Most Notorious! A True Crime History Podcast MOST NOTORIOUS +

On November 28, 1942, fire roared through Boston's famed Cocoanut Grove nightclub during what was supposed to be a high-spirited Saturday night. By midnight, more than five hundred people were dead, dying, or maimed for life.

My guest, Boston historian and author Stephanie Schorow, walks us through the history of the nightclub, the possible causes of the tragic fire, the devastation it caused, and the aftermath. Her book is called "The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub Fire: A Boston Tragedy".

More about the author at her website: https://www.stephanieschorow.com/
Buy the book (and help independent bookstores) here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-cocoanut-grove-nightclub-fire-a-boston-tragedy-stephanie-schorow/18576557?ean=9781467152877
More about the fire here: https://www.cocoanutgrove.org
https://bostonfirehistory.org/the-story-of-the-cocoanut-grove-fire/
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In September of 1931, Thalia Massie, a young naval lieutenant’s wife, claims to have been raped by five Hawaiian men in Honolulu. Following a hung jury in the rape trial, Thalia’s mother, socialite Grace Fortescue, and husband, along with two sailors, kidnap one of the accused in an attempt to coerce a confession. When they are caught after killing him and trying to dump his body in the ocean, Mrs. Fortescue’s society friends raise enough money to hire seventy-four-year-old Clarence Darrow out of retirement to defend the vigilante killers. The result is an epic courtroom battle between Darrow and the Territory of Hawaii’s top prosecutor, John C. Kelley, in a case that threatens to touch off a race war in Hawaii and results in one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in American history.

My guest is attorney and professor Mike Farris, author of "A Death in the Islands: The Unwritten Law and the Last Trial of Clarence Darrow". He shares details from this riveting story with us on this most recent episode of Most Notorious.

The author's Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Mike-Farris/author/B00BDU8BNY
The author on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mike.farris.756859
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On this episode of Most Notorious Plus, we explore the tragic massacre of the Brown family in rural 1840 Pennsylvania, and the man who would be tried for their murders.



Sources:

The Columbia Democrat 9/19/1840 p. 1
The Columbia Democrat 11/28/1840 p. 3.
The Daily News, Huntingdon, PA. 5/31/1947 p. 6
Brown Family Farm Cemetery Grave Marker: https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2449045/brown-family-farm-cemetery

On July 27th, 1903, thirteen convicts at California's Folsom Prison, led by Richard "Red" Gordon, attacked prison guards, took hostages, emptied the armory and made a dash for freedom. Some would be captured and punished for the murders they committed along the way, some would be killed themselves, and others would forever elude authorities.

My guest is Josh Morgan, author of "The Folsom Prison Bloody 13: The Big Escape of 1903". He joins me to share details of this epic escape and it's aftermath. The book is officially out on June 3rd.

Pre-order the book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Folsom-Prison-Bloody-13-Escape/dp/1467155934

More about the author and his book here: https://www.joshmorganauthor.com/
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Today we revisit another one of my favorite episodes, the sinking of the Eastland.
On July 15th, 1915, a steamship with a checkered past called the SS Eastland docked at a wharf on the Chicago River in downtown Chicago, ready to transport 2500 Western Electric employees and their families across Lake Michigan to a company picnic. Once boarding completed, however, terrible tragedy struck when the ship tilted over and into the river, killing over 800 people -mostly women and children- in a horrific, chaotic scene.

My guest is Michael McCarthy, author of the New York Times Bestseller "Ashes Under Water: The SS Eastland and the Shipwreck That Shook America". He offers a fascinating glimpse into the history of the ill-fated SS Eastland and recounts the story of the tragic sinking and its aftermath, including famed attorney Clarence Darrow's involvement in the trial that followed.

The author's website: https://ashesunderwater.com
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On December 20th, 1963, the city of Lorain, Ohio was rocked by the tragic (and odd) death of Florence Bennett. Her husband Casper had found her dead in their bathtub, scalded in its water. He claimed it had been an accident, but police believed he had drowned her.

My guest, David Miraldi, author of the acclaimed book "The Edge of Innocence: The Casper Bennett Trial" has a very personal connection to the story. His father was a civil trial attorney who defended Bennett in his sensational murder trial.

More about the author and his work at his website: https://davidmiraldi.com/
The author's Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B074HFMMKV
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