Strange Country Ep. 103: Hex Hollow Murder

Make sure to grab some five-finger grass (whatever that might be) for this episode because you are in for a primer on powwow healing. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss the hex murder of 1928--yes, you read that right--when one powwow healer killed another powwow healer he thought was cursing him. So add some dust to your coffee and find that pig's bladder and get ready for some magical thinking.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite Your Sources:

“Boy Denies Joining In 'Witch Killing'.” The New York Times, 11 Jan. 1929, pp. 28–28. https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/01/11/95707956.html?pageNumber=28

“Death of 5 Babies Laid to Witch Cult.” The New York Times, 4 Dec. 1928, pp. 14–14, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/12/04/95856757.html?pageNumber=14.

Dugan, Patrick James. “The Origin and Practition of Pow-Wow.” Berks History Center, www.berkshistory.org/multimedia/articles/pow-wow/.

Editors, History.com. “Thirty Years' War.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009, www.history.com/topics/reformation/thirty-years-war.

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America. Metropolitan Books, 2009.

Hohmann, John George. Pow-Wows, or Long Lost Friend: A Collection of Mysterious and Invaluable Arts and Remedies, for Man as Well as Animals. Wildside Press, 2010.

“Fear of Witchcraft Led to Murder.” The New York Times, 1 Dec. 1928, pp. 3–3, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1928/12/01/95853462.html?pageNumber=3.

Frank, Megan. “Tales of Witchcraft, Spells, Murder Surround Rehmeyer's Hollow.” WGAL, WGAL, 8 Oct. 2017, www.wgal.com/article/tales-of-witchcraft-spells-murder-surround-rehmeyer-s-hollow/6239526.

Free, Shane, director. Hex Hollow: Witchcraft and Murder in Pennsylvania. 2015, www.amazon.com/Hex-Hollow-Witchcraft-Murder-Pennsylvania/dp/B01HBYJ3TG/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=hex hollow&qid=1562165992&s=instant-video&sr=1-1

Glenn, Joralyn. “‘Powwowing in Pennsylvania: Healing Rituals of the Dutch Country.’” Glencairn Museum, 9 Mar. 2017, glencairnmuseum.org/newsletter/2017/3/2/powwowing-in-pennsylvania.

Kriebel, David. Powwowing Among the Pennsylvania Dutch: A Traditional Medical Practice In Pennsylvania. Penn State University Press, 2016.

McClure, Jim. “Murder and Witchcraft: The Incredible Story of York County's Hex Murder.” York Daily Record, 14 Oct. 2017, www.ydr.com/story/news/history/blogs/york-town-square/2017/10/14/murder-and-witchcraft-incredible-story-york-countys-hex-murder/764018001/.

“The Nine Years' War, 1689-1697.” Heritage, www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/exploration/9-years-war.php.

“Prisoner Told Him, 'I Got the Witch'.” The New York Times, 8 Jan. 1929, pp. 3–3, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/01/08/95704835.html?pageNumber=3.

“'Witch' Killer Guilty, Sentenced for Life.” The New York Times, 10 Jan. 1929, pp. 1 & 20, timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1929/01/10/95706636.html?pageNumber=1.

Strange Country Ep. 83: Amy Bishop

America, the land of truck nutz and morbid obesity, is also the land of guns. In episode 83, Beth and Kelly explore our obsession while telling the story of Amy Bishop, a biology professor at University of Alabama in Huntsville, who opened fire at a faculty meeting, killing three colleagues. Her trail of violence didn't begin there, but started decades earlier with Bishop killing her brother Seth in a shooting deemed accidental. This show's going to get stuck inside your head.

Theme music: Resting Place by A Cast of Thousands.

Cite your sources

Ammons, Pat. “Stephanie Monticciolo Sees 1-Year Mark as 'Rebirth' from UAH Shooting Injuries.” AL.com, 12 Feb. 2011, mediabiasfactcheck.com/al-com-alabama-news/.

Aizenman, Nurith. “Deaths From Gun Violence: How The U.S. Compares With The Rest Of The World.” NPR, NPR, 9 Nov. 2018, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2018/11/09/666209430/deaths-from-gun-violence-how-the-u-s-compares-with-the-rest-of-the-world.

Beckett, Lois. “How Often Are US Mass Shooting Carried Out by Female Attackers?” The Guardian, 4 Apr. 2018, www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/apr/04/youtube-shooting-gun-attacks-in-the-us-are-rarely-carried-out-by-women.

Daly, Michael. “The First Modern School Shooter Feels Responsible for the Rest.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 30 May 2014, www.thedailybeast.com/the-first-modern-school-shooter-feels-responsible-for-the-rest.

Fisher, Max, and Josh Keller. “What Explains U.S. Mass Shootings? International Comparisons Suggest an Answer.” The New York Times, 7 Nov. 2017, www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/world/americas/mass-shootings-us-international.html.

Jamieson, Christine. “Gun Violence Research: History of the Federal Funding Freeze.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, Feb. 2013, www.apa.org/science/about/psa/2013/02/gun-violence.

Johnson, Alex. “After 5 Years, Alabama University Killer Apologizes for the First Time.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 19 Oct. 2015, www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/after-5-years-alabama-university-killer-apologizes-first-time-n447481.

Keefe, Patrick Radden. “A Loaded Gun.” The New Yorker, 11 Feb. 2013, www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/02/11/a-loaded-gun?mbid=contentmarketing_facebook_citizennet_paid_magazine_a-loaded-gun_5-8-visit.

“Mass Shootings in 2019.” Gun Violence Archive, 2019, www.gunviolencearchive.org/reports/mass-shooting.

Pappas, Stephanie. “Female Mass Killers: Why They're So Rare.” LiveScience, Purch, 3 Apr. 2018, www.livescience.com/53047-why-female-mass-shooters-are-rare.html.

Roop, Lee. “Joseph Leahy, Survivor of Amy Bishop Shooting, Died of Heart Attack, Coroner Says.” The Huntsville Times, 7 Oct. 2017, www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2017/10/joseph_leahy_survivor_of_amy_b_1.html.

Wallace, Amy. “What Made This University Researcher Snap?” Wired, 28 Feb. 2011, www.wired.com/2011/02/ff-bishop/.

Strange Country Ep. 67: Viola Drath and Albrecht Muth

Viola Drath and Albrecht Muth's union was labeled "The Worst Marriage in Georgetown" in a NYT magazine article, written a a year after Drath's lifeless body was found by Muth on their bathroom floor. At first Drath's death wasn't considered suspicious. She was 91 after all, soon the house of cards Muth so carefully constructed came crashing down. Strange Country co-hosts Beth and Kelly explore this unlikely couple and muse abut the nature of identity.

Citations

Cite your sources:

Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth, 49, Convicted of Murder in Death of Socialite Wife Viola Drath, 91.” The Washington Post, 16 Jan. 2014, 2014/01/16/5a942d9e-7ecd-11e3-93c1-0e888170b723_story.html?utm_term=.47bbb1f5750c.

Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth Hospitalized, in Critical Condition, Following Hunger Strike.” The Washington Post, 1 Feb. 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/local/albrecht-muth-hospitalized-in-critical-condition-following-hunger-strike/2013/02/01/02e06610-6cbf-11e2-ada0-5ca5fa7ebe79_story.html?utm_term=.0a5280d91e5e.

Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth Ordered Held in Wife’s Death after Bombing Allegations Surface.” The Washington Post, 9 Sept. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/albrecht-muth-ordered-held-in-wifes-death-after-bombing-allegations-surface/2011/09/09/gIQAfdR3FK_story.html?utm_term=.23362d1c1520.

Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth Resumes Eating, Returned to Jail.” The Washington Post, 7 May 2013, www.washingtonpost.com/local/albrecht-muth-resumes-eating-returned-to-jail/2013/05/07/29f02e64-b749-11e2-b94c-b684dda07add_story.html?utm_term=.fad3b425e185.

Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth Sentenced to 50 Years in 2011 Slaying of His Socialite Wife, Viola Drath.” The Washington Post, 30 Apr. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/albrecht-muth-sentence-to-50-years-in-2011-slaying-of-georgetown-wife-viola-drath/2014/04/30/2c358b1e-d06c-11e3-b812-0c92213941f4_story.html?utm_term=.225ce54f0902.

Alexander, Keith L. “Albrecht Muth, Weak from Hunger Strike, Is Ruled Competent for Murder Trial.” The Washington Post, 5 Sept. 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/albrecht-muth-weak-from-hunger-strike-is-ruled-competent-for-murder-trial/2012/09/05/8c8af5a8-f774-11e1-8b93-c4f4ab1c8d13_story.html?utm_term=.0dd0d15df421.

Alexander, Keith L. “Trial of Albrecht Muth, Accused of Killing Georgetown Socialite Wife Drath, Set to Start.” The Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2014, www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/trial-of-albrecht-muth-accused-of-killing-georgetown-socialite-wife-drath-set-to-start/2014/01/05/88e0ed40-7496-11e3-8b3f-b1666705ca3b_story.html?utm_term=.0dd3ce348f91.

Amico, Laura. “Albrecht Muth Charging Documents.” DocumentCloud, www.documentcloud.org/documents/232961-muth.html.

Basaraba, Sharon, and Richard N. Fogoros. “Reasons Why Elderly People May Fall.” Verywell Health, 21 Aug. 2018, www.verywellhealth.com/why-do-older-people-fall-2224159.

D.C., Homicide Watch. “At Trial, Drath's Daughter Says Muth Pressured Mother for Money.” Homicide Watch DC, homicidewatch.org/2014/01/13/at-trial-daughter-says-muth-pressured-drath-for-money/.

Donnelly, Grace. “Here's Why Life Expectancy in the U.S. Dropped Again This Year.” Fortune, 9 Feb. 2018, fortune.com/2018/02/09/us-life-expectancy-dropped-again/.

Foer, Franklin. “The Worst Marriage in Georgetown.” The New York Times Magazine, 6 July 2012, www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/magazine/albrecht-muth-and-viola-drath-georgetowns-worst-marriage.html.

Joynt, Carol. “Washington Social Diary.” New York Social Diary, 17 Aug. 2011, www.newyorksocialdiary.com/across-the-nationacross-the-world/2011/washington-social-diary-31.

Joynt, Carol. “Washington Social Diary: It's a Horror Story.” New York Social Diary, 11 May 2015, www.newyorksocialdiary.com/across-the-nationacross-the-world/2015/washington-social-diary-its-a-horror-story.

Martin, Adam. “The Odd Behavior of a Husband Arrested for a D.C. Socialite's Murder.” The Atlantic, 17 Aug. 2011, www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/08/unfortunate-behavior-husband-arrested-dc-socialites-murder/354256/.

McElwaine, Sandra. “Socialite Murder: Viola Drath and Albrecht Muth's Tumultuous Marriage.” The Daily Beast, The Daily Beast Company, 8 Sept. 2011, www.thedailybeast.com/socialite-murder-viola-drath-and-albrecht-muths-tumultuous-marriage.

Stanley-Becker, Issac. “A 69-Year-Old Man Asks to Be Declared 49, Claiming Age Is as Fluid as Gender.” The Washington Post, 8 Nov. 2018, www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2018/11/08/year-old-man-asks-be-declared-claiming-age-is-fluid-gender/?utm_term=.8376fa922826.

White, Josh. “Profile of Dead Washington Socialite Viola Drath.” The Washington Post, 1 Jan. 2012, www.washingtonpost.com/local/profile-of-dead-washington-socialite-viola-drath/2011/12/06/gIQAmYQrUP_story.html?utm_term=.ab3d57ea969c.

White, Josh, and Alison Klein. “Viola Drath, Slain Georgetown Woman, Had Sought Protection from Husband, Documents Show.” The Washington Post, 15 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-drath-slain-georgetown-woman-had-sought-protection-from-husband-documents-show/2011/08/15/gIQAEb16HJ_story.html?utm_term=.2943ee4274da.

White, Josh, et al. “Viola Drath’s Husband Forged Inheritance Document, Court Papers Say.” The Washington Post, 17 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-draths-husband-forged-inheritance-document-court-papers-say/2011/08/17/gIQAS11KMJ_story.html?utm_term=.ff4815047b84.

White, Josh, et al. “Viola Drath’s Husband, Muth, Charged with Second-Degree Murder in Her Killing.” The Washington Post, 16 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-draths-husband-muth-charged-with-second-degree-murder-in-her-killing/2011/08/16/gIQAJn3HKJ_story.html?utm_term=.df7adf323b08.

Williams, Clarence, and Jenna Johnson. “Viola Drath's Death Investigated as a Homicide.” The Washington Post, 14 Aug. 2011, www.washingtonpost.com/local/viola-draths-death-investigated-as-homicide/2011/08/14/gIQAFoCcFJ_story.html?utm_term=.6112ab0a330b.

Strange Country Ep. 59: The Osage Murders

The Osage people were stripped of their homes and land and relocated to a stamp of untillable land in Oklahoma. There they struck black gold, making them extremely wealthy. They seemed to have it all until many went missing or turned up dead. Strange Country co-hosts Kelly and Beth explore the Reign of Terror that befell the Osage people in the early 1920s.

Cite Source:

http://usdakotawar.org/history/newcomers-us-government-military-federal-acts-assimilation-policies/what-reservation

Grann, David. Killers of the Flower Moon.

http://www.famous-trials.com/osage-home/2378-the-osage-reign-of-terror-murder-trials-an-account

https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-marked-woman

https://www.npr.org/2017/04/17/523964584/in-the-1920s-a-community-conspired-to-kill-native-americans-for-their-oil-money

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/osage-murders-photos-killers-of-flower-moon

http://blog.nmai.si.edu/main/2011/03/the-osage-murders-oil-wealth-betrayal-and-the-fbis-first-big-case.html

http://www.famous-trials.com/osage-home/2378-the-osage-reign-of-terror-murder-trials-an-ac

Strange Country Ep. 51: Linda Hazzard

Dr. Linda Hazzard was the only licensed fasting specialist in the state of Washington. Her methods caught the eye of two English sisters Claire and Dora Williamson. They decided to give Dr. Hazzard’s cure a try. By May 1911 Claire will be dead and Dora very near to following her to the grave. Strange Country Ep. 51 dives into the strange world of Starvation Heights.

Cite your sources:

Baurick, Tristan. “Olalla's 'Starvation Heights' Still Causes Chills after a Century.” Kitsap Sun, 30 Dec. 2014, archive.kitsapsun.com/news/local/olallas-starvation-heights-still-causes-chills-after-a-century-ep-418381772-357167181.html.

“Hazzard, Linda Burfield (1867-1938): Fasting Proponent and Killer.” Supreme Court Affirms Limited Right to Abortion in Roe v. Wade Case, Superseding Washington State Law, on January 22, 1973. - HistoryLink.org, www.historylink.org/File/7955.

“Linda Hazzard: The ‘Starvation Doctor.’” Medical Bag, 15 June 2016, www.medicalbag.com/despicable-doctors/linda-hazzard-the-starvation-doctor/article/472439/.

Lovejoy, Bess. “The Doctor Who Starved Her Patients to Death.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 28 Oct. 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/doctor-who-starved-her-patients-death-180953158/.

Olsen, Gregg. Starvation Heights. Three Rivers Press, 2005.

Shea, Molly. “How Celebs Are Tricking You into BS Wellness Fads.” New York Post, 13 June 2017, nypost.com/2017/06/13/how-celebs-are-tricking-you-into-bs-wellness-fads/.

Strange Country Ep. 49: SS Morro Castle

Ever get the creeps from someone? Trust that instinct because sometimes that guy is the one who sets a ship on fire, makes a bomb and murders. In Ep. 49 Strange Country explores the life of George White Rogers, a radio operator who was deemed a hero in the Morro Castle disaster. But was he really? More a zero than a hero.

Cite your sources:

Blake, Sarah. “When the Wreckage of a Horrific Ship Disaster Became a Tourist Destination.” Atlas Obscura, Atlas Obscura, 10 Sept. 2013, www.atlasobscura.com/articles/morro-castle-disaster.

Hicks, Brian. When the Dancing Stopped The Real Story of the Morro Castle Disaster and Its Deadly Wake. Free Press, 2008.

Larson, Erik. “The Horror of Morro Castle Lives On.” Asbury Park Press, 8 Sept. 2016, www.app.com/story/news/history/erik-larsen/2016/09/08/horror-morro-castle-lives/89597224/.

Schmidt, Margaret. “About Bayonne: 75th Anniversary of Morro Castle Disaster Sparks Memories of Bayonne 'Hero'-Turned-Murderer.” The Jersey Journal, 9 Sept. 2009, www.nj.com/bayonne/index.ssf/2009/09/about_bayonne_75th_anniversary.html.

Strange Country Ep. 19: The Benders

Kansas was bleeding way before the Bender family showed up, but they sure added their share to the body count. In Strange Country Episode 19, co-hosts Beth and Kelly discuss this murderous family that ran and inn/slaughterhouse on the Osage Trail in the 1870s, and come up with a new idea for Martha Stewart.

Sources used....lots and lots...it makes me so tired:

“Bender Knife.” Kansas Historical Society, www.kshs.org/kansapedia/bender-knife/10106.

“Bleeding Kansas.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2952.html.

“The Bloody Benders, America's First Serial Killers.” Mental Floss, 14 Nov. 2013, mentalfloss.com/article/53672/bloody-benders-americas-first-serial-killers.

“The Bloody Benders--Serial Killers of Kansas.” Legends of America, www.legendsofamerica.com/ks-benders/2/.

Duke, Thomas. The Family That Murders Together: The Bender Family of Kansas - HistoricalCrimeDetective.Com, www.historicalcrimedetective.com/the-family-that-murders-together/. Thomas Duke wrote the short feature in 1910.

Geary, Rick. The saga of the Bloody Benders: the infamous homicidal family of Labette County, Kansas. NBM Pub., 2007.

Hallowell, Wayne. “Bloody Bender Family 1871-1873.” The Bloody Benders story, www.leatherockhotel.com/BloodyBenders.htm.

History.com Staff. “Bleeding Kansas.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2009, www.history.com/topics/bleeding-kansas.

“John Brown.” HistoryNet, www.historynet.com/john-brown.

Mann, Fred. “The Settlement of Kansas: Railroad Hype Drew Settlers.” The Wichita Eagle, 23 Jan. 2011, www.kansas.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/the-story-of-kansas/article1053043.html.

Nash, Jay Robert. The great pictorial history of world crime. vol. 2, Scarecrow Press, 2004, books.google.com/books?id=aTghCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA1045&lpg=PA1045&dq=frances mccann benders&source=bl&ots=BV-gzoSWja&sig=fIspceZHMbYSRbfowdhNB3kIBlA&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwip0-KZg7fXAhXm3YMKHTGuAfkQ6AEIRTAI#v=onepage&q=frances%20mccann%20benders&f=false.

O'Brien, Liam. “Laura Ingalls Wilder and the Bloody Benders: truth or fiction? » MobyLives.” Melville House Books, www.mhpbooks.com/laura-ingalls-wilder-and-the-bloody-benders-truth-or-fiction/.

Rudolph, Vance. Kate Bender, The Kansas murderess: The horrible history of an arch killer. Pickle Partners Publishing , 2017, books.google.com/books?id=dgQqDwAAQBAJ&dq=paul ponziglione kate bender&source=gbs_navlinks_s.

Rutter, Michael. Bedside book of bad girls: outlaw women of the Old West. Farcountry Press, 2008, www.farcountrypress.com/emails/images_sept08/Farcountry_Press_Bedside_Bad_Girls_chpt1.pdf.

Turner, Erin H. Outlaw tales of the Old West: Fifty true stories of desperadoes, crooks, criminals and bandits. Rowman & Littlefield , 2016, books.google.com/books?id=C0PCCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA114&lpg=PA114&dq=wetzell kate bender&source=bl&ots=Xfzsdpj79E&sig=BwUWtqip75A4-AhORiB4bTYdoE4&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwidv9yXibfXAhWp7IMKHWRYAh8Q6AEIRjAI#v=onepage&q=wetzell%20kate%20bender&f=false.

Strange Country Ep. 3: Lizzie Borden

Maybe you never heard of Lizzie Borden, the woman accused of allegedly hatcheting her parents to death on August 4, 1892. Or maybe you dressed up like her, like some co-host of Strange Country, for a biography project in middle school guaranteeing you would never date until college. Either way now is your chance to learn more as Beth and Kelly in episode 3 explore the first trial of the century that captivated the world, and launched one of the creepiest children’s nursery rhyme of all that will make your shoulder hair stand on end.

Sources used in the making of this podcast:

Eschner, Kat. “Lizzie Borden Didn't Kill Her Parents (Maybe).” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 20 June 2017, www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lizzie-borden-didnt-kill-her-parents-maybe-180963721/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2017.

Kent, David, and Robert A. Flynn. The Lizzie Borden sourcebook. Boston, Mass, Branden Pub. Co., 2010.

Miller, Sarah Elizabeth. The Borden murders: Lizzie Borden & the trial of the century. New York, Schwartz & Wade Books, 2016.

“Official Psychic of the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast.” Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum, lizzie-borden.com/. Accessed 20 Aug. 2017.

Yuko, Elizabeth. “Lizzie Borden: Why a 19th-Century Axe Murder Still Fascinates Us.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 4 Aug. 2016, www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/lizzie-borden-why-a-19th-century-murder-still-fascinates-us-w432670. Accessed 20 Aug. 2017.