nose George
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… Continue Reading “Episode 54: Fancy Shoes: The Bizarre Story of Big Nose George”
The Insane Doctor: Medicine, Drugs, and Murder in Small-Town Iowa
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… Continue Reading “The Insane Doctor: Medicine, Drugs, and Murder in Small-Town Iowa”
Episode 53: The Insane Doctor: Medicine, Drugs, and Murder in a Small-Town
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… Continue Reading “Episode 53: The Insane Doctor: Medicine, Drugs, and Murder in a Small-Town”
Pretty Things and A Good Right Hook
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… Continue Reading “Pretty Things and A Good Right Hook”
Episode 52: Pretty Things and a Good Right Hook
In many true crime tales, women are all too often the unfortunate victims. In the 1920’s, Hazel Anderson and Helen Depue turned the tables and showed just how ferocious they could be. Sources Girl and Woman Rout Bandit in Daring Battle. The Davenport Democrat… Continue Reading “Episode 52: Pretty Things and a Good Right Hook”
Episode 51: The Koenig Murder/Suicide of 1870
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.
The Koenig Murder/Suicide of 1870
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… Continue Reading “The Koenig Murder/Suicide of 1870”
Episode 50: The Girl in Room 30: The Murder of Marie Wick
In 1921, 18-year-old Marie Wick checked into a Fargo hotel while travelling to visit her aunt. What happened that night in Room 30 would become one of the most vicious murders to ever occur in North Dakota. Sources Girl Murdered In Fargo Hotel. Grand… Continue Reading “Episode 50: The Girl in Room 30: The Murder of Marie Wick”
The Girl in Room 30: The Murder of Marie Wick
Earlier this year, I was driving down Illinois Route 84, heading north toward the town of Fulton. The road runs alongside the Mississippi River along the edge of the state, and can make for a beautiful drive on the right day. Unfortunately for me,… Continue Reading “The Girl in Room 30: The Murder of Marie Wick”
Episode 48: Ghosts of the Pandemic, Part 2: Home Front
In 1918, Americans on the home front were supporting their troops fighting in Europe while waging a war of their own against a deadly pandemic. Does one of the souls lost to the flu still haunt a Midwestern college? Sources Fannon-Langton, Dianne. The Ghost… Continue Reading “Episode 48: Ghosts of the Pandemic, Part 2: Home Front”