Little Crimes on the Prairie

Crooked C Ranch Productions

Midwest true crime as well as stories of the unexplained, obscure, peculiar and down right scary Prairietales sent in by our listeners. We focus on Midwest cases, but a good story is a good story! Hope you join us! Listen, like, subscribe and follow us on FB (Little Crimes on The Prairie) and Twitter (@crimeslittle). Send us your stories! truecrimeprairie@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 06/09/2022

    Lyon County Iowa Jane Doe

    It takes nearly 4 decades to identify a Jane Doe found in a ditch in rural Lyon County Iowa. Investigators realized that this woman's short life began just as tragic as it ended. Iowa Cold Cases website, The Sioux City Journal, Des Moines Journal and Wilma's daughter Krissi were sources for this story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    14 min

  2. 01/11/2022

    Episode #113 - Update Episode - Rachel Cyriacks/Eugene Prins/ Deb Vallejo

    https://www.inforum.com/news/the-vault/investigators-hone-in-on-suspect-in-missing-persons-case-rachel-cyriacks Update on Rachel Cyriacks case- Interviews with Rachel's mom and Eugene Prins' brother Colton and step-dad Jeff. What I think happened to Debbie Vallejo. Not that it matters what I think, but I'm gonna tell you anyways. I think Deb's case is more about forgiveness than whodunit. There's going to be a lot of you who don't agree, that's ok. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    37 min

  3. 01/07/2021

    Episode #112 - The Victor Newberry Affair

    You’d be surprised at small town America and the stories you might hear if you spend some time at a local watering hole. We know, you’re likely on your way to almost anywhere else. Our little home towns with our single stoplights, and noon special diners are rarely the desired destinations for travelers.  Except for maybe once a year, when any Midwest town worth driving to, has it’s annual celebration. Where I’m from we will celebrate anything in the summer!  We celebrate water towers, chislic, flowers, outlaws, quarries.. Literally anything… We also have Pow Wows, All kinds of Reunions, Centennials, Sesquicentennials for those fancier towns established before statehood in the Dakotas.  The highlight of these small town celebrations is people show up… Sons, daughters, cousins and friends come home to visit, because if we don’t celebrate Jesse James, who will???  Most of these celebrations are capped with a street dance, and if you’ve never attended one I highly recommend it! If you don’t like drinking and dancing on Main Street to a cover band playing Don’t Stop Believing, I still 10/10 would recommend going just to people watch. Or listen.  I have heard some of the wildest stories (probably starred in a few as well) at gatherings like these. The story will be told, and you’ll be as confused as a fart in a fan factory. Oh but not for long! There will be a guy who won’t say names, but he’ll tell you all about the “cover-up”... Could be a murder, could be a robbery, could be a story about someone breaking into cars stealing change, maybe poachers… It doesn’t have to be sensational, it just has to be unsolved, or at least without a clearly defined sequence of events.  It wasn’t until I started listening to Dakota Spotlight this past spring, that I discovered I wasn’t alone! I wasn’t the only one who refused to accept one of these conspiracy theories without a second thought.  I wasn’t the only one who was irritated hearing a whale of a tale with no facts. I was no longer alone in my search for some damn answers, and mostly, I wasn’t alone in my disappointment. The kind of disappointment you feel when society feels like sandpaper against the grain of your morality. Angry after you hear a story about a teenage girl found dead in the creek on the edge of a town you practically grew up in, but would barely tell you her name. Or when it happened. Yet, somehow, all of them knew with alarming confidence who was responsible, and why…  It wasn’t until I heard James Wolner tell the story of Viktor Newberry, that I finally felt like I wasn’t the only one pissed off at all these people who seem to know it all, but have never thought to do anything, other than gossip, about it…. This wasn’t poachers, or a change thief. This was a young lady who these people claim was murdered. Why in the hell isn’t anyone raising hell about this?? Alas, across the prairie in Glen Ullin North Dakota the story of Viktor Newberry’s death and the cover up that followed was told to James. Unacceptable without facts, finally someone set out to find some.   Last spring I was sick of hearing about quid pro quo, conspiracies, cover ups, collusion, but mostly I was sick of hearing about “fake news”...  James so accurately described what I was feeling I had to add a little snippet! The thing about conspiracies, is that they’re supposed to be secret… If a whole town knows about it, it’s not much of a conspiracy. If the allegations of a cover up were true, and everyone knows about it, aaannnddd nobody does anything about it? That’s not a conspiracy, that’s b******t. That’s blatant abuse of power, and a bunch of dumbasses who allow it to happen.  I don’t even think I was through the first episode of Dakota Spotlight before I was emailing James. It felt like I had a kindred spirit up there in North Dakota, and turns out I was right!  I reached out to James and he’s been an incredible resource, I enjoy collaborating with him on various projects! He’s been so kind to offer help and encouragement, I’ve come to think of him as a friend (even if he is from ND)... Hahaha! Just kidding! North Dakota is great in the summer!  *I should really get some sound effects to highlight these hilarious jokes* James’ podcast journey with Dakota Spotlight began much like mine did. Albeit about 3 years apart, but that’s ok, somebody has to know the things.  He found himself in Glen Ullin, North Dakota for their annual Fall Festival. Somehow he ended up listening to some guy in a bar tell him about a guy named Viktor Newberry, how he was whacked by the Boston Mob and the local police covered up the true nature of his death.  Well, he wasn’t just going to take the word of some guy who likes to tell stories. So, he started checking it out. Just like anyone else could, but won’t for some reason. They’d rather sit there with their rumors, than actually try to find out some facts. My experience with Debbie Vallejo’s case, and James’ deep dive into the life and death of Viktor Newberry struck every chord in my soul. Not in a weird way, but in a “oh yay, I feel less like a crazy person!” sort of way...   Let’s see what he’s up to…… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    42 min

  4. 12/28/2020

    Episode #111 - Prairietales #2 - Blizzard 1975

    When we talk about the midwest sometimes we forget to mention the weather. The climate in the midwest is pretty much as you might guess, warm in the summer and cold in the winter.  There’s a phenomenon in the midwest where the weather changes very quickly. I’ve seen the temperature shift almost 100 degrees in 24 hours. In January 1943 in Spearfish, SD the temperature increased 49 degrees in 2 minutes from 4 below zero to a sunny 45 degrees. 2 minutes.  Let’s not forget the wind…. There’s so much damn wind here, there are wind turbines all over in the southwestern corner of Minnesota and Eastern South Dakota. It seems like it is always windy here.. Chinook winds from the southwest bring warm winds and Alberta Clippers bring the cold arctic wind.  The I-90 and I-29 corridors in Western MN, Eastern SD, Northern IA is where I’m from. There’s The Buffalo Ridge in Southwest MN, which turns into the Coteau Ridge as it runs north just past the North Dakota border. This is known as the Coteau de Prairies, a flatiron plateau where the wind builds strength before it rolls down the plateau and across the prairie, spinning the wind turbines like a child’s pinwheel.   We don’t hear enough about the blizzards. The wind is what separates a snowfall from a blizzard. Not a winter storm, but the full on, you better have your shit together, for real or you could die f*****g blizzards.  Since we just had a blizzard I figured I would tell you a story about my mom and one of the worst blizzards on record.  There’s probably a lot of people listening that don’t know what a blizzard is like. I’m gonna do my best to describe it..  Let me paint you a picture, it’s white….. And I slap you in the face with it a hundred times while your extremities freeze and you can’t see.  The blizzard I’m gonna tell you about started on January 9th, 1975. This particular blizzard had winds sustained at 45-55 mph and gusts up to 80 miles per hour. Yes. 80. Imagine freeway fast snow, ice and debris coming at you as the wind takes your breath away. You can only breathe if you don’t bury your head in your coat or scarf. The wind shapes the drifts that can drastically change the landscape. You can’t tell which way you are going, in the upper midwest if you are stuck you never leave your vehicle to walk somewhere.  Obviously, that was more important back before cell phones, but still sometimes out here (Yes even now) there’s dead zones. Calls are dropped and texts just sit there half sent.. That’s not where you want to be when the wind picks up and the snow starts flying.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    25 min

  5. 12/10/2020

    Episode #110 - Duct Tape Killer - Robert LeRoy Anderson

    The murders of Larissa Dumansky and Piper Streyle Sioux Falls, SD is the largest city in South Dakota, snuggled near the eastern border with Minnesota and Iowa’s northeast corner.  You can often find it on some list of the Best Places to live. Almost 30% of the state’s population can be found in the Sioux Falls “Metro” Area.  (yes I used airquotes)  Over 2 decades has passed since the confusion, worry and ultimately the realization of the predator that lurked among South Dakota’s east river metropolis.  Hunting and studying women from all over the areas in and outside of Sioux Falls. A predator that was insidiously astute, patient and decisive preyed upon unsuspecting women. A creature lived beneath an exterior that was dangerously unnoticeable.  In August, 1994 Larisa Dumansky disappeared after a long night at work. The night shift at the John Morrell’s meat packing plant was hard work, but Larisa was up for the task. She and her husband Bill immigrated from Ukraine in 1991, determined to create a better life for their growing family. The mother of 2 girls was 6 weeks pregnant. Larisa’s van sat parked in the same spot she parked before walking into work that night.  The disappearance of the doting mother and loving wife left investigators frustrated, her family devastated and a burgeoning city shaking its head at the lack of leads. Weeks turned into months, and then years as the Dumansky family remained hopeful, although knowing Larisa would never leave her life voluntarily. Larisa’s husband Bill and their children held on to hope, and for 3 years that was all they had. The answers they ultimately received were nothing short of unimaginable.    In July of 1996 Piper Streyle’s disappearance was the catalyst that set off a chain of events, uncovering the sort of depravity that deserved to be kept in the dark recesses of a foul mind without context or a story to tell.  But, I’ll tell the story, not to give fame or glory to this depraved man, but to educate. Trust your gut, and if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.   It was the situation mothers have nightmares about. The paralyzing idea of being taken from your children in a manner that leaves them scarred as witnesses.  Something so f*****g terrifying you can only hope your 2 and 3 year old will be safe long enough for you to endure whatever this is, you’d do anything to get back to them. Hoping only they understand that the only thing that could have taken you is the fear of them being killed or death itself .. Every mother I know would gladly stare death in the face if it meant putting distance between a monster and her children. You pray for your family as it all fades to black and honestly, at this point you’re probably welcoming death after what he’s done to you.  Sexually Violent Predators most commonly use violence as a means to gain and maintain control of a nonconsenting party. We all know and understand that sexually motivated assaults are difficult to endure, difficult to prove and difficult to prosecute. This is likely why only 230 out of 1000 sexual assaults are reported, out of 1000 sexual assaults 995 perpetrators will walk free.   Marquis de Sade was a French author and sexual deviant, from whom we derived the word Sadist. He was a pedophile, rapist and a sexual terrorist. He is the father of the modern day sexual sadist. Sexual Sadists make up a small percentage of perpetrators, not all rapists are sadists.    Sexual sadists get sexual pleasure from the pain, suffering and/ or humiliation of their victims. Of course all predators are terrifying, but there is something about these crimes that I find exceptionally horrifying. I think it’s the pleasure they get from your suffering. They are unlikely to have empathy for you in any capacity, their ultimate satisfaction comes with watching you suffer and then die.   In July of 1996 Piper and Vance Streyle, with their children Shaina and Nathan lived in rural Canistota, SD. On July 29th after failing to appear at work a coworker named Patty Sinclair called the Streyle residence, where 3 year old Shaina Streyle answered the phone.  Patty spoke with Shaina who said her mommy and daddy weren’t home, and hung up. Patty called a second time and Shaina was incoherent between her uncontrollable sobs. Patty was able to talk with Shaina enough that the poor girl had calmed down a bit and when she expressed to Patty “She didn’t want her mommy to die!” “I don’t want my daddy to die!” “They’re probably killed”... Patty promptly notified the McCook County Sheriff's Office. McCook County Sheriff Gene Taylor arrived and found the 2 Streyle children in the home alone. 3 year old Shaina’s statements to her father and police are heart wrenching “he took mommy and he took the tent. It’s ok we have another one. He left in a black truck, all black and she (Piper) isn’t coming back.  He is going to kill her.” 3 year old Shaina sobbed uncontrollably at times. It was 2 year old Nathan’s birthday and his birthday present, a little blue tent was taken along with their mother. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    32 min
  6. Episode #109 - Fate of Fortune Part #2 - Gaston Means

    11/22/2020

    Episode #109 - Fate of Fortune Part #2 - Gaston Means

    Fate of Fortune - Gaston Means Part #2 If you haven’t listened to Part 1 of Fate of Fortune, please do  before you continue with this episode! It will make so much more sense, I promise!  Hey there! Welcome to Little Crimes on the Prairie… I don’t think I have any business to blab about today - It’s been like 2 days since Part 1 came out, so no new business today! We get to just dive right back in! So we’ll recap Part 1 a bit…  We learned a little about James King and his self made millions. I’m not going to say he never took advantage of anyone, but there is a clear cut contrast if you look back at the 20 year old versions of them. When James was 20 he left Vermont for Illinois, both parents already deceased and $270 to build his life on.  When Gaston was 20 he was gearing up to drop out of the University of North Carolina, and take a job his father got him. Gaston manipulated people and things, James seemed to be honestly familiar with serendipity.  When James lost his first wife Sarah he remained single for over 10 years and seemed to enjoy himself and everything around him. He eventually met 28 year old Maude Robinson and married her. Although, not exactly chomping at the bit, he first had her sign a prenup. He died in 1905 (I’d like to see his death certificate, even though nothing suspicious about that has been raised) Later, in court to contest James’ will, Maude claimed that the marriage wasn’t consummated until he showed that he added her to his will. Which he did, she was to receive $100,000 upon his death and he’d already given her $200,000. So $300,000 for some 1900’s booty, seems a little steep.   Northern Trust settled with Maude for a million bucks, and she heads to Europe to waste some of her hard earned money.  Eventually, Maude’s sister Mazie hired Gaston Means to help look after Maude’s affairs and money. In just 2 years Gaston had lost her fortune in stocks, and decided what everyone needed was a trip to his hometown, for some good ol’ southern hospitality and rabbit huntin’...  Gaston’s family played host to a grand ol time. Maude even planned a good ol fashioned BBQ wishing to invite the whole town!  Gaston was sure to get Maude a new pistol, becuse she didn’t care for the one she was using. She’d never had an inclination to hunt anything prior and Maude’s mother Ana testified that Maude was scared of guns and had refused to ever touch one. Not that it really matters, because during some moonlight target practice Maude get’s dead in the most totally believable, not at all predictable gun accident.  Could happen to anyone in a remote area, shooting targets in the dark, with the person who manages your entire life and has nothing to gain by you totally shooting yourself…. Accidentally, though. Behind the left ear. With a Colt .25. With a palm pressure safety…. Well, the “jury” for the inquest in Concord agreed with Gaston. Immediately following the “inquest” Means, Mazie and the undertaker hightailed it back to Chicago to get her in the ground.     Word made the rounds to NYC and Chicago about the suspicious circumstances, and Maude was exhumed and re examined by a pathologist. Wouldn’t you know it, he determined her death to be a homicide!   Murder charge looming in his home county, the world learned about a second will of James King! WHAT?!? Ya don’t say?? This will Gaston claimed to have found in mid August of 1915, and with Maude totally aware of this new will, Gaston set off to have it verified by experts for 2 years!!  Apparently the Violet King had a literal last minute change of heart. Screw the old men’s home and the rest; it should all go to Maude it said.   Conveniently, witnessed by Mazie Melvin herself, her husband and the president of Northern Trust (who held James King’s estate in trust) Byron Smith.. Of the 3 witnesses only Mazie was still living. Talk about bad luck huh?? Such luck, such Serendipity to have come across such a valuable document while sorting through some old papers Maude had so carelessly tossed aside. It’s as if she didn’t even know it was there, oh Maude what a silly woman you were… If only she hadn’t been so eager to go shooting targets in the moonlight, with the guy who had her power of attorney and accidentally shot herself in the back of the head, and died.    The will was not presented to the court despite having found it 2 years earlier. Naturally, Means explained he needed to get the opinions of experts to verify it’s authenticity. 5 experts had verified the document, and Maude’s death couldn’t have happened at a more inopportune time…. They were set to file the newly discovered will in court the very next week!! How inconvenient for Gaston, thankfully for him he had the full support of Maude’s caring sister Maizie, a witness to the signing of the document.  OOOHHH aannnd there’s more. Gaston also had a contract signed by Maude that assured almost $1 million to Means upon the will’s verification and successful probate.  So with Maude pushin up daisies, her power of attorney in hand and Mazie nodding her head, Gaston had finally landed his whale. The biggest score of his life was all but in the bag, once that pesky, murdery little ordeal was finally over he would be set.  No more schlepping around bustin his ass blackmailing and extorting people just to get by. Now he’ll have more free time to extort and blackmail people for sport. Ha! You didn’t think he was planning to retire did ya? Not even close.  Gaston’s literal home court advantage is where we left off in Part #1.  Gaston was eventually brought to trial in Maude’s murder, his counsel were prominent members of the NC Bar, including ET Cansler (member of the draft exclusion board for western NC) Frank Armfield and more….  plus his father “The Col.” W.G Means and brother Brandon as “advisors” The prosecution of this crime was brought by State Solicitor Hayden Clement with the assistance of LC Caldwell, Jake Newell as well as the Cook County Illinois Assistant District Attorney John Dooling.  The Grand Jury was basically made up of his pals, and they weren’t in any hurry to answer, but had no choice given the evidence, to eventually return an indictment.  Means was arrested Sept 22nd 1917, and the days leading up to his arrest were full of subpoenas, motions, and a pervasive dislike for the northerners involved with the case in any way. Brandon Means even punched a northern reporter for making a picture of his sister.  The trial was set in Cabarrus county, to begin on November, 26th 1917.  This case was in the papers across the country, it was so scandalous and dramatic, with a cast of characters so eccentric it was impossible to ignore. Everything about the case was sensational and with WWI still raging it was a distraction. Jaws dropped when Gaston revealed his work with the Germans and the Burns Agency. Heads would continue to spin throughout the entire trial, and for years after as you will find…. Maude’s receipts and ledgers presented to the court showed how just over $100,000 remained of her once handsome estate. Trusts dissolved, $25,000 borrowed to Means, there was also a sum borrowed to JB “Buster” Foraker (close friend of Maude’s) widow of former Governor and Senator from Ohio Joseph B Foraker. Also, $9,000 monthly for the 3 neighboring apartments on Park Avenue; one housing the Means family the other 2 Maude and Mazie including household expenses. The defense used this to illustrate Maude’s reckless spending, even though Gaston had wiped out her trusts, stocks and other securities. Means father in law was found to have large funds held in securities with 2 trust companies in Chicago.   A trunk full of documents were seized as Afton Means was attempting to take them out of Gaston’s Park Avenue Apartment. One can only assume to deliver to the Defense team. One document of particular interest to the Prosecution was a sheet of stationary belonging to Means with Maude’s signature written several times in a row…. Firearms experts disputed each other, and an expert for the defense said bullets are crazy as cotton.. One more of the several testifying for the defense used the N word in open court to explain the thicknesses of foreheads....  Means testified in his trial and had an answer for everything. Many years later in 1964 the Raleigh News and Observer quoted Hayden Clement as saying “Gaston Means was the smartest witness I ever examined.”  Means was repeatedly instructed to speak to the person addressing him, not the jury due to his habit of turning simple answers into speeches and making complex theories regarding Maude’s fate seem factual.  This mostly went unchecked by Judge E.B Cline, occasionally he reprimanded Means.  Numerous defense witnesses claimed they had also placed guns in the crotch of the sycamore tree at Blackwelder spring, and none had fallen. One witness for the defense even testified he had turned his ankle on a root while he had his knife in his hand. He claimed he stumbled in such a way that his knife struck him behind the left ear… He also failed to duplicate this alleged scenario in court.  Gaston and his cohorts were quite comfortable in the courtroom, they laughed and winked at one another as if not concerned about the allegations.   Reading about it just over 100 years later has me staring in disbelief at what was seemingly normal, re reading article after article.. I can’t possibly be reading this right, but yes it’s absofuckinloutely true and chronicled in thousands of articles in newspapers across the country. I used Newspapers.com for a majority of my research, piecing together the facts from thousands of archived articles.  In December of 1917 Gaston is acquitted of Maude’s murder after he and his defense basically flipped the bird at the process and court of law.  Maude may no

    36 min

  7. 11/12/2020

    Episode #108 - Fate of Fortune - Gaston Means

    Long ago, in a place named Serendippo, a King had the highest of hopes his 3 princes would have the best of everything. However, He couldn’t just simply leave his sons with power and wealth, he must also instill the virtues important to the delicate balance such a position requires. Education being the most important of these virtues.  The 3 princes excelled academically and the royal tutors were pleased. The King tested his sons and proposed he live in the shadows and relinquish his throne.  Each prince declined, praising the King’s wisdom and ability to rule. While it pleased The King, he felt the princes’ education may have been entirely privileged and sheltered.  Or maybe he figured they were full of shit, I mean not one wanted to take his throne?  Either way. The King pretended to be angry and cast the Princes away from Serendippo for some real life experience…  The 3 Princes were indeed wise, but it was their skills in observation that had served them well thus far. The 3 Princes knew how important education was to their father, but they also knew of his desire for perfection. The Princes observed The King’s penchant for vanity and saw how their father could never admit failure or fault. The Prince’s knew if one had accepted the offer of the Throne from The King he would have been insulted, instead they received a free vacation. Simply by attention paid to the world around them.  After a long voyage, The 3 Princes arrived in a foreign land and became keenly aware and familiar with their environment. Taking it all in; from the dirt beneath their feet to the air above them. They walked and watched, listened and smelled.  The Princes saw a merchant who said he lost his camel. The Princes asked if the camel was lame, blind in one eye, missing a tooth, carrying honey, butter and a pregnant woman. The hopeful merchant asked where they saw his camel. The Princes said they had not seen the camel or the woman. Thieves! the Merchant charged and brought them before the Emperor.  The Emperor demands to know how they can give such an accurate description despite having never seen the animal.  Each Prince explained: Grass was eaten from the side of the road that was less green, the camel must be blind in one eye and unable to see the lush grass just steps away... Bits of grass littered the road, the camel had clearly lost some of his meal through the gap from a missing tooth….  3 feet made prints, the fourth made a path; flies on one side and ants on the other could be from none other than a lame camel dripping butter for the ants and honey for the flies. Nearby was a wet patch of dirt near footprints and a handprint. It was urine where a pregnant woman must have used her hand to get back up after relieving herself. Unbelievable!  Just then the trial was interrupted by a traveler who had found an old lame camel wandering the desert and the pregnant woman nearby. The Emperor spared the Princes and made them his advisors, lavishing them with riches.  The Princes lived an adventurous life and enjoyed many fortuitous endeavors. Opportunistic observations? Or just damn lucky?  Serendipity was the word Horace Walpole wrote, in search of a word to describe a fortuitous accident. A description of accidentally finding something amazingly beneficial, while looking for something else completely. Serendipitous fortune.  Is it just Lucky in Life or Make your own Luck? Coincidence? Fate? Or could it be manifested through clever and acute observations?   Some may say it’s intuition, and intuition can’t really be separated from general observation. At least not scientifically.  Observation can be tuned and learned, but can Intuition? Even the best poker players rely on a little luck as well as their observations and acting.  Reading people isn’t just for cards.  Sometimes it’s a seemingly natural skill that you can find in people with PTSD or past traumatic experiences. In that sense it’s a defense mechanism that can be attributed to hypervigilant personalities. They know the outcome of situations and identify danger quickly based on interruptions in learned behavior patterns.    Observation is really an entire mental process in which knowledge is produced. The Godfather of Neuroscience, Wilfred Trotter said “ “Knowledge comes from noticing resemblances and recurrences in the events that happen around us,”  For centuries con men and women have used opportunistic observation to mark their victims. Gaston Bullock Means was one of America’s most notorious confidence men. J Edgar Hoover called him”The most amazing figure in contemporary criminal history”...  I’m gonna tell you the story of how he tried to swindle my great great grandmas rich uncle out of millions and got away with murder.  INTRO - Welcome to Little Crimes on the Prairie This podcast is written and produced by Kristi (That’s me). I’m making some gradual changes to the show, so please bear with me as I make those adjustments. Hopefully the only change you notice is a better listening experience. I don’t have a team to produce this podcast, it’s just me and those who choose to participate. It’s a lot of work and I do it because this project is important to me. If you’d like to become a sponsor or just support this podcast, I’m currently working on the website and hopefully that will be updated with sponsorship information soon. I’m also scrapping Patreon and will be offering exclusive content for members. I’m hoping by the new year we can have these goals complete.  There’s a few other projects I’m working on as well and you’ll hear about them eventually. For now I think that covers the biz and I’ll just get to the story.    So occasionally, I shake the ol’ family tree and a few nuts fall out… Gaston Means isn’t part of my family tree but he is definitely a nut! The megalomaniac was found hiding among one of the branches in my sequoia of a family tree. In the last episode I talked about Fate, and in this one I told you about Serendipity. They are related in the sense that Fate is predetermined and Serendipity is basically doing what you were already doing and discovering something great...  They are very different because serendipity can be staged, while fate (the idea of it) is not pliable. Some people are capable of elaborate behind the scenes plotting. They con their way into the good graces of people with money, power, fame or just about anything that seems beneficial to them.  Con man is short for confidence man, because it takes a great deal of confidence to pull off elaborate schemes. Modern day Catfish are also in the same genre as con men. It’s not fate that brings them to these opportunities as they will try to make you believe. Their skill in observation, human nature, as well as creating chaos and confusion is what gives them the advantage. However, it could be that was their fate all along, to teach people a life lesson in trust. Maybe it’s God’s will that cons lack the conscience and morals of regular society, only to wind up in jail or on the receiving end of revenge for their misdeeds. Free Will or Fate?  We will never know for sure but we can assume that if it’s too good to be true it usually is. It used to be a lot harder to read people before they started sharing every intimate detail on social media. Today Gaston Means would be like the Wolf of Wallstreet Jordan Bellafort or Catch me if you can - Frank Abagnale… J Edgar Hoover once called Means “The most amazing figure in contemporary criminal history”... He was an associate of Jess Smith and President Harding’s Ohio Gang. He was an extortionist, and blackmailer. He was a forger and a fraud on all fronts. While he may have had some sort of mental illness such as megalomania and other narcissistic traits. I think he was just an a*****e who preferred easy money, for most of his life he had never actually been held accountable for anything.  Well before Gaston Means was born, James Clarke King left his boyhood home in Glover Vermont for the state of Illinois. Just 20 years old in 1850, James didn’t have much to his name except an industrious attitude and a knack for understanding business. He had already lost both parents and that was probably the reason he was determined to succeed in all areas of his life. 7 years after arriving in Illinois, as an unknown Abe Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debated on the political stages throughout the state, and the country ran headlong toward the civil war. James married Sarah Holbrook and eventually the couple found themselves in Chicago. James became involved in the lumber industry as a merchant. It was a fortunate industry to be tethered to when the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 was finally out. 18,000 buildings had been destroyed, 100,000 people were in dire need of lumber to rebuild their homes and businesses. James was able to profit immensely from the tragedy and with his growing fortune found satisfaction in philanthropic efforts. Sarah died in 1886, at the age of 56, they had been married for almost 30 years.  James stayed busy and continued to grow his empire. He made sound investments in railroads and infrastructure and by 1894 he was the VP of the Chicago City Railway. As he aged the midwest winters became intolerable and he preferred to spend the winter in Pasadena California, enjoying the sunshine. He often admired the beauty of the so-called buds of society. James flattered the young ladies by sending bouquets of violets, this earned him the title of the Violet King.  In 1901 he had his will filed and provided a sum to a woman named Maude Robinson. James had amassed an estate worth approximately $4 million dollars (which is equivalent to over $120 million today) he Eventually he had an antenuptial agreement made with Maude for $100,000 and the $200,000 he had provided to her for music training in Paris. They married later that year in M

    31 min

  8. 10/24/2020

    Episode #107 - Psychic Suzie

    Kristi interviewed Psychic Suzie to see what is going on over on the other side of the veil. Suzie explains how she helped turn Carrie Nelson's cold case into a closed case. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    48 min
See All (14)

4.6
out of 5
37 Ratings

About

Midwest true crime as well as stories of the unexplained, obscure, peculiar and down right scary Prairietales sent in by our listeners. We focus on Midwest cases, but a good story is a good story! Hope you join us! Listen, like, subscribe and follow us on FB (Little Crimes on The Prairie) and Twitter (@crimeslittle). Send us your stories! truecrimeprairie@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Crooked C Ranch Productions
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2022
  • Episodes
    14
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2022 Crooked C Ranch Productions
  • Show Website
    Little Crimes on the Prairie