#crime history

[yeoldenews]

An excerpt from the trial of Elinor Crane, who was arrested in Middlesex in 1693 on suspicion of burglary. A witness claimed one of the burglars was a woman in men's clothing, and Elinor had previously been seen in the area dressed as a man.

"But the Court asking her why she went in Mans Apparel, the Prisoner replyed, She went to Wooe a Widow. Upon the whole Matter the Jury brought her in not Guilty."

(source: Old Bailey Proceedings: Accounts of Criminal Trials, April 26, 1693.)

[pier-carlo-universe]

Lo Strangolatore di Boston – Recensione del film su Disney+

Il film racconta la storia vera delle giornaliste Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) e Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), le prime reporter a collegare una serie di omicidi seriali avvenuti a Boston negli anni '60, attribuiti al famigerato "Strangolatore di Boston".

Titolo: Lo Strangolatore di BostonAnno di pubblicazione: 2023Regia: Matt RuskinCast principale: Keira Knightley, Carrie Coon, Chris Cooper, Alessandro NivolaGenere: Thriller, Drammatico, StoricoDurata: 1h 54minPiattaforma: Disney+ (Star Original)Valutazione: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆ (4/5) Trama. Il film racconta la storia vera delle giornaliste Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) e Jean Cole (Carrie Coon), le…

[crumblingaura]

"The Atlanta Story," Columbia Journalism Review, September/October 1981.

[youbshop]

The Enduring Mystery of D.B. Cooper: New Evidence and Insights into America’s Most Elusive Hijacker

The story of D.B. Cooper is one of America’s most captivating unsolved mysteries. On November 24, 1971, a man known only as Dan Cooper hijacked a Northwest Orient Airlines flight, extorted $200,000 in ransom money, and then vanished into the night by parachuting out of the plane somewhere over the rugged terrain of the Pacific Northwest. Despite a massive FBI investigation, his identity and ultimate fate remain unknown.

Recently, new evidence and theories have emerged, reigniting public fascination and offering fresh perspectives on this infamous case. From the rediscovery of a parachute tied to the hijacking to compelling new research about the ransom money and Cooper’s possible identity, the puzzle continues to intrigue investigators and armchair detectives alike.

The Parachute: A Critical Clue

A key focus of the mystery revolves around the parachute Cooper used during his daring escape. According to a recent report by Yahoo News, investigators have located what might be the exact parachute Cooper used in his jump. This discovery has added a significant piece to the puzzle, as the condition of the parachute could provide clues about whether Cooper survived his treacherous descent into dense forests and freezing temperatures.

Interestingly, experts noted that Cooper deliberately selected one of the older, non-steerable parachutes provided to him, rejecting a more modern and maneuverable option. Some theorists speculate this could mean Cooper had limited parachuting experience and chose the more basic option to avoid complications. However, others argue it was part of a calculated plan to leave as little traceable evidence as possible.

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The Money Trail: A Tangled Web

The ransom money, all $200,000 in $20 bills, was marked to help authorities trace it. Yet, despite years of searching, most of the money has never been recovered. In 1980, a young boy found $5,800 of the ransom along the banks of the Columbia River, miles from the suspected landing site. As Popular Mechanics highlights, the location of the money raises questions: Did Cooper drop it during his escape? Or was it deliberately buried there to mislead investigators?

The decayed condition of the bills suggests they were exposed to the elements for years, yet no definitive answers have emerged. The FBI officially closed its investigation in 2016, but independent researchers continue to analyze the money’s path and its implications for Cooper’s fate.

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Who Was D.B. Cooper?

One of the most compelling aspects of the case is the mystery of Cooper’s identity. Over the decades, hundreds of suspects have been proposed, from military veterans to rogue businessmen. A recent Cowboy State Daily article brings attention to new evidence pointing to a suspect named William Smith, a man with a background in aviation and a striking resemblance to FBI sketches of Cooper.

Supporters of the William Smith theory argue that his experience and personal history align with the hijacker’s calculated yet audacious behavior. However, skeptics caution that circumstantial evidence alone isn’t enough to link him to the crime conclusively.

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Why Does the Mystery Persist?

The D.B. Cooper case endures in the public imagination because it is a perfect cocktail of intrigue, audacity, and ambiguity. Cooper’s polite demeanor during the hijacking, meticulous planning, and seemingly impossible escape have elevated him to near-mythical status. Unlike many criminals, Cooper didn’t harm anyone during the crime, adding to the allure of his legend as a modern-day outlaw.

Moreover, the case taps into deeper cultural themes: the thrill of rebellion, the romance of the unknown, and the enduring appeal of a good mystery.

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Final Thoughts

As new evidence continues to emerge, the D.B. Cooper case remains as captivating as ever. Whether Cooper survived his jump or met his end in the wilderness, his story is a testament to the power of human ingenuity—and the limits of our ability to uncover the truth.

Until the day definitive answers are found, D.B. Cooper will remain an icon of mystery, symbolizing the thrill of the unsolved and the enduring appeal of the extraordinary.

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[allthingsgeorgian]

An impact of the Vagrancy Act of 1824

In June 1824 there was an ever increasing number of homeless and poor in England and Wales which led to the passing of the following Act, The Vagrancy Act.  The Act stated that: Every petty chapman or pedlar wandering abroad, and trading without being duly licensed, or otherwise authorized by law; every common prostitute wandering in the public streets or public highways, or in any place of…

[mowgliproductions]

VID 20240422 082420

[historysisco]

Next on the documentary watch tour is a series that I started a while back and never got to finish. Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer tells the story of the "Torso Killer" who preyed on women, killing them and mutilating them during the New York City of the 1979.

Its fascinating to see the grimy NYC of the 1970s. Its interesting to see the history of Times Square going from being a place to find dirty books, to peeps shows to XXX theaters to live peep shows. Times Square, the crossroads of the world, was one giant red light district. By the mid 1990s, Times Square went from being seedy to disneyfied.

Some people would day that its worse now.

[byjove]

The Italian restaurant in my mom’s hometown WAS definitely a mob front. The owner briefly served in the Italian military, immigrated to America in his twenties back in the early 70s, mysteriously had enough money to open a chain of Italian restaurants and was convicted for trafficking cocaine across the Virginia/West Virginia area and spent 15 years in prison.

My mom had worked as a waitress at the place while she was a teenager and throughout her 20s and she realized that when she was sent to the restaurant’s sister location in West Virginia in a mysteriously packed car by her mysteriously nice boss, it probably wasn’t pizza ingredients she was hauling. It was the 80s. She was a tiny, very naive, conventionally attractive church girl with no criminal record so she was the perfect unwitting drug mule.

The thing was, this restaurant and the man who operated it were locally loved. Beyond large scale organized cocaine trafficking, food was his other passion. Everyone waited anxiously for him to get out of prison and when he did this guy started a crusade against the corrupt local sheriff’s office. He started doing anti-police brutality advocacy work WHOLEHEARTEDLY. Donating to local families who had been victims and participating in local drives and awareness campaigns.

Made men usually do local charity work but the balls on this guy to take up sword and spear against shitty corrupt ineffectual law enforcement. Incredible. One thing about Appalachians is that we hate the cops and we love social agitators. This guy lived a long eventful life and died recently of natural causes and the overwhelming outpouring of love for him on Facebook was incredible, a uniting force that the town had not seen in decades, everybody was sharing their favorite stories about him and I’m sure local law enforcement was fuming.

[drsonnet]

The last words of Aaron Bushnell before he set fire to himself outside the Israeli embassy in Washington - Free Palestine.

The original scene is true: capture photo from video shows #AaronBushnell sets fire while a policeman is pointing a gun at his burning body!! Cop went for gun instead of an extinguisher.

DrSonnet — #CNN #BBC #SKY #NYT,.... SPEAK UP. It's 2024, not... (tumblr.com)

“I will no longer be complicit in genocide. I’m about to engage in an extreme act of protest, but compared to what people have been experiencing in Palestine at the hands of their colonizers, it’s not extreme at all…Free Palestine.” -Aaron Bushnell

"This is what our ruling class has decided will be normal"

-Aaron Bushnell

Shortly before his final act in this world, Bushnell posted the following message on #Facebook: "Many of us like to ask ourselves, 'What would I do if I was alive during slavery? Or the Jim Crow South? Or apartheid? What would I do if my country was committing genocide?' "The answer is, you're doing it. Right now."

RIP Aaron Bushnell.. He decided to be a free man and not to be complicit in #GazaGenocide.. His last words were (Free #Palestine).

Photo credit: SOURCE: Krime Krime (@krime_1) / X (twitter.com)

#RIPAaronBushnell #AaronBushnell

#Gaza #freePalestine #PalestineLivesMatter

[luciferslilith7]

"Your hand is cold, mine burns like fire. How blind you are, Nastenka!"

~ Fyodor Dostoevsky, White Nights

@luciferslilith7

[metamorphesque]

Aurora (Arshaluys) Mardiganyan was just 14 when the sky collapsed on her head. In 1915, as the Armenian Genocide began, her village was torn apart by turkish soldiers. She watched as her father, her brothers and all the men in her family were dragged away and murdered. The women and children, including Aurora, were spared only to be marched into the desert—a death sentence of a different kind.

The march was relentless. Day after day, Aurora trudged through the searing heat, surrounded by the dying and the dead. There was no food, no water—just the constant, gnawing hunger, thirst and sexual mutilation. Those who fell behind were shot or left to die under the unrelenting sun. Aurora witnessed countless mothers cradling their dying children, their bodies wasting away before her eyes. The air was thick with the stench of death, and the ground was littered with the bodies of her people, unburied, forgotten.

According to her story, the turkish soldiers decided to nail the 17 girls of her village in the group to crosses—in a grotesque parody of their Christian faith, but they miscounted and only constructed 16 crosses; Aurora was the lucky one who was not crucified.

She endured much, being sold into a harem as a teen, for 85 cents. She was beaten, assaulted and dehumanized in ways no child should ever endure. Aurora’s spirit was broken over and over again, yet somehow, she survived.

When she finally escaped, Aurora found her way to the United States, carrying the weight of what she had witnessed. She was alone, orphaned by genocide, but she was determined to tell the world what had happened. Her story, Ravished Armenia, recounted the horrors in graphic detail—images too painful for most to even imagine. But for Aurora, they were not just stories; they were the memories that haunted her every day.

She agreed to relive her trauma once more, acting in the film Auction of Souls, where she portrayed her own suffering and the atrocities she had witnessed. But even then, Aurora was exploited. The people behind the film saw her pain as a commodity, and she was never properly compensated. She gave everything—her story, her dignity, her voice—but received little in return.

In the early 1930s, both the book and the film faded from the public’s attention. The sudden and complete silencing of the film had two explanations: the growing U.S.-turkey alliances, and an agreement between Hollywood and Germany. Aurora had written about being raped by a roving gang of german soldiers in turkey before being sold into a harem

The film that was supposed to tell her story was lost, leaving behind only fragments, just like the memory of the millions of Armenians who were massacred.

Here you can find Aurora Mardiganyan's book, "RAVISHED ARMENIA".

[yeoldenews]

I know we live in a very different world now, but I find it concerning how the newspapers printed all these kids' addresses. Did any harm ever come from that, to your knowledge?

I feel like the concept of your address being private information is a very modern one. Any news story until the mid-20th century (and much later in small towns/rural areas) would include the addresses of the individuals involved. Even the smallest towns printed yearly city directories that listed everyone's current address and occupation. So I can't imagine anyone would hesitate to publish a child's address, as why bother concealing what was already considered public information?

Furthermore, the concept of stranger kidnapping - and 'stranger danger' in general - was not something that really entered the public consciousness in the US until the 1920s, and even then the vast majority of kidnappings were for ransom. It was something that happened to rich people, usually in big cities.

It wasn't until several extremely high profile kidnappings of children in the late 20s/early 30s (namely Marion Parker, Walter Collins and Charles Lindbergh Jr.) that the concept of a stranger taking your child would probably have even crossed the mind of the average parent.

Additionally it's important to understand that the role of small town newspapers (where most of the Dear Santa letters are from) was something closer to Facebook or the Nextdoor app than a source of important news. Going on a trip? It's in the newspaper. Having a small dinner party? That's getting reported, along with the guest list, menu, party favors and any decorations you put up. Your child built a particularly nice snowman? There's a reporter here and entire town will know before dinner time.

So is it possible that some burglar used a Dear Santa letter to target the home of a wealthy child sometime in the 1890s? Sure? But I can't see why in an era where if you wanted to know where someone lived you could stop any random person on the street and say "Hey, where do the Johnsons live?" and no one would hesitate to tell you.

[yesterdaysprint]

Daily News-Democrat, Huntington, Indiana, March 20, 1911

[folklorespring]

Popular Christmas song "Carol of the Bells" is based on a Ukrainian song called "Shchedryk" and was originally arranged by Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych. In 1921 undercover soviet state agent asked to stay the night at composer's' family home. In the morning he killed Mykola Leontovych and robbed his family.

"Shchedryk" was created while Mykola Leontovych was staying in Pokrovsk, city the russians are desperately trying to capture and are turning into ruins right now:

[historysisco]

Given the events of this past weekend in Pennsylvania, this program Fatal Shot: From One Death Many is highly relevant. This program deals with political assassinations around the world and the aftermath of those acts. Here is a synopsis:

"Political assassinations have triggered war, genocide and the deaths of countless others. When politically motivated assassins kill, the outcome is often the same: from one death many."

Originally shown on @PBS I'm catching it on the underrated @curiositystream Give it a go.