Murder & Mayhem in Jefferson County, Missouri

Nov 15 2022 27 ep. 22 mins 17
Murder & Mayhem in Jefferson County, Missouri Podcast artwork

Jefferson County, Missouri is located just a few miles south of St. Louis. Yet, beneath its sleepy rural small town history lie the stories of over 200 years of murder, mystery, and intrigue. Each Tuesday, at 5:00 pm, Central Time, the Jefferson County Library Genealogy Department will share the details of the more sinister events of the county's history.

  True Crime  History  Society & Culture
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The Cold Case Murder: Margaret Lowery (1958)

Nov 15 2022 11 mins  
On a hot August morning in 1958, Harry Stoll made a grisly discovery--the bludgeoned body of a woman lying on the side of a back road in Dittmer, Missouri. Did someone get away with murder?Be sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2109079.rssBe sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps://feeds.buzzsprout.

The Hitchhiker Murder: Louis Otto (1954)

Nov 08 2022 10 mins  
Crystal City High School graduate Louis Otto was celebrating his 19th birthday when he picked up a hitchhiker. That decision cost the young man his life. Be sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2109079.rssBe sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2109079.rss

The Christmas Murder: Jacob Ringer (1840)

Nov 01 2022 15 mins  
Jimmie Toy and Jacob Ringer were only teens when violence broke out on Christmas Day in 1840 at N. B. Franklin's general store in Little Rock Township. The hot-headed youths' teasing quickly turned into murder setting off a legacy of tragedy for decades in the Toy family.Be sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2109079.rssBe sure

Deals and Duels: The Legend of John Smith T (1770-1836)

Oct 25 2022 32 mins  
The Missouri Territory held the promise of untold wealth for pioneers who were as enterprising as they were fierce. Few today have heard of John Smith T; however, his legendary exploits included a mixture of Southern gentleman and savage opportunist. Discover the fascinating story of Missouri's Lead Belt rivalry.Be sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps

The Blues Highway Robbery: Earl Snodgrass and Opal Stacy (1931)

Oct 18 2022 13 mins  
Highway 61 is also known as the Blues Highway. In 1931, it was also a corridor for would-be gangsters and bootleggers to make a quick buck. Young lovers, Earl Snodgrass and Opal Stacy formed a pre-Bonnie and Clyde duo which foreshadowed the more infamous couples' demise.Be sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2109079.rss

Prohibition and Patricide: William "Big Bill" Zaruba (1929)

Oct 11 2022 12 mins  
Petite, but scrappy, Helen Vachuda proved she could take care of herself when she shot and killed her abusive stepfather in 1929 in Barnhart, Missouri.Be sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2109079.rss

Murder in the Family: Russell Becker (1929)

Oct 04 2022 11 mins  
Was it murder or was it an accident? Ora and Russell Becker were having marital difficulties when her brother Clarence Cook stepped in to chase his wayward brother-in-law off the property. What happened next left behind a young widow and a fatherless child.Be sure to visit our sister site: Old Fashioned Murder and Mayhemhttps://feeds.buzzsprout.com/2109079.rss

Murder of a Sweet Young Thing: Pearl Potoskey (1928)

Sep 27 2022 20 mins  
Successful DeSoto, Missouri businessman Sol Hohenthal had no trouble finding pretty, young ladies willing to overlook his violent temper to be seen draped on his arm at the fashionable restaurants and clubs in Prohibition-era St. Louis. When 25-year-old Pearl Potoskey was found dead on his dining room floor under mysterious circumstances, the tongues really started wagging. Was it

Murder of the Innocent: Louis Merrill Taylor (1872)

Sep 20 2022 29 mins  
The aftermath of the Civil War in America left thousands of children in need of homes. By the 1870s, various societies had formed to seek families willing to take in orphans. While there were obviously successful adoptions, there were also those that ended in horror and tragedy. Such was the case of the adoption of the Taylor children.The fate of the siblings at the hands of a trul

The Great Festus Bank Heist: (1926)

Sep 13 2022 25 mins  
Booze, broads, bootleggers, and bank robbers were all part of the "roaring twenties" in the U. S. A. and even in Jefferson County, Missouri. Before Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, or Baby Face Nelson, there was the sensational bank heist of Citizen's Bank in Festus, Missouri. The robbery was complete with a wild car chase, a shootout, and a hideout along the Big River. Discover