The Poisonous Dr. Cream

In the early 1940s, a well-liked man was brutally murdered in his home while his wife recovered from hip surgery in a nearby hospital. There were no signs of forced entry, plenty of cash around the home, and every door and window was locked from the inside. So who did it? And more importantly, where did the assailant go after the murder? 

The house quickly gained the reputation of being haunted as neighbors noticed lights going on and off and the silhouette of a man being seen numerous times. 

It would take Denver, Colorado detectives nearly 10 months to get to the bottom of it and when they did, they wished they hadn't. 

The games of the Third Olympiad were the first Olympics to be held on American soil. After St. Louis wrestled away the chance to host the games from Chicago, they lumped the event in with the Louisiana Purchase Expo and World Fair. 

The Olympic Marathon, an event that everyone looked forward to, was a mess from start to finish. Full of comedy, danger, and cheating. Travel back in time with Curator 135 and learn about all of the shenanigans that took place. 

It got so bad that the International Olympic Committee tried to have marathons removed from further Olympic games. 

The early 1920's was a time that saw numerous vessels vanish in the Atlantic Ocean. The Carroll A. Deering didn't vanish, but its crew did, and then washed up on the dangerous Diamond Shoals off the coast of North Carolina.

Was it mutiny? Captain Wormell and his first mate did not get along and everyone knew it. German U-boats were a thing of the past, and so were pirates, right? Was it Russians? Or the work of the not-yet-known Bermuda Triangle? 

We may never know. The Carroll A. Deering (along with the nearby disappearance of the S.S. Hewitt) may go down as one of the greatest unsolved mysteries ever. 

Arthur "Gypsy Bob" Harper (b. 1880) was one of Michigan's most notorious criminals. Murder, theft, and assault were part of his everyday life outside of prison. Luckily he only spent 15 of his 73 years out in the world. The rest of his time was spent locked up in various prisons in New York, Missouri, Illinois, and Michigan. 

Even that didn't stop him from committing heinous crimes. 

Let's learn about the man who holds the record for the most consecutive years in solitary confinement and the most tattoos.

What happened at the Attica Maximum Security Prison in September 1971 should have changed how prisons were run forever.  Unfortunately, the 'tough on crime' 80's and 90's erased any of the steps that were taken. Find out what went on during the four days inside of Attica as Governor Nelson Rockefeller battled from afar to win back the prison... at any cost. 

What are some of your Christmas-time family traditions? Elf on the Shelf? Boots on the windowsill? Hiding brooms? KFC?

Curator135 looks at some of the strange but mostly meaningful Christmas traditions around the globe. Come along for a wild ride, and learn about everything from scaring children to radishes to straw goats. 

Before iPhones and the internet, before television and radio, people went out of their way to find entertainment. If something newsworthy was happening, they wanted to be a part of it. 

Floyd Collins and the caves below Kentucky gave the nation just that in January 1925.  Hear how one man, trapped 60 feet below the surface, brought in thousands of onlookers from across the country for a two-week period. 

He wanted to be a winner in the Kentucky Cave Wars but may have sealed his fate while exploring one day. 

W.W. Jacobs, was an English author best known for his short stories, particularly the classic tale "The Monkey's Paw."

Jacobs' writing often delved into the realm of humor and the supernatural. "The Monkey's Paw," published in 1902, remains one of his most celebrated works. This chilling story revolves around a mysterious monkey's paw that grants its owner three wishes but comes with unintended and tragic consequences, illustrating Jacobs' skill in crafting suspenseful and thought-provoking narratives.

Listen to it in its entirety, read by Curator135.

In the late 1800's getting away with murder was a whole lot easier than it is today. Men like H.H. Holmes and Jack the Ripper made families lock their doors at night and prostitutes want to change professions. 

One man, who some believed could have been the infamous Jack the Ripper, managed to murder in three different countries. His reign of terror continued even after he was given life in prison. 

Episode 61 is about a man known as Dr. Cream, and later, the Lambeth Poisoner. Get to know Thomas Neill Cream. 

Everyone knows about John Wilkes Booth and his dastardly plan to weaken the government and breathe new life into the Confederacy. It didn't work and Booth was killed days later. But who killed him? Thomas "Boston" Corbett, that's who. 

Boston Corbett was an interesting character who lived a hard life but leaned on God to get him through everything. 

In some people's eyes, he was a hero, but his actions almost got him in a lot of trouble, and he lived in fear of Booth's ghost for the rest of his days. Learn more in episode 60!