Sam Smith was a desperate man. He couldn’t find a job, and he had a family to feed. Out of desperation he turned to stealing. But when he died suddenly, did his ghost return to watch over his family? Sources Prisoner Struck by Bullet When He Breaks Away. The Rock Island Argus, 11/3/1915 Escaping […]
Episode 116: The Chicken Thief’s Ghost Read More »
Jelena was nervous. Something was wrong. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but she knew there was. She looked around the small house. She kept it up as best as she could, but they were poor and there were a few things that needed fixing. But everything was clean and in it’s place. It
The Chicken Thief’s Ghost Read More »
In January of 1926, Ed Rinebold was driving his normal newspaper deliver route in western Illinois when he had a strange feeling. The car at the railroad crossing had just been in an accident. He hadn’t heard or seen anything, but just knew that’s what happened. When he went back, the flaming ruins of the
Ed Rinebold drove his delivery truck carefully down the icy roads toward the railroad tracks at Poppy Crossing, about twelve miles from Moline, Illinois. He had driven that route dozens of times as a driver for the Daily Times, a local newspaper. But he wasn’t taking any chances. The last thing that he wanted to
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
Pretty Things and A Good Right Hook Read More »
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 and Leader, 12/27/20 Brave Women Frustrate Plan of Holdup Man. The
Episode 52: Pretty Things and a Good Right Hook Read More »
Movies are full of iconic imagery. From the majestic vistas of Monument Valley in John Ford’s westerns to the bleak future battles of James Cameron’s imagination, Hollywood has impressed amazing scenes on the human psyche for over one hundred years. Perhaps amongst the most iconic of these is the image of the damsel in distress.
Damsels in Distress? Three Women Who Broke the Stereotype in 1920 Read More »
I grew up watching movies from the 1930’s and 40’s with my mom. While I still enjoyed the newer films coming out, I loved to hear the banter between Nick and Nora Charles, or thrill to Errol Flynn’s daredevil heroics. As I grew older, I began to notice a common thread amongst them – the
Hazel and Helen: Two Cases of Strong-Arm Robbery in 1920’s Moline, Illinois Read More »
Winter driving can always be sketchy in the Midwest. Snow, ice, and plummeting temperatures can create dangerous road conditions. Almost one-hundred years ago this month, a Davenport man named Singleton Gardiner tragically found that out. Insurance Agent Singleton Gardiner was the superintendent of the Davenport division of the Prudential Insurance Company. He had originally
Fire in the Snow: The Sudden End of Singleton Gardiner Read More »
