As a raging blizzard tore across the state of North Dakota, Adolph Martel sat warm and safe inside a mental hospital. A former drifter named J.J. Murphy stood talking with him, helping the time to pass. Little did they know it, but a patient’s presence nearby would result in the death of one of them […]
Episode 141: True Crime: The Murder of Adolph Martel – North Dakota, 1941 Read More »
Jamestown, North Dakota, November 21, 1941 Adolph Martel settled back into his chair. It was chilly inside the hospital, but, then again, it was absolutely freezing outside. The papers had said that temps were supposed be hovering right around 0 with winds gusting upwards of 50 mph. One of the patients, a man named J.J.
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The fire had started at around 2 a.m. in the early morning hours of January 7, 1950. Half an hour later, St. Elizabeth’s Mental Hospital would be engulfed in flames. Firemen and other rescuers hacked at the iron bars covering the windows to the patient’s rooms. Many of the patients screamed desperately into the
Beyond Recognition: What Started the St. Elizabeth’s Fire? Read More »
In the early hours of January 7, 1950, flames illuminated the night sky around Mercy Hospital. An orderly was one of the first to see a mental hospital on the grounds engulfed in fire, but he would be far from the last. By the next morning, it would be one of the worst hospital fires
Episode 99: Plain Hell: The St. Elizabeth’s Hospital Fire of 1950 Read More »
Lucille Kalloway checked the clock. It was just before 11 p.m. The patients had been safely in their rooms since about 9 p.m., which was the normal time for them to turn in. Mentally, she ticked off her responsibilities for the end of shift. Lucille had started working at the facility in the summer
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Amelia Rohwedder was a middle-aged woman recovering from heart problems. Without reason or warning, she jumped from her fourth-floor window. Why? Sources The History of Genesis Health System and its Predecessor Organizations. http://www.genesishealth.com/about/timeline. Harlan, Edgar Rubey. A Narrative History of the People of Iowa, Vol. III Chicago: American Historical Society, 1931. Sister Condon, Mary
Episode 91: Why Did Amelia Rohwedder Jump from Her Hospital Window? Read More »
After the American Civil War, Davenport, Iowa was a rapidly growing city full of a population still recovering from the trials and tribulations of that terrible conflict. Many veterans had returned home, either going back to the families that they had left or eager to start one. Some farmed, others started businesses, and still others
Why Did Amelia Rohwedder Jump from Her Hospital Window? Read More »
The world was breathing a little easier at the end of 1945. For the past several years, the Second World War had raged across the globe. Towns and cities had been razed throughout the Pacific and across Europe. Millions had lost their lives during the course of the conflict. Now, the war was finally over.
Rising From the Flames Read More »
August 30, 1945, was a day like any other in DeWitt, Iowa. That is, until the explosions started. What happened that fateful afternoon, and what is its connection to the modern day? https://media.blubrry.com/kitchentablehistorian/content.blubrry.com/kitchentablehistorian/Yegge_Final.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
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