It Made the Papers

Students of Durgee Junior High

The news was printed. The case was closed. Everyone involved is long gone. Each season, Durgee Junior High journalism students return to the archives to investigate a local story that once made the papers, exploring the world in which it happened. Season 1: Murder on Marble Street A love affair, a public shooting, and a trial that drew attention far beyond Baldwinsville. In 1900, Lulu Ostrander was shot and killed by Harriet Schmoll, the wife of her lover. What followed was a sensational murder trial, an insanity defense, and extensive newspaper coverage

Episodes

  1. 11. A Woman in White on Marble Street

    4d ago

    11. A Woman in White on Marble Street

    Episode 11 of 11: After the trial, residents of Marble Street began reporting a woman in white who called out for her daughter. The final episode covers the ghost of Lulu Ostrander, and why Central New York was the one place in America guaranteed to believe in her.     It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art of newspaper article courtesy of the Evening Herald, Syracuse, 1900  Sound Resources Spooky Loop - Spooky Horror High Pitch Ambience by Darklitstudio -- https://freesound.org/s/700193/ -- License: Attribution NonCommercial 4.0

    3 min
  2. 10. Twelve Men Decide

    4d ago

    10. Twelve Men Decide

    Episode 10 of 11: Harriet Schmoll admitted to the shooting, and twelve men spent six hours deciding what to do about it. We reveal the verdict and discuss what usually happened to women on trial for violent crimes in 1900.     It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art of photo courtesy of the Library of Congress Sound Resources Heartbeats - Real heartbeat sound fastest by under_the_hood -- https://freesound.org/s/455440/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    3 min
  3. 9. She Spoke for Herself

    4d ago

    9. She Spoke for Herself

    Episode 9 of 11: The safest move was silence. Harriet Schmoll chose the stand. We'll cover the testimony that packed the courthouse and the risk it carried.    It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art of newspaper article courtesy of the Evening Herald, Syracuse, 1900

    3 min
  4. 8. Lulu Lived Alone, You Know

    4d ago

    8. Lulu Lived Alone, You Know

    Episode 8 of 11: Ten years before her murder, Lulu Ostrander's husband walked out and left her with two children and a label: grass widow. We look at what 1900 did to a woman raising a family without a ring on her finger.   It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art of a woman washing clothes, courtesy of the West Hempstead Historical Society

    4 min
  5. 7. Harriet Had Her Reasons

    4d ago

    7. Harriet Had Her Reasons

    Episode 7 of 11: Harriet Schmoll was put out of her father's house and married at 14, to a man who turned out to already have a wife. We trace a life that went wrong early, and ask why divorce was never really on the table. It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠ Image Resources Episode cover art of newspaper sketches courtesy of the Evening Herald, Syracuse, 1900  Sound Resources Wedding Bells - church bells ringing for wedding close good detail with traffic Montreal, Canada.flac by kyles -- https://freesound.org/s/455677/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    3 min
  6. 6. The Doctors Had an Explanation

    4d ago

    6. The Doctors Had an Explanation

    Episode 6 of 11: Harriet Schmoll never denied the shooting, so her lawyers tried something else: doctors who testified that menopause had made her temporarily insane. We examine the medical beliefs of 1900 and the defense built on them.  It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art of Dr. Locke courtesy of the Evening Herald, Syracuse, 1900

    3 min
  7. 5. Not a Woman Among Them

    4d ago

    5. Not a Woman Among Them

    Episode 5 of 11: In 1900, New York considered women too delicate to hear courtroom testimony, but not too delicate to sit at the defense table facing a death sentence. We look at the twelve men who held Harriet Schmoll's life in their hands.  It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art of the Schmull jury courtesy of the Evening Herald, Syracuse, 1900  Sound Resources Crowd talking - 072510_crowd_05.wav by moxobna -- https://freesound.org/s/102099/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    3 min
  8. 4. You Couldn't Get a Seat

    4d ago

    4. You Couldn't Get a Seat

    Episode 4 of 11: Spectators brought their lunches to Harriet Schmoll's trial so they wouldn't lose their seats, and most of them were women. We look at how the newspapers turned a village murder into the biggest show in Central New York.  It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art of the Onondaga County Courthouse as depicted in Clayton's History of Onondaga County, New York

    3 min
  9. 3. The Chair Was Just Up the Road

    4d ago

    3. The Chair Was Just Up the Road

    Episode 3 of 11:The electric chair was invented in Auburn, NY, practically next door to Baldwinsville, and its first execution went so badly that witnesses called it torture. We’ll explore what it meant for Harriet Schmoll to face the prospect of that machine. It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art courtesy of the Auburn Correctional Facility Sound Resources Heartbeat - heartbeat-80bpm-limited.wav by loudernoises -- https://freesound.org/s/332819/ -- License: Creative Commons 0Electric shock - electric_shock.flac by musmaster -- https://freesound.org/s/581290/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    4 min
  10. 2. They Say Her Brother Left the Gun

    4d ago

    2. They Say Her Brother Left the Gun

    Episode 2 of 11: Where did Harriet Schmoll get the revolver? Even in 1900, nobody could agree. We dig into the lives of both women and the gun laws that made the question almost beside the point.  It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com:⁠ https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html⁠  Image Resources Episode cover art from the Christopher Collection, courtesy of the Baldwinsville Public Library

    3 min
  11. 1. A Quiet Saturday on Marble Street

    4d ago

    1. A Quiet Saturday on Marble Street

    Episode 1 of 11: On June 9, 1900, Harriet Schmoll crossed Marble Street with a .38 revolver hidden in a bundle of newspapers. Lulu Ostrander was dead within hours, and the papers couldn't stop writing about it. It Made the Papers is researched, written, and produced by 8th-grade journalism students at Durgee Junior High School in Baldwinsville, NY, with support from their ELA teacher and school librarian. Season one, Murder on Marble Street, follows a 1900 murder in the students' own village and the questions it raises about life at the turn of the century. The series was inspired by Johnathan Croyle's November 2025 article on the case for Syracuse.com: https://www.syracuse.com/living/2025/11/did-jealousy-or-temporary-insanity-cause-a-baldwinsville-woman-to-shoot-her-neighbor-in-1900.html  Image Resources Episode cover art from the Christopher Collection, courtesy of the Baldwinsville Public Library Sound Resources Village Sounds - field polder river ambiance village Lage-Zwaluwe 0918 pm 240801_0874 by klankbeeld -- https://freesound.org/s/811777/ -- License: Attribution 4.0Footsteps on Sidewalk - footstep on sidewalk with light suburban atmo sound effect by Garuda1982 -- https://freesound.org/s/570378/ -- License: Attribution 4.0Revolver Shots - Revolver calibre 38 - vários disparos_02 by reishugo -- https://freesound.org/s/346906/ -- License: Creative Commons 0

    3 min
  • 11 Episodes

About

The news was printed. The case was closed. Everyone involved is long gone. Each season, Durgee Junior High journalism students return to the archives to investigate a local story that once made the papers, exploring the world in which it happened. Season 1: Murder on Marble Street A love affair, a public shooting, and a trial that drew attention far beyond Baldwinsville. In 1900, Lulu Ostrander was shot and killed by Harriet Schmoll, the wife of her lover. What followed was a sensational murder trial, an insanity defense, and extensive newspaper coverage

Information

  • Creator
    Students of Durgee Junior High
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Students of Durgee Junior High
  • Show Website
    It Made the Papers